A History of Modern Britain confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age, rival idealisms, came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity & self-gratification. In each decade, political leaders think they know what they are doing, but find themselves confounded. Every time, the British people turn out to be stroppier & harder to herd than predicted. Throughout, Britain is a country on the edge
- first of invasion, then of bankruptcy, then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War & later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital & migration now reshaping the world. This history follows all the political & economic stories, but deals too with comedy, cars, the war against homosexuals, Sixties anarchists, oil-men & punks, Margaret Thatcher's wonderful good luck, political lies & the true heroes of British theatre. 'superb, colourful, outspoken, fresh & richly entertaining. Don't miss'
- The Times. ' Lively, full of rich anecdotes & sparkling pen portraits. He has the rare gift of being able to explain complex issues in a few crisp sentences'
- Sunday Telegraph.


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` This book

Includes:: some of the greatest of our poetry. I hope that it adds up to a new way of thinking

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In the early 1980s, London nightlife blossomed & fashion, music & clubbing would never be the same again. The press dubbed these night birds the New Romantics. Graham Smith was at the centre of this creative cult. He designed its record sleeves, cultivated its graphics & captured its characters, taking extraordinary pictures throughout the period, most of which have never been reproduced before. This beautiful book is the first insider account of this uniquely creative time. ...

Part of a series of exciting & luxurious Flame Tree Notebooks. Combining high-quality production with magnificent fine art, ...

Part of a series of exciting & luxurious Flame Tree Notebooks. Combining high-quality production with magnificent fine art, ...

In corners of the globe where fault-lines seethe into bloodshed & civil war, foreign correspondents have, for hundreds of years, been engaged in uncovering the latest news &
- despite obstacles bureaucratic, political, violent
- reporting it by whatever means available. It`s a working life that is difficult, exciting & undeniably glamorous. We Chose to Speak of War & Strife brings us pivotal moments in our history
- from the Crimean War to Vietnam; the siege of Sarajevo to the fall of Baghdad
- through the eyes of those who risked life & limb to witness them first h&, & the astonishing tales of what it took to report them. These stories celebrate an endangered tradition. Where once despatches were trusted to the hands of a willing sea-captain, telegraph operator or stranger in an airport queue prepared to spirit a can of undeveloped film back to London, today the digital realm has transformed the relaying of the news
- even if the work of gathering it in the field has changed little. Weaving the tales of the greats of yesterday & today, such as Martha Gellhorn, Ernest Hemingway, Don Mc Cullin & Marie Colvin, with extraordinary accounts from his own lifetime on the frontlines, this is a deeply personal book from a master of the profession, the most distinguished foreign correspondent of our time.




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YA rising stars Sarah Crossan & Brian Conaghan join forces to break readers` hearts in this contemporary story of star-cross`d lovers. Jess would never have looked twice at Nicu if her friends hadn`t left her in the lurch. Nicu is all big eyes & ill-fitting clothes, eager as a puppy, even when they`re picking up litter in the park for community service. He`s so not her type. Appearances matter to Jess. She`s got a lot to hide. Nicu thinks Jess is beautiful. His dad brought Nicu & his mum here for a better life, but now all they talk about is going back home to find Nicu a wife. The last thing Nicu wants is to get married. He wants to get educated, do better, stay here in Engl&. But his dad`s fists are the most powerful force in Nicu`s life, & in the end, he`ll have to do what his dad wants. As Nicu & Jess get closer, their secrets come to the surface like bruises. The only safe place they have is with each other. But they can`t be together, forever, & stay safe
- can they? An extraordinary, high-impact, high-emotion collaboration between two Carnegie honoured rising stars of YA. Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Malorie Blackman, Rainbow Rowell & John Green.
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LONG-LISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDALReminiscent of the work of Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich, an astonishing collection of intimate wartime testimonies & poetic fragments from a cross-section of Syrians whose lives have been transformed by revolution, war, & flight. Against the backdrop of the wave of demonstrations known as the Arab Spring, in 2011 hundreds of thousands of Syrians took to the streets demanding freedom, democracy & human rights. The government`s ferocious response, & the refusal of the demonstrators to back down, sparked a brutal civil war that over the past five years has escalated into the worst humanitarian catastrophe of our times. Yet despite all the reporting, the video, & the wrenching photography, the stories of ordinary Syrians remain unheard, while the stories told about them have been distorted by broad brush dread & political expediency. This fierce & poignant collection changes that. Based on interviews with hundreds of displaced Syrians conducted over four years across the Middle East & Europe, We Crossed a Bridge & It Trembled is a breathtaking mosaic of first-hand testimonials from the frontlines. Some of the testimonies are several pages long, eloquent narratives that could stand alone as short stories; others are only a few sentences, poetic & aphoristic. Together, they cohere into an unforgettable chronicle that is not only a testament to the power of storytelling but to the strength of those who face darkness with hope, courage, & moral conviction. ...

` Now Susan, ` Mother said, ` And you too, John. No night sailing. No going outside the harbour. & back the day after tomorrow. Promise.` But promises can`t always be kept. Within twenty-four hours John, Susan, Titty & Roger find themselves fighting a night gale in the treacherous waters of the North Sea, adrift & in the main shipping lanes. Suddenly, it`s real adventure & only their sailing skills can help them now. ...

` Like to spend a night in the Goblin?` The Swallows are staying on the Suffolk coast whilst they wait for their father to return home from China. But although the harbour is bursting with bobbing yachts, barges & steamers, this year there`s no chance of any sailing for the landlocked Swallows. That is until they rescue young Jim Brading & his boat the Goblin from a sticky situation & to their delight are recruited as crew members. Mother agrees they can go, on one condition
- they absolutely must not sail out past Beach End Buoy & into the open sea.

Includes:: exclusive content: In the ` Backstory` you can test your knowledge of the book, & learn all about the art of sailing! Vintage Children`s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds & the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from Peter Pan & Alice`s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas & The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.


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