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Quercus/MacLehose Press
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Winston Churchill attracted far more criticism alive than he has since his death. He was, according to Evelyn Waugh, 'always in the wrong, surrounded by crooks, a terrible father, a radio personality'. Whatever one's view of 'the greatest Briton', and despite the best efforts of an army of writers who have penned portraits of him, Winston Churchill remains splendidly unreduced. In this new biography Ashley Jackson describes the contours of Winston Churchill's remarkable life and political career, and gives a sense of the man behind the dark eyes and bulldog features. From Cabinet outcast to the greatest war leader ever, this is the eternally fascinating story of Winston Churchill's appointment with destiny. |
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When their country is invaded and their families are taken, eight high school teenagers band together to fight. Seventeen-year-old Ellie and her friends have survived the invasion and hit back at the soldiers who still hold their family and friends captive. But two of their band are captured: Kevin is imprisoned and Corrie is alive, but in a coma. Homer and Ellie are determined to get them back and to continue their campaign against the enemy. They discover that there are other rebels out there, fighting the invaders — but who are they and can they be trusted? As the pressure grows, can Ellie work out her conflicted feelings for the brilliant, arrogant Homer and the strong, gentle Lee? As war rages, and the enemy closes in, Ellie and her friends must once again fight for their lives... but how many of their band will be left? A truly involving story about teenagers facing the incredible challenges of warfare, amid the intensity of first love. Would you sacrifice everything to save your country and your family? |
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Luciano Hernando Valdez is his Latin American nation's most celebrated novelist and he's suffering from writer's block. So far his latest great work comprises the words 'The scrawny yellow cat crossed the road'. He's tried all his usual tricks to get back on track — he's had a few debates with his trusty colleagues at the university, he's had an affair with the banker's wife, nothing will work. Until he meets Caterina. Beautiful, young and one of his biggest fans, she has idolized him since she was a child and he has inspired her to write. Convinced that falling in love with her, spending every minute he can alongside her, moulding her to his world, will unlock something and enable him to write, he pursues her and soon enough, he falls headlong into her arms. But it's only a matter of time before he murders her. |
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Ellie and her friends have achieved more than they ever thought possible as an unarmed bunch of amateur teenage fighters. But it's not enough. The war wages on, their families are in captivity and their country is on its knees. Hiding back in Hell, the friends face a big question: what to do next? The gang have another success when they manage to rescue Kevin. He returns to them equipped with a new knowledge of explosives. Suddenly the question of what to do next becomes clear — launch an attack on the major enemy target of Cobblers' Bay. Can Ellie, Homer, Fi, Robin, Lee and Kevin really stage a major military attack on the enemy? And in their attempt to pull it off, what will they have to sacrifice? They have already lost Corrie and Chris; who else will the group have to lose in their desperation to defend their country? The Third Day, The Frost, draws the reader deeper into the struggle of these ordinary teens attempting to survive in extraordinary times. A tense and moving read that will stay with you forever. |
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With an introduction by Tariq Ali. Now almost exclusively known as the author of the bestselling Trilogy, as a professional journalist Stieg Larsson was an untiring crusader for democracy and equality. As a reporter and editor-in-chief on the journal Expo he researched the extreme right both in Sweden and at an international level. Collected here for the first time are essays and articles on right-wing extremism and racism, on violence against women and women's rights, on homophobia and honour killings. Included also is an account written for Vagabond magazine of his travels aboard the Trans-Siberian Express from Moscow to Beijing. His most important writings — perceptive, learned and committed texts — illustrate the breadth of his journalistic and political activities in connection with matters that were closest to his heart, and to which he devoted his life. Despite death threats and financial difficulties, Larsson never ceased to fight for and write about his most firmly held principles; it was his commitment to these which gave his best-selling novels their explosive force. |
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The magnificent vault of stars emblazoning Earth's night skies are but an infinitesimal fraction of the hundreds of billions that inhabit our galaxy — and there are at least as many galaxies in the universe as there are stars in the Milky Way. Cosmos makes sense of this dizzying celestial panorama by exploring it one step at a time, illustrating the planets, moons, stars, nebulae, white dwarfs, black holes and other exotica that populate the heavens with some of science's most spectacular photographs. The book opens with an orbital survey of planet Earth, before venturing into the solar system heading for interstellar space and the heart of our galaxy. As the journey unfolds, the rhythms of stellar life emerge: we pass through dark clouds of dust and gas ablaze with newly smelted stars and we witness dying stars bloom and fade as planetary nebulae, or tear themselves apart as supernovae. Having crossed the Milky Way, we enter intergalactic space. Out here we watch the hidden lives of galaxies: we see them flock and cluster, forming massive conglomerations that span millions of light years, visibly warping space with their tremendous gravity. After covering an almost unimaginable 13.4 billion light years, we approach the edge of space and the dawn of time where our voyage must end, but not before we consider how the universe was born, and how it might die. |
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The Tudor period (1485 to 1603) marks in the minds of many the emergence of an English national identity. Defined by the totemic figure of the virgin queen — Elizabeth I — it witnessed the end of the dynastic uncertainties of the Wars of the Roses, the creation and triumph of the Anglican Church; the successful repulsion of foreign invaders and the beginnings of the adventure of empire; the blossoming of a sublimely gifted generation of musical composers, including Thomas Tallis and William Byrd; and the flowering of English poetry and drama, culminating in the glories of Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. But it was also a period wracked by rebellion, invasion scares, sectarian strife, and — increasingly — by worries about dynastic succession. The Tudor Chronicles is a compelling, year-by-year chronology of this tumultuous and critical period in the development of the modern English nation. Each year is covered by a concise, informative and accessible narrative, amplified by extensive quotations from contemporary sources and accompanied by generously captioned and stunning images of the period — including portraits, maps, illuminations, royal seals, tapestries and other artefacts. Authoritative, informative and sumptuous, and compiled by a scholar who is steeped in knowledge of the period, The Tudor Chronicles brings a glorious era of English history dramatically and vividly to life. It is the perfect gift book for anyone with a love of, or fascination for, 16th-century English history. |
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The Borgia family of Renaissance Italy has become a byword for pride, lust, cruelty, avarice, splendour and venomous intrigue. They have inspired abomination and fascination in almost equal measure, comparable to the Corleone clan depicted in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. Indeed, Puzo himself featured the Borgias in his last novel, The Family, and the Borgias have inspired many other works of fiction together with plays, films, and even an opera — Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia. Of Spanish origin, the Borgias came to prominence in the Italy of the 15th century, at a time when the spiritual values of the medieval Church were being swept aside by the worldly secularism of the Renaissance. They also became notorious for licentiousness, venality and indeed all forms of immorality, while at the same time their patronage of the arts helped to bring about some of the greatest artistic masterpieces of the Renaissance. Notorious Borgias include: Cesare Borgia (1476-1507) — the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI. Violent and passionate, he was greatly admired by Machiavelli. Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519) — the sister of Cesare, accused of incest and poisoning, and one of history's most famous femmes fatales. Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) (1431-1503) — father of Cesare and Lucrezia, he was notorious for his extravagance, nepotism and immorality. |
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Flight Lieutenant Silk, a twice-decorated Lancaster pilot in WW II, rejoins the R.A.F. and qualifies to fly the Vulcan bomber. Piloting a Vulcan is an unforgettable experience: no other aircraft comes close to matching its all-round performance. And as bombers go, it's drop-dead gorgeous. But there's a catch. The Vulcan has only one role: to make a second strike. To act in retaliation for a Russian nuclear attack. Silk knows that knows that if he ever flies his Vulcan in anger, he'll be flying from a smoking wasteland, a Britain obliterated. But in the mad world of Mutually Assured Destruction, the Vulcan is the last — the only — deterrent. Derek Robinson returns with another rip-roaring, gung-ho R.A.F. adventure, one that exposes and confronts the brinkmanship and sabre-rattling of the Cold War Era. |
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Our society has gone through a weird, unremarked transition: we've gone from regarding the Net as something exotic to something that we take for granted as a utilitarian necessity, like mains electricity or running water. In the process we've been remarkably incurious about its meaning, significance or cultural implications. Most people have no idea how the network works, nor any conception of its architecture; and few can explain why it has been — and continues to be — so uniquely disruptive in social, economic and cultural contexts. In other words, our society has become dependent on a utility that it doesn't really understand. John Naughton has distilled the noisy chatter surrounding the internet's relentless evolution into nine clear-sighted and accessible areas of understanding. In doing so he affords everyone the requisite knowledge to make better use of the technologies and networks around us, and see lucidly into their future implications. Along the way THE KNOWLEDGE covers areas as diverse as the science of complexity, the economics of abundance, the appeal of disruption and the problematic nature of intellectual property. THE KNOWLDEGE gives you all the basic, conceptual equipment you need to understand the Internet phenomenon. |
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Salander is plotting her revenge — against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. But it is not going to be a straightforward campaign. After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in Intensive Care, and is set to face trial for three murders and one attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must not only prove her innocence, but identify and denounce the corrupt politicians that have allowed the vulnerable to become victims of abuse and violence. Once a victim herself, Salander is now ready to fight back. |
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Uncovered here are the 100 groundbreaking discoveries that reveal why Earth is the one lucky blue planet in our Solar System that can support life and how this has come about in its myriad forms. The Material World: clay and quartz, feldspar and diamond, satellite image of deltaic muds, sandy desert, feldspar crystals, diamond, crystal, the water cycle, seawater, clouds, glacier ice, volcanic gas propelling pyroclastic flow. Earth's Engine: computer model of flow in the core and the magnetic field, major fault zone e.g. San Andreas or East African Rift; folded rocks in mountains e.g. one of the alpine 'nappes' or Zagros mountain folds and erupting volcano. Earth's Changing Face: Earth's oldest rocks (Greenland or Pilbara, Australia), stromatolites from Western Australia — early marine rocks, banded iron formation rocks (Australia), snowball Earth glacial deposits in Namibia, Carboniferous coal deposits with seat earths in which the plants grew. Living Earth: hydrothermal vent communities, hot-spring life forms, simple plants e.g. lichens and mosses and complex ones such as modern flowering plants, domesticated plants and animals. Past Life: 3.2 billion year old acritarch spores from South Africa, fossil red algae (Bangiomorpha) and first evidence for sexual reproduction, Cooksonia (first true land plant). Life Evolves: the Ediacaran explosion in late Precambrian times, the Cenozoic explosion of mammals, insects and flowering plants, the human family bursts upon the scene, trilobites slowly evolve, the end of the Palaeozoic world 251 million years ago, the end of the Mesozoic world 65 million years ago. Earth's Future: computer simulations of future plate positions, what the world will look like with changing sealevel, artists impressions of future evolutionary adaptations. |
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Ever wanted to see the world in a new way? Infographica collects intriguing data from across our planet — including how many people were killed by cows in 2011, the average lifespan of people living on each continent and the number of McDonalds restaurants in different countries — and presents it in stylish, memorable and original infographics. Quirky, irreverent and visually appealing, this book is a must for everyone wishing to keep informed, and be inspired, by innovative graphic design. |
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Science in 100 key breakthroughs presents a series of clear and concise essays that explain the fundamentals of some of the most exciting and important science concepts you really need to know. Paul Parsons profiles the important, ground-breaking, and front-of-mind scientific discoveries that have had a profound influence on our way of life and will grow in importance with our advancing understanding. In 100 sections, this book provides an overview of the history of Western science, from astronomy and physics to geology, biology and psychology and everything in between. Starting with the origins of counting more than 35,000 years ago, Science tells a rich and fascinating story of discovery, invention, gradual progress and inspired leaps of the imagination. Many key concepts and discoveries are defined and discussed including: The circumference of the Earth, Chaos theory, Algebra, Relativity, Newton's Principia, Brownian motion, Pi, Wave/particle duality, Germ theory, The computer, X-rays, The double helix, Viruses, The human genome. Readable, informative and thought-provoking, this is the ideal introduction to cutting-edge science and the essential overview for anyone who wants to learn more about these often daunting but increasingly essential subjects. |
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This stunning collection of cutting-edge images and concise essays surveys the key breakthroughs that have shaped our understanding of the universe around us — from the discovery of the solar system to Supermassive black holes and the remote depths of the cosmos. Beginning with the theories put forward for the origin of our universe — the Big Bang and its rivals — and ending with what the eventual fate of our cosmos might be, this overview of 100 landmark discoveries tells the story of how we have endeavoured to understand the place of our own planet in the wider universe. Among the key concepts and discoveries examined are: the origin and development of matter; the Milky Way; the Sun and our solar system; the quest for life on Mars; the mysteries of star death and extreme objects; supernovae and 'hypernovae'; Dark Energy and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Superbly illustrated with over 300 stunning photographs, computer-generated images and illustrations which clarify even the most complex theories, this is a thought-provoking account of the scientific revelations that have shed light on our place in the universe and — perhaps the biggest question of all — if life exists anywhere else in the cosmos. |
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'If only our country hadn't been invaded. If only we could have carried on the way we used to, watching other people's wars on television'. Book 5 of The Tomorrow Series. Ellie and her friends are more determined than ever to make an impact on the enemy. But the constant fighting is beginning to take its toll on the group. Kevin is suffering an emotional breakdown, and the friendship that has kept the gang together for so long is under strain. And while there is no time for love in a time of war, Ellie can't forget her feelings for Lee... A tale of relentless action and gripping intensity from one of the world's best storytellers. |
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Darkness is the friend and enemy of those who hunt by night. Ellie and her friends have found safety after months of fighting. But the New Zealand Defence Force needs their help to infiltrate occupied Australian territory. And so the friends must fight on. |
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Whether your idea of island heaven is relaxing on a warm, sandy beach, or a cool and invigorating mountain hike, this beautifully illustrated survey has it all. Part travel guide, part reference, Dream Islands combines spectacular photography with insightful narrative descriptions, providing the perfect way to discover some of the most beautiful and unique corners of the world. Looking at every continent on the planet — from the idyllic ancient settlements on the Greek island of Santorini to the lush natural world of the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific — Dream Islands is packed with pictures, travel tips and advice, making it ideal for anyone planning a trip abroad, or simply dreaming of desert-island life in the comfort of their own home. |
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The bitch. That's what the crew call me. The bitch. They say it behind my back. But I can hear them. My name's Helen, I was born in Sparta, but I went away for love. They used to say I was the most beautiful woman in the world. The minstrels are already making up stories about how little I've won and how much I've lost. Lying tales. They weren't there, after all. But I was. From her childhood in Sparta, through the turbulent years of her marriage, and of course her disappearance with Paris and its consequences, Helen of Troy tells her own story. In a lyrical and musical style, Helen sheds her legendary persona and walks from the page as a real woman of flesh and blood; the archetype of all the women who, throughout history, have followed their hearts, forsaking wealth and power. |
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Picture two people, young and in love. Picture them being separated from one another. Picture them keeping their love alive through letters. So far, so simple. Now imagine they've not just been separated geographically, but also historically. Imagine that their love and letters now defy time and place, life and death. By now you realize that this novel is unique. And, when you learn how it has made Russian literary-prize history, and has to-date been sold in twenty-two languages, you begin to sense just how unique... |
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