There are few stories more remarkable than the evolution of life on earth This Very Short Introduction presents a succinct guide to the key episodes in that story
- from the very origins of life four million years ago to the extraordinary diversity of species around the globe today Beginning with an explanation of the controversies surrounding the birth of life itself each following chapter tells of a major breakthrough that made new forms of life possible including sex & multicellularity hard skeletons & the move to land Along the way we witness the greatest mass extinction the first forests the rise of modern ecosystems & most recently conscious humans Introducing ideas from a range of scientific disciplines from evolutionary biology & earth history to geochemistry palaeontology & systematics Michael Benton explains how modern science pieces the evidence in this vast evolutionary puzzle together to build up an accessible & up-to-date picture of the key developments in the history of life on earth ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable
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Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2006 & winner of the 2006 Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger The History of Love explores the lasting power of the written word & the lasting power of love Published as a Penguin Essential for the first time ' When I was born my mother named me after every girl in a book my father gave her called The History of Love ' Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's loneliness Believing she might discover it in an old book her mother is lovingly translating she sets out in search of its author Across New York an old man called Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer He spends his days dreaming of the love lost that sixty years ago in Poland inspired him to write a book & although he doesn't know it yet that book also survived crossing oceans & generations & changing lives ' Wonderfully affectingbrilliant touching & remarkably poised' Sunday Telegraph'A tender tribute to human valiance Who could be unmoved by a cast of characters whose daily battles are etched on out mind in such diamond-cut prose?' Independent on Sunday' Devastatingone of the most passionate vindications of the written word in recent fiction It takes one's breath away' Spectator ...

Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2006 & winner of the 2006 Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger The History of Love by bestselling author Nicole Krauss explores the lasting power of the written word & the lasting power of love ' When I was born my mother named me after every girl in a book my father gave her called The History of Love ' Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's loneliness Believing she might discover it in an old book her mother is lovingly translating she sets out in search of its author Across New York an old man called Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer He spends his days dreaming of the love lost that sixty years ago in Poland inspired him to write a book & although he doesn't know it yet that book also survived crossing oceans & generations & changing lives ' Wonderfully affectingbrilliant touching & remarkably poised' Sunday Telegraph'A tender tribute to human valiance Who could be unmoved by a cast of characters whose daily battles are etched on out mind in such diamond-cut prose?' Independent on Sunday' Devastatingone of the most passionate vindications of the written word in recent fiction It takes one's breath away' Spectator Nicole Krauss is an American bestselling author who has received international critical acclaim for her first three novels Great House (shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011) The History of Love & Man Walks into a Room (shortlisted for the LA Times Book Award) all of which are available in Penguin paperback ...

The History of Mary Prince (1831) was the first narrative of a black woman to be published in Britain It describes Prince&s sufferings as a slave in Bermuda Turks Island & Antigua & her eventual arrival in London with her brutal owner Mr Wood in 1828 Prince escaped from him & sought assistance from the Anti-Slavery Society where she dictated her remarkable story to Susanna Strickland (later Moodie) A moving & graphic document The History drew attention to the continuation of slavery in the Caribbean despite an 1807 Act of Parliament officially ending the slave trade It inspired two libel actions & ran into three editions in the year of its publication This powerful rallying cry for emancipation remains an extraordinary testament to Prince&s ill-treatment suffering & survival ...

Mathematics is a fundamental human activity that can be practised & understood in a multitude of ways; indeed mathematical ideas themselves are far from being fixed but are adapted & changed by their passage across periods & cultures In this Very Short Introduction Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical & cultural diversity of mathematical endeavour from the distant past to the present day Arranged thematically to exemplify the varied contexts in which people have learned used & handed on mathematics she also

Includes:: illustrative case studies drawn from a range of times & places including early imperial China the medieval Islamic world & nineteenth-century Britain ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable

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A new one-volume edition of the four books which comprise The History of The Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkien is famous the world over for his unique literary creation exemplified in The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings & The Silmarillion What is less well known however is that he also produced a vast amount of further material that greatly expands upon the stories that were published & which herein gives added life to the tales of the hobbits Gandalf & the quest of the Fellowship as told in The Lord of the Rings It was to this enormous task of literary construction that Tolkien's youngest son & literary heir Christopher applied himself to produce the monumental & endlessly fascinating series of twelve books The History of Middle-earth This brand new hardback edition brings together volumes VI
- IX of The History of Middle-earth
- The Return of the Shadow The Treason of Isengard The War of the Ring & Sauron Defeated
- into one volume Together these books give a fascinating & complete account of the writing of The Lord of the Rings & provide the reader with numerous additional scenes together with rare maps & illustrations which never made it into the final book including the epilogue in its entirety Epic in scope & extent this second hardback volume of a planned trilogy will present the reader with a unique opportunity to collect a complementary set of each hardback volume in The Complete History of Middle-earth series


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A new one-volume edition of the final three books in The History of Middle-earth
- designed to perfectly complement Parts I & II
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With the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 the next two centuries for France would be tumultuous Bestselling historian & political commentator Jonathan Fenby provides an expert & riveting journey through this period as he recounts & analyses the extraordinary sequence of events of this period from the end of the First Revolution through two others a return of Empire three catastrophic wars with Germany periods of stability & hope interspersed with many years of uncertainty & high tensions As her cross-Channel neighbour Great Britain would equally suffer France was to undergo the wrenching loss of colonies in the post-Second World War as the new modern world we know today took shape Her attempts to become the leader of the European union is a constant struggle as was her lack of support for America in the two Gulf Wars of the past twenty years Alongside this came huge social changes & cultural landmarks but also fundamental questioning of what this nation which considers itself exceptional really stood
- & stands
- for That saga & those questions permeate the France of today now with an implacable enemy to face in the form of Islamic extremism which so bloodily announced itself this year in Paris Fenby will detail every event every struggle & every outcome across this expanse of 200 years It will prove to be the definitive guide to understanding France

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Mr Polly is an ordinary middle-aged man who is tired of his wife's nagging & his dreary job as the owner of a regional gentleman's outfitters Faced with the threat of bankruptcy he concludes that the only way to escape his frustrating existence is by burning his shop to the ground & killing himself Unexpected events however conspire at the last moment to lead the bewildered Mr Polly to a bright new future
- after he saves a life fakes his death & escapes to a life of heroism hope & ultimate happiness
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play John Mills stars as Alfred Polly recently sacked from his job he inherits money from his father thus enabling him to take a bike tour of the country He falls in love but it all goes wrong so Alfred ends up marrying his cousin Miriam They set up a draper&s shop in a small town Miriam sours they face bankruptcy & boredom & Mr Polly comes to hate his life In utter despair he decides to commit suicide but even this goes wrong & he is forced to take to the road again ...