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Who would you invite for dinner if you could choose anyone who has ever lived?A teenager - with his father acting as cook - entertains some of the most famous people in history at their suburban semi in modern-day Britain. But he finds he soon has more on his plate than spaghetti Bolognese.Will he be able to satisfy HENRY VIII's huge appetite; beat the fiery NAPOLEON in a game of Risk; prevent Dad from playing the fool in front of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE; resist the charms of a conniving CLEOPATRA; help the lost CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS get back on track; embrace WINSTON CHURCHILL's battle plans; convince the pious OLIVER CROMWELL that they are not celebrating Christmas; assist the conscientious FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE in saving Dad's life; paint a pretty picture of the hideous-looking ELIZABETH I?When Henry VIII came to Dinner interweaves historical facts with modern imagination, revealing new but true pictures of major historical figures.

From earliest records to the present day, in one easy-to-read volume

Charles Dickens described Chelmsford as the `dullest' place on earth and added that there was not a lot to see here. Did you know Chelmsford was once close to staging the British Grand Prix, or that two churches fell down in the same year? Shocking, mysterious, curious and bizarre, Chelmsford has a rich history waiting to be explored.

At the other end of the county, in Manningtree, the ruthless Matthew Hopkins scoured the area in search of `witches' - putting to death anyone who had as much as a wart on the end of their nose. Even royalty - including Richard II and Henry VIII - have carried out dastardly deeds within the county's borders, from murder to adultery.

'Curious' is perhaps not the first word you would use to label Essex. And if you literally look below the surface in Essex - 100ft underground to be precise - you'll discover one of the most incredible Government 'secrets' of all time.

A history of literary Buckinghamshire