In a sparkling, fast-paced narrative, Shakespeare`s Kings chronicles the turbulent events that inspired Shakespeare`s history plays, from Edward III to Richard III. In a time of uncertainty & incessant warfare
- when the crown was constantly contested, alliances were made & broken, & the people rose up in revolt
- this was the raw material that inspired Shakespeare`s dramas. But what really happened between 1337 & 1485? Where did history stop & drama begin? John Julius Norwich establishes just how real Shakespeare`s characters & events are & what liberties he took with the facts to entertain his audience. Shakespeare`s Kings is an illuminating companion to history & to the richness of Shakespeare`s imagination, with a body of work which still shapes our view of the past today.

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Welcome to the George Inn near London Bridge; a cosy, wood-pannelled, galleried coaching house a few minutes` walk from the Thames. Grab yourself a pint, listen to the chatter of the locals & lean back, resting your head against the wall. & then consider this: who else has rested their head against that wall, over the last 600 years? Chaucer & his fellow pilgrims almost certainly drank in the George on their way out of London to Canterbury. It`s fair to say that Shakespeare will have popped in from the nearby Globe for a pint, & we know that Dickens certainly did. Mail carriers changed their horses here, before heading to all four corners of Britain -- while sailors drank here before visiting all four corners of the world... The pub, as Pete Brown points out, is the `primordial cell of British life` & in the George he has found the perfect case study. All life is here, from murderers, highwaymen & ladies of the night to gossiping pedlars & hard-working clerks. So sit back & watch as buildings rise & fall over the centuries, & `the beer drinker`s Bill Bryson` (TLS) takes us on an entertaining tour through six centuries of history, through the stories of everyone that ever drank in one pub. ...

Everyday life in the teeming metropolis during William Shakespeare`s time in the city (c.1580-1616), the height of Queen Elizabeth I`s reign. Shakespeare`s London was a bustling, teeming metropolis that was growing so rapidly that the government took repeated, & ineffectual, steps to curb its expansion. From contemporary letters, journals & diaries, a vivid picture emerges of this fascinating city, with its many opportunities & also its persistent problems. By far the largest city in the country, it was the centre of government, the law & the church, the focus of politics & culture. It had a vigorous economy, with a range of industries & a lucrative trade in luxury goods for the courtiers & wealthy citizens. Growth produced overcrowding & high mortality, with shockingly high death tolls during the periodic plague epidemics, yet London attracted an endless stream of people, who were absorbed into its diverse communities & economic structures. Here the first playhouses were built, patronised by large audiences, who were treated to a rich & varied diet of plays to keep them, & the court, entertained. The London that Shakespeare knew was an expanding, changing & exciting city. ...

This entertaining & fact-packed guide provides all the information you`ll need to travel back in time to Elizabethan London a booming city of courtiers, cutthroats, merchants, beggars, lawyers, dramatists, apprentices & adventurers. It helps you: find out the best way to the capital & where to stay; saunter over London Bridge, with its hundreds of shops & houses; glimpse Her Majesty at Whitehall, Europe`s largest palace; watch the finest plays & players at the Rose Theatre, & marvel at the bustle of business in the Royal Exchange; &, go down to Greenwich to stand on the deck of the Golden Hind, the ship that Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world. This intriguingly addictive guide provides all you need to know to sight see, shop & meet the famous in the capital of a nation stirring to greatness. ...

The Elizabethan age was a tumultuous time, when long-cherished certainties were crumbling & life was exhilaratingly uncertain. Shakespeare`s Restless World uncovers the extraordinary stories behind twenty objects from the period to re-create an age at once distant & yet surprisingly familiar. From knife crime to belief in witches, religious battles to the horizons of the New World, Neil Mac Gregor brings the past to life in a fresh, unexpected portrait of a dangerous & dynamic era. ...

Shallow Seas are the most biologically rich & productive areas of the world ocean. This latest New Naturalist volume provides a natural history of this environment & its biological communities. The margins of the continents, especially broad in the North Atlantic region, are drowned by shallow seas, creating a sea floor environment which is part of the wider & deepening benthic realm
- the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface & some sub-surface layers. These `shelf seas` are the most biologically rich & productive areas of the world ocean. In his latest New Naturalist volume, Peter Hayward addresses some aspects of the natural history of the benthic environment of the shelf seas of northwest Europe & its biological communities. Away from rocky coastlines the seafloor is rather flat, often muddy, beneath turbid water with low or no visibility. Benthic faunas mostly live within the sediment of the seafloor, or are sparsely & patchily distributed upon it, & if at all motile are likely to withdraw into burrows or move quickly away on disturbance. Yet, dredges & grabs reveal an often extraordinary diversity & density of animals, suggestive of complex interacting communities. This is not a textbook of marine benthic ecology, nor is it a comprehensive review of the benthic communities of the northwest European shelf seas. Rather, it describes the natural history of some benthic habitats & associations characteristic of our region.
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Patricia Rieff Anawalt probes deeply into the significance & meaning of shamanic practices in Northeast Siberia, Alaska & British Columbia, & also points up the intriguing differences in the ritual garb as generation after generation sought to influence events through the aid of spirits. From the prehistoric Ice Age up to the 20th century, related peoples across these vast territories created a wide cultural universe derived from the cross-fertilization of ideas, oral traditions & art. With supernatural helpers, shamans sought to ensure their peoples survival by controlling & pacifying the spirits of the animal world. It was vital to have the right clothing & equipment: it not only protected the shamans & enabled them to wield their power over the spirits, but also created a powerful mystique among their human clients. The surviving items of regalia, often collected by anthropologists under the most challenging circumstances, bequeath an acute sense of the animistic world & the early interactions between man & nature, offering us an astonishing window into the worldviews of our distant ancestors. ...

The main map is of Central Shanghai & on the reverse are enlargements of the area between People's Park & the Bund & of the Yu Yuan Garden. Also included is a map of Greater Shanghai. This is not a comprehensive street plan of Shanghai (minor streets aren't named) but will serve the visitor well with brief descriptions of major sights & tips on where to stay & where to eat. ...

Shanghai (arguably the greatest twenty-first century city in all of Asia) in the Luxe city guides series, which are slim & small enough to fit easily in a pocket or handbag. Information is distilled from elite suggestions by city residents, specially selected for their style, knowledge & expertise. Luxe guides aim at the upper end of the market & subjectively edit to choose the very best recommendations for shopping, restaurants, leisure options & nightlife. Half day shopping & activity itineraries are suggested for you to mix & match your visit to suit your timetable. When folded close the cardboard guide slots into its own protective plastic frame. Vanity Fair magazine calls them ...

Central Shanghai at 1:18, 850 approx on a laminated, waterproof & tear-resistant street plan from the AA with on the reverse a mini guide to the city highlighting its top 25 sights, recommendations for eating out, shopping & entertainment, plus general tourist information. Recommended sights are highlighted & other places of interest are prominently marked. Street index is next to the plan. A separate inset shows a diagram of the city ...