It is 1615. Shakespeare is still alive and the country is at peace. James 1 of England (James VI of Scotland) has been on the throne since the childless Elisabeth I died in 1603. He claimed the throne by virtue of the fact that he was direct in line of descent from Henry VII, his great-grandfather. The English Navy, which had been founded as a standing force by Henry VIII and had defended the country from several Spanish Armadas during the Elisabethan era, had been neglected. It needed rebuilding and this meant new ships and plenty of stout English (and Welsh) oak. Luckily for James, one of his closest advisors was an admiral, Sir Robert Mansell, who having given up his naval career and become an industrialist and entrepreneur (as well as a Member of Parliament), saw an opportunity to secure his new-found business of coal mining and glass-making. Mansell applied to the King to grant him a patent forbidding the use of timber for smelting (mainly iron and glass) and on 23 May 1615 the papers were signed. Thus, with the stroke of his quill, the king started the industrial revolution that turned the British Isles from an agrarian economy, based upon wool, water power and wind power, to one where coal and steam brought about unimaginable developments in trade and industry. It was following the signing of the 1615 patent that glassmaking in Britain went from a peripatetic, nomadic business which chased the fuel from clearing to clearing in the dwindling forests, to one where the fuel travelled to the kilns. By virtue of the fact that kilns didn't have to move as the wood ran out, they could be bigger and better, brick-built with chimneys and flues, which made the glass stronger and more durable. It was into this exciting, changing world of glassmaking that Sir Kenelm Digby developed his strong verre Anglais bottles which enabled the production of (lightly) sparkling bottle-fermented ciders and wines. The Knight who invented Champagne is the story of King James I, Admiral Sir Robert Mansell and Sir Kenelm Digby and the part they played between 1615 and 1630 in revolutionising the production of glass. The changes they helped bring about led to the development and production of stronger glass that could be used for making bottles that would withstand the pressure caused by a secondary-fermentation in the bottle. By 1662 we know that it was common practice by cidermakers, vintners and coopers to add raisins and sugar to wine and cider at bottling to start a secondary fermentation in the bottle. All of this happened several years before Dom Perignon, often credited with 'inventing Champagne', took up his position as cellarer at the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GRAPE-GROWING IN 168 PAGES. "Viticulture" is an introduction to the professional world of growing grapes for wine production and is aimed at the serious student in the wine trade, WSET Diploma student or Master of Wine candidate. It is also aimed at anybody considering owning or planting a vineyard who wants a basic primer to the subject. It is written in an easy-to-read style, arranged in fourteen relatively short chapters and illustrated with over 100 photographs and charts. It covers every aspect of viticulture, starting with a chapter on vine physiology, continuing via varieties and rootstocks, vineyard establishment, and the annual cycle in the vineyard and ending with pests, diseases and vine nutrition. The book is all you need to know about grapegrowing in 168 pages and since it was first published in 2007 has sold over 10,000 copies all around the world. The 2nd Edition, published in late 2019, has been updated to take account of modern developments in vine growing.

Birds, animals, amphibians and insects in Oregon's Central Cascades. Photographs of wildlife that has actually been seen and photographed in Oregon's Central Cascades by the author.

The Captain Harvey Alexander Wallace Civil War manuscript collection is a virtual window in time that allows the reader to step through and share the lives of a Confederate soldier, his family, and extended family through the course of the entire war. The collection gives a complete story that places the reader there with Captain Wallace and his family, and beside the soldiers who served with him from South Carolina and Texas. The story unfolds as if on a movie screen, with the characters recording their thoughts, feelings, and emotions as if they were speaking directly to the reader. Wallace's letters, journals, and diary relate a nearly complete history of the infantry company that he recruited, trained, and led after his relocation to Texas from York District, South Carolina. As a result, Wallace's Company-H, 19th Texas Infantry, Walker's Texas Division, can be considered one of the most chronicled Texas infantry units of the Trans-Mississippi. Captain Wallace also records his service with the Catawba Light Infantry of York District, South Carolina, and the history of its early service as Company-H, 5th South Carolina Infantry. The breadth of the collection and depth of personal content give this work its uniqueness. The surviving transcribed manuscripts consist of 109 personal letters, three journals, a prison diary, a descriptive muster roll, and a casualty list. Numerous editorial footnotes provide additional background, biographical, and genealogical information. Photographs, muster rolls, an extensive bibliography, and a name index are also included. Stephen Skelton is a research historian and historical consultant specializing in local, Texas, U. S. military, and U. S. Civil War history. Steve is a Texas Civil War unit consultant with the University of Tennessee's Civil War Units File Project and has consulted on various research, writing, and genealogical projects. He also has extensive experience in historic site research and investigation, as well as artifact recovery and preservation.

Poetry, stories, and vignettes in a variety of styles.