In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably. Up until the conviction of her husband Oscar for homosexual crimes she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple she was a popular childrens author a fashion icon & a leading campaigner for womens rights. A founding member of the magical society the Golden Dawn her pioneering & questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right. But that spring Constances entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons her glittering literary & political career ended abruptly. Having changed her name she lived in exile until her death. Franny Moyle now tells Constances story with a fresh eye & remarkable new material. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siecle London & the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling & moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing she uncovers key revelations about a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time. ...

The new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Iris & Ruby. Connie Thorne was a foundling a child left by her mother for strangers to find. Forty years on without ever being able to discover her true identity she has put all her energy into creating a flawless shell for herself. As a child she was musical her sister Jeanette was deaf. One of them was dark the other sunny. Yet they both fell in love with the same man. & her feelings for Bill Jeanettes husband are the one part of herself that Connie can never reshape. When she hears the news that her sister is dying the last thing Connie wants is to leave her Bali home & return to London. But with the bitterness of betrayal still between them Connie & Jeanette have to learn to forgive each other. Surrounded by family can Constance make her peace with who she really is -- & who she loves? ...

The Constance Spry Cookery Book" is one of the best known cookery books of all time. It is one of the kitchen bibles worshipped by millions. Known for its authoritative & comprehensive collection of recipes it has now been brought up to date in a beautiful new metricated edition containing brand new photographs. This essential addition to any kitchen has withstood the test of time & become an invaluable source of information for every enthusiastic cook. Published in 1956 when both Constance Spry & Rosemary Hume were among the greatest names in cookery writing it took three years to produce. Their aim was to offer a supremely practical book with chapters covering kitchen processes soups & sauces through vegetables meat poultry & game to cold dishes & pastry making. In fact everything every cook or aspiring cook would need to know. That the book has been so popular for over half a century is a true testament to how successfully they achieved their aim. " The Constance Spry Cookbook" is now an established classic (and much requested on wedding gift lists) & a timeless treasure which stands the test of time & is perhaps even more needed today when so many people have not been taught to cook by mothers or at school. " Constance Spry" was the subject of a major exhibition at Londons Design Museum in 2004 & a fascinating biography in 2010." ...

Frightening heartbreaking & exquisitely calibrated The Constant Gardener" is a profoundly moving story of a man ennobled by his wifes tragic murder & a magnificent exploration of the dark side of unbridled capitalism. Le Carres record-breaking 500 000 copy international bestseller now comes to the big screen. Directed by critically acclaimed Fernando Meirelles (" City of God") with an all-star cast featuring Ralph Fiennes Rachel Weisz Pete Postlethwaite & Bill Nighy & shot on location in Berlin Kenya & the UK " The Constant Gardener" will be the film tie-in of the year." ...

Despite living by the side of the Thames with its noise disease & dirt eighteen-year-old Rosina May has wanted for little in life. Until her fathers feud with a fellow bargeman threatens to destroy everything. To save them all Rosina agrees to marry Harry the son of a wealthy merchant. But a chance encounter with a handsome river pirate has turned her head & she longs to meet him again. When her father dies a broken man Harry goes back on his promise & turns Rosina out onto the streets. She is forced to work the river herself ferrying rubbish out of London & living rough. In spite of her hardships she cannot forget her pirate & when tragedy threatens to strike once more she is forced to make a choice. But is she really prepared to risk everything for love? ...

Constantine is a masterly survey of the life & enduring legacy of the greatest & most unjustly ignored of the later Roman emperors
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The book gives a colourful collection of fascinating personal memoirs. Sidney Nowill OBE recounts his carefree childhood in Moda & the idyllic village of Bournabat outside Smyrna & how this blissful innocence was cut short when he was sent off to boarding school in Engl&. Not long after the outbreak of World War II Sidney found himself recruited for duties with MI6; he was even asked to continue this role in a different capacity after the war had ended but saw no reason to continue such work. After the war Sidney began working for his fathers import business before he set up independently manufacturing a range of products. The business required that he undertook sales tours extensively throughout Turkey & this gave Sidney the unique opportunity to get a feel for the understanding & opinion of the average provincial Turkish male. There follow some amusing tales: how Sidney managed to scramble out onto the dome of the Hagia Sophia by clutching onto a rusty Byzantine chain; how he & the Turkish Police chased a gang of counterfeiters; how he hung from a chicken-wire cradle during the construction of the first Bosphorus Bridge; & how he managed to amass a fortune on the nascent Turkish Stock Exchange. Many other amusing & colourful stories are told in the book. In the early 70s Sidney became an External Economic Advisor to the Shell group of companies in Turkey & was frequently sought for his advice on Turkeys financial affairs by people ranging from Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel to workshop meetings in the World Economic Forum. Sidney finally retired to England in 1993. ...

Ezra Pound referred to 1922 as Year One of a new era. It was the year in which a skinny shabby Irishman & a natty quietly sinister American entered the cultural landscape hell-bent on exploding everything that realistic fiction & Georgian poetry held dear. It was the year which began with the publication of Ulysses & ended with the publication of The Waste Land": the most influential English-language novel & poem of the century. Despite several revolutions in taste these two works remain the twin towers at the beginning of modern literature; some would say of modernity itself. & it was the generous indefatigable discerning Ezra Pound who played a significant part in the launch of both writers careers. " Constellation of Genius" puts the accomplishments of Eliot & Joyce in the context of the world in which their works appeared
- a year of remarkable firsts births & foundations. The passing of an old world: the collapse of the Ottoman Empire the end of British Liberalism with the crushing defeat by the Conservatives at the General Election the thwarting of Marcus Garveys dreams for a new Africa. Dada was put to rest Proust died & Hollywood transformed the nature of fame making Charlie Chaplin the most recognisable man on the planet. Hitchcock directed his first feature Kandinsky & Klee joined the Bauhaus & Louis Armstrong took the train from New Orleans to Chicago heralding the beginning of modern jazz. Gloriously entertaining erudite & idiosyncratic this is a biography of a year a journey through the diaries of the anthropologists actors artists dancers designers film-makers philosophers playwrights politicians & scientists whose lives & works collided over twelve months creating a frenzy of innovation which broke the world in two."
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The Constitution & Constitutional Reform is one of a series of Advanced Topic Masters providing detailed up-to-date analysis of key topics in A-level Government & Politics. This book is designed to: Stretch & challenge your understanding of the topic Help you to apply your skills to analyse & evaluate data & stimulus material Test your knowledge on your way to your best possible grade The Constitution & Constitutional Reform analyses the problems associated with the traditional British constitution & asks key questions about the architects of reform. To what extent was Blair a reluctant constitutional reformer? Was Brown a failed one? Where will constitutional reform go now? With extensive evaluation of recent & current policies you will be able to analyse & evaluate each topic area & then test your understanding with the exam-style questions provided. ...

Malaysia's constitution was set at the independence of the Federation of Malaya in 1957 along the lines of the Westminster model embracing federalism & constitutional monarchy. That it has endured is explained in terms of the social contract agreed between the leaders of the three main ethnic groups (Malay Chinese Indian) before independence. However increasing ethnic tension erupted in violence in 1969 after which the social contract was remade in ways that contradicted the basic assumptions underlying the 1957 Constitution. The outcome was an authoritarian state that implemented affirmative action in an attempt to orchestrate rapid economic development & more equitable distribution. In recent years constitutionalism as enshrined in the 1957 Constitution but severely challenged during the high-authoritarianism of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's developmental state has become increasingly relevant once again. However conflict over religion has replaced ethnicity as a source of discord. This book examines the Malaysian approach to constitutional governance in light of authoritarianism & continuing inter-communal strife & explains the ways in which a supposedly doomed colonial text has come to be known as 'our constitution'. ...