A Beacon of Hope: 140 years of Eye Care in the Holy Land
[Paperback] £36.00

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'A Beacon of Hope: 140 years of eye care in the Holy Land' explains the history of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group.

Written by: Matthew Glozier, Ian Howie-Willis, and John Pearn

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem established an Eye Hospital in the Holy Land in 1882. Since then, it has treated thousands of people in need of its services.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is one of the world's most significant specialised ophthalmic institutions. The Hospital has always been run by the Order of St John, a British Royal Order of Chivalry. During the twenty-first century, the Hospital has become the centre of three satellite eye hospitals, and this is the base for outreach clinics and mobile ophthalmic services.

The Hospital's staff comprise the practitioners of many professions and ancillary support personnel. Through its services, the Hospital has preserved the sight of millions of people throughout the region, and it has restored the sight of many hundreds of thousands of patients.

The Hospital's health care professionals often worked under conditions of great difficulty in this historic region. At all stages of the Hospital's development, their endeavours have always been made possible through the altruistic support of many, many thousands of Order of St John members around the world. Amazingly, the Hospital has always functioned as a charitable institution - it provides its sight-saving services free of charge. This is how it began and what it remains.

This book tells the story of the Hospital and its staff over the past 140 years of its unique existence.

Symbols of Hope: Heraldry and Ceremony
[Paperback] £25.00

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Written by: Matthew Glozier

For almost a thousand years, heraldry has been used to symbolise the heritage, achievements, and aspirations of an individual and their family, organisations, cities, and other entities. The history of the Order of St John can be traced in the rich heraldic tradition of its members, and the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem shares a part of this interesting heritage. From the start of its humanitarian work in Jerusalem almost a millenium ago, the Order of St John has used its familiar white cross. Headed by the British monarch and with many members of the British Royal Family directly involved, the Most Venerable Order of St John proudly incorporates the Royal Beasts into its white Maltese Cross. The Order has always viewed its Eye Hospital as one of its most important humanitarian endeavours. Since the Hospital started its modern-day operations in 1882, coats-of-arms, flags, and ceremonial robes have played an important role.

Symbols of Hope examines the meaning and the stories around the many heraldic devices and ceremonial elements associated with the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Through colourful and detailed illustrations, we learn about those individuals who have supported the Hospital over a century-and-a-half, and the enduring story of the Hospital told in stone, flags, and mantles.

Nine Quarters of Jerusalem
[Paperback] £8.63

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Written by: Matthew Teller

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity.

Matthew Teller's highly original 'biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas - often startlingly secular - that have shaped lives within its walls. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.

Extreme Rambling: Walking Israel's Separation Barrier. For Fun
[Paperback] £9.19

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Written by: Mark Thomas

Good fences make good neighbours, but what about bad ones?'

The Israeli separation barrier is probably the most iconic divider of land since the Berlin Wall. It has been declared illegal under international law and its impact on life in the West Bank has been enormous.

Mark Thomas - as only he could - decided the only way to really get to grips with this huge divide was to use the barrier as a route map, to 'walk the wall', covering the entire distance with little more in his armoury than Kendal Mint Cake and a box of blister plasters.

In the course of his ramble he was tear-gassed, stoned, sunburned, rained on and hailed on and even lost the wall a couple of times. But thankfully he was also welcomed and looked after by Israelis and Palestinians - from farmers and soldiers to smugglers and zookeepers - and finally earned a unique insight of the real Middle East in all its entrenched and yet life-affirming glory. And all without hardly ever getting arrested!