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Secrets of The National Archives
Secrets of The National Archives
Oct 19, 2024 1:34 AM

Author:Richard Taylor,National Archives

Secrets of The National Archives

The National Archives is one of the most remarkable collections of documents in the world, holding over 120 miles of papers. In 2010 the staff at the Archives were asked to select their favourite document. The results of this poll form the basis of this book, skilfully curated by bestselling author Richard Taylor. Each of the documents has a timeless quality, acting as a true testament to a moment in history. The Magna Carta is a document sealed in a damp field in Surrey, yet is deferred to centuries later by Governments and Courts around the world; a parchment letter written by a terrified young girl pleading for her life paves the way for the girl to become Elizabeth I; the first example of musical notation is discovered on the back of another document; the actual telegram sent from a sinking Titanic remains heart-rending today; a ship's log written by Captain Cook, at anchor in Botany Bay, records his first encounter with Australian Aborigines. Far from being dusty documents from the past, these papers twinkle with life and resonate powerfully today. Fully illustrated, this book allows us to glimpse history as it really happened.

Reviews

Secrets of The National Archives provides a fascinating sample of the extraordinary and often unexpected treasures which are the essence of our history.

—— Antony Beevor

A wonderful book to browse through.

—— Keith Simpson , Iaindale.com

A top notch spy thriller

—— Time

An original and inventive approach to tackling empire ... This is a book which is experienced through the life on the streets, in the buildings and across the physical layout of large urban centres, where jostled men and women of different races and creeds ... readable and engaging ... It is a work of great ambition ... impressive

—— Kwasi Kwarteng , Standpoint

A tantalising history... A panoramic survey of the witch craze that swept through Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

—— John Carey , Sunday Times

Moving and spirited.

—— Anne Somerset , Literary Review

Excellent.

—— Thomas Quinn , Big Issue

Borman provides a fascinating account of the circumstances surrounding the case.

—— Amanda Foreman , Mail on Sunday

This is an entertaining piece of research that brings back to life three women who had the misfortune to live during a period that was terrified of the unknown and sought to tame that fear by turning it into a handful of dust.

—— Robert Douglas-Fairhurst , Telegraph

As a work on the horrific treatment of witches throughout history, in particular the 16th and 17th centuries, it is shocking and illuminating.

—— Caroline Jowett , Scottish Daily Express

Fascinating history of witchcraft in England… An immensely readable and never less than gripping account of a society in flux and the women who suffered to enable its stability.

—— Sara Keating , Sunday Business Post

Absorbing.

—— Robert Douglas-Fairhurst , Weekly Telegraph

This is history at its most disturbing, and yet also most interesting.

—— Steve Craggs , UK Regional Press

Tracy Borman tells this strange, compelling and ultimately inconclusive story.

—— Diane Purkiss , Independent

Borman’s enthusiasm and diligence keeps the history in place, while the central story, and the mysteries, lies and obfuscations that surround it, add a flavour of the detective novel.

—— Michael Noble , Starburst

The interest here lies in the accurate and plausible portrait of a whole society, from top to bottom… The details are fascinating

—— Guardian

Stangneth’s close readings prove richly illuminating

—— Lawrence Douglas , The Times Literary Supplement

Ms. Stangneth, acting more like an investigative journalist than an academic philosopher, does an excellent job in tracing the odyssey of these archival records, which are scattered across various continents . . . . With her well-written and impressively well-researched book, Ms. Stangneth not only adds many new, surprising details to our picture of Eichmann before the trial but also prepares the stage for follow-on research

—— Wall Street Journal

Extraordinary . . . At each stage, the meticulous quality of [Stangneth’s] research and her distinctive moral outrage make the journey enthralling . . . Stangneth’s book has the flavor of a detective story . . . [A] fine, important book

—— The Daily Beast

Stangneth uses new documents to reconstruct the post-war lives of Nazis in exile, revealing an egotistical and skilled social manipulator.

—— Daily Telegraph

How [Stangneth] put all this complex information relative to Eichmann together in one book is astounding. Freshly sourced archives and statements are used throughout, building into a full depiction of Eichmann.

—— Reg Seward , Nudge

If your Nordic knowledge is limited to ABBA, snow and Vikings, read this book. Even if you are a seasoned traveller, or one of the "humbly proud" inhabitants, The Almost Nearly Perfect People will give you new perspectives and questions to mull over.

—— Anna Vesterinen , New Humanist
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