In this work of historical speculation Terry Jones investigates the mystery surrounding the death of Geoffrey Chaucer over 600 years ago. A diplomat & brother-in-law to John of Gaunt
- one of the most powerful men in the kingdom
- Chaucer was celebrated as his countrys finest living poet rhetorician & scholar: the pre-eminent intellectual of his time. & yet nothing is known of his death. In 1400 his name simply disappears from the record. We dont know how he died where or when; there is no official confirmtion of his death & no chronicle mentions it; no notice of his funeral or burial. He left no will & theres nothing to tell us what happened to his estate. He didnt even leave any manuscripts. How could this be? What if he was murdered? What if he & his writings had become politically inconvenient in the seismic social shift that occurred with the overthrow of the liberal Richard II by the reactionary oppressive regime of Henry IV. Would the dogs of suppression unleased by Archbishop Arundel have been snapping at the heels of a dangerous poet? Terry Jones hypothesis is the introduction to a reading of Chaucers writings as evidence that might be held against him interwoven with a portrait of one of the most turbulent periods in English history its politics & its personalities.

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Mr Wickham turned out to be a disappointing husband in many ways the most notable being his early demise on the battlefields of Waterloo. & so Lydia Wickham nee Bennet still not twenty & ever-full of an enterprising spirit must make her fortune independently. A lesser woman without Lydias natural ability to flirt uproariously on the dancefloor & cheat seamlessly at the card table would swoon in the wake of a dashing highwayman a corrupt banker & even an amorous Royal or two. But on the hunt for a marriage that will make her rich theres nothing that Lydia wont turn her hand to.. . Taking in London Paris & Brighton Who Needs Mr Darcy? details the charming lively & somewhat dastardly further exploits of the youngest Bennet sister. Pride & Prejudice this isnt & Mr Darcy certainly wont be rescuing her this time. ...

The Coalition Government in the United Kingdom like other governments is embarking on an unprecedented round of spending cuts. Talk of deficits the National Debt Quantitative Easing & other economic terminology is presented to the public as evidence that there is a vital need for some of the most drastic cuts the West has faced. But according to Barry Kushner there is an alternative story that is not being told. There is a view of the economic events of the past five years that does not see the UK in debt crisis. It offers choice differences of opinion uncertainty & hope. It takes us on a different voyage beyond economics into politics & visions of society our expectations & ambitions. It is an alternative story that prompted an American Nobel prize-winning economist to write Jobs now deficits later" was & is the right strategy. Unfortunately its a strategy that has been abandoned in the face of phantom risks & delusional hopes." ...

Who Owns The Future? is the new masterwork from the prophet of the digital age Jaron Lanier author of You Are Not A Gadget. In the past a revolution in production such as the industrial revolution generally increased the wealth & freedom of people. The digital revolution we are living through is different. Instead of leaving a greater number of us in excellent financial health the effect of digital technologies
- & the companies behind them
- is to concentrate wealth reduce growth & challenge the livelihoods of an ever-increasing number of people. As the protections of the middle class disappear washed away by crises in capitalism what is being left in their place? & what else could replace them? Why is this happening & what might we do about it? In Who Owns the Future? Jaron Lanier shows how the new power paradigm operates how it is conceived & controlled & why it is leading to a collapse in living standards. Arguing that the 'information economy' ruins markets he reminds us that markets should reward more people not fewer. He shows us why the digital revolution means more corporations making money & avoiding risk by hiding value off their books which means more financial risk for the rest of us. From the inner workings of the 'sirenic servers' at the heart of the new power system to an exploration of the meaning of mass unemployment events the misuse of big data & the deep & increasing erasure of human endeavour Lanier explores the effects of this situation on democracy & individuals & proposes a more human humane reality where risk & reward is shared equally & the digital revolution creates opportunity for all. Lanier has a poet's sensibility & his book reads like a hallucinogenic reverie full of entertaining haiku
- like observations & digressions". (James Harkin Financial Times). " One of the triumphs of Lanier's intelligent & subtle book is its inspiring portrait of the kind of people that a democratic information economy would produce. His vision implies that if we are allowed to lead absorbing properly remunerated lives we will likewise outgrow our addiction to consumerism & technology". (Laurence Scott Guardian). " Jaron Lanier is a digital visionary with a difference". (John Kampfner Observer). Jaron Lanier is a philosopher & computer scientist who has spent his career pushing the transformative power of modern technology to its limits. From coining the term ' Virtual Reality' to developing cutting-edge medical imaging & surgical techniques Lanier is one of the premier designers & engineers at work today & is linked with UC Berkeley & Microsoft. A musician with a collection of over 700 instruments he has been recognised by Encyclopedia Britannica (but certainly not Wikipedia) as one of history's 300 or so greatest inventors & named one of the top one hundred public intellectuals in the world by Prospect & Foreign Policy. His first book You Are Not A Gadget was hailed as a 'poetic & prophetic' defence of the human in an age of machines."


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Its 1999. The SAS have been sent to the jungle of Sierra Leone to rescue a group of British soldiers taken hostage by the notorious West Side Boys. Captain Christian Mc Kie leads an advanced four-man patrol into position ready to call in the main strike force at a moments notice. But all is not as it seems; betrayal & greed are deadly enemies. Christian is captured & held hostage his will to survive only eclipsed by his desire for revenge. ...

On 13 September 2007 Robert Peston broke the news that Northern Rock had become a victim of the global credit crunch & was seeking an emergency loan from the Bank of Engl&. It was the latest in a long line of scoops by this award-winning journalist. Over the weeks that followed the Government found itself exposed to the Rock to the tune of 57 billion or almost ?2000 for every taxpayer. As Robert Peston shows in his fascinating new book the seeds for the collapse of Northern Rock & the upheavals in the financial markets were sown years before. WHO RUNS BRITAIN? is the first time anyone has drawn all the threads together to weave a story that's rich in extraordinary characters & outrageous feats of economic bravado. This book is about the widening gap between the super-rich & the rest of us. It explores & explodes the myth that the financial creativity of those who are amassing these vast fortunes is good for the wider economy & for all of us. Whether you're a financial expert or just have a bank account WHO RUNS BRITAIN? is a book you must read. ...

Who sank the boat? Was it the cow or the donkey or the sheep with her knitting? Surely it wasnt the tiny little mouse? Winner of the 1983 Australian Picture Book of the Year Award this wonderfully illustrated book is designed for sharing aloud & will make children giggle as they guess which animal spoilt a days rowing by sinking the boat. ...

Her face is simply unmistakable as the council house brothel madam Lillian in channel 4's long-running cult drama Shameless. By her own admission not exactly the Brigitte Bardot of the North West Alice is fiercely & unapologetically proud of her working-class roots & the many obstacles she has overcome in life & in her acting career. In her long-awaited autobiography Alice reveals all about her early life & the almost barbaric treatment she suffered during her school years at the hands of bigoted bullies
- pupil & teachers alike. One day having been beaten for being a Catholic in the morning & a Protestant in the afternoon she eventually fought back. It was a turning point in Alice's life. She became a rebel & beat one of the bullies so badly that they never bothered her again. Who the Hell is Alice? is raw & personal
- warts & all. Alice's natural humour shines like a beacon but she also shares her personal tragedies including the shocking circumstances surrounding the death of her brother Tommy & her husband Terry. Alice is now happy again with partner Jeff & the pair love & respect one another deeply. The only slight twist in their magical bond is that Jeff is gay & their relationship is purely a platonic one!

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Where was the first World Cup held? A Argentina B France C Uruguay D The Netherlands Here's the ultimate challenge for all football fans & armchair contestants. If you think you could compete with the contestants who sit in the famous Who Wants to be a Millionaire? hot-seat then this is the quiz book for you. Packed with 1 000 brain teasing questions about UK European & international football created by the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? question masters this is the ultimate quiz book for any football fan. This World Cup find out if you really know your football by playing Who Wants to be a Football Millionaire? ...

Trixie Twinkle Toes doesn't want a maid to plump her cushions. She wants to roll in the mud & paddle in the puddles. She doesn't want to be carried over them by a butler. Trixie Twinkle Toes may look like a prancing poodley poodle. But on the the inside she's a dazzlingly daring dog ready to make a big splash... This stunning book from the award-winning international star & creator of Charlie & Lola Lauren Child is now available for the first time in paperback. ...