It's a good place for gold, said people in the 1840s, and they came from all over the world. It's a good place for a prison, said the US government in the 1920s, and they put Al Capone there on the island of Alcatraz. It's a good place for love, said the hippies in the 1960s, and they put flowers in their hair and came to Haight Ashbury. And San Francisco is still a good place — to take a hundred photographs, or see the Chinatown parade, or just to sit in a coffee shop and be in this interesting, different city...

You can drink it, and you can cook with it. You can even make buildings, dresses, and hats out of it. You can give it to somebody as a present, or you can buy it for yourself. And of course you can eat it. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolates with gold on the outside — everybody loves chocolate. Follow its story, from the forests of Central America hundreds of years ago, through Africa, Europe, and the United States, to the growing markets of India and China. Perhaps you need a little something to eat while you read...

'My first journey was a pilgrimage to Mecca. I got on a donkey and said Goodbye to my parents in Tangier when I was 21. My mother cried.' In this way Ibn Battuta, one of the greatest travellers in the world, begins telling his story to his nephew, Ahmed. His many journeys take him to new and interesting places far from home. He sees many strange and wonderful things, has many funny and frightening experiences, and meets many different people along the way. This is his story...

For a child in the great city of Venice in the thirteenth century, there could be nothing better than the stories of sailors. There were stories of strange animals, wonderful cities, sweet spices, and terrible wild deserts where a traveller could die. One young boy listened, waited, and dreamed. Perhaps one day his father and uncle would return. Perhaps he too could travel with them to great markets in faraway places. For young Marco Polo, later the greatest traveller of his time, a dangerous, exciting world was waiting...

It's London, 1666. It's a hot, dry summer. A small fire starts in a baker's shop in Pudding Lane. Soon the city of London is burning and the fire-fighters can't stop the fire. People are running from their houses down to the River Thames. But how does the fire begin and who can stop it? What is the King of England doing to help?

Hercules is the strongest man in the world, but one day he does something very bad. The priestess at Delphi tells him: The gods are angry with you. For twelve years you must work for King Eurystheus, and do twelve tasks for him. When you finish, the gods can forgive your crime. Some tasks are easier, and some tasks are more difficult. Can Hercules finish all twelve of them? And what happens when he does?

Sinbad the sailor spends many years at sea. He visits strange countries, meets some strange people and some frightening animals. He is sometimes rich, sometimes poor and always in danger. But all the time he is learning from his adventures, until finally he returns home to Baghdad, an older and wiser man.

For a child in the great city of Venice in the thirteenth century, there could be nothing better than the stories of sailors. There were stories of strange animals, wonderful cities, sweet spices, and terrible wild deserts where a traveller could die. One young boy listened, waited, and dreamed. Perhaps one day his father and uncle would return. Perhaps he too could travel with them to great markets in faraway places. For young Marco Polo, later the greatest traveller of his time, a dangerous, exciting world was waiting...

An exceptionally strong skills training programme which covers language skills, phonics, and civic education skills.

Help your students read their way to better English with this new edition of the world's best graded readers — now with a new range of World Stories, fully revised Factfiles, more audio, and new tests. The new edition includes the original Bookworms stories, plus the Starters, Playscripts and Factfiles, making it easy for you to see the full choice of books at each Stage. The highly acclaimed seven-stage system of grading, from Starter to Stage 6, remains the same, helping you to find the right level for all your students. There were six of them — three Katherines, two Annes, and a Jane. One of them was the King's wife for twenty-four years, another for only a year and a half. One died, two were divorced, and two were beheaded. It was a dangerous, uncertain life. After the King's death in 1547, his sixth wife finds a box of old letters — one from each of the first five wives. They are sad, angry, frightened letters. They tell the story of what it was like to be the wife of Henry VIII of England.

It is the year 650 in England. There is war everywhere because the old king is dead and he has no son. Only when the new king comes can the fighting stop and the strange, magical story of King Arthur begin. But first, Merlin the ancient magician has to find a way of finding the next king...

There were six of them — three Katherines, two Annes, and a Jane. One of them was the King's wife for twenty-four years, another for only a year and a half. One died, two were divorced, and two were beheaded. It was a dangerous, uncertain life. After the King's death in 1547, his sixth wife finds a box of old letters — one from each of the first five wives. They are sad, angry, frightened letters. They tell the story of what it was like to be the wife of Henry VIII of England.