Brian Keenan went to Beirut in 1985 for a change of scene from his native Belfast. He became headline news when he was kidnapped by fundamentalist Shi`ite militiamen & held in the suburbs of Beirut for the next four & a half years. For much of that time he was shut off from all news & contact with anyone other than his jailers &, later, his fellow hostages, amongst them John Mc Carthy. ...

When the body of a Russian agent is found down a monastery well, Yashim knows exactly who to blame. Fevzi Ahmet Pasha, commander of the Ottoman fleet. Years ago, when Yashim first entered the sultan`s service, Fevzi Ahmet was his mentor. Ruthless, cruel, &
- in Yashim`s eyes
- ultimately ineffective, he is the only man who makes him afraid. & now Yashim must confront the secret that Fevzi Pasha has been keeping all these years, a secret whose roots lie deep in the tortured atmosphere of the sultan`s harem, where normal rules are suspended, & women can simply disappear. Once again, Yashim & his friends encounter treachery & politics, played out against the backdrop of 1840s Istanbul.

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An Expensive Education cuts between the African bush & Harvard
- taking its readers deep inside this iconic university & the inner
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Following `A Change in Climate`, this brilliant novel from the double Man Booker prize-winning author of ` Wolf Hall` is a coming-of-age tale set in Seventies London. It is London, 1970. Carmel Mc Bain, in her first term at university, has cut free of her childhood roots in the north. Among the gossiping, flirtatious girls of Tonbridge Hall, she begins her experiments in life & love. But the year turns. The mini-skirt falls out of style & an era of concealment begins. Carmel`s world darkens, & tragedy waits in the wings. ...

With over eighty maps & accompanying articles, the Historical Atlas of Hertfordshire contains an immense amount of research which will be invaluable to all those with an interest in the history of this important English county. Arranged thematically, it guides the reader through geology, geography & topography, administrative organisation, buildings, transport & communications, demography, settlement, agriculture, industry & trade, landscape, religion, welfare, war & civil unrest. Although it is one of the smaller counties, Hertfordshire is surprisingly diverse. Lacking any simple topographical uniformity, its natural features have in turn influenced the development of the county`s landscape, settlements & industries. The diversity & particularity of Hertfordshire help to explain the wide range of topics presented in this atlas, but the breadth of the book is also due to the variety of interests that Hertfordshire local historians display. Few county historical atlases can boast such detailed information on, for example, ice-houses, dovecotes, medieval & Tudor graffiti, local volunteers for military service, or eighteenth- & nineteenth-century transportations & executions. Hertfordshire has had an essentially agrarian economy for much of its history, but has nonetheless benefited from the development of a number of important industries. It may not have been at the cutting edge of the industrial revolution, yet it has certainly not been devoid of manufacturing activity. From the later eighteenth century forwards it boasted significant involvement in paper-making, silk throwing, brewing & malting &
- more distinctively
- the straw plait industry, for which it assumed an importance surpassed only by neighbouring Bedfordshire. The twentieth century witnessed the rise of printing, pharmaceuticals, a film industry & the extraction of aggregates. All these areas of activity are explored in detail as is the long history of settlement in the county, from the Palaeolithic period to the garden cities & new towns. Printed in full colour, & with a fold-out parish map, the Historical Atlas is an essential tool for the local historian & anyone with an interest in this fascinating county.

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Map reverse carries an illustrated gazetteer of sites of interest: approx. 6, 600 words Map cover carries inside a brief history of Hull: 1, 300 words. Illustrations: coloured engravings & early views of buildings, monuments & street scenes A full colour map, based on an Ordnance Survey map of 1928, with buildings & sites of interest picked out. Few cities have experienced Hull`s uninterrupted position as one of Britain`s leading centres of population & economic activity over nine centuries. The variety & richness of its architecture are too often overlooked. The map shows the main medieval & post-medieval buildings in this remarkable & interesting city, the second-most historic city of Yorkshire. The map`s cover has a short introduction to the city`s history, & on the reverse an illustrated & comprehensive gazetteer of Hull`s main buildings & sites of interest, from medieval monasteries to cinemas & theatres, & the huge fortified citadel. ...

A full colour map based on a reconstruction of Winchester around 1800, just before Jane Austen`s final days in the city. The map shows the main medieval & post-medieval buildings in this attractive & interesting city including the lost medieval Old Minster, New Minster & the King`s palace & hall. The map`s cover has a short introduction to the city`s history, & on the reverse of the map an illustrated gazetteer of Winchester`s main buildings & sites of interest. Combining clear cartography & extensive research, this is a revised version of a map first published in 2012. The new edition has been substantially updated, with many more sites of historic importance added & map detail refined. Of interest to historians & those who know & love Winchester, the map charts the process of renewal & development which has shaped one of England`s most important cities. ...

A guide to twenty little known destinations, all within an hour of Paris by train. An insider`s guide to the most interesting, beautiful & under-visited places in the countryside around Paris, all an hour or less away by train. Contains historical background, photographs & specially-drawn maps, with full details of how to get there by train & brief directions for car drivers. ...

Discover half-hidden chateaux & artists` country houses; walk, boat or dance by the river; explore old towns & country footpaths; & eat in family-run restaurants with 1950s decor--and prices to match. Based on over 20 years` experience of exploring the Paris countryside by train, each visit

Includes:: the essential historical context & practical information to help you discover places unknown to many Parisians. Written with humor & a flair for the unusual & authentic, the text is illustrated with original photos & local maps. It

Includes:: a unique guide to using the excellent local train network.



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” An Ice-cream War” is William Boyd`s hilarious bestselling novel of love & battle. ` We will all melt like ice-cream in the sun!` British soldier, East Africa, October 1914. As millions are slaughtered on the Western Front, a ridiculous & little-reported campaign is being waged in East Africa
- a war they continued after the Armistice because no one told them to stop. Primarily a gripping story of the men & women swept up by the passions of love & battle, William Boyd`s magnificently entertaining novel also elicits the cruel futility & tragedy of it all. ” An Ice-cream War” will be loved by fans of ” Any Human Heart” & ”A Good Man in Africa”, as well as readers of Ben Macintyre, Sebastian Faulks, Nick Hornby & Hilary Mantel. ” Compulsively readable”. (” Observer”). ” He has a black-edged laughter of his own.. .quite outstanding”. (” Sunday Times”). William Boyd has received world-wide acclaim for his novels. They are: ”A Good Man in Africa” (1981, winner of the Whitbread Award & the Somerset Maugham Prize), ” An Ice Cream War” (1982, shortlisted for the 1982 Booker Prize & winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), ” Stars & Bars” (1984), ” The New Confessions” (1987), ” Brazzaville Beach” (1990, winner of the Mc Vitie Prize & the James Tait Black Memorial Prize), ” The Blue Afternoon” (1993, winner of the 1993 Sunday Express Book of the Year Award & the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Fiction, 1995), ” Armadillo” (1998), & ” Any Human Heart” (2002, winner of the Prix Jean Monnet). He is also the author of a collection of screenplays & a memoir of his school days, ” School Ties” (1985); & three collections of short stories: ” On the Yankee Station” (1981), ” The Destiny of Nathalie `X`” (1995) & ” Fascination” (2004). He also wrote the speculative memoir ” Nat Tate: an American Artist”
- the publication of which, in the spring of 1998, caused something of a stir on both sides of the Atlantic. A collection of his non-fiction writings, 1978-2004, entitled ” Bamboo”, was published in October 2005. His ninth novel, ” Restless”, was published in September 2006 (Costa Book Award, Novel of the Year 2006) & his tenth novel, ” Ordinary Thunderstorms”, published September 2009. His most recent novel is ” Waiting For Sunrise” which published in February 2011.

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