This box set contains three classic movies of the legendary comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. 'In Great Guns' (1941), Stan and Ollie play a butler and chauffeur of wealthy young Dan Forrester (Dick Nelson). Tired of being pampered and coddled by his overprotective aunts, Dan is delighted when he is drafted into the Army. Stan and Ollie also don uniform and accompany Dan to US Cavalry training camp to make certain that no harm will befall their 'delicate' master. While the boys get mixed up in one disaster after another-at one point, Dan pursues a romance with photo-shop proprietor Ginger Hammond. Convinced that Ginger is a gold-digger, Stan and Ollie try to break up the romance, to no avail. 'Jitterbugs' (1943) is considered the best of the Laurel and Hardy projects filmed at Twentieth Century Fox. Stan and Ollie are stars of the Zoot Suit Band, who form an unlikely partnership with a genial con man (Bob Bailey) who allegedly can turn water into gasoline with an invented pill. When the trio joins a carnival, they meet Susan, a naive young singer (Vivian Blaine), whose mother has been swindled by fraudsters. Suddenly gallant, the three organise a sting operation, with Stan disguised as a wealthy elderly lady and Ollie as a rich Texan and aim to get the woman's money back. Although things don't go as planned, the inimitable comedy duo provides nonstop laughs from start to finish. In 'The Big Noise' 1944) Stan and Ollie play janitors of a detective agency who pose as super-sleuths and are hired to protect inventor Alva P. Hartley (Arthur Space). They move to his house which is loaded with crazy contraptions which entrap, baffle and bamboozle the protectors. Meanwhile Hartley's next door neighbors Charlton (Frank Fenton), Hartman (James Bush), Dutchy (Phil Van Zandt) and Mayme (Veda Ann Borg) reveal themselves as the biggest threat of all, a gang of crooks determined to get their hands on the inventor's deadly creation, a super-bomb called 'The Big Noise'. Stan and Ollie escape with the bomb to the War Department in Washington, D.C. just one step ahead of the criminals. Through a series of crazy misadventures, the heroic duo end up in a remote-controlled airplane, along with the bomb, and head straight for trouble.

A stirring war leader, an orator unequaled as the rallier of a nation under siege, a powerful writer - Winston Churchill was all these and more. By now he has become a figure of almost mythic proportions. To find the man within the legend is the task to which twenty-nine renowned British and American historians and political leaders dedicate themselves in this volume. It may be the last assessment possible of Churchill's life and career by those who, for the most part, came of age during the Churchill era. From his youth in the landed aristocracy through his early experiences of war to service in Parliament over seven storm-tossed decades, Churchill takes us far beyond the surface of events. Here is Winston Churchill, surprisingly, a founder of the modern welfare state, when he became a principal driving force behind the Liberal welfare reforms of 1908-11. In the 1920s, we find him astonished to be offered the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer (after accepting, he reflected that "I should have...answered, 'Will the bloody duck swim?'"). His concern with domestic affairs bracketed the years of the First World War which saw him, initially, as First Lord of the Admiralty. Churchill tasted failure in the disastrous defeat of the Dardanelles expedition in 1915. There followed two years "in the wilderness" during which he took a battalion command on the western front. "He hankered after brilliant coups, heroic adventure on a small but decisive scale" but he had learned a crucial lesson for his later years as war leader of Britain: "against an adversary as formidable as the Germans, there was no substitute for the massive organization and skillful application of force on the largestpossible scale, backed up by...science and technology...". Appointed Colonial Secretary, Churchill had to deal with some regions that were to remain trouble spots to the century's end: Palestine and Southern Africa among them. A staunch defender of the Empire, he believed that British rule would bring benefits and harmony to distant populations. Still, Churchill's finest hours were to come when, with the German army marching across the Low Countries into France, he succeeded to the Prime Ministership. The events of that crucial time are closely examined. "There was only one person I could send for to form a Government who had the confidence of his country", wrote King George VI, "and that was Winston". In fascinating detail, Churchill's conduct of the war is viewed from both diplomatic and military angles - with revealing light shed on his relationships with Roosevelt and Stalin, his handling of special intelligence, the "ceaseless" prodding "of the generals, admirals and air marshal is who were prosecuting the war whether as Defence chiefs or in the arenas of combat". The volume carries us through the postwar period and the realignment of Europe to face a formidable power to the Eastthe Soviet Union. We discover a Churchill resigned to letting the ties of Empire lessen even as, at home, a triumphant Labour party greatly alters Britain's economic and social structure. Under the scrutiny of experts, Churchill emerges very much the dominant figure of his time. His stature, as attested by the contributors to this volume, does not change; the features, however, become more finely chiseled.

Churchill was an extraordinary figure. There has never been anyone quite like him, and inevitably legends have accumulated. How can he be treated both realistically and fairly after so much has been written about his controversial career by himself and others? This is a fresh look at Churchill and his role in twentieth-century history. Each of the authors in this book is an authority on at least one aspect of Churchill's life. The result is a fascinating interplay of ideas about his policies and motives. Some of it is critical and unflattering. Even the greatest of statesmen can make mistakes and misjudgements, and Churchill was at the centre of the political scene for more that half a century. Yet he emerges with both his integrity and his greatness intact. His achievement seems as remarkable as ever. The picture that is drawn by this lively and readable study is of an astonishing personality with some flaws but also with immense strengths. The book provides a fuller understanding of how Churchill came to be, in A.J.P. Taylor's words, `the saviour of his nation'.

The wit and wisdom of Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman and twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - with a new foreword by Lord Lexden. Disraeli was one of the least orthodox of Prime Ministers. He was an adventurer who fought his way to 'the top of the greasy pole' in a blaze of controversy, and became Queen Victoria's favourite statesman. He was a novelist and a wit as well as politician. He was a brilliant orator. Like Byron he was both a romantic and a cynic. His aphorisms have become part of the discourse of political life. This collection is based on his novels, letters and speeches. He was never dull, but he was fundamentally serious behind the firework display, and he had a lasting influence on the course of party history. Seen by some of the founder of 'one-nation' conservatism, Disraeli is today one of the most co-opted political figures of history. For those seeking clarity on Disraeli's views, this collection will confound and surprise.

Jared Matthews is embarking on a journey which started with a well-deserved furlough from his duties as a foreign war correspondent and pilot during World War II. Everything changes for him after experiencing a vision which seems to portray parallels of the Nazi regime he had witnessed in the 1930s, to what is yet to come in the 21st century. At the outset, he meets a beautiful girl the night he has the vision, but they part ways, possibly never to see each other again. Will he find this woman he felt so drawn to? He also seeks the help of his war buddies, and a priest who offers insightful counsel and warnings about his vision. He returns to Europe and the war, while continuing to experience more dreams and visions, along with the devastation of battle. His destiny seems certain: to warn others of what is yet to come after the war is over. The future? Another dictator, but one of pandemic and prophetic proportions.

The complete first season of the New York City-set detective series starring Robert Blake as the eponymous plain-clothes cop. When he's not chasing down the city's criminals in his 1966 Chevy Impala, Baretta spends his time visiting his many girlfriends or at the King Edward Hotel, where he lives alone with his pet cockatoo, Fred. The episodes are: 'He'll Never See Daylight', 'The Five and a Half Pound Junkie', 'Woman in the Harbour', 'If You Can't Pay the Price...', 'The Half-Million Dollar Baby', 'Ragtime Billy Peaches', 'The Coppelli Oath', 'Walk Like You Talk', 'The Mansion', 'Keep Your Eye On the Sparrow', 'The Secret of Terry Lake' and 'This Ain't My Bag'.

Holed up in a frigid New York City basement lair, Ben Blackshaw gets a coded distress call from his former commanding officer. The new mission takes Blackshaw on an international manhunt for a mysterious sniper. To launch the mission, Blackshaw is secretly flown across the country in an unmanned drone. When the UAV's encrypted guidance system is hacked by a sleeper cell of terrorists, the plane crashes, delivering Blackshaw into the hands of gunmen intent on killing him. He barely survives this opening skirmish, only to come under fire on a Los Angeles rooftop from the rogue sniper. His former CO, and two innocent bystanders are cut down in the barrage of bullets. Racked with grief, driven by guilt, Blackshaw reconnects with his old friend, Knocker Ellis Hogan, and together they try to lead the murderer away from populated areas before making the kill. The chase leapfrogs from the high Chilean desert to the icy wastes of northern Canada. At every turn, the killer slips away from their traps like a ghost. Along the way, Blackshaw learns that the sniper's deadly work is directed from the highest offices of the United States Government, and is part of a larger conspiracy to ignite a genocidal war-for-profit in South America. After Ellis is gravely wounded, Blackshaw makes a final stand on a wrecked ship in the Chesapeake Bay, only to discover that the killer's identity could make completing the mission next to impossible

Diving the frigid Chesapeake Bay for oysters soon after a late season hurricane, former Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw discovers the fresh wreck of a speedboat mired on the bottom. It is jammed to the gunwales with crates of gold bullion worth millions. Blackshaw opens one last box from the wreck and finds a nuclear dirty bomb, its timer racing down toward zero just twenty-four hours away. If this were not enough, the final shock of the day comes when he recognizes the corpse bobbing at the helm of the wreck; a man who has been missing for fifteen years. Blackshaw's father. Piecing the shreds of evidence together, Blackshaw reckons that his irascible old man intercepted and stole both the gold and the nuke from an Iran-Contra style government black-ops deal brokered between two Islamist extremist cells by a corrupt U.S. Government cabal. Maynard Chalk was the agent who let the transaction go south in a moment of unforgiveable distraction. He's got to recover the cargo as soon as possible, but to finish the job, he must temporarily throw in with one of the terrorist crews from the deal gone wrong; it's the only way he can conceal his failure from a vengeful boss and save his own skin. Chalk and his jackal henchmen descend on the quiet, god-fearing people of Blackshaw's isolated Smith Island home, determined to take back what's theirs no matter what the cost in innocent blood. Blackshaw and his wily Smith Island neighbors must set aside a growing mistrust of each other in order to survive and repel Chalk's invasion. Green-eyed suspicion naturally follows an influx of untold wealth and ultimate power; this might play into Chalk's hands, inciting murder and mutiny within Blackshaw's ranks. After a rocky start, Blackshaw finally persuades a small cadre of neighbors that their recent hardscrabble times could be set right if they manage to keep this orphaned gold for themselves, and somehow stop that nuclear bomb before it blows them out of the Chesapeake. To accomplish all this, they reluctantly tap into Smith Island's darker heritage from the distant past as home to marauding pirates in the Chesapeake. Hundreds of years before they became good Methodists, the Smith Islanders emigrated from Cornwall, England. There, more than a few of their ancestors earned their keep by pillaging what they needed from merchant ships unlucky enough to sail without armed escort. Regrettably, the practice lasted long after settling Smith Island. The present dire circumstances set these good people at odds with their newfound and deeply held religious teachings; they must connect with their inner brigand or die. Mortally outgunned, and not seventy miles from Washington, D.C., Blackshaw and his cohort are pitted in a desperate last stand against Chalk and his bloodthirsty goons. If Blackshaw fails, his gamble will go down in history as the opening skirmish of World War III.

If you are a songwriter or would like to learn how to write songs, this book contains many helpful and informative tips. From formatting a song to how and where to get ideas on what to write about. Copyrighting your songs to recording, publishing and promoting your songs etc.

In Three Volumes. This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Dictionary Of National Biography, Volume 6; The Dictionary Of National Biography; Robert Blake Stephen (Sir Leslie), Robert Blake, Christine Stephanie Nicholls Sir Sidney Lee Oxford University Press, 1908 Great Britain

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

In Three Volumes. This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

In a challenging look at traditional Christian and other religious teachings from the point of view of modern science, psychology, and human consciousness, the psychologist author interweaves entertaining stories of his own journey from ordained minister to atheist.