{"title":"Derek A Rowlinson","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"betsy-gray-or-hearts-of-down-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375211","title":"Betsy Gray or Hearts of Down","description":"More than two centuries after the 1798 rebellion in Ireland the legend of Betsy Gray still refuses to die. The story remains as compelling as ever. In the company of her brother George, and her lover, Willy Boal, she is reputed to have ridden into the Battle of Ballynahinch wearing a green silk dress and brandishing a brightly burnished sword; but who she really was, where she came from, or even if she ever existed at all, are questions of contention yet. Whereas W. G. Lyttle's novel Betsy Gray, first published in 1888, is not entirely historical, the author was evidently convinced of her identity and that she came from Gransha, near Bangor, County Down. Whatever the truth, his account of events in the area before, during and after the rising, based largely on interviews he conducted with locals whose relatives had suffered in it, continues to grip the imagination today. This new edition includes an introduction to the author and his work, an essay on the legend of Betsy Gray, additional footnotes and a glossary of words used in the dialogue.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49571416703249,"sku":"GOR010197204","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053166297361,"sku":"NIN9781910375211","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53241171706129,"sku":"GOR014824749","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910375217.jpg?v=1751124001"},{"product_id":"ireland-s-welcome-to-the-stranger-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375624","title":"Ireland's Welcome to the Stranger","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50007189717265,"sku":"GOR011386017","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50416517939473,"sku":"CIN1910375624VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52094790533393,"sku":"CIN1910375624G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52329513582865,"sku":"GOR012622035","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910375624.jpg?v=1751028036"},{"product_id":"ocean-plague-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375372","title":"The Ocean Plague","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Ocean Plague\u003c\/i\u003e, first published in 1848, is an account of a voyage from Dublin to Quebec on an Irish emigrant ship. In it we read of the horrific symptoms of disease that so many of the passengers and members of the crew succumbed to. We hear of the decimation of families, the orphaning of children, the practicalities of disposing of the dead, and the callous indifference of many to the suffering of others. And, soberingly, the conditions aboard the vessel in question were without doubt better than those that many Irish emigrants had to endure in other ships. For here, at least, was a captain and his wife who showed genuine concern for those in their care and did what little they could to alleviate the distress of the sick and bereaved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author was evidently a man of reasonable means and good education. He had his own berth and dined with the ship's captain and his wife. However, although Robert Whyte did not have to suffer the same deprivation and misery as his compatriots in the hold, his view of the many dreadful events that befell them is seen through a lens of religious compassion and social conscience, and his diary is nevertheless invaluable eyewitness testimony to the hardship and tragedy experienced on board an Irish 'famine ship' in the mid-Nineteenth Century.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50103659397393,"sku":"GOR013856967","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53177060393233,"sku":"GOR014793375","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910375373.jpg?v=1751380749"},{"product_id":"annals-of-the-famine-in-ireland-in-1847-1848-and-1849-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375631","title":"Annals of the Famine in Ireland, in 1847, 1848, and 1849","description":"\u003ci\u003eAnnals of the Famine in Ireland\u003c\/i\u003e is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the effects and contributing causes of the Great Famine. But it is \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e a history. It does not merely trot out facts and figures. Rather, it is a personal and emotional response from an eye-witness to the calamity. Histories are generally detached from the events that they record but, in this account, the reader will experience an immediacy to the situation as though transported back to the very time and place. The anecdotal nature of the testimony allows it to be so. The author, Asenath Nicholson, was a native of Vermont in the United States. She had previously travelled through Ireland in 1844-45 and graphically described the condition of the Irish poor at that time in her book \u003ci\u003eIreland's Welcome to the Stranger\u003c\/i\u003e. She was a teetotaller and a vegan, with a decidedly feminist outlook; she was also ardently anti-slavery and pro animal rights; but first and foremost she was a Christian woman of great piety and all her opinions and actions were coloured by her sincerely-held religious beliefs. When occasion demanded it, Mrs. Nicholson didn't pull her verbal punches, and those who fell short of her ideal of Christian charity were in grave danger of receiving the sharp edge of her tongue. In the Annals she provides her frank and forthright assessment of government, landlords, relieving officers, and clergy of all denominations. Perhaps not surprisingly, she concludes that indifference, incompetence, mismanagement and corruption among those with influence were all contributing factors to the catastrophe, and suggests that the potato blight in itself need not have led to such widespread starvation and misery. Here also we receive a valuable insight into the practical realities associated with the famine years-how the dead were disposed of, how the poorhouses operated, the consequences of eviction, proselytism, the inadequacies of Indian meal and 'black bread' as a substitute staple diet, etc. The picture painted is a truly harrowing one, with many scenes of despair and degradation. And it wasn't only the very poorest at the outbreak of the famine who suffered. Not a few died labouring on their behalf, while others living in relative comfort lost everything in trying to meet the rising taxes that funded such institutions as the poorhouse in which they themselves often ended up. Some, of course, selfishly profited from the tragic situation, and the more unscrupulous landlords took the opportunity to divest their estates of tenantry who no longer had the means with which to pay the rent. Mass emigration, largely to America, was the consequence of it all. This new edition, with reset text, has had footnotes and an index added for ease of reference. The 'prequel' and companion volume to this book, \u003ci\u003eIreland's Welcome to the Stranger\u003c\/i\u003e is also available (ISBN 978-1-910375-62-4).","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50588573040913,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50588573434129,"sku":"GOR013749278","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910375632.jpg?v=1751028037"},{"product_id":"michael-dwyer-or-the-insurgent-captain-of-the-wicklow-mountains-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375280","title":"Michael Dwyer; or, the Insurgent Captain of the Wicklow Mountains","description":"As the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland began to peter out and the insurgent cause was clearly lost, Michael Dwyer and a band of loyal followers took to the Wicklow Mountains from where they continued to conduct a campaign of resistance and defiance against British authority. John T. Campion's novel, based on historical and eyewitness accounts, tells the story of Dwyer's daring exploits in the face of great personal danger, and of his ingenuity in evading capture. It also contains a reminiscence of Dwyer's niece, Anne Devlin, who was housekeeper to Robert Emmet and who, in face of death, refused to betray him following his abortive attempt at a rising in 1803. The book was first published in New York, circa 1856. This new edition, with reset text, includes a foreword and additional footnotes by the editor.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51053135724817,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053138411793,"sku":"NIN9781910375280","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53041992925457,"sku":"CIN1910375284VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910375284.jpg?v=1751124002"},{"product_id":"fraud-of-modern-theosophy-exposed-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375013","title":"The Fraud of Modern \"Theosophy\" Exposed","description":"Stage magician and inventor John Nevil Maskelyne (1839-1917) made it his mission to expose fakes and charlatans who claimed supernatural abilities for personal gain. In 'The Fraud of Theosophy Exposed' (1912) he applied his fine mind and acerbic wit to debunking the founding gurus of the Theosophical Society and, most particularly, the outrageous hoaxer Helen Petrovna Blavatsky, or 'Madame Blavatsky' as she was commonly known. He regarded her as the greatest impostor of all time: Hypnotism may account for the extraordinary influence and fascination which Madame Blavatsky was able to exercise over some people, and yet she was one of the most repulsive women one can imagine. A glance at the excellent sketch of her in this pamphlet will show that she had the appearance of being a gross, vulgar, sensual adventuress. (She turned the scale at 17 stone.) The enormous ring upon her hand, she said, possessed magical power. She had an enormous appetite, consuming vast quantities of fat meat, although her doctrine teaches that it is a deadly sin to eat meat. She had an insatiable love for tobacco, and was seldom seen without a cigarette in her mouth. Her language at times was too bad for publication. This new edition, with the text reset, includes notes that provide some additional background information.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51053255262481,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053257621777,"sku":"NIN9781910375013","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910375012.jpg?v=1750803799"},{"product_id":"narrative-of-the-proceedings-of-the-confederates-of-48-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375259","title":"A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Confederates of '48","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51101537108241,"sku":"NIN9781910375259","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/191037525X.jpg?v=1751347162"},{"product_id":"daft-eddie-or-the-smugglers-of-strangford-lough-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375235","title":"Daft Eddie or the Smugglers of Strangford Lough","description":"\u003ci\u003eDaft Eddie; or, the Smugglers of Strangford Lough: A Tale of Killinchy\u003c\/i\u003e first appeared as a serial in the author's own newspaper, the \u003ci\u003eNorth Down Herald and Bangor Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e, in 1889. Based on actual events in the Ards peninsula, County Down, during the Eighteenth Century, it tells the tale of a band of local smugglers that went by the name of 'The Merry Hearts of Down'. But its criminal activities extended well beyond mere smuggling, and in his novel Lyttle relates a story of kidnap, extortion and murder. The eponymous hero, Eddie, is a simple lad from Mahee Island in Strangford Lough who shadows the gang's every move and aids in the search for an abducted magistrate and his daughter. This new edition includes an introduction to the author and his work, additional footnotes, and a glossary of words used in the dialogue.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51469213368593,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51469213401361,"sku":"GOR009330338","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53241167511825,"sku":"GOR014824717","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910375233.jpg?v=1751028035"},{"product_id":"sons-of-the-sod-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375198","title":"Sons of the Sod","description":"Based on actual events in mid-Nineteenth Century County Down, Sons of the Sod tells the story of how a young man from the Carrowdore area is falsely accused of the attempted murder of a local squire. First published in 1886, the book proved an instant success locally as it dealt with affairs still within living memory and referred to many colourful characters and families of the neighbourhood. The importance of the work today is not least because it provides possibly the best account of what life and the language of the ordinary folk, or Sons of the Sod, was like at that period. An attempted eviction, a funeral, a wake, a wedding, sport and dances are all described within its pages. This new edition includes an introduction to the author and his work, footnotes, and a select glossary of words.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51876332634385,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51876332732689,"sku":"GOR012327840","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52756541178129,"sku":"NIN9781910375198","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781910375198.jpg?v=1754321928"},{"product_id":"true-history-of-maria-monk-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375563","title":"The True History of Maria Monk","description":"The publication of \u003ci\u003eAwful Disclosures of Maria Monk\u003c\/i\u003e in 1836 caused a seismic scandal for the Roman Catholic Church. Maria Monk claimed that she had been resident at the convent of the Hotel-Dieu in Montreal and there witnessed a multitude of sins, including the rape of nuns by priests and the murder of children born as a result. The church was quick to refute the allegations and subsequent investigations and witness statements cast doubt on the validity of the revelations in the book. However, the story refused to die and continued to be believed by many, thus prompting a series of refutations by the Catholic Church. Nearly a century later, the Catholic Truth Society still thought it necessary to try to lay the affair to rest. In 1933 it republished \u003ci\u003eThe True History of Maria Monk\u003c\/i\u003e, based largely on an article first published in the \u003ci\u003eDublin Review\u003c\/i\u003e in 1836, in which it was stated that Monk had never been a nun at the convent but was, in fact, a prostitute and a fantasist:  Such is the story of this abandoned woman, as told by herself, or at least by others with her sanction, abstracting from its truth or falsehood. We ask any reasonable being, is it a story that deserves the slightest credit? We might leave the work to its fate upon the evidence we have brought against the alleged author out of her own pages; but fortunately for the cause of our religion and of truth we happen to have in our hands the means of proving that it is from beginning to end a tissue of the most unalloyed falsehoods ever penned or uttered. Whatever the truth of the affair, the enormity of sensation it caused should not be underestimated. This 19th Century scandal crossed continents and survived to provoke controversy down through the generations for more than 100 years. The story continues to fascinate and intrigue today. A new edition of \u003ci\u003eAwful Disclosures of Maria Monk\u003c\/i\u003e, with fully reset text, is also now available (ISBN 978-1910375594). It is combined with \u003ci\u003eThe Nun\u003c\/i\u003e, by Rebecca Theresa Reed, which was another hotly disputed account of convent life in the 1830s.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52099722117393,"sku":"GOR010197167","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781910375563.jpg?v=1757086993"},{"product_id":"adventures-of-paddy-m-quillan-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375136","title":"The Adventures of Paddy M'Quillan","description":"The Adventures of Paddy M'Quillan is the first of three volumes in the series Robin's Readings (originally Humorous Readings) by W. G. Lyttle. First published in book form in 1879, it is a collection of stories based on humorous monologues that the author gave around the country in the guise of Robin, a County Down farmer, who spoke in what is widely known today as 'Ulster-Scots'. It is now approximately one hundred years since the book was last in print. This new edition, with reset text, includes an introduction, footnotes and an extensive glossary of words to help place the work in context and aid the modern reader.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53735516832017,"sku":"NIN9781910375136","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781910375136.jpg?v=1783183260"},{"product_id":"adventures-of-robin-gordon-book-derek-a-rowlinson-9781910375150","title":"The Adventures of Robin Gordon","description":"The Adventures of Robin Gordon is the second of three volumes in the series Robin's Readings (originally Humorous Readings) by W. G. Lyttle. First published in book form in 1880, it is a collection of stories based on humorous monologues that the author gave around the country in the guise of Robin, a County Down farmer, who spoke in what is widely known today as 'Ulster-Scots'. It is now approximately one hundred years since the book was last in print. This new edition, with reset text, includes an introduction, footnotes and an extensive glossary of words to help place the work in context and aid the modern reader.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53735516799249,"sku":"NIN9781910375150","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781910375150.jpg?v=1783183260"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-derek-a-rowlinson.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}