This title is the winner of the Medical Journalists Open Book Award 2005. Revered & feared in equal measure John Hunter was the most famous surgeon of eighteenth-century London. Rich or poor aristocrat or human freak suffering Georgians knew that Hunters skills might well save their lives but if he failed their corpses could end up on his dissecting table their bones & organs destined for display in his remarkable macabre museum. Maverick medical pioneer adored teacher brilliant naturalist Hunter was a key figure of the Enlightenment who transformed surgery advanced biological understanding & even anticipated the evolutionary theories of Darwin. He provided inspiration both for Dr Jekyll & Dr Dolittle. But the extremes to which he went to pursue his scientific mission raised question marks then as now. John Hunters extraordinary world comes to life in this remarkable award-winning biography written by a wonderful new talent. ...

As the very fabric of reality wears thin all portents indicate that Tarmon Gai'don the Last Battle is imminent
- & Rand al' Thor
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This is an unflinching novel about the impossible choices of growing up by an award-winning writer. Imagine you're the only boy in a town of men. & you can hear everything they think. & they can hear everything you think. Imagine you don't fit in with their plans... Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run... ...

Perfect your knife skills with the help of Michelin-starred chefs. Chopping slicing dicing carving filleting & boning
- knife skills
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He is coming to kill me. Now would be a good time to run. I cannot run. I am too afraid to run. Paul Varderman could be at any normal school
- bullies girls & annoying teachers are just a part of life. Unfortunately normal doesnt apply when it comes to the schools most evil bully Roth a twisted & threatening thug with an agenda quite unlike anyone else. When Paul ends up delivering a message from Roth to the leader of a gang at a nearby school it fuels a rivalry with immediate consequences. Paul attempts to distance himself from the feud but when Roth hands him a knife it both empowers him & scares him at the same time.. . This thought-provoking & original novel highlights the terrible consequences of peer pressure & violence & casts a spotlight on the worrying rise in knife crime among teenagers.
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Ian Anderson is a mature & beautiful new voice on the literary scene. Knight is breathtaking in its scope exquisite in its tenderness & uplifting in its refusal to succumb to the despair which fate sometimes prepares for us. It is a story of love & valour; a story of one man's refusal to capitulate when all the world seemed to conspire against him. Set in the early fifteenth century in the last days of the Age of Chivalry this is the story of a king's champion who robbed of the love & beauty of the woman who had made his life complete & stripped of all he had worked for & achieved still somehow found the will & the strength to pick himself up & move forward again & in the process carry a king to victory on the battlefields of France. This gripping work of historical fiction weaving together strands of romance tragedy & drama reflects the real pain & suffering associated with loss. It exemplifies the ongoing struggle of the grieving process; between the need to retreat into the memories of the world which has been lost & the need to find a way to move forward again. It is ultimately a book of hope written by an author who has made the journey. ...

Philip d Aubigny is a young knight in the kingdom of Outremer & cant wait to prove himself. His chance comes when he rides into battle to defend his home from attack by Saracen leader Saladin & his army. But after a disastrous campaign Philip is taken prisoner by the Turks & must work as a servant-and all the while he is plotting his escape. At last his opportunity arrives & Philip flees joining Richard the Lionheart in his victorious Third Crusade before finally travelling to Britain to claim his familys estate. Only when he arrives he finds he must once again go into battle.. . This exciting tale has captured the hearts & imaginations of young readers for many years & was the winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal. This edition features the original black & white illustrations throughout which perfectly evoke the atmosphere of the story. ...

The fourteenth title in the new Usborne Very First Reading" series designed for younger children to introduce them to reading together with their parents. Parents & children take turns to read from the page (the text clearly marked for who should be reading) & as the books progress in the series the adults read less & less & the child more & more. There are puzzles at the end to check the childs understanding of the text & guidance notes for the parents. Beautiful illustrations help to motivate beginner readers." ...

Five years have passed since the cataclysmic events of Running With the Demon. John Ross Knight of the Word sworn to fight the eternal battle against mankind's demons has moved on. Ross's years spent in the fight against the Void have taken their toll. He has lost his spirit his belief & now it seems he has lost his magic. Working in a hostel for homeless children his life is now spent fighting a battle in which he feels he might actually make a difference. But Nest Freemark whose involvement in those events five years ago shattered her childhood is about to be drawn once more into the mythic world of the Void & the Word. For she has learnt that John Ross is in great danger from a demon like no other. If she can not warn him in time
- & persuade him to take up his staff of magic once more
- the battle may be lost forever...

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From holding lances to courtly dances this is the ultimate guide for the novice knight covering everything from sieges to swordplay feasts to fights & crusades to courtly love. Written in a lively humorous & engaging style this book is packed with a wealth of fascinating & informative historical detail that brings the period of medieval knights & valour vividly to life. Wittily illustrated by Ian Mc Nee this is the handbook that every chivalrous young knight will want to have tucked in his chainmail. ...