Taking its title from T.S. Eliot's modernist poem The Waste Land" Evelyn Waugh's "A Handful of Dust" is a chronicle of Britain's decadence & social disintegration between the First & Second World Wars. This " Penguin Modern Classics" edition is edited with an introduction & notes by Robert Murray Davis. After seven years of marriage the beautiful Lady Brenda Last is bored with life at Hetton Abbey the Gothic mansion that is the pride & joy of her husband Tony. She drifts into an affair with the shallow socialite John Beaver & forsakes Tony for the Belgravia set. Brilliantly combining tragedy comedy & savage irony "A Handful of Dust" captures the irresponsible mood of the 'crazy & sterile generation' between the wars. This breakdown of the Last marriage is a painful comic re-working of Waugh's own divorce & a symbol of the disintegration of society. Evelyn Waugh (1903-66) was born in Hampstead second son of Arthur Waugh publisher & literary critic & brother of Alec Waugh the popular novelist. In 1928 he published his first work a life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti & his first novel " Decline & Fall" which was soon followed by " Vile Bodies" (1930) "A Handful of Dust" (1934) & " Scoop" (1938). In 1942 he published " Put Out More Flags" & then in 1945 " Brideshead Revisited". " Men at Arms" (1952) was the first volume of " The Sword of Honour" trilogy & won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; the other volumes " Officers & Gentlemen" & " Unconditional Surrender" followed in 1955 & 1961. If you enjouyed "A Handful of Dust" you might like Waugh's " Vile Bodies" also available in " Penguin Modern Classics". " One of the twentieth century's most chilling & bitter novels; & one of its best". (Nicholas Lezard " Guardian"). " One of the most distinguished novels of the century". (Frank Kermode). " This is a masterpiece of stylish satire & is funny too.. .a marvellous book". (John Banville " Irish Times")." ...

Aiming to track down a small oasis town deep in the Sahara some of whose generous inhabitants came to her rescue on a black day in her adolescence Annie Hawes leaves her home in the olive groves of Italy & sets off along the south coast of the Mediterranean. Travelling through Morocco & Algeria she eats pigeon pie with a family of cannabis farmers & learns about the habits of djinns; she encounters citizens whose protest against the tyrannical King Hassan takes the form of attaching colanders to their television aerials
- a practice he soon outlaws
- & comes across a stone-age method of making olive-oil still going strong. She allows a ten-year-old to lead her into the fundamentalist strongholds of the suburbs of Algiers
- where she makes a good friend. Plunging southwards regardless into the desert she at last shares a lunch of salt-cured Saharan haggis with her old friends in a green & pleasant palm grove perfumed by flowering henna: once it seems the favourite scent of the Prophet Mohammed. She discovers at journey's end that life in a date-farming oasis haunting though its songs may be is not so simple & uncomplicated as she has imagined. Annie Hawes has legions of fans. Her writing has the well-built flow of fiction & the self-effacing honesty of a journal.


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This book collects all the facts figures & details that knitters need to know about yarns & offers visual comparisons to show the different effects they create in use. This is an essential quick reference guide for every hand knitter at any level &

Includes:: a comprehensive encyclopedia of yarns complete with swatch images & vital information on how best to work with them. The Handknitters Yarn Guide is an essential handbook for professional or hobbyist knitters & ensures backlist longevity.

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Charlotte OKeefes beautiful much-longed-for adored daughter Willow is born with osteogenesis imperfecta
- a very severe form of
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Handley Page began manufacturing aeroplanes in a small factory in Barking Essex in 1909. Handley Page Limited was founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) as the United Kingdoms first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. Sir Frederick declined to allow his company to be merged into the two large forced marriages of aircraft manufacturing companies in the 1960s. It failed to survive alone & went into voluntary liquidation & ceased to exist in 1970. During the First World War Handley Page produced a series of heavy bombers for the Royal Navy to bomb the German Zeppelin yards with the ultimate intent of bombing Berlin in revenge for the Zeppelin attacks on London. Handley Page had been asked by the Admiralty to produce a bloody paralyser of an aeroplane". These aircraft included the O/100 of 1915 the O/400 of 1918 & the four-engined V/1500 with the range to reach Berlin. The V/1500 only just reached operational service as the war ended in 1918. The real success of the Company came during the Second World War with the magnificent & robust Halifax bomber. In all more than 6 000 of them were produced or more than 40 per cent of Britains total heavy-bomber power. In the bombing operations alone Approx. 76 000 sorties were flown & nearly a quarter of a million tons of bombs were dropped on to enemy targets. Bomber Command had no less than seventy-six Halifax squadrons in action at the time of its peak strength." ...

In this unauthorised biography of Dame Edna Everage acquired for an unprecedented advance & in spectacular secrecy her long-time manager & the man who was there from the very beginning Barry Humphries takes a behind-the-scenes no-holds-barred look at an icon of our times. Superstar swami confidante & advisor to royalty Hollywood stars & international political leaders Dame Ednas life has catapulted her from her humble Moonee Ponds beginnings as a suburban housewife to the most elite social & artistic circles in the world. Who would have thought that this modest Australian woman could achieve so much from London to Louisiana to New York to Tokyo? Who could have anticipated her global fame? Barry Humphries certainly didnt. Dame Edna may not like this book but Barry knows everything
- the who the why & the where
- & in this much-anticipated work for the first time he reveals all. This exhaustively researched account of Ednas roller-coaster life is essential reading for scholars female achievers fans of Dame Edna & those who feel that behind the fairytale career lies a darker & more sinister story...

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25 alluring & stylish ideas for making your own designer necklaces & chokers bracelets & bangles brooches & pins. Crocheted & Stitched Jewelry is packed with alluring & stylish ideas from Japanese textile artist Emi Iwakiri for making your own designer necklaces & bracelets corsages & hair accessories scarves & belts. Using traditional Japanese crochet techniques these adorable designs include ribbons beads bows & even scraps from your sewing box. There are stunning ideas here to suit every occasion from a classic cream silk pearl necklace
- the perfect accessory for that little black dress
- to a vintage-style floral belt made from old cashmere sweaters. Try making a luxurious beaded collar to add a touch of glamour to any outfit an elegant linen flower to wear in your hair or as a corsage or a fun multi-coloured pompom bracelet for a modern striking look. All the projects are guaranteed to bring an element of Eastern style to your wardrobe. Whether you want to create original jewelry for yourself or to give as presents you are sure to love Emis gorgeous Japanese designs. & once you have mastered her simple basic techniques you will be able to create your own bespoke pieces in no time.

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Susie Vaughan offers a fascinating step-by-step description of how to make a delightful selection of strong natural-looking & colourful baskets mostly using materials which have been gathered from hedgerows woods & gardens. Firstly she covers the few tools required then goes on to give a detailed illustrated description of materials which can either be gathered from the annual prunings of a wide selection of bushes or those which are farmed & can be bought from specialist suppliers. Her detailed step-by-step description of making a basket is accompanied by numerous diagrams & full-colour photographs to help explain the finer points of detail. She then explores variations in design both of the shape of the basket & the alternative weaving patterns that can be employed to make the finished work that much more special. Finally a superb gallery of photographs of finished baskets is included to provide you with ideas & motivation to go on to more adventurous projects. ...

From heirloom memories to unique journals albums & altered books or simple tag books for your kids
- this book contains all the
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This title helps to learn how to make flag books star books accordian books & more. Decorate them with stamping collage stitching & embellishments. This innovative step-by-step guide offers simple & challenging ideas & crafters will love the colourful projects & great designs. This is an innovative practical guide containing all you need to know to create unique decorated books. ...