Andrew Norman

The loss of East Indiaman HCS `Halsewell' on the coast of Dorset in southern England in January 1786, touched the very heart of the British nation. `Halsewell' was just one of many hundreds of vessels which had been in the service of the Honourable East India Company since its foundation in the year 1600. In the normal course of events, `Halsewell' would have been expected to serve out her working life, before passing unnoticed into the history books. However, this was not to be. Halsewell's loss was an event of such pathos as to inspire the greatest writer of the age Charles Dickens, to put pen to paper; the greatest painter of the age J. M. W. Turner, to apply brush to canvas, and the King and Queen to pay homage at the very place where the catastrophe occurred. Artefacts from the wreck continue to be recovered to this very day which, and for variety, interest, curiosity, and exoticism, rival those recovered from Spanish armada galleons wrecked off the west coast of Ireland two centuries previously. Such artefacts shed further light both on `Halsewell' herself, and on the extraordinary lives of those who sailed in her.

Written by an authority on Adolf Hitler, this book charts new ground and shows how the writings of a deluded ex-monk, Lanz von Liebenfels and the pseudo-science of Liebenfels and other writers convinced Hitler that Germanys destiny was to save the world from a Jewish-Bolshevik conspiracy. It was this perverted sense of destiny that drove the Nazi Party and led to the outbreak of the Second World War and the deaths of some sixty million people as well as the destruction of much of Europe. Using the writings of Liebenfels from his magazine Ostara, Dr Andrew Norman demonstrates how the mass murders of Jews, Gypsies, mentally-ill people and those regarded as less than human had its roots in articles written by Liebenfels. An index of Ostara articles is included and their very titles indicate the malign influences that shaped Hitler's Germany.

The object of this book is not to prove that Adolf Hitler was insane. So much is obvious, both intuitively and from a clinical perspective. Nevertheless the reasons for arriving at such a conclusion will be reiterated and enlarged upon. Instead, the aim of the author is to discover what light Hitler’s associates were able to shed on the personality and modus operandi of the Führer, and to determine the extent to which they (and indeed, Hitler himself) realized that their leader was insane. The aim is also to investigate the cause of his insanity. In this regard, the testimony of the leading Nazis, who were tried for war crimes at Nuremberg during 1945 and 1946, are of particular relevance. These captured Nazis surely realized that in all probability, they would be found guilty, and their lives would terminate at the end of a rope. Surely, therefore, they had nothing to lose by giving the `low down’ on their late Führer, i.e. revealing their innermost thoughts as to his sanity, or otherwise.

This is the story of Southern Rhodesia, from a time of its earliest known inhabitants, the Bushmen, to their displacement by the Bantu; the invasion by the Matabele under King Mzilikaze; the advent of the white missionaries; and the arrival of Cecil Rhodes and his Pioneer Column of early settlers, up to the time of independence in 1980. This is the romantic land of the high veld; of teeming game; of the great river Zambezi and the mighty Victoria Falls, and of enormous mineral wealth. This was the country that Robert Mugabe—its future leader—referred to as `the jewel of Africa’. And yet in this land of plenty, tensions in the mid-twentieth century were mounting between its black inhabitants and the whites, including those of British and Afrikaner stock: tensions which would one day boil over into a civil war in which Southern Rhodesia’s neighbours would also become involved. The author has first-hand knowledge of the country, having arrived there with his parents in 1956. He describes what it was like to arrive in a British colony, in the last decades of the colonial era; the wonders of Wankie Game Reserve (now Hwange National Park); a schoolboy expedition to the Eastern Districts in search of the elusive `stone door ruin’; and a personal friendship which developed between himself and his family’s black servant Timot, at a time of racial segregation.

The world continues to be fascinated with Marilyn Monroe who dazzled with her beauty and captivated the hearts of millions, worldwide, with her innocence, charm, generosity, and kindness, and yet, who died tragically at the age of only 36. Hollywood columnist, film critic, and author of `The Fifty Year Decline and Fall of Hollywood’, Ezra Goodman, writing in 1961, the year prior to her death, declared, `The riddle that is Marilyn Monroe has not been solved’. Aside from the fact that Marilyn’s so-called autobiography cannot be relied upon, making sense of her is certainly problematical, not least because in her early years, she was insecure and introspective, and unable even to make sense of herself. There has been much debate, in particular, about the frame of mind that Marilyn was in when, on the night of 5 August 1962, she knowingly or unknowingly took her own life. With his medical background, the author is in a position to shed new light on the enigmatic character of Marilyn Monroe, this fascinating, yet deeply troubled, former Hollywood icon who is regarded, arguably, as the world’s most famous ever movie star.

Whereas many aspects of Jane Austen's life are well known and documented, others are shrouded in mystery. This was not as a result of any action on her part. It was principally because of the actions of her sister Cassandra, who, after Jane's death, deliberately destroyed numerous letters sent by her to family and friends. Jane's family and friends have alluded to the fact that, at the turn of the 17-18th century, she fell in love with a person whose identity has remained a mystery. Is it possible, after a passage of more than two centuries, and despite the fact that Cassandra destroyed letters written by Jane at the time in question, for this mystery lover to be identified? The answer is yes. Barrington Court in Somersetshire is one of the National Trust's most prestigious properties, and evidence is produced for the very first time that this property was Jane's inspiration for 'Kellynch Hall', home of Sir Walter Elliot in Persuasion.

This is the story, in words and pictures, of Blind Veterans UK, an organization that was founded 100 years ago by Sir Arthur Pearson, who was himself blind, during the First World War, in order to bring hope and practical help to British and Allied servicemen blinded in the service of their country. It also tells of how light from the torch which Pearson lit in 1915 spread to all corners of the earth, to which his beloved St Dunstaners returned, having 'graduated' from the mother organization in Regent's Park - for example, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa. Herewith are accounts of the lives of many St Dunstaner's/Blind Veterans, who each in his or her unique way, triumphed over blindness, together with a unique collection of photographs, including those provided by Blind Veteran's UK, by the Pearson family, and by the families of St Dunstaners throughout the world. And this includes the story of my own grandfather, Thomas Waldin, who was himself a St Dunstaner.

In T. E. Lawrence: Tormented Hero, Andrew Norman sheds new light on Lawrence of Arabia, who remains a mystery to this day. Lawrence's sexual orientation is discussed in detail, including his dislike of physical relationships, and it is suggested that he suffered from sexual aversion disorder. Evidence that he was beaten on several occasions, at his ownrequest, comes from several sources and appears to be irrefutable. New light is shed on his fatal motorcycle crash in May 1935, and evidence is presented showing that it occurred in a different location and manner to that which is generally supposed. Photographs taken at the time are compared with the present day topography of the site to support this entirely new theory. Other aspects of his life which are discussed, include his relationship with his parents, notably his problematical relationship with his mother Sarah; his role in the Arab Revolt and subsequent disillusionment; his friendship with some of the literati of the day including E. M.Forster, George Bernard Shaw, and Robert Graves; his love for and veneration of Thomas Hardy; how Shaw's wife Charlotte, became his confidante; and how he took Lady Astor pillion riding on his motorcycle.

Agatha Christie was the most famous female crime writers of all time, and yet in December 1926 when she was 35 years old, became the subject of a mystery: her disappearance for a period of eleven days. Questions arose such as why did she abandon her motorcar on such a bitterly cold winter's night with her fur coat inside it? Why did Christie adopt a false name and claim that she originated from Cape Town, South Africa? Why did she not recognise either a photograph of her own daughter or husband when she was finally reunited with him? Some accused her of playing a deliberate hoax on the police in an attempt to generate publicity as a crime writer. Others declared that this was an attempt to embarrass her unfaithful husband Archie (whom she knew was about to leave her) and gain sympathy at the same time. But was there another far more profound reason for her behaviour whereby she became the innocent victim of circumstances completely beyond her control? Norman agrees with the "Fugue state" theory, suggesting that she had no conscious knowledge of her actions. All this and more can be revealed for the first time in Andrew Norman's gripping Agatha Christie: The Disappearing Novelist.

A unique psychological study of a man who became a legend in his own lifetime

Thomas Hardy was shy to a fault. He surrounded his house, Max Gate, with a dense curtain of trees, shunned publicity and investigative reporters, and when visitors arrived unexpectedly he slipped quietly out of the back door in order to avoid them. Furthermore, following the death of his first wife Emma, he burnt, page by page, a book-length manuscript of hers entitled What I think of my husband, together with letters, notebooks, and diaries – both his and hers. This behaviour of Hardy’s therefore begs the question: did he have something to hide, and if so, did this ‘something’ relate to his relationship with Emma? Thomas Hardy: Behind the Mask pierces the veil of secrecy which Hardy deliberately drew over his life, to find out why his life was so filled with anguish, and to discover how this led to the creation of some of the finest novels and poems in the English language.

Jane Austen is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the English literary canon, and recent film and television adaptations of her works have brought them to a new audience almost 200 years after her untimely death. Yet much remains unknown about her life, and there is considerable interest in the romantic history of the creator of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy. Andrew Norman here presents a fresh account of her life, breaking new ground by proposing that she and her sister, Cassandra, fell out over a young clergyman, who he identifies for the first time. He also suggests that, along with the Addison’s Disease that killed her, Jane Austen suffered from TB. Written by a consummate biographer, Jane Austen: an Unrequited Love is a must-read for all lovers of the author and her works.

Bournemouth was known as a health resort long before it became a holiday destination. W.H. Smith was one of the first patrons of the town’s National Sanatorium for the treatment of chest diseases, including tuberculosis. Here ‘invalids’, including Robert Louis Stevenson and D.H. Lawrence, came to rest and recuperate, assisted by the beneficial breezes from the sea and soothing emanations from the pine trees, for which the area was famous. Others came for different reasons: Guglielmo Marconi transmitted wireless signals across the bay to the Isle of Wight, and Lillie Langtry, whose love letters have only recently been discovered in the attic of a farmhouse in Jersey, spent many years in the area. Bournemouth also attracted many notable twentieth-century visitors and residents, including Winston Churchill and Flora Thompson. From Tregonwell to Tolkien, this book celebrates the town’s founders, and also its notable visitors during the last 200 years. Written by established local author Andrew Norman, this new title is ideal for anyone who wants to explore the tale of Bournemouth and its key figures.

Agatha Christie is the 'Queen of Crime'. As the best-selling novelist of all time, her stories have been loved by countless readers who have immersed themselves in her vivid characters, plausible plots and exciting locations. But as a quiet and retiring person who shunned publicity and rarely gave interviews, discovering the real Agatha is a challenge almost worthy of her own detectives. However, vital clues to unravel the mystery of the author, including her own brief disappearance, are to be found in her writings, and in particular in the novels which she penned under a pseudonym. This guide examines the enduring appeal of Agatha Christie's work through the author's life. From her early years to her interest in the Middle East in later life, this biography steps inside Christie's life to explore the mystery of the author. In 1926, Christie disappeared for 11 days, a nationwide scandal fascinatingly detailed by Andrew Norman in this guide. A true Pitkin guide – for her fans of her works and for visitors to her home too. Includes a list of sites and locations to visit connected with Christie and her works.