Bøger af Peter Underwood

This book focuses on the legitimacy of corporate power wielded by corporate groups, integrating legal doctrine, economic analysis and theoretical approaches. It reassesses how corporate groups can maintain legitimacy whilst exercising corporate power.Corporate groups are a prominent commercial feature of many jurisdictions and present unique challenges. The book argues that when analysed through the lens of corporate social responsibility, a legitimacy deficiency emerges. This arises from a lack of historical debate, diluted control mechanisms and inflated growth utilising unique features of the corporate group. It explores how the magnified power of the corporate group presents acute challenges for corporate legitimacy. Data is utilised alongside current examples of corporate groups which identify structural architectural patterns. It explores new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and blockchain as ways of attaining legitimacy. It presents methods of attaining legitimacy for the continued wielding of power to be held within corporate groups.This book spans several research interests under the corporate law umbrella. It will be of interest to traditional black letter company lawyers. Additionally, it will be of interest to those who have an interest in business and those who are interested in the role of technology.

'A dwarfish figure that resembled a monk with a gnarled and twisted face, holding out a bleeding arm from which the hand had been cut off at the wrist...''He saw in the clear moonlight a massive male figure standing under a tree, dressed entirely in black...'The ghostly little monk of Foulridge and the giant apparition from Heaton Norris are just two of the denizens of the North-West you might not care to meet on a dark, stormy evening. You would also be advised to avoid the Old Miser of Altrincham, the Timberbottom Farm Skulls, the Clayton Hall Boggart, and the Man in the Brown Pin-stripe Suit. It's certainly not a good idea to drive along the Hyde-Mottram road when the phantom lorry is about, and you should think twice before taking a taxi in Stockport - you never know who might be in the back seat with you. But for those intrepid sounds whose hearts quicken at the thought of eerie footsteps and muffled groans Peter Underwood - the President of the Ghost Club - has assembled an impressive collection of traditional legends and first-hand sightings of the white ladies, highwaymen, cavaliers, priests and nuns who form the spectral population of haunted Lancashire and Cheshire.

An investigation into the truths and myths behind an age-old ceremony.Throughout history, the practice of exorcism has been used for the purpose of driving out evil spirits and demons though to possess human beings and the places they inhabit. But there are more startling instances where exorcism has been used: to cure a trawler that seemed to be cursed; to expel demons from Bram Stoker's black 'vampire' dog' even to rid Loch Ness and the Bermuda Triangle of their evil ambience. Peter Underwood explores this frightening ritual in relation to witches, vampires and animals, while his far-flung researches have unearthed dramatic cases in Morocco, Egypt, South Africa and the United States, as well as the British Isles.Is the rite an archaic throwback, wrongly employed in cases of mental disturbance which would be better served by psychological counselling, or is evil indeed a living force which can be overcome by the power of good? Exorcism! offers some thought-provoking insights into a mysterious and powerful phenomenon.

Gazetteer of Scottish and Irish Ghosts is the first comprehensive collection of ghostly legends and modern reports of ghosts and hauntings through the Highlands, Lowlands and Isles of Scotland and the whole of Ireland.Here are such varied phenomena as the 'big grey man of Ben MacDhui' - the haunted mountain vouched for by professors, doctors and mountaineers of considerable standing; or the curious disturbances at the Edinburgh home of Sir Alexander Seton - subsequent to his wife's removing an ancient bone from an Egyptian tomb. Do you know where a vampire lurks in the shadows of a ruined church? Where giant footsteps cause panic to hardened climbers? Where the red glow of battle shines annually? Where corpses whisper? These and many other strange stories, legends and authentic accounts of ghostly happenings have been catalogued alphabetically for easy reference.In addition to presenting a profusion of fascinating reports from the towns and valleys, lochs and lakes, mountains and rivers, historic castles and houses of these lovely countries, Peter Underwood draws on his twenty-five years of study and practical investigation to describe a rich patchwork of reported happenings that cannot be explained in material or scientific terms.All in all, A Gazetteer of Scottish and Irish Ghosts provides a unique reference book and guide to the ghost population of these lands. The result of many years study, it is a worthy successor to the earlier Gazetteer of British Ghosts by the same author.

There have been many books about Queen Victoria but there has never been one that has explored her 'other world' - the world of the strange and unusual, the world of death and her fascination for it, and the world of the unseen and the paranormal that she could never resist.During his research Peter Underwood gained the distinct impression that there was something of a conspiracy of silence around her interest in the paranormal. however, there is overwhelming evidence that as a fatherless and bewildered princess, as a quickly matured queen, and then as a widowed and often lonely woman, Victoria showed a considerable interest in death and its draperies.This book covers Victoria's youthful encounters with the occult; her visits to haunted properties, her friends and acquaintances with similar interests and experiences; her alleged involvement with Robert Lees, the medium; her undoubted interest in the Jack-the-Ripper murders; her obsession with omens and superstitions and her fascination with death.Not long before his death the Prince Consort told the Queen, 'We don't know in what state we shall meet again, but that we shall recognise each other and be together in eternity I am perfectly certain'. Through forty years of widowhood Queen Victoria believed utterly that this would be so.

Life's A Drag! - an evocative title for a very contemporary and compelling book. While it is true that there have been forms of drag, both private and public, since earliest times, as a form of modern entertainment drag in recent years has developed into a phenomenon which is now a world-wide multi-million pound entertainment industry in itself.This penetrating study, giving an in-depth look into the world drag scene, focuses primarily upon one drag artist - the hugely-successful Danny La Rue, himself a veritable Industry of Drag and unquestionably the highest-paid performer of his type in the world. Strangely no one has previously written a book about Danny la Rue, probably because he is a very private person despite his huge public persona. To write this work, Peter Underwood, the well-established author of the highly-successful biography of Boris Karloff (and many other books on the occult and the paranormal), researched widely and interviewed nearly seventy people close to the drag star - people who have worked with Danny la Rue both on and off stage over many years. The result is this absorbing story of a unique star which intimately surveys the life and work of the Irish Danny la Rue.He started on the stage in a village hall, later joined the Navy at 17 and became in turn a window dresser, chorus boy and then left the stage to work in a shop, returning to the theatre and the chorus to become a dancer and drag artist in an all-male show (which he left because he couldn't stand it). He was eventually spotted in a small revue at London's Irving Theatre and offered his big chance in cabaret at Bond Street's Churchill Club.

Despite all the answers that conventional science can provide to the earth's mysteries, there remain certain phenomena for which no explanation can yet be found outside the occult. For this reason exploration of the occult and paranormal provides endless fascination.Here is a survey of all the different aspects of this complex and intriguing subject, including an entire chapter on the relationship between sex and psychic phenomena, a subject on which, until recently, there has been an unwillingness to talk.In the light of twenty-five years of practical experience in all aspects of psychical research and a deep and abiding interest in the occult, Mr Underwood seeks to answer a variety of questions dealing with astrology, graphology, palmistry, character-divination from the Tarot cards, phrenology, clairvoyance, and telepathy.He examines, among many other topics, the kind of people who act as mediums, what really happens at haunted houses and how such phenomena should be investigated, the meaning of dreams, and the history and present practice of Druids, Witches, and those who pursue Black Magic. Actual case histories of hauntings and experiments that the author himself has carried out are recorded in detail.The book includes comprehensive lists of suggested further reading and a number of explanatory illustrations. Throughout, Mr Underwood encourages people to explore and investigate with honesty and integrity, towards a greater understanding of the supernormal and of the tremendous untapped forces within us.

Peter Underwood has personally visited the historic buildings and sites of Britain, and here presents a wealth of intriguing legends and new stories of ghostly encounters from more than a hundred such throughout the United Kingdom.From Abbey House in Cambridge to Zennor in Cornwall, this is an A to Z of the haunted houses of Britain. At Bramshill in Hampshire - now a police training college - there have been so many sightings that even sceptical police officers have had to admit that the place is haunted. Beautiful Leeds Castle in Kent has a large, phantom black dog; there is an Elizabethan gentleman (seen by a Canon of the Church of England!) at Croft Castle; a Pink Lady at Coughton Court; a prancing ghost jester at Gawsworth; a spectre in green velvet at Hoghton Tower; six ghosts at East Riddlesden Hall; a headless apparition at Westwood Manor; and then there are some little-known ghosts in Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London, and the strange ghosts of Chingle Hall, perhaps the most haunted house in England.These are just a few of the extraordinary stories the author has gathered in his researches around the country, in the course of travels that took him from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, through Northumberland and Yorkshire, to East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall.Many first-hand accounts are presented here for the first time in a comprehensive, up-to-date survey of Britain's haunted historic properties and scenes; an illustrated guide with a difference, that will bring a new and absorbing interest to visitors to these great houses that are our national heritage.Perhaps you will be one of the fortunate (or unfortunate!) visitors who encounters a ghost as you wander through these wonderful houses, castles and mansions, where the atmosphere takes us back in time....

This is the autobiography of a man who has spent thirty-five years of his life covering scientific psychical research, with detailed investigations into all kinds of manifestation that might be supernatural or paranormal in origin, including spiritualism, ESP, telepathy, hauntings and other occult phenomena. Many of the true experiences from the author's casebook are published here for the first time.President for over twenty years of the most respected and influential organization in its field - The Ghost Club, founded over a century ago - Peter Underwood has been described by objective observers as 'a veteran psychical researcher ... representing the middle-ground between scepticism and uncritical belief.' In his preface, the author states that 'I have long been of the opinion that 98 percent of reported hauntings have a natural and mundane explanation, but it is the other 2 percent that have interested me for more than forty years.'Mr Underwood is already widely known through his lecturing, writing and broadcasting, and his autobiography will appeal to a yet greater public.

Jack the Ripper still causes a shudder, synonymous as it is with violent murder and mutilation. But also of mystery and speculation - for the gruesome series of killings in London's East End in that horrific Autumn of 1888 have never been finally solved.The identity of the Ripper, his motives and his association have been the subject of endless discussion and speculation since Victorian times. Suspects have been as varied as a Jewish slaughter man and the Duke of Clarence.Now, marking the centenary of those terrible crimes, comes Peter Underwoods comprehensive look at all aspects of Jack the Ripper.It contains a wealth of new and previously unpublished material with a detailed look at the possible candidates and probable identity, examinations of the murder sites (then and now), the psyche of the murderer and the murdered, the alleged ghosts and spirit contacts and a survey of all writings on the Ripper and his victims - published and unpublished.This is the definitive book, with a 100 year perspective.

The young person's guide for to becoming a professional ghost hunter: how to find a ghost, what to do when you are face to face with a ghost, how to unmask a fraud and even how to make a ghost trap! For the first time Peter Underwood lets you into all the secrets that have made him the world's top ghost hunter.Now follow in his footsteps if you dare...

The Vampire's Bedside Companion is a riveting compendium of new facts and fiction on the 'undying' theme of vampirism.Here is a new theory on the genesis of Dracula (surely literature's most compelling and macabre figure?); thoughts on allusions to vampirism in Wuthering Heights; first-hand experience of Vampires in Hampstead, London; publication for the first time of the story of a fifteenth-century Vampire Protection medallion that Montague Summers presented to the author; an account by a professer of English at Dalhousie University of a visit to 'Castle Dracula' in Transylvania - The Vampire's Bedside Companion contains these and a wealth of other hitherto unpublished material on a subject that is of enduring interest: The Vampire Legend.To many people, vampires are creatures only of legend and fantasy with no reality outside the pages of books. Others, who have studied the folklore of many countries and the continuing reports of vampirism, maintain that there is extensive evidence not only that vampires once existed but that, in fact, they still do exist. In this fascinating book the author, himself an acknowledged expert on the Occult, presents true accounts of vampire infestation in England, America, Ireland, Hungary, China and France. Records of vampires and vampirism are, he claims, as old as the world and as recent as yesterday.Four new, excisting and authentic vampire fictional stories by Peter Allan, Crispin Derby, Richard Howard and James Turner complete this compelling companion for dark nights, solitude and howling winds!Illustrated with my striking photographs, The Vampire's Bedside Companion also contains original and evocative drawings by Geoffrey Bourne-Taylor.It is a must for all students of the occult and every reader of the macabre.

What are the qualities which make an ideal ghost hunter? You need to be part detective, part investigative reporter, a scientist, with a measure of the psychologist thrown in...In this book, which is the first real guide to the hunting of ghosts, Peter Underwood manages to cover just about eery aspect of this intriguing and mystifying subject.Starting from an explanation of the various kinds of ghosts, various kinds of hauntings and the many types of location in which ghosts, poltergeists and associated phenomena occur. He examines in detail methods of investigation, the use of specialist equipment, including a special section on the photography of ghosts, and the associated questionnaires and documentation needed in order to carry out a bona fide and exhaustive research into the haunting. At this point he takes the reader through a step-by-step investigation of a haunting, bringing in the above specialist equipment and paying particular attention to the singular problems associated with poltergeists.Then, having learned the lessons, he looks at aspects of ghost hunting in Britain, Europe, North America, Australasia and the Far East, ending up with a calendar of ghosts and their hauntings.The author's authority and specialist knowledge in this subject makes The Ghost Hunter's Guide a unique and important book in the investigation of those phenomena which we cannot yet fully explain.

Drawing on various cases and personal experience, this book explores the world of ghosts, apparitions and psychic activity. It includes: tales of ghostly traditions; an array of haunted places ranging from castles, stately homes and churches to theatres, pubs, prisons, hospitals, battlefields, trees and roads; bizarre cases of unexplained aerial phenomena; encounters with ghosts of the famous including John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe; the ghosts of dogs and other animals; accounts of time-slips; cyclic ghosts and poltergeists; and the strange happenings surrounding inanimate objects, such as the battle trumpets of Tutankhamun.

'In an age when voodoo dancers have appeared in London, when Robert Williams, chief psychologist at Kansas State Industrial Reformatory admits to being a practising war-lock; when moon-astronaut Edgar Mitchell conducts extra sensory experiments in space; when the course of a £1,000,000 road is altered to save a 'fairy tree'; when a ghost is officially registered on a census form; when Americans can 'dial-a-horoscope' for a twenty-four hour prophesy; and when the complete skeleton of a cyclops is unearthed by archaeologists - is it surprising that there is a growing interest in the occult, for research in many fields simply proves that things are not what they seem?'So Peter Underwood introduces his authoritative investigation of aspects of the supernatural not discussed in his earlier Into the Occult. In the light of his long experience in psychical research, the author attempts to find an explanation for a variety of phenomena that have baffled scientists and contradicted the basic tenets of their calling. Using many case histories, he discusses haunted music, vampires, superstitions, and dowsing and divining. Do Egyptian or family curses have any effect? Is there any evidence to support the theory of reincarnation? Does psychic surgery work? What part have clairvoyants played in the solution of famous criminal cases? Could there really be fairies at the bottom of your garden?Through the investigation of these and other fascinating questions, and the inclusion of extensive lists for further reading, Mr Underwood leads the enquirer to an awareness of the possibilities of the occult so that he may pursue an open minded approach for himself, and, like the author, come to the realization that things are indeed not always what they seem.

For over thirty years, in his position as President and Chief Investigator of the Ghost Club of Great Britain, Peter Underwood was actively involved in undertaking night vigils and carrying out research into ghosts and paranormal activity in controlled, scientific conditions.This volume presents accounts of nights spent in haunted houses - and the stories associated with them. The majority of these nocturnal enquiries are conducted by a group led by Underwood - practically every investigative visit includes a Ghost Club Society Council Member (a full list of 'the places and the people' is provided in an appendix to the book).Chilling accounts of hauntings that will make you shiver include: - The tragic young man who returned to his former home and the site of his suicide, drawn by his love of the daughter of the house's latest tenant.- The spirit monk and mysterious knocking and rapping of Shingle Hall.- The evil, invisible presence at Eton Vicarage that gripped the vicar's wife tightly by the throat and almost strangled the terrified woman.- The horror of the spirit of nine-year-old Isabelle of Berry Pomeroy Castle, whose power was so strong that she followed investigators home..

This comprehensive volume on dowsing and divining - from the twig and the pendulum to motorscopes and bare hands - traces the story of these fascinating and enigmatic phenomena from its origins in the world of fairy tales and mythology to recent theories that the enigma can be explained in terms of present-day psychology.The force present in the act of dowsing and divining can be compared to the sensitivity of men and women suffering from rheumatism who feel, in advance, changes of weather. Theories that have been brought forward to explain its presence include suggestion, radiation, colour, the existence of a sixth sense, and changes in the earth's magnetic field. As there are many possible explanations there are also many types and applications of dowsing and divining: map dowsing; being eggs; radiesthesia; the diagnosis and cure of disease; locating missing persons; forces, fields and rays; and detecting thieves.The author tells of dowsers past and present: Robert Leftwich who located abandoned tunnels and other underground hazards; Major Harold Spary who dowsed for the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Royal Engineers during World War II; William Young who charged £200 a day in 1971 for dowsing; Tom Lethbridge who investigated Viking graves on Lundy Island; Henry Gross who discovered Bermuda's first natural wells. Even today large building and contracting firms employ resident site engineers who use sophisticated sets of divining rods.The book introduces us, in lucid and readable style, to the fascinating world of dowsing and divining, and gives the reader full instructions on how to attempt to become one of this international community.

The first expert exploration of the haunted houses and authentic ghosts of Kent, this volume is filled with fascinating true ghost stories from times past. Read about the curious case of Anne West of Old Bayhall Manor, who 'was always worried that she might be buried while yet alive', or the 'ghostly old gentleman' of Cleve Court in Minster, who, when he turns up, is treated 'more as a guest than a ghost' - because 'the dear old thing means no harm'. And there is Lympne Castle, where Underwood once took a party of Ghost Club members: 'I had just obtained a description of the room, when one of the Club members rushed into the kitchen begging me to accompany her to one of the towers where "something horrible had once taken place"...'.

A leading psychical researcher takes an in-depth look at ghost hunters, both past and present. Who are these intrepid explorers of the unknown? How do they probe and examine the realms of the seemingly inexplicable? What are their conclusions? In fascinating detail, Peter Underwood profiles the lives and adventures of some of the most famous names in psychical investigation.There is Harry Price - his examination of Borley Rectory 'the most haunted house in England' extended over a period of twenty years.Elliot O'Donnell's inherited faculty of psychic awareness enabled him to encounter scores of ghosts throughout his prodigious career.James Wentworth Day witnessed a group of phantom cavalrymen in broad daylight - the sight so impressed him that he spent the rest of his life in search of similar ghostly visions in many of the most haunted houses in Britain, including Glamis Castle.Thurston Hopkins, the old man os Sussex, met ghosts on and off all his life and firmly believed that one of them once saved him from premature death.For many years Dennis Wheatley pursued his interest in ghost hunting following his psychic experience as a boy.While Tom Lethbridge made an important contribution to ghost studies with his natural explanations and theory of psychic fields.Of today's eminent ghost hunters there is Hans Holzer who, together with psychic photographer and medium John Meyers, has made a particular study of 'psychic photography' with some surprising and exciting results.Tom Perrot, Chairman of the Ghost Club, has been associated with a wealth of curious cases and John Cutten is the innovator of an elaborate and ingenious ghost trap.Professer Hans Bender of Freiburg University and the redoubtable Mrs K. M. Goldney MBE, whose remarkable experiences and revelations span half a century, are also included.With authority and enthusiasm Peter Underwood discusses the varying techniques and approaches to ghost hunting, uncovers some notorious fakes and reveals many remarkable mysteries for which no material explanations can be found.

To most modern day tennis fans, it was impossible to believe that until the late 1960s pro tennis players--that is those who played openly for prize money--were banned from competing in the world's major tournaments. Before this time, the great contests such as Wimbledon were exclusive to so-called amateurs. Amateur tennis players were meant to compete only for glory. Though this division arose the "pro tour" in the 1930s, and it endured for forty years. In The Pros, The Forgotten Era of Tennis, author Peter Underwood explains why professional players were forced into what was often called the traveling circus where these sporting outcasts played each other during long and rather tatty tours all over the world. Focusing on the eight champions who dominated the pro era beginning in 1930 with the ultimately tragic figure of "Big" Bill Tilden, this book follows each pro champion through the post-1962 Grand Slam pro career of Rod Laver, who then helped usher in the modern-era of pro tennis with the start of the "Open" Era in 1968.

Shadows in the nave

This was the first book on London's ghosts, when Peter Underwood was President of the Ghost Club. He is uniquely qualified to write Haunted London, presenting a parade and gazetteer of the psychic phenomena of Britain's capital city - a city with nearly ten million living inhabitants and the ghosts of many dead ones. As well as all the famous hauntings - the Cock Lane ghost, the Grey Man at Drury Lane, the Tower ghosts, the haunted house at Berkeley Square etc. - the book contains many new and hitherto unpublished findings. Not all ghosts date back to earlier centuries: there are ghost motorcyclists, for instance, and new buildings on the sites of older ones are as likely to have ghosts as those which still stand. For easy reference, Haunted London has divided up London geographically. Ghostly associations are uncovered in churches, theatres, hotels, inns and scenes of murders. Poltergeist infestation is another phenomenon included in this work which is sure to fascinate anyone wanting to get to know London better - whether they be visitors, psychic researchers, students of history, of legend or folklore, or simply lovers of one of the world's finest cities.