This is shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2013. Colm Toibin`s The Testament of Mary is the moving story of the Virgin Mary, told by a novelist famous for writing brilliantly about the family. From the author of Brooklyn, in a voice that is both tender & filled with rage, The Testament of Mary tells the story of a cataclysmic event which led to an overpowering grief. For Mary, her son has been lost to the world, & now, living in exile & in fear, she tries to piece together the memories of the events that led to her son`s brutal death. To her he was a vulnerable figure, surrounded by men who could not be trusted, living in a time of turmoil & change. As her life & her suffering begin to acquire the resonance of myth, Mary struggles to break the silence surrounding what she knows to have happened. In her effort to tell the truth in all its gnarled complexity, she slowly emerges as a figure of immense moral stature as well as a woman from history rendered now as fully human. Praise for The Testament of Mary: ” This is a short book, but it is as dense as a diamond. It is as tragic as a Spanish pieta, but it is completely heretical... Toibin maintains all the dignity of Mary without subscribing to the myths that have accumulated around her”. (Edmund White, Irish Times). ” Depicting the harrowing losses & evasions that can go on between mothers & sons... Toibin creates a reversed Pieta: he holds the mother in his arms”. (Independent). ”A beautiful & daring work.. .it takes its power from the surprise of its language, its almost shocking characterization”. (Mary Gordon, New York Times). Colm Toibin was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels, including The Blackwater Lightship, The Master, both of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize, & Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award, & two collections of stories, Mothers & Sons & The Empty Family. ...

Thailand & Thai culture are exotic. In spite of the effects of mass tourism & globalization, Thailand is unusual in that it preserves much of its unique traditional culture very largely intact. This compelling collection of articles aims to highlight facets of Thai life, aspects that are in most cases readily seen & yet defining in their own way of the ` Thainess` that indelibly stamps the culture of a country & a people so fascinating &, ultimately, so endearing. The articles are grouped by themes covering The Buddhist World; The Supernatural World; The Ceremonial World; The Festive World; The Natural World; The Art World; The Sporting World & The Changing World. They reflect the author`s long fascination with the country
- he has lived there since 1979
- for him it is the unexpected that underscores precisely what the city & Thai culture as a whole is all about
- the ability to constantly surprise, to offer fresh encounters
- as this fascinating book gradually reveals.



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The Thames is unique, emerging as a small stream in idyllic countryside & growing into the country`s largest river, passing through some of the world`s most iconic urban environments. Linking London to the countryside & the sea, the Thames is the heart of the capital & its waters the lifeblood of Engl&. This beautiful book celebrates the entire river from source to sea, & with wonderful photography & quirky text follows it on a voyage through Britain`s history. London has so often been the beginning & the end of the Thames story, & whilst it forms a major part, this book gives an altogether more complete & unexpected view of one of the most remarkable & well-loved rivers in the world. We see the famous views & also learn lesser-known facts, such as Dick Turpin`s secret hideaway (complete with an underground stable for Black Bess), the home of the notorious Chancellor Sir Francis Dashwood (the only Chancellor to have delivered his budget speech drunk) & the scene of the Monty Python fish-slapping dance. First published in 2007, this gorgeous coffee table book has been updated for its second edition with new text & photography (including the Jubilee pageant), & continues to be the perfect gift for anyone living near, visiting or enjoying this magnificent river, with its visual variety, hidden secrets & fascinating history. ...

The Thames in the Landscapes of the Imagination guide series; providing an in-depth cultural & account of some of the world’s most memorable & evocative landscapes. Presented as a cultural & literary guide, each title in the series explores the cultural history of a landscape, providing an overview of the area’s development from its earliest roots to the modern day. Particular emphasis is placed on the literary, poetic, architectural, cultural & historical elements that make up the landscape & each title is written & researched by an academic expert. An Epilogue offers suggestion for further reading & indices of literary, artistic & historical names & places & landmarks. ...

The Thames is liquid history` John Burns MP (1858-1943) As the silver thread woven through Britain`s centuries, the Thames is the subject of this significant biography. Following its course, geologically & chronologically, THE THAMES will chart the growing importance of the river & some of the dramatic historic events it was central to. Since Tudor times, the Thames has been a key factor in our understanding of the British nation. At Runnymede, in a field by the river, England`s barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. At Tilbury, on the banks of the Thames, in 1588, Elizabeth exhorted her troops to defy the Spanish Armada. In dockl&, in east London, in 1940, local residents absorbed the full fury of Hitler`s dreaded Luftwaffe. Hitler tried, & failed, to destroy the Port of London, symbol of British commercial power, reservoir of the material needed to fuel & fund the British war effort. This is a book about a river, but also about the evolution, though not always smooth, of a national identity. ...

The Thames Path from the the river`s source to Erith in south-east London on mapping at 1:25, 000 from the Ordnance Survey’s Explorer series in a pocket-size booklet from Cicerone Press. The 288km / 180-mile trail is presented with a route profile, plus summaries for each section showing GPS coordinates for the start & finish, distance & approximate walking time in either direction. Mapping in the pocket booklets from Cicerone Press is identical to the OS Explorer Series, but with the route more prominently highlighted: contours at 5m or 10m intervals, extensive range of symbols for tourist information including campsites, pubs, castles & forts, museums, etc, & for GPS users the lines of the British National Grid at 1km intervals. To see other titles in this series please click on the series link. ...

The beautiful images in this book of 24 detachable postcards all feature the River Thames. From its source in rural Gloucestershire to Gravesend in Essex, the photographs paint a unique portrait of this iconic river. The photographs capture the river during a critical century, from about 1860 to 1960, as it made the transition from an idyllic seeming past into the modern world. Here we see the Thames as a major transport route & a holiday destination
- a place for both work & recreation. The photographs feature the work of many photographers, including Henry Taunt.
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Drawing on the resources of English Heritage`s unrivalled photographic archives, The Thames Through Times is a photographic journey along the length of the tidal river & over almost 150 years. We see the rural Thames as it approaches London, riverside towns, the civic & commercial development of the riverbanks, the working docks & warehouses, the development of the web of bridges that now links north & south, barges, sailing ships & warships, the great flood defences & a tiny beach that flourished briefly at the Tower of London. Featuring the work of pioneers of photography & some of the great topographical photographers of the 20th century, & with a fascinating commentary by Stephen Croad, The Thames Through Time chronicles the ebb & flow of the life of the river. ...

On Your Bike
- the Thames Valley features twenty circular rides, of from 8 to 30 miles each, between the Upper Thames & Maidenhead.
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David Mc Dowall’s Walker’s Guide to The Thames: Hampton to Richmond Bridge gives the reader eight exceptionally detailed walking routes along this stretch of the Thames, which reveal the rich relationship that exists between the river, its landscape & its history. Far from merely outlining routes & providing directions, this guide constitutes one of the best-researched & richly detailed walking guides available for this stretch of the River Thames. Each walk section

Includes:: a route description & is accompanied by an explanatory text, providing an extraordinary amount of information on the River’s rich history of human activity; river craft; its geology, ecology, flora & fauna; the surrounding landscape; & the cast of characters who have lived along the River & have been inspired by it. This wonderful guide also contains many h&-drawn black & white illustrations, diagrams & maps to supplement the text.

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