Books published by Amberley Publishing

Discover some surprising, intriguing and curious stories, myths and legends from the county of Northumberland.

Under the streets of many of our towns and cities lie the remains of Roman settlements, with houses, shops and military and civic buildings. This book opens a window onto life in those towns, and examines what survives, 2,000 years on.

A fascinating exploration of Stockport's architectural treasures and notable landmarks from across the centuries.

Documents the ups and downs of the First West Yorkshire operator, with a range of previously unpublished images.

The United Kingdom was united in battle - and some of those battles, though an important part of British history, have been forgotten.

With a wealth of previously unpublished images, Southdown buses captured in liveries other than the iconic green and cream colour scheme.

A fascinating journey through Somerset's county town of Taunton highlighting its people, places and heritage across the centuries.

A stunning collection of rare photographs documenting the last years of industrial steam around the world.

An entertaining and insightful portrait of life as a policewoman in the Met from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Did seven monks carry The Grail from Glastonbury Abbey at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, to the Cistercian Abbey of Strata Florida in Mid Wales? The mystery of the Nanteos Cup and its healing powers has fascinated and intrigued for 300 years.

A fascinating collection of merged historic and modern images that reflect the changes in Barrow-in-Furness through the decades.

A celebration of Blackpool's rich heritage and identity - its special events, achievements, people, industry and landmarks.

Wonderful photographs documenting the local rail scene from the late 1980s to the early twenty-first century, featuring a range of trains and locomotives.

The amazing stories of 38 female spies who operated in occupied France and Vichy France, many told for the very first time.

The life of the beautiful Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, through her own words and letters and the correspondence of those who knew her.

Explore a highly illustrated and comprehensive look at the story of 400 years of Britain's railways.

A collection of weird and wonderful snippets of world history from prehistory right up to the present day.

The first full biography of a trusted friend of Henry VIII. William Sandys was an important figure in the Tudor court, and this book is an important contribution to the history of the time. It looks at his contributions to county and court life, as well as military affairs.

The author presents a selection of his stunning steam and diesel photographs showing the different traction in use on the Perth to Inverness railway line.

Austin Rover: Maestro and Montego is the story of the cars designed to save the British volume car industry.

A fascinating exploration of the underground world and its history beneath the surface of the Potteries in North Staffordshire.

Who wrote the works of Shakespeare? Revealing newly discovered evidence, John Casson and William D. Rubinstein definitively answer this question, presenting the case that the man from Stratford simply did not have the education, cultural background and breadth of life experience necessary for him to write the plays traditionally attributed to him. Instead, the most credible candidate is Sir Henry Neville, who certainly did have all the necessary qualifications. A colourful Renaissance man educated at Merton College, Oxford, Neville's life experience precisely matches that revealed in the plays. Casson and Rubinstein take us on a breath-taking journey of discovery through the development of Shakespeare's plays and poetry, compellingly drawing close parallels between the works and events in Neville's life. They reveal how Neville's annotated library books, manuscripts, notebooks and letters show he was the hidden author, who survived dangerous political times by keeping his authorship secret. The book contains a great deal of remarkable new evidence, expertly presented, that will challenge anyone's ideas about who really wrote the Shakespeare plays.

Have you ever wondered what life was like for the ordinary housewife in the Middle Ages? Or how much power a medieval lady really had? Find out all about medieval housewives, peasant women, grand ladies, women in trade and women in the church in this fascinating book. More has been written about medieval women in the last twenty years than in the two whole centuries before that. Female authors of the medieval period have been rediscovered and translated; queens are no longer thought of as merely decorative brood mares for their royal husbands and have merited their own biographies. In the past, historians have tended to look at what women could not do. In this book we will look at the lives of medieval women in a more positive light, finding out what rights and opportunities they enjoyed and attempting to uncover the real women beneath the layers of dust accumulated over the centuries.

Wales, a small country, is littered with the relics of war - Iron Age forts, Roman ruins, medieval castles and the coastal forts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The biggest construction of fortifications in Wales took place during the reign of Edward I. They were not only built to deter an invader, but to control the frequent Welsh uprisings. The next wave of constructions occurred during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when a number of forts and gun emplacements were built, mostly in South Wales, to deter a seaborne invasion. The twentieth century introduced a new mode of defence, especially during the two world wars, in the form of pillboxes, tank traps and gun emplacements. The various airfields constructed were the most visible form of defence and could be regarded as the castles of the period. This book looks at how Welsh castles protected Wales to make it what it is today.

The reports and despatches of Eustace Chapuys, Spanish Ambassador to Henry VIII's court from 1529 to 1545, have been instrumental in shaping our modern interpretations of Henry VIII and his wives. As a result of his personal relationships with several of Henry's queens, and Henry himself, his writings were filled with colourful anecdotes, salacious gossip, and personal and insightful observations of the key players at court, thus offering the single most continuous portrait of the central decades of Henry's reign. Beginning with Chapuys' arrival in England, in the middle of Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon, this book progresses through the episodic reigns of each of Henry's queens. Chapuys tirelessly defended Katherine and later her daughter, Mary Tudor, the future Mary I. He remained as ambassador through the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, and reported on each and every one of Henry's subsequent wives - Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katharine Parr - as well as that most notorious of ministers Thomas Cromwell. He retired in 1545, close to the end of Henry VIII's reign. In approaching the period through Chapuys' letters, Lauren Mackay provides a fresh perspective on Henry, his court and the Tudor period in general.

Peckham & Nunhead Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of London. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of Peckham and Nunhead, the famous streets and the famous faces, and what they meant to the people in these communities throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the author's factual captions for every picture and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of this area's history. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of Peckham and Nunhead, as we are guided through the local streets. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting. It also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.

Less than a decade ago, a warlock sat in a cloud of incense in the car park at Rotherham United's tatty old Millmoor Ground, chanting incantations and putting a curse on the Millers. Since then, the South Yorkshiremen have plunged to the brink of losing their place in the Football League, been docked a bagful of points for financial irregularities, and came within minutes of extinction. Whether the warlock had anything to do with it all is anyone's guess, but the Millers were certainly in trouble. Rotherham United are now, a few short years later, playing in a brand-new GBP20 million stadium and looking to power their way back up the league. In May 2013 they were promoted to League One. It's been a real roller-coaster ride for the club, from their humble beginnings at the dawn of the game to today, but the years have certainly produced a legion of stories and characters - and will no doubt continue to do so. Rotherham United: A Pictorial History tells the story of the Millers, illustrated in full colour with pictures from the Rotherham Advertiser's archives.

Fully illustrated description of Nottingham's well known, and lesser known, places that have been lost over the years.

A fascinating portrait of Portsmouth and Southsea presented through a remarkable collection of historical postcards.

In this book author Michael Meighan examines the history of Scotland through its monuments and memorials.