Character-19

A group of meerkats on high alert, checking surroundings for any danger. These highly social creatures, native to southern countries in the African Continent have long been a source of fascination. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! Lisa Hughes This small mammal, belonging to the mongoose family, is native to parts of South Africa, southwestern Angola, the Namib Desert in Namibia, and Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. “Mobs” or “gangs” of meerkats are made up of around 20 individual family members, but larger groups of “super families” of around 50 or more, are not uncommon.  The life span of a meerkat is around six or seven years, although this doubles for animals in captivity. These amazing creatures have no excess “fat” stores and daily foraging is a necessity. A “sentry” or “guard” watches as the mob forage for food, and keeps an eye out for predators. This usually lasts an hour as the gang search for insects, lizards, snakes, scorpions, eggs, spiders, and small ...

Taken from a Stirling, a great photo displaying the formation of other RAF Short Stirlings over an unknown location during WWII. The Stirling was the first of the RAF's four-engined heavy bombers. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! By Les Perera It is generally accepted that the Spitfire was not only a great fighter aircraft but was also a symbol of Britain’s defiance of the Luftwaffe in the early years of WWII. Britain had been slow to react to German rearmament in the 1930s. Since WWI, the RAF’s front-line aircraft were mainly used in the colonial policing role where their (mostly) 1920s technology was not an issue. However, the political appeasement of Hitler’s Germany and subsequent lack of realisation had left the RAF ill-equipped to combat the potential threat posed by the German build-up. Almost too late, the government started to modernise Britain’s ageing fighter force, with orders for the Hurricane and Spitfire that were to prove invaluable in the defence ...

Joe Frazier received a shocking blow from the champion in the ninth round of their title rematch, ‘The Thrilla In Manila’. Ali was taking on his old adversary for the third time to a global TV audience in 1975 for the WBC and WBA World Heavyweight Championship.  ‘ The Greatest ’ retained his crown with a TKO in the 14th round. ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! By Mike Gent When Muhammad Ali first donned boxing gloves in the late Fifties as Cassius Clay, he could not have imagined the impact he would make, not merely as a sportsman but as a global figure.  Anyone alive in the Sixties and Seventies couldn’t help but notice this sportsman who, like a select few, broke through into celebrity status. More than that, his pronouncements were given more weight than many politicians of the time.  His ring record speaks for itself: 61 fights, 56 wins, plus Olympic Gold and the WBA, WBC, and NABF World Heavyweight titles. But it was the swaggering, self-confide...

Churchill and his wife Clementine arrive at a pre-election service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, 1950.  Churchill went on to win the election in a famous victory – there was life left in the old dog after all! ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook! He was the wartime leader who played a major role in saving Britain and the free world. While Hitler threatened the existence of western civilization, Winston Churchill stood firm, and with his actions and inspiring words he rallied people to first oppose and then defeat the evil of Nazism.  He was a hero to many, an enemy to some, a complex, contradictory, and endlessly fascinating man who was born during the height of the Victorian era and the British Empire, and he left center stage in the nuclear age. Churchill was an extraordinary man who shaped extraordinary times. This superb publication is an unmissable guide to the life and career of Winston Churchill. It provides a detailed, fully-illustrated study tha...

The automobile industry presents its National Automobile Show in New York City, 1912. There were 51 exhibitors but perhaps the main attraction was the Ford Model T. Available now as an ebook from all major ebook stores. As the 19th century morphed into the 20th, the automobile was still in its infancy, yet more and more manufacturers were entering the burgeoning market. The first National Automobile Show was held in New York City’s Madison Square in 1900, with 51 exhibitors showing off their wares to almost 50,000 visitors. Many of these manufacturers dropped by the wayside or were merged into other companies so that by the end of the 1920s the industry was dominated by the Big Three of Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. The vehicle that had the biggest impact was the Ford Model T (which arrived in 1908 and more than 15 million had been sold by the time production ceased in 1927), but many other American classics are covered in this book: legends such as the Ford Mustang and Thund...

Proving they were  ‘D edicated Followers of Fashion ’ , The Kinks pictured in the Seventies. They had enjoyed enormous success in the States through the mid-sixties – disappointingly this was derailed by a sudden US ban! ––––––––––––––––––––––– Available now as an ebook!  Now also a paperback from Amazon or Barnes & Noble The Americans hadn’t seen anything like it since the War of Independence! The British pop invasion of the 60s went on to transform music – not just in the States and back home in the UK, but around the world. Inspired by the likes of Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis, the Brits had a point to prove that they could take on the Americans in their own back yard. A host of exciting new bands, singers, and showstoppers took the US by storm. Together, they dominated the charts, and left behind a legacy of outstanding recordings and performances that still resonate today. Now you can relive the heady times of the British Invasion with th...

  Mary Quant (foreground) with models showing her new shoe creations. Quant was an inspirational designer of fashion and hairstyles which defined the sixties. Available now as an ebook from all major ebook stores.   Now also a paperback from Amazon or Barnes & Noble The miniskirt, the trouser suit (pantsuit), the bob hairstyle, eye makeup, the supermodel – so many fashion concepts we take for granted today owe their existence to the Sixties.  It was an era when fashion advanced side-by-side with music and movies, breaking new ground as the world threw off the drab grayness of post-war life and put its gladrags on. Hemlines weren’t the only thing that was rising as the decade progressed. The interest of the mass media was piqued, and when Time magazine pinpointed the epicenter of the fashion revolution as Swinging London, all roads led to Carnaby Street. London-based models like The Shrimp, Twiggy, and Veruschka became overnight stars, blazing a trail for the supermod...

This is the scene along a section of Omaha Beach in June 1944, during Operation Overlord. Landing crafts put troops and supplies on shore at Omaha, one of five landing beaches. Available now as an ebook from all major ebook stores. It was one of the most momentous campaigns of World War II – both an epic confrontation between huge armed forces, and a life-or-death struggle between individual men, played out amid some of the most bitter fighting of the conflict. Leaders of the collected free world joined forces and agreed that a French invasion was to take place in the summer of 1944. The task in hand was a huge undertaking and required military precision planning and coordination of all the Allied forces involved. The battle ahead needed the best men and leadership brains that was available, notably General Eisenhower (US), General Patton (US) and General Montgomery (UK). This publication evokes the gripping drama of the D-Day landings and the pivotal battle for Normandy. This comprehe...