1. Battle of the Shant 1863 - Racism and the coming of the
railway
2. The Elf and the Archbishop 1960 - The village's only mass
murder
3. Pathways to Heaven 1919 - Pilgrims at the Observatory
4. Smugglers and the Vicar 1825 - Turning one's back in Ropley
5. Roman Remains 407 - The coming of the Saxons
6. Debris 2020 - Calling in at Four Marks
7. Sending a Message 1830 - The loneliness of the semaphore
station
8. Fanny and the Wolf 1867 - Fanny Adams and the Hangman
9. Knowing One's Place 1833 -Transportation and the Swing Riots
10. Drugs at the Bus Stop 2019 - Looking after the youngsters
11. Honey and the Blackberries 1644 - Aftermath of the Battle of
Cheriton
12. Trolls are Bad People 2018 - Internet justice
13. Murder on the King's Highway 1248 - Trouble with the Common
Market
14. Care of the Innocents 1950s - Birth, death and ethics
15. The Phaeton, the Boy, and Fake and Dream Canals 1798
16. The Pub With No Body 1962
17. First Catch Your Low-life 1993 - Horse mutilation
18. Bunny Mayhem 1998 - Porton Down and myxomatosis
19. Gradwell's Nursery Tale 1902 - Explosives, grenade launchers
and a shovel
20. The Mad Woman at Belford House 1908
Most of the author's biography, including his many names, is explained within his book 'Disappearing'. 'Heal' went to grammar school in the West Midlands, supporting himself through a window cleaning business and by digging ditches for Britain's new motorways. He was a leading rock climber and, later, a SCUBA diving instructor. He travelled extensively in his younger years, usually by hitchhiking, through much of Europe, North Africa and the Near and Middle East, reaching India. He briefly joined the RAF and then trained as an airline pilot. He quit and was off the radar for a year. He resurfaced as a journalist and then joined IBM for twenty years, five of them in Africa, and later led the multi-million pound buy-out of their UK marketing department. He was chairman of the regional theatre In Basingstoke, worked as an oak furniture designer and maker, and advised and funded internet start-ups and small businesses. He received a doctorate in history from Bristol University, aged sixty-five. Aspects of his thesis - academically reviewed as 'first-rate, well-written with immensely impressive scholarship' - were turned into a variety of publications with over 5,000 sales. In 2018, he wrote Sound of Hunger, a well-received social history of the lives of two German brothers, u-boat captains in the First World War.
Gripping and sometimes gory, fascinating historical tales brought to life, along with the odd 'skeleton in the cupboard'. Written in a style that makes you want to read both the next page and the next story. To quote Mark Twain 'truth is stranger than fiction' and in this meticulously researched book, it's quite a challenge to try to determine which is which. Mike Overy, medstead.org webmaster; An exciting read. Left us fascinated and curious about the history of the village and drama in our own house! Plenty of 'dinner party' conversations and tales within. Kate Hesk, The Observatory, Blackberry Lane; I am a native of Four Marks. I found the information in this very readable book fascinating. For me, it reinforces that Four Marks is a special place. Everyone in the village and around should buy a copy. Norman Read, butcher and farmer; If you are interested in Four Marks, you should read this book. There is a lot to learn. The mixture of historical material, personal reminiscences and what I think may be fiction is very well done. In places I found myself wondering where one ended and the other began. The material on population growth at the end is very interesting: it must be the first time anyone has done anything like this in a serious way. Dr Keith Brown, archivist, the Watercress Line
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