READ IN AN AFTERNOON. REMEMBER FOR A LIFETIME. In this short, entertaining & thought-provoking book, acclaimed historian John Hirst provides a fascinating exploration of the qualities that have made Europe a world-changing civilisation. Starting with a rapid historical overview from the ancient Greeks to the present day (the `shortest history` itself), Hirst goes on to explore in detail what makes Europe unique: its political evolution; the shaping influence of its linguistic boundaries; the crucial role played by power struggles between Pope & Emperor; & of course the great invasions & conquests that have transformed the continent. Written with clarity, feeling & wit, The Shortest History of Europe is a tour-de-force: read in a single afternoon, it will be remembered for a lifetime.NB This is a updated & expanded edition, with new sections covering the industrial revolution, the world wars & the postwar period. ...

In his acclaimed new bestseller, now in paperback, James Hawes tells the story of Europe`s most admired & feared country, from Julius Caesar to Angela Merkel. With more than 100 maps & images, this is a fresh, concise & entertaining attempt to answer the question: are the Germans really us, or them? ...

Ernesto Duran is convinced he is sick. It becomes an obsession far exceeding hypochondria, & when Dr Andres Miranda gives up responding to e-mails, Duran resolves to stalk him. The fixation has its own creeping effect on Karina, the hospital secretary, who cannot resist becoming involved. Meanwhile Dr Miranda is coming to terms with a tragedy of his own: his father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, & yet the doctor
- the son
- finds it impossible to tell him. He hopes that by taking his father on a trip to Isla Margarita, where they once went when he was a child, he might be able to reveal the truth. The nature of sickness as experienced by two individuals provides the backbone to this tender, thoughtful & refined novel. The Sickness is profound & philosophical, & yet written with an agility that expresses the tragedy, but also the comedy of life itself. A brilliantly achieved first novel.

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Leningrad, September 1941. Hitler orders the German forces to surround the city at the start of the most dangerous, desperate winter in its history. For two pairs of lovers
- Anna & Andrei, Anna`s novelist father & banned actress Marina
- the siege becomes a battle for survival. They will soon discover what it is like to be so hungry you boil shoe leather to make soup, so cold you burn furniture & books. But this is not just a struggle to exist, it is also a fight to keep the spark of hope alive...” The Siege” is a brilliantly imagined novel of war & the wounds it inflicts on ordinary people`s lives & a profoundly moving celebration of love, life & survival.

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In the early fifteenth century, as winter falls away, the people of Albania know that their fate is sealed. They have refused to negotiate with the Ottoman Empire, & war is now inevitable. Soon enough dust kicked up by Turkish horses is spotted from a citadel. Brightly coloured banners, hastily constructed minarets & tens of thousands of men fill the plain below. From this moment on, the world is waiting to hear that the fortress has fallen. The Siege tells the enthralling story of the weeks & months that follow
- of the exhilaration & despair of the battlefield, the constantly shifting strategies of war, & those whose lives are held in balance, from the Pasha himself to the technicians, artillerymen, astrologer, blind poet & harem of women that accompany him.
...

This is the history of one of the great battles of the world, written by a private soldier who was an eye-witness. The siege of Malta was a crucial moment in the long struggle between Islam & Christendom for domination of the Mediterranean, fought out by unequal forces on the small island which commands the sea-routes at the centre of that sea. The Knights of St John were a survival from the medieval world, the largest of the surviving crusading orders, & they had been driven out of their base on Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean after a great onslaught by the Turks in 1522. Now, forty-three years later, the Turkish ruler, Suleyman the Magnificent, who had been the victor at Rhodes, was determined to finish them off. He sent out a huge armada, carrying the pick of his army, under two commanders. Against this powerful force, the Knights could only raise a handful of men & mercenaries, & had to depend on the fortifications they had raised in the thirty-five years since they first came to Malta, which bore no comparison to the massive walls & ditches on Rhodes. Francisco Balbi di Correggio was a humble soldier of fortune who enlisted under the charismatic command of the Grand Master of the Order, Jean de la Valette. The extraordinary drama that unfolded after the first appearance of the Turkish fleet in the summer of 1565 is told in his own words, giving equal credit to the courage & leadership of the Knights & the grim determination of the ordinary people of Malta. ...

The consequences of defeat were momentous: the Ottomans lost half their European territories & began the long decline which led to the final collapse of the Empire, & the Hapsburgs turned their attention from France & the Rhine frontier to the rich pickings of the Balkans. The hot September day that witnesses the last great trial of strength between Cross & Crescent opened an epoch in European history that lasted until the cataclysm of the First World War in 1914. ...

On 26th November 2008 the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai is besieged by Pakistani Islamists, armed with explosives & machine guns. For three days, guests & staff of the hotel are trapped as the terrorists run amok. On 29th November commandos launch Operation Black Tornado. The world holds its breath. The Siege is a helter-skelter thriller, threaded with powerful human stories. By turns tragic & heroic, the events are told through a cast of real characters, who were thrown together in the luxurious, century-old Taj: waiters, chefs, captains of industry, hedge funders, celebrities, tourists, policemen, special forces & terrorists. For the first time, this astonishing book takes us through the news footage & into the heart of the hotel. Each hostage has a choice: hide, run or fight. What would you do? ...

This guidebook showcases 32 walks exploring the sierras of Caceres & Badajoz, one of Spain`s least known regions & a gem for walkers & nature lovers. Walks range in length from 6 to 20km are suitable for any reasonably fit walker. They can be done from a number of bases in the area including San Martin de Trevejo, Gata, Hervas, Jerte, Jarandilla de la Vera, Montanchez, Guadalupe, Almoharin, Merida, Alange, Hornachos & Monesterio. Each walk is accompanied by a sketch map & detailed route description, as well as notes on the terrain, refreshments available & access. Background information about the area & the many interesting sites passed along the route combine to give an invaluable guide to an unspoilt & peaceful region. Extremadura is one of the most untouched regions of Spain, a delightful mix of rugged mountain ranges, gently rolling hills, deciduous forests, deep river valleys, olive groves & shady pastures, all criss-crossed by thousands of paths. superb birdlife & a variety of heritage sites, from cave paintings to monasteries, add to this region`s charms. ...

As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman Mary Morstan, whose father vanished ten years before. Four years later she began to receive an exquisite gift every year: a large, lustrous pearl. Now she has had an intriguing invitation to meet her unknown benefactor & urges Holmes & Watson to accompany her. & in the ensuing investigation which involves a wronged woman, a stolen hoard of Indian treasure, a wooden-legged ruffian, a helpful dog & a love affair even the jaded Holmes is moved to exclaim, Isn`t it gorgeous!` ...