DC Confidential by Christopher Meyer

DC Confidential by Christopher Meyer lands on the shelves of my shop.

Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005, Hardback in dust wrapper.

8th impression. [First Edition: 2005] Illustrated by way of: Colour Photographs;

From the cover: Christopher Meyer was Ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 2005, during which time he was an eyewitness to and participant in the events following 9/11 and the preparations for the Iraq war. Never before has there been such a riveting and candid memoir of life behind the diplomatic scenes. Meyers is a very personal chronicle of what he saw, what he heard and how he felt.

Good+ in Good+ Dust Wrapper. Gently bruised at the spine ends and corners with commensurate wear to the dust wrapper, foot of the reverse of the dust wrapper has been tape repaired. Text complete, clean and tight.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 301 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

The Lost Villages of England by Maurice Beresford

The Lost Villages of England by Maurice Beresford lands on the shelves of my shop.

Sutton Publishing, 1998, Paperback.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Charts; Maps; Tables; Fold-Out Maps [1]; Plans;

From the cover: Among existing villages in the English countryside are the sites of many others which have not survived, though six hundred years ago they were no different from their neighbours. This pioneering study locates the sites of Englands lost villages, describing the occasion of their depopulation and the character of those who destroyed them. Aerial photographs and ground plans of characteristic sites are included, together with maps to show the local distribution of lost villages. There is also a gazetteer, listing the villages by county.

First published in 1954, The Lost Villages of England combines the study of local, social and economic history, geography and domestic architecture. Maurice Beresfords work on lost villages was ground-breaking and in many respects has not been superseded, even where later research has modified his original work. Later generations of historians have built on this work, which, as Professor Christopher Dyer writes in his introduction to this edition, is one of those rare books that invent a new subject for investigation and debate.

In addition to the exhaustive county lists, there are detailed accounts of lost villages in Warwickshire and Yorkshire, and a chapter on methodology and approaches. This classic text will be an essential guide for all local historians, archaeologists and students of the medieval and early modern periods.

Introduction by: Christopher Dyer

In the Sutton History Handbooks series.

Very Good. Tanning to the margins of the wrappers and the edges of the text block. Text complete, clean and tight.

[XXXVII] 445 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¾.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Lancaster: The History of Britain’s Most Famous World War II Bomber by Christopher Chant

Lancaster: The History of Britain’s Most Famous World War II Bomber by Christopher Chant lands on the shelves of my shop.

Parragon, 2009, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Colour Photographs;

From the cover: The Avro Lancaster is the aircraft most associated with the heroic efforts of Bomber Command in World War II. During the course of the war, the Lancaster force flew more than 600,000 tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties.

Developed from the twin-engined Avro Manchester, the Lancasters design was so essentially right from its first flight that there were only a few developments of the basic bomber, which proved itself capable of employing ever more sophisticated bombing aids for the delivery of ever-larger weapons, culminating in the 9979kg (22,0001b) Grand Slam, the largest single bomb dropped by the British in World War II.

This book traces the development and operational record of the Lancaster, from first-line bomber service in World War II to later developments including the Lincoln bomber, York and Lancastrian transports, and the Shackleton maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which itself evolved into an airborne early warning aircraft that remained in service up to 1992.

With over 110 colour and black-and-white photographs and artworks illustrating the Lancaster in action and from all angles, this book tells the spectacular and enthralling story of this legendary aircraft, and of the men who flew it to victory.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Matching Pictorial boards. 96 pages. Index. 11½” x 9¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Off the Beaten Track: A Traveller’s Anthology by Laura Stoddart

Off the Beaten Track: A Traveller’s Anthology by Laura Stoddart lands on the shelves of my shop.

Orion, 2002, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated with line drawings.

From the cover: A book of brief quotations about travel and exploration from those who love to get off the beaten track and those who wish theyd stayed at home.

Here you will read advice to the traveller -and reflections from travellers from many centuries: Captain Cook confidently declaring that no man will ever venture further than he has, Richard Burton musing on how to keep a wife alive in the tropics, Edward Lear being seasick crossing the Channel, and the unreliable Sir John Mandeville spinning his travellers tales.

Intrepid travellers such as Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Marco Polo, Lady Mary Wortley Montague, Mary Kingsley, Isabella Bird, Captain Scott and Freya Stark all of them are here, some of them awestruck at the majesty of their surroundings and others distinctly unimpressed.

Laura Stoddarts delicious illustrations seize on the unexpected, and make a comment on what the author doesnt say. Her many admirers will find this wittily chosen anthology has all the charm of her Up the Garden Path. .

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 80 pages. 7¾” x 6″.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!