”A spectacular, elegant, brilliant portrait of skulduggery, murder & sex in Renaissance Florence.” (Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard, Books of the Year). 1531
- after years of brutal war & political intrigue, the bastard son of a Medici Duke & a ” Half-negro” maidservant rides into Florence. Within a year, he rules the city as its Prince. Backed by the Pope & his future father-in-law the Holy Roman Emperor, the nineteen-year-old Alessandro faces down bloody family rivalry & the scheming hostility of Italy`s oligarchs to reassert the Medicis` faltering grip on the turbulent city-state. Six years later, as he awaits an adulterous liaison, he will be murdered by his cousin in another man`s bed. ” Nothing in sixteenth-century history is more astonishing.” (Hilary Mantel).
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” Nothing in sixteenth-century history is more astonishing than the career of Alessandro de` Medici”. (Hilary Mantel). In The Black Prince of Florence, a dramatic tale of assassination, spies & betrayal, the first retelling of Alessandro`s life in two-hundred years opens a window onto the opulent, cut-throat world of Renaissance Italy. The year is 1531. After years of brutal war & political intrigue, the bastard son of a Medici Duke & a `half-negro` maidservant rides into Florence. Within a year, he rules the city as its Prince. Backed by the Pope & his future father-in-law the Holy Roman Emperor, the nineteen-year-old Alessandro faces down bloody family rivalry & the scheming hostility of Italy`s oligarchs to reassert the Medicis` faltering grip on the turbulent city-state. Six years later, as he awaits an adulterous liaison, he will be murdered by his cousin in another man`s bed. From dazzling palaces & Tuscan villas to the treacherous backstreets of Florence & the corridors of papal power, the story of Alessandro`s spectacular rise, magnificent reign & violent demise takes us deep beneath the surface of power in Renaissance Italy
- a glamorous but deadly realm of spies, betrayal & vendetta, illicit sex & fabulous displays of wealth, where the colour of one`s skin meant little but the strength of one`s allegiances meant everything.
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In this clever picture book, a debut author-illustrator introduces a plucky rabbit & the new companion (friend or foe?) that he just can`t shake. Rabbit has a problem. There`s a big, scary Black Rabbit chasing him. No matter where he runs
- behind a tree, over the river
- the shadowy Black Rabbit follows. Finally in the deep, dark wood, Rabbit loses his nemesis
- only to encounter another foe! Kids who like to be in on the secret will revel in this humorous look at fears, first impressions & friendship, all brought to light by a talented animator. Kids will love being in on the secret that the Black Rabbit is Rabbit`s shadow. This is a debut picture book from a talented artist. It is a big hit at the Bologna international rights fair. It

Includes:: charming endpapers that allow readers to trace Rabbit`s path as he attempts to evade the Black Rabbit. This edition is resplendent with jacket.




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Frederick Bruce Thomas is not a famous man. His life does not feature in the history books, it has not been translated to film or stage. & yet, in his own way, Frederick Thomas is one of the most remarkable characters of the twentieth century. After the brutal murder of his father, Thomas fled his home for Europe. Through his own ingenuity, he mastered the languages & cultures that he found there, moving from London to Monte Carlo before settling in the imperial decadence of pre-revolution Moscow. There against a backdrop of European war, Thomas became a rich & respected member of the bourgeoisie, married, became a millionaire through bootleg vodka, remarried, gave up his American citizenship & fled in penury before the bloody October Revolution. All of this as the third son of former slaves. ...

Based on previously published cruising notes this guide provides sailing directions for all the countries surrounding the Black Sea. Packed with useful background information & supported by the RCCPF’s access to the latest & often changing information this is an essential companion for anyone venturing north from the Bosphorus. ...

A condensed guide to life from the bestselling author of ” The Black Swan”, Nassim Nicholas Taleb`s ” The Bed of Procrustes” is an invaluable collection of aphorisms navigate the modern world. Why are we so often unwilling to accept that life is unpredictable? In this brilliant book Nassim Nicholas Taleb distils his idiosyncratic wisdom to demolish our illusions, contrasting the classical values of courage, elegance & erudition against modern philistinism & phoniness. Only by accepting what we don`t know, he shows, can we see the world as it really is. ” Happily provocative.. .blistering.. .his observations concern superiority, wealth, suckerdom, academia, modernity, technology & the all-purpose, ignorant ”they”.. .very"able”. (” The New York Times”). ”A master philosopher”. (” The Times”). ” Taleb`s crystalline nuggets of thought stand alone like esoteric poems”. (” Financial Times”). ” Opinionated & witty... It showcases his wit & learning, & provides ways to fillet his enemies”. (” Independent on Sunday”). Nassim Nicholas Taleb spends most of his time as a flaneur, meditating in cafes across the planet.A former trader, he is currently Distinguished Professor of Risk Engineering at New York University. He is the author of ” Fooled by Randomness” & ” The Black Swan”, an international bestseller which has become an intellectual, social, & cultural touchstone. ...

Formed into a regiment in 1739 & named for the dark tartan of its soldiers` kilts, The Black Watch has fought in almost every major conflict of nation & empire between 1745 & the present, & has a reputation second to none. Following on from The Highland Furies, in which she traced the regiment`s history to 1899, Victoria Schofield tells the story of The Black Watch in the 20th & 21st centuries. She tracks its fortunes through the 2nd South African War, two World Wars, the `troubles` in Northern Ireland & the war in Iraq
- up to The Black Watch`s merger with five other regiments to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006. Drawing on diaries, letters & interviews, Victoria Schofield weaves the many strands of the story into an epic narrative of a heroic body of officers & men. In her sure hands, the story of The Black Watch is no arid recitation of campaigns & battle honours, but a rewarding account of the fortunes of war of a regiment that has played a distinguished role in British, & world, history.
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With its enchanting song, striking orange bill & endearing willingness to share our living space, the blackbird is one of our best-loved birds. But robins, swifts, goldfinches & blue tits can captivate us equally &, in The Blackbird Diaries, Karen Lloyd shares her deep-rooted affection for all our treasured garden wildlife. Over the four seasons, she intimately chronicles the drama & the joy, the perils & the pleasures of the natural world as it all unfolds in her garden & on her daily walks in the limestone hills & valleys of Cumbria`s South Lakel&. What emerges is a celebration of landscapes that rarely feature in the existing canon of nature writing, & rare insights into the lives of the species that may be common but are remarkable creatures all. ...

Espionage, adventure & a hard-boiled heroine not to be trifled with
- this classic noir will have you gripped from start to finish.
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In 1887 Government inspectors were sent to investigate the Old Nichol, a notorious slum on the boundary of Bethnal Green parish, where almost 6, 000 inhabitants were crammed into thirty or so streets of rotting dwellings & where the mortality rate ran at nearly twice that of the rest of Bethnal Green. Among much else they discovered that the decaying 100-year-old houses were some of the most lucrative properties in the capital for their absent slumlords, who included peers of the realm, local politicians & churchmen. The Blackest Streets is set in a turbulent period of London`s history when revolution was in the air, & award-winning historian Sarah Wise skilfully evokes the texture of life at that time, not just for the tenants but for those campaigning for change & others seeking to protect their financial interests. She recovers Old Nichol from the ruins of history & lays bare the social & political conditions that created & sustained this black hole which lay at the very heart of the Empire. ...