In the follow up to Darwins Lost World Martin Brasier book introduces the quest for the missing history of life & the cell. Through a series of journeys it emerges that the modern plant cell is one of the most deeply puzzling & unlikely steps in the whole history of life. Decoding this puzzle is a great adventure that has mainly taken place over the last half century. Brasier puts the big questions into context through lively descriptions of his explorations around the world from the Caribbean Sea & the Egyptian pyramids to the shores of the great lakes in Canada andto the reefs & deserts of Australia. Covering the period from 1 to 2 billion years ago
- a period he once dubbed the boring billion
- he demonstrates how it in fact involved great evolutionary potential with the formation of the complex (eukaryotic) cell. Without this cell there would be nothing on Earth today except bacteria & the formation of this cell was a fundamental turning point in the history of life on Earth. Weaving together several threads Brasier emphasises the importance of single-celled forms to marine ecosystems; symbiosis & coral reefs; & the architecture & beauty of single-celled Foraminifera & what they tell us about evolution. From a master storyteller comes a vivid description of the earliest biological forms & a set of fascinating tales of travels & research.

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Assam 1925. James Mac Donald is one of the sons of empire who has no yearning for Engl&. Running a tea plantation he loves India & is reluctant to choose a British bride from the eager crowds sent over. But when he takes a beautiful young Indian woman as his courtesan he can little imagine what he has begun. So starts the story of Mary & Serafina. Born of two worlds accepted by neither. Growing up beloved but hidden away their childhood is one of contradiction. It is only as the shadow of war falls & the turmoil of Indian partition begins that the girls must face the truth about their parents & begin the search for somewhere to belong. It will be a journey full of forbidden questions hidden answers heartbreak & determination. As Serafina & Mary grow into women they must risk everything & make choices with a legacy that will last a lifetime & beyond. ...

In this the bind up of The Initiation & The Captive Part 1 is the start of Cassies story. Forced to move from sunny California to gloomy New England Cassie is homesick
- until she forms a bond with a group of teenagers at her school. This clique rules the school
- no one dare cross them
- but Cassie feels a strange kinship with them & when she is initiated into their secret circle she is both terrified & thrilled to be part of a coven of witches that have controlled New Salem for hundreds of years... But then Cassie falls in love. Now she has a tough decision to make: does she walk away or does she step over to the dark side?


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This fascinating book provides a rare glimpse into a world where fairies & elves fauns & wraiths & other ethereal beings were considered to be as real as any man or woman of the times. Written by a Scottish clergyman in 1692 (and later edited by the great folklorist Andrew Lang) the book has long interested scholars & charmed general readers alike. With the text newly edited & enhanced with appropriate illustrations this new edition makes a wonderful gift book for anyone fascinated by the magical world of fairies & their kin. ...

Anna a young countess has lived in the glittering city of St Petersburg all her life in an ice-blue palace overlooking the River Neva. But when revolution tears Russia apart her now-penniless family is forced to flee to Engl&. Armed with an out-of-date book on housekeeping Anna determines to become a housemaid & she finds work at the Earl of Westerholmes crumbling but magnificent mansion. The staff & the family are sure there is something not quite right about their new maid -- but she soon wins them over with her warmth & dedication. Then the young Earl returns home from the war -- & Anna falls hopelessly in love. But they can never be together: Rupert is engaged to the snobbish & awful Muriel -- & anyway Anna is only a servant. Or so everybody thinks.. . ...

Bavaria 1886 King Ludwig II infamous for his eccentric behavior is declared insane by his government & removed from his throne. A day later Ludwig's corpse washes up in the shallows of Lake Starnberg. Rumours about the cause of the tragedy abound but few people know why Ludwig was really killed. Or what secret was silenced by his death. Germany present day.. . Hidden among the crates in a newly discovered Nazi bunker are documents stamped with a black swan the insignia of the murdered king. As a favour to a friend Jonathon Payne & David Jones fly to Bavaria to protect the documents but soon face a life-or-death battle against an unknown enemy. From the depths of the Black Forest to the water canals underneath Ludwig's castles the duo must solve the mystery behind the king's death or share his tragic fate. ...

The Secret Daily Teachings is one of the most powerful tools you can use to transform your life into total joy. With its unique design & totally original content it gives readers a daily opportunity to embrace more fully the concepts & principles that made The Secret an international publishing & cultural phenomenon. Rhonda Byrne provides a fresh insight exercise or"ation on each page that will allow you to access the power within you to attract health wealth happiness & every good thing you desire. The text is inspired by the literally millions of email questions Rhonda has received since the publication of The Secret. Her warm inspiring advice to them is collected here for the first time providing a deeper understanding of the principles behind the original book. Designed to provide a new idea every day of the year this book is unlike any other book or calendar on the market: each page can be removed & easily attached wherever the reader would like to see it
- on a computer monitor fridge mirror anywhere at all. The pages are contained in a paper-over-board case that flips open at the top making this unusual book a beautiful & durable object. With 365 entries in all The Secret Daily Teachings is a brilliant new way of using the principles of The Secret to increase you magnetic power & attract a magnificent life beyond your wildest dreams.
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Loss Phyllis Kimber's entire future is called into question after her father is killed in Earl Redfern's employ. But the earl knows something about Phyllis that means she will always be looked after. Lies As lady's maid to Martha Phyllis is the American heiress's only confidant in England: she knows Martha doesn't love the recently widowed Lord Melton the man Martha's socially ambitious father is determined she marries but there's another secret
- a secret that makes Phyllis give up everything to protect her friend. Loyalty Martha begins making preparations to return to America with Phyllis her father & new husband on the Titanic but the burden of deception eclipses Phyllis's hope for a new future. As she struggles to protect Martha Phyllis must decide where her loyalties lie unaware of the undiscovered secrets in her own past & of the tragedy that is about to unfold on that fateful crossing.
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The Bletchley Park memoir of Lord ASA Briggs will be one of the most important documents to be published in 2010. Lord Briggs has long been regarded as one of Britains most important historians. He has never however written about his time at Bletchley Park. The publication which will coincide with Lord Briggs 90th birthday is a meticulously researched account of life in Hut Six written by a codebreaker who worked there for five years alongside Alan Turing & Gordon Welchman. In addition to discussing the progress of the Alliescode-breaking efforts & their impact on the war Lord Briggs considers what the Germans knew about Bletchley & how they reacted to revelatory memoirs about the Enigma machine which were not published until the 1970s. Briggs himself did not tell his wife about his wartime career until the 1970s & his parents died without ever knowing their sons contribution to the wartime effort. The book will be launched at Bletchley in May 2011 in the presence of other Hut 6 veterans & part of the proceeds will be donated to the fund to restore Hut 6 to its former glory. ...