Jim Morrison. Photo by Electra Records (1968). PD. Wikimedia Commons.
If the title of this blog caught your eye, well then, you must be from my generation. If you know the answer to the question, good for you. Frankly, I didn’t know the answer when I decided to write my fifth book called Where Did They Bury Jim Morrison, TheLizardKing? —A Walking Tour of Paris Cemeteries. So for those of you who don’t know the answer, here is a multiple-choice test.
One of the most amazing pieces of medieval artwork is the Bayeux Tapestry (actually, it’s an embroidery). It is a hand-stitched (tapestries are woven) account of the Battle of Hastings and the events leading up to the battle.
Most accounts date the origin of the Bayeux Tapestry to either right after or several decades after the battle. The fact that something as fragile and vulnerable as this tapestry has survived almost a thousand years is quite incredible.
The tapestry is approximately 224 feet long made up of sections beginning with the meeting of King Edward the Confessor and Earl Harold Godwin. Only 15 individuals are actually mentioned in the tapestry. Only five women are depicted. Including the women, there are a total of 626 humans stitched onto the tapestry, not to mention the horses, buildings, ships, and other interesting items (including Halley’s Comet).
Most people look at the tapestry as a tribute to the Norman victory on 14 October 1066 (i.e., from the French perspective). However, Andrew Bridgeford, in his fascinating book, 1066: The Hidden History in the BayeuxTapestry, makes a strong case that the tapestry was the work of the English and the tapestry tells a much different story than originally thought.Read More The Bayeux Tapestry: Norman or Anglo-Saxon?
“Another outstanding, well-researched, and presented book by Stew Ross. It gives a detailed guided walking tour full of facts about the activities of the Gestapo during their occupation of Paris during World War II. I highly recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in what life was like during the Nazi occupation in France.”
Richard H.F. Neave, President Royal British Legion Paris branch, member Paris-based Libre Résistance SOE “F” Section and author of SOE: A Life in the Shadows
“Informative and entertaining, Stew Ross’ newest work evokes a difficult and frightening time in the history of the City of Light. The detailed descriptions of sites such as the Vél’ d’hiv’ or Gestapo headquarters reminds us of the choices people made during those years.”
Cynthia Bisson, PhD, Professor of History, Belmont University, French Resistant Expert