Book picks similar to
London Interiors: From the Archives of Country Life by John Cornforth


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The Mistress of Mayfair: Men, Money and the Marriage of Doris Delevingne


Lyndsy Spence - 2016
    Marrying each other in pursuit of the finer things in life, their unlikely union was tempestuous from the off, rocked by affairs (with a whole host of society figures, including Cecil Beaton, Diana Mitford and Winston Churchill, amongst others) on both sides, and degenerated into one of London’s bitterest, and most talked about, divorce battles. In this compelling new book, Lyndsy Spence follows the rise and fall of their relationship, exploring their decadent society lives in revelatory detail and offering new insight into some of the mid twentieth century’s most prominent figures.

'Nam Raw: Excerpts from 24 Vietnam War Combat Memoirs


Staff of McFarland - 2016
    Drawn from 24 full-length memoirs and interviews, all published by McFarland (and available separately in complete editions), these excerpts offer important, gripping and provocative stories from men and women who were forever changed by their experiences in the war. They represent the perspectives of Army infantry, forward observers, a journalist, a combat bandsman, Marines, pilots and nurses. 'Nam Raw includes excerpts from the following titles: The Hump (Al Conetto) Lullabies for Lieutenants (Franklin Cox) Mad Minutes and Vietnam Months (Micheal Clodfelter) Alone, Unarmed and Unafraid (Taylor Eubank) Killer Kane (Andrew R. Finlayson) Stained with the Mud of Khe (Sanh Rodger Jacobs) Scrappy (Howard C. "Scrappy" Johnson and Ian A. O'Connor) Cammie Up! (Steven A. Johnson) Pucker Factor 10 (James Joyce) Crucible Vietnam (A.T. Lawrence) Ghosts and Shadows (Phil Ball) Eye of the Tiger (John Edmund Delezen) Vietnam-Perkasie (W.D. Ehrhart) Rice Paddy Recon (Andrew R. Finlayson) Quang Tri Cadence (Jon Oplinger) Vietnam War Nurses (Patricia Rushton) Runway Visions (David Kirk Vaughan) The Crouching Beast (Frank Boccia) Combat Bandsman (Robert F. Fischer) Tail End Charlie (Ronald John Jensen) The Ghosts of Thua Thien (John A. Nesser) Hornet 33 (Ed Denny) War Stories (Conrad M. Leighton) Fighting Shadows in Vietnam (Michael P. Moynihan, Jr.)

This Old Thing: Fall in Love with Vintage Clothes


Dawn O'Porter - 2014
    Are you fed up of the same old high street shops? Are you bored of your wardrobe? Do you fear arriving at a party and seeing someone wearing the same thing as you? Yes? Then it sounds like you're in need of a modern vintage makeover! This Old Thing is here to show you that vintage shopping doesn't have to mean rummaging through old cardigans at a car boot sale - instead, let Dawn introduce you to a world of beautiful and unique fashion treasures, and show you how to create a glamorous personal style that is all your own. Packed full of insider vintage fashion know-how, This Old Thing will take you through the history behind your fashion favourites (including the classic Little Black Dress...) advise you on how to find gorgeous vintage jewels of your own, and show you how a few simple tricks can turn an old item of clothing into a fabulous prized possession. Whether you're a vintage virgin or a retro clothing addict, This Old Thing is an indispensable style handbook offering even more of the vintage hints, history and how-tos shared by Dawn in the new Channel 4 series.

INCOMING!: Memories of a Combat Medic: Growing Up Poor, Getting Drafted to Vietnam, Coming Home and Coming Out.


Larry Sanders - 2019
    Then one day I found myself in a foreign country carrying an M-16 rifle and a medical bag fighting a war I knew little about. Within weeks of my arrival in Vietnam the Tet Offensive exploded all around me, changing my life, the war, and the entire world. I witnessed death on a daily basis and became known as Baby-san Bac-si, the baby-faced combat medic.

The Fable of the Bees


Bernard Mandeville - 1989
    Each was a defence and elaboration of his short satirical poem The Angry Hive, 1705. The version of the Fable of 1723 and 1732 are the fullest defences of his early paradox that social benefit is the unintended consequence of personal vice. It is an argument that is generally held to lie behind Adam Smith's doctrine of the 'hidden hand' of economic development.

Haunted London Underground


David Brandon - 2008
    Particular stations and abandoned lines, many of which are in close proximity to burial sites from centuries ago, have given rise to unexplained events. This chilling book reveals well-known and hitherto unpublished tales of spirits, specters, and other spooky occurrences on one of the oldest railway networks in the world. The stories of sightings include the ghost of an actress regularly witnessed on Aldywch Station and the "Black Nun" at Bank Station. Eerie noises, such as the cries of 13 year-old Anne Naylor, who was murdered in 1758 at Farringdon Station, and the screams of children who were in an accident at Bethnal Green Station during World War II, are still heard echoing down the stations. These and many more ghostly accounts are recorded in fascinating detail in this book, which is a must-read for anyone interested in the mysterious and murky history of London’s Underground.

District Nurse


Patricia Jordan - 1977
    She leaves behind a close-knit family and a failed romance in Ireland to begin training in Barnet and Middlesex. She early on treats a patient who eventually becomes her husband and means that she accepts a job in the north of England that takes her first by bicycle and then in an unreliable little car, into the homes of the people who need her care. In DISTRICT NURSE, she brings to life everyone she encounters, from the doctors and other nurses to the diverse and always compelling patients. It is a captivating personal account of a life spent helping others.

Uhtred the Bold: Earls of Northumbria Book 1


H.A. Culley - 2019
    Culley does an artful job of piecing together a story line that parallels what is known. Strong writing of the characters and a good dose of action and intrigue make a worthy read. H A Culley has long been a favourite of mine and this book does not disappoint. Really enjoyed this series. The books skip along at a good pace. The characters both real and fictional are brought to life in medieval Britain. ABOUT THE BOOK This novel follows on from H A Culley's successful series about the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria Many will have heard of Bernard Cornwall’s hero, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, but what of the real Uhtred? He was an Anglo-Saxon noble of the tenth and eleventh century who became Earl of Northumbria. This novel is based on Uhtred’s life. In the late tenth century Northumbria was surrounded by potential enemies: the Scots to the North, the Danes in the South of the region and Viking raiders from across the North Sea. Uhtred, the elder son of the Earl of Bernicia, fights and wins his first battle against a horde of Norsemen when he is fourteen and continues to face external enemies throughout his life. However, he has to contend with enemies within his own family as well. His father is jealous of his success and disowns him and his younger brother wants him dead so that he can succeed to the earldom. He survives several attempts on his life but then the Scots invade and besiege Durham, where Uhtred has left his wife and child believing it to be a place of safety. He must unite the disparate parts of Northumbria under his leadership if he is to stand any chance of defeating the Scots invaders and so save his family. Meanwhile, across the sea Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and Norway, and his son Cnut make plans to invade Northumbria as a prelude to seizing the English throne.

A Year In Vietnam With The 101st Airborne: 1969-1970


Harry G. Enoch - 2012
    Drafted out of graduate school and trained in the infantry, he spent a year with the 101st Airborne. This work is a journal of the experience, a day to day description of what it was like in a "grunt unit" fighting in the Central Highlands, dealing with the heat, the bugs, the rain, the endless patrolling in the villages and mountains, the ever present boredom and occasional violence. It's not all exciting action but it's always real.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip: Six Decades of Love, Marriage and Monarchy (Royal Couples Book 1)


Jessica Jayne - 2012
    Theirs was not an arranged marriage but a love match. This book will show you a love story that transcended the times and remained strong unto this day.What’s InsideThe Queen and her Consort are celebrities in their own right, and their lives have always had that quality that made them interesting for ordinary people. Every little thing about them was a thing of wonder, and you’ll be surprised to know:• How old Elizabeth was when she fell in love with a dashing young man named Philip• How they nurtured their relationship amid the war and in their separation as they go about their duties• Why Philip gave up his naval career• The circumstances that led to Elizabeth being the Queen, and what it meant for her and Philip• The last-minute glitches that occurred on the day of the couple’s highly publicized wedding• Why it was difficult for Philip to find his own role within the royal family• Why the House of Windsor remained as it is and not the House of Mountbatten-Windsor following the couple’s wedding, and what the Queen did as a compromise for her husband• The problems they encountered as a married couple, and how their marriage remained intact when those of their children’s crumbled…Table Of ContentsChapter 1 – The Future QueenChapter 2 – The Future ConsortChapter 3 – The CourtshipChapter 4 – The Wedding of the CenturyChapter 5 – Between Family and DutiesChapter 6 – The Queen’s CoronationChapter 7 – The Queen and the ConsortChapter 8 – The Modern TimesWhy Buy NowThe intertwining lives of Queen Elizabeth II and her faithful consort, Prince Philip, is an interesting read, mainly for what it is, the workings of a love story. Theirs is an inspiration for many people, a testimony of how love, respect, and tolerance (in Philip’s word) carried their marriage through the good and the bad times and emerged to become the longest married couple in the history of British monarchy. Take part in that history and read this book.

Thea's Parrot


Marcia Willett - 1995
    Just about everyone knows of George's long-standing affair with Felicity Mainwaring, the intimidating wife of a naval colleague. Her husband's death the previous year had prompted many to speculate that George would end up marrying his formidable mistress. No one expected it more than Felicity herself and as her letters and calls to George go unanswered she becomes suspicious. He somehow manages to duck Felicity's attempts to contact him long enough to marry Thea, and the couple embark on a harmonious life together in the heart of rural Devon. Thea enjoys matrimony immensely and through the naval network, finds a soul mate in Polly, another youthful bride, but not with such an understanding husband. But everything changes for Thea and George when she mentions that an old friend of his had dropped in for a chat while he was in London - Felicity Mainwaring.

The Streets


Anthony Quinn - 2012
    As an 'inspector' for Henry Marchmont's hugely successful weekly The Labouring Classes of London, his job is to investigate the notorious slum of Somers Town, near the new St Pancras Station, recording house by house the number of inhabitants, their occupations and standard of living. By mapping the streets in this way, Marchmont intends to show the world the stark realities of poverty in its greatest city. Befriended by Jo, a young coster, and his sister Roma, David comes to learn the slang of the hawkers and traders, sharpers and scavengers, magsmen and mobsmen, who throng the teeming byways of Somers Town. It is a place of Darwinian struggle for survival. And the deeper he penetrates the everyday squalor and destitution the more appalled he is by mounting evidence that someone is making a profit from people's suffering. A dinner at the Kensington home of his godfather Sir Martin Elder introduces him to Kitty, Elder's only daughter, and to a cabal of prominent citizens who have been plotting a radical solution to the problem of London's poor. David belatedly realises that a conspiracy is afoot. Passionate but reckless in his urge to uncover it he finds his life in danger, sustained only by the faithfulness of a friend and, ultimately, the love of a woman. In The Streets Anthony Quinn reconstructs an unforgettable picture of Victorian London, encompassing the extremes of privilege and privation, from the baronial mansions of the rich to the 'whited tombs' of the slums. With shocking poignancy and pin-sharp detail he brings to life a world of terrible degradation, yet one redeemed by dark comedy, profound fellow-feeling and the enduring possibility of love.

The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It


Sharrie Williams - 2010
    Mabel’s simple beauty trick ignited Tom Lyle’s imagination and he started what would become a billion-dollar business, one that remains a viable American icon after nearly a century. He named it Maybelline in her honor.Throughout the 20th century, the Maybelline Company inflated, collapsed, endured, and thrived in tandem with the nation’s upheavals—as did the family that nurtured it. Setting up shop first in Chicago, Williams later, to avoid unwanted scrutiny of his private life, cloistered himself behind the gates of his Rudolph Valentino Villa and ran his empire from a distance. Now after nearly a century of silence, this true story celebrates the life of an American entrepreneur, a man whose vision rocketed him to success along with the woman held in his orbit, Evelyn Boecher—who became his lifelong fascination and muse.Captivated by her “roaring charisma,” he affectionately called her the “real Miss Maybelline” and based many of his advertising campaigns on the woman she represented: commandingly beautiful, hard-boiled and daring. Evelyn masterminded a life of vanity, but would fall prey to fortune hunters and a mysterious murder that even today remains unsolved. A fascinating and inspiring story, a tale both epic and intimate, alive with the clash, the hustle, the music, and dance of American enterprise.

The Living Room


Graham Greene - 1954
    Graham Greene's first play (1953), dealing with sin and salvation, illustrates Shaw's line, "You can't make a man a Christian unless you first make him believe he is a sinner."

RedCon 1: Memoirs of a Fallujah Marine


Michael Scot Smith - 2014
    Most of them are honorable, but in the end, they are just attempts.Michael S. Smith’s memoir, on the other hand, is the reality of modern combat.Gear up and settle in, but don’t get too comfortable—you’re joining a platoon of United States Marine Corps scouts as they make their way through a pre-deployment workup, a transition to the Middle East, and ultimately into Operation Al Fajr, an assault to retake Fallujah, Iraq. It will be the largest and deadliest American battle since Hue City, Vietnam. The memoir is a microscopic and unwavering look at personal interactions, struggles, nightmares, and scars of the men in the platoon, its 1st Section in particular. They grow from an untested unit into a seasoned group of combat veterans. In addition to life amid the horrors of death and destruction, Smith also delivers the hilarity lost in most accounts of war, which the men must maintain in order to keep their sanity.You’re going to be frightened as you slug it out with the enemy, but with that come unwavering friendships forged in battle and the irrefutable honor in the defense of freedom.