This has happened before. The current financial crisis has only one parallel: the Wall Street Crash of 1929 & subsequent Great Depression of the 1930s which crippled the future of an entire generation & set the stage for the horrors of the Second World War. Yet the economic meltdown could have been avoided had it not been for the decisions taken by a small number of central bankers. In Lords of Finance" we meet these men the four bankers who truly broke the world: the enigmatic Norman Montagu of the bank of England Benjamin Strong of the NY Federal Reserve the arrogant yet brilliant Hjalmar Schacht of the Reichsbanlk & the xenophobic Emile Moreau of the Banque de France. Their names were lost to history their lives & actions forgotten until now. Liaquat Ahamed tells their story in vivid & gripping detail in a timely & arresting reminder that individuals
- their ambitions limitations & human nature
- lie at the very heart of global catastrophe."

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the greatest Moroccan travel book of all time:vital reading for the new upmarket Marrakesh tourism
- one of the bibles of British
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The action-packed second novel in the No. 1 bestselling Conqueror series bringing to the epic story of Genghis Khan brilliantly to life The gathering of the tribes of the Mongols has been a long time in coming but finally triumphantly Temujin of the Wolves Genghis Khan is given the full accolade of the overall leader & their oaths. Now he can begin to meld all the previously warring people into one army one nation. But the task Genghis has set himself & them is formidable. He is determined to travel to the land of the long-time enemy the Chin & attack them there. The distances & terrain-the wide deserts the impenetrable mountains-make it a difficult venture even for the legendary Mongolian speed of movement but the greatest problem is that of the complex fortifications a way of fighting wars of a settled urban population which the nomadic Mongolians had never come across. Finding ways to tackle that & keeping his tribes together in a strange environment presents another new & exciting challenge for Genghis Khan. Not only must Genghis succeed in this incredible campaign but he must also reconcile the restless factions among his own generals mediate between his ambitious brothers & cope with his own reactions to his growing sons. The young warrior has become a notable & victorious military commander of thousands: he must now learn to become a great leader of peoples of many different races & religions. Lords of the Bow is a deeply satisfying novel. It is epic in scope convincing & fascinating in the narration of an extraordinary story. Above all Genghis Khan continues to dominate the scene as he matures from the young boy of Wolf of the Plains to the great Conqueror. ...

Enter a world where bloody battles & heroic deeds combine in the historic struggle to unite Britain in the face of a common enemy. The third instalment in Bernard Cornwell's King Alfred series follows on from the outstanding previous novels The Last Kingdom & The Pale Horseman. The year is 878 & the Vikings have been thrown out of Wessex. Uhtred fresh from fighting for Alfred in the battle to free Wessex travels north to seek revenge for his father's death killed in a bloody raid by Uhtred's old enemy renegade Danish lord Kjartan. While Kjartan lurks in his formidable stronghold of Dunholm the north is overrun by chaos rebellion & fear. Together with a small band of warriors Uhtred plans his attack on his enemy revenge fuelling his anger resolute on bloody retribution. But he finds himself betrayed & ends up on a desperate slave voyage to Icel&. Rescued by a remarkable alliance of old friends & enemies he & his allies together with Alfred the Great are free to fight once more in a battle for power glory & honour. ' The Lords of the North' is a tale of England's making a powerful story of betrayal struggle & romance set in an England torn apart by turmoil & upheaval. ...

Be so subtle that you are invisible. Be so mysterious that you are intangible. Then you will control your rivals fate. Sun Tzu from The Art of War". A community of fifty five million expatriates. Up to two trillion dollars in assets. A highly integrated interconnected network of influence & favour. A firm base on the Pacific Rim. Ambitions to influence the West. Imagine the potential power of such an organisation. You dont have to. This is the Overseas Chinese. Sterling Seagraves brilliant new book " Lords of the Rim" uncovers a complex web of operations which already dominates the Far East & which is already making inroads into the West. It is a superbly researched & spectacularly told account of an extraordinary phenomenon telling just who the Overseas Chinese are & how they became so powerful. Spanning thousands of years it encompasses stories of murder & betrayal bravery & corruption; of triads syndicates kingmakers merchants emperors generals spies & pirates. In telling this masterful & entertaining history Seagrave provides the reader with a cautionary tale: that Chinese strategies so effective for centuries are just as succesful today." ...

In this compelling study of leadership Correlli Barnett examines the strengths & weaknesses of twenty leaders in the nineteenth & early twentieth centuries. He examines how the difficulties they faced & the political & strategic backgrounds of their days & analyses how they performed & what they achieved. Were they successful or were they beaten down by the burden of their roles? His book considers men from very different backgrounds & from three continents in a range of modern conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the Second World War. They range from statesmen like Napoleon Abraham Lincoln David Lloyd George Winston Churchill Adolf Hitler & Joseph Stalin to generals like Ulysses S. Grant Douglas Haig Erwin Rommel Georgi Zhukov Dwight Eisenhower & William Slim to admirals lie Isoruku Yamamoto & Bertram Ramsey. These leaders present fascinating contrasts of personal character styles of leadership & sheer aptitude for command as well as contrasts in the daunting professional problems that challenged each of them. In Lords of War Correlli Barnett yet again demolishes hallowed reputations & rehabilitates the unjustly scapegoated. His latest book confirms his reputation as a master in the field of strategic history. ...

Now revised expanded & updated Lore of Running" gives you incomparable detail on physiology training racing injuries world-class athletes & races. Author Tim Noakes blends the expertise of a physician & research scientist with the passion of a dedicated runner to answer the most pressing questions for those who are serious about the sport for example how your body systems respond to training the effects of different training methods how to detect & avoid overtraining & genetic versus trainable potential. How to train for the 10K up through ultramarathon with detailed programs from Noakes & several leading running experts & how to prevent & treat injuries increase your strength & flexibility & use proper nutrition for weight control & maximum performance details are also included. Youll also find a candid analysis of supplements & ergogenic effects & training aids. The book

Includes:: new interviews with 10 world-class runners who share their secrets to success & longevity in the sport. It features on legendary figures & events in running history provide fascinating insights. & thats just scratching the surface. " Lore of Running" is not only the biggest & best running publication on the planet. Its the one book every runner should own."

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Where can you find the Devils footprints? What happened at the hangmans stone? Did Sweeney Todd the demon barber of Fleet Street ever really exist? Where was King Arthur laid to rest? Bringing together tales of hauntings highwaymen family curses & lovers leaps this magnificent guide will take you on a magical journey through Englands legendary past. A fascinating county-by county guidebook to the headless horsemen bottomless pools immured adulteresses & talking animals that make up the hidden landscape of the country.
- London Review of Books". Evokes an England terrified by screaming skulls tantalized by hidden treasure spooked by the unearthly clanging of bells bewitched by fairies & hobgoblins
- " Country Life". Wonderful... Contains almost every myth legend & ghost story ever told in England
- Simon Hoggart " Guardian"."


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First published in 1869 Lorna Doone" is the story of John Ridd a farmer who finds love amid the religious & social turmoil of seventeenth-century Engl&. He is just a boy when his father is slain by the Doones a lawless clan inhabiting wild Exmoor on the border of Somerset & Devon. Seized by curiosity & a sense of adventure he makes his way to the valley of the Doones where he is discovered by the beautiful Lorna. In time their childish fantasies blossom into mature love
- a bond that will inspire John to rescue his beloved from the ravages of a stormy winter rekindling a conflict with his archrival Carver Doone that climaxes in heartrending violence. Beloved for its portrait of star-crossed lovers & its surpassing descriptions of the English countryside " Lorna Doone" is R.D. Blackmore's enduring masterpiece."
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Lorna Doone a Romance of Exmoor is an historical novel of high adventure set in the South West of England during the turbulent time of Monmouths rebellion (1685). It is also a moving love story told through the life of the young farmer John Ridd as he grows to manhood determined to right the wrongs in his land & to win the heart & hand of the beautiful Lorna Doone. ...