In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met & made friends in the Midlands. Most came from humble families all lived far from the centre of things but they were young & their optimism was boundless: together they would change the world. Among them were the ambitious toy-maker Matthew Boulton & his partner James Watt of steam-engine fame; the potter Josiah Wedgewood; the larger-than-life Erasmus Darwin physician poet inventor & theorist of evolution (a forerunner of his grandson Charles). Later came Joseph Priestley discoverer of oxygen & fighting radical. With a small band of allies they formed the Lunar Society of Birmingham (so called because it met at each full moon) & kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Blending science art & commerce the Lunar Men" built canals launched balloons named plants gases & minerals changed the face of England & the china in its drawing rooms & plotted to revolutionize its soul. This exhilarating account uncovers the friendships political passions love affairs & love of knowledge (and power) that drove these extraordinary men. It echoes to the thud of pistons & the wheeze & snort of engines & brings to life the tradesmen artisans & tycoons who shaped & fired the modern age." ...

Deep within the heart of the Moiraean Mountains lies the town of Opum Oppidulum
- home to the freezing Lake Beluarum & it's rumoured
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Join the wonderfully weird Otherhand family & their faithful guardian Edgar the raven & discover the dark secrets of Castle Otherh&. Solstice & Cudweed are appalled to find their father has appointed a new school master. But things get even worse when the grumpy viciously mean teacher actually arrives. The Otherhand children are sure theres something more to him than meets the eye
- the trouble is who will believe them? No one it seems. Except perhaps Edgar. Winner of the 2011 Blue Peter Book Award for Most Fun Story With Pictures LUNATICS & LUCK is the third story in this hilarious six book mystery series (with a touch of goth-froth) for 9 year olds from bestselling author Marcus Sedgwick with quirky black & white line illustrations from new talent Pete Williamson. Dedicated website on Raven Mysteries: www.ravenmysteries.co.uk
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Has a meal ever changed your life? Part love story part wine-splattered cookbook Lunch in Paris" is a deliciously tart forthright & funny story of falling in love with a Frenchman & moving to the world's most romantic city
- not the Hollywood version but the real Paris a heady mix of blood sausage pains aux chocolats & irregular verbs. From gutting her first fish (with a little help from Jane Austen) to discovering the French version of Death by Chocolate Elizabeth Bard finds that learning to cook & building a new life have a lot in common. Peppered with recipes this mouth-watering love story is the perfect treat for anyone who has ever suspected that lunch in Paris could change their life."
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This excellent new book tells the story of the Lancashire witches in detail fleshing out the characters & events in a way which really helps us to understand what sort of people they were & what their world was like at the time of their persecution. Uniquely the author also explores how the witches have been portrayed through the centuries revealing that their image has changed dramatically over the 400 years since the infamous trials. In folklore literature art theatre & elsewhere they have been variously seen as demons objects of pity figures of fun cartoonish caricatures & beautiful temptresses. But what has remained constant is our fascination with them. The lure of the Lancashire witches it seems is as strong as ever. ...

No artist has been more ruthlessly driven by his creative urge nor more isolated by it from most ordinary sources of human happiness than Vincent Van Gogh. A painter of genius his life was an incessant struggle against poverty discouragement madness & despair. Lust for Life skilfully captures the exciting atmosphere of the Paris of the Post-Impressionists & reconstructs with great insight the development of Van Goghs art. The painter is brought to life not only as an artist but as a personality & this account of his violent vivid & tormented life is a novel of rare compassion & vitality. ...

Great for boys with a huge collectability factor bolstered by the cards in the back of the books & links to an excellent interactive website. Something horrible lurks in the Yellow Marshes! Malvel has created Lustor the Acid Dart to fight Tom. This giant Beast can shoot acid
- & his aim is fixed on Tom! Is our hero fast enough to win?
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Rome 63 BC. In a city on the brink of acquiring a vast empire seven men are struggling for power. Cicero is consul Caesar his ruthless young rival Pompey the republics greatest general Crassus its richest man Cato a political fanatic Catilina a psychopath Clodius an ambitious playboy. The stories of these real historical figures
- their alliances & betrayals their cruelties & seductions their brilliance & their crimes
- are all interleaved to form this epic novel. Its narrator is Tiro a slave who serves as confidential secretary to the wily humane complex Cicero. He knows all his masters secrets
- a dangerous position to be in. From the discovery of a childs mutilated body through judicial execution & a scandalous trial to the brutal unleashing of the Roman mob Lustrum is a study in the timeless enticements & horrors of power.


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Rome 63 BC. In a city on the brink of acquiring a vast empire seven men are struggling for power. Cicero is consul Caesar his ruthless young rival Pompey the republics greatest general Crassus its richest man Cato a political fanatic Catilina a psychopath & Clodius an ambitious playboy. The stories of these real historical figures
- their alliances & betrayals their cruelties & seductions their brilliance & their crimes
- are all interleaved to form this epic novel. Its narrator is Tiro a slave who serves as confidential secretary to the wily humane complex Cicero. He knows all his masters secrets
- a dangerous position to be in. From the discovery of a childs mutilated body through judicial execution & a scandalous trial to the brutal unleashing of the Roman mob Lustrum" is a study in the timeless enticements & horrors of power."


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The Access to History series is the most popular & trusted series for AS & A level history students. The new editions combine all the strengths of this well-loved series with a new design & features that allow all students access to the content & study skills needed to achieve exam success. New features include: *AS questions & exam tips * Definitions of key terms * Summaries of key historical debates. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to meet the needs of the 2008 AS specifications for OCR & Edexcel. It examines the background to the German Reformation & the factors which led to it. It then goes on to analyse the ideas & influence of Luther how his ideas spread within & beyond Germany & the political & religious context in which these changes took place. Throughout the book key dates terms & issues are highlighted & historical interpretations of key debates are outlined. Summary diagrams are included to consolidate knowledge & understanding of the period & exam-style questions & tips written by examiners for the OCR & Edexcel exam specifications provide the opportunity to develop exam skills. ...