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Some experiences were tragic, like those of William Beckford, Lord Byron or Oscar Wilde, and some were triumphant, like the remarkable story of the Ladies of Llangollen who became the most famous lesbians in Europe. Often treated with outright suspicion, homosexuals were targets for the totalitarian dictatorships of the 20th century. As such they were consigned in their tens of thousands to exile in Siberia or to the Nazi death camps. Even when peace returned after World War II most democracies still proscribed homosexual behaviour, forcing the Americans Paul Bowles and James Baldwin to seek exile in Europe and North Africa. Today the tolerance of Ancient Greece has returned to most Western societies although homosexuals are still persecuted in some Islamic countries such as Iran. 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It democratised travel for the first time, allowing ordinary people to travel at reasonable speed without need of a horse, to commute further afield to work and to enjoy the benefits of the countryside. It has challenged social conventions, granting women a new-found freedom, and it has played an important role in wartime, whether used by British paratroopers or in Vietnamese supply lines. Today, despite the prevalence of the car, the bicycle is as important as ever, with more cycles appear on city streets each year. Bikes come in all shapes and sizes and the history of cycling is on of innovation in design: from Macmillan's first pedal-driven cycle to the eccentric Dursley Pedersen, and from the 1960s iconic Moulton to the free-styling BMX, the humble cycle continues to surprise and delight in equal measure. Illustrated in full colour with a wide range of photographs, The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes tells the story of the bicycle through 50 iconic machines, starting with the first primitive wooden two-wheelers through to carbon-fibre super bikes and the designs of the future, celebrating sporting achievements, technological advances and world records along with way.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49512601190673,"sku":"GOR006565929","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49729498480913,"sku":"NGR9780750960601","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50359289676049,"sku":"CIN0750960604G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52699650687249,"sku":"GOR008687520","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52772010885393,"sku":"GOR009910992","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0750960604.jpg?v=1751421164"},{"product_id":"history-of-cycling-in-fifty-bikes-book-tom-ambrose-9780752499444","title":"The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes","description":"For an invention that has only been around for 200 years, the simple bicycle has changed the world in many ways. 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For a decade, as offical mistress, Elizabeth's greed for jewels, her constant pressure on the king to promote her friends and family, and her determined political influence, caused a political conflict between the king and his ministers. Her presence at court provoked quarrels with the Duke of Wellington and led ultimately to the suicide of Lord Castlereagh. The satirical artists of the day made her the subject of over 300 scurrilous cartoons. Tom Ambrose sets out to chart the course of this scandalous affair from its early beginnings in the overheated salons of the Brighton Pavilion to the King's declining years at Windsor. All the great characters of Regency England enter the story, from the Duke of Wellington to the blackmailing society courtesan Hariette Wilson.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49590343893265,"sku":"GOR004529682","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49620793721105,"sku":"GOR002374645","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52329551757585,"sku":"GOR005479264","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0750934948.jpg?v=1751137799"},{"product_id":"nature-of-despotism-book-tom-ambrose-9781847730701","title":"The Nature of Despotism","description":"Discusses tyrants, who share common backgrounds, behaviours and motivations that, when viewed together, can be seen as forming the character of the despot. 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