World War II

Inspired by my father’s memories and those of my own, I undertook to assemble the stories of several persons on World War II. I happened to be connected in one way or the other to those people. This war has and still does impress upon me because of the madness of its initiators, the unreserved support by the mass of the German population, the collaboration of traitors and the resistance by the right ones.

The latter deserve our respect.

Women Forgotten in History

Women Forgotten in History unveils the captivating narratives of extraordinary women whose stories have been marginalized and obscured throughout time. As we reflect on history, it becomes apparent that the majority of names we encounter are those of men. But does this imply that women have contributed little or led uneventful lives? Or is it rather an indication that their achievements and stories have been obscured and overshadowed throughout the ages?

Within the pages of this enlightening book, a tapestry of forgotten stories comes to life. From ancient Egyptian pharaohs to courageous teenagers who defied Nazi occupation, a diverse tapestry of women emerges from the shadows, these women reclaim their rightful place in history's narrative. Some forged inspiring paths as activists for noble causes, while others left a more morally complex legacy, their stories often veiled in mystery and legend.

Despite their contrasting backgrounds and experiences, these women share a common thread: their captivating stories and the tragic reality that their lives and accomplishments have been forgotten or deliberately obscured with the passage of time. However, within their tales lie profound inspiration waiting to be rediscovered. Women Forgotten in History invites readers to embrace the richness of these forgotten narratives, to honour these remarkable women, and to find in their stories a wellspring of empowerment and motivation.

Twenty Cars that Defined the 20th Century

On the 29 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo triggering events leading to the outbreak of the First World War. Less well known is that the car he was in was a borrowed Graf + Stift Double Phaeton, that the route was published in advance, and the decision to lower the hood was only taken at the last minute. As with the other events in this book, the car played a central role, yet its history is largely unknown. These cars not only had their own stories in terms of design, ownership, and the role they played but they are also a way of telling the story of the events themselves – they are literally a vehicle for history.

In this book James Morrison takes 20 cars involved in twenty key 20^th century world events and examines their involvement and history to provide a new angle and fascinating insights.  

Tightrope: Finland and Hungary in the Cold War

Finland and Hungary both fought on the losing side in WWII. Yet the former was able to resist the overwhelming power of its Soviet neighbour, while Hungary, whose status was uncertain until 1947, was not. Could the revolt of 1956 have been a turning point? How did the Helsinki Accords contribute to the end of the Cold War?

They Never Reigned

British kings and queens are famous today. But many heirs to the British throne never became the actual king or queen due to various quirks of fate. This is their story. The stories include the oldest son of William the Conqueror, who lost the chance to become king because he was off fighting in the First Crusade; the White Ship disaster of 1120, England’s medieval Titanic, in which the sole male heir to the throne, and many others, drowned; an intrepid woman who nearly became queen in her own right four centuries before a woman actually did so; two princes who should have become a second King Arthur; the romantic warrior known to history as the Black Prince; the Princes in the Tower, who were supposedly murdered by King Richard III; the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots, beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I after an utterly unfair trial; James, who was born the heir and then was overthrown while still a baby, and was later known as the Old Pretender; a beloved Nineteenth Century princess who tragically died in childbirth at the age of 21; and many more.

Who suspected that the heirs who never reigned are every bit as interesting as those who did reign?

The Unpredictable Past

Visiting the past would be akin to visiting a foreign country; the people speak in different tongues, dress in unfamiliar garbs, and behave in an alien manner. Just like visiting a foreign country, seemingly universal truths would get shattered upon impact. Our imaginations often prove incapable of fully grasping the all-encompassing cultural aspects that are present in a foreign country.

Throughout this book, you will be guided through a foreign past to see how our modern world has been shaped by the often-unpredictable whims of fate, chance occurrences and downright luck. In each chapter, you will travel to a new region and time period, being globally guided through eras ranging from European antiquity to twentieth-century Japan.

It is often said that one only appreciates home after having been abroad. By the same token, you will increase your understanding and appreciation for the present after having delved into The Unpredictable Past.

The Start: Origin of Civilisation

Questions have always been raised about the origins of the world’s first civilisation and why they chose such an inhospitable land to start their quest. The people looked and sounded different from the surrounding clans and seemed to appear from nowhere. They didn’t just survive, they prospered and built cities with advanced methods of agriculture not even attained today in the region. This book provides evidence of where they came from: an indigenous people of both the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf Oasis, a fertile land rich in animals and vegetation. This was eventually consumed by the world's rising sea levels in 7,200 BC, forcing the apocalypse-stricken populace to abandon their home and seek refuge in the rest of the surrounding higher lands. They brought with them advancements never seen before whilst utilising the sparse raw materials at their disposal.

The Sacred Divine Mothers (Iyami)

Reading this book will stretch the boundaries of sacred knowledge as you immerse yourself in a primordial ocean of revelations.

Our Mothers (Iyami) are the super powerful cosmological Divine Mothers (Super Goddesses), who throughout the annals of history are known by a thousand names. They are the right-hand counsel to the Supreme Creator, an inextricable force of creation who sustain all life.

The name Iyami relates to the Yoruba religion of West Africa, yet their expansiveness is worldwide, having been revered throughout the woman’s mysteries since time immemorial. They were present on Earth before humans arrived here. They are considered cosmic, primordial and ancestral, their essence is multi-layered.

Throughout history, we find them in roles of great power, counsels to the ruling elite, or as matrilineal High Priestesses. Their aim is to ensure justice, harmony and balance in the inner and outer realms, guaranteeing the survival of not only this planet, but others in the universal eco-system encompassing every being who fights to maintain the light of the Creator.

His-story has committed acts of genocide against the Divine Feminine hierarchy in subduing and usurping her station in favour of a materialistic and violent patriarchal system. Any woman who exhibited her innate feminine magical powers became hunted, tortured, killed and labelled as witches. Yet now it is time, more so than ever, for the Divine Feminine Iyami to return and to rise once more here on Earth, as is the birthright for every female alive today and their children’s children.

The Living History of Medicine

The history of medicine is a living one and involves much more than reflecting on the battles that have been won or lost in the ever-changing struggle against disease. The living history really lies within man himself and too often the human side of this story is neglected. As doctors, we have been trained to focus on the signs of disease and consequently, we pay little attention to the people who discovered them. When we read in our pathology texts about the interesting triad of defects in an illness such as Hand-Schuller-Christian disease, we tend to forget about the doctors who faced great personal hardships to bring us the information we now use to treat the disorder.

Dr Treacy is recognised as one of the most influential aesthetic practitioners in the world. He was awarded ‘Top Aesthetic Practitioner in the World’ (2019) and ‘Doctor of the Year’ UK & Ireland (2019). In this fascinating book, he takes us on a journey with Osler’s famed ‘Goddess of Medicine’ and explains how she is continually on the move, fleeing from battles, tyranny, and oppression, seeking to find a home where man can have study pathology in peace. She has moved from Edinburgh to Dublin, from London to Vienna, from Berlin to Maryland, then onwards to California to guide doctors in the wonders of new technologies, translating the genetic blueprint, manipulating defects in the data code of our existence and help us all fight the more complex diseases like the coronaviruses of the new millennium.

The Great History of the Manor Bouchove Part 2: The Pearl on the River Meuse

We live in a house in the centre of a small village. With its stately façades and turret, the villagers sweetly call it châtelet. Before us, French noblesse have stayed in it, gentry with impressive estates in France. During dozens of holiday trips, we have located and documented all of it. But that didn’t give any answer to the question: How to present it in a digestible… no, in a captivating manner?
How to abridge the centuries and how to connect the turbulent history of Europe with everyday life in the village?
For that purpose, I introduced a family of estate stewards employed by the Masters of Bouchove. After all, masters come and go, but stewards stay. Besides clerks, marketers and a villain.
Thus I got a story line and could start processing the numerous bits and pieces of information into three volumes that describe the rich history of Bouchove.

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.