{"title":"Nine Elms Books","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781910533635","title":"When Dreams Collide","description":"When Dreams Collide is Nicholas Allan's intimate pilgrimage across the former states of Yugoslavia. Shedding the received knowledge of headlines, he explores the splintered co-evolution of these lands over the last ten centuries, guided by the inimitable Rebecca West's masterpiece, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. Written 80 years in the past, West's account serves as a fascinating reference for the optimistic interwar years of the 20th century between the Ottoman decline and the Nazi onset. The evolving balancing act of Tito's Yugoslav experiment and the atrocities following its break-up were still to come.   Collapsing empires and proud young nations, monasteries and mosques, brotherhood, hatred, war, music, frescoes, food, costume, people, mountains, rivers and seas, the distant rumbles of the centuries take many forms. At a turning point in his own life, Allan is drawn to explore this complex area, through the lens of his part Eastern European heritage. He records personal encounters and richly drawn characters interwoven with history and art, politics and religion (too often one and the same).   Enhanced with delightful hand-drawn maps of the Balkans including Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia.  73 informative photograph's showing some the areas key historical figures including Ibrahim Rugova, Hitler, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, Tito, Draza Mihailovic, Slobodan Milosevic, Alecksandar Vucic, Alija Izetbegovic, Radovan Karadzic, Ante Pavelic, Franjo Tudjman, and Fitzroy Maclean.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43599508177074,"sku":"9781910533635","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533635_f25baac4-73f8-42fb-963a-1650d9106bcc.jpg?v=1786029401"},{"product_id":"9781910533406","title":"The Drum Horse in the Fountain","description":"In this highly entertaining and informative book, Christopher Joll and Anthony Weldon have captured the careers, accomplishments, follies and the occasional crimes of over three hundred of the officers and men who have served in the seven Regiments (two Household Cavalry and five Foot Guards) of the sovereign's personal troops. The pages of The DRUM HORSE IN THE FOUNTAIN will reveal a whole parade of remarkable and unusual characters... In the world of the arts - theatre, film, music, and writing - and sport there are many notable, and some surprising,  Guardsmen including*  two Oscar winning film stars - one of whom was drunkenly responsible for dispatching a Drum Horse into \"The Fountain\" in front of Buckingham Palace.   And some of the most eccentric men ever to have been let loose on the public including *  The irresponsible officer in charge of the Tower of London guard who had to break back into the Tower by climbing the mast of a barge on the Thames and then onto Traitor's Gate;*  The VC who rallied his troops with a hunting horn;*  The officer who dressed as a nun to entertain the Duke of Wellington;*  The unfortunate officer who Queen Victoria thought was addressing her when he was actually trying to admonish his unruly horse - she was not amused;*  Traitors, conmen, bigamists, a purveyor of `honours for cash' and three accused of murder - as well as at least five murder victims, one of whom died in a Chicago bootleggers' shoot-out. On military service the officers and men of the Household Division have *  earned forty-four Victoria Crosses;*  been founding members of SOE, SAS, Commandos, operated behind enemy lines and pioneered military parachuting;*  acted as spies, double agents and spy masters;*  been supported through the fiercest fighting of WW2 by a remarkably loayl tea-lady in her NAAFI wagon.   As well as Prime Ministers and politicians, churchmen also feature prominently with*  a Cardinal who, had he lived, might have been Pope; an Archbishop of Canterbury, known as `Killer', with an MC (as well as four padres awarded MCs), a bishop, two monks, three Lord Priors of the Order of St John, and two Grand Masters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (who rank as Cardinals).   Were this not enough, amongst actual, as well as aspiring, royalty and their progeny  - legitimate and otherwise, there was*  the aristocratic candidate for the throne of Albania (who, although almost blind, fought as a regimental officer in WW1 without actually enlisting).   ...and, not to be forgotten, are *  one regimental wolfhound in the 1930s which dispatched the Italian Ambassador's greyhound, three bears (one stuffed), two WW1 milking cows who took part in the 1919 Victory Parade, one monkey with the rank of Corporal of Horse and a very alert goose called Jacob.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308449968501,"sku":"9781910533406","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533406_2b91e05d-da07-4e1e-ae07-feb89cb9b115.jpg?v=1786029394"},{"product_id":"9781910533703","title":"Dreams, Delusions \u0026 Disasters","description":"Throughout history, and all over the world, seemingly intelligent people have made foolish decisions based on delusions.   This has affected love affairs, politics, finance, science, warfare, showbusiness and even sport. It has also wrecked marriages, bankrupted millionaires, lost battles, destroyed empires, brought down leaders and royalty, split religions, ruined reputations, changed climates, thwarted gangsters and even exposed sex pests.   Donough O'Brien and Liz Cowley shine a spotlight on 150 intriguing, and often hidden, corners of such calamities... And in so doing they highlight over 650 characters who prove to be both fascinating and flawed.  Dreams, Delusions \u0026amp; Disasters is an absorbing take on history.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308452589941,"sku":"9781910533703","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533703_87b46da6-03ce-42e9-a748-9dea1dac381f.jpg?v=1786029406"},{"product_id":"9781910533604","title":"Whenever I Hear That Song","description":"Few can have had as interesting or varied a career as Martin Broughton - a very British businessman.  And just when he thought he'd retired, in 2022 Martin found himself heading a bid for Chelsea FC.  A fascinating inside story in itself, it provides a topical dimension to this engaging memoir.   Martin recounts his start at the very bottom of the commercial ladder and his subsequent rise to some of the most prestigious and demanding boardrooms in the country. With an acute accountant's brain and a desire to see the world, he cut his teeth working overseas for BAT.  With each promotion came a new challenge - often in a new country. Wherever he went he was never just an observer but always a participant.   His description of being on the frontline against one of the City's bitterest takeover battles makes for a fascinating read.  In 1993 Martin was appointed CEO of BAT - in succession to the charismatic Sir Pat Sheehy - and oversaw a period of great change and controversy in the tobacco industry.  When, in turn, he retired after 11 years at the helm, it was a very different and even more successful company. Always one for a challenge, many new business opportunities presented themselves including - Chairmanship of British Airways and its merger into the International Airlines Group, Presidency of the Confederation of British Industry, involvement in F1 Grand Prix motor racing, and Chairmanship of Liverpool Football Club at a time when a shrewd and steady hand was needed to find an acceptable new owner for this iconic club - this was not without a vigorous legal battle. Such was the ultimate respect of the Liverpool supporters for him that the Kop sang with gusto \"There's only one Martin Broughton.\" Not bad for a man who is a self-confessed lifelong Chelsea supporter. All through this very readable memoir run additional themes - his love of music, hence the book's title and the chapter headings, the importance of family and finally, in partnership with his wife - Jocelyn, an abiding passion for horse racing.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308452950389,"sku":"9781910533604","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533604_0020b702-1500-4a69-a846-68cef80c95a0.jpg?v=1786029399"},{"product_id":"9781910533734","title":"My Sea Lady","description":"During WWII sea convoys were the lifeblood of the Allied war effort.   They were integral to the ultimate defeat of Germany on both fronts.   My Sea Lady stands out as one of the most remarkable testaments of those dark days of the war at sea and the Atlantic and the Arctic convoys.   HMS Lady Madeleine found herself part of both battles, under the command of 38-year-old Lieutenant Graeme Ogden. His diaries, rediscovered decades later, describe the harrowing experiences of those years, spent on ocean voyages fraught with storms, ice bergs and sub-zero temperatures, let alone the constant threat of a determined and elusive enemy.   This evocatively illustrated edition of My Sea Lady confronts the horrors of war as seen through Ogden’s keen eye and is full of bittersweet humour and charming anecdotes. It wasn’t until 2012 that those who served so courageously aboard the forgotten convoys in the far North during WWII were recognised with the belated, though welcome, introduction of the Arctic Star campaign medal.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308487258485,"sku":"9781910533734","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533734_20d08b29-1db9-4c07-bf76-5e0756eae7c1.jpg?v=1786029408"},{"product_id":"9781910533697","title":"BONFIRE of HISTORY","description":"On the evening of 18th March 1925, a devastating fire ripped through the Marylebone premises of Madame Tussaud’s. By the time the fire was extinguished the following morning, little was left of the world-famous waxworks beyond a few grotesquely distorted models and a pile of scrap iron, which was the remnants of one of Napoléon’s carriages.   Those who now visit the waxworks probably assume that what was lost in 1925 was no very different to the present displays. However, the catalogues pre-dating the fire tell a very different story, for there was so much more to Madame Tussaud \u0026amp; Sons’ Exhibition than wax representations of the famous and the notorious. The fact is that the French model maker, and the three generations of her family who managed the business after her, were avid collectors of works of art, memorabilia and trivia relating to their displays: Madame Tussaud’s was, in fact, more of a cabinet of historical curiosities than a wax works. This is evidenced by the lost collection, which ranged from the bloodstained shirt of King Henri IV, worn when he was assassinated in 1610, to the blade of the original guillotine, via a large collection of 18th and 19th century pictures and sculptures by many of the leading artists of their day, furniture, clothing, and a priceless collection of Napoléonica from the Emperor’s tooth to three of his own carriages.   Using contemporary accounts, the pre-fire catalogues, insurance inventories, and with unique access to the Madame Tussauds archives, Christopher Joll’s and Penny Cobham’s new illustrated book describes in chronological order the extraordinary items that were lost in 1925, set in the context of Madame Tussaud’s own story and the historical events surrounding the items in the lost collection – and, along the way, uncovers many fakes and forgeries, as well as a wealth of  irreplaceable and priceless historical treasures.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308487291253,"sku":"9781910533697","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533697_f98fb7f6-0a97-4dff-9b61-7f081f203521.jpg?v=1786029407"},{"product_id":"9781910533567","title":"INTO THE FIRE","description":"Philip Trotter's debut novel is an exhilarating and original take on the Vietnam theme, exploring less familiar aspects of the country's painful history through the generation-defining image of the Burning Monk.   Saigon, 1963. With the tensions of war starting to swirl, rookie photographer Ned Rivers lands in South Vietnam, hungry for the iconic shot that will make his name.   But a shocking and violent act of protest by a local Buddhist monk quickly draws Ned's focus from the battlefields and the Viet Cong. Behind the front pages, a different conflict is churning - political, religious, and cultural - which threatens to tear this fragile nation even further apart.   As Ned learns more about the Buddhist community's suffering at the hands of the state, his journalistic detachment becomes harder to justify. New friendships turn to solidarity and action, leaving him open to the government's wrath.   President Diem sends out his ruthless attack dog Colonel Tung to manage the interfering journalist. Meanwhile, Diem faces mounting criticism from his American allies as their stake in Vietnam deepens. With political pressures at home driving US policy, the regime seems increasingly like a liability.   For Ned, caught at the centre of this international chessboard, the adventure becomes too real. With friendships, love and a career in balance, can he hope to protect it all from the conspiracy of violence, arrest and war that surrounds him?","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308487422325,"sku":"9781910533567","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533567_da895a4c-63d3-47d8-b374-2331001752b1.jpg?v=1786029398"},{"product_id":"9781910533802","title":"YOUR CALL...","description":"\"...why are we - by which, of course, I mean am I -here?\"A question Paula Godwin could have, perhaps should have,asked more often as her once secure life spirals downwards almost to insanity -thus setting the scene for the first DCI Logan investigation. Little is Paula to know that she will discover demons otherthan just her own when, prompted by finding a Post-it note in a rain-soddenservice station near Winchester, she makes a random telephone call.   In this taut prequel to This Changed Everything and TheArmistice Killer, the enigmatic DCI Ben Logan has to unravel the confusingcircumstances around a murder and potential sex scandal. Can he balanceintricate detective work with his own ambitions and complex emotions?An intriguing challenge, especially given Logan'sprosopagnosia - face blindness. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, heoften sees what others miss. Choices and consequences can make strange bedfellows.   Sometimes literally. Sometimes fatally...","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308867236213,"sku":"9781910533802","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533802_d948e903-6c6e-4e29-9224-a55f8cd99f63.jpg?v=1786029412"},{"product_id":"9781910533468","title":"Spoils of War","description":"Over the last seven hundred years the United Kingdom has acquired a staggering array of treasures as a direct result of its military activities – from Joan of Arc’s ring to the Rock of Gibraltar to Hitler’s desk. Spoils of War describes these spoils and how they came to be acquired as well as telling the tales of some of the extraordinary (and extraordinarily incompetent) men and women, now mostly forgotten, who had a hand in the rise and fall of the British Empire. Along the way the book debunks a significant number of myths, exposes a major fraud perpetrated on a leading London museum, reveals previously unknown spoils of war and casts light on some very dark corners of Britain’s military history.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308867301749,"sku":"9781910533468","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533468_37c374d6-de78-4695-950f-d93982ac6cf2.jpg?v=1786029395"},{"product_id":"9781910533789","title":"Building Bridges","description":"It was lucky for both BP and DickOlver that he changed his mind after initially declining their job offer.  Thirty years later he had become one of the multinationaloil and gas company's most respected and talented managers - rising to bedeputy chief executive. As Building Bridges recounts, along the way he hadcrossed many bridges - some over very troubled waters. After leaving BP, Dick's remarkablecareer didn't stop there. He was appointed chairman of Britain's leadinginternational defence contractor BAE Systems at a critical time when a steady new hand on the tiller wasrequired to steer the company through to the next delicate stages ofdevelopment - salvaging its reputation and ensuring its emergence as one of thebiggest defence companies in the world. Never one to stand still, his business and philanthropicactivities have continued apace with new ventures - particularly guiding emergentcompanies. Dick's great skill of gettingthe very best out of people and teams comes through with the fascinatingdetails in this compelling autobiography.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308867498357,"sku":"9781910533789","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"9781910533512","title":"Military Misreadings of Shakspere","description":"From the deliberate, but delightful, misspelling of Shakespeare in the title to the carefully portrayed perils of being a Victorian soldier and the appropriately selected Shakespearian quotes to go alongside each cartoon,  Thomas Seccombe’s book will resonate with all who have an interest in observing life – military and otherwise. Seccombe was a true son of the Victorian Empire and served in The Royal Artillery until retiring as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1881. This book was first published in 1880 and was so popular that it went on to six reprints in the following two years. Seccombe subsequently had a flourishing civilian career as an illustrator.   Some 140 years later, even today’s readers will see why Military Misreadings of Shakspere [sic] was such a success.  Seccombe’s subtle, but perceptive, observations of human character are as true today as they ever were. He had a wonderful eye for detail as well as the ridiculous – but never with malice even when pairing his cartoons with quotes from the Bard of Avon. This re-issued edition has the added benefit of former Grenadier Paul Cordle’s highly informative commentary which puts Seccombe’s army into perspective and relates regiments to their modern successors-in-arms. With a similar eye for detail as the original illustrator, military historian Paul brings the illustrations to life with fascinating military observations.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308894040437,"sku":"9781910533512","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533512_bc6c3ae0-6ff4-4259-b1e0-9f904e9021b2.jpg?v=1786029396"},{"product_id":"9781910533833","title":"The Lobbyist","description":"Parliamentary lobbyist Damian Beaufortis a professional manipulator – clever, charming, ruthless – but when Labourwins power his Tory-heavy agency spirals towards bankruptcy. And the rest ofhis life looks like going the same way. Salvation comes not from booze or sex – despite his bestefforts – but a far less likely quarter: the UK’s Secret IntelligenceService.  It also comes at a cost. Beaufort finds himself entangled in a lethal web ofconflicts: an internecine turf war between MI5 and MI6; underhand Westminstermanoeuvrings; Eurocrats bent on reversing Brexit; and, seemingly pulling allthe strings, the sinister head of Russia’s FSB.   Soon the lobbyist-turned-spy isn’t just fighting to save hisagency, his reputation and his country. He’s fighting for his life, and he’sfighting for revenge.  First-time author Lionel Zetter brings dazzling insiderknowledge to bear in this fast-moving contemporary thriller with a totallyunexpected denouement in the Chamber of the House of Commons.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":56308895777141,"sku":"9781910533833","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57685822636405,"sku":"9781910533826","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533833.jpg?v=1792599023"},{"product_id":"9781910533659","title":"The Devil's Magistrate","description":"If you hide your past, it will surely come back to haunt you. Living a respectable life in Cheltenham as a magistrate and property landlord, former agent and terrorist Tariq Al Hashmi falls into such a trap. With Libya's Colonel Gadaffi no longer a moving part of the Axis of Evil and the Irish Troubles on the back boiler, what could go wrong? His days as an embedded sleeper agent with a hidden fuse ready to be lit are surely over. But complacency proves an unreliable companion. Those in the secret world that he once occupied have long memories and other ideas. Unexpectedly his world starts to fall apart and Al Hashmi's former spymasters try to manipulate him in ways he could not have imagined and for purposes he can only guess at. Author Alex Gardiner's remarkable debut thriller is written with inside knowledge. The plot's twists and turns are spiced with intrigue and complexity that will keep the reader guessing until the very end.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308977664373,"sku":"9781910533659","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533659_a55c1f02-49cb-4803-aead-10f4126dcc57.jpg?v=1786029402"},{"product_id":"9781910533185","title":"The Pillbox Murders","description":"\u003cp\u003eNestling in undergrowth by the bank of the Thames, an old wartime pillbox, relic of the nation’s troubled past, finds itself at the heart of events that will haunt the idyllic village of Cardwell.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith last summer’s case still weighing against his name, Chief Inspector Dalliance arrives at the scene of a particularly unsettling murder committed inside the cold, lonely walls of this concrete fortress.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe hunt for an elusive killer sees Dalliance and DS Riley embroiled in a cultural clash between the pleasures of the flesh and a fierce moral righteousness simmering beneath the village’s placid surface. 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Today, Wexford based Patrick Donegall has taken over their reins to record the Ireland of his youth. An Ireland that has almost, but not quite, disappeared.   Written with cracking pace, he recounts tales of a pack of lively characters such as an ill-mannered royal photographer who was shown the door by a grand butler… There are frisky ponies with ‘attitude’ problems along with thoroughbred racehorses… A drunk priest being chased by the police and a former Royal Navy officer whose scoring at a horse event became somewhat blurred by a bottle or two of whiskey… A slippery eel features unexpectedly in a bath as does fishing in the days when there weren’t many that got away (even though most of the poachers did)… An eccentric gym shoe wearing daughter of a millionaire businessman shares pages with gentlemanly huntsmen of the old school accompanied by their equally elegant, but almost always high-spirited, ladies… And, as if there weren’t already enough amusing diversions, there’s even an Irish cricket match or two.  These are just some of Patrick’s stories. All will entertain and amuse and keep the reader turning the pages. But Patrick is no detached observer just writing of past people and events. Heaven on Earth is also a homage that is dedicated to his beloved Wexford. Towards the end of the book, he considers carefully how his part of the country has developed and changed, the issues it, and Ireland, face and his hopes for the future.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309027996021,"sku":"9781910533765","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533765_4daa7aec-cc30-4381-a713-663a4c403cec.jpg?v=1786029409"},{"product_id":"9781910533772","title":"Selection","description":"A rocky cliff face, the tragic deathof his father, a spell in a harsh young offenders' institution and a promising militarycareer cut short all leave Seb Faber vulnerable and without direction.   His prospects looked bleak. Then anunexpected and lucrative job offer in the City seems to point to more secure future.   Despite his reservations, Seb turns out to be a natural on the equities tradingfloor of Blounts - the City's oldest and most respected finance house. Thissuccess leads to his selection for a special project. To add to his change of fortune, Sebfalls explosively in love with the beautiful and passionate Sophia.   However, his personal antennae arepicking up anomalies. Perhaps, not everything is quite what it seems. Why does acheating client blatantly try to bribe him during a game of golf? Will the Hoodiagordonii plant really deliver the wonder appetite suppressant qualities beingpromised to investors? Why does his boss's wife try to seduce him? As his suspicions rise Seb isincreasingly uncertain who he can trust. Then his world is turned upsidedown.  Torn in all directions, Seb fights through the mists of despair toregain his self-control and sense of purpose as he perseveres to uncover whatexactly is happening around him.   Seb's final steps lead to dramatic andtotally unexpected events in the South African bush.   H.C. Kingsmill Moore's debut novelis written with ingenuity and pace by a City insider... And in Sebastian Faberhe's created a character that readers will want to follow in future books.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309031567733,"sku":"9781910533772","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533772_c9beffc7-801d-4707-adff-07d662fd5f64.jpg?v=1786029410"},{"product_id":"9781910533352","title":"The Vagabond and the Princess","description":"Invention, passion, war and exile are but some of the elements in this revealing new insight into Paddy Leigh Fermor's many Romanian journeys. Starting with the `great trudge' on foot through Romania in 1934 and ending in 1990 with his assignment for The Daily Telegraph following the fall of Ceausescu, The Vagabond and The Princess by Alan Ogden unravels the tapestry of fact and fiction woven by Paddy and reveals in detail the touching story of the love affair between the youthful writer and Balasa Cantacuzino, a beautiful Romanian Princess. After a poignant parting on the eve of the Second World War, they were reunited some twenty-five years later and remained in close touch until her death. Paddy had been the great love of her life.   Alan Ogden brings great insight into this enduring and touching relationship as well putting into context the glamorous lost world of pre-WW2 Romania.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309157855605,"sku":"9781910533352","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533352_d5fe08e0-7a9f-4f77-b816-7e64db9ec0b5.jpg?v=1786029393"},{"product_id":"9781910533710","title":"Muttering Doggerel","description":"Always a dog lover, Liz Cowley has now turned her charming and insightful poetic skills to man’s best friend with Muttering Doggerel, a book seemingly written by dogs themselves! Over 95 witty poems - delightfully enhanced by Tony Hannaford's colour illustrations. ‘I’ve always wanted to write a book from a dogs’ point of view, with plenty of grumbles about not being allowed upstairs, or on sofas and always having to wait too long for walks – among lots of more happy things. I never can look at a dog without wondering what on earth they’re thinking about.’Muttering Doggerel attempts to do just that!","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309159297397,"sku":"9781910533710","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533710_f1868634-9824-43c8-b125-8a714a116f97.jpg?v=1786029406"},{"product_id":"9781910533529","title":"Clashing Agendas","description":"The introduction of Universal Credit arguably stands as the most far-reaching reform so far this century. Clashing Agendas is the traumatic inside story of how this simple concept became unimaginably complicated in execution, and then nearly self-destructed, told by David Freud, who was the Minister for Welfare Reform responsible for the transformation.   David's initial welfare proposals in 2007, commissioned by the Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in one of his last political initiatives, proved popular across all political parties. When the Conservatives came calling, David Freud accepted the job of reforming the system, initially in the shadow ministerial team and then in Government.   His core motivation was to end the welfare trap, by which the legacy systems made it difficult for many people to free themselves from dependency on the state.  This personal account reveals the complex interplay between politicians and civil servants - the true determinant of how Government really works.   It concludes with his views both on future development of the welfare system and on how the UK Government might organise itself to introduce major system reforms more successfully in future.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313132286325,"sku":"9781910533529","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533529_24c12571-d1c1-4066-8f03-4cbf1ad089ff.jpg?v=1786029397"},{"product_id":"9781910533673","title":"My Life on the Line","description":"They come out of the football stadium tunnel first, but all eyes are on the well-paid athletes behind them.  No one pays the referee or the referee's assistants any attention - until they make a mistake.  Then all hell breaks loose. They can't explain - or defend themselves against the crowd's abuse. Gavin Muge threads an entertaining personal football memoir together with his own attempts to scale the peak of the professional game as a match official. His football life has led to encounters with a cast of stars from Gary Lineker to Paul Gascoigne, Arsene Wenger and Roy Keane. He officiated at the infamous Riot of Upton Park in 2009 and has witnessed many examples of the darker side of the game.   Gavin has also shared the excitement and the pain of the average football supporter and now has the experience to try to make sense of it all in My Life on the Line.  See if you agree with him! And pit your knowledge against Gavin's with the book's Chapter Challenges and his Quiz.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313132417397,"sku":"9781910533673","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533673_d6a6687e-73c7-4dcd-a852-3f55fc45b933.jpg?v=1786029403"},{"product_id":"9781910533628","title":"The Imperial Impresario","description":"To give political legitimacy to his Empire, in just fifteen years Emperor Napoléon I created an enduring image of Napoléonic France as the contemporary equivalent of Imperial Rome. He did this by the deft use of iconography and what today would be called ‘branding’, which he applied to every aspect of his family, the government, the military, the monuments to his achievements, his palaces and their furnishings. The tangible remains of this grand, imperial ‘theatre’ has excited royal and other collectors ever since.   The Imperial Impresario take a wholly new look at Napoléon and the First Empire by interpreting the era in theatrical terms: the players, the sets, the props, the costumes, the tours and the script, much of which has survived. The fully illustrated book includes a wide range of Napoléonica in royal, national, regimental and private collections, as well as lost treasures such as the Emperor’s campaign carriage, captured in the immediate aftermath of Waterloo and destroyed in a fire at Madame Tussaud’s in 1925. For readers coming to the subject for the first time, The Imperial Impresario is a fascinating and informative introduction to the Napoléonic era; for those already steeped in the period, it is an invaluable companion to existing books about Napoléon and his Empire.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313132450165,"sku":"9781910533628","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533628_84c5c5e2-a41f-406f-ac38-0e4b2478e996.jpg?v=1786029400"},{"product_id":"9781910533857","title":"The Day They Ate The Zoo","description":"TheDay They Ate The Zoo is James Ellery’s record of his senior military UN appointmentsin two of Africa’s most volatile and violent countries – written with insight,honesty and a light touch.   In1999, after a successful career in the Army, Ellery was chosen to establish anew UN mission in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. With nations fromacross the continent fighting for a share in the country’s vast mineral wealth,it required all of James’s diplomatic and military skills to ensure the missionwas a success – in spite of the machinations of the Congolese authorities.   Lessthan two years later, Ellery was selected for another demanding appointment inAfrica – this time in Sierra Leone. His candid despatches document his time as Chiefof Staff of the 17,500 strong UN peacekeeping force. 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As Clive Watson so eloquently demonstrates in FullCircle the precedence of history can, in fact should, teach us manylessons.   Whilst, over eighty years apart, the political issues ofappeasement to Hitler in the 1930s and those of Brexit may seem very differenttheir DNA are in fact very similar. Across the pages of Full Circle, from the 1930s onward, stridethe giants of the Conservative party's conflicting European opinions -Chamberlain, Churchill, Macmillan, Heath, Thatcher, Cameron, May, Johnson andothers... all trying to drive, charm or cajole their party to a destiny thatwasn't necessarily to everyone's liking. What this book seeks to do is to link the courageous standsof the anti-appeasement and anti-Brexit Conservative MPs. The links are strong,and they highlight the tragedy that has bedevilled the Conservative partyAs Sir Anthony Seldon writes in his foreword \"In thestruggles to prevent the failings of both appeasement and Brexit a fewConservative MPs risked their careers and parliamentary seats to stand up andchallenge the prevailing orthodoxy of the Conservative leadership.\" Full Circle isthe history of those principled MPs... or is even, perhaps, their epitaph.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57524720763253,"sku":"9781910533871","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533871.jpg?v=1787742839"},{"product_id":"the-lobbyist-age-of-the-autocrat","title":"THE LOBBYIST  AGE OF THE AUTOCRAT","description":"The beardedmigrant picked up in the Channel isn't an asylum seeker...   The twowords he utters to HM Border Force start a chain of events that will shakeWestminster to its very foundations. Literally. MI6 have nochoice. They recall lobbyist-turned-spook Damian Beaufort, who - whether helikes it or not - is now personally entangled in a brutal hybrid waged byRussia's autocrat-president against Britain.   To succeedhe must get back to his charming manipulative best. He must ride the tidal wavethat is tearing up the UK's traditional political landscape - all the way toNumber 10. He must kill or be killed. LionelZetter is back with the sizzling sequel to his debut novel. And so is theultimate anti-hero for our age: hard-drinking lothario Damian 'the bastard'Beaufort. Zetter'srazor-sharp and chillingly up-to-the-minute political thriller is guaranteed toset pulses racing.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57524721090933,"sku":"9781910533895","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910533895.jpg?v=1787742840"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/publisher-nine-elms-books.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}