A Bare Chronicle of Existence

On the very same day as his brother, Arnold enrolled to serve in WW1. He signed up for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves and in April 1915 set sail on HMS India. A few short months later, he found himself floating in the North Sea. This is his story and the story of the men who found themselves interned in Norway for the remainder of the war. It is a story of loneliness and love. Of conflict and of isolation. It is a story from WW1 that is rarely told but one that deserves to be.

A Broken Childhood

When you have been abused, you do not know what love really means. All you know is abuse and terror.
When people do eventually show love, it is difficult to understand why.
Love does not make sense to an abused child. Did you know that?
Trust is another challenge; it is so hard to trust anybody. Having been abused myself, I found it very difficult to trust anybody, even my parents.
Not being believed was another concern – I was afraid that I would never be believed. This fear grew even more when I had to give evidence in court. Even the lawyers did not believe me until I exposed all the injuries on my head, having to remove my wig. There were over eight of them. It was shocking.
But there is hope for an abused victim. You can live again…

A Challenger's Song

A sensitive and lovingly told story mixing fact, action, letters, journals, song and oral history.
Pearson writes with a rich clarity and intelligence about his great grandfather, Charlie Collins, the boy who ran away to sea to become head stoker on the celebrated scientific expedition of the HMS Challenger (1872-76). Finding his feet as a blacksmith back in Brighton with wife Mary and family, we learn about the joys, hardships and everyday heroism of their lives within the grand sweep of 19th Century history.
Andrea Watts, writer and creative writing tutor

In 1872, HMS Challenger, powered by sail and steam, left Portsmouth for an epic voyage of ocean exploration. A Challenger’s Song combines a lifetime reimagined with a fresh account of the voyage seen through the eyes of the crew and scientists, drawing on their own letters and accounts.

‘I had read about the voyage of HMS Challenger before, but this combination of imaginative reconstruction and factual information for me shed a new light on life for those on board ... my appreciation of the men and boys whose hard work kept the Challenger going, and made possible the collection of samples which led to a transformation of our understanding of the deep oceans, was increased enormously ... The sea shanty section at the end is a nice bonus!
Angela Colling, Editor, Ocean Challenge.

A Glimpse of North Sudan

North Sudan is a largely unknown, thought-to-be-unsafe land. A Glimpse of North Sudan aims to correct that. This book is far more than a travelogue. From diaries and photographs of a safe, non-alcoholic, wonderful holiday, it tells of a short tour of a smiling poor people with an ancient, frequently violent history, pyramids and tombs in royal cemeteries with wonderful paintings and reliefs to behold. It is a largely desert country but where the Blue and White Niles combine to form a majestic life-giving river on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, there are descriptions of black Sudanese pharaohs of Egypt, the lifestyle of a Bedouin family along with British involvement in ruling the country (a section on the Battle of Omdurman led by Kitchener with a young, ambitious Winston Churchill in the ranks) and of the civil wars since independence in 1956. Finally, it suggests a way out of the cul-de-sac of poverty and deprivation. This book is a must-read for the general-interest reader of a forgotten, though fascinating, land.

A Happé Ending

Every life comes to an end. It's inevitable. But not all deaths have to mean the end, they can also create new beginnings. When Nicola met Pete in her local pub, she never thought they'd be married with two kids within three years and she'd be widowed within ten. This is a true story of life, death, sadness, grief, irony and strength. And ultimately happiness. Life isn't easy and dealing with death is even harder.

A New Reality and One Year Without You

This book is divided into two different sections. The first section is about the time when Nan first fell ill, how we all dealt with it as a family and how we looked after Nan throughout the duration of her illness. The second section is about Nan’s passing; from the day she passed away right through the whole of the first year and how I personally dealt with it.

I felt the need to write a book about it because, whether we have faced it or are yet to, it is inevitable that everyone will experience the grief of losing a loved one at some point in their life.

More importantly, I wrote this book in the hope that my words and experiences that I share here will help someone who is currently going through what I went through.

– Rianna Webster

A Nice Quiet Life

This is the story of my grandfather’s life in the Merchant Navy, originally written by him during his retirement. He was a Marine Engineer from 1908 to 1945. This book describes a lifetime of adventure, hardship, and joy on all the different ships that he sailed, from grand liners to rusty hulks. He survived the two world wars, the depression of the 1930s, and at one time he even took his family to sea with him.

He sailed on the Oceanic, the Olympic, the Britannic, and almost sailed on the Titanic. During the First World War he spent some time as a volunteer tugboat engineer at the Gallipoli Landings and later saved a ship from sinking from a torpedo strike. During the Second World War he survived two shipwrecks from torpedo strikes and avoided another sinking, thanks to the Enigma code breakers. He met a whole variety of people throughout the world during his career and often gave humorous talks in many ports that he visited around the world.

This book also gives some details on the ships he sailed and a small window into the events, and the world at those times.

A View from the West Upper

This book will take Arsenal and football fans through a magical journey from spring 1995 right through to spring 2017. It describes the level of change in society whilst supporting a 21^st-century football club and business.

It highlights how people interact and how we look at change, but also demonstrates how important security can be too. We explore the club’s adventure on and off the field through ambition, hope, risk and success, all cross-referenced to our daily real-life journey.

This account will make you think back to those early days of change whilst making you laugh and appreciate how fortunate we are to support this great club and business.

Regardless of how long you have been supporting Arsenal, this book will be a hugely entertaining read.

A Wild Life: The Edwin Wiek Story

Edwin Wiek is a true wildlife warrior. A rebel from childhood, this Dutchman is the founder of Asia's largest multispecies wildlife rescue centre, a fearless interrupter of illicit wildlife trafficking and an advisor to the Thai government on animal law reform. This was not always his life. A serious car accident led him to turn his back on a 'perfect', easy living in the fashion business in the search for meaning. He has been raided, arrested several times, injured and threatened, but his focus is unwavering. Edwin has been featured liberally on Bondi Vet, Animal Planet and National Geographic and ABC's Foreign Correspondent. He is rude, rebellious and recalcitrant, but no one has done more in Asia to give so many rescued animals as close to a wild life as possible. No holds are barred in this thorough biography of a remarkable game-changer.

Against the Grain

Frank Newman Turner, the son of Yorkshire tenant farmers, seldom ploughed a conventional furrow. Faced with a run-down West Country farm and escalating veterinary bills for an ailing herd of cattle, he abandoned the conventions of his orthodox agricultural training and set about restoring the health of his farm’s soil and livestock by working with nature, rather than against it.

His story reveals the ups and downs of going against the grain of orthodox beliefs and practices in farming, animal and human health, and militarism. What drives one to stand against a social torrent that’s rushing in the opposite direction? What can those of us carrying forward the message of environmental conservation and wholesome, sustainable food production learn from the efforts of Frank Newman Turner?

Age of Storms: The Making of a European

“You are an enemy of the state,” my teacher, Comrade Novak, told me flatly.

We were in a classroom at the Prague 5 Elementary School, a large, new building on the hill above Hlubocepy Village that stood as a showcase of the Communist regime. Teachers there were selected for their loyalty. I was 13 years old and about to complete my eight years of compulsory education. When my comrade teacher had asked me to stay behind in the classroom, I’d expected to be praised for my good exam results. Instead, I stood before him, stunned by his unexpected outburst and transfixed by his face, which was suddenly contorted with hate. I was so scared that I went rigid, unable to respond. Children were taught that the regime was ruthless to its enemies – of which, it seemed, I was now one.

An American Comedian Lost In Bavaria

Travelling is one of the great pleasures in life. You are completely anonymous which means you can act like an idiot, say stupid things, wear a big ugly T-shirt, then go home and brag about how savvy you are. But when you live in a foreign country, you’re an idiot 24 hours a day. The language is the first hurdle, good luck with that. The few things you get right celebrate them, post them on FB for your friends to see. So they think you’re doing well in your new life living abroad. After a few years, your friends will say things like “I could never live in a foreign country” and you will become defensive. “Good, then don’t move here.” But don’t give up on acclimating, over time things will get better. You will start to learn new words in another language, then use them inappropriately which will make people laugh. You’ll make new friends who you can’t talk to because a simple sentence takes forever, and no one has an hour to listen to you. People will start to wave to avoid talking to you. If you’re lucky some will speak your language and you’ll stick to them like glue. You’ll know you’re beginning to fit in when you stop asking for ketchup. But no matter what you do or how long you stay, you’ll always be a fish out of water.