Coming Up Trumps: A Memoir by Jean Trumpington

Coming Up Trumps: A Memoir by Jean Trumpington lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Macmillan, 2014, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black and White Photographs;

From the cover: In this witty and characteristically trenchant memoir, the indomitable Jean Trumpington looks back on her long and remarkable life. The daughter of an officer in the Bengal Lancers and an American heiress, Jean Campbell-Harris was born into a world of considerable privilege, but the Wall Street Crash entirely wiped out her mothers fortune.

Leaving school at fifteen, without ever taking an exam, the young Jean was sent to Paris to study art and both French and German, but two years later, with the outbreak of the Second World War, she became a land girl on a farm owned by Lloyd George, a family friend however, she soon changed direction, joining naval intelligence at Bletchley Park, where she stayed for the rest of the war. After the war she worked first in Paris and then in New York, on Madison Avenue, with advertisings mad men. It was in New York that she met her husband, the historian Alan Barker, and their marriage, in 1954, ushered in the happiest period of her life -bringing up her only son, Adam, and becoming a not entirely conventional headmasters wife, before embarking on her distinguished political career, as a Cambridge City councillor, Mayor of Cambridge and, since 1980, a life peer.

Vivid, forthright and often very funny, Coming Up Trumps is a wonderfully readable account of a life very well lived.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [XIII] 236 pages. 8¾” x 5½”.

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

The Last Kaiser: William the Impetuous by Giles MacDonogh

The Last Kaiser: William the Impetuous by Giles MacDonogh lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Phoenix Press, 2001, Paperback.

First in this, paperback, edition. Illustrated by way of: Black and White Photographs;

From the cover: Prussias last King and Germanys last Kaiser was born in Potsdam in 1859, the son of Prince Frederick of Prussia and Princess Vicky, Queen Victorias eldest child.

William was born with a withered arm and suffered from cerebral palsy. Believed mad by some, eccentric by others, he possessed a ferocious temper, was rumoured to have sired numerous illegitimate children (and suspected of homosexual affairs) and yet appeared a prig. A power grabber who built a fleet targeted at Britain, he nevertheless idolised Queen Victoria who, he claimed, died in his arms.

William II was also a war monger whose sabre-rattling over Serbia brought about the First World War which cost him his own throne and his countrys defeat.

Near Fine.

[XII] 532 pages. Index. Bibliography. Trade Paperback (9¼” x 6″).

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

Jesus: The Evidence by Ian Wilson

Jesus: The Evidence by Ian Wilson lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1984, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: Detail of sixth-century encaustic icon of Jesus by courtesy of the Monastery of St Catherine, Sinai. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles; Maps to the endpapers and blanks; Genealogical Tables; Plans;

From the cover: Jesus Christ is unquestionably the most controversial and influential figure in the history of western civilization. For nearly twenty centuries the religion which bears his name has been a dominant force in the lives of ordinary people. It has played a major part in the political manoeuvrings of their leaders sometimes honourably, sometimes shamefully and has been an all-pervading influence in their culture. Today the Christian Church performs a unique role in the life of every western nation: millions are baptized, married and buried under the sign of the cross every year.

Jesus: the Evidence is a compelling, dispassionate appraisal of the facts surrounding the origins of Christianity. Drawing on all the most recent archaeological finds, including non-canonical gospel material, Ian Wilson examines a number of key historical questions. What evidence is there for the accepted story of Jesus life and resurrection? To what extent is this story the product of social, cultural and political forces? What do we really know of his teachings? Did hypnosis play a part in his healings? Did Jesus intend that a religion should be founded in his name?

To the committed Christian, the book offers a fascinating new perspective to his or her beliefs. To the sceptic it provides a convincing explanation of why the beliefs centred on this one man have proved so powerful and so pervasive.

Illustrated without recourse to traditional Old Master images, the book reconstructs the Jesus of history using all the available circumstantial evidence fragments of papyrus manuscripts and gospels, Roman graffiti and the earliest Christian art.

Jesus: the Evidence is the companion book to a major TV documentary series made by the prize-winning team who adapted for television Ian Wilsons earlier worldwide bestseller The Turin Shroud.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper.

Brown boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 207 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 7½”.

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

Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis by Ian Kershaw

Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis by Ian Kershaw lands on the shelves of my shop.

Allen Lane, 2000, Hardback in dust wrapper.

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

From the cover: WHETHER RIGHT OR WRONG, WE MUST WIN. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY. AND IT IS MORALLY RIGHT AND NECESSARY. AND WHEN WE HAVE WON, WHO WILL ASK US ABOUT THE METHOD? ADOLF HITLER, 1941

It is impossible to offer an adequate parallel to Hitlers situation in 1936. With the peaceful resolution of the Rhineland crisis, Hitler became both the adored object of the vast majority of Germans and an international symbol of modernity and dynamism. He managed this while in reality being the dictator of a system of single-minded viciousness new to human experience.

Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis is the definitive account of the twentieth centurys central figure. Drawing on a vast range of material and using the same skills that made Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris a bestseller around the world, lan Kershaw allows us to understand both the dictator himself and the society that made him.

Perhaps this books greatest achievement is to make clear the often conflicting dynamics that led from the seemingly stable, successful Germany of 1937 to the brutalized military state of the 1940s. By concentrating on the figure of Hitler, Kershaw both gives an immediacy and texture to these terrible events and shows the options available to Germany and its ruler at each point in the unfolding disaster. At the heart of the book lies Hitlers decision to unleash annihilatory war in the East and the terrifying new moral universe this brought into being: the degradation of enemies into beasts and the hatching of the Final Solution.

This is the story of a poisoned world and of a man who was both shaped by that world and to a catastrophic degree created it.

Good+ in Good+ Dust Wrapper. Gently bruised at the spine ends and corners with commensurate wear to the dust wrapper. Text complete, clean and tight.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [XLVI] 1115 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¼”.

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

Saint Saul: A Skeleton Key to the Historical Jesus by Donald Harman Akenson

Saint Saul: A Skeleton Key to the Historical Jesus by Donald Harman Akenson lands on the shelves of my shop.

Oxford University Press, 2002, Paperback.

First in this, paperback, edition.

From the cover: Recreating a time rich with prophets, savants, and god-drunk fanatics, Donald Harman Akenson shows that the answer to the most persistent question in Christianity What do we know about the historical Jesus? is best found in the writings of a caustic, itinerant preacher named Saul. The author of the Epistles and known to Christians as Saint Paul, Saul is the closest thing there is to a direct witness to Yeshua, as Jesus was known in his time, in something approaching the original.

Scholars agree that the Gospels were written after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. This catastrophic event forever altered the outlook and the agenda of the Christian and Jewish faiths. But of all the New Testament writings, only Pauls letters were composed before 70 CE. Thus they are the only direct evidence of Yeshua untainted by this profound shift in perspective. While Saul did not know Yeshua personally, he knew his most important followers, and wrote immediately after Yeshuas death. Furthermore, Sauls teachings were approved (though sometimes reluctantly) by Yeshuas brothers and other early leaders.

An eminent historian, Akenson approaches his subject with a fresh eye and a scholarly rigor that is all too rare in this hotly disputed field. The result is a vibrantly written and provocative book that will captivate anyone seeking to know more about the historical Jesus and the earliest Christians.

Near Fine.

[X] 346 pages. Index. Trade Paperback (9¼” x 6″).

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

Elizabeth’s Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman

Elizabeth’s Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman lands on the shelves of my shop.

Jonathan Cape, 2009, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Colour Plates;

From the cover: Elizabeth I was born into a world of women. As a child, she was served by a predominantly female household of servants and governesses, with occasional visits from her mother, Anne Boleyn, and the wives who later took her place. As Queen, she was constantly attended by ladies of the bedchamber and maids of honour who clothed her, bathed her and watched over her while she ate. Among her family, it was her female relations who had the greatest influence: from her sister Mary, who distrusted and later imprisoned her, to her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, who posed a constant and dangerous threat to her crown for almost thirty years.

Despite the importance of women in Elizabeths life, most historians and biographers have focused on her relationships with men. She has been portrayed as a mans woman who loved to flirt with the many ambitious young men who frequented her court. Yet it is the women in her life who provide the most fascinating insight into the character of this remarkable monarch. With them she was jealous, spiteful and cruel, as well as loyal, kind and protective. She showed her frailties and her insecurities, but also her considerable shrewdness and strength. In short, she was more human than the public persona she presented to the rest of the court.

In this original chronicling of the life of one of Englands greatest monarchs, historian Tracy Borman explores Elizabeths relationships with the key women in her life. Beginning with her mother and the governesses and stepmothers who cared for the young princess, including her beloved Kat Astley and the inspirational Katherine Parr, Elizabeths Women sheds new light on her formative years. Elizabeths turbulent relationships with her rivals are examined: from her sister, Bloody Mary, to the sisters of Lady Jane Grey, and finally the most deadly of all her rivals, Mary, Queen of Scots, who would give birth to the man Elizabeth would finally, inevitably, have to recognise as heir to her throne. These are the servants, friends and flouting wenches who brought out the best and the worst of Elizabeths carefully cultivated image as Gloriana, the Virgin Queen, in the glittering world of her court.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Leans otherwise a very well presented copy.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [XIII] 450 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¼”.

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

Decorative Printed Maps of the 15th to 18th Centuries: A Revised Edition of Old Decorative Maps and Charts by A.L. Humphreys by R. A. Raleigh Ashlin Skelton

Decorative Printed Maps of the 15th to 18th Centuries: A Revised Edition of Old Decorative Maps and Charts by A.L. Humphreys by R. A. [Raleigh Ashlin] Skelton lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Spring Books, 1965, Hardback in dust wrapper.

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

From the cover: This handsomely illustrated book provides a survey of maps printed from copper plates or wood-blocks between the 15th and 18th centuries. In these four centuries, from the birth of map-printing to the eve of scientific cartography, the printed map was the chief vehicle of popular geographical ideas. It was also, and still is, a source of visual pleasure. The early map-makers deficiencies of knowledge and technique encouraged him to exercise his sense of fitness in design and his ingenuity in the decoration of his work. The design of his maps was controlled no less by the tools and processes used in engraving and printing than by the public for whom they were made and by the commercial channels through which they were circulated.

These topics have received little notice in most general works on cartography and they are given special attention in this volume. The 86 reproductions, 12 of which are in full colour, serve as a specimen book to illustrate the development of map-design and decoration. Originally published as Old Decorative Maps and Charts by A. L. Humphreys, an entirely new text was later written by Mr. R. A. Skelton, Superintendent of the Map Room in the British Museum and Honorary Secretary of the Hakluyt Society. For the present edition a new bibliography has been provided listing some of the more important works which have appeared during the past twelve years.

The Introduction describes the techniques used for engraving and printing maps, the history of the map-trade, the development of the symbols, lettering, decoration and colouring of maps, some problems in the dating and study of engraved maps, their mortality, and the history of map-collecting. Each of the chapters that follow is associated with one group of plates and includes a short essay on it, a select bibliography, and notes on each of the plates. The scope of the book is world-wide and its particular aim is to provide answers, in straightforward terms, to many questions commonly asked by collectors and students of early maps. It will also appeal to many readers who have no specialised knowledge of the subject and may encourage them to explore this rewarding field of study in greater detail.

Good+ in Good Dust Wrapper. Unlaminated dust wrapper a little edgeworn and faded with loss at the spine ends and corners. Now protected in a removable mylar sleeve. Edges of the text block lightly spotted. Tanning to the blanks. The pages are somewhat tanned, if tight, and a little musty.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [VIII] 80 pages. Index. 11¼” x 8¾”.

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

American historical glass : historical association adds distinction to glassware. by Bessie M. Lindsey

American historical glass : historical association adds distinction to glassware. by Bessie M. Lindsey lands on the shelves of my shop.

Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1980, Hardback in dust wrapper.

4th printing. [First Published: 1967] Illustrated by way of: Black and White Photographs;

From the cover: ORIGINALLY published in 1948 as a two-volume series entitled Lore of Our Land Pictured in Glass , the reprinting of this combined edition is our attempt to extend the hope that author Bessie M. Lindsey had for her readers when she undertook to have the work published by financing it herself.

What people did yesterday, what people do today, what people will do tomorrow are all chapters in one book, she maintained. To know just one chapter is not enough for our best interests. It spurs us to learn how the human spirit has risen, through struggle and hardship, from the depths to the peak of spiritual intelligence, as shown by the things people have done.

Bessie Lindsey chose to show just what people have done by the historical moments commemorated on the hundreds of platters, cups, goblets, and other household items all made of glass, with much of it crystal which she collected over a long period of years. Concerned with the history of the U. S. , the collection has interesting and curious items covering events as far back as the discovery of America by Columbus. Her glassware then proceeds to tell us the story of the Colonials, the development of an independent United States, and takes us through World War I.

In addition to telling the story of America, the collection exemplifies the progress that the glass industry underwent since the first short-lived glass manufactory was established in 1608. Author Lindseys earlier flasks and paperweights are rather simple and made from crude glass, but many of the rest, attesting to the rapid development of the craft, are made of clear, highly refractive material. The gradual elaboration of the pieces indicates the creativeness of the artisans of early America and the discoveries of new processes in cutting, blowing, etching, etc.

History is a story, the author states. A great story, about folks. It is thrilling, because people have done thrilling things. Most tales are daring and noble. Some are wicked and depressing. All are interesting.

Loving life as she did, it is understandable why the author chose to publish the volumes on her collection of glassware. It is obvious she wished to share with her fellow man, these interesting aspects of life that people chose to record for posterity.

Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper with heavy sunning to the spine. Leans slightly. Edges of the text block lightly spotted. Text complete, clean and tight.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine & Upper Board. [XXVIII] 541 pages. Index. 9¼” x 6¼”.

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

The Birth of Europe: Colliding Continents and the Destiny of Nations by Michael Alford Andrews

The Birth of Europe: Colliding Continents and the Destiny of Nations by Michael Alford Andrews lands on the shelves of my shop.

British Broadcasting Corporation [B.B.C. BBC], 1991, Hardback in dust wrapper.

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

From the cover: The Birth of Europe is the epic tale of the formation and development of Europe and European civilization. From the moment when the continents split to the present quest to save the continent from ecological disaster this book traces the story of its continual change.

Geology preceded history the movements of rocks, the changing of climates and the fertility of soils have all had their impact on mankind. Settlements, agriculture, mining, trade, even wars have all been shaped by the presence or absence of metals, minerals or soil. Without the silver mines of Laurion, Thermistocles could not have saved the Greeks, and Western civilization, from the Persians. Hitler could not have had his Blitzkrieg without Swedish iron-ore to build his Panzer tanks and a supply of petroleum.

Geology is not about static rocks rocks move, sometimes violently and over vast distances. Stones which were once a part of Africa are now on top of the Matterhorn. Today, Africa continues to push into Europe. The Alps are rising and Vesuvius ticks like a time-bomb.

The geological foundations of Europe have influenced the fate of peoples, industries and nations, explaining why the Vikings sailed to Sicily, why Paris starved on the eve of the French Revolution and why the Industrial Revolution started in England. From the first use of materials to the discovery of uranium the history of Europe has been the legacy of its geology.

This fascinating book is lavishly illustrated with stunning colour photography which brings to life important moments of Europes development through thousands and millions of years. The history of Europe has been told many times but The Birth of Europe tells it from a new standpoint, that of human interaction with the environment, drawing new and exciting conclusions about the extraordinary success and hope for the future of this remarkable continent. To understand Europe you need to read The Birth of Europe.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Small dings to the top of the upper panel. Leans slightly. Text complete, clean and tight.

Grey boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 288 pages. Index. Bibliography. 11″ x 8¾”.

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

Traveller’s History of Britain and Ireland by Richard Muir

Traveller’s History of Britain and Ireland by Richard Muir lands on the shelves of my shop.

Bloomsbury Books, 1992, Hardback in dust wrapper.

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

From the cover: The 54 sites include the Avebury Complex in Wiltshire; the Pictish Stones of north-east Scotland; Offas Dyke in Wales; the Sedgemoor battlefield in Somerset; Bunratty Folk Park in Ireland; the West Yorkshire Wool Complex.

The book also has entries on scores of nearby places of interest, enabling the touring visitor to plan a fascinating itinerary.

A unique feature of this book is the Phototips section after each chapter, in which the author shows how the amateur photographer can obtain more original results.

Very Good in Good+ Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper, nearly fraying at the corners of the upper panel. Previous owners’ inscription to the first blank. Text complete, clean and tight otherwise.

Matching Pictorial boards. 304 pages. Index. 10¼” x 8¾”.

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