First published as four separate novels (Some Do Not…, No More Parades, A Man Could Stand Up, and The Last Post) between 1924 and 1928, Parade’s End explores the world of the English ruling class as it descends into the chaos of war. Christopher Tietjens is an officer from a wealthy family who finds himself torn between his unfaithful socialite wife, Sylvia, and his suffragette mistress, Valentine. A profound portrait of one man’s internal struggles during a time of brutal world conflict, Parade’s End bears out Graham Greene’s prediction that “there is no novelist of this century more likely to live than Ford Madox Ford.”

Grandma, what big TEETH you have! When Little Red Riding Hood sets off through the woods with a basket of goodies for Grandma, who should she run into but a big, bad wicked wolf? The dilly-dallying girl says goodbye thinking that's the last she'll see of him—but she's in for a big surprise. This charming retelling of a timeless favorite is especially designed for reading to young children, with simple language and appealing, amusing illustrations.

This is a stunningly illustrated collection of nursery rhymes by the fantastic Nicola Bayley, renowned illustrator of The Mousehole Cat. This was Nicola's first book and it has been lovingly restored and enlarged in this gorgeous new edition.

After the unprecedented destruction of the Great War, the world longed for a lasting peace. The victors, however, valued vengeance even more than stability and demanded a massive indemnity from Germany in order to keep it from rearming. The results, as eminent historian Norman Stone describes in this authoritative history, were disastrous. In World War Two, Stone provides a remarkably concise account of the deadliest war of human history, showing how the conflict roared to life from the ashes of World War One. Adolf Hitler rode a tide of popular desperation and resentment to power in Germany, promptly making good on his promise to return the nation to its former economic and military strength. He bullied Europe into giving him his way, and in so doing backed the victors of the Great War into a corner. Following the invasion of Poland in 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany—a decision that, Stone argues, was utterly irrational. Yet Hitler had driven the world mad, and the rekindling of European hostilities soon grew to a conflagration that spread across the globe, fanned by political and racial ideologies more poisonous-and weaponry more destructive-than the world had ever seen. With commanding expertise, Stone leads readers through the escalation, climax, and mournful denouement of this sprawling conflict. World War Two is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the twentieth century and its defining struggle.

There is no Light without Darknesse and no Substance without Shaddowe So proclaims Nicholas Dyer, assistant to Sir Christopher Wren and man with a commission to build seven London churches to stand as beacons of the enlightenment. But Dyer plans to conceal a dark secret at the heart of each church — to create a forbidding architecture that will survive for eternity. Two hundred and fifty years later, London detective Nicholas Hawksmoor is investigating a series of gruesome murders on the sites of certain eighteenth-century churches — crimes that make no sense to the modern mind... Penguin Street Art include: Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd; Armadillo by William Boyd; And The Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave; What a Carve Up by Jonathan Coe; Americana by Don DeLillo; Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris; The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid; The Believers by Zoe Heller; How to Be Good by Nick Hornby; and Lights out for the Territory by Iain Sinclair.

With this extraordinary collection of stories — each featuring a bird as a central character — Jane Ray has crafted a special gift for children who love to read and be read to. Ray, an internationally renowned picture book artist, retells and stunningly illustrates a rich variety of tales from around the world. Some, like Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince, are beloved; others, like the charming African myth, Mulungu Paints the Birds, will become new favorites. The writers include the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Edward Lear, and more. Jane's writing style simply glides along, revealing tales of wonder, magic and mystery.

«The inspiration for the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen, #1 «New York Times» bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings to life Margaret Beaufort, heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, who charts her way through treacherous alliances to take control of the English throne. Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her Lancaster house is the true ruler of England, and that she has a great destiny before her. Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York s daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of all time all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and awaits his opportunity to win the greatest prize in all of England. The Red Queen is a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history.»

This collection brings the world of Ancient Egypt to life with tales of journey and discovery. Among the many stories are the great myth of Amen-Ra, who formed all the creatures in the world; the entrancing tale of Isis, who searched the waters for her dead husband Osiris; and the miraculous story of the girl with the rose-red slippers, considered the first-ever Cinderella tale. Entertaining and enchanting, this is a timeless collection of the oldest stories in the world.

«Here are the great stories of the heroic age — Dionysus, Heracles, Theseus, the quest for the Golden Fleece and many more. The story of Ancient Greece is continued in Roger Lancelyn Green's «The Tale of Troy».»

In this witty and accessible guide, author and expert Charles Jennings goes in search of the real Jane Austen. He includes a short biography, gives an overview of her novels, and explores the time period she lived in and the world she inhabited. He also includes Jane’s very own words of advice for the modern life.

Berlin in 1933 is in upheaval. Eleven-year-old Carla von Ulrich struggles to understand the tensions disrupting her family as Hitler strengthens his grip on Germany. Into this turmoil steps her mother's formidable friend and former British MP, Ethel Leckwith, and her student son, Lloyd, who soon learns for himself the brutal reality of Nazism. He also encounters a group of Germans resolved to oppose Hitler — but are they willing to go so far as to betray their country? Such people are closely watched by Volodya, a Russian with a bright future in Red Army Intelligence. The international clash of military power and personal beliefs that ensues will sweep over them all as it rages from Cable Street in London's East End to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, from Spain to Stalingrad, from Dresden to Hiroshima. At Cambridge Lloyd is irresistibly drawn to dazzling American socialite Daisy Peshkov, who represents everything his left-wing family despise. But Daisy is more interested in aristocratic Boy Fitzherbert — amateur pilot, party lover and leading light of the British Union of Fascists. Back in Berlin, Carla worships golden boy Werner from afar. But nothing will work out the way they expect as their lives and the hopes of the world are smashed by the greatest and cruellest war in the history of the human race. Winter of the World is the second novel in Ken Follett's uniquely ambitious and deeply satisfying trilogy 'The Century'. On its own or read in sequence with Fall of Giants and Edge of Eternity, this is a magnificent, spellbinding epic of global conflict and personal drama.

Lina Prokofiev was alone in her Moscow apartment one night when the telephone rang. The caller insisted that she come downstairs to collect a parcel, but when she reached the courtyard she was arrested. Born in Madrid to a Ukrainian soprano and a Spanish tenor, Lina had spent much of her youth in Brooklyn. It was while studying music in New York that she met the young pianist and composer Serge Prokofiev. Although her mother warned her against him, they embarked on a scandalously public relationship. In 1936 the couple was enticed back to the Soviet Union with the promise of artistic and personal freedom. The assurances proved false, and when Serge later abandoned Lina she found herself trapped in the country, struggling to support their two sons through one of the darkest periods in Soviet history. What emerges is not simply the portrait of a famous composer's wife but of a remarkable woman who gave up her career for the brilliant man she married. Unfolding with the intrigue of a spy novel, The Love and Wars of Lina Prokofiev traces this largely untold story, from the moment Lina fell in love with a rising star to her experiences in the Gulag after she received that fateful telephone call.

The extraordinary group of Russian composers who came together in St Petersburg in the 1860s — long known as The Mighty Handful, but, as the moguchaya kuchka, better translated as 'the great little heap' — gave rise to one of the most fascinating and colourful stories in all musical history. Stephen Walsh, author of a major biography of their direct successor, Stravinsky, has written an absorbing account of Musorgsky and his circle — Borodin, Cui, Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov. With little or no musical education they created works of lasting significance — Musorgsky's Boris Godunov, Borodin's Prince Igor and Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade. Written with deep understanding and panache, The Kuchka, is highly engaging and a significant contribution to cultural history.

Get to know the truth about dinosaurs — inside and out — in this zany, irreverent take on the popular prehistoric critters, from the New York Times Best Illustrated creator of How Dogs Really Work. Studying dinosaurs is dangerous work. After all, their sharp teeth and monstrously large appetites would make easy work of anyone within jaw's reach. But our fearless investigator remains undaunted. Alan Snow, known for his previous explorations into the lives of both Santa Claus and dogs, has turned his clever attention to these ancient reptiles. And thanks to his inside look at what makes dinosaurs tick, you'll get the answers to all your prehistoric questions: What color were the dinosaurs? Where did they all go? And just how sharp were their teeth?

The Story of Medicine is a revelatory work of popular social and medical history by one of the finest medical historians in the world. With its humanist appeal and core of scientific knowledge, it is an essential volume (and the perfect gift) for anyone interested in the human condition. Medicine, both as a science and as an art, encompasses some of the greatest of all human achievements. The development of medicine and medical practices — the story of which stretches from ancient times up to the present and includes cultures spread around the globe — is a reflection of our noblest qualities. In a series of accessible, informative essays, medical historian Mary Dobson charts the ways in which we have grappled with, and in many cases overcome, disease and injury over several millennia. Richly illustrated with dazzling art, illustrations, and photographs and written in the most accessible possible language, this volume is filled with numerous sidebars that detail amazing episodes in medical history, landmark events and their legacy, poignant accounts of some of the most harrowing cases, astonishing curiosities, and much more.

«Deck the halls with twirling Santas! Rufus Butler Seder's playful, animated Santa will spread Christmas cheer as readers watch him do the unexpected. Forget sliding down chimneys and putting presents under the tree — this Santa runs with presents, blows bubbles, and unicycles his way through the holiday season. Written in the same playful, rhyming style as the rest of the Scanimation family, Santa! is a perfect read-aloud: «Santa juggles candy canes. Jiggle-wiggle-woosh! Santa twirls on ice skates. Spin-spin-swoosh!» In nine charming scenes, Santa hula-hoops and backflips his way into the hearts of readers of all ages. Experience the magic of Christmas through the enchanting Santa! This is a Scanimation Book.»

The Sacred History is an account of the workings of the supernatural in history. It tells the epic story of angels, from Creation, to Evolution through to the operations of the supernatural in the modern world. This tale of how people and peoples have been helped by angels and other angelic beings is woven into a spellbinding narrative that brings together Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Elijah, Mary and Jesus, Mohammed, Joan of Arc, the angels who helped Hungarian Jews persecuted by the Nazis, and stories from African, Native American and Celtic traditions. Told from the spiritual point of view, The Sacred History relates every betrayal, every change of heart, every twist and turn, everything that looks like a coincidence, every portent, every clue, every defeat, every rescue moments before the prison door clangs shut. This is the angelic version of events.

This is a gloriously witty novel from Sebastian Faulks using P.G. Wodehouse's much-loved characters, Jeeves and Wooster, fully authorised by the Wodehouse estate. Due to a series of extenuating circumstances, Bertie Wooster, recently returned from a very pleasurable sojourn in Cannes, finds himself at the home of Sir Henry Hackwood. Bertie is, of course, familiar with the set-up at a country house. He can always rely on Jeeves, his loyal butler, to have packed the correct number of trousers and is a natural at cocktail hour. But this time, it is Jeeves who can be found in the drawing room, while Bertie finds himself below stairs. As is so often the case, love is the cause of the confusion. You see, Bertie met Georgiana, Georgiana liked Bertie, and the feeling was mutual. Though he could be said to suffer from a reputation for flirtations, it looks as though this is the real deal. However, Georgiana is a ward of Sir Henry Hackwood and, in order to maintain his beloved Melbury Hall, Hackwood has already struck a deal would see Georgiana becoming Mrs Rupert Venables. Meanwhile, Peregrine 'Woody' Beeching is trying to regain the trust of his fiancee Amelia. But why would this necessitate Bertie having to pass himself off as a valet when he has never so much as made a cup of tea? Could it be that every loyal, self-effacing, Kant loving, Jeeves has an ulterior motive? But future happiness is not the only thing at stake: there is a frightfully important cricket match and the loaded question of who one fancies for Ascot. Evoking the sunlit days of a time gone-by, Jeeves And The Wedding Bells is a delightfully witty story of love, reputation and mistaken intentions.