The Vietnam War was the major hot war of the Cold War era. This book examines the war, both from the strategic and the ideological perspective, in the context of the Western attempt to contain communism globally. It provides a clear historical framework for the competing voices of the war, and an analysis of the consequences of the failure of America to achieve its strategic goals in Vietnam. Among these were the prolonged devastation inflicted on Indochina; the consequent crippling of the Western claim to moral superiority over communism; the consolidation of anti-American sentiment worldwide; and the collapse of Western liberal morale. America's defeat in Vietnam provided a major boost to the communist cause throughout the 'Third World'.
However, this book also demonstrates that the Americans did succeed in their ultimate regional objective: the containment of communism in East and Southeast Asia. During the war, America was able to contain the communist advance within the Indochina region, thus allowing economically and politically resilient non-communist states to emerge across Asia by the time of the communist victory in Vietnam. The victorious communist states of Indochina, by contrast, descended rapidly into ideological conflict, economic collapse, and internecine war. By 1980, Asian communism had lost ideological credibility to such an extent that, effectively, the Cold War had ended in East Asia long before the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Clive J. Christie gained a doctorate at Cambridge University before embarking on an academic career. He retired as a Senior Lecturer in Southeast Asian History at the University of Hull in 2004, and he is now a Senior Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His main interest is in the period of nationalist awakening, decolonisation, regional conflict in the post-independence period, and the impact of the Cold War on twentieth-century Southeast Asia. His publications include the following books: A History of Modern Southeast Asia: Nationalism and Separatism
Button Gwinnett was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence. His short-lived but meteroic political career has invited much conjecture but the lack of any obvious legacy has since condemned him to semi-oblivion - apart from his signature which is now the most sought after in the United States.
This book fills a gap in our knowledge. It tells the story of Gwinnett's life in gripping detail: from 1762 and his arrival in America as a bankrupt Englishman, to Founding Father in 1776, and finally to his death in a duel the following year. It examines how he rose by dubious means to become one of the largest landowners in the State of Georgia and leader of the Popular Party, and it lays out the complex steps by means of which, in 1776, he placed his signature on the Declaration of Independence and became successively Speaker, Commander-in-Chief and President of Georgia - before an untimely death in an unnecessary duel.
Colin Gwinnett Sharp is a former Royal Navy Commander and an indirect descendant of Button Gwinnett who first came to know of his forbear's life whilst serving in the British Embassy in Washington DC.
We English, supposedly cold and unemotional, are helplessly in love with nature. We fell in love two hundred years ago and, since then, have been on a wild roller-coaster ride through escapism, romanticism, art, animal cruelty, conservation, birdwatching, the back-to-nature movement and much more. Today we live with pets, gardening, wildlife documentaries and smartphone apps.
The English Love Affair with Nature tells the story of this extraordinarily long, tangled and passionate romance, how we fell in love, and why we are still mad about nature.
Ian Alexander was educated at Winchester and Cambridge. He has written
three books and many peer-reviewed articles on software engineering. He
has been in love with nature all his life, and became fascinated by the
question of how, why, and when a whole nation fell in love. www.obsessedbynature.com
Passionate landscapes with an engaging guide
Ian Alexander introduces his theme with a wink
..'the facts alone can be dry- but the bump and grind are not easy to put into words after the event.'
So we can expect a factual account of the development of awareness of Nature – matched with a love affair. He's set himself a hard task – and he succeeds remarkably.
Historically he describes the English using Newtonian science to liberate themselves from the mental constraints of a medieval God-centred universe. This uncovers the combined potential of the quest for discovery and also reveals Nature in the raw as it were, fit to be wooed and pursued.
The scope of this passionate quest is phenomenal: from romantic poetry to village dogshows, from Victorian collectors to naval camouflage, traditional rural scenes to technical advancement. To a non-expert the research is impressively rigorous and credible.
However, this is not a catalogue; more of a ramble - discursive, unevenly paced according to the ground covered, with pauses for perspective or reflection. Our author /guide keeps us company with beautifully described vignettes of natural observation; - lending a beguilingly personal quality to big themes.
It is inevitably episodic- the kind of book that could be dipped into- but I found the story thread strong enough to keep me engaged from start to finish.
late eighteenth century the English people have been in love with nature
Ian Alexander’s book investigates the premise that since the late eighteenth century the English people have been in love with nature; with leisure time and literacy increasing and a rising number of available books about nature the love affair grew and with the population’s migration into the cities to fuel the industrial revolution’s need for workers the prevailing attitude altered from taking nature for granting to idealising it. Starting with the publication of Gilbert White’s ‘Natural History of Selborne’ and Thomas Bewick’s ‘A History of British Birds’ the relationship with nature is explored through a bewildering number of sources such as nineteenth century scientific pioneers Charles Lyell, Alfred Russell-Wallace and Charles Darwin but also landscape gardeners, romantic poets and modern children’s authors amongst many others.
Another theme of the book is the multi-faceted nature of the word ‘nature’, from harsh agricultural drudgery to idealised rural fantasy and from the viewpoints of both individuals and society. Controversies over the age of the Earth and evolution are examined, brought to public attention by the developing sciences of geology, palaeontology and taxonomy. The growth of the conservation movement from the end of the nineteenth century is also explored.
The discussions are framed by the author’s own observations of nature, clearly communicating his passion for the subject. The chronology, dramatis personae and bibliography provide an effective aid to further research on the ideas the book raises.
Why would a Northern Irish Protestant, raised in a staunchly loyalist community, hitchhike through Catholic Europe on the trail of medieval celtic monks? Why is the seaside town of Bangor in Northern Ireland largely responsible for Europe becoming a Christian continent? What role did an Ulsterman play in the creation of the European Union, and what can be done today to break down walls and bring people together? Who was Columbanus of Bangor and why are present-day librarians from all over the world indebted to him? Why does God not like zebras, has Murphy's Law anything to do with chaos theory, and why are the Germans the reason Ireland had to wait 1,900 years to get decent, straight roads?
Answers to all these questions can be found within these pages, the story of the European travels of sixth-century saint, Columbanus - and of a twenty-first century sinner, the book’s author. Weaving history, politics, theology, and personal narrative together in a humorous and readable way, Sloan tells the fascinating story of Columbanus and his legacy in uniting Europe. Profound moments of reflection and insight are punctuated by hilarious episodes: of breakfast with Vikings, of an attack by monster bees - and lunch with a talking horse! When the Saints go Marching is funny, thought-provoking, informative, inspiring and challenging - and all without being preachy.
Barry J. Sloan, born in Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, is married and has two children. He is an ordained Methodist minister, currently serving as mission partner with the United Methodist Church in Germany.
In the fifties and sixties of the previous century the province of Gelderland gradually became the hub of the warmblood breeding world in the Netherlands.
Stallions, such as Amor, Pericles and Voltaire, just to name a few, became household names whereas the local breeders using these stallions had no idea that, in a matter of just thirty or forty years, this would lead to the international fame of the Dutch warmblood of today.
Liz Barclay grew up in Gelderland during that time and, having lived in the States before settling in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, she saw that what once was a local enterprize has now become a huge international business. As a horse trainer she worked in both countries with many warmbloods, who had the blood in their veins from stallions who, during her youth, did not live very far from her doorstep.
The stories of breeders Henk Nijhof and Johan Venderbosch and trainers Roeli Bril and Jan Oortveld, men she knew, or knew of, during her youth in Gelderland, give a wonderful impression, not only of how life was, but also how life changed.
Starting with the breeding lines of Totilas and Valegro as the prime examples of the Dutch breeding success, the book, with Liz’s younger years as the common thread, gives owners of a Dutch sport horse anywhere in the world the chance to connect the breeding papers of their warmblood to this heartwarming tale of some brave Gelderland horsemen, who dared to stick their neck out, never shy of taking a little risk. Liz Barclay grew up in Gelderland before settling on her smallholding in Cornwall. She has worked with horses for most of her life, which gave her the chance to know breeders such as Henk Nijhof and Johan Venderbosch and learn from trainers such as Roeli Bril and Jan Oortveld.
When he volunteered in 1914, A.M.Bown was a twenty-year-old scholar at Oxford studying science. He became an artillery subaltern and remained one throughout the First World War, being wounded twice and gaining the Military Cross for bravery. This book, although fictionalised, grew out of his personal experiences and is a vivid and authentic, if fictionalised, account.
He tells of ordinary day-to-day incidents, some amusing, some frightening, and gives a sense of real lives - and real deaths. He keeps throughout a respect for his fellow soldiers, saying: “So this little team in khaki stood waiting for the starting gun … in the greatest game of all, and whatever share the fields of Eton may have had in any winning of it, that same share must be credited to the back alleys and the cinder patches, the parks and the recreation grounds which had been the nurseries of most of those who stood together in that forward line, picked to play for England”.
Profits from this edition will be divided between the Royal British Legion and Trinity College, Oxford, a scholarship to which gave the author his start in life.
Reviews...
Times Literary Supplement
“No synopsis of the movements and adventures of that battery could give an adequate impression of the scope of the book and quotation will do it less than justice. In style it is simple, light yet adequate; the humour is never forced and the ever present sense of tragedy is never unduly emphasized”.
They were years of unprecedented progress in industry, society, democracy, education and science, but of war in Europe, America and at sea. The last decades of the Eighteenth and first of the Nineteenth Centuries saw changes that ushered in the modern world.
Nowhere more so than in the Shropshire village of Coalbrookdale where, perhaps more than anywhere else at this date, technical innovation led to the use of iron in bridges, buildings, sea-going ships, steam engines and railways.
But also in the world of medicine, Coalbrookdale was subject to radical change as scientific discoveries brought new attitudes and a better understanding of life and disease.
Throughout this momentous period, three generations of one family ran a medical practice in Coalbrookdale.
Dr Richard Moore’s exhaustive research has uncovered how this medical family skilfully adopted advances in knowledge, developed their education and played their part in creating the profession of General Practitioner as we know it today. This original account demonstrates how, in the microcosm of Coalbrookdale, the experiences of one family mirror the democratic, social, industrial and scientific changes of the early Industrial Revolution.
Dr. Richard Moore is a fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a sometime examiner for the MRCGP, its membership examination. He was in practice in Shrewsbury for more than thirty years. His first book was Leeches to Lasers (Morrigan 2002), the story of seven (now nine) generations of his family as doctors. In 2009 he was awarded a PhD at the University of Birmingham for a thesis titled Competitors for Custom, on the development of medical practice in 18th and 19th century Shropshire. His last book was titled Shropshire Doctors and Quacks (Amberley 2011).
Reviews...
Michael Darby, descendant of Abraham Darby It gives me much pleasure to commend this book that describes so well the transition in Coalbrookdale from the work of the apothecary-surgeons to doctors “… at the dawn of the modern medical profession”
Jonathan Reinharz, Professor of Medicine, University of Birmingham, in Midland History There is enough of interest in these pages to satisfy anyone desiring a glimpse into the history of general practice over a century which saw significant changes introduced to both medical training and therapies. It is also recommended to regional historians, especially anyone with an interest in Shropshire and, of course, the Ironbridge Gorge.
In spite of failing all three sea trials, in late 1853 the SS San Francisco set off on her maiden voyage. She was carrying a US Army regiment from New York to California by way of Cape Horn and was heavily overloaded. Two days out, she had the misfortune to run into the worst storm of the century. Her engines failed and then an enormous wave swept over the decks, taking with it about 140 souls, the lifeboats and all the auxiliary sails, leaving her completely disabled.
Two ships found the SS San Francisco but sailed away and a third managed to rescue about a hundred people before the storm tore the two vessels apart. Then cholera struck.
All that stood between the survivors and almost certain death was Scotsman Robert Crighton, Captain of the Three Bells.
His ship had also been badly battered by the storm, but he stayed beside the stricken vessel for four days, risking the lives of everyone on board his own ship and jettisoning most of his own cargo. Using chalked boards held up by the crew, he sent the San Francisco a message later immortalised by Walt Whitman, ?Be of good cheer, we will stand by you?. Eventually, and with the help of another ship, all were rescued. Robert, to his great surprise, became an overnight hero - in America. What happened on his return to Scotland was another matter.
With meticulous research and using contemporary documents, Clare Abbott has pieced together Robert’s fascinating life, the life of a Victorian sea captain who sailed the world in the great age of Empire. It is a story of outstanding courage and love but also of greed, betrayal and hypocrisy.
Reviews...
Sally Gordon-Boyd "Clare Abbott has written a thrilling account of my great grandfather Robert's heroic rescue of the SS San Francisco when he was captain of the Three Bells. Her meticulous research has enabled her to chart the course of many of his remarkable exploits in a long career as master mariner and shipping agent, together with little known details of his family background.
The broad sweep of her narrative, with howls of hurricanes in the rigging, bring vividly to life this inspiring story which I had hitherto only vaguely known about as something to be proud of.
Robert Crighton's first born son (also Robert) became Deputy Chairman of Harland and Wolff, shipbuilders. His eldest daughter was my mother, Gladys. I was aware of the family shipping connection very early as a schoolboy, when I had two long voyages in the mid 1930s on a Royal Mail steamship to the Eastern Mediterranean and West Africa, on each occasion with a different captain. I particularly remember that each of them managed to run a happy ship with exceptional kindness and consideration - I like to think this had become part of a tradition started by enlightened seafarers like Captain Robert Crighton, a quality he had that the author highlights in her book.
I am most grateful to Clare Abbott for wanting to tell this extraordinary tale of my famous relative and for the immense trouble she has taken to establish the true facts.
Douglas Gordon Boyd
November 2014"
Peter Wight I am a descendent of Alexander Crighton, Robert's brother. I met Clare, through the internet, a couple years ago as she was gathering data on our family tree and have been waiting on this book to be printed for about a year.
She didn't disappoint. I read the book in 2 days. She has done a splendid amount of work assembling data and fastidiously piecing it together, even helping resolve a mystery that has eluded our family for a couple decades, which is finding out who Robert's father was. The picture painted is extraordinary and the story compelling. For any interested in maritime life during this period of history, you wont be disappointed.
When you have produced the final draft of your book, it is always advisable to have the text read and checked by a professional editor or proof reader.
You may have friends that are willing and competent to do this and we can advise you on the type of editing that is required.
We can offer four levels of editing as well as proof-reading.
You choose which, if any, are appropriate in your case: 1. Edit of sample pages and short report (£30)
We will edit a few pages to highlight editorial issues so that you can look for similar problems throughout the book.
This will reduce the amount of further copy-editing required when the book is finished. 2. Broad structural editing and criticism (£5 per thousand words)
A structural review is particularly relevant for works of fiction.
The structural reviewer will address the following main areas and produce a short report for the author ” Read More 3. Copy editing (£10 per thousand words)
A copy-editor takes a close look at your text, line by line, with an eye to grammatical errors, repetition, inconsistency and lack of clarity. The copy editor will make changes to the text, with suggestions for rewriting, grammar, and punctuation. When you receive the edited version, you have the final choice about accepting of rejecting the individual changes. 4. Proof Reading (£8 per thousand words)
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication. Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself. 5. Consistency Scan
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we offer an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies. This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling and inconsistencies of hyphenation and capitalisation.
We can also identify inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names. 6. Cover text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we can work with you to make sure that these are correct and effective.
Copy Edit
Copy-editors get the raw material into shape for publication i.e they edit the copy.
When they have finished, the designer can lay out or typeset the book and produce a proof.
It is quite normal for the author to make additional changes after a book has been copy-edited.
Working through the material, the copy-editor may identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but also very long sentences and overuse of italic, bold, capitals and exclamation marks.
They should correct or query doubtful facts, weak arguments, plot holes and gaps in numbering.
In fiction, they should also check that characters haven’t changed their name or hair colour, look for sudden changes from first to third person among other things.
The Copy-editor is not a proof reader and should not be expected to find all of the errors in the text particularly if the text is badly written to start with.
This is the job of the proof reader.
The final proof should be checked by a proof reader or an experienced reader friend before going to print.
It is almost inevitable (and acceptable) to miss a few errors which can be corrected in a later edition.
Proof Reading
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication.
Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself.
If you have decided to complete this stage of the process yourself, we will send a detailed check-list to help you.
We ask you to try and ensure that the book is completely ready before we start the layout.
Once the layout has started, we expect that you might want to to make a small number of amendments but
if there are a significant number, we may need to charge for the extra time it takes to change the layout
so best to discuss this with us first.
Structural Review
In fiction, the main areas that a structural editor will address are:
Plot: Does the plot make sense? Is it believable? Is it satisfying or does it leave the reader frustrated? Themes: Are the themes effectively handled? Are there so many that the book lacks focus? Do they interfere with the plot or complement it?
Characterisation: Are your characters well developed and believable? Are they cast in a role that fits their personality? Do they sometimes behave out of character? Point of view/voice: Is the voice consistent or is it sometimes confused? Is the voice authentic? Are you using too many or too few POVs? Pace: Does the plot move forward at an appropriate pace? Should you cut that preface? Should the action happen sooner or should the tension build more slowly? Dialogue: Do your characters sound real when they speak? Is your dialogue cluttered with adverbs and beats? Do you use clunky dialogue to move the plot forward? Flow: Is the narrative interrupted by dead-ends and tangents? Is there so much back story that the main plot is dwarfed? Are there missing plot points that would give the narrative greater integrity?
In non-fiction, the principle is the same, but the specific issues are slightly different:
Thesis: Is your thesis relevant? Is it clearly defined or is it lost among marginal issues? Exposition: Are your arguments clear and cogent? Are they well researched and properly supported? Do they have a clear relationship with your thesis? Content: Are all the necessary topics sufficiently dealt with? Are the chapters weighted correctly? Is there superfluous content? Organisation: Is the information organised logically? Are tables and illustrations used appropriately? How many levels of subheads do you need and how should they be arranged? Tone: Is the tone appropriate for the audience? Do you need to eliminate jargon? Is the text accessible? Pace: Are there passages that are bogged down in detail? Do you spend too long on detail irrelevant to the main thesis? Are there areas that need further exposition lest they be skipped over?
Cover Text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we work with you to make sure that these are as effective as possible.
Consistency check
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we can run an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies.
This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation.
It also checks for consistent formatting of numbers and dates as well as undefined abbreviations.
Subsequent Script Edit
It is very normal and generally beneficial for the script-editing process to go through at least a couple of cycles
i.e. the rewritten draft to be worked through once again by an experienced script practitioner – though this would be entirely at the discretion and behest of the writer.
Full Script Edit
The script that you deliver to us will probably constitute what the industry would classify as the ‘Initial Rough Draft’, i.e. a full screenplay written without any other professional input or advice, and probably without a great deal of rewriting. We work through your draft, line by line, scene by scene, and come back to you with a comprehensive set of notes from which you can then work towards the official ‘1st Draft’. Some of our notes will be broad and general, dealing with such areas as the overall shape and structure, pacing, plot and character development; others will be far more specific, with corrections, clarifications and suggested cuts etc. It is of course entirely up to you whether or not to take these suggestions on board, and to what extent.
Ongoing Support
We aim to make your self-publishing venture an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Publishing is a complex business and we treat every book as a separate project.
We explain all of the stages at the outset and we manage the project schedule for you. This will include all of the expert services you have requested for editorial, design, printing, distribution and collection of royalties, keeping in close contact with you throughout the process.
You will be allocated a project-sheet on the YouCaxton website so that you can monitor progress and ensure that all stages are properly completed.
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