Welcome to the British Museum, home to Lottie Lipton: nine-year-old investigator extraordinaire! When a collection of Roman treasures comes to the museum, Lottie, Uncle Bert & Reg discover the legendary code of the Ninth Legion`s Golden Eagle. Can Lottie & her friends break the code & find the treasure before a ruthless treasure hunter gets his hands on it? Perfect for developing & newly confident readers, Lottie Lipton Adventures are packed with action, adventure & puzzles for the reader to solve. ...

The Eagle of the Canavese opens up an incredible time in racing history. In the early 1960s Franco Balmamion won successive editions of the Giro d' Italia, an achievement no Italian cyclist has been able to emulate in almost half a century since. In the post-war era only Balmamion & the three great champions Coppi, Merckx & Indurain, have successfully defended the fabled maglia rosa, the pink jersey of the Giro winner. & yet virtually nothing is known of this rider whose Giro record surpassed all but the very best, & who, with a fraction of the support others enjoyed, might well have won not only a third Giro, but also the Tour de France. In capturing the 1962 Giro Balmamion, the so-called ' Silent Champion', displayed extraordinary mental & physical courage, overcoming not only his rivals but also the mutiny & skullduggery of a famous, celebrated team-mate. His epic performance, at the age just twenty-two, was the equal of anything achieved by any of the true giants of the sport, but remains a story untold, ignored by the cycling world, obscured by the mists of time. How then has cycling contrived to disregard the achievements of such a rider? That is the question Herbie Sykes asks in an unforgettable quest to recover the memory of ' The Eagle of the Canavese'. In so doing he rediscovers the romantic, parochial community of Italian cycling, revealing for the first time the secrets of the race, & of the heroes & villains involved. Their stories, by turns heroic, astonishing & heartbreaking, are as immediate today as they were back then. ...

The Eagle of Toledo: The Life & Times of Federico Bahamontes is a biography of a cyclist regarded by many as not only the greatest climber in cycling history but also as the godfather of Spanish cycling. Bahamontes, the first Spaniard to win in 1959 the Tour de France & six times champion of the race's gruelling ' King of the Mountains' classification, may be less well known in Britain than some of his successors, but his life from his birth in 1928 to his retirement in 1965 coincides with one of the most troubled periods in Spain ...

The Eagle of Toledo: The Life & Times of Federico Bahamontes is a biography of a cyclist regarded by many as not only the greatest climber in cycling history but also as the godfather of Spanish cycling. Bahamontes, the first Spaniard to win in 1959 the Tour de France & six times champion of the race`s gruelling ` King of the Mountains` classification, may be less well known in Britain than some of his successors, but his life from his birth in 1928 to his retirement in 1965 coincides with one of the most troubled periods in Spain’s history & provides a fascinating subject for a biography. The author, Alasdair Fotherigham, a freelance journalist based in Spain, has covered 20 Tours de France & 18 Vuelta a España races & writes in the Independent & the Independent on Sunday both about Spain & about cycling. ...

In Halik Kochanski`s extraordinary book, the untold story of Poland & the Poles in the Second World War is finally heard. By almost every measure the fate of the inhabitants of Poland was the most terrible of any group in the Second World War. Following the destruction of its armed forces in the autumn of 1939, the Republic of Poland was partitioned between Nazi & Soviet forces & officially ceased to exist. As the war progressed millions of Poles were killed, with each phase unleashing a further round, from the industrialised genocide of Treblinka to the crushing of the Warsaw Rising. Polish Jews were all to be murdered, Christians reduced to a semi-literate slave class. This powerful & original new book is perhaps the most important `missing` work on the whole conflict, describing both the fate of those trapped within occupied Poland & of the millions of Poles who were able to escape. Reviews: ”A remarkable book... Kochanski brings to the subject not only an impressive grasp of the military & political context, but also a balance, neutrality & honesty few could manage, combined with the intelligence, imagination & empathy necessary to grasp the true depth of the experience she recounts... This book is history at its best. It tells the whole story, & tells it well, with just the right mixture of detachment & empathy, in crisp, readable prose. But it also speaks to the imagination & makes the reader think
- & not just about the subject in hand”. (” Standpoint”). ” Until Halik Kochanski`s ” The Eagle Unbowed” nobody had written a comprehensive English-language history of Poland at war... She uncovers details that will surprise even history geeks... Ms Kochanski marshals an impressive & comprehensive array of English & Polish material”. (” Economist”). ” Poland`s war was so terrible as to almost defy summary.. .this book is opinionated, fluid & forceful”. (Oliver Bullough, ” New Statesman”). ” An informative, authoritative & wide-ranging account of the tragedy that befell Poland & its inhabitants, Gentiles & Jews, during the war & its aftermath... An engaging & important book”. (Hubert Zawadzki (author of ”A Concise History of Poland”)). About the author: Halik Kochanski read Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford & then completed a Ph D at King`s College London. She has taught at both King`s College London & University College London & presented papers to a number of military history conferences. She has written a number of articles & is the author of ” Sir Garnet Wolseley: Victorian Hero” (1999). She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has been a member of the councils of the Army Records Society & Society for Army Historical Research & remains a member of both societies. She is also a member of the British Commission for Military History & the Institute for Historical Research. She is currently a judge for the Templer Medal book prize.
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George Hay, 8th Earl of Kinnoull, was an unconventional ambassador. A Scottish aristocrat who had been imprisoned for his Jacobite sympathies & almost bankrupted by his involvement in the South Sea Bubble, Lord Kinnoull had no previous diplomatic experience when he was unexpectedly appointed ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1729. Leaving his wife & family of ten at their Yorkshire home, Lord Kinnoull departed England for Constantinople with his political, financial & personal suitability for the role all in doubt. How would he cope with the complex world of international politics? Or negotiate the sensitive relationship between Muslims & Christians? & why was he subsequently recalled to England in disgrace?” The Earl & His Butler in Constantinople” traces Lord Kinnoull`s eventful journey to the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where he served as ambassador for seven years
- & back again. His butler, Samuel Medley, was his constant companion throughout this time & his is almost the only surviving servant`s diary from the period. From this unique & colourful source, as well as from Lord Kinnoull`s despatches & family letters, Nigel & Caroline Webb have produced a remarkable biography which casts fresh light on the Ottoman Empire & British politics in the 18th century. It also offers vivid portraits of the cosmopolitan city of Constantinople at this critical stage in its history & of an idiosyncratic Earl & his exceptional butler which will captivate readers.
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With a major literary event, this is a collection of never-before-published short stories from one of America`s most beloved writers. In a small Southern town, a teenage girl anxiously waits for her date to arrive. A woman fights to save the life of a child who has her lover`s eyes. Best friends on the Upper East Side discuss the theoretical murder of husbands. In these never-before-published stories, set in the rural South & the cosmopolitan New York of the 1940s, written by Truman Capote in his teens & twenties, the American master is already recognizable. This splendid collection offers readers the opportunity to see the confident first steps of one of the twentieth century`s most acclaimed writers. ...

` Breathtaking.. . The stories are special. They stand in their own right as lovely vignettes of the lives of the lonely, broken & troubled` Andrew Johnson, Independent Written when Truman Capote was in his teens & twenties, these recently-discovered short stories give a rare insight into an American icon. Tales of disappointed lovers, ageing spinsters, hoboes & murderous housewives, of yearning, poverty, despair, compassion, wit & wonder, they show us the boy from Alabama who became one of the twentieth century`s most celebrated literary voices.` An intriguing glimpse of Capote as a boy: precocious, provocative, spirited & strange, a ”pocket Merlin” spinning tall tales` Olivia Laing, New Statesman ...

The new bumper volume of classic children`s stories from the world`s best-loved children`s author, Enid Blyton. Malory Towers is about everything school should stand for
- friendships, lessons, sports, plays & especially mischief. Early Years at Malory Towers Darrell Rivers is off to a new boarding school, Malory Towers in Cornwall. But will she fit in there? & what adventures will she have? These first three books chronicle Darrell & her friends` first years at the school- three years of mischief, mayhem & midnight feasts! Enid Blyton is arguably the most famous children`s author of all time, thanks to series such as The Wishing-Chair, The Faraway Tree-, The Mysteries, The Famous Five & The Secret Seven. Her school series
- including St Clare`s & Malory Towers are the perfect books for girls who are experiencing their own adventures at school.

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Fortey, a paleontologist by profession, has created an exceptional ` Intimate History` of the Earth. Adopting the role of enthusiastic guide, he leads the reader around & even into some of the world`s most exhilarating geological sights. The global tour encompasses the Alps, hot springs in Iceland & the depths of the ocean floor. Fortey also explores the cliffs of Newfoundl&, the silver mines of Bohemia & the forests of Hawaii, describing the natural beauty of these places effortlessly & memorably. The scope of the book is vast, yet it is coherent & eminently readable. Mind-numbingly distant geological episodes are turned into historical events. Many of these are still occurring today & are responsible for the evolution of cities, the development of human cultures & the shaping of natural history. Full of awesome facts & details, this is an unusual blend of travel, history, reportage & science that will cause you to think hard about the ancient planet beneath your feet. ...