Inspired by the work of Shirley Jackson & Susan Hill & set in a crumbling country mansion, The Silent Companions is an unsettling gothic ghost story to send a shiver down the spine... Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband`s crumbling country estate, The Bridge. With her new servants resentful & the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband`s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. For inside her new home lies a locked room, & beyond that door lies a two-hundred-year-old diary & a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure
- a Silent Companion
- that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself...

...

As featured on the Radio 2 Book Club. Some doors are locked for a reason... Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband`s crumbling country estate, The Bridge. With her new servants resentful & the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband`s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. For inside her new home lies a locked room, & beyond that door lies a two-hundred-year-old diary & a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure
- a Silent Companion
- that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself...

...

In Oe`s masterpiece of the human condition & family psychology, estranged brothers Mitsusaburo & Takashi have long since left their family home in a remote forested valley on Shikoku, in the south of Japan: Mitsusaburo for work in Tokyo; his younger brother Takashi for the United States, to atone for his part in anti-American student protests. Takashi`s return to Japan coincides with a local Korean supermarket magnate`s offer to buy the brothers` ancestral storehouse, pitting the brothers against one another & dredging up family histories best forgotten. The Silent Cry is the most important Japanese novel of the post-war period & a strange, unsettling tale of how the call of blood & history echoes down the generations. ...

On 6 June 1944 Britain woke up to a profound silence. Overnight, 160, 000 Allied troops had vanished & an eerie emptiness settled over the country. The majority of those men would never return. This is the story of that extraordinary 24 hours. Using a wealth of first person testimonies, renowned historian Max Arthur recounts a remarkable new oral history of D-Day, beginning with the two years leading up to the silent day which saw the UK transformed by the arrival of thousands of American & Canadian troops. We also hear the views of the American troops, who quickly formed strong views of both the British military & civilian populations. Then, on that June morning, many Britain people woke up to discover that vast areas of the country, which had throbbed with life only the day before, were now empty & silent. Civilian workers found coffee pots still warm on the stove but not a soul to greet them. Many women
- & children
- felt bewildered & betrayed. Then, throughout that day & the days that followed, the whole population gathered around wireless sets, waiting for news. There are powerful testimonies from families of who lost loved ones on the beaches of Normandy, & dramatic personal accounts from young widows who had never had the chance to say goodbye. THE SILENT DAY is an original & evocative portrait of a key event in world history, & a poignant reminder of the human cost of D-Day.

...

On 6 June 1944 Britain woke up to a profound silence. Overnight, 160, 000 Allied troops had vanished & an eerie emptiness settled over the country. The majority of those men would never return. This is the story of that extraordinary 24 hours. Using a wealth of first person testimonies, renowned historian Max Arthur recounts a remarkable new oral history of D-Day, beginning with the two years leading up to the silent day which saw the UK transformed by the arrival of thousands of American & Canadian troops. We also hear the views of the American troops, who quickly formed strong views of both the British military & civilian populations. Then, on that June morning, many British people woke up to discover that vast areas of the country, which had throbbed with life only the day before, were now empty & silent. Civilian workers found coffee pots still warm on the stove but not a soul to greet them. Many women
- & children
- felt bewildered & betrayed. Then, throughout that day & the days that followed, the whole population gathered around wireless sets, waiting for news. There are powerful testimonies from families of who lost loved ones on the beaches of Normandy, & dramatic personal accounts from young widows who had never had the chance to say goodbye. THE SILENT DAY is an original & evocative portrait of a key event in world history, & a poignant reminder of the human cost of D-Day.

...

First published in 1938, this book by Chiang Yee is original in more ways than one. It was one of the first available titles written in English by a Chinese author, but it also reversed the expected conventions of travel writing, as the ”exotic” subject becomes London & its people, as observed by a foreigner. Chiang Lee, immersing himself in the strange rituals of London life, set out to learn about Londoners, their habits & their pleasures. He watched locals at work & at play. He was fascinated by such social conventions as afternoon tea & discussing the weather. He tried to make sense of British society, & as Chiang Yee lived through the capital`s various seasons his affinity with the place & its people grew, all reflected in his simple & lyrical prose. ” The Silent Traveller in London” contains sketches in the author`s own h&. It is also a book about China & a world in transition. Comparing London with his native land Chiang Yee draws parallels & contrasts, seeking to rectify misunderstandings & stereotypes regarding Chinese life. ...

FROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE TEA PLANTER`S WIFE. Dinah Jefferies` stunning new novel is a gripping, unforgettable ...

Celebrating the cultural heritage of the countries along the Silk Route, this text explores the ancient trade route between Europe & the Far East, more specifically between Rome & the old Chinese capital of Xian. It examines the beautiful works of art discovered in each country, & sets them in their historical & geographical context. The author provides a comprehensive history of the Silk Road, drawing freely on anecdotes & literary & historical sources he examines the lives of the merchants & other travellers who used this route. Vignettes & poems from the heydey of the great trading route punctuate a lively & colourful text, which also features Antonia Tozer`s evocative photographs. ...

The ancient trade routes between Europe & the Orient, specifically between Rome & the old Chinese capital of Xian, endured for almost two thousand years. Along with trade goods came new ideas--religions, medical knowledge, & scientific & technological innovations passed in both directions & the Silk Road became a great network of veins & arteries, carrying the life-blood of nations across the known world. ” The Silk Road ”is a concise, more portable version of Jonathan Tucker`s acclaimed book, ” The Silk Road: Art & History, ” acclaimed by the ” Literary Review” as ”a beautiful book.. .the most informative work on the subject.” Replete with fascinating details of the main historical sites, works of art, accounts by ancient & modern travelers, legends, poetry & other literary references, photographs, maps & site-plans, this will be essential reading for all those interested in or planning to travel the ancient Silk Road. ...

Linking East & West, Asia with Europe, the Silk Road was once the most important trading route in the world. A conduit for the exchange of prized silks, spices & jewels as well as philosophies, cultures & religions, the Silk Road was a catalyst for the rise & fall of some of the greatest civilisations in history, from the empires of Alexander the Great to Genghis Khan. It was through its great caravans that the western world discovered paper, gunpowder & the compass & through them that Buddhism spread to China. Its very name has become iconic, synonymous with exoticism, adventure & mystery. The second in the trilogy
- `the War`, `the Road` & `the Lake`
- this is the account of Sven Hedin`s 10, 000-mile journey along the ancient Silk Road, as he carried out a mission for the Chinese to create a road linking China with the rogue province of Xinjiang. Forbidden by the government to conduct archaeological investigations, Hedin ignored the restriction & was imprisoned for it but the research that he brought back with him has formed the basis of much of the West`s knowledge of the Silk Road & its history. Today, as waves of tourists tread its abandoned routes & explore its ruined caravanserais, they follow in the footsteps of this original Silk Road explorer.

...