Pandemic Obsession - How They Feature in our Popular Culture

Pandemic Obsession - How They Feature in our Popular Culture written by Stephen Basdeo and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 224

“Pestilence entered … The ordinary pursuits of society were paralysed; all previously-formed plans of happiness, business, trade, occupation, and domestic arrangement, were checked as cruelly and abruptly as if every principle of the human mind were in a moment subverted … The physicians saw that human aid was vain, and that destruction inevitably awaited all who approached the infected. Terrific mortality! Appalling scourge of the human race!” — George W.M. Reynolds

Throughout history humankind has faced a number of deadly pandemics and such diseases have left their mark in history books, fine art, novels, life writing, and newspapers. This book collects together writings from across the centuries which illuminate people’s experiences with plagues and pandemics. From Ancient Greece there is Thucydides on the Athenian Plague; Procopius gives his account of Plague of Justinian; also included is many more extracts of writings on plagues from medieval and early modern writers. Readers can enjoy several works of fiction including an abridged version of Mary Shelley’s The Last Man (1826), a reproduction in full of Jack London’s Scarlet Plague (1912), as well as short pandemic stories from Edgar Allan Poe, George W.M. Reynolds, Daniel Defoe, and William Harrison Ainsworth.

This book Pandemic Obsession looks at various pandemics throughout time from the Bubonic plague right up to Scarlet plague in 1912. The book looks at excerpts and passages written by famous authors of the time or from various news media of the time. It was interesting to see how a pandemic was seen and talked about around the time of each plague and help correspond with the most recent pandemic. I loved the front cover as it really stands out from the crowd. A quite interesting book certainly one to make you think and consider.

The Waffen-SS Ardennes Offensive

The Waffen-SS Ardennes Offensive written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen &Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 128

In late 1944 under extreme pressure on both the Eastern and Western fronts, Hitler

realized he needed to force the Allies into negotiating a truce thereby saving Germany

from total defeat. Using the Christmas period to enhance the vital element of surprise,

he ordered a devastating attack through the rugged and mountainous Ardenne region

with the key Allied port of Antwerp as the objective.

This book, with its extensive text and rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions, tells the story of the Waffen-SS offensive, known as Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine). These formidable SS armoured units with supporting Wehrmacht divisions initially achieved dramatic success making full use of the harsh winter conditions and terrain. Gradually the Allies regained the upper hand on the attackers who were increasingly suffering from lack of reinforcements and resupplies. After defeat at the pivotal battle of Bastonge, remaining Waffen-SS units withdrew and were transferred back to the Eastern Front. As described in this classic Images of War book, the Fuhrer’s gamble so nearly paid off and the ruthless fighting spirit of the elite Waffen-SS divisions caused the Allied command serious concern.

Another fascinating and informative book from the Images of War series of books. As the war was heading towards a conclusion at last, this was one of Hitler’s last rolls of the dice in which his Waffen-SS would go out and support troops and divisions in the Ardennes area and in a way this would become helpful but it wasn’t long before the allies were able to take the upper hand in control. The main problem for Germany was that they were running short on manpower and munitions leading to a number of key successes like Bastonge. This is all told through the series of rare photographs and supportive text, the ways these photos are taken are always excellent along with the quality of the pictures too. Which does make the Images of War series excellent and certainly one I would happily recommend to anyone.

The Pirate Who Stole Scotland - William Dampier

The Pirate Who Stole Scotland - William Dampier written by Leon Hopkins and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 228

Economic warfare is not a new phenomenon. In the protectionist climate of the

seventeenth century, trade embargoes, exclusions and boycotts were common.

England was among the most active nations when it came to using economic clout to get its own way. It did so to force Scotland to accept an Act of Union: to submerge its independence within a United Kingdom governed from London.

Instrumental in this attack upon the Scots was William Dampier, the principal subject of this book. He was an extraordinary man. A farmer’s son, he became the most travelled man of his generation. He was a pirate, a brute and a devious sociopath. But he was also a scientist and a talented writer who gave his readers accurate descriptions of previously unknown places, peoples, plants and animals. He was a daring explorer and an expert navigator who mapped coastlines and logged wind patterns and ocean currents. He led the first Royal Navy expedition to Australia, over 70 years before Captain Cook’s arrival.

Dampier’s writing made him famous, but not rich. It allowed him to rub shoulders with the leading men of his day; scientists such as Robert Hooke, Edmund Halley and Hans Sloane, businessmen such as Sir John Houblon (first governor of the Bank of England) and William Paterson, politicians such as James Vernon and Charles Montagu (first Earl of Halifax), and Admiralty men such as Admiral Sir George Rooke and Samuel Pepys.

And Dampier was in the pay of the English Government; an agent known to Queen Anne, in which capacity he engineered a financial disaster and political drubbing for Scotland.

William Dampier was a name I had heard of before, but had never really paid much attention to, but what a character, a man who seemed to have met everyone and done everything. Pirate, Financier, Scientist, Writer and much more. The book reveals his need to prosper, someone who was always trying to find that new thing or success that would improve his standing in society. My thought from reading this book was that he may not get the recognition he might deserve purely because many would see him as anti-Scotland, as so much money was put into various schemes that more or less forced Scotland into being a part of the Union. The writer has done a really good job in gaining what information he could find, and has helped write a clear book that has been made easier to read and understand. A really interesting book about a figure in history that should get more attention than he has.

The Paras in Afghanistan

The Paras in Afghanistan written by Craig Allen and published by Key Publishing - £15.99 - Softcover - Pages 128

In 2021, the British Army’s 20-year engagement in Afghanistan ended with chaotic

scenes at Kabul International Airport. The Parachute Regiment had been involved

since the earliest days of conflict and was there at the end to provide security for

the final evacuation. The years of conflict saw the Paras endure some of the toughest

operational conditions since World War Two as they confronted Taliban fighters

in their Helmand stronghold. In 2008, 2 and 3 Paras were deployed to Afghanistan,

fighting the Taliban in areas such as Kandahar and Musa Qala. That summer, they

fought the insurgents in the fields and ditches of the Green Zone, always taking the

fight to the enemy.

Written by a former Para and battlefield photographer, this book takes the reader on a visual journey from training for this deployment in Scotland to the desert heat of Afghanistan, showing the soldiers, their equipment, weapons and vehicles. With over 200 colour photographs, it provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Paras both in battle and going about their day-to-day lives at the bases.

The Paras in Afghanistan is written by Craig Allen, a former Para and battlefield photographer who follows 2 3 & 4 Para first through training and then through travel and deployment to Afghanistan. In my opinion, this is an excellent book that has the insight of a former para who would be in the know, so you get the right photographs at the important time, as he covers training, work, play and death. The photographs are supported by interesting text/history relevant to the work and experience. In recent decades we have followed battles and wars from the comfort of our armchairs, this book helps fill in the gaps missed by news reports and programmes, it brings an extra level to what we already know. An excellent little book that brings you the reader the detail through pictures and text you would want. I would happily recommend this book to anyone interested in the Afghanistan campaign.

The Battle of Britain on the Big Screen

The Battle of Britain on the Big Screen written by Dilip Sarkar MBE and published by Air World Books - £22 - Hardback - Pages 272

During the Second World War, the British movie industry produced a number of films

concerning the war, all of which were, by necessity, heavily myth-laden and

propagandised. Foremost among these productions was The First of the Few, which

was the biggest-grossing film of 1942.

In the immediate post-war period, to start with there were no British aviation war films. The first to be released was Angels One Five in 1952. It was well-received, confirming that the Battle of Britain was a commercial commodity.

Over the next few years, many famous war heroes published their memoirs, or had books written about them, including the legless Group Captain Douglas Bader, whose story, Reach for the Sky, told by Paul Brickhill, became a best-seller in 1956. It was followed a year later by the film of the same name, which, starring Kenneth More, dominated that year’s box office.

The early Battle of Britain films had tended to focus upon the story of individuals, not the bigger picture. That changed with the release of the star-studded epic Battle of Britain in 1969. Using real aircraft, the film, produced in colour and on a far larger scale than had been seen on film before, was notable for its spectacular flying sequences.

Between the release of Reach for the Sky and Battle of Britain, however, much had changed for modern Britain. For a variety of reasons many felt that the story of the nation’s pivotal moment in the Second World War was something best buried and forgotten. Indeed, the overall box office reaction to Battle of Britain reinforced this view – all of which might explain why it was the last big screen treatment of this topic for many years.

It was during the Battle of Britain’s seventieth anniversary year that the subject returned to the nation's screens when Matthew Whiteman’s docudrama First Light was first broadcast. Essentially a serialisation of Spitfire pilot Geoffrey Wellum’s best-selling memoir of the same title, Whiteman cleverly combined clips of Wellum as an old man talking about the past with his new drama footage. The series is, in the opinion of the author, the best portrayal of an individual’s Battle of Britain experience to have been made.

In this fascinating exploration of the Battle of Britain on the big screen, renowned historian and author Dilip Sarkar examines the popular memory and myths of each of these productions and delves into the arguments between historians and the filmmakers. Just how true to the events of the summer of 1940 are they, and how much have they added to the historical record of ‘The Finest Hour’?

This was a fascinating and fantastic book looking at world war two films and the Battle of Britain in particular. Now as a young boy I feel like I grew up watching these old war films and westerns, a Sunday wouldn’t go by without watching a film about the country at war. The Battle of Britain & The Dambusters were a couple of my favourites. What Sarkar does with this book is look at a number of films made just after the war and a number in the decades after the forties. He looks at the myth surrounding the subjects and how the subject would fare, and he also looks at why, how and the standards of what films were made and how they were received by the public. We learn a lot from Mr Sarkar about the different ways films were filmed or portrayed and how that evolved, we also learn more about the background of certain films and how they were made and the evolution of the films into later films on almost the same subjects. As a premier writer on this subject in many forms, Dilip Sarkar has written another excellent book, showing there is still a lot to learn on the subject. A book I would happily recommend to others.

The Blackout Murders - Homicide in WW2

The Blackout Murders - Homicide in WW2 written by Neil R. Storey and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 224

Nostalgic recollections of wartime Britain often forget that when the blackout was

enforced at night in an attempt to foil Nazi bombers a crime wave, cloaked by the

inky black darkness, ensued on many of our streets. There were petty crimes,

robberies, sexual assaults and, as The Blackout Murders reveals, some horrific

murders took place on our home front during the Second World War. Some of

them still rank among the most shocking crimes in modern British history.

Some of the murders recounted within the pages of this book remain infamous, others are almost forgotten and some remain unsolved to this day. Several cases have new light shed on them from recently released archives and records uncovered by the author. Every case has been carefully selected for its reflection of wartime conditions and each one has a powerful, poignant and tragic story to tell.

Readers will gain insights into the darker narrative of our home front and learn about some of the men and women who strove to maintain law and order under the most challenging circumstances. Others innovated and developed ground-breaking forensic techniques to identify bodies, recognise if foul play had occurred and as a direct result brought murderers to justice who may otherwise have gone undetected and unpunished.

Anyone reading The Blackout Murders will never look at Britain's Home Front during the Second World War in the same way again.

The Blockout Murders looks at serious crimes that occurred during WW2 in Britain, in a bit of a nostalgic look at Britain during this period the book lifts the lid on crime and shows that death wasn’t only around on the battlefront. The book looks at 10 murders in a number of circumstances and places, and really very interesting. You can also tell that there has been a lot of research and writing put into this book and this shows through to produce an easy read. An excellent little book and certainly a good one to read for any fans of true crime. 

A History of Insanity and the Asylum

The History of Insanity and the Asylum written by Julianna Cummings and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 232

The iconic image of the lunatic asylum is one that often leaves us wondering

what went on inside these imposing buildings.

In this new book, Juliana Cummings first questions what behaviours and characteristics define insanity and leads us through a comprehensive history of insanity and the asylum from the early treatment and care of mental illness in the Middle Ages and early modern period through to the closure of mental institutions in the twentieth century.

Throughout the years, we learn of how the treatments and institutional structures for caring for the mentally ill-developedand changed. The Age of Enlightenment and the rise of humanitarian reform was followed by the emergence of the insane asylum in the 1800s, which saw the beginning of the widespread construction of asylums.

We explore the different reasons for admittance, as well as the vast array of treatments. It shows that your treatment as an inmate of an asylum could vary depending on your gender and your social class.

Although once thought of as criminals, the mentally ill were gradually treated with care. Juliana discusses the different treatments used over time as attitudes towards the mentally ill changed, such as drug use, psychosurgery and insulin therapy. We learn of the regulations and reforms that led to the closure of asylums, how their closure affected society and consider how the mentally ill are treated today.

This insightful new history helps us to better understand the haunting past of the asylum and leads us down a fascinating road to where we come to an understanding of a time in history that is often mistaken.

This was a fascinating book in which we look at the history of the asylum system, looking at the buildings, the treatments of insanity and reasons for putting people in asylums. Also the book goes back in time to the early Middle Ages time in history, and the book goes right through to the late 20th century when thankfully society has decided to leave the days of the asylum go by.

What emerges from the book is the number of reasons for going into an asylum, often without choice for the person deemed mad. Plus some of the reasons why they were in there are so lose if not criminal, the book also covers the subject of treatment, and along with the introduction of drugs some treatments could vary from being completely spaced out to more sinister things like electric shock treatment or cases where humans were just experimented on. Luckily, society has a more grown up attitude to mental health these days and we have moved on from such draconian ways. This was a really fascinating book, in which there was lots of research and the book was well written and easy to understand, so compliments to the author Julianna Cummings. An ideal book if your are interested in mental health, and might be a bit surprising for those who know little about this subject.