Not a conventional history book, but a collection of anecdotes & snippets spun together to create a captivating series of tales, this book tells the story of England in a unique way: through its fascinating & colourful inn signs. Expect the unexpected! Read how each sign, a work of art in its own right, represents a small piece of England`s history, its cultural, political & scientific achievements, its heroes & villains, its personalities both real & legendary, & its ancient customs & folklore. (Did you know: the first ”official” inn sign, the White Hart, was the emblem of King Richard II.) Take a random tour of Engl&, through London, the picturesque cathedral cities, old market towns, quaint little villages & places of scenic beauty. Visit its legacy of inns & experience first hand the atmosphere of those special places where history was made. Indeed, every inn sign is a part of the true treasury that is England`s heritage. Enhanced by extracts from favourite poems written over many centuries, The Hart of England is illustrated throughout with photographs of hundreds of signs. A must for everyone who loves England! ...

At 30cm (12”) in diameter, with an old world look, the Hastings defines enduring appeal. The successful blend of an antique-style raised-relief globe ball, an attractive solid walnut base, & painted, die-cast semi-meridian, make this the perfect globe for any setting. ...

A powerful & brave YA novel about what prejudice looks like in the 21st century. Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born & raised & her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful & gripping YA novel about one girl`s struggle for justice. Movie rights have been sold to Fox, with Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games) to star. ...

The best-known of Shirley Jackson`s novels, & the inspiration for writers such as Neil Gaiman & Stephen King, The Haunting of Hill House is a chilling story of the power of fear. Four seekers have arrived at the rambling old pile known as Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely assistant; Luke, the future inheritor of the estate; & Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with horrifying occurrences beyond their control or understanding, they cannot possibly know what lies ahead. For Hill House is gathering its powers
- & soon it will choose one of them to make its own. Adapted into a film, The Haunting, starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones & Owen Wilson, The Haunting of Hill House is a powerful work of slow-burning psychological horror.
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Cuba, an island 750 miles long, with a population of about 11 million, lies less than 100 miles off the U.S. coast. Yet the island's influences on America's cultural imagination are extensive & deeply ingrained. In the engaging & wide-ranging Havana Habit, writer & scholar Gustavo Perez Firmat probes the importance of Havana, & of greater Cuba, in the cultural history of the United States. Through books, advertisements, travel guides, films, & music, he demonstrates the influence of the island on almost two centuries of American life. From John Quincy Adams' comparison of Cuba to an apple ready to drop into America's lap, to the latest episodes in the lives of the 'comic comandantes & exotic exiles', & to such notable Cuban exports as the rumba & the mambo, cigars & mojitos, the Cuba that emerges from these pages is a locale that Cubans & Americans have jointly imagined & inhabited. The Havana Habit deftly illustrates what makes Cuba, as Perez Firmat writes, 'so near & yet so foreign'. ...

Throughout the 1950s, as the Cuban people laboured under a violently repressive regime, the mob-financed revelry in Havana never stopped. Tourists from around the world flooded in to gamble, go to the racetrack, see an elaborate floorshow at the Tropicana & perhaps partake in the sexual activities that flourished on the fringe of the most colourful nightlife scene of the twentieth century. It may have seemed like fun & games, but for the Havana Mob it was a serious business. Led by Meyer Lansky & Lucky Luciano
- & with the full compliance of President Fulgencio Batista
- the Mob set out to create a financial empire that would rival the `glory days` of Prohibition in the US. For a time, the plan seemed to be a runaway success, but they were sowing the seeds of their own demise. Behind the scenes, Fidel Castro was building opposition to what he portrayed as the debauchery & corruption of capitalism run amok in Havana
- the result was revolution. ” The Havana Mob” captures a unique & exotic chapter not only in the history of organised crime but also in the history of the United States, & the story is told through interviews & the first-hand accounts.


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The Hawthorns in 1888 in a fascinating series of reproductions of old Ordnance Survey plans in the Alan Godfrey Editions, ideal for anyone interested in the history of their neighbourhood or family. Selected towns in Great Britain & Ireland are covered by maps showing the extent of urban development in the last decades of the 19th & early 20th century. In this title: two versions have been published for this area. The maps cover the eastern part of West Bromwich & western part of Handsworth, with the area known as The Hawthorns in the centre. Coverage stretches from Roebuck Lane eastward to Booth Street. Features on the 1886 map include GWR railway with Handsworth Junction, Handsworth & Smethwick station & portion of Stourbridge extension line; tramway, Railway Carriage Works, Sandwell Place, Phoenix Bolt Works, St James church Handsworth, Sandwell Park Colliery, Galton Junction, St Stephen's Mission Room, Belle Vue Brewery, etc. The 1913 version shows a more built-up scene, with many more terraced streets running south of the Holyhead Road. It

Includes:: extracts from a 1907 directory for Booth Street, Downing Street, Holyhead Road & Wattville Road, Handsworth. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25

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The Hawthorns in 1913 in a fascinating series of reproductions of old Ordnance Survey plans in the Alan Godfrey Editions, ideal for anyone interested in the history of their neighbourhood or family. Two versions have been published for this area. The maps cover the eastern part of West Bromwich & western part of Handsworth, with the area known as The Hawthorns in the centre. Coverage stretches from Roebuck Lane eastward to Booth Street. Features on the 1886 map include GWR railway with Handsworth Junction, Handsworth & Smethwick station & portion of Stourbridge extension line; tramway, Railway Carriage Works, Sandwell Place, Phoenix Bolt Works, St James church Handsworth, Sandwell Park Colliery, Galton Junction, St Stephen`s Mission Room, Belle Vue Brewery, etc. The 1913 version shows a more built-up scene, with many more terraced streets running south of the Holyhead Road. It

Includes:: extracts from a 1907 directory for Booth Street, Downing Street, Holyhead Road & Wattville Road, Handsworth. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25” OS Series: Selected towns in Great Britain & Ireland are covered by maps showing the extent of urban development in the last decades of the 19th & early 20th century. The plans have been taken from the Ordnance Survey mapping & reprinted at about 15 inches to one mile (1:4, 340). On the reverse most maps have historical notes & many also include extracts from contemporary directories. Most maps cover about one mile (1.6kms) north/south, one & a half miles (2.4kms) across; adjoining sheets can be combined to provide wider coverage.FOR MORE INFORMATION & A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL AVAILABLE TITLES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK.

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Seth Greenland’s witty, clear-eyed new novel is a story of interconnecting lives, in which generations, races, & religions converge & conflict. Jay Gladstone was born to privilege. He is a civic leader & a generous philanthropist, as well as the owner of an NBA team. But in today’s New York, even a wealthy man’s life can spin out of control, no matter the money or influence he possesses. Jay sees himself as a moral man, determined not to repeat his father’s mistakes. He would rather focus on his unstable second marriage & his daughter Aviva than worry about questions of race or privilege. However, he moves through a sensitive & aware world: that of Dag Maxwell, the black star forward, & white Officer Russell Plesko, who makes a decision that has resonating consequences?particularly for DA Christine Lupo, whose hopes for a future in politics will rest on an explosive prosecution. Set during Barack Obama’s presidency, this artful novel illuminates contemporary America & does not shy away from our scalding social divide: why is conversation about race so fraught, to what degree is the justice system impartial, & does great wealth inoculate those who have it? At times shocking, but always recognizable, this captivating tale explores the aftermath of unforgivable errors & the unpredictability of the court of public opinion. With a brilliant eye for character, Greenland creates a story that mixes biting humor with uncomfortable truth. ...

Seventeen-year-old Alice & her mother have spent most of Alice`s life on the road, always a step ahead of the strange bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice`s grandmother, the reclusive author of a book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate
- the Hazel Wood
- Alice learns how bad her luck can really get. Her mother is stolen away
- by a figure who claims to come from the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother`s stories are set. Alice`s only lead is the message her mother left behind: STAY AWAY FROM THE HAZEL WOOD. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother`s tales began...


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