The Magpie & the Wardrobe A Curiosity of Folklore, Magic & Spells, is a lovingly curated compendium of time-honoured traditions & curious customs that have bewitched us for generations. Discover simple magic, heirloom recipes & forgotten fairytales in this eclectic treasury. The twelve chapters, representative of the seasons, present the celebrations, superstitions & folklore that shape our year. From cherished traditions like Valentine`s Day to the lost excitement of May Day, The Magpie & the Wardrobe reveals a calendar bursting with history, imagination & curious facts. Take a closer look at your favourite homespun rituals & the magic we conjure every day; make a candle wish, mix a moon oil elixir, & hang your romantic hopes on the predictions of an apple peel. Illustrated by a unique collection of ephemera & embellished with trinkets & charms, this sumptuous volume will appeal to the creative & curious. Digital version available in an enhanced e Book format. ...

On a remote Greek Isl&, Nicholas Urfe finds himself embroiled in the deceptions of a master trickster. As reality & illusion intertwine, Urfe is caught up in the darkest of psychological games. John Fowles expertly unfolds a tale that is lush with over-powering imagery in a spellbinding exploration of human complexities. By turns disturbing, thrilling & seductive, ” The Magus” is a feast for the mind & the senses. ...

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, yet its author remains unknown; this edition has been translated & abridged by John D. Smith. Of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent, & is a major text of Hinduism, its discussion of human goals (artha or `purpose`, kama or `pleasure`, dharma or `duty`, & moksha or `liberation`) takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society & the world (the nature of the ` Self`) & the workings of karma. ...

The colourful narrative history of Duleep Singh, the last Emperor of the Sikhs & protege of Queen Victoria, & his bizarre attempts to regain his kingdom of the Punjab from the British Empire in the late 19th century. In July 1997 the Swiss Bankers` Association, under international pressure to atone for wartime compliance with Hitler`s Germany, published a list of over 1, 700 `dormant accounts`, untouched for over fifty years. The names were supposedly those of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, but among them was an Indian princess, `last heard of in 1942 living in Penn, Bucks`. Intrigued, Christy Campbell, a journalist on the Sunday Telegraph, started to search the records, & so uncovered the remarkable story of how Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last Emperor of the Sikhs, was made by the British
- as a nine-year-old in 1849
- to sign away his kingdom of the Punjab & give Queen Victoria the Koh-i-Noor diamond (the most celebrated diamond in the world, & the jewel in Britain`s Crown). Duleep Singh, a virtual prisoner of Queen Victoria in Engl&, began to dream of regaining his kingdom, & so embarked on a series of adventures (involving Russia & the ` Great Game` of Central Asia) before finally begging Victoria`s forgiveness. He had six children & died in 1893. Today the Sikhs still claim their inheritance, including the Koh-i-Noor & the now-divided Punjab.

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The first English publication of Georges Simenon`s compelling novel about summer escape & elusive obsessions. ` The island itself. Its throbbing heat as if in a belljar under the sun, the scorpion in his son`s bed, the deafening sound of cicadas.` During his first holiday on the island of Porquerolles Dr Mahe caught a glimpse of something irresistible. As the memory continues to haunt him, he falls prey to a delusion that may offer an escape from his conventional existence
- or may destroy him. This is the first English translation of The Mahe Circle, Simenon`s dark, malevolent depiction of an ordinary man trapped in mundanity & consumed by obsession. ” Compelling, remorseless, brilliant”. (John Gray). ” One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century... Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories”. (Guardian). ”A supreme writer.. .unforgettable vividness”. (Independent). Georges Simenon was born in Liege, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels & short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerl&, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.
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How did an illiterate seventeen-year-old peasant girl manage to become one of histories most salient females? It is almost 600 years since Joan of Arc heard the voices of angels that would change her life for ever: in a breathtaking story her quest saved France from English domination & restored France`s hereditary monarchy. Just thirteen when her life was turned upside down, Joan`s holy guidance led her on an arduous eleven-day journey into the unknown, restoring the Dauphin back to his original birthright in an official coronation, allowing him to resume his rule as France`s legitimate king. Joan summoned & led an impressive army of French loyalists against the English; the siege at Orleans was an exhilarating English defeat that liberated the city. The following year witnessed Joan`s capture by the enemy. After a series of heroic endeavours to escape cruel adversaries, she was subjected to trial by inquisition & then in Rouen, the heart of France, Joan`s courageous journey came to a heartbreaking conclusion. This is the story at the core of centuries of myth-making. But what if we no longer accept this tale? What if we question whether the Heavens & their angels were truly Joan`s only source of strength & power? What if we demand a different narrative? This revisionist biography unearths the secular & verifiable basis for Joan`s heroic exploits: Yolande of Aragon, a forgotten mentor. This is a story of not one life, but two; two lives that together were intertwined in the restoration of France`s greatness. ...

Set in the blistering heat of Singapore, THE MAID`S ROOM follows the lives of two Filipina maids
- sisters Dolly & Tala who are
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`A modern-day The Help`
- Emerald Street` It`s a book to read & then read again.` The Book Bag`I loved The Maid`s Room with its
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This collection contains the first six Maigret novels, which appeared in 1931-2: Pietr the Latvian, The Late Monsieur Gallet, The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien, The Carter of ` La Providence`, The Yellow Dog, Night at the Crossroads. These early novels range in setting from Maigret`s home turf in Paris, to sleepy coastal towns & Liege, the city where Simenon himself grew up. Each unforgettable novel takes the inspector into an unfamiliar world with a distinct atmosphere, be it rich expats, international criminal gangs, isolated boating communities or secret societies. Penguin Classics is publishing all seventy-five Maigret novels, in their original publication order in authentic new translations that bring the reader closer than ever to Simenon`s gritty originals. ” One of literature`s most exceptional characters.” (Ian Sansom, New Statesman). ` Compelling, remorseless, brilliant` John Gray ` One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century... Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” (Guardian). ”A supreme writer.. .unforgettable vividness.” (Independent). ...

The Maintenance Log

Includes:: ample space to list vessel specifications, spare part numbers, repairs & maintenance,

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