Map No. 759, The Elbe
- Elster Land
- Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft, in a series of hiking maps from Kompass providing extensive

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Part of a new series Legends from the Ancient North, The Elder Edda is one of the classic books that influenced JRR Tolkien`s The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings. ”I was in the East, battling giants, wicked-hearted women, who wandered the fells; great would be the giant-race, if they all lived: mankind would be nothing under, middle-earth. What did you do meantime, Grey-beard?” (J.R.R). Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating & teaching the great epic stories of northern Europe, filled with heroes, dragons, trolls, dwarves & magic. He was hugely influential for his advocacy of Beowulf as a great work of literature &, even if he had never written The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings, would be recognised today as a significant figure in the rediscovery of these extraordinary tales. Legends from the Ancient North brings together from Penguin Classics five of the key works behind Tolkien`s fiction. They are startling, brutal, strange pieces of writing, with an elemental power brilliantly preserved in these translations. They plunge the reader into a world of treachery, quests, chivalry, trials of strength. They are the most ancient narratives that exist from northern Europe & bring us as near as we will ever get to the origins of the magical landscape of Middle-earth (Midgard) which Tolkien remade in the 20th century. ...

Can this shocking new feeling be love, or is it electrickery? In a lowly side-show fair in eighteenth-century Engl&, teenager Mim is struggling to find her worth as an act. Not white, but not black enough to be truly exotic, her pet parrot who speaks four languages is a bigger draw than her. But Alex, the one-armed boxer boy, sees her differently. & she, too, feels newly interested in him. But then Dr Fox arrives with his scientific kit for producing `electrickery`
- feats of electrical magic these bawdy audiences have never seen before. To complete his act, Fox chooses Mim to play the ` Electrical Venus`. Her popularity
- & the electric-shocking kisses she can provide for a penny
- mean takings are up, slop is off the menu & this spark between her & Fox must surely be love. But is this starring role her true worth, or is love worth more than a penny for an electrifying kiss? An intoxicating & atmospheric coming of age story set in the filth & thrill of a travelling show during the height of the Georgian Enlightenment.


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Rene is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building. She maintains a carefully constructed persona as someone uncultivated but reliable, in keeping with what she feels a concierge should be. But beneath this facade lies the real Rene: passionate about culture & the arts, & more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. Down in her lodge, apart from weekly visits by her one friend Manuela, Rene lives with only her cat for company. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered & vacuous future laid out for her, & decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. But unknown to them both, the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbours will dramatically alter their lives forever. By turns moving & hilarious, this unusual novel became the top-selling book in France in 2007. ...

Before Mrs Beeton there was Eliza Acton, whose crisp, clear, simple style & foolproof instructions established the format for modern cookery writing, leading to her being called `the best writer of recipes in the English language` by Delia Smith. Including such English classics as suet pudding, raspberry jam, lemonade & `superlative mincemeat` as well as evocatively-named creations like ` Threadneedle Street Biscuits`, ` Baron Liebig`s Beef Gravy` & ` Apple Hedgehog`, these recipes advocate using the best produce available to create wholesome, inexpensive dishes that are still a pleasure to cook & eat today. ...

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER THE ETYMOLOGICON Mark Forsyth presents the secret of writing unforgettable phrases, uncovering the techniques that have made immortal such lines as ` To be or not to be` & ` Bond. James Bond.` In his inimitably entertaining & witty style, he takes apart famous"ations & shows how you too can write like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde or John Lennon. Crammed with tricks to make the most humdrum sentiments seem poetic or wise, The Elements of Eloquence reveals how writers through the ages have turned humble words into literary gold
- & how you can do the same. ` An informative but highly entertaining journey through the figures of rhetoric.. . Mark Forsyth wears his considerable knowledge lightly. He also writes beautifully.` David Marsh, Guardian
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In an age unhealthily obsessed with substance, this is a book on the importance of pure style, from the bestselling author of The Etymologicon & The Horologicon. From classic poetry to pop lyrics & from the King James Bible to advertising slogans, Mark Forsyth explains the secrets that make a phrase
- such as ` Tiger, Tiger, burning bright`, or ` To be or not to be`
- memorable. In his inimitably entertaining & witty style he takes apart famous lines & shows how you too can write like Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde. Whether you`re aiming for literary immortality or just an unforgettable one-liner, The Elements of Eloquence proves that you don`t need to have anything to say
- you simply need to say it well. ` An informative but highly entertaining journey through the figures of rhetoric.. . Mark Forsyth wears his considerable knowledge lightly. He also writes beautifully.` David Marsh, Guardian


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The Elephant (1957) is Slawomir Mrozek`s award-winning collection of hilarious & unnerving short stories, satirizing life in Poland under a totalitarian regime. The family of a wealthy lawyer keep a `tamed progressive` as a pet; a zoo saves money for the workers by fashioning their elephant from rubber; a swan is dismissed from the municipal park for public drunkenness; &, under the Writers` Association, literary critics are banished to the salt mines. In these tales of bureaucrats, officials & artists, Mrozek conjures perfectly a life of imagined crimes & absurd authority. ...

Originally called Newington, the Elephant & Castle is a major junction in South London, located in the Borough of Southwark. The name ` Elephant & Castle` comes from a public house of the same name in the area. The pub has been rebuilt several times, & the present Elephant & Castle pub, at the junction of New Kent Road & Newington Causeway, was part of a 1960s redevelopment. However, the origins of the name Elephant & Castle stretch far beyond the pub, with connections across the globe. The Elephant consists of a very large traffic junction around a short road called Elephant & Castle, a section of the A3. The area possessed an extraordinary range of landmarks & attractions from around 1850 to 1940, which are all discussed in detail. The area is now subject to a redevelopment budgeted at GBP1.5 billion. In this in-depth account of the history of the Elephant & Castle, Stephen Humphrey brings to light considerable new material & several valuable finds about the area. ...

In the middle of the 18th century, a ship docks at Bristol with an extraordinary cargo: two young elephants. Bought by a wealthy landowner, they are taken to his estate in the English countryside. A stable boy, Tom Page, is given the task of caring for them. ` The Elephant Keeper is Tom`s account of his life with the elephants. As the years pass, & as they journey across Engl&, his relationship with the female elephant deepens in a startling manner. Along the way they meet incredulity, distrust & tragedy, & it is only their understanding of each other that keeps them together. Christopher Nicholson`s charming & captivating novel explores notions of sexuality & violence, freedom & captivity, & the nature of story-telling
- but most of all it is the study of a profound & remarkable love between an elephant & a human being.
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