His innovative thriller, as shocking now as when it was first published, the ” Penguin Classics” edition of Robert Louis Stevenson`s ” The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde & Other Tales of Terror” is edited with an introduction by Robert Mighall. Published as a `shilling shocker`, Robert Louis Stevenson`s dark psychological fantasy gave birth to the idea of the split personality. The story of respectable Dr Jekyll`s strange association with the `damnable young man` Edward Hyde; the hunt through fog-bound London for a killer; & the final revelation of Hyde`s true identity is a chilling exploration of humanity`s basest capacity for evil. The other stories in this volume also testify to Stevenson`s inventiveness within the Gothic tradition: ” Olalla”, a tale of vampirism & tainted family blood, & ” The Body Snatcher”, a gruesome fictionalisation of the exploits of the notorious Burke & Hare. This edition contains a critical introduction by Robert Mighall, which discusses class, criminality & the significance of the story`s London setting. It also

Includes:: an essay on the scientific contexts of the novel & the development of the idea of the Jekyll-&-Hyde personality. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Edinburgh, the son of a prosperous civil engineer. Although he began his career as an essayist & travel writer, the success of ” Treasure Island” (1883) & ” Kidnapped” (1886) established his reputation as a writer of tales of action & adventure. Stevenson`s Calvinist upbringing lent him a preoccupation with predestination & a fascination with the presence of evil, themes he explored in ” The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” (1886), & ” The Master of Ballantrae” (1893). If you enjoyed ” The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde”, you might like ” The Private Memoirs & Confessions of a Justified Sinner, by James Hogg”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”. ” Every bit as claustrophobic, creepy & chilling as when it first saw the light of day over a century ago”. (Ian Rankin).

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The Strange Death of Europe is a highly personal account of a continent & culture caught in the act of suicide. Declining birth-rates, mass immigration & cultivated self-distrust & self-hatred have come together to make Europeans unable to argue for themselves & incapable of resisting their own comprehensive change as a society. This book is not only an analysis of demographic & political realities, but also an eyewitness account of a continent in self-destruct mode. It

Includes:: reporting from across the entire continent, from the places where migrants land to the places they end up, from the people who appear to welcome them in to the places which cannot accept them. Told from this first-hand perspective, & backed with impressive research & evidence, the book addresses the disappointing failure of multiculturalism, Angela Merkel`s U-turn on migration, the lack of repatriation & the Western fixation on guilt. Murray travels to Berlin, Paris, Scandinavia, Lampedusa & Greece to uncover the malaise at the very heart of the European culture, & to hear the stories of those who have arrived in Europe from far away. In each chapter he also takes a step back to look at the bigger issues which lie behind a continent`s death-wish, answering the question of why anyone, let alone an entire civilisation, would do this to themselves? He ends with two visions of Europe
- one hopeful, one pessimistic
- which paint a picture of Europe in crisis & offer a choice as to what, if anything, we can do next.



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The Sunday Times number one bestseller The Strange Death of Europe is a highly personal account of a continent & culture caught in the act of suicide. Declining birth-rates, mass immigration & cultivated self-distrust & self-hatred have come together to make Europeans unable to argue for themselves & incapable of resisting their own comprehensive change as a society. This book is not only an analysis of demographic & political realities, but also an eyewitness account of a continent in self-destruct mode. It

Includes:: reporting from across the entire continent, from the places where migrants land to the places they end up, from the people who appear to welcome them in to the places which cannot accept them. Told from this first-hand perspective, & backed with impressive research & evidence, the book addresses the disappointing failure of multiculturalism, Angela Merkel`s U-turn on migration, the lack of repatriation & the Western fixation on guilt. Murray travels to Berlin, Paris, Scandinavia, Lampedusa & Greece to uncover the malaise at the very heart of the European culture, & to hear the stories of those who have arrived in Europe from far away. In each chapter he also takes a step back to look at the bigger issues which lie behind a continent`s death-wish, answering the question of why anyone, let alone an entire civilisation, would do this to themselves? He ends with two visions of Europe
- one hopeful, one pessimistic
- which paint a picture of Europe in crisis & offer a choice as to what, if anything, we can do next.



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The enchanting new Baby Ganesh Agency novel sees Inspector Chopra & his elephant sidekick investigating the dark side of Bollywood. Mumbai thrives on extravagant spectacles & larger-than-life characters. But even in the city of dreams, there is no guarantee of a happy ending. Rising star & incorrigible playboy Vikram Verma has disappeared, leaving his latest film in jeopardy. Hired by Verma`s formidable mother to find him, Inspector Chopra & his sidekick, baby elephant Ganesha, embark on a journey deep into the world`s most flamboyant movie industry. As they uncover feuding stars, failed investments & death threats, it seems that many people have a motive for wanting Verma out of the picture. & yet, as Chopra has long suspected, in Bollywood the truth is often stranger than fiction... ...

Buckingham Palace is one of the most familiar buildings in the world, but who knows the real tales hidden behind its ceremonial gates? Who was the witch that once lived in the royal courtyard? How could courtesans once have plied their trade in front of the present royal windows? How dare a prime minister call the palace a monstrous insult to the nation? This text presents a detailed exploration of the ordinary & sometimes extraordinary people who owned or lived on the land now occupied by the Palace, & of the royal occupants who later inhabited it. The book reveals how Buckingham Palace came to be the place it is today, from the time when it probably formed the escape route from a Roman battle nearly 2000 years ago, to the establishment of the first gentleman`s house there in the 17th century, & on into a chequered royal history, which

Includes:: an ambitious Saxon queen & James I`s plan to found an English silk industry in the Palace gardens.

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*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* Could you leave behind all that you know & live in solitude for three decades? This is the extraordinary story of the last true hermit
- Christopher Knight. ` This was a breath-taking book to read & many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society &
- by extension
- for my own life` Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm `A wry meditation on one man`s attempt to escape life`s distractions & look inwards, to find meaning not by doing, but by being` Martin Sixsmith, bestselling author of Philomena & Ayesha`s Gift ` Not all heroes wear capes. My latest one is a man called Christopher Knight
- a silent idol for anyone who has felt the urge to just sack it all off & live the life of a hermit` Lucy Mangan, Stylist ` An extraordinary story about solitude, community, identity & freedom` Guardian `A meditation on solitude, wildness & survival. It is also, unexpectedly, a tribute to the joys of reading` The Wall Street Journal In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, & disappeared into the woods. He would not speak to another human being until three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Christopher survived by his wits & courage, developing ingenious ways to store food & water in order to avoid freezing to death in his tent during the harsh Maine winters. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material & other provisions, taking only what he needed. In the process, he unwittingly terrified a community unable to solve the mysterious burglaries. Myths abounded amongst the locals eager to find this legendary hermit. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life & the challenges he faced returning to the world. The Stranger in the Woods is a riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude & what makes for a good life. Above all, this is a deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live life his own way.



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In the late summer of 1913, George Sawle brings the charming, aristocratic young poet Cecil Valance to his family`s modest home. The shared intimacies of this weekend link the Sawle & Valance families irrevocably, becoming legendary events in a larger story, told & interpreted in different ways over the coming century. Throughout this richly comic history of sexual mores & literary reputation we follow the two families, in a series of widely spaced episodes, through startling changes in fortune & circumstance. An impeccably nuanced exploration of changing taste, class & social etiquette, The Strange`s Child, written in deliciously witty & observant prose, is an enthralling novel from one of the finest writers in the English language. ` With The Stranger`s Child, an already remarkable talent unfurls into something spectacular` Sunday Times `A remarkable, unmissable achievement.. . One leaves the novel with a sense of the truly extraordinary` Independent ` Elegant, seductive & extremely enjoyable to read.. . The Stranger`s Child will no doubt be one of the best novels published this year` Guardian ...

In the late summer of 1913, George Sawle brings his Cambridge friend Cecil Valance, a charismatic young poet, to visit his family home. The weekend will be one of excitements & confusions for everyone, but it is on George`s sixteen-year-old sister Daphne that it will have the most lasting impact. As the decades pass, Daphne & those around her endure startling changes in fortune & circumstance &, as reputations rise & fall, the events of that long-ago summer become part of a legendary story. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The Stranger`s Child is Hollinghurst`s masterly exploration of English culture, taste & attitudes. Epic in sweep, it intimately portrays a luminous but changing world & the ways memory
- & myth
- can be built & broken. It is a powerful & utterly absorbing modern classic.

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Calcutta, 1837. Young Ensign William Avery is tasked by his employers
- the East India Company
- to track down disgraced agent

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This book is a pure celebration of the art of the stencil. It is a book of stencils that can be used & treasured or just simply be an inspiration to others to create. The 20 stencils featured, printed on perforated card stock so that they can be torn out & used, have been created by an impressive list of international street artists, from the masters to the new kids on the block. Each artist has created an in-situ photograph to accompany their stencil, showing how they would use it, along with other imagery. There is also a short biography for each artist. The book opens with an interview with the founder of stencil art, the Paris-based artist Blek Le Rat, who has also created a stencil for the book. A collectors item in its own right, the book is a must for artists, illustrators & anyone who loves street art. ...