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Japan: A Documentary History
by David J. LuAn updated edition of David Lu's acclaimed "Sources of Japanese History", this two volume book presents in a student-friendly format original Japanese documents from Japan's mythological beginnings through 1995. Covering the full spectrum of political, economic, diplomatic as well as cultural and intellectual history, this classroom resource offers insight not only into the past but also into Japan's contemporary civilisation. This volume covers up to the late 18th century. Three major criteria used in the document selection were that: the selection avoids duplication with other collections - 75% of the documents presented here are newly translated; a document accurately reflects the spirit of the times and the life-styles of the people; and emphasis is on the development of social, economic and political institutions.
Jim Telfer: Looking Back . . . For Once
by David Ferguson Jim TelferJim Telfer is one of the greats of international rugby, with a career spanning more than five decades. Looking Back . . . For Once reveals how a shepherd's son from the Borders became the major driving force in the most successful days of Scottish rugby and steered the game into the professional era.The former captain and coach of Scotland and coach of the British and Irish Lions now sets the record straight on the controversies that raged during his career. What made him lambast New Zealand rugby in its Canterbury heartland? Why did he not select his 'best-ever Scottish forward' for a Lions tour? And, in his opinion, what was the best Scotland team?Telfer has intriguing views on the current state of the game, but this is more than a rugby book. He expresses his sadness at the prospect of life without children and his subsequent delight in adopting, and reveals how his teaching career was blighted by tragedy in Glasgow but invigorated by a long-haired eccentric.With personal contributions from Martin Johnson, Colin Meads, Andy Irvine and Gregor Townsend, among many others, Telfer clearly remains one of the most widely respected men in world rugby. This is his story.
Joe Royle The Autobiography
by Joe RoyleFOREWORD BY SIR ALEX FERGUSON Joe Royle became the youngest player to play for Everton in February 1966 and went on to win six caps under Alf Ramsey and Don Revie. Injury forced a premature end to his career at 32, after spells with Manchester City, Bristol City, and Norwich. Then he became the manager who fell of the back of a lorry when joining Oldham in 1982. Fourteen fantastic, fairytale years followed at the hard-up, homespun Lancashire club which Royle put on the soccer map. Oldham achieved the impossible by going to Wembley and spending three years in the Premiership. Then, it was off to Everton, to Manchester City, and to Ipswich as manager. With a foreword by Sir Alex Ferguson, this book is an honest account of Joe's career and life, written with his full cooperation.
John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics
by Richard ParkerThe life and times of America's celebrated economist, assessing his lessons-and warnings-for us today.John Kenneth Galbraith's books—among them The Affluent Society and American Capitalism—are famous for good reason. Written by a scholar renowned for energetic political engagement and irrepressible wit, they are models of provocative good sense that warn prophetically of the dangers of deregulated markets, war in Asia, corporate greed, and stock-market bubbles. Galbraith's work has also deeply-and controversially-influenced his own profession, and in Richard Parker's hands his biography becomes a vital reinterpretation of American economics and public policy.Born and raised on a small Canadian farm, Galbraith began teaching at Harvard during the Depression. He was FDR's "price czar" during the war and then a senior editor of Fortune before returning to Harvard and to fame as a bestselling writer. Parker shows how, from his early championing of Keynes to his acerbic analysis of America's "private wealth and public squalor," Galbraith regularly challenged prevailing theories and policies. And his account of Galbraith's remarkable friendship with John F. Kennedy, whom he served as a close advisor while ambassador to India, is especially relevant for its analysis of the intense, dynamic debates that economists and politicians can have over how America should manage its wealth and power. This masterful chronicle gives color, depth, and meaning to the record of an extraordinary life.
Journey To The Sea
by Gil McNeil Hugo Tagholm Sarah BrownWhether it is memories of childhood holidays or exotic fantasies of faraway places, a sea and its coast forms the most evocative of landscapes. Combining elements of romance, danger and mystery, it provides the perfect inspiration for this unique collection. The finest writers from our water-bound nation, including Alexander McCall Smith, Ruth Rendell, Joanne Harris, Joseph O'Connor and Libby Purvis, give us their accounts of adventures and chance encounters, short stories and non-fiction pieces representing the many facets of the sea's power that will haunt and inspire. The collection also includes gripping accounts of real-life adventures on the ocean from such experienced sailors as Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West and Tracy Edwards.A literary tribute to the last earthly frontier - the ocean.
Journeys From The Centre Of The Earth
by Dr Iain StewartMan with hammer, rucksack and GSOH offers gritty adventure holidays. Looking for sun, sea, sand and - science. Scheduled to tie in with a major new BBC series, Hot Rocks explores the Mediterranean - the cradle of western civilisation - and discovers alongside its tranquil, sun-lapped shores, one of the most volatile places on an ever-changing earth. The Mediterranean we know today has been forged in a violent crucible of clashing continents, rising mountains, restless seas and a turbulent climate. Millions of Britons are drawn to the Mediterranean every year and whether they go for the beautiful scenery and relaxing beaches or the culture and architecture or food, none of it would be there were it not for geology. Forward-thinking geologist and television presenter Dr Iain Stewart, uncovers the hidden Mediterranean and brings a fresh and dramatic eye to geology to show just why it is that geology should be restored to its rightful place as the grandfather of sciences. From earthquakes and volcanoes to Roman architecture and cuisine, Iain discovers just how geology has shaped our lives and how we can expect it to affect us in years to come.
Knights Of The Cross: the extraordinary story of the First Crusade - gripping from the first page
by Tom HarperPerfect for fans of Conn Iggulden, Lindsey Davis, Steven Pressfield, this breathtaking and captivating novel brings the Crusades to life in all their triumphant and tragic glory.'Gripping from the first page, the reader is swept up in this colourful and convincing portrayal of an Emperor and his realm under siege.' - Ink'Superb read. Thoroughly enjoyed it' -- ***** Reader review'Highly enjoyable read' -- ***** Reader review'Brilliant.' -- ***** Reader review'Holds your interest from [the first] to the last page' -- ***** Reader review********************************************************************AN ASSASSIN IS ON THE LOOSE...AND AN EMPIRE STANDS IN PERILByzantium, 1096: When a mysterious assassin fires his arrow at the Emperor, he has more than a man in his sights; as the keystone of a crumbling empire, if he falls, then the mightiest power in Christendom will be torn apart. Aware of the stakes, the Emperor hires Demetrios Askiates, the unveiler of mysteries, to catch the would-be-killer.But Demetrios is entering an unknown and mysterious world and must edge his way through a glittering maze of treachery and deceit before time runs out. Nor are all enemies within the city walls. With the Turks rampant across Asia, the Emperor has sent to the west for mercenaries to reinforce his position.When a great army, tens of thousands strong, appears before the gates, he gets more than he bargained for. The first crusaders have arrived, intent on making their fortunes in war, and they have no allegiance to an empire they eye with jealousy and suspicion.As the armies of east and west confront each other, and the assassin creeps ever closer to his prey, Demetrios must untangle the golden web of intrigue which surrounds the Emperor before the city - and the empire - are drowned in blood.
The Kop: Liverpool's Twelfth Man
by Stephen F Kelly'When The Kop is roaring it really is like having a twelfth man out there on the pitch. They're the best fans in the country - by miles.' Jamie CarragherThe Spion Kop is one of the most famous, emotive and atmospheric vantage points in all of sport. The one-time terracing that could 'suck the ball into the net' - in Bill Shankly's immortal phrase - still inspires and intimidates today. Once the home of more than 25,000 swaying, singing, standing Kopites, it's now seated and can hold merely half that number, but its magic still remains.In this fully revised and updated edition, Stephen F Kelly uses eyewitness testimonies from Kopites, policemen, cleaners and referees as well as newspaper reports and the recollections of players and managers to trace the history of this amazing and fascinating stand - each anecdote wonderfully evoking the spirit of the changing times the Kop has experienced.Stirring, emotional and marvellously readable, The Kop is a must for any Liverpool fan and anyone interested in what it means to be a supporter of any football club.
La Belle Saison
by Patricia AtkinsonHow often have you eaten a mushroom that you picked yourself that morning? Or sat on a boat opening and eating oysters as you lift them from the sea? Or partaken of a seven course feast of game to celebrate the success of the chasse? When Patricia Atkinson - bestselling author of The Ripening Sun - first moved to France, her intention was simply to establish a vineyard. Over the years, however, she found herself becoming integrated into a way of life that, had she stayed in England, she would hardly have believed existed. Grounded in the rhythms of the land and the seasons, daily life in Patricia's south-western corner of France is dictated by a series of rituals and celebrations that we have long lost in our supermarket age.La Belle Saison is Patricia's eulogy to this way of life: a testament to the timelessness of the beautiful French countryside, the bounty of the land, and the generous-hearted French neighbours who showed Patricia that a simple life has many rewards. In France, every season is 'la belle saison', offering up its gifts to those willing to appreciate and look after the land.
La Regenta
by John Rutherford Leopoldo AlasMarried to the retired magistrate of Vetusta, Ana Ozores cares deeply for her much older husband but feels stifled by the monotony of her life in the shabby and conservative provincial town. And when she embarks on a quest for fulfillment through religion and even adultery, a bitter struggle begins between a powerful priest and a would-be Don Juan for the passionate young woman's body and soul. Scandalizing contemporary Spain when it was first published in 1885, with its searing critique of the Church and its frank treatment of sex, La Regenta is a compelling and witty depiction of the complacent and frivolous world of upper-class society.
The Last Cut: A Mamur Zapt Mystery (Mamur Zapt Mysteries #11)
by Michael PearceFor millennia, Egypt has depended upon the waters of the Nile. Its annual floods fertilize the land. By the time Britain extends its dominion over Egypt, the Cairo Barrage is the key to control, its name taken from the French term meaning a dam or irrigation channel designed to increase a river's depth or to divert its flow.An attempt to blow up the Manufiyah regulator in the Barrage is not a petty matter. Gareth Owen, The Mamur Zapt, Chief of Cairo's Secret Police, is hurriedly summoned. He hasn't a clue what a regulator is. Nor can he identify the mysterious Lizard Man who seems to have a grudge against the whole Egyptian irrigation system. But he does know that the ceremonial cutting of the temporary dam thrown up each year across the mouth of the Khalig Canal restarts the whole irrigation cycle, allowing water to pour through the canal and signal the opening of dams all across the land. The cut will require policing. Especially as it is going to be the last cut before the canal is filled in.While this modernization will wipe out a health hazard, the Cairenes love the party that goes with the cut. They are less than happy with the dam. Things grow worse when a young woman's body is discovered at the site. Owen has to say it's extremely embarrassing. Is this the traditional ritual sacrifice? Or a sign of sabotage? A diversion? Or just plain murder?
The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework
by Joshua ColemanMy job is more stressful than your's.I'm just not very good at domestic stuff. Your standards are too high. I never learned how to do this chore.Have you heard one or more of the above excuses in the past month? Are you sick of your husband's avoidance tactics regarding housework and parenting? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you need this book. The Lazy Husband is a hands-on guide to understanding and changing men's attitudes towards domestic work and childcare. Dr. Joshua Coleman, author and clinical psychologist, understands that a happy marriage is a balanced marriage. And now, in his refreshingly honest and straightforward style, Coleman reveals exactly how women can motivate their husbands to become better partners and better fathers. By outlining and defining the various types of lazy husbands, Dr. Joshua Coleman teaches women how to understand where their husbands are coming from and enact change. Some Lazy Husband types include:* The Boy-Husband: This husband wants to be taken care of, and pretends to be incompetent around the house.* The Perfectionist Husband: This husband wants the house and the kids to look perfect, but doesn't want to do the work himself.*The Angry Husband: This husband keeps his wife at bay with his irritability, anger, or intimidation. From here, Coleman develops type-specific plans for change. By following these proactive plans, you too can achieve a happy, well-balanced marriage. Just remember, you can do less by getting your husband to do more.
Learning, Natural Capital and Sustainable Development: Options for an Uncertain World
by John Foster Stephen GoughThis special issue of the journal Environmental Education Research addresses a topical area of importance - human behaviour towards the environment. The book explores the economic metaphor of 'natural capital' in this context arguing that the currently dominant model of sustainable development, underpinned by a particular understanding of this metaphor, is impeding progress towards genuine sustainability, and secondly that it will continue to do so until the metaphor can be reworked in both thought and practice.This book explores an alternative economic model of natural capital value, based on recent 'real options' thinking which reworks the natural capital idea and provides a framework for articulating two major and closely-related shifts of emphasis.
Learning the World: A Scientific Romance
by Ken MacLeodHumanity has spread to every star within 500 light-years of its half-forgotten origin, coloring the sky with a haze of habitats. Societies rise and fall. Incautious experiments burn fast and fade. On the fringes, less modified humans get on with the job of settling a universe that has, so far, been empty of intelligent life.The ancient starship But the Sky, My Lady! The Sky! is entering orbit around a promising new system after a four hundred year journey. For its long-lived inhabitants, the centuries have been busy. Now a younger generation is eager to settle the system. The ship is a seed-pod ready to burst.Then they detect curious electromagnetic emissions from the system's Earth-like world. As the nature of the signals becomes clear, the choices facing the humans become stark.On Ground, second world from the sun, a young astronomer searches for his system's outermost planet. A moving point of light thrills, then disappoints him. It's only a comet. His physicist colleague Orro takes time off from trying to invent a flying-machine to calculate the comet's trajectory. Something is very odd about that comet's path.They are not the only ones for whom the world has changed."We are not living in the universe we thought we lived in yesterday. We have to start learning the world all over again."At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Lions of England
by Peter JacksonEngland has contributed some of the greatest players and most colourful characters to the rich history of the Lions, and never more so than in recent years. During the course of little more than a decade, a golden era for the Red Rose yielded four Grand Slams en route to the thrilling climax of the World Cup victory in Sydney, a triumph which has catapulted some of the side's stars to a higher plane in the nation's affections. It is not surprising, therefore, that English players have dominated the last four Lions tours in a way which none of the home countries has done before. Lions of England presents the country's most famous players in a series of revealing portraits, each telling a fascinating story woven around monumental Test matches. Rich in previously untold anecdote and humour, these accounts illustrate the lives and times of the greats spanning three-quarters of a century - from one pre-war knight of the realm, Carl Aarvold, to a more recent one, Clive Woodward. All the evocative names of English rugby are featured here, from Dickie Jeeps to Martin Johnson, Jeff Butterfield to Jason Robinson, Dean Richards to Lawrence Dallaglio. Other chapters are devoted to Peter Jackson (a rather better player than the author), John Pullin, Roger Uttley, Fran Cotton, David Duckham, Bill Beaumont, Peter Wheeler, Jeremy Guscott, Rob Andrew, Jason Leonard and, of course, Jonny Wilkinson.Peter Jackson, the Daily Mail's award-winning rugby writer, has drawn on all his experience and eye for the unusual to give the reader an insight into what makes these talented players tick as people, the early influences which shaped their careers and the momentous events which made them household names. Bang up to date with the inclusion of the summer 2005 series against the All Blacks and a comprehensive records appendix, Lions of England is sure to inform and entertain rugby lovers of every generation in equal measure.
Lizzie's War: A Novel
by Tim FarringtonA family epic laced with authenticity, wit and unforgettable characters. Liz O'Reilly has a husband in Vietnam, 4 kids under the age of 12 (and one on the way), and a burgeoning crush on the family priest. An unconventional love story. It's Summer 1967 and Mike O'Reilly's just shipped out to Vietnam. Liz O'Reilly is trying to keep it all together for their four kids – 6 year old Deb–Deb (who believes she is an otter), 8 year old Angus, Kathie, (who at age 9 helps to integrate the local Blue Bird troop with her best friend Temperance), and 11 year old Danny – the spitting image of Mike. While Mike is off fighting "his" war, Liz struggles with her own desires and yearnings – to pick up the theatre career she abandoned when Danny was born, to care for the four children she loves fiercely yet also occasionally resents, to leave the backdoor unlocked so she always has an escape route. While set during the conflict in Vietnam, Farrington's novel captures the other side of any war – that of the war at home and the careening emotions of the spouses and families left behind.
Lost Plantation: The Rise and Fall of Seven Oaks
by Marc R. MatranaAlong the fertile banks of the Mississippi River across from New Orleans, planter Camille Zeringue transformed a mediocre colonial plantation into a thriving gem of antebellum sugar production, complete with a columned mansion known as Seven Oaks. Under the moss-strewn oaks, the privileged master nurtured his own family, but enslaved many others. Excelling at agriculture, business, an ambitious canal enterprise, and local politics, Zeringue ascended to the very pinnacle of southern society. But his empire soon came crashing down. After the ravages of the Civil War and a nasty battle with a railroad company, the family eventually lost the great estate. Seven Oaks ultimately ended up in the hands of distant railroad executives whose only desire was to rid themselves of this heap of history. Lost Plantation: The Rise and Fall of Seven Oaks tells both of Zeringue's climb to the top and of his legacy's eventual ruin. Preservationists and community members abhorred the railroad's indifferent attitude, and the question of the plantation mansion's fate fueled years of fiery, political battles. These hard-fought confrontations ended in 1977 when the exasperated railroad executives sent bulldozers through the decaying house. By analyzing one failed effort, Lost Plantation provides insight into the complex workings of American historical preservation efforts as a whole, while illustrating how southerners deal with their multifaceted past. The rise and fall of Seven Oaks is much more than just a local tragedy—it is a glaring example of how any community can be robbed of its history. Now, as parishes around New Orleans recognize the great aesthetic and monetary value of restoring plantation homes and attracting tourism, Jefferson Parish mourns a manor lost.
Love Lessons
by Jacqueline WilsonFourteen-year-old Prue and her sister Grace have been educated at home by their controlling, super-strict father all their lives. Forced to wear Mum's odd hand-made garments and forbidden from reading teenage magazines, they know they're very different to 'normal' girls - but when Dad has a stroke and ends up in hospital, unable to move or speak, Prue suddenly discovers what it's like to have a little freedom. Sent to a real school for the first time, Prue struggles to fit in. The only person she can talk to is her kindly, young - and handsome - art teacher, Rax. They quickly bond, and Prue feels more and more drawn to him. As her feelings grow stronger, she begins to realise that he might feel the same way about her. But nothing could ever happen between them - could it?
Love Signals: A Practical Field Guide to the Body Language of Courtship
by David GivensA world renowned anthropologist explores the nonverbal signs, signals, and cues human beings exchange to attract and keep their mates. As a medium of communication, Love's silent language predates speech by millions of years. Today, we still express emotions and feelings largely apart from words. The postures, gestures, and facial cues of attraction are universal, in all societies and cultures.According to Dr. Givens, courtship moves slowly though five distinct phases: attracting attention, recognition phase, conversation phase, touching phase, making love. Since potential mates "test" each other before uniting as one, courtship is a choreographed give and take of signs granting physical and emotional closeness.Love Signals is part enthnography and part how-to. Dr. Givens documents the little courting rituals witnessed in elevators, on subways, and in the workplace. He examines the essential role the face plays in courtship and how it can be optimally displayed. He decodes the body to find silent messages given off by shoulders, neck, arms, hands, waist, calves, ankles, feet, and toes. Dr. Givens analyzes expressive shapes, colors, and markings encoded in arm wear, shoulder wear, leg wear, and shoes. He deciphers the background messages of spaces, places and interiors to learn how environs help or hinder in the meeting process. Chemical cues emanating from aromas, tastes, steroids, sterols, and hormones strongly shape a partner's feelings, so they are explored as well.The book suggests ways to gaze, ways to read eyes across a room, and ways to sit, stand, align, walk dress, and lift a drink to participate in the fascinating adventure of finding, winning, and keeping a mate. Knowing the unspoken vocabulary of love signals will give readers an edge. What this means for courtship is that the reader becomes able to read unspoken motives, emotions, and feelings with great clarity and precision. The more readers know about the nonverbal idiom of attraction, the more likely they will find a loving, lasting partner.
Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask
by Xavier GarzaXavier Garza brings another action-packed bilingual picture book about traditional Mexican wrestling--lucha libre! Xavier Garza presenta otro libro ilustrado lleno de acción sobre un deporte tradicional de Mexico: ¡la lucha libre!Young Carlitos attends a lucha libre match in Mexico City for the first time with his Papá Lupe, but his Tío Vicente is nowhere to be found, though he's supposed to join. At ringside, Carlitos sees the greatest luchador of all time--the Man in the Silver Mask. His eyes look familiar, and he even flashes Carlitos a mysterious smile... The young boy is mesmerized as The Man in the Silver Mask is pitted against the terrible rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. Can Carlitos's newest hero defeat the fearsome masked villains? Acclaimed author and lifelong lucha libre fanatic Xavier Garza introduces children to the thrilling world of this beloved Mexican sport: favorite heroes and much-feared villains, dressed in dazzling and outrageous costumes, strut and prance across the mat and bounce against the ropes, daring anyone to take them to the floor! In an afterword, Garza provides helpful context, discussing the history and cultural significance of lucha libre. Carlitos asiste su primer pelea de lucha libre en la Ciudad de México con su Papá Lupe, pero no aparece su Tío Vicente, que debería acompañarlos. En el ringside, Carlitos ve al más grandioso luchador en la historia de lucha libre, El Hombre de la Máscara de Plata. Sus ojos le parecen familiares, y hasta le sonríe misteriosamente a Carlitos... El niño está hipnotizado cuando El Hombre de la Máscara de Plata se enfrenta a los rudos, los malos de la lucha libre. ¿Podra el nuevo héroe de Carlitos vencer a los terroríficos villanos? El galardonado autor, y fanatico de lucha libre de por vida, Xavier Garza le presenta a lectores pequeños el mundo emocionante del adorado deporte mexicano. En Lucha libre, los jóvenes fanáticos verán este mundo fascinante ven a la vida: héroes favoritos y villanos muy temidos, vestidos con trajes deslumbrantes e indignantes, pavoneándose y brincando sobre el tapete y rebotando contra las cuerdas, ¡desafiando a cualquiera a llevarlos al piso! En una útil nota de autor, Garza provee contexto para el cuento, platicando un poco sobre la historia y significado cultural de la lucha libre.
Lyrical Ballads (Routledge Classics Ser.)
by Samuel Coleridge William WordsworthPublished in 1798, Lyrical Ballads is a dazzling collaboration containing twenty-three poems by close friends, William Wordsworth (1770-1850) and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) - two major figures of English Romanticism. The volume heralded a new approach to poetry and expresses the poets' reflections on mankind's relationship with the forces of the world. Coleridge's contribution includes the nightmarish vision of 'The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere', one of the works for which he became best known, as well as the fantastical conversational poem 'The Foster-Mother's Tale' and the melancholic 'The Nightingale'. Wordsworth's 'We are Seven' depicts a child's naïve optimism in the face of the cruel mortality, while 'Goody Blake and Harry Gill' and 'Simon Lee' celebrate the simplicity and strength he perceived in country people, and 'Tintern Abbey' explores the healing powers of nature.Published as part of the Penguin Poetry First Editions series in which the greatest collections of poetry in English will be published in their original form. All texts have been completely reset and some minor changes made to punctuation.
Mad About The Boy
by Mathilde MaddenWhen Sophie Taylor finds herself outlining her ultimate fantasy - to pay a man for sex - at her drunken 31st birthday party, all her friends seem to get the wrong end of the stick. Because suddenly everyone seems to be trying to make Sophie's dreams come true, from her on-off boyfriend Rex to the mysterious Mark Valentine. Everyone, that is, except Sophie herself. Will Sophie put her money where her mouth wants it to be? Or are some things best kept in the realm of fantasy?
Mademoiselle de Maupin
by Theophile GautierChevalier d'Albert fantasizes about his ideal lover, yet every woman he meets falls short of his exacting standards of female perfection. Embarking on an affair with the lovely Rosette to ease his boredom, he is thrown into tumultuous confusion when she receives a dashing young visitor. Exquisitely handsome, Théodore inspires passions d'Albert never believed he could feel for a man - and Rosette also seems to be in thrall to the charms of her guest. Does this bafflingly alluring person have a secret to hide? Subversive and seductive, Mademoiselle de Maupin (1835) draws readers into the bedrooms and boudoirs of a French château in a compelling exploration of desire and sexual intrigue.
The Magic Hour: an uplifting and moving tale of serendipity and fate from bestselling author Charlotte Bingham
by Charlotte BinghamExciting and dramatic but tender and heartfelt; this is a novel that you will return to again and again. From the million copy and Sunday Times bestselling author Charlotte Bingham, for fans of Louise Douglas and Dinah Jeffries.'An engaging, romantic and nostalgic read' -- DAILY MAIL'Compulsive reading... Bingham's prose is lively and vivid, making this a real page turner' -- GOOD BOOK GUIDE"These are characters you will really care about" -- ***** Reader review"Very enjoyable and hard to put down" -- ***** Reader review"Incredibly well written and engrossing" -- ***** Reader review**************************************************************************TWO PATHS, ONE DESTINATION...When Alexandra Stamford goes to stay with her cousins at Knighton Hall she is very much the poor relation. Shortly after her return home, her father re-marries. No longer wanted, Alexandra is forced to become a maid-of-all-work for a Mrs Smithers who lives in a grand Regency house in the seaside town of Deanford.It is here that handsome, funny Bob Atkins meets and falls in love with Alexandra...Meanwhile Tom O'Brien, erstwhile stable lad at Knighton Hall, meets and falls for the beautiful Lady Florazel Compton who introduces him to the sophistications of 1950s London.As Bob is conscripted for National Service, Alexandra plans her future, and in doing so discovers family secrets that have a devastating impact. Tragedy strikes, and it is only when Tom returns from New York to search out his old friend Bob Atkins' fiancée that Alexandra's life appears about to be truly transformed.But the past seems destined to wreck the happiness of the present, as the glamorous Lady Florazel Compton is determined to re-capture her former love, destroying the magic hour of Tom's and Alexandra's meeting.
The Magician and the Cardsharp: The Search for America's Greatest Sleight-of-Hand Artist
by Karl JohnsonA famous magician's journey to find the greatest cardsharp ever evokes the forgotten world of magic where Americans found escape during the Great DepressionIt has the nostalgic quality of an old-fashioned fable, but Karl Johnson's The Magician and the Cardsharp is a true story that lovingly re-creates the sparkle of a vanished world. Here, set against the backdrop of America struggling through the Depression, is the world of magic, a realm of stars, sleight of hand, and sin where dreams could be realized - or stolen away. Following the Crash of '29, Dai Vernon, known by magicians as "the man who fooled Houdini," is tramping down Midwestern backroads, barely making ends meet. While swapping secrets with a Mexican gambler, he hears of a guy he doesn't quite believe is real - a legendary mystery man who deals perfectly from the center of the deck and who locals call the greatest cardsharp of all time. Determined to find the reclusive genius, Vernon sets out on a journey through America's shady, slick, and sinful side - from mob-run Kansas City through railroad towns that looked sleepy only in the daytime. Does he find the sharp? Well, Karl Johnson did - after years of research into Vernon's colorful quest, research that led him to places he never knew existed. Johnson takes us to the cardsharp's doorstep and shows us how he bestowed on Vernon the greatest secret in magic. The Magician and the Cardsharp is a unique and endlessly entertaining piece of history that reveals the artistry and obsession of a special breed of American showmen.