20th Century War and Misery.The suicide of Hitler’s niece, the assassinations of Malcolm X and Franz Ferdinand, the Battle of the Somme and Stalingrad, and the betrayal of Anne Frank – these are some of the stories you’ll find in Rupert Colley’s new collection of articles, The Savage Years: Tales From the 20th Century.?Covering World War One, World War Two, the Cold War, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and much more besides, immerse yourself in sixty stories from some of the key moments of modern (and a few not so modern) history.?Fully illustrated with 140 photos, this makes perfect reading for commuters, students or the curious.?A paperback version of this title is also available – an ideal birthday present for those who love a bit of war and misery.?Within?The Savage Years: Tales From the 20th Century, you’ll also meet Vladimir Lenin, Douglas Haig, Horst Wessel, Nikolai Bukharin, Fritz Haber, Joseph Goebbels, Joseph McCarthy, Rudolph Hess, Stalin’s mother and daughter, Leon Trotsky, Edith Cavell, Charles de Gaulle, Wilhelm II, Abraham Lincoln, Grigori Rasputin, and many, many more.?

The gifts were innocent… at first.After a traumatic assault, Hannah Novak returns to her home-town hoping for a fresh start. However, when strange gifts turn up on her doorstep, and a stalker fixates on her, she discovers that Blackbridge isn’t the safe?haven it once was. With no family left to turn to, she’s forced to seek help from the broody new cop in town.Ryan Kilpatrick has travelled across the country to create a stable home for his young son, but being a police officer makes that hard. He doesn’t need Hannah’s problems added to his own, yet her courage and vulnerability awakens the protector in him.With time running out, can Hannah learn to trust again before it’s too late?Because this time, there are no second chances.

A shapeshifter hero battles ancient spirits, a covert government agency, and his own dark past in a race to solve a murder that could mean the end of the world. Cree and Ojibwe legends mix with current day environmental conflict in this fast-paced urban fantasy that keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to its explosive conclusion. With an introduction by Charles de Lint. The Heroka walk among us. Unseen, unknown. Shapeshifters. Human in appearance but with power over their animal totems. Gwyn Blaidd is a Heroka of the wolf totem. Once he led his people in a deadly war against the Tainchel, the shadowy agency that hunts his kind. Now he lives alone in his wilderness home, wolves his only companions. But when an Ojibwe girl is brutally killed in Gwyn’s old hometown, suspicion falls on his former lover. To save her, Gwyn must return, to battle not only the Tainchel, but even darker forces: ancient spirits fighting to enter our world… And rule it. “An immersive and enjoyable reading experience. Readers will delight in learning more about Native American mythology, which is skillfully woven throughout the story. Smith’s novel is both well paced and deftly plotted—leaving readers curious about what comes next for the Heroka in the modern world.” — Publishers Weekly “What makes THE WOLF AT THE END OF THE WORLD such an engrossing read are the characters and Doug’s wonderful prose, a perfect blend between matter-of-fact and lyricism. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that spoke to me, so eloquently, and so deeply, on so many levels. ... I’ll be rereading it in the future because it’s that sort of book. Richly layered and deeply resonant. An old friend, from the first time you read it.” — Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winner

A ghost train carries a murderous secret deep through the North Georgia mountains. Betrayal colder than the wind blowing through the pines. A young girl with a burden a hundred years out of time.An old man’s tale of guilt and regret.A heartbroken woman caught in a mystery only she can solve.A boy long past living holds the key. Can unearthed secrets end the nightmare at last?

Akosua Annan is a confident and fiercely intelligent student at a posh girls' school in Cape Coast, Ghana. There she comes under the influence of a charismatic feminist teacher. Osman Said's background is very different. Upon the death of his parents, a police sergeant and an unschooled market trader, immigrants to the capital, Accra, from the impoverished north of the country, he is adopted by a retired school teacher, Hajia Zainab. After a spell as an apprentice in an auto workshop, he returns to school. There, finding the teaching inadequate, he becomes an avid reader and educates himself. Akosua and Osman are thrown together by chance in the course of a school visit to the slave dungeon at Cape Coast Castle. Their paths cross again as finalists in the national school debating competition where the subject is "The problem of poverty in Ghana is insoluble." They meet for the third time as students at the University of Ghana and as we leave them, it looks as if their relationship might develop into something permanent. This story won a Burt Award for African Literature in 2011. The judges commented: "This fascinating novel tells the story of how these two young people from disparate backgrounds are brought together as if by an unseen hand, in a process that teaches us about our history, our common humanity despite ethnic differences, the need to pursue our ambitions, the strength of human sexuality and the need for self-discipline, and, above all, the power of love."

An enchanted bookstore in a town full of magic.A story of childhood and best friends revisited.A town forced to face the music.A modern myth from a land before time.A charming collision of numbers and magic.Unwelcome change in a land of dragons. In this second fantasy short story collection from Kari Kilgore, she visits lands familiar and strange, mythological and fantastic. From Allsentia to Appalachia to Atlanta, from modern mythology to dragons to joys of distant childhood. Join this talented storyteller on a journey through magical bookstores and haunted towns, lands lost in time and friendships forged across new dimensions. Includes Odds and Endings, Dawn Visitor,?The Earworms, The Spider Who Ate the Elephant,?Little Five, and The Last Dragonkeeper. Odds and EndingsVisit an enchanted bookstore in a town full of magic.Chris Ramsey grew up visiting the Odds and Endings Bookstore in Lightning Gap, Virginia.Wandering the shelves. Finding endless adventures in the pages.Wishing he helped create the magic.Years later, Chris gets his chance.What would you do for the opportunity of a lifetime? Dawn VisitorA beloved dog brings a special gift, especially to a young girl’s life.One that lasts and endures no matter how many years pass.Toby welcomes Ellie home as only a first best friend can.A touching story of childhood and best friends revisited. The EarwormsWhat if your whole town had to face the music?Estonoa, Virginia. A lovely little town tucked deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Hiking and ATV trails. Kayaking along the scenic Clinch River.A thriving community focused on the future.Erin Evans loves her hometown, except for one thing.The Earworms.Will Erin find the answer before the music drives her and everyone else crazy? The Spider Who Ate the ElephantA Modern Myth.?An eerie natural phenomenon.In the distant past, in a distant land…Grandmother Spider faces a sad problem far too big and difficult for her to solve.The end of her family and all the creatures in her land.Find out how her triumph echoes from then to now, and into forever.A tale of compassion, survival, and love. Little FiveBarry Evans: An oddball in the oddest land of all.A gray-suited accountant navigating colorful hair, crazy clothing, and questionable businesses.After three months in Little Five, nothing surprises Barry anymore.Until the day he meets a true stranger in town.What happens when numbers meet magic? The Last DragonkeeperWyja, Senior Dragonkeeper of the Upper Abramshire Academy, tends to young dragons and keepers alike.Each group challenging, and exhausting, in their own way.Unwelcome change sets in when dragon birthrates drop to dangerous levels.No one knows why.Can Wyja solve the problem before it’s too late?

In his quest, Sabienn Feel and his brothers venture to the country of Turrland, a land that his homeland of Hayddland has been at constant war with. His mission is to seek the occult stone, the Symbol of Military Success and make sure it never falls into the hands of his Father who wants only to push the planet into the abyss of war. In this journey, he needs to seek a book that was once owned by a mysterious monk. ? But what of Turrland? Is it to be invaded or not invaded? And how will he react when in his attempt to get answers, there is conflict within his group and a much loved brother dies? Why The Sister Moons Swallowed Rage is the third of twelve books in the Sabienn Feel Adventures.??? Interview with the Author Q – That’s three books down. How’s the journey unfolding? A - The characters are evolving. The more adversity they face the more they grow. There’s significant skin taken off Sabienn Feel in this book. His character is gaining wisdom. It was a pleasure to write this third book in the series. Q – Any news on the next book? The fourth in the series? A – I’m working with the tentative title, “The Two Men Who Kill to Be Carbon”. This is actually explained on the final page of “Why The Sister Moons Swallowed Rage” and also explains why the first book “When The Stone Shepherds Awaken” had to be so long. It is to be a study into the hunter and the hunted. Twins, two men, have been assigned to kill Sabienn and his brothers. One man is Sabienn’s best friend. The other has killed the woman he loved. It’s a mission of kill or be killed. Q - What inspired you to write?The Sabienn Feel Adventures? A – I’ve always loved the idea of the epic journey. I’m acquainted with the book?Journey to the West?but was more familiar with the TV series in the 80’s based on the book called?Monkey. The idea of four souls travelling across a wide expanse of geography to complete a quest appealed to me. So I planned a series of twelve books to go from one place in the south of this space colony that they live on twice removed from Earth, to end up in the north, meeting danger at every turn. Q – Why does your main character Sabienn Feel grow wings? A - Good question. I wanted something very drastic to occur to these people physically. Something that would be difficult to hide and offer an immediate prejudice. The idea of growing wings constantly came up for me. There’s a Pearl Jam song I found inspiring that says, “And?sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky.?A?human being?that was?given to fly”. And in my mind’s eye, I could see this figure. Almost like the Led Zeppelin Icarus logo but with bat wings.?But they couldn’t fly otherwise they’d hit the sky and the journey would be over in no time. I made them only able to swim because being submerged in water has elements of dealing with the subconscious. To me it satisfies all elements of those prophecy, fantasy, epic adventure type of stories that involve friendship and brotherhood. Q - So, why should readers give these books a try? A – Well I would say they were humour-filled, page-turning, epic, fantasy adventure novels which involve a quest. But then that’s what you would expect me to say. Why not try and read one of the books and let me know what you think? Some of the books are free so you’ve got nothing to lose.

Leo Sabov never imagined a day without his beloved wife Maria. Now he faces the rest of his life alone. After bringing Maria to rest in her native Transylvania, Leo only wants to escape the rumors and superstitions taking over the tiny mountain village. A former Communist Party boss, a string of unexplainable deaths, and an ancient mama dog force him into mysteries he can’t understand or explain. Will Leo survive a test even greater than the heartbreaking?death of his wife, one with life or death consequences?

This special combination book, Expert Advisor Programming and Advanced Forex Strategies, will provide you with a solid foundation of the techniques required for profiting by combining expert advisor programming with advanced forex strategies. When finished you will have a deep understanding of the forex market from several angles. The emphasis throughout is on practical applications. Part 1: Expert Advisor Programming for Beginners: Maximum MT4 Forex Profit Strategies You will discover step by step along with clear visuals on how to profit with MT4 programming. Automated trading is often shrouded in mystery along with many misconceptions about who it can benefit. We peal away the layers of this misunderstood world in the book. Part 2: Expert Advisor and Forex Trading Strategies: Take Your Expert Advisor and Forex Trading To The Next Level You will learn advanced trading strategies along with easy to understand visuals on how to increase profits. This?is a unique combination of manual and automated trading. Therefore it is for the intermediate to advanced manual trader and those seeking an insight into programmed trading.?

Sometimes the simplest of choices can have the most devastating of consequences.Sometimes falling in love can be a curse.Sometimes being the hard man is the hardest job. Part of?The Love and War Series, novels set during the 20th century's darkest years. Hungary, 1949. Eva,?George?and Zoltan. Three people trying to live by the rules within a system that demands total obedience. Eva, reeling from the?tragedy of losing her baby, Anastasia, falls in love at a time when love is fraught with danger. George, a rising star of Hungarian football, is told to throw a game. Faced with an impossible dilemma, George has to decide – to risk everything to fulfil his dream or, for the sake of his future, obey the rules. Zoltan works for the secret police?where?having a heart is a sign of weakness. A torn man trying to suppress the good within him, his job takes him further and further from the things he values most. Seven years later, in 1956, their destinies collide as Hungary erupts into revolution. Secrets can no longer be hidden as loyalties are pushed to the limit. Set against the violent backdrop of suppression and revolution,?Anastasia?is a tale of people caught in the turmoil of history, where the choices you make determine your fate. And at the heart of the novel, the unseen presence of Anastasia.? “Characters come alive -- you get into their heads. They are empathetic or cruel and heartless, but always interesting. There is the dark side of human nature as well as its opposite.”“Skilfully developed with a suspenseful plot which keeps the story moving.”“The characters are very human, and the descriptions of these tragic events make for an excellent read.”“Impactful. Heart-wrenching. An important read.”Rupert Colley is the founder, editor and writer of the bestselling ‘History In An Hour’ series of ebooks and audio, published by HarperCollins.?Historical fiction with drama and heart.

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 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[13]) 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. Here Rodney Stone is another enduring example of the man and his work.

William Congreve was born on January 24th, 1670 in Bardsey, West Yorkshire. Congreve's childhood was spent in Ireland (his father, a Lieutenant in the British Army had received a posting there). He was educated at Kilkenny College and then Trinity College in Dublin. After graduating he returned to London to study law at Middle Temple. However his interest in studying law soon lessened as the attraction of literature, drama, and the fashionable life began to exert its pull. This first play, The Old Bachelor, was written, to amuse himself during convalescence, and was produced at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1693. It was an enormous success. Although his playwrighting career was successful it was also very brief. Five plays authored from 1693 to 1700 would prove the entirety of his output. Although no further plays were to flow from his pen Congreve did write librettos for two operas and to begin translating the works of Moliere as well as Homer, Ovid and Horace and to write poetry. He also took an interest in politics and obtained various minor political posts, including being named Secretary of the Island of Jamaica by George I in 1714. Congreve suffered a carriage accident in late September 1728, from which he never recovered (having probably received an internal injury); William Congreve died in London on January 19th, 1729, and was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Bjornstjerne Bjornson (1832 - 1910), the third man to ever win the Nobel Prize in Literature. However when considering the quality of his writing he is perhaps not as celebrated as he should be. Being also a Nobel Laureate in Literature, Bjornson has also been credited with many other impressive successes. These include writing the lyrics for the Norwegian national anthem, mastering all forms of literature; poetry, novels, short stories, essays and playwriting and being elevated to one of the Four Greats; the name for the classic Norwegian writers, others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie and Alexander Kielland. Here we look at one of his many plays. Much of his work was nearly as popular in his native Norway as Ibsen's and we now bring you these masterful works in English for you to compare. Our imprint Stage Door offers both Ibsen's and Bjornson's works in English.

Robert Greene was, by the best accounts available, born in Norwich in 1558 and baptised on July 11th.Greene is believed to have been a pupil at Norwich Grammar School and then attended Cambridge receiving his B.A. in 1580, and an M.A. in 1583. He then moved to London and began an extraordinary chapter in his life as a widely published author. His literary career began with the publication of the long romance, 'Mamillia', (1580). Greene's romances were written in a highly wrought style which reached its peak in 'Pandosto' (1588) and 'Menaphon' (1589). Short poems and songs incorporated in some of the romances attest to his ability as a lyric poet. In 1588, he was granted an MA from Oxford University, almost certainly as a courtesy degree. Thereafter he sometimes placed the phrase Utruisq. Academiae in Artibus Magister', "e;Master of Arts in both Universities"e; on the title page of his works.The lack of records hinders any complete biography of Greene but he did write an autobiography of sorts, but where the balance lies between facts and artistic licence is not clearly drawn. According to that autobiography 'The Repentance of Robert Greene', Greene is alleged to have written 'A Groatsworth of Wit Bought with a Million of Repentance' during the month prior to his death, including in it a letter to his wife asking her to forgive him and stating that he was sending their son back to her. His output was prolific. Between 1583 and 1592, he published more than twenty-five works in prose, becoming one of the first authors in England to support himself with his pen in an era when professional authorship was virtually unknown.In his 'coney-catching' pamphlets, Greene fashioned himself into a well-known public figure, narrating colourful inside stories of rakes and rascals duping young gentlemen and solid citizens out of their hard-earned money. These stories, told from the perspective of a repentant former rascal, have been considered autobiographical, and to incorporate many facts of Greene's own life thinly veiled as fiction. However, the alternate account suggests that Greene invented almost everything, merely displaying his undoubted skills as a writer.In addition to his prose works, Greene also wrote several plays, none of them published in his lifetime, including 'The Scottish History of James IV', 'Alphonsus', and his greatest popular success, 'Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay', as well as 'Orlando Furioso', based on Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso.His plays earned himself the title as one of the 'University Wits', a group that included George Peele, Thomas Nashe, and Christopher Marlowe.Robert Greene died 3rd September 1592.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is regarded by many readers and literary critics to be THE major English novelist of the Victorian Age. He is remembered today as the author of a series of weighty novels which have been translated into many languages and promoted to the rank of World Classics. The latter include, but are not limited to, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, Hard Times, Great Expectations and The Old Curiosity Shop. His talents extended to many other forms including short stories, poetry, letters and his serial magazines. Of course being such a talent he also wrote plays. We are very pleased to present his fourth of four plays: The Lamplighter

John Fletcher was born in December, 1579 in Rye, Sussex. He was baptised on December 20th. As can be imagined details of much of his life and career have not survived and, accordingly, only a very brief indication of his life and works can be given. Young Fletcher appears at the very young age of eleven to have entered Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University in 1591. There are no records that he ever took a degree but there is some small evidence that he was being prepared for a career in the church. However what is clear is that this was soon abandoned as he joined the stream of people who would leave University and decamp to the more bohemian life of commercial theatre in London. The upbringing of the now teenage Fletcher and his seven siblings now passed to his paternal uncle, the poet and minor official Giles Fletcher. Giles, who had the patronage of the Earl of Essex may have been a liability rather than an advantage to the young Fletcher. With Essex involved in the failed rebellion against Elizabeth Giles was also tainted. By 1606 John Fletcher appears to have equipped himself with the talents to become a playwright. Initially this appears to have been for the Children of the Queen's Revels, then performing at the Blackfriars Theatre. Fletcher's early career was marked by one significant failure; The Faithful Shepherdess, his adaptation of Giovanni Battista Guarini's Il Pastor Fido, which was performed by the Blackfriars Children in 1608. By 1609, however, he had found his stride. With his collaborator John Beaumont, he wrote Philaster, which became a hit for the King's Men and began a profitable association between Fletcher and that company. Philaster appears also to have begun a trend for tragicomedy. By the middle of the 1610s, Fletcher's plays had achieved a popularity that rivalled Shakespeare's and cemented the pre-eminence of the King's Men in Jacobean London. After his frequent early collaborator John Beaumont's early death in 1616, Fletcher continued working, both singly and in collaboration, until his own death in 1625. By that time, he had produced, or had been credited with, close to fifty plays.

James Shirley was born in London in September 1596. His education was through a collection of England's finest establishments: Merchant Taylors' School, London, St John's College, Oxford, and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he took his B.A. degree in approximately 1618. He first published in 1618, a poem entitled Echo, or the Unfortunate Lovers. As with many artists of this period full details of his life and career are not recorded. Sources say that after graduating he became "e;a minister of God's word in or near St Albans."e; A conversion to the Catholic faith enabled him to become master of St Albans School from 1623-25. He wrote his first play, Love Tricks, or the School of Complement, which was licensed on February 10th, 1625. From the given date it would seem he wrote this whilst at St Albans but, after its production, he moved to London and to live in Gray's Inn. For the next two decades, he would write prolifically and with great quality, across a spectrum of thirty plays; through tragedies and comedies to tragicomedies as well as several books of poetry. Unfortunately, his talents were left to wither when Parliament passed the Puritan edict in 1642, forbidding all stage plays and closing the theatres. Most of his early plays were performed by Queen Henrietta's Men, the acting company for which Shirley was engaged as house dramatist. Shirley's sympathies lay with the King in battles with Parliament and he received marks of special favor from the Queen. He made a bitter attack on William Prynne, who had attacked the stage in Histriomastix, and, when in 1634 a special masque was presented at Whitehall by the gentlemen of the Inns of Court as a practical reply to Prynne, Shirley wrote the text-The Triumph of Peace. Shirley spent the years 1636 to 1640 in Ireland, under the patronage of the Earl of Kildare. Several of his plays were produced by his friend John Ogilby in Dublin in the first ever constructed Irish theatre; The Werburgh Street Theatre. During his years in Dublin he wrote The Doubtful Heir, The Royal Master, The Constant Maid, and St. Patrick for Ireland. In his absence from London, Queen Henrietta's Men sold off a dozen of his plays to the stationers, who naturally, enough published them. When Shirley returned to London in 1640, he finished with the Queen Henrietta's company and his final plays in London were acted by the King's Men. On the outbreak of the English Civil War Shirley served with the Earl of Newcastle. However when the King's fortunes began to decline he returned to London. There his friend Thomas Stanley gave him help and thereafter Shirley supported himself in the main by teaching and publishing some educational works under the Commonwealth. In addition to these he published during the period of dramatic eclipse four small volumes of poems and plays, in 1646, 1653, 1655, and 1659. It is said that he was "e;a drudge"e; for John Ogilby in his translations of Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey, and survived into the reign of Charles II, but, though some of his comedies were revived, his days as a playwright were over. His death, at age seventy, along with that of his wife, in 1666, is described as one of fright and exposure due to the Great Fire of London which had raged through parts of London from September 2nd to the 5th. He was buried at St Giles in the Fields, in London, on October 29th, 1666.

The partnership between William Schwenck Gilbert and Arthur Seymour Sullivan and their canon of Savoy Operas is rightly lauded by all lovers of comic opera the world over. Gilbert's sharp, funny words and Sullivan's deliciously lively and hummable tunes create a world that is distinctly British in view but has the world as its audience. Both men were exceptionally talented and gifted in their own right and wrote much, often with other partners, that still stands the test of time. However, together as a team they created Light or Comic Operas of a standard that have had no rivals equal to their standard, before or since. That's quite an achievement. To be recognised by the critics is one thing but their commercial success was incredible. The profits were astronomical, allowing for the building of their own purpose built theatre - The Savoy Theatre. Beginning with the first of their fourteen collaborations, Thespis in 1871 and travelling through many classics including The Sorcerer (1877), H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), The Mikado (1885), The Gondoliers (1889) to their finale in 1896 with The Grand Duke, Gilbert & Sullivan created a legacy that is constantly revived and admired in theatres and other media to this very day.

John Dryden was born on August 9th, 1631 in the village rectory of Aldwincle near Thrapston in Northamptonshire. As a boy Dryden lived in the nearby village of Titchmarsh, Northamptonshire. In 1644 he was sent to Westminster School as a King's Scholar. Dryden obtained his BA in 1654, graduating top of the list for Trinity College, Cambridge that year. Returning to London during The Protectorate, Dryden now obtained work with Cromwell's Secretary of State, John Thurloe. At Cromwell's funeral on 23 November 1658 Dryden was in the company of the Puritan poets John Milton and Andrew Marvell. The setting was to be a sea change in English history. From Republic to Monarchy and from one set of lauded poets to what would soon become the Age of Dryden. The start began later that year when Dryden published the first of his great poems, Heroic Stanzas (1658), a eulogy on Cromwell's death. With the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 Dryden celebrated in verse with Astraea Redux, an authentic royalist panegyric. With the re-opening of the theatres after the Puritan ban, Dryden began to also write plays. His first play, The Wild Gallant, appeared in 1663 but was not successful. From 1668 on he was contracted to produce three plays a year for the King's Company, in which he became a shareholder. During the 1660s and '70s, theatrical writing was his main source of income. In 1667, he published Annus Mirabilis, a lengthy historical poem which described the English defeat of the Dutch naval fleet and the Great Fire of London in 1666. It established him as the pre-eminent poet of his generation, and was crucial in his attaining the posts of Poet Laureate (1668) and then historiographer royal (1670). This was truly the Age of Dryden, he was the foremost English Literary figure in Poetry, Plays, translations and other forms. In 1694 he began work on what would be his most ambitious and defining work as translator, The Works of Virgil (1697), which was published by subscription. It was a national event. John Dryden died on May 12th, 1700, and was initially buried in St. Anne's cemetery in Soho, before being exhumed and reburied in Westminster Abbey ten days later.

The life of William Shakespeare, arguably the most significant figure in the Western literary canon, is relatively unknown. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1565, possibly on the 23rd April, St. George's Day, and baptised there on 26th April. Little is known of his education and the first firm facts to his life relate to his marriage, aged 18, to Anne Hathaway, who was 26 and from the nearby village of Shottery. Anne gave birth to their first son six months later. Shakespeare's first play, The Comedy of Errors began a procession of real heavyweights that were to emanate from his pen in a career of just over twenty years in which 37 plays were written and his reputation forever established. This early skill was recognised by many and by 1594 the Lord Chamberlain's Men were performing his works. With the advantage of Shakespeare's progressive writing they rapidly became London's leading company of players, affording him more exposure and, following the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, a royal patent by the new king, James I, at which point they changed their name to the King's Men. By 1598, and despite efforts to pirate his work, Shakespeare's name was well known and had become a selling point in its own right on title pages. No plays are attributed to Shakespeare after 1613, and the last few plays he wrote before this time were in collaboration with other writers, one of whom is likely to be John Fletcher who succeeded him as the house playwright for the King's Men. William Shakespeare died two months later on April 23rd, 1616, survived by his wife, two daughters and a legacy of writing that none have since yet eclipsed.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. His early career was unremarkable. After failing to enter West Point he enlisted in the 7th Calvary but was discharged after heart problems were diagnosed. A series of short term jobs gave no indication as to a career path but finally, in 1911, married and with two young children, he turned his hand to writing. He aimed his works squarely at the very popular pulp serial magazines. His first effort 'Under The Moons Of Mars' ran in Munsey's Magazine in 1912 under the pseudonym Norman Bean. With its success he began writing full time. A continuing theme of his work was to develop series so that each character had ample opportunities to return in sequels. John Carter was in the Mars series and there was another on Venus and one on Pellucidar among others. But perhaps the best known is Tarzan. Indeed Burroughs wanted so much to capitalise upon the brand that he introduced a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies and merchandise. He purchased a large ranch north of Los Angeles, California, which he named "e;Tarzana."e; The surrounding communities outside the ranch voted in 1927 to adopt the name as their own. By 1932 Burroughs set up his own company to print his own books. Here we publish the second in the Barsoom series and its enduring hero John Carter 'The Gods of Mars'. Another cultural classic.