London, 1938. With a world war on the horizon, a shocking crime begins to unfold
- & one reporter knows too much to be allowed
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` Tell everyone in Nottingham that the Outlaws rule here in Sherwood, that we rule in the king`s name.. . I am Robin Hood.` After a fierce storm, a boy of today discovers an arrowhead & a human skull, buried beneath the roots of an ancient oak tree. A skull with a legendary past: the heroic story of Robin Hood... Lost in a dark, strange forest, his father captured & his mother murdered, young Robin is rescued by a motley crew of misfits
- the Outcasts. Among them he finds Marion, his most constant friend & the love of his life. & as the courageous band of warriors grows ever stronger
- joined by the jovial Friar Tuck & the mighty Little John
- Robin seeks to unite them all in a common aim: to bring relief & justice to the poor & to punish the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. In this magical, spine-tingling account, the heroic tale of Robin Hood is retold as never before by master storyteller Michael Morpurgo. In collaboration with the celebrated illustrator Michael Foreman, whose art soars from the page, this retelling of the classic story combines contemporary relevance with dramatic excitement from beginning to end.


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Daniel Defoe's first novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, is considered by many to be the first novel in English, & its success was so enormous that by the end of the 19th century it had spawned more translations & versions than any other English book. Its central importance to the canon lies not just in being first, but in being one of the best, & in Crusoe, the author created an everyman character who has become part of our cultural heritage. Defoe's castaway
- shipwrecked, imperilled, & facing a host of elemental challenges
- lives an archetypal life of survival, adventure & personal development. On one level a simple adventure story, & on other levels an allegory, a quest novel & a spiritual autobiography, Robinson Crusoe has captured the imagination of readers for nearly three centuries.

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From its first publication in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has been printed in over 700 editions. It has inspired almost every conceivable kind of imitation & variation, & been the subject of plays, opera, cartoons, & computer games. The character of Crusoe has entered the consciousness of each succeeding generation as readers add their own interpretation to the adventures so thrillingly `recorded` by Defoe. Praised by eminent figures such as Coleridge, Rousseau & Wordsworth, this perennially popular book was cited by Karl Marx in Das Kapital to illustrate economic theory. However it is readers of all ages over the last 280 years who have given Robinson Crusoe its abiding position as a classic tale of adventure. ...

Daniel Defoe`s ” Robinson Crusoe”, regarded by many to be first novel in English, is also the original tale of a castaway struggling to survive on a remote desert isl&. This ” Penguin Classics” is edited with an introduction & notes by John Richetti. The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a desert isl&. In his journal he chronicles his daily battle to stay alive, as he conquers isolation, fashions shelter & clothes, enlists the help of a native islander who he names ` Friday`, & fights off cannibals & mutineers. Written in an age of exploration & enterprise, it has been variously interpreted as an embodiment of British imperialist values, as a portrayal of `natural man`, or as a moral fable. But above all is a brilliant narrative, depicting Crusoe`s transformation from terrified survivor to self-sufficient master of an isl&. This edition contains a full chronology of Defoe`s life & times, explanatory notes, glossary & a critical introduction discussing ” Robinson Crusoe” as a pioneering work of modern psychological realism. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) had a variety of careers including merchant, soldier, & political pamphleteer. Over the course of his life Daniel Defoe wrote over two hundred & fifty books on economics, history, biography & crime, but is best remembered for the fiction he produced in late life, which

Includes:: ” Robinson Crusoe” (1719), ” Moll Flanders” (1722) & ” Roxana” (1724). Defoe had a great influence on the development of the English novel & many consider him to be the first true novelist. If you enjoyed ” Robinson Crusoe”, you may like Alexandre Dumas` ” The Count of Monte Cristo”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”. ” Robinson Crusoe” has a universal appeal, a story that goes right to the core of existence”. (Simon Armitage).

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The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an uninhabited island far away from any shipping routes. With patience & ingenuity, he transforms his island into a tropical paradise. For twenty-four years he has no human company, until one Friday, he rescues a prisoner from a boat of cannibals. ...

” Robinson Crusoe” is among the first novels written in English. Thanks to its extraordinary realism & drama, it is easily the longest-enduring work of popular fiction in the language. The story, probably based on the Pacific-island ordeal of castaway Alexander Selkirk, was presented by Daniel Defoe as a true account, & is utterly convincing in its topography, action & character, even 300 years after its first publication. ” Robinson Crusoe” is a true page-turner: Dr Samuel Johnson said it was one of only three books he had read that would have been better for being longer. This new edition

Includes:: over thirty illustrations by George Cruikshank specially engraved for the 1831 edition.

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Daniel Defoe`s great masterpiece, in a gorgeous new clothbound edition designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. These delectable & collectible Penguin editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design`I walk`d about on the shore, lifting up my hands, & my whole being, as I may say, wrapt up in the contemplation of my deliverance.. . reflecting upon all my comrades that were drown`d, & that there should not be one soul sav`d but my self.. . ` Who has not dreamed of life on an exotic isle, far away from civilization? Here is the novel which has inspired countless imitations by lesser writers, none of which equal the power & originality of Defoe`s famous book. Robinson Crusoe, set ashore on an island after a terrible storm at sea, is forced to make do with only a knife, some tobacco, & a pipe. He learns how to build a canoe, make bread, & endure endless solitude. That is, until, twenty-four years later, when he confronts another human being. First published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has been praised by such writers as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, & Samuel Johnson as one of the greatest novels in the English language.` Robinson Crusoe has a universal appeal, a story that goes right to the core of existence` Simon Armitage ...

” Robinson in Space” is a visual, satirical record of a journey made by a fictional character called Robinson, narrated by his travelling companion & researcher, through the increasingly unknown space of present-day Engl&. Robinson"es Oscar Wilde: ` It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible not the invisible`. His assumptions about economic failure, especially in manufacturing industry, are gradually challenged by the discovery of an industrial economy that employs few people but still generates most of the wealth of the fifth-largest economy in the world. ” Robinson in Space” incorporates material from the award-winning film of the same name that was released just before the British 1997 General Election. The book juxtaposes the narrative & over 200 intriguing, strange-yet-familiar images from the film to take the reader on a fascinating journey through the landscapes of present-day Engl&. ...

The forest was bustling with activity. As the red & orange leaves swirled in the wind, Robin started to worry. Something was changing. Finch was flying south, because Winter was coming. Squirrel was burying food, because Winter was coming. Even Owl was making his nest warm. Why? That`s right
- because Winter was coming. Robin decided he didn`t like the sound of Winter one little bit. But that was before the snow.. .A beautifully tender story of a little robin`s first winter from the enormously talented creator of The Dawn Chorus.
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