In this collection of fairy tales, Ransom Riggs invites you to uncover hidden legends of the peculiar world. A fork-tongued princess, a girl who talks to ghosts, & wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars are just a few of the characters whose stories will have you hooked. Featuring stunning illustrations from world-renowned artist Andrew Davidson, this compelling, rich & truly peculiar anthology is the perfect gift for fans
- & for all lovers of great storytelling.
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With Britain's coast under mounting pressure from pollution & development, this book serves as a reminder of what we stand to lose. It is based on the same formula as Brian Martin's Tales of the Old Countrymen & Tales of the Old Gamekeepers. This time he has visited all corners of Britain's coastline to track down a variety of old coastal characters, & uses their own words, wherever possible, to describe their personal trials & triumphs, from days of deep poverty & disaster to deeds of heroism. These men, all united in their love of the coast, have worked in diverse occupations from lighthouse-keeper, coastguard & lifeboatman to fisherman, pony-back postman & cliff-climbing egg collector. Despite the rigours of their existence, literally battling against storm & tempest, they have also enjoyed many moments of tranquillity, at the same time making remarkable observations of wildlife. ...

The roars of the hungry Minotaur came nearer & nearer
- his feet could be heard thundering along the echoing floor of the labyrinth...
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Paris & London have long held a mutual fascination, & never more so than in the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries, when they both vied to be the world`s greatest city. Each city has been the focus of many books, yet here Jonathan Conlin uncovers the intriguing relationship between them for the first time. It is a history of surprises: Sherlock Holmes was actually French, the can-can was English & the first restaurant served English food in Paris. Tales of Two Cities examines & compares six urban spaces
- the street, the cemetery, the apartment, the restaurant, the music hall & the nocturnal underworld. The citizens of Paris & London were the first to create these landmarks of the modern cityscape. By borrowing, imitating & learning from each other they invented the modern metropolis & so defined urban living for us all.
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” Paris & London have long held a mutual fascination, & never more so than in the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries, when they both vied to be the world`s greatest city. Each city has been the focus of many books, yet here Jonathan Conlin uncovers the intriguing relationship between them for the first time. It is a history of surprises: Sherlock Holmes was actually French, the can-can was English & the first restaurant served English food in Paris. Tales of Two Cities examines & compares six urban spaces
- the street, the cemetery, the apartment, the restaurant, the music hall & the nocturnal underworld. The citizens of Paris & London were the first to create these landmarks of the modern cityscape. By borrowing, imitating & learning from each other they invented the modern metropolis & so defined urban living for us all.”
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Fifteen years ago, southern Afghanistan was in even greater chaos than it is now. The Russians, who had occupied the country throughout the 1980s, were long gone. The disparate ethnic & religious leaders who had united to eject the invaders
- the famous mujaheddin
- were at each others` throats. For the rural poor of Kandahar province, life was almost impossible. On 12 October 1994 a small group of religious students decided to take matters into their own hands. Led by an illiterate village mullah with one eye, some 200 of them surrounded & took Spin Boldak, a trucking stop on the border with Pakistan. From this short & unremarkable border skirmish, a legend was born. The students` numbers swelled as news of their triumph spread. The Taliban, as they now called themselves
- taliban is the plural of talib, literally `one who seeks knowledge`
- had a simple mission statement: the disarmament of the population, & the establishment of a theocracy based on Sharia law. They fought with a religious zeal that the warring mujaheddin could not match. By February 1995, this people`s revolt had become a national movement; 18 months later Kabul fell, & the country was effectively theirs. James Fergusson`s fascinating account of this extraordinary story will be required reading for anyone who wishes to understand the situation in Afghanistan, now & for the future...



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The American bombing of terrorist bases in Afghanistan under the protection of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement has brought the Taliban into sharp focus as the most radical & extreme Islamic movement in the world today. Little is known about the Taliban because of the deep secrecy that surrounds their political movement, their leaders & their aims. The geo-strategic implications of the Taliban are already creating severe instability in Russia, Iran & the five Central Asian republics where the Taliban have become a major player in the new Great Game, as Western countries & companies compete to build oil & gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western & Asian markets. The Taliban`s implementation of their extreme interpretation of Islam poses new challenges to the Muslim world & the West`s understanding of radical Islam in the post-Cold War era. ` Taliban: Islam, Oil & the New Great Game` was runner-up in the prestigious annual British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize, administered by the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. ...

The businessperson`s guide to saying what needs to be said & asking questions that need to be asked In the business world, the first step to great results is good communication. Talk Lean uses original research & a fresh approach to teach businesspeople how to say difficult things & ask difficult questions in a way that is positive, effective, & comfortable for everyone involved. You`ll learn how to begin meetings & conversations in a way that is succinct, empathetic, & effective, while putting people in a positive & receptive frame of mind. You`ll learn how to listen & respond during meetings to maximise both productivity & empathy & how to close meetings in positive ways that lead to great results. Offers proven techniques for improving communication & making an impact professionally Written by Alan Palmer, head of Interactifs UK, which offers communication coaching to major corporate clients Ideal for executives, team leaders, entrepreneurs, & anyone whose success depends on great communication ...

What happened to the great dictators of contemporary history, responsible for some of its most gruesome chapters? & do they still seem as terrifying as when they held power? An unrepentant, Idi Armin, lives in exile in Saudi Arabia & still meddles in African wars. Before dying, Bokassa proclaims himself the 13th Apostle of the Roman Catholic Church & talks of his secret meetings with the Pope. Colonel Menghitsu defends his Red Terror campaign. Mrs Hoxha, from her cell in Tirana, argues why the most isolated regime in the world was right to adopt a brutal Stalinist ideology. Paris-based Baby Doc Duvalier speaks about voodoo, solar panels, his women & his lost money. Mrs Milosevic defends the wars in the former Yugoslavia & declares her love for her husb&. Jaruzelski reveals his personal transition from son of an aristocratic family to autocrat army general in sunglasses. Riccardo Orizio has tracked down these fallen tyrants & thrown a new light on people whose names have become synonymous with misery, death & terror for entire nations. Riccardo Orizio is a London correspondent for La Repubblica. He is the author of Lost White Tribes which was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. He lives in London. ...

Have you been taken to what you`ve been assured is the perfect house deep in the French countryside, only to find there`s no electricity or running water? Gone to the doctor with a nasty cough, & been diagnosed with a rather more personal complaint? Walked into an half-empty restaurant, only to be told that it`s complet? If the answer to any of the above is oui, ” Talk to the Snail” is the book for you. Find out how to get served in a restaurant; the best way to deal with French hypochondria; learn the language of love, sex & suppositories (not necessarily in that order); it`s all here in this funny, informative, seriously useful guide on how to get what you really want from the French. With advice on essential phrases & bons mots to cover all eventualities, & illustrated with witty real-life anecdotes, ” Talk to the Snail” is a book that no self-respecting Francophile
- or Francophobe
- can afford to be without. Don`t go to France without reading this book. & don`t even think of buying a house there.

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