Best Selling Books by Phil Mason

Our view of the famous is one-dimensional—leading figures from history are summarized in history textbooks with one or two lines: Churchill the war-time genius, Gandhi the poor ascetic—but nobody is perfect and even the famous have their quirks and hidden secrets. How George Washington Fleeced the Nation reveals the often hilarious, sometimes shocking, and always highly informative foibles of the great and the good. Einstein, the most brilliant man who lived, regularly forgot his shoes and never learned to drive. Hitler possibly has a Jewish ancestor. Picasso avoided paying restaurant bills by doodling on their napkins instead. Prepared to be shocked, amused, and outraged at what they didn’t teach you in high school.

It is amazing how often politicians’ most public words come back to haunt them. George W. Bush once quipped, “I have opinions of my own—strong opinions—but I don’t always agree with them,” while Richard Nixon famously called the funeral of President Georges Pompidou “a great day for France.” This priceless treasure trove of verbal blunders, indiscretions, regrettable promises, about-turns, deceptions, lies, and just plain stupidity highlights the very best political missteps of all time. Ranging across the centuries and the globe, this salutary and hugely funny book is completely up-to-date with all the immortal lines our leaders have made into classics.

Quantum Glory explores the intriguing intersection between the two realities of quantum mechanics and the glory of God.Quantum Glory consists of page after page of revelation as to the glory of God and the wonders of the universe. Part One explores the subatomic world, revealing its exceptionally intricate divine design that unveils the mind of...

Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon’s Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason’s many revelations, you’ll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You’ll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon’s painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield. You’ll learn that an irate blacksmith threw his hammer at a fox and missed, hitting a rock and revealing the largest vein of silver ever discovered, thus changing the finances of Canada forever. Interestingly, Charlton Heston was cast as Moses in The Ten Commandments because his broken nose made him look like Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of Moses. Finally, no one knows Einstein’s last words. They were in German, a language his nurse did not speak. A treasure trove filled with fascinating anecdotes about the tiny ripples that created big waves in history, Napoleon’s Hemorrhoids is much more than just a trivial fact book; it is an astonishing historical-fate book revealing how our most famous incidents, best-loved works of art, and most accepted historical outcomes are simply twists of fate.

Despite our differences, there''s a common thread uniting all of us: absurd political screw-ups happen. Welcome to Dead Man Wins Election, the ultimate collection of bizarre and outright un bel ievable tales from politics at home and around the world. Uncover the least competent politicians, the most outlandish government decisions, the strangest election results, and much more. Former president Bill Clinton, who touted his presidency as the watershed period for the modern Information Age. After his White House departure, it was disclosed that of the forty million emails his office produced, CLINTON HIMSELF HAD SENT...TWO. Harry Stonebreaker, who was reelected for mayor of Winfield, Missouri, despite having died a month before polling day. HE WON BY A LANDSLIDE WITH 90 PERCENT OF THE VOTE.

The problem with history is that much of what you learn in school simply isn''t true! For instance, King Harold was NOT shot in the eye with an arrow at the Battle of Hastings, Neanderthals were not as dumb as you''d think, Britain had an Indian curry restaurant years before it had fish-and-chip shops and the American ''Wild West'' really wasn''t that wild. In many ways the history we casually accept as truth is full of mistakes. One in the Eye for Harold is a riotous romp through the centuries with revelations about the untruth of large swathes of history. It shows us how fictions have coloured our views of religion, politics, war and society - and shows us how some of our most solidly held beliefs are entirely false. In One in the Eye for Harold Phil Mason - author of Napoleon''s Haemorrhoids - catalogues how myth and error have shaped our view of the past, and how the history our teachers handed down is often far from the mark. It is full of remarkable insights that entertain gloriously as they challenge the conventional view of history.

A treasure trove filled with fascinating anecdotes about the tiny ripples that have caused big waves in history, Hitler’s Secret Jewish Psychic will cure you of two misconceptions: the first being that history is relentlessly boring and the second that significant historical events are caused by significant and great causes. Here you’ll unearth a multitude of facts you never knew were true. You’ll learn some unbelievable things about some of the most prominent figures in history (Picasso was stillborn until his uncle revived him by blowing cigar smoke in his face!). You’ll discover facts about some of the most famous wars in history (Japan actually manufactured balloons carrying deadly diseases, which they attempted to send over the Pacific Ocean to the United States). Other strange facts include: The career Fidel Castro almost chose over his leadership of Cuba Where Eli Whitney got the idea for his invention of the cotton gin What almost happened during the Wrights brothers’ first successful flight Why certain literary works almost never saw the light of publication What day should have really been designated Independence Day The truth behind Winston Churchill’s daring escape from a Boer War prisoner-of-war camp Franklin Roosevelt’s campaign cover-up The behind-the-scene beliefs of Isaac Newton And many more! It is true that many things you hear should be taken with a pinch of salt; nothing proves this so much as Hitler’s Secret Jewish Psychic, where you will discover the outrageous secrets history has tried (and failed) to keep. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

If you want to hear something stupid, just listen to the nearest politician. From the authors of Read My Lips and Mission Accomplished!, this completely new collection of politicians'' gaffes, slips and brain freezes brings the verbal misstep into the present era of coalition government in Britain, the 2012 presidential election campaign in America and the global phenomenon of Wikileaks. Here is a treasure trove of the finest worst utterings from the men and women whose main skill is meant to be their power of communication. From Bush, Obama and Palin to Brown, Cameron, Clegg and co., the mad, the bad, the stupid and the shameless are all in attendance -watch them shoot from the lip and hit themselves in the foot. If, as they always say, politicians want to be judged by their words, let them be these.

The direction history takes has often hinged on tiny turns of chance or accident. Things that happen just at the wrong time. Small incidents that end up having big consequences. For example, Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the peak of the Cuban Missile crisis when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. Napoleon''s Haemorrhoids is all about the small events that make you stop and think how it all might have turned out - luck, coincidence, fate: the tiny ripples that have caused big waves in history''s waters. Did you know: the Panama Canal would have been built in Nicaragua had it not been for a picture on one of its postage stamps...'' Covering not just the great sweeps of political history and war, but chance discoveries that led to great inventions and scientific progress, the accidents that led to feats of literature and film, little slips that gave away big crimes, slip-ups that altered sporting history, and a medley of chance beginnings, this little book is a treasure trove of fascinating facts. If you''ve ever wondered why history turned out the way it has, and thought there must be some big design behind it - think again... Specialising for over 30 years in collecting stories of the bizarre from around the world, Phil Mason has amassed one of the country''s largest private collections of cuttings and books chronicling the weird and the strange. His books includeWould You Believe It?, and Mission Accomplished with Mathew Parris, a compilation of misplaced predictions by parliamentarians.

L''Histoire enfin démystifiée ! Les grands noms de nos livres d''histoire ne sont pas des superhéros mais de simples mortels... Avec leurs défauts, leurs failles, leurs petites manies, que la chronique officielle a bien pris soin de nous dissimuler. Secrets, mensonges et manigances nous sont ici révélées par Phil Mason. Nul doute que la lecture de ces chroniques changera à tout jamais votre perception de l''Histoire et de ses grands hommes. George Washington, le « père de la nation » américaine, était loin d''être le grand altruiste que l''on nous dépeint aujourd''hui ; Jules César n''a peut-être pas été assassiné ; et Jeanne d''Arc... était sûrement un homme ! Écorchant avec esprit et dérision les images d''Épinal de nos manuels scolaires, ce livre raconte la face cachée de ces « illustres » personnages et nous offre bon nombre de surprises croustillantes !

Ce livre raconte des évènements minuscules qui ont eu des conséquences énormes. Certains ont changé le monde. d''autres ont changé des vies et des contributions au monde. D''autres auraient pu le faire si les choses avaient tourné juste un peu différemment... La crise d''hémorroïdes dont souffrait Napoléon au matin de la bataille de Waterloo l''empêcha, dit-on, de surveiller attentivement la situation comme il avait l''habitude de le faire, en sillonnant le champ de bataille sur son cheval. Ce matin-là, il n''était que l''ombre de lui-même, on connaît la suite... Nous allons donc un peu revisiter l''Histoire et porter un rude coup au mythe qui veut que les grandes choses ont de grandes causes. Ce livre raconte comment de petits jeux du hasard, du destin ou du sort ont influencé, plus largement qu''on ne pourrait le penser, le cours de l''Histoire. L''Histoire n''est donc pas une matière mortellement ennuyeuse. Loin s''en faut ! Après avoir lu ce livre, vous saurez que les évènements les plus marquants peuvent avoir une origine dérisoire.

This volume is a collection of fully illustrated jokes and stories inspired by children. The witticisms included are of a Christian nature.

Phil Mason est un journaliste anglais passionné d''histoire. En 2012, il publie Les Testicules de Jeanne d''Arc et autres surprises de l''Histoire et, en 2013, Les Hémorroïdes de Napoléon et toutes ces petites histoires qui ont fait la grande aux Editions de l''Opportun.

This is a fresh set of merry jests collected by the author, many contributed by friends and fans from around the world.