It is incredible to think that in a century since women were first allowed to stand for Parliament, only 491 have been elected. The first woman elected to Parliament was Constance Markievicz who was a Sinn Féin candidate for Dublin St Patrick's. At the time of the election, she was in Holloway Prison and refused to take up her seat in the Commons. This was a mere three weeks after the passing of the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 on 21st November 1918. 17 women stood in that 1918 election including suffragette Christabel Pankhurst who polled over 8,000 votes. The first woman MP to actually take up her seat was Nancy Astor in December 1919 and she effectively inherited her seat when her husband had to give it up to succeed his father's peerage. In 1921, Liberal Margaret Wintringham became the second sitting female MP when she was elected in a by-election in Louth. Containing profiles of every woman MP from 1918 to 1996, and with all female contributions from Mary Beard to Caroline Lucas, Ruth Davidson to Yvette Cooper, and Margaret Beckett to Ann Widdecombe, this remarkable tome is an illuminating testament to the stories and achievements of these remarkable women. In 1945, Labour welcomed a new generation of women MPs with 21 elected, and in 1948, Florence Paton became the first woman nominated to the Chairman's Panel and thus able to preside over committees. It was not until 1970 that Betty Harvie Anderson became Deputy Speaker, and a woman presided over the Chamber. In 1992, the redoubtable Betty Boothroyd became the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. Harriet Slater was the first female Whip in 1964, Ann Taylor Chief Whip in 1999, and Margaret Thatcher became the UK's first female Prime Minister in 1979. While you will learn about many strong and influential women in this volume, you will also discover that their contributions have often gone unreported, or that credit for their efforts has gone to the men they worked with. From the start they have argued for equal rights and pay, childcare and protection from male violence, whichever party they belonged to, and these MPs have been crucial in representing the voices and interests of all women. Their story deserves to be told. A magnificent volume of 641pp, index.

Sylvia Beach was a trailblazing publisher, 'They couldn't get Ulysses and they couldn't get a drink', who founded a bookshop in Paris in 1919 which is so much more than a bookshop to this day. 'My loves were Adrienne Monnier, James Joyce and Shakespeare and Company' about the novels she single-handedly published when the custodians of morality (or men) censored it as obscene in England and America. For her, books opened the doors to freedom, shaped her thinking and feelings and gave her courage to rebel. Many lesbians who contributed to the modernist revolution chose their own names - Gluck, Radclyffe Hall, Bryher (the second subject of this quadruple biography), Genêt, HD, Colette and Renée Vivien - all breaking from patriarchy and from being the property of men. Bryher felt trapped in the wrong body and even as a child she viewed her birth gender as a trick, a mistake, and saw herself as a boy. She became a patron of modernism and the rock and saviour of her partner the poet HD, Hilda Doolittle, and funded the Contact Publishing Company in Paris, supported James Joyce and his family with a monthly allowance, gave money to Sylvia Beach, and subsidised Margaret Anderson's Little Review in New York. She financed experimental films and founded Close-Up, the first film magazine in English. She built a Bauhaus-style home in Switzerland and supported the emerging psychoanalytical movement in Vienna, funding Freud and other Jewish intellectuals hounded by the Nazis. Natalie Barney was a society hostess and the main business of her life involved lots of sex. Modernism in art upended 19th century rules of narrative and form and codes of conduct for sexual exchange. Natalie was remarkable for her exuberant commitment to lesbian life: 'My queerness is not a vice, is not deliberate, and harms no one.' She met her last amour on a bench by the sea in Nice when she was 80. She was very rich and felt entitled; disinhibited, she did not stall at taking off all her clothes in or out of doors, and no pleasure was more intense for her than orgasm. And the fourth subject, Gertrude Stein, who with her partner Alice B. Toklas were at the cultural heart of Paris for four decades. An indomitable duo, they were photographed by Man Ray, painted by Picasso, featured in memoirs and were a sight to be seen. She was a ground-breaking writer. They were all women who loved women who formed a community around them in Paris and the great biographer Diana Souhami weaves together a vivid moving tapestry of life among the Modernists in pre-war Paris. A very literary biography with citations and books listed, and dozens of pictures. Pagemarker, 456pp.

Country Life magazine has been delighting readers with its observations from rural Britain for 130 years, and this collection of extracts covers a range of subjects - sports, pastimes, village life, landscape and architecture - from the magazine's first 50 years. An old boy of Winchester College takes the reader on a walk round the school as it was in 1902, including the "bare and cheerless" dining hall. 1903 sees a portrait of an old-mole-catcher with a bizarre contraption round his neck, but disappointingly the profession is reluctant to reveal any secrets of the trade. "Ponies for Children" in 1934 urges parents to get a pony who is keen but not too keen, just enough to keep the child on their toes without actually endangering life, and as late as 1926 a doctor is called in to pronounce on the dangers of women riding astride. Although the matter was considered too delicate for detail, the MD concluded by saying his own daughter rides the modern way. A celebration of barge-painting in 1944 reveals that the typical bargee is hazy about the origins of the traditional designs depicting "big old teapots with roses and castles". Knickerbockers or trousers for golf? To the regret of the writer, the traditional plus fours have been discarded in favour of slacks and (whisper it) shirt-sleeves. In 1940 the travel writer H .V. Morton writes patriotically from the tower of the village church, where he was doing guard duty, saying "All over our land, villages, once proclaimed dead and done for, have awakened to arms." In the same year the historian A. L. Rowse is confident that "it is the English who provide the best example of a people in harmony with their environment". 244pp, numerous black and white illustrations.

These fascinating short articles from Country Life in the first half of the 20th century plunge us into a nostalgic world when gentlemen's leisure pursuits were rarely penetrated by women. "Yachting in London" describes the Peter Pan pleasures of sailing models boats on the Round Pond, while "Ferreting" is accompanied by an archive photo of a man heading down a rabbit hole with only his legs visible. "The pleasures of a cold" from 1939 describes what we now know as man-flu with uncanny accuracy. In 1900 an article praising the master tattooist, Sutherland Macdonald, promises absence of pain if alleviated by cocaine. "Hitch and hike" is a popular pastime in 1926, and the secret to getting a ride is to have a clean collar; the illustration in fact shows the hitchhiker wearing a jacket and tie. In 1934, the year driving tests were introduced, a letter to the editor suggests that licences should be accompanied by a set of rules forbidding cutting in, driving in the middle of the road, and parking on bends. Boxing, cricket, rugby and polo all elicit strong opinions, while fishing has a whole section to itself, concluding with "Experiments with fishing gut". Lord Baden Powell writes in 1937 about the importance of fitness for all in the face of the coming conflict. Hunting and point-to-point are popular pastimes among readers of Country Life, and in 1921 the Prince of Wales's first steeplechase is deemed worthy of close analysis. Everything from fine brandy to crocodile shooting is dissected, usually with advice about how to dress for it. 244pp, black and white illustrations.

'The Story of AMISOM's Successful War Against Somali Insurgents 2007-2014' is the sub-title of this book which acknowledges the formation and deployment of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). Initially confined to peacekeeping within the Mogadishu enclave, it transformed into a peace-making mission. Many, including the author, predicted the mission Dead on Arrival with little chance of success, yet the fighting force took on the Somali insurgents in 2010, expelled them from Central Mogadishu in August 2011, and expanded control of territory under the Somali Government in the succeeding years to most of Somalia. The book highlights the inconsistent and sometimes disastrous US policy in the Horn of Africa and how under President George Bush it sponsored Somali factions to fight against each other, and when that flopped, egged on Ethiopia to invade Somalia in December 2006 which caused the rise of violent insurgency that spilled across borders. Young jihadists streamed into the heart of the USA to fight the invaders. The Bush administration finally supported the deployment of regional troops and this book intimately captures the stories of the men and women, their triumphs, setbacks and victories. The spotlight focuses on the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) supported by Burundi National Defence Forces (BNDF) and later the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces pivotal to the success of the mission. Their dedication, professionalism, ideological commitment, hard work and humanity turned Somalia from a wasted nation to one with hope for peace, stability and a better future for its people. The book introduces this new breed of African peace-warriors and their work across borders, resolving conflicts wherever and whenever they arise and preventing genocides before they happen. 262pp, colour photos, five maps and useful list of abbreviations and acronyms.

The extraordinary life of Boris Savinkov, revolutionary assassin, self-described terrorist, and novelist, is one of those historical enigmas peculiar to the tragedy of modern Russia. He is resurrected on the hands of a masterful biographer who expertly mines the archives to write a spy story filled with passion and improbable adventures and along the way we learn a great deal of history. A flamboyant hero to some, an untrustworthy villain to others, Savinkov was an enigmatic figure in revolutionary Russia and still a legendary figure, yet this complex individual has all been but forgotten in the West. The book looks at his controversial role in the Russian Revolution and the Civil War about whom Winston Churchill said: 'Few men tried more, gave more, dared more and suffered more for the Russian people.' A scandalous novelist, Savinkov was a friend of epoch-defining artists like Modigliani and Diego Rivera, a government minister, a tireless fighter against Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and an advisor to Churchill. At the end of his life he conspired to be captured by the Soviet Secret Police as the country's most prized political prisoner. He made headlines around the world when he claimed that he accepted the Bolshevik state, but as his biographer argues, this was his final play as a gambler - he had staked his life on a secret plan to strike one last blow against the tyrannical regime. Neither a 'Red' nor a 'White', Savinkov lived a life that challenges many popular myths about the Russian Revolution and was arguably the most important catalyst of 20th century world history. His efforts were directed at transforming Russia into a uniquely democratic, humane and enlightened state, but the support he received from many of his countrymen suggest that the tyranny of communism, the authoritarianism of Putin's regime were not the only ones written in Russia's historical destiny. Savinkov's goals remain a poignant reminder of how things in Russia could have been and his life story is written with novelistic verve and filled with triumphs, disasters, dramatic twists and contradictions that defined his life. It begins with his childhood in Russian Poland and how a remarkable man became a terrorist to fight the tyrannical Russian imperial regime during a time when popular revolution overthrew it in 1917 and turned his wrath against the Bolsheviks because they betrayed the Revolution and the freedoms it won. Savinkov sent men and women to their deaths, but could recite Romantic poetry for hours and wrote novels and memoirs that are read to this day. He believed in the rights of human beings, but concluded only that a dictator could guarantee them during periods of great national upheaval. A 562 page magnificent history which includes all his British connections and has eight pages of photos plus maps on endpapers.

Sub-titled 'One Man's Walk In Search of his Father and A Lost England' this powerful and moving book is about the need to write new stories for our communities and ourselves. In 1981, Mike Carter's dad Pete organised the People's March for Jobs which saw 300 people walk from Liverpool to London to protest as the Thatcher government's policies devastated industrial Britain and sent unemployment skyrocketing. Just before the 2016 EU referendum, Mike set off to walk the same route in a quest to better understand his dad and his country. As he walked, Mike found many echoes of the early 80s - a working class overlooked and ignored by Westminster politicians, communities hollowed out, anger and despair co-existing with hope and determination for change. He also found that he and his father shared more in common than he might have thought. The book begins with the story of Pete who left school in West Bromwich at the age of 15 in 1953, illiterate, one of six children of alcoholic parents. He trained as a bricklayer where he was radicalised on the building sites and joined the Young Communist League, and by the early 70s, led the Birmingham Building Workers in their successful strike action against the use of casual labour. He went on to become the industrial organiser of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Working on the Guardian, his son Mike asked himself "what had happened to the Britain that my father had promised me?" Clearing his father's belongings, Pete discovered papers, photographs and scrapbooks and newspaper cuttings about the industrial disputes of the 70s, love letters and letters to himself and his sister and his father?s old flat cap. He put it on and decided to follow the route of the March which had set off on 2nd May 1981 35 years to the day later. 391pp, paperback.

'Why British Servicemen Are Dying Unnecessarily' is the sub-title of this important book which asks the question, 'Who speaks for the dead? David Hill's noble aim is to prevent a recurrence of avoidable fatal accidents and ensure natural justice. The root causes of most accidents are usually deficiencies in systems whether management, design, certification, maintenance and/or operation. Second, those responsible find the most convenient approach is to blame the individuals at the coalface, commonly the pilots such as at the RAF Chinook ZD576 at the Mull of Kintyre. David Hill revealed perhaps the greatest breach of the Military Covenant - the aircraft was not airworthy, and this was concealed from the aircrew and passengers. In this way, his new book is a follow up and he cites a number of test cases, not all aviation related, to over 100 avoidable deaths of our servicemen. Savings at the expense of safety have killed too many and this book looks at the avoidable fatalities that occurred between 1987 and 2006, all linked by maladministration. They include the Sea King ASaC Mk7, the Tornado ZG710/Patriot shootdown, Snatch Land Rovers, the Kajaki Dam minefield incident, and Nimrod XV230. Evidence concealed from inquiries and families is revealed for the first time. With the active participation of government, this cover-up protected the guilty. Instead, innocent people were named and shamed. Other examples are HMS Ark Royal Radar Plot of Collision Tracks, a there is a map of the Helmand Province, and a general view of Scissor and Drogue Shackle arrangement among the 12 illustrations. 288pp, large softback.

The eminent American historian who is Jewish and has British grandparents was born six years after the end of the Second World War. 'Churchill's main attraction, I believe, lies in the myth that coloured my childhood, which ties in closely to the view many Americans have of themselves: the beacon of liberty, the city on the hill, the land of the brave, the exceptional nation that freed the world from dictators. Churchill, although only half-American, became the symbol of this defiance of tyranny. He is the bulldog face of Anglo-American notions of valor.' It is impossible to understand the last 75 years of British history without understanding the Anglo-American relationship, and specifically the bonds between presidents and prime ministers. Roosevelt of course had Churchill, JFK famously had Macmillan, his consigliere during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Reagan found his ideological soul mate in Thatcher, and George W. Bush found his fellow believer, in religion and in war, in Tony Blair. In a series of shrewd and absorbing character studies, Ian Buruma takes the reader on a journey through the special relationship, via the fateful bonds between president and prime minister. It has never been a relationship of equals; from Churchill's desperate cajoling and conniving to keep Roosevelt on side, British prime ministers have put much more stock in their relationship than their US counterparts did. "For Britain, resigned to the loss of a once-great empire, its close kinship to the world's greatest superpower would give it continued relevance and serve as leverage to keep continental Europe in its place." As Buruma shows, this was almost always fool's gold. Now as the links between the Brexit vote and the 2016 US election have come into sharper focus, it is impossible to understand the populist uprising in either country without reference to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, although ironically they are also the key to understanding the Special Relationship's demise. 'History can inspire but also bedevil. How a wartime alliance that defeated Hitler with the indispensable help of Stalin's Red Army ended up after more than half a century of peace and prosperity in the West, in the dispiriting and dangerous bluster and self-delusion of Trump and Brexit, is a melancholy tale. ?Britain and the US, despite all their flaws, were once regarded as models of openness, liberalism, and generosity.? 308pp.

'The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust Inside The White House' is the sub-title of this fascinating work of popular history by the New York Times bestselling author. She uncovers the bedroom secrets of American Presidents and explores the surprising ways voters have reacted to their leaders' sex scandals. Alexander Hamilton had a steamy affair with a blackmailing prostitute. Warren G. Harding once had to hide his mistress in a White House closet. John F. Kennedy swam nude with female staff in the White House swimming pool. Narcissism, a thirst for power, a desire for importance seem to go hand in hand with sexual promiscuity. In her eye-opening book, Eleanor Herman revisits some of the sex scandals that have shocked the public and asks provocative questions such as does rampant adultery show a lack of character or the stamina needed to run a country? Do Americans now care more about issues other than a politician's sex life? What is sex like with the most powerful man in the world? And when America finally elects a female president, will she too have sexual escapades in the Oval Office? Chapters include Thomas Jefferson's Pursuit of Happiness, Grover Cleveland's High Character, Woodrow Wilson's Throbbing Pulses, FDR and the Good-Looking Ladies, Gary Hart and the Monkey Business That Changed Everything, Bill Clinton Did Not Have Sex With That Woman, Donald Trump Can Do Anything, and From Ooh-La-La to Bunga-Bunga: The Political Sex Scandals of Other Nations. 367pp, paperback.