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Nordic Religions in the Viking Age (The Middle Ages Series)
The popular image of the Viking as a horn-helmeted berserker plying the ocean in a dragon-headed long boat is firmly fixed in history. Imagining Viking “conquerors” as much more numerous, technologically superior, and somehow inherently more warlike than their neighbors has overshadowed the cooperation and cultural exchange which characterized much of the Viking Age. In actuality, the Norse explorers and traders were players in a complex exchange of technology, customs, and religious beliefs between the ancient pre-Christian societies of northern Europe and the Christian-dominated nations surrounding the Mediterranean.
DuBois examines Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Mediterranean traditions to locate significant Nordic parallels in conceptions of supernatural beings, cults of the dead, beliefs in ghosts, and magical practices. These beliefs were actively held alongside Christianity for many years, and were finally incorporated into the vernacular religious practice. The Icelandic sagas reflect this complex process in their inclusion of both Christian and pagan details.
This work differs from previous examinations in its inclusion of the Christian thirteenth century as part of the evolution of Nordic religions from localized pagan cults to adherents of a larger Roman faith.
Thomas DuBois unravels for the first time the history of the Nordic religions in the Viking Age and shows how these ancient beliefs and their oral traditions incorporated both a myriad of local beliefs and aspects of foreign religions, most notably Christianity.Read more
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On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume III
Writing guides are often full of ‘tips’ and ‘tricks’ either too broad to be useful, so specific they don’t apply, or frustratingly vague. The On Writing and Worldbuilding series is here to change that. Volume III covers a whole new array of topics with applicable, clear, and practical discussions, be it writing character descriptions, compelling dialogue, or worldbuilding cities and towns for your world. While written with an edge for science fiction and fantasy, the help found in this book applies to all genres. Volume III stands entirely independent of the first two volumes with its own discussions.
With all this and more, On Writing and Worldbuilding is fundamental for anyone developing their skills in the writing craft.
ON WRITING
- Character descriptions
- Death scenes
- Dialogue
- Subtext in dialogue
- Darkest hours
- Plot armour
- Environmental descriptions
- Elemental magic systems
- Antiheroes
- Paragon heroes
ON WORLDBUILDING
- Death and the afterlife
- Cities and towns
- Mountains
- Island civilisations
- Fallen civilisations
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Oxford Literature Companions: A Streetcar Named Desire: Get Revision with Results (Oxford Literature Companions for A Level)
Easy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companions provide student-friendly analysis of a range of popular A Level set texts. Each book offers a lively, engaging approach to the text, covering characterisation and role, genre, context, language, themes, structure, performance and critical views, whilst also providing a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work wtih the text. Each book also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides detailed advice on assessment and a bank of exam-style questions and annotated sample student answers. This guide covers A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent AS/A level specifications.Read more
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Poems and Readings for Weddings
Words of joy, love, devotion and celebration
Deciding how to express your feelings on one of the most important days of your or your loved one’s life can be overwhelming.
Poems and Readings for Weddings collects the very best readings by world-renowned poets, bards, playwrights and novelists who have written passionately, thoughtfully and deeply over hundreds of years about love, marriage and commitment.
This beautiful collection contains an astonishing range of poems, prose extracts, prayers and songs, all chosen to enhance the occasion, whether they be moving, witty, irreverent, thoughtful or heartfelt.
Above all, these words will be recognized as timeless and true.
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£7.30£8.50Poems and Readings for Weddings
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Poems Of The Sea (Everyman’s Library POCKET POETS)
Throughout history, poets have felt the ancient pull of the sea, exploring the full range of mankind’s nautical fears, dreams, and longings. The colorful legends of the sea-pirates and mermaids, phantom ships and the sunken city of Atlantis-have inspired as many imaginations as have the realities of lighthouses and shipwrecks, of icebergs and frothing foam and seaweed.
This marvelous collection includes classics old and new, from Homer and Milton to Plath and Merwin. Here are Tennyson’s seductive sea-fairies next to Poe’s beloved Annabel Lee. Here is Coleridge’s darkly brooding “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” alongside the grandeur of Shakespeare’s “Full Fathom Five.” And here is Masefield’s “I must go down to the seas again” alongside Cavafy’s “Ithaka” and Stevens’s “The Idea of Order at Key West.” In the wide variety of lyrics collected here-sonnets and sea chanteys, ballads and hymns and prayers-we feel the encompassing power of our planet’s restlessRead more
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Poems of the Sea (Macmillan Collector’s Library, 301)
Poems of the Sea is an anthology of classic poetry that celebrates the sea; from the power of a stormy ocean to ships and sailors and beaches strewn with shells.
Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics with ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an introduction by author Adam Nicolson.
For generations, poets have taken inspiration from ocean mists and rugged coastlines to conjure up adventures on the high seas and joyous days at the seaside. From Emily Dickinson’s morning dog walks by the shore, to the river running through Sara Teasdale’s sunny valley, and from Walt Whitman’s fish-filled forests, to the silent ships passing in Paul Laurence Dunbar’s dark ocean, there are poems here for every reader to enjoy.
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Politics: Carol Ann Duffy
In Politics, Carol Ann Duffy, one of the English language’s best-loved living poets presents from her own archives, in chronological order, her favourites among her poems on the theme of politics and protest, drawing on work written over four decades. Duffy also adds to the selection her poem written for Danny Boyle’s Pages of the Sea memorial for The Great War. It makes for a sequence that is searching, memorializing, healing.Read more
£9.20£10.40Politics: Carol Ann Duffy
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Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems: A Collection of F**ked Up Fairy Tales
‘A glimpse to the person behind the glamour and drama . . . you get a real sense of the beating soul of Megan Fox’ – Glamour
Megan Fox showcases her wicked humor throughout a heartbreaking and dark collection of poetry. Over the course of more than 80 poems, Fox chronicles all the ways in which we fit ourselves into the shape of the ones we love, even if it means losing ourselves in the process.
“These poems were written in an attempt to excise the illness that had taken root in me because of my silence. I’ve spent my entire life keeping the secrets of men, my body aches from carrying the weight of their sins. My freedom lives in these pages, and I hope that my words can inspire others to take back their happiness and their identity by using their voice to illuminate what’s been buried, but not forgotten, in the darkness,” says Fox.
Pretty Boys Are Poisonous marks the powerful debut from one of the most well-known women of our time. Turn the page, bite the apple, and sink your teeth into the most deliciously compelling and addictive book you’ll read all year.
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Reading Stephen King
S T E P H E N K I N G has inspired millions of readers with his writing for more than four decades now, and this special volume of essays gathers together some of his high-pro le fans to discuss why they love reading Stephen King.
Many of these fans are acclaimed authors of ction in their own right. Some of them have written insightful books about Stephen King’s work, exploring how King’s natural storytelling gift has allowed him to create stories that reach people in every language around the world. A few of them have even written, produced, and directed movie adaptations of King’s most acclaimed works.
Inside this book you will join Clive Barker, Stewart O’Nan, Richard Chizmar, Frank Darabont, Stephen Spignesi, Justin Brooks, Tony Magistrale, Michael R. Collings, Rocky Wood, Robin Furth, Kevin Quigley, Hans-Åke Lilja, Billy Chizmar, Jack Ketchum, Bev Vincent, Mick Garris, and Jay Franco as they discuss their love of reading Stephen King…
BRIAN JAMES FREEMAN is the author of The Painted Darkness, Black Fire, Blue November Storms, More Than Midnight, Weak and Wounded, Dreamlike States, Lost and Lonely, The Halloween Children (with Norman Prentiss), Darkness Whispers (with Richard Chizmar), and Walking With Ghosts.
With Richard Chizmar, he is co-editor of the acclaimed Dark Screams ten volume horror anthology series published by Random House imprint Hydra. He also edited the Halloween Carnival anthology series for Hydra.
Brian is the general manager of Cemetery Dance Publications and the publisher of Lonely Road Books. He is also the founder and publisher of Books to Benefit, a small press specializing in special Limited Edition books to raise funds for good causes.
Visit him on the web at BrianJamesFreeman.com
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£12.99Reading Stephen King
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Reflections on the Important Things: 500+ poems on important life subjects such as nature, faith, mental health, romance, in memoriam, and humor.
Reflections on the Important Things is a collection of over 500 poems on important life subjects such as nature, faith, mental health, romance, in memoriam, and humor. These beautiful poems were written by various poets from all over the world.Those whose works appear in this collection have decided to publish their poetic works under a title published by PoetrySoup and Arczis Web Technologies, Incorporated. Special permission was obtained for each copyrighted poem in this volume. The right to publish has been explicitly given to the publisher of this anthology by the respective poets. Almost 2000 poems were submitted for consideration. The editors of PoetrySoup.com chose a fraction of these for inclusion.
The poets in this anthology are members of the PoetrySoup.com website. PoetrySoup is a vast international community of about 45,000+ poets. PoetrySoup is known for its loyal, robust, welcoming, and growing community of poets (called Soupers). However, none of the poets in this anthology are personally known to the editors and selection committee. They are united by the fact that they are “Soupers” or members of the PoetrySoup community.
All Poems submitted are published as the poet’s original work and under the poet’s copyright. We wish to thank the poets (Soupers) who kindly allowed us to use their poetry in this anthology.
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Romeo and Juliet: Actor’s Edition
‘My only love sprung from my only hate.’
Shakespeare’s most tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet, tells the story of two star-crossed lovers. Although their families, the Capulets and the Montagues, are meant to be sworn enemies, they meet and fall in love, but despite secretly marrying what follows is death, banishment and ultimately the tragic suicide of the two lovers themselves.
The Actor’s Edition is specifically designed and written with actors in mind. The text is the same, with no edits or alterations. The additional elements included and the presentation makes this version what you need as an actor approaching the play.
- A no-nonsense approach to the text
- Background information on Shakespeare and the play
- Detailed synopsis, character information, key themes
- Acting tips and hints for working with Classical Theatre
- Acting techniques and approaches
- A layout to support actors when working on the text and in rehearsals
- Ample space to make notes and draw stage directions and diagrams.
THE ACTOR HAS TO DEVELOP THEIR BODY. THE ACTOR HAS TO WORK ON THEIR VOICE. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THE ACTOR HAS TO WORK ON IS THEIR MIND’. – STELLA ADLER
The Actor’s Editions contain all the essential elements you need as an actor, including background information on Shakespeare and, more importantly, the background to the text, key themes, complete synopsis and information on the characters. All of these are written, giving you the information you need in an easy-to-understand and follow manner.
There are also several hints, tips and suggested exercises for you to undertake to help your character development and your approach to rehearsals and developing your work, specifically looking at handling classical text and the work of Shakespeare.
Most important, though, is the set out of the play itself. Each page of text is accompanied by an opposite, faintly lined blank page, allowing you to make all important notes. For an actor, making notes is one of the most important things you need to do – whether in a rehearsal, in a read-through, undertaking table work, or developing your character independently. Having these notes alongside the text is vital to aid your memory and ensure that you apply them when rehearsing and refer to them when learning your lines and reflecting on rehearsals or planning for them.
The Actor’s Edition gives you ample space to make notes, draw diagrams, write about how you say your lines, where and how you move (as well as other characters in the scene), what your objectives, obstacles and actions are, and anything else that you think is relevant.
The ability to write and add notes makes this version a good choice for anyone who wants to do this when reading or studying the play. It would also suit students and others involved in creating performance work, including directors, stage managers, and those with technical roles such as sound and lighting.
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Rumi Illustrated (Chinese Bound)
JalÄl ad-DÄ«n Muhammad RÅ«mÄ« (1207–73) was a 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic originally from Greater Khorasan in Iran. This Chinese-bound volume offers a selection of his many poems with a variety of themes, including love, marriage, life and death, passion and mysticism, as well as his religious collection, Rubaiyat, and his long poem, Masnavi, one of the most influential works of Sufism, an Islamic form of mysticism.
Rumi’s reach transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: his poetry has influenced not only Persian literature, but also the literary traditions of the Ottoman Turkish, Chagatai, Urdu, Bengali and Pashto languages.Read more
£21.80£28.50Rumi Illustrated (Chinese Bound)
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Said and Done
Roger McGough is one of Britain’s best-loved poets, and something of a national institution. His name is ubiquitous with matter-of-fact Scouse humor, easy-going charm, and perfect observations of the idiosyncrasies of everyday life, whether you know him from his poetry, or from his regular broadcasts on television or radio. Roger first rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop group The Scaffold, who had two number one hits – “Thank U Very Much” and “Lily The Pink”. He began his poetry career performing with The Grimms, alongside fellow Liverpool poets Adrian Henri and Brian Patten, with whom he went on to publish “The Mersey Sound”, which remains the biggest-selling British poetry book ever. This is his autobiography – and like the best of his poetry it is packed full of hilarious observations, unbelievable stories, nostalgic reminiscences and bittersweet tales of love, life and loss. This work features his memories of growing up in Liverpool, playing in bombed out houses as a young boy, the skiffle-crazed days of his adolescence, through to his time at university – and his meetings there with Larkin. He explores his sudden, almost overnight fame and success with Mike McCartney et all in “The Scaffold”, as well as his time working with George Martin, and co-writing the “Yellow Submarine” film script for the Beatles, through his international touring days, to the present. He certainly has many a story to tell about meeting some fascinating characters; Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Marlon Brando, Alan Ginsberg, Pete McCarthy and Salman Rushdie all appear amongst others, but it’s his sheer story-telling nous, and his gift for observing the minutia of everyday life, and to completely capture a moment in time which sets this apart from other books. His life story is one that will be universally identifiable to those who grew up with him – who embraced the verve and irreverence of the sixties, only to end up as slightly embittered romantic cynics. This is has done here in the most funny, poignant, bittersweet, and melancholic autobiography you will read this year – a man whose hugely popular take on it all resonates with honesty and humour.Read more
£0.62Said and Done
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Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need
The first novel-writing guide from the best-selling Save the Cat! story-structure series, which reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success.Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of novel writing. Revealing the 15 “beats” (plot points) that comprise a successful story–from the opening image to the finale–this book lays out the Ten Story Genres (Monster in the House; Whydunit; Dude with a Problem) alongside quirky, original insights (Save the Cat; Shard of Glass) to help novelists craft a plot that will captivate–and a novel that will sell.
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Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a YA Bestseller
An indispensable guide in the bestselling Save the Cat! story structure series that reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any young adult novel a success, from an accomplished novelist and the author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.In Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel, prolific author and story coach Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story structure guide for anyone who wants to write a young adult novel by applying the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of YA fiction. In this book, you will learn:
- The fifteen beats (or plot points) that are necessary for crafting a successful story with a compelling character arc –including the Opening Image, Catalyst, Fun and Games, Bad Guys Close In, Dark Night of the Soul, and Finale
- The ten universal story genres that will help you drill into what makes your type of story work, including those most commonly found in young adult novels like Rites of Passage, Superhero, Buddy Love, Institutionalized, and Golden Fleece
- Quirky, original insights and writing tips like “Save the Cat,” the “Shard of Glass,” and the “Dark Night Epiphany,” that help you craft a story that will thrill and captivate teen readers
Filled with practical advice, easy-to-follow templates, and beat sheets analyzing the structure of popular young adult novels such as Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver, this book is the ultimate reference for anyone who’s ever dreamed of writing their own young adult bestseller.
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Sea Glass Secrets
Sea Glass Secrets is an excavation of the past that explores themes of Childhood Trauma, Grief, and Healing, in three parts known as Shatter, Sorrow, and Shift. It follows the metaphorical journey of shattered glass through the sea of Childhood Trauma and Grief. It taps into themes of generational trauma, mental health, growing up with addiction, being a parent to your siblings at a young age, absent parents, experiencing grief and loss, and ultimately finding your way to the shore known as Healing.
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£10.70Sea Glass Secrets
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Sea of Souls (Volume 7) (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of Fire)
Book 7 in the Warhammer 40,000 Megaseries “The Dawn of Fire”.The mighty fleets of the Indomitus Crusade face terrors and dangers beyond imagining. As Guilliman’s crusade marches forth, bringing the Emperor’s light to thousands of worlds, Fleet Secundus is headed for the darkest dark: the Eye of Terror itself, where Secundus will execute a major offensive deep into the heart of the Archenemy.
Along with warriors of the Adepta Sororitas and the Adeptus Astartes, the Imperial Navy battle cruiser Judgement of the Void pushes deeper and deeper into contested space. But as their journey unfolds, the greater schemes of the Indomitus Crusade begin to descend into treachery and intrigue. And as the forces of Chaos close in, a battle for survival is about to unfold, one which has ramifications not just for Fleet Secundus, but for the future of the galaxy itself.Read more
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Sea-Fever: Selected Poems
‘Sea-Fever’ remains one of the most popular poems of the last century, and John Masefield one of the most popular poets, a superb spinner of yarns and ballads of tall ships, exotic seas, of the deep-rooted life of rural England, and of the great narratives of Troy and Arthurian legend. This book includes his most popular poems and a few previously uncollected rarities. All share Masefield’s love of particular lives: he draws the reader into his stories with an incomparable music of language.
This is a representative selection of the poems, in chronological sequence spanning his long career. The editor also provides a full introduction to his work.
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£13.20£16.10Sea-Fever: Selected Poems
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Sex with a Brain Injury: On Concussion and Recovery
For readers of Meghan O’Rourke’s The Invisible Kingdom, Esme Weijun Wang’s The Collected Schizophrenias, andMelissa Febos’s Girlhood, a powerful and deeply personal memoir in essays that sheds light on the silent epidemic of head trauma.Annie Liontas suffered multiple concussions in her thirties. In Sex with a Brain Injury, she writes about what it means to be one of the “walking wounded,” facing her fear, her rage, her physical suffering, and the effects of head trauma on her marriage and other relationships. Forced to reckon with her own queer mother’s battle with addiction, Liontas finds echoes in their pain. Liontas weaves history, philosophy, and personal accounts to interrogate and expand representations of mental health, ability, and disability–particularly in relation to women and the LGBT community. She uncovers the surprising legacy of brain injury, examining its role in culture, the criminal justice system, and through historical figures like Henry VIII and Harriet Tubman. Encountering Liontas’s sharp, affecting prose, the reader can imagine this kind of pain, and having to claw one’s way back to a new normal. The hidden gift of injury, Liontas writes, is the ability to connect with others.
For the millions of people who have suffered from concussions and for those who have endeavored to support loved ones through the painful and often baffling experience of head trauma, this astonishing and compassionate narrative offers insight and hope in equal measure.
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starlit dreams
“starlit dreams” is a heartwarming book all about love, written and illustrated by Bella Karad. Within its pages, you’ll find a journey that explores the many dimensions of love. “starlit dreams” is Book 1 in the Starlit Dreams series.you’re my first.
and i don’t mean my first kiss,
or my first relationship,
or my first i love you.you’re the first person
who makes me feel like i’m enough
and the first one to show mewhat i love you actually means.
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£9.50starlit dreams
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Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Penguin Classics)
The Strange Tales of Pu Songling (1640-1715) are exquisite and amusing miniatures that are regarded as the pinnacle of classical Chinese fiction. With their elegant prose, witty wordplay and subtle charm, the 104 stories in this selection reveal a world in which nothing is as it seems. Here a Taoist monk conjures up a magical pear tree, a scholar recounts his previous incarnations, a woman out-foxes the fox-spirit that possesses her, a child bride gives birth to a thimble-sized baby, a ghostly city appears out of nowhere and a heartless daughter-in-law is turned into a pig. In his tales of humans coupling with shape-shifting spirits, bizarre phenomena, haunted buildings and enchanted objects, Pu Songling pushes back the boundaries of human experience and enlightens as he entertains.Read more
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The Architect’s Apprentice: Elif Shafak
A dazzling and intricate tale from Elif Shafak, Booker-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World – chosen for the Duchess of Cornwall’s online book club The Reading Room
‘There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together…’
Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare white elephant destined for the palace menagerie.
So begins an epic adventure that will see young Jahan rise from lowly origins to the highest ranks of the Sultan’s court. Along the way he will meet deceitful courtiers and false friends, gypsies, animal tamers, and the beautiful, mischievous Princess Mihrimah. He will journey on Chota’s back to the furthest corners of the Sultan’s kingdom and back again. And one day he will catch the eye of the royal architect, Sinan, a chance encounter destined to change Jahan’s fortunes forever.
Filled with all the colour of the Ottoman Empire, when Istanbul was the teeming centre of civilisation, The Architect’s Apprentice is a magical, sweeping tale of one boy and his elephant caught up in a world of wonder and danger.
‘A gorgeous picture of a city teeming with secrets, intrigue and romance’ The Times
‘Exuberant, epic and comic, fantastical and realistic . . . like all good stories it conveys deeper meanings about human experience’ Financial Times
‘Fascinating. A vigorous evocation of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power’ Sunday Times
‘Intricate, multi-layered, resplendent, vividly evoked, beautifully written’ Observer
*** ELIF SHAFAK’S NEW NOVEL, THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY, IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW ***
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£8.70£9.50The Architect’s Apprentice: Elif Shafak
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The Conjuror’s Apprentice: (The Tudor Rose Murders Book 1)
‘Right up there with C J Sansom… A brilliant historical thriller’ Philip Gwynne Jones
‘Thoroughly engaging… beautifully written’ Zoe Sharp
‘Engaging and compelling’ Mark Ellis
‘A rollicking tale with just the right pinches of sex and humour’ Shots MagazineFinding the battered body of a young boy was not unusual in Bloody Mary’s cruel England. However, the stabbed tongue, a false seal and strange letter implicate Princess Elizabeth, threatening to bring down the Tudor Dynasty.
Doctor John Dee and his secret apprentice, Margaretta, using his brilliant mind and her strange abilities, embark on a perilous journey to solve this brutal murder. Before their work can really begin, another body is found.
As Dee and Margaretta delve deeper into their investigation, they uncover a web of deceit, political intrigue and treachery that threatens to engulf them both. When more bodies are discovered and arrests are made, time is running out. With rumours of witchcraft and treason swirling around them, can they untangle the mystery before it’s too late?
‘The beginning of a wonderfully different Tudor crime fiction series’ Alis Hawkins
‘A wonderful debut’ Jules Swain
‘Absolutely spellbinding… alive with atmosphere and realism’ Chris LloydRead more
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The Crystal Text
Clark Coolidge’s book-length meditation on a crystal—long considered a masterpiece of American avant-garde poetry—returns in a new edition.
“No other poet ever has so exquisitely, and sometimes also turbulently, written sheer sonic wonder into poetry.”—Lyn Hejinian, author of My Life and My Life in the Nineties
In the summer of 1982, Clark Coolidge received an unexpected gift of a crystal; small, clear, entirely unexceptional, the crystal nonetheless provoked the poet into writing what has long been considered his masterpiece, The Crystal Text (1986). A durational poem composed over the course of 10 months, in daybook-like entries of varying length, The Crystal Text is multifaceted and elusive, constantly interrogating itself. Is it a meditation on its titular object like Keats’s “Urn” or a radical investigation of the limits of language as a signifying system? Is the poet channeling the crystal to access its message or is the crystal channeling the poet, drawing language from him to fill its colorless emptiness? Is it dictation or improvisation? Is the poem a record of its own crystalline growth or does it capture the process of consciousness itself?
The Crystal Text refuses to resolve the questions it raises but rather inhabits its various possibilities simultaneously, resulting in one of the major works of late 20th century American avant-garde poetry. This new edition includes a preface by poet and scholar Peter Gizzi and an afterword in which Coolidge discusses the text with poet Jason Morris and City Lights editor Garrett Caples.
Associated with the New York School and subsequently inspiring the Language Poets, Coolidge remains one of the most singular and original American poets of our time.
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£13.99The Crystal Text
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The End and the Death: Volume III (The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra)
The final part of book 8 of the global bestselling series, “The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra”.The Great Angel, Sanguinius, lies slain at his brother’s hand.
Terra burns as reality itself unravels and the greatest bastion of civilisation teeters on the brink of annihilation.
Desperate defenders gather, banding against the rabid traitor hordes. The Hollow Mountain, host to the pilgrims of Euphrati Keeler, is one of the last redoubts, held by the Dark Angels while the unclean host of Typhus lays siege. Malcador the Sigillite sits ablaze on the Golden Throne, trying to buy his master more time. But time is running out…
Guilliman races across the stars to reinforce the Throneworld. Will he return to ashes, where a Warmaster of Chaos has ascended to godhood, or will the Emperor have triumphed? And at what cost?
It all comes down to one final, climactic confrontation: the Emperor versus Horus. The father against the son.Read more
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The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings: Edgar Allan Poe (Penguin Classics)
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings is a collection that displays the full force of Edgar Allen Poe’s mastery of both Gothic horror and the short story form. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction and notes by David Galloway.
This selection of Poe’s critical writings, short fiction and poetry demonstrates his intense interest in aesthetic issues, and the astonishing power and imagination with which he probed the darkest corners of the human mind. ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is a slow-burning Gothic horror, describing the final hours of a family tormented by tragedy and the legacy of the past. In ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, a murderer’s insane delusions threaten to betray him, while stories such as ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’, ‘The Raven’ and ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ explore extreme states of decadence, fear and hate.
In his introduction David Galloway re-examines the myths surrounding Poe’s life and reputation. This edition includes a new chronology and suggestions for further reading.
Although dissipated in his youth and plagued by mental instability towards the end of his life, Boston-born Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) had a variety of occupations, including service in the US army and magazine editor, as well as his remarkable literary output.
If you enjoyed The Fall of the House of Usher, you might like Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, also available in Penguin Classics.
‘The most original genius that America has produced’
Alfred, Lord Tennyson‘Poe has entered our popular consciousness as no other American writer’
The New York Times Book ReviewRead more
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The Histories (Penguin Classics)
‘The first example of non-fiction, the text that underlies the entire discipline of history … it is above all a treasure trove’ Tom Holland
One of the masterpieces of classical literature, The Histories describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. But while this epic struggle forms the core of his work, Herodotus’ natural curiosity frequently gives rise to colourful digressions – a description of the natural wonders of Egypt; tales of lake-dwellers, dog-headed men and gold-digging ants. With its kaleidoscopic blend of fact and legend, The Histories offers a compelling Greek view of the world in the fifth century BC, in Aubrey de Sélincourt’s elegant and celebrated translation.
Translated by AUBREY DE SÉLINCOURT
Revised with an Introduction and notes by JOHN MARINCOLARead more
£10.40£12.30The Histories (Penguin Classics)
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The House of Doors: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERIt is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert’s, comes to stay.
Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write. The more Lesley’s friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she see him as he is – a man who has no choice but to mask his true self.
As Willie prepares to leave and face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, revealing her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts – a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.
From Man Booker Prize-shortlisted Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors is a masterful novel of public morality and private truth a century ago. Based on real events it is a drama of love and betrayal under the shadow of Empire.
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The Maidens: The Dark Academia Thriller from the author of TikTok sensation The Silent Patient
We all keep secrets. Even from ourselves.
‘A thrilling, heart-in-throat ride’ STEPHEN FRY
‘An absolute jaw-dropper’ LUCY FOLEY
‘Elegant, sinister, stylish’ CHRIS WHITAKER
‘Grips from start to finish’ HARRIET TYCE* * * * *
YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE MAIDENS.
The Maidens are Cambridge University’s most exclusive society, whose members are selected by the charismatic professor of Greek tragedy, Edward Fosca.
A SECRETIVE SET OF THE BRIGHTEST, MOST CAPTIVATING STUDENTS.
When one of the Maidens is murdered, grieving young therapist Mariana Andros is drawn back to the idyllic campus where she was once herself a student.
THE GROUP FROM WHICH EACH VICTIM WILL BE CHOSEN.
Because beneath the university’s ancient traditions and beauty is a web of secrets, jealousy and lies. And when the killer threatens the person she loves most, Mariana will give anything to stop them – even her own life…
From the #1 global bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession…
* * * * *
‘There’s definitely a flavour of The Secret History to Alex Michaelides’s second novel … The Maidens is a compelling read, and delivers its Hellenic thrills in style.’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
‘A book which screams ‘make me into a TV series’ … his writing, especially his characterisation, possesses a unique sparkle and more promise than most other writers.’ DAILY MAIL
‘Nothing short of genius.’ WOMAN & HOME
‘How do you go about following one of the biggest thrillers of the past decade? You write something even better.’ CHRIS WHITAKER, bestselling author of WE BEGIN AT THE END
‘Grips from intriguing start to horrifying finish … A brilliant achievement.’
HARRIET TYCE‘A page-turner of the first order’
DAVID BALDACCI‘The greatest campus novel since The Secret History by Donna Tartt … with a climatic twist that you will NEVER see coming.’
TONY PARSONS‘A stunning psychological thriller … Michaelides is on a roll.’
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The Making of Us: A gripping family drama from the bestselling author
The gripping novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs.
_____________Lydia, Robyn and Dean don’t know each other – yet.
They live very different lives but each of them, independently, has always felt that something is missing.
What they don’t know is that a letter is about to arrive that will turn their lives upside down.
It is a letter containing a secret – one that will bind them together, and show them what love and family and friendship really mean…
_____________Reader’s can’t get enough of The Making Of Us . . .
***** ‘Really gripping. Couldn’t put it down.’
***** ‘Truly a great read for just about everyone.’
***** ‘Lisa Jewell is becoming one of my favourites. This is the third book of hers that I absolutely loved.’
***** ‘I loved the characters and the way the author unravel their stories.’
***** ‘I loved this book from the beginning.’Read more
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The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea: Yukio Mishima
A band of savage thirteen-year-old boys reject the adult world as illusory, hypocritical, and sentimental, and train themselves in a brutal callousness they call ‘objectivity’. When the mother of one of them begins an affair with a ship’s officer, he and his friends idealise the man at first; but it is not long before they conclude that he is in fact soft and romantic. They regard this disallusionment as an act of betrayal on his part – and the retribution is deliberate and horrifying.Read more
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The Sonnets and a Lover’s Complaint: The Sonnets and a Lover’s Complaint (Clothbound Classics) (Penguin Clothbound Classics)
Part of Penguin’s beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.
When this volume of Shakespeare’s poems first appeared in 1609, he had already written most of the great plays that made him famous. The 154 sonnets – all but two of which are addressed to a beautiful young man or a treacherous ‘dark lady’ – contain some of the most exquisite and haunting poetry ever written, and deal with eternal subjects such as love and infidelity, memory and mortality, and the destruction wreaked by Time. Also included is A Lover’s Complaint, originally published with the sonnets, in which a young woman is overheard lamenting her betrayal by a heartless seducer.
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£13.50£16.10 -
The Sweetest Little Blueberry: Poems about Pregnancy & Early Motherhood
“I look at you and wonder
how something so perfect,
so sweet,
so lovable and unique
and amazing came from me.You are brave and kind
and you speak your mind.
You are smart
and laugh loudly
and are you proudly.You have shown me
these qualities
I adore in you
have actually been hiding
inside of me
this entire time.Thank you
for helping me
love myself a little bit more.”Written with unflinching honesty about pregnancy and the first year of motherhood, The Sweetest Little Blueberry is a book for all mothers. Bluett pens everything we know and love – like feeling those baby kicks, perfect newborn toes, and the magic of motherhood – while also being vulnerable about the parts of motherhood that aren’t as magical – morning sickness (and afternoon and night sickness), fears of inadequacy, postpartum depression, and the struggles of figuring out this “new” you.
The journey of motherhood is the most beautiful yet also the most challenging, and The Sweetest Little Blueberrywill be a sweet, heartfelt reminder to mothers everywhere that you are far from alone and you are a total badass. You did the unthinkable, the most magical, the most amazing thing. And you deserve to be celebrated.
No matter where you are on your motherhood journey (pregnant, a new mother, or a mama of grown children), this book is a must-read during late-night pumping sessions or relaxing Sunday nights after the kids are finally asleep.
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The Waste Land: A Biography of a Poem
** Chosen as a New Statesman, Financial Times, Observer and Sunday Times Book of the Year **
A riveting account of the making of T. S. Eliot’s celebrated poem The Waste Land on its centenary.
‘A rattling good story’ Sunday Telegraph
‘A work of art’ Times Literary SupplementThe Waste Land has been called the ‘World’s Greatest Poem’. It has been labelled the most truthful poem of its time; it has been branded a masterful fake. More than a century after its publication in 1922, T. S. Eliot’s enigmatic masterpiece remains one of the most influential works ever written.
In a remarkable feat of biography, Matthew Hollis reconstructs the creation of the poem and brings the material reality of its charged times vividly to life. He reveals the cultural and personal trauma that forged The Waste Land through the lives of its protagonists – Ezra Pound, who edited it; Vivien Eliot, who sustained it; and T. S. Eliot himself, whose private torment is woven into the seams of the work. The result is an unforgettable story of lives passing in opposing directions and the astounding literary legacy they would leave behind.
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£10.70£12.30The Waste Land: A Biography of a Poem
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The Way Forward (The Inward Trilogy)
The #1 New York Times bestselling poet returns with his most ambitious collection yet. In this third and final installment of his poetic trilogy, Yung Pueblo expands upon favourite themes while guiding readers further, toward a life lived authentically, intuitively, and in harmony with others.In these rapidly changing times, it is more important than ever to know ourselves well and fully, even and especially in the face of turmoil. The Way Forward encourages readers to connect more deeply to their intuition, using it to remain focused and grounded amidst a world in constant flux.
In his latest collection of poetry and short prose, Yung Pueblo offers clear strategies for managing the unknown, inhabiting your personal power, and bringing your truest, healthiest self to relationships. Progressing naturally from both Inward and Clarity & Connection, The Way Forward is exactly that—an inspired beginning.
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£10.10£12.30The Way Forward (The Inward Trilogy)
£10.10£12.30 -
The Whitsun Weddings
Philip Larkin (1922-1985) remains England’s best-loved poet – a writer matchlessly capable of evoking his native land and of touching all readers from the most sophisticated intellectual to the proverbial common reader. The late John Betjeman observed that ‘this tenderly observant poet writes clearly, rhythmically, and thoughtfully about what all of us can understand’. Behind this modest description lies a poet who made greatness look, in Milton’s prescription, ‘simple, sensuous and passionate’.
This collection, first published in 1967, contains many of his best-loved poems, including The Whitsun Weddings, An Arundel Tomb, Days, Mr Bleaney and MCMXIV.
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£8.50£10.40The Whitsun Weddings
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This Wild and Precious Life: A Journal
A stunning journal featuring inspiring quotes from beloved poet Mary Oliver and delightful illustrations that illuminate her themes of wonder and nature.“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Simple, direct, and profoundly feeling, Mary Oliver touched countless readers with her tender, accessible verse, expressing her love for the physical world and the powerful bonds between all living things. Her poems deftly weave close observations of nature with an evergreen state of wonder, and her essays about the craft of writing are remarkable for their intelligent yet comprehensive advice.
Oliver is a perennial touchstone for writers and nature lovers. Here for the first time is a journal that invites you to actively engage with her poetry. Flip from page to page to find a comforting, inspiring, or challenging quote from one of her poems, with an occasional poem reprinted in its entirety. The questions that weave through her poems form natural journaling prompts—from “The Gardener,”for example: Have I lived enough? Have I loved enough? Or from “Gratitude”: What did you notice? What was most wonderful? A list of citations for the quotes included in the back offers journalers the ability to delve deeper into Oliver’s work.
With delightful nature drawings appearing alongside Oliver’s celebrated verse, this journal readers them an opportunity, for the first time, to engage personally in a written conversation with the beloved poet, page by page.
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Three Hundred Tang Poems (Everyman’s Library POCKET POETS)
These some three hundred poems from the Tang Dynasty (618-907)-an age in which poetry and the arts flourished-were gathered in the eighteenth century into what became one of the best-known books in the world, and which is still cherished in Chinese homes everywhere. Many of China’s most famous poets-Du Fu, Li Bai, Bai Juyi, and Wang Wei-are represented by timeless poems about love, war, the delights of drinking and dancing, and the beauties of nature. There are poems about travel, about grief, about the frustrations of bureaucracy, and about the pleasures and sadness of old age.
Nearly every Chinese household owns a copy of Tang Shi and poems from it are still included in textbooks and to be memorized by students.
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£9.90£11.40 -
Traditional Catholic Prayers: The 100 most inspiring and well-known prayers of the Catholic religion
Discover the serenity, strength and depth of the Catholic faith through the words of its most inspiring and beloved prayers. “Traditional Catholic Prayers: The 100 Most Inspiring Prayers of the Catholic Religion” is a valuable compilation of the most profound Catholic prayers, from the Church’s most respected saints. Each of these prayers offers a unique and powerful connection to the Catholic faith and allows you to explore a deeper relationship with God.Whether you are looking to enrich your daily spiritual practice, find comfort in difficult times, or simply understand the beauty of the Catholic tradition, this book is an invaluable resource. From prayers of renowned saints like Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, to prayers for specific situations like healing and blessing, this collection offers a variety of prayers for every moment of life.
Whether you are a long-time practicing Catholic or are simply interested in exploring the Catholic faith, this prayer book will enrich your spiritual journey. Take time to immerse yourself in prayer, find peace in solitude, and draw closer to God through the richness of Catholic tradition.
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Travel and Transport: an anthology of poetry and short stories (Anthologies of poetry and short stories)
We rely so heavily on transport of all kinds in our everyday lives. We certainly couldn’t go on holiday without taking it in some form or other. Ingrained in our culture since the late eighteenth century we are now guilty of taking transport for granted. It has opened our eyes to new cultures and provided a free flow of goods and people all around the world. Certainly without transport we could not indulge in our collective passion for travel.
This collection of poetry and short stories is a wonderful celebration of all things travel and transport related.Read more
£9.50
