Books published by publisher Follow This Publishing

‘She was tall and terrible, with a great mass of red hair to her hips… and carried a spear to instil terror in all who saw her.’So wrote Dio Cassius, one of a handful of Romans who commented on the queen of the Iceni who defied the most powerful military nation on earth – and nearly won.Whipped by her Roman overlords and with her two daughters raped, Boudicca went on the warpath in 60AD, uniting tribes under her and wreaking vengeance. Today’s Colchester, London and St Albans were all burned to the ground by her marauding army until they were defeated at Mancetter, the ‘place of the chariots’ by Aulus Plautius. Her end and her grave are unknown.M. J. Trow uses the Roman archives and Celtic mythology to paint a fascinating portrait of this enigmatic woman who was a leader of men and frightened the Romans to death. His son, Taliesin, who holds a Master’s Degree in Archaeology, looks at the ‘testimony of the spade’ to find some surprising conclusions to the many unanswered questions about the queen, whose statue stands alongside the Thames to this day.Boudicca’s own reputation has suffered its ups and downs over the centuries, but this book places her firmly on that pedestal alongside her bronze image.

Longlisted for the People's Book Prize 2018At 12.16am on Wednesday, June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded in the kitchen service pantry of the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. He had just won the California Primary, an important victory in his quest for nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate in the US Presidential election late that year. A little over 24 hours later, he was pronounced dead. A 24-year-old Palestinian immigrant, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, was captured in the pantry with a smoking gun in his hand. Eyewitnesses had seen him step out in front of Kennedy and begin shooting with a small calibre revolver. He fired all eight bullets in its chamber. In April 1969, Sirhan was convicted of Robert Kennedy’s murder and the wounding of five others. He was sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. He has been in prison – often in solitary confinement – ever since. Fifteen applications for parole have been rejected.That is the official history of the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination, award-winning investigative journalists Tim Tate and Brad Johnson uncover the true story.This book is the result of more than 25 years’ painstaking forensic work. The authors have scrutinised more than 100,000 official documents, located previously unknown recordings, and conducted original new interviews with key figures in the case.They show that Sirhan could not have fired the fatal bullets, reveal detailed evidence of a murderous conspiracy involving organised crime, and disclose CIA documents detailing successful experiments to create a hypno-programmed political assassin. The book also unmasks the likely identity of one of the most enduring mysteries in the case – the infamous ‘Girl in the Polka Dot Dress’.

What if what you were could destroy everything and everyone you loved? Regina thought she was an average teenager. When strange things start to happen, she discovers she belongs to a hidden world of supernatural beings and she is the most dangerous of them all. Her existence is a death sentence to her, her survival could be a death sentence for us all.Will those who fear her destroy her and those she loves, or is she destined to become the monster within?Join the fight for survival.

'Splendidly readable, fair-minded . . . a story told with pace and drama, the author synthesizes, simplifies and debunks to great effect.' The Observer Cecil Rhodes 'lived only for his schemes and enjoyed life only as a cannon ball enjoys space, travelling to its aim blindly and spreading ruin on its way. He was a great man, no doubt — a man who rendered immense service to his country, but humanity is not much indebted to him.'The time is ripe for a new biography of Cecil Rhodes: the hero of imperialism needs to be seen with the perspective to examine the tremendous changes which have taken place since the British Empire was at its height.This major re-assessment deals with the man, rather than the politics — and shows Rhodes to be ruthless, energetic, idealistic, and very much a product of his time.We see him first as a far from amiable child, the son of a country vicar. As a youth he went to South Africa, where he made a fortune diamond mining. This fortune provided the means to pursue his political ambitions - a crazy dream to put as much red on the map as possible. In fact he only achieved what was to become Northern and Southern Rhodesia. His brutality to the native peoples of Africa, his financial chicanery, his involvement in the farcical Jameson Raid, his suppressed homosexuality, his ideas about racial superiority, and his exaggerated respect for an Oxford education which led to his most lasting memorial — the Rhodes Scholarships — are all covered in this frank biography.About the AuthorBrian Roberts, a distinguished historian and biographer, is an acknowledged expert on African history. His previous books include The Zulu Kings, The Diamond Magnates, Churchills in Africa, and Cecil Rhodes and the Princess.

‘A peculiarly fascinating story.’ The Guardian's Polly Toynbee“I was immediately drawn into the story. We follow the exceptional bravery of Dreamer as he tries to determine what is worth dying for. It's a beautiful story.”Rachel Stansel - ReviewerAbove ground the countryside stretches quietly, majestically beneath the changing skies. Peaceful and untroubled, far from the wars and woes of man, nature moves through her timeless cycles.But look closer. For in the secret world beneath the grasses lies an empire in turmoil. A revered leader had died and, as the enemy prepares its armies for war, rebellion is whispered through the undergrowth. There in the kingdom of the ants the old order crumbles and the new prepares for its explosive birth. No single insect, from magnificent war leader to defiant rebel, from wise elder statesman to upstart contender, from beloved Queen to emerging young champion, is impervious to the revolutionary changes within the hierarchy, or the gathering threat from a terrible foe. Man may be ignorant of the cataclysmic battles unfolding beneath his vision, but he should take note. His struggles are not so very different....

"This vivid, briskly written biography brings to life one of the most colorful and sinister figures in modern Russian history."Publishers Weekly"A vivid if not lurid portrayal."Boston Globe"Extremely well written, concise, and as promised in the foreword, he leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions."Alexander Palace ForumAn entirely original account of the life of Gregory Rasputin that goes beyond legend, myth and misunderstanding to reveal the tragedy of the peasant who befriended the Tsar and the Empress, healed their son, and helped to bring down the Russian Empire. In Fuhrmann’s skilled hands, Rasputin becomes a vital and exciting human being, not just a symbol of dissolution and sexual excess. The author considers a number of fundamental questions:•How did Rasputin heal the Tsarevich’s bouts of haemophilia?•What were his mysterious religious teachings?•How great was his power in the Russian state?•What was the secret of his appeal to women?•Were foreign agents involved in his murder?Fuhrmann also lays to rest an old question that still fascinates many people: Does Rasputin’s murder suggest that his mystical powers included some mysterious ability to resist death? No one intrigued by the last years of Imperial Russia will want to miss this book.

"David Haviland puts the fun back into history with this trivia packed guide that highlights some 'morsels of misinformation' that have made it into far too many history books... The long and short of it is, this is a jolly fun read that will delight even those who think that history is nothing more than a giant yawn. After reading this book, you'll discover that there is a lot more to history than dates and memorization. The sections are short and pithy and are ideal for simply skipping around and reading any topic that happens to strike your fancy, or you can read it straight through. Either way, you are in for a treat. Not only will you find this to be an entertaining book, but also a painlessly educational one as well!""History In Review“What is history, but a set of lies agreed upon?” – Napoleon BonaparteAt least, we think it was him. This quote is traditionally attributed to Napoleon, but ironically it’s not really clear whether or not he ever actually said it.As it turns out, a great many things which we think we know about history often turn out to be myths, misunderstandings, or outright fictions. For example…• When was the Great Wall of China built?• Who defeated the Spanish Armada?• Did Lady Godiva really parade nude through Coventry?• Who was the rightful king of England in 1066?• Who was the first (and only) Emperor of the USA?• When was the first world war? (Hint: it’s not when you think)Why Was Queen Victoria Such a Prude? is the latest fascinating book in a long-running series from bestselling writer David Haviland. This time the focus is on history, as Haviland explores the entire history of human civilisation, from the Trojan Wars all the way up to the 21st century!

At 12.16am on Wednesday, June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded in the kitchen service pantry of the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. He had just won the California Primary, an important victory in his quest for nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate in the US Presidential election late that year. A little over 24 hours later, he was pronounced dead. A 24-year-old Palestinian immigrant, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, was captured in the pantry with a smoking gun in his hand. Eyewitnesses had seen him step out in front of Kennedy and begin shooting with a small calibre revolver. He fired all eight bullets in its chamber. In April 1969, Sirhan was convicted of Robert Kennedy’s murder and the wounding of five others. He was sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. He has been in prison – often in solitary confinement – ever since. Fifteen applications for parole have been rejected. That is the official history of the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination, award-winning investigative journalists Tim Tate and Brad Johnson uncover the true story. This book is the result of more than 25 years’ painstaking forensic work. The authors have scrutinised more than 100,000 official documents, located previously unknown recordings, and conducted original new interviews with key figures in the case. They show that Sirhan could not have fired the fatal bullets, reveal detailed evidence of a murderous conspiracy involving organised crime, and disclose CIA documents detailing successful experiments to create a hypno-programmed political assassin. The book also unmasks the likely identity of one of the most enduring mysteries in the case – the infamous ‘Girl in the Polka Dot Dress’.

“Splendid entertainment, a peep show and a vivid analysis, full of sympathy and abounding in madly logical ridiculousness.”The Observer“To find a novelist who saw more deeply and conveyed more truly you have to go back to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, Balzac and Goethe, Mann and Hesse.”Bernard Levin“One of the best of our novelists, certainly one of the most original, in the great early tradition of Defoe and Fielding.”Elizabeth Bowen“A patient and penetrating analysis of children’s minds.”The Times Among Charley Brown’s first deeds as an evacuee to Longwater in the West Country was to let loose the local bull. Boys who one minute had taunted him with the refrain ‘Ballocky baldy’ (Charley’s lice had been evacuated from London with him), were the next minute acknowledging him as their natural leader. Charley Brown, one of Joyce Cary’s most uproarious and memorable creations, is a love and a terror. He is a quivering jelly in the hands of girls and women of any age who show him kindness; through the wild force of his imagination he holds children rapt with tales of desperate gunmen with exquisite manners and a taste for the beautiful. Delinquent and aesthete, he leads his gang into daring acts both grand and bad. As Charley’s sweetheart Lizzy Galor rightly puts it, he’s every bit as good as the movies...

'Splendidly readable, fair-minded . . . a story told with pace and drama, the author synthesizes, simplifies and debunks to great effect.' The Observer Cecil Rhodes 'lived only for his schemes and enjoyed life only as a cannon ball enjoys space, travelling to its aim blindly and spreading ruin on its way. He was a great man, no doubt — a man who rendered immense service to his country, but humanity is not much indebted to him.' The time is ripe for a new biography of Cecil Rhodes: the hero of imperialism needs to be seen with the perspective to examine the tremendous changes which have taken place since the British Empire was at its height. This major re-assessment deals with the man, rather than the politics — and shows Rhodes to be ruthless, energetic, idealistic, and very much a product of his time. We see him first as a far from amiable child, the son of a country vicar. As a youth he went to South Africa, where he made a fortune diamond mining. This fortune provided the means to pursue his political ambitions - a crazy dream to put as much red on the map as possible. In fact he only achieved what was to become Northern and Southern Rhodesia. His brutality to the native peoples of Africa, his financial chicanery, his involvement in the farcical Jameson Raid, his suppressed homosexuality, his ideas about racial superiority, and his exaggerated respect for an Oxford education which led to his most lasting memorial — the Rhodes Scholarships — are all covered in this frank biography.

“What a really great book it is – it seems as fresh, as moving, as sad as when I first read it.”Graham Greene“An American Visitor has an immediacy of reference which makes it seem as if it had been written to explain recent events in the Congo, in Kenya, and in other parts of Africa.”The New Yorker“What is best in the book is its ring of truth. The natives and the British whites speak and act with absolute naturalness... Cary misses few of the ironies of a situation in which imperfect Christians try to perfect the savage.”Time Magazine ‘The white man’s god is a lie — don’t you believe in him.’The American visitor is Marie Hasluck, a young journalist, who comes to twentieth-century Africa armed with her idealism and a sentimental belief in the Noble Savage. She plunges immediately into enthusiastic conflict with the Europeans there, all of whom have their own ideals of colonialism, and falls in love with one of them, an unconventional district officer named Bewsher who maintains precarious order among the natives by the sheer force of his personality. Marie finds out too late that there are no simple answers to Africa’s problems. It is the great virtue of AN AMERICAN VISITOR that Cary proposes none. Rather, he suggests complexity, ironically denying the reader the comfort of an attitude. The measure of his success is in the extraordinary relevance today of a book written thirty years ago.