Bøker av Des Ekin

From the horrendous massacre at Amritsar to the slaughter of the native population in the Zulu Wars, master chronicler Des Ekin takes us on an eye-opening journey through the modus operandi of the British Empire. He tells of the killing of the entire population of Tasmania, often for sport; the Famine in Ireland, now widely recognised as genocide; the deliberate infection of Native Americans with smallpox; the Opium Wars, in which the Chinese were forced to accept the trade in Indian opium, which destroyed millions of lives; concentration camps in Kenya; and on and on ... The Empire on which the sun never set was truly a force of darkness all across the world.And why did they commit all of these horrors? Ekin explores the pseudo-science of eugenics and theories of 'martial races' and religious destiny, all ways of dehumanising other people and rationalising their abuse, exploitation and slaughter.Ekin wears his thorough research very lightly, and these tales of depravity and blood lust are told with a remarkable lightness of touch and welcome dashes of humour.

This page-turning narrative follows the twists and turns of the life of hostage-turned-diplomat James Leander Cathcart upon the international stage of diplomacy, trade, and maritime statecraft at a time when Americäs place in the world was hanging in the balance.

Des Ekin embarks on a roadtrip around the entire coast of Ireland, in search of our piratical heritage, uncovering an amazing history of swashbuckling bandits, both Irish-born and imported.

A fascinating new insight into the epic conflicts between Spain's Philip III and Elizabeth I of England, culminating in the Spanish invasion of Ireland, the fateful Battle of Kinsale and the downfall of the Gaelic insurgent chieftains O'Neill and O'Donnell.

In 1631 Barbary pirates kidnapped the inhabitants of Baltimore, West Cork in a daring night time raid. Only two of them ever returned. Here is the story of their kidnap, sale in the slave markets of Algiers and the political fallout from the attack.