{"title":"Books by Paul Kendall","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781398127463","title":"Jane Austen in 50 Places and Objects","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe author of six novels, Jane Austen continues to enamour her readers more than two-hundred years after she wrote them. Now a global phenomenon, her books have sold millions of copies and sparked countless film and tv-drama adaptations in a multitude of languages. This book takes you on a tour of the many places associated with Jane Austen, from the homes she lived in Steventon, Bath and Chawton to the school she was educated at in Reading. Follow in her footsteps where she socialised, such as Sydney Gardens and the Assembly Rooms and Pump Room, Bath, and explore the myriad locations mentioned in her books. Discover where she spent her holidays in towns such as Lyme Regis and Worthing and where she worshipped at St Nicholas’ Church, Steventon. Personal objects belonging to Jane are detailed here, including her writing desk and table, her donkey cart and her ivory spool case. The memorials to her at Winchester Abbey and in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey, and her statues in Basingstoke and at St Nicholas’ Church, Chawton, are also featured.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith beautiful illustrations and packed with fascinating facts and entertaining anecdotes, this book transports you back to the Regency era and celebrates the life of one of England’s most-renowned authors.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55206132580725,"sku":"9781398127463","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398127463.jpg?v=1786018414"},{"product_id":"9781399071918","title":"Lawrence of Arabia","description":"\u003cp\u003eA twentieth century icon, Lawrence of Arabia, as Thomas Edward Lawrence is more commonly known, spent thirteen out of his forty-six years in the region from which he drew his name. This was as a scholar researching his university thesis, a spy surveying Sinai for the British Army before the First World War, an intelligence officer in Cairo, a liaison officer to the Arabs, and as a diplomat who galvanised and united the Arab tribes into an effective fighting force. He became an explosives expert and a guerrilla fighter who influenced Arab leaders in defeating their Ottoman occupiers. The story of his achievements in Arabia, derailing Turkish trains and attacking enemy strongholds, has become the stuff of legend.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut his life after the disappointment of witnessing the Arabs being denied independence at the end of the First World War is as intriguing as his more famous escapades in the desert. Uncomfortable with the fame and celebrity status that Lowell Thomas’s lectures brought upon him, after a brief tenure as a civil servant working for Winston Churchill in an attempt to address the failure of achieving Arab independence at the Cairo Conference, Lawrence, the former Lieutenant-Colonel, remarkably sought a life in obscurity. In the years after the war, for example, he served in the Royal Air Force as an aircraftsman and spent a brief period as a private in the Royal Tank Corps under the alias John Hume Ross or Thomas Edward Shaw. He became a competent marine motor mechanic, and was personally involved in the development of the fast RAF 200 Seaplane tender and an armoured target boat. He also became a renowned author and could claim literary giants such as Thomas Hardy, E.M. Forster and George Bernhard Shaw as his friends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this highly illustrated book, the story of Lawrence’s fascinating life is explored through many of the places and objects associated with him, from his birthplace in Wales through to his grave at Moreton in Dorset. \u003ci\u003eLawrence of Arabia\u003c\/i\u003e features his places of education in Oxford, sites where he served as a British Army intelligence officer in Cairo, as liaison officer and adviser to the Arabs, even where he fought alongside his Arab brothers against the Ottomans. It also follows his life in the years after Arabia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSome of the fascinating locations Paul Kendall visits include RAF stations at Calshot and Bridlington, or the Tank Depot at Bovington Camp where he served in the ranks, his cottage at Clouds Hill and the homes of his famous friends that he frequently visited. The objects examined include Arab robes that he wore, his Khanjar, his service rifle, and even the Brough motorcycle which he enjoyed and valued. This book is not just a journey across Arabia, Britain and Europe, but also a journey back in time through objects and locations into the life of one of Britain’s most enigmatic and celebrated individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298646503797,"sku":"9781399071918","price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399071918_d8544743-94e1-4772-a880-fd14b6c54ce1.jpg?v=1786019592"},{"product_id":"9781399097512","title":"Wars of the Roses","description":"The Wars of the Roses, which saw England and Wales ravaged by warfare for three decades and dynasties rise and fall, decimated the nobility of an entire generation, and saw the rise of the merchant class, the decline of medieval feudalism and opened the country to the enlightened ideals of the Renaissance. Such has been its lasting effects the red and white rose of the Tudors is still a national symbol.   This book is an exploration of the buildings, monuments, towns and battlefields of that turbulent era across both England and Wales - places that can still be visited and experienced today. The stories of the great battles of St Albans, Stoke Field, Wakefield, Townton, Barnet, Tewksbury and, of course, Bosworth, are told along with beautiful photographs to help guide the reader round these important sites, as well as the dozens of smaller engagements where the supporters of the Houses of York and Lancaster fought and died.   Here are castles and manor houses galore, all of which played their part in this protracted struggle for the throne of England, such as Richard of York's imposing powerbase of Lulow Castle and the magnificent Tudor stronghold of Bamburg. These are compared with the scant remains of Fotheringhay Castle, the birthplace of Richard III - the man whose remains were so dramatically uncovered in Leicester - and Micklegate Bar, York, was where Richard's head was placed on a spike.   We see the Clocktower of St Albans and  Gabriel' the bell that was rung in 1455 alerting of the Yorkist advance, as well as the Tower of London where Henry VI met his death and the possible burial place of the two princes.   These, and scores of other places, monuments, plaques, buildings and battlegrounds, represent not only a journey across England and Wales, but a journey back in time to the bloody conflict that was the War of the Roses.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298716070261,"sku":"9781399097512","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399097512_4ba349e7-76dd-4f01-a3ad-e7e56bfb657f.jpg?v=1786020009"},{"product_id":"9781526731289","title":"Henry VIII in 100 Objects","description":"Henry VIII is one of history's most memorable monarchs. Popularly known for his six wives, and the unfortunate fate which befell Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, Henry initiated many reforms and changes which still affect our lives today.   The annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon set in motion the separation of the English church from Rome and the establishment of the Church of England, which in turn led to the dissolution of the monasteries, the hauntingly evocative remains of which can be seen across the United Kingdom. Henry also oversaw the legal union between England and Wales, and he is also known as  the father of the Royal Navy', with one of his great warships, the Mary Rose, lost in 1545 and recovered in 1982, becoming one of the most famous wrecks in maritime history.   In addition to the monasteries, other buildings around the UK continue to remind us of the times of the Tudors - there is the site of Greenwich Palace at the Royal Naval College Greenwich, where Henry was born; his great palace at Hampton Court; Lambeth Palace where Thomas More refused to sign the oath to make Henry the Head of the Church, and the Bell Tower in the Tower of London where More was imprisoned before he was beheaded.   Henry's breach with the Pope led to the threat of war with Catholic France and Spain, which prompted Henry to construct a series of powerful forts around the English and Welsh coasts. These elegant and symmetrical defensive structures are still awe-inspiring.   In this engaging and hugely informative book, the author takes us on a journey across the country, from Deal Castle on the south coast, to Tower Green where Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard lost their heads, and far north to Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire. Along the way we see places where Henry stayed, where the Mary Rose was recovered, the homes of his consorts and Smithfield where prominent individuals convicted of heresy were burned at the stake. Travel, then, not just across the country, but also back in time through 100 objects from the days of the second Tudor monarch - Henry VIII.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303254012277,"sku":"9781526731289","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526731289_021b3ca7-4e21-4358-8700-5658155045e6.jpg?v=1786022332"},{"product_id":"9781398128637","title":"Samuel Pepys in 50 Places and Objects","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe life of politician and diarist Samuel Pepys spanned seven decades, meaning he bore witness to many groundbreaking events such as the execution of King Charles I in 1649 and the Glorious Revolution in 1688. His famous diary was written between 1660 and 1669 and provides fascinating detail on the world around him, from the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 to the plague in 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666. This invaluable record of life in seventeenth-century England offers an intriguing insight into the politics, court life, defence of the realm and commerce of the period as well as day-to-day living. He describes visits to coffee houses, taverns, theatres, bear pits and, with incredible candour, brothels.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere Pepys’ life and diary is detailed through the places and objects associated with him. Visit the locations where Pepys resided and worked, the dockyards he inspected at Woolwich and Chatham, as well as the churches where he worshipped and the coffee houses and taverns he frequented. Examine items such as the bills of mortality Pepys read during the plague, his wig, the church steeple from which he observed the Great Fire, and his will.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull of quirky facts and fascinating illustrations, this book transports you back to seventeenth-century London through places and objects central to Pepys’ life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368755868021,"sku":"9781398128637","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398128637_adc352a0-c51f-4a41-ab0e-5d0245386740.jpg?v=1786018436"},{"product_id":"thomas-hardy-in-50-places-and-objects","title":"Thomas Hardy in 50 Places and Objects","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe novels of Thomas Hardy continue to enamour his readers over a century after he wrote them. His beautifully observed tales of rural life in his native Dorset, which became his mythical setting of Wessex, have inspired readers and sold millions of copies worldwide and sparked numerous film and television adaptations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough his novels were published during the Victorian era, he was ahead of his time and his outlook upon society was at odds with the social mores of the time. Demonised for the themes of his final novel, Jude the Obscure, he was dubbed ‘Hardy the Obscene’. He was a complex man and despite showing empathy for his female characters, he treated his two wives poorly and did not endear himself to anyone who worked for him. This book features the places where Hardy lived in Sturminster Newton, Wimborne Minster, Dorchester and London. It also includes places that inspired his writing and were incorporated into Wessex and featured in his poems.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePersonal objects connected with Hardy are detailed here, such as his writing desk, pens, the locket containing his first wife’s hair and photo, a war memorial tablet he designed, his tombs in Stinsford Church and Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey, and his statue in Dorchester.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book transports the reader to Hardy’s rural Dorset through objects and locations that celebrate the life and inspiration of one of England’s most celebrated authors.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57503755600245,"sku":"9781398128224","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398128224.jpg?v=1786867466"},{"product_id":"britain-s-musical-heritage-in-50-places-and-objects","title":"Britain’s Musical Heritage in 50 Places and Objects","description":"\u003cp\u003eBritain has a rich musical heritage with many great names having been born here, such as Henry Purcell, Sir Edward Elgar and members of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. It has also attracted musicians from across the world, such as George Frederick Handel and Freddie Mercury, and, fleetingly, the likes of Glenn Miller and Bob Marley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaul Kendall celebrates items and locations that have been associated with musicians, from Brighton, where Abba won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, to Wigan, the birthplace of George Formby, and from Rochdale, where Dame Gracie Fields began her musical career, to Dorking, where Ralph Vaughan Williams regularly premiered his work at the Leith Music Festival. Also featured are sites where artists composed well-known pieces or studios where they recorded their work, including Craeg Lea, Malvern, where Sir Edward Elgar composed ‘Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1’ which featured in ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, and Trident Studios, where David Bowie recorded ‘Space Oddity’. In dark times music has played an important role in raising the nation’s morale, another theme explored with, for example, the White Cliffs of Dover, the inspiration for Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘(There’ll be Blue Birds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book not only transports you to locations associated with music and musicians but is a celebration of those who through their music have brought joy and pleasure to so many people across the centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57503769198965,"sku":"9781398129337","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398129337.jpg?v=1786867480"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-paul-kendall.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}