Available for the first time in one volume this is the definitive collection of Tolkien's five acclaimed modern classic fairie' tales in the vein of The Hobbit' fully corrected & reset for this edition & all beautifully illustrated in pencil by the award-winning artist Alan Lee The five tales are written with the same skill quality & charm that made The Hobbit a classic Largely overlooked because of their short lengths they are finally together in a volume which reaffirms Tolkien's place as a master storyteller for readers young & old Roverandom is a toy dog who enchanted by a sand sorcerer gets to explore the world & encounter strange & fabulous creatures Farmer Giles of Ham is fat & unheroic but
- having unwittingly managed to scare off a short-sighted giant
- is called upon to do battle when a dragon comes to town; The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells in verse of Tom's many adventures with hobbits princesses dwarves & trolls; Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle who sets out to paint the perfect tree; Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children This new collection is fully illustrated throughout by Oscar-winning artist Alan Lee who provides a wealth of pencil drawings to bring the stories to life as he did so memorably for The Hobbit & The Children of Hurin Alan also provides an Afterword in which he opens the door into illustrating Tolkien's world World-renowned Tolkien author & expert Tom Shippey takes the reader through the hidden links in the tales to Tolkien's Middle-earth in his Introduction & recounts their history & themes Lastly included as an appendix is Tolkien's most famous essay On Fairy-stories in which he brilliantly discusses fairy-stories & their relationship to fantasy Taken together this rich collection of new & unknown work from the author of The Children of Hurin will provide the reader with a fascinating journey into lands as wild & strange as Middle-earth

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FOOTBALL'S BIGGEST CHARACTERS TELL IT LIKE IT ISWho is the Secret Footballer? Well he's back & this time his mates speak out too Players agents coaches & managers give you access to all areas of the Premier League From deal-making to play-making from dodgy tactics to drunken antics they reveal the unforgettable highs & the unforgivable lows This is football as you've never seen it before ' What happens behind closed doors at Premiership clubs usually stays firmly shut behind closed doors Not if the Secret Footballer has anything to do with it' Loaded From the bestselling author of I am the Secret Footballer & The Secret Footballer's Guide to the Modern Game ...

An illustrated collection of ten stories about Simon Lewis star of Cassandra Clare's internationally bestselling series The Mortal Instruments Ten illustrated stories following the adventures of Simon Lewis star of the 1 New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments as he trains to become a Shadowhunter Simon has been a human & a vampire but after the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories he isn't sure who he is any more When the Shadowhunter Academy reopens Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting determined to find himself again Whoever this Simon might be Join him on his journey to become a Shadowhunter & learn about the Academy's illustrious history along the way through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale Tessa Gray & Magnus Bane The series features characters from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Infernal Devices Dark Artifices & the upcoming Last Hours series ...

The ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism is more popular today than ever This accessible & enlightening collection offers stories "ations from the most celebrated Taoist masters including Chuang Tzu Lieh Tzu & Lao Tzu as well as new writing inspired by the traditional tales Set against a stunning photographic backdrop of the mountains waterfalls & gorges of China these stories introduce important Taoist ideas about our most basic human experiences including birth death loss gain simple dignity in the face of challenge how to judge character when to move forward when to retreat & how to surrender to the most fundamental experience of the Tao itself As a longtime student of Taoism Solala Towler understands that the simple yet profound truths of spiritual practice & awakening are often best learned from these entertaining illuminating puzzling often downright funny tales rather than through ponderous exposition These engrossing narratives are as relevant & useful today as they were in the great dynasties of ancient China ...

Tales from Watership Down is the enchanting sequel to Richard Adams's bestselling classic Watership Down which won the Carnegie Medaland Guardian Children's Fiction Award Adams returns to the vivid & distinctive world he created in that enduring work reacquainting readers with the characters we know & love including Fiver Hazel Bigwig Dandelion & the legendary rabbit hero El-ahrairah These compelling tales include all-new adventures with the younger generation of rabbits eager to find out about the heroic age that existed before they were born Enchanting us once again with stories of courage & survival the millions of readers who enjoyed Watership Down now have the chance to re-enter this unique & spell-binding world ...

Wilderland awakens With the threat of Smaug removed & the Misty Mountain Orcs driven back into their foul mountain holds the Free Peoples are seizing the opportunity to reclaim the region Kings extend their realms boundaries merchants open up trade routes to long-sundered markets & previously strained relations blossom into true alliances At the forefront of this resurgence are adventurers Whether they are rediscovering isolated communities battling the remnants of the Shadow or exploring the land & opening it up for others to follow groups of Heroes are proving instrumental in the taming of the Wild ...

All three issues of Tales from Wonderland are collected in a single volume for the first time! Collected herein are the Alice The Queen of Hearts & the Mad Hatter one shots plus the bonus thread story Experiment which reveals the discovery of Wonderland ...

Zenescope continues to expand on the Wonderland mythology by telling the intriguing & often terrifying histories of the characters you love Three new tales are collected in this volume The White Knight the one true bastion of good in all of Wonderland struggles to stay pure Plus the origin of the deadly gardens of Wonderland are revealed as well as the final part of the Mad Hatter's legacy ...

In a sense this book is a garden-based autobiography of Britain's most famous birdwatcher The main narrative covers Bill's personal relationship not only with his present garden which was described by the Daily Mail as Probably the most bizarre back garden in Britain but also with the gardens he has known throughout his life The first was what he has called a sink full of mud in industrial Rochdale in the 1940s Next came a larger garden on the edge of Birmingham which he used as a bird ringing station sometimes helped or hindered by his granny who often trimmed the lawn with a pair of scissors! In Tales of Ludicrous Bird Gardens there are plenty of eccentric stories about garden characters such as the 'feng shui fox' who constantly rearranged the ornaments ' Limpy' the one-legged single-parent Great Tit & one memorable nightmarish occasion when over 50 rats came to visit! This book is NOT an instructional guide on ' How to be a ludicrous gardener' although it may well prove inspirational to others to have a go or to warn them on what to avoid Bill abhors decking large concrete patios & above all leaf-blowers As well as neighbours who whinge about the parakeets! What is certain about Tales of Ludicrous Bird Gardens is that Bill's entertaining take on gardening for birds makes compelling reading ...

These stories include the great myths
- of Amen-Ra who created all the creatures in the world; of Isis seaching the waters for
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