Nostalgia Archives - Michael O'Mara Books

Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 03:08:12 +0000

Great poetry 'finds its way to the hearts of many, not just the minds of the few', and this delightful collection is the ideal way to browse, remember and enjoy some of poetry's greatest hits.

The new hardback edition of the first poetry anthology from Ana Sampson, Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright contains verses from more than eighty of the world's favourite poets, from the thirteenth century to the present day.

It includes such leading lyricists as Burns, Keats, Tennyson, T. S. Eliot, Philip Larkin and Seamus Heaney – taking in the work of W.H. Auden, Dylan Thomas, Wilfred Owen, and many others along the way.

Perfect to dip into on the reader's whim, the chapters cover childhood and youth, nature, love and romance, home and travel, elegies, and more – each poem set in context with a lively introduction and entertaining notes on the poets themselves.

This anthology is a lovely reminder of the nation's finest poems, and the perfect addition to any poetry lover's collection.

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Retro Gaming

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 02:45:52 +0000

‘Superb coffee table book’ – Nintendo Life
‘A fun read’ – Retro Gamer

Take a trip down memory lane with Retro Gaming, and relive the glory days (and not so glory days) of your old retro tech favourites.

Published in paperback to tie-in with 50 years of console gaming, Retro Gaming is packed with all the characters, games, consoles and franchises you used to love – and probably still do. This is a compact, conversational compendium of all-time highs – alongside just a handful of humorous (in hindsight) lows – from decades of arcade, computer, console and handheld hits.

From Atari’s early arcade classics and home games consoles of the 1970s, through to classics that keep on giving, such as Halo and Tomb Raider, this book summarizes the significant releases, research and revolutions that have made video games a £100 billion (and rising) industry.

Evergreen favourites from Nintendo, SEGA and Sony are present and correct – no collection would be complete without entries for Mario and Sonic, Tetris and Crash Bandicoot. But we also give credit to the less-celebrated but utterly vital titles, characters, controllers and systems that have helped the world of gaming expand and evolve.

A guide, a companion and a window onto a joyous past, Retro Gaming is a perfect book to dip in and out of, as mood and your current gaming habits dictate.

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Portillo's Hidden History of Britain

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:39:26 +0000

Discover the hidden history of Britain through the stories of its 'lost' or abandoned places and buildings.

Portillo’s Secret History of Britain presents a compelling and wonderfully evocative history of Britain through the stories of its ‘lost’ or abandoned places and buildings. The chapters cover a variety of historical themes: Crime and Punishment, Health and Medicine, Defence and Warfare, and Entertainment and Leisure. Using a combination of his own investigations and archive research, plus memories and quotations from the contributors he interviewed for the series, Michael Portillo explains what the buildings were used for and by whom, why they were abandoned, and what they can tell us about our past.

For example:

– Learn what the ruins of London Road Fire and Police Station in Manchester reveal about the history of the emergency services in the last 100 years

– How Bradford’s art deco Odeon cinema encapsulates a century of film-making and movie-going

With evocative text that brings each location vividly to life, Michael Portillo describes the building and its activities in its heyday and compares this past life with its faded grandeur or melancholic abandonment seen today. Filled with fascinating insights and observations, his narrative provides a compelling and original perspective on Britain’s social and military history.

Portillo's Hidden History of Britain features deserted villages, abandoned prisons, closed-down cinemas, empty hospitals, derelict military bases, sewers and much more. Complementing the text are 16 pages of atmospheric and informative photographs.

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The Spitfire Story

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:39:19 +0000

The Spitfire Story, published in association with Imperial War Museums, is a fascinating anthology of first-hand stories from Spitfire heroes and heroines, as well as the people behind the scenes.

The Spitfire is the world’s most iconic aeroplane. Coming into its own during the Battle of Britain, it became famous during the Second World War as the only plane that could match the enemy fighters in the sky.

Yet, even today, the history of the Spitfire contains many hitherto hidden or little-known stories of the men and women behind the plane; not only the gifted creators and inventors who brought the Spitfire to life, or the brave fighter pilots from many countries who triumphed in battle, but also the thousands of other people whose lives were affected by their personal connection to it – engineers, ground crew, factory or office workers, and their families.

The Spitfire Story recounts the memories and stories of these people, from the birth of the iconic Spitfire in the 1930s to the present day. Among these accounts is the extraordinary tale of the fighter pilot who only discovered, fifty years on, the tragic truth of his last Spitfire flight, the businessman whose blank cheque changed the course of the war, the ninety-five-year-old Royal Air Force engineer who was determined to be reunited with his beloved Spit before he died, and the little girl who inspired the plane’s creation – and went on to marry a movie star.

Using documents, letters and photographs from the Imperial War Museums’ unparalleled archive, plus exclusive first-hand interviews, these stories of the Spitfire are a revelatory collection of small but significant histories, to be treasured by all who love and admire the iconic plane.

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Best-Loved Poems

alex — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 01:41:12 +0000

Whether in search of comfort, inspiration or escape, this treasury of celebrated verse brings together half a millennium of familiar and much-loved poetry to cherish.

Including the classic poems of Tennyson, Marvell, Byron and Rossetti, alongside the more contemporary voices of Ayres, Larkin and Zephaniah, this special collection is divided into themes to suit every mood. From magic voyages through antique lands to the wonders of nature and the roar of city life, from love and war to those poems we used to know by heart, this volume is a bold and beautiful array of the finest verse from some of our greatest poets.

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The I Used to Know That Activity Book

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:01:58 +0000

Dust off those cerebral filing cabinets and remind yourself of all those facts you really should know!

From pi and Pythagoras to presidents and popes, prime ministers to prime numbers, literature to litmus tests, there is so much information from our school days that we have forgotten, or only half-remember.

The I Used to Know That Activity Book is an enjoyable and interactive way of reminding ourselves of all those facts that we'd like to remember and re-learn, or those we missed the first time round.

This useful book contains questions across all subjects, perfect to dip into and try your hand at whenever the mood takes you. There is space to fill in the answers and, if you are a bit rusty, all solutions can be found at the back of the book.

An enjoyable, informative and lighthearted activity book for all adults who want to jog their memory and get their brain back into gear.

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The English Village

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:01:19 +0000

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The Fun of the Fifties: Ads, Fads and Fashion

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:59:37 +0000

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A Book for Granny

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:57:26 +0000

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A Book for Grandad

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:57:24 +0000

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