The great theoretical physicist & Nobel Prize winnder, Richard Feynman, left an indelible imprint on scientific thought. On 14 March 1964 he delivered a remarkable lecture which, until now, was believed to be lost. His lecture was about a single fact, though by no means a small one. When a planet or a comet or any other body arcs through space under the influence of gravity, it traces out one of a very special set of mathematical curves, known as the conic sections. But why does nature choose to describe those, & only those, elegant geometrical constructions ? In this book Feynman's lost lecture has been reconstructed & explained in meticulous, accessible detail, together with a history of ideas of the planets' motions. It can be enjoyed by the specialist & non-specialist alike & provides us all with an invaluable insight into the mind of one of this century's greatest scientists. ...

FICTIONS is perhaps the single most mysterious & extraordinary collection of short stories written this century. Influenced by writers as disparate as Lewis Carroll, Stevenson & Cervantes, Borges is nethertheless a complete original who can turn dry logical puzzles in to enchanting fables. The Pieces in this volume represent his most accomplished work. ...

Fiction & the Reading Public provoked fierce controvers when first published in 1932, & it has since come to be recognised as a classic in its field. In her fascinating study, Q D Leavis investigates what has happened to the public taste in the last three centuries & what effect this has had on both the life of the nation & the equality of living for the individual. A brilliant piece of literary exegesis & an illuminating anthropological commentary
- DAILY MAIL An illuminating study... it offers a rich store of interest, not only in its vigorous scrutiny of the novel & the influences which have shaped it, but also in its study of changing attitudes & tempos of life amont the general public who read novels... An achievement of distinguished quality & high value. New Republic. She has performed a noble office by inquiring into the case of the bestseller. The result is no less entertaining than instructive -SATURDAY REVIEW.
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Mc Anally had sworn his oath to the IRA. But he quit & went south into the Republic, until they came for him, made him fire the deadly rocket launcher one last time. Then he played his final card & most terrifying role
- Supergrass.

Ferris, the young British lieutenant, hadn


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From the author of The Dark Room comes a strikingly powerful collection of stories exploring themes of guilt, love & sacrifice with a haunting emotional precision. With a range of settings as diverse as the Scottish seaside & post-Communist eastern Germany Seiffert uses the locations of these stories to bring her characters into relief. Powerfully evoking our human need for connection, Field Study takes us on journeys that demonstrate both the fragility & adaptability of our emotions, as well as the vast potential for danger & vulnerability created by all types of love
- familial, platonic or romantic. Seiffert isolates & captures not only the underlying & compelling sorrow of love, but also the joy & desire for that love that keeps us alive.
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When you're little, you think your family is just the same as everybody else's. Doesn't everyone's mum plan secret exits for when things get tough? Surely all dads embarrass their daughters at their birthday parties? But as you get older, you begin to notice that what's normal to you is completely f***ed up to the outside world, & that sometimes you just can't explain that what other people think of as weird is actually all about love.

Who is Kelly Osbourne? I'm still not totally sure. But I do know who I'm not, & I want to help other people make the right decisions with the difficult choices we all face when growing up.

So I



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This no-holes-barred account of Kelly Obsourne's upbringing is as shocking as it is disarmingly funny. From stories about her father's alcoholism to pushing over portaloos on tour, Kelly unflinchingly deals with the extraordinary experiences that have made up her life so far:

' Kelly Osbourne has written Fierce, a handbook for teenage girls/memoir of adolescence lived under very bright lights. After reading it, & her anecdotes about her mum

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