Alice is one of the most beloved characters of English writing. A bright and inquisitive child, one boring summer afternoon, she follows a white rabbit down a rabbit-hole. At the bottom, she finds herself in a bizarre world full of strange creatures, and attends a very strange tea party and croquet match. This immensely witty and unique story mixes satire and puzzles, comedy and anxiety, to provide an astute depiction of the experience of childhood.

A troubled young man commits the perfect crime — the murder of a vile pawnbroker whom no one will miss. Raskolnikov is desperate for money, but convinces himself that his motive for the murder is to benefit mankind. So begins one of the greatest novels ever written, a journey into the criminal mind, a police thriller, and a philosophical meditation on morality and redemption.

I'm Sadie and I'm nearly nine. Mum's a childminder, but she doesn't have to mind me. I can mind myself, easy-peasy. Lucky for Mum, because now she's got the flu, so I've got to mind her — and help with all the babies!

Monster Planet, here we come! One morning at school, Natalie is feeling bored — until a tiny monster waves at her from a plant on the classroom window sill. The monster whizzes her off in his mini flying saucer for some monster fun. Now Natalie really has some monster stories to tell. This is an exciting and funny adventure from the award-winning author of The Dinosaur's Packed Lunch.

A hand reached out and patted Dinah on the shoulder. A large scaly hand with a spiked thumb! On a school trip to see the dinosaurs in the museum, everyone in the class has a packed lunch. Everyone, that is, except for Dinah. Until a friendly iguanodon decides to help... Soon Dinah has a very special packed lunch — and a huge surprise to come!

This dazzling new book explores London’s history in the Nineteenth century, from the destruction of old London and the unparalled suburban expansion, to its absorption of people from all over the world.

At the first hint of a chill in the air, Elmer's friends start complaining about the cold, so Elmer decides to show them what cold weather is really like. They set off for a walk up a mountain, and the higher they get, the colder it gets. A good snowball fight at the top warms them all up, but the elephants agree that compared with the freezing mountain top, their home is not really that cold at all. With his typical sense of mischief and fun, Elmer shows how hot and cold are only relative.

Revenge and Resurrection in a Frozen Wasteland Drizzt and Catti-brie have been away from Mithral Hall for six long years, but the pain of a lost companion still weighs heavily on their strong shoulders. Chasing pirates aboard Captain Deudermont's Sea Sprite is enough to draw their attention away from their grief. Then a mysterious castaway on an uncharted island sends them back to the very source of their pain, and into the clutches of a demon with vengeance on his mind.

Would you Adam and Eve it? Over a hundred years after it was first heard on the streets of Ye Olde London Towne, Cockney rhyming slang is still going strong, and this book contains the most comprehensive and entertaining guide yet. Presented in an easy-to-read A to Z format, it explains the meaning of hundreds of terms, from old favourites such as apples and pears (stairs) and plates of meat (feet) to the more obscure band of hope (soap) and cuts and scratches (matches), as well as providing fascinating background info and curious Cockney facts throughout. Also included are a series of language tests so that readers can brush up on their newfound knowledge on their way to becoming a true Cockney Geezer. All in all, The Ultimate Cockney Geezer's Guide to Rhyming Slang is well worth your bread and honey to have a butcher's.

Baby Elephant can't sleep because he has lost his teddy, so Elmer sets off to look for it. Eventually Elmer hears a voice shouting 'Help! I'm lost!' Can Baby Elephant's teddy talk, or is Wilbur playing a trick on Elmer, as usual?

Who are the eminent artists of the 16th, 19th, or 21st centuries? What are the mysteries of Carrionite Science? Where do the Daleks come from? Answers to all of these questions and more are found in The Time Traveller's Almanac, the ultimate intergalactic fact-finder. The Almanac draws on resources far and wide, from the beginning of time to the end of the universe, to provide information on key historical events and great lives, important issues in science, technology and the arts, and the stories that have defined each era. Fully illustrated with photos and artwork, The Time Traveller's Almanac provides an essential biography of the Doctor Who universe.

An inveterate traveller, Sir James Monmouth has spent most of his life abroad. He arrives in England on a dark and rainy night with the intention of discovering more, not only about himself but his obsession with Conrad Vane, an explorer. Warned against following his trail, Sir James experiences some extraordinary happenings — who is the mysterious, sad little boy, and the old woman behind the curtain? And why is it that only he hears the chilling scream and the desperate sobbing?

The Doctor has his TARDIS to get him from place to place and time to time, but the rest of the Universe relies on more conventional transport... From the British Space Programme of the late twentieth century to Earth's Empire in the far future, from the terrifying Dalek Fleet to deadly Cyber Ships, this book documents the many starships and space stations that the Doctor and his companions have encountered on their adventures. He has solved mysteries on space stations and stopped invasions spearheaded by starships. He has been held prisoner in space, escaped from the moon, witnessed the arrival of the Sycorax and the crash landing of a space pig... More than anyone else, the Doctor has seen the development of space travel between countless worlds. In this stunningly-illustrated book, Doctor Who historian Justin Richards documents the amazing story of Earth's ventures into space and examines the many alien fleets who have paid Earth a visit.

A few months ago fourteen-year-old Ali Banana was apprenticed to a whip-wielding blacksmith in his rural hometown. Now its winter 1944, the war is entering its most crucial stage and Ali is a private in Thunder Brigade. His unit has been given orders to go behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. But the Burmese jungle is a mud-riven, treacherous place, riddled with Japanese snipers, insanity and disease. Burma Boy is a horrific, vividly realised account of the madness, the sacrifice and the dark humour of the Second World War's most vicious battleground. It's also the moving story of a boy trying to live long enough to become a man.

Appointment in Samarra is a fast-paced, blackly comic depiction of the rapid decline and fall of Julian English. English is part of the social elite of his 1930s American hometown but from the moment he impetuously throws a cocktail in the face of one of his powerful business associates his life begins to spiral out of control — taking his loving but troubled marriage with it.

Britain's former prime minister is holed up in a remote, ocean-front house in America, struggling to finish his memoirs, when his long-term assistant drowns. A professional ghostwriter is sent out to rescue the project — a man more used to working with fading rock stars and minor celebrities than ex-world leaders. The ghost soon discovers that his distinguished new client has secrets in his past that are returning to haunt him — secrets with the power to kill. Robert Harris is once again at his gripping best with the most controversial new thriller of the decade.

Illus. in full color. A boy and his dog listen to the world around them. Illustrations are big and simple; the text is in verse form.

This irresistible collection of cocktails and drinks from the London Ritz hotel offers not only a wonderful selection of recipes, but charming stories and anecdotes about the history of the hotel itself. The sumptuous grandeur of the bar of the London Ritz and its professional and creative barmen have made it one of the great traditional meeting places for the rich and famous and now the reader is invited to share in its sophisticated glamour. From the stories about the famous people who frequented the bar and the cocktails created just for them, to the behind-the-scenes workings of the bar and its secret recipes, the book offers a nostalgic insight into the life and times of this world famous venue. Beautifully illustrated throughout, it is also a practical reference on all aspects of drinking — from cocktails to canapes and fruit punches to fine wines.

Miss Bindergarten is planning a circus and all of her kindergarteners are in on the fun! Everyone is busy preparing: painting posters, practicing somersaults, and making popcorn balls. When at last the big day arrives, there will be a parade, complete with clowns and stunts, from baton twirling to high-wire walking. And for the grand finale, Miss Bindergarten will give the audience a spectacular, show-stopping act!

Revised and ExpandedWith the same trademark compassion and erudition he brought to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition. In Musicophilia, he shows us a variety of what he calls musical misalignments. Among them: a man struck by lightning who suddenly desires to become a pianist at the age of forty-two; an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; people with amusia, to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans; and a man whose memory spans only seven seconds-for everything but music. Illuminating, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable, Musicophilia is Oliver Sacks' latest masterpiece.