White Slave

A man who is 6'6" and nearly 400 pounds casts a big shadow. Charles 'Big Chick' Huntsberry lived beneath his own shadow. He always set out to be the best at what he was doing, to be the top dog. When Chick wins an arm-wrestling contest, it leads him to a profession as a bouncer at the big campus bar. Rumours start to spread about the huge bouncer at the club. Chick starts hearing stories about a guy who would fight a whole motorcycle club and turn over cars. The person in these stories turns out to be Chick himself. An old bouncing associate calls Chick and tells him about a music artist who is looking for a bodyguard. Chick, needing a change, tries it out. The rest is music history.

Your Face My Light: Maurice Zundel, the Gospel of Man

Maurice Zundel (1897-1975), Swiss writer, priest and theologian, addresses himself not only to practising believers but to all those who, in a humanity and a Church in crisis, are seeking for a transcendent meaning or purpose to existence. Marginalised by the Catholic Church for his unorthodox, modernist views which present the individual as the source of his own freedom and becoming. Zundel's existential approach to 'being' is complemented by a profound spirituality of interiority and discovery of one's 'person' as the route to true encounter with the 'other'. The 'self' is also the 'creative source' which seeks itself through creative and artistic endeavour. These multiple facets of a theology attuned to the modern world and psyche, combined with a strong ecumenism embracing Islam encountered through long periods in Egypt and Lebanon, have ensured Zundel a huge following. Yet he is hardly known in the English-speaking world. The present book seeks to fill this void. It combines an introduction to Zundel's thinking by reference to his life and person with an analysis of selected extracts from his work translated by the author into English.

Yvonne, Child of the Somme

Yvonne Millet was born into poverty in Paris during La Belle Époque, in the shadow of Notre-Dame cathedral. Taken to a childminder in the countryside a few days after birth, she became a ward of state at the age of three when her mother disappeared. A stable childhood in the beautiful Somme region of northern France was shattered when, aged fifteen, she was sent to work as a maid in a military town, during the First World War. Her devastating experiences would change her life and haunt her forever.

As a troubled young woman facing a precarious future, chance led Yvonne to marry a former British soldier. Hopes of fulfilment with a husband and family were marred by profound insecurities and the Second World War.

A moving, true account of one girl’s formative years in early 20th century France, Yvonne, Child of the Somme is also the story of thousands of children like her, who shared a similar fate. Most were too ashamed of their background ever to reveal their heart-rending stories. The echoes of their pain reverberated down the generations, unexplained.

‘Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.’

― Søren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher, 1813-55

British Sporting Champions

You do not leave school one day and win an Olympic gold medal the next. This book is about 50 sporting champions and how they got started. It contains a biography of each followed by their career records. It shows in detail their achievements from school, youth, under 20, under 30, to seminar level, from county, area, national and international honours. It is a multi-sport book that should appeal to multi-sport lovers.

Fire - Floats and Fireboats

After his autobiography Beyond the Flames and his eclectic anthology London's Firefighters, David C. Pike's latest book about the London Fire Brigade, Fire-Floats and Fireboats, takes as its focus the history of firefighting on the river Thames. Starting in Roman times and bringing the story right up to the present day, Pike's comprehensive survey charts the astonishing evolution of the vessels used to combat fire from the river, pays homage to the intrepid crews of these often unwieldy craft, and vividly recreates some of the most devastating conflagrations the capital has ever seen.With more than 250 fascinating illustrations, Fire-Floats and Fireboats is certain to appeal to lovers of London and aficionados of history and technology, but will also be enjoyed by a wide range of general readers.

Peter Philips at the Archdukes' Court: Church Music in the Spanish Netherlands

This is the first published study of the church music of Peter Philips, who in his day was regarded as one of the greatest masters of music in Europe. Philips wrote against a background of the strife between Catholics and Protestants, and – being of the Roman persuasion – he chose to leave his native England and eventually settled at the court of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella in Brussels, where he acted as organist. This study explores the manner in which music changed from Renaissance style to that of the early Baroque.

That's Livin' Alright: A Biography on David Mackay

As in most industries and businesses that are successful, there are the individuals that are out front and take most of the credit for being resourceful, creative and innovative. These can be people that welcome or seek the spotlight of fame and notoriety or simply those that have it thrust upon them by circumstances beyond their control but in most cases, there is usually a driving force behind their success, a clever machine that dominates the whole concept of achievement, ultimately instigated by one person of foresight and of a gifted talent. This is the case of Australian Record Producer DAVID MACKAY, as he is the man responsible for so many hit records and TV themes around the world. This is his story with many contributions from the stars he has worked with such as, Barry Gibb, Bonnie Tyler, Sir Cliff Richard, Francis Rossi and Eve Graham (New Seekers).

The Day I Chose to Live

You know that shy, quiet boy? The one with the knobbly knees, bobbly elbows and a silly haircut? Well, that was me. I was an intelligent child and a decent enough sportsman. I had plenty of friends but I didn’t smile a lot. I’m not a boy who had a tough upbringing. To all intents and purposes, my childhood was idyllic. I was afforded every opportunity and never wanted for anything. I was born into a loving family and grew up in leafy suburbia, a far cry from anything that could be seen as deprivation or hardship. I lacked a little confidence but really the world should have been mine to make of it what I wanted. I should have been full of excitement and enthusiasm for my life ahead, but unfortunately happiness continued to elude me and I became preoccupied with one obsession. My desire to be dead.

The Hop About

A man, an amputee, a dual amputee, wanders the West alone on half of a foot to discover what life has to offer. He takes off, running the only way he still knows how, in a car. A car procured from selling his prosthetic leg (the expensive one) on eBay.This true tale follows him on an adventure to angelic views in Zion National Park, to the top of the world in Death Valley, to mingling with the rainbow people, to pushing himself around in a wheelchair on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada. The story turns back to how he found himself ‘hopping’ about and the drug addiction which caused it.While purposely estranged from his family, he learns mingling with others to accept differences and to resist judgement. Also, the deep importance of family. And most importantly that ‘we are not defined by our mistakes’.

Wild Imaginings: A Brontë Childhood

This book will take you into the lives of the six Brontë children who were raised in Haworth Parsonage on the edge of the West Yorkshire Moors. Discover the world of a Victorian childhood and how the children dealt with isolation, the harsh education system and death. Read about how the children used the graveyard surrounding their garden as a playground and how they found solace in making up stories of imaginary islands, kingdoms and people. Reality and imagination mingled and spread so that they lived in a fantasy world of ghosts, horror, religion, disease, war, scientific discovery, love and humor; here anything could happen. Learn about the background to the childhood of those who were to become such remarkable authors. This book is as accurate in its factual content as it is fascinating in its fantasy.

A Shower of Shite

A Shower of Shite offers a gripping biographical narrative that charts the tumultuous journey of two parents as they navigate through a relentless storm of trials brought upon by their children. Their story, akin to the dramatic arcs of a British soap opera, unfolds with tragic twists and turns, an unceasing cascade of events that would seem overdrawn if not for their stark reality. These challenges, though uninvited and not of their own making, are met with a resilience that speaks to the profound sense of duty and unwavering compassion inherent in parental love. It’s a testament to the silent oath etched in the very fabric of biological bonds, a commitment to defend, sometimes even the indefensible, against the odds, all told with a humourous look back at life events faced by the family.

Three in a Bed

Within this third and final publication of the Franklin Family Trilogy, we follow the life, events and achievements of Reginald Peter along with his long-suffering partner Ruth, who is in the process of serving out a life sentence. Reg and Ruth may be regarded as an ordinary couple within a loving family, but however one may regard him, there is nothing normal about Reg and certainly nothing fictional about this story!