The lake of Lop-nor, the `heart of the heart of Asia`, is one of the world`s strangest phenomena. Situated in the wild Chinese province of Xinjiang, Lop-nor
- `the wandering lake`- has for millennia been in a perpetual state of flux, drifting north to south, often tens of kilometres in as many years. It was once the lifeblood of the great Silk Road kingdom of Lou-lan, which flourished in this otherwise barren region 2, 000 years ago & its peculiar movements confused even Ptolemy, who marked the lake twice on his map of Asia. Following `the pulse-beats of Lop-nor as a doctor examines a patient`s heart`, Sven Hedin became captivated by its peripatetic movements & for forty years his destiny was inextricably linked with that of this mysterious lake & the region surrounding it. His last journey to Lop-nor was in 1934, just days after he was released as a prisoner of General Ma Chung-yin (the rebel leader of Xinjiang). Travelling the length of the Konche-daria & Kum-daria rivers by canoe, Hedin embarked on his last Central Asian expedition & proved what he had always suspected
- that Lop-nor did indeed shift position
- & why. When he camped on its vast banks at night, Lop-nor was deep & full. Today, this once great lake
- a mighty reservoir in the desert
- is nothing but windblown sand & salty marsh. The third in Sven Hedin`s ” Central Asia” trilogy, ” The Wandering Lake” is arguably his most famous work. It is, typically, a gripping story of adventure & discovery but it is also a rare account of a now-vanished world; a masterpiece by one of history`s last great explorers.




...

What was it about Hjoggbole, a farming village in the northernmost part of Sweden, that created so many idiots
- & writers? There
...

` Fresh, energetic, & completely hilarious, The Wangs vs. the World is my favorite debut of the year.` Jami Attenberg, author of Saint Mazie & The Middlesteins Charles Wang has just lost the cosmetics fortune he built up since emigrating to the US. Gone are the houses, the cars, & the incredible lifestyle. Faced with this loss, he decides to take his family on a trip to China & attempt to reclaim his ancestral lands. But first they must go on a cross-country journey from their foreclosed Bel-Air home to the Upstate New York retreat of his eldest daughter, Saina. Charles takes his other two children out of schools that he can no longer afford & packs them into the only car that wasn`t repossessed-along with their wealth-addicted stepmother, Barbra. But with his son waylaid by a much-older temptress in New Orleans, his wife ready to defect for a set of 1, 000-thread-count sheets, & an epic smash-up in North Carolina, Charles may have to choose between the old world & the new, between keeping his family intact & finally, finally fulfilling his dream of China. ...

Are you ready for the truth about World War Two? In the first of an extraordinary three-volume account of the war on l&, in the air & at sea, James Holland reveals not only the truth behind the familiar legends of the Second World War but he also unveils those lesser known events which were to have the greatest significance. The first book to consider the economic, political & social as well as the military aspects of World War Two, this is a unique retelling of a monumental event in all its terrible & majestic glory. Holland has spent over twelve years unearthing new research, visiting archives, battlefields & the very people who fought & lived through the conflict. He has, in his own accessible & inimitable style, written an account to redefine our understanding of the war. It is unlike anything else on the subject. ...

Wars come & go across the headlines & television screens, but for those who survive them, scarred & scattered, they never end. This is a book about post-conflict irresolution, about the lives of those who survived the gulag of concentration camps in north-western Bosnia & about seeking justice for Bosnia today. But justice is not Reckoning. The book finds that the survivors are lost not only geographically, but in history
- betrayed in war, & also in peace.
...

The third hilarious children`s novel from Demolition Dad & Superhero Street author Phil Earle, illustrated by Waterstones Children`s Book Prize shortlisted artist, Sara Ogilvie. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Liz Pichon & David Walliams. Masher is the bully of Storey Street. No one ever dares stand up to him & that`s the way he likes it. But then Jemima & her family move into the plot of land next door. Jemima isn`t afraid of him at all, & she`s making him look like a bit of a wimp. To Masher, that just means one thing: war. (At least until teatime...) ...

When the spoilt & haughty Dona Constanza tries to divert a river to fill her swimming pool, she starts a running battle with the locals. The skirmishes are so severe that the Government dispatches a squadron of soldiers led by the fat, brutal & stupid Figueras to deal with them. Despite visiting plagues of laughing fits & giant cats upon the troops, the villagers know that to escape the cruel & unusual tortures planned for them, they must run. Thus they plan to head for the mountains & start a new & convivial civilisation. ...

A spellbinding children`s story from from War Horse author & former Children`s Laureate, Michael Morpurgo
- now with a brand new
...

Mario Vargas Llosa's The War of the End of the World is one of the great modern historical novels- tragic, compelling & incredible to read. Inspired by a real episode in Brazilian history, the author tells the story of an apocalyptic movement, led by a mysterious prophet, in which prostitutes, beggars & bandits establish Canudos, a new republic, a libertarian paradise. Originally published in 1981, the narrative takes its cue from the War of Canudos, an incident in nineteenth century Brazil in which an armed millenarian cult held off a siege by the national army for a number of months. As with some of his later works, Llosa interweaves the lives & actions of a great tapestry of different characters to paint a sociological view of Brazil at the time, giving an incredible sense of place & presence to the events taking place. This is an awesome, truly memorable read. ...

Mario Vargas Llosa`s The War of the End of the World is one of the great modern historical novels- tragic, compelling & incredible to read. Inspired by a real episode in Brazilian history, the author tells the story of an apocalyptic movement, led by a mysterious prophet, in which prostitutes, beggars & bandits establish Canudos, a new republic, a libertarian paradise. Originally published in 1981, the narrative takes its cue from the War of Canudos, an incident in nineteenth century Brazil in which an armed millenarian cult held off a siege by the national army for a number of months. As with some of his later works, Llosa interweaves the lives & actions of a great tapestry of different characters to paint a sociological view of Brazil at the time, giving an incredible sense of place & presence to the events taking place. Described by The Listener as ”a tragic masterpiece with something of the sweep & freedom of the great novels of the nineteenth century”, this is a major work by the Nobel Prize winning Vargas Llosa, one of Latin America`s most significant novelists & essayists & one of the leading authors of his generation. An awesome, truly memorable read. ...