The age of exploration was drawing to a close, yet the mystery of the North Pole remained. Contemporaries described the pole as the `unattainable object of our dreams`, & the urge to fill in this last great blank space on the map grew irresistible. In 1879 the USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds & amid a frenzy of publicity. The ship & its crew, captained by the heroic George De Long, were destined for the uncharted waters of the Arctic. But it wasn`t long before the Jeannette was trapped in crushing pack ice. Amid the rush of water & the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies, facing a seemingly impossible trek across endless ice. Battling everything from snow blindness & polar bears to ferocious storms & frosty labyrinths, the expedition fought madness & starvation as they desperately strove for survival. ...

The five centuries between the end of Roman Britain (410) & the death of Alfred the Great (899) have left few voices save a handful of chroniclers, but Britain`s ` Dark Ages` can still be explored through their material remnants: buildings, books, metalwork, &, above all, landscapes. Max Adams explores Britain`s lost early medieval past by walking its paths & exploring its lasting imprint on valley, hill & field. From York to Whitby, from London to Sutton Hoo, from Edinburgh to Anglesey & from Hadrian`s Wall to Loch Tay, each of his ten walk narratives form both free-standing chapters & parts of a wider portrait of a Britain of fort & fyrd, crypt & crannog, church & causeway, holy well & memorial stone. Part travelogue, part expert reconstruction, IN THE LAND OF GIANTS offers a beautifully written insight into the lives of peasants, drengs, ceorls, thanes, monks & kings during an enigmatic but richly exciting period of our island`s history. ...

The five centuries between the end of Roman Britain (410) & the death of Alfred the Great (899) have left few voices save a handful of chroniclers, but Britain`s ` Dark Ages` can still be explored through their material remnants: buildings, books, metalwork, &, above all, landscapes. Max Adams explores Britain`s lost early medieval past by walking its paths & exploring its lasting imprint on valley, hill & field. From York to Whitby, from London to Sutton Hoo, from Edinburgh to Anglesey & from Hadrian`s Wall to Loch Tay, each of his ten walk narratives form both free-standing chapters & parts of a wider portrait of a Britain of fort & fyrd, crypt & crannog, church & causeway, holy well & memorial stone. Part travelogue, part expert reconstruction, IN THE LAND OF GIANTS offers a beautifully written insight into the lives of peasants, drengs, ceorls, thanes, monks & kings during an enigmatic but richly exciting period of our island`s history. ...

` The imagination has its sanctuaries, too.` High up in the Hindu Kush, between the ancient pagan Kalash people & the new medievalists of the Taliban, a charismatic young Spaniard, Jordi Magraner, made his home, mastering the local languages & customs before meeting his death in the most mysterious way. In this magisterial book, Gabi Martinez sets off in Jordi`s footsteps to the land of the giants in order to try to solve the riddle of this murder & of Jordi`s life. Jordi Magraner was a brilliant student of the natural world, whose lab was the ravine & the scarp & the tent. His observational investigations led him to places where the legendary barmanu had been sighted, & he began to develop a thesis about the life of the wild man. His passion for pursuit & discovery took him onto ever more perilous terrain in the Pakistani-Afghan borderlands. &, one by one, Jordi turned his back on the Europeans who sought to assist him, preferring instead to entrust his safety to an Afghan youth fleeing the Taliban, & to a wondrous working dog called Fjord. Jordi sought other rewards, & followed a winding, rocky path, down which Gabi Martinez resourcefully tracks him on this enthralling journey of detection & adventure in the Himalayas
- where the truth is never as clear & pristine as the majestic mountains & the fast-flowing streams.
...

On what he calls `the adventure of his life`, Howard Jacobson travels around Australia, never entirely sure where he is heading next or whether he has the courage to tackle the wild life of the bush, the wild men of the outback, or the even wilder women of the seaboard cities. In pursuit of the best of Australian good times, he joins revelers at Uluru, argues with racists in the Kimberleys, parties with wine-growers in the Barossa & falls for ballet dancers in Perth. & even as vexed questions of national identity & Aboriginal land rights present themselves, his love for Australia & Australians never falters. ...

Isabel Allende returns with a beautifully crafted, multi-generational novel of struggle, endurance & friendship against the odds. Amid the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, an unexpected love blossoms between two people who thought they were deep in the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented migrant from Guatemala, & what at first seems an inconvenience takes an unforeseen & more serious turn when Evelyn comes to his house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz, a fellow academic from Chile, for her advice. These three are brought together in a mesmerizing story that sweeps from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala to turbulent 1970s Chile & Brazil, & sparks a long-overdue love between Richard & Lucia, who discover within themselves, in the midst of winter, an invincible summer. Woven with Isabel Allende`s trademark humanity, passion & storytelling verve, In the Midst of Winter is a vivid & unforgettable tale. ...

**THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** ** The captivating new novel from the multi-million-bestselling author of The House of the Spirits & The Japanese Lover** ` In some of the most beautiful passages in the novel, Allende explores the gentle but redemptive depths of mature love & the paths it can take... Allende has an unflashy wisdom to offer, a maturity that illuminates her storytelling... it pursues an age-old question: how to live a full life & find meaning, not just survive or endure one`s past` Financial Times on In the Midst of Winter New York Times bestseller Isabel Allende returns with a beautifully crafted, multi-generational novel of struggle, endurance & friendship against the odds. Amid the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, an unexpected friendship blossoms between three people thrown together by circumstance. Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car driven by Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented migrant from Guatemala. But what at first seems an inconvenience takes an unforeseen & darker turn when Evelyn comes to him & his neighbour Lucia Maraz, desperately seeking help. Sweeping from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala to turbulent 1970s Chile & Brazil, & woven with Isabel Allende`s trademark humanity, passion & storytelling verve, In the Midst of Winter is a mesmerizing & unforgettable tale. Praise for Isabel Allende: ` Isabel Allende is a master storyteller. When it comes to love Isabel writes from the heart to the heart & I feel all the richer for having been touched by her` Santa Montefiore ` If Allende`s life depended on her narrative gifts, she`d not only survive, but reign` Los Angeles Times ` Isabel Allende is the most romantic of writers & The Japanese Lover is a novel of high romance & lush sensuality, unashamedly about the enduring power of love & ending on a note of grace` The Times ` Lush storytelling, with a liberal dusting of South American magical realism & a multi-gener-ational narrative sweep` Financial Times ` Internationally beloved Allende, as effervescent in her compassion, social concerns, & profound joy in storytelling as ever, brings both humor & intensity to this madcap, soulful & transporting tale of three survivors who share their traumatic pasts.. . Allende has a rare & precious gift for simultaneously challenging & entrancing readers` Booklist, starred review ` Grief & loss are transformed into healing friendship in this fantastic novel.. . A suspenseful, icy adventure. Filled with Allende`s signature lyricism & ingenious plotting, the book delves wonderfully into what it means to respect, protect, & love` Publishers Weekly ` This winter`s tale has something to melt each frozen heart` Kirkus Reviews ...

It`s just before New Year, & Frank, an overweight American tourist, has hired Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo`s nightlife. But, Frank`s behaviour is so odd that Kenji begins to entertain a horrible suspicion: his client may in fact have murderous desires. Although Kenji is far from innocent himself, he unwillingly descends with Frank into an inferno of evil, from which only his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Jun, can possibly save him. ...

The Roman army was one of the most effective fighting forces in history. The legions & their commanders carved out an empire which eventually included the greater part of the known world. This was thanks largely to the generals who led the Roman army to victory after victory, & whose strategic & tactical decisions shaped the course of several centuries of warfare. This book, by the author of THE PUNIC WARS, concentrates on those Roman generals who displayed exceptional gifts of leadership & who won the greatest victories. With 26 chapters covering the entire span of the Roman Empire, it is a complete history of Roman warfare. ...

A Times Best Historical Fiction Book of the Year A Cosmopolitan Best Book of the Year A History Today Book of the Year` Dunant has made completely her own the story of the Italy`s most infamous ruling family... in a way that we can see, hear & smell` Mark Lawson, Guardian`A stunning tale of power & family... In Dunant`s telling of the Borgia story, Lucrezia is not the sluttish power-crazed poisoner of legend... her glorious prose makes her version irresistible` Antonia Senior, The Times` Stuffed with violence, danger & passion` Daily Mail Conjuring up the past in all its complexity, horror & pleasures, In The Name of the Family confirms Sarah Dunant`s place as the leading novelist of the Renaissance & one of the most acclaimed historical fiction writers of our age. In the Name of the Family
- as Blood & Beauty did before
- holds up a mirror to a turbulent moment of history, sweeping aside the myths to bring alive the real Borgia family; complicated, brutal, passionate & glorious. Here is a thrilling exploration of the House of Borgia`s doomed years, in the company of a young diplomat named Niccolo Machiavelli. It is 1502 & Rodrigo Borgia, a self-confessed womaniser & master of political corruption is now on the Papal throne as Alexander VI. His daughter Lucrezia, aged twenty-two, already thrice married & a pawn in her father`s plans, is discovering her own power. & then there is Cesare Borgia: brilliant, ruthless & increasingly unstable; it is his relationship with the diplomat Machiavelli which offers a master class on the dark arts of power & politics. What Machiavelli learns will go on to inform his great work of modern politics, The Prince. But while the pope rails against old age & his son`s increasing maverick behavior it is Lucrezia who will become the Borgia survivor: taking on her enemies & creating her own place in history.

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