The Collins Spanish Dictionary & Grammar is an up-to-date dictionary and a user-friendly grammar guide in one handy volume. Colour headwords, cultural notes, and an easy-to-use grammar section make this book ideal for intermediate learners. Collins Spanish Dictionary & Grammar is designed for intermediate learners of Spanish, whether at school, at home, or for business. 80,000 references and 110,000 translations will help those learning Spanish take their language skills to the next level. / This edition of Collins Spanish Dictionary & Grammar has been revised and updated to offer extensive and relevant coverage of today's English and Spanish, with thousands of phrases and examples guiding the user to the most appropriate translation. / A comprehensive grammar guide which presents detailed examples and translations to help users understand Spanish grammar — the perfect complement to the dictionary. / The clear Collins typography gives the text a contemporary feel, and along with the new alphabet tabs, ensures that users find the information they need quickly and easily. Log on to www.collinslanguage.com and access our free online Spanish dictionary. Some of the other titles available in the Collins Spanish dictionary range are Collins Spanish Gem, Collins Spanish Pocket and Collins Spanish Concise Dictionary — giving users all the help they need.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope — a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life ... as only a dog could tell it.

Opening dramatically with the horrors of the 2005 London bombings, this is the profoundly moving story of a country on the brink of civil war and a child's struggle to come to terms with loss. London. On a bright July morning a series of bombs brings the capital to a halt. Simon Swann, a medic from one of the large teaching hospitals, is searching frantically amongst the chaos and the rubble. All around police sirens and ambulances are screaming but Simon does not hear. He is out of breath because he has been running, and he is distraught. But who is he looking for? To find out we have first to go back thirty years to a small island in the Indian Ocean where a little girl named Alice Fonseka is learning to ride a bicycle on the beach. The island is Sri Lanka, and its community is on the brink of civil war. Alice's life is about to change forever. Soon she will have to leave for England, abandoning her beloved grandfather, and accompanied by her mother Sita, a woman broken by a series of terrible events. In London, Alice grows into womanhood. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she has a son. Slowly she fulfils her grandfather's prophecy and becomes an artist. Eventually she finds true love. But London in the twenty-first century is a mass of migration and suspicion. The war on terror has begun and everyone, even Simon Swann, middle class, rational, medic that he is, will be caught up in this war in the most unexpected and terrible way.

Small truths, white lies; the many shades of friendship... The highly anticipated novel from the author of 'Dreams of Water' and 'Somewhere, Home'. The old neighbourhood block in Beirut was home to an ever-changing population as the fighting intensified and lessened. But three people were almost always there.The older Polish woman, Margo, refugee from her past, her country and family after another war, spinning her tales of freedom fighters, itinerant peoples, despair and courage. And Lebanese born and bred Layla, only recently returned from Australia after fleeing the earlier civil war to teach her students again. Palestinian Kamal; refugee, writer and lecturer, whose cherished faith in a free, tolerant, democratic Lebanon has been shattered by difficulties of living there now. Among their friends are older politicians, university friends often visiting from lucrative posts in Europe or the USA, and local political activists. The retaliation raids by Israel and the political aftermath further shatter their community: some flee to the mountains, many leave the country. Some like Layla try to identify more deeply what it is that holds her to this place, why she cannot leave. Nada Awar Jarrar has written a powerful and moving novel, full of character and insight, of joy and tears, which makes us understand how people can stand such daily fear of violence and can continue to have faith in the country of their heart.

The story of a great queen, a woman of enormous courage who made her own rules, and a true survivor. This is the first in a series of early medieval novels by Vanora Bennett, the author of Portrait of an Unknown Woman. 1420, and a young princess is offered in marriage to her country's enemy, her nation's conqueror. She is Catherine of Valois, he is Henry V. She is a princess of the French blood royal, he is the son of the usurper of the English throne. Fresh from battle he claims his bride and the right to the throne of France. Now Catherine must live as queen to a man more comfortable with war than anything else and as the wife of a man determined to destroy her people. Alone and friendless, she finds the only man who can understand what she feels: a young Welshman, Owain Tudor, who is as much adrift among the English as she is. It's a matching of souls but this friendship will turn out to be as dangerous as it is irresistible!

Stunning debut dual timeline novel about a modern day woman tracing the story of her ancestor in 14thC Siena — the real Juliet, who inspired the story of Romeo and Juliet. 'Of all the great love stories ever told, hers is perhaps the most famous. To me, she is the key to my family's fate. To you, she is Juliet.' When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, she is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a precarious journey into the true history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo inspired Shakespeare's unforgettable story. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families who turned medieval Siena upside down, she begins to realize that the notorious curse — 'a plague on both your houses!' Is still at work. It seems that the only one who can save her from her fate is Romeo-but where is he? Spanning centuries, Juliet is an unforgettable adventure that hopes to rewrite the fate of the star-crossed lovers, and reunite them at last.

From one of the greatest comedic writers of a generation comes a story of love, faith and taxidermy. Aged seventeen, two lovers perch precariously on the cusp of adulthood. Timothy Pickering is a budding taxidermist, following in his father's footsteps. Naomi Watts dreams of a career on stage. But one of them is about to drop a bombshell that will quash this burgeoning romance! Ten years later they meet again, this time both on their respective honeymoons — each the epitome of marital bliss. But there's trouble in paradise and old emotions are raised to the surface. Brought together through life's tapestry of events, their two lives continue to interweave. But will destiny unite them ultimately? A novel of great scope that spans a lifetime, explores the timeless appeal of first love, faith and the enduring bond of family.

You had better shove this in the stove, Mark Twain said at the top of an 1865 letter to his brother, 'for I don't want any absurd 'literary remains' and 'unpublished letters of Mark Twain' published after I am planted'. He was joking, of course. But when Mark Twain died in 1910, he left behind the largest collection of personal papers created by any nineteenth-century American author. Here, for the first time in book form, are twenty-four remarkable pieces by the American master — pieces that have been hand picked by Robert Hirst, General Editor of The Mark Twain Project at UC Berkeley. In Jane Austen, Twain wonders if Austen's goal is to make the reader detest her people up to the middle of the book and like them in the rest of the chapters? The Privilege of the Grave offers a powerful statement about the freedom of speech while Happy Memories of the Dental Chair will make you appreciate modern dentistry. In Frank Fuller and My Fist New York Lecture Twain plasters the city with ads to promote his talk at the Cooper Union (he is terrified no one will attend). Later that day, Twain encounters two men gazing at one of his ads. One man says to the other: Who is Mark Twain? The other responds: God Knows — I Don't. Wickedly funny and disarmingly relevant, Who is Mark Twain? shines new light on one of America's most beloved literary icons — a man who was well ahead of his time.

The fastest rising sector of design — this book looks at numerous examples of best practice in green store and retail space design.

Lighting Design Alliance's goal is to design lighting in conjunction with architecture and interiors to create dramatic, memorable spaces. Dynamic environments are achieved by integrating the use of concealed light sources, natural light and decorative fixtures. The careful implementation of a collective design concept throughout every phase of the project guarantees success. This beautifully photographed, 176 page, full-color volume reflects LDA's lighting design philosophy by showcasing their very best work. Featured projects include: LAX Masterplan, The Port of Los Angeles, The Venetian, The Borgata, Atlantis Resort Phase III, The Cheesecake Factory (60+ locations, Endeavor Talent Agency, Warner Music, and Warner Home Video.) This collection is a must for anyone seeking innovative and imaginative solutions to architectural lighting challenges.

These behind-the-scenes, intimate, and unguarded shots, have been unearthed after spending 45 years in a duffel bag of The Rolling Stones' former tour manager, Bob Bonis. Bonis was the US tour manager for The Stones on their first US tour from 1964-1966. This remarkable collection captured a pivotal time in the bands' career as they break new ground in the US. The photos show band members in candid, intimate shots on stage, in rehearsal, in concert, backstage (tuning up, waiting to go on stage and clowning around), dressing and relaxing, on vacations or en route to shows or cities, getting haircuts, bowling, recording in the studio, at press events, and just hanging around being themselves. Fans will see Keith Richards cutting Charlie Watts' hair and Mick Jagger relaxing in front of the television. This title offers groundbreaking, amazingly candid look at some of the 20th centuries biggest icons during their first moments on the world stage.

Paulo Coelho is a worldwide phenomenon. At a time when he is coming up to the fantastic achievement of 100 million copies sold worldwide across all his books, his fans will be delighted with the first ever official biography of Paulo, an in-depth look at his life and work, and what makes him the much-loved author he is today. Paulo's first official biographer, Fernando Morais, provides an exhaustive look at Paulo's fascinating and varied life, taking several years to research his subject, and interviewing everyone who knows Paulo. He weaves together the strands of Paulo's life, revealing the man behind the world-famous writer. Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 1947. Before he became internationally known and a worldwide bestseller, he had to overcome many obstacles. As a teenager, he was subjected to the brutality of electric shock treatment in the psychiatric hospital where his parents, who took his rebelliousness as a sign of madness, interned him three times. As a member of the esoteric underworld, he was put in prison for alleged subversive activities against the Brazilian dictatorship and subjected to physical torture. Later, Paulo joined forces with rock star Raul Seixas and together they composed songs that revolutionized Brazilian rock music. Hippie, journalist, rock star, actor, playwright, theatre director and producer of television programs, this whirlwind life came to an end in 1982, during a trip to Europe. In Dachau and later in Amsterdam, Paulo had a mystical meeting with J, his new mentor, who persuaded him to walk the Road to Santiago de Compostela, a medieval pilgrim's route between France and Spain. In 1986 Paulo walked the Road to Santiago, and it was there that he reconverted to Christianity and found again the faith bequeathed to him by the Jesuit fathers of his school years. He would later describe this experience in his first book, The Pilgrimage. The following year, The Alchemist, established his worldwide reputation. The novel has already achieved the status of a universally admired modern classic. Now, for the first time, discover the true story of the man behind some of the world's most loved books.

Reissued to coincide with THAT OLD ACE IN THE HOLE (Jan 03), the new novel from the Pulitzer-prize winning author of 'The Shipping News'. In 'Accordion Crimes' the hallucinatory power of Proulx's language and the radiance of her sentences confirm her genius. Accordion Crimes is a masterpiece of story-telling that spans a century and a continent. It opens in 1890 in Sicily, when an accordion maker and his son, carrying little more than his finest button accordion, begin their voyage to the teeming, violent port of New Orleans. Within a year, the accordion maker is murdered by an anti-Italian lynch mob, but his instrument carries the novel into another community of immigrants, German-Americans, founding a new town in South Dakota. Moving from South Dakota to Texas, from Montana to Maine, the nine instantly compelling and intricately connected sections of the novel illuminate the lives of the founders of a nation, descendants of Mexicans, Poles, Germans, the Irish, Scots, and Franco-Canadians. Through the music of the accordion they express their fantasies, sorrows and exuberance.

For the first time in English, the second psychological thriller from No 1 bestselling Swedish crime sensation Camilla Lackberg. In the fishing community of Fjallbacka, life is remote, peaceful — and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance twenty years ago of two young holidaymakers in the area. Now a young boy out playing has confirmed this grim truth. Their remains, discovered with those of a fresh victim, send the town into shock. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom, expecting a baby with his girlfriend Erica, can only imagine what it is like to lose a child. When a second young girl goes missing, Hedstrom's attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, relgious fanatics and criminals. The suspect list is long but time is short — which of this family's dark secrets will provide the vital clue?

In TV star Lauren Conrad's delicious, entertaining novel about young Hollywood, the lies are only as sweet as the people telling them. Jane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend Scarlett Harp landed their own reality show, L.A. Candy. Suddenly they found themselves thrown into the public eye with VIP tickets to everything. But the starlets quickly discover that fame goes hand in hand with scandal when Jane finds herself the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. Even her relationship with Scarlett is threatened. Things go from bad to worse when Scarlett falls for a guy who is strictly off limits! In reality TV nothing stays secret for long and with all this drama L.A Candy's ratings rocket. The show is a bona fide hit — but can the girls stand another season in the spotlight?

Amanda Valentino is the most mysterious, the most magnetic girl you'll never meet. But if you join THE AMANDA PROJECT you just might find out what happened to her! Who is Amanda? And why did she vanish? When Amanda Valentino started at Endeavor High on Halloween, she changed everything. A fabulous mix of the weird and the wonderful, Amanda was the most extraordinary student ever. Amanda herself was drawn to only three other students: Callie, Hal and Nia -- the popular girl, the loner and the intellectual misfit. Without Amanda they would never had been friends, but now Amanda has disappeared and it's up to them to find out what happened. Reluctantly, and with only the most cryptic of clues and the fragments of her life that Amanda let slip, this unlikely trio must find out where she's gone, and why! The mystery begins in THE AMANDA PROJECT, Invisible i and continues online at www.theamandaproject.com

A remarkable collection of short stories set in Wyoming from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Shipping News' and 'Brokeback Mountain'. 'Bad Dirt' is filled with the vivid and willful characters for which Proulx has become known. Each story occupies a community or landscape described in rich and robust language, with an eye for detail unparalleled in American fiction. In 'The Contest', the men of Elk Tooth, Wyoming, vow to put aside their razors for two seasons and wait to see who has the longest beard come the 4th of July. Deb Sipple, the moving protagonist of 'That Trickle Down Effect', finds that his opportunism -- and his smoking habit -- lead to a massive destruction. And 'What Kind of Furniture Would Jesus Pick?' is the story of Gilbert Wolfscale, whose rabid devotion to his ranch drives off his wife and sons. Proulx displays her wit in every story of this stunning collection, as well as her knowledge of the West, of history, of ranching and of farming. Her profound sympathy for characters who must use sheer will and courage to make it in tough territory makes this collection extraordinarily compelling.

A highly acclaimed collection of short stories set in the great outdoors of New England, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Shipping News' and 'Brokeback Mountain'. Just outside town, beyond the drugstore and the diner, there's another world -- a wilderness -- waiting to be explored. On the high, wooded hillsides there are deer to be stalked; far upriver there are quiet pools of trout, and grouse to be shot and traplines to be laid for fur. In the far-flung settlements of New England, life revolves around hunting. Whether they are yuppies from the town who think that country life is improving or natives who know all too well that it isn't, the men and women of these stories are all hunting for something better -- though getting by at all is hard enough. These are men and women who live, love and lose; men and women who fall apart and who pick up the pieces, who dream useless dreams and go on dreaming whatever the disappointments. Tough and tender and irresistibly humorous, this unforgettable book takes its reader on a trail through the great outdoors to the innermost places of the heart.

Annie Proulx's first novel, which received huge acclaim and marked the launch of an outstanding literary career. 'Postcards' is the story of Loyal Blood, a man who spends a lifetime on the run from a crime so terrible that it renders him forever incapable of touching a woman. The odyssey begins on a freezing Vermont hillside in 1944 and propels Blood across the American West for forty years. Denied love and unable to settle, he lives a hundred different lives: mining gold, growing beans, hunting fossils, trapping, prospecting for uranium and ranching. His only contact with his past is through a series of postcards he sends home -- not realising that in his absence disaster has befallen his family, and their deep-rooted connection with the land has been severed with devastating consequences!