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.


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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...


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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.
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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.
...

Mike Carney the oldest living native Blasket Islander was born on The Great Blasket Island off the southwest of Ireland in 1920. Raised under challenging circumstances in that unique isolated Irish-speaking community Mike left in 1937 to seek a better future in Dublin & eventually in America. The death on the island of his younger brother without a priest or doctor in 1947 set off a chain of events that led to its evacuation. Mike played a pivotal role in the evacuation personally lobbying Eamon de Valera to relocate the remaining Islanders living in increasingly desperate conditions. Joining the millions who emigrated from Ireland to the United States Mike settled in Springfield Massachusetts with other former islanders. While taking advantage of opportunities offered by his adopted country he never lost his love for the nation of his birth saying its like loving both parents. This is the story of his life & his efforts to promote Irish culture in America to preserve the memory of The Great Blasket to respect roots left behind & to set down roots in a new l&. Written as Mike approached the age of ninety-two this memoir is probably the last of a long line of books written by Blasket Islanders including Tomas OCrohan Micheal OSulleabhain & Peig Sayers. A first-person saga recounting one mans life but relating the experience of many it chronicles a lifetime devoted to family community & legacy. All the while he seems haunted by the immortal words of OCrohan: The likes of us will not be again. ...

U2 360degree by numbers 7 100 000 fans saw the show; 10 million people watched a live stream of U2 360degree at the Rose Bowl on You Tube; 320 000 fans saw 360degree in Mexico City; 9 760 guitar strings utilized; 7 100 miles
- approximate distance travelled by space station while talking with U2; 5 200 years
- collective touring experience of U2 tour personnel; 400 tons
- weight of the fully loaded claw; 134 crew members; 126 truck drivers; 110 concerts; 53 gigs attended by a single fan; & 7 astronauts attended. U2 360degree the most successful concert tour of all time came to an end in Moncton Atlantic Canada on July 30 2011. The massive 26 month undertaking by Live Nation Global Touring saw U2 play 110 concerts in front of more than 7.1 million fans in 30 countries across five continents. From the Ground Up" is the inside story of U2 360degree with exclusive contributions from the band manager Paul Mc Guinness world-renowned set designer Willie Williams & exclusive photographs from photographer Ralph Larmann & written by Dylan Jones who was given complete access including behind the scenes at Glastonbury 2011."


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KYM MARSH is one of our most-loved stars but her life has been a rollercoaster ride through love laughter & tears. Now Kyms ready to tell her full story for the first time describing her difficult childhood growing up on a council estate in Wigan & struggling at school with bullying & an eating disorder. She describes falling in love at 17 & finding herself pregnant while still a teenager. By the time she was 21 she was a single mum with two very young children David & Emily & it was a real struggle to make ends meet. But Kym had always dreamt of performing & even though the odds were stacked against her she was determined to make her dream a reality. One day she auditioned for a new TV show called Popstars & her life changed forever. Kym now stars in the nations favourite soap Coronation Street. But her life off-screen hasnt been easy. She reflects on her marriage to Jack Ryder & how hard she tried to make it work. Kym found new love with Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas & after tragically losing their first baby Archie in 2009 the couple were over the moon to welcome little Polly Lomas into the world earlier this year. Entertaining funny & incredibly honest From the Heart is a fantastic read all about how sometimes the best things happen in life when you refuse to give up hope. ...

KYM MARSH is one of our most-loved stars but her life has been a rollercoaster ride through love laughter & tears. Now Kyms ready to tell her full story for the first time describing her difficult childhood growing up on a council estate in Wigan & struggling at school with bullying & an eating disorder. She describes falling in love at 17 & finding herself pregnant while still a teenager. By the time she was 21 she was a single mum with two very young children David & Emily & it was a real struggle to make ends meet. But Kym had always dreamt of performing & even though the odds were stacked against her she was determined to make her dream a reality. One day she auditioned for a new TV show called Popstars & her life changed forever. Kym now stars in the nations favourite soap Coronation Street. But her life off-screen hasnt been easy. She reflects on her marriage to Jack Ryder & how hard she tried to make it work. Kym found new love with Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas & after tragically losing their first baby Archie in 2009 the couple were over the moon to welcome little Polly Lomas into the world earlier this year. Entertaining funny & incredibly honest From the Heart is a fantastic read all about how sometimes the best things happen in life when you refuse to give up hope. ...

In From the Heart" Sandy Clark tells the story of his headline-grabbing career in football as a striker manager coach & now much-respected pundit. From his early days with his hometown team Airdrie Sandy Clark was a prolific scorer & notched more than 100 goals for the Diamonds. He caught the eye of both Sir Alex Ferguson & Celtic who tried to prise him away & was later named PFA Player of the Year before heading south to West Ham to star alongside Trevor Brooking Billy Bonds & Tony Cottee. Sandy reveals why he then returned to Rangers & how he helped a young Ally Mc Coist through those difficult early days before they went on to help the Light Blues to Skol Cup glory. He also reveals the pain & agony of the 1985-86 season when with Hearts he missed out on a league & Scottish Cup double. & he relives his Tynecastle memories from his derby day glories to Wallace Mercer asking him to value all the Hibs players ahead of his controversial attempt to buy their capital rivals. Sandy speaks openly about his own managerial stint at Tynecastle where he had to controversially sack Justin Fashanu & for the first time he talks about his heartbreak when Chris Robinson showed him the door & why he later turned down the chance to manage Hearts for a second spell. Clark tells all from his time at St Johnstone where he led them to third spot a cup final & back into Europe where they took on the might of Monaco & also lifts the lid on the drugs nightmare with George OBoyle & Kevin Thomas & how he believes it led to his eventual sacking. He went on to work under Jimmy Calderwood & Jimmy Nicholl at Dunfermline Kilmarnock & Aberdeen & says why he believes an Aberdeen legend was behind their controversial Pittodrie departure. Controversial honest & full of brand new anecdotes " From the Heart" is an unmissable football story." ...