Fortress Britain

Ian Hernon • £14.99
thehistorypress.co.uk

People typically think of Britain as having remained impervious to invasion since the Norman conquest of 1066 – but that hasn’t stopped many people trying since.

In this lively and informative book, journalist and history writer Ian Hernon gathers together all the ‘invasions and incursions’ since Harold lost an eye. (It makes a great companion to last year’s bestseller from The History Press by Stuart Laycock, All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded .)

In 1193 for example, the Danes teamed up with the most persistent offenders, the French, for a full-scale invasion. The French Prince Louis the Lion came close to success exactly 150 years after the Battle of Hastings. The 100 Years War saw multiple raids on British towns and ports by the Spanish and French. Following the Armada, there was the bloodless invasion of 1688, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s march south, the remarkable American John Paul Jones’ attack on Whitehaven during the American War of Independence… and plenty more.

Ian Hernon brings his journalistic flair to bear in this dramatic narrative of the survival of an island race over 900 years – sometimes, surprisingly, against the odds.

The A-Z of Curious London

Gilly Pickup • £12.99
thehistorypress.co.uk

Spooky, gruesome, weird but true things about one of the world’s greatest cities come alive in The A-Z of Curious London.

Discover London’s tiniest house, a 4,000-year-old mouse made from Nile clay, and have a giggle at things people leave on London’s transport (including false teeth, a human skull and even a park bench). Why did a dentist keep his dead wife on view in a shop window? Where did a shopkeeper murder 150 customers? Which Queen showed her bosom to an Ambassador? Why was a man arrested for wearing a top hat? In the City proper, why is no thoroughfare called a road? To sum up, eccentrics, legends, folklore, murders, scandals, ghosts and incredible characters, it’s all here. It will appeal to long-time Londoners looking for something new to them, and every tourist who wants to see beyond the Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard.

Shipping Company Losses of the Second World War

Ian M Malcolm • £19.99
thehistorypress.co.uk

During WW2, the merchant navy suffered a higher percentage loss than any of the British armed forces – 33,000 merchant seamen died. This compendious book brings together a wealth of information concerning ship losses, including such details as ships’ names, their captains, the route they were lost on, date and positions when lost, loss of life, and many other particulars which will be of value and interest to many family historians.

Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse

Lisa Louise Cooke • £14.99
lulu.com/spotlight/gengems

Here’s Lisa Louise Cook’s little secret about tablets and the iPad: they are not laptops. Once the genealogist accepts that truth, she says, they can untether themselves from the restraints of that mindset and embrace what the US-based author and genealogy podcaster calls the ‘tablet mindset’. In this handy ebook (available as a PDF) you will learn how to unleash your iPad’s potential for family history on the go. The book includes an in-depth look at more than 65 apps, organised by theme, that are ideal for the genealogist and numerous tips and tricks to help you become a power user. There is also advice if you have a tablet other than an iPad. This book offers a friendly and accessible introduction for the technologically wary for making the most of a tablet computer to aid their genealogical research.