This inspired collection of short stories is based on the original illustrations of Chris Van Allburg in his esteemed & mysterious The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, & features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult & children's literature: Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson, Kate Di Camillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, & Chris Van Allsburg himself. Van Allsburg's Harris Burdick illustrations have evoked such wonderment & imagination since Harris Burdick's original publication in 1984; many have speculated or have woven their own stories to go with his images. More than ever, the illustrations send off their eerie call for text & continue to compel & pick at the reader's brain for a backstory
- a threaded tale behind the image. In this book, we've collected some of the best storytellers to spin them.
...

` He writes with gusto...the result is a book that is never boring, genuinely clever.. .this book sizzles.` The Times ` The must-read biography of the year.` Evening Standard ` The point of the Churchill Factor is that one man can make all the difference.` Marking the fiftieth anniversary of Winston Churchill`s death, Boris Johnson explores what makes up the ` Churchill Factor`
- the singular brilliance of one of the most important leaders of the twentieth century. Taking on the myths & misconceptions along with the outsized reality, he portrays
- with characteristic wit & passion-a man of multiple contradictions, contagious bravery, breath-taking eloquence, matchless strategizing, & deep humanity. Fearless on the battlefield, Churchill had to be ordered by the King to stay out of action on D-Day; he pioneered aerial bombing, yet hated the destruction of war & scorned politicians who had not experienced its horrors. He was a celebrated journalist, a great orator & won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was famous for his ability to combine wining & dining with many late nights of crucial wartime decision-making. His open-mindedness made him a pioneer in health care, education, & social welfare, though he remained incorrigibly politically incorrect. Most of all, as Boris Johnson says, ` Churchill is the resounding human rebuttal to all who think history is the story of vast & impersonal economic forces`. THE CHURCHILL FACTOR is a book to be enjoyed not only by anyone interested in history: it is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what makes a great leader.

...

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, ” The CIA World Factbook 2013” offers complete & up-to-date information on the world`s nations. This comprehensive guide is packed with detailed information on the politics, populations, military expenditures, & economics of 2013. Also included are appendixes with useful abbreviations, international environmental agreements, international organizations & groups, weight & measure conversions, & more. ...

` The reason Homer Wells kept his name was that he came back to St Cloud`s so many times, after so many failed foster homes, that the orphanage was forced to acknowledge Homer`s intention to make St Cloud`s his home.` Homer Wells` odyssey begins among the apple orchards of rural Maine. As the oldest unadopted child at St Cloud`s orphanage, he strikes up a profound & unusual friendship with Wilbur Larch, the orphanage`s founder
- a man of rare compassion & an addiction to ether. What he learns from Wilbur takes him from his early apprenticeship in the orphanage surgery, to an adult life running a cider-making factory & a strange relationship with the wife of his closest friend...
...

Fast, thrilling, compulsively addictive
- The Circle is Dave Eggers` timely novel about our obsession with the internet. When
...

A saga of flight & pursuit, this novel chronicles the adventures of Alu, a young weaver who is wrongly suspected of being a terrorist. Chased from Bengal to Bombay & on through the Persian Gulf to North Africa by a bird-watching police inspector, Alu encounters along the way a cast of characters as various & as colourful as the epithets with which the author adorns them. The reader is drawn into their lives by incidents tender & outrageous & all compellingly told. Ghosh is as natural a weaver of words as Alu is of cloth, deftly interlacing humour & wisdom to produce a narrative tapestry of surpassing beauty. ...

Lonely Planet`s bestselling The Cities Book is back. Fully revised & updated, it`s a celebration of 200 of the world`s most exciting urban destinations, beautifully photographed & packed with trip advice & recommendations from our experts
- making it the perfect companion for any traveller deciding where to visit next.- Highlights & itineraries help travellers plan their perfect trip- Urban tales reveal unexpected bites of history & local culture- Discover each city`s strengths, best experiences & most famous exports-

Includes:: the top ten cities for beaches, nightlife, food & more- Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler shares his all-time favourite cities- Fully revised & updated with the best cities to visit right now


...

After the success of Lonely Planet’s “ The Cities Book” Lonely Planet brings you this fascinating journey through the best cities in the world in a new handy mini-format. It presents the 200 diverse cities in the world, ranked in order as voted by Lonely Planet’s staff, authors, & readers. There are the usual suspects such as Paris, London, New York, as well as the unfamiliar, exotic, & tiny: Abuja (Nigeria), Nuuk (Greenland), Saint-Denis (Réunion) & Ulaanbataar (Mongolia). Using full-colour photographs, the book seeks to give you a genuine taste of each city, giving you insight into the people, a defining experience, strengths & weaknesses, imports/exports, sights to see, things to buy, even urban myths & films it’s been featured in. Inspirational, inviting & beautiful, this volume will make travel from your armchair a delight & perhaps inspire more plans for exciting trips in the future. ...

The Roman province of Africa was one of richest in the Empire & as a result has some of the most spectacular remains. ” The Cities of Roman Africa” examines the development of urban space & cultural life in this province from the beginnings of Roman rule in the second century BC to the fall of the province of Africa to the Vandals in AD 439. In this engaging & strikingly illustrated new book, Gareth Sears considers the incorporation of Roman culture into Africa, & its use by African populations &, in particular, their elites. The author also explores the persistence of pre-Roman cultures, & how these factors affected the evolution of the cities, intellectual life & even entertainment under the Republic & Empire. Dr. Gareth Sears is a lecturer in Roman History at the University of Birmingham. He is a specialist on Roman North Africa, & has co-directed archaeological work at the city of Cyrene in Libya for the Cyrenaica Archaeological Project. ...

With dramatic & exciting stories, Carlos Miller reveals the secrets behind successful citizen journalism. Whether you`re planning a publicity blitz for your cause, you`re interested in the down-&-dirty practices of the police, or just want to be prepared for the moment you`re the first on the scene, this book has everything you`ll need to know to take news-worthy pictures & get them in front of a wide audience. You dont need a DSLR camera
- though they can be useful
- what is essential for citizen journalism is a cool head, an eye for a great angle, & the initiative to capture the moment: let Carlos Miller show you how.

...