I am a very ordinary woman to whom a chance was given to see human beings at their best & at their worst...I completely believe in the potential nobility of the human spirit. During some of the darkest days of the Second World War a young Frenchwoman living as a mother & housewife in England left her ordinary life to become a British agent working covertly in France to aid the Resistance. Entering a murky & deadly world of espionage & double-dealing she was betrayed to the Germans only to endure torture by the Gestapo & the hell of the infamous concentration camp of Ravensbruck. Yet she retained a compassion grace & spiritedness that mystified her captors; & living to see the liberation of Europe she kept in the direst circumstances her fundamental trust in goodness. ODETTE tells the moving & inspirational story of a woman who in her courage & her ability to hold on to hope was far from ordinary. ...

It is April 1940. Nazi Germany has invaded neutral Norway. Fleeing north from their brutal Blitzkrieg advance are three officers of the King's Guard
- men who have been entrusted by the Norwegian King with a vitally important mission. The only military force which stands between the Nazi forces & total victory are the poorly equipped undertrained squaddies of the British 148th Brigade. Among them is Sergeant Jack Tanner recently returned from the Middle East. As the British are pushed back from Lillehammer Sergeant Tanner & his patrol are left stranded in the mountains in the chaos of retreat. Trying to rejoin their unit they stumble first across Sandvold & his protectors & then a French patrol of alpine troops. Trekking through snow-clad mountains with the Germans dogging their every move Tanner is forced to try & out-fox & out-fight not only their pursuers but the best efforts of his own side. & as the Allies resistance collapses it quickly becomes clear that the small band of fugitives can rely on no-one but themselves.
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' Was this what it all meant
- utter intact separateness obscured by heat of living?' D. H. Lawrence's short stories portray complex
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Homer's The Odyssey" is an epic that has endured for thousands of years & this " Penguin Classics" edition is translated by E.V. Rieu revised by D.C.H. Rieu & contains an introduction by Peter Jones. The epic tale of Odysseus & his ten-year journey home after the Trojan war forms one of the earliest & greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural & supernatural threats
- from the witch Circe who turns his men into pigs to the twin terrors of Scylla & Charybdis; from the stupefied Lotus-Eaters to the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon himself
- Odysseus must test his bravery & native cunning to the full if he is to reach his homeland safely. But the danger is no less severe in his native Ithaca as Odysseus finds himself contending with the suitors who in his absence have begun to surround his wife Penelope...E.V. Rieu's translation of " The Odyssey" was the first " Penguin Classic" to be published & has itself achieved classic status. For this edition Rieu's text has been sensitively revised & a new introduction added to complement his original introduction. Seven greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c. 8th-7th century BC) the poet to whom the composition of the Iliad & Odyssey are attributed. The " Iliad" is the oldest surviving work of Western literature but the identity
- or even the existence
- of Homer himself is a complete mystery with no reliable biographical information having survived. If you enjoyed " The Odyssey" you might like Homer's " The Iliad" also available in " Penguin Classics". " One of the world's most vital tales..." The Odyssey" remains central to literature". (Malcolm Bradbury)."



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Literatures grandest evocation of lifes journey at once an ageless human story & an individual test of moral endurance Homers ancient Greek epic The Odyssey" is translated by Robert Fagles with an introduction & notes by Bernard Knox in " Penguin Classics". When Robert Fagles translation of " The Iliad" was published in 1990 critics & scholars alike hailed it as a masterpiece. Here one of the great modern translators presents us with " The Odyssey" Homers best-loved poem recounting Odysseus wanderings after the Trojan War. With wit & wile the man of twists & turns meets the challenges of the sea-god Poseidon & monsters ranging from the many-headed Scylla to the cannibalistic Cyclops Polyphemus
- only to return after twenty years to a home besieged by his wife Penelopes suitors. In the myths & legends retold in this immortal poem Fagles has captured the energy of Homers original in a bold contemporary idiom. Seven greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c. 8th-7th century BC) the poet to whom the composition of the " Iliad" & " Odyssey" are attributed. " The Iliad" is the oldest surviving work of Western literature but the identity
- or even the existence
- of Homer himself is a complete mystery with no reliable biographical information having survived. If you enjoyed " The Odyssey" you might like Robert Fagles translation of " The Iliad" also available in " Penguin Classics". " Wonderfully readable.. . Just the right blend of roughness & sophistication." (" Ted Hughes"). "A memorable achievement.. . Mr Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time & yet timeless." (Richard Jenkyns " The New York Times Book Review"). " His translation of " The Odyssey" is his best work yet." (Garry Wills " New Yorker")."


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Part of Penguins" beautiful hardback " Clothbound Classics" series designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith these delectable & collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. The epic tale of Odysseus & his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War forms one of the earliest & greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural & supernatural threats
- shipwrecks battles monsters & the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon
- Odysseus must use his wit & native cunning if he is to reach his homeland safely & overcome the obstacles that even there await him."

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This book describes the epic journey of Odysseus the hero of Ancient Greece... After ten years of war Odysseus turns his back on Troy & sets sail for home. But his voyage takes another ten years & he must face many dangers
- Polyphemus the greedy one-eyed giant Scylla the six-headed sea monster & even the wrath of the gods themselves
- before he is reunited with his wife & son.

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Since it was first performed in Athens in the 420s BC Oedipus the King has been widely regarded as Sophocles' greatest tragedy & one of the foundation stones of western drama. Taken as a model by Aristotle in his Poetics it became a yardstick for future generations. Since the play's rediscovery in the Renaissance audiences
- including Sigmund Freud
- have found new interpretations & meanings in Sophocles' portrayal of the Theban king inexorably pursuing the truth only to discover that he has killed his father & married his mother. This translation by Don Taylor accurate yet poetic was made for a BBC TV production of the Theban Plays in 1986 which he also directed. Commentary & notes by Angie Varakis.

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Up in the house that sits on the hill a strange spell is brewing... To Meridia growing up with her father Gabriel who vanishes daily in clouds of mist & her bewitching mother Ravenna the outside world is a refuge. So when as a young woman her true love Daniel offers her marriage it seems an escape to a more straightforward existence. Yet behind the welcoming facade of her new home lies a life of drudgery & a story even stranger than that she left behind. Aged retainers lurk in the background; swarms of bees appear at will & of course theres her indomitable mother-in-law Eva hiding secrets that it will take Meridia years to unravel. Surrounded by seemingly unfathomable mysteries can Meridia unlock the intrigues of the past & thus protect her own familys future? An epic tale of two families told by an unforgettable voice. A modern fable a gothic page-turner but most of all a passionate story about the power of love to conquer all that comes its way. ...

John Barrington's fourth book gives an historical account of collies as companion dogs & sheepdogs & explores how we use collies today. He also touches on the evolution & bonding between mankind & their dogs. Sheepdog Stories is a historical account filled with mythological stories about collies from the Old Testament to Roman texts & Robert Burn's poetry. It also celebrates thirty years of Luath Press. ...