Ray Campbell Smith shares his years of experience in this book packed full of tips for watercolour painters. Learn all you need to know from the the tools of the trade choosing what to paint & avoiding & correcting mistakes to how to paint skies water foliage & more. The tips are clearly presented & explained & illustrated by many beautiful & accomplished paintings. They will help unravel the mysteries of the watercolour medium for those new to painting & also for more experienced watercolourists on the lookout for tips from a true master. ...

US Marshal Raylan Givens star of the series JUSTIFIED & protagonist of RIDING THE RAP PRONTO & the story FIRE IN THE HOLE is back in action this time with a federal warrant to serve on a dope dealer named Angel Arenas a man born in the U.S. but a hundred percent of him Hispanic. The state troopers are impressed when the marshal struts into the convicts hotel room without drawing his gun but Raylan soon finds that Angels already been the victim of another crime one thats way bigger than a few pot plants & clearly the work of a professional.. .RAYLAN shows Elmore Leonard at the height of his powers as we follow one of his favourite protagonists through a series of adventures with unlikely villains. As ever the work is filled with unexpected twists & the most vibrant crackling dialogue currently available in the English language. ...

The ancient market town of Rayleigh is rich in both its history & in the historians who have told the tale. Limelight Lantern lectures were first shown in 1884 when the population was just over 1 000 the railway had not yet arrived & the roads were at best comprised of compacted earth with granite chippings & had no drainage. That tradition continues today as historians continue to explore Rayleigh through slideshows lectures & books. During the ensuing 128 years the stories of the motte & bailey castle the martyrs burnt at the stake the windmills & the rapid development once the railway arrived in 1889 have not lost their fascination. The photographs in this book most of which have not been seen in print before present Rayleighs rich & varied heritage in vivid detail from its origins as a small agricultural village to the thriving town of today. ...

With four little books full of Christmas magic there is something to keep everyone happy on Christmas day. Based on Raymond briggs bestselling favourites The Snowman" & " Father Christmas" there are four concept-based books including words weather opposites & counting. This is the perfect introduction to the world of the Snowman for very little readers." ...

A major new biography of the writer who more than any other has defined modern crime fiction What we know of Raymond Chandler is shrouded in secrets & half-truths as deceptive as anything in his magisterial novel The Long Goodbye. Now drawing on new interviews previously unpublished letters & archives on both sides of the Atlantic literary gumshoe Tom Williams casts light on this most mysterious of writers. The Raymond Chandler revealed is a man troubled by loneliness & desertion from an early age
- experiences that fuelled his writing as much as they scarred his life. Born in Chicago in 1888 his childhood was overshadowed by the cruel collapse of his parents marriage his fathers alcohol-fuelled violence eventually forcing the boy & his doting mother to leave for Ireland & later London. As a young man eager to forge a new life unconstrained by the stuffy English class system he returned to the US where
- in corruption-ridden Los Angeles
- he met his one great love: Cissy Pascal a married woman 18 years his senior. It was only during middle age after his own alcoholism wrecked a lucrative career as an oilman that Chandler seriously turned to crime fiction although his success was to prove bittersweet. An obsessive attitude towards his craft unrealised literary ambitions & a suicidal turn after Cissys death combined to prevent him from recapturing the verve of his earlier writing. However his legacy
- the lonely ambiguous world of Philip Marlowe
- endures compelling generation after generation of crime writers to go down mean streets. In this long-awaited new biography the most thorough & comprehensive yet written Tom Williams shadows one of the twentieth centurys true literary giants & considers how crime was raised to the level of art.




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Larry Darrell is a young American in search of the absolute. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maugham's most brillant characters
- his fiancee Isabel whose choice between love & wealth have lifelong repercussions & Elliot Templeton her uncle a classic expatriate American snob. The most ambitious of Maugham's novels this is also one in which Maugham himself plays a considerable part as he wanders in & out of the story to observe his characters struggling with their fates.
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Designed for those studying history at Key Stage 3 this comprehensive text covers Britain from 1500-1750. Updating the text has made the material more usable in mixed ability classes whilst retaining an emphasis on challenging students to think deeply. ...

This fully comprehensive book guides the reader through the process of acquiring & subsequently re-training a racehorse. It provides an in-depth look at what life was like for the horse at the racing yard & how through correct training & education you can train your horse to become a happy adjusted athlete ready for everyday equestrian activities. ...

The Second World War changed the Britain & its people forever & as the gap of history widens re-enactment plays an increasingly significant role in keeping alive the social & military experience of the war years & it helps us all to remember the sacrifice & determination of a generation that lived in extraordinary times. In A Re-enactors War we explore what inspires moves & motivates re-enactors of all ages & backgrounds & their close relationships with the veterans & people they seek to honour. Reminiscences of the Home Front from evacuation to the Blitz & beyond & new interviews with re-enactors are brought together to pay homage to a time that we must always remember. It was our nations darkest hour but also a time when amidst the turmoil & upheaval the British people fought back with their inimitable Home Front spirit that continues to inspire today. This book pays tribute not only to the bravery of the war generation but also to their camaraderie & their love of life. Mixing previously unpublished original period images with a selection of stunning colour images depicting the breadth of Second World War Home Front re-enactment the reader will be fascinated by the characters their individual stories amazing experiences & their dedication to preserving the past. This truly is history brought to life! ...

What does it take to re-think anything in your life? Sometimes nothing short of turning your whole world upside down. Slow down your thinking for a moment. What is your brain doing? Almost certainly trying to come up with a single right answer because then you can stop thinking about the problem. All too often we are not really thinking but sleepwalking through life. Fresh angles on familiar problems elude us. Re-thinking is the opposite: it means seeing better or different solutions. In other words thinking as unusual. Rethink shows you why & how. What if today you were to.. . Buy a new newspaper? Take a different route home? Say yes to everything your partner asks? Invent new rituals for your family? Surround yourself with beauty? Try a first take at the creative fantasy sleeping in the attic of your mind? Find a new hero? Discover more about your upbringing? Act as if anything were possible rather than yes-butting the new? Youd be a re-thinker. Why not? Theres always a better or different solution to the way you lead your personal or professional life. Rethink will help you to stop living on autopilot & reawaken your sense of wonder curiosity & creativity. ...