Arthur Simpson
- ` British to the core`, but without a passport to prove it
- lives in Athens, scraping by as a driver, journalist

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FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MOTHERING SUNDAY & LAST ORDERS, & reissued for the first time on the Scribner list, The Light of Day is both a gripping crime story & a remarkable love story. On a cold but dazzling November morning George Webb, a former policeman turned private detective, prepares to visit Sarah, a prisoner & the woman he loves. As he goes about the business of the day he relives the catastrophic events of two years ago that have both bound them together & kept them apart. Making atmospheric use of its suburban setting & shot through with a plain man`s unwitting poetry & rueful humour, The Light of Day is a powerful & moving tale of murder, redemption & of the discovery, for better or worse, of the hidden forces inside us. Praise for Mothering Sunday:` Bathed in light; & even when tragedy strikes, it blazes irresistibly... Swift`s small fiction feels like a masterpiece` Guardian ` Alive with sensuousness & sensuality.. . wonderfully accomplished, it is an achievement` Sunday Times ` From start to finish Swift`s is a novel of stylish brilliance & quiet narrative verve. The archly modulated, precise prose (a hybrid of Henry Green & Kazuo Ishiguro) is a glory to read. Now 66, Swift is a writer at the very top of his game` Evening Standard ` Mothering Sunday is a powerful, philosophical & exquisitely observed novel about the lives we lead, & the parallel lives
- the parallel stories
- we can never know.. . It may just be Swift`s best novel yet` Observer

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From the bestselling author of THE WEIRD SISTERS comes an enchanting tale of self-discovery that will strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt they`ve lost their way. `I adored The Light of Paris. It`s so lovely & big-hearted` JOJO MOYES ` Soulfulness & emotional insight meet laugh-out-loud humour` PAULA Mc LAIN, author of The Paris Wife Chicago, 1999. Madeleine is trapped
- by her family`s expectations, by her controlling husband
- in an unhappy marriage & a life she never wanted. But when she finds a diary detailing her grandmother Margie`s trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets a woman she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict family & spent a summer living on her own, & falling for a charismatic artist. When Madeleine`s marriage is threatened, she escapes to her hometown to stay with her disapproving mother. Shaken by the revelation of a family secret & inspired by her grandmother`s bravery, Madeleine creates her own summer of joy. In reconnecting with her love of painting & cultivating a new circle of friends, the chance of a new life emerges
- but will she be bold enough take it?


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First published in 1985 by Moorland Press, The Light Railways of Britain & Ireland has remained unavailable for more than twenty-five years, until now. Re-released by Pen & Sword, this is a thorough & engaging book that covers, in depth, the fascinating story of Britain`s last railway development, the Rural light railways, constructed as a result of the Light Railways Act 1896. Rigorously detailed, it charts the overall history of the last great railway boom in Britain
- the light railway boom
- from 1896, to the beginning of the Great War in 1914. During this period a large number of narrow & standard gauge lines were constructed in both Britain & Irel&, in order to serve & open up areas in both countries that, at the time, lacked adequate transport links. This book tells the story of how these lines were constructed & why, in most cases, they eventually failed, due to post-First World War road competition. Authored by two highly acclaimed writers of transport history, this is a true testament to, & a timely reminder of, Britain`s last railway development.

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The Man Booker-shortlisted The Lighthouse begins on a North Sea ferry. The recently-separated middle-aged Futh stands on the blustery deck en route to Germany ahead of a rejuvenating walking holiday. His break begins in Hellhaus at a modest, family-run hotel. The landlady is hospitable & pleasant
- but Futh is perplexed by the outward hostility of the hotel barman. Forgetting about him, Futh begins his week-long circular walk of the Rhine & some much-needed contemplation regarding his parents` failed marriage, his troublesome friendship with the son of a lonely neighbour & his own broken relationship. But there`s one thing he struggles to come to terms with
- why did Futh`s mother disregard him as a child? There`s also that first trip to Germany with his newly-single father, & that certain something he never got round to doing. On return to the Hellhaus hotel, Futh is totally unaware of what`s gone on while he`s been away. Get your copy now!

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Once there was a lighthouse keeper called Mr. Grinling. At night time he lived in a small white cottage perched high on the cliffs, & in the daytime he rowed out to his lighthouse to clean & polish the light. A fancy dress party is being held to celebrate the lighthouse`s 200th birthday, & the Grinlings are determined to dress up as pirates. But when a real crew of pirates appear, the Grinlings get a big surprise! Are the scurvy pirates all they seem
- or is something fishy going on? The first Lighthouse Keeper story, THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER`S LUNCH, was published over thirty years ago & his adventures have been loved by children ever since. It is now a modern picture book classic.
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Once there was a lighthouse keeper called Mr. Grinling. At night time he lived in a small white cottage perched high on the cliffs, & in the daytime he rowed out to his lighthouse to clean & polish the light. The Lighthouse Inspectors have decided that it`s time for Mr Grinling to retire. But when a stranded whale desperately needs the Grinlings` help, the Lighthouse Inspectors realise that Mr Grinling is still the best man for the job. The first Lighthouse Keeper story, THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER`S LUNCH, was published over thirty years ago & his adventures have been loved by children ever since. It is now a modern picture book classic. ...

The Lighthouse Stevenson is Bella Bathurst`s epic story of Robert Louis Stevenson`s ancestors & the building of the Scottish coastal lighthouses against impossible odds. ` Whenever I smell salt water, I know that I am not far from one of the works of my ancestors, ` wrote Robert Louis Stevenson in 1880. ` When the lights come out at sundown along the shores of Scotl&, I am proud to think they burn more brightly for the genius of my father!` Robert Louis Stevenson was the most famous of the Stevensons, but not by any means the most productive. The Lighthouse Stevensons, all four generations of them, built every lighthouse round Scotl&, were responsible for a slew of inventions in both construction & optics, & achieved feats of engineering in conditions that would be forbidding even today. The same driven energy which Robert Louis Stevenson put into writing, his ancestors put into lighting the darkness of the seas. The Lighthouse Stevensons is a story of high endeavour, beautifully told; indeed, this is one of the most celebrated works of historical biography in recent memory. ...

The Lighthouse Trail in the Sierra Blanca just north of Marbella in a lavishly illustrated bilingual guide from Bio Gea Ediciones, prepared by one of the local residents with many years of hiking experience & extensive knowledge of the region’s flora & fauna. The Lighthouse Trail is a waymarked 5.5-km circuit on the southern slopes of Sierra Blanca, the closest to the Mediterranean of Andalucía’s mountain chains. The guide shows the whole trail on one aerial photo, cross-referencing various points to a route profile, photos & detailed, informative instructions. The introductory section provides general information about the area & its flora & fauna. The accompanying annex has over 200 excellent quality photos of local flowers & plants. All the text is bilingual Spanish/ English. Examples of fauna & flora are identified by their Spanish, English & Latin names. The guide is printed on high quality paper. ...

` To risk my life had to mean something. Otherwise what was it all for?` Gulwali Passarlay was sent away from Afghanistan at the age of twelve, after his father was killed in a gun battle with the US army for hiding Taliban fighters. Smuggled into Iran, Gulwali began a twelve month odyssey across Europe, spending time in prisons, suffering hunger, cruelty, brutality, nearly drowning in a tiny boat on the Mediterranean. Somehow he survived, & made it to Britain, no longer an innocent child but still a boy of twelve. Here in Britain he was fostered, sent to a good school, won a place at a top university, & was chosen to carry the Olympic torch in 2012. He wants to tell his story
- to bring to life the plight of the thousands of men, women & children who risk their lives to leave behind the troubles of their homelands. Many die along the way, some are sent back to face imprisonment & possible death, some survive & make it here, to a country which offers them the chance of a life of freedom & opportunity. One boy`s story is the central story of our times, & this memoir celebrates the triumph of courage & determination over adversity.
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