In her trademark reassuring & enlightening style Patricia Evans delivers the book millions of readers have been waiting for since her perennial best-seller The Verbally Abusive Relationship". In " The Verbally Abusive Relationship: Recovery & Renewal" Evans gives victims of verbal abuse the tools they need to put their abusive pasts behind them & rediscover who they really are. This groundbreaking guide sets down a path of healing & hope for readers everywhere regardless of their present circumstances. Divided into two parts the first part explores the nature of the recovery process provides the positive perspective readers need to reclaim their lives & analyses the various treatments & therapies for trauma. The second part consists of a series of 52 weekly affirmations designed to reinforce the lessons of recovery & renewal as readers make their way in the world as happier & healthier new versions of themselves. From the Introduction: " It is my intention that those who are recovering from verbal abuse whether overt or covert perpetrated by anyone in any circumstance find strength here in these pages. This book is a guide to living life with ever increasing clarity & confidence to overcome any way the reader has been defined by anyone"." ...

As an artist Rex has been almost forgotten for quite a long time. The man who shows us the darker shades of gay desire in tiny points which become impressive ink mosaics was simply too extreme for the mainstream. But now there is nally a comprehensive collection of the ingenious work of Rex. His gloomy masterpieces lead us into a world full of lust & submission full of dominance & sexual power. Its high time to rediscover this unique artist. ...

Fighting insurgents has always been one of the greatest challenges for regular armed forces during the 20th century. The war between the Germans & the French resistance also called FFI (Forces Franaises d Interieur) during World War II has remained a near-forgotten chapter in the history of these Small Wars. This is all the more astonishing as agencies like the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) & the American OSS (Office of Strategic Services) pumped a good amount of their resources into the support of the French resistance movement. By diversionary attacks on German forces in the occupied hinterland the Allies hoped the FFI could provide assistance in disrupting German supply lines as well as crumbling their morale. The mountain plateau of the Vercors south-west of Grenoble was the main stronghold of the FFI & in July 1944 some 8 000 German soldiers mounted an operation on the plateau & destroyed the insurgent groups there. The battle of the Vercors was the largest operation against the FFI during World War II & the Germans suit & crushing victory has caused traumatic memories for the French that persist to the present day. ...

The 35 paintings that have come down to us from the hand of Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) place him beside Rembrandt & Frans Hals as one of the great masters of the golden age of Dutch art. Most of his pictures all of which are reproduced in this text show women about their daily business. Vermeer records the tasks & duties of women the imperatives of virtue under which their lives were lived & the dreams that provided the substance of their contrasting counter-world. ...

Vermeer's Hat" offers us a rich new understanding both of Vermeer's paintings & of the era they portray. ' Effortless & compelling Brooks is a wonderful storyteller. I doubt I will read a better book this year'
- " Sunday Telegraph". In one painting a Dutch military officer leans toward a laughing girl. In another a woman at a window weighs pieces of silver. In a third fruit spills from a porcelain bowl onto a Turkish carpet. The officer's dashing hat is made from beaver fur which European explorers got from Native Americans in exchange for weapons. Beaver pelts in turn financed the voyages of sailors seeking new routes to China. There
- with silver mined in Peru
- Europeans would purchase by the thousands the porcelains so often shown in Dutch paintings of this time. Vermeer's haunting images hint at the stories behind these exquisitely rendered moments. As Timothy Brook shows us in " Vermeer's Hat" these pictures which seem so intimate actually open doors onto a rapidly expanding world."


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Fifteen-year-old Vernon Gregory Little is in trouble & it has something to do with the recent massacre of 16 students at his high school. Soon the quirky backwater of Martirio barbecue capital of Texas is flooded with wannabe CNN hacks eager for a scapegoat. ...

First performed at the Young Vic London in 2007 when it was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Play. Vernon Little is fifteen years old & lives with his mother in Martirio a flea-bitten Texan town. His best friend just massacred sixteen of their classmates before killing himself. The town wants vengeance & turns its sights on Vernon. ...

Footprintfocus Verona & Lake Garda is the only dedicated guide available covering this popular Italian destination. Features an Essentials section with practical tips to help plan a trip detailed information on attractions & comprehensive listings of where to eat sleep & have fun. * Essentials section with tips on getting there & around * Up-to-date recommendations of great places to stay & eat * Highlights map of the region plus detailed street maps where relevant * Slim enough to fit in a pocket Loaded with advice & information on how to get around this concise Footprintfocus guide will help travellers get the most out of Verona & Lake Garda without weighing them down. The content of the Footprintfocus Verona & Lake Garda guide has been extracted from Footprint's Italian Lakes guide. ...

The new novel from internationally acclaimed author Paulo Coelho
- a dramatic story of love life & death that shows us all why
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This follow-up to the hugely popular Louvre showcases another of Frances most treasured landmarks in its signature format offering fresh analysis & compelling visuals. One of the worlds most spectacular opulent relics of royal wealth & power the Chateau de Versailles boasts a fascinating tumultuous history. Starting with its metamorphosis from humble hunting lodge to luxurious palace by Louis XIV in 1661 then fast-forwarding to the extravagant additions of Louis XIV & Marie Antoinette to the dismantling of its collections during the French Revolution & finally to its restoration & status today as a grand reception hall for foreign heads of state. The book begins by introducing the sites vibrant history & the colourful figures that resided there. Subsequently Versailles explores the singular Chateau offering a photographic tour of the many artistic & architectural treasures of the palace. ...