On 14th April 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage & sank. Fifteen hundred passengers & crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given the orchestra took their instruments on deck & continued to play. They were still playing when the ship went down. The violinist 21 year-old Jock Hume knew that his fiancee Mary was expecting their first child the authors mother. One hundred years later Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love loss & betrayal & the catastrophic impact of Jocks death on two very different Scottish families. He paints a vivid portrait of an age in which class determined the way you lived
- & died. An outstanding piece of historical detective work & THE BAND PLAYED ON is also a moving account of how the authors quest to learn more about his grandfather revealed the shocking truth about a family he thought he knew a truth that had been hidden for nearly a hundred years.
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On 14th April 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage & sank. Fifteen hundred passengers & crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given the orchestra took their instruments on deck & continued to play. They were still playing when the ship went down. The violinist 21 year-old Jock Hume knew that his fianc?e Mary was expecting their first child the authors mother. One hundred years later Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love loss & betrayal & the catastrophic impact of Jocks death on two very different Scottish families. He paints a vivid portrait of an age in which class determined the way you lived
- & died. An outstanding piece of historical detective work & THE BAND PLAYED ON is also a moving account of how the authors quest to learn more about his grandfather revealed the shocking truth about a family he thought he knew a truth that had been hidden for nearly a hundred years.
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So then. You want a story & I will tell you one... Afghanistan 1952. Abdullah & his sister Pari live with their father & stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father Saboor is constantly in search of work & they struggle together through poverty & brutal winters. To Abdullah Pari
- as beautiful & sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named
- is everything. More like a parent than a brother Abdullah will do anything for her even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot their heads touching their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari & Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the h&. Crossing generations & continents moving from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos with profound wisdom depth insight & compassion Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us & shape our lives the ways in which we help our loved ones in need how the choices we make resonate through history & how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.

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So then. You want a story & I will tell you one... Afghanistan 1952. Abdullah & his sister Pari live with their father & step-mother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father Saboor is constantly in search of work & they struggle together through poverty & brutal winters. To Adbullah Pari as beautiful & sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named is everything. More like a parent than a brother Abdullah will do anything for her even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot their skulls touching their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari & Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the h&. Crossing generations & continents moving from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos with profound wisdom depth insight & compassion Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us & shape our lives the ways that we help our loved ones in need how the choices we make resonate through history & how we are often surprised by the people closest to us. Each of these signed limited editions comes in a beautifully designed cloth-bound slipcase. ...

Its time to send the animals rescued from the pirate circus home. Uncle Mac sets sail with amazing Esme & her fearless cousins on a journey to hot & cold & distant lands
- from Scotland to Siberia to Peru! Its a voyage filled with excitement & danger. & dastardly pirates who will stop at nothing to recapture the animals. This is the third of Tamara Macfarlanes Esme stories which are perfect for newly confident readers to read by themselves or for parents to read aloud. High in action & with plenty of humour the stories are brought to life by Michael Fowkes drawings on every double-page spread.
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In June 1940 Paris fell to the Nazis who made the world's cultural capital their favourite entertainment ground. Music halls & cabarets thrived during the occupation providing plenty of work for actors singers & musicians
- except for Jews. The likes of Maurice Chevalier & Edith Piaf who had entertained the French troops now unabashedly provided amusement to the Germans. After the invasion of France those artists still in Paris had to find ways to survive. Although Matisse & others kept out of view Picasso could not avoid Nazi visitors. A few like Beckett joined the Resistance. Some were arrested & died in German hands. Others entertained the enemy. The theatres reopened the movie cameras rolled galleries sold paintings looted from Jewish families pro-German writers & their rivals fought in print. Told through the experiences of renowned creative figures & witnesses of the times & the Show Went On is an authoritative account of how Paris's artistic world lived through the Occupation both of those who suffered Nazi oppression & those who prospered through collaboration.
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In June 1940 Paris fell & the citys lights went out. The worlds cultural capital had become the Nazis greatest prize. Following its cultural tradition from the century before
- having given birth to major artistic movements like Impressionism Cubism & Surrealism
- Paris remained home to the greatest artists writers & composers from Joyce to Picasso. After the invasion of France many artists fled & those still in Paris had to survive: Matisse kept out of view but Picasso could not avoid Nazi visitors. A few like Beckett joined the Resistance. Some were arrested & died in German hands. Others entertained the enemy. Maurice Chevalier & Edith Piaf sang the dancing girls returned the opera & theatres reopened the movie cameras rolled galleries sold paintings looted from Jewish families pro-German writers & their rivals fought in print. Told through the experiences of renowned creative figures & witnesses of the times & the Show Went On provides the authoritative account of how Pariss artistic world lived through the German Occupation. From the desperation of defeat to the heights of creativity this is a moving history of survival collaboration & resistance.

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All aboard the train for this cumulative picture book full of delicious read-aloud sounds! Join the eclectic & eccentric passengers on the train: ladies off to the races chattering children on a school trip business men going to the city chickens off to market...and all the while the train goes Clickerty Click Clickerty Clack... Chuff Chuff Chufferty Chuff... Woo Woooooo! Children will love joining in with the noisy characters & spotting fun details on every page. With colourful retro art reminiscent of 1950s children's TV favourite Ivor the Engine this book is perfect for train lovers of all ages! Children fond of chuffing like a train will find their pleasure ramped up to a whole new level. Cheerful & spirited this is one of those welcome picture books that turns the bedtime story into live entertainment." (" The Independent"). Rush hour at this station is full of lively sounds & motions as a colourful collection of characters wait for the train. A great read-aloud book. " Junior"." ...

From well-known auteur of the American theatre scene Anne Bogart & then you act" is a fascinating & accessible book about directing theatre acting & the collaborative creative process. Writing clearly & passionately Bogart speaks to a wide audience from undergraduates to practitioners & makes an invaluable contribution to the field tackling themes such as: intentionality; inspiration; & why theatre matters. Following on from her successful book "A Director Prepares" which has become a key text for teaching directing classes " And then you act" is an essential practitioner & student resource." ...

How would you feel if the only man you'd ever loved was taken away from you? & imagine how he'd feel if he hadn't really been taken away at all
- but couldn't find a way to let you know... Mel Taylor was thirteen years old when she found her Mr Right. Twenty years on they are blissfully in love. She has the man she adores a gorgeous daughter a great job & a dream home. But Mel's happiness is spoilt by a dark secret & a niggling fear that her good fortune can't last for ever. Despite her husband Adam's efforts to reassure her that nothing bad is going to happen Mel can't shake the feeling that someone is about to call time on their happiness. & then it happens...
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