In the early morning of 9 April 1940, a fleet of German battleships entered the Oslofjord.Norwegian artillery delayed them long enough for King Haakon VII and his cabinet to escape to England, but there was no stopping the Nazi Blitzkrieg. Norway stood on the cusp of a traumatic five-year occupation whose aftershocks would continue to trouble its national consciousness long after the defeated Germans departed in May 1945.Robert Ferg...

Places and books like Rosslyn Chapel and The Da Vinci Code have focused attention on Scotland's Knights Templar. Who they were and what they did has been touched upon, but never properly explored until now. They were close advisors to Scotland's early kings; they were major property owners and respected landlords in a harsh and unforgiving time; and they were secretive and arrogant. But did they really flee from France to Scotland just prior to their arrest in 130...

The Scandinavians are regarded as Europe's most tolerant and peace-loving people. So how was it that one of the worst acts of political terror ever witnessed on this continent was committed by a Norwegian – against his fellow countrymen?Scandinavia is the epitome of cool: we fill our homes with cheap but stylish Nordic furniture; we envy their health-giving outdoor lifestyle; we glut ourselves on their crime fiction; even their strangely attractive melancholia seems to express a st...

In "Surnames as a Science," Robert Ferguson presents a meticulous exploration of the significance and evolution of surnames. Through a blend of historical analysis and linguistic inquiry, Ferguson examines the origins, meanings, and societal implications of family names, situating them within a broader context of social identity and heritage. His scholarly work employs a clear and engaging narrative style, drawing upon diverse sources, from etymological research to sociocultural studies, m...

The skeleton is a contemporary lifetime, from boyhood to old age. Organs are represented by particular events, personal, national and global – non-experience of an earthquake, loss and change in libraries, the first ascent of Everest, holidays in Cornwall and Yorkshire, Brexit and the invasion of the Ukraine - and the onward creep of infirmity at head and feet. Months, seasons and their various characteristic weather and activities contribute the flesh and muscles; and a variety of formats...

"Surnames as a Science" by Robert Ferguson delves into the fascinating world of surnames, exploring their origins, meanings, and the cultural significance they hold. Ferguson meticulously examines how surnames can reveal insights into family history, migration patterns, and social status. Through a blend of historical research and linguistic analysis, he uncovers the stories behind various surnames, illustrating how they reflect the identities and experiences of individuals and communities...

For those living outside Scandinavia, the Viking Age effectively began in 793 with an attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne. The attack on Lindisfarne was a characteristically violent harbinger of what was in store for Britain and much of Europe from the Vikings for the next 300 years, until the final destruction of the heathen temple to the Norse gods at Uppsala around 1090.Robert Ferguson is a sure guide across what he calls 'the treacherous marches which divide legend from fact...

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.This book also contains several accounts of previously untold paranormal events and encounters that have taken place, and it suggests where to find potentially paranormally active and ‘haunted’ locations.It also documents a ground-breaking ufo sighting, which is extremely rare. This is because, before the encounter, a wide array of scientific testing and measuring equipment had been deployed for an entirely diff...

Do you remember groping after love, that elusive feeling that everyone else seemed to be enjoying, but you couldn't find for yourself? Do you remember the disappointment of rejected or failed love? Are you still surprised by the touch of love for someone else's disaster, emotional, natural or economic? Those memories will inevitably return with these poems. If you thought you had forgotten them, be prepared. They are about to return, in all their beauty and their bite.

The wooden holiday cabin, or hytte, is a staple of Norwegian life. Robert Ferguson, author of Scandinavians, explores the significance of a national icon in this charming, affectionate history.Turf-roofed and wooden-built, offering fresh air, breathtaking views and peaceful isolation, the wooden cabin home – or hytte – is a crucial part of Norwegian national identity. In 2016, Robert Ferguson and his wife bought a piece of land high up in...

In "The River-Names of Europe," Robert Ferguson embarks on a profound exploration of the etymology and cultural significance of European river names. This meticulously researched work intertwines linguistics, geography, and history, presenting river names as vital narratives of human civilization. Employing a lyrical, yet scholarly style, Ferguson invites readers to consider how these names reveal the interconnectedness of landscapes and societies, reflecting historical movements and cultu...

Bohemian, egoist and prophet of sensualism, Henry Miller remains to many writers and readers a literary lion. Born in Brooklyn in 1891, son of a tailor of German extraction, Miller would embrace a freewheeling existence that carried him through umpteen jobs and sexual encounters, providing rich source material for the novels he would write. Greenwich Village and Paris in the 1920s offered rich pickings, as did Miller's ten-year affair with Anais Nin. But he was 69 before Tropic of Canc...