Highly original & magnificent in scope Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination discovers the roots of English cultural history in the Anglo-Saxon period & traces it through the centuries. What does it mean to be English? This dazzling book demonstrates that a quintessentially English quality can be discovered in all forms of English culture not only in literature but also in painting music architecture philosophy & science. Just as London: The Biography guided the reader through the capital city with a mixture of narrative & theme so Albion employing the same techniques engages the reader with stories & surprises
- From Beowulf to King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table via Chaucer & Shakespeare to the Bronte sisters Alice through the Looking Glass & Lord of the Rings Witty provocative & anecdotal this is Peter Ackroyd at his most brilliant & exuberant.
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In the popular imagination informed as it is by Hogarth Swift Defoe & Fielding the eighteenth-century underworld is a place of bawdy knockabout rife with colourful eccentrics. But the artistic portrayals we have only hint at the dark reality. In this new edition of a classic collection of essays renowned social historians from Britain & America examine the gangs of criminals who tore apart English society while a criminal law of unexampled savagery struggled to maintain stability. Douglas Hay deals with the legal system that maintained the propertied classes & in another essay shows it in brutal action against poachers; John G. Rule & Cal Winslow tell of smugglers & wreckers showing how these activities formed a natural part of the life of traditional communities. Together with Peter Linebaugh s piece on the riots against the surgeons at Tyburn & E. P. Thompson s illuminating work on anonymous threatening letters these essays form a powerful contribution to the study of social tensions at a transformative & vibrant stage in English history. This new edition

Includes:: a new introduction by Winslow Hay & Linebaugh reflecting on the turning point in the social history of crime that the book represents

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Durers prints & drawings inspired centuries of artists both during his life & after his death. Yet his talent as a painter & colourist & his enthusiasm for the scientific world have not been widely appreciated. Durers influence was both international & intergenerational; indeed Picasso claimed to have been inspired by the sixteenth-century artist. Reproduced in stunning detail & including illustrations of Durers most famous prints & drawings a catalogue raisonne of his paintings & biographical research this book presents a Durer for the twenty-first century. Producing more self-portraits than any other artist of his day; mass marketing his best-selling prints; even inventing his own monogram logo; Albrecht Durer was commercially astute long before todays generation of slick self-promoters & savvy mega-bucks artists. There are 55 extant Durers of which 17 are in dispute. Using the very latest scientific research this book puts all arguments to bed resulting in the definitive catalogue raisonne of the paintings. Not since 1971 has such a feat of painstaking research been attempted. After an almost 40-year wait the truth behind the man & his art can finally be revealed. ...

Malaisea the unhealthiest town in the whole of Zamonia is home to Echo the Crat a multi-talented creature resembling a cat in appearance but capable of speaking any language under the sun human or animal. When his mistress dies Echo finds himself out on the street. Dying of starvation he is compelled to sign a contract with Ghoolion the Alchemaster Malaiseas evil alchemist-in-chief. This fateful document gives Ghoolion the right to kill Echo at the next full moon & render him down for his fat with which he hopes to brew an alchemical concoction that will make him immortal. In return he promises to regale the little Crat with the most exquisite gastronomic delicacies until his time is up. But Ghoolion has reckoned without Echos talent for survival & his ability to make new friends. These include the Leathermice the Cogitating Eggs the Golden Squirrel the Cooked Ghost Theodore T. Theodore the one-eyed Tuwituwu & above all Izanuela Anazazi the last Uggly in Malaisea. Walter Moerss magnificent translation of Optimus Yarnspinners novel introduces us to yet another of Zamonias hotbeds of adventure: Malaisea a place where sick is healthy up is down right is wrong & Ghoolion the Alchemaster reigns supreme
- until Echo crosses his path.
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A global phenomenon The Alchemist has been read & loved by over 62 million readers topping bestseller lists in 74 countries worldwide. Now this magical fable is beautifully repackaged in an edition that lovers of Paulo Coelho will want to treasure forever. Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. This is such a book
- a beautiful parable about learning to listen to your heart read the omens strewn along life's path & above all follow your dreams. Santiago a young shepherd living in the hills of Andalucia feels that there is more to life than his humble home & his flock. One day he finds the courage to follow his dreams into distant lands each step galvanised by the knowledge that he is following the right path: his own. The people he meets along the way the things he sees & the wisdom he learns are life-changing. With Paulo Coelho's visionary blend of spirituality magical realism & folklore The Alchemist is a story with the power to inspire nations & change people's lives.
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Dark secrets haunt the manor house at Selden in Buckinghamshire where Emilie Selden motherless fiercely intelligent & beautiful has been raised in near isolation by her father. John Selden student of Isaac Newton is conducting a secret experiment. He aims to turn Emilie into a brilliant natural philosopher & alchemist & fills her with knowledge while recording every step she takes. In the spring of 1725 when Emilie is eighteen father & daughter begin their most daring adventure
- an attempt to breathe life into dead matter. But they are interrupted by the arrival of two strangers. During the course of a sultry August Emilie is caught up in the passion of first love & listening for the first time to her heart rather than her head she makes her choice...with consequences that are far-reaching & tumultuous.
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This new & completely redesigned edition creates a colourful & vibrant guide to the secret art. Klossowski de Rola elucidates the mysterious language & polyvalent symbolism from a variety of perspectives practical spiritual elemental & historical & explains how the true alchemist differs from the modern chemist & the false practitioner. Gold is only a by-product & emblem of the Great Work of the alchemist. The latter part of the book comprises the full text of a seventeenth-century exposition upon an alchemists dream-poem & five richly illustrated Themes sections reproducing full sequences of alchemical thought art & paraphernalia. ...

New chapter by Soros on the secrets to his success along with a new Preface & Introduction. New Foreword by renowned economist Paul Volcker An extraordinary.. .inside look into the decision-making process of the most successful money manager of our time. Fantastic." -The Wall Street Journal George Soros is unquestionably one of the most powerful & profitable investors in the world today. Dubbed by Business Week as "the Man who Moves Markets " Soros made a fortune competing with the British pound & remains active today in the global financial community. Now in this special edition of the classic investment book The Alchemy of Finance Soros presents a theoretical & practical account of current financial trends & a new paradigm by which to understand the financial market today. This edition's expanded & revised Introduction details Soros's innovative investment practices along with his views of the world & world order. He also describes a new paradigm for the "theory of reflexivity" which underlies his unique investment strategies. Filled with expert advice & valuable business lessons The Alchemy of Finance reveals the timeless principles of an investing legend. This special edition will feature a new chapter by Soros on the secrets of his success & a new Foreword by the Honorable Paul Volcker former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. George Soros (New York NY) is President of Soros Fund Management & Chief Investment Advisor to Quantum Fund N.V. a $12 billion international investment fund. Besides his numerous ventures in finance Soros is also extremely active in the worlds of education culture & economic aid & development through his Open Society Fund & the Soros Foundation." ...

Offering straightforward & highly effective techniques to those seeking personal healing this manual provides ways in which the power of peoples voices can improve & enhance their lives. Identifying sound as the center of creation & an individuals unique signature note-the song of the soul-that unifies the mind body & spirit this important tome urges readers to rediscover this inner sound & move onto the path of healing & the hope of creative fulfillment. Exercises to achieve peace & harmony boost self-confidence & add color & passion to self-expression help seekers reach their potent powerful & most importantly their personal sound. ...

Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on 28 September 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty & Nicholas Flamel lives. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects
- the Book of Abraham the Mage. Its the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands it will destroy the world. & thats exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind wont know whats happening until its too late. & if the prophecy is right Sophie & Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. & Sophie & Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.
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