' Our passion was so great Will the Old Man understand & help us once again?' The Old Man of the Moon is Shen Fu's intimate & moving account of his marriage
- from early passion to the trials of poverty & separation
- & his great enduring love for his wife in eighteenth-century China Introducing Little Black Classics 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range & diversity of Penguin Classics with books from around the world & across many centuries They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California & the Russian steppe Here are stories lyrical & savage; poems epic & intimate; essays satirical & inspirational; & ideas that have shaped the lives of millions Shen Fu (born c 1763) Shen Fu's work is available in Penguin Classics in Six Records of a Floating Life

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First published in the mid-eighteenth century The Old Man's Guide to Health & Longer Life is a lifestyle guide to longevity & good health for old men Written in an age when the majority of the population didn't live to see their 40th birthday it provides practical advice on diet exercise & lifestyle including sleep & emotional health Written by experienced physician John Hill it provides an illuminating insight into the thinking on health & longevity in the mid-eighteenth century & reveals surprising similarities with modern-day health advice Some of the more prescriptive advice has the hysterical tone expected from eighteenth-century guides & manuals '
- tho' vegetables may be thought innocent there are many cases in which they prove hurtful' ' Carrots are to be avoided for no old stomach can digest them' ' The pine-apple the most pleasant of all fruit is the most dangerous' ' Cold air chills the blood
- this is the air at the tops of hills & such situations all old men should avoid' But more surprising is how full of genuinely good advice the book is & how much of it reads like modern-day health literature 'A warm bath & a glass of wine if you are having difficulty getting to sleep' ' Use medicines only as a last resort
- address diet & lifestyle first to resolve illness' ' Quiet good humour & complacency of temper will prevent half the diseases of old people; & cure many of the others'


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This superb collection of 500 of the best jokes one-liners & puns is filled with nothing but classic rib-ticklers & great gags ...

A dark twisted fast-paced & literate page-turner that is ultimately redemptive The Old Religion is a contemporary British rural crime thriller that combines the deft plotting evocative landscapes & imagery of Peter May with the richness of character & psychological acuity of Belinda Bauer's rural novels 400 pages Waites Martyn ...

A dark twisted fast-paced & literate page-turner that is ultimately redemptive The Old Religion is a contemporary British rural crime thriller that combines the deft plotting evocative landscapes & imagery of Peter May with the richness of character & psychological acuity of Belinda Bauer's rural novels 400 pages Waites Martyn ...

A beautiful new edition of a classic work of landscape history in which Alfred Watkins introduced the idea of ancient 'ley lines' criss-crossing the English countryside First published in 1925 THE OLD STRAIGHT TRACK described the author's theory of 'ley lines' pre-Roman pathways consisting of aligned stone circles & prehistoric mounds used by our Neolithic ancestors Watkins's ideas have intrigued & inspired generations of readers
- from historians to hill walkers & from amateur archaeologists to new-age occultists This edition of THE OLD STRAIGHT TRACK with a substantial introduction by Robert Macfarlane will appeal to all who treasure the history contours & mystery of Britain's ancient landscapes
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Eminent biblical scholar Michael D Coogan offers here a wide-ranging & stimulating exploration of the Old Testament illuminating its importance as history literature & sacred text Coogan explains the differences between the Bible of Jewish tradition (the Hebrew Bible) & the Old Testament of Christianity & also examines the different contents of the Bibles used by Roman Catholics Eastern Orthodox Christians & Protestants He looks at the rise of modern biblical scholarship as well as the recovery of ancient Near Eastern literatures & their significance for biblical interpretation One particularly interesting section examines three principal characters of the Old Testament-Abraham Deborah & David-illuminating important themes connected with them such as Abraham & covenant & David as poet & warrior Coogan explores the use of invented dialogue & historical fiction in the Old Testament the presence of mythic elements in apparently historical accounts & the relationship of ancient Israelite myths to those of their neighbors The book considers the Old Testament's idea of divine justice especially in Ecclesiastes & Job & looks at notions of the afterlife in the ancient Near East & in ancient Israel Coogan highlights the significance of the history & literature of the Old Testament & describes how non-biblical evidence such as archaeological data & texts has placed the Old Testament in a larger & more illuminating context The book also discusses law & ritual in the Bible as well as the biblical understandings of prophecy Here then is a marvelous overview of one of the great pillars of Western religion & culture a book whose significance has endured for thousands of years & which remains vitally important today for Jews Christians & Muslims worldwide 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 ...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 2012THE SUNDAY TIMES 3 BESTSELLERThe genre-defining book by acclaimed nature writer Robert Macfarlane travel Britain's ancient paths & discover the secrets of this beautiful underappreciated landscape Following the tracks holloways drove-roads & sea paths that form part of a vast ancient network of routes criss-crossing the British Isles & beyond Robert Macfarlane discovers a lost world
- a landscape of the feet & the mind of pilgrimage & ritual of stories & ghosts; above all of the places & journeys which inspire & inhabit our imaginations' Really do love it He has a rare physical intelligence & affords total immersion in place elements & the passage of time wonderful' Antony Gormley'A marvellous marriage of scholarship imagination & evocation of place I always feel exhilarated after reading Macfarlane' Penelope Lively' Macfarlane immerses himself in regions we may have thought familiar resurrecting them newly potent & sometimes beautifully strange In a moving achievement he returns our heritage to us' Colin Thubron' Every Robert Mac Farlane book offers beautiful writing bold journeys With its global reach & mysterious Sebaldian structure this is Mac Farlane's most important book yet' David Rothenberg author of Survival of the Beautiful & Thousand Mile Song' Luminous possessing a seemingly paradoxical combination of the dream-like & the hyper-vigilant The Old Ways is as with all of Macfarlane's work a magnificent read Each sentence can carry astonishing discovery' Rick Bass US novelist & nature writer' The Old Ways confirms Robert Macfarlane's reputation as one of the most eloquent & observant of contemporary writers about nature' Scotland on Sunday' Sublime writing sets the imagination tingling Macfarlane's way of writing is free exploratory rambling & haphazard but resourceful individual following his own whims & laying an irresistible trail for readers to follow' Sunday Times' Macfarlane relishes wild as well as old places He writes about both beautifully I love to read Macfarlane' John Sutherland Financial Times' Read this & it will be impossible to take an unremarkable walk again' Metro
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This is a new title in the fantastic First Reading series aimed at children who are beginning to read Based on the classic nursery rhyme this is the story of an old woman's search for a larger home But just where do you buy a boot big enough for twenty children? This key series was developed in conjunction with reading expert Allison Kelly from the University of Surrey Every title has clear & compelling text that allows children to build their burgeoning reading skills & is accompanied by charming & highly appealing illustrations ...

A delightful adaptation of a traditional tale with a Scottish twist! With a story by Rumer Godden one of the UK's most acclaimed authors & charming artwork by best-selling illustrator Mairi Hedderwick creator of Katie Morag 32 pages colour illustrations Godden Rumer ...