Who was responsible for the design of the Admiral Popov the circular Russian battleship that wouldnt steer straight? Why did Lord Anson set out to circumnavigate the world with a crew of Chelsea pensioners? & how did the British cruiser HMS Trinidad manage to torpedo itself in the Arctic? The answers to these questions & details of numerous other entertaining & unbelievable historical events are revealed in this absorbing survey of naval incompetence from Roman times to the Falklands War. Bestselling author Geoffrey Regan certainly sets out to prove that there is truth in the old adage Worse things happen at sea". Crammed with intriguing & often bizarre anecdotes & over fifty illuminating illustrations " Naval Blunders" takes a serious but often entertaining look at the misjudgements & oversights of captains fleet commanders strategic planners & ship designers over the ages. Peppered with"es from those who did their utmost (albeit unwittingly) to hinder naval progress this entertaining & instructive book will appeal to the naval enthusiast & general reader alike." ...

On Midsummers Eve three heartsick lovers are trapped in San Franciscos Buena Vista Park. Ill met by moonlight they are stalked by a psychopathic Puck in thrall to a beautiful Titania & ambushed by a homeless musical theatre troupe. Together they must survive a night that might just repair their hearts if it doesnt destroy them first. Selected by the New Yorker as one of the best young writers in America Adrian has created a singularly playful moving & humorous novel
- a story that effortlessly crosses the borders between reality & dreams suffering & magic & mortality & immortality.
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In Newcastle-upon-Tyne AD 2142 Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones -- but none have been reported missing. & the crimes most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago a North clone billionaire & his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner on the tropical planet of St Libra. But if the murderer is still at large was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough & confident she never waivered under interrogation -- claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra. Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agencys top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earths economy & must be secured. So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway & teams of engineers support personnel & xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor grudgingly released from prison Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off deep within St Libras rainforests. Then the murders begin. Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists its the alien but her new colleagues arent so sure. Maybe she did see an alien or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra.. . In this stunning standalone adventure Peter F. Hamilton blends fast-paced narrative with vividly imagined future-worlds. ...

When attending a Newcastle murder scene Detective Sidney Hurst finds a dead North family clone. Yet none have been reported missing. & in 2122 twenty years ago a North clone billionaire was horrifically murdered in the same manner on the tropical planet of St Libra. So if the murderer is still at large was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? She never wavered under interrogation claiming she alone survived an alien attack. Investigating this potential alien threat now becomes the Human Defence Agency's top priority. St Libran bio-fuel is the lifeblood of Earth's economy & must be secured. A vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway & experts are dispatched to the planet -- with Angela Tramelo grudgingly released from prison. But the expedition is cut off deep within St Libra's rainforests & the murders begin. Angela insists it's the alien but her new colleagues aren't sure. Did she see an alien or does she have other reasons for being on St Libra? Praise for Peter F Hamilton: ' The most powerful imagination in science fiction' Ken Follett ' Novels that combine fantastic speculation with incredible detailed imagining of the lives we will lead' Guardian ' This is thrilling stuff; compulsively readable & abundantly full of ideas' The Times ' Reaches another level of excellence.. . Brilliant' Locus ...

This journey has given me the exciting opportunity to bring my cooking life full circle & to introduce you to the very best recipes from the North of Engl&. I've been able to delve deep into the diverse cultures histories & traditions of the North & of course Northern food. The results of my travels my many tastings meals & experiments are presented here in a book that revels in its Northernness!" SEAN WILSON Britain is a nation built on its food & nowhere has a richer heritage than the North of Engl&. In The Great Northern Cookbook Sean Wilson
- former Coronation Street actor now award-winning cheese-maker & chef
- is our guide to the culinary highlights of the North. A proud Lancastrian Sean serves up timeless recipes & reveals the history behind the foods you love. In The Great Northern Cookbook you'll find homely hotpots & pies alongside beef stew with melting dumplings & a recipe for the soft warm oven-bottom muffins. With soups to feed an army traditional sweet treats delicious Northern curries & of course timeless Yorkshire puddings with mushy peas & gravy Sean serves up the greats from Lancashire Yorkshire Cumbria & Northumberl&. Embrace the Northern passion for simple food made with good authentic ingredients. Tying in to a new TV series The Great Northern Cookbook is packed with delicious & affordable recipes you'll want to eat & share"

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2012 marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of our greatest & most important novelists Charles Dickens. To celebrate were publishing eight of his best & most well-loved novels in this exclusive must-have boxed set of our authoritative Penguin Classics editions. ...

Little Miss Muffet is bored of her own nursery rhyme so goes in search of a new nursery rhyme to be in. But before you can say Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers the whole book of rhymes is thrown into chaos! With some of the most favourite rhymes including The Grand Old Duke of York Jack & Jill Hickory Dickory Dock Ding Dong Bell Hey Diddle Diddle Sing a song of Sixpence The Queen of Hearts & Little Miss Muffet. ...

With four famous operas each from Mozart Verdi & Puccini & two each from Rossini & Donizetti there is a feast of information. Here are short guides to The Marriage of Figaro & Don Giovanni; to the splendour of Aida the heart-breaking La Traviata; the drama of Tosca. The range is very broad. There is Wagners great love story Tristan und Isolde; there is Johann Strausss light comedy Die Fledermaus. On the way you can be briefed about such favourites as Handels Giulio Cesare Bizets Carmen Gounods Faust Tchaikovskys Eugene Onegin & Brittens Peter Grimes. With plot summaries composer biographies observations on musical points of interest & background on the historical & cultural context of each opera every one of these guides will enhance your appreciation & enjoyment & help you discuss the work & the performance with your fellow opera-goers. Steen shares his expert knowledge with a lightness of touch that makes each guide a pleasure to read. Witty informative & beautifully presented Great Operas is an indispensable reference guide for both seasoned opera-goers & those enjoying opera for the first time. ...

When fugitive oil heir Chas Worthington settles the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch plants a flag & declares it his own sovereign nation the reality of the environmental catastrophe is only the beginning of his odyssey. From acclaimed writer Joe Harris (Ghost Projekt Spontaneous) & artist Martin Morazzo (Absolute Magnitude) comes a sprawling adventure across earth's newest strangest frontier! Collects issues numbered 1-6 of this groundbreaking series. ...

An exciting picture book featuring brand new characters from highly-regarded best-selling multi-award-winning talent Oliver Jeffers. When life in the forest begins to change; when trees mysteriously lose their branches when whole tree trunks start to disappear when homes are lost the only course of action for the forest dwellers is to begin a full scale investigation. Alibis must be proved clues must be sought but even so blame is never far from anyone's thoughts. Who is the perpetrator of this heinous crime? Will justice be done? ...