The author of the international phenomenon War Horse brings us a moving tale of secrets & survival bound together by the power of music. When Lesley is sent to Venice to interview world-renowned violinist Paulo Levi on his fiftieth birthday, she cannot believe her luck. She is told that she can ask him anything at all
- except the Mozart question. But it is Paulo himself who decides that the time has come for the truth to be told. & so follows the story of his parents in a Jewish concentration camp, forced to play Mozart violin concerti for the enemy; how they watched fellow Jews being led off to their deaths & knew that they were playing for their lives. As the story unfolds, the journalist begins to understand the full horror of war
- & how one group of musicians survived using the only weapon they had.

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All the African animals were afraid of the Mud Monster. They knew it was huge & they knew it was horrible. But none of them had actually seen it. Until one day... The author`s royalties will be donated in support of wildlife habitat conservation projects in Africa. ...

In a series of lively biographical portraits, this book forms a reign-by-reign record of the sultans, shahs, emperors & khans who all shared the Muslim persianate high civilization that flourished from Iran & Central Asia through Afghanistan to India from the 13th to the 20th centuries. A masterly survey by an authoritative author, this is an essential guide to understanding the history & culture of key Islamic dynasties in what is now an area of great relevance in today`s geopolitics. ...

I became a spy because my father before me was a spy. Although I am, for the time being, hiding something from you. In a rose garden in Buenos Aires, a young American spy meets the beautiful daughter of a famous Argentinian revolutionary. They fall in love. But he is no ordinary spy
- & she is no ordinary woman. He has a hidden agenda: to avenge his father, who died penniless & friendless on the streets of Washington. & in Luz, he seems to have found an ally. But, as his fate becomes further entwined with hers, he soon finds himself caught in a perilous web of passions, loyalties & lies that stretches back to the darkest days of the Cold War.
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Most of the modern states of the Middle East are of recent origin, yet the region is the birthplace of three religions & many civilizations. Bernard Lewis, one of the world`s most respected historians of the Middle East, discusses the countries & frontiers; their religions & communities; language & loyalties to place, & Middle Eastern perceptions of outsiders. He also considers the effect of alien ideas & influences including liberalism, nationalism, fascism, socialism & democracy. ...

In February 2012, in a Munich flat belonging to an elderly recluse, German customs authorities seized an astonishing hoard of more than 1, 400 paintings, drawings, prints & sculptures. When Cornelius Gurlitt`s trove became public in November 2013, it caused a worldwide media sensation. Catherine Hickley has delved into archives & conducted dozens of interviews to uncover the story behind the headlines. Her book illuminates a dark period of German history, untangling a web of deceit & silence that has prevented the heirs of Jewish collectors from recovering art stolen from their families more than seven decades ago by the Nazis. Hickley recounts the shady history of the Gurlitt hoard & brings its story right up to date, as 21st-century politicians & lawyers puzzle over the inadequacies of a legal framework that to this day falls short in securing justice for the heirs of those robbed by the Nazis. ...

A slim sturdy hardbacked book, essential packing for all Scottish mountain walkers. Ascent details, map references & simple location diagrams for all 284 Munros are arranged by region.

Includes:: some colour photographs, suggested further reading & an index.

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When Chris Townsend reached the summit of Ben Hope in Sutherl&, he walked his way into the record books. After 118 days in which he had covered more than 1, 700 miles & climber over 575, 000 feet, he had completed the first single continuous journey of all 277 Munros & 240 Tops in the Scottish Highlands. This is the story of that remarkable walk from the start on Ben More on the Isle of Mull through to the finish, the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 18 times. For the author, the real enjoyment of the walk was not in counting up the summits or the miles but in spending week after week in the hills & living in the wilds. In THE MUNROS & TOPS, Chris Townsend recalls the joys of observing the birds & animals, the trees & flowers, the changing shapes of the hills & the play of light on their slopes. He writes about the complexities of route-finding & the challenge of rugged terrain & of coping with often atrocious weather conditions. Illustrated with photographs taken during the walk, this is a stirring account of a unique achievement. ...

In 1985 mountain guide Martin Moran achieved the first completion of all 277 Munros* in a single winter with the support & companionship of his wife Joy. Their success was a feat of dedicated mountaineering & effective teamwork through the storms, snows & avalanches of an epic winter season in the Scottish Highlands. Martin`s account of the winter journey became a classic mountain narrative, combining his passionate enthusiasm for the mountains with humorous insights into a marriage put to the test through three months of living in a camper van. It was described as `the best guidebook to the Munros` by mountain writer Jim Perrin. The book inspired many other climbers & runners to pick up the gauntlet in pursuit of new feats of endurance on Scotland`s hills, & is now reissued with full colour photographs plus an introductory update by the author on how the ` Munros in Winter` changed his life. ...

The Ultimate Guide to The Munros is a guidebook with a difference. Rather than telling the reader which are the 'best' routes, it describes all practicable ascent routes up all the Munros, & rates them in terms of difficulty & quality (using comprehensive grading systems). This enables the reader to make his/her own choices from a range of route options. Providing everything a prospective hill walker could want, The Ultimate Guide to the Munros also makes extensive use of annotated digital photographs & OS maps &

Includes:: everything about a route from the amount of effort required to local history, weather conditions & the best tea-rooms in the vicinity.

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