THE COLDITZ MYTH by S P Mackenzie (Oxford University Press, £20) : COLDITZ has a lot to answer for when it comes to assessing what it was really like to be a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany.

While the image is all about plucky and resourceful POWs pulling the wool over the eyes of their incompetent but not over-harsh captors, the reality for many thousands of British and Commonwealth prisoners was entirely different. Far from life being a series of exciting or jolly escapades, it was more often a grim, boring, hand-to-mouth existence, with guards more likely to give you a bullet in the back than a pat on the shoulder if you attempted to escape. Based on prisoners' letters and diaries, and hundreds of unpublished government documents, this serious study gives a new slant on life behind the wire.

THE LIFE OF WALTER SKIRLAW by Glynne Jarratt (Highgate Publications, £16)

THE phrase "Land of the Prince Bishops" may be only a tourist gimmick nowadays but in the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Durham was one of the most powerful magnates in the realm, exercising both temporal and spiritual power and often acting as a principal adviser to the monarch. Walter Skirlaw, who was Bishop in the late 14th and early 15th centuries and who hailed from the East Riding village of Skir-Laugh, is a prime example, being not only a Bishop and a Prince but also a diplomat and schemer who plotted against the throne. This well-researched book offers a fascinating insight into the realities of power and politics some 600 years ago.

THE FLAWED ARCHITECT: HENRY KISSINGER AND AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY by Jussi M Hanhimaki (Oxford University Press, £20)

KISSINGER was the most powerful President America never had and as foreign relations supremo during the 1970s, made his voice heard and threw his weight about at the very highest level. For good, he got America out of Vietnam, opened relations with Communist China and oversaw the entente with the Soviet Union, and was hailed as a master statesman. For ill, his was the hand behind the secret bombing of Cambodia, he instigated the policies leading to the overthrow of Chile's President, Salvador Allende, and he is now branded a war criminal. But Jussi Hanhimaki looks beyond the public persona to reveal, as he says, an essentially flawed character, a power and secrecy obsessive who let these passions get the better of him on many occasions. Flawed he may have been, but this makes fascinating reading.

COMPLETE BOOK OF SPELLS by Cassandra Eason (Foulsham/Quantum, £19.99)

POSITIVE magic and positive energy are there at your fingertips if you know how to tap into these forces, and Cassandra Eason's comprehensive spell collection could hold the key to a new life for you. This user-friendly guide draws on Ancient Egyptian, Scandinavian and Celtic magic and through spells, rites and rituals offers the chance to open pathways to happiness, love, healing, success and protection and to provide a better life for yourself.

THE WITCH'S ALMANAC 2005 by Maris Bryce (Foulsham, £9.99)

PRACTISING white witch Marie Bruce offers a practical guide to making 2005 your magical year. With belief and commitment and with due attention to the appropriate spells and rituals, you can enjoy positive and beneficial influences every day of the year, enhance your spiritual well-being and make a more positive contribution to the world.

Published: 02/11/2004