Terry Breverton – författare

Immortal Last Words is a fascinating, diverse collection of history''s most uplifting, entertaining and thought-provoking dying remarks and final farewells. The 370 entries in this book have been drawn from some of history''s greatest statesmen, poets, scientists, novelists and warriors - the eminent men and women who have shaped events over the last four and a half millennia and whose final recorded words have often inspired great deeds or shed light on the nature of the human condition. There are also entries are from less well- known individuals who did not make such an impact on history but whose dying words are equally noteworthy as they encapsulate the spirit of the times or simply reflect the character of the speaker. And finally, the pages of this book contain the last words of some of most ignoble personalities in history - the monsters and maniacs whose final defiant utterances prompt us to reflect on the nature of evil and man''s inhumanity to man. Arranged chronologically from antiquity to the present day, each entry is accompanied by contextual information giving a brief biography of the author and an explanation of the circumstances that gave rise to the quotation. Some of the sentiments expressed are unbelievably sad while others are optimistic; some final words have become famous while others have remained obscure, but all reflect the follies and greatness of mankind - its heroes and villains, war and peace and the absolute power of language to change our feelings and challenge our minds. Sample entries include:Buddha ''Strive for your own liberation with diligence''; Vespasian ''Dear me, I believe I am becoming a god''; Thomas Hobbes, ''I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark''; Robespierre ''Death is the commencement of immortality!''; George Washington''Tis well''; John Keats ''Here lies one whose name was writ in water''; John Maynard Keynes''I should have drunk more champagne''; Salvador Dalí ''I do not believe in my death''; Keith Floyd ''I''ve not felt this well for ages.''

From dragons and wyverns to vampires, werewolves and mischievous gremlins, pixies and fairies, Breverton''s Phantasmagoria is a unique compendium of over 250 mythical animals. Prepare to revisit familiar myths, such as vampires, werewolves and the Loch Ness Monster, the Minotaur and Medusa from Greek legend, and Biblical beasts such as Behemoth and Leviathan. Discover new mysterious animals like the giant serpents of Central America, the lethal Mongolian death worm, and the Ennedi tiger in Africa, and investigate the evidence for sightings of Bigfoot and the reclusive Yeti. Packed with quirky line illustrations and a wealth of weird and wonderful information, Breverton''s Phantasmagoria surveys the globe to uncover over 250 imaginary creatures passed down from generation to generation.

This incredibly diverse compendium contains just about everything you''ll ever need to know about the properties and provenance of herbs and spices of the world. From amara dulcis to yarrow, all-heal to viper''s bugloss, Breverton''s Complete Herbal is a modern day treasury of over 250 herbs and their uses. Terry Breverton provides a reworking of a Nicholas Culpeper classic text for a modern day audience. Arranged alphabetically, this book describes over 250 herbs and spices as well as feature entries on scented herb/medicinal gardens, the great herbalists and New World Herbs not included in Culpepper''s original text. Each entry provides a description of the herb: its appearance and botanical features, a brief history of its uses in medicine, dyeing and cuisine to bizarre remedies and concoctions designed to get rid of all manner of real and imaginary ailments.

Invention and innovation are what distinguish the human race from all of the other species on Earth. Throughout history the imagination and pioneering spirit of human kind has compelled us to question why we do things in a certain way and, more importantly, how we can do things better. Celebrating the ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness that has led to some of the most amazing technological leaps through the ages, Breverton''s Encyclopedia of Inventions examines the key innovations and breakthroughs of all time and the genius behind them. Starting with the building of the pyramids in ancient Egypt and the discovery of the solar system, moving through surgery, dynamite and rockets, to modern technology such as the smart card and genetic engineering, Terry Breverton springs many surprises. He uncovers fascinating and little-known facts: for example, that Price, not Fleming, discovered penicillin; that Swan, not Edison invented the electric light, and that Wallace, not Darwin first advanced the theory of evolution. Tracing the sheer persistence of brilliant men and women across the globe, who fought the prevailing ideas of their times and advanced technology, Breverton''s Encyclopedia of Inventions will inspire anyone interested in the history and developments that have changed our lives and shaped our planet''s future.

Immortal Words is an anthology of history''s most memorable, uplifting or thought-provoking quotations from all ages and nations. The texts are drawn not only from the works and words of great writers, thinkers and orators, but also from less well-known sources such as gravestones, book dedications, speeches and political manifestos, letters and diaries, inscriptions and chance remarks. Each of the 370 quotations is accompanied by an extended annotation that tells the story of the speaker or explains the circumstances that gave rise to the quotation. The words and sentiments expressed have been used to encapsulate the human condition, to inspire great works or deeds in times of hardship, or simply reflect the spirit of the time - they will live with you and inspire you day by day, from one year''s end to the next. Sample entries include:Marcus Aurelius - ''Nowhere can a man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul …''. Martin Luther King - ''I have a dream …''. John F. Kennedy - ''Ask not, what your country …''. John Gillespie Magee, Royal Air Force pilot, 1941 - ''High Flight''. Ronald Reagan - ''Tear down his wall …''. Isadora Duncan - on her sickbed, writes a feverishly passionate letter to her lover, the actor Gordon Craig. Mother Teresa of Calcutta - ''Life is …''. Colonel Tim Collins of the Royal Irish Regiment, March 19 2003 - ''We come not to conquer …''''. Emma Lazarus - ''The New Colossus'' (plaque on Statue of Liberty). Joseph Stalin - first broadcast to the Russian people after the German invasion, July 3 1941. Mahatma Gandhi - ''I am a man of peace …''. Abraham Lincoln - on leaving Springfield, Illinois, to take the oath as President. February 11, 1861. Cicero - quoting Cato the Elder, in De Senectute (On Old Age), 44 BC. Charles Lindbergh - describing the last minutes of his pioneering non-stop flight from New York to Paris in 1927. Nelson Mandela - ''I am the First Accused''. Buddha - ''All acts of living creatures become bad by ten things …''. Benjamin Franklin - writes a first draft of his own epitaph. Thomas Jefferson - ''Force cannot change right … Winston Churchill - ''Never in the field of human conflict …''. Adolf Hitler - ''My patience is now at an end''. Edward Everett - President of Harvard on the protest of the student body against the admission of a Negro student. Francis Bacon - ''This world''s a bubble; and the life of Man Less than a span …''. Horatio Nelson - ''Separated from all I hold dear in this world …''. Charlotte Cushman - inscription on the curtain of Ford''s Opera House, Baltimore. Shakespeare - ''Once more unto the breach …'' Henry V. Marie Antoinette - letter to her sister on the day of her execution. Ludwig Van Beethoven - ''I carry my ideas about me for along time, often a very long time…''. Aldous Huxley 1920- ''A million million spermatozoa …''. Eleanor Roosevelt - speaking on the function of hatred in a just cause. Indira Gandhi - ''Women''s education is almost more important than the education of boys and men.''

Breverton''s Nautical Curiosities is about ships, people and the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright extraordinary. Thus, someone most of us do not know, Admiral William Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the Monitor, the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War. Readers will be stimulated to read more about the remarkable men - explorers, admirals and trawlermen - who have shaped our world. The sea has had a remarkable effect upon our language. We hear the terms ''steer clear of'', ''hit the deck'', ''don''t rock the boat'', ''to harbour a grudge'' and the like, and give little thought to them. In the pages of this book, the reader will find the origin of ''bumpkin'', a ''brace of shakes'', ''born with a silver spoon'', ''booby prize'', ''to take on board'', ''above board'', ''bombed'' (in the sense of being drunk), the ''blues'', ''blind-side'', ''blind drunk'', ''the pot calling the kettle black'', ''reach the bitter end'', ''wasters'', ''ahoy'', ''all at sea'', ''to keep aloof'', ''piss-artist'', ''taken aback'', ''barbecue'''' and ''bamboozle''. Other colourful terms, which have passed out of common usage, such as ''bring one''s arse to anchor'' (sit down), ''belly timber'' (food) and ''bog orange'' (potato) are also included, as well as important pirate haunts, technical terms, famous battles, maritime inventors and ship speed records.