Author:Martin Dufferwiel
The historic City of Durham is now over 1,000 years old. With its magnificent Norman Cathedral and Castle it has become a world famous tourist attraction, the outstanding importance of which was recognised in 1987 when it was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.Martin Dufferveil's book is a celebration of this unique City and of the Country that has grown up around it, from the day in AD 995 when a group of monks carrying the coffin of St Cuthbert settled on what was then known as the 'Dunholm' to the present time. From the original site on the high wooded rock, a settlement began to take shape. It was one which would be swelled by pilgrims and made wealthy by their offerings, and which would eventually become one of the most important sites of religious pilgrimage and military power in England. Many events and people have, throughout the last millennium, lit up the long story of Durham, in both fact and fable. This book recalls some of them. Wars, saints, kings and mythical beasts are all included in this tale of over 1,000 years as are surveyors, locomotive engineers and miners. It is all here from the long sagas of the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War, to the legendary Lampton Worm; from Canute the Great, Viking Emperor, to murder most foul at Gutty Throat Farm; and from the ravages of William the Conqueror, to the bizarre plan to turn Durham City into a port. Steam locomotives for the Tsar of Russia and Dixieland in the USA both had their origins here in Durham, and both feature in this book.
Tracy Borman tells this story with a steady eye and a steady hand, tracing what can be known of Matilda's part in the events that were to change the course of English history
—— Helen Castor , Literary ReviewBorman shows that Matilda was a capable regent and political operator... Matilda remains relevant: one legacy is her bloodline, which still rules in Britain today
—— Sunday TimesA richly layered treatment of a stormy reign
—— KirkusBorman moves deftly between the difficult written sources... The often scanty details of Matilda's life are given more rounded form by viewing them in context
—— History TodayBorman has expertly forged an absorbing biography from fragments of her personal history
—— IndependentThis being the year of the Queen’s Jubilee, we should expect an avalanche of books celebrating every aspect of her life and reign, but I shall be very surprised if any turns out to be more revealing and engaging than this thoughtful study by the veteran Royal watcher Robert Hardman
—— Mail on SundayDelectable biography
—— TelegraphHardman’s Our Queen is the closest thing to an official jubilee portrait. It is thoroughly researched.
—— Times Literary Supplement[A] superb book.
—— Sunday TelegraphAs this book immodestly reveals, Tony Blair was, and remains, a remarkable influence on politics, both domestically and internationally
—— Menzies Campbell , Scotland on SundayWhat makes his memoir so absorbing as it swings from clever phrase-making and thoughtful contemporary history to wince-inducing self-analysis, is that he is the first of a generation of politicians to conduct their craft as if observing themselves from an amused an admiring distance - and then to write about it. No recent politician has examines his own motives and psychology quite so candidly
—— John Rentoul , The IndependentIt is the small revelations about the character of Blair that make this book worthwhile
—— Ross Clark , The ExpressIt's a gripping insight into the ex-PM's ten years of power . . . It will take a lot for many people to read his own take on the rise and fall of New Labour, but those that do might be reminded of the charm and vision that swept him to power
—— News of the WorldI have read many a prime ministerial memoir and none of the other authors has been as self-deprecating, as willing to admit mistakes and to tell jokes against themselves
—— Mary Ann Sieghart , The IndependentPaints a candid picture of his friend and rival, Gordon Brown, and of their relationship
—— Patrick Hennessy , The Sunday Telegraph
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