Charting the rise & fall of an ambitious young social climber in a cruel, monarchical society, Stendhal`s ” The Red & the Black” is translated with an introduction & notes by Roger Gard in ” Penguin Classics”. Handsome, ambitious Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble provincial origins. Soon realizing that success can only be achieved by adopting the subtle code of hypocrisy by which society operates, he begins to achieve advancement through deceit & self-interest. His triumphant career takes him into the heart of glamorous Parisian society, along the way conquering the gentle, married Madame de Renal, & the haughty Mathilde. But then Julien commits an unexpected, devastating crime
- & brings about his own downfall. ” The Red & the Black” is a lively, satirical portrayal of French society after Waterloo, riddled with corruption, greed & ennui, & Julien
- the cold exploiter whose Machiavellian campaign is undercut by his own emotions
- is one of the most intriguing characters in European literature. Roger Gard`s fine translation remains faithful to the natural, conversational tone of the original, while his introduction elucidates the complexities of Julien`s character. This edition also contains a chronology, further reading & an appendix on Stendhal`s use of epigraphs. Stendhal (1783-1842) was the pseudonym of Henri Marie Beyle, born & raised in Grenoble. Offered a post in the Ministry of War, from 1800 onwards he followed Napoleon`s campaigns throughout Europe before retiring to Italy. Here, as ` Stendhal`, he began writing on art, music & travel. Though not well-received during his lifetime, his work, including ” The Red & the Black” (1830) & ” The Charterhouse of Parma” (1839), now places him among the pioneers of nineteenth-century literary realism. If you enjoyed ” The Red & the Black”, you may like Guy de Maupassant`s ” Bel-Ami”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”.


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Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, its legacy & the accompanying Russian-American tension continues to loom large. Russia`s access to detailed information on the United States & its allies may not seem so shocking in this day of data clouds & leaks, but long before we had satellite imagery of any neighborhood at a finger`s reach, the amount the Soviet government knew about your family`s city, street, & even your home would astonish you. Revealing how this was possible, The Red Atlas is the never-before-told story of the most comprehensive mapping endeavor in history & the surprising maps that resulted. From 1950 to 1990, the Soviet Army conducted a global topographic mapping program, creating large-scale maps for much of the world that included a diversity of detail that would have supported a full range of military planning. For big cities like New York, DC, & London to towns like Pontiac, MI & Galveston, TX, the Soviets gathered enough information to create street-level maps. What they chose to include on these maps can seem obvious like locations of factories & ports, or more surprising, such as building heights, road widths, & bridge capacities. Some of the detail suggests early satellite technology, while other specifics, like detailed depictions of depths & channels around rivers & harbors, could only have been gained by actual Soviet feet on the ground. The Red Atlas

Includes:: over 350 extracts from these incredible Cold War maps, exploring their provenance & cartographic techniques as well as what they can tell us about their makers & the Soviet initiatives that were going on all around us. A fantastic historical document of an era that sometimes seems less distant, The Red Atlas offers an uncanny view of the world through the eyes of Soviet strategists & spies.

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” The Red Badge of Courage”, written in 1895 by Stephen Crane (1871-1900), is considered by many literary critics to be one of the greatest of all American novels. This is a book about the Civil War, & one Union soldier`s struggle with his inner demons as he prepares for, & fights his first battle. ...

` Destined to be a classic.. .a sharply funny, clear-eyed examination, in the vein of Mary Mc Carthy`s The Group, of the power & burden of privilege, the reality of being a modern woman & the lasting bonds of female friendship.`
- Vanity Fair Can a weekend change your life? Clover, Addison, Mia & Jane were college roommates until their graduation in 1989. Now, twenty years later, their lives are in free fall. Clover, once a securities broker with Lehman Brothers, living the Manhattan dream, is out of a job, newly married & fretting about her chances of having a baby. Addison`s marriage to a novelist with writers` block is as stale as her artistic `career`. Mia`s acting ambitions never got off the ground, & she now stays home with her four children, renovating & acquiring faster than her Hollywood director husband can pay the bills. Jane, once the Paris bureau chief for a newspaper, now the victim of budget cuts, has been blindsided by different sorts of loss. The four friends have kept up with one another via the red book, a class report published every five years, in which alumni write brief updates about their lives. But there`s the story we tell the world, & then there`s the real story, as the classmates arriving at their twentieth reunion with their families, their histories, their dashed dreams & secret longings, will discover over the course of an epoch-ending, score-settling, unforgettable weekend.
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It is 1939. The world stands on the brink of Armageddon. In the Soviet Union, years of revolution, fear & persecution have left the country unprepared to face the onslaught of Nazi Germany. For the coming battles, Stalin has placed his hopes on a 30-ton steel monster, known to its inventors as the T-34 tank & the ' Red Coffin' to those men who will soon be using it. But the design is not yet complete. & when Colonel Nagorski, the weapon's secretive & eccentric architect, is found murdered, Stalin sends for Pekkala, his most trusted investigator. Stalin is convinced that a sinister group calling itself the White Guild, made up of former soldiers of the Tsar, intend to bring about a German invasion before the Red Coffin is ready. While Soviet engineers struggle to complete the design of the tank, Pekkala must track down the White Guild & expose their plans to propel Germany & Russia into conflict. ...

A new edition of Richard Skinner`s classic novel about the life of Mati Hari, released to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of her death, October 2017. When Margaretha Zelle, a young woman living in The Hague, answers a lonely hearts advertisement she becomes drawn into a relationship with an army captain twice her age. After a hasty wedding, they depart for Indonesia, where the marriage collapses amid infidelity & violence. Seeking a new life, Margaretha returns to Europe & travels to Paris, where she adopts the stage name Mata Hari, reinventing herself as an exotic dancer. In her new role she attracts the attention of numerous admirers, many of whom are officers, ready to share their secrets with a woman of notorious allure & intrigue, as Europe lurches towards explosive conflict. ...

THUMP THUMP. The Red Dread is on the loose & Shrew & the other animals are afraid. From stolen nuts to missing rabbits, they whisper of the terrible actions of the Red Dread. As panic increases, logic & team spirit evaporate & soon it`s every creature for itself. Told entirely in dialogue, this quirky read-aloud tale plays out in sly illustrations brimming with brilliant visual humour. ...

Trees Can`t Dance began over 4 years ago at the world`s most northerly chilli farm. Against all conventional horticultural wisdom Dan May began growing chillies in the wilds of Northumberl&. It wasn`t long before Dan had to find something to do with all the produce. Disappointed with the quality of the chilli sauce brands available in the UK, he hit on the idea of filling a gap in the market by producing his own sauces using home-grown ingredients. In this fabulous book, chilli guru Dan shares more than 70 recipes celebrating chillies in all their varieties & strengths. Acquaint yourself with the history of chillies, how to grow them at home & how to identify the key varieties. There are ideas here for every kind of dish: soups & salads; nibbles & sharing plates; mains; side dishes; sauces, salsas & marinades; sweet things & drinks. Mouthwatering recipes include Thai Beef Noodle Soup; Moroccan Spiced Lamb Burgers; Texas Marinated Steak with Stuffed Mushrooms; Sweet Chilli-glazed Ham; Quick Chilli Lime Mayonnaise; three fiery pasta sauces; Chilli Pecan Brownies; & Chilli Hot Chocolate. ...

Try a vintage murder mystery. Far from the gentle slopes of the Hundred Acre Wood lies The Red House, the setting for A. It is a Milne`s only detective story, where secret passages, uninvited guests, a sinister valet & a puzzling murder lay the foundations for a classic crime caper. & when the local police prove baffled, it is up to a guest at a local inn to appoint himself ` Sherlock Holmes` &, together with his friend & loyal ` Watson`, delve deeper into the mysteries of the dead man. The Red House Mystery is a lost gem from a time before Tigger & a perfectly crafted whodunit with witty dialogue, deft plotting & a most curious cast of characters. ...

Bookseller Laurent Letellier comes across an abandoned handbag on a Parisian street, & feels impelled to return it to its owner. The bag contains no money, phone or contact information. But a small red notebook with handwritten thoughts & jottings reveals a person that Laurent would very much like to meet. Without even a name to go on, & only a few of her possessions to help him, how is he to find one woman in a city of millions? ...