Wish your friends & family a Merry Christmas with these lovely Christmas cards! A stunning high-quality pack of 10 cards in ...

Charles Bukowski chronicled the seedy underside of the city in which he spent most of his life, Los Angeles. His heroes were the panhandlers & hustlers, the drunks & the hookers, & his inspiration a series of dead-end jobs in warehouses, & factories. This biography looks at the exploits of this hard-drinking, wild man of literature. ...

An exuberant & entertaining biography of Charles Dickens that captures the essence of the great novelist. Simon Callow's sparkling biography explores the central importance of the theatre to the life of the greatest storyteller in the English language. From his early years as a child entertainer in Portsmouth to his reluctant retirement from 'these garish lights' just before his death, Dickens was obsessed with the stage. Not only was he a dazzling mimic who wrote, acted in & stage-managed plays, all with fanatical perfectionism; as a writer he was a compulsive performer, whose very imagination was theatrical, both in terms of plot devices & construction of character. Like many actors, Dickens felt the need to be completed by contact with his audience. He was the original 'celebrity' author, who attracted thousands of adoring fans to his readings in Britain & across the Atlantic, in which he gave voice to his unforgettable cast of characters. In Charles Dickens, Callow brings his own unique insight to a life driven by performance & showmanship. He reveals an exuberant & irrepressible talent, whose 'inimitable' wit & personality crackle off the page. ...

A close study of the relationship between text & film versions of Great Expectations. Literature & film studies students will find plenty of material to support their courses & essay writing on how the film versions provide different readings of the original text. ...

Paints a picture of friendship, exile, betrayal, murder, adultery, infamy, alchemy & scandal in royal & courtly circles. Buckingham was brought up in court with the two kings, James II & Charles II
- his own father. The author investigates why Charles remained true to his childhood friend despite Buckingham's ingratitude.
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This is a biography of Charles Masson, one of the most remarkable British explorers, who wandered over the Punjab, Baluchistan & Afghanistan, between 1827 & 1840, usually alone or on foot. In Kabul he collected ancient coins, excavated Buddhist monuments & participated in the Great Game. ...

This is a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Simon Brett's comic crime novel, starring Bill Nighy as actor turned amateur sleuth Charles Paris. Charles Paris is his own worst enemy, a louche lush who can resist anything except temptation
- especially in the form of women & alcohol. He's been out of work so long now he feels he may never get a job & he's driving Frances, his semi-ex-wife, mad. So when he's offered a small role in a play, she nearly pushes him out of the door. But it seems that The Message is Murder is such a terrible production that someone wants to kill off the cast. First there is a series of nasty accidents, then someone attempts to stab Charles. Can he find the murderer before they strike again? Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris in this entertaining dramatisation by Jeremy Front, Audiobooks, 2 CD, 120 minutes.
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An illustrated study of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It features buildings, such as the Glasgow School of Art, as well as his interiors, such as the Willow Tea Rooms, many of which were designed in collaboration with his wife, Margaret Macdonald. ...

Details: Charles Rennie Mackintosh was one of the most intriguing & influential artists of his time. Charles Rennie Mackintosh
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Renowned architect & designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was also an accomplished watercolour painter, who produced beautiful studies of flowers. Here, Fiona Peart reproduces three of these flower paintings, & two of her own works, inspired by Mackintosh's very distinctive style. Tracings are provided to eliminate the drawing stage. ...