Roy Brooks became a legend in his own time for the puckish delight he took in telling the truth, the whole truth - and even the unwholesome truth - about the properties, as an estate agent, that he advertised for sale. From 1950 to his death in 1971, his fame for these revolutionary, outrageous, funny, and on occasions, painful advertisements spread far and wide. In a trade well known for its euphemisms, optimistic cliches and skilful camouflage, he won the delighted applause of the property-buying and newspaper-reading, public.;This is a collection of the best of Roy Brooks' property advertisements in the Sunday Times and Observer newspapers.

In 1885 Victorian England was scandalized by a court case that lifted the veil on prostitution and the sex trade. In the Old Bailey dock stood W.T. Stead, the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, which had recently published a series of articles on the sex trade; Rebecca Jarrett, a reformed brothel keeper; and the second-in-command of The Salvation Army, Bramwell Booth. They were accused of abducting a thirteen-year-old girl, Eliza Armstrong, apparently buying her for the purpose of prostitution. In fact they had done this as a sensational exposé of the trade in young girls. The scandal triggered a massive petition and ultimately resulted in the raising of the British age of consent from thirteen to sixteen. Today human trafficking is once again making world headlines - as are recent calls to lower the age of consent. Eliza's story is a thrilling account of what can be achieved by those brave enough to believe that change is not only possible but has to come.

Discover the truth behind the much-derided world of estate agency in this no-holds-barred account. From gazumping and sealed bids to Dutch auctions and life-affirming philosophy, this brutally honest book delves into all aspects of the housing market that have never been available to the general public. Written by a local author who may have sold your house or sold one to you, this book sheds light on the mysteries of estate agency and the rationale behind its practices. Is estate agency really just money for old rope? What links it to the dropping of the atomic bomb? What phrase from 1928 is still causing angst in the house buying process? With fascinating insights into the history of estate agents and even a discussion of the role of the Bible in the industry, this book explores the tall stories and interesting views that make up this complex world. Whether you’re a seasoned property buyer or just curious about the industry, prepare to be stultified and enlightened by this intriguing read. As any self-respecting estate agent would say, an internal inspection is highly recommended. So read on and discover the secrets of estate agency that have never been revealed before.

In 2015 the Salvation Army celebrated the 150th anniversary of its birth in the poverty and squalor of London’s East End. Today the Army is to be found in towns and cities throughout Britain, its members readily recognized through their military uniform and their reputation for good works widely acknowledged. Many people, however, are unaware of the origins and subsequent development of the organisation. At times Salvationists were imprisoned, beaten up in street riots and ridiculed in the press for their religious beliefs. Despite this persecution the Army put in place a program of help for the poor and marginalised of such ambition that it radically altered social thinking about poverty. There have been very few attempts at writing a wider and accessible account which locates the Army in its historical context. This is something of an omission given that it has made a unique contribution to the changing social, cultural and religious landscape of Britain. The Salvation Army: 150 years of Blood and Fire aims to provide a history of the organisation for the general reader and is for anyone who is interested in the interplay of people, ideas and events. The book reveals how the story of the Salvation Army raises fundamental questions about issues of power, class, gender and race in modern society; all as pertinent today as they were in Victorian Britain. The Salvation Army: 150 years of Blood and Fire also makes an extensive use of pictures illustrative of the Army’s history gathered from around the world, most of which have never previously been published.

Jerry White's London in the Nineteenth Century is the richest and most absorbing account of the city's greatest century by its leading expert. London in the nineteenth century was the greatest city mankind had ever seen. Its growth was stupendous. Its wealth was dazzling. Its horrors shocked the world. This was the London of Blake, Thackeray and Mayhew, of Nash, Faraday and Disraeli. Most of all it was the London of Dickens. As William Blake put it, London was 'a Human awful wonder of God'. In Jerry White's dazzling history we witness the city's unparalleled metamorphosis over the course of the century through the daily lives of its inhabitants. We see how Londoners worked, played, and adapted to the demands of the metropolis during this century of dizzying change. The result is a panorama teeming with life.

When Theatres of Memory was first published in 1994, it transformed the debate about what is to be considered history and questioned the role of “heritage” that lies at the heart of every Western nation’s obsession with the past. Today, in the age of Downton Abbey and Mad Men, we are once again conjuring historical fictions to make sense of our everyday lives. In this remarkable book, Samuel looks at the many different ways we use the “unofficial knowledge” of the past. Considering such varied areas as the fashion for “retrofitting,” the rise of family history, the joys of collecting old photographs, the allure of reenactment societies and televised adaptations of Dickens, Samuel transforms our understanding of the uses of history. He shows us that history is a living practice, something constantly being reassessed in the world around us.

Between 1885 and 1960, laws and policies designed to repress prostitution dramatically shaped London's commercial sex industry. This book examines how laws translated into street-level reality, explores how women who sold sex experienced criminalization, and charts the complex dimensions of the underground sexual economy in the modern metropolis.