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Penguin Group
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Beautiful, aristocratic, an adored wife and young mother, Lady Windermere is 'a fascinating puritan' whose severe moral code leads her to the brink of social suicide. The only one who can save her is the mysterious Mrs Erlynne whose scandalous relationship with Lord Windermere has prompted her fatal impulse. And Mrs Erlynne has a secret — a secret Lady windermere must never know if she is to retain her peace of mind. |
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«World-renowned linguist and reference editor, David Crystal, brings us the third edition of «Penguin's Concise Encyclopedia». This abridgement condenses the core material in the third edition of the «Penguin Encyclopedia» which has already reached a world sales total of over 23,000 copies in hardback. David Crystal has a gift for clarity and concision which enables him to illuminate even the most intricate concepts. Here he offers over 22,000 alphabatised entries on the facts, events, issues, people, beliefs and achievements that make up the sum of human knowledge. Entries have been written by over 350 specialist contributors from universities, museums and other institutions of excellence around the world. «The Concise Encyclopedia» is part of the Penguin Reference Library and draws on over 70 years of experience in bringing reliable, useful and clear information to millions of readers around the world.» |
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«Long-time word-detective and bestselling author of «Port Out», «Starboard Home», Michael Quinion brings us the answers to nearly two hundred of the most intriguing questions he's been asked about language over the years. Sent to him by enquiring readers from all around the globe, Michael's answers about the meanings and histories behind the quirky phrases, slang and language that we all use are set to delight, amuse and enlighten even the most hardened word-obsessive. Did you know that 'Blighty' comes from an ancient Arabic word? Or that Liberace cried his way to the bank so many times people think he came up with the phrase? That 'cloud nine' started out as 'cloud seven' in the speakeasies of '30s America? And that the first person to have their thunder stolen was a dismal playwright from Drury Lane? Michael Quinion's «Why is Q Always Followed By U?» is full of surprising discoveries, entertaining quotations and memorable information. There are plenty of colourful stories out there, but Michael Quinion will help you discover the truth that lies behind the cock-and-bull stories and make sure you're always linguistically on the ball.» |
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«'What we all need', said Larry, 'is sunshine... a country where we can grow'. 'Yes, dear, that would be nice', agreed Mother, not really listening. 'I had a letter from George this morning — he says Corfu's wonderful. Why don't we pack up and go to Greece?'. 'Very well, dear, if you like', said Mother unguardedly. Escaping the ills of the British climate, the Durrell family — acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with their long suffering mother and Roger the dog — take off for the island of Corfu. But the Durrells find that, reluctantly, they must share their various villas with a menagerie of local fauna — among them scorpions, geckos, toads, bats and butterflies. Recounted with immense humour and charm, «My Family and Other Animals» is a wonderful account of a rare, magical childhood.» |
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George Mikes says, 'the English have no soul; they have the understatement instead'. But they do have a sense of humour — they provide it by buying over three hundred thousand copies of a book that took them quietly and completely apart, a book that really took the Mikes out of them. |
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«How did George Eliot's love life affect her prose? Why did Kafka write at three in the morning? In what ways is Barack Obama like Eliza Doolittle? Can you be over-dressed for the Oscars? What is Italian Feminism? If Roland Barthes killed the Author, can Nabokov revive him? What does 'soulful' mean? Is Date Movie the worst film ever made? A collection of essays that brims over with personality and warmth, «Changing My Mind» is journalism at its most expansive, intelligent and funny — a gift to readers and writers both. Within its covers an essay is more than a column of opinions: it's a space in which to think freely.» |
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This is the number one, bestselling title in this new spin-off series from Percy Jackson creator, Rick Riordan. Old enemies awaken as camp half-blood's new arrivals prepare for war. When Jason, Piper and Leo crash land at Camp Half-Blood, they have no idea what to expect. Apparently this is the only safe place for children of the Greek Gods — despite the monsters roaming the woods and demigods practising archery with flaming arrows and explosives. But rumours of a terrible curse — and a missing hero — are flying around camp. It seems Jason, Piper and Leo are the chosen ones to embark on a terrifying new quest, which they must complete by the winter solstice in just four days time. Can the trio succeed on this deadly mission — and what must they sacrifice in order to survive? |
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An English couple, Perry and Gail, are taking an off-peak holiday on the Caribbean island of Antigua. By seeming chance they bump into a Russian millionaire called Dima who owns a peninsula and a diamond-encrusted gold watch. He also has a tattoo on his right thumb, and wants a game of tennis. What else he wants propels the young lovers on a tortuous journey through Paris to a safe house in the Swiss Alps, to the murkiest cloisters of the City of London and its unholy alliance with Britains Intelligence Establishment. |
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Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver... There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and, white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell... |
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«During the winter of 1972, a woman spends a single night with a young Chilean poet before he departs New York, leaving her his desk. It is the only time they ever meet. Two years later, he is arrested by Pinochet's secret police and never seen again. Across the ocean, in the leafy suburbs of London, a man caring for his dying wife discovers a lock of hair among her papers that unravels a terrible secret. In Jerusalem, an antiques dealer has spent a lifetime reassembling his father's study, plundered by the Nazis from Budapest in 1944; now only one item remains to be found. Connecting these lives is a desk of many drawers that exerts a power over those who possess it or give it away. And as the narrators of «Great House» make their confessions, this desk comes finally to stand for all that has been taken from them, and all that binds them to what has disappeared. «Great House» is a story haunted by questions: What do we pass on to our children and how do they absorb our dreams and losses? How do we respond to disappearance, destruction, and change? Nicole Krauss has written a soaring, powerful novel about memory struggling to create a meaningful permanence in the face of inevitable loss.» |
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This is the latest Kay Scarpetta novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell. In this fast-paced story, we travel back to the beginning of Scarpettas professional career when she enlisted in the Air Force to pay off her medical school debt. Now, more than twenty years later, her secret military ties have brought her back to Dover Air Force Base, and she is confronted with a case that could ruin her both professionally and personally. |
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The dog from Goodnight Dog is back, and he keeps drawing shapes in the wrong places, like triangle wheels on a truck. Will he ever get it right? |
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Halley and Scarlett have been best friends ever since they met. Halley has always been the quiet one, Scarlett braver and more outgoing. Halley has always turned to Scarlett when things get rough, and Scarlett has always known just what to do. It's the perfect setup. But everything changes at the beginning of their junior year. Scarlett's boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident; then Scarlett finds out that she is carrying his baby. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Now Halley has to learn how to be strong for Scarlett. It won't be easy, but Halley knows that she can't let Scarlett down. Because a true friend is a promise you keep forever. |
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Live like you work in fashion. A must-read for anybody interested in fashion. From aspiring designers, stylists, editors, and photographers to fashion obsessives who want behind the — scenes secrets about industry stars and tips on how to live a creative life. |
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When an eccentric millionaire dies mysteriously, sixteen very unlikely people are gathered together for the reading of the will... and what a will it is! |
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