HarperCollins Publishers

Pioneers in dictionary publishing for over 175 years, Collins are now proud to offer the Concise English Dictionary in print and online. The seventh edition of the groundbreaking Collins Concise Dictionary is the only dictionary in concise format with encyclopedic entries for people, places, and regions. Ideal for families and students, this is essential for anyone who needs a dictionary that supports research in all areas (academic subjects as well as hobbies, sport and recreation) and study. Have confidence — comprehensive and authoritative, with all the words and definitions you need Get it right — language notes help you choose the right words for every situation and give advice on words that are changing in meaning or use. Get there fast — clear layout with colour. Find out more — thousands of entries for people and places.

Use a Collins thesaurus, and be one of the best-informed language users in the world. Comprehensive and authoritative, with all the alternative words and opposites you need. Language notes help you choose the right word. Word Study supplement offers more descriptive alternatives to some overused words.

»Tatiana and Alexander» is a powerful story of grief and hope — a passionate and epic love story from the Russian-born author of «The Bronze Horseman». The world at war... two people in love. Tatiana is eighteen years old and pregnant when she miraculously escapes war-torn Leningrad to the West, believing herself to be a widow. Her husband, Major Alexander Belov, a decorated hero of the Soviet Union, has been arrested by Stalins infamous secret police and is awaiting imminent death as a traitor and a spy. Tatiana begins her new life in America. In wartime New York City she finds work, friends and a life beyond her dreams. However, her grief is inescapable and she keeps hearing Alexander calling out to her. Meanwhile, Alexander faces the greatest danger hes ever known. An American trapped in Russia since adolescence, he has been serving in the Red Army and posing as a Soviet citizen to protect himself. For him, Russias war is not over, and both victory and defeat will mean certain death. As the Second World War moves into its spectacular close, Tatiana and Alexander are surrounded by the ghosts of their past and each other. They must struggle against destiny and despair as they find themselves in the fight of their lives. A master of the historical epic, Paullina Simons takes us on a journey across continents, time, and the entire breadth of human emotion, to create a heartrendingly beautiful love story that will live on long after the final page is turned.

Four very different women are drawn together in the warm and engaging new novel by the bestselling author of «Just Between Us».

The classic story of a much-loved bear — Paddington! Join Paddington and the Browns as they start their adventures at Paddington Station and relive their treasured story in this stylish book and CD set. Paddington Bear first met the Brown family at a railway station — Paddington station, in fact. He had travelled all the way from Darkest Peru with only a jar of marmalade, a suitcase and a label reading «Please look after this bear». Without further ado, Mr and Mrs Brown promptly welcomed the adventurous bear into their family, and in honour of their meeting place they named him Paddington. The Browns soon discover that Paddington is a most unusual bear. Ordinary things — like having a bath — become quite extraordinary when a bear called Paddington is around. Now this treasured story is available as a charming picture book and CD set that even the youngest children will enjoy.

When Paddington starts to make a list of all the nice things he can think of about being a bear and living with the Browns he is sure to include «the garden». Paddington feels very lucky to have such a nice garden, especially as he has his own little patch in it, to keep him out of mischief!

Available for the first time as a set, this boxed collection of paperbacks includes «The Silmarillion», «Unfinished Tales» and the international number one besteller, «The Children of Hurin». It is a legendary time long before «The Lord of the Rings», and «Morgoth, the first Dark Lord», dwells in the vast fortress of Angband in the North; and within the shadow of the fear of Angband, and the war waged by Morgoth against the Elves, the fates of Turin and his sister Nianor will be tragically entwined. Their brief and passionate lives are dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bears them as the children of Hurin, the man who dared to defy him to his face. Against them Morgoth sends his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire, in an attempt to fulfil the curse of Morgoth, and destroy the children of Hurin. Begun by J.R.R. Tolkien at the end of the First World War, «The Children of Hurin» became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book Christopher Tolkien has constructed, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention.

Welcome to LA. City of contradictions. It is home to movie stars and down-and-outs. Palm-lined beaches and gridlock. Shopping sprees and gun sprees. Bright Shiny Morning takes a wild ride through the ultimate metropolis, where glittering excess rubs shoulders with seedy depravity. Frey's trademark filmic snapshots zoom in on the parallel lives of diverse characters, bringing their egos and ideals, hopes and despairs, anxieties and absurdities vividly to life. Some suffer, like the otherworldly wino who tries to save a spoilt teenage runaway. Others gain, like the canny talent agent who turns sexual harassment to blackmailing advantage. Some are loaded, or grounded, and have luck on their side. Others, like the countless actresses-turned-hookers, or schoolboys-turned-gangsters, are doomed. Книга «Bright Shiny Morning» выпущена в издательстве «Hodder & Stoughton» в 2009 году.

The Collins Russian Pocket Dictionary offers the learner of Russian extensive coverage of Russian and English in a compact, handy format. The Collins Russian Pocket Dictionary is designed for all those studying Russian, whether at school, for business, or as a hobby. It is the ideal text for learners of Russian, and comes with a useful guide to Russian grammar. / The Collins Russian Pocket Dictionary offers extensive coverage of Russian and English. / The grammar supplement is a compact and useful guide — a perfect complement to the dictionary with its clear, easy-to-use layout. / The clear layout ensures that users find the information they want quickly and easily. Other titles in the Collins Russian Dictionary range include: Collins Russian Dictionary and Collins Gem Russian Dictionary.

A timeless classic of modern-day piracy from the acclaimed master of action and suspense. Aboard the SS Campari, all is not well. For Johnny Carter, the Chief Officer, the voyage has already begun badly; but it’s only when the Campari sails that evening, after a succession of delays that he realises something is seriously wrong. A member of the crew is suddenly missing and the stern-to-stern search only serves to increase tension. Then violence erupts and suddenly the whole ship is in danger. Is the Campari a victim of modern day piracy? And what of the strange cargo hidden below the decks?

A classic tale of espionage, secret missions and exotic locations which out-Bonds Bond, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense. Eight job advertisements. Eight jobs. Eight specialists in modern technology required. Eight scientists to fill them. Applicants to be married, with no children, and prepared to travel. Highly persuasive salaries. One criminal mastermind. Eight positions filled. Eight scientists — and their wives — disappear. Completely. One secret agent to stop him. Advertisment no.9. Sydney, Australia. Fuel specialist required. Looks like a job for John Bentall…

Poirot sets himself a challenge before he retires – to solve 12 cases which correspond with the labours of his classical Greek namesake… In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet – reasoned the detective – like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters. So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot made up his mind to accept just twelve more cases: his self-imposed ‘Labours’. Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction.

A wheelchair-bound Poirot returns to Styles, the venue of his first investigation, where he knows another murder is going to take place… The house guests at Styles seemed perfectly pleasant to Captain Hastings; there was his own daughter Judith, an inoffensive ornithologist called Norton, dashing Mr Allerton, brittle Miss Cole, Doctor Franklin and his fragile wife Barbara, Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell and his charming wife, Daisy, and the charismatic Boyd-Carrington. So Hastings was shocked to learn from Hercule Poirot’s declaration that one of them was a five-times murderer. True, the ageing detective was crippled with arthritis, but had his deductive instincts finally deserted him?…

Passion, politics, love and death combine in a novel of the legendary love triangle between the three leaders of the Roman era: Cleopatra, Mark Antony and Octavian, from the bestselling author of The Thorn Birds Mark Antony, famous warrior and legendary lover, expected that he would be Julius Caesar's successor. But after Caesar's murder it was his 18-year old nephew, Octavian, who was named in the will. No-one, least of all Antony, expected him to last but his youth and slight frame concealed a remarkable determination and a clear strategic sense. Antony was the leader of the fabulously rich East. Barely into his campaigning, he met Cleopatra, Pharaoh of Egypt. Bereft by the loss of Julius Caesar, her lover, father of her only son, she saw Antony as another Roman who could support her and provide more heirs. His fascination for her, his sense that she knew the way forward where he had lost his, led to the beginning of their passionate, and very public affair. The two men, twin rulers of Rome, might have found a way to live with each other but not with Cleopatra between them. This is a truly epic story of power and scandal, battle and passion, political spin and inexorable fate with a rich historical background and a remarkable cast of characters, all brought brilliantly to life by Colleen McCullough. It is hard to leave the world she has created.

Doris Lessing, one of England's finest living novelists, invites us to imagine a mythical society free from sexual intrigue, free from jealousy, free from petty rivalries: a society free from men. An old Roman senator, contemplative at his late stage of life, embarks on what will likely be his last endeavour: the retelling of the story of human creation. He recounts the history of the Clefts, an ancient community of women living in an Edenic, coastal wilderness, confined within the valley of an overshadowing mountain. The Clefts have no need, or knowledge, of men – childbirth is controlled, like the tides that lap around their feet, through the cycles of the moon, and their children are always female. But with the unheralded birth of a strange, new child – a boy – the harmony of their community is suddenly thrown into jeopardy. At first, in their ignorance, the Clefts are awestruck by this seemingly malformed child, but as more and more of these threateningly unfamiliar males appear, now unfavourably nicknamed Squirts, they are rejected, and are exposed on the nearby mountainside; sacrificed to the patrolling eagles overhead, the sentinels of their female haven. Unbeknownst to the Clefts, however, these baby males survive, aided by the very eagles sent to kill them, and thrive on their own on the other side of the mountain. It is not until an unusually curious young Cleft named Maire goes beyond the geographical, and emotional, divide of the mountain that this disquieting fact is uncovered – a discovery that forces the Clefts to accept and realign themselves to the prospect of a now shared world, and the possible vengeance of the wronged males. In this fascinating and beguiling novel, Lessing confronts head-on the themes that inspired much of her early writing: how men and women, two similar and yet thoroughly distinct creatures, manage to live side by side in the world, and how the specifics of gender affect every aspect of our existence.

The vibrant new novel from Isabel Allende takes her back to her homeland of Chile, and tells the story of the first Spanish woman to arrive on its shores with the Conquistadors in the 1500s. A real historical figure, Inés Suarez came to Chile with the Conquistadors in 1540, helping to claim the territory for Spain and to found the first Spanish settlement in Santiago. In this remarkable novel, Isabel Allende – one of the world's most spellbinding storytellers – re-imagines Inés's life and that of the two men who become her lover and husband respectively. ‘Inés of My Soul’ evokes the conflict and drama of the Conquistadors' arrival in Chile, as well as helping restore the reputation of Inés, a powerful woman long neglected by history and a patriarchal society. It also finds Allende returning to territory beloved of her and her readers – imaginative historical fiction, evocatively told – and to the familiar landscape of her native country. The novel gives Inés the recognition and glory that are rightfully hers; but more than that it is an epic tale of love and conquest, lyrically written and enchantingly told by a writer at the peak of her powers.

New edition of this funny, festive picture book about Paddington, the beloved, classic bear from darkest Peru. Paddington Bear knows just what he wants for Christmas and is anxious to make sure Santa Claus knows too. A trip to Santa’s grotto at the department store is his perfect chance to make his wishes known – but not everything goes quite according to plan!

Glamour, intrigue, lust and betrayal merge in the sizzling new blockbuster from The Sunday Times bestselling author of Daddy’s Girls New York billionaire Adam Gold is moving to London. He's sexy, single and about to come face to face with The Gold Diggers. Karin the jet-setting swimsuit entrepreneur and London's most glamorous socialite. Adam Gold could be her perfect accessory. Erin the naive country girl who snares the job as Adam's PA. But the bright lights and obscene money threaten to lose her everything she once held dear. Molly, a fading eighties supermodel with an expensive drug habit. Adam could be her last chance at gaining the ultimate lifestyle before time finally catches up with her. Summer is Molly's daughter. A burgeoning beauty living in the shadows of her famous mother. Now the tables are about to turn when she lands herself a television deal and becomes 'the next big thing.' From Monte Carlo to Lake Como, St Moritz to St Barts, Gold Diggers takes us on a heady journey through the social circuit of the super-rich, plunging the reader into a world of sex, murder and scorching betrayal. Tasmina Perry is bringing sexy back!

The warm and engaging new novel from the bestselling author of BEST OF FRIENDS. Fairy godmothers do exist, even in the tranquil hills of Ireland… Once upon a time, in the beautiful town of Carrickwell, lived three women whose lives were mapped out: Ambitious Mel would have her career and her family; caring Daisy a child with the boyfriend who is everything to her; and hot-headed Cleo would finish her degree and step into the family hotel business. Until the landscape shifted and it all came tumbling down. But Carrickwell, nestled in the shadows of Mount Carraig, is an ancient, magical place. And when Leah, a woman with her own secret turmoil, opens the Clouds Hill spa, Mel, Daisy and Cleo are thrown together – and find the courage to discover what really matters to them, always and forever…

The women of Summer Street have their fair share of secrets and soon learn that if you keep a secret too long it will creep out when you least expect it… The warm and moving new novel from the No. 1 Bestselling author of Always and Forever. Keep a secret too long and it will creep out when you least expect it… Behind the shining windows and rose-bedecked gardens of Summer Street, there are lots of secrets. There’s the one that hard-working single mother, Faye, hides from her teenage daughter, Amber. And there’s the one that thirty-year-old Maggie hides from herself. When fiery Amber decides to throw away her future for love, and when Maggie ends up back home looking after her sick mother, their secrets begin to bubble over. The only person on Summer Street who appears to know all the answers is their friend Christie. Wise and kind, she can see into other people’s hearts to solve their problems. Except that this time, the secrets she’s hidden from her beloved husband and grown up sons suddenly reappear. When the past comes alive for Maggie, Faye and Christie, they finally have to face it.

Goldy Schulz is thrilled to be catering a holiday breakfast feast for the staff of the Aspen Meadow Library. But little does she know that on the menu is a large helping of murder. While setting up at the library, Goldy spots a woman lurking in the stacks who bears a striking resemblance to Sandee Brisbane—the Sandee Brisbane who killed Goldy's ex-husband, the Jerk. But Sandee is supposed to be dead... or so everyone believes. Goldy's suspicions mount when the body of Drew Wellington, a former district attorney, is found in a corner of the library, with a map worth thousands of dollars stashed in his clothing. Goldy is convinced that Sandee, a confessed felon, is involved. But the holiday madness is only just beginning for Goldy. Soon she's drawn into the dangerous, double-crossing world of high-end map dealing. And like the ghost of Christmas past, Sandee keeps making an appearance. Could she be out to prove that revenge is oh-so-sweet?

The fifth and final collection of poems from one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose — and many would claim its most influential and imitated poet. the gas line is leaking, the bird is gone from the cage, the skyline is dotted with vultures; Benny finally got off the stuff and Betty now has a job as a waitress; and the chimney sweep was quite delicate as he giggled up through the soot. I walked miles through the city and recognized nothing as a giant claw ate at my stomach while the inside of my head felt airy as if I was about to go mad. it’s not so much that nothing means anything but more that it keeps meaning nothing, there’s no release, just gurus and self- appointed gods and hucksters. the more people say, the less there is to say. even the best books are dry sawdust. —from «fingernails; nostrils; shoelaces»

Born into a world of wealth and pleasure, Annette Vallon enjoys the privileges of aristocracy, but a burning curiosity and headstrong independence set her apart from other women of her class. Spoiled by the novels of Rousseau, she refuses to be married unless it is for passion. Her stubborn devotion to her romantic principles bears the sweetest fruit when William Wordsworth, a young English poet, enters her life. She will be his mistress, his muse, his obsession. But theirs is a love that will test Annette in unexpected ways, bringing great joy and gravest peril in a dark time of chaos, upheaval, and death. Set amid the terror and excitement of the French Revolution, «Annette Vallon» is an enthralling and evocative tale that captures the courageous spirit of a remarkable woman who, for too long, has been relegated to the shadows of history.

What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids? The world changes for Ethan Gage—one-time assistant to the renowned Ben Franklin—on a night in post-revolutionary Paris, when he wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Framed soon after for the murder of a prostitute and facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, the young expatriate American barely escapes France with his life—choosing instead to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt. With Lord Nelson's fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. And in a land of ancient wonder and mystery, with the help of a beautiful Macedonian slave, he will come to realize that the unusual prize he won at the gaming table may be the key to solving one of history's greatest and most perilous riddles: who built the Great Pyramids... and why?