‘I stay until they want me not to stay. No club moves me from Chelsea until Chelsea wants me to move because I want to be where I am loved’ - JOSE MOURINHO, JANUARY 2014 Yet in December 2015, the love affair came to an incredible and stunning end. This book chronicles the entire remarkable story of Jose Mourinho and Chelsea, with a critical insight into how and why it ended so dramatically. Confrontational, passionate, full of chutzpah, Mourinho is a masterful tactician, and surely the best boss in the history of Chelsea. Yet for a second time the Emperor of the Bridge, Roman Abramovich, cast him aside. The reason? Having won the Premier League, the team’s defence of the title proved to be one of the most bizarre periods in the club’s history. In his first stint at Stamford Bridge the self-styled ‘Special One’ won two League titles back-to-back, the FA Cup and two League Cups, and included a still-unsurpassed Premier League points-tally record of 95 in the 2004-5 season. On returning ‘home’ after a six-year absence, Mourinho received a welcome from an army of Chelsea fans who loved him every bit as much as they used to. He rewarded their faith in some fashion, sweeping aside newly rich Manchester City to soar to a third League title (with three games to spare), as well as a third League Cup. Then came the biggest collapse of any defending title-holder. Why did it happen? Who was to blame? Was there a players’ rebellion? Who panicked behind the scenes, and why? How much was the row with the fi rst-team doctor, Eva Carneiro, at the heart of Mourinho’s second sacking from Chelsea? The answers lie in this fully revised, updated and expanded edition of Harry Harris’s biography. It brings Mourinho’s story right up to date, showing exactly why English football would be infinitely poorer without the colourful, commanding, and controversial presence of the ‘Special One’.

After the pharaoh of Egypt suddenly awakens and sits up in bed, sweat drips from his body. Continually plagued by horrifying nightmares, Rahotep is once again shaken to his core. While pacing the palace halls in the dark of the night, he wonders what is happening to him. The dreams surely carry a message from someone. Unfortunately, he has no idea of the source of the important message. Desperate to have his dreams interpreted, Rahotep is visited by Joseph, a faithful Hebrew servant who is rumored to have the gift of foretelling catastrophic events. When Joseph tells him what is to come in the future, Rahotep proclaims Joseph to be second in command of his kingdom. Meanwhile in the Palace of Knossos, the Minoan bull-leapers are preparing for their tournaments. But it is not long before a chain of archeological events, devastating famines, and ruinous plagues overshadow the land and instigate a Hebrew exodus. The Shepherd Kings is a voyage back to a time of pharaohs and prophets and tragedy and triumph that brings an ancient story to life.

The only certainty in life is death. Even the most powerful leaders throughout history were unable to cheat the Grim Reaper. World leaders, whether revered or reviled, are rarely allowed to exit gracefully from life but instead receive a state funeral, a major international event incorporating splendid symbols and messages, religious faith, and tradition. The body of Tsar Alexander III was carried across half of Russia before finally being buried in St. Petersburg. People paid obscene amounts of money for a room that gave a glimpse of Queen Victoria’s fascinating State funeral. The cortège for China’s Empress-Dowager Cixi was not to be photographed – nevertheless photos showed up a century later. For political reasons Generalissimo Franco’s body was exhumed decades after his death. The world became acquainted with a rather unusual ancient Roman Catholic ritual, when Pope John Paul I died. The body of India’s Indira Gandhi was confined to sacred flames. The last journey of Marshal Tito turned into an event of “Funeral Diplomacy”, whilst Khomeini’s funeral ended in frenzy and tumult. In 2021 the massive restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant a rigid downsizing of Prince Philip’s funeral, hardly any guests were allowed to attend. This revealing and entertaining book provides an insight into unique obsequies from across the world, seen as both a celebration of life and the honouring of death.

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

An unforgettable World War I story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his love for an English nurse.

This book situates the work of the artist Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797) within the context of his life and times. It brings to light fresh information, including evidence of the flute music that Wright played and the ‘graveyard’ genre of poetry that he read. The book argues that Wright is the author of ‘The Final Farewell: a poem written on retiring from London’ (1787). It will be of interest to all admirers of this famously retiring artist. By the same author: The Adventures and Speculations of the Ingenious Peter Perez Burdett.