Starting with the very earliest pioneering short films, this title traces the evolution of silent comedy through the 1900s & considers the works of the genre's some of greatest exponents, showing how each developed in the course of their career as well as the extent to which they influenced each other. ...

On the surface it may seem slightly surprising that a master of verbal humour should also be a devotee of silent comedy, but Paul Merton is completely passionate about the early days of Hollywood comedy & the comic geniuses who dominated it. His knowledge is awesome
- as anyone who watched his BBC 4 series Silent Clowns or attended the events he has staged nationwide will agree
- his enthusiasm is infectious, & these qualities are to be found in abundance in his new book. Starting with the very earliest pioneering short films, he traces the evolution of silent comedy through the 1900s & considers the works of the genre's greatest exponents
- Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy & Harold Lloyd
- showing not only how each developed in the course of their career but also the extent to which they influenced each other. At the same time, Paul brings a comedian's insight to bear on the art of making people laugh, & explores just how the great comic ideas, routines, gags & part-falls worked & evolved. His first book for ten years, this richly illustrated history of silent comedy is destined to be a classic.



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When a gruesomely slaughtered body wrapped in plastic is discovered, Reiko Himekawa soon uncovers eleven other murders with a similar 'signature' & a reference to something called 'strawberry night, ' a group that recruits victims & murderers on the internet. To solve the case, Reiko is forced to reach back into her own troubled past. ...

Berlin 1930. Sound film is conquering the big screen, leaving many by the wayside: producers, cinema owners
- & silent film stars.
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Detective Jane Rizzoli discovers the rest of the body on a nearby rooftop, the head nearly severed. The only clue Jane has is two strands of hair, but it's enough for Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles to make a startling connection. This violent attack has its roots in an unsolved murder-suicide case from nineteen years ago. ...

When the burnt headless body of a young woman is found on the steps of a Baptist Church in Harlem, Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper is one of the first on the shocking scene. Alex has seen some gruesome crimes committed in New York, but the barbarity of this latest discovery leaves her nauseous. With NYPD cop Mike Chapman, Alex begins to investigate, but before long another woman is slaughtered & found on the steps of a Catholic church in Little Italy; her throat slashed & her tongue cut out. It becomes clear there is a zealous serial killer on the loose. Now Alex & Mike must keep one step ahead of a religious fanatic bent on silencing the women he believes are bringing shame to his beliefs
- before he kills anyone else.
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In the middle of the night, the burnt headless body of a young woman is found on the steps of a Baptist church in Harlem. With NYPD cop Mike Chapman, Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper is one of the first at the horrifying scene. Then another woman is slaughtered & found on the steps of a Catholic church in Little Italy, her throat slashed & her tongue cut out. It becomes clear there is a zealous serial killer on the loose. Now Alex & Mike must keep one step ahead of a religious fanatic bent on silencing the women he believes are bringing shame to his faith
- before he kills anyone else.
...

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright.
All the animals gather together,
Silent, harmonious,


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This book introduces readers to some of the finest Christmas detective stories of the past. Martin Edwards' selection blends festive pieces from much-loved authors with one or two stories which are likely to be unfamiliar even to diehard mystery fans ...

As this science fiction classic opens, botanist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) has spent three years abroad the space freighter Valley Forge preserving the only botanical specimens left on earth under huge Geodesic domes. When he receives orders to destroy t ...