Aeschylus

Aesop lived in the early sixth century BC on the island of Samos, which lies off the coast of modern Turkey. He originally came from Thrace which was a separate country in those days, though it now forms part of Greece and Bulgaria. Very little is known about his life except that he worked as a slave on Samos for a master called Iadmon, and that he became a very famous storyteller. He was so famous that almost any fable which could have been told by him became attributed to him.

Aesop

Afsaneh Knight

Afsaneh Moqadam

Afua Hirsch is a writer, filmmaker, and journalist. She is the author of Brit(ish), the Sunday Times bestseller that explores Britishness, identity and belonging, for which she was awarded the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize for Non-Fiction. She co-presented Enslaved, a 6-part series about the transatlantic slave trade with Samuel L Jackson. She is the presenter of the Audible podcast series We Need To Talk About the British Empire, and Africa Rising, an ongoing flagship series about art and culture for the BBC, through her production company Born in Me Productions. She is a longtime columnist for the Guardian and is a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California.

Afua Hirsch

AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS is an author, blogger and international speaker who inspires audiences around the world. She has spoken at many corporations and conferences, such as Nike Women, Starbucks,Time Inc., Virgin, Johnson &amp; Johnson and the American Heart Foundation. She was born in Athens and trained in London at RADA before gaining a Master’s in psychology at the University of Santa Monica. She has collaborated with her sister, Arianna Huffington, to develop talks and seminars, and has worked with the Oprah Winfrey network. She is currently hosting a new podcast series in collaboration with The Huffington Post, entitled ‘Sundays with Agapi’, which includes guided meditations and interviews with prominent guests. She lives in Los Angeles.

Agapi Stassinopoulos

Agatha Christie

Aggie MacKenzie

Aghnia Mardiyah is a London-based Illustrator and Character Designer with a passion for children's books and animation. She is drawn to fun, bright and vibrant colours. When she isn't disappearing under piles of work, she loves to travel! Exploring foreign places, exciting new sights and sensations is what inspires her the most!

Aghnia Mardiyah

Agnes Callard is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago. Her primary areas of specialization are ancient philosophy and ethics. She has written for The New York Times, New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s, Boston Review, and penned a monthly column for the Point. From 2019 to 2020, she held a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for the research that contributes to this book.

Agnes Callard

Agnes Jekyll

Agnes Bertha Marshall (24 August 1855-29 July 1905) was an English culinary entrepreneur who became a leading cookery writer, dubbed the 'Queen of Ices'. Her 1888 cookery book included a recipe for 'cornets with cream', possibly the earliest publication of the edible ice cream cone. Marshall was born in Walthamstow. She wrote four books: Ices Plain and Fancy: The Book of Ices (1885), Mrs A B Marshall's Book of Cookery (1888), Mrs A B Marshall's Larger Cookery Book of Extra Recipes (1891) and Fancy Ices (1894).

Agnes Marshall

Agnes Prus

Agri Ismaïl is a Kurdish author based in Sweden who has worked as a corporate lawyer in London, Dubai, and Iraqi Kurdistan. His work has been published in The White Review, The Rumpus, Litro, 3:AM Magazine, and Asymptote amongst other places. His piece 'Haunted Home' won the 2016 Stack award for best non-fiction for The Outpost, runner-up in the Lifted Brow &amp; RMIT non/fictionLab Prize for Experimental Non-Fiction, and he was longlisted for the 2017/2018 Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize. Hyper is his first novel.

Agri Ismaïl

Aharon Appelfeld authored more than 45 acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction and received many international awards including the MLA Commonwealth Award, the Independent Foreign Fiction prize, the prix Médicis étranger, the Israel prize, and the Nelly Sachs prize. Born in Czernowitz, Bukovina (now part of Ukraine) in 1932, he survived the Holocaust and passed away in Israel in 2018.

Aharon Appelfeld

Ahmadou Kourouma

Ahmed Alnaouq is a Palestinian journalist and human rights activist based in London. He is the co-founder and director of We Are Not Numbers and a journalist with Palestine Deep Dive. Ahmed holds a degree in English Literature from Al-Azhar university in Gaza, and an MA in International Journalism from Leeds University, where he was a Chevening Scholar. 
 
Pam Bailey is a social-justice activist and journalist based in Washington DC. She lived and worked in the Gaza Strip following the 2008/9 Israeli assault, and co-founded We Are Not Numbers. Today, in addition to her ongoing dedication to the Palestinian cause, she dedicates herself to two nonprofits that advocate for people detained in American prisons -- including one she co-founded in 2020, called More Than Our Crimes.

Ahmed Alnaouq

Ahmed Errachidi

Ahmed Rashid

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

Ahron Bregman is the author of four books about Israel and the Arabs: The Fifty Years War (with Jihan el Tahri), Israel's Wars, A History of Israel and Elusive Peace. He teaches at the Department of War Studies, King's College London.

Ahron Bregman

Ai Qing is regarded as one of the finest modern Chinese poets, whose free verse was influential in the development of new poetry in China.

Ai Qing

Ai Weiwei

Aidan Chambers was born in County Durham in 1934. After national service in the Royal Navy he became a teacher and then, for seven years, a monk. His young adult novels have been widely acclaimed, with POSTCARDS FROM NO-MAN'S LAND winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal and the US Michael L Printz Award. With his wife Nancy he ran Signal magazine and he has served as the president of the School Library Association. His devoted services to children's literature were recognised by his receipt of the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002.

Aidan Chambers

Aidan Higgins was born in 1927. Langrishe Go Down, his first novel, won the James Tait Black memorial Prize and the Irish Academy of Letters Award, and was later filmed for television with a screenplay by Harold Pinter. His second novel, Balcony of Europe, was shortlisted for the 1972 Booker Prize. The novel Lions of the Grunewald appeared in 1993 and a collection of shorter fiction, Flotsam and jetsam, in 1996. Donkey's Years and Dog Days were the first two volumes of the Higgins Bestiary which concludes with this volume.

Aidan Higgins

Aidan Mathews

Aidan Potts

Aidan Smith

Aidan Storey

Aidan Trimble is the Chief Instructor to the Federation of Shotokan Karate and a former British, European and World Karate Champion, winning the world title in Tokyo - the home of Karate. Aidan has trained with some of the world's leading teachers of 'traditional' and 'sport' karate and is now an award-winning instructor and teacher who is in demand throughout the world. He can be contacted via www.fsk-karate.com.

Aidan Trimble

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Lindsey Davis

Laid-back Roman detective Marcus Didius Falco investigates crimes in the dangerous world of first century Rome, a place of political intrigue, corruption and murder.

'I came fully equipped with the old prejudice that anything to do with Egypt involved corruption and deceit.' 
 
AD 77. Egypt was the destination of choice for Roman tourists, being home to not one but two Wonders of the Ancient World, a Centre of Culture, and people with exotic habits. 
Unfortunately, when Marcus Didius Falco pays a visit he discovers it's also a hotbed of schemers and murderers. When the Head Librarian dies in suspicious circumstances, the Roman authorities are only too happy to dump the case on one of the Empire's most celebrated investigators - all adding up to a typical Falco family vacation.

Alexandria

(Falco 19)

Jean Plaidy

In this historical fiction series, Jean Plaidy traces the private lives and political machinations of the Plantagenet family, from Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine to Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses.

On the death of Henry the fifth, a nine-month-old baby is made King of England. Ambitious men surround the baby king, including his two uncles, the Dukes of Bedford and Gloucester. Shrewd and clever, Bedford seeks to uphold all his late brother had won and preserve it for young Henry the sixth. Gloucester, a man of poor judgment, greedy for wealth and power, has other ideas. 
 
In Lancastrian England and war-torn France, there are three women whose lives are to have a marked effect on the future. Katherine de Valois, haunted by an unhappy childhood, finds love in an unexpected quarter and founds the Tudor dynasty; Joan of Arc leaves her village pastures on the command of heavenly voices; and Eleanor of Gloucester is drawn into a murder plot and becomes the centre of a cause célèbre. Murder, greed and ambition flourish alongside sacrifice, dedication and courage. These are turbulent times as the defeated become the victorious...

Epitaph for Three Women

(Plantagenet Saga)

When Henry VI becomes king, it is soon clear that he would be better suited to a quiet life than to ruling the country. Richard, Duke of York, is convinced that he would make a better king and has more right to the crown, and he will stop at nothing to claim it. But Margaret of Anjou, Henry's new French wife, is a formidable woman who is just as determined to keep Henry on the throne. 
 
Most powerful of all is the Earl of Warwick, the kingmaker, and with his support of Richard of York the War of the Roses begins. When Henry VI lapses into madness and eventually meets his mysterious end in the Wakefield Tower, Margaret directs all of her ambition towards her young son, Passionate and impulsive she begins scheming for him, and in doing so dashes headlong into disaster ...

The Red Rose of Anjou

Reckoned by those about him to be the most handsome man in the country, Edward the fourth has risen to the throne with the help of Warwick, the kingmaker. But even Warwick's trusted advice cannot convince the King to ignore his passion for the beautiful widow, Elizabeth Woodville - and when she refuses to become his mistress the two are married. 
 
Beloved of the people, Edward proves himself to be a strong king, but his love of luxurious living soon begins to impact on his royal duties. Despite his mistresses, Elizabeth is loyal to the illustrious king, providing him with many children, among them Edward the fifth and Richard Duke of York. But Edward lived recklessly and on his death an incident from his past comes to light that will change the course of history ...

The Sun in Splendour

Frank Tallis

Vienna, 1903. 
 
Outside one of the city's most splendid baroque churches, the decapitated body of a monk is found. Then, the remains of a municipal councillor are discovered in the grounds of another church - his head also ripped from his body. Both men were rabid anti-Semites, and suspicions fall on Vienna's close-knit community of Hasidic Jews. In a city riven by racial tensions and extremism, the situation is potentially explosive. 
 
Detective Inspector Rheinhardt turns to his trusted friend, the young psychoanalyst Doctor Max Liebermann, for assistance. As the investigation progresses, Liebermann is drawn into the world of Jewish mysticism. Amid the atmosphere of threat and fear, Liebermann's life is in crisis. Political forces conspire against him, and the object of his romantic desires, the unreachable Miss Lydgate, is becoming an unhealthy obsession...

Darkness Rising

(Vienna Blood 4)

Mario Puzo

_____________________________________ 
From the legendary author of THE GODFATHER comes a novel of the original Italian crime family 
 
Fifteenth-century Italy. The Renaissance is in full swing, heralding a new golden age for Europe. But where there is gold – and power – there are those who are willing to do anything to get their hands on them. 
 
Enter the Borgias. Headed by Rodrigo Borgia, better known as Pope Alexander VI, this tight-knit family is fighting to keep its iron grip on Italy – but theirs is a lethal game, and the cost of failure is surely death. 
 
Scheming and plotting for their own ends are his children: Giovanni, the much-favoured golden boy; his younger brother Cesare, jealous and vicious; and Lucrezia, cunning, calculating and passionate. The Borgias face immense opposition from all quarters of Italy, but their deadliest foes may be far closer to home. 
_____________________________________ 
A tale of brutality and betrayal that crowns Mario Puzo's remarkable career 
_____________________________________ 
'We are a family,' Alexander told his children. 'And the loyalty of the family must come before everything and everyone else. We must learn from each other, protect each other, and be bound first and foremost to each other. For if we honour that commitment, we will never be vanquished – but if we falter in that loyalty, we will all be condemned...'

The Family

These are dark days for England; the Tudor succession hangs precariously in the balance, along with the lives of its people. The wrong religion can all too easily mean a brutal death in a time when the difference between 'faithful' and 'heretic' rests on the monarch alone. With the shadow of the dreaded Inquisition looming across the continent from Spain, one family, lead by two brave men - daring and adventurous Felipe and his cousin, reserved and thoughtful Richard - struggles to survive against the overwhelming odds. 
 
This is an epic, unforgettable historical novel, set during some of England's most tumultuous years.

Defenders of the Faith

Meet Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI and member of 15th century Rome's most notorious family. Scandal and tragedy follow her everywhere as she struggles to choose between love and loyalty.

Light on Lucrezia is the compelling story of a beautiful woman caught up in a tortuous web of fear and love. 
 
Born into Rome's notorious Borgia family, Lucrezia's life so far has been coloured by violence and betrayal. Now, married for the second time at just eighteen she hopes for happiness with her handsome husband Alfonso. But faced with brutal murder she's soon torn between her love for her husband and her devotion to her brother Cesare ...

Light on Lucrezia

(Lucrezia Borgia)

In a castle in the mountains outside Rome, Lucrezia Borgia is born into history's most notorious family. Her father, who is to become Pope Alexander VI, receives his first daughter warmly, and her brothers, Cesare and Giovanni, are devoted to her. But on the corrupt and violent streets of the capital the Borgia family are feared, and Lucrezia's father causes scandal, living up to his reputation of 'most carnal man of his age'. 
 
As Lucrezia matures into a beautiful young woman, her brothers are ever more protective and become fierce rivals for her attention. Amid glorious celebrations their father becomes Pope, and shortly after Lucrezia is married - but as Borgias the lives of the Pope's children are destined to be marred by scandal and tragedy, and it's a fate that Lucrezia cannot hope to escape ...

Madonna of the Seven Hills

Douglas Reeman

As we've come to expect from multi-million copy bestselling author Douglas Reeman, The Glory Boys expertly weaves close and detailed knowledge of the actual events of WWII into a simply brilliant and stirring action adventure, guaranteed to have you hooked from page one. Readers of Clive Cussler, Bernard Cornwell and Wilbur Smith will not be disappointed! 
 
'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times 
'Mr Reeman writes with great knowledge about the sea and those who sail on it' --The Times 
'A real adventure' -- ***** Reader review 
'Great storyline - really grips you to the end' -- ***** Reader review 
'Typically superbly written' -- ***** Reader review 
'This author never lets you down' -- ***** Reader review 
'Great reading -- edge of your seat stuff' -- ***** Reader review 
 
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They're called The Glory Boys, by those who regard their exploits with envy or contempt. 
 
January 1943: Glory Boy Bob Kearton - already a veteran and survivor of the close action in the English Channel and North Sea - is ordered to the Mediterranean and beleaguered Malta, a mere sixty miles from occupied Sicily. 
 
Unexpectedly promoted to lieutenant-commander, he is given charge of a newly formed and, as yet, incomplete flotilla of motor torpedo boats. 
 
Although the tide of defeat is thought to be turning, with the enemy no longer advancing along the North African coast, Kearton's is a new war of stealth, subterfuge, and daring, in which the Glory Boys are only too expendable.

The Glory Boys

a dramatic tale of naval warfare and derring-do from Douglas Reeman, the all-time bestselling master of storyteller of the sea

Alison Weir

England, 1536. Home to the greatest, most glittering court in English history. But beneath the dazzling façade lies treachery . . . 
 
Elizabeth Tudor is daughter to Henry VIII, the most powerful king England has ever known. She is destined to ascend the throne, and deferred to as the King's heiress, but that all changes when her mother Anne Boleyn - Henry`s great passion and folly - is executed for treason. 
 
Elizabeth 's life alters in a heartbeat. A pawn in the savage game of Tudor power politics, she is disinherited, declared a bastard, and left with only her quick wits to rely on for her very existence. But Elizabeth is determined to survive, to foil those who want to destroy her, or who are determined to use her as a puppet for their own lethal ambition, and to reclaim her birthright . . .

The Lady Elizabeth

With fanatical Philip II on the Spanish throne and the spectre of his Inquisition hovering over Europe, these are dangerous and bloody times in which to live. As His Most Catholic Majesty turns his eyes towards the heretical English, two brothers from sleepy Andalusia suddenly find themselves caught in a perilous web of intrigue. 
 
In the fight against tyranny, Blasco and Domingo will have to draw upon every ounce of courage and ingenuity they possess just to keep themselves, and the protestant women they love, from danger ...

The Scarlet Cloak

Carol Gould

Top-class pilots were crucial to the survival of Great Britain during the dark days of the Blitz, and playing a vital role in fending off the German attack were the women's section of the Air Transport Auxiliary, a close and dedicated circle of female pilots. In the midst of events that would shape history, these women risked their lives to ferry aircraft day and night from factory to the arena of war, and lasting friendships were born. Together, Edith Allam and her fellow pilots faced Nazi terror, class prejudice, and the forbidden romances of wartime - yet their remarkable strength carried them through. 
 
Spitfire Girls evokes all of the drama of this extraordinary period of history, and is a tribute to the heroism of these brave women, without whom the Battle of Britain might never have been won. Truly inspirational, it is the tale of adventure, courage and the relationships that shape all of our lives.

Spitfire Girls

Peter Smalley

1790 and England is on the cusp of war with Revolutionary France. The night-time Channel is the scene of intense smuggling activity and the passage of spies from one coast to another. 
 
Lieutenant James Hayter has achieved his heart's desire -- his first independent command, His Majesty's 'Hawk' cutter, 10 guns. She is swift enough to out sail even the fastest of the French contraband runners and she is Hayter's pride and joy. But his happiness is tempered by the knowledge that his former captain and friend, William Rennie, has been left on the beach after the failure of the Rabhet expedition the previous year. 
 
But it is not long before spymaster Sir Robert Greer disturbs Rennie's imposed retirement with a sinister and irrefutable offer that will see Rennie hastening to join his former subordinate in Portsmouth. Together they will have to tackle one of the most sensitive and dangerous missions of the phoney war, to intercept a contraband runner, the cutter 'Lark' and capture her captain, a disgraced Navy lieutenant. 
 
But as with all matters orchestrated by Greer, the mission is about a lot more than capturing a few barrels of brandy and a wanted criminal. In fact, it is soon evident that the very security of the nation depends on Rennie and Hayter's success.

The Hawk

Candace Robb

As we've come to expect from much-loved author Candace Robb, her story-telling here is of a top-notch quality - everything comes vividly to life within this magnificent medieval mystery. Perfect for fans of Ellis Peters, S J Parris, Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell. 
 
'Meticulously researched, authentic and gripping' -- Yorkshire Evening Post 
'This is as full of intrigue as a Deighton or a Le Carré' --The Guardian 
'The most accomplished Owen Archer mystery yet' -- ***** Reader review 
'Unable to put this tale down' -- ***** Reader review 
'I put off reading this last one for quite a while, postponing the time when there would be no more to look forward to' -- ***** Reader review 
'Another enthralling Owen Archer book I found difficult to put down' -- ***** Reader review 
'A joy to read' -- ***** Reader review 
'Captivating' -- ***** Reader review 
 
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A CALLOUS MURDER. A DEVASTATING SECRET. A CRIME OF PASSION. 
 
1373: John Thoresby, the Archbishop of York, lies dying. Owen Archer, Thoresby's master of the guards, is determined to ensure that his lord's last days are as peaceful as possible, but his plans are thrown into disarray when Thoresby agrees to a visit from Joan, Princess of Wales, wife of the Black Prince and mother of the young heir to the throne of England. 
 
Owen resolves to do his duty, but within minutes of Joan's arrival things go disastrously wrong when a member of the royal party is murdered. 
 
Then, only days later, a messenger carrying urgent letters for Thoresby is found hanging in the woods. 
 
As Owen races against time to find the murderer, he starts to realise that not only has one of his own men been compromised, but all their lives are now in danger...

A Vigil of Spies

(The Owen Archer Mysteries: book X): another thrilling Medieval mystery from the bestselling Owen Archer series

Sam Barone

3157 B.C. At the eastern edge of the great southern desert in Mesopotamia, men are at war. Roaming bandits desperate for food, water, women, and slaves ravage vulnerable town. Yet one thing eludes them: gold. A rogue named Ariamus has joined forces with Korthac, a fierce bandit who saved his life, and together they set their sights on the impenetrable walled city of of Akkad, ruled by the former barbarian Eskkar and his enchanting wife Trella. 
 
Korthac devises a brilliant plan to conquer the city from within. Slipping into Akkad in disguise, he will gradually win the trust of Trella. While Eskkar is away, bringing other towns into his burgeoning empire, Korthac and Ariamus will strike, wreaking havoc on the city in a way it never expects. 
 
Told with rich historical detail and full of violence, sex, passion, and battles reminiscent of the best of Bernard Cornwell, The Road to Empire is a marvelous trip into the past.

Empire Rising

Richard of Bordeaux, young heir to the throne after Edward the Third, is surrounded by ambitious uncles who believe it would be better for the country if they could take the crown. While Richard shows himself capable of reckless bravery in defeating the Peasants' Revolt, his extravagance soon brings him into conflict with his people. Before long the king's most powerful opponents confront Richard and threaten to depose him. 
 
Here is a vivid picture of Richard's court, his devotion to his favourite Robert de Vere, his love for two Queens, clever Anne and the little Isabella, and of his headlong journey towards disaster. He is determined to take his revenge on the five lords who have humiliated him, but while he succeeds with four of them, the fifth proves to be far more of a challenge. Henry of Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt, is clever, subtle and absolutely set on achieving what his father had failed to ...

Passage to Pontefract

Richard the Second is losing his hold on the crown and Henry of Bolingbroke, previously exiled by the king, returns to England to claim it. Richard is deposed and dies mysteriously, murdered some say on the orders of Bolingbroke, now King Henry the Fourth. But Henry finds the crown harder to hold onto than it was to win. He is beset by enemies, hampered by disease, and concerned about the rebellious behaviour of his son. Dominating the court and with his eye on the crown is Harry of Monmouth, whose reckless conduct in low-class taverns with his crony Sir John Oldcastle causes scandal. When the king dies, Harry became King Henry the Fifth, and the change is dramatic for both him and Oldcastle. The licentious youth becomes a great king, and Oldcastle, the rake, turns into a religious reformer. Oldcastle dies a martyr and Harry becomes the conquering hero of Agincourt. 
 
The Star of Lancaster is in the ascendant. Harry has brought France to her knees and married her princess. It seems that the long war was at an end. But a greater enemy than the French awaits Harry ...

The Star of Lancaster

Multi-million copy and international bestselling author Jean Plaidy expertly brings the rise and fall of Edward III to life in this captivating historical page-turner. Fans of Philippa Gregory will not be disappointed. 
 
'Full-blooded, dramatic, exciting.' -- Observer 
'Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama.' -- New York Times 
'Outstanding' -- Vanity Fair 
'Truly spellbinding' -- ***** Reader review 
'A fascinating read' -- ***** Reader review 
'I enjoyed every page!' -- ***** Reader review 
'Brilliant, very hard to put down' -- ***** Reader review 
 
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Edward the Second has been barbarously murdered in Berkeley Castle on the orders of his wife, Queen Isabella, and her lover Roger de Mortimer, and fifteen-year-old Edward the Third is now king. Young Edward has already met and fallen in love with Philippa of Hainault and, to prevent him enquiring into the details of his father's death, Isabella allows the marriage to take place. A son is born who goes on to become the famous Black Prince. 
 
While some suggest that Edward has a claim on the French throne, he is reluctant to pursue it, aware of the magnitude of such an undertaking. It is only when Robert of Artois arrives, bent on starting a war, that the king is provoked into action. 
 
When Robert presents Edward with a dead heron and compares him tauntingly to the timid bird, Edward vows to attack France, heralding the beginning of the Hundred Years' War. Here we see Edward in his greatness, victorious in war and leading his country to prosperity, and at his very weakest, fallen from glory and crippled by his scheming mistress.

The Vow on the Heron

(The Plantagenets: book IX): passion and peril collide in this dazzling novel set in the 1300s from the Queen of English historical fiction

Anne Rice

'[W]hen I found Rice's work I absolutely loved how she took that genre and (...) made [it] feel so contemporary and relevant' Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes 
 
'[Rice wrote] in the great tradition of the gothic' Ramsey Campbell, bestselling author of The Hungry Moon 
 
Herod Antipas rules Galilee, Pontius Pilate is the new Roman governor of Judea, and the Roman Empire rules the world. These are turbulent times for Israel, a troubled land of turmoil and insurrection. 
 
Now in his thirtieth year, Jesus and his tight-knit family endure a long, dusty winter of disruption and chaos. Whispers of his virgin birth still persist, and while he struggles with the demands of his family and the weight of his great destiny, those around him wait for some sign of the path he will take. 
 
But this quiet man of Nazareth is instead called upon to found a ministry which will utterly transform an unsuspecting world ...

Christ the Lord The Road to Cana

Diana Gabaldon

Set in the turbulent eighteenth century, Lord John is the lonely, tormented and courageous English officer first seen in the Outlander novels. He is a man who fights for the crown, his honour and his own secrets.

A keepsake collection of Lord John Grey's shorter adventures and a spectacular addition to any Gabaldon fan's library, Lord John and the Hand of the Devils brings these three unique novellas together for the first time. 
____________ 
 
Lord John and the Hellfire Club marks the first appearance of Lord John outside the Outlander novels (and chronologically precedes the novel Lord John and the Private Matter). A young diplomat is killed in the street as he begs Lord John for help. Witnessing the murder, Grey vows to avenge the young man, as the trail leads to the notorious Hellfire Club and the dark caves beneath Medmenham Abbey 
 
In Lord John and the Succubus, Grey's assignment as liaison to a Hanoverian regiment in Germany finds him caught between two threats: the advancing French and Austrian army, and the menace of a mysterious 'night-hag,' who spreads fear and death among the troops. Acknowledging that he is unlikely to fall victim to a succubus, Lord John is obliged to contend with the marauding night-hag before the enemy arrives. This tale with a touch of the supernatural bridges the action between Gabaldon's two full-length Lord John tales. 
 
Finally, in Lord John and the Haunted Soldier, Lord John is called to the Arsenal at Woolwich to answer a Royal Commission of Enquiry's questions regarding a cannon that exploded during the battle of Krefeld (a central action in Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade). Accusations ensue, and Lord John finds himself knee-deep in a morass of gunpowder, treason, and plot -- haunted by a dead lieutenant, and followed by a man with no face. 
____________ 
 
Readers love Lord John and the Hand of Devils . . . 
 
***** 'John Grey is my spirit animal. I am such a fan of this series!' 
***** 'My eyes couldn't read fast enough!!' 
***** ' I enjoyed all three, once again became lost in the time period within seconds of starting to read....I don't know how Diana G. does it!' 
***** 'I really, really liked this trilogy of novellas that were included in this book.' 
***** 'The insight is fascinating, interesting and favourable.'

Lord John and the Hand of Devils

Glenice Crossland

Told with warmth and humour, The Ever Open Door is the story of a hard working, down-to-earth community in a small Yorkshire town during the Second World War and its aftermath. 
 
Burly steelworker Jim Butler and his wife Sally are quite content in their little house on Potters Row. Jim's only complaint is that Sally is too soft hearted for her own good, always at the beck and call of any neighbour, friend or even stranger. Sally, on the other hand, accuses Jim of being a soft touch for anyone after a drink or two at the Rising Sun. Both accept that neither will ever change and they love each other and their daughter Daisy deeply. 
 
Theirs is a close-knit family in a close-knit community where gossip - both good and bad - abounds and neighbour looks out for neighbour and friend for friend. And when Sally's generosity leads to an inheritance it should mean a change of life for the better, instead it brings danger and difficult choices for them all...

The Ever Open Door

In this extraordinary series about Queen Victoria, Jean Plaidy re-creates a remarkable life filled with romance, triumph, and tragedy.

The young Princess Victoria, strictly confined within the boundaries of Kensington Palace, is being moulded for her awesome future as Queen of England. Surrounded by her dolls and closely guarded by her domineering mother and faithful governess, she slowly becomes aware of the bitter conflicts that surround her. 
 
The jealous and scheming Duke of Cumberland is a constant threat to her rightful accession . . . her mother's sinister friend, Sir John Conroy, makes her uneasy . . . and the bickering between her mother and the king seems neverending. 
 
Growing up is proving difficult for the princess. She longs for her eighteenth birthday when at last she will be free to rule the nation as she pleases and to re-acquaint herself with the gallant Prince Albert.

The Captive of Kensington Palace

(Queen Victoria: Book 1)

On the morning of 20th June 1837, an eighteen-year-old girl is called from her bed to be told that she is Queen of England. The Victorian age has begun. 
 
The young queen's first few years are beset with court scandal and malicious gossip: there is the unsavoury Flora Hastings affair, a source of extreme embarrassment to the queen; the eternal conflict between Victoria and her mother, and the young queen's hatred of Sir John Conroy, her mother's close friend. 
 
Then there is the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne - 'Lord M' - worldly cynic and constant companion to the queen, himself a veteran of many a latter-day scandal. He proves to be her guiding light - until the dashing Prince Albert appears and she falls hopelessly in love ...

The Queen and Lord M

(Queen Victoria: Book 2)

From the time they were in their cradles, Victoria and Albert were destined for each other. However, the passive Albert is well aware that marriage to a quick-tempered, demonstrative young woman like Victoria could result in unnecessary scenes and stormy court feuds. 
 
And he is right. The young Queen, as well has having to endure her constant pregnancies, is in perpetual revolt against any encroachment on her position - and Albert is doing just that. 
 
Despite attempts on her life and crises like the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny, her family - Albert and their nine children - is her prime concern. The Victorian age is truly under way - but the real power behind the throne was the queen's husband.

The Queen's Husband

(Queen Victoria: Book 3)

Albert is dead and the queen is preparing to spend the rest of her life in mourning. Yet the last years of her reign are to be momentous years. 
 
Palmerston, then Gladstone and Disraeli, govern her empire through the high noon of its heyday. 
 
The court at Windsor, Balmoral, Osborne or Buckingham Palace is perpetually shocked by the Prince of Wales, forever in pursuit of horses, women and scandal, the heady harbinger of Edwardian years to come.

The Widow of Windsor

(Queen Victoria: Book 4)

G.S. Beard

If you like Hornblower and Sharpe, you will love this all-action nautical page-turner from much loved author G.S.Beard. You'll feel as if you are in the midst of the action! 
 
'If you like sea stories, you will enjoy this, and even if you think you don't but enjoy things like Sharpe, it might just convert you' - HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW 
'Kept me spellbound' -- ***** Reader review 
'A fun, fast read' -- ***** Reader review 
'Excellent story and very exciting' -- ***** Reader review 
************************************************************* 
1793: the French Revolutionary Wars continue... 
 
 When HMS Amazon is returning from an arduous duty in the Indian Ocean, she encounters a French frigate in the Atlantic which unexpectedly opens fire - a bloody sea battle ensues resulting in both triumph and personal tragedy for Acting Lieutenant John Fury. 
 
 A battered Amazon puts into Gibraltar for repairs and newly promoted Fury finds he is to be transferred away from his home on the Amazon and set a new challenge: he will be the fifth lieutenant on the 74-gun-man of war Fortitude. 
 
 The action never stops in Toulon, where Fury is posted and he eventually finds himself defending a prominent fort ashore as the Republican armies, inspired by a young artillery officer by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte, establish a brutal siege of the port. It is soon clear that Britain and her allies are going to be hard pressed to hold onto their prize. 
 
But Fury has more to lose than most - in the maelstrom of the siege he has met and fallen in love with a pretty French girl, Sophie Gourrier. 
 
Somehow, as the defence crumbles, he must rescue his men and Sophie from the doomed city. 
 
John Fury's adventures started in Mr Midshipman Fury - have you read it?

Lieutenant Fury

a brilliantly engaging and rip-roaring naval adventure set during the French Revolutionary Wars that will keep you hooked!

________________________________ 
The first book in Diana Gabaldon's LORD JOHN GREY series, set in the same world as her OUTLANDER novels 
 
It's 1758 and Europe is in turmoil - the Seven Years War is taking hold and London is ripe with deceit. The enigmatic Lord John Grey, a nobleman and high-ranking officer in His Majesty's Army, pursues a clandestine love affair and a deadly family secret. 
 
Grey's father, the Duke of Pardloe, shot himself just days before he was to be accused of being a Jacobite traitor. Now, seventeen years on, the family name has been redeemed; but an impending marriage revives the scandal. Lord John knows that as Whitehall whispers, rumours all too often lead their victims to the wails of Newgate prison - and to the gallows. 
 
From barracks and parade-grounds to the bloody battlefields of Prussia, Grey faces danger and forbidden passions in his search for the truth. But it is in the stony fells of the Lake District that he finds the man who may hold the key to his quest: the enigmatic Jacobite prisoner Jamie Fraser. 
 
Eighteenth-century Europe is brought startlingly to life in this compelling adventure mystery.

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

Gilda O'Neill

They believed it would never happen again. They hoped it would be over by Christmas... 
 
Britain is at war and the proximity of the docks means that life in and around London's Turnbury Buildings is hard and dangerous. Chances are taken, people have secrets, hearts are broken. And feelings about foreigners are running high. 
 
Sixteen-year-old Freddie Jarrett is secretly seeing a girl from the local Chinese community - a relationship that would be frowned on by both families, despite the fact that they all support the fight for freedom from oppression. And his sister Grace has her own secret to hide. A secret that no one outside the immediate family must ever know. 
 
As the threat of the Luftwaffe looms over the docks, the community is threatened with being torn apart by prejudice, fear and separation, and the disturbing loss of stability that brings with it the feeling that it is only what happens today that counts for anything...

Secrets of the Heart

a spellbinding saga about life in the East End during the Second World War from the bestselling author Gilda O’Neill

The hit novels behind the major new TV series Vienna Blood 
___________________________ 
 
Vienna, 1903. 
 
In St. Florian's military school, a rambling edifice set high in the hills of the city's famous woods, a young cadet is found dead - his body lacerated with razor wounds. Once again, Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt calls on his friend - and disciple of Freud - Doctor Max Liebermann, to help him with the investigation. 
 
In the closed society of the school, power is everything - and suspicion falls on an elite group of cadets, with a penchant for sadism and dangerous games. When it is discovered that the dead boy was a frequent guest of the deputy headmaster's attractive young wife - other motives for murder suggest themselves. 
 
A tangled web of relationships is uncovered, at the heart of which are St. Florian's dark secrets, which Liebermann, using new psychoanalytic tools such as dream interpretation and the ink-blot test, begins to probe. At the same time, a shocking revelation makes it impossible for Liebermann to pursue the object of his affections, the Englishwoman Miss Lydgate, and he finds himself romantically involved with the passionate and elemental Trezska Novak - a mysterious Hungarian concert violinist, gifted with uncannily accurate intuitions. Again, all is not what it seems, and Liebermann is drawn into the perilous world of espionage - and must make choices, the outcome of which will threaten the entire stability of the Empire.

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