Julie Summers

The definitive book on Sandy Irvine and the mystery of his and Mallory’s disappearance on Everest in June 1924. The fate of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, who were last seen disappearing into the clouds as they headed for the summit of Mount Everest on 8 June 1924, still grips the imagination over 100 years later. Mallory’s body was found in 1999 and Sandy Irvine’s boot and foot were discovered in 2024, becoming an international news story. Drawing on previously unpublished material and new discoveries, Irvine’s great-niece Julie Summers and mountaineering historian Jochen Hemmleb (who was part of the team that found Mallory’s body) have written the definitive account of the expedition from twenty-two-year-old Sandy’s perspective, challenging misconceptions about his role. They also bring to life all the remarkable characters involved in the attempt on Everest and reveal fascinating discoveries about what really happened on the men’s final climb. Beautifully written, The Everest Mystery is a powerful story of adventure and courage – and an intriguing detective story.

The official history of British Vogue, telling the magazine's story and how it has reflected the changing face of Britain from the first issue in 1916 right up to the present day. British Vogue has always been far more than just a fashion magazine. For more than a century it has defined the tastes and style of successive generations, playing a leading role in the continuing story of Britain's national identity. From wartime austerity to the swinging sixties, it is a chronicle of arts, politics, health, travel and much more in addition to fashion. Now, for the very first time, the fascinating history of British Vogue is told in full. Beautifully illustrated with images from the Vogue photographic collections, the book draws on hitherto unseen archives and behind-the-scenes interviews with Vogue insiders including stylist Grace Coddington, editor Alexandra Shulman and fashion editor Lucinda Chambers. This is the story of a legend and the individuals who created (and curated) it, told against the backdrop of an extraordinary century of change, upheaval and beauty.

The official history of British Vogue, telling the magazine's story and how it has reflected the changing face of Britain from the first issue in 1916 right up to the present day. British Vogue has always been far more than just a fashion magazine. For more than a century it has defined the tastes and style of successive generations, playing a leading role in the continuing story of Britain's national identity. From wartime austerity to the swinging sixties, it is a chronicle of arts, politics, health, travel and much more in addition to fashion. Now, for the very first time, the fascinating history of British Vogue is told in full. Beautifully illustrated with images from the Vogue photographic collections, the book draws on hitherto unseen archives and behind-the-scenes interviews with Vogue insiders including stylist Grace Coddington, editor Alexandra Shulman and fashion editor Lucinda Chambers. This is the story of a legend and the individuals who created (and curated) it, told against the backdrop of an extraordinary century of change, upheaval and beauty.

The untold story of how the worldâ??s most renowned fashion magazine was brought into the modern world during the cauldron of the Second World War.

The brilliant new book from one of the countryâ??s foremost social historians celebrating those who lived through the Second World War.

In September 1939, just three weeks after the outbreak of war, Gladys Mason wrote briefly in her diary about events in Europe: 'Hitler watched German siege of Warsaw. City in flames.' And, she continued, 'Had my wedding dress fitted. Lovely.' For Gladys Mason, and for thousands of women throughout the long years of the war, fashion was not simply a distraction, but a necessity - and one they weren't going to give up easily. In the face of bombings, conscription, rationing and ludicrous bureaucracy, they maintained a sense of elegance and style with determination and often astonishing ingenuity. From the young woman who avoided the dreaded 'forces bloomers' by making knickers from military-issue silk maps, to Vogue's indomitable editor Audrey Withers, who balanced lobbying government on behalf of her readers with driving lorries for the war effort, Julie Summers weaves together stories from ordinary lives and high society to provide a unique picture of life during the Second World War. As a nation went into uniform and women took on traditional male roles, clothing and beauty began to reflect changing social attitudes. For the first time, fashion was influenced not only by Hollywood and high society but by the demands of industrial production and the pressing need to 'make-do-and-mend'. Beautifully illustrated and full of gorgeous detail, Fashion on the Ration lifts the veil on a fascinating era in British fashion.

The basis for the PBS Masterpiece series starring Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey) and Francesca Annis (Cranford) Away from the frontlines of World War II, in towns and villages across Great Britain, ordinary women were playing a vital role in their country's war effort. As members of the Women's Institute, an organization with a presence in a third of Britain's villages, they ran canteens and knitted garments for troops, collected tons of rosehips and other herbs to replace medicines that couldn't be imported, and advised the government on issues ranging from evacuee housing to children's health to postwar reconstruction. But they are best known for making jam: from produce they grew on every available scrap of land, they produced twelve million pounds of jam and preserves to feed a hungry nation. Home Fires, Julie Summers's fascinating social history of the Women's Institute during the war (when its members included the future Queen Elizabeth II along with her mother and grandmother), provides the remarkable and inspiring true story behind the upcoming PBS Masterpiece series that will be sure to delight fans of Call the Midwife and Foyle's War. Through archival material and interviews with current and former Women's Institute members, Home Fires gives us an intimate look at life on the home front during World War II.

The compelling true story of how the Women's Institute pulled Britain through the war with pots of jam and a spirit of make-do-and-mend.

A moving and revealing insight into the real experiences of children evacuated during the Second World War and the families they left behind

A New Cemetery for a New Century. In May 2009 archaeologists began to excavate the remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers, buried behind German lines after the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916 - undiscovered, for nearly a century, until an Australian historian convinced military authorities that they were there. This commemorative publication includes a detailed history of the battle as well as charting the story of the discovery of the mass graves, the archaeology behind the excavations, identification, reburial and the construction of the first War Graves Commission cemetery since the end of the Second World War.

A moving and revealing insight into the real experiences of women welcoming home their menfolk from the Second World War