The Black Death is the name most commonly given to the pandemic of bubonic plague that ravaged the medieval world in the late 1340s. From Central Asia the plague swept through Europe leaving millions of dead in its wake. Between a quarter & a third of Europes population died. In England the population fell from nearly six million to just over three million. The Black Death was the greatest demographic disaster in European history. Sean Martin looks at the origins of the disease & traces its terrible march through Europe from the Italian cities to the far-flung corners of Scandinavia. He describes contemporary responses to the plague & makes clear how helpless was the medicine of the day in the face of it. He examines the renewed persecution of the Jews blamed by many Christians for the spread of the disease & highlights the bizarre attempts by such groups as the Flagellants to ward off what they saw as the wrath of God. His book is a vivid & dramatic account of one of the great catastrophes of history. ...

Catherine Bailey's Black Diamonds" is an extraordinary tale of family feuds forbidden love civil unrest & the downfall of a mining dynasty. Wentworth in Yorkshire was surrounded by 70 collieries employing tens of thousands of men. It is the finest & largest Georgian house in Britain & belonged to the Fitzwilliam family. It is England's forgotten palace which belonged to Britain's richest aristocrats. " Black Diamonds" tells the story of its demise: family feuds forbidden love class war & a tragic & violent death played their part. But coal one of the most emotive issues in twentieth century British politics lies at its heart. This is the extraordinary story of how the fabric of English society shifted beyond recognition in fifty turbulent years in the twentieth century. " Magnificent.. .peels back the grand facade of Wentworth toreveal a family riven with fueds mental illness & forbidden love". (" Tatler"). "A compelling new history.. .fascinating insights into the dynasty that once ruled this Yorkshire roost". (" Daily Mail"). " An aristocratic tale of epic proportions this gripping novel cleverly interweaves interviews letters & historical fact.. . Fascinating". (" Easy Living"). Catherine Bailey read history at Oxford University. She is a successful award-winning television producer & director making a range of critically acclaimed documentary films inspired by her interest in twentieth century history. She is the author of " Black Diamonds" & " The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery". She lives in West London." ...

A black dog appears outside the Hope family's home. As each member of the household sees it & hides the dog grows bigger & bigger. Only Small the youngest Hope has the courage to face the Black Dog. When it chases her through the forest she shows no fear so it grows smaller & smaller. Finally back to the size of a normal hound the Black Dog is welcomed into the Hope household as their newest addition. ...

A black dog appears outside the Hope family's home. As each member of the household sees it & hides the dog grows bigger & bigger. Only Small the youngest Hope has the courage to face the Black Dog. When it chases her through the forest she shows no fear so it grows smaller & smaller. Finally back to the size of a normal hound the Black Dog is welcomed into the Hope household as their newest addition. ...

Behind The Black Door anything & everything can happen.. . Ariel Vaughn is a high powered attorney & a partner at her firm dating one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City. She's living the high life but her sex life has hit a low point. Then a hot young escort introduces her to The Black Door club & her best friend encourages her to try it out. There she finds a fantasy playground for women full of every obsession & erotic temptation a girl could dream of. Soon she meets a man who taps into her darkest desires. But it's not long before everything she holds dear becomes threatened by this new found passion.. . ...

Throughout its chequered history snooker has had more than its fair share of heroes & villains champions & chumps rascals & rip-off artists. In the last 20 years every sleazy scandal imaginable has attached itself to this raffish sport: corruption match fixing bribery sex recreational drugs performance-enhancing drugs ballot rigging fraud theft domestic violence common-or-garden violence paranoid politicking dirty tricks
- all against a background of inept petty tsars fixated on the pursuit retention & abuse of power. In Black Farce & Cue Ball Wizards" Clive Everton recounts the glory & despair the dreams & disillusion & the treachery & greed that have characterised the game since it was invented as an innocent diversion by British Army officers in India in the nineteenth century. He tells the true & unexpurgated tale of snookers transformation into a television success story second only to football & exposes how its potential has been shamefully squandered."
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It is the Black Dawn a time of environmental apocalypse. It is the Bright Day a time generations hence when a peace has descended across the world. In each era a child undertakes a perilous journey to find a dark messiah known as the Crowman. But is he our saviour
- or the final incarnation of evil?
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Albert Johanneson became one of the first high profile black players in football when he joined Leeds United from the poverty of South African township life in 1961. Over the next nine years he became a favourite with the Leeds fans amassing over 200 appearances & 68 goals whilst enduring racism endemic in that era on & off the pitch. In 1970 after a spate of injuries Leeds United manager Don Revie released Albert & he joined York City for two seasons before retiring from football. Unfortunately life after his football career did not go well for Albert & he died in Leeds in 1995 an alcoholic penniless recluse. Journalist Paul Harrison was working with Albert writing his autobiography at the time of his death. Now some 17 years later with encouragement from Alberts friends he has decided to complete his story of The Black Flash a player acclaimed by Elland Road fans & of who the great George Best said of hes a brave man with a lot of skill. ...

Maggie ODell is back in an explosive new thriller. Silence. Smoke. Then the Screaming begins. As suicide bombers strike at the heart of America FBI profiler Maggie ODell faces the toughest deadliest case of her career. Sifting through the debris for answers ODell discovers that worse is yet to come with more attacks imminent
- & the consequences unimaginable. In less than twenty-four hours ODell must figure out what the next target is & who exactly she is fighting against. Struggling to put the pieces together in time she realizes just what is at stake
- & that her own brother may be in the firing line.

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Colin & Prill were looking forward to their summer holiday in Ireland but almost from the moment they arrive things start to go horribly wrong. This modern family on holiday awake memories of the Irish famine. Colin & Prill were looking forward to their summer holiday in Ireland but almost from the moment they arrive things start to go horribly wrong. Whilst Colin is plagued by a terrible smell rising from the land as if from the land of the dead Prill is visited by a strange creature creeping into her dreams. Who is she & what does she want? Only cousin Oliver seems untouched by the danger. As the hot summer days continue their terror mounts & their baby sister becomes critically ill. Oliver links the present horror with the terrible famine in Ireland of the 1840s
- & he must bring about a reconciliation to save himself & his cousins. An atmospheric play which gradually builds the tension & will have the audience on the edge of their seats... The book contains a haunting playscript suitable for classwork & school production accompanied by resources including background material & lively activities.
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