On 2 March 1998 ten-year-old Natascha Kampusch was snatched off the street by a stranger and bundled into a white van. Hours later she found herself in a dark cellar, wrapped in a blanket. When she emerged eight years later, her childhood had gone. In 3,096 Days Natascha tells her incredible story for the first time: her difficult childhood, what exactly happened on the day of her abduction, her imprisonment in a five-square-metre dungeon, and the mental and physical abuse she suffered from her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil. 3,096 Days is ultimately a story about the triumph of the human spirit. It describes how, in a situation of almost unbearable hopelessness, she slowly learned how to manipulate her captor. And how, against inconceivable odds, she managed to escape unbroken.

This is a 1959 classic 'hard' science-fiction novel by renowned Cambridge astronomer and cosmologist Fred Hoyle. It tracks the progress of a giant black cloud that comes towards Earth and sits in front of the sun, causing widespread panic and death. A select group of scientists and astronomers — including the dignified Astronomer Royal, the pipe smoking Dr. Marlowe and the maverick, eccentric Professor Kingsly — engage in a mad race to understand and communicate with the cloud, battling against trigger happy politicians. In the pacy, engaging style of John Wyndham and John Christopher, with plenty of hard science thrown in to add to the chillingly credible premise (he manages to foretell Artificial Intelligence, Optical Character Recognition and Text-to-Speech converters), Hoyle carries you breathlessly through to its thrilling end.

'It seemed to me that the bees were working on the very same kinds of problems we are trying to solve. How can large, diverse groups work together harmoniously and productively? Perhaps we could take what the bees do so well and apply it to our institutions'. When Michael O'Malley first took up beekeeping he thought it would be a nice hobby to share with his son. But he noticed that bees not only work together to achieve a common goal but, in the process, create a remarkably productive organization, like a miniature but incredibly successful business. O'Malley also realized that bees can teach managers a lot, identifying 25 powerful insights such as: Distribute authority — the queen bee delegates relentlessly and worker bees make daily decisions; Keep it simple — bees exchange only relevant information; and, Protect the future — when a lucrative vein of nectar is discovered, the entire colony doesn't rush off to mine it. Blending practical advice with interesting facts about the hive, The Wisdom of Bees is a useful and entertaining guide for any manager looking to get the most out of his or her organization.

This brand new edition provides a comprehensive and highly visual introduction to Venice; over 600 superb photographs capture the history, local people and variety of everyday life in Italy's most magical city. The 'Places' section provides a detailed, district-by-district exploration of all the places to visit and principal sites along the way are clearly cross-referenced by number to the full-colour maps found throughout the guide. Expanded and updated restaurant listings feature the best eateries to suit all budgets within each area, providing the address, phone number, opening times and price range, followed by a useful review. A brand new 'Editor's Choice' section illustrates everything you simply can't afford to miss, including lesser-known attractions, family activities and money-saving hints. Expert local writers provide authoritative essays on the city's history along with interesting cultural features. A fully-indexed street atlas enables instant orientation, helping you to navigate around the city with ease and also plots restaurants. The comprehensive 'Travel Tips' section provides all the essential information you'll need for a hassle-free trip, covering accommodation for all budgets, transport, activities and useful booking information, plus a handy A-Z of further practical advice and contact details. The unique combination of insightful exploration alongside practical advice makes this guide a fascinating background read and an invaluable on-the-spot companion.

«The creator of the CBS series «The Unit» delivers his fiction debut Kennesaw Tanner once fought a shadow war. Now he's fighting for himself. Soldier of fortune Kennesaw Tanner is approached by government operatives with an offer: rescue the kidnapped heir of a powerful Persian Gulf sheik whose alliance with the U.S. has made him a target for terrorists. But what Tanner doesn't know is that there are elements within the government who want him to fail, that the sands of politics are shifting against him-and that the job he's being paid to do may cost him more than he bargained for.»

An explosive new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author. CIA cleaner Micah Dalton has taken his revenge against the Serbian gang who shot his lover. Then he receives a mysterious jade box containing a stainless steel glasscutter. Someone is sending him a very serious message, a message that will force him back into action against a foe out to unleash chaos upon the world...

«The time-bending parallel tale to the national bestseller «Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict» In Laurie Viera Rigler's first novel, «Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict», twenty-first-century Austen fan Courtney Stone found herself in Regency England occupying the body of one Jane Mansfield — with comic and romantic consequences. Now, in «Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict», Jane Mansfield awakens in the urban madness of twenty-first-century L.A.-in Courtney's body. With no knowledge of Courtney's life, let alone her world-with its horseless carriages and shiny glass box in which tiny figures act out her favorite book, «Pride and Prejudice»-Jane is over her head. Especially when she falls for a handsome young gentleman. Can a girl from Regency England make sense of a world in which kissing and flirting and even the sexual act raise no matrimonial expectations?»

«The story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world's fair that introduced it In this first general history of the Eiffel Tower in English, Jill Jonnes-acclaimed author of «Conquering Gotham» offers an eye-opening look not only at the construction of one of the modern world's most iconic structures, but also the epochal event that surrounded its arrival as a wonder of the world. In this marvelously entertaining portrait of Belle Epoque France, fear and loathing over Eiffel's brash design share the spotlight with the celebrities that made the 1889 Exposition Universelle an event to remember-including Buffalo Bill and his sharpshooter Annie Oakley, Thomas Edison, and artists Whistler, Gauguin, and van Gogh. «Eiffel's Tower» is a richly textured portrait of an era at the dawn of modernity, reveling in the limitless promise of the future.»

«The instant «New York Times» bestseller from one of the most beloved voices in women's fiction An ever-growing legion of fans greets the publication of each new tale from the inimitable Jane Green. Her latest gem, «Dune Road», is set in tony Highfield, Connecticut, where recent divorcee Kit Hargrove has joyfully exchanged the requisite diamond studs and Persian rugs of a Wall Street Widow for a clapboard Cape with sea-green shutters and sprawling impatiens. Her kids are content, her ex cooperative, and each morning she wakes up to her dream job: assisting the blockbuster novelist Robert McClore. Then an unexpected series of events forces Kit to realize that her blissfully constructed idyll and blossoming new romance aren't as perfect as she thought. A warm, witty, and gloriously observed meditation on the challenges of starting over, «Dune Road» is Jane Green at her absolute best.»

In the 14th century, Templar knight Jean de St. Clair was tasked with piloting the order's treasure-laden fleets off the coast of France. To this end, he used the Jacob's Staff — a nautical instrument supposedly developed in his own time. But retired Army Ranger Lt. Col. John Holliday possesses a Staff he found in the hands of a 4,000 year-old Egyptian mummy. Holliday suspects that St. Clair may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the ruthless, enigmatic Templars. But there are those who believe that some questions should remain unanswered. And that the answers Holliday seeks should go with him to the grave...

It begins as a heist in Sun Valley, Idaho-until the local sheriff discovers a more sinister underlying plan. The crime gets more personal. The stakes are raised, and nothing is as it seems.

For years, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his colleagues at the Campus have waged an unofficial and highly effective campaign against the terrorists who threaten western civilization. The most dangerous of these is the Emir. This sadistic killer has masterminded the most vicious attacks on the west and has eluded capture by the world's law enforcement agencies. Now the Campus is on his trail. Joined by their latest recruits, John Clark and Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his cousins, Dominick and Brian Caruso, are determined to catch the Emir and they will bring him in... dead or alive.

«Watch a Video Read «Surprising Facts About George Washington» from» Washington: A Life» by Ron Chernow From National Book Award winner Ron Chernow, a landmark biography of George Washington. In «Washington: A Life» celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one-volume life of Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his troubled boyhood, his precocious feats in the French and Indian War, his creation of Mount Vernon, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president. Despite the reverence his name inspires, Washington remains a lifeless waxwork for many Americans, worthy but dull. A laconic man of granite self-control, he often arouses more respect than affection. In this groundbreaking work, based on massive research, Chernow dashes forever the stereotype of a stolid, unemotional man. A strapping six feet, Washington was a celebrated horseman, elegant dancer, and tireless hunter, with a fiercely guarded emotional life. Chernow brings to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods. Probing his private life, he explores his fraught relationship with his crusty mother, his youthful infatuation with the married Sally Fairfax, and his often conflicted feelings toward his adopted children and grandchildren. He also provides a lavishly detailed portrait of his marriage to Martha and his complex behavior as a slave master. At the same time, «Washington» is an astute and surprising portrait of a canny political genius who knew how to inspire people. Not only did Washington gather around himself the foremost figures of the age, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, but he also brilliantly orchestrated their actions to shape the new federal government, define the separation of powers, and establish the office of the presidency. In this unique biography, Ron Chernow takes us on a page-turning journey through all the formative events of America's founding. With a dramatic sweep worthy of its giant subject, Washington is a magisteri...»

«The Soviet's most valuable ship — a new ballistic-missile submarine with their most trusted and skilled naval officer at the helm — is attempting to defect to the United States. It is high treason on an unprecedented scale, and the Soviet's mission is to seek and destroy her at any cost. If the U.S. fleet can locate the Red October and get her safely to port, it will be the intelligence coup of all time. But the submarine has a million square miles in which to hide and the deadly game of hide-and-seek is on. «THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER is a thriller that stands in a category all alone. With his rich imagination and grasp of advanced technology, Clancy has created a dramatic and realistic adventure».»

Steinbeck's theatrical adaptations of two of his most powerful short novels, now together in one volume A unique treat for Steinbeck fans, this volume includes two extraordinary plays from a master of American literature. Of Mice and Men is the dramatic adaptation of one of Steinbeck's most widely read and beloved works. Originally published at the height of Nazi Germany's power, The Moon Is Down is a masterful play that uncovers profound, often unsettling truths about war and human nature. It tells the story of a peaceable town taken by enemy troops, and had an extraordinary impact as Allied propaganda in Nazi-occupied Europe.

«Written by authors from Quebec as well as France, the majority of these stories have been published in the last decade and reflect a rich diversity of styles and themes. From Daniel Boulanger's exploration of revenge and the desire for recognition in «The Hunter's Cafe», to Alain Gerber's brief and poetic «You Never Die», these stories make excellent reading in any language.»

At the dawn of the twentieth century, a deranged killer is on the prowl. New York, 1905. After losing his fiancee in the General Slocum ferry disaster, Detective Simon Ziele transferred to a country town north of Manhattan in the hope of escaping his grief. But only months later he's faced with the shocking murder of a young girl — battered to death in her bedroom on a cold winter's afternoon. And when Alistair Sinclair, one of Columbia University's most noted criminologists learns about the case, he realises it bears an uncanny resemblance to the deranged mutterings of one his research subjects. Ziele must work with Sinclair to determine whether his patient — with a terrifying history of violent behaviour and brutal fantasies — did indeed seek out this innocent young victim... before the vicious murderer strikes again. In the Shadow of Gotham tells the atmospheric and gripping tale of a haunted man who must search for a killer, while on the run from his own demons...

«Both heartwarming and meditative, «The Cat Inside» explores not only the personal relationship between Burroughs and cats, but the deeper relationship of cats with mankind, which Burroughs traces back to the Egyptians. This book of moving and witty discourse is for both Burroughs' fans and cat lovers alike.»

Florentino Ariza has never forgotten his first love. He has waited nearly a lifetime in silence since his beloved Fermina married another man. No woman can replace her in his heart. But now her husband is dead. Finally — after fifty-one years, nine months and four days — Florentino has another chance to declare his eternal passion and win her back. Will love that has survived half a century remain unrequited?

«My Education» is Burroughs' last novel, first published two years before his death in 1997. It is a book of dreams, collected over several decades and as close to a memoir as we will see. The dreams cover themes from the mundane and ordinary — conversations with his friends Allen Ginsberg or Ian Sommerville, feeding his cats, procuring drugs or sex — to the erotic, bizarre and visionary. Always a rich source of imagery in Burroughs' own fiction, in this book dreams become a direct and powerful force in themselves.»