On the shrouded corpse hung a tablet of green topaz with the inscription: `I am Shaddad the Great. I conquered a thousand cities; a thousand white elephants were collected for me; I lived for a thousand years & my kingdom covered both east & west, but when death came to me nothing of all that I had gathered was of any avail. You who see me take heed: for Time is not to be trusted.` Dating from at least a millennium ago, these are the earliest known Arabic short stories, surviving in a single, ragged manuscript in a library in Istanbul. Some found their way into The Arabian Nights but most have never been read in English before. Tales of the Marvellous & News of the Strange has monsters, lost princes, jewels beyond price, a princess turned into a gazelle, sword-wielding statues & shocking reversals of fortune. ...

A new set of stories from the world of Miss Peregrine`s Home for Peculiar Children. Now in paperback with a br&-new story: The Man who Bottled the Sun. In this collection of fairy tales, Ransom Riggs invites you to uncover hidden legends of the peculiar world. A fork-tongued princess, a girl who talks to ghosts, & wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars are just a few of the characters whose stories will have you hooked. Featuring stunning illustrations from world-renowned artist Andrew Davidson, this compelling, rich & truly peculiar anthology is the perfect gift for fans
- & for all lovers of great storytelling.`A tense, moving, & wondrously strange first novel. The photographs & text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.` John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars
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In this collection of fairy tales, Ransom Riggs invites you to uncover hidden legends of the peculiar world. A fork-tongued princess, a girl who talks to ghosts, & wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars are just a few of the characters whose stories will have you hooked. Featuring stunning illustrations from world-renowned artist Andrew Davidson, this compelling, rich & truly peculiar anthology is the perfect gift for fans
- & for all lovers of great storytelling.
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With Britain's coast under mounting pressure from pollution & development, this book serves as a reminder of what we stand to lose. It is based on the same formula as Brian Martin's Tales of the Old Countrymen & Tales of the Old Gamekeepers. This time he has visited all corners of Britain's coastline to track down a variety of old coastal characters, & uses their own words, wherever possible, to describe their personal trials & triumphs, from days of deep poverty & disaster to deeds of heroism. These men, all united in their love of the coast, have worked in diverse occupations from lighthouse-keeper, coastguard & lifeboatman to fisherman, pony-back postman & cliff-climbing egg collector. Despite the rigours of their existence, literally battling against storm & tempest, they have also enjoyed many moments of tranquillity, at the same time making remarkable observations of wildlife. ...

The roars of the hungry Minotaur came nearer & nearer
- his feet could be heard thundering along the echoing floor of the labyrinth...
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” Paris & London have long held a mutual fascination, & never more so than in the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries, when they both vied to be the world`s greatest city. Each city has been the focus of many books, yet here Jonathan Conlin uncovers the intriguing relationship between them for the first time. It is a history of surprises: Sherlock Holmes was actually French, the can-can was English & the first restaurant served English food in Paris. Tales of Two Cities examines & compares six urban spaces
- the street, the cemetery, the apartment, the restaurant, the music hall & the nocturnal underworld. The citizens of Paris & London were the first to create these landmarks of the modern cityscape. By borrowing, imitating & learning from each other they invented the modern metropolis & so defined urban living for us all.”
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With a new foreword, added after the September 11th events, this book is a necessary read for whoever wants to have a better understanding of the origins of the Taliban, their relationship with Al-Qaida, the role played by Western countries oil interests & the position of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia & Iran. ...

Fifteen years ago, southern Afghanistan was in even greater chaos than it is now. The Russians, who had occupied the country throughout the 1980s, were long gone. The disparate ethnic & religious leaders who had united to eject the invaders
- the famous mujaheddin
- were at each others` throats. For the rural poor of Kandahar province, life was almost impossible. On 12 October 1994 a small group of religious students decided to take matters into their own hands. Led by an illiterate village mullah with one eye, some 200 of them surrounded & took Spin Boldak, a trucking stop on the border with Pakistan. From this short & unremarkable border skirmish, a legend was born. The students` numbers swelled as news of their triumph spread. The Taliban, as they now called themselves
- taliban is the plural of talib, literally `one who seeks knowledge`
- had a simple mission statement: the disarmament of the population, & the establishment of a theocracy based on Sharia law. They fought with a religious zeal that the warring mujaheddin could not match. By February 1995, this people`s revolt had become a national movement; 18 months later Kabul fell, & the country was effectively theirs. James Fergusson`s fascinating account of this extraordinary story will be required reading for anyone who wishes to understand the situation in Afghanistan, now & for the future...



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The American bombing of terrorist bases in Afghanistan under the protection of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement has brought the Taliban into sharp focus as the most radical & extreme Islamic movement in the world today. Little is known about the Taliban because of the deep secrecy that surrounds their political movement, their leaders & their aims. The geo-strategic implications of the Taliban are already creating severe instability in Russia, Iran & the five Central Asian republics where the Taliban have become a major player in the new Great Game, as Western countries & companies compete to build oil & gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western & Asian markets. The Taliban`s implementation of their extreme interpretation of Islam poses new challenges to the Muslim world & the West`s understanding of radical Islam in the post-Cold War era. ` Taliban: Islam, Oil & the New Great Game` was runner-up in the prestigious annual British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize, administered by the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. ...

The businessperson`s guide to saying what needs to be said & asking questions that need to be asked In the business world, the first step to great results is good communication. Talk Lean uses original research & a fresh approach to teach businesspeople how to say difficult things & ask difficult questions in a way that is positive, effective, & comfortable for everyone involved. You`ll learn how to begin meetings & conversations in a way that is succinct, empathetic, & effective, while putting people in a positive & receptive frame of mind. You`ll learn how to listen & respond during meetings to maximise both productivity & empathy & how to close meetings in positive ways that lead to great results. Offers proven techniques for improving communication & making an impact professionally Written by Alan Palmer, head of Interactifs UK, which offers communication coaching to major corporate clients Ideal for executives, team leaders, entrepreneurs, & anyone whose success depends on great communication ...