The Trophy
£9.99 inc. tax
For 2,000 years, recklessly ambitious people have ravaged Cumbria seeking trophies.
And what was the result?
Invasion, massacre, famine, colonisation, environmental catastrophe, even the world’s first nuclear disaster…
In a riveting new book, Paul Eastham tells how the history of this beautiful and intimidating border province was written by people seeking revenge, status, fame and power. But Cumbria had a knack of confounding their expectations.
Glory-hunting Roman Emperor Septimius Severus tried to distract his feuding sons Caracalla and Gita from their mutual hatred by invading Scotland from Carlisle - but one killed the other anyway.
Premier Harold Macmillan caused the world’s first atom bomb disaster by running Windscale too hard, then he covered his blunder up and handed the blame to innocent workers.
Manchester millionaires aiming for a worldwide cotton monopoly turned Thirlmere into an ugly reservoir to feed their factories - and started the worldwide environmental protest movement.
Ambition-crazed traitor, pirate and murderer John Paul Jones burned part of a ship in Whitehaven and was hailed as “Father of the American Navy”.
Love-besotted Edward II thought he could ignore the threat from military genius Robert the Bruce, but the Scotsman launched an eleven-year swathe of pillage, destruction and starvation through Cumbria, driving the English king to his death.
Spendthrift Earl George Clifford sold off his Cumbrian estates to fund a frivolous campaign to impress Elizabeth I - and was forced to turned pirate to rebuild his fortunes.
Selfish genius Percy Kelly thought hoarding, not selling, his art was the best way to win posthumous fame but he drove away two wives and died abandoned.
These are just a few of the nineteen narratives in The Trophy at the End of the World.
The Trophy at the End of the World, the latest book in the Hidden Cumbrian Histories series, is officially published September 5, 2023.
But you can pre-order the book here, pay and it will be sent to you in advance of the publication date on September 5, 2023.
