Longlisted for the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction `A thrilling & complex book, enlarges our view of Homer.. . There`s something that hits the mark on every page` Claire Tomalin, Books of the Year, New Statesman Where does Homer come from? & why does Homer matter? His epic poems of war & suffering can still speak to us of the role of destiny in life, of cruelty, of humanity & its frailty, but why they do is a mystery. How can we be so intimate with something so distant? ` The Mighty Dead` is a magical journey of discovery across wide stretches of the past, sewn together by some of the oldest stories we have
- the great ancient poems of Homer & their metaphors of life & trouble. In this provocative & enthralling book, Adam Nicolson explains why Homer still matters & how these vital, epic verses
- with their focus on the eternal questions about the individual versus the community, honour & service, love & war
- tell us how we became who we are.


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From the beginning Oliver Walzer is a natural
- at ping-pong. Even with his improvised bat (the Collins Classic edition of Dr Jekyll
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Using a vast amount of data that the British Trust for Ornithology have collected from ringing recoveries, this title presents detailed & up-to-date information on bird migration. Since the ringing programme began in 1909, there have been around half a million recoveries of birds ringed in the UK. The data yielded have enabled the BTO to build up a picture of the movements of around 200 migratory species, & this book presents that information in a clear & concise format. ...

On Thursday 17 August, 1860, wealthy widow Mary Emsley was found dead in her own home, killed by a blow to the back of her head. What followed was a murder case that gripped the nation. A veritable locked room mystery, there were an abundance of suspects, from disgruntled step children concerned about their inheritance & a spurned admirer repeatedly rejected by the widow, to a trusted employee, former police officer & spy, until he was sent to prison for robbery. During the police investigation there were several twists & dramatic discoveries, as suspects sought to incriminate each other & fresh evidence was discovered at the last minute. Eventually, it led to a public trial dominated by surprise revelations & shock witnesses, before culminating with one of the final public executions at Newgate. Years later the case caught the attention of Arthur Conan Doyle, who was convinced that an innocent man had been convicted & executed for the crime. But Conan Doyle was never able to find the real murder. Now, bestselling author Sinclair Mc Kay has solved the case & will reveal it exclusively in The Mile End Murder. ...

`A fascinating book, by turns riveting & unsettling, & wonderfully rich in period detail.` Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday In 1860, a 70 year old widow turned landlady named Mary Emsley was found dead in her own home, killed by a blow to the back of her head. What followed was a murder case that gripped the nation, a veritable locked room mystery which baffled even legendary Sherlock Holmes author, Arthur Conan Doyle. With an abundance of suspects, from disgruntled step children concerned about their inheritance & a spurned admirer repeatedly rejected by the widow, to a trusted employee, former police officer & spy, the case led to a public trial dominated by surprise revelations & shock witnesses, before culminating with one of the final public executions at Newgate. This is the case Conan Doyle couldn`t solve &, after confounding the best detectives for years, has finally be solved by author Sinclair Mc Kay. Discover `whodunit` as the real murderer is revealed for the first time exclusively in this captivating study of a murder case in the nineteenth century, a story never told before. ...

Jocelyn Brooke`s love affair with wild flowers & home-made fireworks began when he was growing up in Kent. But there was one particular flower, especially rare & beautiful, which became an obsession. Over three decades & through two world wars, in the deserts of Libya & the woodlands of Italy, in the chalk downs of Kent, Sussex & Hampshire, he searched continually for his most beloved & elusive Orchis militaris, the military orchid. Jocelyn Brooke blends memoir, botany & satire to recall this lifelong quest. The Military Orchid is a comic masterpiece & became widely revered: Kingsley Amis described Brooke as `brilliant & exciting`, John Betjeman called him `as subtle as the devil`, & to Anthony Powell he was `one of the most interesting & talented` writers to emerge after the Second World War. First published 1948 by The Bodley Head. ...

Semyon is disturbed. He has woken up in the living room with blood on his shirt, an angry wife & no idea where he was the night before. When this happens several mornings in a row, he realises he needs to investigate. After his friend Volodka follows him one night, they discover he`s meeting a tall, blonde woman & accompanying her to her apartment. In the daytime he doesn`t know this woman or where her apartment is &, odder yet, someone is watching Volodka watching Semyon. Meanwhile, there are some strange goings-on in Kiev
- an unemployed sniffer-dog handler makes a dangerous discovery, a single mother is providing breast milk for an unusual recipient & a vengeful cat is on the loose...
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This title is presented with an introduction by Marina Lewycka. Maggie & Tom Tulliver are both willful, passionate children, & their relationship has always been tempestuous. As they grow up together on the banks of the River Floss, Tom`s self-righteous stubbornness & Maggie`s emotional intensity increasingly brings them into conflict, particularly when Maggie`s beauty sparks some ill-fated attachments. George Eliot`s story of a brother & sister bound together by their errors & affections is told here with tenderness, energy & a profound understanding of human nature. ...

Drawing on George Eliot`s own childhood experiences to craft an unforgettable story of first love, sibling rivalry & regret, ” The Mill on the Floss” is edited with an introduction & notes by A.S. Byatt, author of ” Possession”, in ” Penguin Classics”. Brought up at Dorlcote Mill, Maggie Tulliver worships her brother Tom & is desperate to win the approval of her parents, but her passionate, wayward nature & her fierce intelligence bring her into constant conflict with her family. As she reaches adulthood, the clash between their expectations & her desires is painfully played out as she finds herself torn between her relationships with three very different men: her proud & stubborn brother; hunchbacked Tom Wakem, the son of her family`s worst enemy; & the charismatic but dangerous Stephen Guest. With its poignant portrayal of sibling relationships, ” The Mill on the Floss” is considered George Eliot`s most autobiographical novel; it is also one of her most powerful & moving. In this edition, writer & critic A.S. Byatt, author of ” Possession”, provides full explanatory notes & an introduction relating ” The Mill on the Floss” to George Eliot`s own life & times. Mary Ann Evans (1819-80) began her literary career as a translator, & later editor, of the ” Westminster Review”. In 1857, she published ” Scenes of Clerical Life”, the first of eight novels she would publish under the name of ` George Eliot`, including ” The Mill on the Floss”, ” Middlemarch”, & ” Daniel Deronda”. If you enjoyed ” The Mill on the Floss”, you might like Thomas Hardy`s ” Jude the Obscure”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”. ...

The 12th century minaret of Djam is one of Afghanistan`s most celebrated treasures, a magnificent symbol of the powerful Ghorid Empire that once stretched from Iran to India. The second tallest brick minaret in the world, Djam lies in the heart of central Afghanistan`s wild Ghor Province. Surrounded by 2, 000 metre-high mountains & by the remains of what many believe to have been the lost city of Turquoise Mountain
- one of the greatest cities of the Middle Ages
- Djam is, even today, one of the most inaccessible & remote places in Afghanistan. When Freya Stark travelled there, few people in the world had ever laid eyes on it or managed to reach the desolate valley in which it lies. Her journey from Kabul to Kandahar & Herat was difficult & often dangerous but her account shines with humour & is adorned with beautiful descriptions of the land she journeyed through & the people she encountered. A celebrated portrait of Afghanistan & its history, ” The Minaret of Djam” is a poignant reminder that this was once far more than just a country ravaged by war & the political games of the world`s superpowers.

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