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Daedalus Books
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The cat's pajamas, the bee's knees, and the whole nine yards rolled into one, this true feast for wordlovers delightfully skewers commonly accepted word origin myths and etymological folk tales. The real story of a world or phrase's origin and evolution is often much stranger — and much more humorous — than the commonly accepted one; the many entries will certainly leave you happy as a clam. Happy as a clam? Really — what's so happy about being a clam? The saying makes much more sense when it's paired with its missing second half: at high water. Now a clam at high water is a safe clam, and thus a happy clam. The confusion surrounding the word kangaroo caused so much trouble that the Aborigines thought this English word meant any edible animal; they asked whether the cattle being unloaded from ships were kangaroos. From the bawdy to the sublime, Quinion's explanations and delightful asides truly prove that the proof is in the pudding. |
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ONE MOMENT IN TIME CAN HAUNT YOU FOREVER. Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don't forget... Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William's life, his fortunes begin to turn — and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business. And Bellman & Black is born. |
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Discover this fantastic bumper book containing all things Bob! Read a Bob ballad, a brand new mini Lunar Adventure or find out fascinating facts about Bob's friends, enemies, rocket and his special perspective on our Solar system. It's also bursting with pictures to colour in, sticker scenes to make up and variety of puzzles to solve, and if that isn't enough, why not try out Bob's recipe for his cherry buns, famous across the galaxy! This bumper book is a must for fans of the Blue Peter Award-winning series and will draw in those who have yet to meet The Man on the Moon. |
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NOW A MAJOR motion picture starring Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Saoirse Ronan, and Harry Treadaway! This tie-in edition of The City of Ember features a movie-art cover and an 8-page photo insert. Jeanne DuPrau's instant classic tells the story of the great, underground city of Ember, designed as a last refuge for the human race. But when the storerooms run out of food and the lights begin to fail, it's up to two teens, Lina and Doon, to decipher the fragments of an ancient parchment and find a way out of Ember. |
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Cloud atlas is a cleverly written book consisting of six seperate, but connecting stories set across six different periods in time. Each story has been chopped in two and symmetrically placed in the book so you don’t discover the conclusion to the first tale until the very end of the book.This layout effectively creates a storytelling ripple where the sixth and final story is told, as a whole, at the books central core, before the reader then moves back out in the direction they came to discover each of the other characters destiny’s. |
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In the fabulous new installment in the best-selling adventures of Isabel Dalhousie, Isabel is asked to help a doctor who has been disgraced by allegations of scientific fraud concerning a newly marketed drug. Our ever-curious moral philosopher finds her interest piqued. Would a doctor with a stellar reputation make such a simple but grave mistake? If not, what explains the tragic accident that resulted in the death of a patient? Clearly, an investigation is in order, especially since a man's reputation is in jeopardy. Could he be the victim of someone else's mistake? Or perhaps he has been willfully deceived by a pharmaceutical company with a great deal to gain. Not every problem prompts an investigation (take, for example, her ongoing struggle with her housekeeper, Grace, over the care of Isabel's infant son, Charlie), but, as we've seen, whatever the case, whatever the solution, Isabel's combination of spirit, smarts, empathy, and unabashed nosiness guarantees a delightful adventure. |
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George is so excited when he receives a thank-you card in the mail from his friend Betsy. Now he wants to send thank-you cards too! Who can he thank? George tries to remember all the people who have been nice to him. But tracking them down to deliver his homemade cards soon becomes an adventure! Follow along with George as he learns the importance of saying thank you and having good manners. Includes two perforated Curious George thank-you cards for personalizing! For more monkey fun, investigate www.curiousgeorge.com and discover all the latest on Curious George, books, promotions, games, activities, and more! |
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When it is time to share favorite retellings of classic folk and fairy tales, this volume is the only one your family will need! The Folk Tale Classics Treasury is a collection of six of the very best books by the award-winning storyteller and illustrator, Paul Galdone. This jacketed, hardcover book features foil cover accents, a ribbon bookmark, and full-color illustrations on large, lush spreads. Enjoy a bonus audiobook download of all six stories for repeated listening at home and on the go. Includes: — The Little Red Hen; — The Three Little Pigs; — The Three Bears; — The Gingerbread Boy; — The Three Little Kittens; — The Three Billy Goats Gruff; |
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Gideon likes to splash with the ducklings, hop with the frogs, play chase-the-piglets and scamper all over the farmyard. But one thing busy Gideon does not want to do is take his nap, no matter how many times his mother asks... until he gets tired, of course. Another darling gosling makes his debut in this spunky story, with Olivier Dunrea's perfectly pitched storytelling and illustrations that Gossie&Friends fans have come to cherish. |
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Africa belongs to the Africans; the sooner they take it back the better. But — a country also belongs to those who feel at home in it. Perhaps it may be that love of Africa the country will be strong enough to link people who hate each other now. Perhaps... Going Home is Doris Lessing's account of her first journey back to Africa, the land in which she grew up and in which so much of her emotion and her concern are still invested. Returning to Southern Rhodesia in 1956, she found that her love of Africa had remained as strong as her hatred of the idea of white supremacy espoused by its ruling class. Going Home evokes brilliantly the experience of thepeople, black and white, who have shaped and will shape a beloved country. |
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While they're busy learning, exploring, and asking questions, kids are also busy growing. And while they're growing, it's so much fun for them to keep track of their progress! This board book unfolds to a delightfully illustrated animal-themed growth chart that comes ready to hang and makes a bright and beautiful addition to any child's room. Keep track of the changes through the years, and when your little one is all grown up, it becomes a keepsake you'll cherish for years to come. This book is printed with your child's future in mind, using soy inks and FSC-certified paper. |
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«A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love — tormented, funny, and affecting — and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of In One Person, tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a «sexual suspect,» a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 in his landmark novel of «terminal cases,» The World According to Garp. His most political novel since The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving's In One Person is a poignant tribute to Billy's friends and lovers — a theatrical cast of characters who defy category and convention. Not least, In One Person is an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the solitariness of a bisexual man who is dedicated to making himself «worthwhile.» |
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«London Under» is a wonderful, atmospheric, imagina-tive, oozing short study of everything that goes on under London, from original springs and streams and Roman amphitheaters to Victorian sewers, gang hideouts, and modern tube stations. The depths below are hot, warmer than the surface, and this book tunnels down through the geological layers, meeting the creatures, real and fictional, that dwell in darkness — rats and eels, mon-sters and ghosts. When the Underground's Metropolitan Line was opened in 1864, the guards asked for permission to grow beards to protect themselves against the sulfurous fumes, and named their engines after tyrants — Czar, Kaiser, Mogul — and even Pluto, god of the underworld. To go under London is to penetrate history, to enter a hid-den world. As Ackroyd puts it, «The vastness of the space, a second earth, elicits sensations of wonder and of terror. It partakes of myth and dream in equal measure.» |
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New York Times bestselling author and noted British historian Alison Weir gives us the first full-scale, in-depth biography of Mary Boleyn, sister to Queen Anne as well as mistress to Anne's husband, Henry VIII — and one of the most misunderstood figures of the Tudor age. Making use of extensive original research, Weir shares revelations on the ambitious Boleyn family and the likely nature of the relationship between the Boleyn sisters. Unraveling the truth about Mary's much-vaunted notoriety at the French court and her relations with King Francois I, Weir also explores Mary's role at the English court and how she became Henry VIII's lover. She tracks the probable course of their affair and investigates the truth behind Mary's notorious reputation. With new and compelling evidence, Weir presents the most conclusive answer to date on the paternity of Mary's children, long speculated to have been Henry VIII's progeny. Alison Weir pieces together a life steeped in mystery and misfortune, debunking centuries-old myths to give us the truth about Mary Boleyn, the so-called great and infamous whore. Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more. |
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A new novel from Zadie Smith, set in Northwest London Somewhere in Northwest London stands Caldwell housing estate, relic of 70s urban planning. Five identical blocks, deliberately named: Hobbes, Smith, Bentham, Locke, and Russell. If you grew up here, the plan was to get out and get on, to something bigger, better. Thirty years later ex-Caldwell kids Leah, Natalie, Felix, and Nathan have all made it out, with varying degrees of succes — whatever that means. Living only streets apart, they occupy separate worlds and navigate an atomized city where few wish to be their neighbor's keeper. Then one April afternoon a stranger comes to Leah's door seeking help, disturbing the peace, and forcing Leah out of her isolation... From private houses to public parks, at work and at play, in this delicate, devastating novel of encounters, the main streets hide the back alleys, and taking the high road can sometimes lead to a dead end. Zadie Smith's NW brilliantly depicts the modern urban zone — familiar to city dwellers everywhere — in a tragicomic novel as mercurial as the city itself. |
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An unconventional woman trapped in a conventional marriage, Martha Quest struggles to maintain her dignity and her sanity through the misunderstandings, frustrations, infidelities, and degrading violence of a failing marriage. Finally, she must make the heartbreaking choice of whether to sacrifice her child as she turns her back on marriage and security. A Proper Marriage is the second novel in Doris Lessing's classic Children of Violence series of novels, each a masterpiece on its own right, and, taken together, an incisive and all-encompassing vision of our world in the twentieth century. |
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Join Jeanne Willis in the funniest talent show ever. In a fabulous rhyming text, meet bears with baggy bottoms, pigs with perky pinky ones and peacocks who love to put theirs on display. Perfect for reading aloud and guaranteed to cause fits of giggles, one thing's for sure — whoever is the winner, bottoms are top! This title is from the dynamic duo behind Bottoms Up! |
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From the author of the best-selling One Minute to Midnight, a riveting account of the final six months of World War II, during which the promise of Yalta gave way to the open conflict that led inexorably to the Cold War. When Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in Yalta in February 1945, Hitler's armies were on the run, and victory was imminent. The task of the three leaders was to forge the decisions that would shape the postwar world — and to divide Europe between Soviet and Western influence. They had fought side by side for nearly four years but their alliance was beginning to fracture, and though the Berlin airlift and the Iron Curtain were three years in the future, by August 1945 it was clear that cold war was inevitable. Six Months in 1945 captures this turning point of the twentieth century, tracing the steady breakdown in relations between the three powers, brilliantly describing the personalities and geopolitics that fueled this descent, and illuminating the aims and frustrations of all three key leaders. It is a vividly rendered story of individual and national interests in fierce competition at a seminal moment in history. |
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A boy and his favorite stuffed animals share their days with one another in this cozy bedtime picture book from Mem Fox. There was once a boy who loved bedtime. What could be more wonderful than sharing bedtime with beloved friends? The little boy in this gentle and fun story loves to talk to his stuffed animals each evening and share with them all the things that happened to him that day — and to hear about their days, too. From bestselling author Mem Fox and award-winning illustrator Lauren Stinger, here is a celebration of imagination, play, friendship, and coziness certain to touch a chord with young children everywhere. |
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The interactive cats are back, but not for long! They're eager to go off to see the world. So will someone please help them get out of the book? Our lovable feline friends Tiny, Moonpie, and Andre have returned, and this time they're filled with the spirit of adventure: they want to go off to explore the world! They have their suitcases packed and are ready to set out, but can't get out of the book. They try pushing their way out and jumping their way out, but nothing seems to work. Finally, they get a brilliant idea: they decide to wish themselves out! But they're going to need help. Will it work? Are you missing them yet? |
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