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Penguin Group
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In Pictures at a Revolution, Mark Harris turned the story of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967 into a landmark work of cultural history about the transformation of an art form and the larger social shift it signified. In Five Came Back, he gives us something even more remarkable: the untold story of how Hollywood changed World War II, and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the director’s lens. It is little remembered now, but in prewar America, Hollywood’s relationship with Washington was decidedly tense. Investigations into corruption and racketeering were multiplying, and hanging in the air was the insinuation that the business was too foreign, too Jewish, too “un-American” in its values and causes. Could an industry with such a powerful influence on America’s collective mindset really be left in the hands of this crew? When war came, the propaganda effort to win the hearts and minds of American soldiers and civilians was absolutely vital. Nothing else had the power of film to educate and inspire. But the government was not remotely equipped to harness it—so FDR and the military had little choice but to turn to Hollywood for help. In an unprecedented move, the whole business was farmed out to a handful of Hollywood’s most acclaimed film directors, accompanied by a creative freedom over film-making in combat zones that no one had ever had before or would ever have again. The effort was dominated by five directing legends: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. They were complicated, competitive men, gifted and flawed in equal measure, and they didn’t always get along, with each other or with their military supervisors. But between them they were on the scene of almost every major moment of America’s war and in every branch of service—army, navy, and air force, Atlantic and Pacific; from Midway to North Africa; from Normandy to the fall of Paris and the liberation of the Nazi death camps. In the end, though none of them emerged unscarred, they produced a body of work that was essential to how Americans perceived the war, and still do. The product of five years of original archival research, Five Came Back is an epic achievement, providing a revelatory new understanding of Hollywood’s role in the war through the life and work of five men who chose to go, and who came back. |
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«Tom Clancy's new Jack Ryan thriller, Command Authority, is available to pre-order now. A truly brilliant thriller by Tom Clancy, The Bear and the Dragon is a John Clark novel. Newly elected in his own right, Jack Ryan has found that being President has gotten no easier: domestic pitfalls await him at every turn; the Asian economy is going down the tubes; and now, in Moscow, someone may have tried to take out the chairman of the SVR — the former KGB — with a rocket-propelled grenade. Things are unstable enough in Russia without high-level assassination, but even more disturbing may be the identities of the potential assassins. Were they political enemies, the Russian Mafia, disaffected former KGB? Or, Ryan wonders, is something far more dangerous at work here? Ryan is right to wonder. For even while Russian investigators pursue the case, and some of his most trusted eyes and ears, including antiterrorism specialist John Clark, head to Moscow, forces in China are moving forward with a plan of truly audacious proportions. Tired of what they view as the presumption of the West, eager to fulfill their destiny, they are taking matters into their own hands. If they succeed, the world as we know it will never look the same. If they fail ...the consequences may be unspeakable. The Bear and the Dragon is Tom Clancy at his best — and there is none better. This is the third John Clark thriller, following Without Remorse and Rainbow Six. Praise for Tom Clancy: «A brilliantly constructed thriller». (Daily Mail). «Truly riveting, a dazzling read». (Sunday Express). Thirty years ago, Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. His first novel, The Hunt for Red October, catapulted on to the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it 'the perfect yarn'. Since then Clancy has established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013.» |
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This text contains a selection of Kipling's poetry. It gives less of the patriot and, in pieces such as 'The Gift of the Sea' and 'Bridge-Guard in the Karroo', more of the poet. Craig Raine's essay places new emphasis on the qualities of sound, rhythm and imagery and reassesses his gifts as a poet. |
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In Amsterdam, an Israeli terrorist analyst is murdered. The police believe the killer is a deranged Muslim extremist, but Israeli intelligence knows better. Art-restorer, assassin and spy Gabriel Allon is dispatched to investigate, uncovering a major terrorist operation in London. Gabriel arrives too late to prevent the kidnapping of the daughter of the US ambassador. With time running out, Allon has no choice but to plunge into a desperate search, both for the woman and for those responsible, but the truth, when he finds it, is more terrible than he could expect. It will endanger his life and shake him to the core. |
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What kind of pet would you like from the zoo? An elephant, a lion, a snake — or something a bit smaller, and cuddlier and playful? Lift the flaps and see what has been sent — it's bound to be a surprise! And just when you think they'll never get it right, they send the very best, most perfect pet of all... With a bestselling lift-the-flap book for more than twenty-five years, Dear Zoo is a perennial favourite and is regarded as a classic. |
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She had a perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day. On a June morning in 1923, Clarissa Dalloway, the glittering wife of a Member of Parliament, is preparing for a party she is giving that evening. As she walks through London, buying flowers, observing life, her thoughts are of the past and she remembers the time when she was as young as her own daughter Elizabeth, her romance with Peter Walsh, now recently returned from India; and the friends of her youth. Elsewhere in London Septimus Smith is being driven mad by shell shock. As the day draws to its end, his world and Clarissa's collide in unexpected ways. |
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For years the Garde have fought the Mogadorians in secret, but now the invasion has begun. If the Garde can't find a way to stop the Mogs, humanity will suffer the same fate as the Lorien: annihilation. When the Elders sent the Garde to Earth, they had a plan-one which the Garde are finally starting to understand. A group of the Garde travelled to an ancient pyramid in Mexico where they awoke a power that had been hidden for generations. Now this power can save the world or destroy it. It will all depend on who wields it. |
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Beware the novelist... intimate and indiscreet... pompous, prophetic airs... here is the fact of fiction... an American tale where, naturally, evil conquers good, and none live happily ever after, for the complicated pangs of the empty experiences of flesh-and-blood human figures are the reason why nothing can ever be enough. To read a book is to let a root sink down. List of the lost is the reality of what is true battling against what is permitted to be true. Morrissey Penguin Books is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of List of the Lost, Morrissey's extraordinary novel, on 24 September. |
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This Book is Winner Of The Desmond Elliott Prize 2015. Fuller handles the tension masterfully in this grown-up thriller of a fairytale, full of clues, questions and intrigue. (The Times). Extraordinary... From the opening sentence it is gripping. (Sunday Times). 1976: Peggy Hillcoat is eight. She spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of The Railway Children and listening to her mother's grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change. Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared. Her life is reduced to a piano which makes music but no sound, a forest where all that grows is a means of survival. And a tiny wooden hut that is everything. |
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Loved Bared to You by Sylvia Day and Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James? Then erotic romance The Dirty Girls Book Club by Savanna Fox is definitely the next thing to put on your reading list! Georgia Malone joined a book club to expand her literary horizons. But when they swap serious classics for steamy fiction, she discovers just how much fun reading can be... When Georgia is widowed at the age of 25, her world falls apart. Three years on, and she has thrown herself completely into her job, leaving no time for love. But this suits her just fine — she'd prefer to read about fictional romances than face the real thing. But when she discovers that her new client is gorgeous sportsman of the moment, Woody Hanrahan, Georgia finds that her long-buried libido is awakened. Woody is charming and cocky — the sort of man Georgia usually avoids. But while her head is telling her to stay away, her body wants something else. And as her book club explores the tantalizing extremes of fiction, Georgia is exploring the limits of pleasures and beyond. Woody is hers to command in a hundred deliciously wicked ways, but when it comes to writing her own happy ending, this girl doesn't just need his body — she wants his heart. A tale of lust, love and literature with a sexy twist, The Dirty Girls Book Club is unputdownable. Savanna Fox splits her time between her homes in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. She has degrees in law and psychology, and has had a variety of careers, including perennial student, computer consultant, and legal editor. Fiction writer is by far her favourite, giving her an outlet to demonstrate her belief in the power of love, friendship, and a sense of humour. Visit her website for excerpts, behind-the-scenes notes, discussion guides, recipes, articles, newsletter sign-up, contests, and give-aways. |
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Michael Moore returns to give you the low-down on the ins and outs of voting, answering all those pressing questions you've always wondered about, such as, Why should I vote? It only encourages them. Can my vote be bought (and what's the starting price)? The candidates seem to think I'm stupid. Should I just go along to keep them happy? It seems like just anyone can run for office. Is that a good idea? For anyone who thought voting was just a load of ballots, this is the book you need to read before marking your X. Enfranchisement has never been so exciting! |
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A poor physician's daughter cures the King of France, and in return is promised the hand of any nobleman she wishes. But the man she chooses, the proud young Count of Rosillion, refuses to consummate the forced marriage and flees to Florence. Depicting the triumph of trickery over youthful arrogance, All's Well that Ends Well is among Shakespeare's darkest romantic comedies, yet it remains a powerful tribute to the strength of love. |
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This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them. The large clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope. The subject of the book will greatly appeal to grown-ups. The eight books in the series feature original Ladybird artwork alongside brilliantly funny, brand new text. |
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This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them. The large clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope. The subject of the book will greatly appeal to grown-ups. The eight books in the series feature original Ladybird artwork alongside brilliantly funny, brand new text. |
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This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them. The large clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope. The subject of the book will greatly appeal to grown-ups. The eight books in the series feature original Ladybird artwork alongside brilliantly funny, brand new text. |
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This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them. The large clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope. The subject of the book will greatly appeal to grown-ups. The eight books in the series feature original Ladybird artwork alongside brilliantly funny, brand new text. |
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You talk as if a god had made the Machine, cried the other. I believe that you pray to it when you are unhappy. Men made it, do not forget that. E.M. Forster is best known for his exquisite novels, but these two affecting short stories brilliantly combine the fantastical with the allegorical. In The Machine Stops, humanity has isolated itself beneath the ground, enmeshed in automated comforts, and in The Celestial Omnibus a young boy takes a trip his parents believe impossible. This book contains The Machine Stops and A Celestial Omnibus. |
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The groundbreaking follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Great Stagnation The United States continues to mint more millionaires and billionaires than any country ever. Yet, since the great recession, three quarters of the jobs created here pay only marginally more than minimum wage. Why is there growth only at the top and the bottom? Renowned economist and bestselling author Tyler Cowen explains that high earners are taking ever more advantage of machine intelligence and achieving ever-better results. Meanwhile, nearly every business sector relies less and less on manual labor, and that means a steady, secure life somewhere in the middle-average — is over. In Average is Over, Cowen lays out how the new economy and identifies what workers and entrepreneurs young and old must do to thrive in this radically new economic landscape. |
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Regarded by many as the greatest of the Metaphysical poets, John Donne (1572-1631) was also among the most intriguing figures of the Elizabethan age. A sensualist who composed erotic and playful love poetry in his youth, he was raised a Catholic but later became one of the most admired Protestant preachers of his time. The Selected Poems reflects this wide diversity, and includes his youthful Songs and Sonnets, epigrams, elegies, letters, satires, and the profoundly moving Divine Poems composed towards the end of his life. From joyful poems such as The Flea, which transforms the image of a louse into something marvelous, to the intimate and intense Holy Sonnets, Donne breathed new vigor into poetry by drawing lucid and often startling metaphors from the world in which he lived. His poems remain among the most passionate, profound and spiritual in the English language. |
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