One of the touchstones of the English comic novel the Penguin Classics" edition of Charles Dickens " Nicholas Nickleby" is edited with an introduction by Mark Ford. When Nicholas Nickleby is left penniless after his fathers death he appeals to his wealthy uncle to help him find work & to protect his mother & sister. But Ralph Nickleby proves both hard-hearted & unscrupulous & Nicholas finds himself forced to make his own way in the world. His adventures gave Dickens the opportunity to portray an extraordinary gallery of rogues & eccentrics: Wackford Squeers the tyrannical headmaster of Dotheboys Hall a school for unwanted boys the slow-witted orphan Smike rescued by Nicholas the pretentious Mantalinis & the gloriously theatrical Mr & Mrs Crummels & their daughter the infant phenomenon. Like many of Dickens novels " Nicholas Nickleby" is characterised by his outrage at cruelty & social injustice but it is also a flamboyantly exuberant work whose loose haphazard progress harks back to the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett & Henry Fielding. In his introduction Mark Ford compares " Nicholas Nickleby" to eighteenth-century picaresque novels & examines Dickens criticism of the Yorkshire schools his social satire & use of language. This edition

Includes:: the original illustrations by Phiz Dickens original preface to the work a chronology & a list of further reading. Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. His most famous books including " Oliver Twist" " Great Expectations" "A Tale of Two Cities" " David Copperfield" & " The Pickwick Papers" have been adapted for stage & screen & read by millions. If you enjoyed " Nicholas Nickleby" you might like Dickens " David Copperfield" also available in " Penguin Classics". " The novel has everything: an absorbing melodrama with a supporting cast of heroes villains & eccentrics set in a London where vast wealth & desperate poverty live cheek-by-jowl." (Jasper Rees " The Times")."

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Left penniless after his feckless fathers death young Nicholas Nickleby has no choice but to make his own way in the world. For the sake of his mother & sister he is forced by his hard-hearted uncle to take a post as an assistant master at Dotheboys Hall a school for unwanted boys run by the cruel & tyrannical headmaster Wackford Squeers. But this is only the beginning of Nicholass adventures in this most entertaining of Charles Dickenss novels. We follow the progress of Nicholas & his slow-witted companion Smike on their travels & encounter a supporting cast of delectable characters including the rambunctious Crummles theatre company & their talented performing pony the dastardly Sir Mulberry Hawk the delightful Mrs. Nickleby the preposterous Kenwings & many more. Like many of Dickenss novels Nicholas Nickleby is characterized by his criticism of cruelty & social injustice but is above all one of the greatest comic masterpieces of nineteenth-century literature. ...

One of Dickens earlier novels dating from 1839 it charts the fortunes of an honourable young man Nicholas Nickleby who has set out to make his way in the world. Dickens presents his remarkably vivid display of Victorian characters & the life they lead from the generous to the fated to crushed. Hope springs eternal however & righteous persistence brings rewards. Anton Lesser the outstanding Dickens interpreter brings all his narrative expression to bear on this exciting tale. ...

When Nicholas father dies he his mother & sister Kate are left penniless. To earn his keep Nicholas becomes a tutor at Dotheboys Hall but soon discovers that the headmaster Wackford Squeers is a one eyed tyrant who insists on a harsh regime. Nicholas embarks on an adventure that takes him from loathsome boarding schools to the London stage. Dickens confronts issues of neglect & cruelty in this blackly comic masterpeice. ...

Nicholas Parsons has enjoyed a long & varied career encompassing theatre television film & radio. He is perhaps best known as the straight man to Arthur Haynes in the 60s as the presenter of Sale of the Century in the 70s & today as the chairman of the long-running Radio 4 panel game Just a Minute". Along the way he has performed impersonations in the lavatories of a Clydebank engineering yard during the war been the voice of a Gerry Anderson Texan sheriff roller-skated in Charlie Girl at the Victoria Palace & appeared in a series of Doctor Who. His comedy chat show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is now in its tenth consecutive year. Here he recalls an extraordinary career that has led him to star on the West End stage work with some of Britains finest comedians including Kenneth Williams Tony Hancock Benny Hill & Paul Merton & appear in stockings & suspenders in " The Rocky Horror Show". Funny thoughtful & at times moving " Nicholas Parsons: With Just a Touch of Hesitation Repetition & Deviation" celebrates a fascinating life in comedy." ...

This is the first biography of the Deputy Prime Minister & Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg. The 2010 general election was a breakthrough moment in British politics for the Liberal Democrat Party. By forming an historic coalition partnership with the Conservatives their charismatic young leader steered them into government something they could not have dared think about only weeks previously. But who is this man who now leads our country whenever David Cameron is absent? Where is he from? What makes him who he is? This book gives the background on who Nick Clegg really is & what drives him. It charts Cleggs rise from MEP to Deputy Prime Minister & lynchpin in the historic coalition government. It also looks at the extraordinary family history that helps define him as a politician & the incidents in his own past that have threatened to derail him. Released in time for the September 2011 Liberal Democrat Conference Nick Clegg: The Biography will also be in a position to reflect upon the momentous first fifteen months of the coalition government
- including the results of the May 2011 referendum on AV
- & its impact upon both Clegg & the party he leads.

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Nick Knight is among the worlds most influential fashion photographers. His clients are among the top in fashion & design & include Alexander Mc Queen Calvin Klein Christian Dior Levi Strauss Yohji Yamamoto & Yves Saint Laurent. He has also shot album covers for Bjork David Bowie Kylie & Massive Attack & his work has been exhibited at international institutions such as the Victoria & Albert Museum & Saatchi Gallery. The book is a collection of Knights most beautiful & important images as well as previously unpublished photographs. Contents cover the different aspects of Knights work to explain & visually reveal his point of view on a range of topics that he believes are crucial to understanding the motivation behind what he does. The book contains an introductory essay by Charlotte Cotton the head of the Photography department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as well as a variety of images exploring new photographic technology: his video work & the body of imagery he has developed for showstudio.com. All in all this is a gorgeous comprehensive volume by one of the worlds most innovative highly respected fashion photographers. ...

Everyone thinks they know how to cook a steak. But do you know how to listen to your pan to find out whether its too hot or too cold? How do you know when its rare or well done? & what type of steak should you be cooking anyway? The Nick Nairn Cook School Cookbook cuts through this kitchen confusion by breaking down recipes into basic techniques produce & equipment needed &

Includes:: tips from some of the countrys top chefs. Split into three sections the book is structured as a learning progression. From First Steps such as choosing & using produce essential equipment & the philosophy of cooking to Essential Techniques with easy-to-follow step-by-step photography & on to recipes including useful techniques & exercises to test your skills. You will progress from the simplest recipes to dishes for a dinner party for your friends or a satisfying supper for your family.

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In the culinary world Scotland is renowned for the quality of its ingredients. Whether its wild salmon organically reared beef raspberries shellfish or even whisky Scottish produce is full of depth & flavour. Combine these ingredients with Scotlands top chef Nick Nairn & the results are outstanding. A self-taught cook Nick has been a long-time champion of fresh Scottish produce but his cooking also takes its influences from all over the world. In New Scottish Cookery Nick combines the very best fresh Scottish ingredients with a myriad of international flavours to create a mouth-watering collection of recipes destined to become the Scottish classics of the future. Containing the signature dishes that have made Nicks reputation from his bestselling Wild Harvest books as well as over 80 new recipes the book is a celebration of good quality great-tasting food. Beautifully illustrated with 100 colour photos & including a useful guide to where to buy the best Scottish ingredients Nick Nairns New Scottish Cookery will delight food lovers everywhere. ...

This series explores how prime ministers have used their power & responded to the great challenges of their time & how they made the job what it is today: Sir Robert Walpole the first & longest-serving prime minister; Lord North remembered as the prime minister who lost America; Sir Robert Peel who put national interest before party; Lord Palmerston who cultivated a cavalier image & dominated mid-Victorian politics; Benjamin Disraeli turned his skills as a novelist to politics & became Britains first Jewish-born prime minister; David Lloyd George Welsh radical who set up the early welfare state became a presidential PM in the First World War & split the Liberal party; Stanley Baldwin the first prime minister to master radio broadcasting his notion of Englishness shaped inter-war Britain; & Clement Attlee who lacked any charisma but created the modern welfare state & managed the big political beasts in his Cabinet. The BBCs Nick Robinson presents his fascinating & absorbing Radio 4 series featuring eight famous British prime ministers. ...