Books & Music

A BBC History magazine Book of the Year. As religion divided sixteenth-century Europe, an extraordinary group of women rose to power. They governed nations while kings fought in foreign lands. They ruled on behalf of nephews, brothers and sons. They...

'How refreshing, to read a book about music written for a music lover and not a musicologist. In clear, lucid, entertaining prose, Jane Glover makes those of us who lack musical literacy better understand and appreciate Handel's divinity.' - Donna Leon,...

James O’Donnell and Westminster Abbey Choir present Nicolas Ludford (c 1490 - 1557).Ninefold KyrieAlleluia. Ora pro nobisHacclara die turmaAve Maria, ancilla TrinitatisMissa Videte miraculum Running time 62 minutes

In this fascinating history of Britain in bite-sized chunks – from the Roman invasion to the end of the Second World War – you will find all the important dates, people and events you should know.Lively, exciting, full of great stories and humorous...

Westminster Abbey contains the only surviving medieval Cosmatesque mosaics outside Italy. They comprise: the ‘Great Pavement’ in the sanctuary; the pavement around the shrine of Edward the Confessor; the saint’s tomb and shrine; Henry III’s tomb; the...

London has charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the city’s unique appeal. Featuring famous London landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the London Eye as well as beautiful scenes of...

London's many cemeteries, churches and graveyards are the last resting places of a multitude of important people from many different walks of life. Politicians, writers and military heroes rub shoulders with engineers, courtesans, artists and musicians,...

It is not known when or for whom William Byrd wrote his monumental ‘Great Service’, but we can be sure that he would approve of this new recording from Westminster Abbey.The ‘Great’ Service is here presented in its correct liturgical order (with the...

The Westminster Abbey Choir continues their exploration of the rich repertoire of the liturgy in its historical context in the Abbey with music for the Feast of St Michael and All Angels, 29 September. The texts for Michaelmas are uniquely dramatic and...

A child will love exploring the sights and sounds of London with this wonderful board paged book. The book is beautifully illustrated with London scenes and features exciting sound buttons on each page.  Measures: W23cm X H27cm X D2cm. Board pages.

The role of the Supreme Court has often been portrayed as incomprehensible to the vast majority of the public, while judges might be seen as a caste apart from society. The Power of Judges tried to defy this logic, exploring the fundamental concept of...

In this book Ian Mortimer reveals a country in which life expectancy is in the early thirties, people still starve to death and Catholics are persecuted for their faith. Yet it produces some of the finest writing in the English language, some of the most...