As seen on TV: now a major BBC4 television series. A chance encounter with a strange young woman leads Inspector Montalbano to Vigata harbour -- & into a puzzling new mystery. The crew of a mysterious yacht
- the Vanna
- due to dock in the area have discovered a corpse floating in the water, the dead man's face badly disfigured. It isn't long before Montalbano begins to become suspicious of the Vanna's inhabitants. Who is the yacht's owner, the glamorous & short-tempered Livia Giovannini? How has she accrued her riches? & why does she spend so much time at sea? Meanwhile Montalbano finds himself getting into tangles with the dreaded Commissioner, the exasperating Dr Lattes & a very beautiful young woman at the harbour, with whom he becomes dangerously besotted.. . Can the Inspector clear his head long enough to unravel this murky mystery?

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`I am an Empress.. .and am sometimes called Empress of India. Why have I never officially assumed this title? I feel I ought to do so & wish to have preliminary enquiries made.` Five years after discussing the matter with her private secretary, in 1877 Queen Victoria became Empress of India. This symbolic event was followed by the transformation of Britain into the seat of self-consciously imperial power. Britain`s industrial & imperial might financed an architectural golden age, which saw the Dickensian rookeries replaced with model housing; civic life enhanced through new town halls, bath houses & libraries; God glorified in new churches & cathedrals; Mammon pursued in banks, exchanges & commercial buildings; & the Empire celebrated in numerous sculptural projects around the globe. Through stunning images this book reveals the national confidence & prosperity that led to a new-found grandeur & scale in the architecture commissioned. The Age of Empire is a lavishly illustrated celebration of the architectural legacy of the British Empire & its ability to create buildings that remain as awe-inspiring as when they were first built. ...

The story of thirteen modern Empires, a story full of suspense, cruelty, conflict, heroism, great explorations & extraordinary feats of endurance, is here told with a rich profusion of illustrations drawn from a wide range of vivid, colourful, authentic sources. Now that the age of empires is fully over, it is possible for the first time to draw up a balance sheet of praise & blame. ...

Precious silk ribbon attached to an antique brass finial means that you can hang these anywhere. Classic holiday décor. Combined with our desk st&, this is the perfect gift. Charming size, conveying the same historical detail as our larger globe models. If we do not have this item in stock we will order it for you from our supplier. Delivery generally takes 3 weeks within the UK. For overseas delivery queries please email sales@stanfords.co.uk ...

The return of the beautiful Countess Olenska into the rigidly conventional society of New York sends reverberations throughout the upper reaches of society. Newland Archer, an eligible young man of the establishment is about to announce his engagement to May Well&, a pretty ingenue, when May`s cousin, Countess Olenska, is introduced into their circle. The Countess brings with her an aura of European sophistication & a hint of scandal, having left her husband & claimed her independence. Her sorrowful eyes, her tragic worldliness & her air of unapproachability attract the sensitive Newland &, almost against their will, a passionate bond develops between them. But Archer`s life has no place for passion &, with society on the side of May & all she stands for, he finds himself drawn into a bitter conflict between love & duty. ...

In The Age of Kali, William Dalrymple travels around the Indian subcontinent, journeying to places that few travellers ever get to see & often he goes at great personal risk. The name of the book comes from the author’s belief that the region is falling into the most fearsome of all epochs, known as, “the Kali Yug”, a time of strife, corruption, darkness & disintegration. Through his love for the subcontinent Dalrymple is able to convey the diversity of cultural identity in every page, making the chronicling of political corruption, ethnic violence & social disintegration ever more poignant. The series of essays sees him interview drug barons on the North-West Frontier as well as Imran Khan & Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. He even makes an encounter with the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. This disquieting book, written when the region needed to start asking tough questions, won the French Prix D` Astrolabe in 2005. ...

This novel takes us on a journey, a magical, & a literal one. A tightly knit group of filmmakers travel from Paris together to make a documentary. Unknown to themselves they carry a lot of unwanted baggage
- fear, anger, jealousy, love. When they arrive in an idyllic Swiss village ringed by mountains & reflected in a lake, they discover a haunted world that will compel them to confront the demons they have been trying to escape. A mind-blowingly beautiful book, full of unexpected, poetic & metaphysical revelations.
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From Booker Prize-Winner Ben Okri. A group of world-weary travellers discover the meaning of life in a mysterious mountain village. Eight film-makers arrive at a small Swiss hotel on the shores of a luminous lake. Above them, strewn with lights that twinkle in the darkness, looms the towering Rigi mountain. Over the course of three days & two nights, the travellers will find themselves drawn in to the mystery of the mountain reflected in the lake. One by one, they will be disturbed, enlightened, & transformed, each in a different way. The Age of Magic has begun. Unveil your eyes. ALSO BY BEN OKRI: Astonishing the Gods, In Arcadia, A Way of Being Free, Dangerous Love. ...

Ray & Co.’s “ The Age of Pirates” is perfect for children who have even a passing interest in tales of the high seas of old. Full of superbly realised pirate illustrations, the map itself is filled with facts & legends alike, such as the Pirate’s Code of Conduct, the different kinds of swords they used & why, recreations of original engravings of notorious pates, a brief history of the period & much more. Whether it’s Captain Jack, Blackbeard or even Anne Bonny, fans of pirates both real & fictional will adore this wall map.PLEASE NOTE:this is the encapsulated edition of the map; this title is also available on paper without the encapsulation.LAMINATED & ENCAPSULATED WALL MAPS:- LAMINATED wall maps have a thin layer of plastic usually applied to the printed side only. They can be written on with suitable marker pens without any damage to the map but, unless laminated on both sides, they are not damp-proof.- ENCAPSULATED wall maps are sealed between two sheets of plastic. They are more rigid & heavier than laminated maps of the same size. They are damp-proof & do not crinkle in humid conditions. Encapsulation gives the map a shiny surface, similar to being displayed behind glass.- PLEASE NOTE: many publishers & retailers often use these two terms interchangeably. Our map titles & descriptions follow the definitions provided above. ...

Ray & Co.’s “ The Age of Pirates” is perfect for children who have even a passing interest in tales of the high seas of old. Full of superbly realised pirate illustrations, the map itself is filled with facts & legends alike, such as the Pirate’s Code of Conduct, the different kinds of swords they used & why, recreations of original engravings of notorious pates, a brief history of the period & much more. Whether it’s Captain Jack, Blackbeard or even Anne Bonny, fans of pirates both real & fictional will adore this wall map.PLEASE NOTE: this title is also available encapsulated. ...