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Secret Britain
 
 

Secret Britain [Kindle Edition]

Justin Pollard
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

Kindle Price: £4.99 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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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.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 444 KB
  • Print Length: 336 pages
  • Publisher: John Murray (11 Nov 2010)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B004CRT684
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #70,804 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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More About the Author

Justin Pollard
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. Gtj Charmley VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Trivia-go-go 20 Nov 2009
By Paul Fillery VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (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!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Alessi Lover TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (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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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A good fun occasional read
There's all sorts of wonderful stuff in here, written in punchy style by an author who's obviously very excited about all of it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Maclennane
Interesting history
You could find this stuff out elsewhere, but this book is an entertaining selection of less well known bits of British history.
Published 13 months ago by Flimo
A fantastic collection of interesting little historical snippets
I found this book rather enjoyable if I'm honest although I'm not going to comment on any particular tale contained within, I will say that I struggled to put this down as, if a... Read more
Published on 10 May 2010 by Steven Stewart
Good dip in book
I have read this book from the begining, but it equally could be read as good dip in book for the odd spare minutes. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by C. Kendall
Quirky, entertaining and endlessly quotable
Secret Britain is a light-hearted yet thought-provoking journey through some long-forgotten and obscure incidents of our history. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2010 by Steven Willis
Entertaining, fun and suprisingly informative...
I'm a real history buff, and there's nothing I love more than random historical facts, so this book was right up my alley! Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2010 by C. Ball
Secret Britain: An alternate history
Justin Pollard is one of the writers of QI so if you know the show, you will know what to expect from this book. Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2010 by B. Wright
Essential Bathroom Library Reading!
Are YOU the kind of distinguished, wonderful and intelligent man or woman who has a range of reading material ready for perusal next to your porcelain throne? You are? Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2010 by Simon McMahon
Familiar, but well told
If you're the kind of person who loves reading stories of the strange, you'll love this book. Alas, if you really do love reading those stories, some of these stories will be more... Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2010 by Paul Robinson
Do you want to know a secret
I have spent the last few weeks dipping in and out of this book and if, like me, you have an interest in what has been hidden from our gaze (some may say nosy) over a number of... Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2010 by Tramps like us
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