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Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British
by Jeremy PaxmanFrom the bestselling author of The English comes Empire, Jeremy Paxman's history of the British Empire accompanied by a flagship 5-part BBC TV series, for readers of Simon Schama and Andrew Marr.The influence of the British Empire is everywhere, from the very existence of the United Kingdom to the ethnic composition of our cities. It affects everything, from Prime Ministers' decisions to send troops to war to the adventurers we admire. From the sports we think we're good at to the architecture of our buildings; the way we travel to the way we trade; the hopeless losers we will on, and the food we hunger for, the empire is never very far away.In this acute and witty analysis, Jeremy Paxman goes to the very heart of empire. As he describes the selection process for colonial officers ('intended to weed out the cad, the feeble and the too clever') the importance of sport, the sweating domestic life of the colonial officer's wife ('the challenge with cooking meat was "to grasp the fleeting moment between toughness and putrefaction when the joint may possibly prove eatable"') and the crazed end for General Gordon of Khartoum, Paxman brings brilliantly to life the tragedy and comedy of Empire and reveals its profound and lasting effect on our nation and ourselves.'Paxman is witty, incisive, acerbic and opinionated . . . In short, he carries the whole thing off with panache bordering on effrontery' Piers Brendon, Sunday Times 'Paxman is a magnificent historian, and Empire may be remembered as his finest work' Independent on SundayJeremy Paxman was born in Yorkshire and educated at Cambridge. He is an award-winning journalist who spent ten years reporting from overseas, notably for Panorama. He is the author of five books including The English. He is the presenter of Newsnight and University Challenge and has presented BBC documentaries on various subjects including Victorian art and Wilfred Owen.
Escape To London
by Mary Jane StaplesAustria, 1938. Anne von Korvacs watches in horror as Hitler's tanks roll through the streets of Vienna, amid crowds of cheering supporters. Her embittered ex-husband, now a fervent member of the Nazi cause, is among the cavalcade - he is burning with hatred for Anne, seeing her as a symbol of the old Austrian empire he once served. A chance encounter with a British journalist leaves Anne with a secret that must be smuggled out of the country, and Anne knows that she must forsake her beloved Vienna and with her children flee to Britain. In a thrilling journey that will separate sisters and brothers, parents and children, Anne and her family escape to freedom, to dream of a reunion in far-away London.Mary Jane Staples introduces a cast of gloriously warm characters in this wartime romantic adventure.
Filboid Studge, the Story of a Mouse that Helped (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Saki'Three weeks later the world was advised of the coming of a new breakfast food, heralded under the resounding name of 'Filboid Studge''H.H. Munro, better known by his pen name, Saki, wrote wickedly comic satires of upper-class Edwardian life. These seven short stories are macabre and extremely funny: they include a cat that is regrettably taught to speak, a vicious pet ferret worshipped as a god, a businessman triumphantly selling an unpalatable breakfast mush, and many dark twists and barbs.This book includes Filboid Studge, a Story of a Mouse That Helped, Todermory, Mrs. Packletide's Tiger, Sredni Vashtar, The Music on the Hill, The Recessional and The Cobweb.
Emotional Healing For Horses & Ponies
by Heather Simpson Judy Howard Stefan BallOver the last few years there has been a revolution in the way we think about horses. At last we have clear ideas about how horses see the world, and about how they feel about themselves and the things we ask them to do.This book helps us to put these insights to work.Emotional Healing for Horses and Ponies brings together the skills of expert horsewoman and animal behaviourist Heather Simpson and those of leading Bach flower remedy experts Stefan Ball and Judy Howard. Together they describe how complementary medicine and simple changes in handling and housing routines can immeasurably improve the lives of our horses. Anybody who has been inspired by the tales of horse whisperers will find in this book practical steps that we can all take to give our horses happier and more joyful lives.
Figures in a Landscape
by Barry England'Masterful and beautifully written. Riveting and compellingly authentic. Grips you like a vice from the first page and never lets you go' Damien LewisTwo men are on the run. They have four hundred miles to go across hostile territory. Soldiers on the ground track them day and night, a helicopter circles above, life becomes a second-by-second fight for survival. Each muscle movement, drop of sweat, glance and instinct matters. Every second counts.Through long slogs across country, risky raids for supplies, moments of sheer panic, and under the intense pressure to survive, an unbreakable bond between two men is forged. This stunningly written, adrenaline-pumping novel is a little-known classic of its genre.SHORTLISTED FOR THE FIRST EVER BOOKER PRIZE IN 1969‘England's prose has the tough, spare elegance of steel scaffolding… a brilliant achievement’ The Times
Escape from Shadow Island - Max Cassidy 1 (Max Cassidy #1)
by Paul Adam'My mum killed my dad, then dragged his body all the way along the beach . . . I don't believe a word of it'Max Cassidy is a teenage escapologist, so good he's nicknamed the Half-pint Houdini. His father disappeared two years ago and his body has never been found. His mother is now serving a life sentence for her husband's murder.Max's mission to learn the truth about his family takes him on an thrilling journey, from London to the horrors of the terrifying Shadow Island in central America.Escapology is dangerous but not nearly as dangerous as real life . . .The first book in Paul Adam's fast and furious Max Cassidy thriller series.
The Figure In The Distance
by Otto De KatCambridge, Budapest, New York, Zurich, The Hague, Tel Aviv, the South Downs of England: the narrator has travelled everywhere. He has observed some of the major upheavals of the century - the Six Day War, the Prague Spring - and collected friends, lovers, and passions every step of the way. As he ages, the memories of his past grow sharper, the events of his childhood more vivid - so vivid, in fact, that his present life recedes into oblivion. He inhabits a world of ghosts and shadows and absence. Throughout his perambulations of time and space, one absence always looms largest: that of his father. The figure of his dead father materializes again and again, drawing the narrator back into the past, reviving the people and places of long ago. The Figure in the Distance is a hypnotic novel, told with a cinematic cross-cutting that suspends the reader in the cobwebs of memory and longing that haunt the narrator.
Emotional Healing For Cats
by Judy Howard Stefan BallCats have their ups and downs, just like people. Emotional Healing for Cats tells you what to do on the down days, including how to:-help your cat adjust to change and deal with illness and anxiety-deal with behavioural problems-understand life from your cat's point of viewWith a full guide to selecting Bach Flower Remedies and advice on other complementary therapies that can contribute to your cat's emotional health, Emotional Healing for Cats is the definitive guide to a balanced life for all your feline friends.Stefan Ball and Judy Howard are world experts on Dr Bach and his work. They teach practitioner level courses at the Bach Centre in England and have written widely on flower remedies and the complementary approach to health.
Escape from Baghdad: First Time Was For the Money, This Time It's Personal
by James AshcroftGun-for-hire James 'Ash' Ashcroft thought he'd left Iraq behind. Last time he only got out alive thanks to the bravery of his interpreter and friend Sammy. But now a call for help means Ash must once again face the chaos of war-torn Baghdad - and this time there's no pay cheque. Abandoned by the occupying Coalition Forces, Sammy and his family face certain death at the hands of the Shia-dominated Iraqi Police and the death squads that roam the streets unless Ash and his team can get in and get them to safety over the border. This is the action-packed story of their audacious escape from Baghdad. It is a gripping account of the chaos of war, where the only thing that can be relied upon is the bond between former brothers-in-arms.
The Figure in the Carpet and Other Stories
by Henry JamesThe stories in this collection were written mostly between 1888 and 1897, a time when Henry James’s writing was concerned with the art of fiction and the position of the artist in society. The motif and title story, ‘The Figure in the Carpet’, is an inspired joke, a masterpiece of double-entendre that demands the reader’s undivided love and attention and continues to baffle its critics. Also included are ‘The Author of Beltraffio’, an absorbing story of family infighting, authorship and tragedy, and ‘The Private Life’, a spirited tale that considers the contrast between the artist alone and at work. While many of these stories appear to be elaborate Jamesian games, all employ irony and humour to allegorize artistic creation.
The Fixer
by Steve BunceRay Lester is a fixer in the boxing business. He makes fights happen. He builds a bridge and guides boxers across to the negotiating table. Ray Lester is good at his job.One morning, a girl arrives at Ray's door and asks him for help finding her father, an old-school Vegas crooner called Eddie Lights. Ray travels with his questions to Sin City, along with 30,000 other Brits with their Union Jacks on the way to watch Hatton take on Mayweather. But the boys in leather jackets from back east are on his tail and Ray finds himself embroiled in a murderous plot.So begins a journey into the murky world of deals, fights and fighters. A world beyond the glitz, glamour and glory. A world where the fixer is king.
Emotional Healing: Complementary Solutions for a Stress-Free Life
by Jan de VriesIn Emotional Healing, world-renowned alternative-health expert Jan de Vries turns his attention to the myriad of mental and emotional conditions that he has seen increase amongst his patients in recent years.This important new addition to the Jan de Vries Healthcare series offers practical advice on how to cope with the emotional effects of unhappy relationships and broken marriages, suggests ways of eradicating depression and suicidal thoughts, reveals how to combat feelings of resentment and jealousy, and advises on how to avoid the health pitfalls linked to modern working life, such as stress and anxiety.The book pinpoints effective ways in which to overcome feelings of guilt and trauma that arise from unfortunate situations such as road accidents. It also explores the wealth of complex emotions related to degenerative diseases, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy, and offers helpful tips on how to cope at such times.Emotional Healing is an essential handbook for those of us who are emotionally and mentally affected by the many pressures of life in the twenty-first century. It will lift spirits and bring some positivity back into the lives of those who may have started to give up hope.
Fix Your Fatigue: 5 Steps to Regaining Your Energy
by Karina AntramLearn how to never feel tired again with the life-saving toolkit to regaining your energy and finding happiness - the book everyone NEEDS in 2023'It's a cracking book, a cracking, cracking book' CHRIS EVANS, Virgin Radio'This practical five-step guide to tackling tiredness combines coaching-based methodologies, useful reflections, tips and lifestyle changes' Your Healthy Living'Simple tips to boost your energy levels' THE TIMES___________It isn't normal to feel tired all the time.In fact, tiredness is one of your body's key ways of telling you that something isn't right, but many of us trudge through life feeling some level of fatigue or lethargy every single day.Registered nutritionist and executive coach Karina Antram will help you to identify and understand these symptoms and their causes, as well as providing the tools to reclaim the energy that is so fundamental to health, happiness and mental wellbeing.Fix Your Fatigue will lead you through these five simple and achievable steps . . .1. Fuel your body2. Support your gut3. Supercharge your sleep and exercise4. Energise with supplements5. Harness the power of your brain. . . to reinvigorate and stabilise your energy levels.
Escape
by Heleen Van RoyenI have a husband, we have two children and we own our house. I am in good health and so are they, our lives are good; we have everything we need. Sometimes I look at them and wait, in vain, to be moved, as a mother should when watching her own family. Why do I no longer feel anything?Julia is thirty-six years old. At first sight she has it all, but actually she feels miserable. Trapped in the monotony of daily family life and fed up with her passionless marriage, Julia wants out. Escape. For once not to be a good mother, a good wife, a good daughter. For the first time in her life she does something completely irresponsible: she leaves her family behind and heads off into the sun.When Julia finally meets someone who makes her realize what she's been missing all her life, she is forced to reconcile with her past and confront the crucial question: does she dare to go home?
Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles
by Harriet LambIt started very small and full of hope. But its daring campaigns have placed Fairtrade goods at the heart of the supermarket shelves. From bananas and coffee beans to cotton and chocolate, Fairtrade has grown to become an important global movement that has revolutionised the way we shop.As Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive of Fairtrade International, explains in this extensively revised and updated edition of her inspirational book, Fairtrade is about a better deal for workers and famers in the developing world. It's about making sure the food on our plates, and shirts on our backs, don't rob people in other countries of the means to feed or clothe themselves. She explores the journey, through an often unjust system, that Fairtrade items make from farm to consumer. And she uncovers the shocking cost of our demand for cheaper food.There is much still to be done. But by hard work and high ideals, Fairtrade is starting to transform the lives of over 7 million farmers, workers and their families, and is a powerful symbol of how extraordinary change can be achieved against all the odds - by us all.
The Five Senses: Touch, Smell, Taste, Hearing And Vision (Jan De Vries Healthcare Ser.)
by Jan de VriesBest-selling author and world-renowned naturopath Jan de Vries has become increasingly aware of the damage that today's environment has had on the five senses of touch, smell, taste, hearing and vision. Man's immune system is under constant attack by viruses, allergies, bacteria, pollution, food, water and air. As Jan de Vries says in his introduction, 'If you lose your senses you lose your sense of living'; this book will help you to live again.
Escape: Our journey home through war-torn Germany
by Barbie Probert-WrightTwo sisters.One extraordinary true story.Germany, 1945. Trapped between advancing armies, stranded hundreds of miles from their mother, and with their father missing in action, sisters Barbie and Eva were confronted with an impossible choice.Should they stay and face invasion or risk their lives to find their mother?Together, they set out on a perilous three-hundred mile journey on foot across a country ravaged by war. Fuelled by courage and love, Eva and seven-year-old Barbie encounter incredible hardship, extraordinary bravery, and overwhelming generosity.Against all odds, they both survived.But neither sister came out of the journey unscathed . . .This is the powerful true story of their escape.(Previously published as Little Girl Lost)
Fighting Over You
by Laura HamiltonYasmin and U seem like the perfect twenty-first century media couple. She's a scriptwriter for soaps and he's a magazine editor with a knack for tapping into the latest trends. Then, one evening, U confesses to Yasmin that he's 'having a thing' with a nineteen-year-old violinist - the precocious niece of Yasmin and U's old boss, the formidable Pandora Fairchild. Amelia, the violinist, turns out to be a catalyst for a whole series of erotic experiments that even Yasmin finds intriguing. In a haze of absinthe, lust and wild abandon, all parties find answers to questions about their sexuality they were once too afraid to ask.
Five Revenge Tragedies: The Spanish Tragedy, Hamlet, Antonio's Revenge, The Tragedy of Hoffman, The Revenger's Tragedy
by Thomas Kyd Thomas Middleton William Shakespeare John Marston Henry ChettleAs the Elizabethan era gave way to the reign of James I, England grappled with corruption within the royal court and widespread religious anxiety. Dramatists responded with morally complex plays of dark wit and violent spectacle, exploring the nature of death, the abuse of power and vigilante justice. In Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy a father failed by the Spanish court seeks his own bloody retribution for his son's murder. Shakespeare's 1603 version of Hamlet creates an avenging Prince of unique psychological depth, while Chettle's The Tragedy of Hoffman is a fascinating reworking of Hamlet's themes, probably for a rival theatre company. In Marston's Antonio's Revenge, thwarted love leads inexorably to gory reprisals and in Middleton's The Revenger's Tragedy, malcontent Vindice unleashes an escalating orgy of mayhem on a debauched Duke for his bride's murder, in a ferocious satire reflecting the mounting disillusionment of the age. Emma Smith's introduction considers the political and religious climate behind the plays and the dramatic conventions within them. This edition includes a chronology, playwrights' biographies and suggestions for further reading.
Fighting Mac: The Downfall of Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald
by Trevor RoyleOn a spring morning in 1903, Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald, one of Britain's greatest military heroes, took his life in a hotel room in Paris. A few days later he was buried hastily in an Edinburgh cemetary as his fellow countrymen tried to come to terms with the fact that one of Scotland's most famous soldiers had ended his life rather than face charges against his character.The suicide and its aftermath created a national scandal and one which still reverberates long after those dramatic events - it is now clear that the official files dealing with his case, the papers of the Judge Advocate have been destroyed. Macdonald or 'Fighting Mac' as he was known to an adoring public, was no ordinary soldier. A crofter's son who had risen from the ranks in the Victorian army, he covered himself with glory during a long and successful military career and in 1898 was widely acknowledged as the true hero of the Battle of Omdurman, which cemented British Imperial rule in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Everything lay at his feet - a knighthood, honours, the respect of fellow generals such as Roberts and Kitchener - but Macdonald's career came to a shocking full stop when he stood accused of homosexuality and was ordered to face a court martial. Unable to come to terms with the disgrace, he committed suicide. That should have been the end of his story but so powerful was the myth created by Fighting Mac that people refused to believe he was dead. Soon rumours were circulating that Macdonald had faked his death and had adopted the persona of a prominent Prussian officer, the future Field Marshal August con Mackensen, one of Germany's great leaders during the First World War. FIGHTING MAC tells the true story behind his disgrace and sheds new light on the myths....
The Five Orange Pips and Other Cases (The Penguin English Library)
by Arthur Conan Doyle'He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson ... He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them'Sherlock Holmes, scourge of criminals everywhere, whether they be lurking in London's foggy backstreets or plotting behind the walls of an idyllic country mansion, and his faithful colleague Dr Watson, solve these breathtaking and perplexing mysteries. In Arthur Conan Doyle's The Five Orange Pips and Other Cases we encounter some of his most famous and devilishly difficult problems.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
The Erotic Poems
by OvidThis collection of Ovid's poems deals with the whole spectrum of sexual desire, ranging from deeply emotional declarations of eternal devotion to flippant arguments for promiscuity. In the Amores, Ovid addresses himself in a series of elegies to Corinna, his beautiful, elusive mistress. The intimate and vulnerable nature of the poet revealed in these early poems vanishes in the notorious Art of Love, in which he provides a knowing and witty guide to sexual conquest - a work whose alleged obscenity led to Ovid's banishment from Rome in AD 8. This volume also includes the Cures for Love, with instructions on how to terminate a love affair, and On Facial Treatment for Ladies, an incomplete poem on the art of cosmetics.
Fighting Chance: Winners and Losers in the Ultimate Risk Business
by Derick AllsopFew sports polarise public opinion as boxing does. Some contend that it is repugnant and barbaric, for others a legitimate, regulated contest of skill, strength and willpower. What cannot be denied is that the fight game has produced some of sport's greatest icons. Many more are content to make a decent living or at least supplement their income by stepping into the ring.Fighting Chance gets up close with those involved in everyday British boxing. It goes behind the scenes at shows and into gyms to meet champions such as Ricky Hatton, starry-eyed young men dreaming of world titles, hard-nosed pros surviving another pay day and veteran trainers who have seen it all and sometimes wish they hadn't. Many of them say this brutal trade has saved them from a life of crime and drugs, and given them an opportunity to find self-esteem. All recognise the possible cost - Paul Ingles, for example, almost lost his life in the ring - but maintain it is a risk worth taking. Martin Jolley attempted suicide in his darkest hour but survived and sought a kind of refuge as a journeyman boxer, taking fights at short notice and then returning to his day job as a printer. Michael Jennings' brother was killed by an addiction to drugs and he is convinced the sport has spared him the same tragic fate. Others, however, are always tormented by their demons. Michael Gomez, once held on a murder charge, was hailed as a future world champion until he went off the rails, plunging his private life into turmoil and leaving his career on the brink. Brian Hughes, one of the best-known and most successful trainers in the country, admits his love of boxing has been eroded by the 'stinking' side of the business.Often shocking, sometimes humorous, always gripping, Fighting Chance is an odyssey through a world few will have encountered. It gives a candid insight and many of its compelling characters.
The Five O'Clock Apron: Proper Food for Modern Families
by Claire ThomsonEvery parent's dream - proper, nutritious recipes for the whole family that will get even the fussiest kids eating up. With delicious recipes and mouth-watering photography, this cookbook from popular blogger and Guardian columnist will revolutionise family supper times...'One of the best family cookbooks I've seen in years' -- Diana Henry'The best family cookbook EVER' -- ***** Reader review'My new favourite cookbook for sure' -- ***** Reader review'Really love this book - it's on heavy rotation in my kitchen' -- ***** Reader review'Awesome' -- ***** Reader review'Good for the soul and for the stomach' -- ***** Reader review'A real winner' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************************************Faced with the daily challenge of what to cook for her three young children, chef and mum Claire Thomson made it her mission to inspire parents stuck in a teatime rut. Every day she makes a 'proper' tea, tweeting it at 5pm - and from that her blog '5 O'Clock Apron' was born and a popular Guardian column on cooking for children followed.Claire wants to inspire other parents and invigorate the concept of family cookery. Cooking shouldn't be a chore, one meal for the grown-ups and another for the children. Claire's fresh, exciting meals are versatile and flavourful enough to please everyone around the table, encouraging parents to view food differently, to refresh their culinary imaginations and find real joy in cooking for their children.Featuring sections on milk, bread, grains, pulses, rice, vegetables, fruit and fish, 5 O'clock Apron will engage and empower parents. Why not try...Green Pea PestoAranciniBean & Broccoli SoupSpring Onion FarinataSlow Roast Carrots with Brown RiceSpanish Baked RiceWhole Chicken roasted over Rice with CinnamonMeatballsRatatouilleAnd much more...Not just a recipe book, but a way of thinking about how to shop, cook, eat and celebrate as a family, Claire provides a unique insight, as both a mother and a chef, into what really makes food appealing for children.
Eric Sykes' Comedy Heroes
by Eric SykesEric Sykes is one of Britain's creative comedy geniuses combining personal warmth, superbly observed written and performed comedy and a deeply intimate understanding of what a viewing audience wants. Here he has assembled a comedy hall of fame for those who have inspired, entertained and, most of all, amused him.Including tributes to comedy greats Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Ken Dodd, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and many, many more, this is a beautiful and personal testimony to the wonderful characters who have stimulated Eric's life-long love affair with laughter.