Quercus/MacLehose Press

Questions of ethics — about how we should act, our responsibilities to our fellow man, and the difference between right and wrong — have long been debated by philosophers the world over and form the linchpin of governments, cultures and religions. Now, Ben Dupre's concise, easy-to-read chapters explain the fundamentals of this discipline, and how they are relevant to our lives today. Covering essential philosophical models, including relativism, the golden rule and utilitarianism, as well as considering high-profile issues such as terrorism, censorship and the death penalty, 50 Ethics Ideas You Really Need to Know is a stimulating introduction to this complex field. The ideas explored include: Free will; Animal liberation; Right and wrong; Torture; Genetic engineering; The environment; The sanctity of life; Poverty.

Science first began as a branch of philosophy, but it has since grown up and moved out of the family home, and its successes have put its parent in the shade. Thanks to scientific knowledge we have walked on the Moon, cured once-fatal illnesses, and even identified the very building blocks of life and the universe. But it is these very successes that underline the need for philosophy. How much should we trust the pronouncements of scientists that we read in the media? What are the ethical implications of our delving into the foundations of our DNA, reproductive treatments, or artificially prolonging life? And are there limits to what science can tell us about the world we think we know? In straightforward and accessible terms, 50 Philosophy of Science Ideas You Really Need to Know explains the key philosophical questions that continue to lie at the heart of the nature and practice of science today. The ideas explored include: Appearance and reality; Knowledge; Anti-realism; Metaphysics; Science and gender; Phenomenology and science.

In kidnapping cases, the first few hours are crucial. After that, the chances of being found alive go from slim to nearly none. Alex Prevost — beautiful, resourceful, tough — may be no ordinary victim, but her time is running out. Commandant Camille Verhoeven and his detectives have nothing to go on: no suspect, no lead, rapidly diminishing hope. All they know is that a girl was snatched off the streets of Paris and bundled into a white van. The enigma that is the fate of Alex will keep Verhoeven guessing until the bitter, bitter end. And before long, saving her life will be the least of his worries.

From Homer's poems to contemporary science fiction, literature through the ages has continuously invented imaginary and legendary lands, projecting there all those wishes, dreams, utopias and nightmares that are too intrusive and challenging for our limited daily reality. Umberto Eco leads us on an illustrated journey through these distant, unknown lands: introducing us to their inhabitants, their heroes and villains, the passions and preoccupations that shaped them, always mindful of the continued importance of myth and legend to modern life and conciousness. Placing ancient and medieval texts beside contemporary stories, films beside poems, comics beside novels, it is a journey that is both erudite and enjoyable, and one that only Eco could have created.

In today's jet-fuelled, caffeine-charged, celebrity-a-minute world, who actually has the time to watch a film from start to finish? Let's face it, life's too short. Now, Film in Five Seconds lets you fast-forward to the best bits so you can enjoy all your favourite movie moments in — literally — moments. Design studio H-57 have taken over 100 iconic films and cut away all the useless details, boiling them down into ingenious pictograms and creating hilarious visual snapshots that are witty, provocative and to the point. From Batman to Bridget Jones, Grease to The Godfather, King Kong to The King's Speech, via slapstick, sci-fi and superheroes, you'll laugh out loud as you identify some of the greatest screen moments of all time. This is the perfect book for film buffs and anyone with a sense of humour or a short attention span.

'Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves'. These powerful words, spoken by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural address as the new president of South Africa, are taken from just one of the forty important and thought-provoking speeches in this collection. Ranging from 1945 to the present day, they provide an important insight into the modern world. Inspirational speeches by Winston Churchill, Mikhail Gorbachev, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and many others are supplemented with biographies of each speaker, as well an exploration of their words' significance and an historical account of the consequences of their oratory. This is a history of the recent and contemporary world told through the speeches that shaped it.

Handguns is a comprehensive visual directory of over 350 guns. Divided into five chapters, with each covering a category of pistol or revolver, the book begins with an introduction to the history of handguns and then examines the different types of firearm in chronological order. Each selected weapon features an authoritative description of the gun and its history, accompanied by a list of key technical data. 'Classic' handguns — including models by Smith & Wesson, Walther, Luger and Beretta — are allocated a double- page spread and illustrated by a near actual-size photograph, specially taken by the Royal Armouries. Compiled by a world-renowned arms expert and illustrated with rich, colour images, this is an essential book for anyone fascinated by weaponry.

This is a story about a boy named Kester. He is extraordinary, but he doesn't know that yet. All he knows, at this very moment, is this: 1. There is a flock of excited pigeons in his bedroom. 2. They are talking to him. 3. His life will never be quite the same again... A captivating animal adventure destined to be loved by readers of all ages.

Cassie Hobbes is not like most teenagers. Most teenagers don't lose their mother in a bloody, unsolved kidnapping. Most teenagers can't tell who you are, where you're from and how you're likely to behave within moments of meeting you. And most teenagers don't get chosen to join The Naturals. Identified by the FBI as uniquely gifted, Cassie is recruited to an elite school where a small number of teens are trained to hone their exceptional abilites. For Cassie, trying to make friends with the girls, and to figure out the two very different, very hot boys, is challenging enough. But when a serial killer begins recreating the details of her mother's horrific crime scene, she realises just how dangerous life in The Naturals could be...

Special Agent Gil Martins investigates domestic terrorism for the Houston FBI. He is a religious man who is close to losing his faith; the very nature of his job has led him to question the existence of a God who could allow the things that Gil sees every day. But Gil's wife Ruth doesn't see things the same way and his crisis of faith provokes a fracture in their marriage. Gil's world is breaking apart. At the same time, Gil starts to investigate a series of unexplained deaths that bring this crisis of faith into uncomfortable focus. When Esther, a disturbed woman, informs Gil that these men have been killed by prayer, Gil questions her sanity. But as the evidence mounts up that there might be something in what she says, his new-found atheism is severely challenged, more so as he finds his own life is next on the line.

The Sacred History is an account of the workings of the supernatural in history. It tells the epic story of angels, from Creation, to Evolution through to the operations of the supernatural in the modern world. This tale of how people and peoples have been helped by angels and other angelic beings is woven into a spellbinding narrative that brings together Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Elijah, Mary and Jesus, Mohammed, Joan of Arc, the angels who helped Hungarian Jews persecuted by the Nazis, and stories from African, Native American and Celtic traditions. Told from the spiritual point of view, The Sacred History relates every betrayal, every change of heart, every twist and turn, everything that looks like a coincidence, every portent, every clue, every defeat, every rescue moments before the prison door clangs shut. This is the angelic version of events.

In Leningrad Symphony, Brian Moynahan sets the composition of Shostakovich's most famous work against the tragic canvas of the siege itself and the years of repression and terror that preceded it. Drawing on extensive primary research in archives as well as personal letters and diaries, he vividly tells the story of the cruelties heaped by the twin monsters of the 20th century, Stalin and Hitler, on a city of exquisite beauty, and of its no less remarkable survival. Weaving Shostakovich's own story and that of many others into the context of the maelstrom of Stalin's purges and the Nazis' brutal invasion of Russia, Leningrad Symphony is a magisterial and moving account of one of the most tragic periods of the twentieth century.

Courland is an entity that no longer exists. With the Gulf of Riga to the north, the Baltic to the west and Lithuania at its southern border, and now part of modern Latvia, the region was occupied by Nazi Germany and returned to Soviet Russia after the war, remaining largely inaccessible until 1991. It is now a nowhere land of wide skies and forests, deserted beaches, ruined castles and ex-KGB prisons. For years Jean-Paul Kauffmann has been irresistibly drawn to this buffer between the Germanic and Slav worlds. His digressive travels at the wheel of a Skoda become an investigation into the whereabouts of a former lover, a search for an excavator of tombs, and a journey in the footsteps of Louis XVIII, for whom Courland was once a place of exile.

AN ENEMY EMERGING FROM THE EAST. The US Secretary of State is abducted while conducting secret negotiations aboard a tanker in the South China Sea. 'Seven days' is her captors' warning. Seven days before she is beheaded, live on the internet. Seven days for Robin Monarch to save her. A TREACHERY TRACING TO THE TOP. The CIA asset and master thief journeys into the underworld of Southeast Asia to locate and extract his target. But as he navigates this shady labyrinth, he unravels a worrying conspiracy: stretching from the red-lit underbelly of Asia to the White House itself.

'I spotted the girl even before she knocked on my door'. Mattie Sullivan is not Spenser's typical client. For a start, she's just fourteen. Nor is her request a typical one — to take a case that's already been solved. But this kid is wiser than her years. And this case is less clear-cut, and far more dangerous, than it appears.

As ethnic tensions escalate into war, Marija returns in confusion to her native Croatia — call it a mid-life crisis. She soon takes up with a young soldier, but her age does not give her the least power over him. On the other side of the world, her estranged father is gearing up to enter the fray, raising the cash to raise an army. Exiled to Argentina, he has been waiting for this moment since 1945. But war is a young man's game, and even his closest comrades cannot be trusted. If the Old Man is to meet his daughter again it will be in a world altered beyond his understanding, where the only soldiers he commands are in his head.

Great cities have always captured the popular imagination — from the souks of Marrakesh to the bustling streets of Tokyo, each one has a unique allure. Exploring urban locations from every continent, Dream Cities handpicks 50 of the most lively and beautiful cultural centres the planet has to offer. The history and sights of sprawling capitals — New York, London and Beijing — are covered alongside smaller, more relaxed cities — Edinburgh and St George's in Bermuda — in this exquisitely illustrated volume. Ever-expanding urban metropolises, such as chic Paris and hip Istanbul, are depicted through stunning colour photography, insightful narrative and up-to-date tips for visiting. Whether you want to plan an extended trip of a lifetime or be whisked away on a weekend city break, this book will give you all the inspiration you need.

In The Story of Christianity, acclaimed theologian David Bentley Hart provides a sweeping and informative portrait of a faith that has shaped the western world and beyond for over 2,000 years. From the persecutions of the early church to the papal-imperial conflicts of the Middle Ages, from the religious wars of 16th- and 17th-century Europe to the challenges of science and secularism in the modern era, and from the ancient Christian communities of Africa and Asia to the 'house churches' of contemporary China, The Story of Christianity triumphantly captures the complexity and diversity of Christian history.

When Imogen and Anna unexpectedly inherit their grandmother Vivien's ice cream parlour, it turns both their lives upside-down. The Brighton shop is a seafront institution, but while it's big on charm it's critically low on customers. If the sisters don't turn things around quickly, their grandmother's legacy will disappear forever. With summer looming, Imogen and Anna devise a plan to return Vivien's to its former glory. Rather than sell up, they will train up, and make the parlour the newest destination on the South Coast foodie map. While Imogen watches the shop, her sister flies to Italy to attend a gourmet ice cream-making course. But as she works shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best chefs in the industry, Anna finds that romance can bloom in the most unexpected of places...

For eight years Flora and Fin had an exciting, intense relationship, but when Flora wanted to settle down and have children, Fin vanished. Three years on, Flora has resigned herself to being single, convinced she's left it too late to find love, though part of her still pines for Fin. Then suddenly he reappears. They pick up where they left off — his betrayal forgotten, or at least forgiven. But has Fin really changed?

Mid Haven, New England, 1894. Emma Appleby's ordered and loving existence comes to an abrupt and painful end with the death of her father. Her brother Laurence has no concern for her welfare and, at her wits' end, Emma plots her escape to the town in England where her father was born. Tow Law Town, North East England, 1904. Emma's arrival in the village offers Mick Castle a lifeline. His days are spent running the Black Diamond pub, but his marriage to Isabel is increasingly troubled and his daughter Connie is running wild. As Emma opens her academy, she sets herself up in competition with the local school, provoking a savage response from the community. But she will not be deterred — even when her past catches up with her and Mick is forced to choose between family and love.

DS Aector McAvoy is a man with a troubled past. His unwavering belief in justice has made him an outsider in the police force he serves. When three seemingly unconnected people are brutally murdered in the weeks before Christmas, the police must work quickly to stop more deaths. It is only McAvoy who can see the connection between the victims. A killer is playing God — and McAvoy must find a way to stop the deadly game.

'I Have a Dream' is an anthology of history's most inspiring words and thoughts from history's greatest leaders from all ages and nations. Each of the 370 quotations is accompanied by an extended annotation that tells the story of the speaker or explains the circumstances that gave rise to the quotation. Includes: 'Heroes have the whole earth for their tomb' — Pericles (431 BCE); 'I am confident in the justice of my cause' — Socrates (399 BCE); 'I stand here and can say no more. God help me. Amen' — Martin Luther (1520); 'I have the heart of a king, and a king of England, too' — Queen Elizabeth I (1588); 'Give me liberty or give me death!' — Patrick Henry (1775); 'We hold these truths to be self-evident' — Gen John Nixon (1776); 'This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom' — Abraham Lincoln (1863); 'Non — violence is the first article of my faith' — Mohandas Gandhi (1922); 'Blood, tears, toil and sweat' — Winston Churchill (1940); 'No easy walk to freedom' — Nelson Mandela (1953); 'Ask not what your country can do for you' — John F. Kennedy (1961); 'I have a dream' — Martin Luther King (1963); 'Yes we can!' — Barack Obama (2008).

'Everything changed after Mama found Father lying on top of another woman.' Blessing and her brother Ezikiel adore their larger-than-life father, their glamorous mother and their comfortable life in Lagos. But all that changes when their father leaves them for another woman. Their mother is fired from her job at the Royal Imperial Hotel — only married women can work there — and soon they have to quit their air-conditioned apartment to go and live with their grandparents in a compound in the Niger Delta. Adapting to life with a poor countryside family is a shock beyond measure after their privileged upbringing in Lagos. Told in Blessing's own beguiling voice, Tiny Sunbirds Far Away shows how some families can survive almost anything. At times hilarious, always poignant, occasionally tragic, it is peopled with characters you will never forget.