{"title":"John Withington","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the world of John Withington, where compelling narratives and insightful characters await. Discover thrilling adventures and thought-provoking tales, perfect for fans of gripping storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"capital-disasters-book-john-withington-9780750933179","title":"Capital Disasters","description":"From A.D. 61, when Queen Boudicca - outraged at her treatment at the hands of the Romans - marched on the ten-year-old city and burned it to the ground, London has been hit by wave upon wave of destruction. Disasters such as earthquakes, flood, fire, disease and war have bruised and battered this capital city but London and its people have refused to be overcome. Many of the key buildings in London stand as monuments to this spirit of tenacity, none more so than St. Paul's cathedral. Burnt down in 604, 1087 and 1665, St. Paul's has also been struck by lightning three times.  During the Great Fire of London, class distinctions vanished as King Charles II and his brother, later King James II, took charge of some of the firefighting. Prince Albert did the same during a serious fire at Windsor Castle, proving so effective that everything was under control when the Fire Chief arrived. The London spirit was also prevalent during medieval times when Westminster's Great Hall was flooded frequently - the lawyers continued their work in boats. From Boudicca's attack to the 747 cargo airliner crash at Stansted in 1999, Capital Disasters travels through the centuries and through disasters such as the sinking of paddle steamer the Princess Alice, England's worst ever train crash and the Silvertown explosion of 1917 - the biggest in London's history.  The book unearths the human stories behind the tragedies and celebrates the indomitable spirit which rises above all. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the colourful history of this capital city.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49514255778065,"sku":"GOR004785371","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50415644213521,"sku":"GOR006351539","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0750933178.jpg?v=1751444126"},{"product_id":"disastrous-history-of-the-world-book-john-withington-9780749909796","title":"A Disastrous History Of The World","description":"Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, bird flu, international terrorism - the world seems to get more dangerous by the day. Or does it? John Withington's disturbing yet fascinating new book describes the worst things that have happened on Earth from the dawn of man to the present day.  Part One chronicles all the major natural calamities - floods and earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and typhoons, plague and famine. Part Two describes in compelling detail the greatest man-made disasters - war and invasion, air raids, massacres, riots and terrorism, fires and explosions, shipwrecks, and air and train crashes.  John Withington takes the reader on an epic journey through the annals of the nastiest things to have afflicted mankind. Out of all this horror, he has somehow fashioned a compulsively readble and entertaining book.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49520073474321,"sku":"GOR002670292","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49629653762321,"sku":"GOR003706871","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/074990979X.jpg?v=1751075345"},{"product_id":"disastrous-history-of-britain-book-john-withington-9780750938655","title":"A Disastrous History of Britain","description":"The message of this entertaining book is - to slightly misquote the wartime catchphrase - 'Britain can take it'. Take it she certainly has, and over the centuries these islands have withstood a battering from internal and external enemies, nature and human error. John Withington's book paints a picture of Britain bloodied but unbowed through war, invasion, rebellion, massacre, fire, flood, storm, plague, shipwreck, train crashes and terrorism.  Throughout, with detailed stories and lively anecdote, the author brings to life the events and their consequences and makes it clear that even when we have been relatively safe from enemy action there has been internal strife, often of a very violent nature, and the inescapable effects of storm and tempest. It is a wonder that Britain has survived so much for so long!  The book has a compelling, cumulative quality, with the reader constantly asking 'can anything worse happen?' and the author gladly supplying ever more disasters.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49525626470673,"sku":"GOR005441896","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49627791196433,"sku":"GOR006771580","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52996860084497,"sku":"GOR009990001","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/075093865X.jpg?v=1750701236"},{"product_id":"britain-s-20-worst-military-disasters-book-john-withington-9780752461977","title":"Britain's 20 Worst Military Disasters","description":"Crecy, Agincourt, Blenheim, Trafalgar, Waterloo, El Alamein – the names trip off the tongue and resound through our history. Great British military victories, often won against the odds. But what of the defeats and disasters – from our conquest by Roman armies to the fall of Singapore in 1942, described by Churchill as the ‘worst disaster’ in our military history. This is the story of those disasters, and the ones in between. From famous battles like Hastings and Yorktown, to those that are less well-known but had far-reaching consequences, such as Castillon. Others, like the Battle of the Medway in 1667, which were deeply shameful – ‘a dishonour never to be wiped off’ – but had relatively little long term impact. Sometimes, a brilliant retreat helped prevent an even greater calamity, as at Gallipoli and Dunkirk. It is an epic story following British armies and navies across the world to France, Africa, North and South America and the Far East. It is a tale of bungling, miscalculation, unpreparedness and heroism.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49540771545361,"sku":"GOR005817464","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53269898658065,"sku":"GOR011567154","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0752461974.jpg?v=1766657840"},{"product_id":"london-s-disasters-book-john-withington-9780752457475","title":"London's Disasters","description":"From AD 61, when Queen Boudicca – outraged at her treatment at the hands of the Romans – marched on the city and burned it to the ground, London has been hit by wave upon wave of destruction. This fascinating and unique book tells the story of over 2000 years of disaster – fire, water, disease, pollution, accident, storm, riot, terrorism and enemy action. It chronicles well-known episodes like the Great Plague of 1665 and the Blitz, as well as lesser-known events such as whirlwinds and earthquakes. This new edition also includes the recent terrorist attack on 7 July 2005, as well as a new section on the crises which have plagued the financial City, including the near-collapse of Britain’s banks during 2008 and 2009. London’s Disasters ultimately celebrates the spirit of the people of London who have risen above it all and for whom London is still a great city in which to live and work.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49547902058769,"sku":"GOR004825418","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53371276558609,"sku":"GOR007923855","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0752457470.jpg?v=1766659150"},{"product_id":"secrets-of-the-centenarians-book-john-withington-9781780238180","title":"Secrets of the Centenarians","description":"In October 1995, French grandmother Jeanne Calment became, so far as we know, the oldest human being who has ever lived, when she reached the age of 120 years and 238 days. She went on to survive for nearly three more years. On the long journey to her record-breaking age, Calment acquired more and more companions. Centenarians are the fastest-growing section of the population. In Britain, there are more than ninety times as many as there were a hundred years ago. Secrets of the Centenarians delves into the curious reasons why their number is growing at such an incredible rate.   John Withington explores the factors that determine which of us will reach a century and which of us will fall by the wayside. Is it down to lifestyle or genes? Does where you live play a role? Is surviving to one hundred a boon or a bore? Finally, he explores whether, even if the number of centenarians keeps increasing, there remains a maximum life span beyond which we cannot survive.  Thoughtful, well-researched and highly entertaining, Secrets of the Centenarians reveals some of the most intriguing secrets of growing older.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49567768641809,"sku":"GOR009037371","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50329751257361,"sku":"CIN1780238185VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52902193561873,"sku":"CIN1780238185G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1780238185.jpg?v=1766139333"},{"product_id":"storm-book-john-withington-9781780236612","title":"Storm","description":"Storms affect our lives in many remarkable and dangerous ways. Gales, hurricanes, cyclones, blizzards, tornados, hail and sand and dust storms regularly demonstrate the awesome power of nature that all of us experience in some form. But what causes them? What role have they played in our history, religion and the arts? And will climate change make them even more powerful?This strikingly illustrated book takes an in-depth and unique look at the nature of storms and their impact on our lives. It shows how storms have changed the course of history, playing a decisive role in major battles and momentous revolutions from Roman times to the modern day. It describes the deadliest storms in history, such as the Bangladesh cyclone of 1970 that killed perhaps a million people, and explains how humans have tried to control storms through religion, superstition and science. Despite their potent ability to cause destruction, storms also benefit humanity. Storm describes the major role they have played in the arts, from Shakespeare's plays to novels such as Robinson Crusoe and famous works of art by Rembrandt, Constable, Monet, Munch and Turner. It describes how storms even out global temperatures, providing rain and clearing out old trees to make way for new, and considers what will happen to storms in the future. Fully illustrated and brilliantly written, Storm is the first book to cover all aspects of these natural phenomena.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49580380848401,"sku":"GOR011877443","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1780236611.jpg?v=1766139156"},{"product_id":"disastrous-history-of-the-world-book-john-withington-9780749909789","title":"A Disastrous History Of The World","description":"John Withington's book is an epic journey through the annals of the disastrous events that have marked human history. In Part I are all the major natural calamities - floods, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tsunamis, plague and famine. Part II describes in vivid detail the greatest man-made disasters - war and invasion, persecution and massacre, riots and terrorism, explosions and fires, shipwrecks and air crashes. Out of all this horror, the author produces a highly entertaining and throught-provoking book.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49592573657361,"sku":"GOR003857271","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50181572198673,"sku":"GOR010571775","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0749909781.jpg?v=1751430005"},{"product_id":"shutdown-book-john-withington-9780719912306","title":"Shutdown","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49608116863249,"sku":"GOR003851421","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/071991230X.jpg?v=1751394326"},{"product_id":"assassins-deeds-book-john-withington-9781789143515","title":"Assassins Deeds","description":"Delves into some of the most despicable assassinations in history.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49742952300817,"sku":"NGR9781789143515","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49784672846097,"sku":"GOR010865373","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50000050028817,"sku":"CIN1789143519G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50449774084369,"sku":"GOR010860629","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1789143519.jpg?v=1766138623"},{"product_id":"disastrous-history-of-london-book-john-withington-9780750933216","title":"The Disastrous History of London","description":"From AD 61, when Queen Boudicca - outraged at her treatment at the hands of the Romans - marched on the city and burned it to the ground, London has been hit by wave upon wave of destruction. 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