In the year of the Great Conjunction, the streets of London are abuzz with predictions of horrific events to come, possibly even the death of Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth calls upon her personal astrologer, John Dee, and Giordano Bruno to solve the mystery behind the deaths of several of her maids as rumors of black magic abound.

This is a Peabody Award-winning guide to what's happening in pop culture and the arts, Studio 360 is produced by Public Radio International and WNYC. Hosted by novelist and journalist Kurt Andersen, the show is broadcast on 140 stations, and is heard by 500,000 listeners each week. For ten years, Studio 360 has probed the depths of creativity with influential figures from diverse fields who are shaping contemporary culture. Now, Studio 360 creator Julie Burstein takes the experience further, tracing the roots of the creative process with some the inventive thinkers and creative talents who have appeared on Studio 360 over the past 10 years-novelists Joyce Carol Oates and Isabel Allende; directors Ang Lee, David Milch and Mira Nair; musicians Rosanne Cash, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Plant, and Joshua Redman; artists Chuck Close and Richard Serra-and others. In Spark, Burstein pulls back the curtain to reveal sources of inspiration for these creators, and explores the strategies they employ to bring their work into being. Each chapter considers a particularly resonant facet of life from which creative minds draw: childhood adventures, a spouse's deathbed, conflicts with parents, the streets of a beloved hometown, seductive materials, a learning disability, and the natural world. Through Spark's stories about these contemporary alchemists, we, too, can learn how to bring creativity into our lives. These artists may not change lead into gold, Burstein writes, but they lift materials from their familiar contexts, combining, reshaping, transforming them into works of art that change the way we see the world.

«From «chips» and «crumbs» to «spending a penny,» «The Queen's English» is your indispensable guide to surviving and thriving in the tricky byways of the English language, which has shown many a poor soul the way out for little more than twanging a vowel, splitting an infinitive or, crime of all crimes, saying dinner instead of tea. With «The Queen's English» there's no need to become «flummoxed» ever again. This must-have A to Z guide uncovers the quintessential meanings behind more than 100 familiar words and phrases of the distinctively British lexicon, including: By hook or by crook (adv. phrase): It is good to find a phrase in common use that goes back as far as this one, and which appears (though not entirely proven) to link back to England's feudal past. In medieval times when the peasantry were not allowed to cut down trees, they were permitted nonetheless to gather firewood from loose or dead branches which could be obtained using «hook» (bill hook, a traditional cutting tool) or «crook,» a staff with a curved end. No doubt the desperate peasant often exceeded the strict use of these tools, and so the sense is to achieve something by whatever means possible. The first recorded use of the phrase is from the fourteenth century. Gazump (vt.): Usually so proud of their reputation for playing fair, the English have a curious blind spot when it comes to buying and selling houses. To «gazump» is to raise the price of a piece of real estate after the sale has been agreed but before the contract is signed, usually on the pretext that the owner has received a higher offer elsewhere. The original buyer is then forced to raise their offer or the property goes to the higher bidder. This unethical but not illegal practice appeared first with the spelling «gazoomph» and was derived from an older and more general term «gazumph» (or gezumph) for the various kinds of swindling that go on at dishonest auctions.In a nutshell (adv. phrase): «Oh God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a King of infinite space...» cries Hamlet in Shakespeare's tragic play. But the meaning of the expression, namely, to put much into a small space, goes way back to classical times, to Pliny's «Natural History» where he writes: «Cicero records that a parchment copy of Homer's poem «The Iliad» was enclosed in a nutshell («in nuce»).» In Shakespeare's own time, a Bible is said to have been produced that could fit into a nutshell, and that curiosity may have come to the playwright's notice.People like us (np.): Often abbreviated to PLU, this phrase is used by those of a certain social class to approve of others as acceptable by birth and station, and originates in the 1940s milieu typified by the artistic, wayward, and eccentric Mitford sisters, daughters of the second Baron Redesdale. We get a flavor of the attitude where Nancy Mitford, in a letter to her sister Jessica (August 28, 1957), declared that «People Like Us are never killed in earthquakes...» Nancy refined the art of social class distinctions in her book «Noblesse Oblige» with a list of subtle differences in vocabulary first defined as U (upper class) and non-U (aspriring middle class) by the sociolinguist Alan Ross in 1954. So if you ever wanted to know what it means to be a «meat-and-potatoes man», a «lame duck,» or to be in a «pretty pickle», stop «umming and erring» and read this fascinating collection «straightaway.»

Nearly twenty years ago, when a conductor was poisoned and the Questura sent a man to investigate, readers first met Commissario Guido Brunetti. Since 1992's Death at La Fenice, Donna Leon and her shrewd, sophisticated, and compassionate investigator have been delighting readers around the world. For her millions of fans, Leon's novels have opened a window into the private Venice of her citizens, a world of incomparable beauty, family intimacy, shocking crime, and insidious corruption. This internationally acclaimed, bestselling series is widely considered one of the best ever written, and Atlantic Monthly Press is thrilled to be publishing the twentieth installment, Drawing Conclusions, this spring. Late one night, Brunetti is called away from dinner to investigate the death of a widow in her modest apartment. Though there are some signs of a struggle, the medical examiner rules that she died of a heart attack. It seems there is nothing for Brunetti to investigate. But he can't shake the feeling that something or someone may have triggered her heart attack, that perhaps the woman was threatened. Conversations with the woman's son, her upstairs neighbor, and the nun in charge of the old-age home where she volunteered, do little to satisfy Brunetti's nagging curiosity. With the help of Inspector Vianello and the ever-resourceful Signorina Elettra, perhaps Brunetti can get to the truth and find some measure of justice. Insightful and emotionally powerful, Drawing Conclusions reaffirms Donna Leon's status as one of the masters of literary crime fiction.

«Capturing the unbelievable scope of Shakespeare's influence, this book covers the little-known details of Shakespeare's life along with the surprising legacy of the language and phrases inherited from his works. Organized for easy reference, sections include: Shakespeare's Life Who was this man — the playwright, the lover, the family man? Words and Phrases Owed to Shakespeare Did you know we have Shakespeare to thank for words such as «bandit,» «fashionable,» and «moonbeam» and the phrases «in my mind's eye,» «in my heart of hearts,» and «to thine own self be true»? His Theater and Plays Synopses of the most famous of his plays Character Glossary All the most memorable, infamous, and beloved characters from Shakespeare's collective works, including Beatrice, Julius Caesar, Ariel, Falstaff, Cleopatra, Othello, and Horatio Index of Famous Lines «Better a witty fool than a foolish wit» from «Twelfth Night» and «Tempt not a desperate man» from «Romeo and Juliet» Whether you're planning an appearance on Jeopardy or simply want to become a more interesting conversationalist, «I Used to Know That: Shakespeare» will provide you with hours of entertainment.»

We know that little girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, but there are many reasons why having a baby girl is so special. In The Little Book of Girls parents find out why it's great to have a daughter. Complete with the best poems, movies, songs, books, interesting tidbits and facts about girls, The Little Book of Girls helps parents celebrate their little bundle of joy.

Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle delighted readers with the fictional genius detective, Sherlock Holmes, crime fiction has been plumbed by mystery writers everywhere. This volume of 12 stories spans crime from the Bronze Age to World War II, and will appeal to the current readers of The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures and Best British Mysteries.

The definitive collection of the king of gonzo journalism’s finest work for ROLLING STONE “Buy the ticket, take the ride,” was a favorite slogan of Hunter S. Thompson, and it pretty much defined both his work and his life. Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone showcases the roller-coaster of a career at the magazine that was his literary home. Jann S. Wenner, the outlaw journalist’s friend and editor for nearly thirty-five years, has assembled articles that begin with Thompson’s infamous run for sheriff of Aspen on the Freak Party ticket in 1970 and end with his final piece on the Bush-Kerry showdown of 2004. In between is Thompson’s remarkable coverage of the 1972 presidential campaign—a miracle of journalism under pressure—and plenty of attention paid to Richard Nixon, his bête noire; encounters with Muhammad Ali, Bill Clinton, and the Super Bowl; and a lengthy excerpt from his acknowledged masterpiece, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Woven throughout is selected correspondence between Wenner and Thompson, most of it never before published. It traces the evolution of a personal and professional relationship that helped redefine modern American journalism, and also presents Thompson through a new prism as he pursued his lifelong obsession: The life and death of the American Dream.

«From the preeminent Hitler biographer, a fascinating and original exploration of how the Third Reich was willing and able to fight to the bitter end of World War II. Countless books have been written about why Nazi Germany lost World War II, yet remarkably little attention has been paid to the equally vital question of how and why it was able to hold out as long as it did. The Third Reich did not surrender until Germany had been left in ruins and almost completely occupied. Even in the near-apocalyptic final months, when the war was plainly lost, the Nazis refused to sue for peace. Historically, this is extremely rare. Drawing on original testimony from ordinary Germans and arch-Nazis alike, award-winning historian Ian Kershaw explores this fascinating question in a gripping and focused narrative that begins with the failed bomb plot in July 1944 and ends with the German capitulation in May 1945. Hitler, desperate to avoid a repeat of the «disgraceful» German surrender in 1918, was of course critical to the Third Reich's fanatical determination, but his power was sustained only because those below him were unable, or unwilling, to challenge it. Even as the military situation grew increasingly hopeless, Wehrmacht generals fought on, their orders largely obeyed, and the regime continued its ruthless persecution of Jews, prisoners, and foreign workers. Beneath the hail of allied bombing, German society maintained some semblance of normalcy in the very last months of the war. The Berlin Philharmonic even performed on April 12, 1945, less than three weeks before Hitler's suicide. As Kershaw shows, the structure of Hitler's «charismatic rule» created a powerful negative bond between him and the Nazi leadership- they had no future without him, and so their fates were inextricably tied. Terror also helped the Third Reich maintain its grip on power as the regime began to wage war not only on its ideologically defined enemies but also on the German people themselves. Yet even as each month brought fresh horrors for civilians, popular support for the regime remained linked to a patriotic support of Germany and a terrible fear of the enemy closing in.Based on prodigious new research, Kershaw's «The End» is a harrowing yet enthralling portrait of the Third Reich in its last desperate gasps.»

Moscow, 1936, and Stalin's Great Terror is just beginning. In a church, a woman is found dead, her body on display. Captain Alexei Korolev of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Moscow Militia is assigned, but the NKVD is watching and exile is a real possibility. Committed to the case, Korolev enters the realm of the Thieves, rulers of Moscow's underworld. But as more bodies are found, Korolev begins to question whom he can trust and who are the real criminals. With Alexei Korolev, William Ryan has given us one of the most compelling detectives in modern literature, a man who will lead us through a fear-choked Russia to find the only thing that can save him — the truth.

Engineers of the Soul is the riveting story of two journeys — one literal, one imaginary — through contemporary Russia and through Soviet-era literature. Travelling through present and past, Frank Westerman draws the reader into the wild euphoria of the Russian Revolution, as art and reality are bent to radically new purposes. Writers of renown, described by Stalin as 'engineers of the soul', were encouraged to sing the praises of canal and dam construction under titles such as Energy, The Hydraulic Power Station and Onward, Time! But their enthusiasm — spontaneous and idealistic at first — soon becomes an obligatory song of praise. And as these colossal waterworks lead to slavery and destruction, Soviet writers labour on in the service of a deluded totalitarian society. Combining investigative journalism with literary history, Westerman examines both the landscape of 'Oriental despotism' and the books — and lives — of writers caught in the wheels of the system. 'It is easy to die a hero's death,' wrote Konstantin Paustovsky, 'but it is difficult to live a hero's life'. Engineers of the Soul sweeps the reader along to the dramatic denouement: the final confrontation between writers and engineers that signalled the end of the Soviet empire.

Packed with dot-to-dot drawings to help young children with holding a pen correctly while familiarizing themselves with telling the time. Young doodlers can then enjoy joining the dots to draw the hands on the clocks to show the correct time, and move onto completing the clocks themselves.

Young Nour is a North African desert tribesman. It is 1909, and as the First World War looms Nour's tribe — the Blue Men — are forced from their lands by French colonial invaders. Spurred on by thirst, hunger, suffering, they seek guidance from a great spiritual leader. The holy man sends them even further from home, on an epic journey northward, in the hope of finding a land in which they can again be free. Decades later, an orphaned descendant of the Blue Men — a girl called Lalla — is living in a shantytown on the coast of Morocco. Lalla has inherited both the pride and the resilience of her tribe — and she will need them, as she makes a bid to escape her forced marriage to a wealthy older man. She flees to Marseilles, where she experiences both the hardships of immigrant life — as a hotel maid — and the material prosperity of those who succeed — when she becomes a successful model. And yet Lalla does not betray the legacy of her ancestors. In these two narratives set in counterpoint, Nobel Prize-winning novelist J. M. G. Le Clezio tells — powerfully and movingly — the story of the 'last free men' and of Europe's colonial legacy — a story of war and exile and of the endurance of the human spirit.

Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside-including our hero, Charlie Bucket. With his golden ticket in hand, Charlie is ready for the wildest time of his life! Amazing pop-up visuals, lift-the-flaps, pull tabs, and more bring Roald Dahl's timeless classic to life in a scrumdiddlyumptious new way that's sure to amaze kids of all ages!

Жесткий переплет.

This title includes: Heidi by Johanna Spyri — A little orphan girl is forced to live with her grumpy grandfather in a lonely hut in the Alps, and eventually comes to love her mountain life. What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge: Katy intends to be beautiful and good one day... So when an accident happens, Katy must be brave and hold on to her dreams. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: The story of a noble horse who is cruelly mistreated as he searches to find a new and loving home.

Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, Sherlock Holmes appears in four novels and fifty-six short stories. Although Holmes was not the first literary detective, he continues to have a perennial allure as the ultimate sleuth. As Holmes is being re-introduced to a new audience through TV and film, Cawthorne introduces the general reader to Holmes and his creator Arthur Conan Doyle. He gives a full biography of author as well as his creation, including his resurrection following his unlikely death at the hands of arch enemy, Moriarty. Cawthorne also surveys the world of Holmes, looking at Victorian crime, the real characters behind Dr Watson and Inspector Lestrade, as well as the world on the doorstep of 22b Baker Street.

World War Terminus had left the Earth devastated. Through its ruins, bounty hunter Rick Deckard stalked, in search of the renegade replicants who were his prey. When he wasn't 'retiring' them with his laser weapon, he dreamed of owning a live animal — the ultimate status symbol in a world all but bereft of animal life. Then Rick got his chance: the assignment to kill six Nexus-6 targets, for a huge reward. But in Deckard's world things were never that simple, and his assignment quickly turned into a nightmare kaleidoscope of subterfuge and deceit — and the threat of death for the hunter rather than the hunted...

This title includes: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe — Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an island, totally isolated, until twenty-four years later when he unexpectedly meets another human. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson: Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map and sets off in search of buried treasure. But treacherous Long John Silver has other ideas for the treasure... Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson: David Balfour leaves Scotland to seek his fame and fortune, but upon meeting a mysterious relative, dark family secrets are uncovered.

A love note from a working parent to a child, counting the days of the week — each one a special opportunity to spend time together. One by one, the days of the week roll by. Monday is one day, Tuesday is blue shoes day, and Wednesday is halfway day. When Saturday and Sunday finally come, it's time for little ones and the adults who love them to play, share, and celebrate. Every day of the week offers a special opportunity for families to enjoy being together!