Random House Inc.

The battle for the control of RJR Nabisco in the Autumn of 1988, which became the largest and most dramatic corporate takeover in American history, sent shock-waves through the international business world and became a symbol of the greed, excess and egotism of the eighties. «Barbarians at the Gate» recounts this two-month battle with breathtaking pace and flair, and transports back to the Wall Street empire before it crumbled, through the boardroom doors, into the midnight meetings, the betrayals, the deal makers and publicity flaks, into a world where — as Nabisco CEO Ross Johnson put it — 'a few million dollars are lost in the sands of time'. Twenty years on, the world is once again recovering from a period of financial extravagance and irresponsibility. This revised edition brings the ultimate business thriller up to date for a new generation of readers.

Danielle Steel sweeps us from a Manhattan courtroom to the Deep South in her powerful new novel — at once a behind-closed-doors look into the heart of a family and a tale of crime and punishment. Eleven years have passed since Alexa Hamilton left the South behind, fleeing the pain of her ex-husband's betrayal and the cruelty of his prominent Charleston family. Now an assistant D.A. in Manhattan, Alexa has finally put her demons to rest, making a name for herself as a top prosecutor, handling the city's toughest cases while juggling her role as devoted single mom to a teenage daughter. But everything changes when Alexa is handed her latest case: the trial of accused serial killer Luke Quentin. Sifting through mountains of forensic evidence, Alexa prepares for a high-stakes trial... until threatening letters throw her private life into turmoil. The letters are addressed to her beautiful seventeen-year-old daughter, Savannah, whom Alexa has been raising alone since her divorce. Alexa is certain that Quentin is behind the letters — and that they are too dangerous to ignore. Suddenly she must make the toughest choice of all — and send her daughter back to the very place she swore she would never return to: the place where her marriage ended in heartbreak... her ex-husband's world of southern tradition, memories of betrayal, and the antebellum charm of Charleston. Now, while Alexa's trial builds to a climax in New York, her daughter is settling into southern life, discovering a part of her family history and a father she barely knows — from the ice-cold stepmother who stole him away to a fascinating ancestry and a half-sister and half-brothers she comes to love. As secrets are exposed and old wounds are healed, Alexa and Savannah, after a season in different worlds, will come together again — strengthened by the challenges they have faced, changed by the mysteries they have unraveled, and with Savannah now at home in the southern world her mother fled. In this masterfully told tale, Danielle Steel creates a stunning array of contrasts: from the gritty chaos of Manhattan's criminal court system to the seductive gentility of the South, from the rage of a hardened criminal to the tender bond between a mother and daughter — and a loving father who has welcomed Savannah home at last. A novel that will catch you off guard at every turn, Southern Lights is Danielle Steel at her electrifying best.

In his first collection of short stories, John Grisham takes readers back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, «A Time to Kill.» Available in a tall Premium Edition.

Michael Caine is the best-loved film actor Britain has ever produced. Here, for the first time, he reveals the truth about his childhood, his family and his hard-fought journey from London to Hollywood, bringing to life the lean years and the triumphs with astonishing candour. And with typical charm and humour he talks about the movies, about his relationships — on and off the screen — with other actors and directors, and about the memorable screen presence which is his hallmark.

As the Eleventh Doctor and Amy embark on all-new adventures in time and space, «The TARDIS Handbook» gives you the inside scoop on 900 years of travel aboard the Doctor's famous time machine. Everything you need to know about the TARDIS is here — where it came from, where it's been, how it works, and how it has changed since we first encountered it in a London junkyard in 1963. Including photos, design drawings, floor plans and instruction manuals from different eras of the series, this handbook explores the ship's endless interior, looking inside its wardrobe and bedrooms, its power rooms and sick bay, its corridors and cloisters, and revealing just how the show's production teams have created the dimensionally transcendental police box, inside and out. «The TARDIS Handbook» is the essential guide to the best ship in the universe.

1958. America is about to emerge into a bright new age — an age that will last until the 1000 days of John F Kennedy's presidency. Three men move beneath the glossy surface of power, men allied to the makers and shakers of the era. Peter Bondurant — Howard Hughes' right-hand man, Jimmy Hoffa's hitman. Kemper Boyd — employed by J. Edgar Hoover to infiltrate the Kennedy clan. Ward Littell, a man seeking redemption in Bobby Kennedy's drive against organised crime. The festering discount of the age that burns brightly in these men's hearts will go into supernova as the Bay of Pigs ends in calamity, the Mob clamous for payback and the 1000 days ends in brutal quietus in 1963.

»Una obra maestra.» — «The New Yorker» Arturo Belano y Ulises Lima, dos quijotes modernos, salen tras las huellas de Cesarea Tinajero, la misteriosa escritora desaparecida en Mexico en los anos posteriores a la revolucion. Esa busqueda — el viaje y sus consecuencias — se prolonga durante veinte anos, bifurcandose a traves de numerosos personajes y continentes, Con escenarios como Mexico, Nicaragua, Estados Unidos, Francia y Espana, y personajes entre los que destacan un fotografo espanol a punto de la desesperacion, un neonazi, un torero mexicano jubilado que vive en el desierto, una estudiante francesa lectora de Sade, una prostituta adolescente en permanente huida, un abogado gallego herido por la poesia y un editor mexicano perseguido por unos pistoleros, Los detectives salvajes es una novela donde hay de todo: amores y muertes, asesinatos y fugas, manicomios y universidades, desapariciones y apariciones. Los detectives salvajes es la novela que lanzo a Roberto Bolano a la fama literaria internacional antes de que «2666» estableciera su reputacion para siempre. El libro gano el Premio Herralde de Novela y el Premio Romulo Gallegos, y fue uno de los libros del ano para «The Washington Post, «»Los Angeles Times» y «The New York Times Book Review.»

Number 1 «New York Times «bestselling author John Grisham takes us back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill.» «This riveting collection of short stories features an unforgettable cast of characters: Wheelchair-bound Inez Graney and her two older sons embark on a bizarre road trip through the Mississippi Delta to visit Inez's youngest son, Raymond-on death row. A hard-drinking, low-grossing divorce lawyer fed up with his wife, his life, and the law plans a drastic escape after an unexpected phone call. A quiet, unassuming data collector sets out to bring down a flashy casino owner with his skill at blackjack-as payback for the theft of his wife. A stalker hunts victims in a retirement home, a lawyer confronts a vengeful adversary from the past, and a young man from a prominent family is driven off by scandal and fear-but finds unexpected redemption on the wrong side of the tracks. Often hilarious, frequently moving, and always entertaining, this collection makes it abundantly clear why John Grisham is our most popular storyteller.

The «New York Times» bestseller, now fully updated to include the complete seven-volume series. Who was the real Nicholas Flamel? How did the Sorcerer's Stone get its power? Did J. K. Rowling dream up the terrifying basilisk, the seductive veela, or the vicious grindylow? And if she didn't, who did? Millions of readers around the world have been enchanted by the magical world of wizardry, spells, and mythical beasts inhabited by Harry Potter and his friends. But what most readers don't know is that there is a centuries-old trove of true history, folklore, and mythology behind Harry's fantastic universe. Now, with «The Sorcerer's Companion» those without access to the Hogwarts Library can school themselves in the fascinating reality behind J. K. Rowling's world of magic. Newly updated to include «Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince» and «Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows», «The Sorcerer's Companion» allows curious readers to look up anything magical from the Harry Potter books and discover a wealth of entertaining, unexpected information. Wands and wizards, boggarts and broomsticks, hippogriffs and herbology, all have astonishing histories rooted in legend, literature, or real-life events dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. Magic wands, like those sold in Rowling's Diagon Alley, were once fashioned by Druid sorcerers out of their sacred yew trees. Love potions were first concocted in ancient Greece and Egypt. And books of spells and curses were highly popular during the Middle Ages. From Amulets to Zombies, you'll also learn: — how to read tea leaves — where to find a basilisk today — how King Frederick II of Denmark financed a war with a unicorn horn — who the real Merlin was — how to safely harvest mandrake root — who wore the first invisibility cloak — how to get rid of a goblin — why owls were feared in the ancient world — what really lies beyond the Veil — the origins of our modern-day «bogeyman» and more. A spellbinding tour of Harry's captivating world, «The Sorcerer's Companion» is a must for every Potter aficionado's bookshelf». «The Sorcerer's Companion has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by any person or entity that created, published, or produced the Harry Potter books or related properties.

Un hombre y una mujer, motivados por una busqueda espiritual, viajan hacia la aridez y el supuesto vacio del desierto de Mojave. A lo largo de cuarenta dias, rodeados de dudas y tentaciones, entraran en contacto con sus mas intimos conflictos y cuestionamientos. Paulo Coelho advierte que este ha sido un libro dificil de escribir porque revela episodios y sentimientos de su propia vida; porque dudaba poder narrar esta historia y porque marca la fragil distancia entre la tradicion magica a la que pertenece y el hombre que realmente es. «Una nueva guerra va a comenzar, de la cual nadie podra escapar. Veremos dos ejercitos. De un lado quienes todavia creen en la raza humana, en los poderes ocultos del hombre, y saben que nuestro siguiente paso esta en el crecimiento de los dones individuales. Del otro lado estaran los que creen que la vida termina en la materia.»

»New York Times» bestselling novelist Jennifer Crusie combines fast-paced banter, sexy situations, and unforgettable characters in this delightful romance about two reluctant lovers who couldn't be more wrong about being right for each other. TRUST ME ON THIS Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it's a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don't mistake is the instant attraction they have for each other, an attraction they'll do everything in their power to resist — because Dennie thinks that Alec is running interference for her interview subject, and Alec suspects that Dennie is linked to his swindler. As the confusion grows, so do their feelings for each other, and what begins as a romantic comedy of errors may just end in the love affair of a lifetime.

We didn't know where it was all going. We just didn't know. One day in 1968 Don McCullin, then regarded as the world's most accomplished war photographer, received a commission from the Apple Corporation to spend a day photographing the Beatles. McCullin had just returned from covering the bitter fighting during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and was the most hardened photojournalist in the field. He was astonished by the invitation. On Sunday 28 September he met the Beatles at the Sunday Times studio and began to photograph them in colour for a Life magazine cover. The day that followed has become known in Beatles lore as 'The Mad Day Out'. McCullin shot twenty rolls of black-and-white film in various locations across London, from the banks of the Thames to Paul McCartney's garden. Apart from the cover photograph and two pictures in McCullin's recent book In England, we believe the work to be otherwise unpublished. The timing of this day was significant. At the height of their international fame following the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles were in the middle of recording the White Album. The war was raging in Vietnam and riots had spread through capital cities worldwide. It was the very moment of a generational divide, and the Beatles were the iconic figureheads of the youth movement. One of the most poignant photographs taken that day was of John Lennon posing as dead, surrounded by the other three, in an image that he himself had carefully choreographed. What was an intentional pose in protest is now seen as tragic and prophetic. These pictures are of four inspired musicians on the cusp of the change. They mark the passing of an era in which we can glimpse our own lost youth.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, creator of Horton the Elephant, the Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, and a madcap menagerie of the best-loved children's characters of all time, stands alone as the preeminent figure of children's literature. But Geisel was a private man who was happier at the drawing table than he was across from any reporter or would-be biographer. Under the thoughtful scrutiny of Charles D. Cohen, Geisel's lesser known works yield valuable insights into the imaginative and creative processes of one of the 20'th century's most original thinkers.

Aleksandr made a silent promise to the Lord. God would deliver him-would deliver Russia-and he would make Russia into the country that the Almighty wanted it to be. He would be delivered from the destruction that wasted at noonday, and from the pestilence that walked in darkness-the terror by night... 1825, Europe-and Russia-have been at peace for ten years. Bonaparte is long dead and the threat of invasion is no more. For Colonel Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, life is peaceful. Not only have the French been defeated but so have the twelve monstrous creatures he once fought alongside, and then against, ten or more years ago. His duty is still to serve and to protect his tsar, Aleksandr the First, but now the enemy is human. However the Tsar knows that he can never be at peace. Of course, he is aware of the uprising fermenting within the Russian army-among his supposedly loyal officers. No, what troubles him is something that threatens to bring damnation down upon him, his family and his country. The Tsar has been reminded of a promise: a promise born of blood...a promise that was broken a hundred years before. Now the one who was betrayed by the Romanovs has returned to exact revenge for what has been denied him. And for Aleksei, knowing this chills his very soul. For it seems the vile pestilence that once threatened all he believed in and all he held dear has returned, thirteen years later...

Tessa has just a few months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out. Before I Die is a brilliantly-crafted novel, heartbreaking yet astonishingly life-affirming. It will take you to the very edge.

The imprisonment and execution of Queen Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, in May 1536 was unprecedented in English history. It was sensational in its day, and has exerted endless fascination over the minds of historians, novelists, dramatists, poets, artists and film-makers ever since. Anne was imprisoned in the Tower of London on 2 May 1536, and tried and found guilty of high treason on 15 May. Her supposed crimes included adultery with five men, one her own brother, and plotting the King's death. She was executed on 19 May 1536. Mystery surrounds the circumstances leading up to her arrest. Was it Henry VIII who, estranged from Anne, instructed Master Secretary Thomas Cromwell to fabricate evidence to get rid of her so that he could marry Jane Seymour? Or did Cromwell, for reasons of his own, construct a case against Anne and her faction, and then present compelling evidence before the King? Following the coronation of her daughter Elizabeth I in 1558, Anne was venerated as a heroine of the English Reformation. Over the centuries, her dramatic story has inspired many artistic and cultural works and has remained ever-vivid in England's popular memory. Never before has there been a book devoted entirely to Anne Boleyn's fall. Alison Weir has reassessed the evidence and created a richly researched and detailed portrait of the last days of one of the most influential and important figures in English history.

In this sumptuous vision of Venice, Peter Ackroyd turns his unparalleled skill at evoking place from London and the River Thames, to Italy and the city of myth, mystery and beauty, set like a jewel in its glistening lagoon. His account is at once romantic and packed with facts, conjuring up the atmosphere of the canals, bridges and sunlit squares, the churches and the markets, the fiestas and the flowers. He leads us through the history of the city, from the first refugees arriving in the mists of the lagoon in the fourth century to the rise of a great mercantile state and a trading empire, the wars against Napoleon and the tourist invasions of today. Everything is here: the merchants on the Rialto and the Jews in the ghetto; the mosaics of St Mark's and the glass blowers of Murano; the carnival masks and the sad colonies of lepers; and, the doges and the destitute and the artists with their passion for colour and form — Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, Tiepolo. There are wars and sieges, scandals and seductions, fountains playing in deserted squares and crowds thronging the markets. And there is a dark undertone too, of shadowy corners and dead ends, prisons and punishment. The language and way of thinking of the Venetians sets them aside from the rest of Italy. They are an island people, linked to the sea and to the tides rather than the land. 'The moon rules Venice', Ackroyd writes: 'It is built on ocean shells and ocean ground; it has the aspect of infinity. It is the floating world... changing and variable and accidental. 'This book, like a magic gondola, transports its readers to that sensual, surprising realm. We could have no better guide — reading Ackroyd's «Venice» is, in itself, a glorious journey and the perfect holiday'.

Tiffany Aching put one foot wrong, made one little mistake... And now the spirit of winter is in love with her. He gives her roses and icebergs, says it with avalanches and showers her with snowflakes — which is tough when you're 13, but also just a little bit... cool. And just because the Wintersmith wants to marry you is no excuse for neglecting your chores. So Tiffany must look after Miss Treason, who's 113 and has far too many eyes, learn the secret of Boffo, catch Horace the cheese, stop the gods from seeing her in the bath — 'Crivens!' Oh, yes, and be helped by the Nac Mac Feegles — whether she wants it or not. But if Tiffany doesn't work it all out, there will never be another springtime.

Once again, Carlos Ruiz Zafón takes us into a dark, gothic Barcelona and creates a breathtaking tale of intrigue, romance, and tragedy. At the beginning of this powerful, labyrinthian thriller, David Martin, a pulp fiction writer struggling to stay afloat, is holed up in an abandoned mansion in the heart of Barcelona, furiously tapping out story after story, becoming increasingly desperate and frustrated. When he is approached by a mysterious publisher offering a book deal that seems almost too good to be real, David leaps at the chance. But as he begins the work, and after a visit to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, he realizes that there is a connection between his book and the shadows that surround his dilapidated home and that the publisher may be hiding a few troubling secrets of his own.

From the sensational, award-winning artist of the bestselling Mythology: his never-before-seen DC Comics sketchbook. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the stunning black-and-white drawings of the DC characters you loved from Mythology: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Black Canary, and many more. All of Alex Ross's extraordinary, hyper-realistic paintings start as pencil on paper, and some of them never get beyond that stage. None of these hundreds of graphite sketches has ever been published before, and most of them will make their only published appearance in Rough Justice. In 2008 Ross became the first cover artist in DC history to work simultaneously on the monthly Superman and Batman titles. All of the designs he created for an entire year-even those that did not make the final cut-are included here. And in an interview with Chip Kidd, Ross reveals his process and how these drawings translate into the finished paintings. Rough Justice reveals the brilliance and brawn of Alex Ross's draftsmanship: the foundation of his dazzling images.

Google is a dominant force on the Internet, guiding millions of searches and online purchases every day. Understanding how it works and how to make the most of it is therefore essential to anyone building or running a web site, whether for business or as a hobby. This easy-to-follow guide not only explains how Google sifts the billions of pages of information its index contains, but also shows you how you can improve the performance of your own web site in Google's search results, giving specific and detailed instructions about the priority issues you need to address. Superbly practical and readable, it will prove invaluable to web designers, business people and indeed anyone whose livelihood or interested depend on understanding the Internet better. 50 Ways to Make Google Love Your Web Site will teach you how to: capture more of the top results for your market; keep your web site clear of Google's penalities; think more like your googling customers; win more traffic to your web pages; and, build a better web site.

Did you know that the way you eat your food will be sending subliminal messages out about your sexual habits? Or that the way you swing, rock or slump in your office chair, or decorate your desk, could be helping your boss decide about that promotion or pay rise? We're all aware of the subtle messages of design and marketing but what about the signals you send out about yourself and your personality? The You Code is the book that answers all these questions, uncovering the hidden meaning behind the simplest of choices. Judi James, with co-writer and journalist James Moore, pulls no punches in her addictive and entertaining book which gets to the nub of who you really are, telling you more about yourself than you ever wanted to know, as well as providing an intriguing insight into the people around you. From shopping to sex, even down to the filling in your sandwich, The You Code is a must for anyone who wants to find out more about themselves and, more importantly, what everyone else thinks of them.

From the prestigious dormitories of Westfield and Oxford's austere college halls, to the irresistible socialite scene of present-day London, everywhere Allegra McCorquodale goes, scandal follows her. And in Allegra's shadow are her closest friends since school, the Midnight Girls. Romily de Lisle: super rich, brilliant and bored. She's as blessed as Allegra when it comes to looks, but she's a force to be reckoned with. And Imogen Heath: pretty, timid and hopelessly drawn to Allegra's reckless charm. She longs to be a part of the glitzy high-society world where her friends move with such ease. Once free of the cloistered worlds of school and university, the Midnight Girls face new and different challenges, but they are forever bonded by a terrible secret they've sworn never to break. Bitter rivalries arise as their professional lives soon cross paths. Greed, tragedy and sinister passions threaten their allegiance. Each of them stand to lose what they love most, and one of them must make the ultimate sacrifice.

Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg is not like other policemen. His methods appear unorthodox in the extreme: he doesn't search for clues; he ignores obvious suspects and arrests people with cast-iron alibis; he appears permanently distracted. In spite of all this his colleagues are forced to admit that he is highly successful — a born cop. When strange blue chalk circles start appearing overnight on the pavements of Paris, the press take up the story with amusement and psychiatrists trot out their theories. Adamsberg is alone in thinking this is not a game and far from amusing. He insists on being kept informed of new circles and the increasingly bizarre objects which they contain: a pigeon's foot, four cigarette lighters, a badge proclaiming 'I Love Elvis', a hat, a doll's head. Adamsberg senses the cruelty that lies behind these seemingly random occurrences. Soon a circle with decidedly less banal contents is discovered: the body of a woman with her throat savagely cut. Adamsberg knows that other murders will follow. The Chalk Circle Man is the first book featuring Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, one of the most engaging characters in contemporary detective fiction.