Updated new edition combining the most up-to-date research with vivid descriptions of the medieval world, the book was written to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the enthronement of Robert I of Scotland. The life of Bruce is one of the greatest comeback stories in history. Heir and magnate, shrewd politician, briefly 'king of summer' and then a desperate fugitive who nevertheless returned from exile to recover the kingdom he claimed, Bruce became a gifted military leader and wise statesman, a leader with vision and energy. McNamee peels back the layers of misconception with a lucid explanation of the medieval context and Bruce's enormous contribution to the historical impact not just on Scotland, but on England and Ireland too. It is a major popular reassessment of Bruce as politician, warrior, monarch and saviour of Scottish identity from extinction at the hands of the Edwardian superstate. 374pp, very well illustrated paperback, 16 maps and photos and chronology.

'A Memoir of Enlightenment, Commerce, Politics, Arts and Science', this is the first publication of a memoir drafted 150 years ago by William Nicholson's eldest son, William Junior, who was 80 when he wrote the book in 1868. Nicholson is recognised among historians of science for his many contributions to electro-chemistry, cylindrical printing, slide rules and horology, and for launching the first monthly scientific journal in Britain: 'A Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts.' His activities extended beyond science and encompassed work for the East India Company and Josiah Wedgwood, the establishment of a school in Soho Square, consulting as one of the earliest patent agents and as a civil engineer. His writing, translating and publishing was extensive, ranging from works on navigation and historical biographies to important scientific translations and textbooks. During a period of three revolutions, scientific, industrial and political, Nicholson managed to build a reputation as a trusted advisor and 'scientific umpire'. His circle included the radical liberals Joseph Johnson, Thomas Holcroft, William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, industrial pioneers Josiah Wedgwood, Matthew Boulton, Jabez Hornblower and Richard Trevithick, scientific innovators Richard Kirwan, Humphry and John Davy, and establishment figures such as Sir Joseph Banks, Count Rumford, the 2nd Baron Camelford and Earl Dundonald. 124 page paperback.

'Wainwright tells the story of the girl with the incredible voice who, by sheer force of her personality and power of her decibels, took the operatic world by storm and managed to escape from her violent husband.' - Daily Mail. This delightfully revisionist biography of Dame Nellie Melba rescues her from fusty Victorianism to analyse her struggles and resilience to overcome misogyny and social expectations and becoming one of history's greatest opera singers. Nellie Melba is remembered as a squarish, late middle-aged woman dressed in furs and large hats, an imperious Dame whose voice ruled the world for three decades and inspired a peach and raspberry dessert. She battled misogyny and perhaps would have preferred she stay a housewife in outback Queensland Australia rather than parade herself on stage. But she endured the violence of a bad marriage, was denied by scandal a true love with the would-be King of France, and suffered for more than a decade the loss of her only son - stolen by his angry, vengeful father. Despite these obstacles, Nellie built and maintained a career as an opera singer and businesswoman on three continents which made her one of the first international superstars. Award-winning biographer Wainwright presents a very different portrait of this great diva which celebrates both her musical contributions and her rich and colourful personal life. Includes many pictures including Nellie on her way to London in 1919 to reopen Covent Garden Opera House. 344pp.

Like reading one of Elizabeth Bowen's great novels, this award winning biography is gently elegiac, beautifully written and fascinating. Uncovering the hidden love triangle between novelist Elizabeth Bowen and the author's grandparents, this critically acclaimed biography deals with never-before-seen letters detailing the affair. A death in the family delivers Julia Parry a box of letters. Dusty with age they reveal a secret love affair between the celebrated novelist Elizabeth Bowen and the academic Humphry House, Julia's grandfather. So begins a life changing quest to understand the affair which had profound repercussions for Julia's family, not least her grandmother Madeline. Julia traces these three very different characters through 1930s Oxford and Ireland, Texas, Calcutta in the last days of Empire, and on into World War Two. With a supporting cast that includes Isaiah Berlin and Virginia Woolf, much is revealed about her bookish and kindly grandfather, and his sudden death, and Parry is a spirited narrator who is clearly a great admirer of Bowen's fiction but isn't blindsided by this. The affair lasted roughly from 1933 to 1935 and, obsessed with hauntings, journeys and houses, Bowen might even approve of this book. 373pp, paperback. Photos.

George and Cassandra Austen came from markedly different backgrounds so social class and the tensions it can cause played a part in Jane Austen's life even before her birth in 1775. George possessed 'a most exquisite taste in every species of literature'. Here are extraordinary aspects of Austen's life, work and legacy in this collection of stories and trivia from her unassuming family origins, secret life and loves, and intriguing tales behind the literary and screen adaptations of her works. Covers the Austen family's long tenure at Steventon until the Rectory was finally destroyed by floods, Jane's juvenile parody History of England, the lifelong attachment between sisters Jane and Cassandra, notorious cousin Eliza, the Tom Lefroy affair and a foretaste of Pride and Prejudice, problems with publishers, Jane's 'marriage', gold chains and topaz crosses as gifts from a little brother, Jane's aunt put in prison for theft and shocking news of the move to Bath. A close confidante falls from her horse and suddenly dies, the Austen brothers avert a financial crisis, the final move to Chawton, Mansfield Park pioneers the theme of meritocracy, John Murray publishes Emma which has considerable impact with Scott's adulatory review, here are insights into her remarkable novels and their characters, the changing reception to the novels over the years and her sweeping legacy today. A fascinating collection, 144pp, well illustrated with photos and line art.

The Upstart Crow, Shakespeare's heyday in theatreland, final stage performance, retirement speech, Philip Henslowe the Elizabethan impresario, Ben Jonson, the birth of London's Globe Theatre and its rebuilding, stage costumes in Elizabethan England, make-up concoctions some harmless others not, memorials to Shakespeare, his characters, mysteries of his portrait, priceless First Folio, and his stellar legacy, here is a chronology of Shakespeare's plays, possible models for the comic character, the 'lost' plays, hellraisers. Also public scandals, toe-curling homage and Star Trek littered with Shakespeare references, and in popular songs and novels, plus the historical settings for Shakespeare's plays, insights into his most famous characters, tales from the theatres around the globe in a rich concoction of stories and trivia. 144pp, woodcut illus.