Search results for ""Author Roy"

Hero–or Nazi? Silvia Foti was raised on reverent stories about her hero grandfather, a martyr for Lithuanian independence and an unblemished patriot. Jonas Noreika, remembered as “General Storm,” had resisted his country’s German and Soviet occupiers in World War II, surviving two years in a Nazi concentration camp only to be executed in 1947 by the KGB. His granddaughter, growing up in Chicago, was treated like royalty in her tightly knit Lithuanian community. But in 2000, when Silvia traveled to Lithuania for a ceremony honoring her grandfather, she heard a very different story—a “rumor” that her grandfather had been a “Jew-killer.” The Nazi’s Granddaughter is Silvia’s account of her wrenching twenty-year quest for the truth, from a beautiful house confiscated from its Jewish owners, to familial confessions and the Holocaust tour guide who believed that her grandfather had murdered members of his family. A heartbreaking and dramatic story based on exhaustive documentary research and soul-baring interviews, The Nazi’s Granddaughter is an unforgettable journey into World War II history, intensely personal but filled with universal lessons about courage, faith, memory, and justice.

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Travel through the exciting culinary world of FINAL FANTASY XIV.Journey through the rich culinary landscape of FINAL FANTASY XIV. Featuring favorite flavors from across Hydaelyn and Norvrandt and easy-to-follow instructions, this tome provides numerous tips on how to make the most of your ingredients. Start your day with Farmer’s Breakfast, a very famous and simple-yet-delightful dish; savor the Knight’s Bread of Coerthas; dive into La Noscea’s Rolanberry Cheesecake, and many more. · Exclusive Foreword written by game director, Naoki Yoshida. · Perfect for cooks of every skill level. With step-by-step directions and beautiful photos, learn to make iconic in-game foods, bringing the lush culinary landscape of FINAL FANTASY XIV to life. · Over 70 Recipes for every occasion. From quick snacks you can enjoy while exploring Eorzea to decadent desserts and meals fit for royalty, this book contains recipes for both simple and celebratory fare. · Inspiring Photography. Gorgeous photos of finished recipes help ensure success! · A stunning addition to your collection. This exquisitely detailed hardcover book is the perfect acquisition for your kitchen library—a must have for every FINAL FANTASY fan.

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Angie McCartney was part of the inner circle of Fab Fourdom in Liverpool in the '60s, and as the step-mother to Sir Paul she has had many interactions with rockstars and royalty, pop stars and presidents, and they all have one thing in common... they're Beatle fans. Now that Beatle Tourism is a burgeoning industry, Angie's travel-size book takes you down memory lane to Penny Lane and 85+ other points of interest on the long and winding road. You'll be directed to spots in the Mop Top maps of Liverpool, London, Hamburg, New York and Los Angeles, you'll discover nuggets and stories to satisfy the day tripper in you! The book also features SmartBook® technology from McCartney Multimedia, and by scanning the QR codes with your smart-phone, you'll be transported to a destination of fascination online, with links to tours, maps, trivia, videos, much more information than we can fit in a postcard sized book, and a deeper dive into these tourist locations and their magical history. We hope you travel safely and create memories for a lifetime as in these legendary locations, a splendid time is guaranteed for all.

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For fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel, comes a story about mothers, daughters and second chances . . . It’s 1981. Eleven-year-old Sadie adores her beautiful and vibrant mother, Connie, whose dreams of making it big as a singer fill their tiny house in Leeds. It’s always been just the two of them. Until the unthinkable happens. Jean hasn’t seen her good-for-nothing daughter Connie since she ran away from the family home in Harlow – or Pram Town as its inhabitants affectionately call it – aged seventeen and pregnant. But in the wake of the Royal Wedding, Jean gets a life-changing call: could she please come and collect the granddaughter she’s never met? We all know how Charles and Diana turned out, and Jean and Sadie are hardly a match made in heaven – but is there hope of a happy ending for them? Written in Joanna Nadin’s trademark dazzling prose, The Talk of Pram Town tells the story of three generations of Earnshaws and asks whether it always has to be like mother, like daughter . . .

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Full of heart and humour, Molly Flatt's The Charmed Life of Alex Moore is one woman's adventure – with a most unexpected twist How would you feel if everything in your life suddenly started to go . . . right? Six months ago, Alex Moore was stuck in a dead-end job, failing to unleash one grand plan after another. Then, seemingly overnight, she launched her dream start-up and became one of London's fastest rising tech stars. At thirty, her life has just begun. But Alex’s transformation isn’t easy for those around her. Her friends are struggling to accept her sudden success, her parents are worried that she’s running on empty and her fiancé is getting cold feet. Then weird things start to happen. Muggings, stalkers and even a claim that she murdered a stranger. But when Alex visits the Orkney Islands to recharge, weird turns into WTF. Because there she discovers the world’s oldest secret – and it’s a secret that Alex’s stratospheric rise has royally messed up.'I was hooked after the first paragraph' Minnie Driver'A fabulous tale for the fabulist in all of us. Black Mirror for Generation Me' Philip Jones, Editor of The Bookseller

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The minutes of the Corporation provide fascinating detail of the local impact of hostilities on the social and economic life of the town. Grantham had considerable local importance as a garrison town for both sides during the first Civil War. Its situation on the Great North Road gave it additional military and strategic significance. The Hallbook contains the recorded minutes of Grantham Corporation; it reflects the fates of successive aldermen who joined the Royal forces, went as hostage to Lincoln, and suffered imprisonment in Nottingham castle, and it provides a fascinating glimpse intothe lives of the townspeople during this time of crisis. Householders were forced to pay taxes to both sides in the war, as well as shouldering their normal burden of taxation. Besides contributing to poor relief, their time and talents were also in demand for many tasks, including paving the streets, reinforcing the banks of the Witham, maintaining the town wells, doing watch and ward, paying quarteridge, and removing refuse from the streets. This latestvolume of the Lincoln Record Society provides much evidence about the local impact of hostilities on the social and economic life of the town.

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The 'beauties' - women of note - who were welcomed to the National Portrait Gallery's early collection were those whose lives and portraits were recognized as significant to the 'civil, ecclesiastical and literary history of the nation'. This brief was interpreted to include figures as diverse as the devout Lady Margaret Beaufort, and the entertaining Lady Emma Hamilton. History's Beauties, the first detailed study of this collection, maps a culture of femininity that reframes the Victorian fascination with women's domestic and sentimental presence by locating it within a Parliament-centred 'national' culture. Including an essay on the Gallery's Trustees, the book traces the translation of their governors' culture to a public institution through discussions of three themes in the National Portrait Gallery's collection of women's portraits: portraits of the Royal family and the cult of legitimacy in antiquities and in national identity; the educated woman as model of domestic and national cultivation; and finally the role of female beauty in defining social and artistic power in nineteenth-century Britain. The first monograph study of gender in a major museum, History's Beauties engages themes of gender, national identity, class cultures, and aesthetics in Victorian England to interpret the National Portrait Gallery's fascinating collection.

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Stretching from Langholm in the east to Portpatrick in the west, with its dramatic landscape embracing hills, lochs and forests, Dumfries and Galloway occupies a large corner of south-west Scotland. Scratch just below the surface of this predominantly agricultural region, which nowadays also supports a steadily growing tourist industry, and you will unearth characters, places and events which have made an indelible impression over the past hundred years, as the tales in this book will demonstrate. Galloway can boast the oldest working theatre, the Theatre Royal in Dumfries, and also Scotland's highest village, Wanlockhead; while Kirkcudbright and its surrounding area witnessed the growth of a thriving artists community in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Tragedy on a large scale has struck the region more than once, as the Quintinshill rail disaster during the First World War testified, while the discovery of a sulphurous well in a small village transformed Moffat into the Cheltenham of Scotland. Illustrated with over fifty pictures, these and other fascinating stories can all be found in Ten Tales from Dumfries & Galloway.

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FINALIST: Business Book Awards 2020 - HR & Management Category In order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, businesses need to unlock the skills, talent and capabilities of their people, both individually and collectively. While many business and leaders recognise this, they have until now lacked a strategic approach to achieving it. Competitive People Strategy is a comprehensive roadmap showing how businesses can connect their human potential to their bottom line, and provides step-by-step guidance on how to create, test and measure a differentiated people strategy. Featuring tips and checklists throughout, it explores the core building blocks of leadership and organizational culture, as well as employee experience and engagement. It also examines the roles of effective talent attraction and management, and how to lead change and transformation. Central to the book is the importance of moving HR from a support function to becoming a creator of value and driver of business success. Drawing upon insights from organizations including Royal Mail and Starbucks, as well as interviews with senior HR leaders, Competitive People Strategy is an essential guide to developing a people strategy which creates a purpose-driven culture, provides greater value to customers and achieves superior business results.

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This title describes a new critical tradition in American filmmaking. American Smart Cinema examines a contemporary type of US filmmaking that exists at the intersection of mainstream, art and independent cinema and often gives rise to absurd, darkly comic and nihilistic effects. Connecting the 'smart' sensibility to issues of expressive irony, generational divide and therapeutic culture, this bold new book describes a recent critical tradition in commercial-independent American filmmaking by exploring the unstable tone and dysfunctional themes of such films as The Royal Tenenbaums, Adaptation, The Squid and the Whale, Palindromes, The Last Days of Disco, Flirt, Ghost World, Your Friends and Neighbors, Donnie Darko and The Savages. Acknowledging the loaded forms of expression employed by these films, American Smart Cinema provides new directions for their study by discussing the self-conscious approach taken to film historical discourses of authorship, narrative and genre. Examining the smart film's taste for 'blank' style and issues of middle-class identity, the book provides a comprehensive account of smart cinema as an aesthetic category while also considering the cultural and political factors that have guaranteed it critical and popular success.

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Each of the suitors in the Odyssey is eager to become the king of Ithaca by marrying Penelope and disqualifying Telemachus from his rightful royal inheritance. Their words are contentious, censorious, and intent on marking Odysseus’ son as unfit for kingship. However, in keeping with other reversals in the Odyssey, it is the suitors who are shown to be unfit to rule.In Blemished Kings, Andrea Kouklanakis interprets the language of the suitors—their fighting words—as Homeric expressions of reproach and critique against unsuitable kings. She suggests that the suitors’ disparaging expressions, and the refutations they provoke from Telemachus and from Odysseus himself, rest on the ideology whereby a blemished king cannot rule. Therefore, the suitors vehemently reject Telemachus’ suggestion that they are to be blamed. She shows that in the Odyssey there is linguistic and semantic evidence for the concept that blame poetry can physically blemish, hence disqualify, rulers. In her comparative approach, Kouklanakis looks towards the regulatory role of satire in early Irish law and myth, particularly the taboo against a blemished-face king, offering thereby a socio-poetic context for the suitors’ struggles for kingship.

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'A superbly written, riveting book.'MARTIN REES, Astronomer Royal'I am overcome with admiration for its range and profundity. An amazing achievement.'MICHAEL FRAYN'A wonderful book.'TOM STOPPARDA groundbreaking exploration of how the interplay of physics and mathematics has enriched our understanding of the universe - essential reading for anyone who wants to grasp how physicists are attempting, in Stephen Hawking's words, to 'know the mind of God'.Searching for the fundamental laws of the universe, physicists have found themselves developing ambitious mathematical ideas. But without observation and experiment as their guide, are they now doing 'fairy-tale physics' as their detractors claim?In The Universe Speaks in Numbers, Graham Farmelo argues that today's greatest scientific minds are working in a tradition that dates back to Newton. He takes us on an adventure, from the Enlightenment to the breakthroughs of Einstein and Dirac, to the work of modern physicists and mathematicians shedding light on each other's disciplines, to their mutual surprise and excitement. This blossoming relationship is responsible for huge advances in our understanding of space and time - and as Farmelo explains, could redefine reality as we know it.LISTEN TO THE ACCOMPANYING PODCAST featuring interviews with leading scientists at www.grahamfarmelo.com

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This timely history of the neglected figure of Daniel Sutton—the medical revolutionary who paved the way for present-day vaccination—was named a best book of 2020 by BBC History Magazine Smallpox was the scourge of the eighteenth century: it showed no mercy, almost wiping out whole societies. Young and old, poor and royalty were equally at risk – unless they had survived a previous attack. Daniel Sutton, a young surgeon from Suffolk, used this knowledge to pioneer a simple and effective inoculation method to counter the disease. His technique paved the way for Edward Jenner’s discovery of vaccination – but, while Jenner is revered, Sutton has been vilified for not widely revealing his methods until later in life. Gavin Weightman reclaims Sutton’s importance, showing how the clinician’s practical and observational discoveries advanced understanding of the nature of disease. Weightman explores Sutton’s personal and professional development, and the wider world of eighteenth-century health in which he practised inoculation. Sutton’s brilliant and exacting mind had a significant impact on medicine – the effects of which can still be seen today.

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Would she ever find a real-life husband? Would she even find a partner to dance with at tonight’s ball? She just didn’t know. Anna Austen has always been told she must marry rich. Her future depends upon it. While her dear cousin Fanny has a little more choice, she too is under pressure to find a suitor. But how can either girl know what she wants? Is finding love even an option? The only person who seems to have answers is their Aunt Jane. She has never married. In fact, she’s perfectly happy, so surely being single can’t be such a bad thing? The time will come for each of the Austen girls to become the heroines of their own stories. Will they follow in Jane’s footsteps? In this witty, sparkling novel of choices, popular historian LUCY WORSLEY brings alive the delightful life of Jane Austen as you’ve never seen it before. ‘Enter the world of Jane Austen, with a cast of characters as you've never seen them before. This delightful coming-of-age story... features strong female characters and a plot that tackles the struggles women faced during the period’ - Historic Royal Palace Inside Story Magazine

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The essential playwriting career guide, from the team behind acclaimed new writing theatre company Papatango. Writing a good play is only a small part of making it as a successful playwright; understanding the business side of building a career is just as crucial. Yet most advice for budding writers focuses only on the craft of playwriting, ignoring the practicalities of the industry – which makes it harder for those without connections or know-how to get their work on stage. Being a Playwright sets out, transparently and honestly, all the factors besides writing that playwrights need to know about to succeed. It includes advice on: How to get a script noticed; Which programming and commissioning opportunities to pursue; How to approach agents, companies and collaborators Drawing on Papatango's decade-long experience of discovering and launching successful new writers – who have gone on to win prizes such as BAFTA, OffWestEnd, Royal National Theatre Foundation and Alfred Fagon Awards – this straightforward and accessible book discusses the opportunities and pitfalls of life as a playwright. Whether you're an aspiring writer wondering how to break into the industry, or a working playwright looking to land bigger commissions, this is your insider road map to navigating the world of professional theatre.

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There are plenty of ways to delve into the history of a city like London, but it's not often done through the world of the motor car. But that's exactly what Chris Randall has done, exploring the links between the capital and its automotive past. That makes this book a somewhat unique approach to the subject, and readers will discover a fascinating history that involves some of the most famous names in motoring. Enthusiasts will certainly recognise the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce but amongst those are names that might be less familiar today. The buildings that you'll find within this book all exist today, which means you can see the motoring history for yourself. Some are now famous restaurants, others are offices and a few are private homes, but what they all have in common is the automobile and for those that love all things four-wheeled there are some real treasures to be found. Illustrated with photographs that show you what those places look like today, al

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Creating the V&A tells the definitive story of the formative years of London’s world-renowned Victoria and Albert Museum and the gathering of its early collections in the decade between the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the death of Prince Albert in 1861.The story of the V&A’s genesis is often centred on the first director and first curator (Henry Cole and J. C. Robinson), and their competing agendas for design reform and connoisseurship. And yet there is an untold story of how the young royal couple for whom it is named were highly instrumental in the establishment of the museum, as public supporters and large-scale lenders before a permanent collection was in place. The book is also full of fascinating and colourful stories of the strategies deployed to harvest treasures on the market as the young museum sought to fill its rapidly expanding buildings and compete with the British Museum and the Crystal Palace.For anyone interested in the history of collecting and curating, and for all fans of this legendary London museum, Creating the V&A explains how the foundational collections established parameters which still inform the museum’s collecting policies, role and identity today.

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'It was a tower block, but it was home.' The early hours of Wednesday 14 June 2017. The north-west corner of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. A twenty-four-storey residential tower. The scene of a national tragedy. This powerful verbatim play is drawn from the testimony of residents – a group of survivors and bereaved – at the heart of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. It reveals the impact of the multiple failures that led to the most devastating residential fire in the UK since the Second World War, and asks: how do we stop this ever happening again? Startling, urgent and deeply moving, Grenfell: in the words of survivors explores the courage and resilience of an ill-treated community and their continued campaign for justice. Created from interviews by Gillian Slovo, the play was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in July 2023, co-directed by Phyllida Lloyd and Anthony Simpson-Pike. 10% of the net proceeds from sales of this book will be donated by the publisher to the Grenfell Foundation, who support the bereaved and survivors in the aftermath of the fire, as well as help them ensure Grenfell is remembered long into the future.

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Not even the Blitz can shake a mother's love.Cathy was a happy, blushing bride when Britain went to war with Germany three years ago. But her youthful dreams were crushed by her violent husband Stanley's involvement with the fascist black-shirts, and even when he's conscripted to fight she knows it's only a brief respite - divorce is not an option. Cathy, a true Brogan daughter, stays strong for her beloved little son Peter.When a telegram arrives declaring that her husband is missing in action, Cathy can finally allow herself to hope - she only has to wait 6 months before she is legally a widow and can move on with her life. In the meantime, she has to keep Peter safe and fed. So she advertises for a lodger, and Sergeant Archie McIntosh of the Royal Engineers' Bomb Disposal Squad turns up. He is kind, clever and thoughtful; their mutual attraction is instant. But with Stanley's fate still unclear, and the Blitz raging on over London's East End, will Cathy ever have the love she deserves?Jean Fullerton, the queen of the East End saga, returns with a wonderful new nostalgic novel.

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Suspenseful and mesmerizing, This Was a Man is the seventh and final novel in international bestseller Jeffrey Archer’s the Clifton Chronicles – an epic and poignant conclusion. Harry Clifton is set to write his magnum opus, and as he reflects on his days, the lives of his family continue to unfold, unravel and intertwine in ways no one could have imagined.Harry’s wife Emma completes her ten years as Chairman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary when she receives a surprise call from Margaret Thatcher.In Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife, but is she a pawn in a larger game? Sebastian Clifton finds himself in a new role after an unexpected resignation and his talented daughter, Jessica, goes to art school but gets into trouble. Can her aunt help?Lady Virginia is about to flee the country to avoid her creditors when the death of a duchess gives her another opportunity to clear her debts and finally trump the two families.The epic saga that has charted the lives, loves and adventures of the Clifton and Barrington families reaches its stunning conclusion in this, the final heart-stopping volume from the master storyteller, Jeffrey Archer.

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This informative book looks not only at the medieval world in which heraldry thrived, but also at its language, the elaborate system of coded messages it conveyed, and its inextricable link with chivalry. Featuring more than 700 illustrations, it also covers both the larger aspects of heraldry and everyday heraldic uses, and contains a comprehensive glossary. The book examines the history of heraldry from medieval tournaments to modern applications around the world - its origins and development, heralds and the Law of Arms, the coat of arms, messages and declarations, along with explanations of the applications of heraldry from royal heraldry and nobility, civic and state heraldry, and global heraldry, to the continuity of heraldry today - and includes a detailed and easily understood explanation of the language of heraldry. The international uses of heraldry and the way different countries have interpreted it are explored, covering most of Europe and the Americas as well as Scandinavia, Africa and Japan. An informed look at all aspects of heraldry, this book is lavishly illustrated throughout with fascinating archive material, and specially commissioned artworks. Novices and experts alike will benefit from the breadth of the content of this masterly history.

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Pyramids and Fleshpots tells the true story of the experiences and achievements of British military personnel serving in Egypt in the First World War fighting a determined enemy to protect the Suez Canal – the lifeline of the Empire. The popular impression that the campaigns were merely a sideshow, with troops enjoying a holiday among the pyramids and the ‘fleshpots’ of Cairo, is far removed from the truth. Troops faced appalling heat, abrasive sand, poor rations and water shortages. In the desolation of the Western Desert they fought the Senussi, an Islamic sect supported by the Ottomans, in a reversal of Lawrence’s later work with the Arabs, while in the Sinai Desert they countered German-backed moves to dominate this strategically important area. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy fought to keep the supply lines to Gallipoli open, and keep men and materiel flowing to France from India, Australia and New Zealand. These arduous and hard-fought land, sea and air campaigns in Egypt, Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean are comprehensively covered by Stuart Hadaway in this groundbreaking analysis of an often overlooked theatre of war so vital to Britain’s empire.

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In 1464, the most eligible bachelor in England, Edward IV, stunned the nation by revealing his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful, impoverished widow whose father and brother Edward himself had once ridiculed as upstarts. Edward’s controversial match brought his queen’s large family to court and into the thick of the Wars of the Roses.This is the story of the family whose fates would be inextricably intertwined with the fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Tudors: Richard, the squire whose marriage to a duchess would one day cost him his head; Jacquetta, mother to the queen and accused witch; Elizabeth, the commoner whose royal destiny would cost her three of her sons; Anthony, the scholar and jouster who was one of Richard III’s first victims; and Edward, whose military exploits would win him the admiration of Ferdinand and Isabella.Join bestselling novelist Susan Higginbotham as she draws on little-known material such as private letters and wills to shed light on the controversial events surrounding one of England’s most notorious and perennially popular families.

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The V&A Photography Library is a new series of accessible, introductory volumes to the key themes, works, objects and individuals in photography, illustrated with unprecedented access to the V&A’s photography collection, the oldest held by a public museum and one of the largest and finest in the world, now expanded with acquisitions from the Royal Photographic Society collection. Written by Martin Barnes, Senior Curator of Photographs at the V&A, and publishing to coincide with the launch of the V&A’s new Photography Centre in autumn 2018, Cameraless Photography presents a concise historical survey of photographic images created without a camera. With over 125 photographs supported by extended commentaries and an introduction, it embraces a chronology spanning the early photographic experiments of the likes of Anna Atkins in the 19th century through the avant-garde photograms of modernists such as Man Ray, to the work of contemporary artists, such as Susan Derges, nearly two centuries later. Visually compelling, Cameraless Photography will be an outstanding introductory overview of the key creative, cameraless processes running throughout the history of photography – including photograms, chemigrams, luminograms, dye destruction prints and more – illustrated by the cameraless work of some of photography’s greatest names.

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BOOK TWO IN THE MAGICAL DEVERRY CYCLE Prepare to be spellbound by this classic fantasy series: a sparkling tale of adventure and timeless love, perilous battle and pure magic. ‘I was hooked and my enthusiasm for this series carried me through to the very last and then moved me to tears’ – Fantasy Book Review ‘A cracking read’ – SFX A Royal’s freedom, the gift of magic and stolen power… Exiled from his brother's court, Lord Rhodry has found a life for himself on the road with wandering mercenaries, the Silver Daggers. The going is hard, but Jill, a young master of sword and magic, is with him, and as they journey across Deverry’s long roads, feelings between warrior and lord deepen. But before love can truly blossom, Jill and Rhodry are drawn into a web of enchantment and mortal danger. The Great Stone of the West, a magical jewel that guides the conscience of kings, has been stolen. When Jill stumbles across the Stone, she draws the attention of the Dark Brotherhood – evil sorcerers who will hunt her with the darkest magics and messengers of death.

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When the music impresario Bryan Morrison died aged 66 in 2008, after two years in a coma following a polo accident, he left behind his unpublished memoir. As a music publisher, manager and agent, Morrison had represented the Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, T. Rex, The Jam, Wham! and many others. He was also the founder and owner of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club.In this candid and outspoken book, Morrison reveals the true stories behind why Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd once bit his finger to the bone, the Pretty Things were banned for life from New Zealand, and he became involved with the Kray Twins. He also tells how The Jam kissed goodbye to success in the USA, he received death threats when Robin Gibb left the Bee Gees, and signing a publishing deal with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as Wham! Spanning the golden age of British rock ’n’ roll from the 60s to the 80s, this is the extraordinary story of a cigar-chomping, East End entrepreneur, with a passion for art and design, fashion, music and polo.

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When up-and-coming hat maker Anna Peel gets divorced, she starts looking for something fulfilling to occupy her time and signs up to become a sponsor at a school on the banks of the Zambezi. So begins her correspondence with precocious 10-year-old Henry Sissonga, Grace Nkomo the founder of Mwabonwa School and Dann Huismann, former Captain in the Royal Netherlands Army and now Geography Teacher. But when Dann’s apparent interest suddenly cools, Anna wonders if this is somehow linked to the mysterious death of his wife and son or perhaps is it his growing attachment to visiting Danish academic Dr Lottie Lund. When an opportunity comes for Anna to travel to Zambia to teach design at the newly opened Twalumba Women’s Art Centre, she seizes the chance for adventure and personal fulfilment but must reconcile her commitment to the empowerment of the local village women with her growing affection for a man - damaged by war and personal tragedy - who clearly does not reciprocate her feelings. Little does Anna know how much she will be drawn into this captivating world and how her arrival will change all their lives forever.

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A compelling history of the greatest ships ever launched.The importance of the fighting ship is as considerable today as ever before. Battleships are built, counted, assessed and exercised with the same determination now as at the beginning of the twentieth century, and during the Napoleonic Wars.In this riveting book, leading historian Richard Hough examines fifteen of history’s most significant and interesting battleships, from Lord Howard Effingham’s Ark Royal, which held the Spanish Armada at bay, to the American New Jersey, which took part in three wars, and whose guns still remain ready for action. From the mighty German Bismarck of 1941, destroyed on its first operation voyage, Battleship ranges to Admiral Nelson’s legendary HMS Victory, still a flagship after more than 200 yearsHough weaves these examples into a pattern of progress ranging from the galleon to the immense super-dreadnought. In addition, he focuses in depth upon armaments, structural developments, and the tactics of war – all these play a crucial part in the epic history of the battleship. But above all Richard Hough’s story is a human one, a record of men and ships, of courage and endurance – a true taste of the sea.

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The remarkable true story that became a viral news sensation.Former Royal Engineer Sean Laidlaw was working as a bomb disposal expert in Syria when he heard whimpering from the rubble of a school that had exploded and collapsed. Upon further inspection he found that the source of the noise was a tiny, abandoned puppy, surrounded by her four dead siblings. A terrified Barrie initially rejected Sean's advances - but he refused to give up. He made sure she was safe and brought her food and drink, and cordoned off the area to ensure it was safe from explosives. After a few days Barrie grew to trust Sean and eventually the two became inseparable in the three months he was in Syria.Sean had to return to the UK, leaving Barrie behind. When his contract wasn't renewed he knew he had to bring Barrie home. The two created an unbreakable bond and they were reunited in emotional scenes that have made headlines all over the world. Sean credits Barrie with helping him with his PTSD and their story is a powerful reminder of the incredible bond that dogs and humans have, and how both can save the other.

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This compelling new study of the Battle of the River Plate concentrates on Kapitn zur See Hans Langsdorff, the commander of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee it is written from his point of view. The story of his mission at the start of the Second World War to prey on merchant shipping is graphically retold, and Langsdorffs command decisions are the primary focus of David Millers gripping narrative. He considers in vivid detail the factors Langsdorff had to consider as he assessed the situation of his ship and choose his course of action. He describes the intelligence Langsdorff received and his knowledge of the position and strength of the forces of the Royal Navy that were arrayed against him. Langsdorffs interpretation of his mission and the tense calculations he had to make in order to carry it out are the essential elements of this dramatic story. Langsdorff, operating alone and thousands of miles away from home and with no prospect of support, had to grapple with the enormous burden of a lone command. He made grave mistakes, and these are ruthlessly exposed. But this fascinating re-examination of his actions and his leadership does nothing to diminish his reputation as a brave and honourable officer.

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It was to the south-west of Leeds that one of the key lines in the development of Britain’s railway network – the Middleton Railway – established the principle of seeking parliamentary sanction for the construction of a new form of transport. Five decades later in the early nineteenth century it was again the Middleton Railway that was at the forefront of the use of steam – rather than animal – power to move coal from colliery to market. From the early 1830s through until the early years of the twentieth century the local railway network continued to expand; indeed, if it had not been for the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 the area would have played host to one of the last first-generation main lines to be constructed with the Midland Railway planning – and partially constructing – a new main line north from Royston. In the event the line was never completed, consigning Bradford to be served by no more than glorified branch lines. Providing a largely illustrated account to the history of the railway development of the area, the book includes a fascinating selection of illustrations that focus on the evolution of the network in the almost eighty years since the end of the Second World War.

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Shirley Steadman, a 70 year old living in a small town in the North East of England, loves her volunteer work at the local hospital radio. She likes giving back to the community, and even more so, she likes getting out of the house. Haunted by the presence of her son, a reluctant Royal Navy officer who was lost at sea, and still in the shadow of her long dead abusive husband, she doesn't like being alone much.One day, at the radio station, she is playing around with the equipment and finds a frequency that was never there before. It is a pirate radio station, and as she listens as the presenter starts reading the news. But there is one problem - the news being reported is tomorrows. Shirley first thinks it is a mere misunderstanding - a wrong date. But she watches as everything reported comes true. At first, Shirley is in awe of the station, and happily tunes in to hear the news. But then the presenter starts reporting murders - murders that happen just the way they were reported. And Shirley is the only one who can stop them.

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It will make you laugh and it will make you cry: Felix The Railway Cat is the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling, extraordinary tale of a close-knit community and its amazing bond with a very special cat. 'The global sensation' Daily Telegraph________ When Felix arrived at Yorkshire's Huddersfield Train Station as an eight-week-old kitten, no one knew just how important this little ball of fluff would become.Although she has a vital job to do as 'Senior Pest Controller', Felix is much more than just an employee of TransPennine Express. Felix changes lives in surprising ways. She is always ready to leap into action and save the day: from bringing a boy with autism out of his shell to providing comfort to a runaway child shivering on the platform one night.So when tragedy hits the team at Huddersfield, it is only Felix who can pull them back together. But a chance friendship with a commuter that she waits for her on the platform every morning finally gives Felix the recognition she deserves, catapulting her to international stardom . . . Royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Prostate Cancer UK (registered charity 1005541, SC039332).

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The Georgian era, we are told, was a polite and commercial era. The supposedly refined aristocracy governed the nation while the bourgeoisie, at the centre of the largest empire the world had ever known, expanded the nation's overseas trading interests while currying royal favours. It was an era which witnessed the flowering of art, literature, and music. But at the heart of the British Empire was something rotten: Vice, corruption, and crime reigned supreme. Someone had had enough and decided to expose this and so, in 1832, a curious book appeared for sale titled The Secret History of the Court of England. Written by Olivia Serres under the pseudonym of Lady Anne Hamilton, this was a sensational chronicle of the crime, vice, and debauchery designed to shock and titillate its reader. It contained a number of accusations against establishment figures: Was George IV guilty of bigamy? What was the Prince's true relationship with one Mrs Robinson? Did the Duke of Cumberland's servant Mr Sellis really commit suicide or was he MURERED IN COLD BLOOD? All these questions, and more, will be answered in Lady Anne Hamilton's Secret History of the Court of England, originally published in 1832 and reprinted at long last!

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Bristol is one of the best cities in the world for exploring on foot and the Severn Beach Line - once hailed as one of Britain's most scenic railways - is the gateway to some of its finest sights. The walks in this guide range from short strolls exploring Georgian crescents and city parks to all-day excursions through ancient woodlands, eighteenth-century estates and spectacular river gorges. Among the places visited are St Anne's Woods, Arno's Vale, the Floating Harbour, Royate Hill, the Frome Valley, St Paul's, Kingsdown, Montpelier, Redland and Cotham, St Werburgh's, Purdown, Stoke Park, Frenchay, Oldbury Court, Westbury on Trym, Clifton and Hotwells, Leigh Woods, Coombe Dingle, Blaise Castle, Kingsweston, Bishop's Knoll, Pill and Paradise Bottom, Patchway and the Three Brooks, and Ashton Court, while the final walk heads from Severn Beach over the Severn Bridge to the Wales Coast Path. With a brief history of the Severn Beach Line and a description of a journey along it, this book is an indispensable companion not only for anyone lucky enough to live near the line, but also for anyone who can catch a train to Bristol and explore it from there.

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Belfast, 1939, and Martha’s daughters are beginning to make their way in the world. Irene, the eldest, is on the lookout for a new job and romance. She is torn between Sean O’Hara – wanted by the police for something he didn’t do – and RAF radio engineer Sandy, serving in India. Pat is sensitive and thoughtful, and dreams of life beyond the Ulster Linen Works. When she is introduced to a dashing tenor, the possibility of a new life seems ever more real . . . Peggy, hot-headed and glamorous, loves her job in Mr Goldstein’s music shop on Royal Avenue, where she catches the eye of a Humphrey Bogart lookalike, but he isn’t all he appears . . . Sheila, the youngest, wants to stay on at school, but her family desperately need another wage. Above all, she longs to be treated like a grown up. Although they lead very different lives, the sisters share a passion for singing and when they are asked to join a new troupe of entertainers, Martha fears this will put them in temptation’s way. Can she hold her family together and keep her girls safe, even when the bombs begin to fall? The Golden Sisters, the fabulous sequel to Martha's Girls, is out now!

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Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first bride, has become an icon: the betrayed wife, the revered Queen, the devoted mother, a woman callously cast aside by a selfish husband besotted by his strumpet of a mistress. Her sister, Juana of Castile, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the most powerful man in Renaissance Europe, is still more of a legend. She is 'Juana the Mad', the wife so passionately in love with her husband that she could not bear to be parted from him even by death, keeping his coffin by her side for year upon year. They were Sister Queens - the accomplished daughters of Ferdinand and Isabella, the founders of a unified Spain. A gripping tale of love, sacrifice, the demands of duty and the conflict between ambition and loyalty - at a time when even royal women had to fight for their positions in society - Julia Fox's vibrant new biography teems with life. Linked not only by blood but by cruel experience, their dual stories enrich our understanding of them both, casting a searchlight onto the turbulent age in which they lived.

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THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO AI FROM THE PRESENTER OF THE 2023 ROYAL INSTITUTION CHRISTMAS LECTURE'I propose to consider the question, 'Can machines think?' Alan Turing (1950)Part of the ALL-NEW Ladybird Expert series.This book is for everyone living in the age of Artificial Intelligence. And this is an accessible and authoritative introduction to one of the most important conversations of our time . . . Written by computer scientist Michael Wooldridge, Artificial Intelligence chronicles the development of intelligent machines, from Turing's dream of machines that think, to today's digital assistants like Siri and Alexa. AI is not something that awaits us in the future. Inside you'll learn how we have come to rely on embedded AI software and what a world of ubiquitous AI might look like.What's inside?- The British mathematician Alan Turing- Can machines 'understand'?- Logical and Behavioural AI- The reality of AI today- AI tomorrow- And much more . . . For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

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THE MILLION COPY NO. 1 BESTSELLER THAT BECAME AN ACCLAIMED FILM STARRING HUGH GRANT AND NICOLAS HOULT 'A very entertaining and endearing read' The Times___________________Thirty-six-year-old Londoner Will loves his life. Living carefree off the royalties of his dad's Christmas song, he's rich, unattached and has zero responsibilities - just the way he likes it.But when Will meets Marcus, an awkward twelve-year-old who listens to Joni Mitchell and accidentally kills ducks with loaves of bread, an unlikely friendship starts to bloom. Can this odd duo teach each another how to finally act their age?Hugely funny and equally heartfelt, Nick Hornby's classic proves you're never too old to grow up. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Mike Gayle.___________________'A stunner of a novel. Utterly read-in-one-day, forget-where-you-are-on-the-tube-gripping' Marie Claire'About the awful, hilarious, embarrassing places where children and adults meet, and Hornby has captured it with delightful precision' Irish Times'It takes a writer with real talent to make this work, and Hornby has it - in buckets' Literary Review

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The Insider dominated the media on publication in March 2005 and instantly became a No.1 bestseller. Not only did it fill thousands of column inches with its revelations about prominent political and showbiz figures, it was critically acclaimed across the broadsheets for its unique and fascinating insight into the worlds of celebrity, royalty, politics and the media.Piers Morgan was made editor of the News of the World, the UK's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper at the record-breaking age of 28. The decade that followed was one of the most tumultuous in modern times. In a world of indiscreet dinners, private meetings and gossipy lunches, Piers Morgan found himself in the thick of it. His diaries from this remarkable period reveal astonishing and hilarious encounters with an endless list of celebrities and politicians alike: Diana, William, Charles and Camilla; Tony Blair, Cherie, Gordon Brown; Paul McCartney, George Michael and Elton John; Jeremy Clarkson, Paula Yates and Gazza to name just a few.Entertaining, engaging and compulsive, The Insider was the most talked-about book of 2005, blowing apart every notion we have of politics, media and celebrity.

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A brand new edition of the bestselling book, endorsed by the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, by renowned watercolour artist Adelene Fletcher. From azalea to zantedeschia, this unique watercolour artist's guide offers easy-to-follow, plant-specific information on how to paint over 50 of the most popular species of flower in a crisp and natural style. Adelene teaches you the essential skills of creating a realistic structure and form of a flower by close observation of the pattern of light and shade on petals and foliage. Included are step-by-step photographs, details, and instructions on capturing the individual essence of the flower, together with comprehensive information on the appropriate techniques and colour mixes to use. Glorious full-colour photographs of the finished watercolour show the depth and variety of the plant portraits, from the exquisitely executed passion flower to the bold luminosity of the oriental poppy. Finally, a handy colour key is included for every flower, helping you prepare your palette before delving into your floral portait. If you have never painted flowers before, or have always wanted to capture that specific species on canvas that you've never managed to grow in your own garden, this is the book for you.

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Louis IX, king of France from 1226 to 1270 and twice crusader, was canonized in 1297. He was the last king canonized during the medieval period, and was both one of the most important saints and one of the most important kings of the later Middle Ages. In Blessed Louis, the Most Glorious of Kings: Texts Relating to the Cult of Saint Louis of France, M. Cecilia Gaposchkin presents six previously untranslated texts that informed medieval views of St. Louis IX: two little-known but early and important vitae of Saint Louis; two unedited sermons by the Parisian preacher Jacob of Lausanne (d. 1322); and a liturgical office and proper mass in his honor—the most commonly used liturgical texts composed for Louis’ feast day—which were widely copied, read, and disseminated in the Middle Ages. Gaposchkin’s aim is to present to a diverse readership the Louis as he was known and experienced in the Middle Ages: a saint celebrated by the faithful for his virtue and his deeds. She offers for the first time to English readers a typical hagiographical view of Saint Louis, one in counterbalance to that set forth in Jean of Joinville’s Life of Saint Louis. Although Joinville’s Life has dominated our views of Louis, Joinville’s famous account was virtually unknown beyond the French royal court in the Middle Ages and was not printed until the sixteenth century. His portrayal of Louis as an individual and deeply charismatic personality is remarkable, but it is fundamentally unrepresentative of the medieval understanding of Louis. The texts that Gaposchkin translates give immediate access to the reasons why medieval Christians took Louis to be a saint; the texts, and the image of Saint Louis presented in them, she argues, must be understood within the context of the developing history of sanctity and sainthood at the end of the Middle Ages.

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Following the top-ten bestselling success of A Battle Won, Under Enemy Colours and A Ship of War, Sean Thomas Russell's captivating fourth novel Until The Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead is the maritime adventure of 2014. Under the command of Captain Charles Hayden, Royal Navy frigate HMS Themis is sent to counter the threat of the French forces in the West Indies. In the middle of the vast Atlantic, Hayden discovers two Spanish noblemen, castaway in a ship's boat - a stroke of almost impossible good fortune. The Spaniards' explanation for their plight seems so improbable that Hayden's officers suspect them of being criminals or even spies. But they have secrets far more shocking than that - secrets which will haunt Hayden in his new posting. Upon reaching the Barbados station, Hayden finds himself under the command of the vainglorious Sir William Jones, an impetuous and foolhardy officer. Refusing orders will cost Hayden his command. Accepting them might cost him his ship and crew. UNTIL THE SEA SHALL GIVE UP HER DEAD is the brilliant fourth tale in the epic maritime adventures of Charles Hayden. A masterpiece already rivalling the stories of Bernard Cornwell and Patrick O'Brian. Praise for Sean Thomas Russell: 'Russell's encyclopaedic command of nautical lore, joined to his rare ability to spin a ripping yarn, combine to place the reader right in the middle of the action, of which there is plenty' Neal Stephenson 'Well-written, plenty of adventure . . . places the reader in the midst of the action of battle' The Marine Society 'An impressive, sweeping and momentous naval epic' Crew Report Sean Thomas Russell is a lifelong sailor whose passion for the sea - and his love of nautical history - inspired the adventures of Charles Hayden. His latest book follows bestsellers A Battle Won, Under Enemy Colours and A Ship of War. Sean lives on Vancouver Island. www.sthomasrussell.com

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In 2012 Jean Paul Pallud wrote the After the Battle account of the Desert War; now he completes the story with detailed coverage of the landings of Operation `Torch’ in North-West Africa in November 1942. When the western Allies decided to launch a second front in North Africa, they carefully considered the anti-British feeling left in France by the ill-advised attack by the Royal Navy on the French Fleet at Mers el Kébir in July 1940. Consequently, the operation was given an American rather than a British complexion, General Eisenhower was chosen to lead a mostly American force into battle and the major Royal Navy contribution was kept as inconspicuous as possible. At this point in the war, the Allies had almost no experience with amphibious operations and it was a risky undertaking to carry out such an immense operation covering multiple landings over 600 miles apart. Even more amazing was the fact that part of the invasion forces was to depart from the United States, 6,000 miles away. As the orders were not confirmed until a month before Operation `Torch’ was launched, there was very little time to organise such a logistically complex operation involving American and British forces, and even less time for the pro-Allied French to organise more than small measures of support. There were two landings in the Mediterranean, at three main points near Algiers and three near Oran, and three landings on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. There, the main landing came ashore at Fédala, 18 miles north-east of Casablanca, and the armour was brought ashore at Safi, 140 miles south-east. In spite of all the difficulties, the landings all went well and the operation quickly achieved all of its initial objectives. However, the Germans reacted swiftly and, with little Allied interference, they rushed in reinforcements to Tunisia by air and sea. The Allies were thus drawn into a six-month campaign in Tunisia, the First Army from Operation `Torch’ soon joining hands with the Eighth Army advancing from Libya to finally clear Axis presence along the southern shore of the Mediterranean. This operation marked the first time that American troops fought against German forces during the Second World War. They had a rough baptism of fire in southern Tunisia in February 1943, training, equipment and leadership failed in many instances to meet the requirements of the battlefield, but the US Army was quick to learn and revise army doctrines, particularly with respect to the use of armour. The successful campaign created thousands of seasoned soldiers of all ranks whose experience would prove decisive in subsequent campaigns. The next test was only two months away — the invasion of Sicily. In addition, Operation `Torch’ brought the French army back into the war. Most important of all, the Allies had seized the initiative in the West.

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Princess Victoria Melita played a colourful role from her birth in 1876. The second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, she made a brief and unhappy marriage at the age of 17 to her cousin, Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse. In the face of strong opposition from her family she divorced him seven years later and married another cousin, Grand Duke Cyril of Russia, resulting in three years of exile. When revolution toppled the empire in 1917, the Grand Duke and Duchess and their children escaped to Finland, living in danger for three long years. Following the atrocities of the Bolsheviks at the time, including the murder of most of the Romanov family, the Grand Duke believed he was the senior surviving member of the imperial house, and proclaimed himself Tsar. However, they were never able to return to their homeland, and the Grand Duchess died in exile in 1936. Using previously unpublished correspondence from the Royal Archives and Astor papers, this is a portrait of the Princess, set against the imperial courst of the turn of the 20th century and inter-war Europe.

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This biography of John Jervis, who became Admiral Lord Vincent, makes compelling reading. It throws an oblique light on Nelsons personality. St Vincent, who was born twenty-three years before Nelson, and survived for eighteen years after Trafalgar, fundamentally influenced the younger mans career despite the two men being diametrically different characters. Yet without him, Nelsons genius might have been submerged by professional jealousy or emotional fragility. It was St Vincents strategy and preparation which positioned Nelson to win his three famous victories, but St Vincent himself made vital contributions not only to the defeat of Napoleon but to the well-being of the Royal Navy. Before he became First Lord of the Admiralty, the Navy had been severely weakened by corruption in the dockyards, nepotism in appointments and the appalling conditions under which the seamen lived and worked. St Vincent deserves the profound gratitude of the Nation; not only for enabling Nelson to exercise his tactical brilliance, but also for the role he played in preventing Napoleon from invading the British Isles.

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Sherwood Forest is arguably the most famous historic landscape in the world, immortalized through storytelling, mythology, romantic books, and ultimately by Hollywood. This is the setting for Robin Hood, Little John and the rest of the 'Merry Men'. Yet behind the glamorous legends are equally fascinating places, people and histories. An important and vast medieval 'Forest' and extensive heath, the area was farmed and settled before that time. After the break-up of the Royal Hunting Forest came the famous establishment of great halls, houses and parks of the aristocracy, the so-called 'Dukeries', and then industry, with deep coal mining, wartime military training, and twentieth-century forestry. From the nineteenth century onwards, the region was a notable tourism and leisure destination, and the sites of famous oak trees such as the Major Oak were places one could visit to touch the past. Tourism continues today as visitors from around the world come to experience the forest's nature, history and myth. This book is not a guide to the region but a companion to the area, its history, its people and its landscape. As such, this volume will be of great interest to visitors to the region, to residents and to all those fascinated by the history and the legends of Sherwood and the Dukeries. The book focuses on Sherwood Forest and the Dukeries area, but in the context of the surrounding towns and villages and is richly illustrated with images from the past, including photographs, postcards, paintings and antique prints from over two hundred years.

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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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