From SAS To Blood Diamond Wars is the story of an outstanding warrior even by SAS standards. On the point of being demobbed from the SAS Fred Marafono was recruited by David Stirling for his private security company. After Stirling's death Fred found himself in the midst of Sierra Leone's Blood Diamond wars & formed an unbreakable bonding with the country's champion of democracy Chief Hinga Norman whose leadership & tragic death are integral to the story. Fred was recruited by Simon Mann for the finest of all private military companies in Africa Executive Outcomes. Fewer than two hundred of them defeated the rebels in their strongholds. Through political weakness Executive Outcomes were made to leave the country & chaos ensued. Committed men like Hinga Norman & British High Commissioner Peter Penfold saw that in the absence of military commitment from the west only highly professional former soldiers could spearhead the fight to restore democracy. Three of these veterans kept a vital air bridge open. Fred's final action was supporting the SAS in their brilliant hostage release Operation Barras. Peter Penfold sums it all up in the book's foreword writing of the 'confidence trust & admiration I have for this remarkable man. ' ...

Continuing where her hugely successful Voluptuous Delights left off best selling author Sophie Dahl offers up a seasonal almanac of bountiful dishes alongside warm food-filled memories & musings. Taking a gastronomic journey through the seasons from the Victorian Beeton era to a recent sodden Parisian evening Dahl captures the smoke filled days of Autumn with a nostalgic Squash & Parmesan soup the blooming warmth of an English garden in high summer with Grilled Peaches with Pistachios & Ricotta; & the burgeoning beginnings of Spring with a Butter Lettuce Lobster & Crayfish Salad. Bursting with moreish yet nutritious recipes for budding foodies & seasoned gourmets alike stunning photography & Sophie's delightfully quirky illustrations this latest offering promises pleasure indulgence & of course simple good food. ...

The story: only days after finishing his widely-praised production of Hamlet in the West End" David Tennant came into the Naxos Audio Books studio to record some of Shakespeare's finest sonnets including " Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?". He joined a strong cast of readers presenting some 70 sonnets in fresh performances to mark the 400th anniversary of the first publication of " The Sonnets" in 1609." ...

Never before have the four great works of Charles Darwin
- Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle (1845) The Origin of Species (1859) The
...

This is a wonderful little library of Tinga Tinga" tales. Spend a day & night in " Tinga Tinga Tales" with this adorable " Little Library". Containing four mini board books in a colourful slipcase & featuring all the " Tinga Tinga Tales'" animals in exciting new stories
- this is a great addition to any toddler's library. If you think you never know " Tinga Tinga" answers all your whys... Inspired by traditional animal stories & the Tinga tinga artwork of Tanzania " Tinga Tinga Tales" is a much loved animation from CBeebies. The wonderful stories based on classic African folk tales will answer all your whys on how the animals came to be. Look out for these other " Tinga Tinga" books: " Jambo Everyone! Colouring Book"; " Counting 1 2 3 with Tinga Tinga"; " Opposites in Tinga Tinga"; " Where in Tinga Tinga is Tickbird?"; " Why Elephant has a Trunk"; " Why Monkeys Swing in the Trees"; " Why Chameleon Changes Colour"; " Why Giraffe has a Long Neck"; " From Sunrise to Sunset in Tinga Tinga: Little Library"; "A Busy Busy Day in Tinga Tinga"; " Why Leopard Has Spots"; & " Why Lion Roarrrs"!"
...

Bartholomew Lampion was blinded at the age of three when surgeons reluctantly removed his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer but although eyeless Barty regained his sight when he was thirteen. This sudden ascent from a decade of darkness into the glory of light was not brought about by a holy healer. No celestial trumpets announced the restoration of his vision just as none had announced his birth. A rollercoaster had something to do with his recovery as did a seagull. & you cant discount Bartys profound desire to make his mother proud of him before she died. The first time she died was the day Barty was born. January 6 1965. ...

It has been a decade since Alan Langfords charred remains were discovered in his burnt-out car. His wife Donna was found guilty of conspiracy to murder her husband & served ten years in prison. But just before she is released Donna receives a nasty shock: an anonymous letter containing a photo of her husb&. The man she hates with every fibre of her being
- the man she paid to have murdered
- seems very much alive & well. How is it possible that her husband is still alive? Where is he? Who sent the photo & why? DI Tom Thorne becomes involved in a case where nothing & no one are what they seem. It will take him much further from his London beat than he has ever been before
- & closer to a killer who will do anything to protect his new life.


...

The sixth marvellous tale of high adventure & derring-do from the master of steampunk literature set in the world of The Court of the Air A daring underwater chase ends in a battle for the Kingdom itself... The streets of Middlesteel are under attack by an unseen enemy leaving bloodless corpses in its trail. The newssheets scream vampire but the truth is even more deadly than anyone knows. Charlotte Shades Mistress of Mesmerism is a thief
- & a darned good one at that. When two mysterious men ask her to steal King Judes Sceptre from the Parliament vaults the challenge (and reward) is too great to pass up. After all Charlottes natural charm & the magic of the gem she wears
- the mysterious Eye of Fate
- have never failed her before. Only consulting detective Jethro Daunt & his steamman companion Boxiron know theres more to these two men than meets the eye. Yet even as they rescue Charlotte from a fate worse than death they are thrown into a plot thicker than even they realize. They escape beneath the waves in an ancient submarine led by Commodore Jethro Black where they encounter stiff resistance from the strange people who inhabit the vast underwater kingdoms. But man woman seanore & gillneck alike must band together if they are to defeat a danger that might not even be from this world...


...

The five volumes that constitute Arthur Marders From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow represented arguably the finest contribution to the literature of naval history since Alfred Mahan. A J P Taylor wrote that his naval history has a unique fascination. To unrivalled mastery of sources he adds a gift of simple narrative.. . He is beyond praise as he is beyond cavil. The five volumes were subtitled The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era 1904
- 1919 & they are still despite recent major contributions from Robert Massie & Andrew Gordan regarded by many as the definitive history of naval events leading up to & including the Great War. This second volume begins with the embarrassing escape of the German ship Goeben before moving on to the defeat at Coronel soon avenged off the Falkland Islands. Marder then turns his attention to the humiliation of the Dardenelles & the submarine menace before looking in detail at the whole question of British strategy & at how the High Seas Fleet was to brought to battle & dealt the crushing blow which the British public felt so confident of. A new introduction by Barry Gough the distinguished Canadian maritime & naval historian assesses the importance of Marders work & anchors it firmly amongst the great naval narrative histories of this era. This new paperback edition will bring a truly great work to a new generation of historians & general readers.
...

The five volumes that constitute Arthur Marder's From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow represented arguably the finest contribution to the literature of naval history since Alfred Mahan. A J P Taylor wrote that 'his naval history has a unique fascination. To unrivalled mastery of sources he adds a gift of simple narrative.. . He is beyond praise as he is beyond cavil.' The five volumes were subtitled The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era 1904
- 1919 & they are still despite recent major contributions from Robert Massie & Andrew Gordan regarded by many as the definitive history of naval events leading up to & including the Great War. This first volume covers many facets of the history of the Royal Navy during the pre-war decade including the economic & political background such as the 1906 Liberal Government hostility towards naval spending. Inevitably however attention moves to the German naval challenge the arms race & the subsequent Anglo-German rivalry & finally the British plans for the blockade of the German High Seas Fleet. A new introduction by Barry Gough the distinguished Canadian maritime & naval historian assesses the importance of Marder's work & anchors it firmly amongst the great naval narrative histories of this era. This new paperback edition will bring a truly great work to a new generation of historians & general readers.
...