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books tagged “great britain”
books tagged “great britain”
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All Shall Be Wellby Deborah CrombieISBN 0060534397 (0-06-053439-7)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'All Shall Be Well'Book summary:Perhaps it is a blessing when Jasmine Dent dies in her sleep. At long last an end has come to the suffering of a body horribly ravaged by disease. It may well have been suicide; she had certainly expressed her willingness to speed the inevitable. But small inconsistencies lead her neighbor, Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of Scotland Yard, to a startling conclusion: Jasmine Dent was murdered. But if not for mercy, why would someone destroy a life already so fragile and doomed? As Kincaid and his capable and appealing assistant Sergeant Gemma James sift through the dead woman's strange history, a troubling puzzle begins to take shape -- a bizarre amalgam of good and evil, of charity and crime . . . and of the blinding passions that can drive the human animal to perform cruel and inhuman acts.
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All Things Bright And Beautifulby James HerriotISBN 0029766605 (0-02-976660-5)
Hardcover, Collier-Macmillan
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› Find signed collectible books: 'All Things Bright And Beautiful'Book summary:FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Second volume in James Herriot's classic autobiographical renditions of life as a country veterinarian. [via]
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The Atlantic Campaign: World War Ii's Great Struggle at Seaby Dan Van Der VatISBN 0060159677 (0-06-015967-7)
Hardcover, Harper & Row
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Beowulfby Fredrick R. RebsamenISBN 0060573783 (0-06-057378-3)
Softcover, Perennial
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Beowulf'Book summary:A verse translation of the first great narrative poem in the English language that captures the feeling and tone of the original.
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Biting the Bullet: Living With the Sasby Jenny SimpsonISBN 0006388264 (0-00-638826-4)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
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Blind to the Bonesby Stephen BoothISBN 0007130651 (0-00-713065-1)
Hardcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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The Body of a Girlby Michael GilbertISBN 0060115238 (0-06-011523-8)
Hardcover, Harper & Row
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Britain Ad : A Quest for Authur, England and the Anglo-Saxonby Francis PryorISBN 0007181876 (0-00-718187-6)
Softcover, Harpercollins Pub Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Britain A.D.: A Quest for Arthur, England And the Anglo-Saxons'Book summary:In this book, which accompanies and expands on his Channel 4 television series, leading archaeologist Francis Pryor retells the story of King Arthur, legendary king of the Britons, tracing it back to its Bronze Age origins The legend of King Arthur and Camelot is one of the most enduring in Britain's history, spanning centuries and surviving invasions by Angles, Vikings and Normans. In his latest book Francis Pryor -- one of Britain's most celebrated archaeologists and author of the acclaimed Britain B.C. and Seahenge -- traces the story of Arthur back to its ancient origins. Putting forth the compelling idea that most of the key elements of the Arthurian legends are deeply rooted in Bronze and Iron Ages (the sword Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake, the Sword in the Stone and so on), Pryor argues that the legends' survival mirrors a flourishing, indigenous culture that endured through the Roman occupation of Britain, and the subsequent invasions of the so-called Dark Ages. As in Britain B.C., Pryor roots his story in the very landscape, from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, to South Cadbury Castle in Somerset and Tintagel in Cornwall. He traces the story back to the 5th-century King Arthur and beyond, all the time testing his ideas with archaeological evidence, and showing how the story was manipulated through the ages for various historical and literary purposes, by Geoffrey of Monmouth and Malory among others. Delving into history, literary sources -- ancient, medieval and romantic -- and archaeological research, Francis Pryor creates an original, lively and illuminating account of this most British of legends. [via]
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The British Army of the Eighteenth Centuryby H.C.B. RogersISBN 0043550118 (0-04-355011-8)
Hardcover, Allen and Unwin
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The Burning Girlby Mark BillinghamISBN 0060745274 (0-06-074527-4)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Burning Girl'Book summary:A contract killer is carving his way through North London's criminal underworld, leaving a bloody X on his victims' backs and taking Billy Ryan's gang down one thug at a time. Detective Inspector Tom Thorne and his team know there's a turf war going on, but who's attempting to take over Ryan's racket isn't quite clear. When DCI Carol Chamberlin comes out of retirement to work on the cold case squad and asks Thorne for help solving an old murder, the past and present catch up in what looks like a continuation of a twenty-year-old gang war. And when someone carves an X in Thorne's door, a fuse is lit that stretches from the eponymous burning girl of the title--Chamberlin's old case--to the gang war that's lighting up the London sky. It's a clunky plot that relies on telling more than showing, slowing down the pace and makeing it difficult for the reader to care about any of the principals involved--either the victims or those who seek justic for them. Billingham has written better thrillers (Lazybones, Scaredy Cat), but this one doesn't live up to their promises. --Jane Adams [via]
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The Campaigns of Napoleon : The Mind and Method of History's Greatest Soldierby David G. ChandlerISBN 0025236601 (0-02-523660-1)
Hardcover, Macmillan Publishing Company, Incorporated
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Campaigns of Napoleon : The Mind and Method of History's Greatest Soldier'Book summary:Napoleonic war was nothing if not complex -- an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of moves and intentions, which by themselves went a long way towards baffling and dazing his conventionally-minded opponents into that state of disconcerting moral disequilibrium which so often resulted in their catastrophic defeat."
The Campaigns of Napoleon is an exhaustive analysis and critique of Napoleon's art of war as he himself developed and perfected it in the major military campaigns of his career. Napoleon disavowed any suggestion that he worked from formula ("Je n'ai jamais eu un plan d'opérations"), but military historian David Chandler demonstrates this was at best only a half-truth. To be sure, every operation Napoleon conducted contained unique improvisatory features. But there were from the first to the last certain basic principles of strategic maneuver and battlefield planning that he almost invariably put into practice. To clarify these underlying methods, as well as the style of Napoleon's fabulous intellect, Mr. Chandler examines in detail each campaign mounted and personally conducted by Napoleon, analyzing the strategies employed, revealing wherever possible the probable sources of his subject's military ideas.
The book opens with a brief account of Bonaparte's early years, his military education and formative experiences, and his meteoric rise to the rank of general in the army of the Directory. Introducing the elements of Napoleonic "grand tactics" as they developed in his Italian, Egyptian, and Syrian campaigns, Mr. Chandler shows how these principles were clearly conceived as early as the Battle of Castiglione, when Napoleon was only twenty -six. Several campaigns later, he was Emperor of France, busily constructing the Grande Armée. This great war machine is described in considerable detail: the composition of the armies and the élite Guard; the staff system and the methods of command; the kind of artillery and firearms used; and the daily life of the Grande Armée and the all-seeing and all-commanding virtuoso who presided over every aspect of its operation in the field.
As the great machine sweeps into action in the campaigns along the Rhine and the Danube, in East Prussia and Poland, and in Portugal and Spain, David Chandler follows closely every move that vindicates -- or challenges -- the legend of Napoleon's military genius. As the major battles take their gory courses -- Austerlitz, Jena, Fried-land -- we see Napoleon's star reaching its zenith. Then, in the Wagram Campaign of 1809 against the Austrians -- his last real success -- the great man commits more errors of judgment than in all his previous wars and battles put together. As the campaigns rage on, his declining powers seem to justify his own statement: "One has but a short time for war." Then the horrors of the Russian campaign forever shatter the image of Napoleonic invincibility. It is thereafter a short, though heroic and sanguinary, road to Waterloo and St. Helena.
Napoleon appears most strikingly in these pages as the brilliant applier of the ideas of others rather than as an original military thinker, his genius proving itself more practical than theoretical. Paradoxically, this was both his chief strength and his main weakness as a general. After bringing the French army a decade of victory, his methods became increasingly stereotyped and, even worse, were widely copied by his foes, who operated against him with increasing effectiveness toward the end of his career. Yet even though his enemies attempted to imitate his techniques, as have others in the last century and a half, no one ever equaled his success. As these meticulous campaign analyses testify, his multifaceted genius was unique. Even as the end approached, as David Chandler points out, his eclipse was "the failure of a giant surrounded by pygmies."
"The flight of the eagle was over; the 'ogre' was safely caged at last, and an exhausted Europe settled down once more to attempt a return to former ways of life and government. But the shade of Napoleon lingered on irresistibly for many years after his death in 1821. It lingers yet." [via]
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Catherine, Called Birdyby Karen CushmanISBN 0060739428 (0-06-073942-8)
Softcover, HarperCollins Canada, Limited
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Catherine, Called Birdy'Book summary:The hilarious diary of Catherine (called Birdy) in the year 1291. Catherine is 14. It's high time she was married - or that's what her father thinks. But Catherine is going to do everything she can to get rid of Shaggy Beard, the most disgusting suitor, 'whose breath smells like the mouth of Hell, who makes wind like others make music, who is ugly and old'. And she has no intention of becoming the perfect medieval lady like her mother wants, either. Whether she's grappling with spinning, or giving tips on flea removal, Catherine's fight for freedom is as funny as it is poignant. But can she find a better life for herself? [via]
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The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classicsby C. S. LewisISBN 0060506083 (0-06-050608-3)
Hardcover, Harper San Francisco
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics'Book summary:For the first time ever, these seven essential volumes by C. S. Lewis are available in a single edition. This remarkable book presents the classic works Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, A Grief Observed, and Lewis's prophetic examination of universal values, The Abolition of Man. Beautiful and timeless, this is a vital collection by one of the greatest literary figures of the twentieth century. Lewis reached a vast audience during his lifetime, and books such as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters continue to be regarded as among the best spiritual writing of all time. With his uncanny grasp of human nature, Lewis offers a refreshing antidote to the modern world's consumerism and moral relativism. This new edition of his most celebrated books highlights Lewis's compassion for humanity and his relevance for the twenty-first century. [via]
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The Complete Poetry and Prose of Geoffrey Chaucerby Geoffrey Chaucer, John H. Fisher, John C. HodgesISBN 0030286123 (0-03-028612-3)
Hardcover, Heinle
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Complete Poetry and Prose of Geoffrey Chaucer'Book summary:The Complete Poetry and Prose of Geoffrey Chaucer is intended to make Chaucer;s texts accessible with a minimum of scholary interference. The critical, biographical, and linguistic essays are grouped at the end so as not to impede the approach to the text. By doing so, the student is able to enjoy the richness and humor of The Canterbury Tales as well as the beauty of Troylus and Criseyde. This collection will create a deeper appreciation for Chaucer and his genius. [via]
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The Confusionby Neal StephensonISBN 0060733357 (0-06-073335-7)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Confusion'Book summary:In the year 1689, a cabal of Barbary galley slaves -- including one Jack Shaftoe, a.k.a. King of the Vagabonds, a.k.a. Half-Cocked Jack, lately and miraculously cured of the pox -- devises a daring plan to win freedom and fortune. A great adventure ensues, rife with battles, chases, hairbreadth escapes, swashbuckling, bloodletting, and danger -- a perilous race for an enormous prize of silver ... nay, gold ... nay, legendary gold that will place the intrepid band at odds with the mighty and the mad, with alchemists, Jesuits, great navies, pirate queens, and vengeful despots across vast oceans and around the globe.
Meanwhile, back in Europe ...
The exquisite and resourceful Eliza, Countess de la Zeur, master of markets, pawn and confidante of enemy kings, onetime Turkish harem virgin, is stripped of her immense personal fortune by France's most dashing privateer. Penniless and at risk from those who desire either her or her head (or both), she is caught up in a web of international intrigue, even as she desperately seeks the return of her most precious possession -- her child.
While ...
Newton and Leibniz continue to propound their grand theories as their infamous rivalry intensifies, stubborn alchemy does battle with the natural sciences, nobles are beheaded, dastardly plots are set in motion, coins are newly minted (or not) in enemy strongholds, father and sons reunite in faraway lands, priests rise from the dead ... and Daniel Waterhouse seeks passage to the Massachusetts colony in hopes of escaping the madness into which his world has descended.
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The Confusion Ltdby Neal StephensonISBN 0060599340 (0-06-059934-0)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Confusion Ltd'Book summary:In the year 1689, a cabal of Barbary galley slaves -- including one Jack Shaftoe, a.k.a. King of the Vagabonds, a.k.a. Half-Cocked Jack, lately and miraculously cured of the pox -- devises a daring plan to win freedom and fortune. A great adventure ensues, rife with battles, chases, hairbreadth escapes, swashbuckling, bloodletting, and danger -- a perilous race for an enormous prize of silver ... nay, gold ... nay, legendary gold that will place the intrepid band at odds with the mighty and the mad, with alchemists, Jesuits, great navies, pirate queens, and vengeful despots across vast oceans and around the globe. Meanwhile, back in Europe ... The exquisite and resourceful Eliza, Countess de la Zeur, master of markets, pawn and confidante of enemy kings, onetime Turkish harem virgin, is stripped of her immense personal fortune by France's most dashing privateer. Penniless and at risk from those who desire either her or her head (or both), she is caught up in a web of international intrigue, even as she desperately seeks the return of her most precious possession -- her child. While ... Newton and Leibniz continue to propound their grand theories as their infamous rivalry intensifies, stubborn alchemy does battle with the natural sciences, nobles are beheaded, dastardly plots are set in motion, coins are newly minted (or not) in enemy strongholds, father and sons reunite in faraway lands, priests rise from the dead ... and Daniel Waterhouse seeks passage to the Massachusetts colony in hopes of escaping the madness into which his world has descended. [via]
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Crystal Caveby Mary StewartISBN 0060548258 (0-06-054825-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Crystal Cave'Book summary:Initially published nearly thirty years ago, Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave has been spellbinding readers and converting them into serious Arthurian buffs ever since. The first in a series of four books, this novel focuses on the early life of Merlin the magician, and the political developments of fifth-century Britain. Not for the fainthearted, this verbose text pays careful attention to historical details and methodical plot development.
Merlin's childhood is formed by the absence of his reticent, convent-bound mother and his unnamed and unknown father. As the bastard grandson of a local king, Merlin is the object of both envy and ridicule. His strange powers and predictions earn him greater status as a pariah, and he leaves home as a preadolescent. Returning years later as a young man--empowered by self-knowledge and magic--Merlin finds himself caught in the currents of the shifting kingdoms.
As an established classic in this genre, and the first in a popular series, The Crystal Cave introduces this familiar character with fresh sensitivity. While readers looking for the romance of First Knight will be disappointed, those happy with tight writing and a complex story line will be satisfied. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien [via]
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The Dark Is Rising Sequence/Silver on the Tree/the Grey King/Greenwitch/the Dark Is Rising/over Sea, Under Stoneby Susan CooperISBN 0020425651 (0-02-042565-1)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Dark Is Rising Sequence/Silver on the Tree/the Grey King/Greenwitch/the Dark Is Rising/over Sea, Under Stone'Book summary:Joined by destiny, the lives of the Drew children, Will Stanton, and a boy named Bran weave together in an exquisite, sometimes terrifying tapestry of mystery and quests. In the five-title series of novels known as The Dark Is Rising Sequence, these children pit the power of good against the evil forces of Dark in a timeless and dangerous battle that includes crystal swords, golden grails, and a silver-eyed dog that can see the wind. Susan Cooper's highly acclaimed fantasy novels, steeped in Celtic and Welsh legends, have won numerous awards, including the Newbery Medal and the Newbery Honor. Now all five paperback volumes have been collected in one smart boxed set. These classic fantasies, complex and multifaceted, should not be missed, by child or adult. The set includes Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark Is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, and Silver on the Tree. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter [via]
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Deadheadsby Reginald HillISBN 0025515608 (0-02-551560-8)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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Debrett's the Stately Homes of Britainby Sybilla FlowerISBN 0030619939 (0-03-061993-9)
Hardcover, Henry Holt & Co
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Dialogues of the Deadby Reginald HillISBN 0060528095 (0-06-052809-5)
Softcover, Avon Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Dialogues of the Dead'Book summary:Normally, there would be nothing sinister about a death by drowning and a motorcycle fatality -- had these tragic occurrences not been predicted before the fact in a pair of macabre "Dialogues" submitted to a Yorkshire short story competition. Yet the local police department is slow to act -- until the arrival of a third Dialogue ... and another corpse. A darkness is settling over a terrorized community, brought on by a genius fiend who hides clues to his horrific acts in complex riddles and brilliant wordplay. Now two seasoned CID investigators, Peter Pascoe and "Fat Andy" Dalziel, are racing against a clock whose every tick signals more blood and outrage, caught in the twisted game of a diabolical killer who is turning their jurisdiction into a slaughterhouse.
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The Edwardian Womanby Duncan CrowISBN 0049421581 (0-04-942158-1)
Hardcover, Allen & Unwin
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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wondersby Neil GaimanISBN 0060515228 (0-06-051522-8)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders'Book summary:A prodigiously imaginative collection.
New York Times Book Review, Editors Choice
Dazzling tales from a master of the fantastic.
Washington Post Book WorldFragile Things is a sterling collection of exceptional tales from Neil Gaiman, multiple award-winning (the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Newberry, and Eisner Awards, to name just a few), #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys, Coraline, and the groundbreaking Sandman graphic novel series. A uniquely imaginative creator of wonders whose unique storytelling genius has been acclaimed by a host of literary luminaries from Norman Mailer to Stephen King, Gaimans astonishing powers are on glorious displays in Fragile Things. Enter and be amazed!
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Frederick the Greatby Nancy MitfordISBN 0060129867 (0-06-012986-7)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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![[???]: Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P/0028615700.01._SL160_SCLZZZZZZZ__.jpg "[???]: Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours")
Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving ToursISBN 0028615700 (0-02-861570-0)
Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc
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Gallows Thiefby Bernard CornwellISBN 0060082747 (0-06-008274-7)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Gallows Thief'Book summary:A spellbinding historical drama about an ex-soldier in 1820s London who must help rescue an innocent man from Death Row, by bestselling author Bernard Cornwell
It is the end of the Napoleonic Wars and England has just fought its last victorious battle against the French. As Rider Sandman and the other heroes of Waterloo begin to make their way back to England, they find a country where corruption, poverty, and social unrest run rampant, and where "justice" is most often delivered at the end of a hangman's noose. Nowhere in London are the streets as busy as in front of Newgate Prison, its largest penitentiary, where mobs gather regularly to watch the terrible spectacle of the doomed men and women on the gallows' stands.Rider Sandman -- whose reputation on the battlefields of France is exceeded only by his renown on the cricket fields of England -- returns home from war to discover his personal affairs in a shambles. Creditors have taken over his estate, leaving him penniless -- and forcing him to release the woman he loves from her obligations to marry him. Desperate to right his situation, he accepts the offer of a job investigating the claims of innocence by a painter due to hang for murder in a few days' time. The Home Secretary makes it clear that this is pro-forma, and that he expects Sandman to rubber-stamp the verdict.But Sandman's investigation reveals that something is amiss -- that there is merit to the young artist's claims. He further discovers that, though the Queen herself has ordered a reinvestigation of the circumstances, someone else does not want the truth revealed.In a race against the clock, Sandman moves from the hellish bowels of Newgate prison to the perfumed drawing rooms of the aristocracy, determined to rescue the innocent man from the rope. As he begins to peel back the layers of an utterly corrupt penal system, he finds himself pitted against some of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in Regency England.Gallows Thief combines the rich historical texture of Edward Rutherford and the taut suspense of Caleb Carr to create an eviscerating portrait of capital punishment in nineteeth-century London. [via] -
God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bibleby Adam NicolsonISBN 0060185163 (0-06-018516-3)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible'Book summary:A net of complex currents flowed across Jacobean England. This was the England of Shakespeare, Jonson and Bacon; of the Gunpowder Plot; the worst outbreak of the plague England had ever seen; Arcadian landscapes; murderous, toxic slums; and, above all, of sometimes overwhelming religious passion. Jacobean England was both more godly and less godly than it had ever been, and the entire culture was drawn taut between the polarities.
This was the world that created the King James Bible. It is the greatest work of English prose ever written, and it is no coincidence that the translation was made at the moment Englishness and the English language had come into its first passionate maturity. Boisterous, elegant, subtle, majestic, finely nuanced, sonorous and musical, the English of Jacobean England has a more encompassing idea of its own reach and scope than any before or since. It is a form of the language that drips with potency and sensitivity. The age, with all its conflicts, explains the book.
The sponsor and guide of the whole Bible project was the King himself, the brilliant, ugly and profoundly peace-loving James the Sixth of Scotland and First of England. Trained almost from birth to manage the rivalries of political factions at home, James saw in England the chance for a sort of irenic Eden over which the new translation of the Bible was to preside. It was to be a Bible for everyone, and as God's lieutenant on earth, he would use it to unify his kingdom. The dream of Jacobean peace, guaranteed by an elision of royal power and divine glory, lies behind a Bible of extraordinary grace and everlasting literary power.
About fifty scholars from Cambridge, Oxford and London did the work, drawing on many previous versions, and created a text which, for all its failings, has never been equaled. That is the central question of this book: How did this group of near-anonymous divines, muddled, drunk, self-serving, ambitious, ruthless, obsequious, pedantic and flawed as they were, manage to bring off this astonishing translation? How did such ordinary men make such extraordinary prose? In God's Secretaries, Adam Nicolson gives a fascinating and dramatic account of the accession and ambition of the first Stuart king; of the scholars who labored for seven years to create his Bible; of the influences that shaped their work and of the beliefs that colored their world, immersing us in an age whose greatest monument is not a painting or a building, but a book.
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The Great Train Robberyby Michael CrichtonISBN 0060502304 (0-06-050230-4)
Softcover, Avon Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Great Train Robbery'Book summary:Lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side by side in Victorian London -- and Edward Pierce easily navigates both worlds. Rich, handsome, and ingenious, he charms the city's most prominent citizens even as he plots the crime of his century -- the daring theft of a fortune in gold.
But even Pierce could not predict the consequences of an extraordinary robbery that targets the pride of England's industrial era: the mighty steam locomotive. Based on remarkable fact, and alive with the gripping suspense, surprise, and authenticity that are his trademark, Michael Crichton's classic adventure is a breathtaking thrill-ride that races along tracks of steel at breakneck speed.
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The Guns of Augustby Barbara W. TuchmanISBN 0026203111 (0-02-620311-1)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Guns of August'Book summary:Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Tuchman has brought to life again the people and events that led up to World War I. With attention to fascinating detail, and an intense knowledge of her subject and its characters, Ms. Tuchman reveals, for the first time, just how the war started, why, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't. A classic historical survey of a time and a people we all need to know more about, The Guns of August will not be forgotten.[via]More editions of The Guns of August:
Hard Timesby Charles DickensISBN 0030098750 (0-03-009875-0)
Softcover, Harcourt School
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Hawksmoorby Peter AckroydISBN 0060155035 (0-06-015503-5)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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Hereticby Bernard CornwellISBN 006053284X (0-06-053284-X)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Heretic'Book summary:Heretic is the third book in Bernard Cornwell's much-acclaimed Grail Quest series, a series that many were initially cautious about because it represented something of a change of pace for the master historical novelist. But Cornwell quickly demonstrated that this period of history was well within his remit, and the sequence has proved to be among his most mesmerising work.
Heretic begins with a bloody battle outside Calais in 1347, a short time before the city fell to the English. The sympathetic Thomas of Hookton is bending every sinew at the service of his master, the Earl of Northampton; after risking his life time and again, Thomas finds himself commissioned to track down the most sacred relic in Christendom, the Holy Grail. He travels to Gascony, seat of power of his nemesis, Guy Vexille. Utilising his archers, Thomas conducts a fierce guerrilla war against Vexille, and yearns for a face-to-face encounter. But then Thomas is routed and finds his campaign in shreds, facing the twin enemies of the church and the plague.
In this third book, Bernard Cornwell ups the ante in every sense: along with the splendidly realised battle scenes (a Cornwell trademark), the evocation of the Middle Ages is more crowded and bustling than one might have thought possible without subsuming the protagonists. But most of all, it's the character of Thomas that powers the narrative; having his hero fall in love (sensitively handled here) sets off the ultimate conflict with his mortal enemy perfectly. Leave the 21st century behind and venture into a dark and foreign era--it's a journey you won't regret. --Barry Forshaw [via]
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The Hollow Hillsby Mary StewartISBN 0060548266 (0-06-054826-6)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Hollow Hills'Book summary:Keeping watch over the young Arthur Pendragon, the prince and prophet Merlin Ambrosius is haunted by dreams of the magical sword Caliburn, which has been hidden for centuries. When Uther Pendragon is killed in battle, the time of destiny is at hand, and Arthur must claim the fabled sword to become the true High King of Britain.
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Honor Among Thievesby Jeffrey ArcherISBN 0060179457 (0-06-017945-7)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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The House: Living at Chatsworthby Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford Cavendish DevonshireISBN 0030624282 (0-03-062428-2)
Hardcover, Holt, Rinehart and Winston
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Johnny And The Deadby Terry PratchettISBN 0060541903 (0-06-054190-3)
Softcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Johnny And the Dead'Book summary:Post-life citizens
Breath challenged
Vertically disadvantaged
(buried, not short)Johnny Maxwell's new friends not appreciate the term "ghosts," but they are, well, dead.
The town council wants to sell the cemetery, and its inhabitants aren't about to take that lying down! Johnny is the only one who can see them, and and the previously alive need his help to save their home and their history. Johnny didn't mean to become the voice for the lifeless, but if he doesn't speak up, who will?
In Johnny Maxwell's second adventure, Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett explores the bonds between the living and the dead and proves that it's never too late to have the time of your life -- even if it is your afterlife!
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Kings & Queensby Not Available, Alison PlowdenISBN 0007188854 (0-00-718885-4)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
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Kings and Queensby Neil GrantISBN 0004722957 (0-00-472295-7)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
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Last Chance Saloonby Marian KeyesISBN 0060086246 (0-06-008624-6)
Softcover, Perennial
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Last Chance Saloon'Book summary:Desperately single thirtysomething men and women populate Keyes's breezy novel. Childhood friends Tara, Katherine, and Fintan muddle along, dealing with the indignities and inconveniences we all face--and then some. Tara's perfectly horrible, freeloading boyfriend Thomas watches her diet like a hawk and remarks cruelly on the size of her posterior, comparing her unfavorably to younger, thinner women. Katherine is a professional success, but her personal life is nonexistent. Every one of her prior relationships--six in all--has ended disastrously, with Katherine getting dumped. Each time, she retreats further and further into her shell, until her most intimate relationship is with her remote control. Fashion industry insider Fintan has found true love with his Italian boyfriend, Sandro, but a health crisis threatens their happiness. Tara, Katherine, and Fintan, as well as their quirky cast of friends (people with names like Lorcan and Mandii), live, love, and learn the hard way, the only way they can. Not quite as obsessive as Bridget Jones and that damn diary of hers, Keyes manages to convey a painfully accurate portrayal of what it means to be single today, tempered by a few of life's less humiliating and more important lessons, like the value of true friendship. Funny and irreverent, Keyes's Last Chance Saloon is a terrific vacation read. --Alison Trinkle [via]
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The Last Enchantmentby Mary StewartISBN 0060548274 (0-06-054827-4)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Last Enchantment'Book summary:Arthur Pendragon is King! Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven.
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The Last Templar: The First Knights Templar Mysteryby Michael JecksISBN 0060763442 (0-06-076344-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Lazybonesby Mark BillinghamISBN 006056086X (0-06-056086-X)
Softcover, Avon Books
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Le Morte D'Arthurby Thomas Malory, Robert M. LumianskyISBN 0020225601 (0-02-022560-1)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: A Selectionby Humphrey Carpenter, J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher TolkienISBN 0048260053 (0-04-826005-3)
Hardcover, Allen & Unwin
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: A Selection'Book summary:Scholars and fans of the great mythologist will find a rich vein of information in Humphrey Carpenter's The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien was a prodigious letter writer all his life; the sheer mass of his correspondence would give pause to even the most stalwart archivist (one shudders to think what he would have done with e-mail). But with the able assistance of Tolkien's son Christopher and a healthy dose of determination, Carpenter manages find the cream of the crop--the letters that shed light on Tolkien's thoughts about his academic and literary work, as well as those that show his more private side, revealing a loving husband, a playful friend, and a doting father. The most fascinating letters are, of course, those in which he discusses Middle-Earth, and Carpenter offers plenty of those to choose from. Tolkien discussed the minutia of his legend--sometimes at great length--with friends, publishers, and even fans who wrote to him with questions. These letters offer significant insights into how he went about creating the peoples and languages of Middle-Earth.
I have long ceased to invent (though even patronizing or sneering critics on the side praise my 'inventions'): I wait till I seem to know what really happened. Or till it writes itself. Thus, though I knew for years that Frodo would run into a tree-adventure somewhere far down the Great River, I had no recollection of inventing Ents. I came at last to the point, and wrote the 'Treebeard' chapter without any recollection of any previous thought: just as it is now. And then I saw that, of course, it had not happened to Frodo at all.
This new edition of letters has an extensive index, and Carpenter has included a brief blurb at the beginning of each letter to explain who the correspondent was and what was being discussed. Still, we strongly recommend buying the companion volume, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, in order to better understand the place these correspondents had in Tolkien's life and get a better context for the letters. --Perry M. Atterberry [via]
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Little Lord Fauntleroyby Frances Hodgson BurnettISBN 006055990X (0-06-055990-X)
Softcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Little Lord Fauntleroy'Book summary:"Are you the Earl?" he said."I'm your grandson, you know ... I'm Lord Fauntleroy."
Young Cedric Errol doesn't know much about Earls, and he certainly never dreamt of becoming one. But when an unexpected visitor arrives to tell him he is to inherit a title and a fortune, he learns quickly what his new position entails. Whisked from the bustling streets of New York to an English country estate, the new Lord Fauntleroy must contend with his grumpy old grandfather and separation from his mother. Yet, despite the challenges of his new life, the little lord proves he has many lessons to teach those around him.
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London 1998by Darwin PorterISBN 0028616499 (0-02-861649-9)
Hardcover, Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, John
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Medieval History: The Life and Death of Civilizationby Norman F. CantorISBN 0023190205 (0-02-319020-5)
Softcover, Macmillan Pub Co
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Modern England: From the Eighteenth Century to the Presentby Robert Kiefer WebbISBN 0060469749 (0-06-046974-9)
Softcover, Harpercollins College Div
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Monarchy : From the Middle Ages to Modernityby David StarkeyISBN 0007247508 (0-00-724750-8)
Hardcover, HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrensby Michael Francis GilbertISBN 0060149329 (0-06-014932-9)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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Nancy Mitford: A Memoirby Harold Mario Mitchell ActonISBN 0060100184 (0-06-010018-4)
Hardcover, Harper & Row
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New Organon and Related Writingsby Francis BaconISBN 0023033800 (0-02-303380-0)
Softcover, Bobbs-Merrill Co
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A Night to Rememberby Walter LordISBN 0030150760 (0-03-015076-0)
Hardcover, Holt, Rinehart and Winston
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The Offshore Islanders; England's People from Roman Occupation to the Presentby Paul JohnsonISBN 0030013917 (0-03-001391-7)
Hardcover, Holt, Rinehart and Winston
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One Up: A Woman in Action with the SASby Sarah FordISBN 000638837X (0-00-638837-X)
Hardcover, HarperCollinsPublishers
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The Origin of Species: Library Editionby Charles Robert DarwinISBN 0020921209 (0-02-092120-9)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster
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Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empireby Simon WinchesterISBN 0060598611 (0-06-059861-1)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Over Sea, under Stoneby Susan CooperISBN 0020427859 (0-02-042785-9)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Over Sea, under Stone'Book summary:On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that -- the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their very lives in peril. [via]
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Path to Powerby Margaret ThatcherISBN 0060172703 (0-06-017270-3)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Path to Power'Book summary:In a prequel to The Downing Street Years, Thatcher describes her childhood, Oxford education, early entry into politics, and rise to power in Parliament, sharing insights into the influences that shaped her life and political career. 250,000 first printing. $200,000 ad/promo. Tour. [via]
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Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionaryby Simon WinchesterISBN 0060175966 (0-06-017596-6)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary'Book summary:Mysterious (mistîe · ries), a. [f. L. mystérium Mysteryi + ous. Cf. F. mystérieux.] 1. Full of or fraught with mystery; wrapt in mystery; hidden from human knowledge or understanding; impossible or difficult to explain, solve, or discover; of obscure origin, nature, or purpose. It is known as one of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters. The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took seventy years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brilliant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story--a story of two remarkable men whose strange twenty-year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking. Professor James Murray, an astonishingly learned former schoolmaster and bank clerk, was the distinguished editor of the OED project. Dr. William Chester Minor, an American surgeon from New Haven, Connecticut, who had served in the Civil War, was one of thousands of contributors who submitted illustrative quotations of words to be used in the dictionary. But Minor was no ordinary contributor. He was remarkably prolific, sending thousands of neat, handwritten quotations from his home in the small village of Crowthorne, fifty miles from Oxford. On numerous occasions Murray invited Minor to visit Oxford and celebrate his work, but Murray's offer was regularly--and mysteriously--refused. Thus the two men, for two decades, maintained a close relationship only through correspondence. Finally, in 1896, after Minor had sent nearly ten thousand definitions to the dictionary but had still never traveled from his home, a puzzled Murray set out to visit him. It was then that Murray finally learned the truth about Minor--that, in addition to being a masterful wordsmith, Minor was also a murderer, clinically insane--and locked up in Broadmoor, England's harshest asylum for criminal lunatics. [via]
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Quicksilverby Neal StephensonISBN 0060593083 (0-06-059308-3)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Quicksilver'Book summary:In Quicksilver, the first volume of the "Baroque Cycle," Neal Stephenson launches his most ambitious work to date. The novel, divided into three books, opens in 1713 with the ageless Enoch Root seeking Daniel Waterhouse on the campus of what passes for MIT in eighteenth-century Massachusetts. Daniel, Enoch's message conveys, is key to resolving an explosive scientific battle of preeminence between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over the development of calculus. As Daniel returns to London aboard the Minerva, readers are catapulted back half a century to recall his years at Cambridge with young Isaac. Daniel is a perfect historical witness. Privy to Robert Hooke's early drawings of microscope images and with associates among the English nobility, religious radicals, and the Royal Society, he also befriends Samuel Pepys, risks a cup of coffee, and enjoys a lecture on Belgian waffles and cleavage-all before the year 1700.
In the second book, Stephenson introduces Jack Shaftoe and Eliza. "Half-Cocked" Jack (also know as the "King of the Vagabonds") recovers the English Eliza from a Turkish harem. Fleeing the siege of Vienna, the two journey across Europe driven by Eliza's lust for fame, fortune, and nobility. Gradually, their circle intertwines with that of Daniel in the third book of the novel.
The book courses with Stephenson's scholarship but is rarely bogged down in its historical detail. Stephenson is especially impressive in his ability to represent dialogue over the evolving worldview of seventeenth-century scientists and enliven the most abstruse explanation of theory. Though replete with science, the novel is as much about the complex struggles for political ascendancy and the workings of financial markets. Further, the novel's literary ambitions match its physical size. Stephenson narrates through epistolary chapters, fragments of plays and poems, journal entries, maps, drawings, genealogic tables, and copious contemporary epigrams. But, caught in this richness, the prose is occasionally neglected and wants editing. Further, anticipating a cycle, the book does not provide a satisfying conclusion to its 900 pages. These are minor quibbles, though. Stephenson has matched ambition to execution, and his faithful, durable readers will be both entertained and richly rewarded with a practicum in Baroque science, cypher, culture, and politics. --Patrick O'Kelley [via]
Redemptionby Leon UrisISBN 0060183330 (0-06-018333-0)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNAby Brenda MaddoxISBN 0060184078 (0-06-018407-8)
Hardcover, HarperCollins Canada, Limited
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA'Book summary:In March 1953, Maurice Wilkins of King's College, London, announced the departure of his obstructive colleague Rosalind Franklin to rival Cavendish Laboratory scientist Francis Crick. But it was too late. Franklin's unpublished data and crucial photograph of DNA had already been seen by her competitors at the Cambridge University lab. With the aid of these, plus their own knowledge, Watson and Crick discovered the structure of the molecule that genes are composed of -- DNA, the secret of life. Five years later, at the age of thirty-seven, after more brilliant research under J. D. Bernal at Birkbeck College, Rosalind died of ovarian cancer. In 1962, Wilkins, Crick and Watson were awarded the Nobel Prize for their elucidation of DNA's structure. Franklin's part was forgotten until she was caricatured in Watson's book The Double Helix.
In this full and balanced biography, Brenda Maddox has been given unique access to Franklin's personal correspondence and has interviewed all the principal scientists involved, including Crick, Watson and Wilkins.
This is a powerful story, told by one of the finest biographers, of a remarkably single-minded, forthright and tempestuous young woman who, at the age of fifteen, decided she was going to be a scientist, but who was airbrushed out of the greatest scientific discovery of the twentieth century.
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Scots DictionaryISBN 000470486X (0-00-470486-X)
Softcover, Harpercollins
Find This BookBook summary:The essential guide to modern spoken and written Scots is now available in the durable flexibound format of the Collins Gem reference range. First published in 1995, the Collins Gem Scots Dictionary is by far the most popular guide to the language of today's Scotland, with nearly 1800 everyday words and phrases from all over Scotland clearly explained in full sentences and with lots of helpful examples of usage. Colour text now makes this best-selling dictionary even more user-friendly. With its durable and eye-catching cover, this is a great new addition to the Collins Gem reference range. [via]
Scott's Last Journeyby Peter King, Robert Falcon ScottISBN 006019670X (0-06-019670-X)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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The Screwtape Lettersby C. S. LewisISBN 0060652934 (0-06-065293-4)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Screwtape Letters'Book summary:This adaptation of C.S. Lewis's biting satire received a 1999 Grammy nomination for best spoken-word performance, and it's easy to see why--the story fits the format perfectly. It's relatively brief (the unabridged reading takes a mere four hours), and contains only one character--the demon Screwtape, who writes letters to his novice nephew Wormwood, instructing him on how to best tempt his "patient" (a wayward soul on earth) into the bosom of "our Lord below."
Obviously, the book wasn't written with former Monty Python John Cleese in mind, but it's hard to imagine a better Screwtape. Cleese's voice provides the perfect vehicle for Lewis's dry, razor-edged wit. His uncanny comic timing and ability to milk each phrase for maximum effect betray an infectious enthusiasm for the story. It's clear that he's having a great time reading, and it's impossible not to laugh along with him. This inspired pairing of two of the 20th century's greatest wits makes for a meditation on the dark side of spiritual guidance that's as relevant and funny today as it was in Lewis's war-torn England. (Running time: 4 hours, 3 cassettes) --Andrew Neiland [via]
Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, And Nelson's Battle of Trafalgarby Adam NicolsonISBN 0060753625 (0-06-075362-5)
Softcover, Perennial
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Seize The Fire: Heroism, Duty, And The Battle Of Trafalgarby Adam NicolsonISBN 0060753617 (0-06-075361-7)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Seize The Fire: Heroism, Duty, And The Battle Of Trafalgar'Book summary:On October 21, 1805, the British navy crushed the combined fleets of Spain and France near Spain's Cape Trafalgar, thwarting Napoleon Bonaparte's planned invasion of England and leading to a century of British maritime dominance. There are many books on the Battle of Trafalgar, but this one is different in that Adam Nicolson focuses more on "the mental landscape" of those who fought than on the battle itself. In analyzing why the British scored such an impressive victory, Nicolson looks beyond tactics to study the collective psychology of the three navies, along with the social and cultural forces at work. Part of the study revolves around the concept of the hero at the dawn of the 19th century. The men who fought at Trafalgar "looked on battle not as a necessary evil but as a moment of revelation and truth" that played into their conception of purpose, honor, and duty to king and country--with violence seen as an integral part of duty. No one fit the classic model of the hero more than Admiral Lord Nelson, the "most feared naval commander in the world"; a man who saw himself as a "prophetic agent of apocalypse and millennium" destined to lead England to global dominance. Nelson became the model of the British hero for the rest of the century and beyond.
In addition to an in-depth study of Nelson's background and psychology, Nicolson discusses the cultural differences between the three countries. For instance, in England, a non-aristocrat like Nelson was allowed to rise to the top--an occurrence that would have been impossible in both France and Spain given their strict societal codes. Each nation's motivation was different as well. Spain's social system was based on aristocratic chivalry, while France was acting according to the authoritative whim of Napoleon. Britain, however, was motivated by trade, and Nicolson discusses how England was able to finance its powerful navy by taxing the growing middle class and their seemingly limitless desire for material goods, making Trafalgar "the first great bourgeois victory of European history." Seize the Fire provides an intriguing perspective on one of the great naval battles in history. --Shawn Carkonen [via]
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Shakespeare in Performance: Hamletby William Shakespeare, Thomas MonsellISBN 003033022X (0-03-033022-X)
Softcover, Harcourt School
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Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811by Bernard CornwellISBN 000712015X (0-00-712015-X)
Hardcover, HarperCollinsPublishers
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The Sonnetsby William ShakespeareISBN 006015988X (0-06-015988-X)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing Worldby Margaret ThatcherISBN 0007107528 (0-00-710752-8)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World'Book summary:Lady Thatcher, a unique figure in global politics, shares her views about the dangers and opportunities of the new millennium. In her own words: "I wanted to write one more book and I wanted it to be about the future. In this age of spin-doctors and soundbites, the ever present danger is that leaders will follow fashion and not their instincts and beliefs. That was not how the West won the Cold War, not how we created the basis for today's freedom and prosperity. If we wish to make our achievements secure for our children and grandchildren, the West must stay vigilant and strong. In this book it will be my purpose to show that it can - and must - be done." [via]
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Stuart: a Life Backwardsby Alexander MastersISBN 0007200366 (0-00-720036-6)
Hardcover, Fourth Estate
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Stuart: a Life Backwards'Book summary:A unique biography of a homeless man and a complete portrait of the hidden underclass. 'So here it is, my attempt at the story of Stuart Shorter, thief, hostage taker, psycho and sociopath street raconteur, my spy on how the British chaotic underclass spend their troubled days at the beginning of this century: a man with an important life. I wish I could have presented it to Stuart before he stepped in front of the 11.15 train from London to Kings Lynn.' Stuart Shorter's brief life was one of turmoil and chaos. In this remarkable book, a masterful act of biographical restoration, Alexander Masters retraces Stuart's troubled journey. Stuart was homeless, with many of the problems this sub-section of English society display; alcoholism, drug-addiction, crime, violence. Scattered with glimpses of the author's friendship with Stuart in the years before his death, Masters gives us Stuart's life in reverse, tracing his route backwards through the post-office heists and attempts at suicide and the spells inside many of this country's prisons, on back to a troubled time at school and learning difficulties and a violent childhood that acted like a springboard into the trouble that was to follow him all his life. This extraordinary book is a glimpse at the underbelly of English society, a world largely hidden from our lives. Funny, despairing, uplifting, brilliantly-written, it is one of the most original biographies of recent years. [via]
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Tolkien And The Great War: The Threshold Of Middle-earthby John GarthISBN 0007119526 (0-00-711952-6)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Tolkien And The Great War: The Threshold Of Middle-earth'Book summary:Millions of new captives of the Lord of the Rings saga have been roped into J.R.R. Tolkiens fantasy world as the result of Peter Jacksons three-part cinematic interpretation of the great 20th century fantasy. John Garths Tolkien and the Great War will certainly captivate an elite segment of those recent converts, but it is written more for those who have long been enthralled by Middle-earth and its fantastic denizens. While many early readers found parallels between World War II and the Lord of the Rings fairy-tale, Garth reaches back to World War I to find the deep roots in Middle-earth. Prior to the Great War, Tolkien was a scholar with a deep passion for language and fables. In fact, he formed a literary circle with a few friends dubbed the Tea Club and Barrovian Society. Its members had the misfortune of coming of age just as the war was reaching a fevered pitch; Tolkien, a second lieutenant in the British army, survived the bloody Battle of the Somme, which took the lives of two of his closest friends. Garth adeptly chronicles how the devastation Tolkien witnessed helped shape the mythic tale that was already brewing in his mind. Written with a seriousness one associates with the time it chronicles, Tolkien and the Great War is a erudite but eminently readable exploration of how the harsh reality of the early 20th century colored one of the beloved fantasies of the modern era. --Steven Stolder [via]
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Touched by the Deadby Robert BarnardISBN 0006513263 (0-00-651326-3)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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The Tragedy of Julius Caesarby William ShakespeareISBN 0030573076 (0-03-057307-6)
Hardcover, Holt Rinehart & Winston
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Unquiet Souls: A Social History of the Illustrious, Irreverent, Intimate Group of British Aristocrats Known As "the Souls"by Angela LambertISBN 0060153296 (0-06-015329-6)
Hardcover, Book Sales
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Vagabondby Bernard CornwellISBN 0060532688 (0-06-053268-8)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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Victoria and Disraeli: The Making of a Romantic Partnershipby Theo AronsonISBN 0025034901 (0-02-503490-1)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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Watership Downby Richard George AdamsISBN 0027000303 (0-02-700030-3)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Watership Down'Book summary:Watership Down has been a staple of high-school English classes for years. Despite the fact that it's often a hard sell at first (what teenager wouldn't cringe at the thought of 400-plus pages of talking rabbits?), Richard Adams's bunny-centric epic rarely fails to win the love and respect of anyone who reads it, regardless of age. Like most great novels, Watership Down is a rich story that can be read (and reread) on many different levels. The book is often praised as an allegory, with its analogs between human and rabbit culture (a fact sometimes used to goad skeptical teens, who resent the challenge that they won't "get" it, into reading it), but it's equally praiseworthy as just a corking good adventure.
The story follows a warren of Berkshire rabbits fleeing the destruction of their home by a land developer. As they search for a safe haven, skirting danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band and its compelling culture and mythos. Adams has crafted a touching, involving world in the dirt and scrub of the English countryside, complete with its own folk history and language (the book comes with a "lapine" glossary, a guide to rabbitese). As much about freedom, ethics, and human nature as it is about a bunch of bunnies looking for a warm hidey-hole and some mates, Watership Down will continue to make the transition from classroom desk to bedside table for many generations to come. --Paul Hughes [via]
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The Wicked Dayby Mary StewartISBN 0060548282 (0-06-054828-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Wicked Day'Book summary:Born of an incestuous relationship between King Arthur and his half sister, the evil sorceress Morgause, the bastard Mordred is reared in secrecy. Called to Camelot by events he cannot deny, Mordred becomes Arthurs most trusted counselor -- a fateful act that leads to the "wicked day of destiny" when father and son must face each other in battle.
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Winston Churchill: A Biographyby Piers BrendonISBN 0060152869 (0-06-015286-9)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Winston Churchill: A Biography'More editions of Winston Churchill: A Biography:
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