Random House Inc.

Tim Weiner offers the first definitive history of the CIA — and everything is on the record. Legacy of Ashes is based on more than 50,000 documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA itself, and hundreds of interviews with CIA veterans, including ten directors of central intelligence. It takes the CIA from its creation after World War II, through its battles in the cold war and the war on terror, to its near-collapse after 9/11. Here is the hidden history of the CIA: why eleven presidents and three generations of CIA officers have been unable to understand the world, why nearly every CIA director has left the agency in worse shape than he found it, and how these failures have profoundly jeopardized our national security.

Fraser, acclaimed historian and author of «Marie Antoinette», casts new light on the splendor and the scandals of the reign of Louis XIV in this dramatic, illuminating look at the women in his life.

The time has come for Meredith Gentry to put aside her detective work and fulfill her ultimate obligation to the world of Faerie where her efforts to conceive an heir to the throne of the Unseelie Court are crucial to restoring magic, and life itself, to the fey kingdom in this fifth volume of Hamiltons bestselling series.

In 1941 close to one million Russian soldiers died defending Moscow from German invasion-more causalities than that of the United States and Britain during all of World War II. Many of these soldiers were in fact not soldiers at all, but instead ordinary people who took up arms to defend their city. Students dropped their books for guns; released prisoners exchanged their freedom for battle; and women fought alongside men on the bloody, mud-covered frozen road to Moscow. By the time the United States entered the war the Germans were already retreating and a decisive victory had been won for the Allies. With extensive research into the lives of soldiers, politicians, writers, artists, workers, and children, Rodric Braithwaite creates a richly detailed narrative that captures this crucial moment. «Moscow 1941» is a dramatic, unforgettable portrait of an often overlooked battle that changed the world.

Here is the definitive biography of one of the most iconic ballet dancers of the twentieth century. Rudolf Nureyev had it all: beauty, genius, charm, passion, and sex appeal. No other dancer of our time has generated the same excitement, for both men and women, on or off the stage. With Nureyev: The Life, Julie Kavanagh shows how his intense drive and passion for dance propelled Nureyev from a poor Tatar-peasant background to the most sophisticated circles of London, Paris, and New York. His dramatic defection to the West in 1961 created a Cold War crisis and made him an instant celebrity, but this was just the beginning. Nureyev spent the rest of his life breaking barriers: reinventing male technique, «crashing the gates» of modern dance, iconoclastically updating the most hallowed classics, and making dance history by partnering England's prima ballerina assoluta, Margot Fonteyn — a woman twice his age.

The urbane authority that Vladimir Nabokov brought to every word he ever wrote, and the ironic amusement he cultivated in response to being uprooted and politically exiled twice in his life, never found fuller expression than in Pale Fire published in 1962 after the critical and popular success of Lolita had made him an international literary figure. An ingeniously constructed parody of detective fiction and learned commentary, Pale Fire offers a cornucopia of deceptive pleasures, at the center of which is a 999-line poem written by the literary genius John Shade just before his death. Surrounding the poem is a foreword and commentary by the demented scholar Charles Kinbote, who interweaves adoring literary analysis with the fantastical tale of an assassin from the land of Zembla in pursuit of a deposed king. Brilliantly constructed and wildly inventive, this darkly witty novel of suspense, literary one-upmanship, and political intrigue achieves that rarest of things in literature — perfect tragicomic balance.

This volume in the exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare features: vivid, readable introduction for each poem by noted scholar David Bevington, modern spelling and punctuation, comprehensive text notes, an-up-to-date, annotated bibliography, and an index to the first lines of the sonnets.

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 ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes — until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the Earth. Now two forces vying for the treasure learn that the Knights' true nature could change the modern world in this «New York Times» bestseller.

The «New York Times» bestselling author of the Pip & Flinx series delivers the official novelization of the eagerly anticipated, live-action, motion picture adaptation of «Transformers» by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

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.»...

Someone once said that books furnish a room. They also change our lives. We go to books for consolation and companionship, to be transported, moved and entertained, sometimes even to be terrified. The books furnishing our rooms tell the story of our lives and also help us to make sense of them. This is not a work of reference; it doesn’t prescribe a canon or tell you how to read. Instead 1000 Books to change your life celebrates the transforming power of literature. 50 leading novelists, writers and critics draw the arc of a life lived in books, from birth to death. With Kate Clanchy on motherhood, Ali Smith on reading as a child, and Jonathan Franzen, Jonathan Coe, Nigella Lawson and Sarah Waters on the volumes that changed their lives. This book is a reminder of the difference that books make. Organised around themes inspired by Shakespeare's 'Seven Ages of Man', the book ranges from birth to death, taking in topics at all points in between, and covering both fiction and non-fiction, graphic novels as well as literary classics. Commentaries by Ali Smith, Nigella Lawson, Jonathan Franzen, Sarah Waters, Jonathan Coe, Barney Hoskyns, Amanda Craig and Nicholas Royle, to name a few, are complemented by Top Ten lists chosen by Time Out's unrivalled team of critics. Part of the 1,000 series launched with the bestselling 1,000 films to change your life 1,000 books is a similarly inspirational book.

The midnight hour approaches in an almost empty all-night diner. Mari sips her coffee and glances up from a book as a young man, a musician, intrudes on her solitude. Both have missed the last train home. The musician has plans to rehearse with his jazz band all night, Mari is equally unconcerned and content to read, smoke and drink coffee until dawn. They realise they've been acquainted through Eri, Mari's beautiful sister. The musician soon leaves with a promise to return before dawn. Shortly afterwards Mari will be interrupted a second time by a girl from the Alphaville Hotel; a Chinese prostitute has been hurt by a client, the girl has heard Mari speaks fluent Chinese and requests her help. Meanwhile Eri is at home and sleeps a deep, heavy sleep that is 'too perfect, too pure to be normal; pulse and respiration at the lowest required level. She has been in this soporfic state for two months; Eri has become the classic myth — a sleeping beauty. But tonight as the digital clock displays 00:00 a faint electrical crackle is perceptible, a hint of life flickers across the TV screen, though the television's plug has been pulled. Murakami, acclaimed master of the surreal, returns with a stunning new novel, where the familiar can become unfamiliar after midnight, even to those that thrive in small hours. With After Dark we journey beyond the twilight. Strange nocturnal happenings, or a trick of the night?

2 classic books for the price of 1: Vintage Fantasy is a limited edition gift pack which consists of beautifully designed separate volumes of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Haruki Murakami's cult bestseller The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. Vintage Fantasy 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. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Alice is one of the most beloved characters of English writing. A bright and inquisitive child, one boring summer afternoon she follows a white rabbit down a rabbit-hole. At the bottom she finds herself in a bizarre world full of strange creatures, and attends a very strange tea party and croquet match. This immensely witty and unique story mixes satire and puzzles, comedy and anxiety, to provide an astute depiction of the experience of childhood. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle: Toru Okada's cat has disappeared and this has unsettled his wife, who is herself growing more distant every day. Then there are the increasingly explicit telephone calls he has started receiving. As this compelling story unfolds, the tidy suburban realities of Okada's vague and blameless life are turned inside out, and he embarks on a bizarre journey, guided by a succession of characters, each with a tale to tell.

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.

2 classic books for the price of 1: Vintage Fear is a limited edition gift pack which consists of beautifully designed separate volumes of The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm and Angela Carter's groundbreaking reworking of these stories, The Bloody Chamber. Vintage Fear 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. The Complete Fairy Tales: The folk tales collected by the Grimm brothers created an astonishingly influential imaginative world loved by millions of readers from their childhoods. However, it is also a world where a woman serves her stepson up in a stew and an evil queen dances to death in a pair of burning shoes. Violent, funny, wise and beautiful, these stories have intrigued children, adults, scholars, psychologists and artists for centuries. This is the only complete edition of the tales available featuring the 279 stories in an acclaimed, modern, unexpurgated translation. The Bloody Chamber: From familiar fairy tales and legends – Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires and werewolves – Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories.

»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.

October 1914: the destroyer Svea emerged from the Stockholm archipelago bearing south-south-east. On board was Lars Tobiasson-Svartman, a naval engineer charged with making depth soundings to find a navigable channel for the Swedish navy. As a child, Tobiasson-Svartman was fascinated by measurement; nothing is as magical as exact knowledge. His instinct for his profession is reflected in the comfortable domesticity he enjoys with his wife — herself meticulous in every detail. Close to the waters where soundings are taken Tobiasson-Svartman alights on a barren skerry, presumed uninhabited, and is surprised to discover there a young woman, Sara Fredrika. Despite her almost feral appearance, something about her strikes him to the core. The mission is a success and the Svea returns to Gothenburg. Tobiasson-Svartman, however, remains haunted by this chance encounter; his equilibrium has been disturbed, and he is now compelled to find any pretence to return to the remote islet. In «Depths», Mankell confirms his status as a writer beyond the crime genre. By delving deep into the male psyche, he has produced a novel both as tense and compelling in every way as the Wallander series, but also powerful, moving and ultimately tragic.

Collected here for the first time are some of the numerous essays and lectures by Norman Davies, author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed «Europe, The Isles and Rising '44». Spanning more than fifteen years of his remarkable career, this highly accessible collection addresses many of the issues that continue to dominate the political and cultural climate of Europe today. In «Europe East and West», Davies argues for a comprehensive view that challenges Western stereotypes and no longer ignores the history and experience of Eastern Europe. He shows that the conventional exclusion of Central and Eastern Europe has led to serious shortcomings in our understanding of one of the most crucial episodes of European history, namely the Second World War. The essays confront prevalent distortions and prejudices; taken together, they also form a meditation on the art of history writing itself. From the classical origins of the idea of Europe to the division between East and West during the Cold War; from the Jewish and Islamic strands in European history to the expansion of Europe to other continents; from the misunderstood Allied victory in 1945 to Britain's place in Europe; from reflections on the use and abuse of history to personal recollections on learning languages — this companion volume to the bestselling «Europe» looks at European history from a variety of unusual and entertaining angles in an equally stimulating and accessible way.

»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.