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  A Vatican Lifeline '44 - Allied...

  William Simpson

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  A memoir of an Allied soldier and former POW in Rome, and the unexpected support he received from the Italian people—and from a heroic Catholic monsignor.   It is a widely held belief that the Italians in the Second World War failed to win much in the way of martial glory. But the scoffers tend to overlook the fact that most Italians had little or no feeling of animosity toward the Allies—and to wage war against an enemy with whom you have no quarrel is a contradiction in terms.   This contradiction is vividly portrayed in William Simpson’s dramatic account of his time in Rome after the downfall of Mussolini and Italy’s withdrawal from the war in September 1943, when thousands of Allied prisoners of war, let loose in surrendered Italy, fell prey to occupying Nazi forces. Simpson, an escaped POW, managed, after some hair-raising adventures, to find his way to Rome and soon discovered how widespread was the support of the Italians for the Allies, and how deep-seated their hatred of the Nazis. His adventures during the months before the Allies finally liberated Rome, helping to house and feed hundreds of Allied prisoners on the run, make for compulsive reading—and leave no doubt about the extraordinary bravery of the many Italians who came to their aid. But the real hero of this dramatic story is Monsignor O’Flaherty, who, with remarkable sangfroid, used the somewhat precarious neutrality of the Vatican, where he was employed, to help Simpson and his fellow fugitives.

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  Raglan - From the Peninsula to...

  John Sweetman

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  All too many historians have dismissed FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, first Baron Raglan, as at best, an indifferent and, at worst, an incompetent on the basis of his association with the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade.Yet as this long overdue biography of a pivotal military figure of the 19th Century reveals Raglans achievements over fifty years should not be judged on so narrow a basis. True, as Commander of the Expeditionary Force to the Crimea, he must take his share of responsibility for the hardship suffered by the men under him particularly during the winter of 1854-55 but the fact remains that Raglan never lost a battle for which he was fully responsible.Commissioned in 1804 he served under Sir Arthur Paget and the Duke of Wellington, throughout the Peninsular War losing an arm at Waterloo. He held key posts, including Military Secretary for an astonishing 25 years and Master General of the Ordnance and his influence was far reaching.Raglan is revealed in this objective study as a brave, thoughtful, caring and capable man, who found himself an easy target for critics of an outdated and inadequate military administrative system. Very personal attacks, some from official quarters, mortally wounded him and he died in June 1855, a mere seven months after being appointed a field marshal amid public acclaim.In this first full biography of Raglan, John Sweetman examines not just the man himself but the workings of an Army that was straggling to keep up with social and technological change. Readers will find this a fine expos of a man who was placed in a no-win situation through little fault of his own.John Sweetman graduated from Brasenose College Oxford (Modern History) before taking a PhD at Kings College, London. He later became Head of Defence and International Affairs at RMA Sandhurst. He is the author of numerous military works. Now retired he lives at Camberley.

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  Aengus Finucane - In the Heart...

  Deirdre Purcell

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  In this powerful new biography, Aengus Finucane: In the Heart of Concern, the result of over 80 interviews and extensive travel, Deirdre Purcell explores the life and work of Concern founder Father Aengus Finucane. She charts the work he did to build Concern into the global charity and vital player in relief efforts around the world that it is today.
  A charismatic humanitarian visionary, he travelled the world to go to the aid of the poorest of the poor, whilst helping to turn the small charity into an international phenomenon. In many ways the most humane of priests, Aengus sought to address its root causes. The charitable work of Concern, under his leadership and influence, was not limited to responding with aid to emergencies as they arose; it also involved development, creating meaningful, long-lasting and positive change.
  The legacy of Aengus Fincuane is vast, and Concern, the charity he helped to build, continues his work today, deploying over 3,000 staff and reaching 12 million people in the world's poorest countries. They respond to famines and floods and stay long after the television cameras have left, delivering sustainable improvements to the lives of the poorest. They ensure the work of Aengus Finucane will continue.

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  Napoléon Bonaparte : Book Of...

  Quotes Station

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  NAPOLÉON BONAPARTE: BOOK OF QUOTES 
    
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  ABOUT NAPOLÉON BONAPARTE 
  Napoléon Bonaparte usually referred to as simply Napoleon in English, was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the de facto leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 and again in 1815. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815. One of the greatest commanders in history, his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. He remains one of the most celebrated and controversial political figures in human history. 
    
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  QUOTES SAMPLES 
    
  “Victory is not always winning the battle...but rising every time you fall”. 
    
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  “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.” 
    
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  “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” 
    
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  “You don't reason with intellectuals. You shoot them.” 
    
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  “The best way to make every one poor is to insist on equality of wealth.” 
    
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  “The World is not ruined by the wickedness of the wicked, but by the weakness of the good.” 
    
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  “Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have strength.”

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  Becoming Story - A Journey Among...

  Greg Sarris

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  A gently powerful memoir about deepening your relationship with your homeland.For the first time in more than twenty-five years, Greg Sarris—whose novels are esteemed alongside those of Louise Erdrich and Stephen Graham Jones—presents a book about his own life. In Becoming Story he asks: What does it mean to be truly connected to the place you call home—to walk where innumerable generations of your ancestors have walked? And what does it mean when you dedicate your life to making that connection even deeper? Moving between his childhood and the present day, Sarris creates a kaleidoscopic narrative about the forces that shaped his early years and his eventual work as a tribal leader. He considers the deep past, historical traumas, and possible futures of his homeland. His acclaimed storytelling skills are in top form here, and he charts his journey in prose that is humorous, searching, and profound. Described as "jewellike" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Becoming Story is also a gently powerful guide in the art of belonging to the place where you live.

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  Charles Babbage and Alan Turing:...

  Charles River Editors

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  Today, the world is in the midst of the transformative and ever-developing Digital Age, otherwise referred to as the “Age of Information.” It has been an unprecedented, remarkable, and explosive era marked by social media and computer-generated imagery (and with it, deep fakes), among other novel, previously unimaginable concepts. The bulky monitors and blocky towers of personal computers and laptops, which were once upon a time considered fashionable, futuristic contraptions, have since been replaced with a sleek and stylish array – both multi-functional and specialized – of aerodynamic, minimalistic devices, ranging from smartphones and tablets to lightweight laptops and full-fledged gaming set-ups packed with powerhouse processors. 
  While many are familiar with those facts, and a recent movie revived interest in Alan Turing’s achievements with computing during World War II, it was Charles Babbage who was the first to conceive the notion of a programmable and automatic universal computer, which, on top of its ability to calculate any mathematical equation at an unmatched speed, could also be used for a seemingly infinite number of other applications. In other words, he envisioned the precursor to the modern computer. 
  Given that he was the one who envisioned a concept so momentous that it ultimately led to the creation of what is now considered the world's first computer, many might be mistaken for thinking Alan Turing was the kind of suave, pipe-puffing dandy that many might associate with such a grand and futuristic idea. In reality, he was nothing of the sort. Turing was hardly the kind of two-dimensional, stereotypically bookish character whose light bulb suddenly went off during an experiment binge either. On the contrary, Alan was a gauche and grief-stricken 17-year-old schoolboy who would channel all the pain and confusion from his poignant heartbreak into his tireless research, paving the path for the deeply transformative Computer Age.

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