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History - British — page 3
119 public-domain history - british books, summarised. Page 3 of 3.

The regimental records of the British Army
John S. Farmer
This meticulous reference work chronicles the heritage of the British Army by cataloging the evolving identities of its fighting units at the turn of the twentieth century. It serves as an essential index for those tracing the lineage, honors, and unique traditions of the regiments that defined an era of imperial…

The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir
Douie, James McCrone, Sir
A comprehensive survey of a vast, rugged region, this work maps the geography, history, and social fabric of northwestern India under British administration. It serves as a meticulous record of a landscape defined by its mountains, rivers, and diverse tribal populations.

Somerset
G. W. (George Woosung) Wade
Somerset is a meticulously gathered guide to the ecclesiastical, historical, and physical character of one of England’s most storied counties. It serves as a classic companion for the inquisitive traveller or the armchair antiquarian.

Haunted London
Walter Thornbury
London is not a city of ghosts, but a city of memories, where every street corner and crumbling stone holds the weight of centuries. It is a vast, living tapestry of biographical stories and ancient traditions.

History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Vol. 1: Compiled from the Original Records
Francis Duncan
This rigorous chronicle documents the evolution of the British Royal Artillery, charting its journey from ad-hoc medieval trains to a sophisticated, global military institution by 1815. It functions as both a formal administrative history and a tribute to the professional identity of the men who manned the guns.

Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. 1 of 6, complete: England, geography and early history to 1066
Raphael Holinshed
Centuries of English landscape, custom, and bloodline collide in a sweeping Elizabethan attempt to chart the island's physical contours and recount every reign from antiquity to the Norman Conquest.

Chaucer and His England
G. G. (George Gordon) Coulton
A medieval poet navigates courtly diplomacy, financial insecurity, and a changing social order while transforming the gritty realities of fourteenth-century English life into lasting art.

Yachting, Vol. 2
Dufferin and Ava, Frederick Temple Blackwood, Marquis of
A late-Victorian tour of the world’s waters, where naval history, regatta strategy, and the mechanics of sail converge in a celebration of seamanship.

History of the Mackenzies, with genealogies of the principal families of the name
Alexander Mackenzie
Across centuries of Highland history, a single powerful name reshapes the Scottish North, untangling its heritage from mythical foreign roots to trace an authentic Celtic legacy through blood, battle, and shifting political fortunes.

The English Language
R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham
An exotic import to its own soil, the speech of England grew by crowding out older tongues, carrying inside its grammar the quiet memory of continental migrations and forgotten tribal borders.

The World Crisis, Volume 1 (of 6)
Winston Churchill
Behind the immense machinery of empire and war lies a shadow world of calculated risks, where the choice between a swift ship and a heavily armored one dictates the fate of nations.

The Cavalier Songs and Ballads of England from 1642 to 1684
Unknown
A fierce, verse-driven chronicle of civil war, religious schism, and fragile restoration reveals how ordinary citizens and partisans voiced the raw anxieties of seventeenth-century England.

The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 10
Unknown
Between the fall of Calais and the clearing of the Canadian wilderness, the world transforms as old empires crack and new horizons open.

Warships and their story
R. A. Fletcher
From primitive, lash-bound war canoes to the massive ironclad leviathans and oil-fueled destroyers of the early twentieth century, the evolution of the warship reflects humanity’s relentless drive for naval supremacy.

The Holyhead Road: The Mail-coach Road to Dublin. Vol. 1
Charles G. (Charles George) Harper
An excursion along Britain's great north-western thoroughfare uncovers the layered history, ghost stories, and ruined inns left behind as steam power replaced horse-drawn travel.

Bygone Punishments
William Andrews
Centuries of English penal history reveal how societies enforce order through public spectacle, physical torment, and community humiliation.

All about Battersea
Henry S. Simmonds
A topographically exhaustive, deeply affectionate portrait of a London parish in the crucible of Victorian industrialization, recording every boundary, brick, and burial ground before the quiet village vanishes forever.

The Every-day Book and Table Book. v. 2 (of 3): or Everlasting Calendar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times
William Hone
A year unfolds through forgotten country customs, eccentric town characters, ancient Roman rites, and the quiet rhythms of the English countryside.

Elizabethan England: From 'A Description of England,' by William Harrison
William Harrison
A quiet country parson leaves his library behind to build a sprawling, vibrant portrait of sixteenth-century English life from the ground up.

The History of the Indian Revolt and of the Expeditions to Persia, China and Japan, 1856-7-8
George Dodd
In the mid-nineteenth century, an explosion of military mutiny threatens to shatter a global empire. A sweeping narrative traces the chaotic violence, the desperate sieges, and the political upheaval that ultimately rewrote the destiny of the Indian subcontinent.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "English History": Volume 9, Slice 5
Various
Centuries of faction, conquest, and parliamentary maneuver reveal a nation continuously reshaping its crown to preserve its domestic peace.

The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol. I., Part C.: From Henry VII. to Mary
David Hume
A monarch’s authority rests not on abstract rights, but on the cold mechanics of power, money, and religious control.

Highways and Byways in the Border: Illustrated
Andrew Lang
Rolling across heather-clad hills and troubled riverbanks, this travelogue traverses the Scottish Border, tracing ancient defensive earthworks, blood-soaked feudal skirmishes, and the enduring echoes of ancient song across a changing landscape.