' 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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Details:
Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries?

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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. ...

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. ...

12 fun books to learn the importance of manners & values together! An engaging & colourful set of 12 board books, featuring 12 lovable characters. These books discuss manners in a positive way, encouraging a growth mindset in children, as well as exploring skills & qualities to prepare them for starting school. Find the ‘ For the grown-ups’ section at the back of each book, filled with prompts & inviting ways for children to learn through reading, demonstration, play & practice. Remember, mistakes are great – mistakes are an opportunity to learn! Product Information: • ISBN: 9781802630985 • Author: Sweet Cherry Publishing • Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing • Format: Box Set • Number of books: 12 ...

The beloved Sergeant Cribb series by Peter Lovesey.

The spiritualist movement has captivated a segment of Victorian

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When the wedding of her oldest friend ends with a shocking murder, Dr Nell Ward is once again caught up in a web of subterfuge, secrets & lies...  Dr Nell Ward is delighted when her childhood friend Percy announces she's engaged to handsome businessman Hawke Mc Anstruther
- & rashly offers to host the wedding at Finchmere, her family's estate. But she hadn't anticipated Percy's parents' fiery disapproval of the groom. The ceremony is barely over before Hawke's shady personal & professional life starts to unravel, & tension ripples through the assembled guests.  When the wedding night ends with a shocking death, Nell, best-friend Rav & DI James Clarke all find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery worthy of Agatha Christie. Surviving a terrifying threat to her own life, Nell has to face up to the truth. Not just about murder at Finchmere, but about where her heart truly lies...    Product Information:  •†ISBN:† 9781471415340 •†Author: Sarah Yarwood-Lovett •†Publisher:†  Bon...
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