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Showing 121 - 140 of 829 items
By Carol Tully. 2000
The four works collected in this volume reveal the fascinating preoccupations of the German Romantic movement, which revelled in the…
inexplicable, the uncanny and the unknown and, especially, the mysterious world of the fairy tale. Goethe's richly imaginative Fairy Tale (1795) depicts an ethereal underground realm and the marriage of a beautiful man and woman, whose union heralds a new age. In Tieck's Eckbert the Fair (1797) two outsiders seek refuge in the solitude of dark woods to conceal their incestuous passion from the world, while in Fouque's Undine (1811) a water nymph falls in love and acquires a soul, and so discovers the reality of human suffering. And Brentano's Tale of Honest Casper and Fair Annie (1817) portrays the tragedy of a young couple, destroyed by a false sense of honour and pride.By Beroul. 1970
One of the earliest extant versions of the Tristan and Yseut story, Beroul's French manuscript of The Romance of Tristan…
dates back to the middle of the twelfth century. It recounts the legend of Tristan, nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, and the king's Irish wife Yseut, who fall passionately in love after mistakenly drinking a potion. Their illicit romance remains secret for many years, but the relentless suspicion of the king's barons and the fading effects of the magic draught eventually lead to tragedy for the lovers. While Beroul's work emphasizes the impulsive and often brutal behaviour of the characters, its sympathetic depiction of two people struggling against their destiny is one of the most powerful versions of this enduringly popular legend.By Mary Jane Staples. 1991
Are you looking for an engaging novel with a warm sense of humour and loveable characters? Mary Jane Staples has…
provided just that. Perfect for fans of Maggie Ford, Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn.READERS ARE LOVING TWO FOR THREE FARTHINGS'Brilliantly written, I couldn't put it down' - 5 STAR REVIEW'Another well written and observed story' - 5 STAR REVIEW'Another great story by Mary Jane Staples' - 5 STAR REVIEW*********************************************************AS WAR CONTINUES, WILL LOVE BLOOM?Tim Parkes was three when his parents were killed in a train crash and he went to live with his Aunt May. They managed splendidly - and then came the war.When Tim enlists and is posted to Suffolk, he isn't too pleased - Suffolk is Country, not like South London at all. But the City had followed him in the shape of evacuees, and those of them that weren't creating havoc in the Suffolk village were creating havoc in Tim's life.Minnie Beavers - ex-Camberwell - was fifteen, pert, pretty, and wildly in love with Tim. She was determined to marry him the minute she was old enough. Tim was equally determined to escape and find another girl.By the time Tim had gone away to fight and Minnie had joined the WAAF, a great many things had changed in both their lives...By Erskine Childers. 1903
The first modern spy novel and a must-read for espionage junkies and fans of James Bond and John Le Carré.…
When Carruthers receives a letter from his friend Davies suggesting a Baltic sailing trip, the vision of a manned yacht, A1 scenery and excellent duck shooting quickly works its charm. But Carruthers hopes for a holiday are quickly dashed. There has been suspicious German activity along the coast. The Medusa, manned by the sinister Dollman, has already tried to destroy Davies. What are the Germans up to? Nothing less than a plot to invade Britain. And only these two courageous Englishmen can stop them.Published in 1903, The Riddle of the Sands is considered the first modern spy novel.By P. J. Tracy. 2017
Warm your heart this Christmas with this wonderful festive tale from bestselling author P.J. Tracy - perfect for fans of…
It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street.Emil Rice has a silver tongue and sticky fingers, the only problem is that his charm always gets him into trouble and he's never been very good at not getting arrested. Twenty-two times he's been caught and twenty-two times he's sworn never to steal again, but it's on his twenty-third arrest when Emil realises he may have picked up more than he bargained for. Sentenced to community service at a secure mental health facility, Emil is unwillingly befriended by two elderly female patients who believe he is the final part of a big cosmic plan that will change their lives forever... This heartwarming Christmas tale of kindness, friendship and redemption will be perfect for the cold winter nights!By M Valmiki. 2006
Warrior-prince Rama is about to be crowned Young King, when he hears the devastating news that his father, King of…
Ayodhya, has been tricked into banishing him to the forest. His devoted wife Sita insists on accompanying him in exile, but the evil ten-headed lord Ravana has fallen deeply in love with the beautiful princess and steals her away. Aided by Hanuman, mighty captain of the monkeys, Rama sets out across the world to find her and destroy Ravana in a deadly battle. Rama the Steadfast was composed in the oral tradition in about the fifth century BC and has been retold over the generations ever since. With its fantastical characters ranging from monsters to apes, a very human hero and its profound moral purpose, it is one of the greatest of all Indian tales.By Spike Milligan. 1963
DISCOVER PUCKOON, SPIKE MILLIGAN'S CLASSIC SLAPSTICK NOVEL 'Pops with the erratic brilliance of a careless match in a box of…
fireworks' Daily MailIn 1924 the Boundary Commission is tasked with creating the new official division between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State. Through incompetence, dereliction of duty and sheer perversity, the border ends up running through the middle of the small town of Puckoon.Houses are divided from outhouses, husbands separated from wives, bars are cut off from their patrons, churches sundered from graveyards. And in the middle of it all is poor Dan Milligan, our feckless protagonist, who is taunted and manipulated by everyone (including the sadistic author) to try and make some sense of this mess . . .'Bursts at the seams with superb comic characters involved in unbelievably likely troubles on the Irish border' Observer'Our first comic philosopher' Eddie IzzardBy Jesse Byock. 2005
The Prose Edda is the most renowned of all works of Scandinavian literature and our most extensive source for Norse…
mythology. Written in Iceland a century after the close of the Viking Age, it tells ancient stories of the Norse creation epic and recounts the battles that follow as gods, giants, dwarves and elves struggle for survival. It also preserves the oral memory of heroes, warrior kings and queens. In clear prose interspersed with powerful verse, the Edda provides unparalleled insight into the gods' tragic realization that the future holds one final cataclysmic battle, Ragnarok, when the world will be destroyed. These tales from the pagan era have proved to be among the most influential of all myths and legends, inspiring modern works as diverse as Wagner's Ring Cycle and Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.By Janey Louise Jones. 2009
Miss Mallow has decided to put on a musical show to celebrate the opening of the new school hall. Poppy…
and her class are all very excited especially when they get to vote on which show to perform. But things start to go wrong during the auditions when every single child wants the two starring roles! Before long Miss Mallow is at the end of her tether and cancels the show . . .By Kay Woodward. 2008
Experience the thrill of the chase, the terror of the unknown, the brilliance of Cutter and his team in these…
fantastic novelisations from Puffin. Hugely collectable these books will be tracked down by Primeval fans.By Puffin. 2008
Experience the thrill of the chase, the terror of the unknown, the brilliance of Cutter and his team in these…
fantastic novelisations from Puffin. Hugely collectable these books will be tracked down by Primeval fans.By Simon Urban. 2013
October 2011. While West Berlin enjoys all the trappings of capitalism, on the crowded, polluted, Eastern side of the Wall,…
the GDR is facing bankruptcy. The ailing government's only hope lies in economic talks with the West, but then an ally of the GDR’s chairman is found murdered – and all the clues suggest that his killer came from within the Stasi. Detective Martin Wegener is assigned to the case, but, with the future of East Germany hanging over him, Wegener must work with the West German police if he is to find the killer, even if it means investigating the Stasi themselves. It is a journey that will take him from Stasi meeting rooms to secret prisons as he begins to unravel the identity of both victim and killer, and the meaning of the mysterious Plan D.Plan D is a gripping thriller and a thought-provoking alternative history in the vein of Robert Harris’s Fatherland and John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.By Edith Nesbit. 2012
It's startling enough to have a phoenix hatch in your house, but even more startling when it talks and reveals…
that you have a magic carpet on the floor. The vain and ancient bird accompanies the children on a series of adventures through time and space which, magic being what it is, rarely turn out as they were meant...This sequel to Five Children and It continues the magical adventures of siblings Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother.Contains a lovely new introduction by Robin McKinley, bestselling US author of Pegasus.By J. M. Barrie. 2018
The Penguin English Library edition of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. 'All children, except one, grow up.' It was…
Friday night. Mr and Mrs Darling were dining out. Nana had been tied up in the backyard. The poor dog was barking, for she could smell danger. And she was right - this was the night that Peter Pan would take the Darling children on the most breath-taking adventure of their lives, to a place called Neverland, a strange country where the lost boys live and never grow up, a land with mermaids, fairies and pirates - and of course the terrible, evil, Captain Hook. Peter Pan is undoubtedly one of the most famous and best-loved stories for children, an unforgettable, magical fantasy which has been enjoyed by generations.The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.By Sir James Matthew Barrie. 2012
Come Away! Come Away!The Darling children are tucked up in bed when Peter Pan bursts in to their nursery. Peter…
and his mischievous fairy Tinker Bell entice Wendy and her brothers to fly away with them to a magical world called Neverland. There you can swim with mermaids and play all day with the Lost Boys. But you must watch out for pirates, especially Captain Hook. And how do you find Neverland? Second to the right and straight on till morning of course...BACKSTORY: Create your own Peter Pan costume and try building a Wendy House!By Jasper Kent. 2013
The next moment he was upon him, his eyes blazing, his mouth open to reveal his fangs. Osokin began to…
pray, not that he would live but that he would truly die . . .Turkmenistan 1881: the fortress city of Geok Tepe has fallen to the Russians. Beneath its citadel sits a prisoner. He hasn’t moved from his chair for two years. Neither has he felt the sun on his face for more than fifty . . . although for that he is grateful.Into this subterranean gaol marches a Russian officer. He has come for the captive. Not to release him, but to return him to St Petersburg – to deliver him into the hands of an old, old enemy who would visit damnation upon the ruling family of Russia: the great vampire Zmyeevich. But there is another who has escaped Geok Tepe and followed the prisoner. He is not concerned with the fate of the tsar, or Zmyeevich or the officer. All he desires is revenge.And other forces have a part to play. A group of revolutionaries has vowed to bring the dictatorship of Tsar Aleksandr to an end, and with it the entire Romanov dynasty. They call themselves The People’s Will . . .By Jennifer March. 1958
The figures and events of classical myths underpin our culture and the constellations named after them fill the night sky.…
Whether it’s the raging Minotaur trapped in the Cretan labyrinth or the twelve labours of Hercules, Aphrodite’s birth from the waves or Zeus visiting Danae as a shower of gold, the mythology of Greece and Rome is full of unforgettable stories. All the stories of the Greek tragedies – Oedipus, Medea, Antigone – are there; all the events of the Trojan wars and of Odysseus and Aeneas’ epic journeys; the founding of Athens and of Rome… These are the strangest tales of love, war, betrayal and heroism ever told and, while brilliantly retelling them, this book shows how they echo through the works of much later writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Camus and Ted Hughes. Full of attractive illustrations and laid out in eighteen clear chapters (the titles include ‘Dangerous Women’ and ‘Heroes’), Dr Jennifer March has written a fascinating guide to the myths of classical civilization that is as readable as a novel.By Hunter, Norman Hunter. 1970
He's madly sane and cleverly dotty. He's the craziest genius you'll ever meet and he's about to cause havoc in…
Pagwell with his wild inventions . . . The lovable Professor Branestawm, with his five pairs of spectacles and his pockets full of all manner of things, is back!Norman Hunter's irrepressible humour packs every page and the illustrations (by the well-known cartoonist, George Adamson) entirely capture the eccentricity of the Professor and the hilarity of his incredible adventures.By Wolfram Eschenbach. 1980
Composed in the early thirteenth century, Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival is the re-creation and completion of the story left unfinished…
by its initiator Chrétien de Troyes. It follows Parzival from his boyhood and career as a knight in the court of King Arthur to his ultimate achievement as King of the Temple of the Grail, which Wolfram describes as a life-giving Stone. As a knight serving the German nobility in the imperial Hohenstauffen period, the author was uniquely placed to describe the zest and colour of his hero's world, with dazzling depictions of courtly luxury, jousting and adventure. Yet this is not simply a tale of chivalry, but an epic quest for spiritual education, as Parzival must conquer his ignorance and pride and learn humility before he can finally win the Holy Grail.By Robert Dinsdale. 2020
A magical new novel from the acclaimed author of THE TOYMAKERS, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern.'A…
spellbinding tale of nocturnal life and magic in the streets of Paris tells of the courage it takes to be different and follow your dreams.' WATERSTONES'Beautifully captures the hazy dissonance of storytelling and invention.' GUARDIAN______________________________________Every city has its own magic...Every night on their long journey to Paris from their troubled homeland, Levon's grandmother has read to them from a very special book. Called The Nocturne, it is a book full of fairy stories and the heroic adventures of their people who generations before chose to live by starlight.And with every story that Levon's grandmother tells them in their new home, the desire to live as their ancestors did grows. And that is when the magic begins...But not everyone in Paris is won over by the spectacle of Paris-by-Starlight. There are always those that fear the other, the unexplained, the strangers in our midst. How long can the magic of night rub up against the ordinariness of day? How long can two worlds occupy the same streets and squares before there is an outright war?Readers love Paris by Starlight!'Robert Dinsdale, I salute you! A smorgasbord of delights. It's a wondrous thing to be able to visit Paris by Starlight and I'd recommend a trip to you all!''Beautifully written and its observations on human nature are spot on. Exceptionally cleverly done. Exceptionally written piece of fabulism with gorgeous, evocative imagery.''A real treat and just as enchanting as Dinsdale's The Toymakers. Full of magic as well as being a moving tale of displacement, longing and love.'Lovely cover and beautiful prose. I'm about half way through and enjoying every page''A truly magical tale that couldn't be more relevant for our times.''A gorgeously written tale of love and acceptance'