{"title":"Richard Van Emden","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the poignant and meticulously researched works of Richard van Emden. Discover compelling narratives of wartime experiences, uncovering the untold stories of courage and sacrifice. Perfect for history enthusiasts.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sapper-martin-book-richard-van-emden-9781408802670","title":"Sapper Martin","description":"Albert John ('Jack') Martin was a thirty-two-year-old clerk at the Admiralty when he was called up to serve in the army in September 1916. These diaries, written in secret, hidden from his colleagues and only discovered by his family after his return home, present the Great War with heartbreaking clarity, written in a voice as compelling and distinctive as Wilfred Owen or Siegfried Sassoon and all the more extraordinary given that it is not an officer's but that of a private. From his arrival in France and his participation in the Somme, through offensives at Ypres and eventual demobilisation after the Armistice, we see wartime life as it really was for the ordinary Tommy. In these journals, introduced and edited by bestselling First World War historian Richard van Emden, we witness the cheerful Albert Martin getting to grips with life in the trenches and, together with his comrades in the Royal Engineers, confronting the ever-present threat of injury and death. 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The Decisive Year in Soldiers' Own Words and Photographs is the next volume in the remarkable series of books from the best-selling First World War historian Richard van Emden. Revisiting the winning formula of diaries and memoirs, and above all original photographs taken on illegally-held cameras by the soldiers themselves, Richard tells the story of 1918, of both the ferocious spring offensive that so nearly brought victory for the Germans in the West, and the tenacious British rearguard fight that thwarted them. The book also tells the vivid story of the Allied breakthrough and the return to open warfare that was to bring victory in November 1918. His previous books, The Road to Passchendaele and The Somme have sold over 30,000 copies in hardback and softback, proving that the public appetite is undiminished for new, original stories illustrated with over 150 rarely or never-before-seen battlefield images.  The author has an outstanding collection of over 5,000 privately-taken and overwhelmingly unpublished photographs, revealing the war as it was seen by the men involved, an existence that was sometimes exhilarating, too often terrifying, and occasionally even fun.  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Van Emden's gripping narrative and lucid analysis of Churchill's infamous operation, complements Chambers's evocative images, showing how the rapid spread of diseases like dissentry, the lack of clean water and food, the tremendous losses on both sides affected morale, until finally in January 1916, in what were the best-laid plans of the entire disastrous campaign, the Allies successfully fooled the Turkish forces and evacuated their troops from the peninsula with no additional casualties.  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It was there that Kitchener's famous 'Pals' Battalions were first sent into action en masse and it was a battlefield where many of the dreams and aspirations of a nation, hopeful of victory, were agonizingly dashed. Because of its legendary status, the Somme has been the subject of many books, and many more will come out next year. 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Once again, using the winning formula of diaries and memoirs, and above all original photographs taken on illegally-held cameras by the soldiers themselves, Richard tells the story of 1917, of life both in and out of the line culminating in perhaps the most dreaded battle of them all, the Battle of Passchendaele. His pervious book, The Somme, has now sold nearly 20,000 copies in hardback and softback, proving that the public appetite is undiminished for new, original stories illustrated with over 150 rarely or never-before-seen battlefield images. The author has an outstanding collection of over 5,000 privately-taken and overwhelmingly unpublished photographs, revealing the war as it was seen by the men involved, an existence that was sometimes exhilarating, too often terrifying, and occasionally even fun.Richard van Emden interviewed 270 veterans of the Great War, has written extensively about the soldiers' lives, and has worked on many television documentaries, always concentrating on the human aspects of war, its challenge and its cost to the millions of men involved. This book will be published in June 2017, in time for the 100th anniversary of the epic Battle of Passchendaele which began on 31st July 1917 Richard van Emden s books sold over 650,000 books and have appeared in The Times  bestseller chart on a number of occasions. He lives in West London and regularly appears on television, mostly recently as BBC1 s historian for the national commemorations of the Somme Battle. 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Late in life Harry achieved fame, meeting the Queen and taking part in the BBC documentary The Last Tommies, finally shaking hands with a German veteran of the artillery and speaking out frankly to Prime Minister Tony Blair about the soldiers shot for cowardice in the First World War. 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Richard van Emden explores his subject far more radically than previous attempts, revealing how, for example, a lemur was taken on combat missions in the air, a lion was allowed to pad down the front line trenches and how a monkey lost its leg during the fighting at Delville Wood on the Somme.   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To enlist into the army with his pals, chums, mates, filling the ranks of battalions that drew their strength from the local community, from amongst factory workers, miners, shop-workers and tradesmen. In August 1914, what more fitting role was there to play than to answer the country's call to arms?The past is another country, of course: the world in which these men grew up and the mores that took them to the Western Front might appear innocent and naive today. The Somme battle eviscerated many of these free-spirited battalions. But the raising of this New Army - a purely volunteer army - lives on in the public consciousness, their collective story part of our heritage.Who were these volunteers who poured into recruiting offices, overwhelming the staff? What motivated these men - too often just boys - to join up? How did they feel about one another and the new military regime into which so many ran with enthusiasm, without much thought as to the future?After the success of his previous books, The Somme, The Road to Passchendaele, and 1918, best-selling Great War historian Richard van Emden returns to the beginning of the War with this, his latest volume, including an unparalleled collection of soldiers' own photographs taken on their privately-held cameras. Drawing on long-forgotten memoirs, diaries and letters written by the men who enlisted, Richard tells the riveting story of Kitchener's volunteers, before they went to fight.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49752735219985,"sku":"NGR9781473891869","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50629365563665,"sku":"GOR014017735","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51134362124561,"sku":"GOR013380140","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52849702174993,"sku":"CIN1473891868G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1473891868.jpg?v=1751273156"},{"product_id":"1918-the-decisive-year-in-soldiers-own-words-and-photographs-rare-book-richard-van-emden-1716477322cab","title":"1918: The Decisive Year in Soldiers' Own Words and Photographs","description":"2018. First Edition Thus. 374 pages. Signed by the author. Pictorial dust jacket over black cloth. Flatsigned by the author to title page. Pages are bright and clear with no visible markings. Binding","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50091497390353,"sku":"1716477322CAB","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1716477322CAB_1.jpg?v=1722943886"},{"product_id":"last-man-standing-the-memoirs-of-a-seaforth-highlander-during-the-great-war-norm-book-richard-van-emden-9780850528633","title":"Last Man Standing: the Memoirs of a Seaforth Highlander During the Great War - Norman Collins","description":"After witnessing the infamous German naval bombardment at Hartlepool which resulted in 700 deaths and injuries, Norman Collins joined the Seaforth Highlanders in 51st Highland Division while under age. He fought at Beaumont Hamel, was wounded soon after and returned for the Battle of Arras. At Passchendaele he was severely wounded and suffered battle fatigue. Norman had an unusually detailed collection of letters, documents, illustrations and photographs which the author has drawn on extensively and the result is a marvellously moving biography of a very special veteran who lived to be 100.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50114668429585,"sku":"GOR004217606","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51726262599953,"sku":"GOR006048222","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/B002L4KJUY.jpg?v=1750786571"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-richard-van-emden.oembed?page=4","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}