Perhaps intended as a companion to the author's final, unfinished novel Bouvard & Pecuchet, this compilation was the result of a lifetime of collecting the absurd & the cliched, & providing darkly humorous explanations. It offers an insightful & playful look at nineteenth-century values & talking points. ...

The radical right has engaged in a self-conscious program of Orwellian doublespeak, transforming American political discourse to suit their political ends. Celebrated Nation editor Katrina van den Heuvel set out to explode their verbal gymnastics by asking her readers to suggest satirical definitions of Republican jargon. ...

Lists superstitions, both common & obscure. These include divinations, spells, cures, charms, signs & omens, rituals & taboos. Each superstition is placed in context through"es that offer a picture of usage, history, & evolution. This fascinating dictionary is meant for those with an interest in superstitions. ...

A comprehensive & authoritative dictionary with over 200 essays on a wide range of language topics including the history of English, the writing of famous authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Burns & JK Rowling, English as a global language, & key grammar controversies. ...

Words are the building blocks of language, but their derivations are often stories in themselves. With entries from accolade to zoo & including such disparate items as blackmail, fiasco, influence & rigmarole, this title explains the origins & development of 300 commonly used words. ...

Contains information on various aspects of history, from prehistory right up to the modern day. Over 4, 000 concise entries include biographies of key figures in world history, separate entries for every country in the world, & subject entries on religio ...

Have you ever wanted to know the answers to the grossest questions? Were there cannibals in Anglo-Saxon times? What's the stinkiest fruit you can eat? To find out the revolting answers to these questions, & many more, just look inside! Discover gruesome facts about foul food, horrid history, grotty bodies, scary science & appalling animals. With humourous cartoon illustrations & surprising facts,  stats, & records that kids will just love to share, it revels in all things weird, unexpected, mind-blowing, funny, & gross! This fun book appeals to every child's love of the ick-factor.   Product Information:  •†ISBN:† 9781789506990 •†Author:   Thomas Canavan •†Publisher:   Arcturus Publishing •†Format:   Paperback •†Pages:† 128 •†Dimensions:†  12.9 x 19.6 x 1.3 cm ...

Was T. rex related to chickens? Why were dinosaurs so massive? Discover the answers to these questions & more in this astounding book, containing many brilliant books about all your favourite Jurassic creatures. Packed with surprising facts, stats, & records that kids will just love to share, it revels in all things weird, unexpected, mind-blowing, funny, & gross! Product Information:  •†ISBN: 9781789507324 •†Author: Ben Hubbard •†Publisher: Arcturus •†Format:   Paperback •†Pages: 128 •†Dimensions: 19.6 x 1.1 x 12.9cm ...

'I can't think of any part of my childhood when I was not fascinated by steeplejacks. I'd seen them dancing through the rolling smoke at the chimney top or hanging at the end of a rope in a bosun's chair, blowing about like a cork in the wind'. When Fred Dibnah debuted on television in 1979, British audiences immediately embraced a new cultural icon: a steeplejack from Bolton who fell in love with England's decaying industrial landscape & an exhaustive storyteller whose charm & wit was matched only by his down-to-earth manner. The Producer of that first film, Don Haworth, would go on to make nineteen films about this unlikely celebrity & true British eccentric. " Did You Like That?" collects the best stories from these films: colourful tales told by Fred himself, recounting key moments in his life, his experiences as a steeplejack, his fascination with machinery, his work as an engineer, craftsman, artist, inventor & steam enthusiast, & his forthright views on life in general. Told with true Northern grit, Did You Like That? is the story of a man who never shied away from a hair-raising challenge, & the closest thing to Fred's autobiography we're likely to get. This is Fred's story, in his own words. ...

Pushed to breaking point, Cara Burrows abandons her home & family & escapes to a five-star spa resort she cant afford.



...