Patrick O' Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. Captain Jack Aubrey RN arrives in the Dutch East Indies to find himself appointed to the command of the fastest & best-armed frigate in the Navy. He & his friend Stephen Maturin take passage for England in a despatch vessel. But the war of 1812 breaks out while they are en route. Bloody actions precipitate them both into new & unexpected scenes where Stephen's past activities as a secret agent return on him with a vengeance. ...

Fortunes Cinderella A waitress with a heart-breaking past Christina Hastings knew better than to believe in fairy tales. Shed found safety even passion in vice-president Scott Fortunes strong arms but happy endings just didnt happen to a girl like her
- especially with a man like Scott. Yet she was finding it harder & harder to resist the gentlemans many charms... Fortunes Valentine Bride Neighbours & long-time friends Katie Wallace & boss Blake Fortune made a great team. Katie dreamed theyd someday be more... Spurred on by last months life-altering tornado Blake had decided it was time for him to marry
- somebody else! The spunky secretary had to find a way to change his mind fast...

...

Set 100 years ago in Boston Fortunes Rocks is a classic of literary & romantic storytelling. Fourteen-year-old Olympic Biddeford is spending the summer with her parents at their seasonal house at Fortunes Rocks. Her father handles her education himself & is in fact a publisher of mildly liberal literature. One author he admires who also practises as a physician comes to visit the house. 40 years old married with four children he still embarks on an affair with the adolescent girl. They have a swift passionate summer torn apart when they are discovered together during Olympics fifteenth birthday party. She is taken back to Boston her parents are mortified & remove themselves from society. When Olympic is delivered of a baby boy nine months later he is taken from her & she finds herself in exile at a ladies college & then as a governess. She decides she must get her child back which means returning to Fortunes Rocks... This sensuality of a girls rite of passage the descriptions of landscape weather music & light are vintage Shreve & her seventh novel will thrill her many admirers. ...

Fortunes Unexpected Groom Jordana Fortune never expected to be expecting after her impulsive encounter with gorgeous pilot Tanner Redmond. But when Tanner found out he ran straight to her door demanding matrimony. Yet his blushing bride was hesitating
- holding out for the one thing Tanner believes he cant give... Fortunes Perfect Match Emily Fortune had given up on finding Mr Right...when she met airport manager Max Allen. But after hed lost baby Anthony he was heartbroken. & now hes fallen for a woman intent on having a baby. Is Max headed for another heartbreak? Or will Emily be the one to finally make him whole?
...

This is the most authoritative & readable account to date of just how British Columbia became British & how Oregon Washington & Alaska became American. By the closing years of the 18th century the stage was set for a major international confrontation over the Northwest Coast. Imperial Russia was firmly established in Alaska Spain was extending its trade routes north from Mexico Captain James Cook had claimed Northwest America for England & Captain Robert Gray had claimed the Columbia River region for the United States. Open warfare between Spain & England was narrowly averted during the Nootka Sound Controversy of 1789-1794 & again between Britain & the US in the War of 1812 when a British warship seized American property in Oregon. In Fortune's a River" noted historian Barry Gough re-examines this Imperial struggle for possession of the future British Columbia & fully evokes its peculiar drama. It turned out the great powers were reluctant conquerors in this area. Russia & Spain withdrew of their own accord. Britain was in a position to dominate but couldn't be bothered. The US vaguely wished to fulfill its manifest destiny by securing the Northwest Coast but it was not a priority. In the end the battle was carried on by private enterprise & individuals of vision. Alexander Mackenzie established an overland route to the coast & with his partners Simon Fraser & David Thompson set up a network of fur trading forts south to Oregon. US president Thomas Jefferson countered by sending out the Lewis & Clark expedition to strengthen American claims & an American entrepreneur John Jacob Astor established a lonely US outpost at Astoria. Gough examines each of the players in this territorial drama bringing them fully to life & vividly recounting their hardships & struggles. This is a major historical work that reads like a wild west adventure." ...

This collection of pithy brilliantly acerbic pieces is a companion to Sixty Stories Barthelmes earlier retrospective volume. Barthelme spotlights the idiosyncratic haughty sometimes downright ludicrous behavior of human beings but it is style rather than content which takes precedence. ...

This is a clear & authoritative introduction to fossils their study & their use in reconstructing the history of life on Earth. Paleontologist Richard Fortey explains in accessible language what fossils are how they form & how they help us to understand Earths geological past & the emergence of life. Drawing on the latest information he discusses evolution & extinction the economic uses of fossils such as oil & coal as well as offering advice for making a fossil collection. Extensively illustrated throughout Fossils is an up-to-date guide to our understanding of the fossil record & the significance of fossil finds. It will appeal to all those with an interest in our past & will encourage the reader to study further & enjoy our geological legacy. ...

This is a new edition of the clearest most authoritative guide to fossils. Packed with more than 1 000 amazing photographs of over 500 species this handbook is designed to cut through the complicated identification process & enable you to recognize species instantly. It covers everything from what a fossil is how they are classified to how to start a collection. Perfect for fossil lovers
- this is a comprehensive guide for collectors.
...

Highlighting recent projects Foster + Partners: Catalogue traces the development of the Foster studio from its formation in the 1960s to the present. More than 120 buildings & projects are featured in stunning full-color photographs & complemented by architectural sketches & drawings. The book examines the distinctive features of Fosters work & shows the full range of the practices achievements as urban planners architects & industrial designers. Organized by themes it

Includes:: the studios latest buildings such as the new Beijing Airport the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. the Hearst Tower in New York the Great Court at the British Museum in London & the distinctive new headquarters tower for Swiss Re??????winner of the 2004 Stirling Prize. Including numerous current works as well as buildings that showcase the essential characteristics of Fosters distinctive design philosophy this book presents the most comprehensive overview of the renowned architects career to date.

...

Kate left her seaside home town of Lyme Regis for the bright lights of London when she was eighteen & never looked back. She had it all: the glamorous career the lovely house the gorgeous husb&. But now she's back: unemployed separated & holed up in her dead granny's bungalow. Worse still she's forced to share the bungalow with Ben the clueless & domestically challenged fiance of her bossy sister Prue. Ben is a man in need of simple instruction. & Kate is a woman in need of a project. So she decides to secretly train Ben her foster husband as a selfless pre-wedding gift to her sister. But Kate may still have a few lessons of her own to learn... ...