Alec Cowie And The Sword Of Persia

It is the year 524BC, and the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser V, is enraged when he finds out that Hoshea, King of Israel, one of his vassal states, is seeking the help of Egypt in rebelling against him. Swiftly gathering his army, he swoops down from the north and crushes the rebellious state, taking Hoshea captive and deporting the surviving Israelites throughout the eastern areas of the Assyrian Empire. The story then moves forward to Calcutta, in India, in the year 1755, where young Alec Cowie, now a Captain in the militia of the Honourable East India Company, arrives back from a recent assignment to the Mughal Emperor in Delhi. (see Alec Cowie and the Delhi Assignment). He finds himself seconded to the British Intelligence Service and directed to lead a new mission to Abdul Shah Durrani, the new king of Afghanistan, seeking passage of the Companys goods through the Khyber Pass to the Silk Road. Accompanied by his old friend Harry Arburthnot, he travels up the Indus valley and through the Bolan Pass to Kandahar, where he encounters a beautiful Jewish girl with a mission of her own; to return the powerful Sword of Persia to Shah Durrani with the prophesy that goes with it. Continually harassed by the Russians, Jesuits and rebellious Afghans themselves, Alec and Harry finally complete their mission to Cabool, and stage a thrilling escape through the Khyber Pass back into India.

An enthralling prologue describes Genghis Kahn’s crushing thrust from the east into the Empire of Khwarazm in 1219, from which the Shah flees south across the Indus River into India, taking with him the fabled Jewel of Khwarazm. The reader is then carried forward some three hundred years into Scotland, where a young man, Alec Breville Cowie, sets out for London to join the East India Trading Company as a writer. Displaying outstanding skills in bookkeeping, languages and trading negotiations, he is posted to Madras on the east coast of India with two friends, Warren Hastings and Harry Arburthnot. Promoted to Senior Writer, and transferred to Calcutta, he is attached to perilous mission, led by the enigmatic Sir James Ness, to the Moghul Emperor in Delhi. Dogged by murderous thugee, and tracked by Marathas and French intent on disrupting the mission, they finally meet the Emperor, and Alec is given charge of the Emperor’s beautiful niece, the Princess Shastri. Fleeing to the abandoned city of Fatehpur-Sikri, pursued by savage Pindarees, Alec and the Princess finally reach Lucknow. A traitor in their camp is unmasked, and the true purpose of the Delhi Assignment is revealed.

This record of the achievements of pipers during the war of 1914-18 is not intended to be an appeal to emotionalism. It aims at showing that, in spite of the efforts of a very efficient enemy to prevent individual gallantry, in spite of the physical conditions of the modern battlefield, the pipes of war, the oldest instrument in the world, have played an even greater part in the orchestra of battle in this than they have in past campaigns. The piper, be he Highlander, or Lowlander, or Scot from Overseas, has accomplished the impossible—not rarely and under favourable conditions, but almost as a matter of routine; and to him not Scotland only but the British Empire owes more than they have yet appreciated. In doing so he has sacrificed himself; and Scotland—and the world—must face the fact that a large proportion of the men who played the instrument and kept alive the old traditions have completed their self-imposed task. With 500 pipers killed and 600 wounded something must be done to raise a new generation of players; it is a matter of national importance that this should be taken in hand at once, and that the sons of those who have gone should follow in the footsteps of their fathers. This is the best tribute that can be offered to them. The Piobaireachd Society intend to institute a Memorial School of piping for this purpose, and all profits from the sale of this book will be handed over to their fund. The compilation of the statistical portions of the work has involved correspondence with commanding officers, pipe presidents and pipe majors of many units in the Imperial armies; to them, for their enthusiastic assistance in obtaining information, is due the credit for the mass of detail that has been made available.

This in-depth work demonstrates that ancient battles rivaled those of the modern period in size, complexity, and lethality. The organization of armies of the ancient world, their performance, their military operations, and their ability to raise the art of warfare to towering heights are the focus of this carefully documented volume. An examination is made of all the major military establishments of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Pertinent evidence is gathered from a number of disciplines and integrated into a coherent whole. Corroborative evidence is drawn from modern analysis when accepting or rejecting the claims of ancient writers. Where that was lacking, the authors conducted empirical studies of ancient weapons, which led to a better understanding of how ancient battles were really fought. The book concludes with description and analysis of the armies of the ancient world placed in a modern perspective. From Sumer to Rome provides a detailed portrait of the world's earliest military establishments. A number of military innovations and developments that came to fruition in the Iron Age and that remained are traced. An empirical analysis of all the major weapons of the ancient armies is made. The factors that played dominant roles in outcomes are explored and thorough analysis of military medical care systems is provided. This book will be an excellent addition to the libraries of military historians, students of ancient warfare and weaponry, and the general reader.

This international collection focuses on the phallic character of classic and contemporary literary and visual cultures and their invasive nature. It focuses on thrillers, horror cinema, sexual art and photography, erotic literature, female and male body politics, queer pleasures, gender/cross-gender/transgenderism, CCTV and phallic ethnicities.

From the obscure 1958 Sonja Henie vehicle Hello London to the 2000 Academy Award winner Gladiator, the screen career of dynamic British actor Oliver Reed (1937-1999) is thoroughly documented in this illustrated filmography. Following a concise biography, the authors chronologically list all 96 of Reed's films, among them The Curse of the Werewolf, Oliver!, The Devils, The Three Musketeers and Tommy. Each entry contains extensive cast and production credits, a synopsis, critical commentary and contemporary reviews. Included are forewords by actors Sir Christopher Lee and Ron Moody, and an afterword by Oliver Reed's frequent director Michael Winner. Additional comments by Reed's friends and coworkers Janette Scott, Catherine Feller, William Hobbs, Jennie Linden, Jimmy Sangster and Samantha Eggar provide fascinating and insightful offscreen glimpses of a major cinema icon.

Tells the story of a boy's growth to early manhood, seaside holidays, meddling arts, school bullies and an unexpected moment of religious awakening.