David Long

Beyond the Gatehouse is a lighthearted, witty but factual biographical account of the eccentric lifestyles of the builders and residents of some of Englands best-known country houses.Extraordinary buildings require extraordinary people, and over the centuries our historic houses have produced more than their fair share of oddballs. Insulated from the outside world by vast wealth, rolling acres and the social status that a title implies, aristocrats have always been able to amuse themselves and now us by pursuing their idiosyncratic interests and manias to the point of eccentricity. The 12th Duke of Bedford preferred parrots to people forcing his children to steal the birds food to make up their own meagre rations while the 5th Duke of Portland paid his staff a bonus on the understanding they would never speak to him. The Hon. Henry Cavendish inherited a million pounds in the 1780s, but never spent more than five shillings on dinner, while more recently the 2nd Lord Rothschild spent weeks training a team of zebra to pull his carriage up the Mall and into Buckingham Palace.David Long lifts the lid on all thats bizarre, implausible, unthinkable and delightfully wacky about our glorious heritage homes and their unusual occupants.

Why is Henry Ford a giant? Because he put the world on wheels. Henry Ford did not invent the motor car, nor for all the claims did he invent the assembly line or mass production. But more than anyone before or since he is remembered as the man who almost singlehandedly took an expensive contraption of doubtful utility and recast it as a machine which in a real and profound sense changed the world forever. In an industry with many giants Andre Citroen, Louis Renault and Giovanni Agnelli of Fiat Henry Ford stands tallest as the greatest ever motor mogul. A Michigan farmers son who became a dollar billionaire, a ruthlessly single-minded autocrat who became a folk hero, a pacifist who went on to inspire Adolf Hitler - he was a boss who paid his workers twice as much as his competitors yet waged an unrelenting war on unions and badly abused the power he had worked so hard to attain. David Long has been an author and journalist for thirty years, and has regularly appeared in The Times, Sunday Times and many magazines, here and abroad. He is a celebrated author of over twenty titles and has ghostwritten many more.

Did you know?In 1884 the Circle Line opened and was described in The Times as a form of mild torture which no person would undergo if he could conveniently help it.According to one psychologist, Tube commuters can experience greater levels of stress than a police officer facing a rioting mob or even a fighter pilot going into a dogfight.Underground trains have only twice been used to transport deceased people in coffins: William Gladstone and Dr Barnardo.Some of the most bizarre items handed in to lost property include 250lb of sultanas, a 14ft canoe, a childs garden slide, a harpoon gun, a pith helmet, an artificial leg, someones brothers ashes and a sealed box containing three dead bats.With well over a billion passengers a year, more than 250 miles of track, literally hundreds of different stations and a history stretching back at least 160 years, the worlds oldest underground railway might seem familiar, but how well do you actually know it?This book offers a feast of Tube-based trivia for travellers and lovers of London alike.

Many of the worlds most famous hats have their origins in Britain; in the Middle Ages there were civil and religious laws requiring hats to be worn and in Victorian Britain a person would no more leave home without a hat than a pair of trousers. It is no surprise that Londons oldest surviving shop, Lock and Co., is a hatter. From practical everyday caps and bonnets to military headwear, top hats, and even the coronation crown, hats of all sorts have passed through its doors and continue to do so after more than 300 years. In this fascinating new book David Long reveals how much of Britains social history can be understood through its headwear, and in exploring the ways in which a hat speaks volumes about its wearers rank and status he tells the stories of the people beneath some of the most famous hats of history.

People love hearing about a grisly murder; gasping at the gory details, wondering about the motives, deducing who did it. This macabre fascination is nothing new. In the past racehorses, greyhounds and even a ship have been named after some of the most notorious murderers, and it doesnt look like our interest is waning any time soon. London Murders is a unique guidebook that explores the darker side of Londons history, pinpointing the exact locations of the bloodiest, most intriguing and sinister murders. It describes in detail the events, the characters involved and the eventual fates of the perpetrators, which include playwrights and politicians, celebrities and spies, royalty, aristocrats and, of course, countless ordinary Joes. Featuring infamous names such as Crippen, Kray, Haigh, Christie and Ellis, whose terrible crimes shocked the world, London Murders matches crimes to locations as David Long walks the reader through the citys streets, whilst revealing their tragic and awful histories.

The streetscape of Londons historic square mile has been evolving for centuries, but the Citys busy commercial heart still boasts an extensive network of narrow passages and alleyways, secret squares and half-hidden courtyards.Using his wealth of local knowledge, historian David Long guides you through these ancient rights of passage many dating back to medieval times or earlier their evocative names recalling old taverns, notable individuals and City traditions. Hidden behind the glass, steel and stone of Londons banks and big business, these survivors of modern development bear witness to nearly 2,000 years of British history.

The bustling metropolis of London is home to scores of unusual and unique places and spaces. In this feast of peculiarities, author David Long guides you off the beaten path and allows you under the skin of the hidden city that is modern-day London, revealing a new side to the capital you thought you knew.

Millions live there, millions more visit each year but how many really know London?Find out: How New Yorks famous Central Park came to be modelled on a seventeenth-century London square When Primrose Hill almost gained a pyramid even larger than the Great Pyramid of Cheops Why about 640 people came to be drowned in the Thames in a single night What the royal family might do to escape London if the balloon ever goes up

As mascots, messengers, rat-catchers and even spies, animals have long marched into war alongside servicemen and women. Dogs, horses, cats (even birds, camels and elephants) have saved thousands of lives through instinct, intelligence, courage and devotion. Like Jet, a dog who searched through ruins during the Blitz bombings to find survivors, or Sergeant Stubby, a dog who caught a spy. Or the pigeons who braved hurricanes, hawks and even snipers to help during WWII ... Engaging, uplifting and deeply moving, Jet the Rescue Dog tells the stories of these brave, silent heroes with sensitivity and gentle humour for readers age 8+. With black and white illustrations throughout.

*The Little Book of London *is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium full of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Londons looniest laws, its most eccentric inhabitants, the realities of being royal and literally hundreds of wacky facts about the worlds greatest city combine to make it required reading for visitors and locals alike.

Delve into Londons architectural curiositites and discover the unexpected gems waiting around every corner.London is full of extraordinary, enigmatic and, above all, unexpected buildings: a pirate castle in Camden, an art gallery made of shipping containers, underground ghost stations, and much more. Here David Long reveals the very best of the capitals extraordinary buildings, some of which are passed by every day, hidden in plain sight.

¡Atención, grumete! Coge la lupa de la cubierta y navega por los siete mares con este libro de piratas que esconde más de 200 secretos.Durante tu aventura a través de las páginas de este libro, descubriras a once piratas reales, aprenderas acerca de la vida en altamar -sobre y bajo cubierta- y exploraras hasta el mas minimo detalle algunos de los momentos claves en la historia de la pirateria.

Agafa la lupa, segueix les petjades que els faraons han deixat en la sorra de la història, i descobreix més de 200 curiositats de l'antic Egipte. Viatja a l'antic Egipte i descobreix com vivien els F

Coge la lupa, sigue las huellas que los faraones han dejado en la arena de la historia, y descubre más de 200 curiosidades del antiguo Egipto. Viaja al antiguo Egipto y descubre cómo vivían los FARAONES, los esclavos y los escribas. Aprende los JEROGLIFICOS, descubre el secreto de las MOMIAS y maravillate con una PIRAMIDE vista desde dentro. ¡Horas y horas de diversion en el desierto!

Astonishing real-life rescue missions from on, under and above the earth from the award-winning team behind Survivors and Heroes.How far would you go to save a life? Scrambling from the wreckage of his school after an earthquake, a nine-year-old Sichuan boy rescued two unconscious friends. I was hall monitor, he said afterwards. It is my job to look after my classmates.Whether dragging a friend from a blazing car, masterminding a search far below the earths surface, or recovering astronauts from an aborted space mission, Rescue reveals the ingenuity, courage and doggedness of the human spirit all over the world.Another unputdownable collection of eye-opening and moving true adventures, both contemporary and historical. Impeccably told by David Long and brought to vibrant life by illustrator Kerry Hyndman.Praise for the series:True-story fans will love this.Inis Childrens Books Ireland Full of incredible real-life stories . . . Ultimately an inspirational book, beautifully illustrated.Angels and UrchinsA great collection of harrowing, true survivor stories.Kirkus

A single spy can save thousands of lives.Spies and secret agents have been hard at work for centuries, risking their lives, and sometimes changing the course of history. Discover twenty-seven of the most courageous and daring, including Britains first female spy, a teacher turned saboteur, the spy who sang for Hitler and the man who never was . . .An unputdownable collection of real life adventures, stunningly illustrated by Terri Po.

Winner of the Best Book With FactsBlue Peter Book Award 2017. Amazing real-life stories about extreme survival.Beautifully presented in a large, paperback format, and fully illustrated in colour throughout, this wonderful anthology is a treat for all the family. Be shocked and amazed by these incredible real-life stories of extreme survival, including . . .The Man Who Sucked Blood from a Shark, a sailor who survived for 133 days on a raft in the Atlantic when his ship was torpedoed, using sharks blood in place of fresh water. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, a teenager who fell 2 miles from an aeroplane and trekked through the Amazon jungle to safety. The Woman Who Froze to Death - Yet Lived, a woman who was trapped under freezing water for so long her heart stopped. Four hours later, medics managed to warm her blood enough to revive her. Combining classic tales such as Ernest Shackletons Antarctic voyage, as well as more modern exploits such as the adventurer who inspired the movie 127 Hours, these astonishing stories will be retold by young readers to all of their friends.A gorgeously presented hardback book, full of incredible real-life stories of extreme survival . . . Ultimately an inspirational book, beautifully illustrated.Angels and UrchinsTrue-story fans will love this.Inis Childrens Books IrelandA wonderful mixture of the scariness of peril and the glorious uplift of survival. Its insightful, inspirational and all absolutely true.Bookbag

From the Wright Brothers twelve seconds aloft to the Moon landings less than a lifetime later, the story of aviation is not just a series of astonishing advances made at breathtaking speed. Its also about the courage and ingenuity of the men and women who made such rapid progress possible; about the romance of soaring above the clouds; and perhaps most of all about the exciting and exhilarating realisation of a dream which is literally centuries old.

From a slave posting himself to freedom to daring prison breaks, award-winning David Long captures the astonishing true stories of the greatest escapes of all time.From the author of Survivors, the w

A beautiful and thrilling round-up of 32 of the best Magnificent Machines from across history by Blue Peter award-winning David Long.The longest ship ever built, the heaviest digger and the largest aeroplane, the worlds first working motorcar, and its most expensive one. What machines like these have in common is that they all say a lot about the inventiveness and imagination of the people who conceived and created them. Some of them are useful, others are just a bit of fun, but the best ones are truly magnificent, and fascinating to discover.Designed to drive faster, fly higher, carry more cargo or - in the case of space rockets - travel hundreds of thousands of miles to places no-one has ever been before, not every idea has worked but the best have been inspired and inspirational, and in a few cases they have gone on to change the world. It is the human stories and atmospheric art that make this a book to actually read and delight in.