Book House

The British Royal Family is a perennial source of fascination around the world, and few aspects of their lives are more celebrated and scrutinised than their weddings. This fascinating, accessible guide to some of the more eventful and momentous royal weddings in history covers everything from the notorious nuptials of Henry VIII to the achingly romantic recent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton ...

As if the plague wasn't bad enough, here comes the fiery antidote! As famous diary-keeper Samuel Pepys, you'll witness four days and four nights of fire and live to tell the tale. Find out how people lived in the London of 1666, how they coped in the aftermath and all importantly, whodunnit! - or at least who we think dunnit! "You Wouldn't Want To Be" is a constantly-growing library of exciting titles which...

Yorkshire is well known for its miners, pudding and cricket, but Yorkshire: A Very Peculiar History scrapes beyond the surface and past the cliches. Featuring a host of characters from Yorkshire past and present, from Guy Fawkes to Michael Parkinson, it's not all grit and grime! Tracing Yorkshire's history back through Roman and Viking rule, to the various tribes which populated the area in prehistoric tim...

As infamous explorer Marco Polo's sidekick, you can explore exciting new lands and behold magnificent beasts! And all so you can work for years for the supreme lord of the Mongols, Kublai Khan. Will you ever get home alive? And even if you do, will anybody believe your far-fetched stories about ghostly deserts and white oxen? The humorous cartoon-style illustrations and the narrative approach of this title ...

In Cricket, A Very Peculiar History Jim Pipe uniquely explores one of this nation's greatest and the second biggest spectator sport on the planet. From the hazy bat-and-ball origins of the game to the biggest celebrity players of today, this book is a fascinating insight into the popular sport. Filled to the brim with quirky quotes, fantastic facts and surprising statistics, this is the perfect gift book fo...

In 16th century London, you start work as an actor at William Shakespeare's theatre, but soon realise it won't be easy. It'll take an excellent memory, a penchant for wearing dresses and a keen eye for avoiding rotten vegetables. But against all odds, you could do well here...just watch where you're pointing that cannon! Humorous illustrations bring the characters to life, while informative captions explain...

As an American pilot joining the RAF during World War Two, you'll experience many ups and downs, and no doubt you'll discover what a 'Mae West' is for! Get used to the lingo, commands and controls, otherwise it's time to bail out! Educational, informative and engaging, this book teaches children the risks taken and sacrifices made in World War II. The humorous cartoon-style illustrations and the narrative a...

The Tudors were an odd bunch, more odd than their subjects, perhaps. When they weren't beheading wives and enemies they were threatening to, or going around earning themselves nicknames like 'Bloody Mary' and 'The 9 Day Queen'. The Tudors: A Very Peculiar History tells the story of the Tudor monarchs, their castles, their lives and their subjects in a time when it was fashionable to slash up your clothes f...

'Whisky, A Very Peculiar History' takes a sideways look at this most inebriating beverage from its simplistic origins to its pride of place in the drinks cabinets of the world. When Henry VIII disbanded the monasteries and let those brewing monks out into the wilderness, he had no idea of the kind of beast he'd unleashed. Whisky was used as a medicine, giving 'the glow of apparent well-being' and even hors...

When war broke out in 1939, few knew that they would soon be fighting to survive, let alone how or when it would end. "Rations: A Very Peculiar History" looks at the measures the British government took to ensure the wellbeing of its people during wartime, and how the British public dealt with it. With some stealing, some hoarding, but most just trying to get by, it was one of the bleakest periods in Britis...

With the centenary of the outbreak of the 'The Great War' coming in 2014, World War One, A Very Peculiar History commemorates the events of the time by looking at some of the incredible lengths, no matter how risky or bizarre, people went to to defend their country. From front pigs to hairy beasts, author Jim Pipe looks at the nicknames coined at the time, while providing mind-boggling lists and figures ab...

Step inside an ancient Egyptian building site where one of mankind's most spectacular creations is slowly taking shape. Discover how the Egyptians constructed these vast buildings with such incredible precision, without using wheels, machines or iron tools. Their aim: to preserve their pharaoh not just from tomb robbers, but from death itself. An Egyptian Pyramid is an exciting and superbly-illustrated look...

World War Two, A Very Peculiar History explores the most destructive event of the twentieth century, a war that defined and shaped the world we live in today. Jim Pipe introduces the nations, as well as individuals, that participated and the politics that drove them, alongside the Cherished Library-style fascinating trivia and quirky facts. In this book you can learn about mad British schemes and the atomic...