The Victorian private solider was a despised figure. A working man had to be desperate indeed to take the Queen’s shilling. Yet in the first sixteen months of the Great War two and a half million men from the UK and many more from the empire, flocked to the colours – without any form of legal compulsion. There had never been a volunteer army like it. What was in the air of England in the generation or so before 1914 to bring about such collective exultation? How did it come about that, in a society which – in oft-proclaimed contrast to Germany – rejected conscription and prided itself on having no taint of militarism, men could be induced to volunteer in such numbers? The nation’s general state of mind, system of values and set of attitudes derived largely from the upper middle class, which had emerged and become dominant during the nineteenth century. The book examines the phenomenon of 1914 and the views held by people of that class, since it was under their leadership that the country went to war.

'YOU WANTED TO SEE SOME ACTION - WELL YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT NOW. YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT NOW ALL RIGHT.' Friday 24th May, 1940 Private Johnny Hawke, aged sixteen, awakens to artillery fire. Hours later, Stukas scream down from the sky. Messerschmit fighters roar towards his regiment. Trucks burst into flames. Now men and mules lay dead and dying, severed limbs twisted grotesquely as blood soaks the cobbled streets. Young Private Hawke just wants to do his duty and serve his country. But as he - and his fellow soldiers - prepare to stop the German advance, there's only one question on everyone's lips. HOW WILL THEY SURVIVE?

Pilot officer Archie Jackson, 19, is in control of the RAF's newest fighter aircraft, a Supermarine Spitfire. Now he has the Luftwaffe in his sights and only one thing matters: defending Britain. Suddenly planes are falling from the sky, exploding and spiralling into the English Channel. France has fallen and the swastika flies over Occupied Europe. Only these young pilots - barely out of boyhood - stand between Britain and a Nazi invasion . . . Duty Calls: Battle of Britain, throws you deep into the heart - and horror - of Britain's darkest, and finest, hour. ** Historian James Holland is the bestselling author of the Jack Tanner adult war fiction books. Duty Calls is his first series for younger readers, and showcases his expertise on the Second World War. ** James Holland presented Battle of Britain: The Real Story on BBC2.

Growing up, Travis Uriah Long yearned for order and discipline in his life . . . the two things his neglectful mother couldnt or wouldnt provide. So when Travis enlisted in the Royal Manticoran Navy, he thought hed finally found the structure hed always wanted so desperately. But life in the RMN isnt exactly what he expected. Boot camp is rough and frustrating; his first ship assignment lax and disorderly; and with the Star Kingdom of Manticore still recovering from a devastating plague, the Navy is possibly on the edge of budgetary extinction. The Star Kingdom is a minor nation among the worlds of the Diaspora, its closest neighbors weeks or months away, with little in the way of resources. With only modest interstellar trade, no foreign contacts to speak of, a plague-ravaged economy to rebuild, and no enemies looming at the hyper limit, there are factions in Parliament who want nothing more than to scrap the Navy and shift its resources and manpower elsewhere. But those factions are mistaken. The universe is not a safe place. Travis Long is about to find that out. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About A Call to Duty: "A new series set in the universe of Webers popular heroine Honor Harrington gets off to a solid start. . . . Cowriters Zahn and Weber do an excellent job alluding to events known to longtime fans. . . . [T]his astronautical adventure is filled with . . . intrigue and political drama."_Publishers Weekly About the Honor Harrington series: _Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novelãFans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.Ó_Publishers Weekly _. . .everything you could want in a heroine ã. Excellent ã plenty of action.Ó_Science Fiction Age _Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!Ó_Anne McCaffrey _Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.Ó_Locus _Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .Ó_Publishers Weekly About Timothy Zahn: _Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.Ó¾Publishers Weekly "[Y]ou can count on Timothy Zahn for three things: clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel." ¾Blogcritics _[Conquerors Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.Ó¾Booklist _Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing.Ó¾Kirkus Review

Duty Calls continues the story of Nic, Mal, Jazz and Jade as they fight to hold what belongs to them. The Corporations are becoming more aggressive in their effort to steal their inventions. Our four friends are matching the corporate's aggression blow for blow. The fight has already turned deadly, and the Corporation has shown they aren't afraid to spill blood. Nic has shown restraint, but the gloves are about to come off. They've gone after his family and that's the one thing he will not tolerate.

A terrorist organization spreads its poisonous ideology beyond its homeland. An ambitious Russina General pursues a brutal agenda for power and glory. Allied forces are embroilled in a conflict that involves tem all, and threatens to escalate worldwide...The stage is set in multiple theaters of conflict, as Moder Warfare 4 marks a spectacular return for the Call of Duty series. This exciting book provides a peek behind the curtain at game developers, Infinity Ward. With over 200 full color pages filled with amazing images, character profiles, photo-realistic locations and comments from the team who made the game, this is an unmissable book for fans of the series and lovers of the video game artwork alike.