British Memoirs

Charles II of England remains one of the most easily identifiable and best known of England’s monarchs. Deprived of his throne following the execution of his father, he contended with hardship and exile before achieving a peaceful restoration and the beginning of what would be remembered as a colorful period of English history. His reign also led to the creation of the two-party system that would shape English and later British politics for centuries to come.

In a world where heroism and self-sacrifice sometimes seem to be in short supply, the exploits of the famed Admiral Horatio Nelson stand out to us as a refreshing reminder. His noble actions serve to show us of what it means to go above and beyond the call of duty and to put petty differences aside for the greater good. Despite the larger-than-life legend that two centuries have brought us, Horatio Nelson was not some swashbuckling caricature, he was a real flesh and blood human being, just as flawed as the rest of us.

Margaret Thatcher was a British stateswoman and the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. From 1975 to 1990, she was the Leader of the Conservative Party. She was elected Prime Minister three times and served for 11 years, longer than any other British prime minister of the 20th century. Her political views, based on loose economics and individual self-realization, along with her policies, were referred to as Thatcherism, which for decades remained an influential political concept in the United Kingdom.

Sir Winston Churchill is often cited as Britain's greatest prime minister for leading the United Kingdom against Hitler's Nazi war machine during World War II, and indeed he was the idol of the one person who many think might have surpassed him: Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher not only became Britain's first female prime minister; she also became its longest serving prime minister.

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' British Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of Great Britain’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

From his earliest years, Prince William has been a photographer's dream come true in the same way his mother had been. While he is not necessarily known for his mother's media savvy, he is well liked by the media, and he is able, consciously or incidentally, to capitalize on this advantage. At the same time, from polo to charities, William is thoroughly his father Charles' son as a Windsor prince.

Queen Elizabeth I was one of England's most influential rulers. Hers was an age when the arts, commerce, and trade flourished. It was the epoch of gallantry and great, enduring literature. It was also an age of wars and military conflicts. In the end, Queen Elizabeth I helped change the entire structure of female leadership and would go on to improve upon Henry VIII's successes.

'First came the misery of training in freezing conditions for a deployment in a very hot climate. This was typical of the British army and so was the decision to send one hundred trained lunatics running around in dense jungle, armed with live ammunition. And they called this the solution?' Warning Order Belize is a 'down to earth' and witty account of the adventures and misadventures of a young British Soldier in Colchester as he prepares for a tour of duty in Belize .

Was he “the greatest human being ever to occupy 10 Downing Street,” or a man whose “brilliant but unsound judgement resulted in detrimental consequences for Britain and for the world”? Decades after his death, debate still rages over Sir Winston Churchill’s contribution to history, though all agree that it was profound no matter which way it’s viewed. But now that wartime nostalgia has mostly washed away, the views of Churchill are more divergent than ever.

Did you know that Queen Victoria could speak five different languages? Or that her closest childhood friend was a King Charles spaniel by the name of Dash? What did she ask staff to do instead of knocking on her door? And how did she deliberately annoy Prime Minister William Gladstone? All of these facts and more can be found in this fantastic guide to the long-reigning monarch and Empress of India. This audiobook is perfect for those studying Queen Victoria at school, or even for those who are just interested in learning more about one of history's most fascinating figures.

London is one of my most favorite cities, not only in Europe, but also in the entire world. And I love England and the rest of the U.K. as well. And while London is always exciting for me to visit, it is the whole of the United Kingdom that remains particularly etched in my memories.

Ein kurzes Wort der Warnung. Die Kurzgeschichten über wahre Verbrechen in diesem Buch sind unvorstellbar schockierend. Die meisten Nachrichtenartikel und Fernsehsendungen über wahre Verbrechen übergehen die dramatischen Details der wirklich beunruhigenden Verbrechen.

In diesem Podcast widmet sich die dänische Journalistin und Krimiautorin Lone Theils sechs der bekanntesten und grausamsten Serienmörder, die es in Großbritannien je gegeben hat. Lone Theils Romane, wie z.B. "Die Rückkehr", sind oft von wahren Begebenheiten inspiriert, doch dieser Podcast beweist, dass die Realität noch viel grausamer sein kann als jede Fiktion.

If you like Max Hastings and World War II naval history, then you will love this autobiography, which gives an easy-to-understand insider view of life in the Royal Navy during the war. Ronnie Turner had set his sights on a career with the Royal Navy, and like Ant Middleton, he wouldn't stop until he'd achieved his goal of having "a smack at the boche". Drawn from Ronnie's illegal war diary, this enjoyable tale of pocket battleships, torpedoed crews, and Admiral Harwood's tattoos, all sprinkled with Spike Milligan-like humor, make this a story you won't want to put down.

For many, she was simply the last of King Henry VIII’s many wives, but Catherine Parr was much more than that. She had a unique and incredible history all of her own. Catherine was a dynamic figure who survived more than her fair share of hardship. Even before she married Henry, she found herself caught up in the drama of England’s Reformation, and at one point, she was even held hostage in her own home by religious radicals.

William the First, who was also called William the Conqueror, and in some cases, William the Bastard, was the first Norman emperor of England, ruling from 1066 till his death in 1087. Around this time, many wars and battles were waged over the kingdom and distribution of territories in Europe. France, the Anglo-Saxons, and Scandinavian troops were engaged in raids, struggles, and battles to claim their lands and gains. I invite you to learn more about this first king of England, who lived almost 1,000 years ago.

En el año 43 de nuestra era, la conquista romana de Britania parece casi segura, hasta que un encuentro casual entre el rey Prasutagus de los icenos y una esclava fugitiva descendiente de la tribu de los eduos en Galia cambia el destino de las islas británicas para siempre.

Discover the remarkable life of Virginia Woolf.... Virginia Woolf ranks among the most influential writers of the 20th century. Embracing the Post-Impressionist times in which she lived, her novels reflect the artistic shift from romanticism to abstract. Plot mattered very little to Woolf. Her writing was a stream of consciousness outside of time and place. Her novels, including her best-known work, Mrs. Dalloway, invariably dwell on gender roles and the concept of reality.

J. R. R. Tolkien, an orphan in love with words, spent most of his life as an unassuming Professor of Literature at Oxford studying and teaching old languages. During his time there, he created his very own languages and a mythological world, Middle-earth. Middle-earth was inhabited by Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and other fascinating creatures. It was a world that became almost more real to Tolkien than the one he lived in. Tolkien’s two masterpieces, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, have set the standard in mythological literature.

Did you know that when some of Jane Austen’s lesser-known work was sent to publishers in 2007 under a pseudonym it was rejected? Do you know in which radio sitcom she was once portrayed as a foul-mouthed and violent inhabitant of hell who even the devil was scared of? And exactly what have zombies got to do with Pride and Prejudice? This fascinating audiobook contains more than 100 facts about Jane Austen, with each chapter exploring a different part of her life and work.