{"title":"Simon Batten","description":"\u003cp\u003eDive into the captivating worlds crafted by Simon Batten, where thrilling adventures and unforgettable characters await. Perfect for fans of action and suspense, discover your next gripping read here.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"shining-light-150-years-of-bloxham-school-book-simon-batten-9781903942970","title":"A Shining Light: 150 Years of Bloxham School","description":"Please note: to order a copy of this title contact Suzy Brandwood at the School. This richly illustrated book traces the remarkable story of All Saints School, Bloxham and gives a fascinating insight into its traditions, customs and achievements. As the School celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2010, it can look back on a history of survival in the face of adversity, adapting to changing circumstances, while all the time holding fast to the ideals of its founder, Philip Reginald Egerton, and his vision of Bloxham as a beacon of Christian education, as summed up in the school's motto, Justorum Semita Lux Splendens,the path of the just is a shining light (Proverbs). Egerton opened his new school in January 1860 with one pupil and an elderly housekeeper; he had doubled his numbers within a fortnight, and by the time of his retirement in 1886 he had 180 pupils and a magnificent set of buildings designed for him by one of the greatest Victorian architects, George Edmund Street. Under Egerton's successors, the school has seen a great many changes, most notably the introduction of co-education throughout the school in 1997. The last chapter of A Shining Light describes the many changes and improvements which have been introduced under the present Headmaster, Mark Allbrook, who now leads a thriving school of 425 pupils, with accommodation and facilities to match any competitor, and the ideals of Egerton and ethos of his original foundation are as valid as ever. Edited by Simon Batten","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49624929075473,"sku":"GOR006670707","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1903942977.jpg?v=1751156291"},{"product_id":"futile-exercise-book-simon-batten-9781911512851","title":"Futile Exercise?","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49740537528593,"sku":"NGR9781911512851","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50557661118737,"sku":"GOR011539614","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1911512854.jpg?v=1750835648"},{"product_id":"futile-exercise-book-simon-batten-9781804515686","title":"Futile Exercise?","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"...a serious piece of academic work, well-written and well-cited. This book is an important addition to the body of work on World War One scholarship as it goes a long way to explaining the antecedents of the British Force that went to war in 1914.\" -ARGunners.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e According to the official historian Brigadier-General James Edmonds: 'In every respect the Expeditionary Force of 1914 was incomparably the best trained, best organized, and best equipped British Army which ever went forth to war'. There has been considerable debate over the extent to which Edmonds' claim was justified, and to which the British Army had learnt the lessons of recent events (above all, its chastening experiences in South Africa). Conventional wisdom has it that the British Army in 1914 was utterly unprepared for the development of trench warfare from October 1914 onwards, and that it took many lives and a costly 'learning curve' for the British to come to terms with the new conditions of warfare. Given that war was expected in the decade before August 1914 - and that a great deal of time and money was spent preparing for that war - it seems obvious to ask why the British Army was not better prepared for the war when it came. This raises important issues about how armies learn from their experiences and how they prepare for the unknowable - namely, a war - without employing bullets and shells. How realistic and useful were the exercises and manoeuvres the British Army used in the period between the end of the Boer War in 1902 and the outbreak of war in August 1914? The approach of most historians has been either to ignore them, or to dismiss them as a waste of time and money. The manoeuvres carried out between 1902 and 1913 featured large forces - sometimes as many as 45,000 men and 12,000 horses - as well as guns, trucks, trains and the first sizeable force of military aircraft ever employed in Britain. Many of the names later familiar from the Western Front were involved - Haig, French, Rawlinson and Allenby - as well as a great many of the troops who would cross to France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in August 1914. Their efforts were witnessed by large crowds, as well as politicians, representatives of foreign armies and journalists (some of them 'embedded' with army units); there was comprehensive and opinionated coverage in the newspapers of the time.\/\/What lessons were learnt, what value did these manoeuvres have and how do they relate to the events of the war - especially, its opening months? How does the British experience compare with those of the continental armies, who also made extensive use of manoeuvres in this period? Winner of the 2018 Arthur Goodzeit Book Award, presented at The New York Affair Symposium.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51605718040849,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51605718237457,"sku":"NGR9781804515686","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/180451568X.jpg?v=1751060058"},{"product_id":"battle-of-denain-book-simon-batten-9781804518397","title":"The Battle of Denain","description":"After 10 years of the War of Spanish Succession and repeated defeats in Flanders, Louis XIV's France found itself in a desperate predicament, facing an imminent invasion. The Battle of Denain tells the story of the little-known battle that saved France and gave the Sun King the final triumph of his long reign. The Battle of Denain is the first comprehensive account of the 1712 campaign in English. Previous Anglophone historians of the war have concentrated on the iconic figure of the Duke of Marlborough, which has hindered our understanding of Britain's true role within the multinational alliance opposing Louis XIV's France. Particularly, the contributions of the Dutch Republic have been overlooked and misrepresented, and Denain was primarily a Dutch battle. The Battle of Denain examines the diplomatic manoeuvres early in the year that led to British troops marching away, leaving the Dutch and Imperial forces to confront the French army for the remainder of the campaign, and assesses how this may explain the French victory. The author's incorporation of French and Dutch primary sources allows for a more rounded perspective on the 1712 campaign. Alongside the central figure of Louis XIV himself, four generals receive particular attention: the Allied commander Prince Eugene and his French counterpart Marshal Villars will be well known to many readers, while the Earl of Albemarle, the Dutch commander at Denain, and the Duke of Ormonde, the leader of the British contingent, are likely less familiar figures.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51880402354449,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51880402551057,"sku":"NGR9781804518397","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-simon-batten.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}