The Flight of the Last Stuart King

In 1798, when Napoleon invades Rome, Cardinal Henry Stuart, the last direct heir of the royal House of Stuart, is forced to flee south to seek refuge in the Kingdom of Naples. This is only the beginning of an adventurous two-year journey that drives him on to Sicily, Corfu, Padua and Venice, bringing him into contact with many key figures of the period, like Horatio Nelson, Lord and Lady Hamilton, the volatile Queen of Naples, the spy master Spiridion Foresti, the Ottoman commander Bey Abdul-Kadir and the reluctant Pope Pius VII, elected after a stormy conclave and crowned with a papier-mâché tiara. Set against the background of the Napoleonic wars and one of the most turbulent periods of change in European history, the flight of Henry IX, the Jacobite’s last Stuart king, is a little known and extraordinary story.

The Evolution of Aesthetic Medicine

The birth and exponential growth of aesthetic medicine has been phenomenal. Recent technical innovation in aesthetic devices and products, coupled with an ever-increasing awareness of physical appearance and a rise in disposable income has boosted the demand for this field of medicine beyond all expectations. Its market size is presently valued at USD 60 billion and is anticipated to continue to expand at a CAGR of 10%.

Now comes a book, written by one of the pioneers of this field of medicine who started one of the first aesthetic clinics in the world from his apartment in Dublin in 1999. Since then, he has built clinics around the world and won multiple international awards for his own innovations and advanced techniques, including ‘Top Aesthetic Physician in the World’ in 2019.

The Evil Truth of Nazism

A book which endeavours to reveal the truth of the evil Nazi regime, records the unsavoury reality of the occultic past of World War Two and explains why the Nazis rose to being nearly unstoppable.

A documented look at how evil nearly won!

The Enigma of Modern Italy

Forget the sunshine and pasta image of Italy, and discover a world of dark forces that conspire to undermine a vulnerable democracy.

Following their defeat in World War Two, the Italians set about restoring their shattered country to create the ‘economic miracle’ of the ’60s and establish a democratic republic. Yet all is not well. The ‘hot autumn’ crisis of 1969 unleashes deep-rooted protests from workers and students dissatisfied with the status quo. Events are further compounded by Fascist plots pitted against left wing terrorist attacks, all conspiring to bring down a fragile state. A state destabilized by self-serving politicians, intent on feathering their own nests at the citizens’ expense.

If you love intrigue, conspiracy and double-dealing, this book is for you.

South Benfleet

Look inside and find out…

Whom did the church bells ring for and why…?

Who grew up in Benfleet and became a renowned natural history film-maker?

What was the pen name of the creator of Impossible People?

Whose mother was denounced from the pulpit of St Mary’s and why?

Which flaky aristocrat trashed the Hoy just prior to the First World War?

Where was the first mini-roundabout in this country located?

Who saved the horses but not his boat?

What name connects Benfleet Hall in Essex with the one in Surrey?

Who fought with the Canadian ‘Rough Riders’ in the First World War?

What was only second in size to that in Peterborough?

What was the favourite colour of Lily Tingey?

How many voters were on the electoral roll for South Benfleet in the 1832 elections?

Who was chastised for landing on the wreck of Richard Montgomery?

What was the pen name of William Mecham?

Who built their own ferro-cement ketch and sailed the world?

Who got dumped in the horse trough and what was the pretext?

Amongst other things…

Some Corner of a Foreign Field

“Even after capture, the full horrors of war still persisted. Bombed and strafed by our own planes, and shelled by our own artillery, the words ‘For you the war is over, Tommy,’ had a hollow ring…November 1942, after five months in Suani Ben Adem, we sailed from Tripoli, en route to Naples. We were held in the hold of a coal boat, battened down, with only a few buckets for sanitation purposes. Packed in like sardines, we would have had no chance of survival, had the ship come under attack from the Royal Navy, not an uncommon occurrence.”

These are the words of Private Bill Blewitt, 1st Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters, captured near Gazala in the Western Desert. He survived his capture, but over a thousand did not.

Laid to rest alongside the battle casualties in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries in Italy are these prisoners of war. They died from neglected wounds or diseases, were accidentally or deliberately shot both inside and outside their camps or were victims of friendly fire incidents. Some lost their lives when trying to cross the mountains to freedom, and some were betrayed by spies. Some had taken up arms again, had fought with the partisans and had died alongside them. Others had been captured whilst on dangerous missions and summarily executed. Many, but not all, have a name.

Six of the Best

Suffer with Richard the Lionheart in the desert – fight alongside William Wallace at Stirling Bridge – set sail with Lord Nelson – stand your ground with the Duke of Wellington – fly high with Albert Ball VC – and defy the Nazis with ‘Big X’…

Hark back to our distant and not so distant past and read about the audacious, courageous and defiant deeds of six Great British heroes. Spanning our island history from the middle ages to the Second World War, these pithy and punchy biographies tell their glorious, moving and sometimes shocking stories.

Striking a determined blow against modern political correctness, Sean Brunton’s book will restore your faith in men, Britain and life.

Six Miles from Home

Six Miles from Home chronicles the compelling events of one of the UK's worst urban air disasters that claimed the lives of 72 passengers and crew. Drawing on 20 years of meticulous research and extensive interviews with all those involved, the author has produced a truly remarkable and compelling book. Full of suspense and high drama, it tells a powerful account of death and survival, with compassion and understanding that leaves the reader with lasting images. As an analysis of the disaster and how it changed lives forever, this account is an important social record. The book is the achievement of a skilful writer who is passionate about his subject. This is the author's fourth book on civilian aviation accidents; in addition, he has contributed numerous articles on the subject for newspapers and magazines. He has also taken part in a number of television documentaries. Based in Cheshire, his previous books include, The Munich Air Disaster, which deals with the Manchester United tragedy; and The Devil Casts His Net, which chronicles the events surrounding the Winter Hill air disaster.

Sigeric and His Journey to Rome: The Via Francigena, 990 AD

Walking long distance across a large part of Europe is quite daunting. You tell your friends you’re going to walk from the southeastern-most tip of the UK across France, over the massive range of the Alps and down to Rome and they look at you as though you are crazy. But what would your friends have thought a thousand years ago? Rome must have seemed remote and the journey quite terrifying. Life now is very different from that of the described short, nasty and brutish tenth century. But was it so bad? This book follows two travellers as they set off from Canterbury on their journey to the eternal city of Rome. One is Archbishop Sigeric, who journeyed to Rome in AD 990 to collect the pallium that conferred the Pope’s authority on him, and the other is now in the 21^st century, a thousand years later treading in his footprints. Has the road changed much?

Scramble for Crowns

At the start of the modern era, almost every European country was a monarchy – but today they are clearly a minority. What has caused this dramatic change? In Scramble for Crowns, Mark Antony Shead considers this question and more as he looks at a range of royals from across the continent and sees who seized, kept or lost their crowns, or attempted to make or recreate one for themselves. And once they had a crown, what next? How would Europe’s modern royals react in a crisis? Their actions could strengthen or undermine their monarchy and their country; but sometimes they seemed almost powerless against the greater forces at work in the modern world.

Europe’s kings and queens, emperors and princes, have faced assassination, revolutions and wars. And in challenging times, would they see dictatorship as something to be embraced or overcome? Some would have the opportunity to shape the future of their country, only for their objectives to be fatally brought to a sudden halt. By the end of this book, the reader can begin to see for themselves which of these royals would come out on top in modern Europe’s scramble for crowns.

Robin Hood - The New Evidence

The story of Robin Hood is very well known. Writers and historians have been reading and rewriting it, analysing and altering it since Ritson published his version in 1795, more than 200 years ago. The story has been published in many forms, including books, films, TV and radio programs, articles held in the World Wide Web and probably many others. As far as can be ascertained, they all have two things in common: they all contain many errors and they all fail to explain a number of mysteries.

In his book, Geoff Wilson has corrected many of the errors and has explained many of the mysteries. This he has done by accessing many surprising sources of evidence, including, for example, the British Geological Survey, aerial photography and by following on foot several of Robin Hood’s journeys described in the ballads. Practical tests were also carried out. The author’s sons (both quite young at the time) were encouraged to shout at the top of their voices in one particular location to test if sounds do in fact echo in the valleys. They do.

Among the mysteries solved are the identities of Sir Richard at the Lee and the location of Verysdale and the Village of Lee. The ‘fayre castell’ described in the Gest is also identified, as is the chapel in Barnsdale dedicated to Mary Magdalene and described in stanza 440 of the Gest. One mystery which remains unresolved, however, is the identity of Robin himself. Perhaps he is, after all, just a yeoman named Robin Hood, although the claims of an alternative candidate are seriously considered.

Rhyme and Reason

Why was a baby in a treetop? Who was Georgie Porgie, the little boy blue, Mary Mary? Little Jack Horner’s family continued to enjoy the plum property he took from those intended for Henry VIII, until the 20th century.

The 20 rhymes in this book show how parliament and king battled over taxation, the authority of kings, religion. Humpty played a part in the English Civil War.

Gain an understanding of history from medieval times through to the 1700s through these rhymes and their stories.

Understand how a nursery rhyme we recite today started life as a political comment and was passed down through the years until now we have forgotten the politics.

Parents, grandparents, and teachers will find the origin of these rhymes fascinating.