Once, Theodora was little more than a slave, the daughter of a bear-keeper, running barefoot through the streets of Constantinople. Now she is Theou doron, `the Gift of God`, Empress of Byzantine Rome & the most powerful woman in the world. In Stella Duffy`s compelling new novel, the beguiling & extraordinary Empress Theodora emerges from the shadow of history into brilliant light. Clever, courageous & ruthless when betrayed, Theodora rules alongside her husb&, the Emperor Justinian
- a true love match in a world of political marriages. While wars rage on the borders of the Empire, Theodora discovers that the greatest danger to her reign
- & her life
- lies much closer to home. From the catastrophic & terrifying riots that burn through the city; to vengeful enemies at the palace who will never accept ` Theodora-from-the-brothel`; to plagues & plots & murder, Theodora learns what it truly means to be Empress. Spanning over twenty dramatic years of Theodora`s reign, The violet Shroud is a vivid portrait of a charismatic, exceptional woman & a fascinating exploration of both the pleasures & the burdens of power.


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Described as a `riveting read` by Sarah Waters & acclaimed by crime writers such as Andrew Taylor, ” The Pursued” is a dark, gripping 1930s psychological thriller by C. S. Forester, the author of ” Hornblower”. The story begins when Marjorie, a young woman, arrives home one summer evening & finds her sister, dead, with her head in the oven. She looks peaceful, as if she is asleep. Their mother suspects, however, that Dot`s death was far from natural
- & that she knows who the killer is. So, slowly & meticulously, she plots her terrible revenge. C. S. Forester`s 1935 thriller ” The Pursued”, lost for decades, rewrote the traditions of crime fiction to create a dark, twisted portrayal of obsession & retribution.
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The ” Pursuit of Italy” traces the whole history of the Italian peninsula in a wonderfully readable style, full of well-chosen stories & observations from personal experience, & peopled by many of the great figures of the Italian past, from Cicero & Virgil to Dante & the Medici, from Cavour & Verdi to the controversial political figures of the twentieth century. The book gives a clear-eyed view of the Risorgimento, the pivotal event in modern Italian history, debunking the influential myths which have grown up around it. Gilmour shows that the glory of Italy has always lain in its regions, with their distinctive art, civic cultures, identities & cuisine & whose inhabitants identified themselves not as Italians, but as Tuscans & Venetians, Sicilians & Lombards, Neapolitans & Genoese. This is where the strength & culture of Italy still comes from, rather than from misconceived & mishandled concepts of nationalism & unity. This wise & enormously engaging book explains the course of Italian history in a manner & with a coherence which no one with an interest in the country could fail to enjoy. ...

Nancy Mitford`s The Pursuit of Love is one of the funniest, sharpest novels about love & growing up ever written. ` Obsessed with sex!` said Jassy, `there`s nobody so obsessed as you, Linda. Why if I so much as look at a picture you say I`m a pygmalionist.` In the end we got more information out of a book called Ducks & Duck Breeding. ` Ducks can only copulate, ` said Linda, after studying this for a while, `in running water. Good luck to them.` Oh, the tedium of waiting to grow up! Longing for love, obsessed with weddings & sex, Linda & her sisters & cousin Fanny are on the lookout for the perfect lover. But finding Mr Right is much harder than any of the sisters had thought. Linda must suffer marriage first to a stuffy Tory MP & then to a handsome & humourless communist, before finding real love in war-torn Paris...” Utter, utter bliss.” (Daily Mail). ...

`A scintillating, encyclopaedic history, rich in detail from the arcane to the familiar...a veritable tour de force` Richard Overy, New Statesman ` Transnational history at its finest.. .social, political & cultural themes swirl together in one great canvas of immense detail & beauty` Gerard De Groot, The Times ` Dazzlingly erudite & entertaining` Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times A masterpiece which brings to life an extraordinarly turbulent & dramatic era of revolutionary change. The Pursuit of Power draws on a lifetime of thinking about nineteenth-century Europe to create an extraordinarily rich, surprising & entertaining panorama of a continent undergoing drastic transformation. The book aims to reignite the sense of wonder that permeated this remarkable era, as rulers & ruled navigated overwhelming cultural, political & technological changes. It was a time where what was seen as modern with amazing speed appeared old-fashioned, where huge cities sprang up in a generation, new European countries were created & where, for the first time, humans could communicate almost instantly over thousands of miles. In the period bounded by the Battle of Waterloo & the outbreak of World War I, Europe dominated the rest of the world as never before or since: this book breaks new ground by showing how the continent shaped, & was shaped by, its interactions with other parts of the globe. Richard Evans explores fully the revolutions, empire-building & wars that marked the nineteenth century, but the book is about so much more, whether it is illness, serfdom, religion or philosophy. The Pursuit of Power is a work by a historian at the height of his powers: essential for anyone trying to understand Europe, then or now. ...

In 1853 Karl Marx predicted the Indian Railways would foster the growth of parallel industries `not immediately connected with the railways.` But the most successful industry-which Marx could not possibly have dreamed of-was that of cultural representations of the railways, which began even before the railways, themselves. From Rudyard Kipling to Mark Twain to R.K. Narayan to Ruskin Bond-the aura of Indian trains & railway stations have enchanted many. What imperialism made opulent, nationalism embraced a swadeshi tool, Partition turned into theaters of the macabre, & the nation`s destiny marked for its favorite foster child, came to embody the portable architecture of India`s modernity. &, what with iconic railway cinematography from Aradhana (1969), Sonar Kella (1974), Gandhi (1982), Dil Se (1997), or Parineeta (2005), Indian cinema has forged mythical railroads in the national psyche. The Purveyors of Destiny brings together all these elements together, for the first time, in a book replete with anecdotes from colonial & Indian accounts, the battlefronts of the Indian nationalist movement, Indian cinema, advertisements, & much more, in an ever expanding cultural biography of the Great Indian Railways.` In this fascinating cultural history, Arup K Chatterjee charts the extraordinary journey of the Indian Railways, from the laying of the very first sleeper to the first post-Independence bogey. It evokes our collective accumulation of those innumerable memories of platform chai & rail-gaadi stories, bringing alive through myriad voices & tales the biography of one of India`s defining public institutions.`- Shashi Tharoor, Author, M.P., Lok Sabha` The Purveyors of Destiny is a fascinating & well-researched cultural biography of the Indian Railways-those intricate arteries of the soul of India, as have been experienced, written, filmed, & dreamed. We cannot all travel by rail to know India, as Gandhiji did, but we can & should read this book!`- Tabish Khair, Author, Professor` Drawing on an impressive repertoire of literature & film, this elegantly crafted biography of the railways takes us on a riveting journey through the cultural history of the Indian nation, from the 1850s to the present. Written with wit & verve, it is a delight to read.`- Sugata Bose, Author, Professor, M.P., Lok Sabha`A deeply engaging work that comfortably straddles, & masters, the worlds of academic research & modern nonfiction, offering countless delightful gems of India`s railway legends & narratives for the curious reader. Crafted with great skill & a keen understanding of modern culture from the region & beyond...a remarkable achievement!`- Kaushik Barua, Author`...a wonderfully eclectic account of the Indian Railways & the vital place they occupy in our cultural history, with memorable moments & motifs from literature, cinema & other elements of our collective imagination. A great train journey, replete with all of the essentials from garam chai & A.H. Wheeler to historic arrivals & departures...`- Stephen Alter, Author ...

`A real page-turner... captivating & deeply moving` Climb magazine In 2015 freeclimber Tommy Caldwell spent 19 days summiting Yosemite`s vertical, 3000-foot Dawn Wall
- the hardest climb in history. It was the culmination of seven years planning & a lifetime`s determination. Here, he recounts how he got there, the falls & set backs (being held hostage, losing his index finger, the break-up of his marriage), the summits conquered & the fears overcome. It is a story about drive, focus & how to achieve the impossible
- one toehold at a time. ` Caldwell`s story is one of the best. You get more than just a climbing adventure, you get the inside view of how a person can endure crushing setbacks & persist to fulfill a spectacular vision` Jim Collins, author of Good to Great ` Heart-stopping, absorbing` Daily Mail ` Captivating & unfailingly honest` Jon Krakauer ` This isn`t just a book about climbing, it`s about laser sharp focus in all aspects of life` Scott Jurek, author of Eat & Run ` Absolutely captivating, thrills, enriches` Denver Post

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` The most daring free climber on the planet` The Times A dramatic, inspiring memoir by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell, the first person to free climb the Dawn Wall of Yosemite`s El Capitan. On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell, along with his partner, Kevin Jorgeson, summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history Yosemite`s nearly vertical 3, 000-foot Dawn Wall, after nineteen days on the route. Caldwell`s odds-defying feat was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete. This engrossing memoir chronicles the journey of a boy with a fanatical mountain-guide father who was determined to instill toughness in his son to a teen whose obsessive nature drove him to the top of the sport-climbing circuit. Caldwell s affinity for adventure then led him to the vertigo-inducing & little understood world of big wall free climbing. But his evolution as a climber was not without challenges; in his early twenties, he was held hostage by militants in a harrowing ordeal in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Soon after, he lost his left index finger in an accident. Later his wife, & main climbing partner, left him. Caldwell emerged from these hardships with a renewed sense of purpose & determination. He set his sights on free climbing El Capitan s biggest, steepest, blankest face the Dawn Wall. This epic assault took more than seven years, during which time Caldwell redefined the sport, found love again, & became a father. The Push is an arresting story of focus, drive, motivation, endurance, & transformation, a book that will appeal to anyone ...

When Kurt Wallander first appeared in Faceless Killers back in 1990, he was a senior police officer, just turned forty, with his life in a mess. His wife had left him, his father barely acknowledged him; he ate badly & drank alone at night. The Pyramid chronicles the events that led him to such a place. We see him in the early years, doing hours on the beat whilst trying to solve a murder off-duty; witness the beginnings of his fragile relationship with Mona, the woman he has his heart set on marrying; & learn the reason behind his difficulties with his father. These thrilling tales provide a fascinating insight into Wallander's character, & demand to be read in one sitting. From the stabbing of a neighbour in 1969 to a light aircraft accident in 1989, every story is a vital piece of the Wallander series, showing Mankell at the top of his game. ...

The Pyramid of Mud is the twenty-second Montalbano mystery from Italy`s finest crime writer, Andrea Camilleri. It`s been raining for days in Vigata, & the persistent downpours have led to violent floods overtaking the Inspector`s beloved hometown, sweeping across the land & leaving only a sea of mud behind. It is on one of these endless grey days that a man
- a Mr Giuglu Nicotra
- is found dead. His body discovered in a large sewage tunnel, half naked & with a bullet in his back. The investigation is slow & slippery to start with, but when Montalbano realizes that every clue he uncovers & every person he interviews is leading to the same place: the world of public spending
- & with it, the Mafia
- the case begins to pick up pace. But there`s one question that keeps playing on Montalbano`s mind: in his strange & untimely death, was Giuglu Nicotra trying to tell him something?



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