In the First Punic War, the Roman legions defeated & humiliated Carthage, their only serious rival for power in the Mediterranean. Now a brilliant young Carthaginian general, called Hannibal, is out for revenge. Caught up in the maelstrom are two young boys, Hanno, the son of a distinguished soldier & confidant of Hannibal, & Quintus, son of a Roman equestrian & landowner. A disastrous adventure will see Hanno sold into slavery & bought by Quintus's father. Although an unexpected friendship springs up between the two boys
- & with Quintus's sister, Aurelia
- the fortunes of the two warring empires once again separates them. They find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict & an alliance forged through slavery will be played out to its stunning conclusion in battle.

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In ancient Rome, parents used to silence misbehaving children with the utterance ' Hannibal ad portas' (Hannibal is at the door). Such was the fear & awe that Hannibal Barca instilled...
Told in arcing, epic technicolour, this is the story of one of the ancient world's most remarkable figures & the long, bloody conflict between the two 'superpowers' of the times
- the Second Punic War (218-202BC)
- that hinged on the genius, the ambition & the personal tragedies of Hannibal Barca of Carthage, whose military prowess became the stuff of legend, & Publius Scipio of Rome. History, of course, tells us the outcome: that Rome would be the victor, surviving to become a colossal imperial power, while Carthage would be all but erased from history. It was, however, a close run thing. & the world might have been a very different place had Hannibal succeeded in thwarting the might of Rome.
PRIDE OF CARTHAGE is a sweeping, thrilling story of ancient warfare, of armies traversing frozen snow-covered mountains, of battles won or lost by brilliant generals fighting in ingenious, cunning ways. & it's a story teeming with superbly drawn, memorable characters & players, historical & imagined
- from Numidian horsemen & the Roman legions to the slaves & freemen from all corners of the ancient Mediterranean world...




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In ancient Rome, parents used to silence misbehaving children with the utterance ' Hannibal ad portas' (Hannibal is at the door). Such was the fear & awe that Hannibal Barca instilled...
Told in arcing, epic technicolour, this is the story of one of the ancient world's most remarkable figures & the long, bloody conflict between the two 'superpowers' of the times
- the Second Punic War (218-202BC)
- that hinged on the genius, the ambition & the personal tragedies of Hannibal Barca of Carthage, whose military prowess became the stuff of legend, & Publius Scipio of Rome. History, of course, tells us the outcome: that Rome would be the victor, surviving to become a colossal imperial power, while Carthage would be all but erased from history. It was, however, a close run thing. & the world might have been a very different place had Hannibal succeeded in thwarting the might of Rome.
PRIDE OF CARTHAGE is a sweeping, thrilling story of ancient warfare, of armies traversing frozen snow-covered mountains, of battles won or lost by brilliant generals fighting in ingenious, cunning ways. & it's a story teeming with superbly drawn, memorable characters & players, historical & imagined
- from Numidian horsemen & the Roman legions to the slaves & freemen from all corners of the ancient Mediterranean world...




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One of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, Hans Holbein the Younger was also a complex & fascinating man who knew Erasmus, Thomas More, Henry VIII & many of the sixteenth century's wielders of power & influence. He developed his own distinctive attitudes towards religion, politics & social life as he moved among stalwart burghers, merchant adventurers & the bejewelled denizens of a glittering court.

The Elizabethan artist Nicolas Hilliard recognised him as 'the greatest Master in [portraiture] that ever was'. Yet the range of Holbein's talent went far beyond painting likenesses. He was constantly in demand for trompe-l'oeil murals & intricate jewellery designs, & he revolutionized book illustration. He produced Catholic altarpieces & Protestant propaganda engravings, woodcuts & drawings depicting the stories of the bible.

In this fascinating biography, acclaimed historian Derek Wilson gives a fresh account of Holbein's motives & paintings, suggesting that they included coded signals & propaganda about political figures of the time. Hans Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man is a controversial reinterpretation which presents the artist as a man inextricably bound up in the stirring events of a creative & turbulent age.



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Elinor Mackey has lived her life in perfect order: college, law school, successful corporate career, marriage. But suddenly her world is falling apart. Now in her late 30s, she's discovered that she & her podiatrist husb&, Ted, can't have children. When Elinor withdraws from Ted into an interior world of heartbreak & anger, Ted begins an affair with Gina, the nutritionist at their gym ...

Thoughtful, warm, instructive, simple & wise, are all adjectives that can be applied to Patrick Whiteside's new book. As the bestselling author of The Little Books of Happiness & Bliss, he has already shown that he has a deep understanding of how our minds work
- & how we can lead happier lives. Here, in Happiness, he has written a full-length work on the subject & thus has much more scope to explain his understandings as well as the strategies that we can practise in this important &, not surprisingly, popular field. He explains that we can learn to relax with ourselves, be patient with whom we really are &, above all, feel full of joy most of the time!
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' Hundreds of people want to be in a b&. They all get guitars & they all play gigs & they all write songs, & they still never make it.' There's a big difference between being a rock star & a pop idol
- Will & Danny know which they'd prefer to be. They form the group Happy & it seems they are on the way to realising their ambitions. But when Happy's first gig is cut short by a fire at the venue, Will struggles to cope with his bitter disappointment & retreats into his private world, rejecting everyone around him. His girlfriend, Beth turns to Danny for comfort & their friendship soon becomes something more. With nothing left for him at home, Will leaves for London to stay with his session-musician father & to follow his dream.
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Lily & Blue Kangaroo share everything, even birthdays. & for her next one, Lily has decided that everything must be pink: pink invitations, pink party clothes, pink wrapping paper... Even Blue Kangaroo gets a pink ribbon to wear. He isn't sure that he likes it, & once everyone starts to arrive, all dressed in pink & carrying pink presents, he thinks that Lily would prefer him if he were pink. He gets so miserable, that he creeps away. But Lily misses him, & comes to find him.
'I love blue, & I love you!' she says, & she changes into a completely blue outfit, to show him she means it.

http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/blue_kangaroo.htm


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It's never been easy to raise children, & arguably it's even more difficult now. In this measured & humane book Dr Edward Hallowell offers a sensible strategy for raising happy children. In his plan he has two primary goals for children: 1) that they develop a sense of 'connection' with those around them & 2) the development of a sense of mastery over one or more areas of their lives. When parents guide their children towards these goals, the outcome will be good. Other key issues he raises are:

- Don't push your child too hard in school
- High academic achievement has no correlation with happy adult life
- Put your efforts into helping your child become good at something that will become a passionate involvement
- Don't try to rush your child's development
- Teach manners





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