Mirrorpix - Böcker

German Baron Karl von Drais first introduced the two-wheeled tandem human-powered wooden-framed vehicle to the world, in the summer of 1817, its rider gamely steering with the front wheel while pushing along with his feet. After that history is rather vague about the bicycle. We know that the mechanically powered velocipede took off in the 1860s, soon followed by the Penny Farthing, but it wasn't until the late nineteenth century that the golden age of bicycles took off as people realised the freedoms afforded by self-powered travel, and touring and racing became popular pastimes. Today of course cycling is a global phenomenon both in professional sporting and non-professional spheres. This book of stunning photographs charts the evolution of the bicycle across 200 years of history.

The Second World War saw heroic efforts made by the Allied forces from its very outset, but in May 1940 disaster befell the British Expeditionary Force in France. Isolated from the rest of their allies, they faced insurmountable numbers of enemy troops. All was so very nearly lost, until the German land forces were given the surprise order by Adolf Hitler to halt briefly. Taking advantage of this unexpected but welcome turn of events, the British troops fled for the beaches of Dunkirk and fortified them while the Royal Navy dispatched almost 900 ships and boats to rescue British and Allied soldiers from the jaws of defeat. In all, over 300,000 men were evacuated, while 40,000 brave rearguard troops lost their lives or their freedom for the good of their allies. Operation Dynamo, and its remarkable evacuations from the beaches of Dunkirk, was hailed by Winston Churchill as a ‘miracle of deliverance’, but he also warned that ‘wars are not won by evacuations’. This was only the beginning of a conflict that was to last five long years, but for now the fight for freedom could continue. Here Tim Lynch presents the true story of this miraculous event using stunning, rare images from the Mirrorpix archive.

Eleven o’clock on the morning of 11 November 1918 was the end of an era. It marked the end of the bloody fighting and worldwide loss that characterised the First World War. It was finally time to set aside sadness and mourning as best the world could, and begin to celebrate and commemorate. In 120 black and white images from Mirrorpix’s formidable photograph archive, Victory 1918 provides a vivid look at the 1918 Armistice, from exhausted relief and vindication on the front line to jubilation on the streets of London and France. Fully up to date with remembrance ceremonies over the past 100 years, it is a book that celebrates the close of one of the world’s most catastrophic wars.

The London Underground has always been key to the lives of Londoners, from when its stations and stairwells offered refuge from the barrage of the Blitz through to its unique ability across the years to transport people safely all around the capital. It has remained strong in the face of devastation, surviving horrors like the Moorgate Tube crash and the 7/7 bombings. An icon throughout the world, the Tube is as resilient as any Londoner, and is the thread that holds the capital together. These stunning photographs from the Mirrorpix archives present its changing face over time.

Concorde – named for the English and French word for ‘unity’ – was like no other aircraft. It is perhaps the most iconic airliner of all time, its name a byword for speed, comfort and extravagance. It captured the public’s imagination and hearts, instilling them with a fervent passion. Concorde: An Icon in the News is a look at both the plane and its people. Using photos from Mirrorpix, one of the world’s largest picture libraries, it tracks the airliner from the Anglo-French drawing board to the final flight, through the eyes of the people who loved it most.

D-Day was the pivotal turning point of the Second World War. The assault on the beaches of Normandy was an astounding feat of logistical prowess, technological innovation and heroism. Allied Command secretly planned an invasion of unprecedented scale by sea and air, which saw the tide of the war shift irrevocably. Following the landing, over a million men, alongside vehicles, ammunition and equipment were coming ashore, all to support the bloody campaign to liberate Europe. A story of ingenuity and devastating loss of life, the moving history of D-Day – its impact and its cost – is captured here in vivid detail. Compiled from the Mirrorpix archives, this collection charts the planning, action and aftermath of Operation Overlord, with a foreword by Philip Hamlyn Williams.

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’ – Margaret Mead Britain was built on protest. From Magna Carta to the suffragettes, the Peasants’ Revolt to the Iraq War; British people have never been afraid to take to the street. Protest: Britain on the March takes a look at the lengths that ordinary people will go to make their voices heard, all through the lens of Mirrorpix’s incredible photo archive.

Celebrate the women who helped win the Second World War. With so many of the nation’s men fighting in Europe or further afield, the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), Women’s Land Army (WLA), Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) were essential parts of the Home Front. From taking care of farmland and animal husbandry to testing weapons with live ammunition and transporting aircraft across the country, women from all over the nation stepped up to serve King and Country. They set a precedent for female integration into the military, with the WAAF and WRNS continuing in some form until they were absorbed into the main armed forces at the end of the twentieth century. The lives of these servicewomen are presented and commemorated here through a collection of images taken from Mirrorpix’s formidable archive.

A first-hand look at some of Britain’s darkest moments. Some of the world’s most notorious crimes have taken place in Britain, and the names of the perpetrators are now synonymous with murder and mayhem. From the sensationalist trials of Dr Crippen and George Joseph Smith, to gang warfare and audacious bank heists, Criminal Britain is a photographic journey through our most infamous crimes, using photographs from Mirrorpix’s impressive archive.

Ever since Sean Connery donned the tuxedo for the first time in 1962’s Dr. No, every James Bond film has been met with much fanfare and excitement the world over. 007 has become an institution and the most successful film series ever produced. During the filming of the early Bond productions, Daily Mirror photographers were granted exclusive access to Pinewood Studios. The relaxed, casual nature of their images is a far cry from the restricted and carefully stage-managed pictures we get for modern Bond films. Now Mirrorpix has opened their archives to this vast collection of behind-the-scenes images of the making of the Bond films. Enjoy this glimpse of what it was really like on the set of a James Bond film when the series was in its early days.

‘That evening in the bars in Buckingham and adjacent towns there was only one topic of conversation – the Grand Prix .… motor-racing had ‘arrived’ in England.’ - Motor Sport, 13 May 1950. The British Grand Prix is the oldest race on the Formula 1 calendar, having entertained race fans for over seventy years – and from Kent to Liverpool, the Mirrorpix photographers have been there every step of the way. The F1 World Championship at the British Grand Prix is a race through the highest and lowest moments of a sport that has given us Stirling Moss, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

The Royal Air Force was formed in 1918 to defend the skies over Britain during the First World War and made a major contribution to winning one of the largest and most devastating conflicts of the twentieth century. Yet, when the war ended, its existence as an independent air service came under threat from severe defence cuts and intense scrutiny from some quarters as to whether it was needed at all. The Second World War put paid to all the uncertainty and sealed the RAF’s place in the armed services. It has since played a vital role in many large-scale conflicts, as well as in peacekeeping and international aid operations.Celebrating a century of the world’s oldest independent air force, The RAF at 100 showcases vivid and evocative images from the Mirrorpix archive that trace the story of the RAF from its earliest days through wartime and peacetime and into the modern age.

On 4 March 1824, thirty philanthropic gentlemen – including the abolitionist William Wilberforce and Archbishop of Canterbury Charles Manners-Sutton – met in a London pub. Here, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution was born.In the following 200 years, the RNLI has been woven into the fabric of our island nation, saving over 144,000 lives, despite some rescuers losing their own in the process. With over 100 fascinating images from Mirrorpix, one of the world’s biggest photo libraries, 200 Years of Lifesaving at Sea is a testament to the brave folk who sailed and continue to sail towards danger, rather than away from it.