If ever a writer needed an introduction Arthur Conan Doyle would not be considered that man. After all, Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the foremost literary detective of any age. Add to this canon his stories of science fiction and his poems, his historical novels, his plays, his political campaigning, his efforts in establishing a Court Of Appeal and there is little room for anything else. Except he was also an exceptional writer of short stories of the horrific and macabre. Something very different from what you might expect. Born in Arthur Conan Doyle was born on 22 May 1859 at 11 Picardy Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. From 1876 - 1881 he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh following which he was employed as a doctor on the Greenland whaler Hope of Peterhead in 1880 and, after his graduation, as a ship's surgeon on the SS Mayumba during a voyage to the West African coast in 1881. Arriving in Portsmouth in June of that year with less than GBP10 (GBP700 today) to his name, he set up a medical practice at 1 Bush Villas in Elm Grove, Southsea. The practice was initially not very successful. While waiting for patients, Conan Doyle again began writing stories and composed his first novel The Mystery of Cloomber. Although he continued to study and practice medicine his career was now firmly set as a writer. And thereafter great works continued to pour out of him.

Henry Fielding was born at Sharpham Park, near Glastonbury, in Somerset on April 22nd 1707. His early years were spent on his parents' farm in Dorset before being educated at Eton.An early romance ended disastrously and with it his removal to London and the beginnings of a glittering literary career; he published his first play, at age 21, in 1728.He was prolific, sometimes writing six plays a year, but he did like to poke fun at the authorities. His plays were thought to be the final straw for the authorities in their attempts to bring in a new law. In 1737 The Theatrical Licensing Act was passed. At a stroke political satire was almost impossible. Fielding was rendered mute. Any playwright who was viewed with suspicion by the Government now found an audience difficult to find and therefore Theatre owners now toed the Government line.Fielding was practical with the circumstances and ironically stopped writing to once again take up his career in the practice of law and became a barrister after studying at Middle Temple. By this time he had married Charlotte Craddock, his first wife, and they would go on to have five children. Charlotte died in 1744 but was immortalised as the heroine in both Tom Jones and Amelia. Fielding was put out by the success of Samuel Richardson's Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded. His reaction was to spur him into writing a novel. In 1741 his first novel was published; the successful Shamela, an anonymous parody of Richardson's novel. Undoubtedly the masterpiece of Fielding's career was the novel Tom Jones, published in 1749. It is a wonderfully and carefully constructed picaresque novel following the convoluted and hilarious tale of how a foundling came into a fortune.Fielding was a consistent anti-Jacobite and a keen supporter of the Church of England. This led to him now being richly rewarded with the position of London's Chief Magistrate. Fielding continued to write and his career both literary and professional continued to climb. In 1749 he joined with his younger half-brother John, to help found what was the nascent forerunner to a London police force, the Bow Street Runners. Fielding's ardent commitment to the cause of justice in the 1750s unfortunately coincided with a rapid deterioration in his health. Such was his decline that in the summer of 1754 he travelled, with Mary and his daughter, to Portugal in search of a cure. Gout, asthma, dropsy and other afflictions forced him to use crutches. His health continued to fail alarmingly.Henry Fielding died in Lisbon two months later on October 8th, 1754.

Sir Henry John Newbolt, CH was born on 6th June 1862 in Bilston, Wolverhampton, the son of the vicar of St Mary's Church, the Rev. Henry Francis Newbolt, and his second wife, Emily nee Stubbs. After his father's death, in 1866, the family moved to Walsall.There Newbolt attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall, and Caistor Grammar School, from where he gained a scholarship to Clifton College, where he was head of the school and editor of the school magazine. Upon graduation from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, he was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1887 and practised until 1899.He married Margaret Edwina nee Duckworth, of the prominent publishing family, and they had two children: Margaret Cecilia (1890) and Arthur Francis (1893).Behind the steady Edwardian facade lay intimate complications; a menage a trois. His wife had a long-running affair with her cousin, Laura Isabella 'Ella' Coltman to whom Newbolt had dedicated one of his own poems and was also involved with. Newbolt divided his time between the two women so there was no jealousy. Although it could equally be argued they divided their time.His first book was a novel, 'Taken from the Enemy' (1892), and this was followed in 1895 by a play, the tragedy, 'Mordred'. But it was with 'Admirals All' (1897), that his reputation was set. There followed further volumes of uplifting verse, including 'The Island Race' (1898), 'The Sailing of the Long-ships' (1902), 'Songs of the Sea' (1904) and 'Songs of the Fleet' (1910). Among the most stirring and patriotically heroic of his poems are the often anthologised 'Vitai Lampada' and 'Drake's Drum'.As well as writing he was also, from October 1900 to September 1904, the editor of the Monthly Review. In 1914, Newbolt published Aladore, a fantasy novel about a bored, dutiful knight who abandons his estate to pursue his heart's desire and woo a half-fae enchantress. As the First World War engulfed Europe, Newbolt, and another 20 British writers, were absorbed into the War Propaganda Bureau. Their talents were put to use promoting Britain's interests and to maintain public opinion in favour of the war.He was knighted in 1915 and became the Controller of Telecommunications at the Foreign Office. Among his war poems was 'The War Films', printed in The Times on 14th October 1916, in reference to the shock cinema audiences felt on seeing footage of the Battle of the Somme.Newbolt was knighted in 1915 and was appointed Companion of Honour in 1922.In 1921 he authored the government Report 'The Teaching of English in England' which helped to establish the foundations for modern English Studies and professionalised the teaching of English Literature. With it he established a canon, and was unequivocal that English must become the linguistic and literary standard throughout the Empire.Newbolt was also part of an inner advisory circle of Asquith's government and also advised on policy in Ireland.Sir Henry John Newbolt, CH died at his home in Campden Hill, Kensington, London, on 19th April 1938, at the age of 75. He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's church on an island in the lake on the Orchardleigh Estate of the Duckworth family in Somerset.

The reality is that little is known of Aristophanes actual life but eleven of his forty plays survive intact and upon those rest his deserved reputation as the Father of Comedy or, The Prince of Ancient Comedy. Accounts agree that he was born sometime between 456BC and 446 BC. Many cities claim the honor of his birthplace and the most probable story makes him the son of Philippus of gina, and therefore only an adopted citizen of Athens, a distinction which, at times could be cruel, though he was raised and educated in Athens. His plays are said to recreate the life of ancient Athens more realistically than any other author could. Intellectually his powers of ridicule were feared by his influential contemporaries; Plato himself singled out Aristophanes' play The Clouds as a slander that contributed to the trial and condemning to death of Socrates and although other satirical playwrights had also caricatured the philosopher his carried the most weight. His now lost play, The Babylonians, was denounced by the demagogue Cleon as a slander against the Athenian polis. Aristophanes seems to have taken this criticism to heart and thereafter caricatured Cleon mercilessly in his subsequent plays, especially The Knights. His life and playwriting years were undoubtedly long though again accounts as to the year of his death vary quite widely. What can be certain is that his legacy of surviving plays is in effect both a treasured legacy but also in itself the only surviving texts of Ancient Greek comedy.

If ever a writer needed an introduction Arthur Conan Doyle would not be considered that man. After all, Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the foremost literary detective of any age. Add to this canon his stories of science fiction and his poems, his historical novels, his plays, his political campaigning, his efforts in establishing a Court of Appeal and there is little room for anything else. Except he was also an exceptional writer of short stories of the horrific and macabre. Something very different from what you might expect. Born in Arthur Conan Doyle was born on 22 May 1859 at 11 Picardy Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. From 1876 - 1881 he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh following which he was employed as a doctor on the Greenland whaler Hope of Peterhead in 1880 and, after his graduation, as a ship's surgeon on the SS Mayumba during a voyage to the West African coast in 1881. Arriving in Portsmouth in June of that year with less than GBP10 (GBP700 today) to his name, he set up a medical practice at 1 Bush Villas in Elm Grove, Southsea. The practice was initially not very successful. While waiting for patients, Conan Doyle again began writing stories and composed his first novel The Mystery of Cloomber. Although he continued to study and practice medicine his career was now firmly set as a writer. And thereafter great works continued to pour out of him.

A fascinating look at the history of gambling and gaming, stretching from the modern age right back to the ancient world.

Great Britain can be accused of many things; a proliferation of queuing, a fondness of the demon drink; but it's not without more than its fair share of important historical and modern people. 'Great Britons: A Very Peculiar History' looks at a myriad brillliant Britons and their influence on the world. The book features a short potted history of each person, detailing their acheivements, personalities and lifestyles in a quirky and memorable way. From kings and queens, pirates and politicians, actors and directors to sportsmen, explorers, scientists and inventors, 'Great Britons: A Very Peculiar History' celebrates the men and women who have shaped Great Britain and made it what it is today.

A reflection on life, The Blood of Kings describes in raw emotion and evocative language all aspects of what it is to be a man, a poet, a soldier, a friend. This poetry, with a dark edge, covers the loss of love, death, religion, friendship, war and a philosophical outlook on what they all really mean. Not always easy reading, but with depth and passion, JB Brown describes a passage of rights where the juxtaposition of life, its highs and its accompanying pain are only too real.

These 10 Science Lessons cover the programs of study for Key Stage 1 Science as set out in the National Curriculum and are also based around the QCA topic 'Sorting and Using Materials' .Within the lessons are opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and understanding from first-hand experience as well as developing investigative skills. Each lesson includes a list of resources, practical activities, lesson objectives, outcomes and extension activities for cross curricular work that include ICT opportunities as well as assessment.

Promoting positive community was something that just came naturally to Francis Boatwright, a pioneer educationalist who worked for many years in Mozambique. His great passion was helping others reach their potential and was also good at bringing healing to people, so they could know themselves as whole persons capable of contributing to human flourishing. Boatwright moved to Zimbabwe, a country of natural beauty, in the middle of the twentieth century with his wife Monica who had an excellent command of the Nguni languages. As they had no house at first, the Boatwrights camped out. But the bush was very thick. It wasn't long before they started getting visits from wild animals and snakes of all kinds...

The exceptional circumstances of Lionel MosseIri's short but remarkable life and military career are described by his stepfather, Louis Marlio, in the Preface to letters which Lionel wrote home to his family.Highly-intelligent, articulate and revealing a disciplined, philosophical and visionary mind, Lionel's letters are sufficiently thought-provoking and well-written to justify publication. He had received an English public school education and was trained and served in both British and French armies. When he was killed on 25 November, 1944, Lionel MosseIri was leading a French detachment into Masevaux, the first city in Upper Alsace to be freed from the German Occupation. He was just twenty-three years old. Who knows the future there might have been for him in the peacetime Europe for which he fought so hard?This book is dedicated by his step-father and brothers in honour of his memory, and to his fallen comrades who are remembered with him.

From the tear drops of angels. These writings come. These are the tears with-in the tranquilized warmth of our children. From the graceful willows spoken through the eyes of a dream-teller. Soft words dancing naked upon the wedge of feathers, for the people of the world. For with-in the corridors of whispering tears. The children sing to the soft morning mist. For the tenderness of love and happiness. So allow the shadowed moon flowers of our children to eclipse he wings of life around you. Yes these writings are of our children. The most wonderful reflection we will ever know. Illuminating the twinkling of precious memories. So thank the lord of evening prayers, for the gift of a child, is here.

Planning for Learning through ICT aims to introduce young children to what ICT is, and provides over six weeks worth of activities that explore a range of technologies suitable for children 3-5. The book provides ideas for helping children learn about the different purposes of ICT and explores how to use ICT to create, to find information, to play, to shop. The book focuses in particular on how to use ICT creatively as well as outdoors. Whatever your daily learning, this book aims to show how ICT can be easily and appropriately included in your everyday play and learning.

A fascinating fictionalised story of the life of Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, written by bestselling novelist and coiner of such phrases as "e;the pen is mightier than the sword"e; and "e;It was a dark and stormy night"e;, Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

It is 1888 and the foggy streets of Whitechapel, one of the poorest areas of Victorian London, are gripped by fear. Five women thought have been murdered by the same hand, all but one of their corpses terrifyingly mutilated. But who were these women? And who could the murderer be? This fascinating book contains over one hundred facts about the awful crimes of the serial killer we all know as Jack the Ripper. Organised into sections covering each individual victim, clues to the Ripper's identity, possible suspects and more, this is an excellent addition to any classic crime fan's bookshelf.

Throughout history people have claimed, or have been claimed, to have magical powers through contacting dead spirits. This is a fascinating look at some of those people, from ancient times to the modern age.

Writings about the journey through life from a young adults life experiences.

First Class Phonics is a series of books designed to help children quickly become proficient readers and writers.These books use Synthetic Phonics, a high-quality teaching method recognised all over the world. In Synthetic Phonics, children focus on the skills that enable them to read and spell words accurately. They recognise the importance of every sound they hear in the spoken word and learn to blend these sounds so that they can read words from the very beginning of the program.It is essential that children develop the ability to hear, identify and manipulate individual sounds in order to read fluently. This book provides a range of fun activities to ensure this happens.Book 2 covers the sounds b, f, ff, l, ll, ss, j, v, w, x, y, z, zz and qu. It teaches the tricky words my, her, of, all, you, they and into. The last chapter contains a story that uses only words built from the sounds taught in this book.

Ronnie Biggs: The Inside Story, written by two of Ronnie Biggs's closest friends and most ardent supporters, delivers exactly what it says on the label, giving a very personal, unique and yet disturbing insight into the mind and subsequent treatment by the judicial and penal systems of the man that became a legendary household name for his role in one of Britain's most notorious crimes, the Great Train Robbery of 1963, and his subsequent life on the run upon his escape from prison in 1965. Raising pointed questions and dispelling many myths, the story makes one wonder who is the greater criminal: the carpenter that played a bit part in an unarmed robbery 45 years ago, who has remained incarcerated since his return to the UK in 2001 despite the fact that he is now a frail, wheelchair-bound 79-year-old grandfather who is no threat to society, is fed via a tube to his stomach and can only communicate by pointing to letters on a laminated sheet; or the justice and prison systems that have allowed him to rot in jail for so long. One thing's for sure, although Ronnie Biggs's body is letting him down after a series of strokes and other illnesses, his legal team, campaign supporters, underworld friends and devoted family certainly aren't, and neither is his own fighting spirit or his humanity in the face of inhumanity. All he wants now is to be able to die a free man rather than suffer "e;a slow crucifixion on the Home Office cross"e;, and once all the facts have been digested one can only be moved to ask: "e;How could anyone deny him that?"e;

Diana, Princess of Wales is one of the most recognisable figures in history. However how much do you really know about the woman who stole a nation's heart? This quick-read eBook gives you all the information you need in easy to digest sections which cover her life from a young child through her ill-fated marriage and subsequent divorce, her relationships, charity work plus much more. Find out everything there is to know about the people's princess whose life was tragically cut short.

A fascinating biography of the great Queen Victoria by American author, poet and lecturer Sara Jane Lippincott, better known by her pen-name of Grace Greenwood.