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Emperor Franz Joseph 1 (1830- 1916) Sarajevo visit 1910

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                            Relevance of a Nonevent                 As a result of the Congress of Berlin 1878, the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, previously part of the Ottoman Empire, became under the management of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, established in 1867. Austria had lost control of Lombardy (1859), and Venetia (1866). Austria-Hungary was now up against a largely unified Italy, and a unified Germany under Prussian control. It would have to look towards The Balkans if it wanted to extend its territory and influence. The Congress of Berlin also recognised the independence of Serbia, which the Ottoman Empire had lost control of since 1867. Franz Joseph had been emperor of Austria since 1848 . It was from reading the Dutch language book Schoten in Sarajevo by Mark de Geest , an intriguing 'parallel biography' of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his assas...
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Bird of ILL Omen -The Gothic Tales of Catherine Crowe Edited by Ruth Heholt

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                                              From the British Library Tales of the Weird Catherine Crowe (1790-1872)  has been called the 'first ghost hunter' or the 'first paranormal investigator'. A fluent German speaker, Mrs Crowe translated The Seeress of Provorst (1829) by prominent German scientist Justinus Kerner ( who discovered botulism and somnambulism). She was also inspired by other German scientists such as Heinrich Jung-Stilling, Karl Eschenmayer, Joseph Ennemoser, and Gotthilf Henrich von Schubert. All who were interested in the spirit world as an extension of their own research.  Mrs Crowe also wrote a series of novels published from around 1841  including,  The Story of   Lilly Dawson   ,The Adventures of Susan Hopley  or Circumstancial Evidence (  her most famous work ),   The Adventures of a Beauty...
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North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810- 1865)

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                                             Industrial  'social' novel from 1855                                       Introduction                               The Elizabeth Gaskell Society was established in 1985. During  the 2000's several of Mrs Gaskell's novels were televised.  North and South ,  Wives and   Daughters  and  Cranford  (which were three stories effectively rammed together). In 2014 the Manchester Historic Buildings Trust helped finance the opening of the Elizabeth Gaskell House at 84 Plymouth Road to the public, Mrs Gaskell's home from 1850- 1865. Now operates as a museum devoted to her work.  Mrs Gaskell wrote some several novels and a...
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The Assassination of Empress Elisabeth 'Sisi' (1837-1898)

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                                          Lake Geneva 10th September 1898  Empress Elisabeth ('Sisi'), was  empress of Austria from 1854 after marrying emperor Franz Joseph of the House of Habsburg whilst aged sixteen. Sisi was also crowned queen of Hungary in 1867,when the dual monarchy of Austria - Hungary was established.  In 1854 the Austrian empire was ten times the size of the modern-day EU member state. The largest country in Europe after Russia, its territory included Hungary,Slovenia, Croatia, Bohemia and Moravia, along with parts of what are now Italy, Roumania, Poland, and the Ukraine. Austria lost Lombardy in 1859 and Venetia in 1866 to the new united kingdom of Italy, but gained control of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878.  As a Bavarian princess ,the early life of Sisi was unconventional and quite carefree. Her royal pedigree was via her mother's side....
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'The Well -Beloved : A Sketch of Temperament ' By Thomas Hardy

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                          A lesser known Hardy novel : No classic but interesting.             It is hard to call The Well -Beloved   a 'lost classic' : Usually depicted as a novel for Hardy diehards only. In fact D.H.Lawrence described it as 'sheer rubbish' VICTORIAN WEB .  F.B.Pinion in his extensive survey of Hardy writings thought that the novel was 'light' and 'tragic-comic'. F.B.PINION   Hardy's recent biographer  Claire Tomalin advises that the novel began as  a lighthearted story  The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved  TOMALIN    T he first version was p ublished in weekly instalment form in The Illustrated News  from October-December 1892, this work was not published as a novel until 1897 with an extra portion, making it technically Hardy's last published novel. THOMAS HARDY SOCIETY. A new edition emerged in 1912 with some m...
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The Witchcraft and Vagrancy Act -Horror Folk Ensemble

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                                                           Interview               Decided to have a musical interlude by adding an interview with folk/folk horror outfit The Witchcraft and Vagrancy Act after seeing the band in Worthing (September 2025) and Brighton (October 2025) .This was conducted via email with Richard Craig and unedited.  1.  Can you introduce the individuals who make up the band, what they play and a bit of background. I am Richard Craig, I serve as the lead singer, and primarily play violin,shruti box, ukulele  and jig doll. I am originally from the West Country, where I was fortunate enough to play with several iconic folk musicians, including Martin & Eliza Carthy, and Phil Beer. After moving to Brighton, I returned to university to complete my degree, wh...
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Review -Oscar Wilde's Scandalous Summer by Antony Edmonds

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                                       The 1894 Worthing Holiday And The Aftermath  Most impressive work indeed and  certainly a book in two halves. Opens with an intriguing account of the Wilde family, along with Bosie at times, staying  at 5 The Esplanade, Worthing ( which has sadly been demolished) from 7th  August 1894- 4th October 1894. The town was desperately trying to attract tourists after the dismal Summer of 1893 when typhus had struck, and not surprisingly, visitors largely stayed away.  There is a great deal shared here about late Victorian Worthing, its economic life, its architecture,  the Summer entertainments with at least four seaborne carnivals. A band of musicians performing regularly on the beach, the circus, concerts at the Assembly Hall -which is now at a different location. A great set of photographs are included in this book.  Os...
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