A Dark History of Gin

A Dark History of Gin written by Mike Rendell and published by Pen &

Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 208

A Dark History of Gin looks at the origins and development of a drink which seems 

to have a universal and timeless appeal. Historian Mike Rendell explores the origins 

of distilling in the ancient world and considers the how, when, where and why of the 

‘happy marriage’ between distilled spirits and berries from the juniper bush. The book 

traces the link between gin and the Low Countries (Holland and Belgium) and looks at 

how the drink was brought across to England when the Dutch-born William of Orange 

became king.

From the tragic era of the gin craze in eighteenth-century London, through to the emergence of ‘the cocktail’, the book follows the story of gin across the Atlantic to America and the emergence of the mixologist. It also follows the growth of the Temperance Movement and the origins of the Prohibition, before looking at the period between the First and Second World Wars – the cocktail age. From there the book looks at the emergence in the twentieth century of craft gins across the globe, enabling the drink to enjoy a massive increase in popularity.

The book is intended as a light-hearted look-behind-the-scenes at how ‘Mother’s Ruin’ developed into rather more than just a plain old ’G & T’.

I must admit that I came to this book with some preconceived ideas of how the book would run, expecting mainly a book about slavery & crime. But I must admit that I was wrong. What we have a is really comprehensive read through a timeline, that mainly focuses on Britain, but it does have a bit of America and the Scandinavian countries thrown in for good measure. The book begins with the juniper berry and follows through to being a cocktail and more mainstream drink in the modern world. We go through prohibition in America, the influence of the Low Countries, and what I really enjoyed the effect on politics and regulation through a number of acts, and some of the riots and disruptions that occurred.

I also quite enjoyed the appendices at the back of the book which have a number of gin

recipes and also the slang involved in the gin world, these quite interesting. This was

an excellent book with a lot of research and entertaining writing from Mike Rendell.

I must say a big thumbs up for the good amount of cartoons and drawings throughout

the book, these were both amusing and entertaining. I would certainly recommend this

book to any fans of gin.

Mines, Bombs, Bullets and Bridges

Mines, Bombs, Bullets and Bridges Memoirs of a WW2 Sapper written by

Brian Moss and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 256

Soldiers’ first-hand accounts of Second World War active service invariably make

inspiring and exciting reading but Mines, Bombs, Bullets and Bridges is exceptional

for several reasons. First, Brian Moss’s role as a bomb disposal specialist was

especially hazardous. Secondly, he was in the thick of the action from the start,

dealing with unexploded ordnance during the London blitz. He was then deployed

as a frontline sapper to North Africa and onto Sicily before landing on Gold Beach

on D-Day. Despite many close calls he was relatively unscathed until taken out by

a butterfly bomb at Nijmegen. Fortunately, despite serious injury he lived, quite

literally, to tell the tale but his war was over.

While the Author’s graphic account compares favourably with the very best wartime memoirs, it also has a unique element, namely examples of his outstanding artistic skill. It is truly remarkable that he not only managed to produce so many fine works under combat conditions and that he was able to draw such accurate maps from memory. His sketches and paintings bring a special dimension to this story.

A really good and fascinating book about a guy called Brian Moss, a Sapper that served during WW2, as a Bomb Disposal Specialist. Brian originally spent time serving during the Blitz until he was sent out to North Africa in his role and would then go on to serve in Normandy and Operation Market Graden. The book is about the work of Brian as he served, and has been edited by his son Michael. The book as well as being written by Brian also contains drawings, pictures and diagrams from Brian, but what also shines through his writings is his dark humour and self-confidence, which I assume you really need when you're facing that much possible danger every day. The book is enjoyable and written well but also put together well by his son, Brian comes out of this as a really nice fella. An enjoyable book which would go down well with men who had served in the Army.

Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939-1945 Volume 2: Escorts and Smaller Fighting Ships

Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939-1945 Volume 2: Escorts and Smaller Fighting

Ships written by Przemyslaw Budzbon , Jan Radziemski, Marek Twardowski and

published by Seaforth Publishing - £45 - Hardback - Pages 304

Seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War the details of Soviet ships,

their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West. In wartime such information was

classified and after a brief period of glasnost (‘openness’) the Russian state has again

restricted access to historical archives. Therefore, the value – and originality – of this

work is difficult to exaggerate. It sees the first publication of reliable data on both the

seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy, listing over 6200 vessels from

battleships to river gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built

warships.

This second part of the three-volume series includes all the remaining fighting vessels not already covered in Volume I. Beginning with the Uragan class – rated as Escort Ships and the first seagoing warships designed by the Soviet Union – the book then moves on to Submarine Hunters, both large and small, Patrol craft, Minelayers and Minesweepers, and unusual types like Floating Artillery Batteries and Anti-Aircraft Defence Ships, concluding with Landing Ships and Craft. Many of these vessels have hitherto been poorly documented but given the nature of the land-centred Soviet war against Germany their contribution should not be underestimated. The details of their service and, not least, the circumstances of their loss, constitute a major addition to Western understanding of the Soviet Navy’s war effort.

This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War. Furthermore, as recent Russian actions appear to revive Soviet-era aspirations, this book offers both new insights and valuable background of contemporary relevance.

This volume of the Soviet Fleets concentrates on the smaller boats of the fleet, covering vessels such as Escort Ships, Mine Layers, Patrol Boats, Submarine Hunters and much more. The research and technical details in this book is huge, and so much effort shows. The book is crammed with facts, statistics, photographs, drawings and tables all seem to be a first-class, and if anything I think I’ve learnt more about the Soviet fleet than I know about the Royal Navy. A fantastic book that will delight those who have an interest in the Soviet Navy, and I imagine the book would be good for model collectors or makers.

Battleground: The Western Dunkirk Corridor 1940 Ledringhem, Wormhout, Bambecque & West Cappel

Battleground: The Western Dunkirk Corridor 1940 Ledringhem, Wormhout,

Bambecque & West Cappel written by Jerry Murland - £12.99 - Softcover -

Pages 112

The story of 144 Brigade’s defence of Wormhoudt and Bambecque must rank

in importance alongside the defence of Cassel and Hazebrouck by 145 Brigade.

Brigadier Norman’s composite brigade was the final piece in the jigsaw of defence

on the western flank of the Dunkerque Corridor; it held the line south of Bergues,

containing the attacking German units at great cost, until the perimeter at

Dunkerque had been established.

The defence of Wormhoudt has long been associated with the massacre of British servicemen after they had surrendered. The events in the barn at La Plaine au Bois will always be considered one of the most appalling acts of the Second World War, carried out by elements of the Liebstandarte Regiment; almost second nature to these fanatical followers of Adolf Hitler. They found no easy victory at Wormhoudt, in an encounter that saw their regimental commander, Gruppenführer Otto ‘Sepp’ Dietrich, taking shelter in a ditch away from the fury of the Cheshire machine gunners. Overshadowed by the events in the barn are the murders of civilians and British soldiers that took place as the Germans overwhelmed the fragile defence of the Warwicks. Their Medical Officer, marching into captivity, went past the bodies of men of A Company who he was sure had been murdered. An officer of the Worcesters wrote in his diary that all the wounded of his Company were shot by a commander of the Liebstandarte.

There is little other evidence to support the deaths of these men but there is little doubt that many British soldiers met a violent end after they had surrendered in the fields and on the pavements of Wormhoudt and Bambecque.

These Battleground books, in my opinion, are fantastic and vastly underrated books that both cover history of the event, the people involved and enables the reader to take part in what is experienced within the book. This particular book looks at the 144 Brigade and their spectacular defence of the Dunkirk Corridor against the Germans. The book gets across the events that happened, through text, pictures, diagrams and photographs, the book also picks out a number of individuals that have stood out from the norm and we get to hear about their history. Then finally the book acts as a tour guide by publishing the area as an area to go to, where to stay, eat and visit. Giving you a handy guide to if you wanted to, do your own visit. An excellent book, especially for those that like to take part in that hands-on experience.

Waffen-SS Dutch, Belgium, and Danish Volunteers

Waffen-SS Dutch, Belgium and Danish Volunteers written by Ian Baxter

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 154

Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, numerous Dutchmen, Belgians

and Danes volunteered for the Waffen-SS. The largest division, SS Volunteer Legion

Netherlands operated in Yugoslavia and then Northern Russia. It was later

re-designated 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland.

Fighting alongside the Nederland formation was the SS Volunteer Legion Flanders, manned mainly with Dutch speaking recruits from occupied Belgium. After being disbanded it was later reformed as the SS Assault Brigade Langemarck (SS-Sturmbrigade Langemarck).

The SS Volunteer Legion Walloon, recruited from French-speaking volunteers from German occupied Belgium, was sent to Russia and later integrated with the SS Assault Brigade Wallonia (SS-Sturmbrigade Wallonien).

Finally some 6,000 Danes served in Free Corps Denmark which went to the Eastern Front in May 1942. Within a year the formation was disbanded into Division Nordland, known as Regiment 24 Danemark

Drawing on a superb collection of rare and often unpublished photographs, this fine Images of War book describes the fighting history of each formation, notably the 1944 battle of Narva, which was known as the battle of the European SS. As its forces were pushed further back across a scarred and burning wasteland it describes how these Dutch, Belgian and Danish units became cut off in the Kurland Pocket until some were evacuated by sea. The remainder were killed or captured in front of Berlin in April 1945.

This particular book was rather interesting, mainly in my opinion you don’t get to hear much about volunteers working with the Germans. This book was of particular focus on those volunteers from Holland, Belgium and Denmark. These kinds of troops would help support the Germans in Yugoslavia and Northern Russia before a number were then sent on to the Eastern front. These soldiers were then given indoctrination to hate their enemy and see the Germans as the superior race, so it was still interesting to see they were still willing to accept help from other countries' men, but there was still the determination that the Germans were the top dogs. An interesting read indeed and I must say the supportive text in this series is always first-class.

Educating the Tudors

Educating the Tudors written by Amy McElroy and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 216

Education during the Tudor era was a privilege and took many forms including

schools, colleges and apprenticeships. Those responsible for delivering education

came from a variety of backgrounds from the humble parish priest to the most

famed poet-laureates of the day. Curriculums varied according to wealth, gender

and geography. The wealthy could afford the very best of tutors and could study

as much or as little as they chose whilst the poorer members of society could only

grasp at opportunities in the hopes of providing themselves with a better future.

The Tudors were educated during a time when the Renaissance was sweeping across Europe and Henry VIII became known as a Renaissance Prince but what did his education consist of? Who were his tutors? How did his education differ to that of his elder brother, Prince Arthur and how did Henry’s education change upon the death of his brother? There is no doubt Henry was provided with an excellent education, particularly in comparison to his sisters, Margaret and Mary. Henry’s own education would go on to influence his decisions of tutors for his own children. Who had the privilege of teaching Henry’s children and did they dare to use corporal punishment?

Educating the Tudors seeks to answer all of these questions, delving into the education of all classes, the subjects they studied, educational establishment and those who taught them.

Educating the Tudors is a thorough look into the educational world of the Tudors, looking at the subjects that were taught, types of schooling, lessons and even those teaching various subjects. Amy McElroy writes a very comprehensive and detailed book that even looks at the education of the royal family at the time. McElroy writes such a good book it would be good to see what she writes next and whether it will be about education from another age. In a way, it was very interesting to see the different types of education and how the teaching of the poor and rich was very different. A really interesting and thorough book that would really appeal to those in the educational world.

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.