Rory Laird's Books

From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

The Memoirs and Letters of Richard Laird, A Japanese Prisoner of War

By: Rory Laird

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From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

The Memoirs and Letters of Richard Laird, A Japanese Prisoner of War

By: Rory Laird

Richard Laird’s previously unpublished record of his wartime experience as a Japanese prisoner of war ranks among the most graphic of this shocking and deservedly popular genre. Captured after fighting in the Malayan Campaign he was incarcerated in Changi before being drafted as slave labour with ‘F’ Force on the notorious Burma Railway. He was one of only 400 out of 1600 to survive Songkurai No 2 Camp, despite disease and terrible hardship. His moving memoir begins with a rare description of ex-patriate life in 1930’s Shanghai with the Sino-Japanese war raging around the European cantonments. An additional dimension to his story is the developing relationship between the author and Bobbie Coupar Patrick to whom he became engaged shortly before the fall of Singapore. Bobbie’s letters graphically described her dramatic escape to Australia and work for Force 136. They were reunited in Colombo, Ceylon and their son has been instrumental in compiling this exceptional record. Three appendices round off this superb book including the official report on the hardships and losses suffered by ‘F’ Force.

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Page Count

224

Publisher

Pen and Sword Military

Published Date

ISBN 10

1526771144

ISBN 13

9781526771148

The Marches

A Borderland Journey Between England and Scotland

By: Rory Stewart

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The Marches

A Borderland Journey Between England and Scotland

By: Rory Stewart

This father-and-son trek through the history and landscape of the United Kingdom is “a sensitive exploration of what borders mean and don’t mean” (The Wall Street Journal). In The Places in Between, Rory Stewart walked some of the most dangerous borderlands in the world. Now he travels with his eighty-nine-year-old father—a comical, wily, courageous, and infuriating former British intelligence officer—along the border they call home. On Stewart’s four-hundred-mile walk across a magnificent natural landscape, he sleeps on mountain ridges and in housing projects, in hostels and farmhouses. With every fresh encounter—from an Afghanistan veteran based on Hadrian’s Wall to a shepherd who still counts his flock in sixth-century words—Stewart uncovers more about the forgotten peoples and languages of a vanished country, now crushed between England and Scotland. Stewart and his father are drawn into unsettling reflections on landscape, their parallel careers in the bygone British Empire and Iraq, and the past, present, and uncertain future of the United Kingdom. And as the end approaches, the elder Stewart’s stubborn charm transforms this chronicle of nations into a fierce, exuberant encounter between a father and a son. “[Stewart] anchors his lively mix of history, travelogue, and reportage on local communities in a vibrant portrait of his father, who was both a tartan-wearing Scotsman and a thoroughly British soldier and diplomat.”—Publishers Weekly “Stewart brings a humane empathy to his encounters with people and landscape.”—The Washington Post “An unforgettable tale.” —National Geographic

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Page Count

474

Publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published Date

ISBN 10

0544105796

ISBN 13

9780544105799

Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen

By: Rory Muir

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Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen

By: Rory Muir

What happened when Jane Austen’s heroines and heroes were finally wed? Marriage is at the centre of Jane Austen’s novels. The pursuit of husbands and wives, advantageous matches, and, of course, love itself, motivate her characters and continue to fascinate readers today. But what were love and marriage like in reality for ladies and gentlemen in Regency England? Rory Muir uncovers the excitements and disappointments of courtship and the pains and pleasures of marriage, drawing on fascinating first-hand accounts as well as novels of the period. From the glamour of the ballroom to the pressures of careers, children, managing money, and difficult in-laws, love and marriage came in many guises: some wed happily, some dared to elope, and other relationships ended with acrimony, adultery, domestic abuse, or divorce. Muir illuminates the position of both men and women in marriage, as well as those spinsters and bachelors who chose not to marry at all. This is a richly textured account of how love and marriage felt for people at the time—revealing their unspoken assumptions, fears, pleasures, and delights.

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Page Count

482

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300277563

ISBN 13

9780300277562

The Hunger of Time

By: Damien Broderick,Rory Barnes

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The Hunger of Time

By: Damien Broderick,Rory Barnes

A time machine may be one family’s only salvation as the world hurtles toward an apocalypse in this cyberpunk thriller. Technology has started to accelerate at a terrifying rate. By the mid‐twenty-first century, we might see a Singularity: a convergence of artificial intelligence, advanced nanotechnologies for building things at the atomic scale, precise genomics, and other wonders. What happens after that? Will the descendants of today’s humanity become gods or demons, or simply destroy themselves? And will we be among their number, carried along by rejuvenation and immortality treatments? For Natalie and her irritatingly beautiful young sister Suzanna, these are no longer abstract questions. The familiar world is on the brink of crisis. Dumped by her live‐in boyfriend and stuck back at home with her parents, Nat is not a happy person. And her father, Hugh, is acting like a mad scientist. What the hell is he building out there in the garage? When Hugh frog‐marches his family into the garage, it looks as if he has really gone mad, and they are due to perish even before the plague wipes out all life on Earth. But the machine Hugh has been working on hurls them all—not forgetting their dog Ferdy—ever further into the future, and the escapade doesn't stop until the very end of time and space.

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Page Count

134

Publisher

Open Road Media

Published Date

ISBN 10

1497617510

ISBN 13

9781497617513

George W. Goethals and the Army

Change and Continuity in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

By: Rory McGovern

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George W. Goethals and the Army

Change and Continuity in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

By: Rory McGovern

Best known for leading the construction of the Panama Canal, George W. Goethals (1858–1928) also played a key role in the decades-long reform that transformed the American military from a frontier constabulary to the expeditionary force of an ascendant world power. George W. Goethals and the Army is at once the first full account of Goethals’s life and military career in ninety years and an in-depth analysis of the process that defined his generation’s military service—the evolution of the US Army during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. George W. Goethals was a lieutenant and a captain during the post-Reconstruction years of debate about reform and the future of the army. He was a major when the most significant reforms were created, and he helped with their implementation. As a major general during World War I, he directed a significant part of the army’s adaptation, resolving crises in the mobilization effort caused largely by years of internal resistance to reform. Following Goethals’s career and analyzing reform from his unique perspective, military historian Rory McGovern effectively shifts the focus away from the intent and toward the reality of reform—revealing the importance of the interaction between society, institutional structures, and institutional culture in the process. In this analysis, Goethals’s experiences, military thought, managerial philosophy, conceptions of professionalism, and attitude about training and development provide a framework for understanding the army’s institutional culture and his generation’s relative ambivalence about reform. In its portrait of an officer whose career bridged the distance between military generations, George W. Goethals and the Army also offers a compelling and complex interpretation of American military reform during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era—and valuable insight into the larger dynamics of institutional change that are as relevant today as they were a century ago.

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Page Count

326

Publisher

University Press of Kansas

Published Date

ISBN 10

0700627707

ISBN 13

9780700627707

Prince

John Shakespeare 3

By: Rory Clements

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Prince

John Shakespeare 3

By: Rory Clements

For fans of CJ Sansom and SJ Parris, PRINCE is the third in Rory Clements' acclaimed and bestselling John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy thrillers. Clements, winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award, 'does for Elizabeth's reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII's' Sunday Times Spring 1593. England is a powder keg of rumour and fear. Plague rages, famine is rife, the ageing Queen's couriers scheme: Elizabeth's Golden Age is truly tarnished. Meanwhile Spain watches and waits - and plots. Into this turmoil a small cart clatters through the streets of London, carrying a deadly load. It is the first in a wave of horrific bombing attacks on the Dutch immigrant community that will change John Shakespeare's life for ever. Driven on by cold rage, Shakespeare's investigations will take him from magnificent royal horseraces to the opulent chambers of Black Luce's brothel, from the theatrical underworld of Marlowe and Kyd to the pain-wracked torture cells of priest-hunter Richard Topcliffe, and from the elegant offices of master tactician Robert Cecil to the splintering timbers of an explosive encounter at sea. As Shakespeare delves ever deeper, he uncovers intricate layers of mystery and deception that threaten the heart not only of the realm, but of all that he holds dear.

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Page Count

427

Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton

Published Date

ISBN 10

1848544278

ISBN 13

9781848544277

Style and Manors

Rustic tales from a Suffolk country estate

By: Rory Clark

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Style and Manors

Rustic tales from a Suffolk country estate

By: Rory Clark

Continuing his memoirs of his time on Sir Charles Buckley's estate, James Aden deals with obstacles from the discovery of Roman treasure to the tramp living in the attic of Frampton Hall; he finds his days varied, especially with the arrival of Sir Charles's heir, Sebastian who provides him with insights into the life of the traditional landed estates as they slowly come to terms with the twenty first century.

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Page Count

151

Publisher

Constable

Published Date

ISBN 10

1472104544

ISBN 13

9781472104540

New Buddhist Movements in Thailand

Towards an Understanding of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Santi Asoke

By: Rory Mackenzie

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New Buddhist Movements in Thailand

Towards an Understanding of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Santi Asoke

By: Rory Mackenzie

Vastly different in belief and practice, two new Buddhist religious movements in Thailand, namely the Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Santi Asoke emerged in Thailand in the 1970s at a time of political uncertainty, social change and increasing dissatisfaction with the Thai Sangha and its leadership. Examining these movements, which represent two distinctive trends within contemporary Buddhism in Thailand, this book explains why they have come into being, what they have reacted against and what they offer to their members. Both movements have a wide membership outside of Thailand, with temples in the UK, Europe, USA, Japan and Australia. New Buddhist Movements in Thailand will appeal to those interested in Buddhism's confrontation with modernity, and its responses to evolving social issues in Thailand, as well as to those interested in new religions in the broader context of religious studies.

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Page Count

522

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1134132611

ISBN 13

9781134132614

Sentencing and Criminal Justice

By: Andrew Ashworth,Rory Kelly

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Sentencing and Criminal Justice

By: Andrew Ashworth,Rory Kelly

This revised and updated new edition focuses on major developments in sentencing law, practice and theory. Sentencing in England and Wales is now dominated by Sentencing Council guidelines, and scrutiny of those guidelines is central to this book. Issues of principle are identified and discussed, to include the constitutional position of the Sentencing Council; the meaning of, and challenges to, proportionality; and the sentencing of BAME offenders and women offenders. The book welcomes the new Sentencing Code, introduced as the Sentencing Act 2020, and critically examines the government's plans for sentencing reform, set out in the 2020 White Paper A Smarter Approach to Sentencing. Throughout the book, sentencing is explored in its wider criminal justice context – making it essential reading for courses on sentencing, criminal justice and criminal law.

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Page Count

537

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1509936297

ISBN 13

9781509936298

Martyr/Revenger/Prince

By: Rory Clements

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Martyr/Revenger/Prince

By: Rory Clements

The first three books of the bestselling John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy thrillers from Rory Clements, author of the Sunday Times bestseller Hitler's Secret *** Martyr Tensions in Elizabeth I's government are at breaking point. At the eye of the storm is John Shakespeare, chief intelligencer in the secret service of Sir Francis Walsingham. When an intercept reveals a plot to assassinate England's 'sea dragon', Francis Drake, Shakespeare is ordered to protect him. With Drake on land fitting out his ships, he is frighteningly vulnerable. If he dies, England will be open to invasion. From the splendour and intrigue of the royal court, to the sleek warships of Her Majesty's Navy and the teeming brothels of Southwark, Shakespeare soon learns that nothing is as it seems . . . Revenger The quiet life of John Shakespeare is shattered by a summons from Robert Cecil, the cold but deadly young statesman who dominated the last years of the Queen's long reign, insisting Shakespeare re-enter government service. His mission: to find vital papers, now in the possession of the Earl of Essex. When John Shakespeare infiltrates this dissolute world he discovers not only that the Queen herself is in danger - but that he and his family is also a target. With only his loyal footsoldier Boltfoot Cooper at his side, Shakespeare must face implacable forces who believe themselves above the law. And in a world of shifting allegiances, just how far he can trust Robert Cecil, his devious new master? Prince Driven on by cold rage, Shakespeare's investigations will take him from magnificent royal horseraces to the opulent chambers of Black Luce's brothel, from the theatrical underworld of Marlowe and Kyd to the pain-wracked torture cells of priest-hunter Richard Topcliffe, and from the elegant offices of master tactician Robert Cecil to the splintering timbers of an explosive encounter at sea. As Shakespeare delves ever deeper, he uncovers intricate layers of mystery and deception that threaten the heart not only of the realm, but of all that he holds dear.

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Page Count

1196

Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton

Published Date

ISBN 10

1529350190

ISBN 13

9781529350197

The Oatmeal Ark

From the Western Isles to a Promised Sea

By: Rory MacLean

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The Oatmeal Ark

From the Western Isles to a Promised Sea

By: Rory MacLean

The Reverend Hector Gillean is a ghost. At the start of the last century he built a ship and sailed west from the Hebrides to search for a promised land in the heart of the Canadian wilderness. His great-grandson retraces the voyage, 200 years later, through three generations of family history. The Oatmeal Ark voyages into the deepest places of the heart, exploring love and hope and loss, on a wave-rocked, wind-tossed travel adventure of ghosts and boats. Its story is at once a record of a remarkable pilgrimage, a fantastical narrative and a glimpse at the universal quest for a better world.

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Page Count

356

Published Date

ISBN 10

000637977X

ISBN 13

9780006379775

From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

The Memoirs and Letters of Richard Laird, A Japanese Prisoner of War

By: Rory Laird

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From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

The Memoirs and Letters of Richard Laird, A Japanese Prisoner of War

By: Rory Laird

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

224

Publisher

Pen and Sword Military

Published Date

ISBN 10

1526771144

ISBN 13

9781526771148

Book's by Rory Laird

From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

The Marches

The Marches

Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen

Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen

The Hunger of Time

The Hunger of Time

George W. Goethals and the Army

George W. Goethals and the Army

Prince

Prince

Style and Manors

Style and Manors

New Buddhist Movements in Thailand

New Buddhist Movements in Thailand

Sentencing and Criminal Justice

Sentencing and Criminal Justice

Martyr/Revenger/Prince

Martyr/Revenger/Prince

The Oatmeal Ark

The Oatmeal Ark

From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

From Shanghai to the Burma Railway

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