A masterpiece of modern drama, The Seagull dramatises the romantic and artistic conflicts between four characters: the ingenue Nina, the fading actress Irina, her son the symbolist playwright Konstantin, and the famous middlebrow story writer Trigorin.

The Survival Handbook takes you through all the things you need to know about surviving disasters and staying alive in the wild, such as where to find water in the desert; how to build shelters from locally-available materials that will keep out the wind and rain but will also be ventilated; what plants are safe to eat and what are deadly poisonous; and what animals will pose a threat in survival situations. Packed with tips from the world's elite special forces and other survival specialists, this is a handy reference to surviving in the wild. [This is a text-only ebook edition.]

Wilde's dramatic masterpiece set in London. Many of the themes of An Ideal Husband were influenced by the situation Oscar Wilde found himself in during the early 1890s. 'Sooner or later we shall all have to pay for what we do. But no one should be entirely judged by their past.'

London's recent history captured in dramatic form. Created from dozens of personal testimonies, this is the story of the changing face of work today. Surrey Docks in South-East London was once a thriving commercial hub, hosting some of the UK’s leading commercial brands, including Crosse & Blackwell, Sarson’s, Peek Freans and Lipton’s. These huge organisations created a myriad of jobs for local people, and the community prospered. But, with the decline of the docks in the 1970s, factories closed down or relocated, work patterns changed and redevelopment began. ‘From Docks to Desktops’ explores the fascinating story of how one community has survived the 21st-century challenges of urban change and renewal.

Staying at the British Ambassador’s exquisite Bay of Naples Villa, beautiful young Cordelia and her brother David, the Earl of Hunstanton, are far from the Berkshire estate that is their home. But since the death of their parents there has been nothing to stop David realising his dream – to go to Malta and become a Knight of St. John. Except, that is, the money to finance a ship to take him there. So when, out of the blue, a handsome, English buccaneer appears, who turns out to be none other than their cousin, Mark Stanton, he seems Heaven-sent. As Captain of a ship en route to Malta, he is in position to offer them passage to the island. To their chagrin, however, he attempts to dissuade David from his Pilgrimage and Cordelia from her notion of joining a Convent. But, when the siblings resist his appeals and press ahead, Mark vows to protect them both from the perils not only of David’s Maltese Crusade but also of the Napoleonic War, Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean and the scheming snobbery of Neapolitan Society. Valiant Mark saves Cordelia from the lecherous clutches of the Duca di Belina and from the terrors or war against the French, but he cannot protect David from a noble death in battle protecting Malta, nor his own heart from falling hopelessly in love.

Charity Royall is eighteen, bored with life in the small town of North Dormer. While working at the library, Charity meets visiting architect Lucius Harney and they become friends. Will their growing closeness lead to a happy marriage? Charity was born in an impoverished mountain community and her life is complicated by Mr. Royall who intruded into her bedroom when she was seventeen and later urged her to marry him. Lucius starts an affair with Charity Royall, all the while hiding the fact that he is engaged to society girl Annabel Balch.

The Marble Faun, a romance set in beautiful Italy tells the story of Miriam, the painter with an unknown past. Throughout the novel, she is compared to many other women including Eve, Beatrice Cenci, Judith, and Cleopatra. Miriam is pursued by a mysterious, threatening man who is her evil genius through life.

The Gun Club, a society based in Baltimore and dedicated to the design of weapons of all kinds, come up with a plan to construct a cannon capable of shooting a projectile to the moon. The projectile is successfully launched, but the destinies of the three astronauts are left inconclusive. The sequel, Around the Moon, deals with what happens to the three men in their travel from the earth to the moon.

In this continuing sequel to The Three Musketeers, d'Artagnan discovers Belle-Isle is being fortified and the engineer ostensibly in charge is Porthos. The blueprints show Aramis' handwriting. Despite his friends, d'Artagnan hides the true reason for his presence. Aramis, suspicious of d'Artagnan, sends Porthos back to Paris to warn Fouquet, whilst tricking d'Artagnan into searching for Porthos around Vannes. Porthos warns Fouquet in time, and he cedes Belle-Ile to the king, humiliating Colbert. On returning from the mission, d'Artagnan is made Captain of the King's Musketeers.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in which detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson investigate the legend of a supernatural beast that may have been trained to murder Sir Henry Baskerville on the fog-shrouded moorland that makes up his estate.

A landmark work of romantic and gothic literature, as well as science fiction, the novel's storyline emerged from a dream and Shelley's own travels of the region in which the story unfolds. Mary Shelley started writing the story when she was just eighteen.

Set on a tropical island where Robinson Crusoe found himself after a terrible storm at sea, we follow his life and adventures far away from civilization. A novel which has inspired countless imitations and adaptations, remains one of the most original and inspiring stories in the English language.

Chichikov, a gentleman of middling social class and position arrives in a small town and quickly tries to make a good name for himself by impressing the officials of the town. Despite his limited funds, he spends extravagantly hoping that a great show of wealth and power at the start will gain him the connections he needs to carry out his mysterious plan to acquire 'dead souls.'

A watchman on top of the house, reporting that he has been lying restless there like a dog for a year, for so rules the expectant manly-willed heart of a woman (that woman being Clytemnestra awaiting the return of her husband, who has arranged that mountaintop beacons give the signal when Troy has fallen). He laments the fortunes of the house, but promises to keep silent: 'A huge ox has stepped onto my tongue.' However, when Agamemnon returns, he brings with him Cassandra, the enslaved daughter of the Trojan king, Priam, and a priestess of Apollo, as his concubine, further angering Clytemnestra.

The Knights is a satire on political and social life in 5th-century BC Athens, the characters are drawn from real life and Cleon is clearly intended to be the villain. However it is also an allegory, the characters are figures of fantasy and the villain in this context is Paphlagonian, a comic monstrosity responsible for almost everything that's wrong with the world.

When Mina’s father dies, she returns to Korea to visit a family she barely knows, desperately looking for some answers. But her mother is reluctant to discuss the past, especially the war, or the reasons that Mina was sent so far away as a child, to America. Her younger sister seems unable to grow up and it doesn’t help that their nosy neighbour is always on their doorstep. Secrets and lies divide them all irrevocably. When the truth is finally revealed, it is both shocking and redemptive, allowing Mina and those around her to see themselves anew and break free from years of pain and guilt.

From beautiful adaptations of classics to exciting new writing, Duffield is a master of storytelling. Commissioned by theatres and community groups in the UK, these plays offer strong roles for both men and women, as well as the opportunity for song and dance. They will appeal to schools and youth theatres as well as both amateur and professional performers. Using a mixture of storytelling, theatre and song, BROTHERS IN ARMS draws on the true story of two brothers from a Yorkshire pit village – one of whom steadfastly refused to fight in World War I, while the other volunteered and served on the front line in France. Cast 8 minimum. Adapted from Hugo’s novel, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is ‘remarkably faithful to the author’s original intention… a faultless production.’ – THE MORNING STAR Cast 8 minimum. WITH ALL MY LOVE is a tale of conspiracy and betrayal, of family feuds and deep-held secrets, of a woman’s struggle to keep faith with a husband transported to the other side of the world. Suitable for large cast productions, aimed at a general audience.

Red Red Shoes was commissioned by the Unicorn Theatre for Children and The Place. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale, this play uses dance, music and drama to explore the inner world of a traumatised child fleeing from war in Eastern Europe. (Ages 9+) Eye of the Storm offers a contemporary version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, exploring father/daughter relationships and the need for independence. (Ages 12+) Playing From the Heart, commissioned by the Polka Theatre, is a poetic piece which follows the travails of the young Evelyn Glennie to become a professional musician despite her profound deafness. (Ages 8+)

Over a small bridge on an island in the middle of the Thames, a great 60s club played host to acts that would later make a global name for themselves, including the Rolling Stones, Long John Baldry, Rod Stewart, the Small Faces, the Yardbirds and David Bowie. Jazz greats such as Cyril Davies, Ken Colyer and Acker Bilk also played at the legendary Eel Pie Hotel during its 50s and 60s heyday. This collection of essays traces ‘Eelpiland’s’ long-overlooked contribution to the British music scene.

In any military operation throughout history, few 24-hour periods have been as crucial as that of 6th June 1944. With the aid of specially commissioned maps, D-Day: The First 24 Hours series gives the dramatic history of the first 24 hours of the Normandy landings, and explains in detail the events that occurred in each landing zone. In this fourth volume of the series, the book describes the British and Canadian landings on Gold, Juno and Sword beaches. The book also includes details of the human cost of the first day, and a full order of battle for both sides. With colour and black & white photographs, the book is a guide to key events in the first 24 hours of the D-Day landings that saw the Allies successfully achieve a foothold in Northern Europe.

A topical collection of new plays by popular UK playwright Nick Wood 'I am not a lone voice, I am many.'?Malala ? Yousafzai A Girl with a Book and?Other Plays ?brings together four plays for young people by acclaimed playwright Nick Wood. Topical and wide-ranging, they concern refugees, friendship, loss and courage. 'You know those sente nces that start I'm not sexist/racist/homophobic and the speaker sticks in the word 'but' and goes on to prove that's exactly what they are?' The title play, ? A Girl with a Book ?is an honest response to the story of Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban. Produced many times in Germany and the UK, the play raises serious questions about the West's complex relationship with and attitudes to the Muslim world. 'a journey into empathy and imagination...'?Stephen Lowe Plays Nick Wood's poignant political drama A Girl with a Book is based on the true story of Nobel Peace Prize-Winner Malala Yousafza. In 2012, gunmen stopped a bus in Pakistan and shot three young girls. Their crime? Wanting to go to school. Knowing nothing about the situation, able to offer little more than outrage, the writer is forced out from behind his desk and in the search for answers to help him tell the story of a brave young woman's fight for girls' education, but when his research uncovers attitudes at odds with his liberal convictions he has to face what he learns about himself. Achieving international acclaim after its opening in Hamburg, A Girl with a Book examines Malala's story through a series of questions - Wood asks how a girl who wanted to go to school could become such a target. Bird boy:?Eddie and Tim create their own den up on the Knoll, a secret place for heroes. The only problem is, winter is setting in and Eddie won't come down. As the snow falls, Tim must decide whether to take food to Eddie or betray him by telling the grown ups where he is. Mia:?Mia is a refugee who has lost her home, and most of her family. She has odd bits and pieces in her bag, which have stories attached to them. Mia is searching for her sister, Sofia, can they help? Dream of White Horses: ? ?Paul wants two things - to find out whether his father's death was an accident or not. He climbs the same cliff, to discover what happened to his father, and a great deal about himself. '...invites us to better understand Malala, her father, and her kinsmen.'? On Religion '...a journey into empathy and imagination coolly and cleanly done. A crucially important tale well told with great humanity.' ? Stephen Lowe, playwright '...there's plenty of scope here for schools, colleges and youth theatre groups. The title play... has a cast of one... The remaining three plays use larger casts and explore asylum seeking, friendship, loss and courage.' ?Susan Elkin, The Stage