Books published by Arena Books

This is a literary novel tracing the life of an Irish boy, Brendan Ryan, through various episodes, from birth to his present age of twenty-four.

This is the third collection of poems by Tim Hopkins, and this collection is devoted to subjects of interest to children.

This book is concerned with the many theoretical scientific theories as to the origin of the human race.

In confronting the threat to the environment and over-population, it is argued that Technological Civilisation under the leadership of the advanced industrial economies, should take the initiative in addressing the greatest problems of our time.

Cities provide the physical theatre for our economic activities and social life, where civilisation can develop and thrive, and Civilizing Cities shows how.

In Italy a widow, sculptress struggles to keep her family together and discovers that her son works for the Mafia.

Paul Diggens has had extensive experience in many of life's roles - as a pirate radio operator, a clerk in the Telephone Manager's Office, a journalist and press officer with the Post Office and for many years Head of PR & Media. In the early years working as a clerk he was told that the Post Office were looking for young men with new ideas to promote what was an old-fashioned civil service organization that was stuck in the past. This gave Paul the opportunity of a life-time and Diary of a Publicity Guru is a richly illustrated book full of originality and startling surprises. Confessing to originalities, bringing initiatives into the Post Office with the brain of 'Walt Disney' this book outlines the brilliance of public relations, marketing, and media over four decades. He was told in no uncertain terms that rules were made for the guidance of wise men and for the obedience of fools! Most certainly this is apparent in his diary, but his role included being a 'brand guardian' i.e. defending the Post Office at all times and under all circumstances.

'Wittgenstein's Football Tactics and other poems' is a second book of original poetry by Tim Hopkins, the first book being, 'Epitaph for an Auctioneer and other Epigrams.'

Popular culture is flourishing again, with a renewed interest in the ET and UFO phenomena.  We are inundated with films, TV programmes and books, plus many conspiracy theories, dealing with the phenomena.  Governments and security agencies are denying any interest in the issue, yet releasing masses of documents (mostly unreadable) after being compelled to, by the Freedom of Information Act.  Such speculation and documentation in ancient writings suggests that an unearthly presence has been in Earth-space for many generations.  The question of this situation must reach a culminating point sometime in the near future.  

A young Lancaster crew's battles over the skies of Germany in a series of highly-dangerous operations. Every event described in this fictional account actually occurred, often many times. Ploughing through skies pockmarked with the smoke of exploding shells from anti-aircraft guns, and coned by dozens of searchlights, they also faced the bullets and canon shells of night fighters.A different kind of danger, but sometimes no less deadly, often took place in appalling weather conditions. Caught, for instance, in a massive cumulonimbus cloud their aircraft might be battered by hailstones while being tossed up and down hundreds of feet in vicious convection currents, with ice forming up to six inches thick on the wings, and threatening its ability to remain airborne.

The happy family memories of a young German girl in pre-War Czechoslovakia, and the daunting story of her flight, and that of her relatives, to the West after the end of the World conflict.

A fantasy story about the journey of a young girl and her companion dogs into a nightmare world of fearsome creatures yet which nonetheless provide sanctuary of choice and for some unable to cope in the human world.

The story of one man's dark descent and golden recovery after an unanticipated change of circumstances; an insight into how he recalibrated his thinking during a journey - emotional and geographical - in which he learned much about mental health and the human condition.

When Alfie Blackdale is brought home from boarding school by his father, he expects to lead the normal life for a teenager. How wrong he is! Soon, he is dragged onto the Golden locomotives' most important Express train of the year, hauled by one of his family's most prized railway engines. The day goes off without a hitch until unexpectedly the engine is derailed and almost reduced to scrap, so risking the family "empire" for good. Along with new-found friends, and a sense of adventure that he never knew he had, Alfie sets out to save his father's engine, but most importantly, to find himself as well.

This is a novel that explores in depth a third alternative to Creationismor Darwinian Evolutionin explaining the origin of the human race on planet earth. The hero, John Willoughby, an anthropologist, is the author of a book entitled, The Human Enigma, in which he argues that no theory for human origin is sacrosanct, unassailable or written in stone, and that every person is free to choose any theory best suited to their temperament. John knew that his colleagues were well aware that Richard Leaky had admitted, on behalf of his profession, that "the important issue of human origins remain unresolved, the fossil record is scrappy and incomplete, and all we possess is a meagre fragmented array of single teeth and bones and portions of skulls," and, "that the study of human DNA and blood groups shows no connection with the ancient apes." This opens the opportunity for John Willoughby to develop his own theory linking human origins with external sources from outside planet earth. In conjunction with his friend, David Villiers, a TV producer and barrister, a television programme is presented in which the conflicting or possibly complementary theories, are aired to millions of viewers. The novel then records the unexpected public response, before drawing to a hopeful and happy conclusion.

A critique of abstract modern art from a constructive common sense perspective.

The takeover of democracy by the financial institutions and the imposition of debt through the collapse of home-based productivity, and what we should do about it.

Harry and Tom Eeles both served in the Royal Air Force as pilots over the time span of 1929 to 2010, eighty years of the Royal Air Force's one hundred year's existence. Joining the adolescent Royal Air Force from an unlikely background, Harry Eeles had a varied and interesting career as a fighter pilot, aide-de-camp, weapons instructor, Battle of Britain fighter squadron commander, numerous high profile staff and command appointments including two years working for Chief of Air Staff and four years as Commandant of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.Tom Eeles followed his father into the Royal Air Force and had a wide range of operational and instructional flying tours, including embarked time on an aircraft carrier with the Fleet Air Arm, a tour as the Royal Air Force's chief examiner of instructional flying and command of a large flying training base.Royal Air Force pilots are required to record all their flying in a logbook. During his research the author, whilst looking through his father's flying logbooks, was struck by some of the entries, which seemed to have an interesting story behind them. He has chosen a selection of flights from both his father's and his own flying logbooks and has elaborated on what was originally a simple one-line entry, recording just the date, type of aircraft and duty undertaken, into a full description of the personal and technical issues associated with each individual flight. Marshal Sir Ian Macfadyen, who joined the Royal Air Force at the same time as the author at Cranwell in 1960, has written the foreword. His father was Harry Eeles's first flying instructor at Cranwell in 1929, thus neatly completing the link between the past and the present. Flying in Father's Slipstream is a book of great historical, technical and human interest.

The true story of a public execution in Saudi Arabia interspaced with a businessman's observations on the culture of Arab and Islamic life throughout the Gulf region, and its impact on the ex-pat population and peoples further afield.

An analysis of the worldwide problem of Islamic culture and religiosity and its incompatibility with the demands of modernity, and how a secular Islam may be created for a harmonioys future for all humanity.

The Curse of the Great Train Robbery tells the thrilling story of the robbery and reveals the series of subsequent events which will leave readers to ponder whether this was a crime which was both cursed and doomed to fail from the very outset.