John Julius Norwich examines the oldest continuing institution in the world, tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter (traditionally
- but by no means historically
- the first Pope) to the present. Of the 280-odd holders of the supreme office, some have unquestionably been saints; others have wallowed in unspeakable iniquity.

One was said to have been a woman, her sex being revealed only when she improvidently gave birth to a baby during a papal procession. Almost as shocking was Formosus whose murdered corpse was exhumed, clothed in pontifical vestments, propped up on a throne & subjected to trial.

From the glories of Byzantium to the decay of Rome, from the Albigensian Heresy to controversy within the Church today, The Popes is superbly written, witty & revealing.





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Books Historical Fiction Books Divided by war. Reunited by courage. Phoebe is a volunteer nurse at a Base Hospital in Étaples, France, treating men who've served on hte Western Front. Their courage & resilience inspires her, & though she's meant to keep her distance, Captain Archie Bailey soon captivates her heart. Her younger sister Celia is a nurse at a POW camp on the island of Jersey. These men fight for the forces that bombed her brother & parents, but long hours spent healing them shows her they aren't the monsters she expected. Despite the miles between them, both Celia & Phoebe come to see the commonality in their experiences
- the sense of community & friendship, the unexpected moments of love & laughter, & a bond so strong that even war can't break it…   Product Information:  •†ISBN:† 9780008534615 •†Author: Deborah Carr  •†Publisher:   Harper Collins Publishers •†Format:   Paperback •†Pages:† 375 •†Dimensions:†12.9 x 19.9 x 2.8 cm
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Michael, a writer of pornographic fiction, creates an ideal world of sex through his two stock athletes, Colonel Grimshaw & Mavis Carmichael, while he bungles every phase of his entanglement with an older woman who has the misfortune to fall in love with him. But his insensitivity to this love is in direct contrast to the tenderness with which he attempts to make his aunt's slow death in hospital tolerable, while his employer, Maloney, failed poet & comic king of pornographers, comes gradually to preside over this broken world. Everywhere in this rich novel is the drama of opposites, but, above all, sex & death are never far from each other. ...

Jane Campion directs this adaptation of the Henry James novel. Independent woman Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman) refuses two suitors, Lord Warburton (Richard E. Grant) & Caspar Goodwood (Viggo Mortensen), when they propose marriage. Instead she travels to ...

The story of the spirited Isabel Archer, who becomes the subject of scheming by two fellow Americans when they learn of her inheritance, has been described as one of Henry James` finest novels.

Isabels independence at first seems assured by a surprise legacy from her uncle but, ironically, her wealth only serves to attract the scheming Madame Merle & the cruelly possessive Gilbert Osmond.

The revelations that follow Isabels marriage to Osmond are devastating as she is forced to confron the conflict between societys demand for propriety & her own fierce sense of independence.

Product Information:
• ISBN: 9781788280600
• Author: Henry James
• Publisher: Arcturus
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 510
• Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 3cm











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Terence Cave, owner of Cave Antiques, has already experienced the tragedies of his mother's suicide & his wife's murder when

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Toys & Games Jigsaw Puzzles Have hours of fun piecing together this stunning Post Office image! This picture-perfect puzzle ...

Toys & Games Jigsaw Puzzles Have hours of fun piecing together this stunning Post Office image. This picture perfect puzzle ...

With the Great War raging, can they keep Britain going?

1915. On Beth Healey's eighteenth birthday, she hopes that

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Test your brain power with The  Pot Luck Quiz Book!

With more than 8, 000 quiz questions to be enjoyed at home or in

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