`I want to know if men realise when they are insane. Sometimes I think that my brain cannot hold together, it is filled with too much horror
- too much despair.. .I cannot sleep, I cannot close my eyes without seeing his damned face. If only it had been a dream.` In ` The Doll`, a waterlogged notebook is washed ashore. Its pages tell a dark story of obsession & jealousy. But the fate of its narrator is a mystery. Most of the stories in this haunting collection were written early in Daphne du Maurier`s career
- when she was still in her early twenties
- yet they display her mastery of atmosphere, tension & intrigue & reveal a cynicism far beyond her years.


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`A terrifying lesson in US history
- & a haunting tragedy` Guardian Gertie is the young mother of five children
- uneducated,

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A timeless fantasy set in the Second World War that weaves together magic, folklore & history, perfect for fans of The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas & Goodnight Mister Tom. One night a little doll named Karolina comes to life in a toyshop in Krakow, Pol&, in 1939 & changes the life of the gruff, broken-hearted Dollmaker. & when the darkness of the Nazi occupation sweeps over the city, Karolina & the Dollmaker must bravely use their magic to save their Jewish friends from a terrible danger, no matter what the risks. This powerful story is about finding friendship in the darkest of places & the importance of love in times of great pain. ...

Surreal, ambitious, & exquisitely conceived, THE DOLL`S ALPHABET is a collection of stories in the tradition of Angela Carter & Margaret Atwood. Dolls, sewing machines, tinned foods, mirrors, malfunctioning bodies
- many images recur in stories that are in turn child-like & naive, grotesque & very dark. In ` Unstitching`, a feminist revolution takes place. In ` Waxy`, a factory worker fights to keep hold of her Man in a society where it is frowned upon to be Manless. In ` Agata`s Machine`, two schoolgirls conjure a Pierrot & an angel in a dank attic room. In ` Notes from a Spider`, a half-man, half-spider finds love in a great European city. By constantly reinventing ways to engage with her obsessions & motifs, Camilla Grudova has come up with a method for storytelling that is highly imaginative, incredibly original, & absolutely discomfiting.
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Victorian London had Jack the Ripper. Georgian Dublin had the Dolocher... When murderer Olocher commits suicide in the Black Dog Prison on the eve of his execution, terror is unleashed upon Dublin. A mysterious creature stalks the streets & women report attacks by a half-man, half-pig possessed by Olocher`s dark spirit. The Dolocher is on the loose... At least that`s the story down-at-heel writer Solomon Fish peddles in his broadsheets, & the people of Dublin can`t get enough of his gruesome tales. To Solomon, it`s only an ordinary man playing a tasteless trick, a sensational story that will soon blow over. But when the Dolocher starts killing & Solomon himself is set upon by the beast, he starts to have doubts. With the help of his swashbuckling landlady, ship`s surgeon-turned-apothecary Merriment O` Grady, Solomon swears to unmask the Dolocher. Yet Solomon & Merriment soon find themselves torn between reason & superstition, their heads & their hearts as they strive to solve the mystery. But are they hunting the Dolocher or is it hunting them? ...

The elegant & dramatic peaks of the Dolomites, one of the most recently designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, have long epitomised the ideals of climbers the world over. These spectacular limestone & dolomite monoliths rise abruptly from beautiful meadows, their pale faces contrasting starkly with the vibrant colour of the surrounding alpine pastures, to create one of the most instantly recognisable landscapes in the World. Located in northern Italy, & representing a true mix of Italian & Austrian culture, these so-called ` Pale Alps` contain climbing of every shape & size. Single pitch sport crags lie beside kilometre-long traditional routes, with climbs which are steeped in history running parallel to modern bolted lines. The area is particularly renowned for its via ferrata, cabled routes predating the Great War which give superb access to some of the World`s most striking summits. The metal wires, interspersed with breathtaking ladders & unlikely suspension bridges, provide aerial assault courses which combine the thrill of an ascent on rock with the security of a protected mountain scramble. This Rockfax guide covers everything you need for a climbing trip regardless of ability, whether it be sport, trad, via ferrata or a combination of all three. It features all the major areas & is the only guidebook available to have such comprehensive coverage. Catinaccio, Val di Fassa, Marmolada, Sella Group, Val Gardena, Fanis Group, Lagazuoi Group, Tofana Group, Cinque Torri, Cortina Basin, Cadini di Misurina, Tre Cime. ...

This text traces the origin & development of this island from its volcanic formation to 1994. The author interweaves the island`s history with geography, ecology, folklore & social custom to inform the reader about both Dominica & Caribbean history as a whole. ...

Despite its significance in the history of Spanish colonialism, the Dominican Republic is familiar to most outsiders through only a few elements of its past & culture. Non-Dominicans may be aware that the country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti & that it is where Christopher Columbus chose to build a colony. Some may know that the country produces talented baseball players & musicians; others that it is a prime destination for beach vacations. Little else about the Dominican Republic is common knowledge outside its borders. This Reader seeks to change that. It provides an introduction to the history, politics, & culture of the country from precolonial times into the early twenty-first century. Among the volume`s 118 selections are essays, speeches, journalism, songs, poems, legal documents, testimonials, & short stories, as well as several interviews conducted especially for this Reader. Many of the selections have been translated into English for the first time. All of them are preceded by brief introductions written by the editors. The volume`s eighty-five illustrations, ten of which appear in colour, include maps, paintings, & photos of architecture, statues, famous figures, & Dominicans going about their everyday lives. ...

Will Marion has two perfect kidneys. His daughters aren`t so lucky. Question is: which one should he save? Will`s 47. His wife bailed out when the twins were in nappies & hasn`t been seen since. He coped OK by himself at first, giving Georgie & Kay all the love he could, working in a boring admin job to support them. Just after the twins turn sixteen, Georgie suffers kidney failure & is placed on dialysis. Her type is rare, & Will immediately offers to donate an organ. Without a transplant, she would probably never see adulthood. So far so good. But then Kay gets sick. She`s also sixteen. Just as precious. Her kidney type just as rare. Time is critical, & he has to make a decision. Should he buy a kidney
- be an organ tourist? Should he save one child? If so, which one? Should he sacrifice himself? Or is there a fourth solution
- one so terrible it has never even crossed his mind?

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Ever been so bored at work that your brain began to dribble out of your ears? Ever considered stapling yourself to the floor to get out of going to another mind-numbing meeting? Well, heres a way to brighten up those dull days & unmotivated moments that are an essential part of office life. This book will help you plot your way into your colleagues good books & vicariously vent your frustration on your boss, tippex over your troubles & scrawl your way to success all from the comfort of your own office chair. Healthier than a cigarette break & more comforting than a large croissant, it`ll help you take on the daily grind armed with nothing more than a sense of humour, a wild imagination & a few bits of stationery. Your inner child will be endlessly entertained, & your co-workers will be envious in the extreme. ...