by Ben Kane

Hardback

Published by Preface

“I thoroughly enjoyed The Forgotten Legion – so much so that I stayed up until 2am to finish it. Kane delves into the grim underbelly of slavery, prostitution and gladiatorial carnage… His weaving of the many characters strands is deftly done and the conclusion leaves us waiting for the sequel” Manda Scott

Ben Kane makes his spectacular fiction debut with The Forgotten Legion, the first in an epic new trilogy. Following the interwoven stories of four slaves – Tarquinius, Brennus, Romulus and Fabiola – this is a historical adventure in the bestselling tradition of Conn Iggulden. Against the odds, the tattered remnants of a once huge Roman army fight for their lives at the very edge of the world they know. Among them are three men whose friendship has been forged in the bloody crucible of a hopeless war and the bitter knowledge that they are bound forever in servitude to the Republic.

...is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome, but doomed to fight for the Republic in The Forgotten Legion. Brennus is a Gaul; the Romans killed his entire family. He rises to become one of the most famous and feared gladiators of his day – and mentor to the boy slave, Romulus, who dreams night and day of escape and revenge.

Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery after their mother is raped by a drunken nobleman. At thirteen years old they are sold: Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome. The story begins in a Rome torn apart by corruption, violence and political enmities, but ends far away, where Romulus, Brennus and Tarquinius find themselves fighting against the Parthians and impossible odds.

The Author

Ben Kane was born in Kenya and grew up there and in Ireland. He studied veterinary medicine at University College Dublin, and afterwards he travelled the world extensively, indulging his passion for ancient history. Now he lives in North Somerset, where he researches, writes and also practises as a small animal vet. The Forgotten Legion is born of a lifelong fascination with military history in general, and Roman history in particular. He is currently in the middle of writing his second novel, also featuring Romulus, Fabiola, Brennus and Tarquinius.

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A remarkable new book published this month follows one woman''s brave journey and how she managed to free herself from over 15 years of chronic anxiety and panic attacks.

Life Without Panic Attacks by Nicola Quinn is published by leading specialist publisher DragonRising (www.dragonrising.com/store/life_without_panic/). The book offers a genuine lifeline to the estimated 12 million people in the UK who now suffer from some form of anxiety or depression. It is also estimated that 1 in 150 people suffer from panic disorder or ''panic attacks''. The book explains how the author completely cured herself and teaches others, in an easy to understand step-by-step way how to cure themselves - for good.

...is simply a peak of anxious sensations. It occurs when anxious reactions result in real physical manifestations. For the sufferer a panic attack can be extremely unpleasant and frightening. To counter panic attacks before they occur Nicola Quinn uses a very simple practice called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Nicola explains, "Everyone gets nervous about some things, everyone''s pulse rises at certain times, everyone feels sick at the thought of some things but with EFT you can get back to the normal highs and lows of everyday living, confident that you will never again be overwhelmed by them". It is the way Nicola uses and implements EFT that makes this book truly unique.

Life without Panic Attacks works by helping sufferers discover the key to unlock their fears. Readers are taught how to work with their thoughts and importantly to understand what is causing their fears in order to rebuild what can be seriously lowered self esteem. Nicola''s own experiences provide the sufferer with emotional support and true inspiration all the way through the book.

Readers will discover that the author has truly found a genuine solution to ending years of anxiety. By revealing and passing on her methods many more people will find the book enormously valuable.

...from professionals and those specialising in psychology. The highly respected Dr Silvia Hartmann PhD, Director for Meridian Energy Therapies, and Author of ''Adventures in EFT'' and ''The Advanced Patterns of EFT'' says "I have known Nicola Quinn for many years, not just as an outstanding holistic practitioner and teacher but also as a personal friend. As such, I was well aware of her struggle to overcome a problem from an older time which left its echoes and daily disturbances in the here-and-now. ''Life Without Panic Attacks'' is a wonderful, heartfelt aid, guide and inspiration, full of integrity and good common sense, gentle, supportive, but most of all, practical and workable - a true light at the end of the dark tunnel of fear".Life Without Panic Attacks is now available from DragonRising as an EBook in Classic PDF form at just £12.95 or in paperback for just £16.95. For further information on this and hundreds of other publications visit the publisher''s website at www.dragonrising.com

Network Distributing, Strike Force Entertainment and the Imperial War Museum is delighted to announce the release of a definitive, digitally restored version of BATTLE OF THE SOMME, the first British documentary which will be given UNESCO status in the ‘Memory of the World’ register. It will be available to buy on DVD on 3rd November 2008, RRP £19.99, ninety years after the end of the Great War.

BATTLE OF THE SOMME is a pioneering battlefield documentary that was seen by huge audiences in the UK when it was released in August 1916, while the battle was still being fought. Cinema-goers hailed it as an opportunity to see the reality of the Western Front for the first time, and to share the experiences of the soldiers who were fighting there. The film inaugurated a debate about the on-screen depiction of combat that continues to this day, and is the origin of some of the most widely used and iconic moving images of the First World War.

 

...digitally restored by the Imperial War Museum’s Film and Video archive is a startling improvement on previously released video versions putting the distant background back into many scenes. It also has the following special features:

An official 36-page booklet with contributions from the Imperial War Museum archive team

A full orchestral score by Laura Rossi, commissioned by the Imperial War Museum in 2005 and performed for the recording – as it was for the première performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on 22 October 2006 – by The Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Nic Raine.

A recreation of the medley of light classics, folk tunes, popular songs and military music recommended as an accompaniment for the film in 1916 by cinema musician J. Morton Hutcheson in The Bioscope, a contemporary trade journal. The medley, the subject of several years of research by Dr Toby Haggith of the Imperial War Museum and Stephen Horne, is performed for the DVD by a small ensemble led by the latter.

Interviews with the composer Laura Rossi, Stephen Horne and the curators who worked on the project.

Missing footage.

BATTLE OF THE SOMME is a fascinating document which will appeal to anyone with an interest in cinema or history.

Our favourite nursery rhymes explained in a beautiful book to treasure

Sam Foster

ISBN: 978 1 84024 708 4

Hardback

Illustrated

£6.99

This charming compilation of our best-loved traditional nursery rhymes offers clues to their true meanings and often surprising origins and will provoke fascinating debates and, possibly, some controversy.

Many of the catchy songs we grew up with were not nonsense verses for the playground but served as satirical commentaries on political events of the day. These seemingly innocent vehicles were once used to spread subversive messages at a time when illiteracy was commonplace in society and direct criticism of authorities was punishable by prison or death.

... A pocketful of rye

Four and twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie ....

Is this simply a song about a delicacy of the day?  Or was it, as some claim, a coded message to recruit crews for Blackbeard’s pirate ships? 

Humorously illustrated, Hey Diddle Diddle offers a trip down memory lane and some fascinating food for thought.  It will appeal to parents, children, teachers and those interested in social history, language and British traditions. It is a very entertaining read.

Hey Diddle Diddle is published by Summersdale and available through all good bookshops and internet booksellers or by telephoning Summersdale on: +44 (0) 1243 771107

by Margaret Mayhew

The year is 1941. Britain has already lost a generation of young men in a conflict that has torn Europe apart at the seams. Yet far across the globe, ex-pat life in the Far East remains one of wealth, excess and hedonistic privilege. In British occupied Singapore, spoilt debutante Susan Roper whiles away her hours in the ballrooms and bars of Raffles and Tanglin, secure in the supremacy of the British Empire. With a life devoted solely to pleasure, she revels in flirtations with visiting naval officers. When she is introduced to a handsome Australian doctor who warns her of the danger that they all face, she dismisses him as an ignorant colonial.

Despite repeated warnings, Singapore goes on partying, oblivious to the threat of invasion. The British flag will, they believe, protect them from all enemies. But when Japan finally invades, Susan finds herself in grave danger. To the dismay of her parents she takes on the role of an ambulance driver at the local hospital and refuses to abandon the country that she loves. Gradually and reluctantly she realises that she has fallen in love with the tough, arrogant doctor, but she has to face many hardships and witness terrible suffering before she can acknowledge the truth about her very self.

... is an intoxicating blend of history and romance, as well as a moving and captivating portrayal of the lives of Singapore''s everyday heroes and heroines.

“There may be some truth in the theory that the Battle of Malaya was lost in the ballrooms and bars of Raffles and Tanglin. But the stories of arrogance, complacency and incompetence are more than matched by the tales of immense courage, heroism and self sacrifice”

The Other Side of Paradise

About the author

Margaret Mayhew was born in London within the sound of Bow Bells and her earliest childhood memories are that of the London Blitz and the Second World War. Her ninth birthday fell on VE day and she went with her family to join the crowds celebrating in the Mall. She began writing short stories in her mid-thirties and had her first novel published in 1976. Her first books were historical romances, and it was not until later in her career that she started to write about the war which had made such a lasting impression on her life. Voluntary work at a museum on a former RAF fighter station led to her meeting several women who had served in the WAAF and this providing the inspiration for her novel, Bluebirds. Several bestselling wartime romances followed including The Yank and Boat Girls. Her latest novel was inspired by the real life events of the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese army in 1942. She is married to American aviation author Philip Kaplan, and they live in Gloucestershire.

Published in paperback original by Corgi on 1st January 2009, priced £6.99