The missile streaked across the wave tops at the speed of sound. A single metallic sliver packed with high explosive & spouting smoke. It shimmered against the dull blue of the South Atlantic swell its warhead primed its homing radar locked onto the British destroyer. In November 1981 at just 17 years old & only a few weeks out of his naval training Adam Joe Lawton was drafted onto HMS Sheffield a type 42 destroyer. What began as an adventure soon changed into a nightmare when Sheffield on her way home from protection duties in the Iran/ Iraq war was deployed to the South Atlantic following the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentinian forces. Journey to Peace tells the story of the author's baptism by fire onboard HMS Sheffield when she was hit by an Exocet missile. Twenty of his shipmates died in appalling circumstances which for a young man on his first watch was beyond comprehension. In the months following the war Adam became what he himself called 'a nightmare'. Unable to grieve he was filled with anger hatred & aggression. To the despair of his family one violent episode followed another. Forced by a particularly astute Naval Lieutenant to confront his behaviour he promised to reform. Some years later now living in Australia Adam found the events of 1982 replaying themselves in his head. Increasingly affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder he resolved to return to the Falklands & then to travel to Argentina to meet the two fighter pilots carrying the Exocets one of which sank HMS Sheffield. Only two other sailors on Sheffield were younger than Adam Joe Lawton at the time of the war. One is now in psychiatric care. The other is dead having taken his own life. In writing this book the author hopes to refuel the agenda so that those who take the nation's young men & women into war do so with the knowledge of what it can do to those who survive. ...

From the misty mountains of the north to the southern seascape of the Algarve the travels of Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago are a passionate rediscovery of his own l&. Setting off in his veteran motor car Saramago wants to travel to Portugal as well as through it: by making it his destination the acclaimed writer hopes to take stock of his native land as it hovers on the edge of the modern world. He is no typical guide
- he avoids the sights" in favour of a remote Romanesque church a cobweb-ridden chapel the local & the domestic
- but with his deep fount of memory & erudite knowledge each encounter evoking the span of Portugals history he is anyones idea of a delightful travelling companion."

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What a stunning discovery: an old coded note that actually contains directions for reaching the Earths very core! & once he ...

This title is suitable for children aged 7 to 9 years old. ' Go down the crater of the volcano Snaefells. Follow the shadow just before the month of July. You will find your way to the center of the Earth. I did it'. That mysterious message found in a long-lost letter propels a young man & his uncle on the adventure of a lifetime: to a prehistoric world below the earth where dinosaurs & other strange creatures still roam. Jules Verne's classic fantasy will enchant a new generation of readers. ...

With an introduction by David Stuart Davies. The father of science fiction Jules Verne invites you to join the intrepid & eccentric Professor Liedenbrock & his companions on a thrilling & dramatic expedition as they travel down a secret tunnel in a volcano in Iceland on a journey which will lead them to the centre of the earth. Along the way they encounter various hazards & witness many incredible sights such as the underground forest illuminated by electricity the Great Geyser the battle between prehistoric monsters the strange whispering gallery giant insects & the vast subterranean sea with its ferocious whirlpool. Although published in the nineteenth century Journey to the Centre of the Earth has lost none of its power & potency to excite & engage the modern reader. The novel has been filmed many times but nothing can compare with the thrills & excitement generated by the written narrative. It is supreme escapist entertainment for all ages. ...

Graffex is a new series of illustrated literariy classics retold for young readers. Journey to the Centre of the Earth" is the exciting story of Professor Otto Lidenbrock who after discovering an ancient parchment describing a route to the centre of the earth embarks upon the perilous journey with his nephew Axel & their dependable guide Hans. It geatures some vibrant full-colour artwork & speech bubbles that bring fresh animation to this classic tale & enhance the retelling. A running glossary at the foot of each page helps young readers with any challenging vocabulary without disrupting their reading experience. Endmatter provides information about the author the historical background to the period in which the author lived & a timeline of world events that places the work in historical context. It fits into Key Stage 2 English & supports Key Stage 3 English. It helps achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14." ...

An ancient book is opened by the eccentric Professor Lidenbrock & his life
- & the life of his nephew Axel
- is changed for

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Told in the first person the novel is based on the author's own experiences during the First World War in French colonial Africa in the USA
- where he worked for a while at the Ford factory in Detroit
- & later as a young doctor in a working-class suburb in Paris. Celine's disgust with human folly malice greed & the chaotic state in which man has left society lies behind the bitterness that distinguishes his idiosyncratic colloquial & visionary writing & gives it its force.

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Its Christmas Eve in Dinosaur Cove & Tom & Jamie are hoping for snow. Theres just time to go & visit their dinosaur friend Wanna in their secret world of real dinosaurs & wish him a merry Christmas. But when they emerge from the cave the Jurassic jungle has disappeared & theres snow everywhere! & whats that in the distance? Its a herd of woolly mammoths
- the boys are in the Ice Age! Jamie Tom & Wanna set off on a snowy adventure with blizzards avalanches a sabre-tooth cat & a young woolly mammoth that needs their help to get back to its herd. As they search for the lost herd the boys come across another unexpected discovery
- something so amazing they can hardly believe it. This double-length story is something that readers can really get their teeth into & is non-stop adventure from the first page to the last.

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Widely recognised as a classic of northern-exploration literature A Journey to the Northern Ocean" is Samuel Hearnes story of his three-year trek to seek a trade route across the Barrens in the Northwest Territories. Hearne was a superb reporter from his anguished description of the massacre of helpless Eskimos by his Indian companions to his meticulous records of wildlife flora & Indian manners & customs. First published in 1795 more than two decades after Hearne had completed his trek. This Classics West edition brings a crucial piece of Canadian history back into print." ...