Penelope has been waiting for her husband Odysseus to return from Troy for many years. Little does she know that his path back to her has been blocked by astonishing & terrifying trials. Will he overcome the hideous monsters, beautiful witches & treacherous seas that confront him? This rich & beautiful adventure story is one of the most influential works of literature in the world. ...

The first great adventure story in the Western canon, The Odyssey is a poem about violence & the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty & power; about marriage, family & identity; & about travellers, hospitality & the changing meanings of home in a strange world. This vivid new translation-the first by a woman-matches the number of lines in the Greek original, striding at Homer`s sprightly pace. Emily Wilson employs elemental, resonant language & a five-beat line to produce a translation with an enchanting ”rhythm & rumble” that avoids proclaiming its own grandeur. An engrossing tale told in a compelling new voice that allows contemporary readers to luxuriate in Homer`s descriptions & similes & to thrill at the tension & excitement of its hero`s adventures, Wilson recaptures what is ”epic” about this wellspring of world literature. ...

By its evocation of a real or imaged heroic age, its contrasts of character & its variety of adventure, above all by its sheer narrative power, the Odyssey has won & preserved its place among the greatest tales in the world. It tells of Odysseus` adventurous wanderings as he returns from the long war at Troy to his home in the Greek island of Ithaca, where his wife Penelope & his son Telemachus have been waiting for him for twenty years. He meets a one-eyed giant, Polyphemus the Cyclops; he visits the underworld; he faces the terrible monsters Scylla & Charybdis; he extricates himself from the charms of Circe & Calypso. After these & numerous other legendary encounters he finally reaches home, where, disguised as a beggar, he begins to plan revenge on the suitors who have for years been besieging Penelope & feasting on his own meat & wine with insolent impunity. ...

This is the paperback of Walker`s magnificent edition of Homer`s epic story. It is illustrated with lavish full colour pictures & exquisite black & white silhouettes. Homer`s great story is retold with simplicity & style by award-winning children`s writer Gillian Cross, & vividly brought to life in Neil Packer`s stunning illustrations. It charts the ten year epic voyage of Odysseus as he returns from the Trojan War to the island of Ithaca. On his journey he encounters all manner of perils, from the man-eating Cyclops & the evil sorceress Circe, to the deadly lure of the Sirens & the wrath of the sea-god Poseidon. Neil Packer`s striking imagination, & his extraordinary use of colour & dramatic silhouettes, capture the terrors of Odysseus` travels as well as the dangers faced by his wife Penelope & his son Telemachus at home. The illustrations are a perfect complement to Gillian Cross`s beguiling narrative, which transports the reader effortlessly into Homer`s world. It
Includes:: one of the world`s great stories retold by a Carnegie Medal-winning author; over 45 full-colour illustrations; wonderfully evocative black-&-white silhouettes; & hardback featured on publication on National Public Radio`s ” Morning Edition”
- one of America`s furthest reaching radio programmes.

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Homer`s Odyssey is one of the supreme masterpieces of Western literature. Of this much acclaimed translation by Robert Fitzgerald, George Steiner has written, ` Fitzgerald is taking his place beside Chapman & Pope in the unbroken lineage of English Homeric translations...it has an economy & soar of a poet`. Introduced by Seamus Heaney ...

Ibn Battuta was, without doubt, one of the world's truly great travellers. Born in fourteenth-century Morocco, & a contemporary of Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta has left us an account in his own words of his remarkable journeys throughout the Islamic world & beyond: journeys punctuated by adventure & peril, & stretching from his home in Tangiers to Zaytun in faraway China. Whether sojourning in Delhi & the Maldives, wandering through the mazy streets of Cairo & Damascus, or contesting with pirates & shipwreck, the indefatigable Ibn Battuta brings to vivid life a medieval world brimming with marvel & mystery. Carefully observing the great diversity of civilizations which he encountered, Ibn Battuta exhibits an omnivorous interest in such matters as food & drink, religious differences (between Christians, Hindus & Shi'a Muslims), ideas about purity & impurity, disease, women & sex. Recounting the many miracles which its author claims to have experienced personally, his al-rihla or Travelogue is a fascinating mosaic of mysticism & reportage offering a prototype magic realism. David Waines discusses the subtleties of the al-rihla, revealing all the wonders of Ibn Battuta's world to the modern reader. This is a gripping treatment of the life & times of one of history's most daring, & at the same time most human, discoverers. ...

In June 1812, Napoleon begins his invasion of Russia leading the largest army the world has ever seen. But amongst the troops of the Grande Armee is a savage murderer whose bloodlust is not satisfied in battle. When an innocent Polish woman is fatally stabbed, Captain Quentin Margont of the 84th regiment is put in charge of a secret investigation to unmask the perpetrator. Armed with the sole fact that the killer is an officer, Margont knows that he faces a near-impossible task & the greatest challenge of his military career. ...

June 1812. Napoleon begins his invasion of Russia leading the largest army Europe has ever seen. But amongst the troops of the Grande Armee is a savage murderer whose bloodlust is not satisfied in battle. When an innocent Polish woman is brutally stabbed, Captain Quentin Margont of the 84th regiment is put in charge of a secret investigation to unmask the perpetrator. Armed with the sole fact that the killer is an officer, Margont knows that he faces a near-impossible task & the greatest challenge of his military career. ...

The perfect gift for fans of George R. R. Martin`s A SONG OF ICE & FIRE & HBO`s GAME OF THRONES, this one-of-a-kind colouring book features more than forty-five exclusive illustrations! ALL MEN MUST DRAW In a world where weddings are red, fire is green, & debts are paid in gold, countless images leap off the page (or the screen) thanks to the eye-popping intricacy of the vivid settings & details. Now, for the first time, fans of this blockbuster saga can fill in the blanks & marvel as this meticulously imagined universe comes to life, one sword, sigil, & castle at a time. With dozens of stunning original black-&-white illustrations from world-renowned illustrators Yvonne Gilbert, John Howe, Tomislav Tomic, Adam Stower, & Levi Pinfold, this unique collector`s item expands the reach of an international phenomenon with flying colours. ...

When the CIA commissioned a top secret undercover operation in 1953, against the backdrop of the Cold War, they enlisted the help of famous magician John Mulholland to write two manuals on sleight of hand & undercover communication. In 1973 all documents related to the mission were destroyed, Mulholland`s magic manuals were thought to be lost, until recently a single copy of each document was found. This is the first publication to reconstruct John Mulholland`s manual from the original pages. With chapter headings such as Handling of Powders, Surreptitious Removal of Objects & Special Aspects of Deception for Women, working examples & detailed, h&-drawn illustrations, The Official CIA Manual of Trickery & Deception is a fascinating read into a world of wizardry & spycraft. For example, do you know how to use cars for transporting bodies, cigarette papers for surreptitious notes, fake coins to hide poisonous powder? Read on & become an accessory to espionage! ...