Penguin Group

Behind the legend, there was a man. In 1120 the wife of a Norman draper's merchant gave birth to a baby boy in London's bustling Cheapside. Despite his sickly constitution, middle-class background and unremarkable abilities, he rose within the space of thirty-five years to become the most powerful man in the kingdom, second only to Henry II himself. At his height, he led seven hundred knights into battle, brokered peace between nations, held the ear of the Pope and brought one of the strongest rulers in Christendom to his knees. And within a year of his bloody assassination, he was a saint whose cult had spread the length and breadth of Europe, and a legend who remains as controversial and compelling today as he was during his life. The story of Thomas Becket is the story of an enigma, as well as of one of the most tumultuous periods in English history. Drawing on a vast array of contemporary records, personal letters and first-hand accounts, John Guy has reconstructed a psychologically compelling, stunningly nuanced and utterly convincing account of this most remarkable man, the dramatic times in which he lived and the pivotal role he played in his nation's history.

Dublin DIRECTIONS has all you need to get the most out of Ireland's capital city. Whether you're on a weekend break or weeklong visit, this guide highlights all the top places to stay, the sights not to miss, the coolest bars and the tastiest restaurants. From learning about Dublin's literary greats and fascinating history, to tasting your first Guinness in the legendary brewery, this richly illustrated guide explores the very best the city has to offer. The main section of this stylish guide uncovers the city district by district, with every sight, restaurant, bar and shop located on easy-to-use maps!it's like having a local friend plan your trip!

The bestselling Wee Sing line is now tailored for the most modern Wee Sing fans! These eight classic Wee Sing titles are now in a great new package — a book and CD in a reusable blister!

In the beginning there was Bob. And Bob created the heavens and the earth and the beasts of the field and the creatures of the sea, and twenty-five million other species including lots and lots of gorgeous girls. And all of this, he created in just six days. Six days! Congratulations, Bob! No wonder Earth is such a mess. Imagine that God is a typical teenage boy. He is lazy, careless, self-obsessed, sex-mad — and about to meet Lucy, the most beautiful girl on earth. Unfortunately, whenever Bob falls in love, disaster follows. Let us pray that Bob does not fall in love with Lucy.

When and why did 'thou' disappear from Standard English? Would a Victorian Cockney have said 'observation' or 'hobservation'? Was Jane Austen making a mistake when she wrote 'Jenny and James are walked to Charmonth this afternoon'? This superbly well-informed — and also wonderfully entertaining — history of the English language answers all these questions, showing how the many strands of English (Standard English, dialect and slang among them) developed to create the richly-varied language of today.

'There, in Russia five years ago, when Cuba had been taken out of the oven to cool and Vietnam was still coming to a simmer, Bech did find a quality of life — impoverished yet ceremonial, shabby yet ornate, sentimental, embattled, and avuncular-reminiscent of his neglected Jewish past'. Borges became famous as a writer of short stories that contained new realities: elaborately conceived, ingenious and gamesome precis of impossible worlds or imaginary books. In these five stories, there is danger on the high seas, an ungracious teacher of etiquette and an encyclopaedia of an unknown planet — and Borges' unique imagination and intellect plays throughout. This book includes Rich In Russia, Foreword, Bech in Rumania, Appendix A and Appendix B.

Indisputably the greatest fiction detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes lives on-in films, on television, and, of course, through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's inimitable craft. These 22 stories show Holmes at his brilliant best.

Since childhood, Kusama has been afflicted with a condition that makes her see spots, which means she sees the world in a surreal, almost hallucinogenic way that sits very well with the Wonderland of Alice. She is fascinated by childhood and the way adults have the ability, at their most creative, to see things the way children do, a central concern of the Alice books. The classic book will be colour illustrated with a clothbound jacket, and produced to very high specification. Kusama's images will be interspersed throughout the text.

Investigating officers DI Anderson and DS Costello believe the dead man to be a suspect in a decade-old case: the rape and attempted murder of a young student. And there are other, similar cases on file. But what has happened to the dead man's accomplice, Mr Click?

When her boyfriend John dies in a dreadful accident, his girlfriend Emma is plunged into despair. Emma loved John more than life itself and now she has lost everything that matters. Or so she thinks. For Emma has good friends who rally around. But the memory of that night returns to haunt each of them and they struggle to pick up the pieces.

According to Time, Paul Allen is one of the '100 Most Influential People In The World.' Idea Man is the story of the fascinating life of a man who has made an unprecedented impact in science, technology, business, sports, music, and philanthropy. His memoir features previously untold stories that offer insight into everything from the true origins of Microsoft to a behind-the-scenes view of the dawn of private space travel. It offers reflections from someone who has led an extraordinary life, learned a lot, and helped improve the world.

A step by step guide that offers you the very best of Prague in a series of 16 tailor-made tours. It features easy-to-follow routes that take in the city's many classic attractions, stopping at key sites such the wonderfully preserved Old Town with its famous Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge and the gardens of Waldstein Palace.

The last day on earth is coming. Bring your own booze. Kate and Albert, sister and brother, are not yet the last two human beings on earth, but Albert has high hopes. The secluded communal farm they grew up on is — after twenty years — disintegrating, along with their parents' marriage. They both try to escape: Kate, at seventeen, to suburbia and Albert, at eleven, into preparations for the end of the world. However, Don, the group's leader and their father, is convinced he can save everything, if only he can bring his followers into the modern age. How? By force of personality, strict self-sufficiency and a rave with a 10k soundsystem. Understandably, Albert and Kate have other ideas...

Dispatched by the President to report on the state of still troubled Kosovo, his trusted agent Blake Johnson runs into a military man there named Harry Miller, who has the same task from the British Prime Minister. They band together just in time to stop a Russian officer from torching a mosque — or rather, Miller stops him, with a bullet to the forehead. This action will have considerable consequences, not only for Miller and Johnson and their associates, including Britain’s Sean Dillon, but for a great many people, all the way to the top of the governments of the United States, Britain, and Russia.

The epic story of Thomas Cale-introduced so memorably in «The Left Hand of God» — continues as the Redeemers use his prodigious gifts to further their sacred goal: the extinction of humankind and the end of the world. To the warrior-monks known as the Redeemers, who rule over massive armies of child slaves, «the last four things» represent the culmination of a faithful life. Death. Judgement. Heaven. Hell. The last four things represent eternal bliss-or endless destruction, permanent chaos, and infinite pain. Perhaps nowhere are the competing ideas of heaven and hell exhibited more clearly than in the dark and tormented soul of Thomas Cale. Betrayed by his beloved but still marked by a child's innocence, possessed of a remarkable aptitude for violence but capable of extreme tenderness, Cale will lead the Redeemers into a battle for nothing less than the fate of the human race. And though his broken heart foretells the bloody trail he will leave in pursuit of a personal peace he can never achieve, a glimmer of hope remains. The question even Cale can't answer: When it comes time to decide the fate of the world, to ensure the extermination of humankind or spare it, what will he choose? To express God's will on the edge of his sword, or to forgive his fellow man-and himself?

Berlitz: Pocket Guide Moscow combines informative text with vivid colour photography to uncover this booming European capital. It covers everything you need to know about the city's attractions, from the Kremlin — the spiritual, artistic and ruling heart of Russia — and Red Square, with the iconic domes of St Basil's Cathedral, to more outlying areas. Handy maps on the cover flaps help you navigate, and the book uses colour-coding to differentiate between sections. To inspire you, the book offers a rundown of the Moscow's Top 10 Attractions, followed by an itinerary for a Perfect Day in the city. The What To Do chapter is a snapshot of ways to spend your spare time, from shopping and bath houses to entertainment and children's activities. The book provides all the essential background information, including a brief overview of Moscow's tumultuous history and an Eating Out chapter covering the city's cuisine. There are carefully chosen listings of the best hotels and restaurants, and an A-Z of all the practical information you'll need.

It's 2008. The California desert. A four-year-old autistic boy, Raj Matharu, disappears in the wilderness, plunging his wealthy New York parents into the surreal public hell of a media witch-hunt. But the desert is inexplicable and miraculous, and the Matharus' fate is bound up with that of others: a debauched British rock star, on the run from a failed relationship and the sordid excesses of his life; a former member of an extraterrestrial-worshipping cult, now middle-aged but still haunted by transcendent callings; and, a teenage Iraqi refugee, who befriends a young black Marine while playing the role of 'Iraqi villager' in a military simulation exercise. Their lives converge in an odd, remote town, near a rock formation called The Pinnacles — and among the tangled echoes and stories of all those who have travelled before them through this brutally powerful landscape. A branching and multilayered novel by one of our most acclaimed writers, and a compulsively readable journey into the twists and turns of a handful of human lives, «Gods Without Men» is a heartfelt exploration of our search for pattern and meaning in a random and chaotic universe.

In 1947, Elisabeth Mander's German nephew comes to stay: Stefan Landau, her dead sister's teenage son, whom she hates and loves before she's even set eyes on him. Orphaned by the war and traumatised by the last, vicious battles of the Hitler Youth, Stefan brings with him to England only a few meagre possessions. Among them a portrait of a girl with long copper hair by a young painter called Michael Ross — and with it the memory, both painful and precious, of her life and that time between the wars. Spanning decades and generations, The German Boy tells the moving story of two families entangled by love and friendship, divided by prejudice and war, and of a brief encounter between a woman and a man that touched each of their lives forever.

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed on the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister, Sadie, have been in big trouble. As descendants of the magical House of Life, they command certain powers. But now a terrifying enemy — Apophis, the giant snake of chaos — is rising. If Carter and Sadie don't destroy him, the world will end in five days' time. And in order to battle the forces of chaos, they must revive the sun god Ra — a feat no magician has ever achieved. Because first they must search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells... Can the Kanes destroy Apophis before he swallows the sun and plunges the earth into darkness... forever?

This isn't just any cookery book. It is Mastering the Art of French Cooking, first published in 1961, and it's a book that is a statement, not of culinary intent, but of aspiration, a commitment to a certain sort of good life, a certain sort of world-view; a votive object implying taste and appetite and a little je ne sais quoi. Julia Child was like Amelia Earhart, or Eleanor Roosevelt: she was a hero who'd gone out there and made a difference. Her books are a triumph, and also a trophy.

This title features soups from the garden, bisques from the sea, famous fish stews from Provence and Normandy, the real French crunchy bread, meats, vegetables and desserts in variety, all accompanied by step-by-step instructions and superb illustrations, and all in imperial units for British cooks.

To support her orphaned niece, impoverished Brianna O'Keefe accepts work with a Colorado rancher. To guard herself from unwanted attention, she resorts to a harmless little lie: that she's married to a Denver gold miner named David Paxton. But when her husband shows up, Brianna is stunned-not the least by her desire...

To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth. Drought and economic depression are driving thousands from Oklahoma. As their land becomes just another strip in the dust bowl, the Joads, a family of sharecroppers, decide they have no choice but to follow. They head west, towards California, where they hope to find work and a future for their family. But while the journey to this promised land will take its inevitable toll, there remains uncertainty about what awaits their arrival... Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Grapes of Wrath is an epic human drama. Of this novel, Steinbeck himself said: I've done my damndest to rip a reader's nerves to rags, I don't want him satisfied.

Simple in format, with a letter and word on every page and bright paintings of everyday items, «ABC» reveals numerous visual surprises for toddlers. Full color.