It was a winter night, and the ground around Paris was covered with snow, although the flakes had ceased to fall since some hours.?Spite of the cold and the darkness, a young man, wrapped in a mantle so voluminous as to hide a babe in his arms, strode over the white fields out of the town of Villers Cotterets, in the woods, eighteen leagues from the capital, which he had reached by the stage-coach, towards a hamlet called Haramont. His assured step seemed to indicate that he had previously gone this road.?Soon above him streaked the leafless boughs upon the grey sky. The sharp air, the odor of the oaks, the icicles and beads on the tips of branches, all appealed to the poetry in the wanderer.??Through the clumps he looked for the village spire and the blue smoke of the chimneys, filtering from the cottages through the natural trellis of the limbs.?It was dawn when he crossed a brook, bordered with yellow cress and frozen vines, and at the first hovel asked for the laborer's boy to take him to Madeline Pi-tou's home.??Mute and attentive, not so dull as most of their kind, the children sprang up and staring at the stranger, led him by the hand to a rather large and good-looking cottage, on the bank of the rivulet running by most of the dwellings.?A plank served as a bridge.?"There," said one of the guides nodding his head to-wards it.?Gilbert gave them a coin, which made their eyes open still more widely, and crossed the board to the door which he pushed open, while the children, taking one another's hand, started with all their might at the handsome gentleman in a brown cloth coat, buckled shoes and large cloak, who wanted to find Madeline Pitou.?Apart from them, Gilbert, for such was the young man's name, simply so for he had no other, saw no liv-ing things: Haramont was the deserted village he was seeking.??As soon as the door was open, his sight was struck by a scene full of charm, for almost anybody, and par-ticularly for a young philosopher like our roamer.?A robust peasant woman was suckling a baby, while another child, a sturdy boy of four or five, was saying a prayer in a loud voice.?In the chimney corner, near a window or rather a hole in the wall in which was stuck a pane of glass, an-other woman, going on for thirty-five or six, was spin-ning, with a stool under her feet, and a fat poodle on an end of this stool.?Catching sight of the visitor the dog barked in a civil and hospitable manner just to show that he had not been caught napping. The praying boy turned, cutting the devotional phrase in two, and both females uttered an exclamation between joy and surprise.?"I greet you, good mother Madeline," said Gilbert with a smile.

This is not a book about writing or innovation, arts or craft but a guide to being more creative and to applying the creative process to everything. Orna Ross, award-winning and best-selling novelist, and founder of the global non-profit self-publishing association, the Alliance of Independent Authors, has gathered extracts from a selection of her books -- novels, poems and the Go Creative! series into this anthology of inspirations, aimed at helping you to be more creative in everything you do. Ranging widely across her work, this anthology is at once a memoir, a meditation on the creative process, and an eloquent companion to living life as a conscious creator: a creativist. At its core is the concept of creativism, the art of creating more of what you truly want in your life and less of what you don’t. Through a blend of stories from lore and literature, from science and psychology, from her students and from her own life, Orna offers enduring wisdoms about creative practice as it applies to life, love and the pursuit of happiness -- including how to foster flow, overcome self-sabotage and enjoy true creative living. Chapters include: "The Seven Stages of The Creative Process"; "How To Create Anything" and "Where The Law of Attraction Goes Wrong” but what makes this volume unique is the stories and poems. Extracts from Orna's novels illustrate creative principles in action in the lives of her characters. And inspirational poems ignite the state of creative presence as you read. The combination of ancient wisdoms and up-to-date creative research equips you for the creative age in which we now live. Guaranteed to inspire and ignite your own creative spark, this compendium is also an excellent introduction to the Go Creative! series, as well as a practical guide to being more creative at work, at home and in everything you do.

A fantastic resource for students and lovers of opera. This book contains a wealth of information about the works of the greatest opera composers. Includes information on the composers themselves, as well as discussions of the music and plot of the operas. Composers include Beethoven, Bizet, Mozart, Verdi, Wagner and many more.

From her days as Hermione in the Harry Potter series to her emergence as one of the finest actressess of her generation, Emma Watson has become a favourite across the world. This book tells you everything you need to know about Emma from her first tentative steps in school plays to behind-the-scenes information from her recent films and her career as a model. If you're an Emma Watson fan, this is the perfect book for you!

Do you know what all 50 states in the USA are? Do you know facts such as the capital of each state? Do you know the state flower or bird? All this and many more facts are inside this interesting quick fact book of 300 interesting USA State facts.

Are you a fan of world famous girl band Little Mix? Do you want to know everything there is to know about Perrie, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Jade? if so, then this is the book for you. Contained within are over one hundred amazing facts about everything from the girls' upbringing to the band's formation, the many awards they have won and much more. Get the facts you want quick!

A fantastic look at the life of nine historical singers: Maria Felicia Malibran Wilhemina Schroder-Devrient Giulia Grisi Pauline Viardot Fanny Persiani Marietta Alboni Jenny Lind Sophie Cruvelli Theresa Titiens

A fantastic comprehensive biography of one of the greatest showmen of history: Phineas Taylor Barnum, most famous for his entertaining hoaxes and the disputed origin of the phrase 'There's a sucker born every minute!'

English author Thomas de Quincey's autobiographical account of his addiction to laudanum (opium and alcohol) was his first major success. It paints a fascinating picture of the lives of the opium-eaters in 19th century London.

Are you the world's biggest Avril Lavigne fan? Or do you want to know everything there is to know about the Canadian singer and fashion icon?If so, then this is the book for you! Contained within are 101 amazing facts about everything, from how Avril got started in the music business to her love life, awards she has won plus many more. The book is easily organised into sections so you can find the information you want fast and is perfect for all ages!

How well do you know your 90s Movies? This Quiz book will test even the most avid fan, with questions that span the 90s films of all genres! Test yourself and your friends with this 90s Movies Quiz Book.

The A-Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 2 features reviews of three different games for each letter of the alphabet. The games range from the very earliest releases in the 70s to the modern homebrew games of today. This book shows you just how diverse the library of titles is for the Atari 2600 and how it became one of the best selling consoles of all time.

The A-Z of Nintendo Game Boy Games: Volume 1 features reviews of three different games for each letter of the alphabet. The games range from the very earliest releases in 1989 to the modern homebrew games of today. This book shows you just how diverse the library of titles is for the Nintendo Game Boy and how it became one of the most popular consoles of all-time.

Are you the world's biggest fan of The Wanted? Or do you want to find out everything there is to know about the world's greatest boy-band?If so, then this is the book for you! Contained within are 101 amazing facts about how they boys got started in the music industry, the women they have dated, incredible things about their personal lives plus many more. The book is easily organised into sections so you can find the information you want fast!

The A-Z of Atari ST Games: Volume 1 features reviews of three different games for each letter of the alphabet. The games range from the very earliest releases in the mid 80s to the modern homebrew games of today. This book shows you just how diverse the library of titles is for the Atari ST range and how it became one of the popular home computers of all time.

Are you the world's biggest Red Hot Chili Peppers Fan? Do you know everything there is to know about Anthony, Flea and the rest of the boys? Then this is the book for you! In this easy-to-digest eBook are 101 facts about your favourite band - do you know all of them?Test yourself and your friends with these handily-packaged facts easily organised into categories for maximum enjoyment. Sections include the members of the band, how they formed, awards they have won and some crazy facts about their antics over the years. Show everyone that you are the master of RHCP knowledge!

The full english text for the opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. A romantic tragedy about the love between a poet, Rodolfo, and a seamstress, Mimi.

Are you the world's biggest One Direction fan? Do you know everything there is to know about the world's best-loved boy band? Then this is the book for you! In this easy-to-digest eBook are 101 facts about your favourite group - do you know all of them?This is the second book in Jack Goldstein's One Direction series, featuring even more fantastic facts about your favourite band - Get the complete set!Test yourself and your friends with these handily-packaged facts easily organised into categories for maximum enjoyment. Show everyone that you are the master of One Direction mania!

The Renaissance,' a word which means being born again, or a new awakening, when men began to draw real pictures of real things and fill the world with images of beauty.Now it is the stories of the men of that time, who put new life into Art, that I am going to tell you--men who learned, step by step, to paint the most beautiful pictures that the world possesses.In telling these stories I have been helped by an old book called The Lives of the Painters, by Giorgio Vasari, who was himself a painter. He took great delight in gathering together all the stories about these artists and writing them down with loving care, so that he shows us real living men, and not merely great names by which the famous pictures are known. It did not make much difference to us when we were little children whether our pictures were good or bad, as long as the colours were bright and we knew what they meant. But as we grow older and wiser our eyes grow wiser too, and we learn to know what is good and what is poor. Only, just as our tongues must be trained to speak, our hands to work, and our ears to love good music, so our eyes must be taught to see what is beautiful, or we may perhaps pass it carelessly by, and lose a great joy which might be ours.So now if you learn something about these great artists and their wonderful pictures, it will help your eyes to grow wise. And some day should you visit sunny Italy, where these men lived and worked, you will feel that they are quite old friends. Their pictures will not only be a delight to your eyes, but will teach your heart something deeper and more wonderful than any words can explain.

A wonderfully comprehensive look at the subject of crime, written by American lawyer Clarence Darrow. Looks at everything from the reasons people commit crimes, to the effects and ethics of punishment, to the role of the police, to the criminal mindset and underworld, to the concept of war crimes, and much more besides.

A comprehensive guide to one of the greatest composers in history, Franz Joseph Haydn. This book covers the whole of Haydn's life and works.