Master & Commander is the first of Patrick O' Brian's now famous Aubrey-Maturin novels, regarded by many as the greatest series of historical novels ever written. It establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN & Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship's surgeon & a secret agent. It contains all the action & excitement which could possibly be hoped for in a historical novel, but it also displays the qualities which have put O' Brian far ahead of his competitors: his depiction of the detail of life aboard a Nelsonic man-of-war, of weapons, food, conversation & ambience, of the landscape & of the sea. O' Brian's portrayal of each of these is faultless & the sense of period throughout is acute. His power of characterisation above all is masterly. ...

The Emperor Domitian is a talented tyrant & deluded despot. When he vents his suspicions, no one is safe. Gaius Vinius Clodianus is a reluctant recruit in the elite Praetorian Guard who must fight for honour in a world of corruption & deceit. Flavia Lucilla has access to the Emperor's most private inner circle & hears the most intimate secrets of the ruler who toys with the lives of his subjects as if indeed he was a careless god. Together these unwilling heroes must choose between their sworn duty to protect the Emperor & an act of courage that will change the future of Rome. ...

The ten stories collected in this volume demonstrate Tolstoy's artistic prowess displayed over five decades experimenting with prose styles & drawing on his own experiences with humour, realism & compassion. Inspired by his experiences in the army, The Two Hussars contrasts a dashing father & his mean-spirited son. ...

You can buy punches that decorate corners, punch borders, emboss at the same time as cutting, & ones that you squeeze rather than depress. & simple decoration or folding can transform the basic punched shape into creative are. Projects take you step-by-step through the techniques, starting with basic punching for beginners through to more advanced projects using multiple techniques. ...

A stamp is a one off purchase that can be used over & over again, & the versatility of stamps means that each one can be used in many different ways. From a simple inked & coloured stamp, to elaborate designs featuring embossing, decoupage, distressing & everything in between, there's something for everyone in this inspiring craft. ...

A comedy from director Perry Andelin Blake. Pistachio Disguisey (Dana Carvey) is a mild-mannered waiter whose life is about to change. Criminal mastermind Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner) has kidnapped Pistachio's parents & is forcing his father Fabrizzio ( ...

Do you have the skill to win & become the family Master of the Poo?

Each player will take it in turns laying their cards

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Bougainville. 1991. A small village on a lush tropical island in the South Pacific. Eighty-six days have passed since Matilda's last day of school as, quietly, war is encroaching from the other end of the isl&. When the villagers' safe, predictable lives come to a halt, Bougainville's children are surprised to find the island's only white man, a recluse, re-opening the school. Pop Eye, aka Mr Watts, explains he will introduce the children to Mr Dickens. Matilda & the others think a foreigner is coming to the island & prepare a list of much needed items. They are shocked to discover their acquaintance with Mr Dickens will be through Mr Watts' inspiring reading of Great Expectations. But on an island at war, the power of fiction has dangerous consequences. Imagination & beliefs are challenged by guns. Mister Pip is an unforgettable tale of survival by story; a dazzling piece of writing that lives long in the mind after the last page is finished. This flipback book has 635 pages & is 8.2cm x 11.9cm x 1.2cm ...

At the heart of this fascinating book is one of the central questions of our age: is the internet a revolutionary innovation that will overthrow the established order, or will it turn out to have been an unruly technology, that will never escape the controlling embrace of corporations & governments? (Guardian) ...

Cook like a Master Chef pro in your own kitchen with a selection of stunning recipes from the hit BBC series written by former ...