On June 25th 1876 George Armstrong Custer and his command were wiped out, an incident that shocked America, in its centenary year. Many questions about that day still remain unanswered. Why did Custer lose a battle that he should have won easily? Why did he fail to support his two commanders after making that support an integral part of the plan? Why did the Indians stand and fight for the first time in the war on the Plains, instead of retreating and fighting a rear guard action? Why did the most aggressive cavalry officer in the US army fail to make any significant attack against the Indians? Who killed Custer? Why was Custer's body alone spared mutilation? There were eyewitnesses that can answer the questions, Indians who took part in the battle, Custer's Crow scouts, and soldiers who survived. They answer the questions, with a clarity that no historian could equal, and they answer it here.

“Spice is the variety of life.”—This is one of the book’s many “Chrissarisms” and just about sums it up. The book brings together, in the words of The Literary Consultancy, “a wealth of material.”

Described as “a sort of autobiography”, it is not just about a boy who, from humble beginnings, created one of the country’s leading car insurance businesses. It is much, much more than that. In a series of mini biographies you will meet characters like Tramlines Taylor and some of the author’s irresponsible drinking companions like Alan the Gallon and Patsy, an eclectic version of several of them.

Vol II --

"I was having a dispute with my wife-she pulled my hair causing me to turn into a lamp standard!" This is but one of the many excuses used by motor accident claimants. Many more of his favourites and quirkiest have been chosen by the author and included in the chapter "We Arnott Amused". From humble and often homeless beginnings the author succeeded in building one of the country's largest car insurance businesses and this, his second book, reveals his inside account of the Lloyds of London scandals, his own failings and of those involved in his business life, including his MD Brooks Mileson who went on to achieve fame-and notoriety-as Chairman of Gretna FC during their fairy-tale adventure into Europe. Many people dream of being their own boss. This book may encourage them to go for it-or maybe forget it. It contains some vital lessons, advice and pitfalls for the would-be entrepreneur and some stark reminders that it is not for the fainthearted. A sort o' sequel to the author's sort o' autobiography Social, Domestic and Pleasure, this is a fascinating account of "A People Business". "A wealth of material"-The Literary Consultancy.
 

Running Away from Home by Stories collected by David Syme UK price: £6.99     US price: $9.99 Published by Diadem Books: an imprint of Spiderwize Format: Paperback Size : 20.2 x 12.6 x 1.4 cm Pages: 184 ISBN: 978-1908026002 Published: 13 Dec 2010

David Syme is a keen traveller and runner and has combined the two whenever possible to explore foreign lands "on foot". As a linguist he worked for NATO in China, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, while expeditions and holidays have enabled him to explore Africa and the Americas; running shoes were always first into the suitcase. Not a camera-user, he uses the printed word as a reminder of some of his more memorable runs, many of which were "out of the comfort zone"! Having inspired his son and daughter to run, they too have contributed accounts of "runs away from home", as have two of David's running friends from Harmeny Athletic. This is a light-hearted, entertaining collection of short stories about running. David says "We all hope this book will inspire readers to consider any travel away from home as an opportunity to seek new running challenges". The entire royalties from the sale of this book will go to Tong-Len, a charity for street children in Northern India. It was founded by an Edinburgh family who saw them and decided to do something.

This inspiring and uplifting true story shows how a damaged childhood can become an asset, in fighting back and winning against all odds. This compelling story is a tribute to all those brave women who believe in "yes we can". Mary's life was always a miracle of survival. It is a tale of courage and responsibility, as she battles to keep herself and baby sister from starvation and TB, sometimes with fun and laughter, and at other times so desperate that we are drawn to tears. But when her best friend steals a rifle, we listen to her heartbreaking plea to the Samaritans as her life is crushed. It is a story of heartbreak and passion, a blinding love so certain that it comes but once in a lifetime. She finds her freedom to study at university, and doing what she does best, saving damaged children like herself.

Charles John Anderson was born in the city of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England in 1932. "From Bean Street to Cruise Line Captain and Beyond", tells of his life from birth, evacuation during world war two, school days and his sea going career, commencing as an apprenticed deck officer and ultimately serving as a Cruise Line Captain on Passenger Vessels. Also the story of his life and service as a "Born Again Christian" after retiring from his sea career. Throughout the book are humorous moments, disastrous incidents and an intriguing insight into "Behind the Scenes" operations in cruising.

Film and TV comedy working-class actor Paul McGoldrick takes us on a roller-coaster ride through his zany, crazy life! The reader will be fascinated and moved to tears and laughter by his many happy mad-glad and sad, courageous, true accounts of his personal battle with bi-polar affective disorder (formerly known as manic depression) in this heartfelt, humorous, straight from the heart, account of his dilemma. He gives us a wonderful insight into the highs and lows of the illness, leaving no stone unturned, describing in layman's terms the excruciating mental torture the affliction can bring.

Circle of Dolphins is a gritty description of life inside a psychiatric hospital. The vivid account of the trials and tribulations of sharing a small space with other patients is true to life and detailed. Clare tells of her own experiences before being diagnosed as schizophrenic, and the events that followed as she came to terms with the real world.

Religion was transformed into Relationship for the author following an encounter with God in 1977. The Bible, no longer a dusty book on the shelf, became the Living Word of God to her and God's tool in transforming her life. From the beginning she felt inspired to write things down - jottings, notes on Bible verses, and testimonies to the amazing work of God in her life and the lives of others. She had a dream - one day she would write a book. This book is the fulfilment of that dream, maybe just a beginning. Her motive in telling her story of what God has done is first to give Him all the Glory, but also to give away what she has received, that others too may be blessed, forgiven, healed and transformed by the same Living God, through His Son Jesus Christ.

The Bumpy Lane' is a metaphor for the twists, turns, bumps and difficulties of growing up that are experienced by most people. The author gives a vivid account of his first twenty years and the 'Bumpy Lane' of life that led to his future in an ever-changing Britain.

Ship to Shore
The Autobiography of a Royal
Naval Signalman 1889—1981
Sidney Hill
Publisher:Spiderwize
UK: £9.99
US: $13.45
Type: Paperback 6" x 9"
Pages: 396
ISBN-13: 978-0-9560519-1-2

A remarkable insight in 19th and 20th century social and naval history through the eyes of a self-styled 'ordinary man'.

Another Story:    A Tale of a Son and a Daughter of Two Villages By William J. Nicol  UK price: £6.99    US price: $11.99 Publisher: Diadem Books Format: Paperback Size : 22.9 x 15.2 x 0.7 cm Pages: 118 ISBN: 978-1907294372 Published: Feb-2010

About the book: This book is the tale of a son and a daughter of two villages in the Kingdom of Fife, in Scotland.  Their similarities in background in coal-mining East Fife, and their decidedly different outlooks on life grounded on quite different life-styles, are confronted in the light of our national divided society over the past three hundred years since the time of Alexander Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe. Love thrived on conflicts of mind and ideologies. The book is an inspirational tonic.

Waipori Reflections      Contemplations in Three Locations by Charles Muller   UK price: £9.99   US price: $14.99 Publisher: DIADEM BOOKS Format: Paperback: Perfect binding , cream interior Size : 5.5" x 8.5" (21.6 x 14 x 1.9 cm) Pages: 350 ISBN: 978-1907294358 Published: December-2009

The “reflections” in this volume were inspired by the author’s acquisition of a house in the splendid isolation of a remote village surrounded by a scenic reserve. In Waipori Falls Village, about an hour's drive from Dunedin, in South Island, New Zealand, the author and his old friend and colleague Dr Garrett Evans could reflect upon life, on their experiences in different parts of the world where they had lived. This is followed by the author’s reflections back in Clashnessie, his home in the Highlands of Scotland, followed by his reflections during the summer of 2008, which he spent at his home in Nova Scotia. The book, which encompasses the three locales, constitutes, in effect, a “trilocation” portmanteau! All the reflections, wherever they are set, were inspired by his time in Waipori, which began the whole process.

Also included are a number of articles by John Kelly, being memories of the early days in Waipori Falls Village, at the time when the hydro-electric scheme was being constructed in the valley.

This interview with Alan Paton by Roy Holland has never, until now, been published. The interview took place on June 19 and June 20, 1973, when Holland was a guest in Paton’s home, Lintrose, at Bothas Hill, Kloof, Natal. It provides many insights into Paton’s life, his political involvement as the founder of the Liberal party in South Africa, and his writings.

The first part of this book deals with disease, health, and diet mainly in Knightswood prior to, during, and immediately following World War II. The second part is concerned mainly with the education of primary school children in the same area and during the same period, although there are several ventures beyond Knightswood and into Glasgow generally.

The captivating story of two people who grew up in two very different environments—one in the harsh economical conditions of urban London, the other in the picaresque countryside of rural Scotland.

Elizabeth Nel served as Winston Churchill's personal secretary during World War II. The vivid and human details of her experiences, of her impressions and memories of that great man at the height of the conflict against Hitler, make this compelling reading. An epilogue about the subsequent life of Elizabeth Nel over the past 60 years brings the book up to date

An autobiographical account of the author's life from 1940, when he left England for Southern Rhodesia until his return to England in 1999. A highlight is the entertaining account of his colonial service in the Somaliland Protectorate.

The (not too serious) exploits of a young Royal Artillery Officer in Germany in the 1960s, extending through his career from RMAS until after his retirement. The title introduces an enchanting collection of humorous "Kiplingesque" episodes, drawn from the author's real-life experiences in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Thomas F Jacques has a written a true and vivid life of an English boy born into poverty and has depicted a life without prejudice to persons past and present. He now lives as a state pensioner in his 88th year without wealth and riches, grateful for being mentally sound and in full health.

A very amusing, at times hilarious, account by a British airman of his involvement in World War II. From the depths of Wiltshire, through the Syrian desert, the siege of Malta into Italy, the author tells us how it really was!

“The life story of a very ordinary man, who didn’t achieve much but also achieved a lot.” The author spent 3/4 years of his prime employed as a Tunnel Miner working on the Hydro Schemes in the Highlands of Scotland. The tunnels were under peat and various different soils and clay. The miners went by the glamorous name of the Tunnel Tigers, hence the title Tigers Under the Turf—but tunnel mining was anything but glamorous!

This book is dedicated to all of the Royal Marines, be it squaddies, N.C.O.s or officers who were lucky enough to be in 40 commando on the dates November 1955 to November 1957, who cemented a wonderful camaraderie in the Suez Battle and training in Malta and Cyprus.

Cry With Me: Part 1
The True Story About a Woman from Africa Seeking Asylum in Britain
By Mable Ann Pike
UK price: £9.07   US price: $16.95
Format: Paperback
Size : 6 x 9
Pages: 190
ISBN: 0-595-41167-3
Published: Sep-2006

The book is an asylum seeker's account of courage and perseverance, of how for years she suffered the indignities, humiliations and anguish of racial prejudice and violence in Zimbabwe with its disintegrating economy and law and order, finally seeking refuge in Britain, the home of her grandfather.

Other Formats:  Hard Cover : $43.95  £23.54

Autobiographic journey through the changing patterns of life in Medicine and the Church in many parts of the world over the past 75 years. Conflicting priorities don’t diminish the drive of destiny with a kindred spirit by your side.

An English family’s first visit to the U.S.A. In addition to seeing traditional tourist attractions, they meet everyday Americans and stay in typical American homes.

A retired Group Captain in the RAF, Kel Palmer’s autobiography is a fascinating exploration of his experiences in over 110 countries. He is a pioneer in the development of radar, but most exciting is his heartfelt romance with the love of his life!

“There is always a choice in life. One way of life is to follow the word and the will of God. The other is to follow the way of the world. I had chosen to drift further and further away from my home and Christian upbringing to follow a man who was not a Godly man but a follower of his own whims and desires.” The book is a poignant account of a woman’s experience and escape from the hell of domestic abuse.

Rhodesia was once a prosperous and thriving country, and the story of the author's enterprising and entrepreneurial spirit in that land, followed by his desperate escape from the country when, as Zimbabwe, it became ruled by a tyrant, imparts a realistic perspective of the present desperate plight of many exiles from a country that was once a paradise and the breadbasket for so much of Africa.

The memoirs of a fighter pilot who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes during World War II, with many earlier recollections of Clowne, a Derbyshire village, during the thirties.

Actions and reactions of a ‘cockney kid’ to his imposed life in a rural landscape during his six years of World War Two. His thoughts, fears and imaginings, broken by loss, lust, brutality and learning.

This is a remarkable Christian testimony of faith and endurance by a man who is led by God from Ghana to his new home in Europe . Throughout his journey the writer experiences pitfalls and witnesses many incidents of human greed and tragedy that drive him to seek the reason for man's life on earth.

This is a really a remarkable book about World War 2. So many battlegrounds—first in the Shetlands (a preparation rather than a battle), then the desert in North Africa, then D-Day itself into France, and finally Norway! As a first-hand account by someone directly involved in these battles, especially the D-day invasion, this work is a very valuable record of history.

To the readers who have read the author's first book Life and Deaf, this new story will answer their desire to know what happened to her daughter Rosemary, who became deaf at the age of two years due to an overdose of streptomycin, and her progress thereafter despite eminent specialists suggesting her only vocabulary would be "signing" and her speech would be very limited.

This is the second volume in Wally Payne’s entertaining and often hilarious account of the doings (and misdoings!) of a soldier in the Royal Military Police, his postings this time ranging from Germany, Northern Ireland, Colchester, Edinburgh, to Hong Kong.

How can words describe the huge difference between life in a little village in a typical developing country in Africa and that of a city in the sophisticated West? Well, that exactly is what the book sets out to achieve.

Wally by Name is an entertaining and often hilarious account of the doings (and misdoings!) of a soldier in the Royal Military Police, his postings ranging from Germany to Malta, Northern Island to Cyprus and Hong Kong.

Not just an autobiography, A Life is a historical record of achievement, from pre-war childhood to post-war retirement, taking in school, training ship, the sea, the commercial world, home and family.

This is a delightfully entertaining account of the author’s three-year period during the Second World War as a wren, when she was enlisted in the W.R.N.S., the much coveted service that had been so difficult to enter. 

One man, three lives—from idyllic village childhood, through war-torn Europe, to a new life in England.

Set in the Lancashire cotton town of Oldham, this moving and gripping autobiography presents a catalogue of events that helped shape the author to be the man he is today.

A father’s celebration of the short but busy life of his son who died in a tragic accident, aged eleven.

This is the story, beguiling and often moving, of a young girl brought up in the harsh realities of the 1930's in St. James Square in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This inspiring story tells of the courage of a young Ghanaian boy who, having failed to achieve his aim to become a medical doctor by attending a university in Ghana or by virtue of a scholarship to the USSR, raised funds by working on a building site in Nigeria to pay for a daring one-way flight to East Berlin to become an asylum seeker in West Berlin—a route by which he realised his dreams and became a medical doctor in Germany.

The book covers a lifetime of serving in the Catholic Church combined with the renegade lifestyle of seven lads who became men and dealt with the hysterical consequences of being holy and sinful.

Not only a how-to book on embalming! Jo Powell has seen Death many times, through the eyes of a child, a woman and an embalmer. She understands the needs of those wishing to become embalmers and the difficulties that face them. Her book tells of her encounters with the Dead and how to care for them in a way that can easily be understood by the reader.

Life and Deaf, about bringing up a girl who is profoundly deaf, is for anyone who enjoys a true inspirational and uplifting story filled with pathos, hope, dejection, unswerving love, success and romance.

The enthralling and courageous story of a woman who became a priest in the Church of England, having survived one of the first open heart operations and persevered against deep-rooted prejudices against women in the clergy.

A Stroke of Genius:      
Letters and Stories
by Mick Sutton

$11.95     £9.99
Format: Paperback
Size: 6 x 9
Pages: 98
ISBN: 0-595-27855-8
Published: Jun-2003

Mick Sutton’s letters that recount the experiences and impressions of a world cruise will be an inspiration and help to others who have had to overcome the challenges of a stroke or similar circumstances that have brought unexpected changes to the course of their lives and to the lives of their partners.

This readable book traces the history of an ordinary English family through six generations, complete with anecdotes, photographs and genealogical tables.

This true life story tells of the turbulent life of a woman who suffered abuse and humiliation as a child and young woman, and who later faced insurmountable challenges in providing care for a son inflicted with a bone disorder that required frequent surgery.

Someone living near you can turn out to be your reincarnated loved one—given that we reincarnate into the people around us! The author illustrates her premise with her real-life story.

Tell it as it Was

by Kathleen Hann   

US price: $12.95    UK price: £10.99
Format: Paperback
Size: 6 x 9
Pages: 176
ISBN: 0-595-22790-2
Publication Date: May-2002
 

This book will make you laugh and cry as the author revisits the Black Country of the thirties and forties.

A Camera in the Dales   by  John Moore. 

Published by Writers Club Press, 2000
US price: $9.95
UK price: £8.55

This is a photographic diary in monochrome!  With its authentic and picturesque verbal memories, it is a magical evocation of past customs in one of the most romantic dales in Yorkshire. 

Why Daddy, Why?
by Emelia Dion Hardy.  
Published by Writers Club Press, 2002.    
 

UK Price £13.99 
$15.95 in  US 

The reader will be drawn irresistibly into the world of the author who presents a catalogue of abuse and cruelty suffered by herself as an innocent child, first at the hands of her alcoholic father, then by nuns, and later by a heartless husband who raped and beat her. This is compulsive reading.

Turning Thirty, Forty, Fifty... by  Marcia W Tuttle. 

Published by Writers Club Press, 2002.    

US price: $13.95       UK price: £8.55 

 
Journal entries and short stories recorded over twenty years reveal the poignant struggles and heartfelt triumphs and the joys of a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as she matures from young woman to mother, to teacher and grandmother

Cinderella in Arabia                             
A Cross-Cultural Autobiography               
by Monika al-Amahani    US price: $25.95    UK price £18.04
Format: Paperback
Size: 6 x 9
Pages: 532
ISBN: 0-595-20116-4
Publication Date: Nov-2001 

 

Cinderella in Arabia is a serious critique of Gulf Arab society, revealing the devastating crunches the author has so triumphantly survived in her intercultural marriage.

A Boy from the Valleys

by Raymond G Hicks   

US price: $11.95    UK Price £9.99      
Format: Paperback
Size: 6 x 9
Pages: 148
ISBN: 0-595-17625-9
Publication Date: Apr-2001
 

Autobiographical tales of a young boy, growing up in the South Wales mining valley in the 1920's with adventure, tension and humour.

Schools for Slander: A True Story  
by Ruth Barrett.
Writers Club Press, 2000.
US price: $11.95      UK price : £10.27
 

Teaching is a vocation, not a job. And yet teachers can suffer unbelievable torture. In this book the author gives a vivid account of her years of teaching in England -- years of unmitigating persecution and slander!

What I Can See For You by Ruth Barrett. 

US Price: $14.95       UK Price £10.12

This is the story of the author’s personal battle over several years to regain her health. The battle was successful - eventually - but many lessons were learnt the hard way on the journey. This book is written as a warning to all those who value their health. Read on and draw your own conclusions..

A Mild Form of Insanity by Mike Tuson.   

Writers Club Press, 2001.

 

The book covers Mike Tuson's experiences in almost all forms of helicopter operations, including military, oil field support, mountain and desert flying in Oman.

Two Rabbits Reliant on Three Wheels 
by Michael Page


On-line US price:  $11.95    UK price £7.65

This entertaining book presents laughable yet poignant situations in the life of a male nurse travelling through Britain, Ireland and the Continent in a three-wheeler in the company of two rabbits.