The fascinating & heartbreaking reality of Mexico is revealed in this account of its history, art, politics, religion & people. In this grand narrative, driven by 3, 000 years of history, Mexico is seen here as if it were a prison, but in the Aztec way
- the mind, the heart, the winds of life
- & on every page there are portraits & stories: artists, shamans, teachers, a young Maya political leader
- the rich few & the many poor. Earl Shorris is ingenious at finding ways to tell this story: prostitutes in the Plaza Loreto launch the discussion of economics; we are taken inside two crucial elections as Mexico struggles towards democracy; we watch the creation of a popular `telenovela` & meet the country`s greatest living intellectual. The result is a work of magnificent scope & profound insight into the divided soul Mexico.


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This title invites you to wander the streets of Elizabethan London with the great Bard as your guide. Learn about Shakespeare the man & the inspiration behind his work as you visit the Globe theatre, explore Queen Elizabeth`s court & meet his playwright rivals. ...

The true story of a pioneering sailor who travelled the world at the end of the 18th century. In his many voyages, the Scottish-born John Nichol circumnavigated the globe, visiting every inhabited continent. He participated in many of the greatest events of exploration & adventure. He battled pirates, traded with Native Americans & fought for the British Navy in the American & French Revolutions; he also travelled on the first female convict ship to Australia, was entertained in Hawaii by the king`s court, days after the murder of Captain James Cook, & witnessed the horrors of the slave system in Jamaica. ...

This is an irresistible new collectible hard cover in the successful series of Penguin Christmas Classics: the story of Santa Claus, from boy to jolly old fellow, as imagined by the creator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. With a magical Christmas story by the author of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus answers the enigmatic Christmas questions: Why does Santa travel via Reindeer? How does he fit through the chimney, & how does he deliver all those toys in one wintry night? First published in 1902, the tale begins as a wood nymph discovers a baby abandoned in a forest. Raised among mythical forest creatures, the child learns to outwit evil as he grows towards adulthood & must discover how to re-enter the human world, which leaves him determined to share gifts & spread love to his fellow man. L. Frank Baum creates a world full of charm & whimsy, delightfully imagined with a cast of memorable & loveable characters. ...

From the creator of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz comes the hilarious & entertaining festive tale for the whole family, The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus. Starring the Santa Claus whom we all know & love, L. Frank Baum`s story takes us back to the fantastical origins of so many of our Christmas traditions as well as the humble origins of Santa Claus himself. Not many people know that, as a baby, Santa Claus was found by a woodsman in the Forest of Burzee, & placed into the care of the lioness, Shiegra, & the wood nymph, Necile. Although he is mortal, he is reared & educated by the many immortals of the forest: the gnomes, the sleep fays, the wind demons & the sound imps. But when Santa grows up, they encourage him to leave the forest so that he can see for himself the sad things that come with being a mortal, such as war & poverty. Once Santa has come to understand these issues, he makes it his mission to cheer up mortals & do good deeds for them. This tale unfolds the surprising reasons why Santa Claus invented toys, why he must deliver them at night & how he came to use reindeers to take him all over the world. Adults & children alike will be captivated by this magical, feel-good story as told by the master of children`s fantasy, L. Frank Baum. ...

The extraordinary story of the UK`s most gruelling & spectacularly beautiful islands. Tom Steel`s acclaimed portrait of the St Kildan`s lives is now updated in this reissued edition. Situated at the westernmost point of the United Kingdom, the spectacularly beautiful but utterly bleak island of St Kilda is familiar to virtually nobody. A lonely archipelago off the coast of Scotl&, it is hard to believe that for over two thousand years, men & women lived here, cut off from the rest of the world. With a population never exceeding two hundred in its history, the St Kildans were fiercely self-sufficient. An intensely religious people, they climbed cliffs from childhood & caught birds for food. Their sense of community was unparalleled & isolation enveloped their day-to-day existence. With the onset of the First World War, things changed. For the very first time in St Kilda`s history, daily communication was established between the islanders & the mainl&. Slowly but surely, this marked the beginning of the end of St Kilda & in August 1930, the island`s remaining 36 inhabitants were evacuated. Newly updated to include the historic appointment of St Kilda as the United Kingdom`s only UNESCO Dual Heritage site, the ongoing search for information about the island & the threats that it continues to face, this is the moving story of a vanished community & how twentieth century civilization ultimately brought an entire way of life to its knees. ...

Combining images from world`s leading marine & nature photographers & the latest in underwater photography techniques, The Life & Love of the Sea is a breathtaking visual tour of the ocean`s many facets. Readers will experience the land meeting the sea with images of dramatic coastlines, barrier reefs & island chains, & the breathtaking power of the ocean through a stunning collection of wave photographs. Forming an extensive survey of the ocean`s many fascinating inhabitants, Blackwell presents an incredible image collection of everything from whales, to manta rays, to seals, to endless schools of fish, to the creatures that reside in the deepest recesses of the ocean floor, & much more. The book also

Includes:: bonus footage via a scannable QR code from multi award-winning underwater cameraman Steven Hathaway, whose work has featured in numerous documentaries on BBC, Discovery Channel & National Geographic.

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Ruth Patchett never thought of herself as particularly devilish. Rather the opposite in fact
- simply a tall, not terribly attractive
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Bill Bryson`s first travel book opened with the immortal line, `I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.` In this deeply funny & personal memoir, he travels back in time to explore the ordinary kid he once was, in the curious world of 1950s Middle America. It was a happy time, when almost everything was good for you, including DDT, cigarettes & nuclear fallout. This is a book about one boy`s growing up. But in Bryson`s hands, it becomes everyone`s story, one that will speak volumes
- especially to anyone who has ever been young.
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One night in St Petersburg, two men meet, both adrift in the brash new Russia: Shutov, a writer visiting after years of exile in Paris, & Volsky, an elderly survivor of the Siege of Leningrad & Stalin`s purges. His life story
- one of extreme suffering, courage & an extraordinary love
- he considers unremarkable. To Shutov it is a revelation, the tale of an unsung hero that puts everything into perspective & suggests where true happiness lies.

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