This absorbing & liberally illustrated book tells in a light-hearted way the story of the origins of Aston Fields & the Victorian development of the eastern side of Bromsgrove. It all started with the coming of the railway
- before then there was nothing but a narrow winding lane fields & half a dozen houses. The book tells the history of the new roads & some of the people who lived in them. It covers the wheeling & dealing over land the fierce controversies in Bromsgrove town over the new road to the station & the rows about gas lighting water & proper drains while also describing industries of importance to the towns economy
- the Wagon Works the clothing factory & Bromsgrove Guild.A member of the Victorian Society for many years Jennie Mc Gregor-Smith is Caseworker for the Bromsgrove District. Stimulated by the loss of the Almshouses in Stratford Road she was an instigator in the founding of The Bromsgrove Society in 1980. This is her second book on local history & she has also written a study of John Cotton the Victorian Bromsgrove architect. She has been involved for thirty years in the promotion of classical music in the town & was a prime mover in the campaign for Artrix Bromsgroves arts centre.

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A landmark now classic study of the rich cinematic history of the Weimar Republic From Caligari to Hitler" was first published by Princeton University Press in 1947. Siegfried Kracauer
- a prominent German film critic & member of Walter Benjamins & Theodor Adornos intellectual circle
- broke new ground in exploring the connections between film aesthetics the prevailing psychological state of Germans in the Weimar era & the evolving social & political reality of the time. Kracauers pioneering book which examines German history from 1921 to 1933 in light of such movies as " The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" "M" " Metropolis" & " The Blue Angel" has never gone out of print. Now over half a century after its first appearance this beautifully designed & entirely new edition reintroduces Kracauer for the twenty-first century. Film scholar Leonardo Quaresima places Kracauer in context in a critical introduction & updates the book further with a new bibliography index & list of inaccuracies that crept into the first edition. This volume is a must-have for the film historian film theorist or cinema enthusiast. In " From Caligari to Hitler" Siegfried Kracauer
- the German-born writer & film critic who shared many ideas & interests with his friend Walter Benjamin
- made a startling (and still controversial) claim: films as a popular art provide insight into the unconscious motivations & fantasies of a nation. In films of the 1920s such as " The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" "M" " Metropolis" & " The Blue Angel" he traced recurring visual & narrative tropes that expressed he argued a fear of chaos & a desire for order even at the price of authoritarian rule. The book has become an undisputed classic of film historiography laying the foundations for the serious study of film. In " From Caligari to Hitler" Siegfried Kracauer made a startling (and still controversial) claim: films as a popular art provide insight into the unconscious motivations & fantasies of a nation. In films of the 1920s he traced recurring visual & narrative tropes that expressed he argued a fear of chaos & a desire for order even at the price of authoritarian rule. The book has become an undisputed classic of film historiography laying the foundations for the serious study of film. Kracauer was an important film critic in Weimar Germany. A Jew he escaped the rise of Nazism fleeing to Paris in 1933. Later in anguish after Benjamins suicide he made his way to New York where he remained until his death in 1966. He wrote From Caligari to Hitler while working as a "special assistant" to the curator of the Museum of Modern Arts film division. He was also on the editorial board of " Bollingen Series". Despite many critiques of its attempt to link movies to historical outcomes " From Caligari to Hitler" remains Kracauers best-known & most influential book & a seminal work in the study of film. Princeton published a revised edition of his " Theory of Film: The Redemption of Physical Reality" in 1997."



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From Christmas to Eternity When consultant Andy Gallagher temporarily loses his ability to speak it puts even more strain on his marriage to GP Lucy. But as the first snowflakes fall Andy realises whats important: winning back his wife. Only hes lost without words
- & he will need a Christmas miracle to convince Lucy of how he really feels... Her Little Spanish Secret Kat Richardson has never forgotten sexy Spanish surgeon Miguel or the night they had four years ago after which he left without trace. How could she when their little son is his mirror image? Now in Seville they meet again. Passion simmers...but Kat has news for Miguel that will shift their relationship to a whole new level!
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As Britains most successful & high profile make-up artist for the past 15 years Gary Cockerill has glossed the lips curled the lashes & shared the secrets of the famous & fabulous. With his unique style of super-sexy uber-glamorous make-up Gary has been responsible for helping to launch the careers & keep the secrets of a host of famous names including his best friend Katie Price. But behind the glitz & glamour is a heart-warming & at times hilarious story of how a former Yorkshire coal miner with no training or contacts fought his way up to become the celebrity worlds make-up artist of choice. In From Coal Dust to Stardust Gary reveals how a job spray-painting the faces of shop mannequins in a grimy West London factory led him to America & a hair-raising stint working with the superstars of the adult film industry. He explains how he landed his first celebrity client & within a few years was back in Los Angeles again only this time working with true Hollywood movie legends. Today with a star-studded client list that reads like a copy of Vanity Fair magazine Gary has become a loyal friend & confidante to many of his regular clients. In his role at the heart of the celebrity circus he reveals what it was like to have a ringside seat for some of the most notorious tabloid scandals of the Noughties. Running alongside Garys rise to fame is his candid & moving account of coming to terms with his sexuality & meeting his first boyfriend
- now husband Phil Turner
- while in the middle of planning a wedding to his glamour model fiancee Tracey. He also lays bare his own struggles with shopping addiction his dabbles with drugs & how his newfound celebrity lifestyle threatened to spiral out of control & destroy everything he had worked for. Garys fairytale journey from the mines of Doncaster to the VIP rooms of London & LA is a moving & funny tale in the mould of Billy Elliot
- if that is Billy ended up pole-dancing in a strip joint at the start of Act Two. Entertainingly gossipy but never bitchy or cruel Coal Dust to Stardust will be a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary celebrity culture.


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All parents relish that very first cry from their newborn baby. Yet as the crying continues it can become deeply stressful. & no sooner have you worked out what your young baby is trying to tell you
- often hunger fatigue or discomfort
- than they grow older & the reasons more complex
- teething pain anxiety or simply frustration. In From Crying Baby to Contented Baby Britain's bestselling childcare author Gina Ford outlines the common triggers for each specific age group whether it's a five-week-old or a 10-month-old to help you determine the most likely cause for your baby's distress so that you can respond to their needs & quickly comfort & settle them. Full of practical tips such as encouraging parents to 'stop look listen' & lots of reassuring advice your baby
- & you!
- will soon be calm & content once more.




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From Dictatorship to Democracy was a pamphlet printed & distributed by Dr Gene Sharp & based on his study over a period of forty years on non-violent methods of demonstration. Now in its fourth edition it was originally handed out by the Albert Einstein Institution & although never actively promoted to date it has been translated into thirty-one languages. This astonishing book travelled as a photocopied pamphlet from Burma to Indonesia Serbia & most recently Egypt Tunisia & Syria with dissent in China also reported. Surreptitiously handed out amongst youth uprisings the world over
- how the 'how-to' guide came about & its role in the recent Arab uprisings is an extraordinary tale. Once read you'll find yourself urging others to read it & indeed want to gift it.
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This is the autobiography of Tony Southgate one of motorsports most prolific & versatile racing car designerst. The author writes of a career which brought him into contact with some of motorsports most significant & at times colourful personalities & describes how he helped to raise the performance of their teams by constantly pushing forward the boundaries of racing car design in particular through a growing knowledge of aerodynamics. His story reveals the intense pressures which racing car designers endure as they seek to create cars which put them ahead of the game despite intense competition. He also recalls moments of great sadness following the loss of drivers in fatal accidents when safety standards at race tracks fell far short of todays acceptable level. The quantity & variety of the books illustrations emphasize the versatility of the authors skills & their impact on single-seater & sports car design through some of the most interesting decades of racing car development. Teams for which the author was solely responsible for car design during his period of engagement were: AAR Eagle BRM Shadow Arrows Chevron Theodore Osella Ford TWR Jaguar Toyota & TWR Nissan. In addition he also contributed to the design & construction of cars of the Lola Brabham Lotus Lister Ferrari & Audi teams. ...

The earliest part of the Bible is recognized as the foundation-stone of three great religions
- Judaism Christianity & Islam
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The original bestselling guide to treating chronic fatigue & fibromyalgia-now completely revised & updated. For the more than twenty-five million Americans who suffer from chronic fatigue fibromyalgia & other fatigue-related illnesses there is only one bestselling guide-From Fatigued to Fantastic " This new completely updated third edition incorporates the latest advances in science & technology to help alleviate the baffling often dismissed symptoms associated with severe almost unrelenting fatigue. Dr. Teitelbaum's integrated treatment program is based on the clinically proven results of his landmark study & on his more than thirty years of experience in working with patients to overcome their illnesses. Using the most current information Dr. Teitelbaum helps his readers evaluate their symptoms & develop an individualized program to eliminate them. Specific guidelines for diagnosis & care are clearly & concisely presented along with supporting scientific studies & treatment recommendations that include the latest & best strategies for using prescription & over-the-counter medications nutritional supplements alternative therapies and/or dietary & lifestyle modifications. In addition to providing cutting-edge research up-to-date scientific information & practical advice Dr. Teitelbaum offers the compassionate understanding of one who has himself battled & overcome these disorders." ...

In 1990 Gunter Grass
- a reluctant diarist
- felt compelled to make a record of the interesting times through which he was living.

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