This 'little history' takes on a very big subject the glorious span of literature from Greek myth to graphic novels from The Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter John Sutherland is perfectly suited to the task He has researched taught & written on virtually every area of literature & his infectious passion for books & reading has defined his own life Now he guides young readers & the grown-ups in their lives on an entertaining journey 'through the wardrobe' to a greater awareness of how literature from across the world can transport us & help us to make sense of what it means to be human Sutherland introduces great classics in his own irresistible way enlivening his offerings with humor as well as learning Beowulf Shakespeare Don Quixote the Romantics Dickens Moby Dick The Waste Land Woolf 1984 & dozens of others He adds to these a less-expected personal selection of authors & works including literature usually considered well below 'serious attention'
- from the rude jests of Anglo-Saxon runes to The Da Vinci Code With masterful digressions into various themes
- censorship narrative tricks self-publishing taste creativity & madness
- Sutherland demonstrates the full depth & intrigue of reading For younger readers he offers a proper introduction to literature promising to interest as much as instruct For more experienced readers he promises just the same


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Philosophy begins with questions about the nature of reality & how we should live These were the concerns of Socrates who spent his days in the ancient Athenian marketplace asking awkward questions disconcerting the people he met by showing them how little they genuinely understood This engaging book introduces the great thinkers in Western philosophy & explores their most compelling ideas about the world & how best to live in it In forty brief chapters Nigel Warburton guides us on a chronological tour of the major ideas in the history of philosophy He provides interesting & often quirky stories of the lives & deaths of thought-provoking philosophers from Socrates who chose to die by hemlock poisoning rather than live on without the freedom to think for himself to Peter Singer who asks the disquieting philosophical & ethical questions that haunt our own times Warburton not only makes philosophy accessible he offers inspiration to think argue reason & ask in the tradition of Socrates A Little History of Philosophy presents the grand sweep of humanity's search for philosophical understanding & invites all to join in the discussion ...

For curious readers young & old a rich & colorful history of religion from humanity's earliest days to our own contentious times In an era of hardening religious attitudes & explosive religious violence this book offers a welcome antidote Richard Holloway retells the entire history of religion-from the dawn of religious belief to the twenty-first century-with deepest respect & a keen commitment to accuracy Writing for those with faith & those without & especially for young readers he encourages curiosity & tolerance accentuates nuance & mystery & calmly restores a sense of the value of faith Ranging far beyond the major world religions of Judaism Islam Christianity Buddhism & Hinduism Holloway also examines where religious belief comes from the search for meaning throughout history today's fascinations with Scientology & creationism religiously motivated violence hostilities between religious people & secularists & more Holloway proves an empathic yet discerning guide to the enduring significance of faith & its power from ancient times to our own ...

Science is fantastic It tells us about the infinite reaches of space the tiniest living organism the human body the history of Earth People have always been doing science because they have always wanted to make sense of the world & harness its power From ancient Greek philosophers through Einstein & Watson & Crick to the computer-assisted scientists of today men & women have wondered examined experimented calculated & sometimes made discoveries so earthshaking that people understood the world-or themselves-in an entirely new way This inviting book tells a great adventure story the history of science It takes readers to the stars through the telescope as the sun replaces the earth at the center of our universe It delves beneath the surface of the planet charts the evolution of chemistry's periodic table introduces the physics that explain electricity gravity & the structure of atoms It recounts the scientific quest that revealed the DNA molecule & opened unimagined new vistas for exploration Emphasizing surprising & personal stories of scientists both famous & unsung A Little History of Science traces the march of science through the centuries The book opens a window on the exciting & unpredictable nature of scientific activity & describes the uproar that may ensue when scientific findings challenge established ideas With delightful illustrations & a warm accessible style this is a volume for young & old to treasure together ...

A fast-paced character-filled history that brings the unique American saga to life for readers of all ages How did a land & people of such immense diversity come together under a banner of freedom & equality to form one of the most remarkable nations in the world? Everyone from young adults to grandparents will be fascinated by the answers uncovered in James West Davidson's vividly told A Little History of the United States In 300 fast-moving pages Davidson guides his readers through 500 years from the first contact between the two halves of the world to the rise of America as a superpower in an era of atomic perils & diminishing resources In short vivid chapters the book brings to life hundreds of individuals whose stories are part of the larger American story Pilgrim William Bradford stumbles into an Indian deer trap on his first day in America; Harriet Tubman lets loose a pair of chickens to divert attention from escaping slaves; the toddler Andrew Carnegie later an ambitious industrial magnate gobbles his oatmeal with a spoon in each hand Such stories are riveting in themselves but they also spark larger questions to ponder about freedom equality & unity in the context of a nation that is & always has been remarkably divided & diverse ...

E H Gombrich's Little History of the World though written in 1935 has become one of the treasures of historical writing since its first publication in English in 2005 The Yale edition alone has now sold over half a million copies & the book is available worldwide in almost thirty languages Gombrich was of course the best-known art historian of his time & his text suggests illustrations on every page This illustrated edition of the Little History brings together the pellucid humanity of his narrative with the images that may well have been in his mind's eye as he wrote the book The two hundred illustrations-most of them in full color-are not simple embellishments though they are beautiful They emerge from the text enrich the author's intention & deepen the pleasure of reading this remarkable work For this edition the text is reset in a spacious format flowing around illustrations that range from paintings to line drawings emblems motifs & symbols The book incorporates freshly drawn maps a revised preface & a new index Blending high-grade design fine paper & classic binding this is both a sumptuous gift book & an enhanced edition of a timeless account of human history ...

Can an ordinary girl dare to be different? The compelling new bestseller from Birmingham's Queen of Fiction Janet is determined to make something of herself instead of being chained to a sink with a baby a year like most women of her generation She passes her eleven-plus & wins a scholarship to go to a good grammar school but her father refuses to believe that girls have the right to do anything other than look after their husbands & raise children Struggling to fit in at her new school & picked on by the other girls Janet befriends Ruth another lonely pupil whose Jewish family have suffered many hardships Janet & Ruth forge a strong friendship through her school life & beyond But will their friendship survive when Janet falls for Ruth's brother Ben -marriage to a Catholic girl would go against everything his community hold dear When the whole world seems stacked against her can Janet hold onto her dreams? ...

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2015 Shortlisted for the Baileys Prize for Women's Fiction 2016 Finalist for the National Book Awards 2015 The million copy bestseller A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is an immensely powerful & heartbreaking novel of brotherly love & the limits of human endurance When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way they're broke adrift & buoyed only by their friendship & ambition There is kind handsome Willem an aspiring actor; JB a quick-witted sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; & withdrawn brilliant enigmatic Jude who serves as their centre of gravity Over the decades their relationships deepen & darken tinged by addiction success & pride Yet their greatest challenge each comes to realize is Jude himself by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man his mind & body scarred by an unspeakable childhood & haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome
- but that will define his life forever
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A Little Light on the Spiritual Laws sets out clearly & simply 36 Spiritual Laws which govern life on Earth Vividly illustrated with stories & metaphors it shows how to achieve prosperity success gratitude & purification If you do not understand the rules of the game you cannot play in the top league In the same way you cannot be happy healthy & successful until you understand the Laws of Life This book offers a definitive accessible guide to mastering life & when practised at the highest level it contains the keys to heaven ...

The much anticipated follow-up title from the multi-award winning author of The Bunker Diary recipient of the 2014 Carnegie Medal for an outstanding book for young adults Elliot is terrified of almost everything From the moment he was born his life has been governed by acute fear The only thing that keeps his terrors in check are the pills that he takes every day It's Christmas Eve there's a snowstorm & Elliot's medication is almost gone His mum nips out to collect his prescription She'll only be 10 minutes
- but when she doesn't come back Elliot must face his fears & try to find her She should only be 400 metres away It might as well be 400 miles Born Scared joins the ranks of Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places Ned Vizzini's It's Kind of A Funny Story & Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why as an example of teen fiction offering a frank & intelligent portrait of mental illness Kevin Brooks was born in 1959 His first novel Martyn Pig was shortlisted for a 2002 Carnegie Medal & won the 2003 Branford Boase Award His second novel Lucas won the 2004 North East Book Award In 2014 his novel The Bunker Diary was awarded the CILIP Carnegie Medal Kevin lives in North Yorkshire
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