The White Star Line was one of the most illustrious & controversial names in the history of passenger shipping. Its origins lay in Liverpool in the early 19th century chartering sailing ships to Australia but financial difficulties led to its takeover by Thomas Ismay in the 1860s. He was the founding father of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company the official name of the White Star Line. Despite a number of disasters with heavy loss of life the company grew quickly to dominate the North Atlantic route with famous ships such as Britannic & Germanic taking the Blue Riband for the fastest crossing several times in the late 19th century. At the turn of the century the company established an unrivaled standard of luxury in its new quartet of ships known as the Big Four which led to the construction of the Olympic Class which included Titanic. Despite the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 the Olympic had a long & successful career as the flagship of the White Star Line before the financial pressures of the Depression in the 1930s forced the merger of White Star with its rival Cunard. Ships of the White Star Line" is the fruit of years of research by maritime historian Richard de Kerbrech. In it he tells the story of the company through all 89 ships that served the shipping line each of which is illustrated with photographs along with detailed technical information & vivid accounts of voyages & incidents." ...

Using unpublished diaries Jim Perrin the acclaimed author of The Villain" & " Menlove" tells the story of the greatest exploring partnership in British history. In the 1930s Tilman & the younger Shipton pioneered many routes in Africa & the Himalayas & found the key to unlocking Everest. They crossed Africa by bicycle explored China with Spender & Auden journeyed down the Oxus River to its source & with no support opened up much of the Nepalese Himalaya. In the words of Jim Perrin " The journeys of discovery undertaken through two decades by this pair of venturesome ragamuffins are unparallelled in the annals of mountain exploration." Jim Perrin writes of his source-
Material: " These unpublished diaries journals & extensive correspondence have not previously been used to present a portrait of the most productive friendship in the history of mountain exploration. What they reveal is in Shipton's phrase "a random harvest of delight" gathered by two uniquely bold & engaging characters from the great mountain ranges of the world during the golden era of their first western exploration. Between geographical excitement the nature of arduous travel in difficult & uncharted terrain throughout a lost epoch & the quirkiest & most stimulating of friendships the theme is a gift & one that has long been waiting for adequate treatment"."
...

The Sussex coastline is thought to be the final resting place of over 4 000 ships with the areas around such fabled locations as Beachy Head & the Seven Sisters claiming many victims. This book sheds light on the intriguing stories behind the many wrecks off the Sussex coast caused by the dangerous cliffs shallow sandbanks & rapidly changing weather of the English Channel. A prolific writer on local history with a life-long interest in the sea author Wendy Hughes guides the reader through a wealth of tales from the sea off Sussex: from the Indiana whose cargo of citrus fruits washed ashore to feed hungry locals right up to the recent wreck of the Ice Prince which deposited many tons of timber onto Worthing beach in 2008. Illustrated with an impressive collection of images this book is sure to delight shipping enthusiasts & people with links to the Sussex area as well as those who are fascinated by the sea. ...

Its back to Goodmayes & the cast & characters of the very first Diary of a Chav (Trainers V Tiaras) for this 6th diary from Shiraz for whom life is about to get just a little bit darker... Shiraz is nearly 19 & has been living away from home for the past few months but is now back in Goodmayes Essex in her old cell-like bedroom plotting her future. Shes absolutely determined to get to college & get on her way to being a writer who ACTUALLY GETS PAID this time! She knows shes going to have to have a few words with Wesley about their future as hes planning all sorts himself & it isnt fair. Can she really contemplate a future without her lovely Wesley? But will he ever fit into her new life? Talk about a total quandary! & while shes mulling that one over her mum Diane drops a massive bombshell on the whole family & Shirazs life is suddenly turned upside down. Soon home in Goodmayes seems like the only place to be sorrounded by everyone shes grown up with people she loves to bits... Can Shiraz give up her dreams? Does she have to? Wait & see. ...

After the nightmare that was Ibiza Shiraz is overjoyed to be home in Goodmayes back with her family her friends...and Wesley of course. Wes & Sooz are finished & its not long before hes a regular fixture round at 34 Thundersley Road
- much to Diane Woods delight. But Shiraz knows herself...and she knows that theres a big wide world out there just waiting for the unique charms of SBW. Soon shes writing off for college applications & spending the rest of her time trailing after Carrie Draper whos hellbent on infiltrating the celebrity circuit. Things get tricky when Shiraz ends up getting a job as PA to a Premier league footballer & his wife
- Carrie had her heart set on it & shes furious but how could Shiraz turn it down? Shes not long into the job before Shizza realises that this celebrity lark isnt all its cracked up to be... And at the end of the day she really really wants to be a writer. But what about Wesley? Can she really leave him behind for good?

...

Shire Hell" is the hilarious sequel to Rachel Johnson's brilliant novel " Notting Hell" in which Mimi & Ralph have managed to escape the city & move to the idyllic Dorset countryside but have they moved out of the frying pan & into the fire? Winner of the " Literary Review's" infamous Bad Sex in Fiction Award in 2008. Mimi & Ralph have left social climbing pushy parenting & their marital problems behind them in London & moved west to the bucolic green depths of the country. Or so they though. Yes there's mud & masses of fresh air plenty of handsome hayseeds & there's Rose Mimi's new best friend & Dorset's answer to Martha Stewart. But what should be Shire Heaven is it turns out just as tricky to navigate as Notting Hell. There's low-level conflict between the racehorses in vintage/ Diesel/ Ralph Lauren & the brood mares in Barbour/ Boden there's guerrilla warfare between the landowners & eco-warriors & naked hostility between Old Money New Money & No Money. Yes in Honeybourne if you don't have: a landscaped garden with 1 000 acres (minimum) of prime land; a helipad for your trophy guests; an organic farm shop selling sixteen sorts of home-made sausages; four pony-mad polo-playing children; a Literary Festival in your mini-stately; & a bottom that looks smackable in jodhpurs. Then well.. .you're Mimi basically. & that's just the start of her problems. Mimi also has a secret. But can she keep it? Rachel Johnson is known for her wickedly funny novels " The Mummy Diaries" & " Notting Hell"; also available from Penguin is her first non-fiction book "A Diary of a Lady"." ...

The Shirley of the title is a woman of independent means; her friend Caroline is not. Both struggle with what a woman's role is & can be. Their male counterparts
- Louis the powerless tutor & Robert his cloth-manufacturing brother
- also stand at odds to society's expectations. The novel is set in a period of social & political ferment featuring class disenfranchisement the drama of Luddite machine-breaking & the divisive effects of the Napoleonic Wars. But Charlotte Bronts particular strength lies in exploring the hidden psychological drama of love loss & the quest for identity. Personal & public agitation are brought together against the dramatic backdrop of her native Yorkshire. As always Bront? challenges convention exploring the limitations of social justice whilst telling not one but two love stories.

...

Harper Collins is proud to present its range of best-loved essential classics. ' Cheerfulness it would appear is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within as on the state of things without & around us.' Considered one of her less well-known novels Shirley is Charlotte Bronte's only historical work set during the Napoleonic Wars. Wealthy & independent Shirley is very different from her friend Caroline who has few prospects & is dependent on her uncle. Struggling mill owner Robert Moore considers marriage to the monied Shirley in order to secure his financial future; however it is Caroline who he loves while Shirley has fallen for Robert's brother an impoverished tutor who is deemed an unsuitable match for her. Unsentimental yet unflinching in her honest portrayal of love class conflict & identity Bronte uses the backdrop of her beloved Yorkshire to play out the tensions & dramas of a society facing social & industrial upheaval. ...

Shirley Hughes is one of the best known & most popular creators of children's books & her keen observation of family life have earned her a special place in the hearts of children & adults. This unique collection brings together some of her very best work & celebrates her amazing achievements over the years. There's a wealth of treasure for children of all ages to enjoy beginning with a selection of simple rhymes & stories & moving on to some of Shirley's classic picture books featuring such well-loved characters as Dogger Alfie & Annie Rose. There's also a selection of stories for older readers including The Lion & the Unicorn & Enchantment in the Garden which combine satisfyingly longer texts with marvellously expansive pictures. Shirley Hughes' warmth & versatility shine from every page of this stunning collection which will captivate readers of all ages & take pride of place on the family bookshelf. ...

Her crime
- to speak the truth & refuse to accept the mis-identification of her fingerprint allegedly found at a murder scene she
...