A. J. Black – författare

A study of political ideas in the conflict between the Council of Basle (1431-1449) and Pope Eugenius IV (1431-1447). The supporters of conciliar and papal supremacy each developed a remarkable array of political doctrines, which can now be seen as the immediate ancestors of later, more famous theories of 'democracy' and 'monarchy' respectively. Dr Black discusses both the development and the meaning of these doctrines, and their contribution to the notion of constitutional democracy and of monarchical sovereignty respectively. Both doctrines, he suggests, find a place in the modern state. He also examines the papacy's attempt to forge an international alliance of rulers, based on the monarchical view of sovereignty, against the Council. Extracts from writing of the two leading figures in the dispute, John of Segovia and John Turrecremata, are given in appendices.

Scotland’s greatest export. The world’s first super spy. Voted the sexiest man on the planet. Sir Sean Connery was a titanic figure on screen and off for over half a century.Behind the son of a factory worker, growing up in near-poverty on the harsh streets of pre-war Edinburgh, lay a timeless array of motion pictures that spanned multiple decades and saw Connery work across the globe with directors as diverse as Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay. And amongst them his greatest role, whether he liked it or not – Bond, James Bond.Author A. J. Black delves into Connery’s life for more than mere biography, exploring not just the enormously varied pictures he made including crowd pleasing blockbusters such as The Untouchables or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, serious-minded fare in The Hill or The Offence, and his strange sojourns into eclectic fantasy with Zardoz or Time Bandits, but also the sweep of a career that crossed movie eras as well as decades.From skirmishes with the angry young men of the British New Wave, via becoming the cinematic icon of the 1960s as 007, through to a challenging reinvention as a unique older actor of stature in the 1980s, this exploration of the Cinematic Connery shows just how much his work reflected the changing movie-going tastes, political realities and cultural trends of the 20th century, and beyond . . .