In 1940 a group of artists sculptors film makers theatre designers & set painters came together to form the Camouflage Unit. They were so successful that in August 1942 Montgomery ordered them to to hide the preparations for the Battle of Alamein. In six weeks two entire divisions were conjured from the sand while real units stores & men vanished into thin air. Then right in front of the German's eyes they made 600 tanks disappear & reappear fifty miles away disguised as lorries. Rommel had been bamboozled by an army made from nothing but string & straw & bits of wood. ...

THE PHANTOM THIEF The first time Alfie sees the boy he appears as if from nowhere in the school detention room
- the 'padded cell'.
...

Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly the Phantom? This is not a potted history of an aeroplane nor is it Hollywood glamour as captured in Top Gun. This is the story of life on the frontline during the Cold War told in the words of a navigator who flew the iconic jet. Unique pictures many captured from the cockpit show the Phantom in its true environment & show why for many years the Phantom was the envy of NATO. It also tells the inside story of some of the problems which plagued the Phantom in its early days how the aircraft developed or was neglected & reveals events which shaped the aircraft's history & contributed to its demise. Anecdotes capture the deep affection felt by the crews who were fortunate enough to cross paths with the Phantom during their flying careers. The nicknames the aircraft earned were not complimentary & included the ' Rhino' ' The Spook' ' Double Ugly' the ' Flying Brick' & the ' Lead Sled'. Whichever way you looked at it you could love or hate the Phantom but you could never ignore it for its sheer power & lethal payload. The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior is unique in that the author flew in the legendary Phantom in the front line & captured beautiful & amazing unpublished photographs that will appeal to historians military specialists & modellers alike. ...

. ..the shadow turned round; & I saw a terrible deaths-head which darted a look at me from a pair of scorching eyes. I felt as if I were face to face with Satan... Erik the Phantom of the Paris Opera House is one of the great icons of horror literature. This tormented & disfigured creature has made his home in the labyrinthine cellars of this opulent building where he can indulge in his great passion for music which is a substitute for the love & emotion denied him because of his ghastly appearance. It is in the Opera House that he encounters Christine Daae whom he trains in secret to become a great singer. Eriks passionate obsession with a beautiful woman beyond his reach is doomed & leads to the dramatic tragic finale. Gaston Lerouxs novel is a marvellous blend of detective story romance & spine-tingling terror which has fascinated readers ever since the work was first published. ...

The Phantom of the Opera" is Gaston Lerouxs exquisite blend of Gothic horror & tragic romance which formed the basis for a world-renowned stage musical. This " Penguin Classics" edition is translated with notes by Mireille Ribiere & an introduction by Jann Matlock. When the new managers of the Paris Opera House ignore their predecessors warnings about the hideous Opera ghost stalking the theatre it is a fatal mistake. The Phantom haunts the imagination of the beautiful & talented singer Christine Daae appearing to her as the Angel of Music
- a disembodied voice coaching her to sing as she never could before. When Christine is courted by a handsome young Viscount the Phantom is consumed by jealousy & seeks revenge. & when Christine suddenly disappears after a triumphant singing performance it becomes clear that the Phantoms time has come. With its pervading atmosphere of menace tinged with dark humour " The Phantom of the Opera" (1910) has inspired film stage & literature since its publication including Andrew Lloyd Webbers " Phantom of the Opera" the most successful theatrical show of all time. Mireille Ribieres highly readable & historically accurate translation captures the drive & drama of Lerouxs vivid tale & is accompanied by extensive notes & further reading. Jann Matlocks fascinating new introduction examines the Phantoms legacy & uncovers the real secrets hidden in the Paris Opera House. Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) was born in Paris the son of a building contractor. His first novel was serialised in the late 1890s & with the 1907 publication of " The Mystery of the Yellow Room" he launched his career as a pioneer of the French detective novel. " The Phantom of the Opera" (1910) has been Lerouxs best-known novel in the English-speaking world ever since the resounding success of the 1925 silent film version. If you enjoyed " The Phantom of the Opera" you might like Victor Hugos " Les Miserables" also available in " Penguin Classics"."
...

The thrilling story of the Opera Ghost legendary for making performers at the Paris Opera House apprehensive when they sit in their dressing-rooms or walk alone in the buildings corridors. But it isnt until the triumphant performance the sensual Christine & her startling disappearance that a sense of dread begins to pervade. In an ever increasing pattern of fear & violence the phantom of the opera begins to strike but always with the beautiful young singer at the centre of his macabre desires. Filled with the colour & theatrical spectacle of the Paris Opera House & the fascination of love transformed into murderous obsession this classic work of suspense remains a rivetting journey into the dark regions of the human heart. ...

Harper Collins is proud to present its new range of best-loved essential classics. ' Look! You want to see! See! Feast your eyes glut your soul on my cursed ugliness! Look at Erik's face! Now you know the face of the voice!' Living secretly beneath the Paris Opera House ' The Phantom of the Opera' Erik has haunted those who work there with his demands & shrouded the opera house in fear with the legend of his disfigured face. When Christine joins the company a young woman with a beautiful voice Erik is instantly smitten & secretly teaches her to become a great singer. He soon develops an obsessive love for his beautiful protege even though she has fallen for her childhood friend resulting in her disappearance during a performance & sparking a tragic & terrifying chain of events. One of the most well-known & well-loved gothic horror stories Leroux's suspenseful tale of unrequited love passion & tragedy is both dark & moving in its portrayal of Erik the anti-hero in his yearning for Christine. ...

One of the most successful musicals of all time Andrew Lloyd Webbers The Phantom of the Opera has been running for nearly 20 years on Broadway & in the West End. It has delighted over 100 million people in 22 countries. The Phantom of the Opera Companion is the definitive account of the award-winning masterpiece tracing the phantom legend from its origins in historical fact through numerous artistic incarnations to the present-day theatre production & film. Divided into three parts the first section introduces the reader to Gaston Lerouxs classic story based on the Paris Opera House during la belle epoque; the second section provides a unique insight into the renowned theatre production with backstage pictures & enlightening interviews with the director designers & crew. The final section covers the making of Joel Schumachers 2004 film production. As the authorised volume book to accompany the film The Phantom of the Opera is a lavish insight into this classic story & its modern-day reincarnation. ...

Returning to her luxurious home in an exclusive Minneapolis suburb a wealthy widow is horrified to discover blood everywhere
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...

When Milo finds an enormous package in his bedroom he's delighted to have something to relieve his boredom with school. & when he opens it to find
- as the label states
- One Genuine Turnpike Tollbooth he gets right into his pedal car & sets off through the Tollbooth & away on a magical journey! Milo's extraordinary voyage takes him into such places as the Land of Expectation the Doldrums the Mountains of Ignorance & the Castle in the Air. He meets the weirdest & most unexpected characters (such as Tock the watchdog the Gelatinous Giant & the Threadbare Excuse who mumbles the same thing over & over again) & once home can hardly wait to try out the Tollbooth again. But will it be still there when he gets back from school? This new edition of Norton Juster's classic story

Includes:: a special Why You'll Love This Book" introduction by award-winning author Diana Wynne Jones."



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