` You`ve never heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?` said Ron incredulously. ` You`re kidding, right?` (From Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows) Published by the charity Lumos in association with Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is the first new book from J. K. Rowling since the publication of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. The Tales of Beedle the Bard played a crucial role in assisting Harry, with his friends Ron & Hermione, to finally defeat Lord Voldemort. Fans will be thrilled to have this opportunity to read the tales in full. An exciting addition to the canon of Harry Potter, the tales reveal the wonderful versatility of the author, as she tackles with relish the structure & varying tones of a classic fairy tale. There are five tales: ` The Tale of the Three Brothers`, recounted in Deathly Hallows, plus ` The Fountain of Fair Fortune`, ` The Warlock`s Hairy Heart`, ` The Wizard & the Hopping Pot`, & ` Babbitty Rabbitty & her Cackling Stump`. Each has its own magical character & will bring delight, laughter & the thrill of mortal peril. Translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, the tales are introduced & illustrated by J. K. Rowling. Also included are notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by kind permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters` Archive. Lumos is a charity founded by J. K. Rowling which aims to make life better for disadvantaged children. Registered Charity Number: 1112575. ...

The Tales of Beedle the Bard have been favourite bedtime reading in wizarding households for centuries. Full of magic & trickery, these classic tales both entertain & instruct, & remain as captivating to young wizards today as they were when Beedle first put quill to parchment in the fifteenth century. There are five tales in all: ` The Tale of the Three Brothers` Harry Potter fans will know from Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows; ` The Fountain of Fair Fortune`, ` The Warlock`s Hairy Heart`, ` The Wizard & the Hopping Pot` & ` Babbitty Rabbitty & her Cackling Stump` complete the collection. These narrative gems are accompanied by explanatory notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore (included by kind permission of the Hogwarts Headmaster`s archive). His illuminating thoughts reveal the stories to be much more than just simple moral tales, & are sure to make Babbitty Rabbitty & the slug-belching Hopping Pot as familiar to Muggles as Snow White & Cinderella. This brand new edition of these much loved fairy tales from the wizarding world pairs J.K. Rowling`s original text with gorgeous jacket art by Jonny Duddle & line illustrations throughout by Tomislav Tomic. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is published in aid of the Lumos (link to wearelumos.org), an international children`s charity (registered charity number 1112575) founded in 2005 by J.K Rowling. Lumos is dedicated ending the institutionalisation of children, a harmful practice that affects the lives of up to eight million disadvantaged children around the world who live in institutions & orphanages, many placed there as a result of poverty, disability, disease, discrimination & conflict; very few are orphans. Lumos works to reunite children with their families, promote family-based care alternatives & help authorities to reform their systems & close down institutions & orphanages. ...

The dazzlingly brilliant Chris Riddell brings his magical illustration talents to J.K. Rowling`s gloriously inventive The Tales of Beedle the Bard in a fully illustrated colour edition of this essential classic for Harry Potter fans. Translated from the runes by Hermione Granger, the volume

Includes:: ` The Tale of the Three Brothers`, familiar to readers of Harry Potter from the crucial role it played in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Mischievous & witty, these five rollicking tales are a deeply satisfying read in the tradition of all great fables & fairytales. Kindnesses are rewarded & selfishness shown to be the ruin of many a wizard. Burping cauldrons, hairy hearts & cackling stumps are met along the way. Each of the tales is accompanied by a deliciously subversive & insightful commentary by Professor Albus Dumbledore, all brought vividly to life with Riddell`s trademark wit & elegance. Former Waterstones Children`s Laureate Chris Riddell is the only illustrator to have won the Kate Greenaway Medal three times, & is brought together here for the first time with one of the world`s best loved storytellers in this new edition of J.K. Rowling`s fairytale classic. Much loved by generations of witches & wizards since they first appeared in the fifteenth century, this beautifully illustrated edition is set to become a firm favourite at bedtime in non-magical households the world over. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is published in aid of Lumos, an international children`s charity founded in 2005 by J.K. Rowling.

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One of the three seminal works of Japanese literature, this beautiful collection of poems & tales offers an unparalleled insight into ancient Japan. Along with the Tale of Genji & One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each, The Tales of Ise is considered one of the three most important works of Japanese literature. A poem-tale collection from the early Heian period, it contains many stories of amorous adventures, faithful friendship & travels in exile, framing the exquisite poems at the work`s heart. The Tales of Ise has influenced waka, Noh, tales & diaries since the time it was written, & is still the source of endless inspiration in novels, poetry, manga & cartoons. This volume has been translated by Peter Mac Millan &

Includes:: a preface by the renowned Japanologist Donald Keene. ` Mac Millan`s Tales of Ise adds to the treasures of Japanese literature that can now be enjoyed in English translation. It is the most poetic translation of this work to date & establishes Mac Millan as an outstanding translator of Japanese poetry`
- Donald Keene


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Rukhsana, a spirited young journalist in Kabul, is summoned to the infamous Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue & Prevention of Vice to face its terrifying minister, Zorak Wahidi. A cricket tournament is announced, with the winning team to travel to Pakistan for training & then represent Afghanistan at an international level. In reality, the idea is ludicrous. The Taliban will never embrace a game rooted in civility, fairness & equality. & no one in Afghanistan even knows how to play cricket, except Rukhsana. The tournament offers hope
- a means of escape for her brother & young cousins. & for Rukhsana, escape is essential
- Wahidi wants to marry her, a frightening proposition which will enslave her in his home. With the help of her cousins, Rukhsana devises an audacious plan that could ensure their freedom. All they have to do is learn to play cricket
- & win. A soaring novel of resilience, strength, hope & tenderness, The Taliban Cricket Club reveals how love can overcome, & outwit, the power of tyrants.


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Sir Richard Burton was undoubtedly one of the greatest personalities of the Victorian age: soldier, explorer, traveller, anthropologist, scholar, consummate linguist, skilled swordsman & prolific author. As one commentator remarked: ' No Englishman of the nineteenth century lived a more romantic life'. In this penetrating study of an exceptional man, Jon R. Godsall has thrown a far wider net over Burton's life than previous biographers. Painstakingly researched & containing a wealth of new material never before used, The Tangled Web will appeal to all those who are fascinated by the exploits & achievements of this multi-talented, if controversial, character. In 1853, Burton made his famous pilgrimage to the holy cities of Medina & Mecca in Arabia, closely followed by an arduous journey to the forbidden city of Harar in the Ethiopian highlands, service with the notorious Bashi Bazouks, & a trail blazing expedition with John Hanning Speke to the Lake Regions of Central Africa. After visiting the Mormon community in Salt Lake City, Utah, Burton served as HM consul at Fernando Po in West Africa; Santos in Brazil; &, Damascus, from where he was ignominiously recalled by the Foreign Office, & Trieste, where he lived out the rest of his life. During this time, he was able to work on translations of the great Portuguese poet, Camoens, as well as his sixteen-volume edition of The Arabian Nights & The Kama Sutra. He also translated The Perfumed Garden, the unpublished manuscript of which was burnt by his wife after his death. ...

Tomas Eloy Martínez, author of The Peron Novel & Santa Evita, presents another novel drenched in Argentinean history & culture. The story follows Jorge Luis Borges, the celebrated writer, & that most famous of Argentine exports
- the tango. Bruno Cadogan, a young American writing a dissertation on Borges’ essays on the tango, stays in Buenos Aires during the inflation crises of 2001 to listen to master tango singer Julio Martel
- who specialises in singing the early standards, never makes recordings, & appears only sporadically. Cadogan tries to find a pattern to Martel’s appearances, hoping to find the key to understanding the city’s dramatic past. Anecdotes about Argentina’s past & present are crammed into the novel to create a tantalising & magical impression of the country’s capital.

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From the birth of the tank to unmanned vehicles & the tanks of the future, The Tank Book offers a truly definitive look at over 400 different tanks, produced in association with The Tank Museum. Take an up-close look at British, US, Russian, & French tanks, meet key designers such as Mikhail Koshkin & Sir William Tritton, & understand the complex mechanisms behind such vehicles as the Centurion, Hellcat, SV Scout, & T-14 Armata. Incredible photographic tours take you inside a variety of tanks, putting you in the seat of some of the most formidable vehicles to ever go to battle in World War II, the Cold War, & beyond. Perfect for anyone with an interest in military history, The Tank Book is the ultimate guide to tanks & their unique past. ...

The Tao of Running brings a fresh & unique perspective to the topic of running. It offers readers multiple ways to significantly deepen, enlighten, & enrich their running experiences Introduces a unique & bold new treatment of the topic of running ...

Paul Theroux celebrates fifty years of wandering the globe by collecting the best writing on travel from the books that shaped him, as a reader & a traveller. Part philosophical guide, part miscellany, part reminiscence, The Tao of Travel enumerates ' The Contents of Some Travellers' Bags' & exposes ' Writers Who Wrote About Places They Never Visited'; tracks extreme journeys in ' Travel As An Ordeal' & highlights some of ' Travellers' Favourite Places'. Excerpts from the best of Theroux's own work are interspersed with selections from travellers both familiar & unexpected, including Vladimir Nabokov, Henry David Thoreau, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway & more. The Tao of Travel is a unique tribute to the pleasures & pains of travel in its golden age. ...