Books with author Geoffrey Parnell

The Tower of London is one of Britain’s premier ancient monuments and tourist attractions. Until the 19th-century, however, the Tower was a collection of self-contained communities: as well as a royal residence, it housed the Menagerie, the Record Office, the Board of Ordnance, and the Royal Mint. During the 19th century, most of these bodies withdrew, older buildings were repaired, and more recent ones were demolished as part of a program to make the Tower resemble a medieval castle once again. The Crown Jewels and the Armories were both re-displayed, creating a magnet for visitors. Many previously unpublished images, taken between 1850 and 1950, have been included in order to provide, for the first time, a valuable record of the remarkable transformations which have shaped the Tower of London on view today.

When Men at Arnhem was first published in 1976 the author modestly concealed his identity behind a pseudonym and changed the names of his comrades in arms. But the book was at once recognised as one of the finest evocations of an infantryman’s war ever written and those in the know were quick to identify the author. His cover has long since been blown, in this edition Geoffrey Powell adds an introduction in which he identifies the men who fought with him in those eight terrible days at Arnhem in September, 1944. The book cannot be said to be a military history in the strictest sense, even the units involved being unidentified, but the events described are, as the author points out in his introduction, as nearly accurate as memory allowed after a lapse of over thirty years. It is unlikely every to be surpassed as the most vivid first-hand account of one of those epic disasters which we British, in our paradoxical way, seem to cherish above and beyond the most glorious victories.

In the fall of 1944, Allied commanders planned to land airborne divisions in an attempt to capture a series of bridges behind German lines, including the "bridge too far" at Arnhem. Geoffrey Powell, himself a veteran of the Arnhem operation, drew on conversations with many other survivors of the battle to write one of the most dramatic of all accounts of the battleWhen the book was first published in 1976 under a pseudonym, it was at once recognized as one of the finest evocations of an infantryman's war ever written.

This book looks at the history and development of one of England's most famous and popular tourist sites, down the ages from the original White Tower of William I to the use of the castle in the modern period. Incorporating the results of recent archaeological investigations and documentary research, and using plans and reconstructions the book shows how each age has affected the appearance and use of the Tower.

In the fall of 1944, Allied commanders planned to land airborne divisions in an attempt to capture a series of bridges behind German lines, including the "bridge too far" at Arnhem. Geoffrey Powell, himself a veteran of the Arnhem operation, drew on conversations with many other survivors of the battle to write one of the most dramatic of all accounts of the battleWhen the book was first published in 1976 under a pseudonym, it was at once recognised as one of the finest evocations of an infantryman's war ever written.

The Tower of London is one of the most famous and well-visited landmarks in the world, with a fascinating history brought to life in a uniquely visual way for the first time through this stunning book. 14 specially commissioned paintings by the renowned historical reconstruction artist, Ivan Lapper show the Tower from its earliest pre-Roman days, right up to the start of this new millennium. A fascinating and engaging narrative by the official Keeper of Tower History, Geoffrey Parnell, brings the sights, sounds, events and characters of the past to life.