By the age of just twenty-two Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) had produced over 160 paintings many of them ambitious compositions of remarkable quality. This book offers an in-depth study of the artists early career spanning the eight years between 1613 when the artist was just fourteen to his departure for Italy from Antwerp in October 1621. Were the paintings he created during these years his only legacy he would still be recognized as one of the greatest artists of the 17th century. Van Dycks precocious talents are brilliantly demonstrated in the many important works reproduced here among them such strikingly original masterpieces as The Betrayal of Christ" & " Saint Jerome in the Wilderness". Others " The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem" & " The Lamentation" for example reveal Van Dyck at his most experimental in search of new ways of increasing the visual impact of his compositions. Van Dyck was also one of the first painters to rise to the challenge of Rubens omnipresent influence evident in works such as " Christ Crowned with Thorns"." ...

I delight in this work wrote the young Victoria shortly after she became Queen. She was an engaging creature high-spirited & eager to be amused. But her early years were difficult ones. Fatherless from the age of eight months she was brought up at Kensington Palace in an atmosphere thick with family feuds backbiting & jealousy
- the focus of conflicting ambitions. Though her uncle William IV was anxious to bring her into Court circles her German mother & the calculating John Conroy were equally determined that she should remain under their control. The little Queen who succeeded to the throne a month after her eighteenth birthday was greeted by a unanimous chorus of praise & admiration. She embraced the independence of her position & often forced her will on those around her. She met & married Albert marking the end of her childhood & the beginning of a glorious legend.
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The Young Visiters or Mr Salteena's Plan is a comic masterpiece that has delighted generations of readers since it was first published in 1919. A classic story of life & love in later Victorian England as seen from the nursery window it was written in 1890 by nine-year-old Daisy Ashford. It all starts when Alfred Salteena who is 'not quite the right side of the blanket' takes young Ethel Montacue to stay with his friend Bernard Clarke... Daisy Ashford has an exquisite eye for matchmaking & manners in English society & her tale with its hilarious observation & idiosyncratic spelling is as irresistible today as it ever was. This edition of The Young Visiters is illustrated with drawings by Posy Simmonds which are as enchanting & witty as the story. The text has been transcribed from the original manuscript &

Includes:: J.M. Barrie's famous preface to the first edition. A BBC1 drama adapted from the novel & starring Jim Broadbent as Mr Salteena is to be broadcast in December 2003.

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Lucy Rose & Connie are back in the stylish insightful sequel to Adele Parks' PLAYING AWAY which is every bit as addictive as her debut bestseller & follows the friends' fortunes in their new roles as wives mothers & lovers with plenty of surprises along the way... Lucy stole her friend Rose's 'happily ever after' because she wanted Rose's husband
- & Lucy always gets what she wants. Big mistake. Rose was the ideal wife & is the ideal mother; Lucy was the perfect mistress. Now neither can find domestic bliss playing each other's roles. They both envy Connie who is happily married & is effortlessly balancing two kids with a fulfilling career. Until that is a dangerous old flame flickers back into view & threatens her marriage. But there are even more twists in the tale to come...*
Includes: bonus material*

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Brin & Arlo are ordinary twins -until their twelve-&-a halfth birthday when they discover some extraordinary talents! Non-stop comedy from the author of Young Dracula. Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant struggling & dyslexic readers. ...

This is Penelope Leach's classic childcare manual
- updated for 21st century parents. In the 21st century we know a child's psychological
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Learn what to expect what to do & when to raise a healthy happy baby. From the first hours to the first sentences; consultant paediatrician Su Laurent will take you every step of the way showing you what to expect what to do & when month-by-month. Find age-related advice through each stage of your little ones development. Pick up practical guidance on crying sleep feeding growth emotional care & common concerns. There are even special features on dads role common ailments & special needs. Whether you want to know how to care for a newborn or encourage your toddlers independence this is essential advice for every parent. ...

Finding out what to expect during each week of pregnancy is easy; the shops are heaving with informative guides. Yet when the baby finally arrives & you are left to face the weeks of unpredictability & worry that a newborn baby brings there are no week-by-week baby manuals to offer the advice information & reassurance you need. Your Baby Week By Week is the guide you've been crying out for. Each chapter covers just one week of a baby's development & ideal for tired & anxious parents the week is divided into sections so that you can quickly & easily skim the chapter & find the information you're looking for. It covers the basics
- sleep feeding crying washing play & development
- as well as being packed full of vital information & handy tips for checking a baby's progress including:
- which vaccinations he needs & when
- how much milk/feeds he needs
- planning ahead
- specific problems you may encounter such as colic & how to deal with them Clearly laid out & written by two experienced mothers
- one a paediatrician the other the Daily Mirror's health editor this is a reassuring & practical guide to help you through the crucial first six months of parenthood.






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Written for teens who straddle the world of adolescence & parenthood this parenting guide is geared to the special needs of very young parents. Interviews with teen mothers & fathers reinforce discussions of the stages of development during the first year
- breast- & bottle-feeding moving to solid food teaching & playing with babies providing appropriate health care & ensuring their safety. The needs of the young parents are stressed along with the developmental needs of the child. Presented in an accessible teen-friendly format this book is appropriate for all parents whether they are married single but living together together but living separately or a single parent alone.
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Raising a healthy newborn & young toddler involves skills & information that parents need to access quickly & easily. Along with their newborns parents are presented with the tasks of keeping them fed clean & comforted & safe from danger & ill health. These are enormous responsibilities in themselves which can be made even greater if a baby or toddler is problematical in any way. With little available free time it's important that parents can readily find out what they need to know & be able to follow that advice accurately & effectively: in some cases it may even make the difference between life & death. Today paediatric care is the concern of many different specialists ranging from nutritionists & breastfeeding technicians to neo-natal physicians & paediatricians to child behaviourists & psychotherapists. ...