«Rich with surprise and hilarious adventure, “The Prince And The Pauper” is a delight satire of England's romantic past and a joyful boyhood romp filled with the same tongue-in-cheek irony that sparked the best of Mark Twain's tall tales. Two boys, one an urchin from London's filthy lanes, the other a prince born in a lavish palace, unwittingly trade identities. Thus a bedraggled «Prince of Poverty» discovers that his private dreams have all the come true — while a pampered Prince of Wales finds himself tossed into a rough-and-tumble world of squalid beggars and villainous thieves. Originally written as a story for children, “The Prince And The Pauper” is a classic novel for adults as well — through its stinging attack on the ageless human folly of attempting to measure true worth by outer appearances.»

A band of titled Englishmen, led by the Scarlet Pimpernel, assist condemned aristocrats in their escape to England during the Reign of Terror.

The official prequel to the upcoming blockbuster film from executive producer Steven Spielberg, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks — the action-packed storyof the battle between the Autobots and the Deceptions.

«The law touches almost every aspect of life, and the language of law is accordingly as broad and complex as human experience itself. Defining, refining, debating, interpreting, and applying the words of constitutions, statutes, contracts, wills, judicial opinions, and other legal writings is a major preoccupation of the law. It is, in fact, a fundamental preoccupation, for to question the meaning of a term in a legal context is often to question the scope of the law itself. To define the word «murder,» for example, is to articulate just what distinguishes one of the most heinous of crimes from a lesser offense such as manslaughter, or for that matter from a heroic act of justifiable homicide. Even a seemingly insignificant word can make a crucial difference in the interpretation of a legal writing. One standard legal reference work-a ninety-volume compendium entitled Words and Phrases-cites almost fifty judicial opinions discussing the meaning of just the first word listed: «a.»...»

«The «Blair Years» is the most compelling and revealing account of contemporary politics you will ever read. Taken from Alastair Campbell's daily diaries, it charts the rise of New Labour and the tumultuous years of Tony Blair's leadership, providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in our national life. Here are the defining events of our time, from Labour's new dawn to the war on terror, from the death of Diana to negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland, from Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, through to the Hutton Inquiry of 2003, the year Campbell resigned his position at No 10. But above all here is Tony Blair up close and personal, taking the decisions that affected the lives of millions, under relentless and often hostile pressure. Often described as the second most powerful figure in Britain, Alastair Campbell is no stranger to controversy. Feared and admired in equal measure, hated by some, he was pivotal to the founding of New Labour and the sensational election victory of 1997. As Blair's press secretary, strategist and trusted confidant, Campbell spent more waking hours alongside the Prime Minister than anyone. His diaires — at times brutally frank, often funny, always compelling — take the reader right to the heart of government. «The Blair Years» is a story of politics in the raw, of progress and setback, of reputations made and destroyed, under the relentless scrutiny of a 24-hour media. Unflinchingly told, it covers the crises and scandals, the rows and resignations, the ups and downs of Britain's hothouse politics. But amid the big events are insights and observations that make this a remarkably human portrayal of some of the most powerful people in the world. There has never been so riveting a book about life at the very top, nor a more human book about politics, told by a man who saw it all.»

«The City of London is still confined to a square-mile enclave, as it was when its residents crossed the river to see Shakespeare's newest plays in Southwark. At that time, up the river there was another city — Westminster, seat of the Royal Court, the Law Courts and Parliament — but within 200 years the two settlements had fused, making London the largest city on earth, the first to reach a population of one million. In the nineteenth century, London's population grew to six million and the building boom began. Poorer people and dirty industries congregated in the east; the better-off lived and worked in the west. The Victorians built breathtaking edifices, the crown jewel of which was the new Houses of Parliament. After the destruction of the Second World War, the post-war era saw the arrival of the modern movement and the wholesale use of poured concrete, glass and steel. Now, in the twenty-first century, London's architecture is as vibrant as ever — the last ten years have seen the building of many of London's greatest landmarks, including the Swiss Re headquarters and the London Eye. «Building London» is a visual record of that remarkable story, detailing how the city was built and introducing the great architects and engineers. It contains rare images from the earliest days of photography, as well as evocative photographs from the last 100 years, ensuring all of London's iconic buildings are featured.»

Many legends have grown up about the sexual rapacity of Catherine the Great. While it is true that she shocked the Russian court with the number and age of her lovers, there is no truth in the rumour of her death by stallion. Unhappily married to the Grand Duke Peter, a man who preferred to play with his toy soldiers in the bedroom, they failed to produce an heir, and Catherine turned her attentions to a certain Sergey Saltykov who fathered the future Tsar Paul I. Six months into the reign of Peter III, Catherine, supported by the Imperial Guard, staged a successful coup against her husband and became Empress. It was her ambition to transform a vast but semi-barbaric country with the cultural and political reforms of Enlightenment Europe. In this timely and fascinating biography, Virginia Rounding reveals an extraordinary woman in all her complexity.

«Vintage Crime» is a limited edition gift pack which consists of beautifully designed separate volumes of «Crime and Punishment» by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Patricia Highsmith's thrilling novel «Ripley's Game». «Vintage Crime» is just one of ten «Vintage Classic Twins» to collect. Each twin consists of two books: a specially designed limited edition of one modern classic title and one established classic work. The books in each pair have been carefully selected to provide a thought-provoking combination. «Crime and Punishment»: A troubled young man commits the perfect crime. Raskolnikov is desperate for money, but convinces himself that his motive for 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 meditation on morality and redemption. «Ripley's Game»: Tom Ripley detested murder. Unless it was absolutely necessary. If possible, he preferred someone else to do the dirty work. In this case someone with no criminal record, who would commit 'two simple murders' for a very generous fee.»

«Vintage Monsters» is a limited edition gift pack which consists of beautifully designed separate volumes of «Frankenstein» by Mary Shelley and Jeanette Winterson's «Sexing the Cherry». «Vintage Monsters» is just one of ten «Vintage Classic Twins» to collect. Each twin consists of two books: a specially designed limited edition of one modern classic title and one established classic work. The books in each pair have been carefully selected to provide a thought-provoking combination. «Frankenstein»: One freezing morning, a lone man wandering across the artic ice caps is rescued from starvation by a ship's captain. Victor Frankenstein's story is one of ambition, murder and revenge. As a young scientist he pushed moral boundaries in order to cross the final scientific frontier and create life. But his creation is a monster stitched together from grave-robbed body parts who has no place in the world, and his life can only lead to tragedy. «Sexing the Cherry»: «Sexing the Cherry» follows the adventures of Jordan, an explorer, and his mother, the gigantic and violent 'Dog Woman'. Jeanette Winterson's stunning novel celebrates the power of the imagination as it juggles with our perception of history and reality; love and sex; lies and truths; and 12 dancing princesses who lived happily ever after, but not with their husbands.»

It is 1963 in New York, and things have never been better for the Corleones. They've taken out their Mafia rivals, and legitimised the Family. Outside the fortified building owned by Michael Corleone, newly undisputed Boss of Bosses, a parade of people — among them former mob rivals and an emissary from the Mayor of New York — wait to ask the great man for favours. Only one thing remains to be done. Traitorous former Corleone capo Nick Geraci has powerful friends and far too much to say, and needs to be brought in. But then everything changes. As fireworks explode over First Avenue, news arrives that Jimmy Shea, President of the United States and an old friend of the Corleone's, has been assassinated...

«Vintage Satire» is a limited edition gift pack which consists of beautifully designed separate volumes of «Gulliver's Travels» by Jonathan Swift and Michel Houellebecq's controversial bestseller «Atomised.» «Vintage Satire» is just one of ten «Vintage Classic Twins» to collect. Each twin consists of two books: a specially designed limited edition of one modern classic title and one established classic work. The books in each pair have been carefully selected to provide a thought-provoking combination. In the course of his famous travels, «Gulliver's Travels»: In the course of his famous travels, Gulliver is captured by miniature people who wage war on each other because of religious disagreement over how to crack eggs, is sexually assaulted by giants, visits a floating island, and decides that the society of horses is better than that of his fellow man. Swift's tough, filthy and incisive satire has much to say about the state of the world today and is presented here in its unexpurgated entirety. «Atomised»: Half-brothers Michel and Bruno have a mother in common but little else. Michel is a molecular biologist, a thinker and idealist, a man with no erotic life to speak of and little in the way of human society. Bruno, by contrast, is a libertine, though more in theory than in practice, his endless lust is all too rarely reciprocated. Both are symptomatic members of our atomised society, where religion has given way to shallow 'new age' philosophies and love to meaningless sexual connections. A dissection of modern lives and loves, it is by turns funny, acid, infuriating, didactic, touching and visceral.»

Meet Lydia Albright, one of Hollywood's hottest movie producers; Lydia's best friend and tinseltown's favourite celebrity Celeste Solange; Ueber-agent to the stars Jessica Caulfield, who knows everything and everyone that matters; and script writer Mary Anne Meyers, who can't believe her luck at having escaped the slush pile and signed on for Lydia's new blockbuster, Seven Minutes Past Midnight. When Seven Minutes Past Midnight falls prey to her boss' petty jealousies, Lydia needs all hands on deck. And with Celeste's dear husband casting his latest arm candy in the lead of his next film, instead of, as promised, Celeste herself, she's more than happy to help out an old friend. The same goes for Jessica, who could do with a project to take her mind off the new hot-shot in her agency, whose sole intent seems to be sabotaging her career. In Hollywood, no vicious deed goes unpunished, not if the four have anything to say about it at least, and there is no reason why they shouldn't see the movie through on their own — especially if it means settling a few old scores along the way...

When Tiro, the confidential secretary of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events which will eventually propel his master into one of the most famous courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and spellbinding orator, determined to attain imperium — supreme power in the state. This is the starting-point of Robert Harris' most accomplished novel to date. Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, it takes us inside the violent, treacherous world of Roman politics, to describe how one man — clever, compassionate, devious, vulnerable — fought to reach the top.

«Vintage Sin» is a limited edition gift pack which consists of beautifully designed separate volumes of «Inferno» by Dante and Philip Roth's shocking novel, «Sabbath's Theater.» «Vintage Sin» is just one of ten «Vintage Classic Twins» to collect. Each twin consists of two books: a specially designed limited edition of one modern classic title and one established classic work. The books in each pair have been carefully selected to provide a thought-provoking combination. «Inferno»: On Good Friday evening in the year 1300, Dante finds himself lost in a dark and menacing wood. The ghost of Virgil offers to lead him to safety but the path lies through the terrifying kingdom of Satan. On his journey deep into the underworld, Dante crosses paths with both old acquaintances and famous characters from history as he witnesses the strange and gruesome sufferings of the damned. «Sabbath's Theater»: Once a scandalously inventive puppeteer, Micky Sabbath at sixty-four is still defiantly antagonistic and exceedingly libidinous. But after the death of his long-time mistress, Sabbath embarks on a turbulent journey into his past. Bereft and grieving, besieged by the ghosts of those who loved and hated him most, he contrives a succession of farcical disasters that take him to the brink of madness and extinction.»

«Following the critically acclaimed success of «Dublin», this riveting sequel takes the story of Ireland from the seventeenth century onwards, picking up at the Reformation, and with it, the devastating arrival of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell heralds the inauguration of two hundred years of Protestant dominance, throughout which many of the Irish people were impoverished and dispossessed. Dublin is made a Protestant capital, and Catholics become an underclass. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Irish political history, this powerful saga is brought to its conclusion. Journeying through the centuries right the way up to the twentieth century's Easter Rising and Independence, passing through turbulent milestones such as «The Year of the French», the «Famine» and «The Home Rule Movement of Parnell» along the way.»

«Raised in Tokyo, author Naomi Moriyama first travelled to the West as a college student, and promptly gained 25 pounds eating a typical Western diet. Returning home for the holidays, she found that the weight melted off as she reverted to the healthy diet of her homeland. The experience inspired her first book «Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat». Healthy and effective, «The Japan Diet» is based on the traditional Japanese style of eating and is filled with over 40 simple, delicious recipes: satisfying soups, fresh vegetables, delicate grilled fish; mouthwatering meals that will keep you satisfied for longer. And with a 7-day Healthy Eating Plan built on the foundations of the Japanese diet, but based on ready meals, takeaway foods and convenience items from supermarkets, this book is also ideal for those dieters without the time to cook. With clear, practical advice and handy shortcuts, this diet offers a fresh and easy approach to a healthier, slimmer lifestyle.»

In Japan, people live longer than anywhere else on Earth; obesity is virtually unknown, and 40-year-old women look like they’re 20. The secret: Japanese homestyle cooking, and an approach to eating that is not about self-deprivation, but about celebrating and savouring food. Raised in Tokyo and on her grandparents' mountainside farm, author Naomi Moriyama first travelled to the West as a college student, and promptly gained 25 pounds eating an American diet. Returning home for the holidays, she found that the weight melted off as she returned to the healthy, soulful food of her mother’s tiny kitchen: satisfying soups, fresh vegetables, delicate grilled fish; mouthwatering meals that never left her feeling hungry. Filled with delicious recipes and evocative reminiscences, this book is for all those who are tired of counting calories and carbs, and finding themselves on diets that don’t work. Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat offers a delightfully fresh and easy approach to a healthier, slimmer, and longer lifestyle