"HISTORY is more or less bunk" Henry Ford famously said in an interview to the Chicago Tribune but the millions of viewers who tuned into Simon Schama or David Starkey's documentary series on television would disagree.

And so would author Robert Lacey whose latest book Great Tales from English History was published on September 25.

In the book, Lacey has selected stories from the era when our ancestors were cannibals up to the first rebellion which brought thousands to the streets of London against the poll tax in the 14th century and shows how enjoyable they are to read.

Like Schama and Starkey, Lacey focuses on the personalities, including Alfred the Great, Lady Godiva and Richard Lionheart.

For every tale, Lacey consulted the best available contemporary sources and eyewitness accounts so that the famous stories of King Alfred and the cakes, the Norman Conquest, Becket's murder in the cathedral and the Black Death are related.

Great tales include descriptions of battles and wars starring King Harold, William the Conqueror, Richard I and the Black Prince.

He also cites many examples where English medieval history is particularly relevant to our current lives such as the growth of our freedoms and our Parliamentary system.

To celebrate this new book, the Shuttle/News and Times has joined with the publisher's Time Warner Books UK to offer a copy of this book to the winner of our weekly crossword competition for the next three months.

After that period the Shuttle/Times and News will be offering a new best-selling title from Time Warner Books UK.