First published in 1920, The Mad Toy is set in Buenos Aires in the early twentieth century. Feeling the alienation of youth, Silvio Astier`s gang tours neighbourhoods, inflicting waves of petty crime, stealing from homes & shops until the police are forced to intervene. Drifting then from one career & subsequent crime to another, Silvio`s main difficulty is his own intelligence, with which he grapples. Writing in the language of the streets & basing his writings in part on his own experience, with his characters wandering in a modern world, Arlt creates a book that combines realism, humour & anger with detective story. Trailblazing for Boom writers who were to follow him such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez & Isabel Allende, Roberto Arlt is rated as one of the greatest Argentinean writers. Although astronomically famous in South America, Roberto Arlt`s name is still relatively unknown in Anglophone circles, but the rising wave of appreciation of South American literature is bringing him to the fore. ...

If you have ever been asked to `not keep your legs`, offered a `villain roast bighead` for lunch, or even thought of visiting Buckshutem Wildlife Reserve, you will know that the English language is truly in a parlous condition. The Mad World of Sign Language is a compendium of the most inappropriate, confusing, poorly translated & downright bizarre signs from every corner of the globe, as spotted by the readers of the Telegraph whilst on their travels. It seems that few things amuse & appal this eagle-eyed tribe as much as the abuse, misuse, mistranslation & utter mangling of the English language. Here we present an entertaining round-the-world tour of their most egregious & amusing sightings, as collected by the weekly feature Sign Language. The ailing art of signwriting offers a timely warning about the imperilled state of modern English, both here & abroad. What more efficient & hilarious way to make the point? ...

A young woman moves into a Paris apartment & discovers a storage room filled with the belongings of the previous owner, a certain Madeleine who died in her late nineties, & whose treasured possessions nobody seems to want. In an audacious act of journalism driven by personal curiosity & humane tenderness, Clara Beaudoux embarks on The Madeleine Project, documenting what she finds on Twitter with text & photographs, introducing the world to an unsung twentieth-century figure. Along the way, she uncovers a Parisian life indelibly marked by European history. This is a graphic novel for the Twitter age, a true story that encapsulates one woman`s attempt to live a life of love & meaning together with a contemporary quest to prevent that existence from slipping into oblivion. Through it all, The Madeleine Project movingly chronicles, & allows us to reconstruct, intimate memories of a bygone era. Clara Beaudoux is a Paris-based journalist for the France Info news network. The Madeleine Project has been wildly popular in France. You can follow her on Twitter at @ Clarabdx. ...

This is a new translation of Simenon`s tense novel, book fifteen in the new Penguin Maigret series. He recalled his travelling companion`s agitated sleep
- was it really sleep?
- his sighs, & his sobbing. Then the two dangling legs, the patent-leather shoes & h&-knitted socks.. . An insipid face. Glazed eyes. & Maigret was not surprised to see a grey beard eating into his cheeks. A distressed passenger leaps off a night train & vanishes into the woods. Maigret, on his way to a well-earned break in the Dordogne, is soon plunged into the pursuit of a madman, hiding amongst the seemingly respectable citizens of Bergerac. Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels. ” Compelling, remorseless, brilliant”. (John Gray). ” One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.. . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories”. (Guardian). ”A supreme writer.. .unforgettable vividness”. (Independent). Georges Simenon was born in Liege, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels & short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerl&, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.

...

1923 Maria Vittoria is embroidering a sheet for her dowry trunk. Her father has gone to find her a husb&. He`s taken his mule, a photograph & a pack of food: home-made sopressa sausage, cold polenta, a little flask of wine
- no need to take water
- the world is full of water. There are no eligible men in this valley or the next one, & her father will not let her marry just anyone, & now, despite Maria`s years, she is still healthy. Her betrothed will see all that. He`ll be looking for a woman who can do the work. Maria can do the work. Everyone in the contra says that. And the Lord knows Maria will need to be able to work. Fascism blooms as crops ripen, the state craves babies just as the babies cry for food. Maria faces a stony path, but one she will surely climb to the summit. In this sumptuous & elegant novel you will taste the bigoli co l`arna, touch the mulberry leaves cut finer than organdie, & feel the strain of one woman attempting to keep her family safe in the most dangerous of times.

...

The Maghreb
- the region that today encompasses Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia & Libya
- is a region apart within the larger

...

The Magic Faraway Tree is the second story in the Faraway Tree series by the world`s best-loved children`s author, Enid Blyton. When Joe, Beth & Frannie move to a new home, an Enchanted Wood is on their doorstep. & when they discover the Faraway Tree, it proves to be the beginning of many magical adventures! Join them & their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man & Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree. Will it be the Land of Spells, the Land of Treats, or the Land of Do-As-You-Please? Come on an amazing adventure
- there`ll be adventures waiting whatever happens. Enid Blyton`s funny, magical adventure stories have become true classics, loved by millions & still selling thousands of copies every year. She is arguably the most famous children`s author of all time, thanks to series such as The Wishing-Chair, The Faraway Tree, The Mysteries, The Famous Five & The Secret Seven.
...

” This book deserves to be on every child`s bookshelf.” (Junior Design Awards). A deluxe, beautifully-illustrated hardback edition of Enid Blyton`s The Magical Faraway Tree for the 75th anniversary. When Joe, Beth & Frannie climb up to the top of the Faraway Tree, they meet Silky, Moon-Face & the Saucepan Man. Their new friends show them an exciting secret
- how to visit lots of strange & magical lands, where they have many thrilling adventures. Whether they`re exploring the Land of Do-As-You-Please to the Land of Tempers, readers will delight in beautiful, full-colour illustrations from the fantastic Mark Beech. This stunning edition of The Magic Faraway Tree was highly commended in the 2014 Junior Design Awards & shortlisted in the Prima Baby Awards. It is a richly nostalgic offering perfect for bedtime reading. Children aged five & up will fall in love with the Faraway Tree. Look out for the seluxe editions of The Enchanted Wood & Folk of the Faraway Tree. Enid Blyton is arguably the most famous children`s author of all time, thanks to series such as The Wishing-Chair, The Faraway Tree-, The Mysteries, The Famous Five & The Secret Seven. Enid takes her place alongside Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter, & A. A. Milne as one of Britain`s true heritage children`s authors. ” Her books were terrific page-turners in the way no others were”. (Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse).
...

The Magic Faraway Tree Collection contains all three much-loved books in the Faraway Tree series by the world`s best-loved children`s author, Enid Blyton. When Joe, Beth & Frannie move to a new home, an Enchanted Wood is on their doorstep. & when they discover the Faraway Tree, it proves to be the beginning of many magical adventures! Join them & their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man & Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree. Will it be the Land of Spells, the Land of Treats, or the Land of Do-As-You-Please? Come on an amazing adventure
- there`ll be adventures waiting whatever happens. Enid Blyton`s funny, magical adventure stories have become true classics, loved by millions & still selling thousands of copies every year. She is arguably the most famous children`s author of all time, thanks to series such as The Wishing-Chair, The Faraway Tree-, The Mysteries, The Famous Five & The Secret Seven.
...

”A true genius... Roald Dahl is my hero.” (David Walliams). Phizz-whizzing new branding for the world`s No.1 storyteller, Roald Dahl! Exciting, bold & instantly recognizable with Quentin Blake`s inimitable artwork. Every Saturday morning the Greg family goes off to shoot animals & birds. But the girl who lives next door hates hunting. Now it`s made her so angry she`s Put the Magic Finger on Them All. & very strange things have begun to happen... And now you can listen to The Magic Finger (with the Minpins) & other Roald Dahl audiobooks read by some very famous voices, including Kate Winslet, David Walliams & Steven Fry
- plus there are added squelchy sound effects from Pinewood Studios! Also look out for new Roald Dahl apps in the App store & Google Play- including the disgusting Twit or Miss! & House of Twits inspired by the revolting Twits.
...