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A Secret Diary of the First World War: Fact-tastic Stories from Scotland's History (Young Kelpies Ser. #1)
by Gill ArbuthnottWhat was the First World War really like? Step into the boots of 14-year-old James Marchbank and experience the most important, incredible, peculiar, poignant, remarkable and revolting bits of World War 1. Inspired by the real-life diary of
Secret Germany: Staufffenberg And The True Story Of Operation Valkyrie
by Michael Baigent Richard LeighAt thirty-seven, Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg, Chief of Staff of the Reich Reserve Army, was a charismatic figure destined for supreme command. The group of conspirators with whom he conceived the plot to kill Hitler in July 1944 was called 'Secret Germany'. That was also the name of the esoteric circle in which Stauffenberg as a young man had been a disciple of the mystic anti-Nazi magus and poet Stefan George. What was it that motivated this extraordinary aristocratic soldier, with the looks of a Hollywood idol, who was said to be the only man to stare the Fuhrer down until he averted his eyes? For Stauffenberg, the bomb plot was not a political move but a moral and spiritual necessity. After forty-two serious attempts on Hitler's life in the previous twenty years, why did he too fail? Had he succeeded, some say he would have become the de Gaulle of Germany, saviour of the nation soul. Even in failure, there can be no doubt of Stauffenberg's heroism. He stands as atonement for the Third Reich and a resolution of the conflicting myths of German culture. In this remarkable investigation, his whole life explains a troubled past to the present generation of Europeans as few have done in recent history.
The Secret Guests
by Benjamin BlackFor fans of The Crown comes an enthralling historical mystery set during the Second World WarIt is 1940 and the bombs are falling thick and fast on London. The royal family must do all they can to assure the British public of their solidarity. But what of the two young princesses - Elizabeth and Margaret? How can they be kept safe without jeopardizing morale in the capital?Meanwhile Celia Nashe is delighted when she finally gets her long-awaited transfer to MI5. But whatever she was expecting of her mission for the war effort, it wasn't this. A crumbling castle in remote, rural Ireland, playing nursemaid to two pampered young girls. But her posting soon turns out to be very far from tame. Questions are being asked by the locals about the identities of Celia's secret charges. And when a dead body turns up at the castle gates, it will take every effort to uncover the truth, and to stop it from coming to light.'Black is a master of high-class crime fiction' Guardian
The Secret History of al Qaeda
by Abdel Bari AtwanOver the last ten years, journalist and al-Qa'ida expert Abdel Bari Atwan has cultivated uniquely well-placed sources and amassed a wealth of information about al-Qa'ida's origins, masterminds and plans for the future. Atwan reveals how al-Qa'ida's radical departure from the classic terrorist/guerrilla blueprint has enabled it to outpace less adaptable efforts to neutralize it. The fanaticism of its fighters, and their willingness to kill and be killed, are matched by the leadership's opportunistic recruitment strategies and sophisticated understanding of psychology, media, and new technology - including the use of the internet for training, support, and communications. Atwan shows that far from committing acts of violence randomly and indiscriminately, al-Qa'ida attacks targets according to a decisive design underwritten by unwavering patience. He also argues that events in Iraq and Saudi Arabia are watershed moments in the group's evolution that are making it more dangerous by the day, as it refines and appropriates the concept of jihad and makes the suicide bomber a permanent feature of a global holy war. While Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri remain al-Qa'ida's figureheads, Atwan identifies a new kind of leader made possible by its horizontal chain of command, epitomized by the brutal Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi in Iraq and the bombers of London, Madrid, Amman, Bali, and elsewhere. Scholarly, analytical, objective, it is also intensely readable, being by far the best book on the subject.' -- Tony Benn 'This is a must-read book for anyone interested in understanding our increasingly scary world.' -- Gavin Esler 'What shines out ... is a profound desire to investigate and reveal the truth. Intelligent and informative.' -- Jason Burke, Guardian 'Deeply researched, well reported and full of interesting and surprising analyses. It demands to be read.' -- Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc
The Secret History of Soviet Russia's Police State: Cruelty, Co-operation and Compromise, 1917–91
by Martyn WhittockRepression, control, manipulation and elimination of enemies assisted in the establishment of the Soviet state, and helped maintain it in power, but could not, in the end, prevent its collapse.Citizens of the West have, for the most part, been told a very simplified story of the repressive 'totalitarian' state that was the USSR. In fact, it was sustained by more than just policing and force. No amount of revisionist history can erase the reality of millions controlled, imprisoned and killed, but there was much more to the USSR's one-party state than this. Whittock tells a more complex story of the combination of cruelty, co-operation and compromise required to build and run a one-party state. Much of this is the story of the role played by the secret police in creating and sustaining such a form of government, but it is much more than simply a 'history of the secret police'. This is because the 'police state' which emerged (in which dissent, both real and imaginary, was undoubtedly policed, threatened and ruthlessly eliminated) was more than just the product of the arrests, interrogations, executions and imprisonments carried out by the secret police. The USSR was also made possible by a battle for hearts and minds which led millions of people to feel that they really had benefited from the system and had a stake in the new society.
The Secret History of the Mongols
by Christopher P. AtwoodA new translation of a great historical epic, recounting the turbulent life and times of Chinggis Khan'Bear the sword andHew asunder high and haughty necksSlash apart all strong and self-willed shoulders'Born poor into a world of dangers and hardships, Chinggis (or Genghis) Khan would grow up to unify Mongolia and conquer a vast empire stretching from modern-day Beijing to Baghdad. The Secret History of the Mongols, written after Chinggis's death in the thirteenth century, is a great historical saga recounting not only his turbulent life and times, but that of his loved ones, ancestors and heirs. This remarkable new translation of the earliest surviving work written in Mongolian gives insight into a world of warlords, kinship, horses, yurts, shamans and vast landscapes, where bloody battles and violent family conflicts are impelled by Heaven's destiny.Translated with an introduction by Christopher P. Atwood
Secret Hopes for the West End Girls (The West End Girls)
by Elaine RobertsWhen the war destroys everything, can you still keep hope alive? 1915, London. World War I has been raging for over a year, but despite it all Rose Spencer is feeling hopeful about the future. She's in love and planning her wedding to lovely, bicycle-shop owner Charlie.She loves working as a seamstress at the glamourous London's Lyceum Theatre but secretly can't help fantasising about seeing her own designs come to life. And even when she won't believe in her talent, thankfully best friends Joyce and Annie are always around to push her to have faith in her dreams.But when a German bomb is dropped on The Strand and the city falls to chaos, her life is turned upside down – is hope for a better future lost for good? And if one dream ends, can she find the strength to fight for a different one?From the author of the Foyles Bookshop series, Secret Hopes for the West End Girls is a charming and uplifting WW1 saga, perfect for fans of Daisy Styles and Rosie Hendry.Readers love Secret Hopes for the West End Girls! 'Emotional... Will give you that warm feeling inside... 5 stars from me' Goodreads Reviewer, ????? 'Loved, loved, loved it... I just cried all the way through the last chapter' NetGalley Reviewer, ????? 'Another great novel by Elaine Roberts... Easy to read and I read it in a couple of days... Recommended!' NetGalley Reviewer, ????? 'Touching and emotional' NetGalley Reviewer, ????? 'Moving... Capturing friendships and love... Heart-wrenching... Leaves you a contented and happy reader... Absolutely lovely!' Goodreads Reviewer, ????? 'Hard to put down but at the same time I didn't want to finish it too quickly... Well worth 5 stars' NetGalley Reviewer, ????? 'Elaine Roberts writes so well... Definitely recommend this!' NetGalley Reviewer, ????? 'Wonderful read' NetGalley Reviewer, ????? 'Immersed me in a beautiful romance' NetGalley Reviewer, ????
Secret Intelligence in the European States System, 1918-1989
by Jonathan Haslam Karina UrbachThe history of secret intelligence, like secret intelligence itself, is fraught with difficulties surrounding both the reliability and completeness of the sources, and the motivations behind their release—which can be the product of ongoing propaganda efforts as well as competition among agencies. Indeed, these difficulties lead to the Scylla and Charybdis of overestimating the importance of secret intelligence for foreign policy and statecraft and also underestimating its importance in these same areas—problems that generally beset the actual use of secret intelligence in modern states. But in recent decades, traditional perspectives have given ground and judgments have been revised in light of new evidence. This volume brings together a collection of essays avoiding the traditional pitfalls while carrying out the essential task of analyzing the recent evidence concerning the history of the European state system of the last century. The essays offer an array of insight across countries and across time. Together they highlight the critical importance of the prevailing domestic circumstances—technological, governmental, ideological, cultural, financial—in which intelligence operates. A keen interdisciplinary eye focused on these developments leaves us with a far more complete understanding of secret intelligence in Europe than we've had before.
Secret Intelligence in the Twentieth Century
by Heike Bungert Jan G. Heitmann Michael WalaThis work investigates the connection between intelligence history, domestic policy, military history and foreign relations in a time of increasing bureaucratization of the modern state. The issues of globalization of foreign relations and the development of modern communication are also discussed.
Secret Intelligence in the Twentieth Century (Studies In Intelligence Ser.)
by Heike Bungert Jan G. Heitmann Michael WalaThis work investigates the connection between intelligence history, domestic policy, military history and foreign relations in a time of increasing bureaucratization of the modern state. The issues of globalization of foreign relations and the development of modern communication are also discussed.
The Secret Legacy
by Sara Alexander’A delightful read’ Booklist Some loves are worth sacrificing everything for . . .
Secret Letters: A Battle of Britain Love Story
by John WillisThis is a unique book. Using for the first time the full unpublished letters of Pilot Officer Geoffrey Myers it offers a fresh and distinctive insight into World War 2.While Geoffrey Myers was a caught up in the major turning points of the early years of that war - the Battle for France, Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain - his French wife and two half-Jewish children were trapped in Nazi-occupied France, desperate to escape the enemy and be reunited with her husband in England.These secret letters were never posted and never read by Geoffrey's family until later in the war. They were designed to be read if he was killed. They begin, 'Three months now, and I have kept silent. I have been hoping to write letters that would reach you. I have been wanting to do something that would help you to escape from Occupied France and to get us all out of this living grave.'Contemporary personal accounts of the Battle of Britain of such frankness are extremely rare. Individual narratives on this scale, encompassing two of the great turning points of the war, the Battle of Britain and Dunkirk, and much else besides, just do not exist. So the letters from Geoffrey Myers to his family are unique, offering an original insight from a witness to so much history. More than that, the letters tell a powerful love story between two people caught up in war, and at real risk of never seeing each other again.As a Daily Telegraph journalist before the war, Geoffrey Myers writes with eloquence and insight and, because his notebooks were not designed to be published, the letters are an unvarnished, sometimes brutal, portrayal of war as his Battle of Britain Squadron suffers terrible losses. As an Intelligence Officer, Geoffrey was well placed to understand the chaos all around him but his letters are shot through with humanity, and sometimes humour.While Geoffrey wrote his account of the war for his children to read if he survived, his family were in mortal danger. As a Jew he understood only too well what would happen if the Nazis discovered his children hiding in Occupied France. For months he had no idea if his family were dead or alive, free or imprisoned. His letters reflect his deep love for his wife, Margot, and children and his acute anxiety for their safety, as they try to escape the tightening net of the Nazis and head south through France and Spain. Unique interviews with his wife offer insight into her remarkable story during those precarious months.This moving story of a couple whose love is caught in the crossfire of war is a powerful and rare portrait of, not only the turbulent events of those times, but also how a family survives with so much death and danger swirling around them both.
The Secret Life of Violet Grant (The Schuyler Sister Novels #1)
by Beatriz WilliamsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked City: a story of love and intrigue that travels from Kennedy-era Manhattan to World War I Europe…
The Secret Lives of Secret Agents
by Liam McCannMany of us have grown up with James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan as our heroes, but these spies live and work in a fictional world that bears little resemblance to reality. Secret agents have existed for as long as humans have been in conflict, and this book tells the stories of the people and agencies responsible for some of the most daring and disastrous exploits in the history of intelligence gathering, warfare and espionage. We’ll examine the lives of Nathan Hale, the man executed by the British during the American Revolutionary War; Sidney Reilly, Ace of Spies; and Aldrich Ames, the man who betrayed countless CIA officers and operations to the Soviet Union. We’ll also look at the lesser-known events surrounding the disappearance of Wilhelm Mörz, the only German spy thought to have escaped from Britain during the Second World War, and Mata Hari, the femme fatale who extracted secrets from both sides during World War One.The agencies behind these men and women will also be examined in detail, and no book on secret agents would be complete without paying tribute to the most famous spy on the silver screen: James Bond.
The Secret Lives of the Nazis: The Hidden History of the Third Reich
by Paul RolandWhile demanding that the German people made sacrifices for a war which few in Hitler's inner circle believed they could win, Nazi leaders were leading lives of incredible debauchery, privilege, and power:• Nazi's official party line was that drug addiction was a Jewish sickness, while Goering was a morphine addict and Hitler's army was drug fused.• Homosexuality was publicly condemned as 'deviant' behaviour, while one of Hitler's confidants' Ernst Röhm was gay and the close relationship between the two fuelled rumours.• Heinrich Himmler used his influence as head of the SS and Gestapo to strip the assets of millions of victims. • Hitler's cynical spin doctor, Joseph Goebbels, exploited his position as Propaganda Minister to bed a succession of movie starlets. • Goering's orders, thousands of trains packed with looted treasure were transported back to Germany from France alone. The Secret Lives of the Nazis reveals the terrible truth behind the pernicious propaganda peddled by the Nazis and the murderous private feuds that went on behind closed doors as members of the Nazi leadership schemed and plotted to eliminate their political rivals, while accumulating incredible personal wealth and priceless possessions.
The Secret Messenger
by Mandy RobothamThe highly awaited new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The German Midwife (also published as A Woman of War).
The Secret Messenger
by Mandy RobothamThe highly awaited new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The German Midwife (also published as A Woman of War). #1 GLOBE AND MAIL BESTSELLER.USA TODAY BESTSELLER.KINDLE TOP 10 BESTSELLER.
The Secret Notebook
by Julia WildA page-turning, emotional WW2 novel for fans of Barbara Taylor Bradford, Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes
The Secret of Kit Cavenaugh: A Remarkable Irishwoman And Soldier
by Anne HollandChristian – ‘Kit’ – Cavenaugh, born in 1667 in Dublin, grew up on a Leixlip farm. A dragoon in the Marlborough Wars, Kit led an adventurous life, courting women, fighting duels and arguing a paternity suit before the truth became known: Kit was a woman. After her husband and father of her three children, Richard Welsh, was press-ganged into the English army to fight in the European wars of the early eighteenth century, Kit disguised herself as a man and enlisted to find him. When she finally came face to face with Richard in 1704 she was enraged to find him in the arms of a Dutch woman. Kit’s adventures did not end there ...
The Secret of Summerhayes
by Merryn AllinghamA war-torn summer A house fallen into ruin A family broken apart by scandal…
The Secret Orphan
by Glynis PetersThis is a stunning and memorable page-turner of love, loss and resilience for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz The USA Today bestseller
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance And The Struggle To Liberate Occupied Europe
by Gordon CoreraGordon Corera uses declassified documents and extensive original research to tell the story of MI14(d) and the Secret Pigeon Service for the first time. ‘This is an amazing story’ Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 2
The Secret Purposes
by David BaddielTHE SECRET PURPOSES, David Baddiel's third novel, takes us into a little-known and still somewhat submerged area of British history: the internment of German Jewish refugees on the Isle of Man during the Second World War. Isaac Fabian, on the run with his young family from Nazism in East Prussia, comes to Britain assuming he has found asylum, but instead finds himself drowning in the morass of ignorance, half-truth, prejudice, and suspicion that makes up government attitudes to German Jews in 1940. One woman, June Murray, a translator from the Ministry of Information, stands out - and when she comes to the island on a personal mission to uncover solid evidence of Nazi atrocities, her meeting with Isaac will have far-reaching consequences for both of them. A haunting and beautifully written tale of love, displacement and survival, THE SECRET PURPOSES profoundly questions the way that truth - both personal and political - emerges from the tangle of history.
Secret Reports on Nazi Germany: The Frankfurt School Contribution to the War Effort
by Franz Neumann Herbert Marcuse Otto Kirchheimer Raffaele Laudani Raymond GeussDuring the Second World War, three prominent members of the Frankfurt School--Franz Neumann, Herbert Marcuse, and Otto Kirchheimer--worked as intelligence analysts for the Office of Strategic Services, the wartime forerunner of the CIA. This book brings together their most important intelligence reports on Nazi Germany, most of them published here for the first time. These reports provide a fresh perspective on Hitler's regime and the Second World War, and a fascinating window on Frankfurt School critical theory. They develop a detailed analysis of Nazism as a social and economic system and the role of anti-Semitism in Nazism, as well as a coherent plan for the reconstruction of postwar Germany as a democratic political system with a socialist economy. These reports played a significant role in the development of postwar Allied policy, including denazification and the preparation of the Nuremberg Trials. They also reveal how wartime intelligence analysis shaped the intellectual agendas of these three important German-Jewish scholars who fled Nazi persecution prior to the war. Secret Reports on Nazi Germany features a foreword by Raymond Geuss as well as a comprehensive general introduction by Raffaele Laudani that puts these writings in historical and intellectual context.