Elizabeth II is within a few years of becoming the longest-reigning British monarch. A personally quiet, modest & dutiful person, she is far better-informed about the lives of her subjects than they often realize. She has known every Prime Minister since Winston Churchill & every American President since Eisenhower. Yet what of the woman behind the crown? The book seeks to take a new look at this exhaustively-documented life & show how Queen Elizabeth became the person she is. Who, & what, have been the greatest influences upon her? What are her likes & dislikes? What are her hobbies? Who are her friends? What does she feel about the demands of duty & protocol? Is she really enjoying herself when she smiles during official events? How differently does she behave when out of the public eye? Examining the places in which she grew up or has lived, the training she received & her attitudes to significant events in national life, it presents a fresh view of one of recent history's most important figures. This book has 220 pages & is 19.6 x 12.8 x 2 cm ...

Details: From a leading expert in Japanese history, this is one of the first full histories of the art & culture of the
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From the end of the Second World War to the present day, the world has changed immeasurably. The art of spying has changed too, as spies have reacted to changing threats. Here you will find the fascinating stories of real-life spies, both famous & obscure, from either side of the Iron Curtain, along with previously secret details of War on Terror operations. Detailed stories of individual spies are set in the context of the development of the major espionage agencies, interspersed with anecdotes of gadgets, trickery, honeytraps & assassinations worthy of any fictional spy. A closing section examines the developing New Cold War, as Russia & the West confront each other once again. ...

' From the Fury of the Northmen deliver us, O Lord'. Between the eighth & eleventh centuries, the Vikings surged from their Scandinavian homeland to trade, raid & invade along the coasts of Europe. Their influence & expeditions extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles were as far-flung as Africa & the Arctic. But were they great seafarers or desperate outcasts, noble heathens or oafish pirates, the last pagans or the first of the modern Europeans? This concise study puts medieval chronicles, Norse sagas & Muslim accounts alongside more recent research into ritual magic, genetic profiling & climatology. It

Includes:: biographical sketches of some of the most famous Vikings, from Erik Bloodaxe to Saint Olaf, & King Canute to Leif the Lucky. It explains why the Danish king Harald Bluetooth lent his name to a twenty-first century wireless technology; which future saint laughed as she buried foreign ambassadors alive; why so many Icelandic settlers had Irish names; &, how the last Viking colony was destroyed by English raiders. Extending beyond the traditional ' Viking age' of most books, A Brief History of the Vikings places sudden Scandinavian population movement in a wider historical context. It presents a balanced appraisal of these infamous sea kings, explaining both their swift expansion & its supposed halt. Supposed because, ultimately, the Vikings didn't disappear: they turned into us.

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A classic account of the bloody rivalry between the dynasties of York & Lancaster for the throne of Engl&.

During the

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A gritty tale of family & a love that holds no bounds, from the best-selling author of Nobody's Girl & A Father's Revenge. Celia Frost has always thought herself a cut above the other residents of Lark Rise in Battersea. When her beloved son, Thomas, starts seeing Amy Miller, a girl from the bottom of the Rise, Celia disapproves, thinking her common. When Celia's husband leaves her & Thomas announces he is to marry Amy, she is more determined than ever to split them up. Celia needs an ally, so she writes to her elder son, Jeremy, asking him to come home. Jeremy's arrival unleashes a tide of jealously & hate. He wants everything that belongs to Thomas
- especially Amy. As Jeremy's dangerous obsession for his brother's wife grows, Amy must fight for her marriage, & her baby. The heartbreaking new novel from the bestselling author of A Father's Revenge & Nobody's Girl.
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1939, soldier of fortune Cal Jardine travels to Barcelona with the intent to help with the athletic games rivalling the Berlin Olympics. As the echoes of civil war ring out, love, friendship & political conviction converge to persuade Jardine to once again become involved in a foreign war. The British athletes are keen to enlist & Jardine agrees to transform them into a professional force. Aided by beautiful interpreter Florencia Gardiola & old army colleague Vince Castellano, he leads the athletes through the street fighting in Barcelona & into the fighting in the Catalan countryside. But when murderous betrayal blights his previous fortune, Jardine will go to any lengths to seek revenge. ...

Online Only! Get more for less with The Work’s expertly h&-picked Book Bundles. These are a collection of great quality products, grouped together to give you amazing value. Get ready for Spring with these fun picture books! This Bundle
Includes:: • Santa Claus v the Easter Bunny • Why Is The Sky Blue? • A Fox Called Herbert • Big Bad Bun • Rabbit's Wish • What Noise Does a Rabbit Make? • The Spring Rabbit • I Want a Bunny • Wolfie The Bunny • Wolves In Helicopters  10 of our favourite kids picture books are reduced from £2 to only £1 each, as part of this fantastic bundle! Product Information: • ISBN: 9781839134906 • Author: Various • Publisher: Various • Format: Paperback – Book Collection
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An exotic holiday for Miss Marple is ruined when a retired major is killed…

As Jane Marple sat basking in the Caribbean

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As Miss Marple sat basking in the Caribbean sunshine she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Eventually, her interest was aroused by an old soldier's yarn about strange coincidence. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her an astonishing photograph, the Major's attention wandered. He never did finish the story... June Whitfield stars as the sharp-witted spinster sleuth in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. ' Throws off false clues & misleading events as only a master of the art can do.' (New York Times), Audiobooks, 2 CD, 220 minutes. ...