Master painter Hans Memling is without peer in the artistic world of fifteenth-century Bruges. But when he falls in love with the Princess Marie, daughter of his powerful patron, the Duke of Burgundy, his life begins to unravel. Made reckless by his passion for Marie, Hans accepts an invitation to visit old allies in London. But there he will find himself plunged into the final stages of the War of the Roses & embroiled in one of the greatest political mysteries of all time. At once a spellbinding historical thriller & a vivid examination of the artistic impulse, The Master of Bruges is an enthralling debut. 'A stunning debut.. . An intelligent & exciting new voice in historical fiction'
- Lancashire Evening Post.
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In The Master of Petersburg, J M Coetzee dares to imagine the life of Dostoevsky. Set in 1869, when Dostoevsky was summoned from Germany to St Petersburg by the sudden death of his stepson, this novel is at once a compelling mystery steeped in the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Russia & a brilliant & courageous meditation on authority & rebellion, art & imagination. Dostoevsky is seen obsessively following his stepson`s ghost, trying to ascertain whether he was a suicide or a murder victim & whether he loved or despised his stepfather. ...

Bestselling author Javier Sierra takes you on a grand tour of the Prado museum in this historical novel that illuminates the fascinating mysteries behind European art-complete with gorgeous, full-colour inserts of artwork by da Vinci, Boticelli, & other master artists. Presented as a fictionalized autobiography, The Master of Pradobegins in Madrid in 1990, when Sierra encounters a mysterious stranger named Luis Fovel within the halls of the Prado. Fovel takes him on a whirlwind tour & promises to uncover startling secrets hidden in the museum`s masterpieces-secrets that open up a whole new world to Sierra. The enigmatic Fovel reveals how a variety of visions, prophesies, conspiracies, & even heresies inspired masters such as Raphael, Titian, Hieronymus Bosch, Botticelli, Brueghel, & El Greco. The secrets they concealed in their paintings are stunning enough to change the way we think about art, uncovering mysteries about historical facts, secret sects, & prophetical theories. It is these secrets that lead Sierra to question his entire understanding of art history & unearth ground-breaking discoveries about European art. At once a captivating novel & a beautifully illustrated reference guide to Madrid`s famed museum, The Master of the Pradois full of insights & intriguing mysteries. Sierra brings historical characters alive in this astounding narrative filled with dazzling surprises that will entrance you as much as the pictures within. ...

The Masterpiece is the tragic story of Claude Lantier, an ambitious & talented young artist from the provinces who has come to conquer Paris & is conquered by the flaws in his own genius. While his boyhood friend Pierre Sandoz becomes a successful novelist, Claude`s originality is mocked at the Salon & turns gradually into a doomed obsession with one great canvas. Life
- in the form of his model & wife Christine & their deformed child Jacques
- is sacrificed on the altar of Art. The Masterpiece is the most autobiographical of the twenty novels in Zola`s Rougon-Macquart series. Set in the 1860s & 1870s, it provides a unique insight into his career as a writer & his relationship with Cezanne, a friend since their schooldays in Aix-en-Provence. It also presents a well-documented account of the turbulent Bohemia world in which the Impressionists came to prominence despit the conservatism of the Academy & the ridicule of the general public. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World`s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford`s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, & much more.

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This collection presents the very best of nature photography, featuring the work of ten of the world`s foremost photographers. From the evocative artistry of Jim Brandenburg & Vincent Munier to the pioneering underwater photography of David Doubilet & Paul Nicklen, these influential artists display many different ways of seeing the natural world. Marvel at Pal Hermansen`s magical use of light & dark, the groundbreaking viewpoints of Frans Lanting, Anup Shah`s intimate portraits, the powerful visual statements of Michael Nichols, Thomas D Mangelsen`s vast, wild landscapes & Christian Ziegler`s gems of wild behaviour. Each portfolio profiles the photographer
- his approach, influences & aims
- & displays ten iconic images that reflect the range of his work. The accompanying captions focus on why the images are special for the photographer as well as telling the stories behind their creation. Revealing the inspiration behind some of the world`s most important nature photographs, this beautiful book will captivate art enthusiasts, photographers & all those with a passion for nature.

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Nellie Dowell was a match factory girl in Victorian London who spent her early years consigned to orphanages & hospitals. Muriel Lester, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, longed to be free of the burden of money & possessions. Together, these unlikely soulmates sought to remake the world according to their own utopian vision of Christ`s teachings. The Match Girl & the Heiress paints an unforgettable portrait of their late-nineteenth-century girlhoods of wealth & want, & their daring twentieth-century experiments in ethical living in a world torn apart by war, imperialism, & industrial capitalism. In this captivating book, Seth Koven chronicles how each traveled the globe--Nellie as a spinster proletarian laborer, Muriel as a well-heeled tourist & revered Christian peacemaker, anticolonial activist, & humanitarian. Koven vividly describes how their lives crossed in the slums of East London, where they inaugurated a grassroots revolution that took the Sermon on the Mount as a guide to achieving economic & social justice for the dispossessed. Koven shows how they devoted themselves to Kingsley Hall--Gandhi`s London home in 1931 & Britain`s first ”people`s house” founded on the Christian principles of social sharing, pacifism, & reconciliation--and sheds light on the intimacies & inequalities of their loving yet complicated relationship. The Match Girl & the Heiress probes the inner lives of these two extraordinary women against the panoramic backdrop of shop-floor labor politics, global capitalism, counterculture spirituality, & pacifist feminism to expose the wounds of poverty & neglect that Christian love could never heal. ...

Nellie Dowell was a match factory girl in Victorian London who spent her early years consigned to orphanages & hospitals. Muriel Lester, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, longed to be free of the burden of money & possessions. Together, these unlikely soulmates sought to remake the world according to their own utopian vision of Christ`s teachings. The Match Girl & the Heiress paints an unforgettable portrait of their late-nineteenth-century girlhoods of wealth & want, & their daring twentieth-century experiments in ethical living in a world torn apart by war, imperialism, & industrial capitalism. In this captivating book, Seth Koven chronicles how each traveled the globe--Nellie as a spinster proletarian laborer, Muriel as a well-heeled tourist & revered Christian peacemaker, anticolonial activist, & humanitarian. Koven vividly describes how their lives crossed in the slums of East London, where they inaugurated a grassroots revolution that took the Sermon on the Mount as a guide to achieving economic & social justice for the dispossessed. Koven shows how they devoted themselves to Kingsley Hall--Gandhi`s London home in 1931 & Britain`s first ”people`s house” founded on the Christian principles of social sharing, pacifism, & reconciliation--and sheds light on the intimacies & inequalities of their loving yet complicated relationship. The Match Girl & the Heiress probes the inner lives of these two extraordinary women against the panoramic backdrop of shop-floor labor politics, global capitalism, counterculture spirituality, & pacifist feminism to expose the wounds of poverty & neglect that Christian love could never heal. ...

` Agatha Christie for kids`
- the fourth in a detective agency series brimming with mystery & magic by million-copy-selling author,
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Uprooted from war-torn London, Alda Lucie-Brown & her three daughters start a new life at Pine Cottage in rural Sussex. Unsuited to a quiet life, Alda attempts to orchestrate
- with varying degrees of success
- the love affairs of her neighbours. Her unwilling subjects include an Italian POW, a Communist field-h&, a battery-chicken farmer & her intelligent friend Jean.

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Bird courtship & display can be one of the most captivating events in the natural world. This attractive & informative book looks at natural selection & why birds have evolved different reproduction strategies, examining territories, birdsong, displays & dealing with rivals. It also looks at different bird lifestyles, including monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, promiscuity & communal arrangements, as well as the importance of plumage, including why males are usually brighter & how special plumage features have evolved.” The Mating Lives of Birds” then focuses on some of the most spectacular bird displays, including Bittern (`booming`, territorial & mating call); superb Lyrebird (amazing tail feathers, posture display in special arena); grouse (leks, special calls, plumage features); Golden Eagle (pendulum flight with both male & female); cranes (dancing displays); Ruddy Duck (drumming noises, bubbling effects); puffins (bill colours change for breeding season); egrets (elaborate display plumes); frigatebirds (inflatable throat-pouch display), birds-of-paradise (outrageous plumage, hanging displays, vocalization); Ruff (special breeding plumage, `jousting` between males at leks) & phalaropes (role reversal, female brighter & proactive in display). This evocatively written & richly illustrated title will be an essential addition to the library of any keen birdwatcher. ...