The Ballets Russes was perhaps the most iconic yet at the same time mysterious ballet company of the twentieth century Inspired by the unique vision of their founder Sergei Diaghilev the company gained a large international following In the mid-twentieth century
- during the tumultuous years of World War II & the Cold War
- the Ballets Russes companies kept the spirit & traditions of Russian ballet alive in the West touring extensively in America Europe & Australia This important new book uncovers previously-unseen interviews & provides insights into the lives of the great figures of the age
- from the dancers Anna Pavlova & Alicia Markova to the choreographers Leonide Massine George Balanchine & Anton Dolin The dancers' own words reveal what life was really like for the stars of the Ballets Russes & provide fascinating new insights into one of the most vibrant & creative groups of artists of the modern age


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Ruby Lennox was conceived grudgingly by Bunty & born while her father George was in the Dog & Hare in Doncaster telling a woman in an emerald dress & a D-cup that he wasn't married Bunty had never wanted to marry George but here she was stuck in a flat above the pet shop in an ancient street beneath York Minster with sensible & sardonic Patrica aged five greedy cross-patch Gillian who refused to be ignored & Ruby Ruby tells the story of The Family from the day at the end of the nineteenth century when a travelling French photographer catches frail beautiful Alice & her children like flowers in amber to the startling witty & memorable events of Ruby's own life ...

Arthur Bourne was at the centre of British motorcycling from 1923-1951 This is his fascinating story Back in the 1920s there were more motor cyclists than car drivers records were being broken every month at the Brooklands race track in Surrey roads were empty & motorbikes constantly broke down Arthur Bourne who used the pseudonym Torrens' for readers of the best-selling weekly The Motor Cycle was in the thick of the game He had the good luck to be Engineer to The Auto-Cycle Union & the-then not yet 26 editor of a famous motorcycling journal This is his story of what it was like to ride hundreds of miles round Britain on reliability trials
- essential for manufacturers to claim that their bikes were worth buying
- & how he provided weekly guidance for thousands of youngsters on two wheels He writes of Brooklands & of TT races on the lsle of Man; of his encouragement to young engineers like Edward Turner & Phil Vincent; & of how in the Second World War he enabled the airborne forces at Arnhem to be equipped with lightweight motorcycles that could be dropped by parachute or flown in by glider For anyone interested in motorbikes & the people who rode them when British manufacturing was at its apogee this is a unique testimony Motor cycles were fashionable The Duke of York later to be George V1 & his wife Elizabeth later known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother were among the enthusiasts lt was an exciting era recalled by Torrens' near the end of his life in a good journalist's prose Behind the Scenes in the Vintage Years is a unique & fascinating record of an unrepeatable era in British motorcycling & engineering history It contains many black & white pictures which bring this area of the past to life

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Tracklist The End Of Daydreams Trace of Snow Waltz Utopia Positive Shadow Negative Light Sonata H a r m o n i c Ether Warm Light ...

Go behind the scenes with the world's most successful sports team This is a complete history of rugby's most famous yet enigmatic team the New Zealand All Blacks told by the men who have had the honour of wearing the iconic black jersey From the legendary 1905 ' Originals' all the way through to Richie Mc Caw's record-breaking back-to-back World Cup champions of 2015 this is a history of the All Blacks like you have never experienced it before Thanks to exhaustive archival research & exclusive new material garnered from a vast array of interviews with players & coachesfrom across the decades Behind the All Blacks unveils the compelling truth of what it means to play for the team that has dominated Test match rugby for over a century
- all the trials & tribulations behind the scenes the glory the drama & the honour on the field & the passionate friendships & bonds of a brotherhood off it Absorbing & illuminating this is the ultimate history of New Zealand rugby
- told definitively by the men who have been there & done it

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Based on exclusive interviews with players past & present Behind the Thistle gives a unique insight into the drama & emotion of representing Scotland in that most rarefied of environments
- Test match rugby Drawing on first-hand interviews from a vast array of former & current players from Russell Bruce & Frank Coutts in the 1940s all the way through to the present day the authors uncover the heart & soul of Scottish rugby recounting the ecstasy of victory & the despair of defeat drawing out innumerable humorous anecdotes & heart-warming memories Behind the Thistle presents an inside access to the private moments in the changing & team rooms on tour & on the pitch itself From the tension before kick-off to the tumultuous heat-of-battle & the high-jinx thereafter this is the story of what it is like to play for Scotland the sacrifices & joys experienced by those who have shed blood sweat & tears in pursuit of glory in the international jersey Absorbing illuminating & compelling this is a must-have for all supporters who have dreamed the dream of playing for Scotland
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Four powerful secret organizations are fighting for the right to rule in the old kingdom & you can acquire safety control & economic dictates only through the conquest of political influence at the royal court The more servants nobles & dignitaries you can control the closer you will be to the purpose Intrigue blackmail or threats are suitable for all those who are struggling in the shadow of the royal throne Power over each new aristocrat gives you a new method for influencing others The man of absolute power behind the throne will be known soon Behind the Throne is quick & simple card game in which players collect sets of cards to get new special abilities Player earn victory points for the heroes they collect & whoever has the most victory points at the end of the game wins ...

Behind the Throne uncovers the reality of five centuries of life at the English court taking the reader on a remarkable journey from one Queen Elizabeth to another & exploring life as it was lived by clerks & courtiers & clowns & crowned heads the power struggles & petty rivalries the tension between duty & desire; 384 pages Tinniswood Adrian ...

A twisted crawling figure A giggling crowd of masked watchers A reassembling corpse There&s something there just waiting for you to turn around Behind You is an illustration series a comic with no panels where each piece is a separate story Each tale is one image & one piece of text an unsuspecting victim with someone or something behind them Entries range from the amusingly weird to the genuinely unsettling Inspired by spooky films books myths & internet tall tales Behind You is full of scary set-ups but leaves lots of blanks for readers to fill in with their own narrative It&s the Far Side for horror fans

Includes:: an Introduction by New York Times Best-Seller Joe Hill About the Author Brian Coldrick is an illustrator & artist originally from Dublin Ireland now based in the UK A lifetime spent consuming comics films & books has led to an eclectic set of influences from Edward Gorey to the Beano to Flann O& Brien His work has ranged from designing monsters for Doctor Who to comic book covers to Sloth themed board games

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Amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine is back in another classic mystery from the author of Murder for Christmas Mordecai Tremaine's hobby of choice
- crime detection
- has left him in need of a holiday A break away from that gruesome business of murder will be just the ticket & the picturesque island of Moulin d' Or seems to be just the destination Amid the sunshine & the sea air Mordecai falls in with a band of fellow holidaymakers & tries to forget that such a thing as foul play exists He should have been wiser of course because before too long villainy rears its head & a dead body is discovered With a killer stalking the sand dunes it falls to Mordecai to piece together the truth about just who has smuggled murder on to the island idyll

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