Three men trek to the remote African interior in search of a lost friend
- & reach at the end of a perilous journey an unknown
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Solomon the legend goes had a magic ring which enabled him to speak to the animals in their own language. Konrad Lorenz was gifted with a similar power of understanding the animal world. He was that rare beast a brilliant scientist who could write (and indeed draw) beautifully. He did more than any other person to establish & popularize the study of how animals behave receiving a Nobel Prize for his work. King Solomon's Ring the book which brought him worldwide recognition is a delightful treasury of observations & insights into the lives of all sorts of creatures from jackdaws & water-shrews to dogs cats & even wolves. Charmingly illustrated by Lorenz himself this book is a wonderfully written introduction to the world of our furred & feathered friends a world which often provides an uncanny resemblance to our own. A must for any animal-lover! ...

This compelling new biography provides the most authoritative picture yet of King Stephen whose reign (1135-1154) with its nineteen long winters of civil war made his name synonymous with failed leadership. After years of work on the sources Edmund King shows with rare clarity the strengths & weaknesses of the monarch. Keeping Stephen at the forefront of his account the author also chronicles the activities of key family members & associates whose loyal support sustained Stephens kingship. In 1135 the popular Stephen was elected king against the claims of the empress Matilda & her sons. But by 1153 Stephen had lost control over Normandy & other important regions England had lost prestige & the weakened king was forced to cede his familys right to succession. A rich narrative covering the drama of a tumultuous reign this book focuses well-deserved attention on a king who lost control of his destiny. ...

War casts its shadow over the lands that the dragons once ruled. Only the courage of a young woman with the mind of a gambler & loyalty to no one stands between hope & universal darkness. The high & powerful will fall the despised & broken shall rise up & everything will be remade. & an old broken-hearted warrior & an apostate priest will begin a terrible journey with an impossible goal: destroy a Goddess before she eats the world. ...

Jack OConnell possessed an uncanny ability to be at the centre of things. On his arrival in Jordan in 1958 he unravelled a coup aimed at the young King Hussein. Over time their bond of trust & friendship deepened. Kings Counsel contains secrets that will revise our understanding of the Middle East. In 1967 OConnell tipped off Hussein that Israel would invade Egypt the next morning. Later OConnell learned of Henry Kissingers role in the Yom Kippur War. The books leitmotif is betrayal. Hussein Americas most reliable Middle Eastern ally & the only bona fide peacemaker wanted the return of the West Bank seized in the Six-Day War. Despite American promises the clear directive of UN Resolution 242 & the years of negotiations with Israel that never happened. Husseins dying wish was that OConnell tell this story. ...

There is a secret from our history
- 500 years old
- startling in its revelations & devastating in its political impact. A secret

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The Kingdom of Wendar is in turmoil. King Henry still holds the crown but his reign has long been contested by his sister Sabella & there are many eager to flock to her banner. Internal conflict weakens Wendars defences drawing raiders human & inhuman across its borders. Terrifying portents abound & dark spirits walk the land in broad daylight. Suddenly two innocents are thrust into the midst of the conflict. Alain a young man granted a vision by the Lady of Battles & Liath a young woman with the power to change the course of history. Both must discover the truth about themselves before they can accept their fates. For in a war where sorcery not swords may determine the final outcome the price of failure may be more than their own lives. ...

Inspired by a grisly discovery in the nineteenth century The Kings General was the first of du Mauriers novels to be written at Menabilly the model for Manderley in Rebecca. Set in the seventeenth century it tells the story of a country & a family riven by war & features one of fictions most original heroines. Honor Harris is only eighteen when she first meets Richard Grenvile proud reckless
- & utterly captivating. But following a riding accident Honor must reconcile herself to a life alone. As Richard rises through the ranks of the army marries & makes enemies Honor remains true to him & finally discovers the secret of Menabilly.
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Each year more than 250 000 people visit the Chapel of Kings College Cambridge one of Europes best-known buildings. This book tells the untold story of the Chapels crowning glory its stained glass windows & of the people who created them
- the triumphant culmination of a project completed despite wars the death of kings & violent religious conflict. The glass symbolises the power of the Tudors & is a mirror of their souls. Planned by Henry VII & continued by Henry VIII the windows are dynastic propaganda simultaneously blatant & subtle boasting the ancient lineage of an upstart monarchy. Their unfolding scenes honoured the Catholic faith that Henry VIII was challenging in the 1530s when he made himself head of the church to marry Anne Boleyn. The windows show how Henry commemorated his wives in art then airbrushed them out when they fell from favour & how he recruited leading artists to make this Englands response to the Sistine Chapel. The great Kings Glass also flaunts the skills of its makers many of them innovative immigrants. It is a tale of guilds & artisans as well as of the court. It is too a history of England reflecting change conflict & modernity in the sixteenth century. Exploring the stories behind these luminous treasures this fascinating book as vivid as a novel uncovers the power struggles behind the beauty of the past.
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OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Surveys 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. ...