Lie In The Dark And Listen

A memoir of a World War II British bomber pilot who was imprisoned by the Nazis and went on to inspire the Steve McQueen character in The Great Escape. By age 21, Ken had already trained to be a pilot officer, flown 56 hair-raising bomber missions by night over Germany, taken part in the siege of Malta, got married, been shot down into a remote Norwegian lake, been captured and interrogated, sent to Stalag Luft III, and survived the Great Escape and the forced March to Bremen. This is truly a real-life adventure story, written with accuracy, pace, and drama. “Ken Rees had a war career that takes the breath away and he describes it so well one can imagine one was there, experiencing the terror.” —Frederick Forsyth, #1 New York Times – bestselling author of The Fox and The Day of the Jackal “In an age obsessed with C-list television celebrities battling it out on [phony] “reality” survival shows, Rees and his dwindling band of Great Escapers stand out as the real thing.” —The Daily Telegraph (UK) “Written in frank, warm and readable style, this is a very engaging account of a remarkable life.” —New History “A brave man’s memory. Hear the fear yet take [succor] from the courage.” —North Wales Chronicle (UK)

Accessible and affordable illustrated biography

The Noël Coward Reader offers a wonderfully wide-ranging selection—the first of its kind—of the best of the Master’s oeuvre, entertainingly annotated and abundantly illustrated, and including material that has never before been published. Here are scenes from Coward’s famous plays, from Private Lives to Blithe Spirit, and his screenplays, from Brief Encounter to In Which We Serve. Here are four of his best short stories, scenes from his only novel, and a generous selection of his verse, alongside the lyrics of many of his most sublime songs, including “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” “The Stately Homes of England,” and “Mad About the Boy.” The Noël Coward Reader is a must-have book both for those who adore his work and for those who are just discovering the many-faceted delights of his comic genius.

“The story of the King Edward VI grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon and its sacrifice in the Second World War . . . a heavy price for just one school.” —War History Online Like the Great War generation before them, the Old Boys of King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon, (known as Shakespeare’s School) answered the Nations call to arms in 1939. Over the next six years, no less than fifty-two of these young men fought and died for their Country. This evocative and carefully researched book tells each one’s story. The author paints a picture of the character of the individual concerned, along with his family background, his contribution to the School and, most importantly, his war service and the circumstances of his death. Some perished in lonely cockpits during the Battle of Britain and the Bombing campaign. Others fought and died at sea whether on Atlantic convoys, the Mediterranean campaign or in the Far East. The soldiers among them fell in the glare of the Western Desert fighting the Germans and Italians and in the unforgiving jungles of Burma repulsing the Japanese. In one case, death came in a German concentration camp. Who can tell what influence the strong ethos of this small grammar school with its enduring values of decency and comradeship had played during the years of hostilities on both those who made the supreme sacrifice and others who were fortunate enough to survive? What is certain is that the example set by those former members of Shakespeare’s School whose stories are told in this book must never be forgotten by their successors.

"The Methuen Book of Poems for Every Day includes 366 poems by over two hundred poets from antiquity to the present. From Blake to Betjeman and Whitman to Wilde, the book blends familiar classics with unknown gems old and new. The result is at once a celebration of the greatest poets and their finest work, of the endless variety of the year - and of poetry itself, in all the glorious diversity of the form: lyric, epic and elegiac, sonnet, ballad, song, satire and romance." "Here are poems of every kind, to suit each day, each mood and season, all tastes and all ages: reflective, exuberant, mourning or joyful, loving or laughing. They chart every trajectory of human experience and emotion; and at the same time, they give it context within the shape of the year." "These poems are accompanied by notes that set them, day by day, in their historical record. Concise and informative, these include other notable events of that date, from births and deaths to coronations and catastrophes."--BOOK JACKET.