Michaelhouse is in uproar: Kenyngham the saintly but ageing Master has announced his retirement & with unseemly haste Runham arranges his own 'election' as his successor. Within days he has dismissed several members of staff including the redoubtable laundress Agatha & is making life so unpleasant for the scholars that even Matthew Bartholomew believes his future as physician & teacher at the college is untenable. But Matthew has many patients to divert his attention & Brother Michael Proctor of the fledgling university has some suspicious deaths to investigate although they cannot help but notice that the new Master has commissioned a flurry of building work. Then Runham himself is murdered & although mourned by none Matthew & Michael know they have to solve the mystery before any more damage is done to their beloved Michaelhouse. ...

Mastermind" is the ultimate test of knowledge memory & nerve. Over four decades hundreds have tested their mettle in the famous black chair & dared to put their intellect under the glare of the Mastermind spotlight. Now can you rise to the challenge? " The Mastermind Quiz Book" poses over 3 500 questions from fiendishly difficult general knowledge teasers to in-depth tests of specialist subjects. With topics ranging from Classical Mythology to Medical Science by way of Famous Russians & The Works of Johnny Cash only the finest minds will triumph. Whether youre playing in groups or simply testing your own brainpower this collection of questions will challenge the very core of your mental strength -- but when the clock runs down & the lights come up will you emerge as the Mastermind?" ...

From the visually seductive E-Type Jaguar to Giles Gilbert Scotts iconic red telephone boxes British design is distinguished by a combination of casual elegance with practical functionality with often a touch of British eccentricity thrown in for good measure. Masterpieces of British Design" surveys in detail one hundred landmark designs spanning a period of 250 years
- from Industrial Revolution period Coalbrookdale ironwork to William Mitchells Spitfire right up to the latest designs by todays most celebrated designers including Ross Lovegrove Jasper Morrison & Ron Arad. Each featured design is not only beautifully illustrated but also accompanied by authoritative descriptive information & an in-depth explanatory text."
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The British Museum is home to some of the worlds finest & broadest collections ranging from prehistoric times to the present & from ancient & modern cultures around the globe. This illustrated introduction to the collections attractively designed with striking photographs offers a fascinating summary of up-to-date information about 250 of the Museums highlights including the most famous as well as a selection of lesser-known but equally intriguing pieces. From the Warren Cup to Durers Rhinoceros the Lewis Chessmen to the Aztec turquoise serpent & the Gayer-Anderson Cat the iconic objects of the British Museum are here presented in an exciting & accessible new way. Grouped into twenty sections based on cross-cultural themes such as fashion technology myths gods & nature each with an illustrated introduction written by the Editor every object is then illustrated with one or more large high-quality colour photographs. The accompanying text summarizes the unique story & features of each object. Introduced by Neil Mac Gregor Director of the British Museum the huge range & scope of the collections provide a stunning overview of mankinds artistic production around the world. ...

Andrew Roberts Masters & Commanders: The Military Geniuses who led the West to Victory in WWII" tells the story of how four great leaders fought each other over how best to fight Hitler. During the Second World War the master strategy of the West was shaped by four titanic figures: Winston Churchill & Franklin Roosevelt & their respective military commanders
- General Sir Alan Brooke & General George C. Marshall. Each man was tough-willed & strong minded. & each was certain he knew best how to achieve victory. Drawing on previously unpublished material including for the first time verbatim reports of Churchills War Cabinet meetings Andrew Roberts acclaimed history recreates with vivid immediacy the fiery debates & political maneuverings the rebuffs & the charm the explosive rows & dramatic reconciliations as the masters & commanders of the Western Alliance fought each other over the best way to fight Adolf Hitler. " History as it should be written; a gripping narrative". (Michael Gove " Mail on Sunday" Books of the Year). " Scintillating historical writing on the whole rich panorama of Britain & the US at war". (Martin Gilbert " Evening Standard"). "A compelling analysis of American & British military strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story". (Laurence Rees " Sunday Times"). "A masterpiece". (Christopher Silvester " Daily Express"). " Britains finest contemporary military historian". (" Economist" Books of the Year). Andrew Roberts is a biographer & historian of international renown whose previous books include " Salisbury: Victorian Titan" (1999) which won the Wolfson History Prize & the James Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction; " Napoleon & Wellington" (2001); " Hitler & Churchill: Secrets of Leadership" (2003) which coincided with four-part BBC2 history series & "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900" (2005)."
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This work contains rings of seahorses that seem to rotate on the page & butterflies that transform right before your eyes into two warriors with their horses. These dazzling & often playful artistic creations manipulate perspective so cleverly that they simply outwit our brains: we cant just take a quick glance & turn away. From Eschers famous & elaborate Waterfall" to Shigeo Fukudas " Mary Poppins " where a heap of bottles glasses shakers & openers somehow turn into the image of a Belle Epoque woman when the spotlight hits them these works of genius will provide endless enjoyment." ...

Masters of Doom' is the true inside story of John Carmack & John Romero co-creators of the most innovative & notoriously successful video games in history
- Doom & Quake. They created an empire ruled a multi-billion-dollar industry & provoked a national controversy.
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This lavishly illustrated & beautifully designed book celebrates the colourful lives & dazzling work of the great twentieth-century fashion illustrators as chosen by one of todays leading fashion artists David Downton. With a foreword by the legendary model Carmen Dell Orefice the book follows the careers of Downtons favourite artists from the great social portraitist of the belle epoque Giovanni Boldini to the architect of 1980s New Wave glamour Tony Viramontes (including along the way such celebrated names as Erte Carl Erickson Rene Bouche Andy Warhol & Antonio Lopez). The book concludes with a portfolio of David Downtons own work featuring drawings of the Paris haute couture shows & portraits of contemporary icons such as Dita Von Teese & Erin OConnor. Many of the stunning images in Masters of Fashion Illustration have not been seen since they were first published. ...

This lavishly illustrated & beautifully designed book celebrates the colourful lives & dazzling work of the great twentieth-century fashion illustrators as chosen by one of todays leading fashion artists David Downton. With a foreword by the legendary model Carmen Dell Orefice the book follows the careers of Downtons favourite artists from the great social portraitist of the belle epoque Giovanni Boldini to the architect of 1980s New Wave glamour Tony Viramontes (including along the way such celebrated names as Erte Carl Erickson Rene Bouche Andy Warhol & Antonio Lopez). The book concludes with a portfolio of David Downtons own work featuring drawings of the Paris haute couture shows & portraits of contemporary icons such as Dita Von Teese & Erin OConnor. Many of the stunning images in Masters of Fashion Illustration" have not been seen since they were first published." ...

With the continuing success of the genre in childrens & adult books graphic novels comic books & blockbuster films & the booming digital gaming industry-fantasy & science fiction have a large following of all ages. The visuals are a key component of all these media & paintings & poster art are highly valued among collectors. This book is an inside look into the creative world of masters of the genre-both for the enthusiast aspiring illustrators & collectors. Masters of Science Fiction & Fantasy Art takes an inside look at the strategies techniques & inspiration of todays established & up-&-coming artists. ...