{"title":"Charles Spencer","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the Charles Spencer collection at our online bookstore, where you can delve into the captivating works of this esteemed author. Charles Spencer, a noted historian and writer, brings the past to life with his engaging narratives and meticulous research. His books seamlessly blend historical accuracy with storytelling, offering readers an insightful journey through time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eA Very Private School\u003c\/em\u003e, Spencer gives readers an intriguing look into the world of British education, providing a memoir-like exploration that reveals the nuances of elite schooling. Meanwhile, his other titles, such as \u003cem\u003eKillers of the King\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe White Ship\u003c\/em\u003e, transport you to decisive moments in British history with thrilling detail and scholarly precision. These works fall under the \u003cstrong\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/strong\u003e category, highlighting dramatic events like the tumultuous aftermath of the English Civil War and the maritime disaster that altered the course of English and European history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you're a history aficionado or new to Spencer's work, this collection offers a perfect blend of \u003cstrong\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/strong\u003e and historical analysis. Discover the intricate tapestry of the past as woven by Charles Spencer, and immerse yourself in stories that are as educational as they are captivating.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-very-private-school","title":"A Very Private School","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Shocking and moving'\u003c\/em\u003e Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A tour-de-force'\u003c\/em\u003e Washington Post\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt eight years of age, Charles Spencer was sent away to one of England’s most exclusive boarding schools. In this courageous and beautifully written memoir, Spencer offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of the strange secrets of the school, and the culture of cruelty and abuse he witnessed and experienced in his five years there as a pupil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, the book is his attempt to come to terms with the deep emotional scars inflicted upon him. Spencer reflects on the misery, hopelessness and abandonment he felt aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness, the vicious brutality of a boys’ school in the 1970s and the appalling inescapability of it all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe book cracks the code of the unpoliced regime that ran the place and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding school system. He gives vivid portraits of the teachers and other staff placed in \u003ci\u003eloco parentis\u003c\/i\u003e, their casual cruelties and toxic obsessions. All these years later, Spencer’s bafflement at their motivations to inflict such cruelty on young children is palpable. As is his fury that, even if somehow he had spoken up, he’d never have been believed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCharles Spencer's book \u003cem\u003eA Very Private School\u003c\/em\u003e was a Sunday Times bestseller w\/c 11-03-2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45685711601900,"sku":"9780008666088","price":65.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780008666088.jpg?v=1725454503"},{"product_id":"the-white-ship-by-charles-spencer-9780008296841","title":"The White Ship","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE #2 \u003cem\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e BESTSELLER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘As gripping as any thriller. History doesn't get any better than this’ — BILL BRYSON\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘A brilliant read … \u003cem\u003eGame of Thrones\u003c\/em\u003e but in the real world’ — ANTHONY HOROWITZ\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePICKED AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 BY THE \u003cem\u003eDAILY TELEGRAPH\u003c\/em\u003e, THE \u003cem\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/em\u003e, THE \u003cem\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/em\u003e AND THE \u003cem\u003eDAILY EXPRESS\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe sinking of the \u003cem\u003eWhite Ship\u003c\/em\u003e in 1120 is one of the greatest disasters England has ever suffered. In one catastrophic night, the king’s heir and the flower of Anglo-Norman society were drowned and the future of the crown was thrown violently off course.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a riveting narrative, Charles Spencer follows the story from the Norman Conquest through to the decades that would become known as the Anarchy: a civil war of untold violence that saw families turn in on each other with English and Norman barons, rebellious Welsh princes and the Scottish king all playing a part in a desperate game of thrones. All because of the loss of one vessel – the \u003cem\u003eWhite Ship\u003c\/em\u003e – the medieval \u003cem\u003eTitanic\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Highly enjoyable’ — \u003cstrong\u003eSimon Heffer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Brilliant’ — \u003cstrong\u003eDan Jones\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Fascinating’ — \u003cstrong\u003eTom Bower\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe #2 \u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestseller on Sunday 18 June 2021\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46442409361644,"sku":"9780008296841","price":26.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/25888313482190.jpg?v=1747286903"},{"product_id":"a-very-private-school-by-charles-spencer-9780008666118","title":"A Very Private School","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA \u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSpectator\u003c\/em\u003e and Waterstones Book of the Year\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Shocking and moving' \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Top marks for its searing frankness, framed in wistfully beautiful prose’ \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt eight years of age, Charles Spencer was sent away to one of England's most exclusive boarding schools. Here he reveals the strange secrets of the school, and the culture of cruelty and abuse he experienced in his five years there as a pupil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSpencer reflects on the misery, hopelessness and abandonment he felt aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the vicious brutality of a boys' school in the 1970s. All these years later, Spencer's bafflement at the teachers' motivations to inflict such cruelty on young children is palpable. As is his fury that, even if somehow he had spoken up, he'd never have been believed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCharles Spencer's book \u003ci\u003eA Very Private School\u003c\/i\u003e was a Sunday Times bestseller w\/c 11-03-2024.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46825513091308,"sku":"9780008666118","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1495293482191.jpg?v=1758103229"},{"product_id":"killers-of-the-king-by-charles-spencer-9781408851777","title":"Killers of the King","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharles Spencer tells the shocking stories and fascinating fates of the men who signed Charles I’s death warrant in this \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Seamless, pacy and riveting ... exceptional' \u003c\/strong\u003eALISON WEIR\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'The virtues of a thriller and of scholarship are potently combined' \u003c\/strong\u003eTOM HOLLAND\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Outstanding: a thrilling tale of retribution and bloody sacrifice' \u003c\/strong\u003eJESSIE CHILDS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e__________________\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJanuary, 1649.\u003c\/strong\u003e After seven years of fighting in the bloodiest war in Britain’s history, Parliament faced a problem: what to do with a defeated king, a king who refused to surrender?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eParliamentarians resolved to do the unthinkable, to disregard the Divine Right of Kings and hold Charles I to account for the appalling suffering and slaughter endured by his people. On an icy winter’s day on a scaffold outside Whitehall, the King of England was executed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the dead king’s son, Charles II, was restored to the throne, he set about enacting a deadly wave of retribution against all those – the lawyers, the judges, the officers on the scaffold – responsible for his father’s death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBestselling historian Charles Spencer explores this violent clash of ideals through the individuals whose fates were determined by that one, momentous decision. A powerful tale of revenge from the dark heart of royal history and a fascinating insight into the dangers of political and religious allegiance in Stuart England, these are the shocking stories of the men who dared to kill a king.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849373208812,"sku":"9781408851777","price":28.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/16628463482689.jpg?v=1759044168"},{"product_id":"the-rabbit-hole-book-by-charles-spencer-9781405966580","title":"The Rabbit Hole Book","description":"The first trivia book from the team behind the hit history podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives, investigating weird and wonderful facts and stories rescued from obscurity.\n\nJoin the trio behind the hit history podcast, The Rabbit Hole Detectives, Richard Coles, Charles Spencer and Cat Jarman in their first trivia book as they investigate weird and wonderful facts and stories rescued from obscurity. From the earliest recorded examples of practical jokes to a whistle-stop tour of the world's ghost towns to a history of red heads, The Rabbit Hole Book is a fascinating and entertaining dive into all the things you didn't know you wanted to know.","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47288987189484,"sku":"9781405966580","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/68879d5b8cd1760709637979e4df854f.jpg?v=1770602357"},{"product_id":"swan-song-by-charles-spencer-9780241825594","title":"Swan Song","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles – available to pre-order now.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘When asked, ‘What was it like, growing up with Diana?’, my first thought is always, But I don’t know what it was like not to grow up with her…’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before a watching world and shared his grief at losing his beloved sister, Diana. Now, nearly thirty years later, he tells the astonishing story of his life with Diana and the tragic week of her death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn childhood, Charles and Diana, the youngest Spencers, were inseparable – secretly calling one another Duch and Carlos. As each other’s closest confidantes, they roamed the family estate, endured extremely challenging boarding schools, survived terrifying nannies and helped each other through the agony of their parents’ divorce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet everything changed when Diana married the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and overnight became a global icon. Charles saw his older sister serve the world’s marginalized and relish being mother to her treasured sons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut, pursued by a barbaric press as her royal marriage crumbled, she was left desperately alone. Charles always tried to be there for Diana – until that black night in August, 1997.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Swan Song, Charles Spencer provides the most intimate, loving and honest portrait yet of his sister.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for Charles Spencer’s writing:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Top marks for its searing frankness, framed in wistfully beautiful prose’ The Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Acutely observant, his turn of phrase is often delightful' Daily Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘A moving, heartbreaking memoir’ Financial Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘A tour de force' Washington Post\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthor Biography: Charles Spencer is an author, historian, public speaker, broadcaster and journalist. He is also the 9th Earl Spencer. Spencer is the author of nine non-fiction books, including four Sunday Times bestsellers. A globally in-demand keynote speaker, he worked for NBC News as an on-air correspondent from 1986 to 1995. He has presented for the History Channel, was a co-host of the hit Rabbit Hole Detectives podcast, and has written for many newspapers and magazines. He is a columnist for the Financial Times.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48193143701740,"sku":"9780241825594","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241825594.jpg?v=1787086427"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/charles-spencer.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}