Tom Quinn – författare

In this lively and colourful history, royal expert TomQuinn goes behind palace doors to give a compelling glimpse of Britain’sroyals, ancient and modern. From medieval times, when the Groom of the Stooloversaw the monarch’s lavatorial exploits, below-stairs staff have always had aunique insight into the lives of their royal masters.Through the eyes of serving and recently retired staff,we see how today’s royals live – including how the relationship between Meghanand Harry and William and Kate started with high hopes and descended intobitterness and anger.Now fully updated with a scandalous new chapterrevealing how the former Prince Andrew’s life has changed since being cast outby the royal family, Yes, Ma’am is the ultimate insight into what reallymakes the royal family tick – after all, who better to ask than their army ofservants and staff, past and present?

Extraordinary but true stories from over two hundred years of angling history. Fishing's Strangest Tales gathers together choice stories and bizarre fishing tales from all over the world. Meet the Oxford scientist who, in 1910, discovered the marvellous life-giving properties of brandy to fish who had otherwise gasped their last. Or how about the nine-year-old boy fishing for trout who caught a large mussel – containing no less than forty pearls – and managed to earn more in one day than his father, a farm worker, had earned in the last five years?Fishing's Strangest Tales is full of fascinating tales that may sound fishy but will have have you caught – hook, line and sinker.

The must-read memoir from Rose Plummer, a maid in interwar London. A proper piece of English history: perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs'I felt like I was getting somewhere that evening. Sitting by the window sipping my tea and eating lovely iced buns, I felt I'd come such a long way from Hoxton. I had some money . . . As I sat there I realised I didn't want to go back to my gloomy room at the top of that old house. I wanted more of a life of my own and not to be reminded every day that I wasn't as good as other people.' An inspirational true story loved by readers:'A wonderful trip down memory lane. I found the odd tear roll down my cheek . . . and there are moments of laughter throughout the book too, smiles and sighs, and even the odd grunt of disgust!' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'What a vital record of social history this is. It is so important that witness accounts like this are recorded for posterity before those who lived them pass away and their memories are lost.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'I thought this was a wonderful book. It really gave an insight into what life was really like below stairs . . . not only a very good read but also a great piece of history, told by a feisty woman who lived through it.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW-----Born in 1910, Rose Plummer grew up in an East End slum, where she and fought an unending battle with hunger and squalor.At the age of fifteen, Rose started work as a live-in maid, and despite the poverty of her childhood, nothing could have prepared her for the long hours, the backbreaking work and the harshness of a world in which servants were treated as if they were less than human.But however difficult life became, Rose found something to laugh about, and her remarkable spirit and gift for friendship shines through in her memories of a now-vanished world.

The must-read memoir from Bob Sharpe, a butler in interwar London. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs'I remember my first day in the big house. It wasn't a great aristocratic mansion such as Chatsworth or anything like it, but I reckon there were twenty bedrooms, two or three book rooms and endless billiard rooms, drawing rooms and sitting rooms - not to mention all the servants' rooms . . .'An inspirational true story loved by readers:'A love story as well as a look through a servant's eyes at the true meaning of being a scivvy. Loved it and was so pleased when things went right for this young man who wrote from the heart.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'A very lively account of the ups and downs of life as a servant!' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'One of the best books I have ever read. Such an important and really interesting account of social history. You feel as if Bob is speaking to you directly from the past.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW-----During more than thirty years in a variety of houses, Bob Sharpe managed to rise from garden boy to valet and butler. As a boy he had to kill pheasant chicks, boil rabbits for the estate dogs, carry the wood up and down stairs every day for thirty fires and sleep on the floor outside his master's room. He cleaned shoes, ironed underwear and socks and once had to stand all night in the hall waiting for a late visitor to arrive. But as a butler he was the best paid servant in the house, waited on, feared and respected by the other servants. Bob Sharpe knew the real world of upstairs downstairs and the secrets of the landed gentry - even to the point of incest and attempted murder!

The must-read memoir from Kathleen Clifford, a housekeeper who worked in the Spencer family home in the interwar years. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs'My favourite gossips were William and Jimmy. I only got the chance to talk to them now and then as I spent most of my time hurtling round the kitchen trying not to upset the cook who was my immediate and terrifying boss. I lost a lot of weight in my time in Spencer House because I was so determined never to get told off or get things wrong - and that meant you had to concentrate all the time.'An inspirational true story loved by readers:'This is a wonderful, although quite sad, read. But it is nice to know these ladies had a life to live and got on with it regardless. Highly recommended.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'I've always had a fascination with 'upstairs & downstairs' life and this book didn't disappoint. It was really well written and I loved every person mentioned. Such a joy to just sit and read and learn from the stories. ' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW'Having read many of the 'below stairs' type of book, this one is up there with the best I have read.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW-----Kathleen Clifford was born in 1909. Her family lived in a tiny flat near Paddington Station and her earliest memories were of the smell of horses and the shrill whistle of steam trains. For a girl from the slums there was only really one option once school was over - a life in service. She started work on 1925 as a lowly kitchen maid in the London home of Lady Diana Spencer's family. Here she heard tales of the Earl's propensity for setting fire to himself, as well as enjoying the servants' gossip about who was sleeping with whom. The Spencers were just the first in a line of eccentric families for whom she worked during a career that lasted more than thirty years and took her from a London palace to remote medieval estates. But despite long hours, amorous butlers and mad employers, Kathleen always kept her sense of humour and knew how to have fun. On one occasion she was almost caught in bed with her boyfriend who had to jump out of the window and run down the drive in his underwear to escape the local bobby!This is the story of a life below stairs - a life of a now vanished era.

'Shiveringly good suspense!' Lisa GardnerTHE FIFTH BOOK IN A GRIPPING SERIES FROM 30 MILLION COPY SELLING AUTHOR.One by one he'll stalk them, then he'll squeeze the trigger, savouring the way each lifeless body crumples to the reddening snow. One down already. And then there were five...Sheriff Dan Grayson lies near death and the police department of Grizzly Falls, Montana, is in shock. Then a prominent judge's body is found.Detectives Regan Pescoli and Selena Alvarez head up the search for the killer, but they don't realize how personal and dangerous the case is going to be. Headstrong and eager for justice, Pescoli tracks the scant clues straight to a monster who has had her and Alvarez in his sights all along . . .'She is one of the best' Harlan CobenTHE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES, DESERVES TO DIE, IS AVAILABLE NOW

For more than 300 years, Kensington Palace has played host to a colourful cast of kings, queens, wayward children, royal aunts and uncles, distant cousins and assorted aristocratic hangers-on.This remarkable building has served as the stage for some of the most dramatic and bizarre events in the royal family’s history. It was here that the young Queen Victoria was held a virtual prisoner for eighteen years; and it was here that George II installed both his wife and his mistress, giving the latter rooms so damp that there were said to be mushrooms growing on the walls.More recently, the palace has witnessed an extraordinary series of scandals, from Princess Diana’s bombshell TV interview with a journalist smuggled into the palace disguised as a salesman, to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure for Frogmore Cottage amid rumours of a rift with William and Kate.Through exclusive interviews with palace staff past and present and detailed historical sources, Tom Quinn takes a look beyond official accounts, delving into the frequently outrageous but often heart-warming history of the palace and its inhabitants, from its earliest beginnings to the present day.With a postscript reflecting on Harry and Meghan’s shock decision to leave the country, Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle offers a rare behind-the-scenes insight into one of Britain’s most iconic residences.

For more than 300 years, Kensington Palace has played host to a colourful cast of kings, queens and assorted aristocratic hangers-on. A stone’s throw from the bustling streets of central London, this grand building has served as the stage for some of the most dramatic and bizarre events in the history of the royal family.It was here that the young Queen Victoria was held a virtual prisoner for eighteen years; and it was here that George II installed both his wife and his mistress, giving the latter rooms so damp that there were said to be mushrooms growing on the walls. More recently, the palace has witnessed an extraordinary series of scandals, from Princess Diana’s bombshell TV interview with a journalist smuggled into the palace disguised as a salesman, to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s shock departure – first for Frogmore Cottage, and then for America – amid rumours of a rift with William and Kate.With exclusive interviews with palace staff past and present, fascinating historical details and a fully updated postscript considering what life after Kensington holds for Harry and Meghan, Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle offers a rare behind-the-scenes insight into one of Britain’s most iconic residences.

George Orwell once said that the British love a really good murder. He might have added that the only thing the British love more than a good murder is a really good scandal, and best of all are the sexual and political scandals that take place behind the gilded doors of Britain's royal palaces. From Edward II's intimate relationship with Piers Gaveston to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's dramatic exit from the royal family, the royal residences have seen it all.This glorious romp of a book contains new information on well-known and not-so-well-known scandals, including those that have only recently been revealed through the release of previously secret official papers. Exploring surviving palaces such as Kensington as well as long -vanished residences including Whitehall, Scandals of the Royal Palaces is the first in-depth look at the bad behaviour of not just the royals themselves but also palace officials, courtiers, household servants and hangers-on.Delving into the bitter hatreds that generations of King Georges nursed for their eldest sons, Queen Victoria's opium -fuelled rages and Edward VII's near-miss perjury conviction, royal expert Tom Quinn reveals that scandal and the royal family have always been bedfellows. And if the behaviour of today's royals is anything to go by, the glittering palaces will continue to house intriguing, embarrassing and outrageous scandals for centuries to come.

For as long as the British monarchy has existed, royal children have been brought up in ways that seem bizarre and eccentric to the rest of us. From medieval wet nurses to today's Norland nannies and elite boarding schools, princes and princesses have endured parental abandonment for centuries as their parents farmed out childrearing duties to paid staff.And as this marvellous romp of a book demonstrates, dysfunctional childhood experiences produce emotionally damaged adults, as evidenced by Edward VIII - who was horribly mistreated by his nanny - and his marriage to his substitute mother figure, Mrs Simpson; by alcoholic party girl Princess Margaret; and by rebellious Harry and his desperate desire to adopt Meghan Markle's world view, to the detriment of his relationship with his brother.Interweaving exclusive testimonies from palace staff with historical sources, Tom Quinn also uncovers outrageous tales of royal children misbehaving, often hilariously - from Edward VII smashing up his schoolroom to the Queen mischievously pranking unsuspecting visitors with dog biscuits to Prince William pinching a teacher's bottom.Amusing and shocking in equal measure, Gilded Youth examines how the royal family has clung to outmoded traditions that centre on emotional coldness and detachment, and how, when it comes to children, the British royal family is still living in the Dark Ages.

What reallymakes the royal family tick?It's aquestion that royal watchers have pondered for as long as the monarchy hasexisted. And who better to ask than the army of servants and staff past andpresent who feed and clothe the royals, organise their days, polish theirshoes, carry the deer and pheasants they shoot and even put the toothpaste ontheir toothbrushes?From medievaltimes, when the Groom of the Stool oversaw the monarch's lavatorial exploits,and courtiers accompanied the king and queen to bed on their wedding night andmade bawdy remarks until ushered out of the room, below-stairs staff have had aunique insight into the lives of their royal masters.In thislively and colourful history, royal expert Tom Quinn goes behind palace doorsto give a compelling glimpse of Britain's royals, ancient and modern. Here youwill find the tales of the equerry who threatened to throw Queen Victoria outof her own stables, the junior footman who had to change his name on the ordersof the queen, and the lady in waiting who, with Prince Philip's mother PrincessAlice, regularly set fire to her rooms at Buckingham Palace.Perhaps mostintriguing of all, we see, through the eyes of serving and recently retiredstaff, how today's royals live - including how the relationship between Meghanand Harry and William and Kate started with high hopes and descended intobitterness and anger.

A unique collection of fishing stories from the past 200 years that prove that when it comes to fishing, things can and often do go hilariously wrong. From stories of record breakers that got away to boats that sank, rods that broke and pike and salmon that ran amoke, Great Angling Disasters is the ultimate chronicle of those less than triumphant days on the riverbank. For everyone interested in fishing with rod and line whether they are game, coarse or sea fishermen.

The One That Didn’t Get Away celebrates the triumphant days and victorious moments for game, coarse and sea anglers from the past two centuries. Following Tom Quinn’s previous book Great Angling Disasters, he has compiled this collection of archive articles and extracts, which captures the excitement, skill and satisfaction of successful angling expeditions. Taking readers from rivers to seas and all points of the compass, this is a wonderful chronicle filled with the highlights of fishing.Anglers will find much here to entertain and delight them – and to remind them why the next best thing to fishing is reading about it!

How many rods and reels are manufactured each year; where is the oldest depiction of an angler in art; which is the world’s most exclusive fishing club and what is the best-selling fishing book of all time? Find the answers to these and numerous other questions in An Angling Miscellany: 500 Years of Fishing Figures, Facts and Fancies.Angling remains the most popular participant sport in Britain and, when they are not fishing, Britain’s one million-plus anglers are usually to be found reading about their favourite pursuit. Author and dedicated angler Tom Quinn has compiled this superb collection of anecdotes, unusual feats and record-breaking catches, which is guaranteed to amaze and entertain.Discover everything from the biggest fish ever caught on rod and line to the world’s rarest fish, from a fish that can survive for years without water to a fish that draws pictures to attract a mate.Also included are many fascinating stories, such as the salmon angler who caught a freshwater mussel containing a pearl worth more than £1,000; the boy who caught a record fish from a sewage outflow, and the Victorian academic who insisted on trying to swim up a new salmon ladder just to make sure the fish would be able to do it!

A quirky collection of stories from London's stranger side, featuring a tiny prison cell in Trafalgar Square, a train disguised as a ship, and a church that's completely the wrong way round.London’s Strangest Tales takes a walk on London’s weirder side with an absorbing collection of curious tales from one of the world’s greatest cities. This fascinating book is packed with amazing things you didn’t know about Britain’s capital, like the fact that it’s still forbidden to run, carry an umbrella or whistle in the Burlington Arcade, and the fat lamppost at the corner of Trafalgar Square that is secretly a tiny prison cell. And did you know that the entrance to Buckingham Palace you see from the Mall is actually the back door and not the front? The stories within these pages are bizarre, fascinating, hilarious and, most importantly, true.Revised, redesigned and updated for a new generation of London-lovers, this book is a brilliant alternative guide to the city, whether you’re a visitor, a daily commuter or one of its 8 million inhabitants.Word count: 45,000

More extraordinary but true stories from London’s history. In this fascinating follow-up to his bestselling London’s Strangest Tales, Tom Quinn makes a further foray into the weirder side of the capital, bringing us a splendiforous collection of bizarre-but-true stories that explore a thousand years of London’s history.Discover the ghosts that stalk West End theatres, the mysterious mummy who lives in a City church cupboard, and secret tunnels under the Thames. Find out why there’s a TARDIS at Earl’s Court, why frogs once rained from the skies, and why the mulberry tree in the gardens at Buckingham Palace isn’t quite what it was supposed to be.A dip-in-and-outable treasure trove of London lore, London’s Truly Strangest Tales is both an ideal gift for dyed-in-the-wool Londoners who want to find out more about the great city they live in, and the perfect souvenir for people just passing through.Word count: 58,000

Extraordinary but true stories from over two hundred years of angling history. Fishing's Strangest Tales gathers together choice stories and bizarre fishing tales from all over the world. Consider the Oxford scientist who in 1910 discovered the marvellous life-giving properties of brandy to fish who had otherwise gasped their last. Or how about the nine-year-old boy fishing for trout who caught a large mussel – containing no less than forty pearls – and managed to earn more in one day than his father, a farm worker, had earned in the last five years? Fishing's Strangest Days is full of fascinating tales that may sound fishy and unbelievable but will have have you caught hook, line and sinker.

A fascinating collection of bizarre but true stories from nearly 200 years of railway history. Right from the very start, when George Stephenson’s famous Rocket knocked over and killed a government minister at the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester line in 1830, the world’s railways have given rise to plenty of intriguing stories. In this fascinating book, revised and updated with a new selection of tales, railway buff Tom Quinn explores the more bizarre side of train travel, featuring weird weather conditions, audacious robberies, hair-raising accidents, vanishing passengers, an infestation of maggots and a mysterious missing mummy.From the dawn of rail travel, when speeds of 15mph were considered dangerous to health and people mistook engines for fire-breathing demons, through the Victorian heyday of royal trains and seaside specials to today’s more prosaic leaves on the line, this whistlestop tour through railways’ long and storied history is the perfect gift for armchair travellers, history fans and trainspotters.Word count: 60,000

London’s Strangest Tales takes a walk on London’s weirder side with an absorbing collection of curious tales from one of the world’s greatest cities. This fascinating book is packed with amazing things you didn’t know about Britain’s capital, like the fact that it’s still forbidden to run, carry an umbrella or whistle in the Burlington Arcade, and the fat lamppost at the corner of Trafalgar Square that is secretly a tiny prison cell. And did you know that the entrance to Buckingham Palace you see from the Mall is actually the back door and not the front? The stories within these pages are bizarre, fascinating, hilarious and, most importantly, true.This brand new edition, redesigned in splendid hardback for 2018, is a brilliant alternative guide to the city, whether you’re a visitor, a daily commuter or one of its 8 million inhabitants.Word count: 45,000

All the fun of Portico's bestselling Strangest series, now in quiz form! Test your London knowledge with this fascinating book, packed with fun and challenging quiz questions based around the weirdest events from the illustrious history of this wonderful city.Quiz categories include:Ancient traditionsLondon eccentricsGetting aboutGhosts and ghoulsCorridors of powerMonumental monumentsQuirky buildingsJust plain weirdWhether you're testing your friends, practising for pub quizzes or just reading it in an armchair, this book will take your London knowledge to a whole new level.Word count: 30,000 words.