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Penguin Group
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Lentils, free love and radical politics... the wonderfully funny fourth novel from Britain's bestselling comic novelist, about family life gone differently than anticipated by Doro and Marcus and their now grown up kids. |
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«When Fathers and Sons was first published in Russia, in 1862, it was met with a blaze of controversy about where Turgenev stood in relation to his account of generational misunderstanding. Was he criticizing the worldview of the conservative aesthete, Pavel Kirsanov, and the older generation, or that of the radical, cerebral medical student, Evgenii Bazarov, representing the younger one? The critic Dmitrii Pisarev wrote at the time that the novel «stirs the mind . . . because everything is permeated with the most complete and most touching sincerity.» N. N. Strakhov, a close friend of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, praised its «profound vitality.» It is this profound vitality in Turgenev's characters that carry his novel of ideas to its rightful place as a work of art and as one of the classics of Russian Literature.» |
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«This isn't just any cookery book. It is «Mastering the Art of French Cooking», first published in 1961, and it's a book that is a statement, not of culinary intent, but of aspiration, a commitment to a certain sort of good life, a certain sort of world-view; a votive object implying taste and appetite and a little je ne sais quoi. Julia Child was like Amelia Earhart, or Eleanor Roosevelt: she was a hero who'd gone out there and made a difference. Her books are a triumph, and also a trophy.» (AA Gill, «The Times»). 'Mastering any art is a continuing process ...' In this book Julia Child and Simone Beck help cooks everywhere master the full repertoire of classic French dishes. Their recipes range across soups from the garden and bisques from the sea, famour fish stews from Provence and Normandy, to suckling pig and charcuterie, baguettes and croissants, and through a huge variety of desserts to petit-fours, all accompanied by clear step-by-step instructions and 458 illustrations.» |
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The Autobiographies of Charles Darwin (1809-82) provide a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of the world's intellectual giants. They begin with engaging memories of his childhood and youth and of his burgeoning scientific curiosity and love of the natural world, which led to him joining the expedition on the Beagle. Darwin follows this with survey of his career and ends with a reckoning of his life's work. Interspersed with these recollections are fascinating portraits — from his devoted wife Emma and his talented father, both bullying and kind, to the leading figures of the Victorian scientific world he counted among his friends, including Lyell and Huxley. Honest and illuminating, these memoirs reveal a man who was isolated by his controversial beliefs and whose towering achievements were attained by a life-long passion for the discoveries of science. |
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This is an action-packed original fiction for younger Doctor Who fans, starring the Eleventh Doctor with his companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams. These double-fronted books each contain two fast-paced, fun-filled adventures. Heart of Stone/Death Riders: A monster made from moon rock is attacking an Earth farm in Heart of Stone. Everything it touches turns to stone — even people. Can the Doctor, Amy and Rory find out what the creature wants before it's too late? In Death Riders, the Galactic Fair has arrived on the mining planet of Stanalan and the Death Ride roller coaster is really drawing in the crowds. But there's something sinister going on behind all the fun of the fair. Join the Doctor, Amy and Rory as they investigate... |
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Why are English train seats so narrow? It's all the Romans' fault. The first Victorian trains were built to the same width as horse-drawn wagons; and they were designed to fit the ruts left in the roads by Roman chariots. This intriguing and witty book explains how our national characteristics — our sense of humour, our hobbies, our favourite foods and our behaviour with the opposite sex — are all defined by our nation's extraordinary geography, geology, climate and weather. You will learn how we would be as freezing cold as Siberia without the Gulf Stream; why we drive on the left-hand side of the road; why the Midlands became the home of the British curry. It identifies the materials that make England, too: the faint pink Aberdeen granite of kerbstones; that precise English mix of air temperature, smell and light that hits you the moment you touch down at Heathrow. |
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Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end, because once you get there, you can move mountains. To Steve Jobs, Simplicity wasn't just a design principle. It was a religion and a weapon. The obsession with Simplicity is what separates Apple from other technology companies. It's what helped Apple recover from near death in 1997 to become the most valuable company on Earth in 2011, and guides the way Apple is organized, how it designs products, and how it connects with customers. It's by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory. As creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple's resurrection, helping to create such critical campaigns as 'Think Different' and naming the iMac. Insanely Simple is his insider's view of Jobs' world. It reveals the ten elements of Simplicity that have driven Apple's success — which you can use to propel your own organisation. Reading Insanely Simple, you'll be a fly on the wall inside a conference room with Steve Jobs, and on the receiving end of his midnight phone calls. You'll understand how his obsession with Simplicity helped Apple perform better and faster. |
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Reading Brodsky's essays is like a conversation with an immensely erudite, hugely entertaining and witty (and often very funny) interlocutor. This collection of forty-eight short pieces on Venice showcase Joseph Brodsky at his very best: witty, intelligent, moving and elegant. Looking at every aspect of Venice, from its waterways, streets and architecture to its food, politics and people, Brodsky captures the magnificence and beauty of the city, and recalls his own memories of the place he called home for many winters, as he remembers friends, lovers and enemies he has encountered. Watermark is an unforgettable piece of writing, and a wonderful portrait of a remarkable, unique city. This title is winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. |
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«Jane Green's «The Accidental Husband» is a powerful story about two women connected by an earth-shattering secret. Maggie and Sylvie are perfect strangers: two very different women, living very different lives on opposite coasts. But they share more in common than they could ever imagine. Both women have beautiful children on the verge of flying the nest, the home they worked hard to build and always longed for, and a handsome and devoted husband they can't believe belongs to them. Both women think their lives are seamlessly secure, but they couldn't be more wrong...For each is about to discover a secret that will shake their world to the very core, throwing into doubt everything they ever thought they knew, and bringing Maggie and Sylvie together in the most unexpected way. Praise for Jane Green: «A heartbreaking tale of love and family, truly compelling». («Closer»). «Compulsively readable. I raced through it». («Daily Mail»). «Green is women's fiction royalty ...a compelling family drama». («Glamour»). Jane Green's internationally best-selling novels, including «The Other Woman», «Jemima J.» , «Babyville», «Girl Friday» (published as Dune Road in the USA), «Life Swap» («Swapping Lives»), «Spellbound» («To Have and to Hold»), «The Beach House», «Second Chance», «Straight Talking», «Mr. Maybe», «Bookends», «The Love Verb» and «The Patchwork Marriage» («Another Piece of My Heart») are incredibly moving and extremely relatable. «The Accidental Husband» is Jane's fourteenth novel. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their blended family of six children.» |
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From Oliver Bullough, the acclaimed author of the Orwell Prize-shortlisted, Let Our Fame Be Great, a study — part travelogue, part political analysis — of a nation in crisis. In the 1960s, two things happened in Russia. Not the overthrow of Nikita Khrushchev, though that may have been part of it, nor the invasion of Czechoslovakia, though that may have been part of it too. What happened is that around that time, women started to have fewer children than the country needed to sustain its population, and life expectancy began to fall. The two statistics taken together added up to what has become known as the demographic crisis , which accelerated in the chaos that followed 1991, and has not yet been reversed. Tracing the lives of the generation that grew to maturity in the 1960s, and the struggles of one in particular who tried to create a better future, Oliver Bullough shows in The Last Man in Russia how this population collapse is a psychological catastrophe, a protest against rulers who offer their people such limited dreams. And as protests finally begin, fifty years after the nation began to die, he traces the flickers of hope that have survived and are beginning to burn. Oliver Bullough studied modern history at Oxford University and moved to Russia after graduating in 1999. He lived in St Petersburg, Bishkek and Moscow over the next seven years, travelling widely as a reporter for Reuters news agency. He is now the Caucasus Editor for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting. His first book, Let Our Fame Be Great, Journeys Among the Defiant People of the Caucasus, received the Cornelius Ryan award in the United States and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in Britain. Oliver Bullough received the Oxfam Emerging Writer award in 2011. |
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Utterly compelling, moving and very funny, The Mystery of Mercy Close is unlike and novel your have ever read and Helen Walsh is the perfect heroine for our times. |
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Expresses an infectious sense of wonder at the uniqueness of our species; it is hard not to be affected by his enthusiasm. What explains the staggering diversity of cultures in the world? Why are there so many languages, even within small areas? Why do we rejoice in rituals and wrap ourselves in flags? In Wired for Culture Mark Pagel, the world's leading expert on human development, reveals how our facility for culture is the key to what makes us who we are. Shedding light on everything from art, morality and affection to jealousy, self-interest and prejudice, Pagel shows that we developed culture — cooperating together and passing on knowledge — in order to survive. Our minds are hardwired for culture, and it still determines how we speak, who we love, why we kill and what we think today. Human evolution may be the hottest area in popular science writing. Within this field, Wired for Culture stands out for both its sweeping erudition and its accessibility... richly rewarding . Impressive for its detail, accuracy and vivacity. Pioneering, vivid... the best popular science book on culture so far. |
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It is a collection of 100 postcards, each featuring a striking Vogue cover. From early aspirational illustrations to modern celebrity photography, this is a stunning selection of Vogue's most dazzling images. Since its launch in 1892, Vogue has brought sophistication to its readers around the world. Early illustrations from artists including George Wolfe Plank, Olive Tilton, Pierre Brissaud, and Eduardo Garcia Benito saw ethereal figures of fantasy develop into red-lipped flappers, and as colour photographs began to appear, the women transformed again: from Surrealist images by Horst P. Horst to women in the life of the moment, captured by Irving Penn. From the fifties onwards, Vogue women became more accessible still, as models and stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Goldie Hawn, Cindy Crawford, and Cher, with their own distinct personalities, appeared through the lenses of Richard Avedon and Snowdon. Vogue covers now are the epitome of style and beauty, with such illustrious photographers as Mario Testino, Annie Leibovitz, Steven Klein, and Patrick Demarchelier photographing stars like Lady Gaga, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Moss, celebrating female icons across modern culture. |
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In the early hours of the morning, following a wedding reception, a car filled with stoned, drunk and sleepy guests accidentally hits and kills a girl on a dark country road. This title explores the after effects of one night's terrible trauma on three siblings over years. |
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Is a death in the family the chance for a new start? When Myrtle's husband, Austin, dies on the bus one morning, everything seems to freeze. But in reality Myrtle has been frozen for nearly forty years, locked into an emotionless marriage. So if the barriers have been lifted, why does she still feel trapped? Her daughters are a mystery to her — one prickly and defensive, the other with a closely guarded secret. And thanks to Austin's cold presence, friends are a rarity. How is a widow supposed to find herself when she's alone and unconfident of her place in the world? But hope might rest with Gianni, the kind stranger in whose arms Austin died. And when nosy neighbour Dorothy discovers Myrtle's sad news, she also refuses to let her wallow. But Myrtle will never move on until she's dealt with her past and the reason for her devotion to Austin. The truth must out, even though the consequences might prove devastating for Myrtle and her daughters... |
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The sweet scents of rural life infuse this collection of Roald Dahl's country stories, but there is always something unexpected lurking in the undergrowth... Whether it is taking a troublesome cow to be mated with a prime bull; dealing with a rat-infested hayrick; learning the ways and means of maggot farming; or describing the fine art of poaching pheasants using nothing but raisins and sleeping pills, Roald Dahl brings his stories of everyday country folk and their strange passions wonderfully to life. Lacing each tale with dollops of humour and adding a sprinkling of the sinister, Dahl ensures that this collection is brimful of the sweet mysteries of life. |
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The Ugly Truth book & CD is a gorgeous gift edition of the bestselling fifth title in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. Perfect for holidays and long car journeys! Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it's cracked up to be? Suddenly Greg is dealing with the increased pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older. And after a big fight with his best friend Rowley, it looks like Greg is going to have to face the ugly truth all by himself. Praise for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The world has gone crazy for Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. (Sun ). Kinney is right up there with JK Rowling as one of the bestselling children's authors on the planet. (Independent). Hilarious. (Telegraph). The Diary of A Wimpy Kid series is an international bestseller, having sold over 50 million copies worldwide, and has now been made into three blockbuster films. The original Diary of a Wimpy Kid book has recently won the Blue Peter Award for the Best Children's Book of the Last 10 Years. As well as being a bestselling author, Jeff is also an online developer and designer. He lives with his family in Massachusetts, USA. |
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September 1939. England is at war with Nazi Germany. In Southampton, the world’s most luxurious airliner — the legendary Pan Am clipper — takes off for its final flight to neutral America. Aboard are the cream of society and the dregs of humanity, all fleeing the war for reasons of their own… shadowed by a danger they do not know exists… and heading straight into a storm of violence, intrigue, and betrayal... |
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Ruby wants to teach Max all the things a wise big sister knows, such as the alphabet, numbers, and colors. But first she has to teach him to pay attention. |
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Diana Bishop, a young historian (and a witch), discovers an enchanted manuscript at the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The text, known as Ashmole 782, turns out to be a coveted treasure lost for centuries, and she is the first and only creature who has met the terms of its spell. Her discovery sets the supernatural world spinning, and she soon finds an ally in Matthew Clairmont, a 1,500 year old vampire. |
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