For the kings & queens of England a trumpet fanfare or crash of cymbals could be as vital a weapon as a cannon. Showcasing a monarch's power prestige & taste music has been the lifeblood of many a royal dynasty. From sacred choral works to soaring symphonies Music & Monarchy looks at how England's character was shaped by its music. To David Starkey & Katie Greening works like Handel's Water Music & Tallis' Mass for Four Voices were more than entertainment
- they were pieces signalling political intent wealth & ambition. Starkey & Greening examine England's most iconic musical works to demonstrate how political power has been a part of musical composition for centuries. Many of our current musical motifs of nationhood whether it's the Last Night of the Proms or football terraces erupting in song have their origins in the way the crown has shaped the national soundtrack. Published to coincide with a major BBC series Music & Monarchy is not a book about music. It is a history of England written in music from our leading royal historian.
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The first fully authorised biography of one of the most influential politicians of the second half of the twentieth century. David Steel became the leader of the Liberal Party in 1976 & one of the youngest party leaders in British history. He is perhaps most remembered for his uneasy partnerships through the 1980s with the leaders of the breakaway Social Democrats. Later Steel became the chief proponent of the merger that would see both parties become the Liberal Democrats. ...

David Weir's career is a tale of triumph on the pitch but also of victory over the assumption all top-level footballers are finished in their mid-30s. Weir who turned 41 in May 2011 is the oldest outfield player to represent Rangers since 1945 passing the mark set by their famous full-back Jock ' Tiger' Shaw. In this revealing autobiography Weir gives an insight into the high of playing in the 1998 World Cup finals for his country to the low of the chaotic 2-2 draw in the Faroes four years later which led to his decision to stop playing for Scotl&. For the first time he gives his side of the story. How he felt Berti Vogts Scotland's boss used him as a scapegoat. Many felt Weir's international career would end on that sour note & that his club career was approaching its conclusion too. He was 32 & David Moyes his manager at Everton made no secret he was on the lookout for new younger defenders. Like thousands of footballers before him Weir could just have accepted his time was up. He had a young family & a father who was suffering from Alzheimer's to help care for & self-doubt gnawed at him. Could he cut it any more? Instead he moved to Rangers in January 2007 making his debut for his childhood favourites at a mere 36 years & 236 days & has helped them to eight trophies since & a European final in 2008. Weir's is a story of battling against the odds to keep playing at the top level & proving he could despite the doubts of others & indeed himself. ...

David Weir's career is a tale of triumph on the pitch but also of victory over the assumption all top-level footballers are finished in their mid-30s. Weir who turned 42 in May 2012 is the oldest outfield player to represent Rangers since 1945 passing the mark set by their famous full-back Jock ' Tiger' Shaw. In this revealing autobiography Weir gives an insight into the high of playing in the 1998 World Cup finals for his country to the low of the chaotic 2-2 draw in the Faroes four years later which led to his decision to stop playing for Scotl&. For the first time he gives his side of the story. Many felt Weir's international career was over for good & that his club career was approaching its conclusion too. It seemed that David Moyes his manager at Everton was on the lookout for younger defenders. Like thousands of footballers before him Weir could just have accepted his time was up. Instead he moved to Rangers in January 2007 making his debut for his childhood favourites at a mere 36 years & 236 days & has helped them to eight trophies since & a European final in 2008. Weir's is a story of battling against the odds to keep playing at the top level & proving he could despite the doubts of others & indeed himself. ...

I had thought for some time that there must be something funny about Germany because except for hard-drinking types at the Munich beer festival I had never heard of anybody going there for a holiday. This was in my view the first of two advantages. There are travellers who when abroad are delighted to see a fellow countryman. They strike up acquaintanceships which ripen into short friendships; they exchange addresses part with regret send each other Christmas cards for a couple of years & then forget each other. Not I. There are quite enough Englishmen at home without my wanting to run into them abroad. So having only been to Germany once before to do National Service Edward Enfield sets off on his latest cycling trip carrying few preconceptions but plenty of wit. Determining the route he should take from recommendations scrawled on a napkin he starts by following the Romantic Street along the banks of the Danube from Passau to Vienna taking in castles churches & good food along the way. & as Edward amply reveals in this charming book there is no place from which to see a country that is nearly as good as the saddle of a bicycle. ...

In the exciting second Warriors story arc the wild cats of the forest have lived in peace & harmony for many moons--but new prophecies from their warrior ancestors speak of a mysterious destiny & grave danger for the clans. The third of six titles in this thrilling feline fantasy adventure. Darkness air water & sky will come together & shake the forest to its roots! The young feline heroes of The New Prophecy have finally made it back to the forest -- but their quest is far from over. Now they must convince the fiercely independent Clans to travel together to a new home through dangerous territory & without a clear destination. If they do not their world will be destroyed & the Clans will be lost forever! ...

After four years the tide of war is turning in North Africa & Europe. The conflict in Southeast Asia however has reached new heights of savagery & Operation Monsun poses a sinister threat to the hope of allied victory. The Special Operations mission off the Burmese coast requires volunteers
- men with nothing to live for or men with everything to lose; men like Lieutenant James Ross awarded the Victoria Cross for his work in underwater sabotage or the desperate amateur Charles villiers heir to a fortune now controlled by the Japanese. The two-man torpedo
- the chariot
- is the ultimate weapon in a high-risk war. Cast loose into the shadows before an eastern dawn the heroes or madmen who guide it will strike terror into the heart of an invaluable enemy or pay the ultimate price for failure...


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Egyptian art from the Pharaonic era is characterized by colossal sphinxes elaborately decorated coffins hieroglyphs & beautifully modeled reliefs. Less well-known but equally impressive are the rare & ancient images of people animals & landscapes from the pre-Pharaonic era the period that preceded & directly influenced these iconic forms of artistic expression. With lavish illustrations of more than 170 fascinating objects created from about 4000 to 2650 BC Dawn of Egyptian Art" presents the origins of these art forms & iconography that remained in use for centuries. Comprehensive texts explore the origins & early development of the culture of ancient Egypt while discussing the representation of the self & the universe the relationship between image & writing & the early Egyptians evolving view of how the world worked." ...

Three thousand years before the birth of Christ. An epic conflict is about to begin. The price of victory? Civilization. The price of defeat a return to the dark ages. The hopes of civilization rest on one mans shoulders: Eskkar once a barbarian now a warrior in charge of defending a small town which lies in the path of a vast barbarian war party. The last time the invaders came to Orak they spared no one & the tiny candle of trade & agriculture that had begun there the first in all of human history was extinguished. But Eskkar & Trella the beautiful slave girl he has been given by the grateful townsfolk & the raggle-taggle army he has inherited are not going to flee. They will fight against the overwhelming odds with foolhardy bravery subtle ingenuity & the last drop of their blood. On this tiny band the lathe of history will turn: victory or darkness? ...

When there is no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth. George A. Romeros iconic film & novel terrified generations. Now Dawn of the Dead is back to terrify once more. The world is being devastated by zombies. No one knows how far they have spread or how to stop them. & as the living fight to save themselves society collapses. Four people escape the chaos of downtown Philadelphia & find shelter in a shopping mall. As the survivors exhaust their greed & the undead scrape at the doors the refuge becomes a prison. & soon there will be nowhere left to hide.. . The classic horror that inspired a genre: if you havent read this yet you need to. If you have youll want to again.

Includes:: a brilliant & exclusive introduction from Simon Pegg.

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