The Colosseum was Imperial Rome`s monument to warfare. Like a cathedral of death it towered over the city & invited its citizens, 50, 000 at a time, to watch murderous gladiatorial games. It is now visited by two million visitors a year (Hitler was among them). Award winning classicist, Mary Beard with Keith Hopkins, tell the story of Rome`s greatest arena: how it was built; the gladiatorial & other games that were held there; the training of the gladiators; the audiences who revelled in the games, the emperors who staged them & the critics. & the strange after story
- the Colosseum has been fort, store, church, & glue factory.
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Imperial Rome was a warrior state. The Colosseum (opened in A.D. 80) was Rome's monument to warfare. Like a cathedral of death it towered over the city & invited its citizens, 50, 000 at a time, to watch murderous gladiatorial games. It is now visited by two million visitors a year (Hitler was among them). Two leading classical historians tell the story of Rome's greatest arena: how it was built; the gladiatorial & other games that were held there; the training of the gladiators; the audiences who reveled in the games, the emperors who staged them & the critics; & the strange after story
- the Colosseum has been fort, store, church, & glue factory. The Wonders of the World is a series of books that focuses on some of the world's most famous sites or monuments. Their names will be familiar to almost everyone: they have achieved iconic stature & are loaded with a fair amount of mythological baggage. These monuments have been the subject of many books over the centuries, but our aim, through the skill & stature of the writers, is to get something much more enlightening, stimulating, even controversial, than straightforward histories or guides.
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Every year, millions of visitors enter the Colosseum, which represents a common heritage of human history & culture. Visiting it is still considered a sensational experience, a unique moment that everyone wishes to see at least once in a lifetime. The wide & original array of images & literary pages, as well as a number of unpublished materials, confirm the Colosseum as being an exceptional source of inspiration for writers & artists until this day. Thematic itineraries guide readers on their tour, recalling the atmosphere of the past as well as modern-day links with the cinema. This volume makes a useful & delightful guide to learn more about the monument that has always had a certain physique du role. This affordable & manageable volume has the advantage of illustrating new & original paths to the discovery of one of the most studied & well-known monuments in the world. ...

` Out of the sea, as if Homer himself had arranged it for me, the islands bobbed up, lonely, deserted, mysterious in the fading light`. Enraptured by a young woman`s account of the landscapes of Greece, Henry Miller set off to explore the Grecian countryside with his friend Lawrence Durrell in 1939. In The Colossus of Maroussi he describes drinking from sacred springs, nearly being trampled to death by sheep & encountering the flamboyant Greek poet Katsumbalis, who `could galvanize the dead with his talk`. This lyrical classic of travel writing represented an epiphany in Miller`s life, & is the book he would later cite as his favourite. ” One of the five greatest travel books of all time.” (Pico Iyer). ...

In a dazzlingly original work of non-fiction, the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Underground Railroad recreates the exuberance, the chaos, the promise, & the heartbreak of New York. Here is a literary love song that will entrance anyone who has lived in
- or spent time
- in the greatest of American cities.A masterful evocation of the city that never sleeps, The Colossus of New York captures the city`s inner & outer landscapes in a series of vignettes, meditations, & personal memories. Colson Whitehead conveys with almost uncanny immediacy the feelings & thoughts of longtime residents & of newcomers who dream of making it their home; of those who have conquered its challenges; & of those who struggle against its cruelties. Whitehead`s style is as multilayered & multifarious as New York itself: Switching from third person, to first person, to second person, he weaves individual voices into a jazzy musical composition that perfectly reflects the way we experience the city. There is a funny, knowing riff on what it feels like to arrive in New York for the first time; a lyrical meditation on how the city is transformed by an unexpected rain shower; & a wry look at the ferocious battle that is commuting. The plaintive notes of the lonely & dispossessed resound in one passage, while another captures those magical moments when the city seems to be talking directly to you, inviting you to become one with its rhythms. The Colossus of New York is a remarkable portrait of life in the big city. Ambitious in scope, gemlike in its details, it is at once an unparalleled tribute to New York & the ideal introduction to one of the most exciting writers working today.

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The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien is a timeless classic. The unforgettable story of Bilbo, a peace-loving hobbit who embarks on a strange & magical adventure, is brought to life by Jemima Catlin`s charming & lively colour illustrations in a way that will entice & entertain a new generation of readers. Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet & contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf & a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly & enlist his services
- as a burglar
- on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon. Bilbo`s life is never to be the same again. Seldom has any book been so widely read & loved as J. R.R. Tolkien`s classic tale, ` The Hobbit`. Since its first publication in 1937 it has remained in print to delight each new generation of readers all over the world, & its hero, Bilbo Baggins, has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of fiction.

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One day, Colour Monster wakes up feeling very confused. His emotions are all over the place; he feels angry, happy, calm, sad & scared all at once! To help him, a little girl shows him what each feeling means through colour. A gentle exploration of feelings for young & old alike. ...

A colouring-in activity book based on The Colour Monster picture book & pop-up book. How does Colour Monster feel today? Look at each picture & decide which colour suits his mood best. Is he red for anger? Green for calm? Yellow for happy? Or blue for sadness? See him dance like a ballerina, dress up as a superhero, play with his friend & much more. ...

Whatever happens, don`t tell anyone what you did to Bee Larkham... Jasper is not ordinary. In fact, he would say he is extraordinary... Synaesthesia paints the sounds of his world in a kaleidoscope of colours that no one else can see. But on Friday, he discovered a new colour
- the colour of murder. He`s sure something has happened to his neighbour, Bee Larkham, but no-one else seems to be taking it as seriously as they should be. The knife & the screams are all mixed up in his head & he`s scared that he can`t quite remember anything clearly. But where is Bee? Why hasn`t she come home yet? Jasper must uncover the truth about that night
- including his own role in what happened...

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In the beginning there was.. .a turtle. Somewhere on the frontier between thought & reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time & place which might sound & smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different. Particularly as it`s carried though space on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown). It plays by different rules. But then, some things are the same everywhere. The Disc`s very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the world`s first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace & prosperity of the l&. Unfortunately, the person charged with maintaining that survival in the face of robbers, mercenaries &, well, Death, is a spectacularly inept wizard... ...