The Quincunx is an epic Dickensian-like mystery novel set in 19th century Engl&, & concerns the varying fortunes of young John Huffam & his mother. A thrilling complex plot is made more intriguing by the unreliable narrator of the book
- how much can we believe of what he says? First published in 1989, The Quincunx was a surprise bestseller & began a trend for pastiche Victorian novels. It remains one of the best.
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The Quincy 23cm (9”) desktop globe is a sophisticated & charming antique-style raised-relief globe mounted atop a luxurious ...

A tiny little gem of a book, only 7 x 8.5cm but 2cm thick, “ The"able Winston Churchill: A Collection of Wit & Wisdom” contains many of Churchill’s inspirational"es & excerpts from some of his most famous speeches. Arranged by subjects; life, war, his contemporaries, etc, each"e is presented on its own page, although it seems a pity not to have them dated. But the book does give the dates of the longer extracts from selected speeches, including his first one as a Prime Minister & the famous “ Iron Curtain” one in Fulton Missouri. Well chosen black & white photos add quality to this lovely book. ...

The Qur`an has spoken to Muslims for over one thousand years; it is seen as law-maker, moral code, & the word of God. Drawing on both contemporary & ancient sources, Esack outlines the key themes & explains the historical & cultural context of this unique work whilst examining its content, language & style, & the variety of approaches, including fundamentalist, feminist, & modernist, that have been used to interpret it. Other areas covered include: the Qu`ran as evocative oral experience; understanding & interpreting the Qu`ran; the major themes of the Qu`ran, including such issues as truth, justice & gender relations. ...

A highly contagious book virus, a literary society & a Snow Queen-like disappearing author ` She came to realise that under one reality there`s always another. & another one under that.` Only very special people are chosen by children`s author Laura White to join ` The Society`, an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: Ella, literature teacher & possessor of beautifully curving lips. But soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual, ` The Game`? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura`s winter party, in a whirlwind of snow? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, disturbing secrets that had been buried come to light... In this chilling, darkly funny novel, the uncanny brushes up against the everyday in the most beguiling & unexpected of ways. ...

Cycling Book of the Year
- Cross British Sports Book Awards When the ` Iron Curtain` descended across Europe, Dieter Wiedemann
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The timeless classic tale of how the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac were chosen (and why there is no cat). A long time ago in ancient China, the Jade emperor, ruler of heaven & earth, proclaimed a great race: the first twelve animals to cross the river would each have a year named after them
- & be immortalized in the Chinese Zodiac. The animals lined up along the shore, eager to begin. Some chose to race honestly; others were more devious. Some helped their friends along the way; others raced alone. Some were distracted; others focused with all their might on winning. But there were thirteen animals racing for only twelve places. Who would come first? & who would miss out?

Includes:: an annotated list of the Zodiac signs (with associated birth years) so readers can look up their own sign
- & find out what they're like! It is a fast-paced, deceptively simple story
- with a light-hearted (but eternal) life lesson on every page. Say goodbye to Western star signs: the Chinese Zodiac is the new (OK, ancient) black.




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This book is a dramatic true adventure. It is the first book-length account of Laing`s expedition. It appeals to readers of travel, exploration, & adventure writing & was extracted in the travel section of national newspaper eg ”FT”. This is the incredible true story of Alexander Gordon Laing & the race to discover Timbuktu during the early part of the 19th century
- a time when the African continent was still largely uncharted. In the first decades of 19th century, no place burned more brightly in the imagination of European geographers & fortune hunters, than the lost city of Timbuktu. Like the mythical city of El Dorado, the very real Timbuktu held the promise of wealth & fame. Whoever got there first was guaranteed worldwide renown. Yet, though many had tried, no European explorer had been there & returned since the Middle Ages. In 1824, the French Geographical Society offered a cash prize for the first expedition from any nation to return from Timbuktu. The British, unwilling to depend on the fate of one explorer, sent several ” African travelers” on their way.” The Race for Timbuktu” focuses on two of these men: Alexander Gordon Laing, the book`s protagonist & ”voice, ” & Hugh Clapperton, the man who would become his greatest rival. The book follows Laing & Clapperton on their arduous journeys across the unforgiving Sahara, in constant battle against the elements, illness, attack, & time, to be the first white man to reach the fabled gates of Timbuktu. The story of their expeditions also serves as a narrative history of the European colonization of Africa, the ” Great Scramble” that resulted in nearly every square yard of Africa occupied by European nations. ” The Race for Timbuktu” offers a close personal look at the extraordinary people & pivotal events of 19th century African exploration that changed the course of history & the shape of the modern world.
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When Emma O` Reilly joined the US Postal cycling team in 1996, she could have had no idea how she would become a central figure in the biggest doping scandal in sporting history. Yet when Lance Armstrong, starting his comeback from cancer, signed for US Postal, it was Emma, the only woman on the team, who became his personal soigneur. This is the definitive inside story of that time, & of the enormous repercussions that resonate to this day for Emma, Lance & the whole sport. Emma had the strength to break cycling`s omerta by speaking out against the culture of doping. She thought she would be one of many whistleblowers, doing what she believed was right. Isolated & shunned by the sport she loved, however, her reputation was systematically destroyed. & yet she had the courage to bounce back, & remarkably, to forgive those who made her existence a living hell. This is the ultimate memoir of truth & its many consequences. ...

Clare Balding`s second brilliant adventure for Charlie Bass & her funny family of humans & animals. Life is slowly getting back to normal for Charlie after her reluctant racehorse, Noble Warrior, won the Derby & saved her family from financial ruin. But drama soon returns to Folly Farm when thieves break into the farmyard in the dead of night & kidnap Noble Warrior! With the police baffled & no trace of the prizewinning thoroughbred to be found, Charlie launches her own investigation... ...