In seventeenth-century France against a backdrop of witch trials regicide & religious frenzy Juliette one-time actress & rope-dancer seeks refuge with her young daughter in the remote abbey of Saint Marie-de-la-Mer & reinvents herself as Soeur Auguste. Until a new Abbess is appointed bringing with her a ghost from Juliette's past a man she has every reason to fear. ...

Since the Caped Crusader first made the leap from comics to silver screen in the early 1940s generations of audiences have been captivated by the screen adventures of Batman establishing the celebrated comic book hero as a true icon of popular culture. Now Gary Collinson traces the entire screen history of Bob Kanes Dark Knight Detective providing a fascinating insight into one of the most successful media franchises of all time. Beginning with the early movie serials of the 1940s Holy Franchise Batman! charts the development of Batmans many exploits across both live-action & animation presenting a comprehensive overview of his illustrious screen career. From the classic 1960s television series starring Adam West & Burt Ward to the hugely successful blockbuster feature films from directors Tim Burton Joel Schumacher & Christopher Nolan as well as early Saturday morning cartoon outings through to the acclaimed DC Animated Universe this book explores the evolution of Batman
- a journey that has taken him from camp crime-fighter to Dark Knight.
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OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Survey's most detailed map & is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities like walking horse riding & off-road cycling. Providing complete GB coverage the series details essential information such as youth hostels pubs & visitor information as well as rights of way permissive paths & bridleways. ...

OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Surveys most detailed map & is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities such as walking horse riding & off-road cycling. The series provides complete GB coverage & can now be used in all weathers thanks to OS Explorer Map
- Active a tough versatile version of the OS Explorer Map.
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David Adam has been captivated by the beauty wonder & holiness of Lindisfarne since first glimpsing its fairytale castle from the train as a young boy. In this absorbing volume he shows the island's human face revealing how Lindisfarne & its people have responded to trial tribulation & triumph in the course of a long & vibrant history. This tiny place witnessed one of the last stands of the ' British' Celtic peoples against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 6th century. It has been the home of saints & scholars most notably St. Aidan & St. Cuthbert & famously produced the medieval masterpiece known as the Lindisfarne Gospels". Less familiar to readers perhaps will be that the island experienced the first recorded Viking invasion in 793 & was involved in the 17th century Civil War & the 18th century Jacobite Rebellion. Today its ruined 11th century Priory & 16th century Castle
- later redesigned by the great English architect Edwin Lutyens
- draw pilgrims & visitors from all over the world. Wherever you walk on Lindisfarne the past impinges on the present... In relating afresh many of the island's legends & stories David Adam's lovely volume affords the reader a wonderful sense of all there is to discover just beneath the surface."

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Swearing is a fascinating thing. Almost everyone does it or worries about not doing it from the two year old who has just discovered the power of the potty mouth to the grandma who wonders why every other word she hears is obscene. But more than its cultural ubiquity swearing is also interesting for what it tells us about language & society today & in the past. It is a record of what people care about on the deepest levels of a culture- what's divine what's terrifying & what's taboo. Holy Sh*t tells the story of two kinds of swearing
- obscenities & oaths
- from ancient Rome & the Bible to today. With humor & insight Melissa Mohr takes readers on a journey to discover how 'swearing' has come to include both testifying to the truth with your hand on the Bible & calling someone a *$&!* when they cut you off on the highway. Mohr explores obscenities in ancient Rome-remarkably similar to some of the things you might hear on the street today-and unearths the history of religious oaths in the Middle Ages when swearing was a matter of life & death. Holy Sh*t also explains the advancement of civility & corresponding censorship of language in the 18th century; considers the rise of racial slurs after World War II; & answers a question that preoccupies the FCC the U.S. Senate & anyone who has overheard little kids at a playground recently-are we swearing more now than people did in the past? A gem of lexicography & cultural history Holy Sh*t is a serious exploration of obscenity
- & might just expand your repertoire of words to choose from the next time you shut your finger in the car door.


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In HOLY WAR the final book of the Saladin Trilogy telling the story of the legendary war leader who united Arabia Saladin recaptures Jerusalem from the Crusaders & prepares for his ultimate battle against Richard the Lionheart. A full-blooded historical adventure novel for all fans of Conn Iggulden Bernard Cornwell Anthony Riches Ben Kane Robyn Young & Simon Scarrow. While Saladin ruthlessly sets about uniting the whole of Arabia under his rule the Kingdom of Jerusalem is torn apart by treachery & intrigue & when the murderous knight Reynald of Chatillon raids a caravan heading from Damascus to Mecca & rapes Saladin's sister the scene is set for war. In June 1187 Saladin marches into the Kingdom with an army of over 24 000 & imposes a crushing defeat on the Crusader forces at the Horns of Hattin. It is only a matter of time before he marches on a panicked & demoralized Jerusalem. But what about Saladin's longtime ally the Saxon knight John of Tatewic? In the face of annihilation is he friend or foe? It will take all John's knowledge of the man he calls his brother to negotiate a peaceful fate for Jerusalem
- but this is not the end of the story. For in England the soon-to-be crowned King Richard has pledged revenge & a new Crusade.. .
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Arrows will fly. Swords will swing. Heroes will fall. Legends will survive. & the Holy Land will never be the same. 1190 AD: Richard the Lionheart has launched his epic crusade to seize Jerusalem from the cruel Saracens. Marching with the vast royal army is Britains most famous most feared most ferocious warrior: the Outlaw of Nottingham the Earl of Locksley -- Robin Hood himself. With his band of loyal men at his side Robin cuts a bloody swathe on the brutal journey east. Daring & dangerous he can outwit & outlast any foe -- but the crimson battlefields of the Holy Land are the ultimate proving ground. & within Robins camp lurks a traitor -- a stealthy enemy determined to slay Christendoms greatest outlaw before the trumpets fade. Blazingly paced & richly imagined featuring a cast of unforgettable characters & packed with fast furious action Holy Warrior is adventure at its thrilling white-knuckle best. ...

This book celebrates one of Europes greatest cities -- a cosmopolitan hub of vibrant architecture art culture & nightlife. It moves from the story of the citys founding & its huge expansion in the nineteenth century to the lives of Gaudi Miro Picasso Casals & Dali. It also explores the history of Catalan nationalism the tragedy of the Civil War the Franco years & the transition from dictatorship to democracy which Colm Toibin witnessed in the 1970s. Written with deep knowledge & affection Homage to Barcelona is a sensuous & beguiling portrait of a unique Mediterranean port & an adopted home. Toibin has the narrative poise of Brian Moore & the patient eye for domestic detail of John Mc Gahern but he is very much his own man Observer Having lived in Barcelona off & on since the 70s Toibin knows all the fascinations of its sensuous Mediterranean history & lifestyle & the most precious jewels in the citys treasury of bars".. . Toibin is the perfect guide Chicago Tribune" ...

The Spanish civil war was a call to arms for 2 300 British volunteers of which over 500 were from Scotl&. The first book of its kind Homage to Caledonia examines Scotlands role in the conflict detailing exactly why Scottish involvement was so profound. The book moves chronologically through events & places firstly surveying the landscape in contemporary Scotland before describing volunteers journeys to Spain & then tracing their every involvement from arrival to homecoming (or not). There is also an account of the non-combative role from fundraising for Spain & medical aid to political manoeuvrings within the volatile Scottish left. Using a wealth of previously-unpublished letters sent back from the front as well as other archival items Daniel Gray is able to tell little known stories of courage in conflict & to call into question accepted versions of events such as the murder of Bob Smillie or the heroism of The Scots Scarlet Pimpernel. Homage to Caledonia offers a very human take on events in Spain: for every tale of abject distress in a time of war there is a tale of a Scottish volunteer urinating in his generals boots knocking back a dram with Errol Flynn or appalling Spanish comrades with his pipe playing. For the first time read the fascinating story of Caledonias role in this seminal conflict. ...