This collection covers the period February 1862-March 1864, which constituted the final two years and one month that Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne commanded the Royal Navy’s North America and West India Station. Its chief focus is upon Anglo-American relations in the midst of the American Civil War. Whilst the most high-profile cause of tension between the two countries — the Trent Affair — had been resolved in Britain’s favour by January 1862, numerous sources of discord remained. Most turned on American efforts to blockade the so-called Confederacy, efforts that often ran afoul of international law, not to mention British amour-propre. As commander of British naval forces in the theatre, Milne’s decisions and actions could and did have a major impact on the state of affairs between his government and that of the US. While noting in one private exchange with the British ambassador to Washington, Richard, Lord Lyons, that he had been "enjoined to abstain from any act likely to involve Great Britain in hostilities with the United States," Milne added ominously, "yet I am also instructed to guard our Commerce from all illegal interference" and it is plain from his correspondence that both he and the British government were prepared to use force in that undertaking. Thus, between apparently high-handed behaviour by the US Navy and Milne’s and the Palmerston government’s resolve not to be pushed beyond a certain point, the ingredients for a major confrontation between the two countries existed. Yet most of Milne’s efforts were directed toward preventing such a confrontation from occurring. In this endeavour he was joined by Lyons and by the British government. No vital British interest was at stake in the conflict raging between North and South, and thus the nation was unlikely to become directly involved in it unless provoked by rash US actions. Yet there was no shortage of such provocations: the seizure of British merchant vessels bound from one neutral port to another, detaining such ships without first conducting a search of their cargo for evidence of contraband of war, the de facto blockade of British colonial ports, apparent violations of British territorial waters, the seizure of British merchantmen off the neutral port of Matamoros, Mexico, and the use of neutral ports as bases of operations by US warships among them. In responding to these and other sources of dispute between the US and Britain, Milne proved adept at pouring oil on troubled waters, so much so that in a late 1863 letter to Foreign Secretary Lord Russell, Lyons lamented his impending departure from the station: "I am very much grieved at his leaving....No change of admirals could be for the better." This collection centres upon Milne’s private correspondence, especially that between him and Lyons, First Lord of the Admiralty the Duke of Somerset and First Naval Lord Vice Admiral Sir Frederick Grey. It also includes private letters to and from many of Milne’s other professional correspondents and important official correspondence with the Admiralty.

Centred upon a man who never participated in combat operations during his sixty-year naval career, this volume depicts the routine peacetime operations of the mid-Victorian Royal Navy. The documents that comprise this volume deal with topics of interest to scholars of international relations, Anglo-American affairs, the U.S. Civil War and the slave trade. Other aspects addressed include naval medicine, steam-era logistics and other elements of the Royal Navy's modernization pertaining to its materiel, personnel and administration.

Dr. Christopher Ringle is the last person you'd expect to find moonlighting as Santa Claus at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. But it is there that he meets a young man named Molar Alan, who desperately needs a new perspective on the underlying value of Christmas. Dr. Ringle recruits Mo and his older brother as volunteers at a nearby children's hospital for the holiday season. At the hospital, Mo is tasked to help bring holiday cheer to the young cancer patients on the fifth floor. His biggest challenge is befriending a decidedly angry girl who is so embarrassed by her scarred appearance that she hides her face behind the safety of a paper bag. Almost in spite of himself, Mo finds that Christmas joy emanates from a source far greater than the North Pole, while the young girl learns that she is more beautiful than she had ever imagined.

With a gorgeously redesigned cover and the original black and white interior illustrations by Ernest Shepard, this beautiful edition of the beloved classic poetry collection featuring Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne is sure to delight new and old fans alike! Originally published after the novel Winnie-the-Pooh and the verse collection When We Were Very Young, A. A. Milne wrote this classic book of children’s poems about and for his son Christopher Robin when he turned six. With appearances from the beloved Winnie-the-Pooh throughout, these sweet and funny poems tell of playful adventures, the joys and pains of growing up, memorable animal friends, and more.

Reginald Willard, the central character of A. A. Milne's novel Two People seems to lead the perfect life. He has plenty of money, a stunning country house and garden and his beautiful young wife, Sylvia. Despite their age difference, they are very much in love. Reginald has a go at writing a novel which is published to great acclaim and it is now that Reginald begins to realise he has has little he has in common with his wife other than their shared years together. The rift between them is exacerbated when they move to London where Reginald is drawn to the intellectual and artistic set which holds no appeal to his wife. Reminiscent in style and subject to Evelyn Waugh, A. A. Milne's novel carries echoes of his own marriage to his wife Daphne.

Centred upon a man who never participated in combat operations during his sixty-year naval career, this volume depicts the routine peacetime operations of the mid-Victorian Royal Navy, operations that have received short shrift in naval histories, even though they have constituted the bulk of the service's mission during the past two centuries. Not surprisingly, the Navy operated in support of the liberal state and its agenda, as many of the documents in this collection make clear. Following the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, both Britain and the United States moved quickly to exploit new trade opportunities and for the next seventy years it was the Royal Navy that enforced the Doctrine, to the benefit of British commercial interests, but also to those of the United States and of any other country engaged in legitimate trade in the hemisphere. The service took the lead in combating piracy and the slave trade, and upheld the rule of law across global trade routes. The documents that comprise this volume therefore deal with topics of interest to scholars of international relations, Anglo-American affairs, the U.S. Civil War and the slave trade. Other aspects addressed include naval medicine, steam-era logistics and other elements of the Royal Navy's modernization pertaining to its materiel, personnel, and administration.

Alexander Milne was the pre-eminent naval administrator of the Victorian Royal Navy, spending eighteen years at the Admiralty between 1847 and 1876, over six of them as First Naval Lord. His administrative career coincided exactly with the greatest technological upheaval in warfare at sea since sails supplanted oars, and he played an important role in almost every step of the Navy's transformation from sail to steam, wood to iron, and in the equally critical processes of devising a modern system of recruiting and training enlisted personnel, and evolving a coherent strategy suitable for a steam-powered fleet. This collection is drawn from a rich documentary record of Milne's and the Board's labours during the late 1840s and 1850s. It also encompasses Milne's earlier sea service, furnishing a unique glimpse of the maritime policing operations of the Navy during the Pax Britannica.

Winnie-the-Pooh may be a Bear of Very Little Brain but this adorable little book is teeming with Wise Words and Useful Advice. Covering important subjects such as 'Manners', 'Keeping Trim' and 'Gastronomic Disappointment', this charming and humorous book gives you Pooh's unique take on life. Based on the classic Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A.A.Milne and featuring E.H.Shepard's timeless decorations. A lovely gift for a friend or loved one. Also available: Winnie-the Pooh: Love From Pooh