Build real-world, industry-strength data storage solutions with time-tested design methodologies using CassandraAbout This BookExplore design patterns which co-exist with legacy data stores, migration from RDBMS, and caching technologies with CassandraLearn about design patterns and use Cassandra to provide consistency, availability, and partition tolerance guarantees for applicationsHandle temporal data for analytical purposes Who This Book Is For This book is intended for big data developers who are familiar with the basics of Cassandra and wish to understand and utilize Cassandra design patterns to develop real-world big data solutions. Prior knowledge of RDBMS solutions is assumed.What You Will LearnEnable Cassandra to co-exist with RDBMS and other legacy data storesExplore various design patterns to build effective and robust storage solutionsMigrate from RDBMS-based data stores and caching solutions to CassandraUnderstand the behaviour of Cassandra when trying to balance the needs of consistency, availability, and partition toleranceDeal with time stamps related to data effectivelySee how Cassandra can be used in analytical use casesApply the design patterns covered in this book in real-world use cases In Detail There are many NoSQL data stores used by big data applications. Cassandra is one of the most widely used NoSQL data stores that is frequently used by a huge number of heavy duty Internet-scale applications. Unlike the RDBMS world, the NoSQL landscape is very diverse and there is no one way to model data stores. This mandates the need to have good solutions to commonly seen data store design problems. Cassandra addresses such common problems simply. If you are new to Cassandra but well-versed in RDBMS modeling and design, then it is natural to model data in the same way in Cassandra, resulting in poorly performing applications and losing the real purpose of Cassandra. If you want to learn to make the most of Cassandra, this book is for you. This book starts with strategies to integrate Cassandra with other legacy data stores and progresses to the ways in which a migration from RDBMS to Cassandra can be accomplished. The journey continues with ideas to migrate data from cache solutions to Cassandra. With this, the stage is set and the book moves on to some of the most commonly seen problems in applications when dealing with consistency, availability, and partition tolerance guarantees. Cassandra is exceptionally good at dealing with temporal data and patterns such as the time-series pattern and log pattern, which are covered next. Many NoSQL data stores fail miserably when a huge amount of data is read for analytical purposes, but Cassandra is different in this regard. Keeping analytical needs in mind, you’ll walk through different and interesting design patterns. No theoretical discussions are complete without a good set of use cases to which the knowledge gained can be applied, so the book concludes with a set of use cases you can apply the patterns you’ve learned.Style and approach This book is written in very simple language and an engaging style complete with examples in every chapter and real-world use cases at the end of the book.

Master the skills and techniques that are required to design, deploy, and administer real Linux-based networksAbout This BookMaster the art of using Linux and administering network services for enterprise environmentsPerform hands-on activities to reinforce expert-level knowledgeGet full coverage of both the CentOS and Debian systems, including how networking concepts differ for each Who This Book Is For Mastering Linux Network Administration is recommended for those who already understand the basics of using Linux and networking, and would like to push those skills to a higher level through real-world Linux networking scenarios. Whether you intend to run a home office consisting of Linux nodes or a rollout of a Linux network within your organization, this book is a great fit for those that desire to learn how to manage networked systems with the power of Linux.What You Will LearnInstall and configure the Debian and CentOS systemsSet up and configure file serversAdminister networked nodes remotelyDiscover how to monitor system performance for peak healthConfigure network services such as DNS and DHCPHost HTTP content via ApacheTroubleshoot Linux networking issues In Detail Linux is everywhere. Whether you run a home office, a small business, or manage enterprise systems, Linux can empower your network to perform at its very best. Armed with the advanced tools and best practice guidance of this practical guide, you'll be able to mold Linux networks to your will, empowering your systems and their users to take advantage of all that Linux-based networks have to offer. Understand how Linux networks function and get to grips with essential tips and tricks to manage them - whether you're already managing a networks, or even just starting out. With Debian and CentOS as its source, this book will divulge all the details you need to manage a real Linux-based network. With detailed activities and instructions based on real-world scenarios, this book will be your guide to the exciting world of Linux networking.Style and approach This practical guide will walk you through all the core concepts required to manage real Linux-based networks.

Over 90 recipes to help you build and run automated tests for your web applications with Selenium WebDriverAbout This BookLearn to leverage the power of Selenium WebDriver with simple examples that illustrate real-world problems and their workaroundsExplains the testing of mobile applications with Appium for mobile platforms such as iOS and AndroidA pragmatic manual with engaging recipes and attractive screenshots to test your web applications efficiently Who This Book Is For This book is intended for software quality assurance/testing professionals, software project managers, or software developers with prior experience in using Selenium and Java to test web-based applications. This books also provides examples for C#, Python and Ruby users.What You Will LearnUnderstand how the locators work and use various locator methods to build reliable testsBuild reliable and maintainable tests with the Selenium WebDriver APIUse the PageFactory pattern to build a robust and easy to maintain test frameworkBuild data-driven tests and extend Selenium API to implement custom steps and checksIntegrate and use ATDD/BDD tools such as Cucumber, SpecFlow, Capybara, and Behave with the Selenium WebDriver APISet up iPhone/iPad and Android simulators and devices to test your mobile web application with AppiumSet up Selenium Grid for faster and parallel running of tests, increasing test coverage and reducing test execution time for cross-browser testingBuild extended Selenium WebDriver tests for additional coverage In Detail This book is an incremental guide that will help you learn and use the advanced features of the Selenium toolset including the WebDriver API in various situations to build a reliable test automation. You start off by setting up the test development environment and gain tips on the advanced locater strategy and the effective use of the Selenium WebDriver API. After that, the use of design patterns such as data - driven tests and PageFactory are demonstrated. You will then be familiarised with extending Selenium WebDriver API by implementing custom tasks and setting up your own distributed environment to run tests in parallel for cross-browser testing. Finally, we give you some tips on integrating Selenium WebDriver with other popular tools and testing mobile applications. By the end of this book, you will have learned enough to solve complex testing issues on your own.Style and approach This recipe-based guide covers real-life scenarios of testing your web apps with Selenium. Each recipe begins with a short introduction and key concepts along with illustrated examples of use cases, and ends with detailed but informative de*ions of the inner workings of the example.

Navigate the world of data analysis, visualization, and machine learning with over 100 hands-on Scala recipesAbout This BookImplement Scala in your data analysis using features from Spark, Breeze, and ZeppelinScale up your data anlytics infrastructure with practical recipes for Scala machine learningRecipes for every stage of the data analysis process, from reading and collecting data to distributed analytics Who This Book Is For This book shows data scientists and analysts how to leverage their existing knowledge of Scala for quality and scalable data analysis.What You Will LearnFamiliarize and set up the Breeze and Spark libraries and use data structuresImport data from a host of possible sources and create dataframes from CSVClean, validate and transform data using Scala to pre-process numerical and string dataIntegrate quintessential machine learning algorithms using Scala stackBundle and scale up Spark jobs by deploying them into a variety of cluster managersRun streaming and graph analytics in Spark to visualize data, enabling exploratory analysis In Detail This book will introduce you to the most popular Scala tools, libraries, and frameworks through practical recipes around loading, manipulating, and preparing your data. It will also help you explore and make sense of your data using stunning and insightfulvisualizations, and machine learning toolkits. Starting with introductory recipes on utilizing the Breeze and Spark libraries, get to grips withhow to import data from a host of possible sources and how to pre-process numerical, string, and date data. Next, you’ll get an understanding of concepts that will help you visualize data using the Apache Zeppelin and Bokeh bindings in Scala, enabling exploratory data analysis. iscover how to program quintessential machine learning algorithms using Spark ML library. Work through steps to scale your machine learning models and deploy them into a standalone cluster, EC2, YARN, and Mesos. Finally dip into the powerful options presented by Spark Streaming, and machine learning for streaming data, as well as utilizing Spark GraphX.Style and approach This book contains a rich set of recipes that covers the full spectrum of interesting data analysis tasks and will help you revolutionize your data analysis skills using Scala and Spark.

Explore the Underscore.js library by example using a test-driven development approachAbout This BookUnderstand and learn to apply functional programming principles using the built-in functions of Underscore.jsLeverage and reuse Underscore.js-based code to create code that targets client, server, or database contextsTake Underscore.js further by reusing code between client and server and by learning about other closely related libraries Who This Book Is For If you are a developer with fundamental JavaScript knowledge and want to use modern JavaScript libraries to extend your functional programming skills, then Underscore.js is an important library you should be familiar with.What You Will LearnReference and call Underscore.js functions using a modern JavaScript development workflowApply Underscore.js to JavaScript arrays, objects, and functionsTake advantage of object-oriented or functional programming techniques with Underscore.jsLeverage Underscore.js to create code that targets client, server, or database contextsExtend Underscore.js functionality with other closely related librariesReuse Underscore.js-based code between client and server applicationsPrepare for the upcoming JavaScript standard ECMAScript 6 and support older browsers In Detail Underscore.js is one of the most popular modern JavaScript libraries used for functional programming. It can be used as a base for building complex JavaScript applications in a sustainable manner and for building other JavaScript libraries. It embraces functional programming principles but is not opinionated and can be used with imperative, object-oriented, functional, or other programming styles. This book explores how to use Underscore.js to power your code and understand modern JavaScript development concepts while applying a lightweight and efficient workflow to build applications. The book starts with an incremental Underscore.js introduction by exploring key JavaScript concepts. You will then explore the basic features of Underscore.js in action and establish a lightweight development workflow that allows the provided examples to be guided by tests. The book then covers the functionality of Underscore.js with in-depth examples and explanations for understanding and applying the Underscore.js API. You'll also learn how to use Underscore.js as a base for your own modules and libraries within an object-oriented or functional programming style, and will be able to explore Underscore.js use cases in different environments. Eventually, you'll learn about libraries that are closely related with Underscore.js, how to share code between client and server, and how to prepare for the upcoming JavaScript standard ECMAScript 6.Style and approach This book takes an example-driven approach to describing some of the essential JavaScript concepts and practices that are useful for building sustainable applications.

Harness the power of OpenStack Networking for public and private clouds using 90 hands-on recipesAbout This BookBuild and manage virtual switching, routing, and firewall-based networks in OpenStack using NeutronDevelop plugins and drivers for Neutron to enhance the built-in networking capabilitiesMonitor and automate OpenStack networks using tools like Ceilometer and Heat Who This Book Is For This book is aimed at network and system administrators who want to deploy and manage OpenStack-based cloud and IT infrastructure. If you have basic knowledge of OpenStack and virtualization, this book will help you leverage the rich functionality of OpenStack Networking in your cloud deployments.What You Will LearnOperate OpenStack Networking for public and private cloudsConfigure advanced routing services for your workloadsSecure data traffic using firewall-as-a-service capabilities of OpenStackDiscover how to leverage VXLAN to implement SDN in your OpenStack cloudMonitor the virtual networks using CeilometerDevelop plugins to enhance and customize OpenStack NetworkingProvide HA and VPN connectivity for your virtual machinesTroubleshoot and solve common problems with OpenStack Networking In Detail Networking in OpenStack has evolved from Nova Network to Neutron. This has resulted in a rich suite of networking services available to OpenStack users and administrators. Advanced services such as routers, firewall, and load balancers use building blocks such as network and subnets. Recent improvements support powerful customization using plugins. The evolution of Neutron continues as it integrates with tools like Ceilometer and Heat. This book will explore the built-in capabilities of Neutron to effectively deploy cloud solutions. You will begin with the most fundamental constructs of OpenStack Networking for switching and routing. You will then learn how to provide your tenants with services like firewalls and load-balancers. The step-by-step recipes will help you configure and troubleshoot networking problems in your cloud. This book will also introduce you to advanced topics like Ceilometer, Heat, and other upcoming tools in OpenStackStyle and approach The book is full of step-by-step recipes to configure and manage the networking aspects of your OpenStack cloud. In addition to covering basic configuration involved in OpenStack Networking, the books also shares various troubleshooting tips and techniques. As much as possible the book uses OpenStack dashboard (Horizon) to help the user get a feel of real OpenStack Networking

Beloved author C. S. Lewis is our trusted guide in this intimate day-by-day companion offering his distinctive and celebrated wisdom. Amidst the bustle of our daily experience, A Year with C. S. Lewis provides the necessary respite and inspiration to meet the many challenges we face in our lives. Ruminating on such themes as the nature of love, the existence of miracles, overcoming a devastating loss, and discovering a profound faith, Lewis offers unflinchingly honest insight for each day of the year. These daily meditations have been culled from Lewis's celebrated Signature Classics: Mere Christianity , The Screwtape Letters , The Great Divorce , The Problem of Pain , Miracles , and A Grief Observed , as well as from the distinguished works The Weight of Glory and The Abolition of Man. Throughout this elegant daybook the reader will find poignant biographical com-mentary about C. S. Lewis's life that offers a remarkable portrait of Lewis in the context of his work. As each day unfolds, we embark on a path of discovery with a friend by your side. A Year with C. S. Lewis is the perfect com-panion for everyone who cherishes Lewis's timeless words.

Called the Pilgrim Pope, a pope of the people, John Paul II connected with his flock from the highest to the lowest. He was one of history's most beloved popes among Catholics and non-Catholics alike, a man whose indomitable spirit touched and taught us all. A Year with John Paul II showcases his most important teachings as well as his inspirational writings, in a daily devotional format that will inspire readers and deepen their reflections and meditations. With a foreword by Cardinal William W. Baum, head of the Holy See's Major Penitentiary and former archbishop of Washington DC, an introduction by Bishop William Murphy, and a moving eulogy composed for the pope's funeral by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), A Year with John Paul II will take readers on a year-long spiritual journey with this deeply religious and inspiring man. Karol Wojyla was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. He survived the Nazi occupation during World War II and was ordained to the priesthood in 1946. He was appointed archbishop of Krakow by Pope Paul VI. On October 16, 1978, he ascended to the papacy, taking the name John Paul II. During his papacy he greeted an estimated sixteen million pilgrims at the Vatican's general audiences. Pope John Paul II died in April 2005.

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have youThese are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, the princes stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be. Christopher Healy Hero Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a completely original take on the world of fairy tales, the truth about what happens after “happily ever after.” It a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoy their fantasy adventures mixed with the humor of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Witty black-and-white drawings by Todd Harris add to the fun.

On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sole, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.

Due to copyright restrictions, this eBook may not contain all of the images available in the print edition. It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation. Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style toward photography. Bound in innocence and enthusiasm, they traversed the city from Coney Island to Forty-second Street, and eventually to the celebrated round table of Max's Kansas City, where the Andy Warhol contingent held court. In 1969, the pair set up camp at the Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the famous and infamous the influential artists of the day and the colorful fringe. It was a time of heightened awareness, when the worlds of poetry, rock and roll, art, and sexual politics were colliding and exploding. In this milieu, two kids made a pact to take care of each other. Scrappy, romantic, committed to create, and fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would prod and provide for one another during the hungry years. Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.

Exploit the power of dynamic cloud formation and auto-scaling features to fully implement OpenStack orchestrationAbout This BookSet up, manage, and troubleshoot Heat and effectively automate your datacenter and cloud-based servicesAchieve high availability, minimize down-time, and automate the deployment of cloud-based services and resources with minimum effortUpgrade your skills and manipulate resources on virtual machines in an unattended fashion using Heat Who This Book Is For If you are a System Engineer, System Administrator, Cloud Administrator, or a Cloud Engineer, then this book is for you. You should have a background of working in a Linux-based setup. Any knowledge of OpenStack-based cloud infrastructure will help you create wonders using this book.What You Will LearnInstall an orchestration service for a private cloud environmentTackle errors that show up during the installation and configuration of heatConfigure a template for orchestration using the native HOT formatConfigure a template for orchestration using the AWS cloud formation formatDeploy a stack using the HOT templateDeploy a test stack using the AWS CloudFormation templateAutomate and orchestrate cloud-based services with OpenStack Heat In Detail This book is focused on setting up and using one of the most important services in OpenStack orchestration, Heat. First, the book introduces you to the orchestration service for OpenStack to help you understand the uses of the templating mechanism, complex control groups of cloud resources, and huge-potential and multiple-use cases. We then move on to the topology and orchestration specification for cloud applications and standards, before introducing the most popular IaaS cloud framework, Heat. You will get to grips with the standards used in Heat, overview and roadmap, architecture and CLI, heat API, heat engine, CloudWatch API, scaling principles, JeOS and installation and configuration of Heat. We wrap up by giving you some insights into troubleshooting for OpenStack. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and supporting images, you will be able to manage OpenStack operations by implementing the orchestration services of Heat.Style and approach The book is a step-by-step guide to implementing an orchestration (cloud formation) service for OpenStack-based cloud environments. This book uses real-world scenarios and examples to demonstrate the procedures in an easy-to-understand language with plenty of screenshots to help you get a better understanding.

This is Harry Verlander’s story, one of five true-life recollections from the Second World War in Tales From The Special Forces Club. The Special Forces Club is a fabled gentlemen’s club, based in the heart of London. It has a closely guarded secret: you have to be a genuine hero to be a member. Harry had volunteered aged 16 in 1942. By 1944, he was parachuting into France on D-Day as part of the Jedburgh espionage teams. His main adventure, though, was in the jungles of Burma fighting the Japanese. This is his story.

This is Leonard Ratcliff’s story, one of five true-life recollections from the Second World War in Tales From The Special Forces Club. The Special Forces Club is a fabled gentlemen’s club, based in the heart of London. It has a closely guarded secret: you have to be a genuine hero to be a member. Leonard commanded a squadron tasked with flying Special Forces agents into Nazi-occupied Europe. His missions came with enormous risk and casualties were exceptionally high. By the end of the war the entire squadron had been lost three times over. Yet despite the dangers there was always a steady stream of volunteers ready to risk all. This is Leonard’s story.

This is Madge’s story, one of five stories extracted from THE SWEETHEARTS. Whether in wartime or peace, tales of love, laughter and hardship from the girls in the Rowntrees factory in Yorkshire. “On the morning of her Rowntrees job interview, on a warm Monday morning in July 1932, Fourteen-year-old Madge Fisher stood fidgeting in the hallway of her terraced house while her mother, Margaret, pinned up her hair and then inspected her from top to toe. ‘Hands,’ her mother said, and Madge presented them meekly for inspection, glad that she’d remembered to wash them at the kitchen sink…” From the 1930s through to the 1980s, as Britain endured war, depression, hardship and strikes, the women at the Rowntree’s factory in York kept the chocolates coming. This is the true story of The Sweethearts, the women who roasted the cocoa beans, piped the icing and packed the boxes that became gifts for lovers, snacks for workers and treats for children across the country. More often than not, their working days provided welcome relief from bad husbands and bad housing, a community where they could find new confidence, friendship and when the supervisor wasn’t looking, the occasional chocolate.

This is Florence’s story, one of five stories extracted from THE SWEETHEARTS. Whether in wartime or peace, tales of love, laughter and hardship from the girls in the Rowntrees factory in Yorkshire. “Florence was born in 1923 and remembers sleeping three or four to a bed with the other children. ‘If it was really cold, my mum would give us the shelf out of the fireside oven, wrapped in a piece of cloth, as a hot water bottle. She’d put it right in the middle of the bed where all four of us could get our feet on it’. Florence finished school on a Friday in July 1937 and started work at Rowntree’s the following Monday. ‘There were so many people pouring in through the gates,’ Florence recalls, ‘and the whole place was so huge – even the rooms were enormous – that I couldn’t imagine how I was ever going to find my way around the place…” From the 1930s through to the 1980s, as Britain endured war, depression, hardship and strikes, the women at the Rowntree’s factory in York kept the chocolates coming. This is the true story of The Sweethearts, the women who roasted the cocoa beans, piped the icing and packed the boxes that became gifts for lovers, snacks for workers and treats for children across the country. More often than not, their working days provided welcome relief from bad husbands and bad housing, a community where they could find new confidence, friendship and when the supervisor wasn’t looking, the occasional chocolate.

‘I hadn’t been in Hackney for 24 hours but I knew that the way I saw life and people had changed forever. There was such goodness here but there was a sadness I had never imagined before, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet …’ On a hot summer’s day in 1969, fresh-faced 17 year old Nurse Sarah Hill arrives at Hackney General Hospital in London’s East End. Battered suitcase in hand, she takes eager steps in her white calf-length Mary Quant boots towards the towering sandy-grey building of the Nurses’ Home. Looking up at the rows and rows of little windows, full of nervous excitement, she couldn’t have guessed just what she was getting herself into … It’s the end of the swinging sixties, Britain is changing and the everyday life of the nurses and patients plays out against a backdrop of a failing government, strikes, immigration and women’s lib. Nurse Sarah Hill, together with her companions; the serious minded, politicised Maddox, the quick witted Lynch, who falls in love with an upper crust young doctor, golden girl Nursery Nurse Appleton, and ex-musical hall star turned midwife Wade are thrown in straight at the deep end, working long hours with few days off under the watchful eye of the stern matron. More than just a hospital, Hackney General was part of the community just as much as the Adam & Eve pub the staff frequent. A place where the poorly children of Hackney were nursed to health, a place where young nurses would discover just want they wanted from life, fall in love with shy photographers and grow into women. But it’s not all smooth sailing in Hackney: for every baby that goes home to its loving family another is abandoned, unloved, or never gets to go home at all. Funny, warm and deeply moving, Sarah Beeson’s poignant memoir captures both the heartache and happiness of hospital life and 1970s London through the eyes of a gentle but determined young nurse.

This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Edith Crawley, the middle daughter of the Granthams, sandwiched between her elder, beautiful and fiery sister Mary, and Sybil, the younger, worthy one, struggles to find her position in life. She is caught between acting tough and being on the defensive. ‘She’s vulnerable,’ says Laura Carmichael, who plays her. ‘She’s the disappointing daughter. And she feels that very keenly – she so wants to be loved and accepted, rather than rejected. And she throws herself into things to try and achieve that.’ Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.

This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Living under the threat of death for some weeks until his reprieve was obtained would have been enormously traumatic for Bates. At least, we must imagine that it was. Bates is a man who has been so opaque and guarded in his emotions that even those closest to him have had to patiently and slowly tease out details about his past. Anna Bates is a rare creature; utterly sure of herself, dependable, sympathetic and steadfastly loyal. Although having a convicted murderer for a husband is not quite every newlywed’s dream, Anna is unwavering in her belief that he is innocent. Anna puts her loyalty to her husband first and foremost, and her love for him could be as dangerous as it is steadfast. Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, life in prison, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.

This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. The outside world and its changes only rarely affect Mrs Patmore. ‘She is a product of her time,’ says Lesley Nicol, the actress who plays her, ‘loyal to the family, and to the household. She is very proud of her job and good at it, too, I think.’ As the meek protégée of the cook, Daisy, fuelled by a desire to improve her situation, has started to find her voice and is defiantly answering back to make sure she gets what she believes is her due. She’s also a romantic, prone to crushes: Thomas (futile, for obvious reasons) and now the new footman, Alfred Nugent. We can see that it’s hard for her to conjure up the courage to do anything about it. Fortunately, Alfred is not cunning like his aunt but rather guileless and sweet. As Matt Milne, the actor playing him, says: ‘He is determined to make it work. It’s a big opportunity, and he is just going to keep his head down and work hard.’ Even Lady Mary thinks he’s nice, albeit that he looks ‘like a puppy who’s been rescued from a puddle’. Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.

As in ‘Britain B.C.’ and ‘Britain A.D.’ (also accompanied by Channel 4 series), eminent archaeologist Francis Pryor challenges familiar historical views of the Middle Ages by examining fresh evidence from the ground. The term 'Middle Ages' suggests a time between two other ages: a period when nothing much happened. In his radical reassessment, Francis Pryor shows that this is very far from the truth, and that the Middle Ages (approximately 800-1550) were actually the time when the modern world was born. This was when Britain moved from Late Antiquity into a world we can recognize as more or less familiar: roads and parishes became fixed; familiar institutions, such as the church and local government, came into being; industry became truly industrial; and international trade was now a routine process. Archaeology shows that the Middle Ages were far from static. Based on everyday, often humdrum evidence, it demonstrates that the later agricultural and industrial revolutions were not that unexpected, given what we now know of the later medieval period. Similarly, the explosion of British maritime power in the late 1700s had roots in the 15th century. The book stresses continuous development at the expense of ‘revolution', though the Black Death (1348), which killed a third of the population, did have a profound effect in loosening the grip of the feudal system. Labour became scarce and workers gained power; land became more available and the move to modern farming began. The Middle Ages can now be seen in a fresh light as an era of great inventiveness, as the author examines such topics as 'upward mobility'; the power of the Church; the role of the Guilds as precursors of trade unions; the transport infrastructure of roads, bridges and shipbuilders; and the increase in iron production.