Explore our collection

Language
Format
Type

showing 24 library results for 'P/21(9)'

A passion for exploring new countries : Matthew Flinders & George Bass /Josephine Bastian. "'Australian history ... does not read like history', Mark Twain complained in 1897, 'but like the most beautiful lies ... It is full of surprises and adventures, incongruities, and contradictions, and incredibilities; but they are all true, they all happened.' He might have been thinking of Matthew Flinders and George Bass, two obscure young men from Lincolnshire, who had arrived in Sydney in 1795 determined to achieve greatness. Flinders wanted to be an explorer 'second only to Cook', Bass a naturalist, another Sir Joseph Banks, and a rich Sydney trader. For eight years these two pursued their destiny. Their voyage changed the map of Australia, and Flinders gave it its name. They were ready for even greater ventures. And then it was all over. Bass had set out on a voyage he would never finish. His life ended when he was thirty-two years old. Flinders was standing bareheaded and bedraggled before the governor of Ile de France (Mauritius), who told him that his claim to be the commander of a great expedition of discovery was frankly incredible, all lies; he was thrust into prison as a spy and detained for six and a half years. His career as an explorer ended when he was twenty-nine years old. But a strange new adventure was just beginning... Their incredible story is all true - everything in it did happen. This book is historically rigorous, yet its protagonists' fascinating and contrasting characters, the powerful background of the Napoleonic War, and the extraordinary events of their lives make it as gripping as any novel."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 919.40420922
Cod and herring : the archaeology and history of medieval sea fishing /James H. Barrett "Quests for cod, herring and other sea fish had profound impacts on medieval Europe. This interdisciplinary book combines history, archaeology and zooarchaeology to discover the chronology, causes and consequences of these fisheries. It crosscuts traditional temporal and geographical boundaries, ranging from the Migration Period through the Middle Ages into early modern times, and from Iceland to Estonia, Arctic Norway to Belgium. It addresses evidence for human impacts on aquatic ecosystems in some instances and for a negligible medieval footprint on superabundant marine species in others (in contrast with industrial fisheries of the 19th-21st centuries). The book explores both incremental and punctuated changes in marine fishing, providing a unique perspective on the rhythm of Europe's environmental, demographic, political and social history. The 21 chapters, by experts in their respective fields, cover a range of regions and methodological approaches, but come together to tell a coherent story of long-term change. Regional differences are clear, yet communities of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic, North and Irish Seas also followed trajectories with many resonances. Ultimately they were linked by a pan-European trade network that turned preserved fish into wine, grain and cloth. At the close of the Middle Ages this nascent global network crossed the Atlantic, but its earlier implications were no less pivotal for those who harvested the sea or profited from its abundance."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 639.2
Invasion! : D-Day & Operation Overlord in one hundred moments /Scott Addington. ''The invasion of Normandy was the most significant victory of the Allies in the Second World War. By 1944, over 2 million troops from over 12 countries were in Britain in preparation for the invasion. These forces consisted primarily of American, British and Canadian troops but also included Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian and Polish naval, air or ground support. The operation was codenamed "Overlord" which saw the largest invasion fleet ever assembled, before or since, landing 156,000 Allied troops on five beach-heads on D-Day 6 June 1944. These forces established a foothold on the shores of Northern France, and broke out into the French interior to begin a headlong advance. D-Day was originally set for June 5 but had to be postponed for 24 hours because of bad weather. The forecast was so bad that the German commander in Normandy, Erwin Rommel, went home to give his wife a pair of shoes on her birthday. He was in Germany when the news came. British factories increased production and in the first half of 1944 approximately 9 million tonnes of supplies and equipment crossed the Atlantic from North America to Britain. Bagpiper, Bill Millin struck up Hieland Laddie as soon as he jumped into the shallows and then walked up and down the beach playing the pipes. German prisoners later admitted that they had not attempted to shoot him because they thought he had lost his mind. The British infantryman was paid ¹3 15s a month, the Americans got ¹12. A naval bombardment from seven battleships, 18 cruisers, and 43 destroyers began at 5am and went on until 6.25am. On the night of the invasion only around 15% of paratroopers landed in the right place. New gadgets designed for D-Day included a swimming tank and a flame throwing tank called the crocodile . There were even collapsible motorbikes. The morning after D-day the police raided a brothel, which French women had set up in a wrecked landing craft. 1,900 Allied bombers attacked German lines before the invasion began. Seven million pounds of bombs were dropped that day. A total of 10,521 combat aircraft flew a total of 15,000 sorties on D-Day. All this and much more is uncovered in a range of informative and detailed events spanning this most significant event in military history; biographies, fun facts, myth busters and illustrated throughout with infographics and contemporary photographs.''--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542142