Books by John Priestley

The author, an Oxford graduate writes a traditional history - kings queens, battles, treaties, Acts of Parliament. He also sets out to discover who the British people really are, with material on the ethnic background of the population. There is still room for plenty of standard history, including the glorious feats of the English sailors of the eighteenth century, the development of the astonishing British Empire, the long battles to defeat Napoleon and then Hitler, and indeed all aspects of the history of the British Isles. Previously published as History of the British Isles to 1714 and History of the British Isles 1714-2010 - see Amazon for five-star reviews of both books.

This is the story of how a computer consultant threw off the weary chains of work and got on his bike. His journey took him around the canals of northern England and Scotland. He slogs his way round hundreds of miles of canals, passing through many major towns and cities including Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Liverpool, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Off the bike and on foot the author also visits the Oxford and the Kennet and Avon Canals, and waterways in the Birmingham area, before venturing abroad. He also gets on a narrow boat for a calamitous trip up the Shropshire Union and Llangollen Canals. This edition is illustrated with 46 maps and photographs and includes a history of each canal in the sequence. The author selects his Top Ten Sights of the northern canals. The book concludes with a list of recommended canal sites across the country. UK price £11.00

Containing many details concerning the palace and people of Eltham which do not appear in earlier descriptions of its history, this vivid and in-depth work will be of great interest to local and tourists, as well as those interested in such a rich royal heritage and architectural history.