Author:Alan Titchmarsh
Discover Jane Austen's real-life inspiration for Darcy's Pemberley.
Follow Alan into Chatsworth's irresistible world of visionaries, pioneers, heroes, villains and English eccentrics, and celebrate the men and women who have shaped the history of the estate over five centuries. With his passionate knowledge of both the house and gardens, as well as his long-established relationship with the Cavendish family, Alan is the perfect guide with whom to explore the Palace of the Peaks.
Featuring stunning, specially commissioned photography of the gardens and parkland, alongside long-forgotten images and memorabilia newly unearthed in the estate archives, this vivid companion, crowded with character and colour, is a book to treasure and revisit over and over again.
Impressive... A radical account of Spain's fate in modern times
—— Martin Chilton , IndependentThis book is impressively researched and admirably dispassionate, and will rightfully become the standard survey of modern Spain available in the English language
—— Gerard DeGroot , The TimesMagnificent... Townson is a leading historian of the country... this stunning and long-overdue pursuit of the truth is his masterpiece
—— Simon Heffer , TelegraphA detailed survey of political, economic and social history, illuminating many of the trends, tensions and power players that have influenced the course of Spain's modern era
—— SpectatorThis is the best account in a single volume of Spain since 1898, exemplary for concision and for accuracy in the use of language, as well as for equanimity and generosity of spirit ... The Penguin History of Modern Spain explicitly addresses foreigners, taking no knowledge for granted, but Spaniards would do well to heed it
—— TLSNigel Townson has produced a superb synthesis of the new Spanish history, while offering an original and arresting narrative of his own.
—— Professor José Álvarez Junco, Complutense University of MadridNigel Townson's compelling analysis of twentieth-century Spain combines a deep knowledge of European history with the novelist's eye for the telling detail.
—— Professor Michael Seidman, University of North CarolinaTownson provides an engaging and accessible account of Spain's tumultuous twentieth century. Convincingly dismantling the myth of Spanish exceptionalism, he shows that the lights and shadows of modern Spanish history can only be properly understood in the broader European context. This is a compelling and even-handed book
—— Julius Ruiz, Edinburgh UniversityA veritable tour de force, this account of Spain's long twentieth century is a model of clarity, organization and economy alike, whilst at the same time offering interpretations that are as bold as they are original
—— Professor Emeritus Charles J. Esdaile, FRHistS, University of LiverpoolNigel Townson's book provides a marvellous overview of more than one hundred years of Spanish history. It is based on wide-ranging research, original in approach and accessible in style
—— Professor Tom Buchanan, University of OxfordA splendid study, a true magnum opus. This is absolutely the best history of twentieth-century Spain in either language
—— Professor Stanley Payne, University of Wisconsin-MadisonImpressive
—— Tony Barber , Financial TimesCompelling ... Impressively for a book that covers a long and tumultuous era, Townson makes space for recent research, much of which will be new to the general reader ... An up-to-date history of modern Spain is a mammoth task, but one which Townson is well placed to attempt
—— Dr Mercedes Peñalba-Sotorrío , History TodayIt is a joy to know that so many of these wonderful buildings have been saved, and to learn about them through this book.
—— Anne de Courcy , SpectatorFrom the Beatles to lions in safari parks, stately homes were saved by some unlikely samaritans, as Tinniswood charts in this brilliant social history of great houses after the Second World War
—— Daily TelegraphStone's new book is as up-to-date an overview as you are likely to find ... he presents a strong argument that the Holocaust should be understood as the result of ideological beliefs [and] ... illuminates with great sympathy and insight a history of continuing suffering and prejudice ... This is an outstanding book: well written, deeply felt, always perceptive and exhibiting considerable knowledge of decades of Holocaust scholarship. It will become the standard work in English on the subject for some time to come
—— Bill Niven , History TodayStone's deeply humane account draws on an array of testimonies from some of the most observant and perceptive victims, and he uses these to devastating effect ... a well-written history of the Holocaust and its aftermath, with accomplished use of eyewitness accounts ... Dan Stone remains an important and eloquent voice in the field of Holocaust studies
—— Alex J Kay , ProspectA timely study of the holocaust that indicates the dangers of selectively misremembering it ... vital ... offers a detailed examination of the many roots of Nazism
—— Gordon Parson , Morning StarRiveting... Ridley brings new insight to George's personal life... Well-researched and entertaining, this book offers a vluable reassessment of a king who shaped modern Britain
—— Heather Jones , BBC History Magazine[A] graceful, funny book... Ridley offers fine-grained and astute sketches of members of the king's entourage as they came and went
—— Michael Ledger-Lomas , London Review of BooksOutstanding . . . richly entertaining
—— Geoffrey Wheatcroft , New York Review of BooksA gifted writer (een begenadigd schrijver)
—— De TelegraafThe book which impressed me most, and which I most enjoyed, this year is Andrew Roberts's George III. It is based on such astonishingly wide-ranging and original research that I felt I was reading about the period for the first time. Unknown facts and wonderful anecdotes had me turning the pages with a curiosity I seldom feel when reading about supposedly familiar events. Andrew Roberts is remarkably even-handed, and there is no special pleading on behalf of this genuinely misunderstood and wilfully misrepresented monarch who did his best to be a good constitutional ruler during a very choppy period in British history.
—— Adam Zamoyski , Aspects of History Books of the Yearmeticulously researched ... an eye-opening portrait of the man and his times
A deep, expansive study not only of George III but also of the political and social complexities of England and the United States during his reign.
—— Kathleen McCallister , Library Journala deeply textured portrait of George III [and] a capacious, prodigiously researched biography from a top-shelf historian.
—— Kirkusan outstanding and surprisingly moving portrait of a misunderstood king, distinguished by refreshing revisionism but also illuminated by deep humanity.
—— Simon Sebag Montefiore , Spectator World Books of the YearRoberts is in a rich vein of form at present; after bestselling books on Napoleon and Churchill, yet another masterpiece has tumbled from his pen.
—— Dan Jones , The Good Web GuideRoberts has been justly acclaimed as one of his generation's leading historians ... His new biography seeks to challenge popular myths about the monarch. ... Roberts, employing the same flair for original research and ability to convey historical context and vivid prose that he used in previous books ... thoroughly debunks all the assumptions most people have about the king.
—— Jonathan Tobin , Washington Examinerexhaustively researched and written in accessible, non-jargony prose. Meticulous and forensic, it sometimes reads like a defense counsel's case for his client ... Roberts's defense of George III, though, is the fullest, the clearest, and likely to be the most definitive.
—— Robert G. Ingram , National ReviewRoberts has painted a masterful portrait of a patriotic, diligent and cultivated monarch. ... This new biography is a treasure-house of detail. ... George III is an engaging, humane and at times beautiful testament to the importance of giving our ancestors a fair hearing.
—— Harrison Pitt , European Conservative