Christopher Hilton

Hari has spent his whole life faithfully ‘running the Wheel’ for his colony, generating power for the Light to help outsiders find their way back home. It is the only life he has known, safe and secure under the protection of the Guardians. Only – nobody has even seen any outsider return. When strange events begin to occur which the Guardians seem to cover up, Hari begins to question the life he is leading, and soon finds himself on an unfamiliar journey with his partner Heti to uncover the truth – and a great danger which will threaten the lives of everyone he knows and loves.

The 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001 sent shockwaves across the world; they were the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in US history, killing nearly 3,000 people and injuring thousands more. For those whose lives it directly impacted, the effects are enduring and deeply felt. Women’s Stories of 9/11 observes the events that unfolded from a woman’s perspective. It is a series of interviews with eleven very different women – some from the West, some from Afghanistan – who each offer remarkably candid insights into their own personal experiences before, during and after the attacks. In the honest and heartfelt stories that emerge we hear the voices of women whose ordinary lives were suddenly changed, emotionally and physically, and who became actors in some of the most far-reaching events of the modern world.

The little band of Puritan emigres that left Southampton in 1620 to found a godly colony in Virginia (as the eastern seaboard of the North American continent was known at the time) carried with them the ideological seed-corn of a new nation. They were leaving England so that they could worship God in the way their conscience told them was right, but they were the forerunners of the greatest feat of nation building in the early modern world. The vibrant self-determination of these Protestant exiles would play an important part in precipitating the imperial conflict with Britain after 1763 and would later stand at the core of the American ideal during the centuries after Independence, providing a powerful pull factor for aspirant migrants around the world. Mayflower is the story of their voyage, their settlement in New England and the influence they had on the forging of a nation.

In 1982, 8,000 miles from home, in a harsh environment and without the newest and most sophisticated equipment, the numerically inferior British Task Force defeated the Argentinian forces occupying the Falkland Islands and recaptured this far-flung outpost of what was once an empire. It was a much-needed triumph for Margaret Thatcher’s government and for Britain. Many books have been published on the Falklands War, some offering accounts from participants in it. But this is the first one only to include interviews with the ordinary seamen, marines, soldiers and airmen who achieved that victory, as well as those whose contribution is often overlooked – the merchant seaman who crewed ships taken up from trade, the NAAFI personnel who supplied the all-important treats that kept spirits up, the Hong Kong Chinese laundrymen who were aboard every warship. Published to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the conflict, this is the story of what ‘Britain’s last colonial war’ was really like.

On 7 May 1945, Grand Admiral Donitz, named in Hitler's will as head of state, authorised the unconditional surrender of all German forces to the Allies on the following day. World War II in Europe was at an end. But many of the German people would continue to endure hardships, as both the country and the capital were to be divided between France, the UK and the USA in the west and the USSR in the east. East and West Germany, and East and West Berlin, would remain divided until 1989. By October 1990, however, the two countries were reunited, and the Berlin Reichstag was once again the seat of government. Here, politicians would put East and West back together again, marrying a totalitarian, atheist, communist system with a democratic, Christian, capitalist one. How did this marriage affect the everyday life of ordinary Germans? How did combining two telephone systems, two postal services, hospitals, farm land, property, industry, railways and roads work? How were women's rights, welfare, pensions, trades unions, arts, rents and housing affected? There had been no warning of this marriage and no preparation for it - and no country had ever tried putting two completely opposite systems together before. This is the story of what happened, in the words of the people it happened to - the people's story of an incredible unification.

Ayrton Senna details and profiles the extraordinary life of this beloved Formula 1 race car driver with expertly written text, historic photographs, and interactive memorabilia. During his lifetime, Brazilian Formula 1 racing champion Ayrton Senna was widely recognized as a leader in his sport, a pioneer in driving technique, a hard racer, and a compassionate man. Above all, he believed that impoverished children should be able to realize their potential. Since his fatal crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Senna's remarkable career and humanitarian outlook have continued to inspire the world. The Ayrton Senna Institute, a fulfillment of his dreams, has helped educate more than 7.8 million Brazilian children since 1994, and its impact only continues to grow. Now, the Senna family has opened its archives, sharingphotographs of private moments at home and at the racetrack. Additionally, an assortment of treasured ephemera from Senna's life is included in 13 beautiful envelopes. Readers can pull out and examine realistic replicas of his baptism certificate, handwritten letters and race agendas, a keepsake formal photo, autographed team stickers, and more than 20 other special items. The book's striking imagery forms a focal point around which bold design and compelling narrative intertwine. In exclusive new interviews, Senna's family and teammates share personal anecdotes and favorite memories. Fully illustrated and uniquely interactive, Ayrton Senna: Memories and Mementoes from a Life Lived at Full Speed will be a cherished addition to any fan's collection.

Christopher Hilton documents the race that caused the worst crash in motor racing history in this new and full study of the fateful day. Through a host of interviews - with drivers, team members, journalists and spectators - and original research at Le Mans, Hilton examines the aftermath of the crash that has affected what we see of motorsport on our television screens today. The worst crash in motor racing history - killing more than 80 people - was produced by a ferocious and haunting combination of circumstances: nationalism, raw speed, the nature of a 24-hour race, and chance. The crash drew in Mike Hawthorn, the blond playboy from Farnham, in a Jaguar, and Juan-Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest drivers of all, in a Mercedes. A crowd of 250,000 watched hypnotised as Hawthorn set out to break Fangio, the two cars going faster and faster...and faster. Another English playboy, Lance Macklin, was caught up in the crash in his Austin-Healey, along with a 50-year-old Frenchman driving under the assumed name of Pierre Levegh. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It cost him his life, even as his car was torn to pieces that scythed into the dense crowd. After 6.27pm on 11 June 1955 nothing would ever be the same again and the consequences of the momentous crash are still being felt. In this new and full study of the fateful day, Christopher Hilton sets the race itself in the context of the 1950s. Through a host of interviews - with drivers, team members, journalists and spectators - and original research at Le Mans and in the Mercedes archive in Stuttgart, he recreates every aspect of the race and the crash. Much of the material has never been seen before. He examines the aftermath - the bitter blame game, the conflicting testimonies, the direct threat to motorsport in Europe - and chronicles the beginning of the culture of safety that has affected what we see of motorsport on our television screens today.

This is a biography about Tazio Nuvolari (1892-1953) who is widely regarded as the greatest racing driver of all time. In this fascinating assessment of Nuvolari's life, Christopher Hilton seeks to understand Nuvolari the man - and the Nuvolari legend as it unfolded. This new biography is an invaluable addition to motor racing history and essential reading for anyone interested in the sport. During the 1930s into the 1940s his reputation for skill and bravery eclipsed a whole generation of rivals. Even today his name alone evokes a classic era in the history of road and Grand Prix racing. Yet there is no current affordable biography of him in the English language. Using original documentary material, race reports of the time from several countries and the recollections of Nuvolari's contemporaries, the author recreates the excitement generated by his driving and the impact it made on motorsport. Nuvolari's virtuosity at the wheel came with a competitive instinct so fierce that he repeatedly broke cars and his own body. The author captures many aspects of Nuvolari's strong personality - a personality which, in the days before intrusive journalism, was virtually unknown. The extraordinary performances that decorated Nuvolari's long career form the backbone of the narrative - the 1930 Mille Miglia, the 1935 German GP, the 1938 British GP at Donington, the 1948 Mille Miglia. Marking the half century after Nuvolari's death, this new biography is an invaluable addition to motor racing history and essential reading for anyone interested in the sport - even if they are followers of modern Formula 1 heroes like the Schumachers, Coulthard and Montoya.

Adolf Hitler understood the importance of sport, and exercised his malign and dangerous influence to try to co-opt it for the Nazi cause. He intended to own the Olympic movement, housing it permanently in Berlin from 1940 in a stadium seating 450,000 people. His hijack of the 1936 Games remains one of sport’s most controversial events, using it as he did to promote Aryan supremacy and showcase the Nazi state. Austria was forced to withdraw from the 1938 football World Cup just days before it started because the country no longer existed. The boxing matches between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling in 1936 and 1938 came to represent democracy versus fascism. German technology crushed all comers in Grand Prix racing, as well as the Isle of Man TT. A government ministry was even set up to use physical fitness to prepare the population for war. Hitler understood that sport has many uses: this is how he used it.

For almost three decades, the Cold War was focused on Berlin, where the two (nuclear-armed) sides were kept apart by a twelve-foot wall, which had appeared almost overnight in August 1961. For a generation, until its fall in November 1989, it not only divided the city of Berlin, but also symbolised the confrontation between capitalist West and socialist East. In this astonishing book, journalist Christopher Hilton has collected together the individual stories of those whose lives it affected, including international politicians, American and British soldiers, East German border guards and, most importantly, the citizens of Berlin itself, West and East. Weaving their memories together into a remarkable narrative, this is the extraordinarily vivid, occasionally harrowing and often touching story of a city divided, and of how it affected the lives of real people.

The Berlin Olympic Games, more than 70 years on, remain the most controversial ever held. This book creates a vivid account of the disputes, the personalities, and the events which made these Games so memorable. Ironically, the choice of Germany as the host nation for the 1936 Olympics was intended to signal its return to the world community after defeat in World War I. In actuality, Hitler intended the Berlin Games to be an advertisement for Germany as he was creating it, and they became one of the largest propaganda exercises in history. Two Germans Jews competed in the Games while the most memorable achievement was that of black American Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals. Ultimately, however, Germany was the overall biggest medal winner. The popular success of Owens allowed the Nazis to claim that their policies had no racial element and charges of antisemitism that did arise were levelled at the Americans.

The Berlin Olympic Games, more than 70 years on, remain the most controversial ever held. This book creates a vivid account of the disputes, the personalities, and the events which made these Games so memorable. Ironically, the choice of Germany as the host national for the 1936 Olympics was intended to signal the return to the world community after defeat in World War I. In actuality, Hitler intended the Berlin Games to be an advertisement for Germany as he was creating it, and they became one of the largest propaganda exercises in history. Two German Jews competed in the Games while the most memorable achievement was that of black American Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals. Ultimately, however, Germany was the overall biggest medal winner. The popular success of Owens allowed the Nazis to claim that their policies had no racial element and charges of antisemitism that did arise were levelled at the Americans.

A narrative account of the Berlin Wall's demise in 1989. Through first-person interviews, people recount how East and West confronted confronted each other for nearly 30 years.