When young Charles Dickens was commissioned to write the text for a series of sporting illustrations in 1836, no one could have suspected that this journeyman task was to turn in to one of the great comic novels in English literature. After the premature death of the original illustrator, Dickens took charge of the project, which was published in monthly parts. The result is a brilliant panorama of English life in the 1830s, a cornucopia of stories & vignettes featuring dozens of vividly drawn characters. Chief among them are Mr Pickwick himself, a later day Don Quixote travelling about the country righting wrongs; & his Sancho Panza, Sam Weller, whose pithy sayings & bizarre anecdotes immediately became & remained part of national mythology. With The Pickwick Papers Dickens established himself at a single stroke as a major creative artist, revealing the depth of his human sympathies, the breadth of his interests & his extraordinary linguistic virtuosity. His first novel, published when he was 25, is his first masterpiece. The Everyman edition

Includes:: 43 illustrations by Seymour & ' Phiz' which accompanied the original edition & also reprints the 1907 preface by G. K. Chesterton.

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The dreaded Great Aunt has invited herself to stay with Nancy & Peggy just as their friends Dick & Dorothea arrive for the Summer holiday. Nancy & Peggy have to become Martyrs, wearing dresses & reading poetry (but breaking out at night), while Dick & Dorothea become Picts, secret inhabitants of the country who must never let themselves be seen. It's a desperate gamble to keep everyone out of trouble
- but can it possibly work against the eagle eyes of the fearsome Great Aunt?
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WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY IRVINE WELSH

Dorian is a good-natured young man until he falls in with the immoral Lord Henry & discovers

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First published in 1842, Robert Browning's poetic version of the legend about the lost children of Hamelin is sub-titled 'A Child's Story' & was originally intended only for the private enjoyment of Willie Macready, young son of the famous actor. Once in print, it became a perennial favourite with generations of children (and compilers of poetry anthologies for children!) Kate Greenaway's illustrations, engraved by her regular printer Edmund Evans, were first published in 1888 & have become as popular as the poem itself, being considered by John Ruskin to be her finest work. ...

This is a book about farm animals
- chickens, cows, sheep & goats
- & what they think & feel. As with his previous bestsellers

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A wonderful conditioning exercise for women of all shapes & sizes, Pilates is now recognised as one of the best exercise programmes for the pregnant body as well. It offers quite an amazing number of benefits, while being a gentle, low-impact regime. These include:--Improved circulation in the abdomen area (this is unique to Pilates)--Firmer, wider & longer abdominal muscles, which reduce back-ache during pregnancy & speed recovery post delivery--Faster return to shape after delivery--More effective breathing & increased flexibility for easier delivery There are also some great indirect advantages to Pilates during pregnancy. By taking care of your body you will also find yourself taking care of your diet, & even your outlook on life & impending motherhood will benefit. The Pilates Pregnancy is an easy step-by-step guide through all the best exercises for the pregnant body. Illustrated throughout, it offers a wonderful programme that has been developed in California by one of America's leading Pilates teachers & which can now be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. ...

10, 000 names of the history-makers * 50 lists, from the Roman Govenors of Britain to the Prime Ministers of New Zeal&, & from the First Lords of the Admiralty to the Nobel prizewinners * 19 maps, covering periods, movements & events from the Roman & Dark Age Britain through to World War Two * Vital statics on population, births & deaths, speed of communication, railway mileage, food prices, trade union membership * 12, 000 individual events described & precisely dated, from the death of Alexander the Great & the marriage of Henry V111 to Anne Boelyn to the writing of Darwin's Origin of the Species & the freeing of the hostages in the Lebanon * Every event classified under 9 headings: general & political; fine arts & architecture; literature & scholarship; music & drama; recreation & fashion; religion & education; science & invitation; voyages of exploration; & events elsewhere. ...

From Ovid to Malcolm X, The Ladies Magazine to Punch, Mary Wollstone-craft to Anita Loos, William Hazlitt to D. H. Lawrence, Thomas Carlyle to Brett Easton Ellis, Fanny Burney to Jean Genet, Virginia Woolf to Milan Kundera, dress has stimulated comments at all levels
- whether witty, ironic, moralistic, critical or simply sensual. Using letters, journals & memoirs, as well as novels, poetry & plays, & covering over four hundred years of writing, including British, Irish, American & European literature, The Pimlico Companion to Fashion is surely the ultimate collection about dress.
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