THE ORIGINAL & BEST TRANSLATION BY MICHAEL GLENNY 50th Anniversary Edition. Afterwards, when it was frankly too late, descriptions were issued of the man: expensive grey suit, grey beret, one green eye & the other black. He arrives in Moscow one hot summer afternoon with various alarming accomplices, including a demonic, fast-talking black cat. When he leaves, the asylums are full & the forces of law & order are in disarray. Only the Master, a man devoted to truth, & Margarita, the woman he loves, can resist the devil`s onslaught. Brilliant & blackly comic, The Master & Margarita was repressed by Stalin`s authorities & only published after the author`s death. The Vintage Classic Russians Series: Published for the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution, these are must-have, beautifully designed editions of six epic masterpieces that have survived controversy, censorship & suppression to influence decades of thought & artistic expression. ...

The K Apartments for Ladies in Tokyo conceals a sinister past behind each door; a woman who has buried a child; a scavenger mad by ill-health; a wife mysteriously guarding her late husband`s manuscripts; a talented violinist tortured by her own guilt. The master key, which opens the door to all 150 rooms, links their tangled stories. But now it has been stolen, & dirty tricks are afoot. ...

Master painter Hans Memling is without peer in the artistic world of fifteenth-century Bruges. But when he falls in love with the Princess Marie, daughter of his powerful patron, the Duke of Burgundy, his life begins to unravel. Made reckless by his passion for Marie, Hans accepts an invitation to visit old allies in London. But there he will find himself plunged into the final stages of the War of the Roses & embroiled in one of the greatest political mysteries of all time. At once a spellbinding historical thriller & a vivid examination of the artistic impulse, The Master of Bruges is an enthralling debut. 'A stunning debut.. . An intelligent & exciting new voice in historical fiction'
- Lancashire Evening Post.
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In The Master of Petersburg, J M Coetzee dares to imagine the life of Dostoevsky. Set in 1869, when Dostoevsky was summoned from Germany to St Petersburg by the sudden death of his stepson, this novel is at once a compelling mystery steeped in the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Russia & a brilliant & courageous meditation on authority & rebellion, art & imagination. Dostoevsky is seen obsessively following his stepson`s ghost, trying to ascertain whether he was a suicide or a murder victim & whether he loved or despised his stepfather. ...

Bestselling author Javier Sierra takes you on a grand tour of the Prado museum in this historical novel that illuminates the fascinating mysteries behind European art-complete with gorgeous, full-colour inserts of artwork by da Vinci, Boticelli, & other master artists. Presented as a fictionalized autobiography, The Master of Pradobegins in Madrid in 1990, when Sierra encounters a mysterious stranger named Luis Fovel within the halls of the Prado. Fovel takes him on a whirlwind tour & promises to uncover startling secrets hidden in the museum`s masterpieces-secrets that open up a whole new world to Sierra. The enigmatic Fovel reveals how a variety of visions, prophesies, conspiracies, & even heresies inspired masters such as Raphael, Titian, Hieronymus Bosch, Botticelli, Brueghel, & El Greco. The secrets they concealed in their paintings are stunning enough to change the way we think about art, uncovering mysteries about historical facts, secret sects, & prophetical theories. It is these secrets that lead Sierra to question his entire understanding of art history & unearth ground-breaking discoveries about European art. At once a captivating novel & a beautifully illustrated reference guide to Madrid`s famed museum, The Master of the Pradois full of insights & intriguing mysteries. Sierra brings historical characters alive in this astounding narrative filled with dazzling surprises that will entrance you as much as the pictures within. ...

This collection presents the very best of nature photography, featuring the work of ten of the world`s foremost photographers. From the evocative artistry of Jim Brandenburg & Vincent Munier to the pioneering underwater photography of David Doubilet & Paul Nicklen, these influential artists display many different ways of seeing the natural world. Marvel at Pal Hermansen`s magical use of light & dark, the groundbreaking viewpoints of Frans Lanting, Anup Shah`s intimate portraits, the powerful visual statements of Michael Nichols, Thomas D Mangelsen`s vast, wild landscapes & Christian Ziegler`s gems of wild behaviour. Each portfolio profiles the photographer
- his approach, influences & aims
- & displays ten iconic images that reflect the range of his work. The accompanying captions focus on why the images are special for the photographer as well as telling the stories behind their creation. Revealing the inspiration behind some of the world`s most important nature photographs, this beautiful book will captivate art enthusiasts, photographers & all those with a passion for nature.

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The perfect gift for all those whose lives revolve around The Beautiful Game.. . The man works all week in the factory. The dog waits at home. On the weekend, they both watch THE MATCH on television together. Results aren`t good so the dog decides to do something about it.. . With a knowing, dry humour perfect for fans of Wallace & Gromit, & a simple domestic setting, THE MATCH is the ideal gift for all football fans. Because if you aren`t watching football, then reading about it is the next best thing! ...

Nellie Dowell was a match factory girl in Victorian London who spent her early years consigned to orphanages & hospitals. Muriel Lester, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, longed to be free of the burden of money & possessions. Together, these unlikely soulmates sought to remake the world according to their own utopian vision of Christ`s teachings. The Match Girl & the Heiress paints an unforgettable portrait of their late-nineteenth-century girlhoods of wealth & want, & their daring twentieth-century experiments in ethical living in a world torn apart by war, imperialism, & industrial capitalism. In this captivating book, Seth Koven chronicles how each traveled the globe--Nellie as a spinster proletarian laborer, Muriel as a well-heeled tourist & revered Christian peacemaker, anticolonial activist, & humanitarian. Koven vividly describes how their lives crossed in the slums of East London, where they inaugurated a grassroots revolution that took the Sermon on the Mount as a guide to achieving economic & social justice for the dispossessed. Koven shows how they devoted themselves to Kingsley Hall--Gandhi`s London home in 1931 & Britain`s first ”people`s house” founded on the Christian principles of social sharing, pacifism, & reconciliation--and sheds light on the intimacies & inequalities of their loving yet complicated relationship. The Match Girl & the Heiress probes the inner lives of these two extraordinary women against the panoramic backdrop of shop-floor labor politics, global capitalism, counterculture spirituality, & pacifist feminism to expose the wounds of poverty & neglect that Christian love could never heal. ...

Nellie Dowell was a match factory girl in Victorian London who spent her early years consigned to orphanages & hospitals. Muriel Lester, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, longed to be free of the burden of money & possessions. Together, these unlikely soulmates sought to remake the world according to their own utopian vision of Christ`s teachings. The Match Girl & the Heiress paints an unforgettable portrait of their late-nineteenth-century girlhoods of wealth & want, & their daring twentieth-century experiments in ethical living in a world torn apart by war, imperialism, & industrial capitalism. In this captivating book, Seth Koven chronicles how each traveled the globe--Nellie as a spinster proletarian laborer, Muriel as a well-heeled tourist & revered Christian peacemaker, anticolonial activist, & humanitarian. Koven vividly describes how their lives crossed in the slums of East London, where they inaugurated a grassroots revolution that took the Sermon on the Mount as a guide to achieving economic & social justice for the dispossessed. Koven shows how they devoted themselves to Kingsley Hall--Gandhi`s London home in 1931 & Britain`s first ”people`s house” founded on the Christian principles of social sharing, pacifism, & reconciliation--and sheds light on the intimacies & inequalities of their loving yet complicated relationship. The Match Girl & the Heiress probes the inner lives of these two extraordinary women against the panoramic backdrop of shop-floor labor politics, global capitalism, counterculture spirituality, & pacifist feminism to expose the wounds of poverty & neglect that Christian love could never heal. ...

` Agatha Christie for kids`
- the fourth in a detective agency series brimming with mystery & magic by million-copy-selling author,
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