History comes alive in these pages as Peter Stephaich traces his origins from 1608 when King Rudolph II of Hungary conferred noble status on his family. He describes in fascinating detail his upbringing in a world which has long since ceased to exist. As a member of the elite Hussar Cavalry, Stephaich fought bravely on horseback against mechanized armies in World War II. At the start of his career in Hungary's elite diplomatic corps, the brutal Nazi occupation of his country left him destitute and in exile. He reinvented himself in the US as an announcer with Radio Free Europe, in Egypt as a shipping operator and in Paris as a stock broker where he also became the recognized expert on traditional hunting across Europe. Yet as Alexandre de Takacsy writes in his epilogue, Peter always had the deepest reverence for nature and wildlife. His was a life well lived in truly turbulent times.