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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Naxos Audio Books begins its new series of Great Poets"
- represented by their most popular poems on one CD
- with William Blake

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A new edition of this classic search sure to keep children entertained for hours on end. Each beautifully illustrated scene including giant insects in the swamps the creatures of the ocean & the dinosaurs on the plains features a brain-teasing picture puzzle. It is also packed with fascinating geographical facts presented in short easy-to-read captions. ...

Book number 4 in the awesome Pick Your Path adventure" series: " Club Penguin The Great Puffle Switch". A magical event has occurred on Club Penguin: You & your pet puffle have switched bodies! See life through the eyes of a puffle as you go on amazing adventures along with some new puffle friends. In the end will you find a way to switch back to a penguin or will you become a puffle forever? The choice is yours! Disney Club Penguin is the web's biggest online community for children where they can create their own Penguin play mini-games collect items & more! The series of accompanying " Club Penguin Pick Your Path" books

Includes:: " Stowaway! Adventures at Sea" " The Inventor's Apprentice" " Star Reporter" & " Dancing with Cadence"."

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It was too good an opportunity to miss for many officers in the British Army when in 1914 & 1915 they sailed across the Channel with the BEF
- they took their cameras with them to record the historic events unfolding in Europe. Soon photographs of British soldiers in the trenches began to appear in newspapers & magazines throughout this country. The War Office decided it had to be stopped
- far too much information presented on a plate to the enemy. Official cameramen
- only
- would take the images the nation thirsted for thus control would be firmly with the authority conducting the war. Otherwise illicit cameras were banned. This action coincided with the Allies planned offensive against the German areas of occupation of France. In 1916 Sir Douglas Haig commanding the BEF began his great offensive to drive the invaders off the ground they had been occupying for over a year & a half. The Great Push as the offensive was advertised to the nation began 1 July 1916. A glossy picture magazine was produced to inform the British public of the progress of the offensive. Over a four months period until the Battle of the Somme faded away in November the magazine appeared with the following advertising blurb: Sir Douglas Haigs Great Push; The Battle of the Somme; A popular pictorial & authoritative work on one of the Greatest Battles in History illustrated by about 700 wonderful Official Photographs & Cinematograph Films; By Arrangement With the War Office; beautifully printed on the Best English Art Paper. As is well known the Great Push turned out to be little more than a nudge but for the sake of national morale the British public had to be encouraged to believe that all was going well; especially in view of the horrific casualties wrecking the lives of families throughout the l&. The Great Push in the form of IMAGES of WAR helps capture the propaganda thrust of the times & presents once more the illustrations of those bewildering days along with an ID number for easy reference.



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And theyre off! Race along with Rat Monkey Dragon & their companions as they join in the Emperors race. Who will win the ultimate honour of having the first year of the new Chinese Zodiac calendar named after them? This book provides an easy-to-read retelling of the story of the Chinese Zodiac with accessible endnotes on Chinese astrology & festivals. It contains illustrations that incorporate numbers in Chinese script
- ideal for classroom & library use. It also encourages reader interaction as children discover the animal sign of their birth year.
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The Great Railway Bazaar" is Paul Theroux's account of his epic journey by rail through Asia. Filled with evocative names of legendary train routes
- the Direct-Orient Express the Khyber Pass Local the Delhi Mail from Jaipur the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur the Hikari Super Express to Kyoto & the Trans-Siberian Express
- it describes the many places cultures sights & sounds he experienced & the fascinating people he met. Here he overhears snippets of chat & occasional monologues & is drawn into conversation with fellow passengers from Molesworth a British theatrical agent & Sadik a shabby Turkish tycoon while avoiding the forceful approaches of pimps & drug dealers. This wonderfully entertaining travelogue pays loving tribute to the romantic joys of railways & train travel."

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This title offers an unique beautifully illustrated & comprehensive history of the world's greatest railway maps & the railways behind them. The irresistible follow-up to the cult favorite Metro Maps of the World" Mark Ovenden's new book is an extraordinary compendium of historical & contemporary railway maps & posters from every corner of the world. The history of the railway is the history of Britain
- & France & America & Japan & Russia among many others. Featuring hundreds of images covering two centuries of advertising surveyors' maps route guides travel posters photos & Google Earth maps this is a book brimming with history anecdotes facts & data. It is a must-have guide for every train fanatic armchair or ticketed as well as lovers of graphic design history & the romance of train travel."
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In the 1830s The United States underwent a second revolution. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio line the first American railroad set in motion a process which by the end of the century would enmesh the vast country in a latticework of railroad lines small-town stations & magisterial termini built & controlled the biggest corporations in America. By the middle of the twentieth century however as the automobile & the aeroplane came to dominate American journey-making the historic importance of the railroads began to be erased from Americas hearts & minds. In The Great Railway Revolution Christian Wolmar tells us the extraordinary one-hundred-&-eighty-year story of the rise fall & ultimate shattering of the greatest of all American endeavours of technological triumph & human tragedy of visionary pioneers & venal & rapacious railway barons. He also argues that while America has largely disowned this heritage now is the time to celebrate reclaim & reinstate it. The growth of the US railroads was much more than just a revolution in mode speed & convenience. They united the far-flung components of a vast & disparate country & supercharged the economic development that fuelled its rise to world-power status. America was created by its railroads & the massive expansion of trade industry & freedom of communication that they engendered came to be an integral part of the American dream itself. ...