Böcker av Derek Wilson

Wormwood and his colleagues are back - as diabolically clever as ever.

This is a Tudor manhunt . . . a quest to discover how the man responsible for the biggest transformation of England since 1066 was himself transformed

The voyage of the `Pilgrim Fathers' from Plymouth, England, and their settlement in Plymouth, New England, is iconic. Unfortunately. Why unfortunately? Because icons both simplify and glamorise. The Mayflower story is a gilded myth, a historical episode seen through the distorting lens of nationalism.

The teachings of Jesus Christ, as presented in the Bible, are familiar to millions, but do we really understand them? Keith Ward argues that, by scrutinising the Gospels through the lens of contemporary philosophy, we can discover a profound teaching that is not always apparent in traditional church teaching. Ward's analysis of what Jesus really said uncovers four central themes: - that the Gospel is for everyone (but not necessarily everyone will be saved); - that the Second Coming will lead to a future in the spiritual realm, not a physical world; - that Jesus presents a moral ideal for life rather than a literal set of rules; - that God is expressed initially through the incarnation of Jesus, but ultimately through the whole of creation.

It is a frequent complaint that women have been airbrushed out of history, their contributions forgotten, their voices silenced. In this superbly written book, historian Derek Wilson redresses the balance, showing how women were crucial to the Reformation. Working alongside men - and sometimes in opposition to them - women were able to study, to speak, to write, to struggle and even to die for what they believed, and to leave behind a record of all these achievements. From Catharina Luther, through English martyr Anne Askew to Elizabeth I and onwards out into Europe - this book reveals the rich threads women brought to the tapestry of history.

Catherine Parr and Anne Askew: united in faith and danger, divided in death.

A multi-faceted story of heroes and villains, mystics and sceptics, earnest seekers of truth and charlatans, a narrative that bristles with the names of remarkable scholars, many famous, some now obscure.

"e;Going round the world"e; is an idea that has excited people ever since it was realized that the earth was a sphere. The appeal has something to do with encompassing all the known environment and exploring the unknown, not only on the surface of the planet but within the spirit of the explorer. The story of circumnavigation is thus a long saga of human adventure, travel and discovery. Beginning with the fateful day in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan was speared to death on Mactan and Juan de Elcano took up the challenge of bringing his surviving companions home, the story continues through four centuries crammed with astonishing exploits by men and women of many nations. Some of the names that feature are well-known, others less so.

In the political ferment of the Tudor century one family above all others was always at the troubled centre of court and council. During those years the Dudleys were never far from controversy. Three of them were executed for treason. They were universally condemned as scheming, ruthless, over-ambitious charmers, and one was defamed as a wife murderer. Yet Edmund Dudley was instrumental in establishing the financial basis of the Tudor dynasty, and John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, led victorious armies, laid the foundations of the Royal Navy, ruled as uncrowned king and almost succeeded in placing Lady Jane Grey on the throne. The most famous of them all, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, came the closest to marrying Elizabeth I, was her foremost favourite for 30 years and governed the Netherlands in her name, while his successor, Sir Robert Dudley, was one of the Queen's most audacious seadogs in the closing years of her reign, but fell foul of James I. Thus the fortunes of this astonishing family rose and fell with those of the royal line they served faithfully through a tumultuous century.see www.derekwilson.com

England's longest-lasting dynasty brought vividly to life.

This is a history of Africa south of the Congo Forest from about A.D.1000 to the era of the establishment of independent states. Work of contemporary researchers is presented in a simpler form than in most scholarly books thereby reflecting a complete picture of the early history of South and Central Africa.

Scotland On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the nation's footballing past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary of dark blue-and-white history. From the first ever international match to the SPL era, there's an entry for every day of the year.

The Tudor period was a time of massive social change in England with growing cities, increasing trade, and growing stability after the chaos of the Wars of the Roses. This title offers insight into the world of Tudor England - revealing what it was really like to live in a period of great growth.

Britain's Rottenest Years is not just a bad news story. It is a fantastically readable leapfrog through British history which takes us, via the interesting bits, from the misery of the Roman invasion of AD60 (when 50,000 Roman thugs invaded) to the Thatcherite year of discontent of 1981.