As the Second World War loomed, everyone expected it would bring a new kind of conflict to Britain. Raids by airships in the First World War and the attack on Guernica in the Spanish Civil War had given a terrifying taste of what was to come. So when war was declared in September 1939 massive air raids against civilians were anticipated. Cities and strategic ports were the first to be hit. London was a major target throughout the war. But it was not only the capital that suffered: on 8 November 1940, 30,000 incendiary bombs rained down on Coventry, laying waste to the city, including, famously, its cathedral. Port cities such as Plymouth, Bristol and Liverpool also suffered especially badly. In "Blitz Diary" historian Carol Harris has collected together a remarkable series of accounts from the war's darkest days, with heart-warming stories of survival, perseverance, solidarity and bravery, the preservation of which becomes increasingly important as the Blitz fades from living memory.

When Christine Cuss (nee Pierce) was born in 1934, her doting father began a journal addressed to her. At first, he recorded everyday details such as first teeth and family holidays, but as the 1930s progressed his words took on a more sinister tone, as Europe and the world prepared for war. As well as being a rare historical document, "Notes to my Daughter" shows another side to the Second World War. It was written by a man who was torn between his duty to his country and his to his family. In a poignant and heart-warming turn of events, at every crossroads Alexander Pierce chose his family, not least his only daughter, Christine. This little family is an example of the spirit and determination of the British people through difficult times. Old or young, the sentiments expressed in these loving entries to a cherished child will not fail to touch and move all who read them, and open a window into the extraordinary life of an ordinary family.