Melrose Books – förlag

Possessed by Music is the fascinating story of the Russian composer Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (1865-1936). He was born into a wealthy publishing family, with very musical parents: his mother was a fine pianist and his father played the violin. The young Glazunov demonstrated a number of talents, including a gift for drawing, but his exceptional musical abilities soon attracted the attention of the famous composer Miliy Balakirev who recommended that he study with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. So successful were these lessons that Glazunov had his First Symphony performed when he was only 16 years old.Glazunov’s renown developed with the support of Mitrofan Belyayev, a timber merchant and ardent music lover, who helped to introduce him to leading composers such as Liszt. Soon Chaikovsky would also take an active interest in his career. Through the 1880s and 1890s Glazunov established an international reputation with his symphonies and ballets then, in 1899, he joined the staff of the St Petersburg Conservatory, becoming its Director in 1905. In this role he was famous for his impassioned defence of student rights, often supporting poor students with money from his private income. He remained in this post through the years of war and revolution, becoming an increasingly isolated figure, until in 1928, he left the Soviet Union, touring Europe and America before settling in Paris where he died in 1936.

Bloody Berwick is well named as the history of Berwick-upon-Tweed is bloody indeed. Covering the period from the untimely death of Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 up to the symbolic construction of The Old Bridge over the Tweed in 1624 following the Union of the Crowns, Keith Ryan takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through the turbulent history of a town that constantly changed hands between two warring kingdoms. Featuring all the principal characters we are familiar with to this day, from Edward I (Hammer of the Scots) to Richard III, William Wallace, John Balliol, Robert the Bruce (all three of them) and the tragic little Maid of Norway, the tussle for this strategic town is brought to life with wry humour and not a little partisanship.

Whilst programming early PET and IBM computers, I thought our brains must be better designed. If someone hit the wrong button, computers instantly forgot everything you’d written. I still recall sharing Aristotle’s delight and shouting ‘eureka’ 48 years ago when I discovered how life originated.This book grew from the idea that uncoiled DNA held flat by proteins formed a molecular abacus called a ‘minion’. Minions have nine answers to any question, they don’t just answer yes or no.Only Human explains how minions account for different ways of thinking. They index knowledge, relate artistic, scientific and philosophical ideas and resolve disputes. They embrace all human knowledge, store it in 18-character words and account for relationships and aesthetics. ‘We see through a glass, darkly’ says the Bible, I offer a vision of how the 21st century will be different.What’s Natural? describes mind and body working together and how trace element supplements can prevent common maladies. Genes encoding enzymes don’t explain everything. We also inherit molecular pumps made of DNA, establishing life’s rulebook. Understanding them and adopting my proposals could simplify medical and psychiatric care, freeing resources for managing rare conditions and foreign aid.Origin of life relates my discovery of ice crystallizing in liquid nitrogen, explaining it. Allowing for the way minions warp perception reinterprets relativity, big bang cosmology and quantum mechanics; research needs redirecting to humanitarian projects. Mimicking life’s energy efficiency would reduce the fuel consumption and pollution threatening our environment. Theories evolve, as Newton did ‘I have stood on the shoulders of giants’.

Before Spin is the eye-opening autobiography by Keith McDowall. It reveals an exciting wartime childhood, how the author became a local reporter chasing the news in South London to eventually working in Fleet Street where he covered industry, trade unions and Cabinet level politics. At the height of his career in the Government Information Service, Keith was a close adviser to both Labour and Conservative Cabinet Ministers throughout the 1970s and 80s.Keith’s story takes the reader to the heart of politics and the government and we learn of his toughest role with William Whitelaw, first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, during the historic period of direct rule in Ulster. Over a career spanning 60 years, this is a tale of shrewd, quiet influence at the top of British politics, industry and issue management but rejects today’s concept of ‘spin’ which the author considers naive and lacking integrity.

“Do you have a comfort zone? If so, are you aware of how far it will stretch? Are you unsure if you even have a comfort zone?”In this short well written self-help book, Maggie Currie, who has a decade of experience as a life coach, offers some useful and practical suggestions for stepping outside your comfort zone, which encourages the reader to push their boundaries and try new things to find out what can actually be achieved by just taking small steps in a new direction. Often by simply changing one minor detail of your everyday life makes your whole day better and frequently the things that seem to be the scariest will bring the greatest rewards.

It is December 1875 and the recently established Railway Constabulary is faced with its first murder case. Sergeant Sam Spray is in charge and along with his assistant Constable William Archer they explore the railways, canals and wild country of the White Peak. The many twists and turns of the case are complicated by the reserved sergeant’s emotional entanglement with his landlady, the cool Elizabeth (Lizzie) Oldroyd. The case’s solution and Sam’s relationship with Lizzie turn out to be uncomfortably connected.

The troop of meerkats in the zoo live a happy life until one day the eagle owl next door tells them the van has come to take some away. Who is going to go and where? Would they be split up? There was only one thing to do – make a break for freedom and see what happens. Which is exactly what Molly’s family and friends do. Off they go into the big wide world with all its dangers and excitements – cars, bright lights, humans and monsters – and where, best of all, they discover a taste for pizza and chocolate! Follow the naughty meerkats’ adventures as they leave a trail of mayhem wherever they go …

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live with all the small creatures in your garden? Well, Nigel and Juliette found out one day when Dave the Robin started speaking to them! He told them all about his friends and their adventures and how the animals lived together and helped each other out in times of trouble

Michael was a happy little mouse living with his parents and his sister, Molly, in the peace of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Then they heard that they weren’t wanted in the Cathedral anymore and had to leave – quickly! Maximus, the wise mouse moved them all to join the little mouse community in Bank Underground Station and though they hated to leave the lovely Cathedral for the dirty station it was there that the adventures – and the odd accident - began.Read all about Michael and his friend’s daring escapes in search of fun – and tomatoes!And will the family ever achieve their dream of one day returning to St Paul’s?

The area covered by this book is mainly that of the five waggonways delivering coal to their staiths on the River Tyne at Lemington from collieries at Wylam, Heddon, Throckley, Walbottle, Hollywell and Black Callerton. The main objective has been to place the early wooden waggonways fully in the context of their purpose and usage within the mining industry and continues with their development and the coming of railways up to the demise of the coal industry in that district. There is a more detailed insight into the multifarious activities of Colliery Viewers whose work it is felt has not always received the attention which it deserves. For much of this feature, the author is indebted to the wonderfully detailed work diaries of William Oliver held by the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers. The opening date for the Wylam Waggonway has long escaped the notice of historians and many well-known writers have had it wrong; the author is pleased that his researches have at least narrowed it down to the year in which this event occurred. A Glossary of Terms used in the mining industry is also included as well as numerous plans and a Chronological Listing of Events. Whatever a reader’s interests are, they are wished as much pleasure in following up their leads as the author has derived from gathering his.

Gail is a newly retired teacher and she’s restless. Spotting her doppelgänger on a webcam starts her wondering about that woman’s life and sets her thinking about how she can find a new path to make her life meaningful.Emily is a young lorry driver with a passion for horses whose ambition is to drive for a polo team.Dave is ex-army and in civilian life is a driving instructor for a prestigious haulage company. Happy as a husband and dad, he still craves the challenges of his military life and throws himself into charitable fund raising.Three strangers whose paths cross and whose lives take an unexpected turn prove that life is out there to be lived.

William Cookson has always drifted through his life, letting others dictate its course for him. He has few close friends, is not a very successful lawyer and lives a life of mediocrity and ennui. Suddenly, at 36, both his parents are dead and he is forced to take stock of his life.Sorting through his mother’s effects, William comes across an enigmatic dedication to her in a book she always kept close by. To Doreen, live your life, love, row. What does it mean and why would the author write it to his mother? In his search for answers he embarks on a quest to uncover his mother’s secret past. William’s odyssey is littered with a range of eccentric characters who force him to maintain a sense of humour in the face of tragedy and a truth that he wishes had remained buried.

The Incontinent Continent tries to show how the EU has allowed politicians to create a separate world where instead of serving their constituents, they serve each other. With their prime allegiance to Brussels, they are both unwilling and unable to speak up for those whom they are supposed to represent and concentrate their efforts on what is beneficial for Brussels at the expense of their own people.The book lays out the development of each aspect of the EU in an easily understandable manner and should appeal to those who would like to make sense of all the palaver about the European Union.

As a deadly virus spreads from Africa around the globe, humanity struggles to survive its horrific effects.This is no ordinary virus, it turns its victims into zombies and as the living dead stalk the land ex-SAS Sergeant Major Nick Hutchinson leads the fight to keep his family safe and together. When things start to go wrong, he has to make difficult choices to save his people. But will even Nick’s training win in the end?In the fight for survival, only the strongest and those prepared to take risks will make it through as the world dies.

Love is a gift most seek as it encourages, emboldens our inner spirit and brings laughter. Sadly we squander that gift with our lies, selfishness and deceitful ways. Harmony is replaced by anger, selfishness and mistrust. Our characters travel such a journey as they amble along the river pathway to the ‘Black Swan’ and its riverside garden. They are joined by others who show them a love that is deeper, beautiful in nature and carries the wounds of life without remorse or seeking revenge. As you journey with our friends can you relate to one or the other? In your heart can you find the love to love the enemy within and around you? Such a love will conquer all and encourage you and the countless others you meet.

A Long Way from Galilee, examines a number of the ways in which the Catholic Church has evolved during the course of its nearly 2,000 year history.Taking the form of an open-ended letter addressed to Pope Francis, it poses the question of whether the Church may have unduly strayed from its original mandate and the underlying message and example of Jesus upon which it was based. The priorities for the Church today are seen as being a willingness to admit to past mistakes, a continuing commitment to expand our understanding of the incarnation of Jesus and a firm resolve to apply the benefits of this in our pastoral response to the needs of the peoples of our own time.

It isn’t called “running” a bed and breakfast for nothing. What do you do when you move to a foreign country and haven’t yet mastered the language and customs? Take it easy or find an old house in need of rebuilding and open a bed and breakfast? Never one to run from a challenge, that’s exactly what forty-something Emma Strandberg did in an idyllic seaside town on the west coast of Sweden – in the middle of a winter where temperatures dipped the mercury to minus twenty-two! With feet of snow, few daylight hours and a very small budget, Emma battled constantly with the challenges thrown at her. It grew so cold the plaster and paint turned to slush, wood snapped and cracked in the old house and the frequent night climbs onto the roof resulted in bruises, cuts and a couple of broken bones. Having survived the renovation the real business of running a bed and breakfast began. No sleep, a lack of privacy and the odd drunken threesome (by the guests!) would push her to her limit. Kindness, generosity and warmth shown by others saved her from defeat. With perseverance and determination, Emma succeeded in living her dream. Here you can share her extraordinary journey.

In 19th Century Australia two families, the Everests and the Deres, meet by chance and their lives are forever entwined. Lifelong friends, ‘Blue’ Everest and Matthew Dere, are true showmen born and take ship to England in the hope of joining a circus. They travel around the highways and byways of eastern England, with a circus wagon and their faithful dog, Prince, performing as a clown and musician. There is drama, love and romance as they encounter a scheming aristocrat, a beautiful woman and help to shape the lives of those they meet in this tale of unbreakable friendship and family ties which takes the reader back and forth across two countries

John Paul Jones was born in Scotland and apprenticed for seamanship at Whitehaven. Later in America, he became a captain of a war ship. In 1778 America was fighting for its declared independence. In an audacious attack on England, John Paul Jones had returned to raid Whitehaven and subsequently Scotland and Ireland. This retaliation for the many attacks made upon American ports by the British navy sent shock waves across the UK.

Much has been recorded over the years about cinema and its golden years, but what of the temples in which this entertainment phenomenon took place – the cinemas. How did they emerge and why? This book attempts to illustrate this, taking an average manufacturing town and describing the rise – and fall – of its cinemas over the period of one hundred years. Beginning with the first ‘living pictures’ brought to the public of Kettering, When The Lights Go Down describes the entrepreneurs, showmen, and operators of the town’s five cinemas and other buildings where films were exhibited. How the cinemas coped with the developments in cinema and how they changed, the periods of war, how the talkies came and the cinemas grasped it – and those who held out. The myths and legends that surround the cinemas are clearly described with many contributions from those who experienced working in and going to the cinema through the years. Did Chaplin really visit the town? An attempted murder in the dressing room? Indian Chief holds pow-wow. These are just some of the anecdotes found in this entertaining story. The author, born in Kettering and growing up in the town, has vivid memories of the cinemas he loved and describes their particular character and the people who managed them. Although this is a story about cinemas in a particular Midlands town, it is one that can be replicated for almost every settlement in the country where cinemas were established, from the supers down to the little independents. For those readers who love a bit of nostalgic history of cinema, spiked with a slice of social and entrepreneurial narrative, this story will evoke memories of the cinemas that were part of their lives – and maybe still are .

Born and educated in Switzerland, the career of August Kobler-Reinfeldt was truly exceptional. He has gained valuable experience in banking with the Swiss Volksbank, St. Gallen, followed by auditing with Price Waterhouse & Co., Zurich, and W.R. Grace & Co., Chile. His general management experience with American pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer in Germany, and Mead Johnson for Central Europe, qualified him to accept the responsibility as Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of the infant food and generic pharmaceutical company Milupa AG worldwide, a position he had held for 20 years until retirement. Thanks to his proven management experience, he was often called to help companies, which were facing serious problems, even after his retirement. In such missions, he could significantly contribute to achieve better results. Particularly as Chairman of Milupa, a company he developed from a sales volume of one hundred million German marks to over one billion, but also later, when he accepted the temporary leadership of a company facing the edge of bankruptcy, August Kobler-Reinfeldt experienced many unusual and difficult situations. How he successfully mastered those with unusual solutions, is also the subject of this book. Describing his most important management principles, he states: First, use common sense and make things easy! Second, teach and motivate people for outstanding performance! Third, never give up and fight for what you are convinced is right! August Kobler-Reinfeldt is convinced that the description of his wide management experience will be most useful and motivating for others, particularly for people interested in business. “What did work for me, can also work for others,” he states. And the stories, how he solved most delicate problems with smart solutions will be entertaining and fascinating for all his readers.

First raised by his maternal grandmother and her four youngest sisters in the harbour city of Le Havre, in the English Channel, a boy, Jean, will discover later in tragic circumstances the love of his mother. Invited from time to time for short visits to the family house of his paternal grandparents in Hambye, in the West of Normandy, he will later spend his Summer holidays there with his mother and six brothers and sisters. War is spreading in Asia and in a Europe divided by social conflicts. In June of 1940, Normandy is invaded. German soldiers infiltrate and occupy the homes of the locals including that of Havel’s family. The rugged landscape becomes dangerous and inhospitable, rutted by the treads of German tanks, Le Havre is converted into a fortress: allied control of the once empty sky; threaten of the death penalty to listeners of British broadcasting. The French police sends the local Spaniards, gypsies, Jews, resistants and sixteen-year old boys to Germany. Machine gunning and bombing begin to elicit ever more victims from among the railway employees and Normans. Much of the entire region is destroyed. Men of military age were, for most of them, absent. Hunger and cold were great difficulties. The Five Sisters is the story of how the author and his family struggled to adapt to, and survive, the chaotic existence of Normans during World War II, and ultimately, how he is forced, in his adolescence, to accept an endless uncertainty for his own future and for the future of his country.

We have made progress in many areas of human endeavour. It seems, however, that we do not always put into practice what has been learnt about the opportunity offered in the early years of childhood to foster the emotional development essential to our growth into maturity as adult human beings. Encouraged to pursue material gain we neglect the emotional health of our children and live with the consequences. Why are the rates of mental illness, drug-abuse, suicide, crime and violence so high and rising in so many places throughout the world? The equation may well be simple. The more maturity, the less conflict and misery. And it is within our power to look to the real needs of children so that they are not burdened with life-long insecurity and anxiety and their intelligence and goodwill directed more positively for the benefit of mankind.

Widower Jim lives in Penge and is content with his daily routine. His sister Sharon, however, is determined to sort out his love life by sending him on frequent, and mostly calamitous, blind dates much to the amusement of the regulars at the local pub. When Jim meets Tilly on one of these blind dates things look up and he finds a whole new bunch of friends at the local swimming pool. But trouble brews when a competitive synchronised swimming group is given carte blanche to use the pool, ousting Jim and his new friends. Should they give in and go elsewhere or play them at their own game? Can Jim really enter the unlikely world of synchronised swimming and how will that help his burgeoning romance with Tilly?

In the 19th century, Mary Kendal was left a widow in her early 30’s when her husband, Tom, was killed in an accident on their farm in Cumberland. She had eight children between five and sixteen to rear and was worried about their finances. She decided to let out three rooms for Bed and Breakfast and evening meals and in so doing eventually met and married her second husband, Peter Allinson with whom she has six more children.She is faced with a dreadful dilemma when he proposes because if she marries him, she must move to London where he lives and leave her children on their farm in Cockermouth, Cumberland. The older children have said they will look after the younger ones so that they can stay together. Mary decides that if she goes through with this marriage that she will do her best to be a really good mother to all of them by commuting between the two homes to be there for them whenever they need her.

This book highlights the huge advances made in prevention of infectious disease(s) in Victorian Britain. The actual cause of most disease was then unknown, as it was throughout most of the nineteenth century, but it was awareness of their association with poverty, overcrowding, poor ventilation and imperfect sanitation which underlay principal advances. Whilst most texts have concentrated on these crucially important matters, this book brings to light many of the leading pioneers. Late in the Victorian era, the true cause of infectious disease emerged (the ‘germ-theory’ was slowly being accepted) and vague external influences, such as miasmas and other telluric sources no longer dominated the scenario. Today most disease in developing countries is of an infectious nature, and affected individuals can presently be cured with antimicrobials or anti-parasitic agents. In this author’s opinion this has been associated with a relative neglect of preventive strategies. Developing countries therefore have much to learn from the enormous strides made in preventive medicine during Britain’s Victorian era.

Having read the works of Teilhard de Chardin the author became more and more convinced of the breathtaking plan God had designed for His Creation and the building of His Kingdom and crucially, the human race’s specific involvement in it. Because of this she felt drawn to write a simple, short commentary on what she had learned from this great man - the book is the result.

LOCKE AND MOORE IN CONVERSATION An original take on an original mind In a bold experiment linguist Terence Moore holds a series of conversations in 21st century language with 17th century philosopher, John Locke. Lively and engaging their conversations initially focus on Locke’s radical insights into language and its workings – insights that are highly pertinent to our use of language today. Secret reference Central to their discussions is Locke’s fundamental notion ‘secret reference’ which reveals how, when using language to communicate, we are all engaged in a tacit communal conspiracy, a universal assumption that what we mean by words other do too. In fact things are not so simple. Locke argues that words do not contain meanings; words only spark meanings in the mind. And minds differ, opening the way for misunderstanding. Locke and Moore tease out the implications of ‘secret reference’ in wide-ranging discussions that take us from morality through happiness to Orwell and Chomsky and governments’ strategies to ‘manufacture consent’.

The Cleveland Way is one of Britain’s oldest long distance walks. The 100 mile route starts in Helmsley skirting the western edge of the North York Moors National Park. On reaching the coastal town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, at its northern extremity, the path turns south-east and then goes down the coastal section of the National Park, finishing up at Filey.We’ll Have a Laugh is the amusing and well written story of seven Leicestershire lads who took it upon themselves to walk the Cleveland Way during the Easter holidays in 1974. Follow the humorous and sometimes challenging experiences of the intrepid explorers as they hike along the route and find yourself immersed in nostalgia with well-known songs from the ‘glam rock’ era which intersperse the book. After reading this book you too will be tempted and inspired to follow in the lads’ footsteps and walk this totally unique route which combines moor and coast so successfully.