E. H. Gombrich’s “ History of the World” is one of the most famous books of all time, & here in this fantastically illustrated edition is that book’s concise little brother, “A Little History of the World”. In forty chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from the stone age to the atomic bomb. In between emerges a colourful picture of wars & conquests, grand works of art, & the spread & limitations of science. This wonderful illustrated edition brings together the pellucid humanity of his narrative with the images that may well have been in his mind’s eye as he wrote the book. With a revised preface, new maps, two hundred illustrations (most in colour), this is both a sumptuous gift book & an enhanced edition of a timeless account of human history. ...

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is an immensely powerful & heartbreaking novel of brotherly love & the limits of human endurance. When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they`re broke, adrift, & buoyed only by their friendship & ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; & withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen & darken, tinged by addiction, success, & pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realise, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind & body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, & haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he`ll not only be unable to overcome
- but that will define his life forever.
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` Now I am a mother & a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime`: so Bianca begins her tale of growing up the hard way in Rome in A Little Lumpen Novelita. Orphaned overnight as a teenager
- `our parents died in a car crash on their first vacation without us`
- she drops out of school, gets a crappy job, sees a terrible brightness at night, & drifts into bad company. Her little brother brings home two petty criminals who need a place to stay. As the four of them share the family apartment & plot a strange crime, Bianca learns she can drift lower.. . Electric & tense with foreboding, with its jagged, propulsive short chapters beautifully translated by Natasha Wimmer, A Little Lumpen Novelita
- one of the last novels Roberto Bolano published
- delivers a surprising, fractured fairy tale of taking control of one`s fate.



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A specially adapted board book edition of Oliver Jeffers` original whodunit The Great Paper Caper. There was once a forest where everyone was contentedly going about their business. All was well until the strangest thing suddenly started happening. Without any warning, branches started disappearing from trees. Something would have to be done, everyone agreed
- everyone that is, except for someone who was acting very mysteriously indeed. A thrilling tale of mystery, crime, a forest, paper planes & a bear who wanted to win!
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`I pretend I am a princess, so that I can try & behave like one` Without her beloved father & miles from home, it is very hard for Sara Crewe to like her new life at boarding school. Luckily Sara is always dreaming up wonderful things & her power of telling stories wins her lots of friends. When a letter arrives that brings disastrous news, the wicked headmistress Miss Minchin forces Sara to become a servant. Her lovely clothes & toys are taken away from her. She must work from dawn until midnight. How will Sara cope with her new found poverty? Can her imagination help her overcome this horrible situation? BACKSTORY: Read why Jacqueline Wilson loves this book & find out which pupil of Sara`s school you are most like. ...

Alone in a new country, wealthy Sara Crewe tries to settle in & make friends at boarding school. But when she learns that she`ll never see her beloved father gain, her life is turned upside down. Transformed from princess to pauper, she must swap dancing lessons & luxury for hard work & a room in the attic. Will she find that kindness & genorosity are all the riches she truly needs? ...

`I am a princess. All girls are.` Heiress Sara Crewe has everything a little girl could want
- until the sudden death of her father
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A specially adapted board book edition of Oliver Jeffers` laugh-out-loud classic, Stuck. Floyd gets his kite stuck up a tree. He throws up his shoe to shift it, but that gets stuck too. So he throws up his other shoe & that gets stuck, along with...a ladder, a pot of paint, the kitchen sink, an orang-utan & a whale, amongst other things! Will Floyd ever get his kite back? A hilarious book with a wonderful surprise ending. ...

Each title in this popular series is both a cookbook & a photographic essay of people & places. The series encapsulates the flavours of the world`s most exciting & popular cuisines & explores the colourful settings in which food is sourced, cooked & enjoyed. Each book contains a selection of authentic recipes suitable for the home cook. This title features fresh new covers that will appeal to a new generation of cooks ready to discover the diverse cuisines around the world. All of the recipes in this work are beautifully photographed & accompanied by helpful pictures of techniques, equipment & ingredients. ...

Anna had never liked the idea of Mallorca, thinking it was for the disco & beerswilling fraternity. That was until her sister hired an au pair from a rural part of the island who said it was the most beautiful place on earth. On a visit, Anna impulsively decided to buy a ruined farmhouse. Despite her fear of flying, she kept a foot in both camps & commuted to Central London to manage her PR company. But she found herself drawn away from the bustle, stress & the superficial media world towards the tranquil life. She soon realised that her new existence was more enriching & fulfilling. She was learning to live life for its moments rather than race through it in the fast lane. ”A Lizard in My Luggage” explores Mallorca`s fiestas & traditions, as well as the ups & downs of living in a rural retreat. It is about learning to appreciate the simple things & take risks in pursuit of real happiness. Most importantly, it shows that life can be lived between two places. ...