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The Trumpet Major and His Brother Robert by Thomas Hardy (1880)

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                          If the enemy lands next Autumn    The Trumpet Major and his Brother Robert (1880) is generally considered Hardy's lightest novel. Also the only one which could be called 'historical'.  It is set on the Dorset coast in 1803-1805 centred round the mill village of 'Overcombe' ( Sutton Poyntze) not far from Budmoth (Weymouth)  and overshadowed by the Napoleon's threat to invade southern England. Small communities are impacted by parading soldiers and later the Press Gang make their presence known. News sheets circulate warnings of Napoleon's mobilisation across the Channel at Boulogne. A warning beacon stands ready to be lit if needed. At one point a rumour circulates stating that Napoleon's 'Army of England' has landed. And villagers start to leave their homes.  The plot is centred around  a young lady from Overcombe -Anne Garland-and three potential husbands: The local...
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The Weird Tales of William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918)

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                                              Serious Treatment of Unreality  ' The Weird Tales of William Hope Hodgson, edited by Xavier Aldana Reyes, is  part of the British Library Tales of the Weird series, published in 2019. Contains ten short stories.  William Hope Hodgson was born in Whetherfield, Essex in 1877: His father was the Reverend Samuel Hodgson, who was placed by the Church in different stipends, including at Middlesburgh, Nottinghamshire, Battersea, then Ireland, and finally became curate of All Saints Church in Blackburn in 1890. William was educated at school in Margate, and settled with his family in Blackburn for a year before serving in the Merchant Navy from 1891-1900. The sea became an important setting for much of his subsequent fiction, which is reflected in the above collection. TIMELINE The Blackburn Weekly Telegraph obituary of 2...
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Seeking Mary Jane -Who Was the Ripper's Final Victim ?

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                       Review of new book and  on line chat with author Paul Williams                                              I have not really covered Jack the Ripper and the wider 'Ripperology' genre. Decided to make an exception for Paul Williams, an English writer who now lives in Australia. A specialist in Cryptozoology and the study of wolves in folklore, Paul has also written many articles for various history magazines, and has had some hundred short stories published. Most significantly, he is the author of Jack the Ripper Suspects : The Definitive Guide and Encyclopedia - which has 333 entries.  1. For people (like myself) who are not really knowledgeable about Jack the Ripper, which books, websites, online videos, are a good starting point to get an overview of the subject and some of the c...
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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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