A “sparkling social history” that brings the twilight of the Edwardian era to life (Entertainment Weekly). The Perfect Summer chronicles a glorious English summer just over a century ago, when the world was on the cusp of irrevocable change. That summer of 1911, a new king was crowned and the aristocracy was at play, bounding from one house party to the next. But perfection was not for all. Cracks in the social fabric were showing. The country was brought to a standstill by industrial strikes. Temperatures rose steadily to more than 100 degrees; by August, deaths from heatstroke were too many for newspapers to report. Drawing on material from intimate and rarely seen sources and narrated from the viewpoints of a series of exceptional individuals—among them a debutante, a choirboy, a politician, a trade unionist, a butler, and the queen—The Perfect Summer is a vividly rendered glimpse of a bygone time and place. “Brimming with delectable information and little-known facts . . . manages to describe every stratum of English society . . . Where Nicolson is especially good, however, is with the royals and the aristocracy, whose country estates, salons, entertainments, and affairs—discreet and indiscreet—she describes with accuracy and humor.” —The Providence Journal “A hugely interesting portrait of a society teetering on a precipice both nationally and internationally . . . As page turning as a novel.” —Joanna Trollope

Nicole Wiltrout is a typical American mom of two from Indiana and one day, her family was given the incredible opportunity to move to England for three years when her husband got a job transfer. She then spent three years writing a weekly column for Anglotopia.net about life in England as an American expat. Now compiled into a book, Dispatches from England is an interesting perspective on life in the UK from an American family that grew to love the place. Join Nicole on her incredible journey as she navigates British cultural life with two precocious children.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Crusaders and a top authority on the historical events that inspired Game of Thrones, a vivid, blood-soaked account of one of the most famous rebellions in history—the first mass uprising by the people of England against their feudal masters. In the summer of 1381, ravaged by poverty and oppressed by taxes, the people of England rose up and demanded that their voices be heard. A ragtag army, led by the mysteri­ous Wat Tyler and the visionary preacher John Ball, rose up against the fourteen-year-old Richard II and his most powerful lords and knights, who risked their property and their lives in a desperate battle to save the English crown. Dan Jones brings this incendiary moment to life and captures both the idealism and brutality of that fate­ful summer, when a brave group of men and women dared to challenge their overlords, demand that they be treated equally, and fight for freedom.

Alan Ross (1922-2001) - distinguished poet, travel writer, and editor of London Magazine - also managed to excel in the role of cricket correspondent for the Observer, in which capacity he followed England/MCC on tours of Australia, South Africa and the West Indies. In the book-length accounts he published of these tours, his lifelong love of the game found glorious expression. Cape Summer and the Australians in England (1957) treats the 1956 Ashes series, memorable above all for the bowling performance of Jim Laker; and the following winter's MCC tour to apartheid South Africa, where one of England's strongest ever sides had an unexpectedly tough contest and where, as ever, Ross's discerning eye and finessing pen were alive to dimensions of the game beyond the boundary rope.

"Death on a Summer's Day" tells the extraordinary story of one of the most appalling and shocking public executions ever to take place in Britain. The only ever murder to be recorded live by dozens of journalists and TV crew members, the tragic assassination of innocent Town Planner, Harry Collinson by embittered and deranged landowner, Albert Dryden, shocked a nation and led to a national media frenzy in which opinions were strongly divided about whether or not it was a case of simple murder or if more was afoot - a support group for the murderer was even formed!At last, author David Blackie, who witnessed the crime and was consulted by the police about the case as a firearms expert, tells the full story from both sides. Also included is an exhaustive interview with Albert Dryden, who is serving a life-sentence for murder in Britain's toughest jails.This is a staggering, shocking and moving book that leaves readers to draw their own conclusions about one of Britain's most famous murders. Essential true crime reading.

Contained within this book is a collection of essays, field notes, and diary excerpts from numerous naturalists relating to British country life in Spring and Summer. These fascinating and highly-readable articles will appeal to those with an interest in the British countryside and naturalism in general. Contents include: "Open-air Diary for April", "Open-air Diary for May", "Open-air Diary for June", "Open-air Diary for July", "Open-air Diary for August", "Open-air Diary for September", "Introduction", "In Praise of Rain", "The Otter's Holt", "The Flowers of Early Spring", "Some English Butterflies", "Birds as Architects", etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in a modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of Edward Thomas.