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A Death on Stage (Euphemia Martins Mystery 16): A dramatic tale of theatrical mystery
by Caroline Dunford'A sparkling and witty crime debut with a female protagonist to challenge Miss Marple' LIN ANDERSON, Award winning Scottish crime authorA Death on Stage - the sixteenth edition of the nail-bitingEuphemia Martins Mysteries! Riddled with adventure, espionage and suspense_______________It is 1914.War is underway.A group of French actors has become trapped in Britain and some of them are seeking political asylum, among these is a mathematician with whom Euphemia's friend, Mary, has been corresponding. He joined the troupe with the express intention of making it to Britain and to Mary before the war began.Euphemia's new commander sends her undercover to the theatre where the company is finishing its run, and he instructs Fitzroy to remain on medical leave. But Fitzroy has never been one to obey orders. Meanwhile, Euphemia's husband, Bertram, lies critically ill in hospital and Euphemia must employ all her strength to stay focussed on her mission. With actors and agents playing roles both on and off stage, the toughest challenge is knowing who to trust..._______________Readers LOVE Caroline Dunford's compelling crime novels!'Impeccable historical detail with a light touch' Lesley Cookman, The Libby Serjeant Series'Euphemia Martins is feisty, funny and completely adorable' Colette McCormick, Ribbons in Her Hair'A rattlingly good dose of Edwardian country house intrigue with plenty of twist and turns and clues to puzzle through along with the heroine of the book, Euphemia Martins' Booklore.co.uk
A Death on Stage (Euphemia Martins Mystery 16): A dramatic tale of theatrical mystery
by Caroline Dunford'A sparkling and witty crime debut with a female protagonist to challenge Miss Marple' LIN ANDERSON, Award winning Scottish crime authorA Death on Stage - the sixteenth edition of the nail-biting Euphemia Martins Mysteries! Riddled with adventure, espionage and suspense_______________It is 1914.War is underway.A group of French actors has become trapped in Britain and some of them are seeking political asylum, among these is a mathematician with whom Euphemia's friend, Mary, has been corresponding. He joined the troupe with the express intention of making it to Britain and to Mary before the war began.Euphemia's new commander sends her undercover to the theatre where the company is finishing its run, and he instructs Fitzroy to remain on medical leave. But Fitzroy has never been one to obey orders. Meanwhile, Euphemia's husband, Bertram, lies critically ill in hospital and Euphemia must employ all her strength to stay focussed on her mission. With actors and agents playing roles both on and off stage, the toughest challenge is knowing who to trust..._______________Readers LOVE Caroline Dunford's compelling crime novels!'Impeccable historical detail with a light touch' Lesley Cookman, The Libby Serjeant Series'Euphemia Martins is feisty, funny and completely adorable' Colette McCormick, Ribbons in Her Hair'A rattlingly good dose of Edwardian country house intrigue with plenty of twist and turns and clues to puzzle through along with the heroine of the book, Euphemia Martins' Booklore.co.uk
A Debonair Scoundrel: An Episode in the Moral History of San Francisco
by Lately ThomasOriginally published in 1962, this book tells the flamboyant story of Abe Ruef and San Francisco’s infamous era of graft.In the year 1906, San Francisco was rocked by two calamitous earthquakes. Nature herself was responsible for one; a man named Ruef was responsible for the other.Abraham Ruef (1864-1936), known as Abe Ruef, was a rogue of innumerable refinements. A classical scholar, a wit, a bon vivant, he was also a political boss who not only picked the city’s officials—among them, “Handsome Gene” Schmitz, San Francisco’s “bassoon mayor”—but picked the city’s pockets as well. When he was finally arraigned for graft, Ruef attempted to appoint himself District Attorney to prosecute the case!In A Debonair Scoundrel, Lately Thomas reconstructs the little known but fantastic career and its gaudy, dramatic setting: a city thrown into wild disorder; fighting in the courts reeking with corruption; kidnappings, and flying bullets with overtones of slapstick comedy and suspense.The men who saw to Ruef’s undoing were relics of a bygone West: millionaire Rudolph Spreckels, who tried to reform his own class; Fremont Older, the Evening Bulletin crusading editor—and others, such as Teddy Roosevelt and William Randolph Hearst.Their encounter with Abe Ruef is wittily described by Lately Thomas, author of The Vanishing Evangelist, who has brought his magnificently creative gifts to a book as brilliant and rambunctious as the fabulous era he describes.
A Delicate Truth: A Novel
by John le CarréFrom the New York Times bestselling author of A Legacy of Spies. "A novel that beckons us beyond any and all expectations."—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington PostA counter-terrorist operation, code-named Wildlife, is being mounted on the British crown colony of Gibraltar. Its purpose: to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms buyer. Its authors: an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, a private defense contractor who is also his bosom friend, and a shady American CIA operative of the evangelical far-right. So delicate is the operation that even the Minister&’s personal private secretary, Toby Bell, is not cleared for it. Three years later, a disgraced Special Forces Soldier delivers a message from the dead. Was Operation Wildlife the success it was cracked up to be—or a human tragedy that was ruthlessly covered up? Summoned by Sir Christopher &“Kit&” Probyn, retired British diplomat, to his decaying Cornish manor house, and closely observed by Kit&’s daughter, Emily, Toby must choose between his conscience and duty to his Service. If the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, how can he keep silent?
A Deniable Death: A Thriller
by Gerald SeymourA page-turning thriller of life and death in the moral maze of the post-9/11 world—“An extraordinary work of fiction” from the bestselling author (The Washington Post).The rules are simple. Break up your shape. Hide your smell. Never show your silhouette. Check the surfaces of your kit. Space the movements of your team. Use the shadows. Danny “Badger” Baxter has a talent for surveillance. He’s always followed the rules. Until now, they’ve kept him alive.But now Badger has a bigger job than photographing dissident Northern Irish Republicans in muddy Ulster fields, or Islamic extremists on rainswept Yorkshire moors. MI6 have a plan to assassinate the Engineer—a brilliant maker of Improvised Explosive Devices, the roadside bombs which account for 80% of Allied casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. The spooks know he’s planning to leave his home in Iran. They just need to find out when and where he’s traveling.So Badger finds himself on the wrong side of the Iranian border, burdened with a partner he loathes, lying under a merciless sun in a mosquito-infested marsh, observing the house. If things go wrong, as far as Her Majesty’s Government is concerned, his part in the plot is completely deniable.With A Deniable Death, Gerald Seymour expertly explores the moral compromises of the secret world upon which we rely for our everyday security—and the amazing reserves of courage which ordinary people can find in extraordinary circumstances.A Washington Post Notable Fiction Book of 2013“The three British masters of suspense, Graham Greene, Eric Ambler, and John le Carré, have been joined by a fourth—Gerald Seymour.” —The New York Times
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library: Vol. I
by J.R. TannerSamuel Pepys (1633-1703) made a significant contribution to British history by his work as a naval administrator, and he bequeathed to Magdalen College, Cambridge its greatest treasure – his library, a unique collection of 3,000 books and manuscripts, still preserved as he left it. There are 250 volumes of manuscripts and these NRS volumes published selected documents from the collection.In this volume Tanner gives a lengthy general introduction to Pepys’s career as a naval administrator and to the papers he left at his death, and also prints from them lists of ships and officers from 1660 to 1688.
A Desperate Struggle To Save A Condemned Army - A Critical Review Of The Stalingrad Airlift
by Major Mike ThyssenStalingrad is often described as the turning point of the German war with the Soviet Union, or perhaps even the entire European war. This paper argues that the actual turning point was probably earlier in the Barbarossa campaign, and that the decision to hold Stalingrad, while a serious mistake, followed several other strategic blunders of Adolf Hitler.Given that, this essay reflects a study of primary source material collected from key German commanders, as well as numerous documents collected in 1956 as part of the "Karlsruhe Collection." The focus was to determine where the airlift failed, why it failed, and what could have been done better.Ultimately the failure could be attributed to the lack of a survivable and more capable transport aircraft, difficulties operating out of poorly prepared airfields which were under constant threat from the Red Army, the absolutely miserable weather which frequently prevented any flying at all, enemy action which prevented daylight flights by much of the fleet, supplies which were not ideally suited for airlift, and finally difficulties organizing the airlift at both ends. Many commanders involved knew it was bound to fail and warned Hitler and Paulus, to no avail. In the end, what could have been a tremendous feat ended as tragic folly.
A Detailed Account Of The Battle Of Austerlitz
by Major-General Karl von Stutterheim Pickle Partners Publishing Major John Pine-CoffinThis ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. A first-hand account by one of the participants in the epoch shaping battle of Austerlitz, in December 1805. Accounted by many to be Napoleon's finest victory, this account is alleged to contain his own commentaries in the text by Major-General von Stutterheim. Von Stutterheim's text is balanced and free from bias despite being written by a serving member of the Austrian military. Added to the text are the notes of a "French officer", most likely to have been Napoleon himself, who dissects the decisions that he and his opponents took during the battle giving the book an insight into the mind of the world's greatest general.
A Diamond in the Desert
by Kathryn FitzmauriceTwelve-year-old Tetsu eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. It’s all he ever thinks about. But after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tetsu and his family are forced from their home into an internment camp in the Arizona desert with other Japanese Americans, and baseball becomes the last thing on his mind. The camp isn’t technically a prison, but it sure feels like one when there’s nothing to do and no place to go. <p><p> So when a man starts up a boys’ baseball team, Tetsu is only too eager to play again. But with his sister suddenly falling ill, and his father taken away for questioning, Tetsu is forced to choose between his family and his love of the game.
A Diary Of Battle; The Personal Journals Of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, 1861-1865
by Colonel Charles S. Wainwright Allen NevinsWhen Colonel Charles S. Wainwright (1826-1907), later a brevet brigadier general, was commissioned in the First New York Artillery Regiment of the Army of the Potomac in October 1861, he began a journal. As an officer who fought at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg, and who witnessed the leadership of Generals McClellan, Hooker, Burnside, Meade, Grant, and Sheridan, he brilliantly describes his experiences, views, and emotions. But Wainwright's entries go beyond military matters to include his political and social observations. Skillfully edited by Allan Nevins, historian and author of the classic multivolume Ordeal of the Union, this journal is Wainwright's vivid and invaluable gift to posterity.
A Diary from Dixie: A Journal of the Confederacy, 1860-1865 (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Mary ChesnutBorn into Southern aristocracy, Mary Boykin Chesnut (1823–86) married a rising star of the political scene who ultimately served as an aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. As a prominent hostess and popular guest in the highest circles of Confederate society, Chesnut possessed an insider's perspective on many of the Civil War's major events, which she recorded in vivid journal entries. Her diary recounts the social life that struggled to continue in the midst of war, the grim economic conditions that resulted from blockaded ports as well as how people's spirits rose and fell with each victory and defeat. Hailed by William Styron as "a great epic drama of our greatest national tragedy," Chesnut's annotated diary won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1982 and served as a primary source for Ken Burns's celebrated Civil War documentary. This edition of the compelling narrative features photos and engravings from the original publication.
A Diary of St. Helena (1816, 1817) (1816, 1817) (1816, 1817) (1816, 1817): the Journal of Lady Malcolm:: Containing the Conversations of Napoleon with Sir Pulteney Malcolm
by Clementina E. MalcolmStep into a pivotal moment in history with Clementina E. Malcolm's A Diary of St. Helena (1816, 1817): The Journal of Lady Malcolm. This captivating journal offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the conversations and reflections of Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the remote island of St. Helena.Compiled from the meticulous notes of Lady Clementina Malcolm, the wife of Sir Pulteney Malcolm, who commanded the British naval squadron stationed at St. Helena, this diary provides an unparalleled perspective on the daily life and thoughts of the exiled emperor. Lady Malcolm's observations and detailed records of the interactions between Napoleon and her husband, Sir Pulteney Malcolm, reveal the complex character and enduring intellect of one of history's most enigmatic figures.The Diary of St. Helena covers the period from 1816 to 1817, a time when Napoleon was adjusting to his confinement and engaging in profound conversations about his past campaigns, political philosophies, and personal reflections. Through Lady Malcolm's insightful and sensitive portrayal, readers gain access to Napoleon's candid remarks and contemplations, offering a unique window into his mind during his final years.Clementina E. Malcolm's narrative captures the atmosphere of St. Helena, painting a vivid picture of the island's landscape, the daily routines of its inhabitants, and the interactions between the British officials and the French entourage. Her balanced and respectful approach to documenting these encounters ensures that both Napoleon's humanity and his strategic genius are brought to light.Join Clementina E. Malcolm in exploring the intimate and revealing moments of Napoleon's exile, and discover the profound insights contained within A Diary of St. Helena (1816, 1817): The Journal of Lady Malcolm. This diary is a timeless treasure that offers a deeply human perspective on one of history's most storied figures.
A Diary of the Crimea: The Story Of War With Russia A Hundred Years Ago
by George Palmer EvelynThis book, first published in 1954, is a fascinating first-hand account by Rifle Brigade officer of the British Army, George Palmer Evelyn, of his experiences during the war in Crimea and on the Danube between 1853-1855. These are conveyed in the form of his diary entries at the time, as well as letters and other related papers dating from 1854-1857 and 1871.Illustrated with official photographs taken during the war.
A Dictator Calls
by Ismail KadareUsing a sophisticated and literary version of the ever-popular game of telephone to examine the relationship of writers with tyranny, Ismail Kadare reflects on three particular minutes in a long moment of time when the dark shadow of Joseph Stalin passed over the worldIn June 1934, Stalin allegedly called Boris Pasternak and they spoke about the arrest of Osip Mandelstam. A telephone call from the dictator was not something necessarily relished, and in the complicated world of literary politics it would have provided opportunities for potential misunderstanding and profound trouble. But this was a call one could not ignore. Stalin wanted to know what Pasternak thought of the idea that Mandelstam had been arrested.Ismail Kadare explores the afterlife of this phone call using accounts of witnesses, reporters, writers such as Isaiah Berlin and Anna Akhmatova, wives, mistresses, biographers, and even archivists of the KGB. The results offer a meditation on power and political structure, and how literature and authoritarianism construct themselves in plain sight of one another. Kadare&’s reconstruction becomes a gripping mystery, as if true crime is being presented in mosaic.A little time ago the poet Mandelstam was arrested. What have you to say to that, Comrade Pasternak?
A Dictionary of Coastal Command, 1939–1945
by Geoff SimpsonAn alphabetical account of the part in the Second World War played by the Kipper Fleet as it was known in the RAF. Coastal Command often lacked resources compared with other home commands, giving it its other nickname of the Cinderella Service. Its main role was defensive that of protecting Britains vital sea borne supply lines in home waters as well as in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and around the coasts of Africa.Coastal Command also acted in an offensive capacity, particularly in the so-called Battle of the Barges in 1940 which helped deter Hitler from invading the UK, and in the Mediterranean and the Baltic, attacking German shipping. Coastal Command, however, is most usually remembered for the war against the U-boats, one that was eventually won.From A to Z this well-illustrated book tells the story of the gallantry, the achievements, the losses, the VCs, the aircraft and much else about RAF Coastal Command.
A Dictionary of Military Quotations (Routledge Library Editions: International Security Studies #4)
by Trevor RoyleThis book, first published in 1990, is a provocative collection of military quotations that captures the human essence of warfare. From the skirmishes beneath the walls of Troy to the dropping of the atomic bomb, nearly 3,500 quotations distil the experiences of generations of soldiers, depicting the preparation for and the waging of war. Read the words of field marshals and generals, kings and dictators, and follow them into battle – Alexander the Great at Issus, Wellington at Waterloo, Sitting Bull at Little Big Horn and Montgomery at El Alamein. Here too are the recorded details of life among the ranks as diverse as ammunition and uniform, sick parade and comradeship, discipline and ‘Dear John’ letters. A final section, ‘Last Post’, deals with the tragic aftermath of conflict.
A Dictionary of Military and Technological Abbreviations and Acronyms (Routledge Library Editions: International Security Studies #3)
by Bernhard PretzThis book, first published in 1983, is a compilation of some 50,000 acronyms and abbreviations used by the British, American, German and Soviet military. It enables the researcher to understand the language of the Armed Forces, their armaments and the related technology, and to reach a greater understanding of the capabilities and duties of the Armed Forces at the end of the Cold War. The Dictionary covers all the services and their technology, and is an indispensable reference work.
A Different Kind of Love (The Kilmaster Family Sagas)
by Sheelagh KellyWhen a veteran of the Great War returns to England, he and his daughters faces a terrible new struggle in this historical family saga. World War I is at its height and Regimental Sergeant Major Probyn Kilmaster is in France, training raw recruits to send to the trenches. Meanwhile, his wife Grace contends with the hardships of raising their children alone in a Yorkshire pit village. But when Probyn finally returns home safely, the Kilmasters are struck by tragedy. Probyn attempts to keep the family together by giving his daughters a stepmother. But for Augusta, Maddie, Mims—and especially the sensitive Beata—this well-meaning gesture is more than they can bear. Now each must find her own way to escape the cruelty and oppression that has unwittingly been visited upon them.
A Different Sky
by Meira ChandSingapore - a trading post where different lives jostle and mix. It is 1927, and three young people are starting to question whether this inbetween island can ever truly be their home. Mei Lan comes from a famous Chinese dynasty but yearns to free herself from its stifling traditions; ten-year-old Howard seethes at the indignities heaped on his fellow Eurasians by the colonial British; Raj, fresh off the boat from India, wants only to work hard and become a successful businessman. As the years pass, and the Second World War sweeps through the east, with the Japanese occupying Singapore, the three are thrown together in unexpected ways, and tested to breaking point.Richly evocative, A Different Sky paints a scintillating panorama of thirty tumultuous years in Singapore's history through the passions and struggles of characters the reader will find it hard to forget.
A Different Valor: The Story of General Joseph E. Johnston, C.S.A.
by Dr James W. Livingood Dr Gilbert E. GovanOriginally published in 1956, this book is a full account of General Joseph E. Johnston (1807-1891), a career U.S. Army officer who served with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was one of the most senior general officers--second only to General Robert E. Lee--in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.Although heartily disliked by Confederate president Jefferson Davis, who often criticized him for a lack of aggressiveness and took every opportunity to sully his opponent's name, General Johnston's patriotic devotion to the Southern cause prevented him from resigning, and he rose to gain enormous respect from his major opponents for his actions during a number of campaigns--including General Ulysses S. Grant and Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, who became close friends with Johnston in subsequent years.A leading text for Civil War enthusiasts.Illustrated with 6 detailed maps.
A Different War (The Mitchell Gant Series)
by Craig ThomasA test flight goes down and suspicions of corruption are raised in this &“high-octane thriller&” from the New York Times–bestselling author of Firefox (Daily Express). When a new American airliner crashes on its final test flight, ex-military pilot Mitchell Gant—whose former father-in-law is the CEO of the aircraft company—is called in to investigate, and sets out on the dangerous task of trying to recreate the fatal malfunction in the Arizona desert. Meanwhile in Britain, Marian Pyott is looking into a massive fraud case involving business, politics, and the global marketplace. And soon, Gant&’s and Pyott&’s paths find their paths crossing in this tale of action, suspense, and international intrigue from the author &“widely regarded as the creator of the &‘techno-thriller&’ &” (Wales Online).
A Different World: A breathtaking novel exploring the highs and lows of family life during the Second World War and beyond
by Judith LennoxA mesmerising novel exploring the joys and challenges of family life throughout the twentieth century, A DIFFERENT WORLD is the latest bestselling novel from Judith Lennox. Not to be missed by readers of Lucinda Riley and Rachel Hore.In the summer of 1939, nineteen-year-old Olivia Goodland arrives in London. Working for a society dressmaker, she meets wealthy, beautiful Grace Ruthwell. Beguiled by the glamour of Grace's world, it's only slowly and too late that she becomes aware of the darkness that lies beneath the glittering exterior.When the Second World War erupts, Olivia joins the Land Army. At a party in Wiltshire, she meets the handsome poet George Flynn, whose charms prove impossible to resist. Over the ensuing years, Olivia's life is absorbed by the upbringing of her three sons, and by her relationship with a man whose passions go beyond poetry. But as the twentieth century continues to unfold, Olivia makes a shocking discovery, and starts to question where her true happiness lies . . .Praise for Judith Lennox:'I have fallen completely in love with Judith Lennox's writing - she's a fantastic storyteller!' Jill Mansell'A fast-moving, complex story' The Times'Judith Lennox's writing is so keenly honest it could sever heartstrings' Daily Mail
A Different World: A breathtaking novel exploring the highs and lows of family life during the Second World War and beyond
by Judith LennoxA mesmerising novel exploring the joys and challenges of family life throughout the twentieth century, A DIFFERENT WORLD is the latest bestselling novel from Judith Lennox. Not to be missed by readers of Lucinda Riley and Rachel Hore.In the summer of 1939, nineteen-year-old Olivia Goodland arrives in London. Working for a society dressmaker, she meets wealthy, beautiful Grace Ruthwell. Beguiled by the glamour of Grace's world, it's only slowly and too late that she becomes aware of the darkness that lies beneath the glittering exterior.When the Second World War erupts, Olivia joins the Land Army. At a party in Wiltshire, she meets the handsome poet George Flynn, whose charms prove impossible to resist. Over the ensuing years, Olivia's life is absorbed by the upbringing of her three sons, and by her relationship with a man whose passions go beyond poetry. But as the twentieth century continues to unfold, Olivia makes a shocking discovery, and starts to question where her true happiness lies . . .Praise for Judith Lennox:'I have fallen completely in love with Judith Lennox's writing - she's a fantastic storyteller!' Jill Mansell'A fast-moving, complex story' The Times'Judith Lennox's writing is so keenly honest it could sever heartstrings' Daily Mail
A Disappearance in Damascus: Friendship and Survival in the Shadow of War
by Deborah CampbellWinner of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for NonfictionWinner of the Freedom to Read AwardWinner of the Hubert Evans PrizeIn the midst of an unfolding international crisis, renowned journalist Deborah Campbell finds herself swept up in the mysterious disappearance of Ahlam, her guide and friend. Campbell’s frank, personal account of a journey through fear and the triumph of friendship and courage is as riveting as it is illuminating.The story begins in 2007, when Deborah Campbell travels undercover to Damascus to report on the exodus of Iraqis into Syria, following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. There she meets and hires Ahlam, a refugee working as a “fixer”—providing Western media with trustworthy information and contacts to help get the news out. Ahlam has fled her home in Iraq after being kidnapped while running a humanitarian center. She supports her husband and two children while working to set up a makeshift school for displaced girls. Strong and charismatic, she has become an unofficial leader of the refugee community.Campbell is inspired by Ahlam’s determination to create something good amid so much suffering, and the two women become close friends. But one morning, Ahlam is seized from her home in front of Campbell’s eyes. Haunted by the prospect that their work together has led to her friend’s arrest, Campbell spends the months that follow desperately trying to find Ahlam—all the while fearing she could be next.The compelling story of two women caught up in the shadowy politics behind today’s most searing conflict, A Disappearance in Damascus reminds us of the courage of those who risk their lives to bring us the world’s news.
A Discord of Trumpets: An Autobiography
by Claud CockburnTHE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A LEGENDARY NEWSPAPERMAN WHO IS NAMED CLAUD COCKBURN (pronounced Coburn) and who has been called many things (most of the pronounced abusively) by well-known personages all over the world for a quarter of a century.For some years before World War II he was the diplomatic correspondent of the (London) “Daily Worker.” For even more years he was a foreign correspondent of “The Times” (also of London).He founded and wrote “The Week,” a mimeographed anti-Fascist periodical which he says “was unquestionably the nastiest-looking bit of work that ever dropped onto a breakfast table.” It started with seven subscribers and in two years numbered among its readers most of the diplomats of Europe, many bankers and senators, Charlie Chaplin, King Edward VIII and the Nizam of Hyderabad.Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin once listed him as one of the 269 most dangerous Reds alive. In the same week, a Czech Communist named Otto Katz was hanged in Prague after confessing that he had been recruited to the cause of anti-Communism by Colonel Cockburn of the British Intelligence Service.Here is what the man himself says about how funny, how tragic and how fascinating he found life in London, Berlin, New York and Washington in the years between two world wars. Some of these stories have appeared in “Punch,” but this is a complete text of what the author has so far written down about himself and his legend. It is full of wit, and irreverence, and surprising joyfulness. It is a little like the glass of champagne the author learned to appreciate in “the little moment which remains between the crisis and the catastrophe.”