The opening month of the Great War ending in the Battle of the Marne (6-9 September 1914) was a turning point in modern history. The French and British armies were forced into a long retreat from Belgium but subsequently regrouped to mount a successful counter-attack. However, the miracle of the Marne, as it was later called, ended in the stalemate of the trenches. The failure of the Imperial German Army to achieve a decisive victory led to thirty years of hostility, warfare and destruction, which cost millions of lives. During the retreat to the Marne over a million soldiers marched 20 miles a day carrying 60-lb packs in temperatures above 30 degrees. They were often short of food and only managed short snatches of rest. They fought a series of engagements over two weeks which ended in a battle from the plains of Lorraine to the gates of Paris. This march tested them to the limits of endurance and beyond. In this book Terry Cudbird recreates the experience of the infantry during their gruelling journey. He describes his own August walk from southern Belgium to the battlefield, which followed the exact route taken by a French Lieutenant in the Fifth Army. He draws on a wide range of personal reminiscences, not only French but also British and German. He takes us back to the landscapes of Northern France in 1914 and explains how they have changed since that August one hundred years ago. He also reflects on the soldiers' origins and training, and their morale as they set out. This is not another military history but a unique evocation of the powers of endurance of ordinary soldiers. It will appeal to those interested in the history of the Great War, including readers who want to explore the route of the retreat for themselves.

John Timmins has led an extraordinary life, from being given up for adoption at just six months old at the end of World War II and orphaned at a young age, through time spent travelling and working abroad, several troubled marriages and many different careers. The one thing that has dominated his life above all else is his quest to find his true identity. In this poignant and honest account, John talks about his experiences in the Army Intelligence Corps, the countries he has lived in, his failed relationships and how a terrible accident spurred him on to find out the truth surrounding his birth. War Baby details the many highs and lows of one man's determination to discover his roots. Written in John's own words, the book records his methodical research, the closed doors and blocked paths as he tries to make sense of his life and reconcile the events of the past. A must-have book for anyone interested in genealogy, social history or real life stories and for all those who are still searching for their own truth.

The Rolling Stones have now been rocking the music world for an incredible 50 years and to celebrate this achievement, Adam Pearson has researched and compiled The Rolling Stones Quiz Book. If you are a Stones' fan who has followed the band's amazing success story from the early days through to chart-topping success and international stardom, what better way to test your knowledge of your favourite band with the 500 questions in this new quiz book?Where, in July 1962 did the Rollin' Stones play their first gig? In November 1991 the Rolling Stones signed a three album deal with which record company? What did the Rolling Stones get nominated for in the 2013 Brit Awards? The answers to these questions and more can all be found inside this book. Packed with fascinating fans about the Rolling Stones long career in music, as well as information about the individual band members, this tribute is sure to appeal to rockers of all ages and anyone interested in finding out about one of the most successful UK bands of all time.

Richard III is one of the most controversial figures in the history of England. Portrayed by Shakespeare as a hunchbacked cripple and described by many as a ruthless ruler, some historians believe there may have been another side to the Machiavellian monarch. Was Richard as bad as his bloodthirsty image or was he an effective leader? The 101 questions in this quiz book have been compiled to help you decide. The Richard III Quiz Book aims to separate fact from fiction. Find out where Richard was born and how he came to be king. Did he really dispose of friends and relatives in order to seize the throne? How and where did Richard meet his end and did this signify the end of the House of York?In 2012, Richard III's remains were unearthed from a car park in the city of Leicester. This book will appeal to anyone who would like to find out the truth about how and why a king of England came to be buried in an unmarked grave for several centuries.

Do you enjoy learning new things? Are you knowledgeable about a wide range of topics? Or perhaps you are a quizmaster looking for new material? Whatever the motivation for buying this quiz book you are sure to like these alphabetically linked questions - all of the answers begin with the same letter and are arranged in sections from A-Z.Containing over 1,100 brain-teasing general knowledge questions, The Alphabetical General Knowledge Quiz Book has been designed to cater for a broad range of abilities and the first letter of each answer is provided to give you a clue if you are on the right lines.Packed full of fascinating facts, this book is both fun and educational, and an excellent tool for learning. Choose a letter at random or work your way through the questions from A-Z. This quiz book offers a good way for the whole family to broaden their general knowledge, so why not challenge your children and find out who is the trivia champion in your house.

The longer stories in this book are called Fairy Stories, because that is the name by which such tales are always known to children; and yet only a very few contain any direct reference to fairies. The most of them have to do with talking animals and with strange incidents and transformations such as have always delighted the childish fancy. They have been drawn from a variety of sources; and liberty has been taken to make such changes in the narratives as seemed most necessary to adapt them to the understanding and needs of the children of our own time and country. ??Free renderings, they may be called, of some of the most popular folktales of foreign lands. The Three Bears, Tom Thumb, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Tom Tit Tot are old English favorites dressed in modern garb; Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Princet and the Golden Blackbird, and Drakesbill and his Friends are variants of the well-known French versions by Perrault, Marelles, and Sebillot; Little Tuppen and The Three Goats named Bruse are from Norwegian sources; and the rest are founded upon German originals. In the retelling of these tales care has been taken to avoid whatever might distress the most sensitive child as well as everything that could give a wrong bias to his moral nature or distort his perception of the beautiful and the true.

Jean Bodel a minstrel of the thirteenth century, wrote, "There are but three subjects which interest men,—the tales of France, of Britain, and of Rome the great; and to these subjects there is nothing like. The tales of Britain are so light and pleasant, those of Rome are wise and of teachful sense; those of France, truly every day of greater appearance."??In this story of Roland as I propose telling it, I shall intro-duce you to some of the most pleasing of those "tales of France" The poems and legends which embody them were written in various languages, and at widely different times; but in them two names, Charlemagne and Roland are of very frequent occurrence. Charlemagne, as you know, was a real historical personage, the greatest monarch of medieval times. His empire included France, the greater part of Germany and Italy; and his power and influence were felt all over the Christian world. The fame of his achievements in war was heralded and sung in every country of Europe; his name was in the mouth of every story-teller and wandering bard; and it finally became customary to ascribe all the heroic deeds and wonderful events of three centuries to the time of Charlemagne. ??The songs and stories in which these events were related were dressed up with every kind of embellishment to suit the circumstances of their recital. Wild myths of the Pagan ages, legends and traditions of the Christian Church, superstitious notions of magic and witchcraft, fantastic stories derived from the Arabs of Spain and the East,—all these were blended in one strange mass, and grafted upon a slender core of historical truth. The result was a curious mixture of fact and fiction, of the real and the marvellous, of the beautiful and the impure, of Christian devotion and heathen superstition. And it was thus that "the tales of France", which we may term the legendary history of Charlemagne, came into being ..

Tales of Space and Time is a fantasy and science fiction collection of three short stories and two novellas written by the English author H. G. Wells between 1897 and 1898. It was first published by Doubleday & McClure Co. in 1899. All the stories had first been published in various monthly periodicals and this was the first volume to collect these stories. 1. "The Crystal Egg" (short story, The New Review, May 1897) 2. "The Star" (short story, The Graphic, December 1897) 3. "A Story of the Stone Age" (novella, The Idler, May–September 1897) comprising: "Ugh-Lomi and Uya" "The Cave Bear" "The First Horseman" "Uya the Lion" "The Fight in the Lion's Thicket" 4. "A Story of the Days to Come" (novella, The Pall Mall Magazine, June–October 1899) comprising: "The Cure for Love" "The Vacant Country"...

A fantastic tale of the world's beauty and unity after the Great Change occurs.

Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda es la última obra de Miguel de Cervantes. Pertenece al subgénero de la novela bizantina. El propio autor la consideró su mejor obra; sin embargo la crítica da este título unánimemente a Don Quijote de la Mancha. En ella escribió la dedicatoria al Conde de Lemos el 19 de abril de 1616, cuatro días antes de morir, donde se despide de la vida citando estos versos: Puesto ya el pie en el estribo, con las ansias de la muerte, gran se?or, esta te escribo.

The Canterville Ghost is a popular 1887 novella by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage. “The Canterville Ghost” is a parody featuring a dramatic spirit named Sir Simon and the United States minister (ambassador) to the Court of St. James's, Hiram B. Otis. Mr. Otis travels to England with his family and moves into a haunted country house. Lord Canterville, the previous owner of the house, warns Mr. Otis that the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville has haunted it ever since he killed his wife, Eleonore, three centuries before. But Mr. Otis dismisses the ghost story as bunk and disregards Lord Canterville’s warnings. When the Otises learn that the house is indeed haunted, they succeed in victimizing the ghost and in disregarding age-old British traditions. What emerges is a satire of American materialism, a lampoon of traditional British values, and an amusing twist on the traditional gothic horror tale.

Oscar Wilde's story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is one of his most popular works. Written in Wilde's characteristically dazzling manner, full of stinging epigrams and shrewd observations, the tale of Dorian Gray's moral disintegration caused something of a scandal when it first appeared in 1890. Wilde was attacked for his decadence and corrupting influence, and a few years later the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde's homosexual liaisons, trials that resulted in his imprisonment. Of the book's value as autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be--in other ages, perhaps."

Intrus n lumea umbrelor“ este un roman de sertar… care a fost scris ntre 1982-1986 i care a zcut ascuns n beci, ntr-o lad cu nisip pentru ptrunjei i morcovi de iarn, din 1986 pn n 1991. Apoi s-a mutat ntr-un sertar al biroului… pn astzi… Aciunea primului volum, CAPCANA“, se petrece n anii 1982 – 1983. Un scriitor aflat n slujba partidului comunist, un autor care semnase pactul cu diavolul“, pact n general negat, dar existent n realitate, care scria cri la comand“, dezerteaz. Un personaj deopotriv curajos i destul de la nct s fi semnat acest pact blestemat, vicios, drept i cinstit n acelai timp, afemeiat i pctos, ncpnat i realist, vntor i braconier, ducnd o via deanat, trit pe muchie de cuit, o via plin de femei i de infideliti conjugale, chefuri, prieteni la fel de vicioi, curajoi, nelinitii i realiti ca i el. Obosit de contiina care nu-l las sa adoarm, se refugiaz la ar, n nordul extrem al rii, ntre pduri i dealuri, pentru a scpa de oameni i de minciun. i descoper prieteni uitai i rude pe care n ultimii ani le ignorase. Dar, cutnd un adevr de care nc nu era contient, i descoper i dumanii. ntr-o goan parc nebun dup regsirea de sine, i rentlnete iubirile pierdute, femei care l-au iubit i pe care el le prsise cutnd mereu altceva, femei pe care le iubise i care l-au prsit, prieteni i dumani care nu l-au uitat, oameni trectori prin viaa sa. Cu incontiena omului brusc trezit la realitate, se las purtat de valul ntmplrii, aflnd adevruri mereu ntrezrite i bnuite, dar tinuite ntr-o lege a tcerii pe care n-o nelege nc. Tenace din fire i venic gata s rite totul pe o carte dintr-o nevoie aproape bolnvicioas de senzaii tari, ncepe s ntrebe, contient c fr ntrebri, nu exist nici rspunsuri. Iar ntrebrile lui trezesc brusc furia stpnilor si comuniti. Ameninrile acestora i ale securitii care, la ordin, i urmrea fiecare micare, trezete n el i curajul neamului din care se trage i care dormise n el n toi aceti ani. ncpnat i ncrncenat, ncepe s afle adevrul despre colectivizarea din nordul ndeprtat, att de apropiat sufletului su. Pas cu pas afl despre crimele, ororile, minciunile i teroarea ce se aflau n spatele mreelor realizri ale partidului cruia i slujea. Afl despre oameni pe care i cunoscuse i care erau altceva dect crezuse el ca sunt. Obosit de atta minciun, se decide sa spun, n sfrit, adevrul. Realizeaz ns c pe nevzute i negndite, czuse n CAPCANA… pentru ca ce altceva este pn la urma adevrul, dect capcana propriei tale contiine! Cnd te hotrti s spui adevrul, nu te poi ocoli pe tine nsui pentru a-l spune doar despre ceilali! Adevrul este doar unul singur, i te include i pe tine i faptele tale… alturi de ceilali i de faptele lor…

O poveste de dragoste derulat? ?n decorul Saharei.Dintotdeauna, ?ndr?gosti?ii prefer? un loc anume pentru ?nt?lnirile lor. Fie c? este teiul lui Eminescu, Ci?migiul sau – de ce nu? – o veche, aproape uitata epopee, acel loc ?nsufle?e?te ?i coloreaz? aura iubirii. La Eneida este o frumoas? poveste cu zei ?i umbre, o poveste de dragoste derulata ?n decorul Saharei. Cei doi ?ndr?gosti?i, un b?rbat t?n?r ?i o femeie bogat?… ?n amintiri, rescriu pagini din Eneida vergilian?, retr?iesc iubirea dintre Enea, eroul troian, ?i Didona, regina Cartaginei, ad?ug?ndu-i ?ns? dimensiunea tragic? a unor evenimente recente, am?ndoi fiind marca?i, obseda?i, urm?ri?i de umbrele ?i experien?ele ultimelor zile ale Golaniei din iunie 1990.

La limita extrem? este un roman de scandal nu numai literar, o capodoper? ?n care se lupt? cu prejudec??ile morale, sexuale, sociale. O carte scris? ?n bun? tradi?ie inaugurat? de D.H. Lawrence ?i Henri Miller. Mihail Ar??ba?ev, romancier, prozator rus, este contemporan cu Nabokov ?i al?i scriitori care se formeaz? ?i se lanseaz? ?la r?scrucea“ secolelor XIX ?i XX. Moare t?n?r. Sanin, capodopera d-sale ap?ruta ?n 1907, i-a adus autorului o celebritate scandaloas?. La ini?iativa Bisericii ortodoxe ruse, lui Ar??ba?ev i s-a intentat un proces, scriitorul fiind ?nvinuit de propagarea pornografiei. ?n consecin??, Sanin ?i alte scrieri ale lui Ar??ba?ev au fost interzise ?n patria autorului r?stimp de decenii.

Sunt convins c aceast carte va intra n istoria literaturii, aa cum este ea, minunat. Nu cunosc n literatura romn un mai frumos omagiu adus mamei...“ (Ana Blandiana)Titlul unui roman care ar trebui s intre n manualele de literatur: Veneticii de Ion Lazu. Acest roman nseamn anexarea unui nou domeniu pentru literatura noastr, dar mai nseamn i un pas pentru proza romneasc de dup razboi, n-a spune doar pentru cea de dup ’89. El se detaeaz prin virtui stilistice cu totul remarcabile. Aceast oper literar condenseaz n ea att un proiect autobiografic, ct i o experien extraordinar n domeniul romanescului. Este un roman emblematic pentru secolul XX, cci figura refugiatului este ea nsi emblematic pentru acest secol… Cred c cele mai bune pagini din Veneticii pot concura cu pagini memorabile din Donul linitit, pentru c bntuie peste tot acel suflu de mare proz realist.“ (Radu Voinescu)

This book takes you through six weeks of activities on the theme of animals. Each activity is linked to a specific Early Learning Goal, and the book contains a skills overview so that practitioners can keep track of which areas of learning and development they are promoting. This book also includes a photocopiable page to give to parents with ideas for them to get involved with their children's topic, as well as ideas for bringing the six weeks of learning together. The weekly themes in this book include: name the animals, hide and seek, where I live, farm animals, pets and animal babies.

Plan for six weeks of learning covering all six areas of learning and development of the EYFS through the topic of journeys and transport. The Planning for Learning series is a series of topic books written around the Early Years Foundation Stage designed to make planning easy. This book takes you through six weeks of activities on the theme of journeys and transport. Each activity is linked to a specific Early Learning Goal, and the book contains a skills overview so that practitioners can keep track of which areas of learning and development they are promoting. This book also includes a photocopiable page to give to parents with ideas for them to get involved with their children's topic, as well as ideas for bringing the six weeks of learning together. The weekly themes in this book include: travel on foot, by road, by rail, track and trail, over and under water, through the air, anywhere and everywhere.

An afternoon of a cold winter’s day, when the sun shone forth with chilly brightness, after a long storm, two children asked leave of their mother to run out and play in the new-fallen snow. The elder child was a little girl, whom, because she was of a tender and modest disposition, and was thought to be very beautiful, her parents, and other people who were familiar with her, used to call Violet. But her brother was known by the style and title of Peony, on account of the ruddiness of his broad and round little phiz, which made everybody think of sunshine and great scarlet flowers. The father of these two children, a certain Mr. Lindsey, it is important to say, was an excellent, but exceedingly matter-of-fact sort of man, a dealer in hardware, and was sturdily accustomed to take what is called the common-sense view of all matters that came under his consideration. With a heart about as tender as other people’s, he had a head as hard and impenetrable, and therefore, perhaps, as empty, as one of the iron pots which it was a part of his business to sell. The mother’s character, on the other hand, had a strain of poetry in it, a trait of unworldly beauty—a delicate and dewy flower, as it were, that had survived out of her imaginative youth, and still kept itself alive amid the dusty realities of matrimony and motherhood. So, Violet and Peony, as I began with saying, besought their mother to let them run out and play in the new snow; for, though it had looked so dreary and dismal, drifting downward out of the gray sky, it had a very cheerful aspect, now that the sun was shining on it. The children dwelt in a city, and had no wider play-place than a little garden before the house, divided by a white fence from the street, and with a pear-tree and two or three plum-trees overshadowing it, and some rose-bushes just in front of the parlor windows. The trees and shrubs, however, were now leafless, and their twigs were enveloped in the light snow, which thus made a kind of wintry foliage, with here and there a pendent icicle for the fruit. “Yes, Violet,—yes, my little Peony,” said their kind mother; “you may go out and play in the new snow.”

Káprázatos, borzongtató, lélegzetelállító. T?kéletes. - Meg Rossoff Sally Gardner megd?bbent? regénye egy kegyetlen világban játszódik. Standish Treadwell - akinek kül?nb?z? szín?ek a szemei, és diszlexiája miatt nem tud írni-olvasni sem - egyetlen barátjával, Hectorral átmászik a várost k?rülvev? fal túloldalára, és ráj?nnek, mit rejteget el?lük az Anyaf?ld. Attól a pillanattól kezdve, hogy a két kamasz ráj?n egy óriási titokra, ami kapcsolatban van a Holdra szállással, az életük veszélybe kerül. Száz nagyon r?vid fejezet, t?kéletesen egyedi elbeszélésmódban, mely szinte végighajszolja az olvasót a t?rténeten, mert egyszerre izgalmas és s?tét humorú, lakatlan és borzongtató, gy?ngéd és elragadó. A Hold legs?tétebb oldala eredeti és megindító t?rténet, melyben a barátság és a bizalom az igazi fegyver. Sally Gardner Londonban n?tt fel, ma is ott él. Gyerekként maga is megküzd?tt a diszlexiával, egészen 14 éves koráig nem tanult meg sem írni, sem olvasni. Ikrei születése után kezdett regényeket publikálni, melyek a mágikus és t?rténelmi realizmus egyedi keverékei, stílusuk és témájuk kihívás az olvasóknak, akiket beszippant az általa teremtett világ. Sally szenvedélyesen hiszi, hogy a fiatal olvasókat inspirálni és szórakoztatni kell a k?nyvekkel, mint ahogy azt A Hold legs?tétebb oldala is bizonyítja, melyet számos díjjal tüntettek ki.

As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman - Mary Morstan, whose father vanished ten years before. Four years later she began to receive an exquisite gift every year: a large, lustrous pearl. Now she has had an intriguing invitation to meet her unknown benefactor and urges Holmes and Watson to accompany her. And in the ensuing investigation - which involves a wronged woman, a stolen hoard of Indian treasure, a wooden-legged ruffian, a helpful dog and a love affair - even the jaded Holmes is moved to exclaim, 'Isn't it gorgeous!'For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700?titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the?series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date?translations by award-winning translators.