A nineteenth century French priest discovers something in his mountain village at the foot of The Pyrenees which enables him to amass & spend a fortune of millions of pounds. The tale seems to begin with buried treasure & then turns into an unprecedented historical detective story
- a modern Grail quest leading back through cryptically coded parchments secret societies the Knights Templar the Cathar heretics of the twelfth & thirteenth centuries & a dynasty of obscure French kings deposed more than 1 300 years ago. The author's conclusions are persuasive: at the core is not material riches but a secret
- a secret of explosive & controversial proportions which radiates out from the little Pyrenees village all the way to contemporary politics & the entire edifice of the Christian faith. It involves nothing less than...the Holy Grail.

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Relics affected everyone in medieval society. Saintly morsels such as bones hair teeth & clothes & items like the Crown of Thorns coveted by Louis IX of France were thought to bring the believer closer to the saint who might intercede with God on his or her behalf. In the first comprehensive history in English of the rise of relic cults Charles Freeman takes readers on a vivid fast-paced journey from Constantinople to the northern Isles of Scotland over the course of a millennium. In Holy Bones Holy Dust" Freeman illustrates that the pervasiveness & variety of relics answered very specific needs of ordinary people across a darkened Europe under threat of political upheavals disease & hellfire. But relics were not only venerated
- they were traded collected lost stolen duplicated & destroyed. They were bargaining chips good business & good propaganda politically appropriated across Europe & even used to wield military power. Freeman examines an expansive array of relics in the broad social & cultural context of their age showing how the mania for these objects deepens our understanding of the medieval world & why these relics continue to capture our imagination."
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Holy Disorders takes Oxford don & part time detective Gervase Fen to the town of Tolnbridge where he is happily bounding around with a butterfly net until the cathedral organist is murdered giving Fen the chance to play sleuth. The man didn't have an enemy in the world & even his music was inoffensive: could he have fallen foul of a nest of German spies or of the local coven of witches ominously rumored to have been practicing since the 17th century? Tracking down the answer pleases Fen immensely
- only the reader will have a better time.
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In seventeenth-century France against a backdrop of witch trials regicide & religious frenzy Juliette one-time actress & rope-dancer seeks refuge with her young daughter in the remote abbey of Saint Marie-de-la-Mer & reinvents herself as Soeur Auguste. Until a new Abbess is appointed bringing with her a ghost from Juliette's past a man she has every reason to fear. ...

Since the Caped Crusader first made the leap from comics to silver screen in the early 1940s generations of audiences have been captivated by the screen adventures of Batman establishing the celebrated comic book hero as a true icon of popular culture. Now Gary Collinson traces the entire screen history of Bob Kanes Dark Knight Detective providing a fascinating insight into one of the most successful media franchises of all time. Beginning with the early movie serials of the 1940s Holy Franchise Batman! charts the development of Batmans many exploits across both live-action & animation presenting a comprehensive overview of his illustrious screen career. From the classic 1960s television series starring Adam West & Burt Ward to the hugely successful blockbuster feature films from directors Tim Burton Joel Schumacher & Christopher Nolan as well as early Saturday morning cartoon outings through to the acclaimed DC Animated Universe this book explores the evolution of Batman
- a journey that has taken him from camp crime-fighter to Dark Knight.
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OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Surveys most detailed map & is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities such as walking horse riding & off-road cycling. The series provides complete GB coverage & can now be used in all weathers thanks to OS Explorer Map
- Active a tough versatile version of the OS Explorer Map.
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David Adam has been captivated by the beauty wonder & holiness of Lindisfarne since first glimpsing its fairytale castle from the train as a young boy. In this absorbing volume he shows the island's human face revealing how Lindisfarne & its people have responded to trial tribulation & triumph in the course of a long & vibrant history. This tiny place witnessed one of the last stands of the ' British' Celtic peoples against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 6th century. It has been the home of saints & scholars most notably St. Aidan & St. Cuthbert & famously produced the medieval masterpiece known as the Lindisfarne Gospels". Less familiar to readers perhaps will be that the island experienced the first recorded Viking invasion in 793 & was involved in the 17th century Civil War & the 18th century Jacobite Rebellion. Today its ruined 11th century Priory & 16th century Castle
- later redesigned by the great English architect Edwin Lutyens
- draw pilgrims & visitors from all over the world. Wherever you walk on Lindisfarne the past impinges on the present... In relating afresh many of the island's legends & stories David Adam's lovely volume affords the reader a wonderful sense of all there is to discover just beneath the surface."

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Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali The Holy Qur'an (also known as The Koran) is the sacred book of Islam. It is the word of God whose truth was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. As it was revealed so it was committed to memory by his companions though written copies were also made by literate believers during the lifetime of the Prophet. The first full compilation was by Abu Bakar the first Caliph & it was then recompiled in the original dialect by the third Caliph Uthman after the best reciters had fallen in battle. Muslims believe that the truths of The Holy Qur'an are fully & authentically revealed only in the original classical Arabic. However as the influence of Islam grows & spreads to the modern world it is recognised that translation is an important element in introducing & explaining Islam to a wider audience. This translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali is considered to be the most faithful rendering available in English. ...

Swearing is a fascinating thing. Almost everyone does it or worries about not doing it from the two year old who has just discovered the power of the potty mouth to the grandma who wonders why every other word she hears is obscene. But more than its cultural ubiquity swearing is also interesting for what it tells us about language & society today & in the past. It is a record of what people care about on the deepest levels of a culture- what's divine what's terrifying & what's taboo. Holy Sh*t tells the story of two kinds of swearing
- obscenities & oaths
- from ancient Rome & the Bible to today. With humor & insight Melissa Mohr takes readers on a journey to discover how 'swearing' has come to include both testifying to the truth with your hand on the Bible & calling someone a *$&!* when they cut you off on the highway. Mohr explores obscenities in ancient Rome-remarkably similar to some of the things you might hear on the street today-and unearths the history of religious oaths in the Middle Ages when swearing was a matter of life & death. Holy Sh*t also explains the advancement of civility & corresponding censorship of language in the 18th century; considers the rise of racial slurs after World War II; & answers a question that preoccupies the FCC the U.S. Senate & anyone who has overheard little kids at a playground recently-are we swearing more now than people did in the past? A gem of lexicography & cultural history Holy Sh*t is a serious exploration of obscenity
- & might just expand your repertoire of words to choose from the next time you shut your finger in the car door.


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In HOLY WAR the final book of the Saladin Trilogy telling the story of the legendary war leader who united Arabia Saladin recaptures Jerusalem from the Crusaders & prepares for his ultimate battle against Richard the Lionheart. A full-blooded historical adventure novel for all fans of Conn Iggulden Bernard Cornwell Anthony Riches Ben Kane Robyn Young & Simon Scarrow. While Saladin ruthlessly sets about uniting the whole of Arabia under his rule the Kingdom of Jerusalem is torn apart by treachery & intrigue & when the murderous knight Reynald of Chatillon raids a caravan heading from Damascus to Mecca & rapes Saladin's sister the scene is set for war. In June 1187 Saladin marches into the Kingdom with an army of over 24 000 & imposes a crushing defeat on the Crusader forces at the Horns of Hattin. It is only a matter of time before he marches on a panicked & demoralized Jerusalem. But what about Saladin's longtime ally the Saxon knight John of Tatewic? In the face of annihilation is he friend or foe? It will take all John's knowledge of the man he calls his brother to negotiate a peaceful fate for Jerusalem
- but this is not the end of the story. For in England the soon-to-be crowned King Richard has pledged revenge & a new Crusade.. .
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