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(Photo credit: Bloomsbury)

Much has been written about the First World War writers and poets but what of the writers of the Second World War? Lara Fiegel’s ‘The Love-Charm of Bombs’ gives a new and original view of the Second World War as she looks at the impact of the Home Front on the lives and works of five famous writers of the time.

• Elizabeth Bowen
• Graham Greene
• Rose Macaulay
• Hilde Spiel
• Henry Yorke (writing as Henry Spiel)

These writers were at the heart of the London Blitz. They were on the front-line, coping with bombing, fighting fires, driving ambulances and working for the Ministry of Information. They were also looking after loved ones, finding love and experiencing loss.

At this time of intense emotion, as every aspect of life was altered by war, Graham Greene and his contemporaries provide us with their own unique view of the War in their deeply moving and haunting stories.

Using letters, diaries, official defence records and fiction, Fiegel charts the story of Wartime London, Post-War Vienna and Berlin through the eyes of these authors and in doing so, provides us with a very different view of the Second World War and Post-War Europe.

You can find further details of The Love-Charm of Bombs : Restless Lives in the Second World War on our catalogue.

(Photo credit: By permission of Oxford University Press)

Best known as the genius who broke some of Germany’s most secret codes during the Second World War, Alan Turing was also the father of the modern computer.

Alan Turing was born in London on 23 June 1912. Educated at Sherborne School in Dorset and at King’s College, Cambridge, he graduated in 1934 with a degree in Mathematics. Twenty years later, after a short but brilliant career, he died.

His ideas lived on, however, and at the turn of the millennium Time magazine listed him among the twentieth century’s 100 greatest minds, alongside the Wright Brothers, Albert Einstein, Alexander Fleming, and DNA busters Watson and Crick.

Today, all who click or touch to open are familiar with the impact of his dreams. We take for granted that we use the same piece of hardware to shop, manage our finances, type our memoirs, play our favourite music and videos, and send instant messages across the street or around the world.

With this single invention – the computer – Turing changed the world.

 In 1945 Turing drew up his revolutionary design for an electronic computing machine-his Automatic Computing Engine (’ACE’). A pilot model of the ACE ran its first program in 1950 and the production version, the ‘DEUCE’, went on to become a cornerstone of the fledgling British computer industry. The first ‘personal’ computer was based on Turing’s ‘electronic brain’.

This book contains first hand accounts by Turing, and by the pioneers of computing who worked with him, of the struggle to build what would become the world’s fastest computer.

As well as relating the story of the invention of the computer, the book clearly describes the hardware and software of the ACE-including the very first computer programs.

The book is intended to be accessible to everyone with an interest in computing, and contains numerous diagrams and illustrations as well as original photographs.

You can find further details of Alan Turing’s electronic brain on our catalogue.

(Picture credit: HarperCollins)

A thrilling deception plan involving double agents, a pretend flotilla and a fictitious Army Unit. No, this isn’t a Hollywood film, but a description of Operation Fortitude, which took place during the Second World War.

The success of the Allies in invading France on D-Day was made possible as a result of this cunning deception plan. Drawing attention away from the Normandy landings and giving the Germans the impression that a bigger invasion would take place at the Pas de Calais was the key aim of Operation Fortitude. A fascinating tale resulted and is told here in full, with details of those who played a significant role in Fortitude’s success.

One of the key players in Fortitude was, R. V. Jones, Head of British Scientific Intelligence. His ingenious plan was to invent tinfoil confetti which, when dropped by British Lancaster Bombers, gave the impression that a flotilla was approaching. This clever invention helped to confuse the German Army regarding the direction of the Allied attack.

Another significant contribution was made by the Spanish Double Agent known as by the British as GARBO. He fed the German High Command stories from his fake spy network. His reports were key in helping to divert German resources. Indeed, he was so successful in this that they were persuaded by his intelligence throughout the rest of the Second World War.

The ingenuity and utter brilliance of those involved in this operation are clear. There were many others involved and a great number of their thrilling stories are contained in Joshua Levine’s book. Their actions helped D-Day to go ahead successfully and it can be said that this, ultimately, helped to change the course of the Second World War.

As always, further details of Operation Fortitude : the story of the spy operation that saved D-Day can be found on our catalogue.

(Photo credit: Thames & Hudson Publishers)

Reproduced from the largest collection of its kind, War Posters gives us a unique insight into life during conflict in the last century.  It boasts over 300 illustrations, each supplemented with explanatory text.

Coverage is given to war posters displayed in:

• Europe
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Russia
• Commonwealth Countries

This allows us to compare and contrast the different methods of propaganda used by the varying sides in 20th Century conflicts.

Studying the posters also gives an insight into the social history of the time from the role of women to government controls on everyday life.

Moving from iconic designs suchs as “Your Country Needs You” to the modern anti-war campaigns, Aulich charts the fascinating development of poster design over the last century.

You can find further details of War posters : weapons of mass communication on our catalogue.

For over 100 years, the agents of M15 have defended Britain against enemy subversion. Their work has remained shrouded in secrecy – until now.

This first-ever authorised history by Christopher Andrew reveals the British Secret Service as never before. It is a fascinating account of its inner workings, its clandestine operations, its failures and its triumphs.

M15 is the first major security or intelligence service in the world to give a historian free access of its records. Professor Andrew has used this unique opportunity to present an entertaining and authoritative guide to a fascinating subject. It is a riveting read with stories far more sensationally than anything seen on screen.

Further details of The defence of the realm can be found on our catalogue.