Alistair MacLean's War


Book Description

It is no coincidence that many of Alistair MacLean's most successful novels were sea stories. In 1941, he was called up after volunteering for the Royal Navy and served as Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, and Leading Torpedo Operator. For the majority of his service, he was on HMS Royalist, a modified Dido-class light cruiser, seeing action in the Arctic, and operations against the German battleship Tirpitz . The ship then deployed to the Mediterranean taking part in Operation Dragoon the invasion of the South of France and later in operations against German occupied Greek Islands in the Aegean. After which MacLean and Royalist were deployed to the Indian Ocean and operations against the Japanese in Malaya, Burma, and Sumatra. His wartime experiences coupled with exceptional literary skill resulted in the runaway success of his first novel HMS Ulysses (1955) followed by The Guns of Navarone (1957) and South by Java Head (1958). These three blockbusters cemented his position as one of the most successful and highly paid authors of the era. While not a whole life biography, Mark Simmon’s book provides a fascinating insight into Maclean’s war service and subsequent works, which deserve enduring popularity.




Hostage Tower (Alistair MacLean’s UNACO)


Book Description

Introducing UNACO – the United Nations Anti Crime Organisation – an elite team of agents who battle the world’s deadliest criminals. When the mission looks impossible, the world calls upon UNACO.




When Eagles Dared


Book Description

When Eagles Dared is a salute to the men and women who participated in World War II and the filmmakers who have immortalised their stories on screen. It tells both the story of the historical events of this first truly 'world war' and of the films that have depicted these events - comparing the cinematic myth with the historical reality - as a guide to history through cinema. When Eagles Dared portrays the people who participated in the war, from the evacuation of the Allied forces from France at Dunkirk through to the battle for Berlin and beyond. Each chapter discusses a theatre of war, an event, a campaign or battle by explaining the historical events as they unfold and then examines how filmmakers have represented them. Chapters discuss the war in the skies (Battle of Britain and The Dam Busters), the sea (Sink the Bismarck! and The Cruel Sea) and the North African desert (The Battle of El Alamein and Tobruk). There are 'special mission' movies including Where Eagles Dare and The Dirty Dozen, classic tales of ingenuity (The Great Escape), valour (Saving Private Ryan), and human endurance (The Bridge on the River Kwai). Offering a unique view of war through the lenses of over 150 diverse films that have shaped our perceptions of the conflict, When Eagles Dared is illustrated with rare stills and posters from this ever popular genre.




The Publishers Weekly


Book Description




The Complete Navarone


Book Description

Twelve hundred British soldiers isolated on the small island of Kheros off the Turkish coast, waiting to die. Twelve hundred lives in jeopardy, lives that could be saved if only the guns could be silenced. The guns of Navarone, vigilant, savage and catastrophically accurate. Navarone itself, grim bastion of narrow straits manned by a mixed garrison of Germans and Italians, an apparently impregnable iron fortress. To Captain Keith Mallory, skllled saboteur, trained mountaineer, fell the task of leading the small party detailed to scale the vast, impossible precipice of Navarone and to blow up the guns. The Guns of Navarone is the story of that mission, the tale of a calculated risk taken in the time of war...In Force 10 from Navarone, the heroic survivors have no time to rest on their laurels. Almost before the last echoes of the famous guns have died away, Keith Mallory, Andrea and Dusty Miller are parachuting into war-torn Yugoslavia to rescue a division of Partisans ... and to fulfil a secret mission, so deadly that it must be hidden from their own allies.In Storm Force from Navarone, Mallory, Miller and Andrea are sent on a perilous mission through the Pyrenees to disable the greatest threat to the success of the D-Day landings - the Werewolf U-boats. With less than six days to locate the submarines and destroy them, and communications insecure, they must operate outside normal channels, cut off from any back-up.In Thunderbolt from Navarone, they are summoned to Naval HQ and told to reconnoitre the reek island of Kynthos, determine the German development of the lethal and experimental A3 rockety and destroy any facilities. It seems like a guaranteed suicide mission, but if anyone can pull off the impossible, it's Mallory and his team...




International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004


Book Description

Accurate and reliable biographical information essential to anyone interested in the world of literature TheInternational Who's Who of Authors and Writersoffers invaluable information on the personalities and organizations of the literary world, including many up-and-coming writers as well as established names. With over 8,000 entries, this updated edition features: * Concise biographical information on novelists, authors, playwrights, columnists, journalists, editors, and critics * Biographical details of established writers as well as those who have recently risen to prominence * Entries detailing career, works published, literary awards and prizes, membership, and contact addresses where available * An extensive listing of major international literary awards and prizes, and winners of those prizes * A directory of major literary organizations and literary agents * A listing of members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters




World War II


Book Description

"World War 2: Beyond the Battlefield" is a comprehensive and illuminating account of one of the most significant and transformative events in human history. This book offers a unique perspective on the war, highlighting the human side of the conflict and exploring the social, political, and cultural impact of the war on a global scale. Throughout the book, you will be taken on a journey through the experiences of soldiers, civilians, and political leaders from around the world. The complex and often difficult decisions that shaped the course of the war are examined, along with the lasting impact of the war on the world. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of World War II! With its exploration of the human and social dimensions of the war, "World War 2: Beyond the Battlefield" offers a unique and valuable perspective on this transformative event in human history. Key features: • A comprehensive examination of the human and social impact of World War II • Highlights the stories of soldiers, civilians, and political leaders from around the world • Provides a unique perspective on the war, beyond the typical focus on military strategy and tactics • Explores the lasting impact of the war on the world Benefits: • Gain a deeper understanding of the complex and often difficult decisions that shaped the course of World War II • Explore the stories of individuals who lived through the war, highlighting the strength of the human spirit in times of adversity • Learn about the social, political, and cultural impact of the war on a global scale • Gain a new perspective on the war, moving beyond the typical focus on military strategy and tactics Target audience: "World War 2: Beyond the Battlefield" is a must-read for anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of World War II, and its social, political, and cultural impact on the world. It will be of interest to history enthusiasts, students, and anyone with an interest in this transformative event in human history. Order now: Don't miss out on this unique and illuminating account of World War II. Order "World War 2: Beyond the Battlefield" now and gain a new perspective on this transformative event in human history.




British Film Posters


Book Description

The first complete history of illustrated film posters in the UK covers every aspect of design, printing and display from the Victorian era to the arrival of DeskTop Publishing in the 1980s. British Film Posters examins the contribution 'vintage' film posters have made to British popular art of the 20th century.




Atrocity, Deviance, and Submarine Warfare


Book Description

In an era of changing ethics, the submarine has inaugurated a new type of unrestricted naval warfare




Fashioned in the North


Book Description

This edited volume showcases new examples - previously untold stories of images, photographers, publications, and institutions - partly unknown outside the Nordic countries. The authors examine the reasons for and implications of this underexposure, taking on a photographic metaphor. While simultaneously challenging previously taken-for-granted ideas of the center and periphery in this field, the book also widens the study of fashion photography. Notably, the hybridity of approaches may enrich future studies of fashion photography. In Fashioned in the North, fashion photography is viewed as a transnational phenomenon and a material object, as well as a medium that is part of a media system and a result of archival systems and history writings. Furthermore, the book displays how studies of fashion photography can be so much more than stories of a few names and iconic images or studies of individual and periodic style. Indeed, the study of fashion photography may be a prism through which we can uncover cultural, social, economic, and ideological aspects of society at present and in the past.