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.

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.

Bianca Wells, the President’s daughter, experiences a close encounter with the aliens who invaded Earth five years ago. The Krinar are powerful, attractive, but also mysterious. There is one in particular she can’t get out of her head—the seductive Krinar Ambassador named Soren. With his hauntingly beautiful eyes and god-like body, he invades her dreams, spinning sensual encounters that leave her aching and breathless. But he, like the others of his kind, is dangerous. With impossible speed and strength, wielding incredible intelligence and advanced technology, the Krinar control this planet and every human on it. Bianca should want nothing to do with Soren. A single touch from him might cause an interstellar war. But after one scorching, forbidden kiss, she’ll risk everything to be with him. Soren came to Earth to ensure the survival of his people, but now he has one desire: to possess the brave and irresistible Bianca. Knowing he could destroy peaceful relations with the humans if anyone sees him with her, he takes matters into his own hands, rescuing her from an assassin. After one “big-bang” of a kiss, he knows he can’t let her go home. She belongs to him, and he will break every rule in his carefully controlled world to keep her. After their forbidden night of passion, Bianca enters Soren’s dark, seductive world. But her new life as Soren’s woman puts a target on her back, and her status as First Daughter only makes things worse. As enemies surface all around them, Bianca realizes she will have to trust Soren with her heart, even if it means giving up her freedom.

Following its defeat in World War One, Germany was a country in ruins. Inflation, poverty, exhaustion, humiliation and disillusionment wrecked the nation. Out of the ashes arose a man that promised to revitalise the country and give it back its dignity. He would deal, for once and for all, with the nation’s internal enemies – the communists and the Jews. That man, of course, was Adolf Hitler.?Read about how Hitler turned Germany into a one-party state, of his murderous reign and the descent into war and genocide.The Clever Teens’ Guide to Nazi Germany covers all the major facts and events giving you a clear and straightforward overview: from the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, his domestic policies and foreign dealings, the racism and murder to World War Two and the Holocaust. ?Ideal for your “clever teenager”.

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.?

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.?

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.

A perennial bestseller in the wizarding world and one of the most popular books in the Hogwarts School library, Quidditch Through the Ages contains all you will ever need to know about the history, the rules - and the breaking of the rules - of the noble sport of Quidditch. Packed with fascinating facts, this definitive guide by the esteemed Quidditch writer Kennilworthy Whisp charts the game's history from its early origins in the medieval mists on Queerditch Marsh, through to the modern-day sport loved by so many wizard and Muggle families around the world. With comprehensive coverage of famous Quidditch teams, the commonest fouls, the development of racing brooms, and much more, this is a must-have sporting bible for all Harry Potter fans, Quidditch lovers and players, whether the weekend amateur or the seasoned Chudley Cannons season-ticket holder.At least 15% of the net retail price* of this eBook will be available to Comic Relief and Lumos Foundation for their work with children and young people to help them have a better life. 20% of these monies will be used by Comic Relief and 80% will be used by Lumos Foundation.Comic Relief is a registered charity in the UK with charity nos. 326568 (England/Wales) and SC039730 (Scotland). Lumos Foundation is a registered charity in the UK with no. 1112575.* The net retail price means the price paid by the consumer less applicable sales taxes

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in late April 1565 and baptised there on 26th April. He was one of eight children. Little is known about his life but what is evident is the enormous contribution he has made to world literature. His writing was progressive, magnificent in scope and breathtaking in execution. His plays and sonnets helped enable the English language to speak with a voice unmatched by any other. William Shakespeare died on April 23rd 1616, survived by his wife and two daughters. He was buried two days after his death in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church. The epitaph on the slab which covers his grave includes the following passage, Good friend, for Jesus's sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed me the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones. Here we publish his comedy from 1611 'The Tempest'.

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 seventh in the Tarzan series 'Tarzan the Untamed'. Another cultural classic.

John Edward Masefield was born in 1878 in the sleepy market town of Ledbury in rural Hertfordshire. An idyllic childhood was ruined when he was left an orphan and sent to live with an Aunt who decided his education and life would be better spent at sea. At age 13 he boarded a school ship and there his love of writing and reading blossomed. By 1899 he began to publish and apart from brief service during World War I he now had a life of writing and lecture tours. He published much; novels, poetry and even an account of the disastrous war effort in the Dardanelles at Gallipoli. Upon the death of Robert Bridges in 1930, Masefield was given the prestigious position of Poet Laureate, a role he would fulfill until his death; the only poet to hold the position for a longer period was Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Despite later ill health and the death of his wife in 1960, Masefield continued to write. In 1966, he published his last book of poems, In Glad Thanksgiving, at the age of 88. In the latter part of 1966 gangrene was diagnosed in his ankle. This gradually spread through his leg and claimed his life on May 12, 1967. He was cremated and his ashes placed in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. Here we present The Tragedy Of Pompey The Great.

William Somerset Maugham was born on 25 January 1874 and was to become a playwright and novelist of staggering talent. Losing both his parents at age 10, he was raised by a paternal uncle. Maugham eventually trained and qualified as a doctor. The initial print run of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, published in 1897, sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to write full-time. His life was certainly full, as the short biography at the end of this book will attest to, but it is also a life full of marvellous works and dedication to his art. Here we publish The Circle.

Northanger Abbey is one of Jane Austen's earliest novels which is believed to be influenced by the Gothic works of Ann Radcliffe. The story centers around Catherine Morland, a country churchman's daughter who is fond of Gothic fiction. The story starts when Catherine is invited by her wealthy family friends to visit the famous town of Bath. She soon falls in love with the young gentleman Henry Tilney whose erudition and interest in fiction and history simply enchant her. She is later invited to visit Northanger Abbey, Henry's ancient family estate and expects the Abbey to be similar to the castles she is familiar with in the Gothic novels that she reads. However, she discovers that the building is far from being Gothic save for the mysterious suite of deserted rooms belonging to Henry's dead mother. Catherine imagines that the rooms hide some secret about the woman's death, suspecting that Henry's father may have killed her. When she finally sneaks into the rooms, she finds absolutely nothing that confirms her Gothic visions. Furthermore, she is caught by Henry who, after hearing about her motivations, informs her that his parents really loved each other. Catherine is finally convinced that despite their entertaining capacity, novels are not necessarily a faithful representation of every-day life. We've also included a concise and informative biography of Jane's works and life at the end of the book. We hope it helps to give a little context and colour about how her life interacted with her art.

Thomas Middleton was born in London in April 1580 and baptised on 18th April. Middleton was aged only five when his father died. His mother remarried but this unfortunately fell apart into a fifteen year legal dispute regarding the inheritance due Thomas and his younger sister. By the time he left Oxford, at the turn of the Century, Middleton had and published Microcynicon: Six Snarling Satirese which was denounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury and publicly burned. In the early years of the 17th century, Middleton wrote topical pamphlets. One - Penniless Parliament of Threadbare Poets was reprinted several times and the subject of a parliamentary inquiry. These early years writing plays continued to attract controversy. His writing partnership with Thomas Dekker brought him into conflict with Ben Jonson and George Chapman in the so-called War of the Theatres. His finest work with Dekker was undoubtedly The Roaring Girl, a biography of the notorious Mary Frith. In the 1610s, Middleton began another playwriting partnership, this time with the actor William Rowley, producing another slew of plays including Wit at Several Weapons and A Fair Quarrel. The ever adaptable Middleton seemed at ease working with others or by himself. His solo writing credits include the comic masterpiece, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, in 1613. In 1620 he was officially appointed as chronologer of the City of London, a post he held until his death. The 1620s saw the production of his and Rowley's tragedy, and continual favourite, The Changeling, and of several other tragicomedies. However in 1624, he reached a peak of notoriety when his dramatic allegory A Game at Chess was staged by the King's Men. Though Middleton's approach was strongly patriotic, the Privy Council silenced the play after only nine performances at the Globe theatre, having received a complaint from the Spanish ambassador. What happened next is a mystery. It is the last play recorded as having being written by Middleton. Thomas Middleton died at his home at Newington Butts in Southwark in the summer of 1627, and was buried on July 4th, in St Mary's churchyard which today survives as a public park in Elephant and Castle.

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?

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?

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?

Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was born on October 16, 1888 in a hotel bedroom in what is now Times Square, New York. Much of his childhood was spent in the comfort of books at boarding schools whilst his actor father was on the road and his Mother contended with her own demons. He spent only a year at University - Princeton - and various reasons have been given for his departure. However whatever his background and education denied or added to his development it is agreed amongst all that he was a playwright of the first rank and possibly America's greatest. His introduction of realism into American drama was instrumental in its development and paved a path for many talents thereafter. Of course his winning of both the Pulitzer Prize (4 times) and the Nobel Prize are indicative of his status. His more famous and later works do side with the disillusionment and personal tragedy of those on the fringes of society but continue to build upon ideas and structures he incorporated in his early one act plays. Eugene O'Neill suffered from various health problems, mainly depression and alcoholism. In the last decade he also faced a Parkinson's like tremor in his hands which made writing increasingly difficult. But out of such difficulties came plays of the calibre of The Iceman Cometh, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Eugene O'Neill died in Room 401 of the Sheraton Hotel on Bay State Road in Boston, on November 27, 1953, at the age of 65. As he was dying, he whispered his last words: "e;I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room and died in a hotel room."e;

William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) is best described as Ireland's national poet in addition to being one of the major twentieth-century literary figures of the English tongue. To many literary critics, Yeats represents the 'Romantic poet of modernism,' which is quite revealing about his extraordinary style that combines between the outward emphasis on the expression of emotions and the extensive use of symbolism, imagery and allusions. Yeats also wrote prose and drama and established himself as the spokesman of the Irish cause. His fame was greatly boosted mainly after he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. His life was marked by his many love stories, by his great interest in oriental mysticism and occultism as well as by political engagement since he served as an Irish senator for two terms. Today, although William Butler Yeats's contribution to literary modernism and to Irish nationalism remains incontestable.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is a collection of twelve short stories about a detective which was first published in 1892.Mermaids Classics, an imprint of Mermaids Publishing brings the very best of old classic literature to a modern era of digital reading by producing high quality books in ebook format. All of the Mermaids Classics epublications are reproductions of classic antique books that were originally published in print format, mostly over a century ago and are now republished in digital format as ebooks. Begin to build your collection of digital books by looking for more literary gems from Mermaids Classics.