With four famous operas each from Mozart Verdi & Puccini & two each from Rossini & Donizetti there is a feast of information. Here are short guides to The Marriage of Figaro & Don Giovanni; to the splendour of Aida the heart-breaking La Traviata; the drama of Tosca. The range is very broad. There is Wagners great love story Tristan und Isolde; there is Johann Strausss light comedy Die Fledermaus. On the way you can be briefed about such favourites as Handels Giulio Cesare Bizets Carmen Gounods Faust Tchaikovskys Eugene Onegin & Brittens Peter Grimes. With plot summaries composer biographies observations on musical points of interest & background on the historical & cultural context of each opera every one of these guides will enhance your appreciation & enjoyment & help you discuss the work & the performance with your fellow opera-goers. Steen shares his expert knowledge with a lightness of touch that makes each guide a pleasure to read. Witty informative & beautifully presented Great Operas is an indispensable reference guide for both seasoned opera-goers & those enjoying opera for the first time. ...

When fugitive oil heir Chas Worthington settles the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch plants a flag & declares it his own sovereign nation the reality of the environmental catastrophe is only the beginning of his odyssey. From acclaimed writer Joe Harris (Ghost Projekt Spontaneous) & artist Martin Morazzo (Absolute Magnitude) comes a sprawling adventure across earth's newest strangest frontier! Collects issues numbered 1-6 of this groundbreaking series. ...

An exciting picture book featuring brand new characters from highly-regarded best-selling multi-award-winning talent Oliver Jeffers. When life in the forest begins to change; when trees mysteriously lose their branches when whole tree trunks start to disappear when homes are lost the only course of action for the forest dwellers is to begin a full scale investigation. Alibis must be proved clues must be sought but even so blame is never far from anyone's thoughts. Who is the perpetrator of this heinous crime? Will justice be done? ...

READ BY HARRY ENFIELD. An exciting picture book & audio featuring brand new characters & a fantastic repertoire of voices from the talented Harry Enfield drawing from the wonderful imagination of best selling Childrens book author & illustrator Oliver Jeffers. READ BY HARRY ENFIELD. When life in the forest begins to change; when trees mysteriously lose their branches when whole tree trunks start to disappear when homes are lost the only course of action for the forest dwellers is to begin a full scale investigation. Alibis must be proved clues must be sought but even so blame is never far from anyone's thoughts. Who is the perpetrator of this heinous crime? Will justice be done? ...

Writing with his usual grace & fluency Jonathan Sacks moves beyond the tired arguments of militant atheists such as Dawkins & Hitchens to explore how religion has always played a valuable part in human culture & far from being dismissed as redundant must be allowed to temper & develop scientific understanding in order for us to be fully human. Ranging around the world to draw comparisons from different cultures & delving deep into the history of language & of western civilisation Jonathan Sacks shows how the predominance of science-oriented thinking is embedded deeply even in our religious understanding & calls on us to recognise the centrality of relationship to true religion & thus to see how this core value of relationship is essential if we are to avoid the natural tendency for science to rule our lives rather than fulfilling its promise to set us free. ...

When we look at everyday life we realize that it is far from easy. Indeed we are often confronted with the contrary: complicated instead of simple; demanding instead of effortless. As photographers we face a similar situation with regard to our chosen hobby. The camera & computer are wonderful technical instruments but their growing complexity can sometimes take away from the joy we find when we engage in creative work. In this book author Bernd Daub shows us that simplicity works. He describes how with simple camera techniques traditional film & some imagination we can create ambitious artwork. This book teaches us how to focus our attention on the motivation behind our chosen image & develop a strong image impact without the need for high-tech equipment & flawless exposures. Learn about a variety of reasonably priced low-tech cameras-such as the Holga Diana & Blackbird-as well as single-use cameras the good old Agfa-Box & the pinhole camera. For price-conscious beginners & intermediate photographers with high-quality equipment this book provides ideas for alternative techniques without large investments. You'll discover many new possibilities as you foster your creativity. ...

Here is a lively history of modern physics as seen through the lives of thirty men & women from the pantheon of physics. William H. Cropper vividly portrays the life & accomplishments of such giants as Galileo & Isaac Newton Marie Curie & Ernest Rutherford & Albert Einstein right up to contemporary figures such as Richard Feynman Murray Gell-Mann & Stephen Hawking. We meet scientists all geniuses who could be gregarious aloof unpretentious friendly dogged imperious generous to colleagues or contentious rivals. Cropper also offers vivid portraits of their great moments of discovery their bitter feuds their relations with family & friends their religious beliefs & education. In addition since scientists in a particular field often inspire those who follow Cropper has grouped these biographies by discipline mechanics thermodynamics particle physics & so on each section beginning with a historical overview. Our understanding of the physical world has increased dramatically in the last four centuries starting with Galileo & his telescope & stretching to Stephen Hawking's work on black holes & cosmology. With Great Physicists" readers can retrace the footsteps of the men & women who led the way." ...

Containing 44 piano solos this bumper collection offers a great selection of classical favourites from choral works concertos ballets operas & symphonies. All music is arranged for the intermediate level pianist. The selection

Includes:: Adagio For Strings" " The Blue Bird" " Cello Concerto" " Pie Jesu (Faure)" " Piano" " Concerto No.1 (Chopin)" & 39 more favourites! The songs include: Adagio For Strings" by Barber; " The Can-Can" by Offenbach; " Ave Maria" by Schubert; " Fur Elise" by Beethoven; " Grand March (from Aida)" by Verdi; " Swan Lake" (theme) by Tchaikovsky; " Clair de Lune" by Debussy; " Allegro" (from Water Music) by Handel; & " Spring Song" by Mendelssohn. The piano is the most popular instruments adults learn
- there are over 2 million in the UK alone."


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The Great Plague is a thrilling story of a young girl during the epidemic of 1665. Its 1665 & Alice is looking forward to being back in London. But the plague is spreading quickly & as each day passes more red crosses appear on doors. When her aunt is struck down with the plague she is forced to make a decision that could change her life forever... Alices chilling diary brings alive one of the darkest moments in British history: the Great Plague of 1665-1666 ...

The bubonic plague epidemic which struck England in 1665-6 was responsible for the deaths of almost a third of London's population. Its sheer scale was overwhelming & it was well-recorded featuring in the works of Pepys & Defoe & described in terrible detail in the contemporary Bills of Mortality. Often remembered because of its devastating impact on London the plague struck other urban communities as well carrying off half the population of Colchester & causing high mortality in cities such as Norwich & Cambridge. Nor were country villages spared with Eyam in Derbyshire
- where the inhabitants sealed themselves off to prevent the spread of the disease & a third of the inhabitants died
- being the most famous. Stephen Porter describes the disease & how people at the time thought it was caused. He gives details of the treatments available (such as they were) & evokes its impact on the country. We will probably never know the reasons for the disappearance of the bubonic plague from England after 1665. What is clear is the fascination the subject still holds.

Includes:: 61 illustrations



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