At its height the Roman Empire was the greatest empire yet seen with borders stretching from the rain-swept highlands of Scotland in the north to the sun-scorched Nubian desert in the south. But how were the vast & varied stretches of frontier defined & defended? Many of Romes frontier defences have been the subject of detailed & ongoing study & scholarship. Three frontier zones are now UNESCO World Heritage sites (the Antonine Wall having recently been granted this status
- the author led the bid) & there is growing interest in their study. This wide-ranging survey will describe the varying frontier systems describing the extant remains methods & materials of construction & highlighting the differences between various frontiers. Professor Breeze considers how the frontiers worked discussing this in relation to the organisation & structure of the Roman army & also their impact on civilian life along the empires borders. He then reconsiders the question of whether the frontiers were the product of an overarching Empire-wide grand strategy questioning Luttwaks seminal hypothesis. This is a detailed & wide-ranging study of the frontier systems of the Roman Empire by a leading expert. Intended for the general reader it is sure also to be of great value for academics & students in this field. The appendixes will include a brief guide to visiting the sites today.
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In the eight years since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan has rarely been out of the news. Over a thousand coalition military fatalities have been reported & many times that number of Afghan civilians. The country is in the process of rebuilding & yet the fighting continues. Following the success of his previous book Battlefield Afghanistan" Mike Ryan looks at the state of this war-ravaged nation as Barack Obama finally decides to escalate Americas military presence. He considers the current role of coalition troops & the progress being made or not being made
- more than 100 British troops died in Afghanistan in 2009 the highest death toll for any year since the mission began in October 2001
- things are getting worse not better. The author has unrivalled access not only to commanding officers but also to the boots on the ground. With more than 200 colour photographs & analysis of the situation from those actually doing the fighting " Frontline Afghanistan" may help the reader to make up his or her mind about the legitimacy of the conflict & the possible way forward. This is a different kind of fight. We must conduct classic counterinsurgency operations in an environment that is uniquely complex. Our strategy cannot be focused on seizing terrain or destroying insurgent forces; our objective must be the population
- Resources will not win this war but under-resourcing could lose it
- General Stanley Mc Chrystal. Our backing of the Afghan government in its current form continues to distance the government from the people
- Matthew P. Hoh former US Marine officer resigning as senior American civilian representative in Zabul province November 2009. As the death toll rises who is right? " Frontline Afghanistan" provides a visual record of what is happening now plus the analysis of commanders in the field. It might help you to make up your mind."




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There's something in the mist
- as beautiful as starlight as fierce as wolves as heartless as ice. The forest beyond the mist is
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Ten days to Christmas & Tracey Uphill aged eight hasn't come home from Sunday school. Her mother a pretty young prostitute is desperate. Enter Detective Inspector Jack Frost sloppy scruffy & insubordinate. To help him investigate the case of the missing child Frost has been assigned a new sidekick the Chief Constable's nephew. Fresh to provincial Denton in an oversmart suit Detective Constable Clive Barnard is an easy target for Frost's withering satire. Assisted & annoyed by Barnard Frost complete with a store of tasteless anecdotes to fit every occasion proceeds with the investigation in typically unorthodox style. After he's consulted a local witch Dead Man's Hollow yields up a skeleton. Frost finds himself drawn into an unsolved crime from the past & risks not only his career but also his life... ...

' Tis the season of good cheer throughout the world but with only ten days to Christmas on a bitter December afternoon eight-year-old Tracy Uphill goes missing. Read by David Jason. Detective Inspector Jack Frost Denton Police Force's scruffiest officer knows they only have a limited time to find her -- & he's also got to nursemaid Detective Constable Cliver Barnard whose uncle just happens to be the Chief Constable. Then the bodies start to pile up & a crime committed many years before leads a murderer to kill again. R.D. Wingfield is in pulse-racing form as his always irreverent always likeable hero with the common touch discovers whodunnit & why. Read by David Jason star of the major TV series A Touch of Frost. ...

Christmas 1669. In the grip of the coldest winter for years the River Thames is frozen from bank to bank & London celebrates with a traditional frost fair held on its broad back. Revellers come from far & wide to enjoy the spectacle. Among the throng is ambitious young architect Christopher Redmayne. By chance he meets a good friend Constable Jonathan Bale attending with his family. As the adults talk Bale s sons skate around them. But their competitive nature spells trouble onto thin ice & is in danger of crashing into the freezing water below. Christopher & Jonathan save the boy but make a chilling discovery the frozen corpse of a naked man embedded in the ice. Bale vows to investigate but Christopher sees no reason to involve himself further until his own brother Henry is accused of the murder & thrown in jail. Now Henry faces execution if Christopher cannot prove his innocence. The architect must risk all he holds dear both professionally & personally to uncover the truth. ...

Nanda Gray the daughter of a Catholic convert is nine when she is sent to the Convent of Five Wounds. Quick-witted resilient & eager to please she accepts this closed world where with all the enthusiasm of the outsider her desires & passions become only those the school permits. Her only deviation from total obedience is the passionate friendships she makes. Convent life is perfectly captured
- the smell of beeswax & incense; the petty cruelties of the nuns; the eccentricities of Nanda's school friends.
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Vampire Academy" is a dark & dangerous series by Richelle Mead. It's winter break at St Vladimir's & a massive Strigoi vampire attack has put the school on high alert. This year's trip away from the academy to the wintery peaks of Idaho has suddenly become mandatory. But Rose's troubles seem to follow her wherever she goes
- dealing with the pain of knowing that her relationship with her tutor Dimitri can never be things get even more complicated when one her closest friends admits his feelings for her. The glittering winter landscape may create the illusion of safety but Rose
- & her heart
- are in more danger than she ever could have imagined... Richelle Mead the " New York Times" bestselling author of the " Vampire Academy" series lives in Seattle in the USA. " The Vampire Academy" series: " Vampire Academy"; " Frostbite"; " Shadow Kiss"; " Blood Promise"; " Last Sacrifice" & don't miss the brand new spin-off series " Bloodlines"..."


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After years of struggle Elena Michaels
- journalist investigator werewolf
- has finally come to terms with her strange fate

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This is a literary fantasy about war racial identity & first love. Frost has left her homeland to travel to the neighbouring country of Ruan in the hope of finding a deity she believes will rid her of a curse: at the sight of her own blood a berserker rage in the form of a wolf overtakes her & kills everyone within reach. On her journey Frost meets Luca & Arian two members of the Ruan military force sworn to protect the country's borders from neighbouring rebel fighters. Over the coming months under Luca's guidance Frost learns to overcome the Wolf within. She also begins to fall in love with Luca
- while Arian falls for her. This title is for fans of Tamora Pierce Maggie Stiefvater & Cassandra Clare. It is a companion title to Daughter of the Flames". It tackles themes such as racial tension prejudice war personal identity & first love. It is a refreshing & provocative real-world take on the fantasy genre: in this world there is no magic & the setting is more akin to Northern India or Tibet than the usual Tolkien-inspired pseudo-Europe. Zoe Marriott's first novel " The Swan Kingdom" was chosen as a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Her third book " Shadows on the Moon" won the prestigious Sasakawa Prize."
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