The Royal School of Needlework teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard developing techniques in new & innovative ways. This series of Essential Stitch Guides provides expert tuition on a variety of techniques. In this guide to blackwork Graduate Apprentice & tutor Becky Hogg shows how to develop many different patterns from the basic blackwork stitches using detailed instructions & beautiful examples of traditional & contemporary embroideries. There is a fascinating look at the history of blackwork a guide to the materials needed & then a detailed look at the stitches used. These are then developed into a huge variety of beautiful patterns & finally there is a guide to varying the look of these patterns through the use of different shading techniques. There are inspiring embroideries throughout the book both historical pieces & contemporary works by the author & other RSN apprentices. ...

Lesley Wilkins shows how to create traditional blackwork embroideries using simple stitches on evenweave fabric. Step by step photographs & a wealth of charts illustrate how traditional motifs patterns & borders can be combined to create stunning designs. Lesley then goes on to show how to create band samplers inspired by those on which sixteenth century embroiderers collected their favourite designs including figures flowers plants birds & animals. Lesley Wilkins combines a deep knowledge of & appreciation for historical embroideries with her own flair for design & practical teaching skill. This book contains all you need to know to produce beautiful embroideries inspired by history. ...

Inquisitor Glokta a crippled & increasingly bitter relic of the last war former fencing champion turned torturer extraordinaire is trapped in a twisted & broken body
- not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers. Nobleman dashing officer & would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain shallow selfish & self-obsessed the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive & boring old men. & Logen Ninefingers an infamous warrior with a bloody past is about to wake up in a hole in the snow with plans to settle a blood feud with Bethod the new King of the Northmen once & for all
- ideally by running away from it. But as he's discovering old habits die really really hard indeed.. .especially when Bayaz gets involved. A bald old man with a terrible temper & a pathetic assistant he could be the First of the Magi he could be a spectacular fraud but whatever he is he's about to make the lives of Glotka Jezal & Logen a whole lot more difficult.. .

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Twenty years have passed since the tiny kingdom of the Icemark last defended itself from invasion. Now the imperial invader Scipio Bellorum is back
- joined by his brutal twin sons. The Icemarks fate rests with Queen Thirrin Oskan Witchfather
- & their five strong-willed children. But not all the royal siblings are ready for the task. What of Medea the dark daughter poisoning the family from within? Or Sharley the youngest & weakest son strangely foretold to return with a blade of fire?

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Decimus Rex is fighting his way through the perilous maze beneath the arena to locate the blade of fire a legendary sword that Doom is intent upon possessing. But before he can retrieve the sword Decimus must first rescue his friends. Will he manage it or is his time about to run out? ...

Terry Smith has earned his wisdom & hard way. Once a professional armed robber he is adamant that he has long since put down the sword & taken up the pen. Within the pages of this book law-abiding citizens & aspiring career criminals alike will find expert analysis of: The Great Train Robbery
- the 1960s template for all that follows; the criminal masterwork that left a goldmine of incriminating evidence. The Bank of America Robbery
- the audacious 1970s raid that netted GBP8-GBP12 million of cash jewellery & compromising photos. The Security Express Depot Robbery
- the classic 1980s heist for which notorious villains the Knight brothers & Freddie Foreman all took a fall. The Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre Robbery
- the masterstroke of Italian super-villain & international fugitive Gigi Viccei. The Millennium Dome Robbery
- the great armed robbery that never was in which a small army of firearms officers lay in wait for the unarmed Greenwich raiders.




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Blahnik by Boman is a brilliant photographic collaboration between shoe designer extraordinaire Manolo Blahnik & his close friend photographer Eric Boman. In over 160 photographs Blahniks exquisite luxurious & impossibly sexy shoes take centre stage in a dazzling array of settings perfectly set off by Bomans unerring eye & uncanny empathy with Blahniks creations. Almost as covetable as a pair of Manolos this is a beautifully produced book of consummate creativity addictive power & unrivailed individuality. ...

The Blair Years" is the most compelling & revealing account of contemporary politics you will ever read. Taken from Alastair Campbell's daily diaries it charts the rise of New Labour & the tumultuous years of Tony Blair's leadership providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in our national life. Here are the defining events of our time from Labour's new dawn to the war on terror from the death of Diana to negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland from Kosovo Afghanistan & Iraq through to the Hutton Inquiry of 2003 the year Campbell resigned his position at No 10. But above all here is Tony Blair up close & personal taking the decisions that affected the lives of millions under relentless & often hostile pressure. Often described as the second most powerful figure in Britain Alastair Campbell is no stranger to controversy. Feared & admired in equal measure hated by some he was pivotal to the founding of New Labour & the sensational election victory of 1997. As Blair's press secretary strategist & trusted confidant Campbell spent more waking hours alongside the Prime Minister than anyone. His diaires
- at times brutally frank often funny always compelling
- take the reader right to the heart of government. " The Blair Years" is a story of politics in the raw of progress & setback of reputations made & destroyed under the relentless scrutiny of a 24-hour media. Unflinchingly told it covers the crises & scandals the rows & resignations the ups & downs of Britain's hothouse politics. But amid the big events are insights & observations that make this a remarkably human portrayal of some of the most powerful people in the world. There has never been so riveting a book about life at the very top nor a more human book about politics told by a man who saw it all."

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Perfect for day trips & short breaks the OS Landranger Map series covers Great Britain with 204 detailed maps. Each map provides all the information you need to get to know your local area &

Includes:: places of interest tourist information picnic areas & camp sites plus Rights of Way information for England & Wales.

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In Pennsylvania Olrik escapes a federal prison by helicopter after a bloody attack. With Blake forced to cut short his holidays at the news a disappointed Mortimer turns his attention to Greece where an earthquake has uncovered an ancient chapel. Before long people are trying to kill Mortimer over a mysterious Roman silver coin. Could the long-lost relic be one of the 30 denarii paid to Judas for his betrayal of Jesus? & who exactly covets it so much? ...