Rupert Matthews

The age of gladiators looks at save spectacles of ancient Rome and explains how they still have influence on comtemporary public life.

The Romans who fearlessly fought in the Colosseum had varied backgrounds. Some were slaves and criminals forced to fight to the death. Others trained and volunteered for the task. Their goal was clear from the first step in the arena: the floor was sandy, so blood would be easy to clean up. Gladiator combat is a common topic when discussing the Roman Empire. Readers of this volume, however, will discover all the incredible details of gladiator life...

At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, such was the build-up of men and materials in the RAF that Lincolnshire was already known as 'Bomber Country'. Its four main airfields-Hemswell, Scampton, Waddington and Cottesmore-were home to eight squadrons of Bomber Command under the legendary Arthur 'Bomber' Harris. To begin with, the task was to drop leaflets over Germany urging them to make peace and overthrow the Nazis. The bombing...

The bitter Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of WWII on the Eastern Front. The relentless and unstoppable German advances that had seen the panzers sweep hundreds of miles into Russia was finally brought to a halt at Stalingrad. The elite German 6th Army was first fought to a standstill, then surrounded and forced to surrender. For the first time in the war, the Germany army had been defeated on the field of battle. Before Stalingrad the...

Fought on 18 June 1815, the Battle of Waterloo was one of the most dramatic and decisive battles ever fought. Now in the bicentenary year of Waterloo, an experienced military historian takes a fresh look at this momentous conflict between Napoleon's celebrated grande armee and Wellington's battle-hardened veterans supported most notably by the Prussians but also the forces of the other Great Powers ranged against Napoleon, Austria and Russia. ...

The paranormal is a subject of endless fascination to the book-buying public. There is an insatiable appetite for tales of UFOs, ghosts, bigfoot, and other features of our world that are frequently reported by eyewitnesses but are not yet accepted by science as being genuine phenomena or events. This little book introduces the reader to the world of the paranormal and entertains them with numerous anecdotes, snippets of information and lists of events....

Today, many people use the word "ninja" to describe being particularly good or stealthy about something. But ninjas were real Japanese fighters! Most active from about 1450 to just after 1600, ninjas were highly trained, silent killers. Readers learn to parse the truth from the legends about ninjas through detailed historical content, including the 18 skills ninjas of the 1700s were taught. A colorful layout and up-close photographs of ninja weapons...

A comprehensive examination of Hitler's military strategies. As Führer of the Third Reich, Hitler was responsible for deciding the German war aims in 1939. As head of the Armed Forces from February 4th, 1938, he was also responsible for the overall Wehrmacht strategy intended to achieve these aims. Hitler: Military Commander examines with impeccable detail Hitler's key military decisions during the Second World War, and assesses how far these decisions...

Is Earth undergoing an alien invasion? In this thrilling examination of the UFO phenomenon, author Rupert Matthews assesses the growing threat of alien reconnaissance on Earth. From the earliest recorded sightings to the most recent encounters and abductions, the book sifts through the evidence and asks the crucial question: why do they come? Among the cases discussed in depth: . Caught on radar - the Rendlesham sighting . The crucial case - Roswell...

'Tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.' One of the most remarkable actions in ancient or modern military history took place at Thermopylae in 480BC. Rupert Matthews has personally examined the battlefield in order to try to explain how 300 Spartans could hold at bay the hordes of the Persian Emperor Xerxes. This was no vain sacrifice; the delay gave breathing space for the Greek states to organise their defence,...