A haunting tale of murder, love and innocence lost set in post-war Tuscany from the award winning author of 'The Whaleboat House'. Behind a villa in the heart of Tuscany lies a Renaissance garden of enchanting beauty. Its grottoes, pagan statues and classical inscriptions seem to have a secret life of their own — and a secret message, too, for those with eyes to read it. Young scholar Adam Strickland is just such a person. Arriving in 1958, he finds the Docci family, their house and the unique garden as seductive as each other. But post-War Italy is still a strange, even dangerous place, and the Doccis have some dark skeletons hidden away which Adam finds himself compelled to investigate. Before this mysterious and beautiful summer ends, Adam will uncover two stories of love, revenge and murder, separated by 400 years! but is another tragedy about to be added to the villa's cursed past?

«Cookie in miniature with your very own Mouse Cookie CD! The Mouse Cookie CD includes: «The Mouse Cookie» This high-energy pop song will make you get up and dance! A reading! Actress Carol Kane reads If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to you. «Wrong Words» This silly song is sure to inspire lots of goofy guesses and giggles. Who Made This Book? Learn some fun facts about Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond. Fill-in-the-Blanks An interactive game led by Carol Kane. Read Along! This reading of the book has turn-the-page beeps so you can read along.»

Happy Birthday! Today is somebody’s birthday, but Mickey can’t figure out whose it is. Could it be Daisy’s? Perhaps he should get her a new hair bow. Maybe it’s Pluto’s, and Mickey can get him a bone. Young readers will have great fun following Mickey on a birthday-themed treasure hunt, peeking below the book’s lift-the-flaps to uncover clues. Happy Birthday! introduces math concepts such as size-order, patterns, and counting, while inviting children to put their imagination and reasoning skills to the test as they follow Mickey on his quest to find the perfect present for the mysterious birthday party.

In the deceiving warmth of earliest October, civil war has come to Green Town, Illinois, an age-old conflict pitting the young against the elderly for control of the clock that ticks their lives ever forward. The graying forces of school board despot Mr. Calvin С. Quartermain have declared total war on thirteen-year-old Douglas Spaulding and his downy-cheeked cohorts. The boys, in turn, plan and execute daring campaigns, matching old Quartermain's experience and cunning with their youthful enthusiasm and devil-may-care determination to hold on forever to childhood's summer. Yet time must ultimately be the victor, as life waits in ambush to assail young Spaulding with its powerful mysteries — the irresistible ascent of manhood, the sweet surrender of a first kiss...

True love, friendship and luck — a warm-hearted novel about where fate can lead you From naughty children to rebellious teenagers, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But just as they're discovering the joys of teenage nights on the town and dating disasters, they're separated. Alex's family moves from Dublin to America — and Alex goes with them. For good. Rosie's lost without her best friend. But on the eve of her departure to join Alex in Boston, Rosie gets news that will change her life forever — and keep her at home in Ireland. Their magical connection sees them through the ups and downs of each other's lives but neither of them knows whether their friendship can really survive the years and miles — as well as new relationships. And at the back of Rosie's mind is whether they were meant to be more than just good friends all along. Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them out of each other’s arms, but when presented with the ultimate opportunity, will they gamble everything — including their friendship — for true love? Destiny, Alex and Rosie discover, is a funny thing and fate isn't quite done with them yet!

«Public Transportation No. 2» features the design of common areas and facilities in the transportation genre. Through richly-detailed, superbly printed color photographs, drawings and descriptive text, this 210-page book profiles leading architects, urban planners, transportation designers and engineers. It illustrates the myriad of ways in which they have solved some of today's most complex transportation challenges. Depicted are their latest and most exciting projects and state-of-the-art vehicles. These include new bus and rail services; underground and surface rapid transit systems; intermodal facilities; subway, train, and bus stations; rail vehicles and buses; the entire landscape of today's successful transportation network.»

8 paperback picture story books featuring the misadventures of the lovable bear from Darkest Peru, contained in a special gift suitcase. Ages: 3-6 yrs.

A novel of confusion and paranoia, love and doubt, fear and hysteria: unsettling, unhinged, provocative and bestially funny, 'Animals' is for human beings everywhere. Keith Ridgway's third novel is a psychological menagerie of confusion, paranoia, searching and love. Narrated by an illustrator who can no longer draw, it tells of the sudden and inexplicable collapse of a private life, and the subsequent stubborn search for a place from which to take stock. We are surrounded here — by unsafe or haunted buildings, by artists and capitalists who flirt with terror, by writers and actresses and the deals they have made with unreality, and by the artificial, utterly constructed, scripted city in which we have agreed to live out a version of living. But there are cracks in the facade, and there are stirrings under the floorboards, and there are animals everywhere you look, if only you'd dare to look for them. Unsettling, unhinged, provocative and richly funny, 'Animals' is for human beings everywhere.

Embark on a journey to the hidden depths of the world`s oceans. Explore the world`s last frontier through breathtaking, unique photographs from the ocean depths amd state-of-the-art maps.

Witty and clever art history-mystery featuring Jonathan Argyll, from the author of the bestselling masterpiece 'An Instance of the Fingerpost'. General Bottando of Rome's Art Theft Squad is in trouble: his theory that a single master criminal, dubbed 'Giotto', is behind a string of major art thefts has aroused the scorn of his arch enemy and rival, the bureaucrat Corrado Argan. He needs a result, and the confession of a dying woman may just provide the vital clue. In pursuit of the elusive Giotto, Bottando's colleague, Flavia di Stefano, sets off hotfoot for Florence, and English art dealer Jonathan Argyll is dispatched to London and then on to rural Norfolk — only to discover a body and a mystery which could lead to the greatest art find of his career!

A celebration of the world's favourite birds, as nominated by birders and conservationists worldwide Birders worldwide were asked to tell us the top 10 favourite birds in their country and why. The responses included contributions from people from major organisations, such as Audubon and BirdLife, as well as bird lovers around the world, and formed the basis for the list of the 100 birds within this book. These include the most glamorous or extraordinary birds from the common to the less well-known: penguins to hummingbirds and toucans to cranes. A quirky design and gift format give this bird book a distinctive edge. Beautiful photos support fascinating text, which explores the cultural associations and conservation stories of our favourite species, and what exactly makes them special.

The gripping inside story of the complex and ambitious Chancellor of the Exchequer — and Prime Minister in waiting. Gordon Brown's arrival at the Treasury in May 1997 was greeted with great excitement — not to mention anticipation. Officials of every rank looked on expectantly to see what miracles the chancellor would work. And so, as Master of the New Era, Brown created relationships across every Whitehall department and extended his influence to every aspect of government. He brought into effect the most important budgetary changes of the past decade: the commitment to Private Finance Initiative, which altered infrastructure from the London Underground to the NHS and state schools; the management of the Inland Revenue; the increase in taxes; and the demise of Britain's pension funds. In this gripping and fully updated biography, reissued to coincide with Brown's assumption of Tony Blair's mantle, best-selling author Tom Bower documents the rise to power of a driven and complex politician, and exposes how the ambitions of the Labour Party's leader-in-waiting will affect the country for decades to come.

Prefabricated and modular homes are essentially buildings whose components are built at a factory, then shipped and assembled on site on a foundation that has been constructed in advance. These homes were once viewed as nothing more than modest, inexpensive shelters, lacking in any design aesthetic and offering only the basics required for habitation. This is no longer the case. Prefab design has emerged as a way for the design — and cost — conscious generation to achieve the dream of home ownership. Today, prefab houses are manufactured to the highest standards of construction and aesthetics. Repetitive, linear configurations once made a prefabricated house easy to spot. Architects are using new construction technologies and materials to create complex designs that make every prefabricated home look custom-designed. Clients are able to choose among a variety of modules to arrive at a home that is uniquely their own. And thanks to the internet, these houses can be ordered from all over the world. European architects have long embraced the notion that prefab design has merits, and many of their designs have inspired many U.S. architectural firms to create distinct lines of modular and prefab housing. Today, new models and designs, like cars, are being introduced on an almost annual basis. Elaborate plans and drawings accompany each project, and the book offers a broad geographical range of homes from the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia.

This volume in the DesingSource series illustrates a number of inspiring pools created by architects, designers, and pool owners from around the world. The varied aesthetics of the pools shown in Pools DesignSource display numerous design ideas and examples for those who wish to create a pool of their own, or enhance their existing pool. These pools — whether simple and minimalist or extravagantly decorated — offer design solutions to create an attractive and personalized pool.

Features various poets and writers who tried their hand at erotic fiction and created classics in the genre. This title offers an introductory essay to each volume, and details the lives of the authors, the social mores of the times, and the publication histories of each book.

From comic illustration Ikari Studio comes the ultimate guide on how to draw manga. The Monster Book of Manga 3: Fairies and Magical Creatures focuses on these figures of wonder. Each illustration is broken down into six stages of creation and is accompanied by step-by-step instructions, taking the artist from an initial black-and-white sketch to final colour piece. Each drawing is also accompanied by practical suggestions, hints, and tips. This monster-size manual is the must-have book for anyone interested in learning how to draw manga, appealing to beginning and advanced artists alike.

«Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course). Oh yeah. And dead. Then there's his sidekick, Stephanie. She's...well, she's a twelve-year-old girl. With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out...»So you won't keep anything from me again?» He put his hand to his chest. «Cross my heart and hope to die.» «Okay then. Though you don't actually have a heart,» she said. «I know.» «And technically, you've already died.» «I know that too.» «Just so we're clear.» Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source — the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard. When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture...Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.»

How far would you go to find yourself? The lyrical, life-affirming new novel from the bestselling author of Private Peaceful There were dozens of us on the ship, all up on deck for the leaving of Liverpool, gulls wheeling and crying over our heads, calling good-bye! That is all I remember of England. When six-year-old orphan Arthur Hobhouse is shipped to Australia after WWII he loses his sister, his country and everything he knows. Overcoming enormous hardships with fellow orphan Marty, Arthur is finally saved by the extraordinary people he meets and by his talent for boat-design and sailing. Now he has built a special boat for his daughter Allie — a solo yacht designed to carry her to England in search of his long-lost sister. Will the threads of Arthur's life finally come together? I was there on the quayside to see Allie take her out for the first time, saw her dancing through the waves, and I knew I'd never built a finer boat.

Michael Morpurgo's inspiring new story of Robbie, a boy in a coma — victim of a car accident. Locked inside his own head, able to hear but not move or speak, Robbie tries to keep himself from slipping ever deeper into unconsciousness. Robbie, football fan and animal lover, runs after his dog Lucky one day when he chases a cat and is hit by a car. Unconscious, Robbie lies in hospital, unable to speak, move or eat. But he can hear; he is aware, even though his family and friends don't know this. Inside his head, we hear Robbie's thoughts; on his Mum and sister, why his parents are separated. His friends and family try desperately to reach him — even Zola, his favourite Chelsea footballer, comes to see him. And still Robbie can't 'wake up'. Until one day, against hospital rules, Dad brings Lucky into the hospital. Can Lucky bring Robbie back to life?

A moving story of a brother, a sister and a swallow, and how all are in some way victims of the horrors of landmines. Olly's brother Matt wants to go and work with children who have been made orphans, through war, in Africa. He wants to be a clown and make them laugh. His mother and sister want him to stay in England and go to university. Hero, a swallow, has a journey to make too. He must fly to Africa for the winter to join all the other swallows. His journey is difficult and fraught with danger. Three separate stories are woven into one powerful and moving novel whose central theme not only exposes the horrors of war and of landmines, but also the endurance of the human spirit.