Centenarian Eulalio Assumpcao has reached the end of his long life. From his modest bed in a Rio public hospital, as his mind falters, he grandly recounts his past to passing nurses, his visiting daughter & the whitewashed ceiling. His eccentric stories are seemingly nothing more than the ramblings of a dying man, yet as he overlaps each confused memory, they begin to coalesce into a brilliant & bitter eulogy for himself & for Brazil. Charting his own fall from aristocracy, Eulalio`s feverish monologue sprawls across the last century, from his empire-building ancestors to his drug-dealing great-great grandson. He confronts his senator father who squandered the family fortune on women & cocaine, & recalls the imperious mother who he always disappointed; but as he drifts through each shifting episode, he never stops searching for Matilde, the girl with cinnamon skin, who danced her way into his heart & then broke it when she disappeared. ...

A fantastic new picture book all about a football-playing spider, written by Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo, with glorious full colour illustrations from the talented Sebastian Braun & a sparkling, glittery foiled cover. Spinderella the spider has a passion for football! She tries to play a match with her brothers & sisters but she doesn`t know how many spiders should be on each team. Even worse, she can`t count the goals! Luckily for Spinderella, her Hairy Godmother has a plan... Julia Donaldson does it again in this hugely engaging & funny story all about football, spiders & counting
- what`s not to love! The perfect picture book for children of all ages
- boys & girls alike. Julia Donaldson is the internationally renowned author of the best-loved picture books in the world, including The Gruffalo, What the Ladybird Heard, Sugarlump & the Unicorn & Night Monkey, Day Monkey. Julia Donaldson`s collaborations with Axel Scheffler have sold millions of copies, & Room on the Broom is now an Academy Award-nominated short film. Sebastian Braun studied fine & applied arts at Strasbourg University. He moved to London in 2000 & since then has been working exclusively on children`s picture books, having been published by Orchard, Walker, Campbell, Harper Collins & Puffin.

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This spooky activity book is packed full of creepy colouring, deathly doodling & spine-tingling puzzles & activities. Make your very own witch`s hat, brave your way through a cryptic maze, play a haunted house board game & do lots of other ghostly activities in this fun-packed book. PLUS over 1000 scary stickers if you`re feeling brave enough! Also available: Adventure 1001 Stickers, Princess 1001 Stickers, Christmas 1001 Stickers. ...

Spineless Classics offers a unique way of displaying classic literature – a single sheet ready to be mounted on the wall of your living room! Once framed, your favourite books can be transformed into beautiful works of art. Each poster comprises a single sheet, which are available in various standard sizes for easy framing (see individual entries for details). The text is formatted to create decorative silhouettes inspired by your chosen book. While the font is small, it’s perfectly legible up close. All Spineless Classics are printed on heavyweight paper in sharp, lightfast ink that will not fade. Frame not included. ...

This chess set from authentic Models features exquisitely crafted red & cream pieces. Crafted from high quality resin & nicely ...

Seashells are the sculpted homes of a remarkable group of animals: the molluscs. These are some of the most ancient & successful animals on the planet, & they have fascinating tales to tell. Spirals in Time charts the course of shells through history, from the first jewelry & the oldest currencies through to their use as potent symbols of sex & death, prestige & war, not to mention a nutritious (and tasty) source of food. In this book, Helen Scales leads us on a journey into the realm of these undersea marvels. She goes in search of everything from snails that `fly` underwater to octopuses accused of stealing shells & giant mussels with golden beards. Shells are also bellwethers of our impact on the natural world. The effects of overfishing & pollution are, of course, serious concerns, but perhaps more worrying is ocean acidification, which causes shells to simply melt away. Spirals in Time urges you to ponder how seashells can reconnect us with nature, & heal the rift between ourselves & the living world. ...

David is thirteen & confused. His mum has left with her lover & dumped David on his grandparents. David`s grandfather, Jimmy, is seventy. He spends his days at the social club grumbling with his three best friends, all of them Jewish-Australian survivors of the enforced labour camps of the WWII Thai-Burma Railroad. But behind their playful backbiting & irresistible wit, Jimmy & his friends are haunted by the ghosts of long-dead comrades, & the only person Jimmy can confide in is a thirteen-year-old from a different world... ...

A reissue of a truly classic title on the Batsford backlist. First published in 1935, it is a wonderful snapshot of our capital before the Second World War, & a charming insight into our attitudes to urban life back in the Thirties. Our posh guide Cohen-Portheim offers us his interpretation of life in London through her people, her buildings & her history. The chapters include: Towns within Town Streets & their Life Green London London & the Arts London Amusements & Night Life Hotels & Restaurants Traditional London London & the British London & the Foreigner (surprisingly liberal!) It

Includes:: the iconic Brian Cook cover illustration of Ludgate Circus & St Pauls, & should be sought after for that alone. Add in the charm of the authentic voice of a 1930s Londoner, it should be enjoyed by all Londoners.

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Johnson`s Life of London – from Boris, the city’s current Mayor, rather than from his famous 18th century predecessor Dr Johnson, who nevertheless is included among the Mayor’s musings on people who made London the great & exciting metropolis it is now: from Boudica, Hadrian & Mellitus to Keith Richard, with London Bridge & the Midland Grand Hotel (now St. Pancras Renaissance) thrown in for good measure. You may love or hate our dear Mayor & his “alternative-politician” personality but his book, adding personal observations to historical facts, is a good, interesting & entertaining read. ...

` Superb regional guide.. . Shots of the distilleries combine with wonderful landscape photography` Country Life ` Mr Mac Lean serves up dram after dram of useful detail... This is armchair travel at its best` Wall Street Journal A new handbook sized editon of Spirit of Place, a wide-ranging & evocative portrait of Scotland`s distilleries, with text by renowned whisky expert Charles Mac Lean & photographs by Lara Platman & Alan Mac Donald. Treating Scotland as eight distinct regions, this fascinating book describes the `cultural terroir` of the country`s fifty greatest distilleries; the ingredients, practices & traditions that result in such an exquisite range of whiskies. Specially commissioned photographs capture the texture of the surrounding landscapes & communities through the changing seasons, as well as portraits of those craftsmen who work there, & the fabric of the buildings themselves. Spirit of Place is a unique addition to the literature on Scotch whisky, from the world`s greatest expert on the subject. The perfect gift for anyone planning a tour of Scotland`s distilleries, a souvenir for anyone who has visited them, & simply the perfect companion to a dram at home. ...