eBooks de Ciudades y provincias, página 9 de 31

Al gran alpinista George Mallory le preguntaron en cierta ocasión: ¿Por qué escalar las montañas? Su respuesta fue sencilla, “Porque están ahí”. Creo que ésta es la respuesta más acertada para contes

Pomp, pageantry, power and prestige are just a few of the words to sum up the history and vibrancy of the City of London.Beyond its fame as the financial heart of London, this new guidebook explores the Square Mile of London revealing the secrets hidden in its rich treasure trove. Neither square nor a square mile, the City of London seems to lie beyond the limits of logic.From St Pauls, Wrens Masterpiece to the Barbican, Europes largest centre for Arts, the City of London is a compelling blend of diverse visitor attractions waiting to be explored. Whether you pop into the Old Bailey, the scene of many a courtroom drama, amble through Lincoln Inn Fields or drool over the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London there is never a dull moment in the City...Learn why the Bank of England is known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street and the importance of Mansion House, home to the Right Honorable The Lord Mayor of London and looks at the traditions behind the Lord Mayors Show.

The brutal clearances which changed the face of much of rural Scotland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are most often associated with the Highlands. However, one of the most dramatic conflicts between tenant and landowner took place on the small Orcadian island of Rousay. When members of the Royal Commission tasked with assessing the conditions of tenant crofters arrived there, the islands owner, General William Frederick Traill-Burroughs, threatened to evict any islander who gave evidence. As tension mounted, a gunboat arrived to keep the peace, and it was only the belated passing of the Crofters Act of 1886 and a special Act of Parliament directed specifically against the general that saved the islands. This is the dramatic story of these events. At the end of it, Burroughs, once lauded as a national hero who had seen military action in Crimea and India, emerges as a much more complex and human figure that history has previously painted him.

This book tells the story of the making of Grimsby. It describes how the town grew on the ground and so helps to explain Grimsbys present-day physical character. The story is an intriguing one and includes colourful controversies and conflicts that influenced the towns development.The story begins with the Viking foundation of Grimsby. During the years following the Norman Conquest the town became a successful trading community and port. This was followed by a long period of decline. The towns fortunes were revived with the coming of the railway in 1848 and the constructions of an extensive dock system. There then followed a massive increase in trade, and the foundation of the ports modern fishing industry. In the process, it attracted immigration. This new population needed somewhere to live. Consequently, land was quickly covered with houses. The long-term effect of this period of extensive and intensive building which is described in this book was to determine to a large extent the shape and character of the modern town.

We all know of of the various wars, the Famine and the pivotal events which have made the Ireland what it is today, but few know the stranger aspects of the nations past. From body snatchers, to pirate queens and Celtic vampires, Irelands hidden history is explored here in a book bound to thrill and astound you from the first page.

County Wicklows landscape is dotted with pre-Christian sites Baltinglass is known as the Hillfort Capital of Ireland. Saint Patrick landed here in 432 AD and the county also boasts ecclesiastical sites, the most impressive being Glendalough. Following the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169-70, Normans occupied the lowlands, but native Irish inhabited the uplands, leading to conflict throughout the Middle Ages. Wicklow became the last county to be shired in 1606.However, Wicklow witnessed more violence through the seventeenth century and it was only after 1700 that the elite felt safe enough to build great houses such as Powerscourt and Russborough. Wicklow was in turmoil during the 1798 rebellion. Economic recovery was halted by the tragedy of Famine. Later in the nineteenth century, the Parnells led the Home Rule movement, the Land League and the Ladies Land League. The twentieth century saw war, revolution and hardship before better times arrived after 1960. This rich history is all covered in this accessible little book.

Witches have existed in society for centuries. Traditionally, they were the midwives, the providers of herbal medicines, the people who understood biology and nature. They were real people who lived amongst us. They were our neighbours we knew them. But when the Scottish Reformation Party pushed through the Witchcraft Act in 1563, the healers became the hunted.The Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives is a treasure trove of documentation, dating as far back as the twelfth century. Amongst its shelves are the original, handwritten court records from the Aberdeen Witch Trials of 1597 - first-hand accounts of the words spoken on those dreadful days.Covering a brief history of the Scottish witch trials, the role of an obsessed king, and how it all came to an end, Contagious Enemies: The Aberdeen Witch Trials brings you these court records, transcribed and translated into modern-day English.

London held a special place in Agatha Christies heart she wrote about the capital in every decade of her extensive literary career. In this refreshing take on Christies connections to the city in both her life and writing, Tina Hodgkinson retraces Agathas footsteps, visiting her former homes, fashionable restaurants, luxury hotels and other London locations that she and her characters frequented. Following the bespoke walking guide within, readers can step out into Agatha Christies London, too.Discover the Apothecaries Hall in the City of London, where Agatha sat her medical exams, the hospital she worked in during the Second World War, the former headquarters of the Detection Club and the theatres, where her plays were performed.This detailed but accessible compendium will delight fans both old and new.

Whats this car?Think you know it?Take another look; is it really what you remember?The 1960s is regarded as the cradle of the classic car, but these are the tantalising ones that got away An astonishing number of fascinating models have sidestepped nostalgia to lurk in the underground carpark of our collective memory, as youll rediscover inside with these sixty missing marvels. Glorious pictures help relay the era, and a sprinkling of rare show cars demonstrates the Neverland of contemporary car-design thinking.In this turbulent decade, brave new engine technology was championed and then rejected; design trends suddenly exploded; and car buyers became unpredictable. The cars in this book sometimes suffered as a result although some of them were just plain odd!Lost Cars of the 1960s is the final part of award-winning author Giles Chapmans Lost Cars trilogy, which records the unsung sideshows of motoring history from around the world.

Padstow boasts a rich history spanning nearly 5,000 years. Here, its legacy is compiled through the centuries, from the legend of St Petrocs arrival on the north Cornish coast to build his famed monastery, through the expansion of Padstows port during the medieval period and the rise of the shipbuilding industry in the early nineteenth century, to the arrival of the railway in 1899, which marked the beginning of a thriving tourism industry in Padstow.Today, modern Padstow remains a working fishing port, and the spectacular views of the Camel Estuary, the attractive harbour, narrow winding lanes, old cottages and the beautiful ancient church add to its charm. Padstonians are a close-knit community, some families having lived there for generations, who work to keep Padstows traditions alive for many years into the future. Padstow: The History of a Cornish Town collates this long history, preserving the tale of a fascinating, resilient town.

Searing heat, political turmoil, revolution in popular culture: relive the scorching year of 1976 in all its glory.On the political scene, Harold Wilson abruptly resigned as prime minister; Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe resigned in advance of his arrest and sensational Old Bailey trial for conspiracy and incitement to murder; and the Tories elected Milk Snatcher Margaret Thatcher as their party leader. The IRAs long-running demands for the reunification of Ireland exploded into a campaign of wholesale terrorism on the British mainland.Meanwhile, the Black Panther was finally arrested and brought to justice, and the curious case of John Stonehouse, the UKs last Postmaster General, came to its climax.Throw in the fact that Southampton defied 500:1 odds to win the FA Cup, and the irresistible rise of punk rock, triggered by the iconic moment when the Sex Pistols were let loose on an unsuspecting teatime-television audience, and 1976 proves itself a truly pendulum year that divides the old from the new - recaptured here in fully living, human detail.Inside 1976:Season-by-season account of the events of this bumper year Stories from across the UK, USA, Europe and the Soviet UnionPolitical rivalries in a Cold War era, including the early rise of Margaret Thatcher and the demise of Harold Wilson Celebrities of the era, including David Bowie, Sid James and the Sex Pistols, ABBA and the Bee Gees Massive breakthroughs in criminal justice, such as the arrest of the Black Panther, and the conclusion of the case of postmaster general John StonehouseLeaving no stone unturned and no story untold, *1976* is a book of pure nostalgia for those who lived through it, and an eyeopening experience for those who didnt: a page turner right to the end.

The Battle of George Square, a riot during the Forty Hours Strike in Glasgow, on 31 January 1919, is routinely claimed to be one of the most iconic events in Scottish working-class history. It is also the most mythologised. For a century, the narrative created for the defence of the strike leaders charged with incitement to riot an unprovoked attack on a peaceful crowd as an act of oppression has been repeated uncritically by academic and popular writers. Mythology has almost completely replaced reality, most notably in the Scottish education system, where educational materials have been described by two prominent historians as, arrant propaganda and a perversion of history. Now, Gordon Barclay and Louise Heren have undertaken a meticulous examination of the contemporary evidence to tell a more complex story. In doing so they examine the ways writers have failed to subject the celebratory mythology of this iconic event to adequate scrutiny. They document the creation of the mythology, from the writings of the strike leaders to those who use the mythology of the Battle to promote their own politics. They also examine the legal basis and reality of the military deployment to Glasgow in the aftermath of the riot.

The name Somerset usually conjures up visions of green hills, picturesque harbours and sleepy villages with thatched cottages and quaint pubs but this is only part of the story.What about the slaughter on Sedgemoor in July 1685, or its terrible aftermath, the infamous Bloody Assizes?What dark deeds took place on the coast during the heyday of the smugglers?Who was the curate who ended up in a cauldron, or the abbot who was hanged, drawn and quartered?Why were there riots at Radstock in 1830?The answers to these and many other morbid questions can be found in this book, as we take a look into the darker corners of Somersets history, and meet the unusual people who shaped the history of this popular county in unexpected (and sometimes horrifying) ways.

The Gwent Levels line the north shore of the Severn Estuary in South Wales: Chepstow at their head; their more famous cousin, the Somerset Levels, across the water; the Welsh capital, Cardiff at their feet. You could waste an hour crossing the Levels by motorway. Or brush aside the journey by train. But writer Marsha OMahony has chosen the slow route of foreshore, footpath, and country lane. Over the course of two years, she meandered from village to village collecting conversations and anecdotes as she went. The result is a remarkable oral and social history of this unique landscape and the people who live there.

Uma surpreendente história baseada em fatos reais, com personagens como as lavadeiras, os homens que viviam de furtos, os miseráveis e os famintos que se escondiam em casebres jogados aqui e ali, vivendo numa condiço sub-humana, num local, com o nome ficticio de Rua dos Anjos, e em pequenos caminhos tortos de terra que dela saiam.

This is the charming and poignant account of twenty-five years spent in Orkney. After her marriage to an islander, Christine Muir went to live on the tiny island of North Ronaldsay, where she and her husband brought up their four children and ran a small croft. Following the seasons though the year, Orkney Days is full of observations of the natural world at their doorstep. Beautiful descriptions of the island and its flora and fauna from wildflowers and medicinal herbs to seals and seabirds are mingled with memories of a young family growing up and the rhythms of daily life far from the bustle of the modern world. There is much too about the work involved in running their croft and the cattle and sheep that are its mainstay, about the traditions and lore of the island which stretch back over countless generations, and about the modern developments which changed it forever.

Witchcraft and witches throughout history have long captured the imagination, yet hidden away in archives are records of long forgotten cases. Many of these are tragic, some are unusual perhaps even inexplicable but all are fascinating in their own right.Devons Forgotten Witches 18601910 takes a deep dive through these records, bringing to the surface accusations of witchcraft in the county that have languished, unacknowledged, in the British Newspaper Archive for decades. These are the stories of ordinary people whose lives were touched in some way by witchcraft.Tracey Norman and Mark Norman examine these cases within their historical context, pulling together details from various news reports to explore what might really have happened. This work provides an intriguing snapshot of press coverage in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, showing how the public were urged to view those who still put their faith in incredible superstition. Most importantly, the retelling of these stories gives a new voice to those whom the historical record has silenced.

In 1999, Barholm Castle in Galloway had lain ruinous and derelict for over two hundred years when Janet Brennan-Inglis and her husband John bought it as a restoration project. Together with a team of architects, surveyors and builders, overseen by Historic Scotland, they turned this sixteenth-century tower house into a domestic residence once again this time with central heating, bathrooms and a twenty-first-century kitchen. Since the restoration, they have researched the history of Barholm Castle and the McCulloch family who owned it; the stories they uncovered and the account of the painstaking restoration of Barholm Castle are told in this book. Having restored the tower, Janet and John turned their attention to the ground around it and set about developing a very special garden landscape. The third part of the book describes the process of transforming the wild area surrounding the castle into a series of mature gardens, providing a colourful and dramatic setting for the castle.

Written by John Buxton and Don Heath, two experienced rail professionals, Lines of Power delivers a comprehensive record of the stuttering progress of electrification and modernisation of Britains railway network, exposing the furtive manoeuvring by competing factions within the railway industry during the 1950s. The book is highly critical of the excessive scepticism of the Department of Transport (DoT later DfT) and the frequent disproportionate, and often imprudent, interventions by politicians that have collectively thwarted the opportunity to progress a more comprehensive and cost effective rolling programme of electrification.