Here are some of the secrets of taxidermy. They were told me by the taxidermist in a mood of elation. He told me them in the time between the first glass of whisky and the fourth, when a man is no longer cautious and yet not drunk.

After an unspecified family disaster, the protagonist Lucy Snowe travels from England to the fictional French-speaking city of Villette to teach at a girls' school, where she is drawn into adventure and romance. ? Villette was Charlotte Bront?'s fourth novel. It was preceded by the posthumously published The Professor, her first, and then by Jane Eyre and Shirley. ? The novel is set in the English countryside, in London, and (mainly) in the fictional city of Villette (based upon Brussels) in the fictional Kingdom of Labassecour (based upon Belgium). "Labassecour" is French for farmyard. ? Villette begins with its famously passive protagonist, Lucy Snowe, age 14, staying at the home of her godmother Mrs. Bretton in "the clean and ancient town of Bretton", in England. Also in residence are Mrs. Bretton's son, John Graham Bretton (whom the family calls Graham), and a young visitor, Paulina Home (who is called Polly). Polly is a peculiar little girl who soon develops a deep devotion to Graham, who showers her with attention. But Polly's visit is cut short when her father arrives to take her away.

An anarchist intent on wreaking havoc throughout London steals a sample of deadly virus from an unsuspecting scientist.

The materials for this little book were collected by Mr. Brooks during a visit he paid me in the summer of 1921. He was, I think, the first Englishman to come to Nancy with the express purpose of studying my method of conscious autosuggestion. In the course of daily visits extending over some weeks, by attending my consultations, and by private conversations with myself, he obtained a full mastery of the method, and we threshed out a good deal of the theory on which it rests.The results of this study are contained in the following pages. Mr. Brooks has skilfully seized on the essentials and put them forward in a manner that seems to me both simple and clear. The instructions given are amply sufficient to enable anyone to practise autosuggestion for him or herself, without seeking the help of any other person.It is a method which everyone should follow—the sick to obtain healing, the healthy to prevent the coming of disease in the future. By its practice we can insure for ourselves, all our lives long, an excellent state of health, both of the mind and the body.E. COU?.Get Your Copy Now

In a great Palace by the sea there once dwelt a very rich old lord, who had neither wife nor children living, only one little granddaughter, whose face he had never seen in all her life. He hated her bitterly, because at her birth his favourite daughter died; and when the old nurse brought him the baby he swore that it might live or die as it liked, but he would never look on its face as long as it lived.

The narrative of Lot occupies a relatively large space in the Quran. Most of these passages place the narrative of Lot in a line of successive prophets including Noah, Hud, Saleh and Shoaib. In the past, scholars have stated that these particular prophets represent the early cycle of prophecy as described in the Quran. The prophet would be sent to his community; the community would pay no attention to his warning and would instead threaten him with punishment; after years of preaching, God would ask the prophet to leave his community and his people would be subsequently destroyed in a punishment. Scholars interpret the listing of the five prophets to be chronological, with Noah being the only prophet in the list who preached before the Great Flood. Lot is also mentioned alongside Ishmael, Elisha and Jonah as men whom God favored above the nations. Prophet Lut known as Lot in the Old Testament, is a prophet of God in the Quran. He also appears in the Bible, but the biblical stories of Lot are not entirely accepted within Islam. According to Islamic tradition, Lot lived in Ur and was the son of Haran and nephew of Abraham. He migrated with Abraham to Canaan. He was commissioned as a prophet to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

This collection assembles four of Blackwood's greatest stories: "The Insanity of Jones," "The Man Who Found Out," "The Glamour of the Snow," and "Sand." ? The son of a preacher, Blackwood had a life-long interest in the supernatural, the occult, and spiritualism, and firmly believed that humans possess latent psychic powers. The autobiography Episodes Before Thirty (1923) tells of his lean years as a journalist in New York. In the late 1940s, Blackwood had a television program on the BBC on which he read . . . ghost stories!

Love gripping mysteries and thrilling action? Strap in for a breakneck ride... If you enjoy action, mystery and a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then it’s time you meet Thomas Blume; the private detective readers call “dangerous, driven and brilliantly addictive.” HARD FALL – Book 1 An ex-New York cop, now working as a freelance investigator in London; Blume stumbles across a case that baffled police. He unwittingly becomes part of a world full of criminals, thugs and corrupt cops that will do anything to stop him. Now, in a country he doesn’t understand and a city stacked against him, Blume must fight to expose the truth… SNOW BURN – Book 2 Thomas Blume is back, and this time he's deep in a case that could shake the very foundation of the country. Hired to find a hacker with shocking government secrets, Blume works to find the man, and stop the leak. But when the bodies start piling up and everyone in the city seems out to get him, Blume must battle against the odds and team up with a new ally if he is to survive. RED HUNT – Book 3 When sultry model Christina Bishop is discovered unconscious next to the body of her manager, all fingers point to her as the suspect. Accused of murder, she disappears into the London underworld, leaving behind her frantic boyfriend and angry police. Thomas Blume is hired to find Christina and prove her innocence, but not before a shocking turn of events leaves him wondering if he is chasing a ghost. CROSS FIRE – Book 4 When Blume is asked to play bodyguard at a high-class London party he figures that it should be a night of easy money and free booze. But easy and free are never what they seem... The sudden disappearance of two girls throws the night into chaos and now lives are at risk. One girl is the daughter of wealthy local industrialist Andrew Hyde… the other, the daughter of his close friend Amir. Why were they taken? And how does it all connect to Blume’s investigation of his family’s murder? What people are saying about the Thomas Blume series: '...the author delivered a WOW bomb in the epilogue' - FictionZeal 'Blume is sure to become the next timeless hero of detective fiction.' - Red Rock Bookworm 'It reminds me of Raymond Chandler’s work. It’s noir, dark, full of rainy streets, seedy bars and characters with their own secrets.' - Author, Victoria Randall 'I highly recommend this book to anyone!' - Joe Schaeffer, EBL The Thomas Blume box set is an exhilarating, mystery series that will grip fans of Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Robert B Parker, Raymond Chandler and many more. Click and get your copy now! Tags: hard boiled mysteries, mysteries, noir, private investigators, mystery collection

Towards mid-day the three pursuers came abruptly round a bend in the torrent bed upon the sight of a very broad and spacious valley. The difficult and winding trench of pebbles along which they had tracked the fugitives for so long expanded to a broad slope, and with a common impulse the three men left the trail, and rode to a little eminence set with olive-dun trees, and there halted, the two others, as became them, a little behind the man with the silver-studded bridle.

Today, the Pacific islands reflect the best and worst in western society. On the one hand are the bravery and persistence of early European navigators, missionaries, and government officers; the early, well-meaning efforts by many westerners to help the islanders become ‘civilized’; the assistance readily given in times of natural disasters; and the grants and concessional loans to help Pacific countries develop into independent economic entities, to name but a few. On the other hand are the persistence in demolishing the islanders’ tropical culture and turning them into unwilling citizens or dependents of temperate countries, like puppets; the arrogance of assuming that modern western democracy and societal norms, which date back but a few generations, must replace the islanders’ far longer-standing societies; and the continuation of all these efforts to westernize them and their countries in the face of growing awareness in those Pacific countries of the value of their own well tried-and-tested lifestyles—to name but a few. What if history had gone another way? What if the Pacific islanders had taken over Europe instead? That would have been impossible, of course, or would it?

William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) was the most popular short story writer of his time. His stories typically revolved around two of his favorite themes, the situation of the impostor and fate as the one unavoidable reality of life. Another device he used was the surprise ending, usually coming about through coincidence. He was the founder of the humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist. He was convicted of embezzling money, although there's much debate over his actual guilt, and while in prison he started to write short stories. His first work, Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking appeared in McClure's Magazine. After emerging from prison Porter changed his name to O. Henry. He then moved to New York and wrote a story a week for the New York World, also publishing in other magazines. This volume of O'Henry's work gets its title from his early newspaper venture of the same name.

The story begins when a group of children move from London to the countryside of Kent. The five children – Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother, known as the Lamb – are playing in a gravel pit when they uncover a rather grumpy, ugly, and occasionally malevolent Psammead, a sand-fairy with ability to grant wishes.

More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter (1885) is a collection of linked short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Vandegrift. ? "Prologue of the Cigar Divan" "Challoner's adventure: The Squire of Dames" "Story of the Destroying Angel" "The Squire of Dames (Concluded)" "Somerset's adventure: The Superfluous Mansion" "Narrative of the Spirited Old Lady" "The Superfluous Mansion (Continued)" "Zero's Tale of the Explosive Bomb" "The Superfluous Mansion (Continued)" "Desborough's Adventure: The Brown Box" "Story of the Fair Cuban" "The Brown Box (Concluded)" "The Superfluous Mansion (Concluded)" "Epilogue of the Cigar Divan"

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Arthur Quiller-Couch ‘Dead Man's Rock.’ "Dead Man's Rock" was Q's first published novel. The genesis came from a curious bit of family lore, in which his great grandfather Richard had a key hanging from a beam, with instructions that no one should take it down till he returned. Richard was lost at sea during a war, and the key was never touched. What might it have unlocked? Hence the inspiration for the story. A family in poverty, great wealth to be unlocked by a key, two parties vying for it, and a curse on the treasure the key could unlock. Quiller-Couch was a noted literary critic, publishing editions of some of Shakespeare's plays (in the New Shakespeare, published by Cambridge University Press, with Dover Wilson) and several critical works, including Studies in Literature (1918) and On the Art of Reading (1920). He edited a successor to his verse anthology: Oxford Book of English Prose, which was published in 1923. He left his autobiography, Memories and Opinions, unfinished; it was nevertheless published in 1945.

Wrestling with wartime life and the conceits of her father, a famous but profligate painter, and having to look after her younger siblings leaves the beautiful Fenella Prentis little time for love. It is difficult enough making ends meet and persuading her father to hand over the proceeds of his current portrait of the grasping and flirtatious model Elaine so that she can pay long overdue bills. But Fenella’s head is turned by the unexpected arrival of the dashing Major Rex Ransome, who needs their house to billet Army Officers and at the same time she is blind to the gentler attentions of injured war hero and her nearby neighbour, Sir Nicholas Coleby – until he offers to save her from scandal, notoriety and poverty by marrying her. Although Sir Nicholas is totally in love with her, still Fenella has eyes only for the womanising Major. Slowly, though, the husband she so cruelly shuns and humiliates reveals his true qualities – “a man cool and calm, used to authority, ready to give the right answer to a question, not assuming leadership, but being by instinct a leader among men”. And finally, like a flash of bright light and irrevocably, it suddenly dawns on Fenella that this time it’s love.

When an elderly pawnbroker is murdered in the London parish of Paddington, a young, down on his luck writer is accused of the crime. But then it's found the pawnbroker had had in his possession an extraordinary South African diamond worth over eighty-thousand pounds -- a diamond that's now missing. It falls to Melky Rubenstein to unravel the mystery and prove the young man's innocence. But what is the significance of the Spanish manuscript? What part do the Chinese medical students play? And what about the mysterious Mr. Mori Yada? Find the answers in The Orange-Yellow Diamond!

Once upon a time there were three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little Wee Bear, and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great Big Bear. They had each a bowl for their porridge; a little bowl for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bowl for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bowl for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great chair for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bed for the Great Big Bear.

The theme of romance continues in this volume and begins with iconic 'The Lady with the Dog' by Anton Chekhov. Set in Yalta, Crimea, appears at first as a holiday romance. Gurov is a married man but he holidays on his own and has a history of holiday affairs. He meets the lady of the story’s title with her Pomeranian dog. But Chekhov’s love stories are not romantic accounts of unrequited love or of love at first sight. Or, even of tortured love that is amplified by the agony of being unfulfilled. No, these are Chekhovian tales that surprise and intrigue our imagination. In the second part of this volume we continues to a more familiar ground of Shakespearian love in his masterpiece 'King Lear'.

Are you tired of spending hundreds of dollars on face creams, beauty treatments, massages, and aromatherapy? Do you question all those impossible to pronounce ingredients on the back of your bath products and lotions? Have you wondered why some products are tested on animals instead of humans? The body care products that we buy from the retail chains and makeup counters are full of chemicals that not only don't really help our skin, but can harm it as well. Making your own organic body care products doesn't require you to be a chemist or parfumier. Making body care products at home is something that even a total beginner can dabble in. Many people start making body care products because they have an interest in essential oil benefits, have sensitivities to store bought beauty and skin care products, or just want another outlet for their own creativity. Organic body care products have benefits that exceed just being naturally amazing for your skin and hair, there are aromatherapy benefits, and tons of savings for your bank account! Not to mention, organic body care products are a green solution that produces very little waste and consumes very little energy. You won't be filling up your trash bins with empty lotion and shampoo bottles anymore! All the supplies you need for organic body care are reusable! This guide is full of tips and tricks for making your own organic body care products for total beginners. The recipes are easy to follow and the information in the guide is comprehensive and easy to understand. By the time you are at the end, not only will you have tons of knowledge about the benefits of essential oils and organic body care, you'll have enough recipes for body care products to last the year! Most of the recipes in the last half of this guide require very little ingredients and supplies, the best part is that they don't take long to make and make incredible gifts. Being able to put your own unique spin on healthy, aromatic body care is something that you care be proud of gifting this holiday season!

One September afternoon in 1751, towards half-past five, about a score of small boys, chattering, pushing, and tumbling over one another like a covey of partridges, issued from one of the religious schools of Chartres. The joy of the little troop just escaped from a long and wearisome captivity was doubly great: a slight accident to one of the teachers had caused the class to be dismissed half an hour earlier than usual, and in consequence of the extra work thrown on the teaching staff the brother whose duty it was to see all the scholars safe home was compelled to omit that part of his daily task.

Detective Classics presents you The Eye of Osiris in a fantastic ebook edition. ? John Bellingham is a world-renowned archaeologist who goes missing mysteriously after returning from a voyage to Egypt where fabulous treasures have been uncovered. Bellingham seems to have disappeared leaving clues, which lead all those hunting down blind alleys. But when the piercing perception of the brilliant Dr Thorndyke is brought to bear on the mystery, the search begins for a man tattooed with the Eye of Osiris in this strange, tantalisingly enigmatic tale. ? R. Austin Freeman is the doyen of the scientific division of detective writing, is best known for his character Dr John Thorndyke. A close and careful investigator and the outstanding medical authority in the field of detective fiction, R. Austin Freeman not only tested the wits of the reader but also inspired many modern detective forensic methods. Much of his long life was spent as a physician and surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital, London. He also held posts in West Africa and later was a medical officer at Holloway Prison. The most famous of the Edwardian detective writers, he rescued the detective story from "thrillerdom" and made it acceptable to a more discerning class of reader.