Just Finished Reading: The Last of the Ebb – The Battle of the Aisne, 1918 by Sidney Rogerson (FP: 1937) [169pp]

After being savaged in both of the German offensives on the Western Front in 1918, the author and his division is finally taken out of the line to rest and await replacements. They are, to a man, exhausted and in dire need of some time to recover. Thankfully they have been assigned a quiet sector in the French line. So quite indeed that some of the trenches have become filled with rubbish and the rest are in a poor state of repair. What is worse, seen through the authors keen eyed experience of such things, is that their artillery support unit hasn't moved in months. If the enemy DID launch an attack those guns would be the first thing to go... Within days though everyone started feeling 'antsy'. For one thing the random odd artillery shells from enemy guns had stopped. No patrolling enemy aircraft could be seen in the skies, and no enemy troops were seen in No Man's Land attempting to repair their wire. It wasn't just quiet; it was FAR too quiet. Even the Front's location was worrying. Not only did it cover the most direct route to Paris (THE objective for the German forces since 1914) but the river Aisne was BEHIND them. If any kind of attack developed, they would be forced to cross that river (or be destroyed) whilst under fire – not the kind of operation anyone would wish to undertake. 

Days later the rumours started to spread. Circumstantial evidence seemed to point to an attack coming their way. Whispers of troop build-ups, secondary explosions from random Allied artillery shots and a few prisoners warned that something was brewing. Then, in the very early hours of the morning all HELL was let loose on them. As everyone expected their artillery 'support' was annihilated in the first barrage and within minutes the first enemy stormtroopers appeared in their lines. Shortly a general withdrawal was ordered. Three days later they were still pulling back... 

But if the author and his division were more exhausted than they thought possible so, it appeared, were the enemy. After days of constant attacks, the pauses between assaults started to lengthen. The British even had time to catch a few hours' sleep before falling back again but this time they were falling back into more prepared positions and into the waiting embrace of reinforcements – something the Germans could only dream about. By the 3rd or 4th day the Germans had achieved all of their ambitious objectives and they started digging in, awaiting the inevitable counterattack. Impressed by their progress the German senior staff decided to press on – without artillery support, without reinforcements, without much resupply – against dug in troops at least partially rested who, with growing numbers and growing confidence believed that the enemy had shot his bolt and had nothing further in his arsenal. They were right. It was indeed the last of the ebb. From here on the enemy would only move one way – East and home. 

I've read a bit about the German advances on the Western Front in 1918 post-Russian Revolution. Although the Allies were expected such an eventuality they, and indeed the world, were still shocked at its effectiveness. But and it is a BIG but, the attacks ultimately failed and (quite possibly) might never have had a real possibility of success. Although the nature of the attacks bordered on genius at times still the German forces did not have the deep resources they needed to overcome the combined might of France and Britain (plus the increasing strength of American forces) in 1918. It was a great (and desperate) throw of the dice. It MIGHT have worked and, in the best-case scenario, separated the Allies in the West but I don't really think that Britain would have sued for a separate peace at that point and I doubt very much if the French would have ever done so. 

What was most interesting about this short book is seeing those events from the ground rather than 40,000 feet and with a century+ of hindsight. What was even more interesting was the final section where a German account was given of the same event – and not just from any officer but from the officer who PLANNED the whole thing. His assessment of the attack and of his British opponents was well worth a read and complimented the author's story brilliantly. If you have any interest in the fighting on the Western Front – and especially late in the war – this is definitely worth a read. More to come (soon-ish) on these events and the inevitable follow-up. Recommended.

The Last 10 Books (I added to my Wish List) - July 2026  

It's actually been quite the slow month and, just for a moment, I even thought that I might not add a full 10 new books to my every growing Wish List! I'm even slowing down on BUYING books... What will become of me when I don't have a bazillion books in my house waiting for my attention? Who will think of the children BOOKS? Anyway, here's the last 10 I added: 

Conquest: A History of Roman Britain by Ferdinand Addis 

Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World by Ian Bremmer 

Leyte Gulf: A New History of the World's Largest Sea Battle by Mark Stille 

Midway: The Pacific War’s Most Famous Battle by Mark Stille 

Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare by Katrina Manson 

The People's Emperor: The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoleon III by Edward Shawcross 

1942: Hitler's Gamble for Victory by Richard Hargreaves 

Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine by Mark Galeotti 

The Cat's Tales: Feline Fairy Tales and Folklore by Charlie Creed 

Cat Tales: A History by Jerry Moore 

Mostly history (as usual) but some geo-politics and a bit about AI so not too bad, oh... and cats. Funnily I hadn't realised that the Napoleon III book was by the same author as my recent Emperor Maxamilian read. I think will be bought the moment it comes out in paperback! 

Happy Birthday: Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. His works featured distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. The National Museum of American Illustration deemed his painting Daybreak (1922) to be the most successful art print of the 20th century.

Maxfield Parrish was born in Philadelphia to painter and etcher Stephen Parrish and Elizabeth Bancroft. His given name was Frederick Parrish, but he later adopted Maxfield, his paternal grandmother's maiden name, as his middle, then finally as his professional name. He was raised in a Quaker society.  As a child he began drawing for his own amusement, showed talent, and his parents encouraged him. Between 1884 and 1886, his parents took Parrish to Europe, where he toured England, Italy, and France, was exposed to architecture and the paintings by the old masters, and studied at the Paris school of Dr. Kornemann.

He attended the Haverford School and later studied architecture at Haverford College for two years beginning in 1888. To further his education in art, from 1892 to 1895 he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under artists Robert Vonnoh and Thomas Pollock Anshutz. After graduating from the program, Parrish went to Annisquam, Massachusetts, where he and his father shared a painting studio. A year later, with his father's encouragement, he attended the Drexel Institute of Art, Science & Industry where he studied with Howard Pyle.

Parrish's works continue to influence pop culture. Daybreak is seen in a treehouse in Terrence Malick's 1973 film Badlands. The cover of the 1985 Bloom County cartoon collection Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things comprises elements of Daybreak, The Garden of Allah, and The Lute Players. The poster for The Princess Bride was inspired by Daybreak. In 2001, Parrish was featured in a United States Post Office commemorative stamp series honoring American illustrators, including Parrish.

The 1986 television commercial announcing Nestle's Alpine White chocolate bar, entitled "Sweet Dreams," staged live-action representations of Parrish's Ecstasy, Dinky Bird, and Daybreak.

The Elton John album Caribou has a Parrish-inspired background. The Moody Blues album The Present uses a variation of the Parrish painting Daybreak for its cover. In 1984, Dali's Car, the British New Wave project of Peter Murphy and Mick Karn, used Daybreak as the cover art of their only album, The Waking Hour. The Irish musician Enya has been inspired by the works of Parrish. The cover art of her 1995 album The Memory of Trees is based on his painting The Young King of the Black Isles. A number of her music videos include Parrish imagery, including "Caribbean Blue".

In the 1995 music video "You Are Not Alone", Michael Jackson and his then wife Lisa Marie Presley appear semi-nude in emulation of Daybreak. The Italian singer-songwriter Angelo Branduardi's fourth album La pulce d'acqua of 1977 featured nine inlay full colour print reproductions of painter Mario Convertino's works; one of them is clearly inspired by Parrish's Stars.

The original painting of Daybreak sold in 2006 for US$7.6 million. The National Museum of American Illustration claims the largest body of his work in any collection, with sixty-nine works by Parrish including the 1910 Curtis Publishing Company's 18-panel mural commission. Some of his works are located at the Hood Museum of Art in Hanover, New Hampshire, and a few at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The San Diego Museum of Art organized and toured a collection of his work in 2005.

The American painter Norman Rockwell referred to Parrish as "my idol".

Just Finished Reading: The Last English King by Julian Rathbone (1997) [388pp] 

Europe, 1070. Walt the Wanderer is making his way, slowly and painfully, across Europe to the Holy land to seek atonement. The guilt he is carrying is almost crushing him, the guilt of failure, the guilt of shame and the guilt of survival. When he at last looks across the waves at Constantinople he hears a voice he can understand in a sea of foreigners. Unable to pay the ferryman his new companion Quint offers to pay for both of them. Having nothing to offer in return Walt initially declines until Quint says that he can pay his way by telling the story of his life. After a longer than expected pause Walt agrees and tells a tale of growing up in service to a powerful lord, of learning to fight in single combat and in the shield wall, of becoming an elite Companion and of travelling to Ireland, Wales and to France where he met Duke William, the Bastard. He tells his tale of political manoeuvrers, of broken oaths and of love both found and lost and he tells of battles won and battles lost along with his right hand and of fallen heroes including the last English king - Harold Godwinson. 

I've been looking forward to reading this for some time. As someone who is more than a little obsessed with 1066 'and all that' (actually the title of Part VII of the novel, which made me laugh out loud!) I'm always up for reading anything on the subject be it fiction or non-fiction. Unfortunately, so far, the novelisations around the period have been less than impressive – not so for this very good rendition. Although told mostly in 'flashback' I thought it was an excellent way at looking at the events running up to Hastings and the immediate aftermath of the calamity. Not only is Walt in effect paying for his supper he is also using his narrative to come to terms with what happened (to him, Harold and England) and as a method for dealing with his survivor's guilt plus an unhealthy dose of PTSD. The fact that he is often telling his tale with an audience – up to 5-6 people at some points – with his audience asking questions or countering his narrative with THEIR understanding of the facts – allows for a much more rounded look things. 

I think I was most impressed by the way that the author mixes what we DO know of the events with some very plausible explanations for the mysteries that historians still argue and publish books about – notable the much-discussed oath that Harold was purported to have made to support Duke William's claim to the English throne. The thing that gave me MUCH pause for reflection (and a need to read up far more on the period) were the relationships between some of the main players notably Edward the Confessor. I did have my 'suspicions' in the area of his sexual preferences, but the author really ran with them. What actual credence they have will need some more research on my part! Speaking of sex... there is some scattered throughout the novel and it is moderately explicit at times, although its easily skippable. I think the thing that surprised me more than anything was who was having sex with who and how most of it was at least tolerated or regarded as barely noteworthy. Anglo-Saxon sexual mores are something I know VERY little about so I'll see if I can find out more in my reading. 

Overall, I thought this was at least very good with long moments of excellence. I certainly couldn't fault any of the historical fact (or at least what I know of it) and not a single thing broke me out of the narrative. Harold was obviously the hero throughout and William was portrayed as borderline psychotic which he may very well have been taking into account his early life and his actions post-Hastings and especially after the Northern rebellions. Edward played an interesting role rather different from my expectations (sexual preferences aside) which actually explained quite a bit. The battles of Stamford Bridge and especially Hastings were very well done and dramatic – including the in/famous arrow which did briefly raise an eyebrow to be honest, but I forgave him quickly. Loved it and I'm looking forward to more from this author. HIGHLY recommended especially if you have any interest in Anglo-Saxon England or (more especially) the pivotal Battle of Hastings.