In the early 1980s when a small group of misfits began acting out their nocturnal fantasies London nightlife blossomed & fashion music & clubbing would never be the same again. Against the backdrop of recession-hit Britain this was the birth of club fashion style magazines futuristic synth pop & blue-eyed funk. Energised by punks do-it-yourself attitude & David Bowies ceaseless image shifting a new generation of pop stars designers journalists artists & filmmakers emerged adopting wild theatrical attire & an ethos of continual change. Led by the enigmatic Steve Strange & the ever dapper Chris Sullivan their scene flourished in a succession of legendary clubs: from Billys & the Blitz via Le Beat Route & the Mud Club to the Wag & the Dirt Box. It gave us stars including Boy George Sade & Spandau Ballet as well as the faces who would shape London nightlife up to the rave era. The press dubbed these nightbirds the New Romantics; in truth this was just one stage of their endless reinvention. Together with his schoolmate future broadcaster Robert Elms & art-school buddy Chris Sullivan Graham Smith was at the centre of this creative cult. He designed its record sleeves cultivated its graphics & captured its characters taking extraordinary pictures throughout the period most of which have never been reproduced before. There are interviews with all the major players incendiary & hilarious text by Chris Sullivan an introduction by Robert Elms & forewords by Boy George Steve Strange & Spandau Ballets Gary Kemp. This beautiful book is the first insider account of this uniquely creative time. ...

Encourage the aspiring young cooks in your home to take the lead role in the kitchen & they will soon be whipping up tasty treats time & time again. This bumper book of recipes is the perfect introduction to cooking for children aged 5-12. Brimming with 100 fabulous recipes chapters cover snacks & light bites quick-&-easy lunches & suppers main meals desserts & drinks so there really is something for every occasion. ...

The fifth & final part of the complete collected stories shows Philip K. Dick at the very height of his outstanding powers. The twenty-five tales were written between 1963 & 1981 just a few months before he died & include two stories which have been turned into box office smashes: the title story filmed as Total Recall & The Little Black Box" which grew into his masterpiece Blade Runner." ...

Bounded by the Great War on one side & by the looming shadow of the Second World War on the other the inter-war period has characteristically been portrayed as a time of unremitting poverty rising crime & mass unemployment. In Martin Pugh's lively & thought-provoking new book however the acclaimed historian vividly shows how the British people reacted to the privations of wartime by indulging in leisure & entertainment activities of all kinds
- from dancing & cinema going to smoking football pools & paid holidays. He explodes the myths of a nation of unwed women revealing that in the 1930s the institution of marriage was reaching its heyday & points to a rise in real incomes improvements in diet & health & the spread of cheap luxuries. The result is an extraordinary engaging work of history that presents us with a fresh perspective & brings out both the strangeness & the familiarity of this point in time.
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' Now Susan ' Mother said ' And you too John. No night sailing... No going outside the harbour... And back the day after tomorrow... Promise.' But promises can't always be kept. Within twenty-four hours John Susan Titty & Roger find themselves fighting a night gale in the treacherous waters of the North Sea adrift & in the main shipping lanes. Suddenly it's real adventure & only their sailing skills can help them now... ...

Secular assumptions are being introduced piecemeal into our way of life. From the Millennium Dome (what exactly was it celebrating?) to the restrictions on the wearing of crosses & abolition of nativity plays Christianity is being marginalised. Christian social initiatives at local levels are now so severely restricted that several Christian bodies issue guidelines on handling local council prejudice. There is a widespread if ill-defined sense that a valuable heritage is slipping away. Yet the Bible & Prayer Book are seminal for our language & literature; Christian social action predated the modern welfare state; our laws are based on Christian ethical systems. Christians should push back re-engaging with politicians & opinion formers. Christians must be salt & light. Introverted Christianity must give way to engagement with the world not defensively but with complete confidence & hope. It is time for a proper debate about the place of faith in modern Britain. ...

Born to hardworking immigrant parents in sunny suburban Los Angeles Stephen Newman never imagined that he would spend his adult life under the grey skies of north London would marry Andrea for convenience & stay married & would watch his children grow into people he cannot fathom. Over forty years he & his friends have built lives of comfort & success until the events of late middle age & the new century force them to realise that they have always existed in a fools paradise. ...

Mr Tanner the farmer pollutes his farm & mistreats his animals leading them to stage a rebellion. They build an intergalactic space rocket to take them up into the clean clear skies far away from those who are polluting the planet. First a chicken then a clever rabbit & lastly a calm sheep are chosen for test flights. But each time something goes wrong & the rocket returns to Earth. The animals don't know what to do. But then Farmer Tanner discovers the rocket & determined to take it for his own he zooms off into space & is never seen again. Created in consultation with literacy specialist Prue Goodwin this edition contains the complete story re-designed to help support children who are gaining confidence in reading. ...

Charlie & Lola first seen in I Will Not Ever NEVER Eat a Tomato are set to be stars of the screen & page. A major animation acquisition for the BBC & first airing on prime time childrens TV in October 2005 Charlie & Lola are set for superstardom! Lola loves dogs. So when Charlie takes Lola & her friend Lotta to the park with his friend Marv & Marvs dog Sizzles Lola is thrilled. Marv lets her & Lotta look after Sizzles on the promise that they dont let him off the lead. But Lola & Lotta are so over-excited that of course they let Sizzles go & then have a panicky search for him all round the park. Imagine their relief when Sizzles appears until hes followed by an identical dog. They know that Sizzles is extremely very clever & so can tell which dog is the right Sizzles
- hes the one that he sits down when they tell him. Yet another crisis averted for Lola!
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Christmas is a time for sharing & h&-knitted gifts for friends & family are the perfect way to spread a little festive joy. We Knit You a Merry Christmas has something for everyone. Traditional Christmas characters such as angels choir boys Father Christmas & the three kings make great decorations. Or add some fun & laughter to your Christmas celebrations this year with knitted animals such as sheep (Baa Humbug) crocodiles (Snappy Christmas) & Three French Hens as well as quirkier items like chillies sledging snowballs & of course the famous pea (Ha Pea Christmas). So forget gold frankincense & myrrh & give the gift of knitting this Christmas. Word count: 12 000 ...