The Marquis lay there like stone with a knife pushed into his heart. On his chest lay a piece of paper with the words: Drive him fast to the grave. This is from JACQUES. The French Revolution brings terror & death to many people. But even in these troubled times people can still love & be kind. They can be generous & true-hearted.. .and brave. ...

After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille the aging Dr Manette is finally released & reunited with his daughter in Engl&. There two very different men Charles Darnay an exiled French aristocrat & Sydney Carton a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil lanes of London they are all drawn against their will to the vengeful bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror & soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine. ...

As the the bicentennary of the French Revolution draws near Dickens' historical novel serves as a timely reminder of nineteenth-century reactions to that great upheaval. Set between 1757 & 1793 A Tale of Two Cities views the causes & effects of the Revolution from an essentially private point of view showing how private experience relates to public history. Dickens' characters are fictional & their political activity is minimal yet all are drawn towards the Paris of the Terror & all become caught up in its web of human suffering & human sacrifice. This edition

Includes:: extensive explanatory notes giving crucial background information about the Revolution & Dickens' sources. 'the best story I have written' Charles Dickens ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more.

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This is the classic story by Charles Dickens retold for children ready to tackle longer & more complex stories. Set during the French Revolution the lives of Charles Darnay & his family are changed forever as the drama unfolds. It is part of the Usborne Reading Programme developed with reading experts at the University of Roehampton. It comes with internet links to find out more about the life & times of Charles Dickens. ...

This is the tale of two cities divided by football & united by tragedy. The story begins in emnity when United's Busby Babes face Santiago Bernebeu's Galacticos in the 1957 European Cup semi-final. United were a team made up of h&-reared British & Irish youngsters who had conquered British football with relative ease. They faced Madrid's reigning European Champions led by ' The Blond Arrow' Alfredo di Stefano. Inevitably United lost that tie over two legs but the pair seemed certain to be rivals for years before the Munich Air Disaster ripped apart Manchester's pride & joy. In the years that followed Real Madrid's president moved heaven & earth to help his club's former foes & a series of friendly matches were played to help United's languishing coffers as Real completed their now legendary 5 European Cup victories in a row from the inception of the tournament. Following the Mancunian side's recovery & rehabilitation the clubs met once more & this time it was for real. United's aging side battled through to the 1968 European Cup semi-final to face the Madrilenos once more. Madrid by now six times winners looked certain to go through when they raced into a 3-2 aggregate lead in Spain before David Sadler & Munich survivor Bill Foulkes scored late goals to send United through to a date with destiny against Benfica in the Wembley final. This riveting footballing story featuring most of the greatest players of the fifties & sixties but most importantly two great rivals & friends: Madrid President Santiago Bernebeu & United manager Matt Busby. ...

What if everything you know about raw talent hard work & great performance is wrong? Few if any of the people around you are truly great at what they do. But why aren't they? Why don't they manage businesses like Jack Welch or Andy Grove play golf like Tiger Woods or play the violin like Itzhak Perlman? Asked to explain why a few people truly excel most of us offer one of two answers: hard work or a natural talent. However scientific evidence doesn't support the notion that specific natural talents make great performers. In one of the most popular Fortune articles in years Geoff Colvin offered new evidence that top performers in any field
- from Tiger Woods & Winston Churchill to Warren Buffett & Jack Welch
- are not determined by their inborn talents. Greatness doesn't come from DNA but from practice & perseverance honed over decades. & not just plain old hard work but a very specific kind of work. The key is how you practice how you analyze the results of your progress & learn from your mistakes that enables you to achieve greatness. Now Colvin has expanded his article with much more scientific background & real-life examples. He shows that the skills of business
- negotiating deals evaluating financial statements & all the rest
- obey the principles that lead to greatness so that anyone can get better at them with the right kind of effort. Even the hardest decisions & interactions can be systematically enhanced. This new mind-set combined with Colvin's practical advice will change the way you think about your job & career
- & will inspire you to achieve more in all you do.




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If succession planning works how do the wrong people so often get to the top? Succession planning was once the key to identifying potential leaders to fill important positions. However in todays rapidly evolving business world traditional succession planning is no longer a viable strategy with research showing that 70 per cent of succession plans fail within two years simply from lack of management support. In a climate of growing skills shortages & lack of confidence in leadership potential David Clutterbuck offers a new a process of dialogue between an organization & its employees. The Talent Wave" presents a dynamic flexible approach to succession planning & talent management. Clutterbuck first demolishes most of accepted practice in these areas & then presents practical solutions which align employee ambitions & business priorities to ensure that organizations have the right leadership in place for ongoing success." ...

Tom Ripley is struggling to stay one step ahead of his creditors & the law when an unexpected acquaintance offers him a free trip to Europe & a chance to start over. Ripley wants money success & the good life & he's willing to kill for it. When his new-found happiness is threatened his response is as swift as it is shocking. ...

When the phone rings in the middle of the night Dr Arthur Jackson leaves the warmth of his bed without hesitation. Tending to his peculiar flock of patients
- including the blind cobbler with a surprising taste for hard liquor the accident-prone butcher & the young woman with an unusual phobia
- is his first priority whether their illness is critical or they simply need a comforting hand to hold. The whole community turns to the young doctor for advice.. .and not all of it medical. Meanwhile Dr Jacksons family are settling into their new home a rambling manor house complete with uncooperative ducks & a ghost. This delightfully nostalgic tale follows their progress as the negotiate the highs & lows the hilarious ups & downs of life in a country practice.

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This omnibus audio edition of CALL THE MIDWIFE SHADOWS OF THE WORKHOUSE & FAREWELL TO THE EAST END chronicles Jennifer Worths career as a midwife from her arrival in the war-scarred Docklands as a wide-eyed trainee to the demolition of the tenements. It provides a fascinating snapshot of social history documenting the East End in the days when there was a real sense of community when times were tough but there was plenty of good humour & neighbourly support to help the inhabitants through the harsh econonic climate. ...