- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Hodder Stoughton; 1st edition (15 Oct 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1848541988
- ISBN-13: 978-1848541986
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.7 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 349,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Secret Britain
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Amusingly and energetically told...his best. Pollard has the QI knack of knowing what's funny or interesting
(Spectator )The parts of our past they didn't teach in school (Express )
'Ideal for history buffs and fact lovers'
(Scottish Sunday Post )Gems you won't have heard about at school
(Daily Mail Scotland )Product Description
Some of our most intriguing history is missing. Perhaps there has been a conspiracy, a cover-up? Or maybe some stories have been lost, forgotten or were just too embarrassing to talk about at the time? But now they are back, revealed in all their glory: secret passages, events, societies, loves, identities and even dark secrets of the grave.
After much sleuthing, Justin Pollard takes us into undisclosed historical waters to discover why the city of Burlington isn't on the map; how 'Agent Pickle' saved the lost treasure of Bonnie Prince Charlie; what Sir Thomas Overbury knew in 1613 that got him murdered with a poisoned enema and how Virginia Woolf sweet-talked her way aboard HMS Dreadnought dressed as Abyssinian Prince.
Secret Britain will also reveal the tragic love story behind the Rolls Royce mascot; how agent Garbo managed to get an MBE and an Iron Cross; the sinister properties of the Hand of Glory; the lost smuggling ship Peggy; the Mystery Runner of Nos Galan; the extraordinary history of the Fairy Flag of Dunvegan; London's only Nazi war memorial and the secrets of the WWII Monopoly board.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb and Eccentric,
By
This review is from: Secret Britain: The Hidden Bits of Our History (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is one of those wonderful collections that you can get lost in. A selection of weird and wonderful anecdoes from Britain's past. Some of the tales are just plain improbable, for example the tale of the boy in Tudor England who was locked in a tower, tied to a chair, until he finished his lesson, and starved to death (I have come accross similar versions of the story elsewhere), while others, like the vicar who locked the congregation out of his church and preached to cardboard cut-outs, are tragic. There are stories which can only make one laugh, stories no collection of this sort could do without, and others which have no enjoyed wide circulation.This book is well worth a read. It is also the ideal present for anyone who is a reader.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trivia-go-go,
By
This review is from: Secret Britain: The Hidden Bits of Our History (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I've read a couple of Justin Pollard's books now (after being tipped-off that he was one of the researchers for the peerless "QI"), and this was more of the same - fascinating, puzzling, baffling, and above all entertaining. Shining a light into many dark corners of history the book assembles a varied cast of kings, commoners and rogues from all periods of Britain's history, and tells many tales that you won't read elsewhere. An excellent book - more please!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Secret Britain a Perfect Christmas Present for the hard to buy for,
By
This review is from: Secret Britain: The Hidden Bits of Our History (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
One of those books that would make a great Christmas present for grandparents, aunties, uncles or just about anyone you find it difficult to buy a present for!Full of unusual facts that has you delving into one chapter after another as it is so fascinating, if only history lessons were like this at school (I am pretty sure the pupils wouldn't be missing any). The chapters are not too big and in total there are 17 different ones, all as good as each other, some more mythical than others, some just weird, but all fully enjoyable. A good one for leaving in your guest room for light reading (but just check that the book is still there before they leave) as once you have started to delve into it you/they will find it hard to put down. I told my elderly dad about it when he came to stay over with us, then lo and behold it seemed to vanish for a day, needless to say we know what the grand children will be getting him this Christmas.
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