The Spanish civil war was a call to arms for 2 300 British volunteers of which over 500 were from Scotl&. The first book of its kind Homage to Caledonia examines Scotlands role in the conflict detailing exactly why Scottish involvement was so profound. The book moves chronologically through events & places firstly surveying the landscape in contemporary Scotland before describing volunteers journeys to Spain & then tracing their every involvement from arrival to homecoming (or not). There is also an account of the non-combative role from fundraising for Spain & medical aid to political manoeuvrings within the volatile Scottish left. Using a wealth of previously-unpublished letters sent back from the front as well as other archival items Daniel Gray is able to tell little known stories of courage in conflict & to call into question accepted versions of events such as the murder of Bob Smillie or the heroism of The Scots Scarlet Pimpernel. Homage to Caledonia offers a very human take on events in Spain: for every tale of abject distress in a time of war there is a tale of a Scottish volunteer urinating in his generals boots knocking back a dram with Errol Flynn or appalling Spanish comrades with his pipe playing. For the first time read the fascinating story of Caledonias role in this seminal conflict. ...

' Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly against totalitarianism & for democratic Socialism as I understand it'. Thus wrote Orwell following his experiences as a militiaman in the Spanish Civil War chronicled in Homage to Catalonia". Here he brings to bear all the force of his humanity passion & clarity describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes & cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode." ...

Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly against totalitarianism & for democratic Socialism as I understand it. Thus wrote Orwell following his experiences as a militiaman in the Spanish Civil War chronicled in Homage to Catalonia". Here he brings to bear all the force of his humanity passion & clarity describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes & cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona the courage of ordinary Spanish men & women he fought alongside the terror & confusion of the front his near-fatal bullet wound & the vicious treachery of his supposed allies. Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950) better known by his pen-name George Orwell was born in India where his father worked for the Civil Service. An author & journalist Orwell was one of the most prominent & influential figures in twentieth-century literature. His unique political allegory " Animal Farm" was published in 1945 & it was this novel together with the dystopia of " Nineteen Eighty-Four" (1949) which brought him world-wide fame. All his novels & non-fiction including " Burmese Days" (1934) " Down & Out in Paris & London" (1933) " The Road to Wigan Pier" (1937) & " Homage to Catalonia" (1938) are published in " Penguin Modern Classics". If you enjoyed " Homage to Catalonia" you might like Orwells " The Road to Wigan Pier" also available in " Penguin Modern Classics". " An unrivalled picture of the rumours suspicions & treachery of the civil war". (Anthony Beevor author of "D-Day"). "A war story that is both brutally honest & lyrically beautiful". (Michael Shelden " Daily Telegraph" Books of the Century)." ...

An angry & self-loathing veteran of the Korean War Frank Money finds himself back in racist America after enduring trauma on the front lines that left him with more than just physical scars. His home
- & himself in it
- may no longer be as he remembers it but Frank is shocked out of his crippling apathy by the need to rescue his medically abused younger sister & take her back to the small Georgia town they come from which hes hated all his life. As Frank revisits the memories from childhood & the war that leave him questioning his sense of self he discovers a profound courage he thought he could never possess again. Toni Morrisons deeply moving novel reveals an apparently defeated man finding his manhood
- & finally his home. This is a stunning new novel by the author of Beloved"."


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This title features stunning watercolour paintings by one of Swedens best-loved artists. It offers fascinating insight into ...

Dallas Mac Gregor is living the Hollywood dream. At thirtysomething she's an award-winning actress beloved by the public & bound for even bigger success. But when her soon-to-be-ex-husband producer Emilio Baird is caught in a sex scandal Dallas's charmed life turns tabloid nightmare. Determined to shield her young son Cody from the ugly uproar Dallas seeks refuge in sleepy St Dennis Maryland
- the Chesapeake Bay town where her happiest childhood days were spent. Reunited with her boisterous beloved great-aunt Dallas wants nothing more than to leave her Hollywood days behind. & when she crosses paths with local veterinarian Grant Wyler her high school summer love she finds he's everything she remembers & more
- & that the spark is still there. But Dallas's promising new life takes a troubling turn when the unimaginable happens & she finds herself living a mother's worst nightmare & Emilio storms into St Dennis to save the day
- along with his damaged career. Trapped in the unwanted glare of the limelight once again Dallas discovers that it's coolheaded Grant who is willing to risk everything for her & her son & to secure the future they were always meant to share.


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In this hilarious collection of cautionary tales & anecdotes George East discusses all the delights & drawbacks of finding buying & restoring French property. HOME & DRY IN FRANCE follows the early adventures of George & Donella East as they make every mistake in the (not-then-written) book about how & how not to buy a second home across the Channel. Tellingly subtitled A YEAR IN PURGATORY the book is much more than a listing of all the awful pitfalls awaiting the innocent abroad: it is the hilarious & always entertaining account of how a couple set out with a dream
- & came close to turning it in to a nightmare.
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This trenchant & illuminating book by one of Africa's most influential & celebrated writers is a major statement on the importance & dangers of stories one in which Achebe makes telling use of his personal experiences to examine the political nature of culture & specifically literature. It is the weaving of the personal into the bigger picture that makes Home & Exile so remarkable & affecting. It's the closest we are likely to get by way of Achebe's autobiography but it is also a brilliantly argued critique of imperialism. Achebe challenges the way the West has appropriated Africa with a particular emphasis on how 'imperialist' literature has been used to justify its dispossession & degradation. Above all this is a book that articulates persuasively why literature matters. Stories are a real source of power in the world Achebe concludes & to imitate the literature of another culture is to give that power away. ...

This book contains satisfying suppers for a variety of occasions from everyday midweek meals to home entertaining. Recipes are simple & easy to prepare & range from those suitable after a tough day at work such as Rare Seared Tuna with Grapefruit Salsa to Mexican Beef Burritos with Chunky Guacamole designed for fun informal entertaining & Courgette Basil & Chilli Linguine that maximise taste & flavour whilst keeping to a budget. Chapters include: Everyday
- packed with recipes destined to become old favourites that you can cook time & again; Watching the Pennies with cheap exciting ideas suitable for a night in for one or entertaining friends; Posh Nosh for more extravagant & indulgent recipes perfect for special occasions & celebrations; & Fancy a Drink? provides refreshing accompaniments to food ideas.
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This work is a continuous text made up of extracts from Dorothy Wordsworths Journal" & a selection of her brothers poems. Dorothy Wordsworth kept her journal because I shall give William pleasure by it. In doing so she never dreamt that she was giving future readers not only the chance to enjoy her fresh & sensitive delight in the beauties that surrounded her at Grasmere but also a rare opportunity to observe the progress of a poets mind. Colette Clarks skilful & perceptive arrangement of Dorothys entries alongside Williams poems throws a unique light on his creative process & shows how the interdependence of brother & sister was a vital part in the writing of many of his great poems. By reading these poems in relation to the journal it is possible to trace the processes by which they were committed to paper & so achieve a fuller understanding of them. A writer in her own right Dorothy kept her journal sparse in personal & emotional detail. Yet there is nevertheless a deep emotional undercurrent running beneath the surface which only falters when William marries Mary Hutchinson. Never again was Dorothy to achieve the freedom spontaneity & the limpidly beautiful prose with which she infused & irradiated the Grasmere journals." ...