` If you are vacillating over whether a couple of bottles of pinot blanc might, in the short run, prove more fun than a poetry book, then just flick to the first page & the title poem of this volume. James writes with exquisite perception & surgical precision; he is a poet of powerful argument & emotional force` The Times The reputation of Clive James as a poet was slow to form, perhaps because he was too famous as a star journalist & television entertainer. There was also the drawback that his poetry was so entertaining it was hard for many critics to take seriously. But after the notoriety achieved by a single self-satirizing poem, ` The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered`, one of the most anthologized poems of recent times, James`s poetic output became impossible to ignore, & his 1985 collection Other Passports was greeted with praise for its thematic scope & technical accomplishment, even by critics who still doubted his seriousness. Since then, James has emerged unarguably as one of the most prominent poets of his generation -- & The Book of My Enemy (which

Includes:: Other Passports) shows why.

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Abducted from her West African village at the age of eleven & sold as a slave in the American South, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom
- & of finding her way home again. After escaping the plantation, torn from her husband & child, she passes through Manhattan in the chaos of the Revolutionary War, is shipped to Nova Scotia, & then joins a group of freed slaves on a harrowing return odyssey to Africa. Based on a true story, Lawrence Hill`s epic novel spans three continents & six decades to bring to life a dark & shameful chapter in our history through the story of one brave & resourceful woman.
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Described by the New York Times as both beautifully written & devastating', this is a startling, hard-edged dissection of slavery
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By the Man Booker-winning author Marlon James, this is the powerful story of Lilith, born into slavery on a Jamaican sugar plantation at the end of the eighteenth century. Even at her birth, the Night Women
- a clandestine council of fierce slaves plotting an isl&-wide revolt
- recognize a dark force in her that they treat with both reverence & fear. But as Lilith comes of age & begins to understand her own feelings & identity, she dares to push at the edges of what is imaginable for the life of a slave woman. & as rebellions simmer & unspoken jealousies intensify, Lilith`s powers & sense of purpose threaten not just her own destiny, but the destinies of all the slave women in Jamaica.

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A suicide attempt, staged to attract as much attention as possible, from the top of St. Peter`s Church, quickly evolves into an outlandish & absurd, televised spectacle... When a PA is invited into her boss`s office one day to observe a protest unfold, just as he predicts, in the streets below, she begins to suspect his powers of foresight might extend beyond mere business matters... Finally moving into the house of her dreams, on the island of K psala, a single mother discovers a strange affinity with the previous occupant... Riga may be over 800 years old as a city, but its status as capital of an independent Latvia is only a century old, with half of that time spent under Soviet rule. Despite this, it has established itself as a vibrant, creative hub, attracting artists, performers, & writers from across the Baltic region. The stories gathered here chronicle this growth & on-going transformation, & offer glimpses into the dark humour, rich history, contrasting perspectives, & love of the mythic, that sets the city s artistic community apart. As its history might suggest, Riga is a work in progress; & for many of the characters in these stories, it is the possibilities of what the city might become, more than merely what it is now, that drives the imagination of its people. This book is published with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia & The Latvian Writers Union. Translated from the Latvian by Kaija Straumanis, Suzanne Mc Quade, Uldis Balodis, Ieva Lesinska, Marta Ziemelis & Zanete Vevere Pasqualini. Foreword by Former President of Latvia (1999-2007) Vaira Vike-Freiberga. ...

` This book is loosely based on the lost journals that William Shakespeare never wrote, describing his life & times in chronological order & the subsequent Bardolatry that encompasses the civilized world.. .` Sales of Shakespeare`s works are second only to the Bible. In common with the Holy Book, little is known about the writer & the few facts that have emerged over the course of several hundred years are largely speculative. In this entertaining but hugely informative book, the reader will discover:
- Why the theatre is called ` The Theatre`
- Why in the theatre, the expression `the ghost walks` means it is pay day
- Why at the last minute Shakespeare scratched out his son-in-law`s name from his will.. .-.. .and left his second-best bed to his widow
- Why intervals were unexpectedly introduced into theatrical performances
- Why Shakespeare`s father lost his position as Mayor of Stratford
- How the Box Office got its name
- Why the poorer Tudors painted their teeth black
- Why Shakespeare himself had to play Lady Macbeth on its first performance & a great deal more besides.A distinguished actor of many years` standing, Bruce Montague is also the co-author of The Book of Royal Useless Information.







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` No one knows sheds like Joel Bird. The creativity & knowledge which won him shed of the year is echoed throughout this brilliant book.`
- George Clarke The Book of Shed is for the new vision of the shed. A beautifully designed hardback book, it will provide you with the inspiration & the information you need to plan & create your new space by combining imaginative ideas & beautiful design with practical thinking & building knowledge. Written by designer-builder, TV personality & all-round shed-progressive Joel Bird, this wonderful tome is split into four comprehensive sections
- on the history & basics of the shed; shed inspiration & style; the shed build; & some of Joel`s most distinctive shed case studies
- & is the perfect fireside read whether you`re a seasoned shed-head or completely new to the joys of your own purpose-built haven, wherever & whatever that may be.


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There are over 3, 700 species of snake found on every continent except for Antarctica, ranging in size from Barbados` tiny threadsnake to Southeast Asia`s massive reticulated python. More than any other creature snakes are surrounded by dark, compelling myths & legend, unsurprising since many constrict their prey to death, or kill with a venomous bite, using a diverse armory of venoms that affect the blood, tissues, organs, & respiration. However, it is especially true of snakes that the closer you observe them, the more exquisite they are in their intricate geometry of pattern, the fine texture of the overlapping scales, & the intricacies of their multifarious lifestyles. The Book of Snakes profiles 600 significant species from all 32 families-one in six of all known species-to create a beautiful collector`s piece that is both a significant resource for enthusiasts & scholars, & the most visually stimulating guide on the market. ...

Spices are rare things, at once familiar & exotic, comforting us in favourite dishes while evoking far-flung countries, Arabian souks, trade winds, colonial conquests & vast fortunes. From anise to zedoary, The Book of Spice introduces us to their properties, both medical & magical, & the fascinating stories that lie behind both kitchen staples & esoteric luxuries. John O` Connell`s bite-size chapters combine insights on history & art, religion & medicine, culture & science, richly seasoned with anecdotes & recipes. Discover why Cleopatra bathed in saffron & mare`s milk, why wormwood-laced absinthe caused eighteenth-century drinkers to hallucinate & how cloves harvested in remote Indonesian islands found their way into a kitchen in ancient Syria. Almost every kitchen contains a tin of cloves or a stick of cinnamon, almost every dish a pinch of something, whether chilli or cumin. Crossing Nathaniel`s Nutmeg with Claudia Roden, this is culinary history at its most appetising. ...

I am with you always, even unto the end of the world... From the author of Under the Skin & The Crimson Petal & the White, the first novel from Michel Faber in fourteen years is a wildly original tale of adventure, faith & the ties that might hold two people together when they are worlds apart. Peter Leigh is a husb&, a Christian, & now a missionary. As The Book of Strange New Things opens, he is set to embark on a journey that will be the biggest test of his faith yet. From the moment he says goodbye to his wife, Bea, & boards his flight, he begins a quest that will challenge his religious beliefs, his love & his understanding of the limits of the human body. This momentous novel is Faber at his expectation-defying best. It is a brilliantly compelling book about love in the face of death, & the search for meaning in an unfathomable universe. ...