World of Britannia forms the historical background to the Britannia trilogy. The arrival of Rome’s legions, first under Julius Caesar, then Aulius Plautius in the first century is well documented, but the end of Roman rule in Britain remains forever in shadow, ‘illuminated’ only by contradiction and legend. The action of the Britannia series spans the period 367-415AD, the beginning of what historians, with some justification, used to call the Dark Ages. It was the twilight of a civilisation that had lasted for nearly five hundred years and Britain would never be the same again. This book documents the little we know, from written records and from archaeology and gives a snapshot of a world that was on the brink of vanishing. World of Britannia is an invaluable accompaniment to the series, providing insights that are not possible in historical fiction. As a standalone history book, it provides a fast-paced, easily-understood account of one of the least known eras in British history. ‘But we mustn’t forget. And we mustn’t let our children forget, or our children’s children.’ ‘Forget what?’ she frowned. ‘That there was a Wall and there were heroes of the Wall. And there was once a Britannia …’

Welcome to the wonderfully weird World War Two... The Second World War is the bloodiest on record. It was the first total war in history when civilians; men, women and children were in the front line as never before. With so many millions involved, the rumour machine went into overdrive, tall stories built on fear of the unknown. With so much at stake, boffins battled with each other to build ever more bizarre weapons to out-gun the enemy. Nazi Germany alone had so many government-orchestrated foibles that they would be funny if they were not so tragic. Parachuting sheep? Pilot pigeons? Rifles that fire round corners? Men who never were? You will find them all in these pages, the weird, wonderful and barely believable of World War Two

Was Britain's Thermopylae really fought over a tennis court? What happened in Canada during the invasion of Winnipeg? How did the Night Witches terrify and torment the Axis? Was Hitler actually sent to spy on the Nazis by the army? Who was the schoolgirl who helped win the Battle of Britain? Truth, they say, is the first casualty of war. You will have to decide how many such casualties occur in this book, the third in the Weird War series. Amber rooms worth a fortune, the spear that pierced Christ's side, deadly female snipers and Lucille Ball's spooky teeth, it's all here for the discerning buff of 1939-45. Whether it's official Nazi propaganda dreamed up by Josef Goebbel's Ministry of Enlightenment or the 'scuttlebutt' of the US navy; tall stories from the officers' mess or attempts to escape from the grim reality of total war, the Second World War provides a fascinating glimpse into the mindset and ingenuity of a generation. Have we now exhausted our supply of weirdness? With new information coming to light all the time from the classified archives in the corridors of power, we wouldn't bet on it!

How do you respond to a dinner invitation that says "Eight for eight thirty"? What might induce you to get off a London train at a place called Mud Chute? When is it okay to drive over a sleeping policeman? And why do teh Brits keep saying "Who's she, the cat's mother"? Rules, Britannia is an invaluable resource for Americans who want to make a smooth transition when visiting or relocating to the UK. This entertaining and practical insider's guide contains scores of established do's and dont's that only a Brit would know. Most of us know that an elevator is called a "lifet," a toilet is a "loo," and the trunk of your car is the "boot," but who would have a clue about a "sprog" or a "gobsmacked berk"? These phrases are part of daily conservation in the UK, and leave many visiting Americans as baffled as if they listening to a foreign language. Covering such essential topics as vocabulary, house- or "flat"-hunting, business culture, child rearing, and even relationship etiqutte, Rules, Britannia will ease the anxiety that comes with a transatlantic move or extended visit, and is sure to make any old Yank feel like a regular Joe Bloggs.

Here is a colorful collection of writings by well known scholars and critics on modern Britain's literature and history. From British personalities, politics, and culture, to Britain's interaction with other societies, the subjects are wide-ranging and sometimes surprising. Niall Ferguson examines the origins of the first World War; Avi Shlaim reasseses the Balfour Declaration; Geoffrey Wheatcroft writes about Evelyn Waugh; David Cannadine revisits C.P. Snow's Two Cultures; and much more.

In an absorbing mixture of poignant biography and wonderfully entertaining social history, Daughters of Britannia offers the story of diplomatic life as it has never been told before. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Vita Sackville-West, and Lady Diana Cooper are among the well-known wives of diplomats who represented Britain in the far-flung corners of the globe. Yet, despite serving such crucial roles, the vast majority of these women are entirely unknown to history. Drawing on letters, private journals, and memoirs, as well as contemporary oral history, Katie Hickman explores not only the public pomp and glamour of diplomatic life but also the most intimate, private face of this most fascinating and mysterious world. Touching on the lives of nearly 100 diplomatic wives (as well as sisters and daughters), Daughters of Britannia is a brilliant and compelling account of more than three centuries of British diplomacy as seen through the eyes of some of its most intrepid but least heralded participants.

Complete with a CD-ROM, this specialized edition of The History Highway 3.0 guides users to the incredible amount of information on world history available on the Internet like no other resource. It covers thousands of sites, and the CD-ROM features the entire contents as PDF files with live links, so that users can put the disk into their computers, go online, and click directly to the sites. In addition, the best sites for researchers of all types are highlighted as "Editor's Choice," and there is also helpful information about using the Internet and evaluating information in an online environment.