"John Deane of Nottingham: Historic Adventures by Land and Sea" is a book of adventures of John Deane, a person who, according to the author, really existed. John lived a life full of events, achievements, and travels – he went a path from a poor drover around London to the position of the British Consul, which he obtained after serving Peter the Great on a Russian warship. Although John Deane of Nottingham is perceived more like a fictional personage, there is proof his story is real. In the quiet churchyard in the village of Wilford near Nottingham, there is his tomb with an inscription: "After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well."

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In August 1710, the Nottingham Galley set sail for New England. It did not reach its destination, as fierce weather struck and the fourteen men on board were shipwrecked on Boon Island, a sparse 100yd stretch of rock. Without food or adequate shelter, they were uncertain when or if they would be rescued. Two men died of exposure; two more perished in a failed attempt to reach shore. As the situation became more perilous, Captain John Deane gave the order to butcher and eat a deceased member of the crew. This bold decision fended off starvation and sustained the crew until their rescue. John Deane emerged an unlikely hero. But shortly afterwards an alternative version of events began to circulate. The first mate, Christopher Langman, painted Deane as a violent fraudster, a tyrant and an enthusiastic consumer of human flesh. The scandal forced Deane to flee his homeland and begin a life of misadventure that saw him fight as a mercenary for Peter the Great and spy for Robert Walpole. The Shipwreck Cannibals tells the story of a scandalous and grotesque forgotten episode in British maritime history and its bizarre aftermath.

Like other volumes in the series, this work discusses the lives and careers of individual authors and summarizes critical responses to their work, from initial publication to 1995. Each entry includes a complete list of the author's works.

This book is a brief history of Afghanistan and its relations with the British Empire. It was published in London in 1881 as Parliament and the British public were debating policy toward Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which was fought between 1878 and 1880. The author, Philip Francis Walker, was a London barrister who had recently served with the British army in Afghanistan, and the book contains vivid accounts of fierce fighting with the Afghans. In a typical passage, Walker describes the Afghan tribesmen as "being in great strength, fighting very courageously, and being well led." The most interesting aspect of the book is the summary, in the concluding pages, of the debate underway in Britain about future policy toward Afghanistan. According to Walker, three main plans were under discussion: "1st. That we should annex the whole country, including Herat. 2nd. That we should settle some chief, or chiefs, in the country, as securely as possible, and ourselves retire behind the scientific frontier, with, or without Candahar. 3rd. That we should evacuate most of the country, and continue to hold almost the same frontier [between British India and Afghanistan] as hitherto." Walker generally favored the second option, but the third was in fact followed by the Liberal government of Prime Minister William Gladstone.