Character-19

Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, share a joke at a recording session for Reprise Records. Frank had become disenchanted with his old record company Capitol Records, so decided to form his own label, Reprise. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! John Stanley From a singing waiter, to a boy singer with the big bands, to the ‘Sultan of Swoon’, in just a few years in the 1940s Frank Sinatra became America’s epitome of class and elegance before becoming the Chairman of the Board. Ol’ blue eyes lived a life more colourful and exciting than almost anyone from his generation and it’s all here in this superbly illustrated book. It charts Frank Sinatra’s career – the highs, the lows, his hits, his loves and his films, with fantastic archive photographs that bring to life the faces, places and personalities that made his world so memorable. Frank was a massive success in Vegas with his sell out seasons and also got to sing with his mates in his very own Rat Pac...

Worms and other creatures help with good soil. A good soil is rich in nutrients and plenty of organic matter. What you also need is plenty of good compost! ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! Paul Peacock Growing your own produce is a passion for vast numbers of people and this informative book is a great help in getting you started. Experience the joy of watching nature as each tiny seed or plant springs to life, knowing you had a hand in making it all happen – an edible garden. Learn how to keep your soil in good shape and make the most of compost. Plot planning is also important, so advice on beds and raised beds is outlined too, along with growing plants from seeds and modules. Looking after your plants is crucial to their health and survival, which is explained in knowing when to water and use fertilizer or feed to maximise growth. Featuring hints and tips on how to make the most of your garden or allotment, from potatoes, cabbages and carrots through to broccol...

A German Nazi plane had crashed in Hertfordshire on 8 April. A nearby farmer had used his tractor to collect up pieces of the plane which he found scattered over his fields. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! Adam Powley The Battle of Britain was not a particularly long campaign. In essence, it started on 10 July 1940 and after four main phases it ended (or to be more accurate, faded and evolved into a less distinctive battle), by the end of October that same year.  Its origins lay in the devastating conquest of Western Europe by Germany in 1940. After overrunning Belgium and the Netherlands, on 14 June the Germans took control of Paris and, within two days, the French capitulated. Britain now stood alone. The Channel was all that lay between the south coast of England and the German forces massing on the coastline just 20 miles away.  With the whole country fearing Britain would be next, on 18 June Churchill spoke to the nation via Parliament in a classic spee...

  The Beeb’s answer to the emerging pirate radio stations was Radio 1 – launched on September 30, 1967. Headed by Robin Scott, (centre, background), Radio 1 assembled a roster of largely young DJs, several of whom had come from a pirate radio background, and others who went on to carve out highly successful broadcasting careers. The sound of national, legal radio was never to be the same again. Left to right: Back row: Tony Blackburn, Jimmy Young, Kenny Everett, Duncan Johnson, David Rider, Dave Cash, Pete Brady and David Symonds. Middle row: Bob Holness, Terry Wogan, Barry Alldis, Mike Lennox, Keith Skues, Chris Denning and Johnny Moran. Front row: Pete Murray, Ed Stewart, Pete Drummond, Mike Raven, Mike A’Hern and John Peel. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! Adam Powley and Michael Heatley Take a trip back to the Swinging Sixties and the decade that gave rise to some of the greatest music, movies, TV, fashions, and famous events of the modern era. From mini-skirt...

Swindon station on the GWR line in 1845. Swindon became the hub of the Great Western Railway as it was decided to build an entire railway works in the town, under the guidance of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! Adam Powley Few people can have had such a dramatic impact on Britain than Isambard Kingdom Brunel. More than many kings, warriors and politicians, this icon of the Victorian age transformed not just the landscape of a nation but left a lasting legacy of physical monuments and dynamic innovation that together played a major part in turning Britain into a superpower. Rather than a conventional biography of Brunel’s life, this unique book shows how this most famous of engineers revolutionised transport, industry and much more through the story of his achievements – his grand designs, innovations and technological breakthroughs.  It explores in fascinating detail Brunel’s great bridges, tunnels, railways and stations; it charts how he...

Grace was starting to make waves in the movie  industry and had gained the attention and admiration of legendary director Alfred Hitchcock, noting her star quality which was perfect for his films. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! Mike Gent and Michael Heatley Grace Kelly will go down in history as the actress who sacrificed her own career for love, aged just 26. One thing she did not forsake, however, was the headlines. They, and the lenses of the world’s press, followed her wherever she went, and while High Society , the last of her 11 movies, in 1956, brought down the curtain on her Hollywood career, the legend lived on. Her rapid rise through the Hollywood star firmament was assisted by the likes of director John Ford, who said her audition showed “breeding, quality, and class.” Actor Gary Cooper and thriller director Alfred Hitchcock were other supporters, while an Oscar for her role in 1954’s The Country Girl proved Grace had arrived in the top rank of ...

  King George VI is greeted by a delighted bunch of youngsters during a two-day visit to eastern England. This was during a period after the outbreak of World War II that has been described as the Phoney War, before the real thing kicked off! ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! John Stanley Why is it that just about every single one of us just loves a good old wallow in nostalgia? It’s probably as simple as when most of us look back we have a tendency to ‘accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative’. Then again as we get older, perhaps, there’s more to look back on, than to look forward to! However, a remembrance of things past is not just confined to old people hoping to recapture their lost youth, many younger people also cherish things from years ago – it might be retro design, fashion or a life that seemed somehow more exciting – in a slower kind of way. The idea of accentuating the good from times past is actually a line from an old Bing Crosby song, so t...

  While in London to record his next album, Bob Marley appeared at Marylebone Magistrates Court charged with possessing cannabis, 1977. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! Michael Heatley Bob Marley blazed a trail for reggae from 1962, when he cut his first single as an inexperienced teenager, to 1980, when he played the last of his concerts. The decades after his death he remains the music’s undisputed superstar, revered and recognized the world over. Marley’s career not only introduced Jamaican music to the world, it saw the singer overcome a difficult childhood to make his mark. His lyrics, often delivered in thick Jamaican patois, nevertheless spoke eloquently of ‘One Love’, urging his listeners to “Stand up for your rights” and forging musical links with the punk movement.  Marley, born in 1945, worked with Bunny Livingston and Peter “Tosh” McIntosh as the Wailers (initially Wailin’ Wailers) in the mid Sixties. Early songs bore the unmistakable American sou...