'Early one morning in May 1878 a tall bearded man, wearing a long yellow dressing gown and felt slippers, set off an explosion in his London bedroom.' (The man in question was, of course, William Booth!)

So begins chapter one of the latest book from the pen of John Larsson, which offers a fascinating insight into some of the most remarkable years in the history of The Salvation Army. Drawing on a series of 'Rear-Mirror Views' articles published in the UK Salvationist magazine, the book comprises 36 short chapters, each focusing on events or personalities crucial to the expansion of the Army in thirteen astonishing years of the late 19th century.

John Larsson writes in his usual free-flowing and engaging style as he tells the story of those years and introduces the key personalities through whom the Lord worked. Chapters include:

The Fiery Radical (George Scott Railton)

The Sensational Evangelist (Elijah Cadman)

The Trumpets Sound (brass bands)

'Please can I come to the meeting?' (John Roberts and the YP work)

'My God, who kissed me?' (Eva Booth)

A Life Shaped by Two Events (Samuel Logan Brengle)

End of an Era (the promotion to Glory of Catherine Booth)

Darkest England (a publishing sensation)