Penmore Press

14/01/2025

In Norway ancient burial mounds must be left intact according to law so although this mound, the largest in western Norway, has long been thought to be funerary in nature only recent technology has made it possible to confirm that. Another -- heretical -- way to explore Norse afterlife beliefs is through Lee Gold's fantasy novels _Valhalla: Absent without Leave_ and _Valhalla: Into the Darkness_ ! https://www.penmorepress.com/project/lee-gold/

Recent ground-penetrating radar surveys have confirmed that Karnilshaugen, a large mound in western Norway, is a man-made burial site, validating long-held archaeological theories.

11/01/2025

TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE YEARS AGO today the revolutionary pamphlet _COMMON SENSE_ written by Thomas Paine, was published. The world was never the same again! Immerse yourself in the world of the Revolutionary War in Marc Liebman's Jaco Jacinto Age of Sail series. https://www.penmorepress.com/project/marc-liebman/

The Englishman’s pamphlet helped spur the 13 colonies to declare independence from Britain

09/01/2025

Philip K Allan, author of the Alexander Clay series set during the Napoleonic Wars, has shared this painting as well as the dramatic story that goes along with it -- what a novel that would make! Any takers? Philip explains: "In 1799 the crew of the Hermione mutinied against the brutal Captain Pigot, in an o**y of violence, and turned the ship over to the Spanish. Later that year, she was recaptured by the crew of HMS Surprise in a daring cutting out attack at night from a heavily fortified Spanish port." https://www.penmorepress.com/project/philip-k-allan/

The Cutting Out of HMS Hermione, 24 October 1799. Painted by Nicholas Pocock (1740–1821).

Scene of the ex-British frigate ‘Hermione,’ two years after a brutal 1799 mutiny, where Captain Hugh Pigot and others were murdered by the crew, leading to her surrender to Spain. Now in Puerto Cabello, Captain Edward Hamilton and his crew aboard the ‘Surprise’ daringly board and capture her under fire from 200 shore guns. Despite fierce resistance, they succeed without any British fatalities, with only 12 wounded. Hamilton was later knighted for this fearless exploit. The painting shows the battle’s intensity with British boats, moonlit hills, and the flaming shore batteries as Hamilton claims the ‘Hermione’ for Britain.

08/01/2025

The harrowing first flight across the English Channel was made by a Frenchman and an American!

Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries' harrowing journey was the first aerial crossing between France and Britain

07/01/2025

Imagine finding this gold pendant commemorating the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon on one of your first outings as a detectorist! It may have been commissioned for a lavish event called "The Field of Cloth of Gold," during which Henry and his French rival Francis I competed to display their wealth, ending up in an undertaking costing $19 million in today's money! Find another Tudor-era treasure in Sarah Kennedy's series The Cross and the Crown, which tells of the devastating effect of Henry's dissolution of the monasteries on the life of Catherine Havens, a soon-to-be former nun who faces agonizing choices after Henry's destruction of her way of life. Catherine of Aragon herself makes a telling appearance... https://www.penmorepress.com/project/sarah-kennedy/

The heart-shaped accessory features the entwined initials of the Tudor king and Catherine of Aragon

06/01/2025

The FEAST of the EPIPHANY is held today all over the world, commemorating the arrival in Bethlehem of the Three Wise Kings -- Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior -- who'd come from afar to adore Christ in the manger. When they finally found Him they "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” and presented Him with their three precious gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. This last day of the Christmas season is also seen as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Another meaning for EPIPHANY: "a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something" (Merriam-Webster). Illustration: Partial view of "Adoration of the Magi," 1667, by the Greek painter Emmanuel Tzanes. One can imagine this image had special meaning to the artist as his first name is also the name given to the Christ child and means "God with us."

03/01/2025

As the god of beginnings, transitions, and passages, the name of the Roman god JANUS became the name of the first month of each new year. Usually depicted as having two faces looking in opposite directions, Janus symbolizes examination of both the past and the future, something many of us have been doing lately. Janus also had protective qualities. During the incident of the kidnapping of the Sabine women, part of one of the foundational myths of Rome, Janus created an erupting volcanic hot spring that thwarted the kidnappers with boiling water and volcanic ash. In her novel _Warrior's Prize_ Elena Douglas tells the story of Briseis, a woman on whose behalf Janus did *not* intervene when she was kidnapped as part of the spoils of the Trojan War. It is the story of a woman who must discover her courage and reclaim her life. https://www.penmorepress.com/project/elena-douglas/
Source: https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Roman/Janus/janus.html Thanks to Marie-Lan Nguyen and Jastrow for this photo of a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture in the Museo Chiaramonti.
https://tinyurl.com/2bx5ea36

02/01/2025

“He was not expecting to find a cathedral with paintings … [i]nside of what looked like a great sand dune…” In the early 1960s a Polish archaeologist unearthed a medieval cathedral in Sudan with elaborate wall paintings of court and religious dress. Now these stunningly beautiful garments have been brought to life by a French-Polish collaboration showing them in the Louvre. The medieval kingdom of Makuria in what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt was highly influenced by Constantinople as can be seen in these richly decorated garments. Enter into the world of James Boschert’s _Greek Fire_ for an inside view of the machinations of court life in medieval Constantinople, also available in audiobook! https://www.penmorepress.com/project/james-boschert/

Recreating history through fashion, researchers have revived the majestic attire of medieval Nubian royalty and clergy, showcased for the first time at the Louvre in Paris.

31/12/2024

HAPPY 2025 TO ONE & ALL! Marie Gilroy Macpherson, author of the John Knox Trilogy, recently commented that in Scotland “Christmas was frowned on by party-pooper John Knox, then banned from 1640, and didn't become a national holiday until 1958. Hence Hogmanay, i.e. New Year's Eve, became the main celebration.” Hogmanay traditions are believed to derive from a combination of ancient Celtic and Viking customs, and both January 1st and January 2nd are national holidays in Scotland, the extra day giving a wee bit more time to recover from a week of revelry! [Thanks to FloridaNCgirl for this photo of a torch parade in Edinburgh https://tinyurl.com/57pu4ayx ]
https://www.penmorepress.com/project/marie-macpherson/

30/12/2024

Santa’s reindeer perform the miracle of delivering toys all around the globe in one night, but it turns out their more mundane cousins are pretty miraculous, too — fascinating! www.penmorepress.com

While the animals chew their cud, they also enter a state of rest

27/12/2024

A Canadian woman asked for help on the internet to translate the recipe her grandmother had written for Serpentone (sair-pen-TOH-neh), the traditional Christmas cake of Umbria, Italy, the recipe for which is given here along with its intriguing background. Savor the culinary delights of Italy as part of the backdrop to matters of life and death in the final 2 novels of Mary Donnarumma Sharnick's Orla Paints Quartet: _The Contessa’s Easel_ and _En Plein Air_.
https://www.penmorepress.com/project/mary-donnarumma-sharnick/

In Umbria, the holidays mean a piece of sweet, almondy serpentone.

26/12/2024

Last night was the first of the eight nights of Hanukkah. HAPPY HANUKKAH!
[with thanks to Roy Lindman for this photo of a Sephardic-style Temple menorah from Spain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RoyLindmanTempleMenorah_003.jpg ]

24/12/2024

A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS TO ALL! from Penmore Press www.penmorepress.com
[Nativity scene within an initial H - 15th century Italian antiphonary]

23/12/2024

TRAVEL THE WORLD AND THE SEVEN SEAS… EVERYBODY’S LOOKING FOR SOMETHING… Find these great stories and many more on www.penmorepress.com Kindle and Audiobooks make great last-minute gifts — imagine receiving an entire series at once! Over 60 authors and 30 audiobooks to choose from. [with thanks to the Eurythmics] Helen Hollick - Author D. E. Stockman Books https://www.penmorepress.com/authors/

20/12/2024

Charles Dickens’ novella _A Christmas Carol_ had its 181st birthday yesterday. It has never gone out of print. This article describes the fundamental ways in which it has colored the English-speaking world’s approach to Christmas. www.penmorepress.com

Published on this day in 1843, at a time when Christmas was undergoing great transformation, Charles Dickens' novel centered the virtues of kindness, charity and reform

19/12/2024

The use of Greek Fire as a weapon in ancient and medieval times is an engaging topic and you can read about real-time Greek Fire attacks in James Boschert’s novel of the same name, _Greek Fire_, Book 4 in his Talon series, and — extraordinarily -- in _Bombproofed_, part of the Royal Marine Captain Thomas Pennywhistle series by John M. Danielski… set in the early 19th century!
https://www.penmorepress.com/project/john-m-danielski/
https://www.penmorepress.com/project/james-boschert/

Since ancient times, civilizations have feared fire, but of all the early attempts to use it as a controllable and effective weapon, none is as intriguing as the mysterious substance that today we call ‘Greek fire’.

18/12/2024

Speaking of the longstanding relationship between humankind and canines in yesterday’s post, Lou Aguilar's saucy novel _Jake for Mayor_ puts a new twist on that when a failed campaign manager has the idea of putting a homeless beagle up for election…! https://www.penmorepress.com/project/lou-aguilar/

17/12/2024

“Man’s best friend” — this is a fascinating overview of how our link with canines may have evolved. https://www.penmorepress.com/authors/

New research indicates early humans and canines were interacting in the Americas 2,000 years earlier than previously thought