Ferguson S Gang The Maidens Behind The Masks

When a group of friends formed 'Ferguson's Gang' they had no idea of the notoriety their antics would produce. Society was astounded by the daring tricks the Gang used to raise money but these were no common robbers. They presented the booty in the carcass of a goose or wrapped round a cigar; pledging undying support to the National Trust. Their greatest feat was preserving their anonymity; now almost a century later the fascinating story of Ferguson's Gang is finally revealed in this book. It is a world now forgotten; of genteel tea parties, debutantes' balls and stately homes with armies of servants. Yet amongst this wealth and splendour lurked a group of rebels. The personal stories of the masked maidens are startling; mixing with Royalty, they belonged to the leading political dynasties and rubbed shoulders with the literary elite. It is no wonder these women kept their identities so heavily concealed.

When a group of friends formed 'Ferguson's Gang' they had no idea of the notoriety their antics would produce. Society was astounded by the daring tricks the Gang used to raise money but these were no common robbers. They presented the booty in the carcass of a goose or wrapped round a cigar; pledging undying support to the National Trust. The Gang passionately fought against the spread of urbanisation and destruction of our English heritage. Their greatest feat was preserving their anonymity; now almost a century later the fascinating story of Ferguson's Gang is finally revealed in this book. It is a world now forgotten; of stately homes with armies of servants. Yet amongst this wealth and splendour lurked a group of rebels. The personal stories of the masked maidens are startling; mixing with Royalty, they belonged to the leading political dynasties and rubbed shoulders with the literary elite. It is no wonder these women kept their identities so heavily concealed.

An original and thought-provoking reassessment of J. R. R. Tolkien’s world, revealing how his visionary creation of Middle-Earth is more relevant now than ever before. What is it about Middle-Earth and its inhabitants that has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world? And why does Tolkien's visionary creation continue to fascinate and inspire us eighty-five years after its first publication? Beginning with Tolkien's earliest influence—and drawing on key moments from his life, Tolkien in the Twenty-First Century is an engaging and vibrant reinterpretation of the beloved author's work. Not only does it trace the genesis and inspiration for the original books, but the narrative also explores the later film and literary adaptations that have cemented his reputation as a cultural phenomenon. Delving deep into topics such as friendship, failure, the environment, diversity, and Tolkien's place in a post-Covid age, Nick Groom takes us on an unexpected journey through Tolkien's world, revealing how it is more relevant now than perhaps Tolkien himself ever envisioned.

1927. Britain’s heritage is vanishing. Beautiful landscapes are being bulldozed. Historic buildings are being blown up. Stonehenge is collapsing. Enter Ferguson’s Gang, a mysterious and eccentric group of women who help the National Trust to fight back. The Gang raise huge sums, which they deliver in delightfully strange ways: Victorian coins inside a fake pineapple, a one hundred pound note stuffed inside a cigar, five hundred pounds with a bottle of homemade sloe gin. Their stunts are avidly reported in the press, and when they make a national appeal for the Trust, the response is overwhelming. Ferguson’s Gang is instrumental in saving places from Cornwall to the Lake District, a legacy of incalculable value. Yet somehow these women stay anonymous, hiding behind masks and bizarre pseudonyms such as Bill Stickers, Red Biddy, the Bludy Beershop and Sister Agatha. They carefully record their exploits, their rituals, even their elaborate picnics, but they take their real names to the grave. Now Sally Beck and Polly Bagnall can reveal the identities of these unlikely national heroes and tell the stories of their fascinating and often unconventional lives. With the help of relatives, colleagues and friends, we can finally get to know the women who combined a serious mission with such a sense of mischief.

This fascinating book is the first volume in a projected cultural history of the United States, from the earliest English settlements to our own time. It is a history of American folkways as they have changed through time, and it argues a thesis about the importance for the United States of having been British in its cultural origins. While most people in the United States today have no British ancestors, they have assimilated regional cultures which were created by British colonists, even while preserving ethnic identities at the same time. In this sense, nearly all Americans are "Albion's Seed," no matter what their ethnicity may be. The concluding section of this remarkable book explores the ways that regional cultures have continued to dominate national politics from 1789 to 1988, and still help to shape attitudes toward education, government, gender, and violence, on which differences between American regions are greater than between European nations.

Historically Canadians have considered themselves to be more or less free of racial prejudice. Although this conception has been challenged in recent years, it has not been completely dispelled. In Colour-Coded, Constance Backhouse illustrates the tenacious hold that white supremacy had on our legal system in the first half of this century, and underscores the damaging legacy of inequality that continues today. Backhouse presents detailed narratives of six court cases, each giving evidence of blatant racism created and enforced through law. The cases focus on Aboriginal, Inuit, Chinese-Canadian, and African-Canadian individuals, taking us from the criminal prosecution of traditional Aboriginal dance to the trial of members of the 'Ku Klux Klan of Kanada.' From thousands of possibilities, Backhouse has selected studies that constitute central moments in the legal history of race in Canada. Her selection also considers a wide range of legal forums, including administrative rulings by municipal councils, criminal trials before police magistrates, and criminal and civil cases heard by the highest courts in the provinces and by the Supreme Court of Canada. The extensive and detailed documentation presented here leaves no doubt that the Canadian legal system played a dominant role in creating and preserving racial discrimination. A central message of this book is that racism is deeply embedded in Canadian history despite Canada's reputation as a raceless society. Winner of the Joseph Brant Award, presented by the Ontario Historical Society

The award-winning author’s “vivid historical novel based on the true story of the five Sacco brothers” who fought fascism and the mafia in 1920s Sicily (Publishers Weekly). Sicily, 1920s. As socialists who run successful farms and businesses, the Sacco brothers are a prime target of the local Mafia’s extortion racket. When their father receives an anonymous letter demanding protection money, he goes to the police. But what can they do with such a complaint? No one in the village has ever dared denounce the Mafia before. From that moment on, the Sacco brothers must defend themselves as they face an escalating war against the Mafia, corrupt police, and fascist leaders who declare the Saccos a gang of bandits. Facing violent attacks and false accusations, they become fugitives who can trust no one in their battle for freedom. “A twisted morality tale worthy of the wild west.” —The Guardian

Finalist for 2006 BC Book Prize - Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize Shortlisted for George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in B.C. Writing and Publishing Each year, over eight million people visit Stanley Park, a 400-hectare (1000-acre) haven of beauty that offers a backdrop of majestic cedars and firs and an environment teeming with wildlife just steps from the sidewalks and skyscrapers of Vancouver. But few visitors stop to contemplate the secret past of British Columbia's most popular tourist destination. Officially opened in 1888, Stanley Park was born alongside the city of Vancouver, so it is easy to assume that the park was a pristine wilderness when it was first created. But much of it had been logged and it was home to a number of settlements. Aboriginal people lived at the villages of Whoi Whoi, now Lumberman's Arch, and nearby Chaythoos. Some of the immigrant Hawaiians earlier employed in the fur trade took jobs at the lumber mills that dotted Burrard Inlet from the 1860s and settled at "Kanaka Ranch," which was located just outside the park's southeast boundary. Others resided at Brockton Point on the peninsula's eastern tip. Only in 1958 was the last of the many families forced out of their homes and the park returned to its supposed "pristine" character. Working in collaboration with descendants of the families who once lived in the park area, historian Jean Barman skilfully weaves together the families' stories with archival documents, Vancouver Parks Board records and court proceedings to reveal a troubling, yet deeply important facet of BC's history.