Rather than a chronology of events this volume looks at the lives, morals and beliefs of people and how they were affected by events that were largely out of their control. Rather than re hash the old stories about the main characters, there are portraits of the forgotten figures from that era, both heroes and villains. People like Peter Easton one of the most successful pirates of that or any other age, Lawrence Chislett, the unsung hero of the first siege of Taunton. John Sheppard, the renegade royalist who had to return to the small settlement of Kilton, in post-Civil war Somerset, and live among those whose lives he had made a misery Otherwise unremarkable people are featured, like Thomas Sesse, whose act of Christian charity spectacularly back fired on him. Then there was the mass hysteria at the “discovery of a Hellish knot of witches”, in Eat Somerset in the 1660's Eye witness accounts are used throughout from a wealth of original documents to try and recreate the sounds sights and experience of not only a county, and a country in a state of turmoil.

A revelatory new biography emerges that captures the enigmatic life of England's greatest queen--the uniquely fascinating Elizabeth, who ruled for nearly 45 years, had intellect and presence, and exercised supreme authority in a world where power was exclusively male. Anne Somerset examines the monarch and the woman. 16 pages of black-and-white illustrations.

What have women in Somerset got up to over the years? Oh, nothing much. Apart from... - worshipping goddesses - travelling the world - burning down a castle - arguing with the queen over swans - writing mega-popular books - fighting against slavery + racism - voting before women were officially allowed to vote ... and a few/loads of other things! ;) And most of these women aren't well known at all. Let's change that! Come along on a journey from before the Romans came all the way to the mid-1900s to meet women in Somerset who were unrecognised, unrewarded and uncelebrated.

Of Human Bondage (1915) is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Inspired by his experiences as an orphan and young student, Maugham composed his masterpiece. Adapted several times for film, Of Human Bondage is a story of tragedy, perseverance, and the eternal search for happiness which drives us as much as it haunts our every move. Orphaned as a boy, Philip Carey is raised in an affectionless household by his aunt and uncle. Although his Aunt Louisa tries to make him feel welcome, William proves an uncaring, vindictive man. Left to fend for himself most days, Philip finds solace in the family’s substantial collection of books, which serve as an escape for the imaginative boy. Sent to study at a prestigious boarding school, Philip struggles to fit in with his peers, who abuse him for his intelligence and club foot. Despite his struggles, he perseveres in his studies and chooses his own path in life, moving to Heidelberg, Germany and denying his uncle’s wish that he attend Oxford. As he struggles to become a professional artist, Philip learns that one’s dreams are often unsubstantiated in the world of the living. Of Human Bondage is a tale of desire, disappointment, and romance by a master stylist with a keen sense of the complications inherent to human nature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

During World War I W. Somerset Maugham, already by then an established playwright and author, was recruited to be a British intelligence agent. These stories reflect his wartime experiences in intelligence gathering. Though fictionalized, they managed to retain enough authentic elements for Winston Churchill to advise Maugham that their publication might be a violation of the Official Secrets Act, resulting in the author burning an additional 14 stories. Set in various locales across the continent, these remaining Ashenden stories are a precursor to the jet-setting spy novels of the 1950s and 1960s. Maugham is known as a master short story writer and these stories are no exception, combining wit and realism to create memorable characters in a unique and highly critical portrait of wartime espionage. Initially released to a mixed reception—with an early review by D. H. Lawrence being especially scathing—Ashenden has since been credited as an inspiration for numerous authors, including John Le Carré, Graham Greene, and Raymond Chandler. The latter in particular was especially impressed, writing in 1950, “There are no other great spy stories—none at all. I have been searching and I know.” This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

Montenegro was admitted to the UN as its 192nd member in June 2006, thus recovering the independence it had lost nearly ninety years earlier at the Versailles Peace Conference. This is the first full-length history of the country in English for a century, tracing the history of the tiny Balkan state from its earliest roots in the medieval empire of Zeta through its consistently ambiguous and frequently problematic relationship with its larger neighbour Serbia, the emergence of a priest/warrior ruler in the shape of the Vladika and its emergence from Ottoman suzerainty at the Congress of Berlin. In more recent history, the book focuses on Montenegro’s troubled twentieth century, its prominent role in the Balkan wars, its unique deletion from world maps as an independent state despite being on the winning side in the Great War, its ignominious role in the wars leading to the disintegration of Yugoslavia and its final reemergence as a member of the international community on the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 2006. Since independence, Montenegro has grappled with the question of Euro-Atlantic integration, including membership of NATO (achieved) and the EU (applicant). Even as it has fought to define its identity, it has gone from being one of the poorest nations in the Western Balkans to having the highest per capita income of the region. It successfully navigated democratic transition in 2020.