For the record-breaking third time London will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2012. From the inception of Baron Pierre de Courbetin`s crusade to revive the Games of the ancient Greeks, in the 1890s, through the triumphs & disasters of twenty-nine Olympiads, The Daily Telegraph has been there to provide eye-witness accounts of the greatest sporting moments in history with characteristic authority. This comprehensive & colourful review of the summer Olympics takes you back to 1908, the first time London held the Games, with Dorando Pietri`s infamous disqualification in the marathon. Then to Fanny Blankers-Koen & Emil Zatopek lifeting the War-scarred capital in the Austerity Games of 1948. With more recent record-breaking moments from the Olympics of Sydney, Athens & Beijing, this is the perfect scene-setter for the Games` return to London. From Sebastian Coe & Steve Ovett to Jesse Owens & Carl Lewis, Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgrave, Ian Thorpe & Daley Thompson, the tears & the glory of all the heroes & villains from 116 years of Olympic history are collected here in this wonderful anthology of the greatest show on earth. ...

Impress all your friends at the next pub quiz by perfecting your knowledge of everything from history to sport, science & popular entertainment. This fantastic new collection of puzzles provides the perfect solitary entertainment for every quiet moment while allowing you to build a fantastic range of facts on the tip of your tongue. Covering a wide range of topics, these varied & challenging puzzles from Britain`s best-selling quality newspaper will provide hours of amusement for general knowledge & crossword enthusiasts alike. ...

From Ned Beauman, author of the award-winning Boxer, Beetle comes the Man Booker-longlisted The Teleportation Accident. When you're living in 1930s Germany & contending with the rise of the Third Reich, not having sex probably isn't something to be particularly concerned by. Unless you're Egon Loeser, whose lack of luck in the bedroom encourages him to experiment in Parisian absinthe bars & experiential theatres in Berlin. While satisfying his carnal desires, Egon wonders why a charming, handsome & modest chap like himself cannot get laid. But there's a bigger mystery to solve, too
- did a deal with Satan result in the death of his friend, the great Renaissance stage designer Adriano Lavinci? This inventive work of comic fiction spans history, romance & science fiction, managing to cover sex, violence, space & time
- & some not-so-successful ways of dealing with history. Add this to your cart today!

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In the picturesque Spanish village of Guzman, villagers have gathered for centuries in 'the telling room' to share their stories. It was here, in the summer of 2000, that Michael Paterniti listened as Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras spun an odd & compelling tale about a cheese made from an ancient family recipe. Reputed to be among the finest in the world
- one bite could conjure long-lost memories. But then, Ambrosio said, things had gone horribly wrong... Paterniti was hooked. Relocating his young family to Guzman, he is soon sucked into the heart of an unfolding mystery, a blood feud that

Includes:: accusations of betrayal & theft, death threats, & a murder plot. As the village begins to spill its long-held secrets, Paterniti finds himself implicated in the very story he is writing. The Telling Room is as surprising, evocative & wildly entertaining as the world it portrays.


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In the medieval Castilian village of Guzman (population: 80), villagers have gathered for centuries in the `telling room` to share stories & drink the local wine. It was here, in the summer of 2000, that Michael Paterniti found himself listening to a compelling tale about a cheese made from an ancient family recipe that was reputed to be among the finest in the world. Until, Ambrosio said, things had gone horribly wrong. Hooked on the story, Paterniti relocated his young family to the tiny hilltop village to find out more. But like many Spanish villages, Guzman was rife with gossip & old feuds, secret alliances & plotted vengeance & before long Paterniti was sucked into the heart of an unfolding mystery. When he learned that the cheesemaker had apparently plotted to murder his closest friend, the village began to spill its long-held secrets, & Paterniti found himself implicated in ways he never expected... ...

Sifting myth from history, Piers Paul Read reveals the Templars ` the multinational force of warrior monks, in their white tunics with red crosses over chainmail. They were not only unique among Christian institutions but constituted the first uniformed standing army in the western world & became pioneers of international banking. Expropriated by Philip IV of France in 1307, & confessing under torture to blasphemy, heresy & sodomy, the Order was finally suppressed by Pope Clement V in 1312. In a narrative that incorporates the story of the crusades & the many colourful characters who had links with the Templars, Piers Paul Read examines the question of their guilt & identifies their relevance to our own times. `A highly readable & nicely paced book that draws on the lessons of modern historical scholarship while also communicating a sense of narrative excitement & drive` ` Evocative, measured & engaging` Evening Standard ` Magnificent in every way` Mail on Sunday ...

Shorlisted for the Costa Award for First Novel 2010 & a controversial No.1 bestseller in India, The Temple-goers introduces us to a sensational new story-telling talent
- & a shocking new side of Indian society. It tells the story of two young men from very different sides of the tracks: one cast adrift in a world of fashion parties, media moguls & designer labels, the other who reveals to him the city`s hidden & squalid underbelly. But when a body is found floating in the canal & one of them is accused of the murder, some deeply unsettling truths begin to emerge, exposing their friendship & the dark & troubled heart of the city in which they live.
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Honda, a brilliant lawyer & man of reason, is called to Bangkok on legal business, where he is granted an audience with a young Thai princess
- an encounter that radically alters the course of his life. He is convinced she is a reincarnated spirit, & undertakes a long, arduous pilgrimage to the holy places of India, where, in the climatic scene, he encounters her once more, only to have his newfound beliefs shattered & his life bereft of all meaning.
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Because of the boyhood trauma of seeing his mother make love to another man in the presence of his dying father, Mizoguchi becomes a hopeless stutterer. Taunted by his schoolmates, he feels utterly alone untill he becomes an acolyte at a famous temple in Kyoto, where he develops an all-consuming obsession with the temple`s beauty. This powerful story of dedication & sacrifice brings together Mishima`s preoccupations with violence, desire, religion & national history to dazzling effect. ...

Jack Mc Nulty is a `temporary gentleman`, an Irishman whose commission in the British army in the Second World War was never permanent. In 1957, sitting in his lodgings in Accra, he urgently sets out to write his story. He feels he cannot take one step further, or even hardly a breath, without looking back at all that has befallen him. He is an ordinary man, both petty & heroic, but he has seen extraordinary things. He has worked & wandered around the world
- as a soldier, an engineer, a UN observer
- trying to follow his childhood ambition to better himself. & he has had a strange & tumultuous marriage. Mai Kirwan was a great beauty of Sligo in the 1920s, a vivid mind, but an elusive & mysterious figure too. Jack married her, & shared his life with her, but in time she slipped from his grasp. A heart-breaking portrait of one man`s life
- of his demons & his lost love
- The Temporary Gentleman is, ultimately, a novel about Jack`s last bid for freedom, from the savage realities of the past & from himself.



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