Benjamin Disraeli & William Ewart Gladstone are without doubt the two most iconic figures of Victorian politics. Their distinctly different personalities & policies led to 28 years of bitter political rivalry. For the first time this book provides the full story of their rivalry & its origins comparing the upbringing education & personalities of the two leaders as well as their political careers. Dick Leonard considers the impact of religion on the two men their contrasting oratorical skills their attitudes to political & social reform foreign affairs & imperialism as well as their relations with Queen Victoria. In their private lives he sheds new light on Gladstone's guilt-ridden obsession with 'reforming' prostitutes & Disraeli's almost completely successful efforts to conceal the existence of two illegitimate children. Providing important new perspectives on the two towering political characters of the Victorian Age this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in nineteenth century British history & politics. ...

How did the great scientists make their remarkable discoveries? & what kind of men were they? This companion volume to Inventors & their Inventions" introduces the work of 10 men to younger readers & range from the world of Ancient Greece to the 20th century discovery of DNA. Among them are the crucial discovery that the earth goes around the sun (Galileo) the principle of gravity (Newton) the evolution of the species (Darwin) & the principle of inherited characteristics or genetics (Mendel)." ...

Scot Symon is the almost forgotten manager of Rangers & in recent years his contribution to the club has been woefully neglected. Now in Great Scot" David Leggat examines his role in the history of Rangers FC & reveals not only a key figure in the development of the club but also a true giant of Scottish football. Statistics don't lie & in the 13 years he was manager at Ibrox from 1954 onwards Rangers won a remarkable 15 trophies & became the first British club to appear in a European Final. In fact Symon took Rangers to two European finals & had he won one his place in history would have been assured. Instead he became Ibrox's forgotten man. His remarkable years as Rangers manager followed a successful playing career for the club under Bill Struth & an early management career that started with a bang when he led East Fife to two League Cup triumphs before taking Preston North End to the FA Cup Final. He later managed Partick Thistle first as manager & then general manager training more than half of the young Thistle team which beat Celtic 4-1 to win the League Cup in 1971. But it is his time in charge of Rangers which saw him sign such artists as Ian Mc Millan & Jim Baxter & led to a glorious era for the club that defined him. & among the great & the good who have offered their tributes to James Scotland Symon in this book is the last signing he made for Rangers
- the now Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. With such support " Great Scot" sets out to show that it's now time to reevaluate James Scotland Symon's achievements & give him his rightful place in football history."
...

This title is Sunday Times" History Book of the Year. For over three thousand years the Mediterranean Sea has been one of the great centres of world civilisation. From the time of historical Troy until the middle of the nineteenth century human activity here decisively shaped much of the course of world history. David Abulafias " The Great Sea" is the first complete history of the Mediterranean from the erection of the mysterious temples on Malta around 3500 BC to the recent reinvention of the Mediterraneans shores as a tourist destination. Part of the argument of Abulafias book is that the great port cities
- Alexandria Trieste & Salonika & many others
- prospered in part because of their ability to allow many different people religions & identities to co-exist within sometimes very confined spaces. He also brilliantly populates his history with identifiable individuals whose lives illustrate with great immediacy the wider developments he is describing. " The Great Sea" ranges stupendously across time & the whole extraordinary space of the Mediterranean from Gibraltar to Jaffa Venice to Alexandria. Rather than imposing a false unity on the sea & the teeming human activity it has sustained the book emphasises diversity
- ethnic linguistic religious & political. Anyone who reads it will leave it with their understanding of those societies & their histories enormously enriched."


...

For over three thousand years the Mediterranean Sea has been one of the great centres of world civilisation. From the time of historical Troy until the middle of the nineteenth century human activity here decisively shaped much of the course of world history. David Abulafia's The Great Sea" is the first complete history of the Mediterranean from the erection of the mysterious temples on Malta around 3500 BC to the recent reinvention of the Mediterranean's shores as a tourist destination. " The Great Sea" ranges stupendously across time & the whole extraordinary space of the Mediterranean from Gibraltar to Jaffa Venice to Alexandria. Rather than imposing a false unity on the sea & the teeming human activity it has sustained the book emphasizes diversity
- ethnic linguistic religious & political. Anyone who reads it will leave it with their understanding of those societies & their histories enormously enriched."
...

A lamb for my supper will taste mighty fine!" Thought a wily old wolf by the name of Lou Pine. As he sneakily slyly snuck up on the flock
- But it wasnt the sheep that were in for a shock... With a stunningly cunning plan Lou Pine finds a disguise that is sure to deliver a lamb stew or two. But this flock of sheep arent quite the dumb mutton they seem..."
...

A unique history of sporting literature; the first & only one ever to embark on a comprehensive survey of the gameshooting scene both as it was & as it stands today. In this new & revised edition the fascinating story is brought right up to date. Many of the shoots chosen are owned by the rich & famous Brian Martin provides a rare insight into their social lives; providing fascinating comment on their own estates & on shooting generally. Before detailing the history & present sport of each estate region by region the author sets the scene by outlining the history of gameshooting in Britain: the changing attitude of society; how economics have played an increasingly important part; how the popular press has perpetuated an often inaccurate image; how technical developments have shaped both gunmaking & game rearing; & much more. The inter-relationship between shooting & conservation & the important contribution ot the general welfare of our flora & fauna by the overwelming majority of shoot proprieters are given special attention. This superb volume has become the established celebration of the gameshooting world today. ...

Han vs the green fellow. Chief Brody vs the very large shark. John Mc Clane vs broken glass & many many more... This is Scott Campbells acclaimed Great Showdowns" series showing strangely good-natured confrontations between his favorite movie characters finally gets the book collection fans have been demanding! It comes with a Foreword by Neil Patrick Harris." ...

In the autumn of 1644 was fought one of the most sustained & desperate sieges of the First Civil War when Scottish Covenanter forces under the Earl of Leven finally stormed Newcastle-upon-Tyne the King's greatest bastion in the north-east & the key to his power there. The city had been resolutely defended throughout the year by the Marquis of Newcastle who had defied both the Covenanters & northern Parliamentarians. Newcastle had held sway in the north-east since the outbreak of the war in 1642. He had defeated the Fairfaxes at Adwalton Moor & secured the City of Newcastle as the major coal exporter & port of entry for vital Royalist munitions & supply. Without this the north was lost. If anything Newcastle was more important in strategic terms than York & it was the city's fall in October which marked the final demise of Royalist domination of the north. The book tells the story of the people who fought there what motivated them & who led them there. It is also an account of what happened on the day a minute-by-minute chronicle of Newcastle's bloodiest battle. The account draws heavily on contemporary source material some of which has not received a full airing until now. ...

On a hill bumpy-steepy theres a house scary-creepy & its said that a Snortle lives there Now nobodys been so nobodys seen But Mouse whispers Come if you dare!" Have you seen a Snortle? Would you want to? If youre brave enough join Mouse & his friends as they go on a night-time Snortle hunt. Aaaaaagh! Whats that? A read-along rhyming text that will capture childrens imaginations." ...