or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
15 used & new from £15.25
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Famous
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Famous (Hardcover)

by Richard Van Emden (Author), Vic Piuk (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £25.00
Price: £16.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £8.51 (34%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 17? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
12 new from £15.25 2 used from £46.29 1 collectible from £25.99
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback £16.99 £11.89 Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

Famous + The Greater Game: Sporting Icons Who Fell in the Great War + The Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes
Price For All Three: £36.33

Show availability and delivery details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Greater Game: Sporting Icons Who Fell in the Great War

The Greater Game: Sporting Icons Who Fell in the Great War

by Clive Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  £13.58
The Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes

The Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes

by Richard Van Emden
4.8 out of 5 stars (10)  £6.26
Shots from the Front: The British Soldier 1914-18

Shots from the Front: The British Soldier 1914-18

by Richard Holmes
5.0 out of 5 stars (5)  £12.48
Ghosts on the Somme: Filming the Battle, June-July 1916

Ghosts on the Somme: Filming the Battle, June-July 1916

by Alastair H. Fraser
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £15.25
Digging the Trenches: The Archaeology of the Western Front

Digging the Trenches: The Archaeology of the Western Front

by Andrew Robertshaw
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £16.00
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 342 pages
  • Publisher: Pen & Sword Military (17 April 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1844156427
  • ISBN-13: 978-1844156429
  • Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 15.6 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 164,582 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #41 in  Books > History > Britain & Ireland > World War I 1914-1918

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   All Star Showreels opens new browser window
www.allstartalent.co.uk  -  UK's Premiere Showreel Producer Presenter, Actor & Model Showreels 
   Famous Fsas Clothing uk opens new browser window
www.hardedgeuk.com  -  Just landed 18 style of Tees 09 Caps and Wallets Fast delivery 
   Famous opens new browser window
thepremiumdirectory.co.uk  -  Hugh Saving To Be Made Here. Pay Less for Entertainment Today! 
  
 

Product Description

Synopsis

"Famous" tells the Great War stories of as many as twenty of Britain's most respected, best known and even notorious celebrities. They include politicians, actors, writers, an explorer, a sculptor and even a murderer. The generation that grew up in the late 19th Century enlisted enthusiastically in the defence of the country. Many would become household names such as Basil Rathbone, the definitive Sherlock Holmes, A A Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, and John Laurie and Arnold Ridley who found fame and public affection as the dour Scotsman Fraser, and the gentle and genial Godfrey, in Dad's Army.From politicians such as Harold Macmillan and Winston Churchill to writers including J B Priestley, and J R R Tolkein, from sculptors like Henry Moore, to composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, their fame and influence continue even into the 21st Century. The authors Richard van Emden and Vic Piuk have discovered the exact locations where these celebrities saw action. They tell the story of how J R R Tolkein led his men over the top on the Somme, where C S Lewis was wounded and invalided home, and how Basil Rathbone won the Military Cross for a trench raid (while dressed as a tree).

Each story will be examined in detail with pictures taken of the very spot where the actions took place. There are maps of the area that will guide enterprising readers to walk in the footsteps of their heroes.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 15 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Famous, by Richard Van Emden and Victor Piuk, 26 Nov 2008
After recently reading Richard Van Emden's latest book The Soldiers War, I really felt the urge to look at another of his works, this one being co-authored by Victor Piuk, and I have to say that I was not to be dissapointed, frequently finding it difficult to put down.
It tells the story of 21 famous characters who were in most cases houehold names, and although I knew of all of the subjects covered, I didn't know anything of their war service, and what fascinating reading they make.
It is obvious when reading this book that the authors have carried out extensive research into these personalities and each story is also accompanied by a biographical section.
There is also a really nice photo section, this includes some very interesting pictures taken by the authors on the battlefields at the actual sites of action for some of their subjects.
All in all, this book is a must buy, it is not some dull boring account of strategy and statistics, but it is the real war stories of some ordinary people who in most cases went on to become truely extraordinary personalities in their time.






Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating selection of individuals moulded by the trenches, 31 Dec 2008
By Withnail67 (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
This is a great book if you have an interest in the Great War, or indeed, on the effect of the war on the early 20th century in Britain. The selection of individuals is fascinating, ranging from individuals whose art was shaped by their traumatic experiences like Henry Moore, whose endurance and relish for life were heightened like George Mallory, or whose involvement in even more savage conflicts to come were conditioned by the nature of their experiences on the Western Front like Bernard Law Montgomery.

Different readers are well catered for, as the text follows individuals on the ground via excellent photographs and maps as well as placing them in their military context in the wider fighting. There are plenty of evocative portraits of familiar faces in khaki uniform, which visually indicate the power of this book.

Most surprising was the account of Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey in Dad's Army) with the Somerset Light Infantry, whose courage was placed in sharp contrast with his bumbling character. I found myself most moved by the account of the death of Ned Parfett, the famous newspaper boy photographed in 1912 carrying a billboard announcing the sinking of the Titanic. He became an icon of the earlier tragedy which seems to have symbolically prefigured the Great War.

The authors have provided an authoritative and accessible read which supplies plenty of leads for wider reading into these individuals, as well as access to tantalisingly rare and unpublished material. Above all, the book is a tender elegy for a generation who wore their trauma and grief with decorum, resolution and cool outrage.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, 16 Feb 2009
By I. Jones "icj" (Liverpool UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
My wife bought me this for Christmas knowing my obsession with the Great War and I must admit that this is very different from the other books I have. These are personal stories of men who were or became famous after the war. Each of them saw action of one form or another and it affected them in their own ways. This is a very human history. I can recommend it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice try but not quite there
I anticipated a collection of interesting accounts of the lives of some famous personages, but alas, I found more meanderings and duplications and some very basic information... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joe Average

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject





















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.