Search results for ""Author Roy"

The end is near! The Voltarian terrorists have won! Earth is history! But dont believe everything you read. Or hear. Or see. Because the road to victory is paved with bad intentionsand lies, betrayal and deception are all in play. So who are the players in this treacherous game ? Countess Krak: victim of a spectacular kidnapping, she is bound for a distant dungeon where she faces a venomous fate Royal Officer Jettero Heller: convinced the Countess is dead and overcome by grief, he is holed up in a Connecticut roadhouseand standing square in an assassins crosshairs Soltan Gris: together with a young temptress named Teenie Whopper, he undertakes a drug-fueled voyage across the Atlantic. But the journeys about to be cut short, as he goes from getting stoned with Teenie to nearly getting stoned to death in Turkey So who is in command? Who is the puppet master pulling the strings? And, finally, is there any hope for planet Earth? The answers lie at the end of an extraordinary VOYAGE OF VENGEANCE.

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Scandinavian art pottery, long appreciated regionally, has enjoyed a rediscovery by international collectors over the past five years. Using almost 500 dramatic color photos, this book explores the major factories, workshops, and studios that initiated and created ceramic modernism in Scandinavia, including Royal Copenhagen, Saxbo, Kahler Keramiks, Ipsen, Gustavsberg, and Tobo. Also recounted are brief histories of Denmark and Sweden's most influential designers, including Patrick Nordstrom, Axel Salto, Nils Thorsson, Cathinka Olsen, Gertrud Vasegaard, Josef Ekberg, and Gunnar Nylund. Written by a recognized expert in the field, this long anticipated book provides well researched, up-to-date information on the factories and ceramicists that collectors are most interested in, plus accurate information on marks, dating, and updated values. Clearly photographed and written, this essential reference will provide collectors with the knowledge necessary to enhance and build unique and valuable collections of some of the finest art pottery ever created.

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The FRCS (Urol) - Urology and urological surgery - is the mandatory final exit exam that all urology national training number (NTN) trainees in the UK must successfully complete in order to achieve Certification of Training (CCT) in urology. The FRCS (Urol) exam is run by the four Royal Colleges of Surgery of the UK and Ireland, with the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) acting as advisory body. Internationally the FRCS (Urol) as a qualification is widely recognised as a marker of quality and indeed applicants from all around the world sit the exam. The FRCS (Urol) consists of a first written component, followed at a later date by a separate oral viva examination. There is an impending lack of published textbooks that provide a comprehensive summary of the knowledge required to pass the exam. This textbook, along with Book 2, fills the current market gap of a dedicated revision note style book to prepare candidates for the FRCS (Urol), as well as educate more junior trainees starting their higher training in urology.

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Kaiser Friedrich III and his consort Victoria, Princess Royal of Great Britain, had six children who lived to maturity, the eldest being Kaiser Wilhelm II. The three younger sisters, Victoria, Sophie and Margaret, were particularly supportive of their mother during her widowhood and remained close throughout their lives. Like their parents, they would know much sorrow as adults. Victoria's romance with Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria, was thwarted by Bismarck for political reasons and she married twice, firstly to a minor German prince and secondly to a young Russian adventurer who left her to die in poverty. Sophie married the future King Constantine of Greece, whose ill-starred reign saw them forced to leave their throne not once but twice, both dying in exile. Margaret married a prince of Hesse-Cassel, both became members of the Nazi party, and she lived to see her family and house become victims of theft on a major scale at the hands of occupying forces at the end of the Second World War. Using previously unpublished sources, this is the first biography to tell the lives of all three princesses.

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___***SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2022******A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022***'What you should do now to change the rest of your life' The Times'A timely call to safeguard your health and vitality' Irish TimesDid you know that we can lead longer and healthier lives by making simple changes right now?Professor Rose Anne Kenny has 35 years of experience at the forefront of ageing medicine. In Age Proof, she draws on her own pioneering research and the latest evidence to demystify why we age and shows us that 80% of our ageing biology is within our control: we can not only live longer lives but become happier and healthier deep into our later years. Effortlessly distilling scientific theory into practical advice that we can apply to our everyday lives, Professor Kenny examines the impact that food, genetics, friendships, purpose, sex, exercise and laughter have on how our cells age. This illuminating book will show you the steps you can take to stay younger for longer - and will prove that you really are just as young as you feel.

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During the Second World War, thousands of young men volunteered for service with the Royal Air Force. Some of these became fighter pilots, but a great many more were destined to be trained as members of bomber aircrew; pilots, navigators, wireless operators, bomb aimers, air gunners and flight engineers. On completion of their training a number of these men were posted to XV Squadron, a highly regarded frontline bomb squadron which had been formed during the First World War. Bomber Squadron -Men Who Flew with XV relates the personal stories of a small number of these men, giving an insight to their anxious moments when flying on operational sorties, staring death in the face in the form of enemy night-fighters and ground fire, and relaxing with them during their off-duty hours. The book also reveals the motivations, emotions and personal attitudes of these men, who flew into combat on an almost nightly basis. Their stories encompass the whole six years of the war, over which period XV Squadron flew a range of different bomber aircraft including Fairey Battles, Bristol Blenheims, Vickers Wellingtons, Short Stirlings and Avro Lancasters.

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Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples offers the most comprehensive resource for advancing our understanding of one of the least coherently developed of climate change policy realms - legal protection of vulnerable indigenous populations. The first part of the book provides a tremendously useful background on the cultural, policy, and legal context of indigenous peoples, with special emphasis on developing general principles for climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions. The remainder of the volume then carefully and thoroughly works through how those general principles play out for different regional indigenous populations around the globe. All of the contributions to the volume are by leading experts who bring their insights and innovative thinking to bear on a truly complex subject. Whether as a novice s starting point or expert's desktop reference, I cannot think of a more useful resource for anyone interested in climate policy for indigenous peoples.'- J.B. Ruhl, Vanderbilt University Law School, USThis timely volume explores the ways in which indigenous peoples across the world are challenged by climate change impacts, and discusses the legal resources available to confront those challenges.Indigenous peoples occupy a unique niche within the climate justice movement, as many indigenous communities live subsistence lifestyles that are severely disrupted by the effects of climate change. Additionally, in many parts of the world, domestic law is applied differently to indigenous peoples than it is to their non-indigenous peers, further complicating the quest for legal remedies. The contributors to this book bring a range of expert legal perspectives to this complex discussion, offering both a comprehensive explanation of climate change-related problems faced by indigenous communities and a breakdown of various real world attempts to devise workable legal solutions. Regions covered include North and South America (Brazil, Canada, the US and the Arctic), the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Tuvalu and the Federated States of Micronesia), Australia and New Zealand, Asia (China and Nepal) and Africa (Kenya).This comprehensive volume will appeal to professors and students of environmental law, indigenous law and international law, as well as practitioners and policymakers with an interest in indigenous legal issues and environmental justice.Contributors: R.S. Abate, D. Badrinarayana, K. Boom, M. Burkett, J.M. Cha, E. Charles-Newton, L.A. Crippa, M. Davis, P. Dong, N. Johnstone, P. Kameri-Mbote, P. Kebec, S. Krakoff, E.A. Kronk, J.-D. Lavallee, J. Liu, A. Long, L.A. Miranda, C.Y. Mulalap, E. Nyukuri, H. Osofsky, J.V. Royster, I.L. Stoyanova, V. Sutton, E.J. Techera, S. Thériault, R. Tsosie, P. Van Tuyn, W. Yu

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Entre le IIIe et le VIIe siecles, la Chine, morcelee en plusieurs royaumes dont certains furent au mains des "barbares", construit son identite face notamment a la penetration du bouddhisme. Ce recueil presente certaines incidences du bouddhisme en Chine sur la pensee, la societe et la culture.Sur le plan doctrinal, le bouddhisme a certainement influence des penseurs plus tot qu'on ne l'imagine, comme Wang Bi par exemple, et certains themes firent l'objet de debats et d'interets certains, tel celui de la non dualite, etudie ici a travers le commentaire de Jizang du Soutra de Vimalakirti.Les rapports entre les moines et les lettres sont evoquees a partir de la presentation des joutes poetiques qui ont pu se disputer dans les monasteres a l'occasion de fetes bouddhiques du baguanzhai ou encore de l'importance du vegetarisme et de sa diffusion. Les rapports avec l'Etat du clerge et les moyens que ce dernier employa pour asseoir son autorite sont egalement abordes notamment par l'intermediaire d'une etude sur le culte des reliques du Bouddha et celle d'un texte sans doute apocryphe, le Zui miaosheng ding jing qui vante les merites de la meditation-concentration (chanding), qui a exerce une profonde influence sur les grand maitres bouddhistes chinois.L'analyse de la personalite des defenseurs du bouddhisme, a partir des auteurs d'un recueil apologetique de cette doctrine, le Hongming ji, fait ressortir le role predominant des laics et des lettres dans cette apologie. Certains activement participe des controverses et debats entre representants des trois courants de pensee (bouddhisme, taoisme, confucianisme), comme Dao'an, auteur du "Erjiao lun", usant de son savoir de lettre pour persuader et convaincre l'empereur et la cour de la valeur du bouddhisme.

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Ideal for backpacks and back pockets alike, this indispensable reference makes it easy to identify any tree commonly encountered between the Canadian Arctic and Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Pacific—more than 350 species in all. It's a natural for birders, hikers, and other outdoorsy types, but even confirmed urbanites will find plenty of information on city trees as well. Concise yet comprehensive, the book's clear, methodical approach enables anyone to recognize trees at a glance. Developed in consultation with botanists from The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Cornell University's renowned Bailey Hortorium, it separates species into two fundamental types: conifers and broad-leaved, then organizes them into genera based on common characteristics, presenting each in its presumed order of evolution. Major differences between species groups are explained, with advice on which parts of a tree to examine when a closer look is required. More than 1,000 annotated illustrations depict the height, shape, foliage, buds and seed of each species, with trees bearing a strong resemblance shown side by side to highlight their distinctive differences. The accompanying text and system of symbols provide the important details on features and habitat essential to quick, reliable identifications, while graphical keys indicate genus and species, listing both scientific and common names. The guide also includes a map charting tree hardiness and distribution based on widely recognized climactic zones; general information about individual species traits and history, a glossary; and more.

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Oswald Boelcke was Germanys first ace in World War One with a total of forty victories. His character, inspirational leadership, organisational genius, development of air-to-air tactics and impact on aerial doctrine are all reasons why Boelcke remains an important figure in the history of air warfare. Paving the way for modern air forces across the world with his pioneering tactics, Boelcke had a dramatic effect on his contemporaries. The fact that he was the Red Barons mentor, instructor, squadron commander and friend demonstrates the influence he had upon the German air force. He was one of the first pilots to be awarded the famous Pour le Mérite commonly recognised as the Blue Max. All of this was achieved after overcoming medical obstacles in his childhood and later life with a willpower and determination. Boelcke even gained the admiration of his enemies. After his tragic death in a midair collision, the Royal Flying Corps dropped a wreath on his funeral, and several of his victims sent another wreath from their German prison camp. His name and legacy of leadership and inspiration live on, as seen in the Luftwaffes designation of the Tactical Air Force Wing 31 Boelcke. In this definitive biography RG Head explores why Oswald Boelcke deserves consideration as the most important fighter pilot of the 20th century and beyond; but also for setting the standard in military aviation flying. This book will appeal to enthusiasts of the German air force, military aviation in general and World War One in particular.

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The aim of this book is to explain the origins of street names in Cleethorpes. In doing so, it gives an insight into the history and development of the town and also reveals some fascinating stories about the locality and its personalities, which can add extra interest to our day-to-day surroundings as we pass a familiar street sign. The book begins with an outline description of the growth of Cleethorpes and some of the factors that influenced its growth, such as the coming of the railway and the role played by a major local landowner. The focus then switches to entries on local streets. These throw light on the origins of their names, when they were built, significant buildings and other relevant information or anecdotes. The entries include references to the resort’s early history; members of the royal family; the Civil War; local people and families; local geography; landowners and trades; and local churches and chapels.Here will be found tales of Cavaliers and Roundheads and the gruesome story of how Oliver Cromwell’s missing head found its final resting place. Accounts of pioneering flying aces mix with those of saints, churches and chapels. College benefactors are joined by an eccentric poet, a deranged doctor, a jovial academic and a one-eyed bishop. Links with fishing and farming are explained. The wanderings of the Pinfold are described; an Australian river nearly runs on to the Cleethorpes beach, and Mucky Lane is pinpointed while the dubious goings on at the Folly Hole are described with careful reticence!

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From Gerald Ford's preemptive pardon of Richard Nixon and Donald Trump's claims that as president he could pardon himself to the posthumous royal pardon of Alan Turing, the power of the pardon has a powerful hold on the political and cultural imagination. In Theaters of Pardoning, Bernadette Meyler traces the roots of contemporary understandings of pardoning to tragicomic "theaters of pardoning" in the drama and politics of seventeenth-century England. Shifts in how pardoning was represented on the stage and discussed in political tracts and in Parliament reflected the transition from a more monarchical and judgment-focused form of the concept to an increasingly parliamentary and legislative vision of sovereignty. Meyler shows that on the English stage, individual pardons of revenge subtly transformed into more sweeping pardons of revolution, from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, where a series of final pardons interrupts what might otherwise have been a cycle of revenge, to later works like John Ford's The Laws of Candy and Philip Massinger's The Bondman, in which the exercise of mercy prevents the overturn of the state itself. In the political arena, the pardon as a right of kingship evolved into a legal concept, culminating in the idea of a general amnesty, the "Act of Oblivion," for actions taken during the English Civil War. Reconceiving pardoning as law-giving effectively displaced sovereignty from king to legislature, a shift that continues to attract suspicion about the exercise of pardoning. Only by breaking the connection between pardoning and sovereignty that was cemented in seventeenth-century England, Meyler concludes, can we reinvigorate the pardon as a democratic practice.

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No self-respecting Victorian lady would enter a British pub, a florid drinking den where working men guzzled pints of beer. When brewers, inspired by the Progressive belief that the physical environment influenced moral behavior, turned to the problem of working-class drinking during the interwar years, they set to work reinventing the pub itself. Acting on a genuine belief in the possibility of social betterment, reformers found ready allies among not only government officials but religious leaders, social workers, journalists, the landed classes, even the royal family. In the process, brewers sought to undermine the stigma against pubic drinking and attract a broader clientele. Their Progressive ideas shaped the emergence of an "improved public house" that blurred distinctions among pubs, on one hand, and up-market hotels, restaurants, and roadhouses, on the other. Outside, cheerful gardens, children's playgrounds, and bowling greens greeted delighted customers. Inside, brewers wooed new patrons with meals, music, dancing, and live entertainment. Tea or entertainment rooms beckoned men, women, and even families; couples found intimacy in the new stylish lounge. In this astonishing story of the transformation of the pub, Gutzke draws on an array of sources and methods from gender studies, cultural history, literature, architecture, and urban planning, without neglecting the crucial role of ideology, economics, and politics. This broad-based study, which includes numerous illustrations, will appeal not just to specialists but to anyone interested in the history of a pivotal English social institution.

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A richly illustrated history of textiles in the Mughal EmpireIn the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a vast array of textiles circulated throughout the Mughal Empire. Made from rare fibers and crafted using virtuosic techniques, these exquisite objects animated early modern experience, from the intimate, sensory pleasure of garments to the monumentality of imperial tents. The Art of Cloth in Mughal India tells the story of textiles crafted and collected across South Asia and beyond, illuminating how cloth participated in political negotiations, social conversations, and the shared seasonal rhythms of the year.Drawing on small-scale paintings, popular poetry, chronicle histories, and royal inventory records, Sylvia Houghteling charts the travels of textiles from the Mughal imperial court to the kingdoms of Rajasthan, the Deccan sultanates, and the British Isles. She shows how the “art of cloth” encompassed both the making of textiles as well as their creative uses. Houghteling asks what cloth made its wearers feel, how it acted in space, and what images and memories it conjured in the mind. She reveals how woven objects began to evoke the natural environment, convey political and personal meaning, and span the distance between faraway people and places.Beautifully illustrated, The Art of Cloth in Mughal India offers an incomparable account of the aesthetics and techniques of cloth and cloth making and the ways that textiles shaped the social, political, religious, and aesthetic life of early modern South Asia.

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This is a complete guide to cake decorating, with over 100 projects, from traditional classics to the latest in contemporary designs. It is an inspiring collection of classic cake recipes and a comprehensive instruction course in cake making and decorating skills, in one easy-to-follow volume. It features 100 fantastic step-by-step cake decorating projects, from traditional, novelty and special occasion cakes, to wedding, christening, birthday and Christmas cakes. You can learn the techniques for working with royal icing, sugarpaste and fondant, marzipan, butter icing, fudge frosting, glace icing and chocolate icing. Cake recipes include One-stage Victoria Sandwich, Madeira Cake, Rich Fruit Cake, Black Forest Gateau, Gorgeous Chocolate Cake and Fresh Fruit Genoese. Techniques and projects are shown in 750 step-by-step photographs, making the decorating stages easy to follow. This comprehensive book is the ultimate guide to making and decorating cakes. The first section covers the basics, with recipes for a variety of classic sponge and fruit cakes, and icings and frostings, as well as stage-by-stage techniques for covering, piping and decorating. There are plenty of ideas for embellishments, from ribbons to home-made chocolate curls. The second half contains 100 projects, each with detailed instructional photographs and a glorious picture of the finished cake. Recipes include Iced Fancies, Trailing Orchid Wedding Cake, Teddy Bear Christening Cake, and even a Dinosaur Cake. With tips throughout, and everything shown step by step, it is simple to achieve stunning results with every cake.

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During his reign, the Pharaoh Akhenaten was able to abolish the complex pantheon of the ancient Egyptian religion and replace it with a single god, the Aten, who had no image or form. Seizing on the striking similarities between the religious vision of this “heretic” pharaoh and the teachings of Moses, Sigmund Freud was the first to argue that Moses was in fact an Egyptian. Now Ahmed Osman, using recent archaeological discoveries and historical documents, contends that Akhenaten and Moses were one and the same man. In a stunning retelling of the Exodus story, Osman details the events of Moses/Akhenaten's life: how he was brought up by Israelite relatives, ruled Egypt for seventeen years, angered many of his subjects by replacing the traditional Egyptian pantheon with worship of the Aten, and was forced to abdicate the throne. Retreating to the Sinai with his Egyptian and Israelite supporters, he died out of the sight of his followers, presumably at the hands of Seti I, after an unsuccessful attempt to regain his throne. Osman reveals the Egyptian components in the monotheism preached by Moses as well as his use of Egyptian royal ritual and Egyptian religious expression. He shows that even the Ten Commandments betray the direct influence of Spell 125 in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Moses and Akhenatenprovides a radical challenge to long-standing beliefs concerning the origin of Semitic religion and the puzzle of Akhenaten's deviation from ancient Egyptian tradition. In fact, if Osman's contentions are correct, many major Old Testament figures would be of Egyptian origin.

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When Lilian Baylis was badly hurt after a car accident, someone at the scene called out, 'It's Miss Baylis. Miss Baylis of the Old Vic.' In spite of her injuries, Baylis drew herself up and imperiously corrected them, 'And Sadler's Wells.' But Baylis was much more than the manager of the Old Vic And Sadler's Wells - she was also a founding mother of the British National Theatre, the Royal Ballet and the English National Opera. She gave career-changing breaks to actors such as John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, created new roles for Alicia Markova and furthered the careers of stars in the making such as Alec Guinness, Margot Fonteyn and Joan Cross. Even Joan Littlewood desperately wanted to work for Baylis. This biography sets out to discover how Baylis was able to manage two theatres and three companies, bringing what was considered the very best of high culture to working people, and still haul her theatres into profit. Elizabeth Schafer looks beyond the famous comic anecdotes and discovers the private woman behind the public persona. Based on new and original research, the book draws extensively on Baylis autobiographical writing, detailing her early career as a musician and dancer and her love for the company of pioneering, independent and high-powered career women. It reveals how Baylis achieved so much, what it cost her, and gives a glimpse of the autobiography Baylis herself never found time to write.

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Irreverent and iconoclastic, Nigel Coates has been agitating the architectural scene for over 40 years. In this warm and compelling autobiography, he explores the highs and lows of life at the cutting edge of architecture.Coates’ work collides at the intersection between bodies, sexuality and design. As 'artist-architect' and polymath, he has designed buildings, exhibitions, interiors and products. He is also known for his idiosyncratic and dynamic drawings. From the 1980s onwards he captured the media spotlight, and was as likely to appear in Vogue as the Architectural Review.His portfolio includes work for leading brands, such as Liberty, Katharine Hamnett and Jasper Conran, and destination clubs and cafes from Istanbul to Tokyo. Buildings include The Wall in Japan, Powerhouse::uk and the Geffrye Museum in London. He designs for many Italian companies such as Fornasetti, GTV and Poltronova, and has produced lively installations for international art institutions and design exhibitions. As Head of Architecture at the Royal College of Art from 1995-2011, he turned the department into a leading international school.Featuring over 120 images of Coates’ most celebrated projects, this memoir is a visual feast for any devotee of contemporary design. It encompasses his childhood in postwar Malvern, student years at the Architectural Association, the founding of radical architectural group NATØ, ’70s and ’80s London club culture and lost loves along the way. This is a searingly honest, unvarnished personal history of one of the UK’s most versatile and influential designers.

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Zaha Hadid (1950 - 2016) was a revolutionary architect. For years, she was widely acclaimed and won numerous prizes despite building practically nothing. Some even said her work was simply impossible to build. Yet, during the latter years of her life, Hadid’s daring visions became a reality, bringing a new and unique architectural language to cities and structures such as the Port House in Antwerp, the Al Janoub Stadium near Doha, Qatar, and the spectacular new airport terminal in Beijing. By her untimely death in 2016, Hadid was firmly established among architecture’s finest elite, working on projects in Europe, China, the Middle East, and the United States. She was the first female architect to win both the Pritzker Prize for architecture and the prestigious RIBA Royal Gold Medal, with her long-time Partner Patrik Schumacher now the leader of Zaha Hadid Architects and in charge of many new projects. Based on the massive TASCHEN monograph, this book is now available in an accessible edition covering Hadid’s complete works, including ongoing projects. With abundant photographs, in-depth sketches, and Hadid’s own drawings, the volume traces the evolution of her career, spanning not only her most pioneering buildings but also the furniture and interior designs that were integrated into her unique, and distinctly 21st-century, universe. “A celebration of all that is brave and audacious in her work.” — Australian Financial Review

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In 1843 Brunel's ironship Great Britain was launched, becoming the forerunner of the great steel-hulled ships of today. Yet she was tiny compared with the transatlantic liners of the early 1900s as ship-owners vied for the top spot in terms of speed, elegance and size. Liners such as Mauritania and Titanic were later followed by two giant Queens and France's liner Normandie. If the innovative engineers of the Victorian age guided the shipping industry from sail to steam, wood to iron and later to steel, then the twentieth-century invention of the computer took ship construction to entirely new concepts. Massive passenger vessels, equipped with remarkable facilities, efficient machinery and capable of meeting the highest standard of safety, can now be built from keel to funnel in no more than two years.Construction techniques have changed beyond recognition, as have methods of ship design and, indeed, the very roles that these floating resorts are asked to play. Today Royal Caribbean's sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are the first passenger ships in history to exceed 200,000 gros tons and are promoted as offering a third more space than any other cruise vessel afloat and measuring seventy times the size of the first Victorian passenger-carrying ironship. For the foreseeable future, at least, these two giant floating cities will hold the accolade of being the biggest passenger ships of all time.

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A Sunday Times Art Book of the Year: written by one of the UK’s foremost art critics, this new narrative history of the Renaissance takes in the whole of Europe and its global context. What was the 'Renaissance'? In the nineteenth century this flowering of creativity and thought was celebrated as the birth of the modern world. Today many historians are sceptical about its very existence. Earthly Delights rekindles the Renaissance as a seismic change in European mentalities, in a panoramic history that encompasses Florence and Bruges, London and Nuremberg. Artists from northern as well as southern Europe, including Leonardo, Bosch, Bruegel and Titian, star in a captivating and beautifully illustrated narrative that sets their lives against a period of convulsive change across a continent that was finding itself as it ‘discovered’ the world. Art critic and writer Jonathan Jones tells the story of Renaissance artists as pioneers, adventurers and ‘geniuses’, a Renaissance concept. Albrecht Dürer gazes with wonder on Aztec art in Brussels in 1520, Leonardo da Vinci tries to perfect a flying machine, Hieronymus Bosch finds inspiration in West African ivory carvings imported by the Portuguese to Antwerp. A then unknown Netherlandish painter, Pieter Bruegel, arrives in 1550s Rome just as Michelangelo is striving in the same city to raise the new St Peter’s Basilica towards heaven. From Atlantic voyages to Germanic woods, Italian palazzi to the royal castle of Prague, this was an age when people dared to experiment with the occult and dabble in utopias: to think and create new worlds.

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*****Part of the bestselling John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy thrillers from Rory Clements, winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award*****'Does for Elizabeth's reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII's' Sunday TimesEngland is close to war. Within days the axe could fall on the neck of Mary Queen of Scots, and Spain is already gathering a battle fleet to avenge her. Tensions in Elizabeth I's government are at breaking point. At the eye of the storm is John Shakespeare, chief intelligencer in the secret service of Sir Francis Walsingham. When an intercept reveals a plot to assassinate England's 'sea dragon', Francis Drake, Shakespeare is ordered to protect him. With Drake on land fitting out his ships, he is frighteningly vulnerable. If he dies, England will be open to invasion. In a London rife with rumour, Shakespeare must decide which leads to follow, which to ignore. When a high-born young woman is found mutilated and murdered at an illicit printing house, it is political gunpowder - and he has no option but to investigate.But why is Shakespeare shadowed at every turn by the brutal Richard Topcliffe, the blood-drenched priest-hunter who claims intimacy with Queen Elizabeth herself? What is Topcliffe's interest in a housemaid, whose baby has been stolen? And where do two fugitive Jesuit priests fit into the puzzle, one happy to die for God, the other to kill for Him? From the splendour and intrigue of the royal court, to the sleek warships of Her Majesty's Navy and the teeming brothels of Southwark, Shakespeare soon learns that nothing is as it seems . . .

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The 'Acts of Oblivion' were a series of seventeenth-century laws enacted by both Parliamentarian and Royalist factions. Whatever their ends — pardoning revolutionary deeds, or expunging revolutionary speech from the record — they forced the people to forget. Against such injunctions, Paul Batchelor's poems rebel. This long-awaited second collection, The Acts of Oblivion, listens in on some of England's lost futures, such as those offered by radical but sidelined figures in the English Civil War, or by the deliberately destroyed mining communities of North East England, remembered here with bitter, illuminating force. The book also collects the acclaimed individual poems 'Brother Coal' and 'A Form of Words', alongside visions of the underworld as imagined by Homer, Lucian, Lucan, Ovid, and Dante. Intensely characterized, and novelistic in their detail and in their grasp of national catastrophes, the poems in The Acts of Oblivion vindicate Andrew McNeillie's description of Batchelor as 'the most accomplished poet of his generation'. Batchelor's first book, The Sinking Road (2008) was shortlisted for the Jerwood-Aldeburgh Best First Collection Prize. He has also published a chapbook, The Love Darg (2014), and edited a collection of essays, Reading Barry MacSweeney (2013). He has won an Eric Gregory Award, The Times Stephen Spender Prize for Translation, and the Edwin Morgan International Poetry Competition. His poems and translations have appeared in several anthologies and in Granta, the Guardian, the London Review of Books, Poetry, PN Review, Poetry Review, The Times, and the Times Literary Supplement.

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'Mollie Walton captures your attention from the very first page and doesn't let go!' Diney Costeloe'Beautiful ... I can't wait for the next instalment' Judy Summers'A tender tale of love and strength in the midst of war' Val Wood'Stays with you long after you have finished reading' Margaret Dickinson'A highly enjoyable, immersive read!' Sarah Sykes'Vivid, compulsive, and heart-rending. Had me hooked' Louisa Treger'A lively and heart-warming saga' People's Friend ___________North Yorkshire, September 1939.Rosina Calvert-Lazenby, the widowed matriarch of Raven Hall, must be strong for her five daughters as the war approaches. When the RAF come to stay, Rosina is intrigued by their charismatic – albeit young – sergeant. But is there time for love with the war looming?Grace Calvert-Lazenby is twenty-one years old and ready for a new adventure. Joining the Women's Royal Naval Service, she trades the safety of Raven Hall for exhausting drills and conflicting acts of secrecy. It's not easy, but Grace knows that everyone has a part to play in what's to come.With so much on the line, will Rosina and Grace have the courage to lead those around them into the unknown?This heartwarming, dramatic World War II saga is perfect for fans of Vicki Beeby, Kate Thompson and Rosie Clarke. ___________Reader reviews for A Mother’s War:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'LOVED IT! The layout and the research is stunning'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A fabulous read'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A definite 5 stars'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Mollie Walton has done it again!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'An excellent book by an outstanding writer'

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Dear (never-been-quite-over-you) Crush,It's been a few years since we were together, but I can't stop thinking about the time we almost...Wren Roland has never been kissed, but he wants that movie-perfect ending more than anything. Feeling nostalgic on the eve of his birthday, he sends emails to all the boys he (ahem) loved before he came out. Morning brings the inevitable Oh God What Did I Do?, but he brushes that panic aside. Why stress about it? None of his could-have-beens are actually going to read the emails, much less respond. Right?Enter Derick Haverford, Wren's #1 pre-coming-out-crush and his drive-in theater's new social media intern. Everyone claims he's coasting on cinematic good looks and his father's connections, but Wren has always known there's much more to Derick than meets the eye. Too bad he doesn't feel the same way about the infamous almost-kiss that once rocked Wren's world.Whatever. Wren's no longer a closeted teenager; he can survive this. But as their hazy summer becomes consumed with a special project that may just save the struggling drive-in for good, Wren and Derick are drawn ever-closer...and maybe, finally, Wren's dream of a perfect-kiss-before-the-credits is within reach.A feel-good summer LGBTQIA+ New Adult RomCom, perfect for fans of Red White & Royal Blue, Boyfriend Material, and What If It's Us.

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Between 8 and 12 December of 1962, world attention focused on a surprise rebel uprising that sprang up in northern Borneo, where hostages were taken and threatened with execution. The small river town of Limbang, administrative centre of the Fifth Division of the British Crown colony of Sarawak, was the pivot of the confrontation that Harold Macmillan told John F. Kennedy was as dangerous a situation in South East Asia as the Western Allies had seen since the Second World War. The Brunei revolt turned out to be the opening act of the diplomatic and military conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia known as Confrontation ('Konfrontasi'). Britain and the Malayan Prime Minister aimed to create a federation of Malaysia by combining the two British colonies in Borneo and the island colony of Singapore with already independent Malaya. Opposition to this came from Brunei Malay politician Sheikh A. M. Azahari. The self-styled Prime Minister of a 'united' northern Borneo mounted an anti-Malaysia insurrection. This uprising became known as the Brunei revolt. An amphibious dawn assault at Limbang on 12 December by L Company of 42 Commando British Royal Marines liberated the hostages whom Azahari's rebel forces were preparing to hang. The story of Limbang and what it represents has not been fully told until now. While terrifying, Limbang was also a life-affirming experience for those involved and forged life-long bonds. It ends not with the heroic release of the hostages in a commando raid, where British forces faced heavy resistance, but with the impact these events had on the lives of all concerned.

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A soldier with a curseTala lost her family to the empress's army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress's crimes don't haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has committed against the laws of magic . . . and her own flesh and blood. A prince with a debtJimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. Now that the revolution has brought down his kingdom, he must depend on Tala to bring him home safe. But it was his army who murdered her family. Now Tala will be his redemption - or his downfall. A detective with a grudgeXiulan is an eccentric, pipe-smoking detective who can solve any mystery - but the biggest mystery of all is her true identity. She's a princess in disguise, and she plans to secure her throne by presenting her father with the ultimate prize: the world's most wanted prince.A thief with a broken heartLee is a small-time criminal who lives by only one law: Leave them before they leave you. But when Princess Xiulan asks her to be her partner in crime - and offers her a magical animal companion as a reward - she can't say no, and soon finds she doesn't want to leave the princess behind.This band of rogues and royals should all be enemies, but they unite for a common purpose: to defeat an unstoppable killer who defies the laws of magic. In this battle, they will forge unexpected bonds of friendship and love that will change their lives - and begin to change the world.

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The funniest, most insighftul, clever and totally bonkers parody of all things Shakespeare, filled to the brim with Pratchett's signature style.'Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own' The Times'The Discworld novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies' Independent'An enduring, endearing presence in comic literature' GuardianWitches are not by nature gregarious, and they certainly don't have leaders.Granny Weatherwax was the most highly regarded of the leaders they didn't have.But even she found that meddling in royal politics was a lot more difficult than certain playwrights would have you believe...Readers love Wyrd Sisters:'Witty, well written, amusing anecdotes, Shakespeare/real life parody, DEATH, witches it has to be Terry Pratchett' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'There were so many instances here where I didn't only have to chuckle but laugh out loud . . . the entire book was full of fast-paced fun' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Pratchett's version of what would happen if Hamlet and Macbeth had been set in the Discworld universe . . . there are too many aspects of awesomeness about this book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Brilliant and funny and wonderfully insightful' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Wyrd Sisters is the funniest and the wittiest Macbeth parody with the familiar Pratchett's style' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'A great story, hilarious, witty, full of irony and so well written. This has been my favourite Discworld volume so far, and I am so happy I still have so many to go through!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Featuring contributions from over eighty original cast members, creatives, crew and audience members, Out For Blood pieces together the surprising, hilarious and often-moving inside story of Carrie The Musical to discover how this ‘horror of a Broadway musical’ lived, died and was subsequently resurrected as a mainstream success story. In 1988, following the success of its production of Les Misérables and in the wake of the commercial success of mega-musicals such as Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Chess, the Royal Shakespeare Company agreed to co-produce a musical based on Stephen King’s Carrie, written by the team behind Fame. The result was one of Broadway's most infamous disasters. Plagued by technical problems, on-stage chaos and a critical savaging, Carrie would soon become the by-word for musical theatre flops. But thanks to the efforts of a vocal army of fans and the impact of bootleg trading and emerging online communities, the show reinvented itself as a mainstream success story with thousands of productions worldwide. Patching together memories, archive material and contemporary reports, Out For Blood dives into the origins and development of this infamous show and examines how a promising entertainment product can swiftly gain a notorious reputation, what makes or breaks a Broadway show, and how even the most unlikely of musicals can find its place in the hearts of fans around the world. Based on the hit ten-part podcast, Out For Blood will delight theatregoers, flop aficionados and ‘Friends of Carrie’ alike.

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Jane Green's The Accidental Husband is a powerful story about two women connected by an earth-shattering secret.Maggie and Sylvie are perfect strangers: two very different women, living very different lives on opposite coasts. But they share more in common than they could ever imagine.Both women have beautiful children on the verge of flying the nest, the home they worked hard to build and always longed for, and a handsome and devoted husband they can't believe belongs to them. Both women think their lives are seamlessly secure, but they couldn't be more wrong . . .For each is about to discover a secret that will shake their world to the very core, throwing into doubt everything they ever thought they knew, and bringing Maggie and Sylvie together in the most unexpected way.Praise for Jane Green:'A heartbreaking tale of love and family, truly compelling' Closer'Compulsively readable. I raced through it' Daily Mail'Green is women's fiction royalty . . . a compelling family drama' GlamourJane Green's internationally best-selling novels, including The Other Woman, Jemima J., Babyville, Girl Friday (published as Dune Road in the USA), Life Swap (Swapping Lives), Spellbound (To Have and to Hold), The Beach House, Second Chance, Straight Talking, Mr. Maybe, Bookends, The Love Verb and The Patchwork Marriage (Another Piece of My Heart) are incredibly moving and extremely relatable. The Accidental Husband is Jane's fourteenth novel. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their blended family of six children.

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Robert Mazur spent five years undercover infiltrating the criminal hierarchy of Colombia’s drug cartels. The dirty bankers and businessmen he befriended knew him as Bob Musella, a wealthy, mob-connected big shot living the good life. Together they partied in expensive hotels, drank the world’s finest champagnes, drove Rolls-Royce convertibles and flew in private jets. But under Mazur’s designer suits and hidden away in his quality briefcase, recorders whirred quietly, capturing the damning evidence of their crimes. Then, at his own staged wedding, he led a dramatic takedown that shook the underworld. In the end, more than eighty men and women were charged worldwide. Operation C-Chase became one of the most successful undercover operations in the history of US law enforcement, and evidence gathered during the bust proved critical to the conviction of General Manuel Noriega.The Infiltrator is the true story of how Mazur's undercover work helped bring down the unscrupulous bankers who manipulated complex international finance systems to serve drug lords - including Pablo Escobar and the infamous Medillin cartel - corrupt politicians, tax cheats and terrorists. It is a shocking chronicle of the rise and fall of perhaps the biggest and most intricate money-laundering operation of all time. And, at its heart, it’s a vivid portrait of an undercover life and the sacrifices it requires.Filled with dangerous lies, near misses and harrowing escapes, The Infiltrator is as bracing and explosive as the greatest fiction thrillers - only it's all true.

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In a world of forbidden magic and cunning royals, a fugitive queen bargains with her kingdom's greatest enemy and is soon embroiled in a deadly game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom, or leave it in ashes forever. A stunning enemies-to-lovers fantasy debut, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and The Jasmine Throne.At ten years old, the Heir of Jasad flees a massacre that takes her entire family.At fifteen, she buries her first body.At twenty, the clock is ticking on Sylvia's third attempt at home. Nizahl's armies have laid waste to Jasad and banned magic across the four remaining kingdoms. Fortunately, Sylvia's magic is as good at playing dead as she is.When the Nizahl Heir tracks a group of Jasadis to Sylvia's village, the quiet life she's crafted unravels. Calculating and cold, Arin's tactical brilliance is surpassed only by his hatred for magic. When a mistake exposes Sylvia's magic, Arin offers her an escape: compete as Nizahl's Champion in the Alcalah tournament and win immunity from persecution. In exchange, Arin will use her as bait to draw out the Jasadis he's hunting.To win the deadly Alcalah, Sylvia must work with Arin to free her trapped magic, all while staying a step ahead of his efforts to uncover her identity. But as the two grow closer, Sylvia realizes winning her freedom as Nizahl's Champion means destroying any chance of reuniting Jasad under her banner. The scorched kingdom is rising again, and Sylvia will have to choose between the life she's earned and the one she left behind.

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Discover Seville's colourful history, astonishing architecture, and dynamic street life with this explorer's guide to Spain's most alluring city. More than 55 fascinating and unusual historical sites, including grand palaces and closed convents, artistic havens and secluded patios, fervent traditions, and epicurean delights. From Moorish minarets and medieval shipyards to Andalucia?s tallest tower and the most modern suspension bridge. Locations include the world's largest wooden structure, Spain's oldest tapas bar, a museum of tile making, and a former royal cigar factory. Set off on your own urban expedition with the Only In Guides! These ground-breaking city guides are for independent cultural travellers wishing to escape the crowds and locals keen to learn more about where they live. Unique locations, hidden corners, and unusual objects.

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Shows how Rainier skillfully coped with the immense difficulties of maintaining British naval power in a huge area fraught with difficult circumstances. When war broke out with France in 1793, there immediately arose the threat of a renewed French challenge to British supremacy in India. This security problem was compounded in 1795 when the French overran the Netherlands and the extremely valuable Dutch trade routes and Dutch colonies, including the Cape of Good Hope and what is now Indonesia, fell under French control. The task of securing British interests in the East was a formidable one: the distanceswere huge, communication with London could take years, there were problems marshalling resources, and fine diplomatic skills were needed to keep independent rulers on the British side and to ensure full co-operation from the EastIndia Company. The person charged with overseeing this formidable task was Admiral Peter Rainier (1741-1808), commander of the Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean and the East from 1794 to 1805. This book discusses the enormous difficulties Rainier faced. It outlines his career, explaining how he carried out his role with exceptional skill; how he succeeded in securing British interests in the East - whilst avoiding the need to fight a major battle; how he enhanced Britain's commanding position at sea; and how, additionally, in co-operation with the Governor-General, Richard Wellesley, he further advanced Britain's position in India itself. Peter Ward completed a PhD in naval history at the University of Exeter after a career in international personnel management, working for Californian high technology companies in the United States, Hong Kong and Europe.

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In the mid-seventeenth century, Wilno (Vilnius), the second capital of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, was home to Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, Ruthenians, Jews, and Tatars, who worshiped in Catholic, Uniate, Orthodox, Calvinist, and Lutheran churches, one synagogue, and one mosque. Visitors regularly commented on the relatively peaceful coexistence of this bewildering array of peoples, languages, and faiths. In Kith, Kin, and Neighbors, David Frick shows how Wilno’s inhabitants navigated and negotiated these differences in their public and private lives. This remarkable book opens with a walk through the streets of Wilno, offering a look over the royal quartermaster’s shoulder as he made his survey of the city’s intramural houses in preparation for King Władysław IV’s visit in 1636. These surveys (Lustrations) provide concise descriptions of each house within the city walls that, in concert with court and church records, enable Frick to accurately discern Wilno’s neighborhoods and human networks, ascertain the extent to which such networks were bounded confessionally and culturally, determine when citizens crossed these boundaries, and conclude which kinds of cross-confessional constellations were more likely than others. These maps provide the backdrops against which the dramas of Wilno lives played out: birth, baptism, education, marriage, separation or divorce, guild membership, poor relief, and death and funeral practices. Perhaps the most complete reconstruction ever written of life in an early modern European city, Kith, Kin, and Neighbors sets a new standard for urban history and for work on the religious and communal life of Eastern Europe.

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Discover Europe with the 'Only In' Guides! These ground breaking city guides are for independent cultural travellers wishing to escape the crowds and understand cities from different and unusual perspectives. Unique locations, hidden corners and unusual objects. Only In Vienna is a comprehensive illustrated guide to more than 80 fascinating and unusual historical sites in one of Europe's great capital cities. Including hidden courtyards, mysterious cellars, little-known museums and forgotten cemeteries. The guide covers from the Romans and Napoleon to Hitler and the Habsburgs. Recommended for visitors to Vienna wishing to discover something a little different, as well as for those inhabitants who perhaps thought they already knew the city. The guide takes in sites such as - The Holy Lance, Fool's Tower, Klimt's Last Studio, The Secret of Dreams, James Bond Scenes, Montezuma, Harry Lime and the Tattooed Lady. The 'Urban Explorer' Duncan J. D. Smith is a travel writer and photographer. In his ground breaking 'Only In' Guides he reveals European cities from unique and hidden perspectives. He has travelled across several continents and described his experiences in books, magazines, and online. Born in Sheffield, England in 1960, he studied history and archaeology at university. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Revised and updated edition for 2023! - Hidden courtyards and subterranean surprises, coffeehouse culture and sacred spaces, little-known museums and forgotten cemeteries - From the Roman legions and Emperor Napoleon to the Habsburgs and Hitler - The Holy Lance, Fool's Tower, Klimt's Last Studio, and the Knights of Blood Street - 007 in Vienna, Montezuma's headdress, Harry Lime's doorway, and Freud's secret of dreams

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The Stranger Times - winner of the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio Work!Some comebacks can be murder . . .Stella is enjoying life as an almost student, or at least she is until a man falls from the sky right in front of her, leaving a big old hole in the pavement for Manchester Council to fill. The obvious question of how he ended up in the sky in the first place has no obvious answers, which is where The Stranger Times come in.But this isn't just the hunt for another story. Dark powers think Stella might have been involved and the only way she and the team can prove her innocence is to find out what the hell is really going on. And what have dodgy gear, disturbed graves and a decommissioned rock star got to do with all this?Vincent Banecroft has problems of his own in the form of a tall, dark but-definitely-not-handsome man dressed like a funeral who has been sent to make the paper's editor atone for his sins. Once he finds out exactly what that entails, Banecroft is not keen. Being banished to a Hellscape for all eternity looks like being no fun at all, not least because he has that pale Irish skin that burns really easily . . .All that plus territorial ghouls, homicidal felines, eternal (and seemingly unstoppable) gnomes and a celebrity Who's Who that'd put a royal wedding to shame, and you're looking at a wild few days for The Stranger Times.Relight My Fire is the fourth book in the acclaimed and brilliantly funny Stranger Times series.

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Quality Assurance of Aseptic Preparation Services Standards Handbook (also known as the Yellow Guide) provides standards for unlicensed aseptic preparation in the UK, as well as practical information to aid implementation of the standards. The handbook delivers essential standards in a practical way and in a format that will be useful for pharmacy management, staff working in aseptic preparation units and those whose role it is to audit the services. The accompanying support resources help with understanding the complexities of relevant topics including microbiology, radiopharmaceuticals, advanced therapy medicinal products, technical (quality) agreements and capacity planning.All the standards have been revised and updated for this 5th edition. The text is produced on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the NHS Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance Committee.New in this edition: Replaces the 4th edition standards and forms the basis for an ongoing audit program in the NHS Many new and revised standards Greater emphasis on Pharmaceutical Quality Systems; the responsibilities of pharmacy management, Chief Pharmacists (or equivalent), has been expanded in line with developments in Good Manufacturing Practice Reformatted into 2 parts: standards and support resources. This is a new collaboration between the RPS and NHS. Since the previous edition the RPS has become the professional body for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. RPS launched these standards as part of a library of professional standards and a programme of work to create standards for all areas of pharmacy.The Handbook is essential for pharmacists, hospital pharmacy management and technical services teams, and auditors of unlicensed NHS hospital pharmacy aseptic preparation services in the UK, pharmacists and regulators. The text is used to inform standards used in several other countries.

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The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling series The fifth book in S. J. Parris’s bestselling, critically acclaimed series following Giordano Bruno, set at the time of Queen Elizabeth I Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Hilary Mantel PARIS, 1585 A KING WITHOUT AN HEIR Heretic-turned-spy Giordano Bruno arrives in Paris to find a city on the edge of catastrophe. King Henri III lives in fear of a coup by the Duke of Guise and his fanatical Catholic League, and another massacre on the streets. A COURT AT WAR WITH GOD When Bruno’s old rival, Father Paul Lefèvre is found murdered, Bruno is drawn into a dangerous web of religious politics and court intrigue. And watching over his shoulder is the King’s mother, Catherine de Medici, with her harem of beautiful spies. A DEADLY CONSPIRACY IN PLAY When murder strikes at the heart of the Palace, Bruno finds himself on the trail of a killer who is protecting a terrible secret. With the royal houses of France and England under threat, Bruno must expose the truth – or be silenced for good… Praise for S. J. Parris ‘A delicious blend of history and thriller’ The Times ‘An omnipresent sense of danger’ Daily Mail ‘Colourful characters, fast-moving plots and a world where one false step in religion or politics can mean a grisly death’ Sunday Times ‘Pacy, intricate, and thrilling’ Observer ‘Vivid, sprawling … Well-crafted, exuberant’ Financial Times ‘Impossible to resist’ Daily Telegraph ‘Twists and turns like a corkscrew of venomous snakes’ Stuart MacBride ‘It has everything – intrigue, mystery and excellent history’ Kate Mosse ‘The period is incredibly vivid and the story utterly gripping’ Conn Iggulden ‘A brilliantly unusual glimpse at the intrigues surrounding Queen Elizabeth I’ Andrew Taylor

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John (Kay) Corner left home in 1960, aged 19. He would never see his father, E. J. H. Corner, again. Edred John Henry Corner was one of the most colourful and productive biologists and mycologists of the 20th century. His career began in 1929 as Assistant Director of the Straits Settlements Singapore Botanic Gardens, where he trained monkeys to collect specimens from the treetops of the rainforest, and published Wayside Trees of Malaya, a classic field guide interspersed with his delightful and idiosyncratic observations on plant life. He was key in the creation of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a 163- hectare plot that contains more tree species than the whole of North America. When war came, he considered it his responsibilty to safeguard the scientific and cultural collections of Singapore during the Japanese Occupation, but was branded by some as a collaborator. Post-war, after heading the ambitious UNESCO Hylean Amazon Project, he returned to Cambridge University and was appointed Professor of Tropical Botany in 1965. There he propounded his theory that the Durian represented an ancestral type of angiosperm tree. He was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society, where he promoted the conservation of tropical forests and led expeditions to the British Solomon Islands and Mount Kinabalu. For the latter, he proposed Kinabalu Park which led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After 46 years, John Corner faces his estranged father in a suitcase marked: 'For Kay, wherever he might be.' The letters, pictures and other memorabilia that spill out led him to search for the father he hardly knew, resulting in an engaging and frank biography of an eminent scientist who put science above all, including his family.

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To rise from humble beginnings in the Potteries to become a hugely successful barrister involved in many high profile cases would be enough to satisfy the ambitions of many. But Bob Alexander's life took him from the law to be chairman of the Takeover Panel and the NatWest Bank at a critical time when the impact of 'Big Bang' demanded huge changes from many staid financial institutions. Add to that his passion for cricket which led to him being elected chairman of the MCC, and his chairmanship of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and his elevation to the peerage, and you have the extraordinarily full life of a man who rose to the very top of the British establishment. What distinguishes these memoirs from many is the candour with which Lord Alexander describes his wealth of experiences. His accounts of his famous cases - GCHQ, Ken Livingstone, 'Spycatcher,' the Summerfields Fire, Jeffrey Archer - are masterpieces of clarity and concision. But he is never afraid to express his opinions of people and events - and this is particularly so when he describes his efforts to reform the NatWest Bank. His account will surely be of great value to financial historians for years to come. Behind this remarkable success there is a continuing modesty and an openness to argument and opinion, characteristics that made him such a revered and popular figure in so many different worlds. Lord Alexander, who died in 2005 before he was able to complete his memoir, has left us a vivid and revealing personal account of a brilliant career. His wisdom, kindness and mastery of the law touched the lives of so many.

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The Stranger Times - winner of the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio Work!Some comebacks can be murder . . .Stella is enjoying life as an almost student, or at least she is until a man falls from the sky right in front of her, leaving a big old hole in the pavement for Manchester Council to fill. The obvious question of how he ended up in the sky in the first place has no obvious answers, which is where The Stranger Times come in.But this isn't just the hunt for another story. Dark powers think Stella might have been involved and the only way she and the team can prove her innocence is to find out what the hell is really going on. And what have dodgy gear, disturbed graves and a decommissioned rock star got to do with all this?Vincent Banecroft has problems of his own in the form of a tall, dark but-definitely-not-handsome man dressed like a funeral who has been sent to make the paper's editor atone for his sins. Once he finds out exactly what that entails, Banecroft is not keen. Being banished to a Hellscape for all eternity looks like being no fun at all, not least because he has that pale Irish skin that burns really easily . . .All that plus territorial ghouls, homicidal felines, eternal (and seemingly unstoppable) gnomes and a celebrity Who's Who that'd put a royal wedding to shame, and you're looking at a wild few days for The Stranger Times.Relight My Fire is the fourth book in the acclaimed and brilliantly funny Stranger Times series.

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On March 4, 1681, King Charles II granted William Penn a charter for a new American colony. Pennsylvania was to be, in its founder's words, a bold "Holy Experiment" in religious freedom and toleration, a haven for those fleeing persecution in an increasingly intolerant England and across Europe. An activist, political theorist, and the proprietor of his own colony, Penn would become a household name in the New World, despite spending just four years on American soil. Though Penn is an iconic figure in both American and British history, controversy swirled around him during his lifetime. In his early twenties, Penn became a Quaker-an act of religious as well as political rebellion that put an end to his father's dream that young William would one day join the English elite. Yet Penn went on to a prominent public career as a Quaker spokesman, political agitator, and royal courtier. At the height of his influence, Penn was one of the best-known Dissenters in England and walked the halls of power as a close ally of King James II. At his lowest point, he found himself jailed on suspicion of treason, and later served time in debtor's prison. Despite his importance, William Penn has remained an elusive character-many people know his name, but few know much more than that. Andrew R. Murphy offers the first major biography of Penn in more than forty years, and the first to make full use of Penn's private papers. The result is a complex portrait of a man whose legacy we are still grappling with today. At a time when religious freedom is hotly debated in the United States and around the world, William Penn's Holy Experiment serves as both a beacon and a challenge.

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Bulgaria is arguably the historically most underrated Axis ally that actually fought the Allies during World War 2. Despite remaining outside the main battleground of the war, the Eastern Front, this Balkan country did take its fair share of warfare, particularly due to the combat activity of its fighter air force against the armada of US bombers and their fighter escorts, in 1943 and 1944. Then, following an about-face in early September 1944, the Bulgarians combatted their former ally, the Germans. This notable air activity is largely unknown outside Bulgaria, and is not very much popularized even within the country, despite fully deserving the utmost attention.This two-volume book describes and illustrates all the fighter and fighter trainer aircraft used by the Bulgarian armed forces before, during, and shortly after WW 2. These aircraft were procured from the following countries: Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Emphasis is placed on the most potent German fighter types, the Messerschmitt Bf 109E and G, as well as the top-notch fighter type of France, the Dewoitine D.520. However, rare, exotic models, including the sole locally built prototype that fits the definition, the DAR-5, are also included.The camouflage and markings, as well as the military coding system of these large variety of aircraft types are described in great details. Fully illustrated with many rare photos, most of them seen for the first time in print. Mutinously detailed colour profiles of many representative aircraft type are included as well.Summing up, this lavishly illustrated, full-colour two-volume book, spanning across over 600 pages, is the reference work of the fighter and fighter trainer aircraft, as well as the pilots who flew for the Royal Bulgarian Air Force prior to, during, and shortly after World War 2.

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Offers histories of music drama beginning with Wagner's Parsifal and then looking at works by Arnold Schoenberg, Richard Strauss, Luigi Dallapiccola, Luigi Nono and Hans Werner Henze. This book is both a telling of operatic histories 'after' Richard Wagner, and a philosophical reflection upon the writing of those histories. Historical musicology reckons with intellectual and cultural history, and vice versa. The 'after' of the title denotes chronology, but also harmony and antagonism within a Wagnerian tradition. Parsifal, in which Wagner attempted to go beyond his achievement in the Ring, to write 'after' himself,is followed by two apparent antipodes: the strenuously modernist Arnold Schoenberg and the æstheticist Richard Strauss. Discussion of Strauss's Capriccio, partly in the light of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, reveals amore 'political' work than either first acquaintance or the composer's 'intention' might suggest. Then come three composers from subsequent generations: Luigi Dallapiccola, Luigi Nono, and Hans Werner Henze. Geographical context is extended to take in Wagner's Italian successors; the problem of political emancipation in and through music drama takes another turn here, confronting challenges and opportunities in more avowedly 'politically engaged' art. A final section explores the world of staging opera, of so-called Regietheater, as initiated by Wagner himself. Stefan Herheim's celebrated Bayreuth production of Parsifal, and various performances of Lohengrin are discussed, before looking back to Mozart (Don Giovanni) and forward to Alban Berg's Lulu and Nono's Al gran sole carico d'amore. Throughout, the book invites us to consider how we might perceive the æsthetic and political integrity of the operatic work 'after Wagner'. After Wagner will be invaluable to anyone interested in twentieth-century music drama and its intersection with politics and cultural history. It will also appeal to those interested in Richard Wagner's cultural impact on succeeding generations of composers. MARK BERRY is Senior Lecturer in Music at Royal Holloway, University of London.

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Collisions are expensive! Learning, understanding and remembering the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) is essential for anyone venturing onto the water. Leisure boaters, as much as professional mariners, need to know the rules, and a firm understanding is required to pass many nautical exams. But with the COLREGs stretching to over 12,000 words, this is no small task. This is where Paul Boissier’s excellent book comes in. Paul knows the COLREGs backwards having used them extensively in his career with the Royal Navy – from the bridges of submarines and warships which he has commanded, with each giving a rather different perspective on other shipping! He also knows the other side well with his extensive cruising experience, from his early years with his father to now, sailing his own yacht. These experiences mean that he knows and understands the COLREGs from both sides and this gives him the ability to take you through the COLREGs from a mariners’ and sailors’ perspective. He brings the vital, but dry, document to life, going through it not in order, but by topics which are relevant to the mariner and sailor. Paul explains the intention of each rule and how it should be applied when at sea. He includes personal anecdotes (not all favourable to him!) which make everything real and tells us how he remembers different aspects of the Regulations through mnemonics and other devices. Finally, each chapter ends with a self-test to reinforce what has been learnt – other tests are also available online on the Fernhurst Books’ website. This new edition has been updated with the 2016 changes to the CLOREGS. Whether you want to increase your confidence, pass an exam, require an on-board reference, or wish to improve your understanding of the nautical rules of the road, this is the ideal book for you.

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Have you always known what you wanted to be in life? What are some “watershed moments” that made you who you are? When did you get on track to become a successful CEO? It started with three questions at Davos. The younger Peter Vanham looked to the answers from the elite leaders he asked to validate his own career choice, and the rich, private wisdom he received revealed more about building a career than he’d found anywhere else. He shares it all with you in Before I Was CEO. For everyone who lays awake at night wondering if they’re heading up or down the corporate ladder, this collection of personal stories from a remarkable group of the most accomplished men and women in business today proves everyone can put themselves in the C-suite by taking a variety of different paths—it’s all how you do it. Some found opportunity through adversity and others came by their big-break moments through serendipity. A group of them walked away from corporate life and lived in other ways and all of them made calculated moves to advance their careers. In their own words, read how it all unfolded, the tough decisions they wrestled, the risks and rewards they saw, and how it all came together. You don’t need a royal pedigree or Ivy League education to reach the top as long as you: • Value family, leave home, and make informed decisions based on your dreams • Take the first thirty-five years of your life to discover what you’re interested in and don’t rush to be a CEO • Strategically deal with failure, remember the lessons you learned, and adapt to situations you can’t change You aren’t the first person to be at the crossroads you’re standing in, and with the motivating and instructive stories in Before I Was CEO, you may be answering a young journalist’s questions at Davos one day.

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Knutsford owed its prosperity less to the villages served by its market, gained with a 1292 charter, than to its surrounding manorial estates and the Egertons of Tatton, lords of the manor, who wielded both influence and wealth. Knutsford was given an importance disproportionate to its size; despite having little trade beyond agriculture and cottage industries, it held quarter sessions from 1575 and was home to a workhouse and rural district offices that covered a wide area. A lack of both water power and canal doomed the town’s attempt to advance the textiles industry with a silk mill and cotton workshops. Knutsford later became a resort for the gentry, owing to its location on the London to Liverpool coaching route. Its 18th century Assembly Rooms at the George inn and the races on the heath made it a popular destination until the arrival of the railway in 1862. Knutsford can also claim an illustrious inhabitant in Elizabeth Gaskell whose novel, Cranford, recreates the 19th-century town through her childhood memories. Elizabeth was married in the parish church in 1832 and is buried at the 300-year-old Brook Street chapel. Today Knutsford boasts a host of customs, including the May Day festival, which started in 1864 and became ‘Royal’ after an 1887 visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales. It is a popular, colourful event with Jack-in-the-Green, maypole and Morris dancers, and the local custom of sanding. The town’s history is echoed by its buildings, which range from timber-framed to Georgian. There are also examples of Richard Harding Watt’s unique Italianate style. Watt came to live in the town in 1894 and drew inspiration from his Mediterranean travels. A new edition of this charming history by the late Joan Leach is long overdue and will interest all who know the town.

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