This biography of Byron (by Byron's own publisher John Murray) attempts to reinterpret Byron's life & poetry for a new generation. Fiona Mac Carthy has had access to the full John Murray Byron archive, by far the largest in the world. In addition to this resource of correspondence, literary manuscripts & artefacts (many previously unseen by Byron scholars), she has drawn fully on other major collections & has travelled extensively in the Europe that Byron knew, believing strongly in the resonance of place. She aims to bring a fresh eye to Byron's childhood in Scotl&, his embattled relations with his mother & the effect on him of his deformed foot. Mac Carthy traces his early travels in the Mediterranean & the East, using fresh material to throw light on his series of relationships with adolescent boys
- a hidden subject in earlier biographies. Perceptive on the compelling tragi-comedy of Byron's separation, his incestuous love for his half-sister Augusta & the clamorous attentions of his female fans, Fiona Mac Carthy gives a new importance to his close male friendships, in particular with his publisher John Murray. For the first time she tells the story of their famous rift, as Byron's poetry became more recklessly controversial. Here Byron is viewed as a formative figure in European romanticism, the literary equivalent of Napoleon in the sweep of his ambition. He was a charasmatic influence on 19th-century music, painting, dress, manners & the art of self-preservation. Not merely a poet, Byron was a man of action, involved in the Italian Risorgimento & in the Greek War of Independence in which he died aged 36. Newly translated letters illuminate this tragic episode. Byron was a celebrity in his lifetime, a superstar after the publication of Childe Harold in 1812. As the Byron legend grew to unprecendented proportions after his death, the problem for the biographer has been to sift the truth from the sentimental, the self-serving & the spurious. What was Byron really like?
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Fiona Mac Carthy makes a breakthrough in interpreting Byron`s life & poetry drawing on John Murray`s world-famous archive. She brings a fresh eye to his early years: his childhood in Scotl&, embattled relations with his mother, the effect of his deformed foot on his development. She traces his early travels in the Mediterranean & the East, throwing light on his relationships with adolescent boys
- a hidden subject in earlier biographies. While paying due attention to the compelling tragicomedy of Byron`s marriage, his incestuous love for his half-sister Augusta & the clamorous attention of his female fans, she gives a new importance to his close male friendships, in particular that with his publisher John Murray. She tells the full story of their famous disagreement, ending as a rift between them as Byron`s poetry became more recklessly controversial. Byron was a celebrity in his own lifetime, becoming a `superstar` in 1812, after the publication of Childe Harold. The Byron legend grew to unprecedented proportions after his death in the Greek War of Independence at the age of thirty-six. The problem for a biographer is sifting the truth from the sentimental, the self-serving & the spurious. Fiona Mac Carthy has overcome this to produce an immaculately researched biography, which is also her refreshing personal view.
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Everyone loves a good hamburger, & Byron makes the best. Since 2007, Byron`s restaurants have become renowned for as the place to head for a proper hamburger. Founder Tom Byng & head chef Fred Smith know everything there is to know about burgers. They`ve tasted thousands of them all around the world in their quest for perfection, driven by the belief that nothing beats a juicy burger
- the ultimate comfort food, & so satisfying in its simplicity. It`s something worth getting the barbecue out for, the friends over, the family round & the apron on. Along with plenty of other comfort foods (chicken wings, onion rings, meatloaf, ranch salad, cherry pie, brownies & more), this book shares some of Tom & Fred`s brilliant recipes & insider tips, to encourage you to enjoy great food in good company
- food to lift the spirits & warm the soul.

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One was the mother who bore him; three were women who adored him; one was the sister he slept with; one was his abused & sodomized wife; one was his legitimate daughter; one was the fruit of his incest; another was his friend Shelley`s wife, who avoided his bed & invented science fiction instead. Nine women; one poet named George Gordon, Lord Byron
- mad, bad & very very dangerous to know. The most flamboyant of the Romantics, he wrote literary bestsellers, he was a satirist of genius, he embodied the Romantic love of liberty (the Greeks revere him as a national hero), he was the prototype of the modern celebrity
- & he treated women (and these women in particular) abominably. In BYRON`S WOMEN, Alex Larman tells their extraordinary, moving & often shocking stories. In so doing, he creates a scurrilous `anti-biography` of one of England`s greatest poets, whose life he views
- to deeply unflattering effect
- through the prism of the nine damaged woman`s lives.



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One was the mother who bore him; three were women who adored him; one was the sister he slept with; one was his abused & sodomized wife; one was his legitimate daughter; one was the fruit of his incest; another was his friend Shelley`s wife, who avoided his bed & invented science fiction instead. Nine women; one poet named George Gordon, Lord Byron
- mad, bad & very very dangerous to know. The most flamboyant of the Romantics, he wrote literary bestsellers, he was a satirist of genius, he embodied the Romantic love of liberty (the Greeks revere him as a national hero), he was the prototype of the modern celebrity
- & he treated women (and these women in particular) abominably. In BYRON & HIS WOMAN, Alex Larman tells their extraordinary, moving & often shocking stories. In so doing, he creates a scurrilous `anti-biography` of one of England`s greatest poets, whose life is views
- to deeply unflattering effect
- through the prism of the nine damaged woman`s lives.



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‘ Byzantium
- The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire’ is a comprehensive introduction to the history of the Byzantine Empire.
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Now recognised as having had a considerable influence on the Renaissance & a significant impact in the shaping of Europe, the Byzantine Empire is increasingly acknowledged by modern historians as having a pivotal role in the development of both Islam & Christianity
- & the relationship between the two. The Byzantine Empire was often at the centre of profound geopolitical, cultural & religious forces that threatened to pull it apart. It lasted for over 1000 years, created remarkable art & a still reverberating cultural legacy.
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A lined journal, in an ingeniously printed faux leather cover which captures the flavour of finely wrought Renaissance-style leather bindings. It is intricately embellished with one of three designs to reproduce the delicate gold tooling which was brought to Europe via the flourishing trade routes with the east. Closes with a fold-over cover flap. Smythe sewn with 144 pages, plus memento pouch & ribbon page marker. 18x 23cm ...

In ” Byzantium: The Early Centuries”, John Julius Norwich told the epic tale of the Roman Empire`s second capital up to Christmas Day AD 800
- when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as a rival emperor. This second volume of his magnificent history covers the following three centuries. In it he continues his compelling chronicle up to the coronation of the heroic Alexius Comnenus in 1081. The other two volumes in the trilogy, ” Byzantium: The Early Centuries” & ” Byzantium: The Decline & Fall”, are also published in Penguin.
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Plans: L` Aber-Ildut Argenton Portsall Approaches to L` Aber Wrac`h & L` Aber Benoit Port du Pontusval Mogueriec Roscoff Port de Morlaix 2008 edition

Includes:: harbour changes at L` Aber Wrac`h & reschemed coverage of the approaches to Port de Morlaix

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