A unique ReCovered Notebook made for Much Ado from the covers of an old book we rescued (don’t worry - we only use books that have been too damaged to sell! The book gives an excellent background on the conflicts between the Catholics and the Protestants in England.

All over the city that night, bonfires were lit that would burn annually down the centuries to celebrate the deliverance of the Protestant nation from Catholic subversion. Fawkes knowledge of Spain leads to him being sent on a mission by a group of English Catholics to see if Spain would attempt another invasion.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I know that some other historians dislike this kind of narrative writing, as we can’t know exactly this sort of thing. Thanks to this volume, the reader is able to gain a deep understanding of the problems that have led to Plot, as well as to the Plot itself. This book is a vivid and unique telling of a remarkable time in our history, with an insightful account of the multi-layered man at its centre. Here are some book recommendations for the historical books we believe give the best account of this time, of Fawkes’ life and of the failed gunpowder plot.

She has written many ballet stories including a series of books for older children entitled ‘Ballerinas’ (Hodder) and Ballet Magic (Colour Young Puffin). Beyond Enkription is an intriguing unadulterated factual thriller and a great read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots.

Another gothic element, a cave that was connected to pagan worship, is a setting early on in the book and represents a connection between historical events. What is amazing is that these articles were only published many years after Beyond Enkription itself was. He views Robert Catesby (1572-1605) as the real leader of the Gunpowder Plot, with the powerful Percy family the shadow puppet masters. This simple, friendly children’s first history series, aimed at readers aged 5 and up, takes a close look at some key events and personalities through history and reveals how and why they are still important to us today.

He invented the character of Viviana Radcliffe, daughter of the prominent Radcliffe family of Ordsall Hall – who becomes Fawkes's wife – and introduced gothic and supernatural elements into the story, such as the ability of the alchemist, John Dee, to raise the spirits of the dead. Untangling the webs of religion, politics, and strong personalities that were associated with November 5, Fraser presents a narrative that reads like a detective story.

It is only the second biography of Fawkes that I have read so not claiming to be some sort of specialist on this time period. Nick loves tortoises and was shocked to find only one children's novel about them: 'Esio Trot' by Roald Dahl. Nobody thinks to ask where Fawkes got his 36 barrels of the stuff, but at least we can know how it was made, for Ponting gives us a highly readable account of gunpowder, from its origins in China about 1,200 years ago up to its most famous moment in English history. You could conclude he was no more or less bloody-minded than his contemporaries, but it is just as easy to imagine a successful Fawkes as one of history's greatest mass murderers. It is worthy of anyones shelf and should be read by all, I am sure it will amaze and delight the history buffs.

Removing the benefit of hindsight and the partisan views of Catholics and Protestants, Travers allows 17th-century voices to speak out. Catesby, like Thomas Percy, met his demise at the end of a musket rather than the prolonged tortures that befell other conspirators.An investigation was put together, and at midnight on November 4, Guy Fawkes was found in the cellar surrounded by gunpowder. The captors were in awe of the man’s imperturbability amid the silent trepidation of the weight of aborted stratagem. He strongly disapproved, but the confidentiality of confession prevented him from warning the authorities. This is not the only time Fawkes is warned, as he receives a vision from God that the plot will end in disaster.