Alan Ogden

In this ground-breaking new book, Alan Ogden brings to life Lt Gen sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, soldier, statesman and an often-overlooked figure in British Military and Diplomatic History. Framed through the life of Carton de Wiart this book also offers an exploration of important topics and developments in the first half of the 20th-century, including the Boer War, World War I, World War II and Anglo-Sino relations. This biography ranges from de Wiart’s early life, his wartime experiences and role as Churchill’s personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek. Ogden draws from an extensive array of primary sources including previously unseen private family papers to examine, in exquisite detail, the life and times of a man who experienced the horrors of war to rise up the ranks and become a personal representative of Winston Churchill and then Clement Attlee.This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as scholars studying British Military and Diplomatic history in the first half of the twentieth century.

Master of Deception is a biography of Peter Fleming, elder brother of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Peter Fleming worked as a travel writer and journalist, serving with distinction throughout World War II and played a crucial role in British intelligence operations in the Far East. This biography ranges from the personal life of Fleming such as his marriage to Celia Johnson, a famous actor of the time, to his extensive military intelligence career which took him from Norway and Greece to the Far East. Framed through the life of Peter Fleming this book offers an in-depth study of British intelligence operations in the Far East during World War II.

In this ground-breaking new book, Alan Ogden brings to life Lt Gen sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, soldier, statesman and an often-overlooked figure in British Military and Diplomatic History. Framed through the life of Carton de Wiart this book also offers an exploration of important topics and developments in the first half of the 20th-century, including the Boer War, World War I, World War II and Anglo-Sino relations. This biography ranges from de Wiart’s early life, his wartime experiences and role as Churchill’s personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek. Ogden draws from an extensive array of primary sources including previously unseen private family papers to examine, in exquisite detail, the life and times of a man who experienced the horrors of war to rise up the ranks and become a personal representative of Winston Churchill and then Clement Attlee.This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as scholars studying British Military and Diplomatic history in the first half of the twentieth century.

Romania Revisited is the definitive story of the journeys made by English travellers to Romania between 1602 and 1941. The author, Alan Ogden, interweaves the impressions of previous generations into the witty account of his own journeys made in the summer and winter of 1998. Although the chapters are arranged to follow his own route, the author successfully integrates earlier writers into his narrative by linking them to towns and places. Starting with the Transylvanian adventures of Captain John Smith in 1602, the bibliography is the most detailed inventory yet published of English travel writing on Romania. Ogden, with his unerring sense of human nature, has selected those passages which throw light on the attitudes of earlier travellers and highlight some of their more amusing antics. He entertainingly arranges his sources into ‘The Gentlemen’ and ‘The Ladies’ and includes them in a useful general English-language bibliography.Both for those familiar with this subject and for the first time reader, the classification of writers is most helpful: The ‘passers through’ en route to and from Moscow, India, or Constantinople, like Lady Craven who was on extended holiday in the 1780s after being divorced by her husband; the ‘adventurers,’ like the swashbuckling Hungarian mercenary Captain John Smith, later of Pocahontas fame; the ‘first tourists’ — James Skene, Andrew Crosse, James Samuelson among them — and his personal favorite, the intrepid Mrs. Walker; first, from the 1890s, Ogden identifies the interest in Princess Marie at the court, who went on to become queen and played a leading role in the First World War; then, with the advent of the motorcar and aeroplane, came ‘the motorists,’ the most famous of which was Sacherverell Sitwell; he reserves a special category for the ‘Romantics’ like Patrick Leigh Fermor and Walter Starkie.The author’s own journey is a comprehensive and perspicacious review of today’s Romania. Ogden focuses on the heritage and art of the country, while providing a delightful account of his own experiences en route. The book is illustrated with the author’s own photographs, based on the work of Karl Hielscher in 1933, and with helpful maps also drawn by the author. Romania Revisited makes a valuable contribution to the study of the external perception of Romania over the centuries and, at the same time, is the perfect travel companion for today’s visitor.

For nearly a thousand years, the Saxon settlers from the Rhine valley played a vital role in the history of Transylvania until their diaspora in the second half of the twentieth century. Fortresses of Faith focuses on their magnificent architectural legacy — the fortress-churches or kirchenburgen of the Seibenburgen. After a comprehensive introduction covering history, architecture, and decor, the author takes us on an enthralling photographic tour, helpfully arranged for travelers into the areas surrounding Sibiu, Media?, Sighi?oara, and Bra?ov. Alan Ogden’s black and white photographs poignantly capture the moody images of these “stone war-horses of Christendom,” many of which are now without congregations and prey to the dilapidation of time. It is a superb photographic record with a broad appeal to overseas descendants of Transylvanian Saxons, tourists, and students of Romanian history. Alan Ogden’s other books include Revelations of Byzantium and Romania Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers, 1602-1941.

The monasteries and painted churches of Moldavia stand today as a testament to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the Romanian people. These monuments, unique in the world, reflect a cultural legacy inherited from Byzantium and the Roman Empire. After the fall of Byzantium and the expansion of Ottoman rule throughout the Balkan Peninsula, the Romanian principalities became the most important depository of the Byzantine heritage. It was here that this tradition was preserved, creating the historical phenomenon that the great Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga would refer to as “Byzantium after Byzantium.” The monasteries and painted churches of Northern Moldavia stand today as true Revelations of Byzantium. This full-color album is written and photographed by Alan Ogden, the author of Romania Revisited and Fortresses of Faith. The author provides a comprehensive introduction discussing the art and architecture before presenting each church separately in words and pictures to reveal its unique history and artistic beauty. Also included is an introduction to the history of Moldavia and Romanian lands during the Middle Ages by Kurt W. Treptow, a noted specialist on Romanian history, and original illustrations by renowned artist, Octavian Ion Penda.

Master of Deception is a biography of Peter Fleming, elder brother of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Peter Fleming worked as a travel writer and journalist, serving with distinction throughout World War II and played a crucial role in British intelligence operations in the Far East. This biography ranges from the personal life of Fleming such as his marriage to Celia Johnson, a famous actor of the time, to his extensive military intelligence career which took him from Norway and Greece to the Far East. Framed through the life of Peter Fleming this book offers an in-depth study of British intelligence operations in the Far East during World War II.

The Discontented captures the drama and heroism of the 17th and 18th century Hungarian uprisings against the ruling Habsburg dynasty.

Revealing new insight into Paddy Leigh Fermor's many Romanian journeys.

In his new book, Tigers Burning Bright, Alan Ogden brings to life the extraordinary story of SOE in the Far East as an organization battling against vested interests and competing Allied agencies and how over time it became a significant provider of strategic and tactical intelligence as well as carrying out countless dangerous missions behind enemy lines, some of which inflicted massive losses on the enemy. Behind this history lie the stories of some exceptional men who defied all odds in successfully prosecuting the war against a ruthless and efficient enemy in one of nature's toughest and most dangerous environments, the jungle. Ogden draws on both published and unpublished sources to tell their remarkable stories, always ensuring that the political context of their missions is fully explained.

Romania Revisited is the definitive story of the journeys made by English travellers to Romania between 1602 and 1941. The author, Alan Ogden, interweaves the impressions of previous generations into the witty account of his own journeys made in the summer and winter of 1998. Although the chapters are arranged to follow his own route, the author successfully integrates earlier writers into his narrative by linking them to towns and places. Starting with the Transylvanian adventures of Captain John Smith in 1602, the bibliography is the most detailed inventory yet published of English travel writing on Romania. Ogden, with his unerring sense of human nature, has selected those passages which throw light on the attitudes of earlier travellers and highlight some of their more amusing antics. He entertainingly arranges his sources into \u2018The Gentlemen\u2019 and \u2018The Ladies\u2019 and includes them in a useful general English-language bibliography. Both for those familiar with this subject and for the first time reader, the classification of writers is most helpful: The \u2018passers through\u2019 en route to and from Moscow, India, or Constantinople, like Lady Craven who was on extended holiday in the 1780s after being divorced by her husband; the \u2018adventurers, \u2019 like the swashbuckling Hungarian mercenary Captain John Smith, later of Pocahontas fame; the \u2018first tourists\u2019 -- James Skene, Andrew Crosse, James Samuelson among them -- and his personal favorite, the intrepid Mrs. Walker; first, from the 1890s, Ogden identifies the interest in Princess Marie at the court, who went on to become queen and played a leading role in the First World War; then, with the advent of the motorcar and aeroplane, came \u2018the motorists, \u2019 the most famous of which was Sacherverell Sitwell; he reserves a special category for the \u2018Romantics\u2019 like Patrick Leigh Fermor and Walter Starkie. The author\u2019s own journey is a comprehensive an