The Friday Digest brings you the best of the week's history news gathered from the experts:
* There are a lot of iconic buildings up for sale at the moment, last week it was Brompton tube station and this week, the former War Office building in Whitehall, where British leaders made plans during the two world wars and the Cold War, is to be sold 'for more than £100m'.
* A collection of touching letters between two brothers in WWII have recently been discovered. One brother was a pacifist whose Quaker beliefs prevented him fighting in the Second World War, the other signed up took part in the gruelling campaigns to push the Germans out of North Africa and then Italy. Despite their differences, the brothers shared a close bond, as demonstrated by their letters which continued throughout the war up until May 1946.
* 40 maps that will help you make sense of the world. As this article says, maps are a really easy way to bring data to life and I completely agree, I think this flag map of the world is my favourite...
* The streets of Los Angeles are filled with cars (nearly 2.5 million in fact) but whilst roads are a key part of the LA landscape, not many people know about the historic 'Los Angeles stairs' which connect Silver Lake to the city. This is all about to change thanks to the work of Charles Fleming, an LA Times editor who has spent years researching and mapping the stairways which played a key role in the Oscar winning comedy, The Music Box. It is amazing how much history is hidden in plain sight!
* With the ever-growing popularity of programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are, more and more people are delving into their family history to try and find out more about where they came from. BBC History has shared some really useful tips on how to begin your family search, I particularly like the idea of recording family stories, it would be amazing for future generations to hear their history being told by an ancestor.
* A 400-year-old-shipwreck found off the coast of Dorset could be the most significant find since the Mary Rose but its identity and how it came to its meet its end remain a mystery. The team behind the project are hoping that the rudder from the Swash Channel Wreck (named after its location) will provide a valuable clue when it is recovered from the sea bed.
* A new archaeological excavation will take place at Chedworth Roman villa in Gloucestershire, between 19 - 30 August, in an attempt to uncover floor mosaics. These mosaics were last uncovered in the 1960s but records of the dig have not survived and so further work is needed to assess the extent of conservation needed at the site.
* As the anniversary of the beginning of the First World War draws nearer, Germany has intervened in the debate over how to mark the centenary of the First World War, with a call for Britain not to make its commemorations too celebratory.
* A collection of poems, sketches and jokes penned by dozens of wounded soldiers have emerged almost a century after the conflict ended. The works were compiled by a nurse, Sister Doris “Dolly” Derham, using contributions from patients at the Duston War Hospital, a converted asylum on the outskirts of Northampton and this journal reveals WWI veterans at their most reflective - and ribald.
* The Guardian looks at the lost art of handwriting.
* BookVibe is the latest book recommendation site which analyses the books your friends are talking about on Twitter and Facebook to help you discover new books to read.
* An Russian designer has turned Fitzgerald's American classic into a jazz-inspired typography experiment.
* Why is self-publishing still being scorned by literary awards?
* How writers can steal the literary thunder back from celebrity authors...
* Can a 2,500-year-old author still retain the moral copyright on his main character? The many faces of Achilles...
* Roy Adkins gives you 13 reasons why you wouldn't want to live in Jane Austen's England...
* The reign of the The White Queen is over as the BBC confirms that the show will not be returning for a second series. If the show has sparked an interest in the Plantagenet period, read more about the real story of Elizabeth Woodville here and discover what happened next for the White Queen and The White Princess here.
* A judge has warned that the Richard III burial row 'could descend into second War of the Roses' as the debate continues about whether his remains should be buried in York or Leicester.
Where do you think Richard III should be buried?
* 'De-extinction' is a topic that has been under discussion for many years, ever since the release of the Jurassic Park film some 20 years ago and some scientists are now seriously considering the possibility of bringing back extinct animals. But can it be done, and if so, what would be the use? (Headline of the week must be awarded to Andy Roast for 'De-extinction: Mammoth prospect, or just woolly?' too, it caused a lot of amusement in the office!)
* Can we (and indeed should we) judge people of past eras for 'moral failings'?
* There was consternation this week as Shropshire Council proposed a bid to build houses directly in the shadow of one of Britain’s best preserved hillforts: Old Oswestry Iron Age Hillfort in north west Shropshire.
* England's first football captain was arguably the greatest sportsman of his - or perhaps any - era. Cuthbert Ottaway lifted the FA Cup as skipper of Oxford University, represented them at five different sports ranging from athletics to real tennis, and once shared a 150-run partnership with WG Grace in the highest level of cricket. His most notable achievement was captaining England in the first ever international football match though.
With this standard of sporting achievements, you would think that every British sports fan would know his name but Ottaway's remarkable history has remained hidden, until now.
Which history and publishing stories have you enjoyed reading this week?