With the flair for narrative & the meticulous research that readers have come to expect Andrew Marr turns his attention to the monarch & to the monarchy chronicling the Queens pivotal role at the centre of the state which is largely hidden from the public gaze & making a strong case for the institution itself. Arranged thematically rather than chronologically Marr dissects the Queens political relationships crucially those with her Prime Ministers; he examines her role as Head of the Commonwealth & her deep commitment to that Commonwealth of nations; he looks at the drastic changes in the media since her accession in 1952 & how the monarchy & the monarch have had to change & adapt as a result. Indeed he argues that under her watchful eye the monarchy has been thoroughly modernized & made as fit for purpose in the twenty-first century as it was when she came to the throne & a new Elizabethan age was ushered in. ...

With the flair for narrative & the meticulous research that readers have come to expect Andrew Marr turns his attention to the monarch -- & to the monarchy chronicling the Queens pivotal role at the centre of the state which is largely hidden from the public gaze & making a strong case for the institution itself. Arranged thematically rather than chronologically Marr dissects the Queens political relationships crucially those with her Prime Ministers; he examines her role as Head of the Commonwealth & her deep commitment to that Commonwealth of nations; he looks at the drastic changes in the media since her accession in 1952 & how the monarchy -- & the monarch -- have had to change & adapt as a result. Indeed he argues that under her watchful eye the monarchy has been thoroughly modernized & made as fit for purpose in the twenty-first century as it was when she came to the throne & a new Elizabethan age was ushered in. ...

Hatton Garden is one of the most secret streets in England home for two centuries to a deeply private working community of diamond & jewellery dealers. Intimately connected to the area both personally (her family run a jewellery business there) & professionally (as an artist archivist of London's streets) Rachel Lichtenstein is uniquely placed to explore the extraordinary history of this mysterious quarter with its ancient burial sites diamond workshops underground vaults subterranean rivers monastic dynasties & forgotten palaces. Moving beyond the street itself into parts of Clerkenwell Holborn & Farringdon Rachel follows the ancient perimeter of the original Hatton Garden estate which once bordered the lost River Fleet. Guided on her walks by archaeologists sewer flushers artists goldsmiths geologists & visionaries of the city such as Iain Sinclair she crosses the same territory repeatedly gathering new layers of the story with each journey. The result is a brilliantly immersive & multi-layered portrait; both a documentary & a secret history of a vanishing world. ...

Diamond Street is Rachel Lichtenstein's fascinating account of London's Hatton Garden. Enter Hatton Garden one of London's most mysterious streets. Home to ancient burial sites diamond workshops underground vaults monastic dynasties subterranean rivers & forgotten palaces. Here you'll meet sewer flushers artists goldsmiths geologists & visionaries as Rachel Lichtenstein uncovers the history secrets & stories that bring this vibrant Clerkenwell street & its environs to life. Praise for Diamond Street: Diamond Street is a brilliant & moving book intricate in its form & fabulous in its curiosity. It is poised somewhere between deep history archaeological dig archive-quest & contemporary documentary & it is suffused throughout with Rachel Lichtenstein's fascination with people & place
- a fascination which approaches a moral quality really in its tenderness diligence & cultural openness". (Robert Macfarlane author of The Old Ways). " Fascinating. The great joy of Lichtenstein's books is that she encourages us to look again at the places we take for granted". (Daily Telegraph). " Vivid & amusing containing so many sparkling things elegantly organized. Lichtenstein consulted a whole gang of glorious characters collecting tales history & lore on her way. An overwhelming trove of stories with a multiplicity of facets to intrigue". (Observer). " Engrossing a superb oral historian. Lichtenstein proves to be an indefatigable explorer". (Sunday Times). " Lichtenstein is an artist writer local historian & archivist & her multi-faceted approach makes fascinating reading. She makes us look with a fresh eye at familiar urban spaces". (Independent on Sunday). " Lichtenstein has brought alive something of London.. .how one street can be a kind of Tardis a portal to another world of parallel commerce codes rituals history. A heartfelt book full of curiosity & love". (The Times). "A lively & rewarding addition to the capital's rich history". (Independent). Rachel Lichtenstein is an artist & writer. She is the co-author with Iain Sinclair of Rodinsky's Room & the author most recently of On Brick Lane."
...

New cover reissue of Book One of the classic ELENIUM series introducing the Pandion Knight Sparhawk & his horse Faron a sleeping queen & a jewel that can save her! After a long spell of exile Sparhawk Pandion Knight & the Queens champion returns to his native land to find it overrun with evil & intrigue -- & his young Queen grievously ill. Indeed Ehlana lies magically entombed within a block of crystal doomed to die unless a cure can be found within a year. But as Sparhawk & his allies -- who include Sephrenia the ageless sorceress & Flute the strange & powerful girl-child -- seek to save Ehlana & the land they discover that the evil is even greater & more pervasive than they feared! Truly a gem of epic fantasy from the modern master of the genre THE DIAMOND THRONE is a must for Eddings fans -- & an excellent introduction for those who have yet to discover the delights of his work. ...

Diamonds is the leading guide of its kind to learning about these precious gems & understanding the main factors that determine their value & quality. Whether coming to diamonds for the first time or already knowledgeable in the field every reader will find something of interest & value in its pages. A unique feature of the book is the chapter dedicated to natural colour diamonds with descriptions & illustrations of every colour group. While colour diamonds are an increasingly important part of the diamond trade there is little information about them in the popular literature & their full treatment here has received much praise from readers. The story of diamonds is told from their humble origins in the form of carbon the most basic element of life through their many transformations by the forces of nature & the human hand on their way to becoming beautiful gems. The book is equally informative about the recent history of diamonds & the forces re-shaping the industry today including the global shifts in centres of production & distribution the implementing of international ethical standards within the trade & the emerging roles of China India & Russia as major players in the diamond market. In expanding the books international reach through its translation into six languages the author aims to promote the highest standards of good practice in the diamond industry to a wider audience. Diamonds is designed with equal attention to the text written in clear & jargon-free language & the images which show diamonds in their full range of cuts shapes & colours along with some of the worlds most stunning contemporary & historic diamonds. ...

The prize was great -- not just land but the riches it held in the form of diamonds & gold. What became a country called South Africa was until 1910 a vast & untamed land where great fortunes could be made (and lost); where great battles were fought (and lost); & where great men had their reputations forged or dashed or sometimes both. Martin Merediths follow-up to his magisterial The State of Africa is an equally epic new history of the making of South Africa. Covering the extraordinarily eventful four decades leading up to the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910 it covers some of the most iconic tales of imperial history. The Zulus at Rorkes Drift; the Jameson Raid; the diamond & gold rushes at Kimberley & Witwatersrand; the Boer wars; the titanic struggle between the arch-imperialist Cecil Rhodes & his Boer rival Paul Kruger -- DIAMONDS GOLD & WAR brings all of these & more together in a stunningly coherent & compelling narrative. History somehow just isnt as colourful any more. ...

Join the wonderfully weird Otherhand family & their faithful guardian Edgar the raven & discover the dark secrets of Castle Otherh&. In the sixth of the Raven Mysteries all manner of disaster descends on Castle Otherhand; weirdness abounds the family are on the verge of being thrown out of their own home & theres still no sign of the fabled treasure of the Otherh&. Worse still theres no sign of Edgar either. So will it be diamonds or doom for the Otherhands? ...

What does an It girl do if she loses all her money? Sophie Chesterton is a girl about town
- she knows all the right people goes
...

' The twentieth century looked out at him from the piece of newsprint & bared its teeth in a sneer' From the diamond mines of Sierra Leone to the jewellers of Hatton Garden from race track to casino... Bond must infiltrate & destroy the criminal network of the Spangled Mob in Fleming's fourth 007 adventure. ...