When veteran Labour MP Tam Dalyell retired as Father of the House in 2005 the Commons lost not only one of its most colourful & outspoken politicians but also one of its most deeply principled members. In a parliamentary career that spanned 43 years & the administrations of eight Prime Ministers (from Macmillan to Blair) Dalyell was never a stranger to controversy. His vehemently independent & firmly-held views might have denied him a career on the front bench but have ensured that his name has seldom been out of the headlines. An outspoken critic of both Margaret Thatcher & Tony Blair he famously harried the former over the sinking of the Belgrano during the Falklands conflict & argued fiercely against the Gulf War of 1990 & the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He also spoke out against military action in Kosovo & has been a leading figure in the attempt to uncover the truth about the Lockerbie bombing. In this memoir based on personal papers as well as official documents
- many of them only recently declassified
- he looks back over a lifetime of dedicated service as MP for West Lothian & Linlithgow & talks of his family connections to the area: the Dalyells have lived at the historic House of the Binns near Linlithgow for almost 400 years. Insightful witty & urbane this is a fascinating book which offers a unique perspective on many of the key moments in Britains political life over the last fifty years.

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Oscar Wilde's brilliant play makes fun of the English upper classes with light-hearted satire & dazzling humour. It is 1890's England & two young gentlemen are being somewhat limited with the truth. To inject some excitement into their lives Mr Worthing invents a brother Earnest as an excuse to leave his dull country life behind him to pursue the object of his desire the ravishing Gwendolyn. While across town Algernon Montecrieff decides to take the name Earnest when visiting Worthing's young ward Cecily. The real fun & confusion begins when the two end up together & their deceptions are in danger of being revealed. ...

'A Trivial Comedy for Serious People': its subtitle is the best summary of a play that is the theatrical equivalent of a butterfly. The verbal brilliance of its highly self-conscious characters hides deep anxieties about social & personal identity: Jack Worthing found as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station & named after a railway ticket is prepared to be re-christened to obtain the Christian name
- Earnest
- his beloved Gwendolen requires in a husband; he then has to confront the stigma of being the illegitimate child of a servant before fortune & a benevolent dramatist reveal his true & entirely respectable identity. This is the only one-volume edition of the play to include an appendix with earlier versions & additional scenes that allow an appreciation of Wilde's creative process.

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York Notes Advanced offer a fresh & accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level & undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts York Notes Advanced intorduce students to more sophisticated analysis a range of critical perspectives & wider contexts. ...

Wilde's trivial play for serious people" is a sparkling comedy of manners. This hilariously absurd satire pits sincerity against style barbed witticisms against ostentatious elegance. Wilde's brilliantly constructed plot & famous dialogue enrich the appeal of his celebrated characters as he turns accepted ideas inside out & situations upside down in this his masterpiece. The Student Edition offers a plot summary full commentary character notes & questions for study besides a chronology & bibliography." ...

Oscar Wilde was already one of the best known literary figures in Britain when he was persuaded to turn his extraordinary talents to the theatre. Between 1891 & 1895 he produced a sequence of distinctive plays which spearheaded the dramatic renaissance of the 1890s & retain their power today. The social comedies Lady Windermere's Fan A Woman of No Importance & An Ideal Husband offer a moving as well as witty dissection of society & its morals with a sharp focus on sexual politics. By contrast the experimental symbolist Salome written originally in French was banned for public performance by the English censor. His final dramatic triumph was his 'trivial' comedy for serious people The Importance of Being Earnest' arguably the greatest farcical comedy in English. Under the General Editorship of Dr Michael Cordner of the University of York the texts of the plays have been newly edited & are presented with modernized spelling & punctuation. In addition there is a scholarly introduction & detailed annotation. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more. ...

A brilliant novel by Laurie Graham set in wartime London which follows Kick Kennedy sister of future US President JFK as she takes London society by storm. Nora Brennan is a country girl from Westmeath. When she lands herself a position as nursery maid to a family in Brookline Massachusetts she little thinks it will place her at the heart of American history. But its the Kennedy family. In 1917 Joseph Kennedy is on his way to his first million & he has plans to found a dynasty & ensure that his baby son Joe Junior will be the first Catholic President of the United States. As nursemaid to all nine Kennedy children Nora witnesses every moment public & private. She sees the boys coached at their fathers knee to believe everything theyll ever want in life can be bought. She sees the girls trained by their mother to be good Catholic wives. World War II changes everything. At the outbreak of war the Kennedys are living the high life in London where Joseph Kennedy is the American ambassador. His reaction is to send the entire household back across the Atlantic to safety but Nora surprised by midlife love chooses to stay in England & do her bit. Separated from her Kennedys by an ocean she nevertheless remains the warm approachable sun around which the older children orbit: Joe Jack Rosemary & in particular Kick who throws the first spanner in the Kennedy works by marrying an English Protestant. Laurie Grahams poignant new novel views the Kennedys from below stairs with the humour & candour that only an ex-nursemaid dare employ. ...

Despite inhabiting a great city renowned for its impeccable restraint the extended family of 44 Scotland Street is trembling on the brink of reckless self-indulgence. Matthew & Elspeth receive startling
- & expensive
- news on a visit to the Infirmary Angus & Domenica are contemplating an Italian menage a trois & even Big Lou is overheard discussing cosmetic surgery. But when Bertie Pollock
- six years old & impatient to be seven
- mislays his meddling mother Irene one afternoon a valuable lesson is learned: that wish-fulfilment is a dangerous business. Warm-hearted wise & very funny The Importance of Being Seven brings us a fresh & delightful set of insights into philosophy & fraternity among Edinburghs most loveable residents.



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Despite inhabiting a great city renowned for its impeccable restraint the extended family of 44 Scotland Street is trembling on the brink of reckless self-indulgence. Matthew & Elspeth receive startling
- & expensive
- news on a visit to the Infirmary Angus & Domenica are contemplating an Italian menage a trois & even Big Lou is overheard discussing cosmetic surgery. But when Bertie Pollock
- six years old & impatient to be seven
- mislays his meddling mother Irene one afternoon a valuable lesson is learned: that wish-fulfilment is a dangerous business. Warm-hearted wise & very funny The Importance of Being Seven brings us a fresh & delightful set of insights into philosophy & fraternity among Edinburgh's most loveable residents.



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Malcolm Fox & his team are back investigating whether fellow cops covered up for Detective Paul Carter. Carter has been found guilty of misconduct but what should be a simple job is soon complicated by a brutal murder & a weapon that should not even exist. A trail of revelations leads Fox back to 1985 a year of desperate unrest when letter-bombs & poisonous spores were sent to government offices & kidnappings & murders were plotted. But while the body count rises the clock starts ticking & a dramatic turn of events sees Fox in mortal danger. ...