Larry Darrell is a young American in search of the absolute. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maugham`s most brillant characters
- his fiancee Isabel, whose choice between love & wealth have lifelong repercussions, & Elliot Templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate American snob. The most ambitious of Maugham`s novels, this is also one in which Maugham himself plays a considerable part as he wanders in & out of the story, to observe his characters struggling with their fates.
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In this unconventional & accessible history, Italian best-seller Alberto Angela literally follows the money to map the reach & power of the Roman Empire. To see a map of the Roman Empire at the height of its territorial expansion is to be struck by its size, stretching from Scotland to Kuwait, from the Sahara to the North Sea. What was life like in the Empire, & how were such diverse peoples & places united under one rule? The Reach of Rome explores these questions through an ingenious lens: the path of a single coin as it changes hands & traverses the vast realms of the empire in the year 115. Admired in his native Italy for his ability to bring history to life through narrative, Alberto Angela opens up the ancient world to readers who have felt intimidated by the category or put off by dry historical tomes. By focusing on aspects of daily life so often overlooked in more academic treatments, The Reach of Rome travels back in time & shows us a world that was perhaps not very different from our own. & by following the path of a coin through the streams of commerce, we can touch every corner of that world & its people, from legionnaires & senators to prostitutes & slaves. Through lively & detailed vignettes all based on archeological & historical evidence, Angela reveals the vast Roman world & its remarkable modernity, & in so doing he reinforces the relevance of the ancient world for a new generation of readers. ...

For 15-year-old Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman in question is Hanna, & before long they embark on a passionate, clandestine love affair which leaves Michael both euphoric & confused. For Hanna is not all she seems. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to realize that the person in the dock is Hanna. The woman he had loved is a criminal. Much about her behaviour during the trial does not make sense. But then suddenly, & terribly, it does
- Hanna is not only obliged to answer for a horrible crime, she is also desperately concealing an even deeper secret.
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An irresistible French sensation
- Mr Penumbra`s 24-hour Bookstore meets Amelie
- The Reader on the 6.27 explores the power

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An irresistible French sensation
- Mr Penumbra`s 24-hour Bookstore meets Amelie
- The Reader on the 6.27 explores the power

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When the paper boat learns that there is such a place as the ocean, he is determinded to go there so he can be a real boat. On his journey he meets all sorts of friends, from the strong little tug boat to the glittering ocean liner. But he also learns that the real ocean is huge & deep & full of dangers. The lyrical text & illustrations of this modern fable create a world of wonder. ...

Who was the real Jane Austen? Overturning the traditional portrait of the author as conventional & genteel, bestseller Paula Byrne`s landmark biography reveals the real woman behind the books. In this new biography, bestselling author Paula Byrne (author of Perdita, Mad World) explores the forces that shaped the interior life of Britain`s most beloved novelist: her father`s religious faith, her mother`s aristocratic pedigree, her eldest brother`s adoption, her other brothers` naval & military experiences, her relatives in the East & West Indies, her cousin who lived through the trauma of the French Revolution, the family`s amateur theatricals, the female novelists she admired, her residence in Bath, her love of the seaside, her travels around England & her long struggle to become a published author. Byrne uses a highly innovative technique whereby each chapter begins from an object that conjures up a key moment or theme in Austen`s life & work-a silhouette, a vellum notebook, a topaz cross, a laptop writing box, a royalty cheque, a bathing machine, & many more. The woman who emerges in this biography is far tougher, more socially & politically aware, & altogether more modern than the conventional picture of `dear Aunt Jane` would allow. Published to coincide with the bicentenary of Pride & Prejudice, this lively & scholarly biography brings Austen dazzlingly into the twenty-first century. ...

An innovative, informative, & entertaining history of Roman Britain told through the lives of individuals in all walks of life The Britain of the Roman Occupation is, in a way, an age that is dark to us. While the main events from 55 BC to AD 410 are little disputed, & the archaeological remains of villas, forts, walls, & cities explain a great deal, we lack a clear sense of individual lives. This book is the first to infuse the story of Britannia with a beating heart, the first to describe in detail who its inhabitants were & their place in our history. A lifelong specialist in Romano-British history, Guy de la Bedoyere is the first to recover the period exclusively as a human experience. He focuses not on military campaigns & imperial politics but on individual, personal stories. Roman Britain is revealed as a place where the ambitious scramble for power & prestige, the devout seek solace & security through religion, men & women eke out existences in a provincial frontier l&. De la Bedoyere introduces Fortunata the slave girl, Emeritus the frustrated centurion, the grieving father Quintus Corellius Fortis, & the brilliant metal worker Boduogenus, among numerous others. Through a wide array of records & artifacts, the author introduces the colorful cast of immigrants who arrived during the Roman era while offering an unusual glimpse of indigenous Britons, until now nearly invisible in histories of Roman Britain. ...

America is the land of the free, the beacon of democracy, & the leader of the world. It is the land of opportunity & a nation of homeowners. Or is it? Packed with maps, graphics, illustrations, & incisive essays, this handy, concise atlas examines the most cherished ideals about American life to see how they measure up to the realities: Who votes for whom? Are Mc Mansions really taking over? Where do soldiers come from? Where are the guns? Is the foreclosure crisis affecting everyone? Where are the uninsured? How are women faring in the Great Recession? Are there any wild open spaces left in America? ...

The cuisine of Indonesia is some of the tastiest & exciting in the world. Yet it is hard to find recipes that are authentically Indonesian. ” The Real Taste of Indonesia” is, as the title suggests, real Indonesian food with a wonderful selection of recipes from the mildly sweet dishes of Java to the spicy kitchen of Sumatra. It is the cuisine of Indonesian families, who celebrate special occasions at home with relatives & friends rather than eating out in restaurants. They will prepare the favourite delicacies of the family: yellow rice, Sumatran rendang or babi guling- a Balinese sucking-pig, grilled over a charcoal fire in local Balinese herbs. This unique collection of recipes has been passed from grandmothers to mothers, to daughters & sons: highly original recipes from all parts of Indonesia. There is a wealth of additional information (such as on the Balinese cuisine, where, through the influence of Hinduism, more pork is eaten than in the rest of this mostly Islamic country)with stunning location photography, stories & culinary tips so you can`t go wrong. ...