The Elizabethan age was a tumultuous time when long-cherished certainties were crumbling & life was exhilaratingly uncertain. Shakespeare's Restless World uncovers the extraordinary stories behind twenty objects from the period to re-create an age at once distant & yet surprisingly familiar. From knife crime to belief in witches religious battles to the horizons of the New World Neil Mac Gregor brings the past to life in a fresh unexpected portrait of a dangerous & dynamic era. ...

Shakespeare Arkansas is home to endless back roads historic buildings colourful residents
- & the occasional murder. It is also
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Authoritative surprising evocative & original Shakespeare: staging the world" offers a completely new approach to one of the most exceptional creative imaginations in history. While matters of religion trade & war were being contested the role of the playwright developed to inform persuade & provoke debate on the concerns of the day. This richly illustrated book presents an extraordinary collection of objects from the British Museums unrivalled collection as well as key pieces from Britain & elsewhere. Simon Formans diary of 1611 gives a vivid account of attending a contemporary performance of "A Winters Tale"; a dagger fished from the Thames gives new resonance to the gang violence of " Romeo & Juliet"; while Guy Fawkes lantern illustrates the Catholic counterculture revealed through the failed Gunpowder Plot which was later to prove the inspiration for " Macbeth". " Shakespeare: staging the world" is a fascinating view of the early modern world through the eyes of Shakespeare his players & audiences. "A fascinating account of Shakespeares cosmopolitan world illustrated with breathtaking images that bring to life the rich material culture that shaped Shakespeares writings & his age. This is a superb volume one that will have pride of place on my bookshelf." (Professor James Shapiro author of 1599 & Contested Wil)." ...

6 days 13 hours & 37 minutes to go.. . At the end of The Prodigal Daughter Florentyna Kane is elected President
- the first woman
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Michael Krupa was born into a poor family in south-west Poland & in his teens was accepted into a Jesuit seminary. He ran away before taking his final vows & joined the army. Soon afterwards the German tanks rolled into Poland & easily defeated her antiquated forces
- the Polish cavalry were armed with sabres. Krupa survived Hitlers invasion but was arrested in Soviet-occupied eastern Poland & accused of spying. After enduring torture in Moscows notorious Lubianka prison he was sentenced to ten years corrective labour & deported to the Pechora Gulag. Most prisoners there were worked & starved to death within a year. But Krupa managed again to escape & in the chaos following the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union made one of the most extraordinary journeys of the war
- from Siberia to safety in Afghanistan. Krupas Jesuit training had given him an inner strength & resilience which enabled him to survive in the face of appalling brutality & cruelty. Luck & the kindness of strangers helped him complete his epic journey to freedom. The story of the suffering inflicted on millions in Stalins camps has been told before
- but Krupas story is remarkable & uni


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The Outside World clamours at the wrought iron gates & the evil alliance within Stonewylde threatens to destroy everything. With the new business & their relationship in tatters Yul & Sylvie find their once-beautiful world has been desecrated by the dark forces. But Stonewylde is as old as the hills themselves & the landscape endures. Leveret has discovered her true calling & is determined to lead the community back to the golden age of magic & prosperity. As the enchanting tale of Stonewylde draws to its end Sylvie finally realises why she was brought here & Yul understands his true destiny. Whilst Leveret sees exactly what lies ahead for Stonewylde.. . ...

The first book in a brand new trilogy from the author of the Farseer Liveship Traders & Tawny Man trilogies. Young Nevare Burvelle is the second son of a second son. Traditionally in Gernia the firstborn son is heir to the family fortunes the second son bears a sword & the third son is consecrated to the priesthood. Nevare will follow his father
- newly made a lord by the King
- into the cavalry; to the frontier & thence to an advantageous marriage to carry on the Burvelle name. It is a golden future & Nevare looks forward to it with relish. For twenty years King Troven's cavalry have pushed the frontiers of Gernia out across the grasslands subduing the fierce tribes of the plain on its way. Now they have driven the frontier as far as the Barrier Mountains home to the enigmatic Speck people. The Specks
- a dapple-skinned forest-dwelling folk
- retain the last vestiges of magic in a world which is becoming progressive & technologised. The 'civilised' peoples base their beliefs on a rational philosophy founded on scientific principle & a belief in the good god who displaced the older deities of their world. To them the Specks are primeval savages little better than beasts. Superstitions abound; it is said that they harbour strange diseases & worship trees. Sexual congress with them is regarded as both filthy & foolhardy: the Speck plague which has ravaged the frontier has decimated entire regiments. All these beliefs will touch Nevare's training at the Academy; but his progress there is not as simple as he would wish. He will experience prejudice from the old aristocracy: as the son of a 'new noble' he is segregated into a patrol comprising other new nobles' sons all of whom will encounter injustice discrimination & foul play in that hostile & deeply competitive environment. In addition his world view will be challenged by his unconventional girl-cousin Epiny; & by the bizarre dreams which visit him at night. & then on Dark Evening the circus comes to Old Thares bringing with it the first Specks Nevare has ever seen...



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Great for boys with a huge collectability factor bolstered by the cards in the back of the books & links to an excellent interactive website. Malvel wants revenge on Tom! The Evil Wizard is using the ancient spirits of Avantian heroes to conjure bloodthirsty Beasts. Shamani the Raging flame is causing havoc...can Tom stop the Beast? ...

When she was fourteen Jasvinder Sanghera was shown a photo of the man chosen to be her husb&. She was terrified. She'd witnessed the torment her sisters endured in their arranged marriages so she ran away from home grief-stricken when her parents disowned her. Shame is the heart-rending true story of a young girl's attempt to escape from a cruel claustrophobic world where family honour mattered more than anything
- sometimes more than life itself. Jasvinder's story is one of terrible oppression a harrowing struggle against a punitive code of honour
- & finally triumph over adversity.

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Omar Khayyam Shakil had three mothers who shared the symptoms of pregnancy as they did everything else inseparably. At their six breasts Omar was warned against all feelings & nuances of shame. It was training which would prove useful when he left his mothers fortress (via the dumb-waiter) to face his shameless future... As captivating fairy-tale devastating political satire & exquisite uproarious entertainment SHAME is a novel without rival. ...