A new translation of Giorgio Bassani`s haunting collection of short stories that evoke 1930s Ferrara, with an introduction by Ali Smith. Isolated lives & a lost world are evoked in these memorable stories set in the Jewish-Italian community of 1930s Ferrara. A young man`s unrequited love; a strange disappearance; a faded hotel; a lonely funfair; the smell of mown hay at the gates of the Jewish Cemetery
- these vivid, impressionistic snapshots build a picture of life`s brevity & intensity. Part of the sequence including The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles & The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, & featuring people & places from these novels, The Smell of Hay is told with a voice that is by turns intimate, ironic, elegiac & rueful. This new translation contains two pieces, added by Bassani to his earlier collection, which have never appeared in English before. ” Powerful new translations... Bassani began as a poet, & Mc Kendrick`s redelivery of this taut uncompromising fiction reveals resonance & generosity”. (Ali Smith). ” Giorgio Bassani is one of the great witnesses of this century, & one of its great artists”. (Guardian). Giorgio Bassani (1916-2000) was an Italian poet, novelist & editor. The Smell of Hay is the last in a series of six works collected together as Il romanzo di Ferrara. Other works in the cycle include The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, which received the Viareggio Prize & inspired an Academy Award-winning film adaptation by Vittorio de Sica, The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles, & Within the Walls (originally published as Five Stories of Ferrara), which won the Strega Prize. Jamie Mc Kendrick is a poet & translator. His translations of Bassani`s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis & The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles are already available as Penguin Modern Classics, & he is in the process of translating the rest of the Romanzo di Ferrara cycle anew.
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Alaska, 1970: growing up here is like nowhere else. Ruth wants to be remembered by her grieving mother. Dora wishes she was invisible to her abusive father. Alyce is staying at home to please her parents. Hank is running away for the sake of his brothers. Four very different lives are about to become entangled. Because if we don`t save each other, how can we begin to save ourselves? Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock`s extraordinary, stunning debut is both moving, & deeply authentic. These intertwining stories of love, tragedy, wild luck, & salvation on the edge of America`s Last Frontier introduce a writer of rare & wonderful talent. ...

'I remember being much amused last year, when landing at Calais, ' wrote Mrs Frances Trollope in her 1835 book, Paris & the Parisians, 'at the answer made by an old traveller to a novice.. .making his first voyage. What a dreadful smell! said the uninitiated stranger.. .it is the smell of the continent, sir! replied the man of experience. & so it was.' Historians James Munson & Richard Mullen examine just what it was about the smell of the continent that so attracted British travellers in the hundred years from the fall of Napoleon to the outbreak of the First World War. It was the first time in history that the British, en masse, set out to discover Europe. Drawing on contemporary accounts, diaries & letters, Munson & Mullen offer a compelling portrait of the Victorians abroad, many of them convinced that their country was not only vastly superior but also the envy of the world. From the glowing review coverage: ' Pure charm' A.N. Wilson, Reader's Digest ' An entertaining & sometimes surprising, thought-provoking history' Sunday Times ...

The Smell of Summer Grass is based partly on the long out of print ` Perch Hill`. It is the story of the years spent in finding & building a personal Arcadia, sometimes a dream, sometimes a nightmare, by writer Adam Nicolson & his wife, cook & gardener, Sarah Raven. Adam Nicolson was determined to leave metropolitan life but the rundown farm in the Sussex Weald was not quite what he bargained for. The scenery was breathtaking & the rural neighbours charming but the hard end of real farming life was another matter
- mud, cold, planning regulations & unco-operative livestock. But for the reader the whole enterprise is full of delight thanks to Adam Nicolson`s writing: frank, witty & touching, it is a testament to the importance of holding on to your dreams & turning them into reality.
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This achingly jawdropping book follows the evolution of dentistry throughout the world from the Bronze Age to the present day, presenting captivating & grim illustrations of the tools & techniques of dentistry through the ages. Organized chronologically, The Smile Stealers interleaves beautiful & gruesome technical illustrations & paintings from the Wellcome Collection`s unique archive of material from Europe, America & the Far East with seven authoritative & eloquent themed articles from medical historian Richard Barnett. A comprehensive review of the development of the trade & discipline of dentistry, it covers topics as diverse as the very first dentures (produced by the Etruscans in the seventh century bce); the smile revolution in 18th-century portraiture; & the role of dentistry in forensic science
- all in one beautifully illustrated volume. Extending the cult of the medically macabre begun by its predecessors The Sick Rose & Crucial Interventions, The Smile Stealers is guaranteed to appeal to lovers of the horrific & the beautiful alike as it probes the growth of dentistry
- from pulling out bad teeth to reconstructing jaws, & from painful action to pain-free interventions & the pursuit of the perfect smile.

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Following Ivy Sparrow`s discoveries in The Crooked Sixpence, the adventures continue in the second instalment of The Uncommoners trilogy, The Smoking Hourglass. As soon as Ivy & her brother Seb set foot back in the mysterious underground city of Lundinor, they know that something has changed.. . Where before there were cobbled streets, now the squares & lanes between the city`s enchanted shops are lush with spring blooms
- but something dark is stirring just below the surface, & uncommon traders are uneasy. Ivy & Seb have stumbled into a plot that could condemn every uncommoner to a disastrous fate... With the help of Valian, their extraordinary friend
- & some exceptional uncommon objects
- can Ivy & Seb put a stop to the sinister Dirge`s plans?


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When an elderly man is stabbed to death in an elevator & a crewman on an Italian fishing trawler is machine-gunned by a Tunisian patrol boat off Sicily`s coast, only Inspector Montalbano suspects a link between the two incidents. His investigation leads to the beautiful Karima, an impoverished house cleaner & sometime prostitute, whose young son steals other school children`s mid-morning snacks. But Karima disappears, & the young snack thief`s life as well as Montalbano`s is endangered when the inspector exposes a viper`s nest of government corruption & international intrigue. ...

One tiny snail longs to see the world & hitches a lift on the tail of a whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs & volcanoes, sharks & penguins, & the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes & the whale is beached in a bay, it`s the tiny snail who saves the day. ...

” How I long to sail!” said the tiny snail. One little snail longs to see the world & hitches a lift on the tail of an enormous whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs & volcanoes, sharks & penguins, & the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes & the whale is beached in a bay, it`s the tiny snail`s big plan that saves the day. The Snail & the Whale is a delightful tale of adventure & friendship by the unparalleled picture-book partnership of Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo. This edition features the classic story with a stunning, redesigned cover & beautiful finish, making it a must-have addition to the bookshelves of all Donaldson & Scheffler fans
- big & small! Also available with redesigned covers are The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo`s Child, Room on the Broom, The Smartest Giant in Town, Monkey Puzzle, Charlie Cook`s Favourite Book, & A Squash & a Squeeze.
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” How I long to sail!” said the tiny snail. One little snail longs to see the world & hitches a lift on the tail of an enormous whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs & volcanoes, sharks & penguins, & the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes & the whale is beached in a bay, it`s the tiny snail`s big plan that saves the day. The Snail & the Whale is a delightful tale of adventure & friendship by the unparalleled picture-book partnership of Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo. This handy board book format is perfect for younger readers. It features the classic story with a stunning redesigned cover & beautiful finish, making it a must-have for even the smallest Donaldson & Scheffler fans! Also available in board book format & with striking redesigned covers are: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo`s Child, Room on the Broom, The Smartest Giant in Town, Monkey Puzzle, Charlie Cook`s Favourite Book, & A Squash & a Squeeze. ...