Here is an authentic record of the life of a thirteen-year-old half a century ago. Madeline and her sister, Jan, lived with their mother near Hampton Court and the palace loomed large in the family's activities. There was space all around too, for the imaginative adventures of the gang led by Madeline. In spite of the frustrations of their financial circumstances, postwar austerity and a mother training to be a teacher, supportive friends, neighbors and relatives ensured that Madeline and Jan had a richly fulfilling childhood. This engaging book reveals how dramatically attitudes, expectations and our material lives have changed in the past fifty years.
In this “tightly-plotted” Scottish romance of ardor and adventure, a desperate woman finds herself losing her heart to the very man she must betray (Publishers Weekly). Young, beautiful Mariel Brandon never wanted to be a woman of intrigue. But when she and her young brother became indebted to Aaron, a fiendishly brilliant Englishman, he trained her to become a master spy and seductress—to be used however and whenever he wished. Mariel’s latest mission is to gain the confidence of Scotsman Kieran MacDonald, whose powerful clan holds a heavily fortified castle on the Isle of Skye. Mariel is to convince Kieran to take her there. If she cannot do this, she is to kill him. And if does not succeed in that, Aaron will most certainly kill her brother. What Mariel doesn’t count on is craving Kieran MacDonald almost immediately upon meeting him. Now she must keep her deadly secret from him as she devises a plan to save her brother, get her out from under Aaron’s cruel dominion, and keep her in Kieran’s strong arms forever.
Louisa May Alcott once wrote that she had taken her pen for a bridegroom. Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern, friends and business partners for fifty years, have in many ways taken up their pens and passion for literature much in the same way. The "Holmes & Watson" of the rare book business, Rostenberg and Stern are renowned for unlocking the hidden secret of Louisa May Alcott's life when they discovered her pseudonym, A.M. Barnard, along with her anonymously published "blood and thunder" stories on subjects like transvestitism, hashish smoking, and feminism. Old Books, Rare Friends describes their mutual passion for books and literary sleuthing as they take us on their earliest European book buying jaunts. Using what they call Finger-spitzengefühl, the art of evaluating antiquarian books by handling, experience, and instinct, we are treated to some of their greatest discoveries amid the mildewed basements of London's booksellers after the Blitz. We experience the thrill of finding one of the earliest known books printed in America between 1617-1619 by the Pilgrim Press and learn about the influential role of publisher-printers from the fifteenth century. Like a precious gem, Old Books, Rare Friends is a book to treasure about the companionship of two rare friends and their shared passion for old books.
This volume is a comprehensive collection of critical essays on The Taming of the Shrew, and includes extensive discussions of the play's various printed versions and its theatrical productions. Aspinall has included only those essays that offer the most influential and controversial arguments surrounding the play. The issues discussed include gender, authority, female autonomy and unruliness, courtship and marriage, language and speech, and performance and theatricality.
“Readers will greatly admire Martin's ability to capture their attention with the combined allure of romance and the swift-moving elements of suspense.”—Publishers Weekly Brianna Lindsay’s grip on the inheritance that is rightly hers hangs by a thread. If the town finds out her father has died, Brianna will be forced into marriage with her loathsome cousin, Lord Robert, and will lose all of Edzell Castle and its lands. To protect her home, she’ll have to trust a complete stranger, a brooding Highland barbarian who sweeps into Edzell with a small retinue and insists on replacing her Captain of the Guard. He proves his worth by defeating her men, and she has no choice but to accept his offer. Though his motives are suspect, Colin MacKinnon has nobility in his blood and good intentions in coming to Edzell. He seeks his own kingdom, one to rival his father’s, and sets out to conquer Brianna in the best way he knows how—with seduction. Brianna never realized that of all the wealth she protects, the one thing she has left completely vulnerable is her heart. Colin never realized that of everything he stands to achieve, he might have to face the unexpected pain of loss. Together, they must navigate a treacherous world of spies and intrigue, of legacy and fidelity, of love and betrayal, to find what is truly worth possessing.
He’s never met a woman who didn’t want him. Until now. When carefree rake Ewan McLean inherits an earldom, his plans for his new fortune are entirely in keeping with his lifestyle: to expand his collection of erotic art and expensive mistresses. That is, until he becomes acquainted with his most intriguing new responsibility . . . Bride Cameron is beautiful, unmarried, and sole caretaker of her three younger sisters. Now it’s Ewan’s duty to see that she is provided for. But to his amazement, the last thing the fiery lass wants is Ewan’s help. The simplest thing would be to walk away. But Bride, with her sparkling gaze and fierce wit, is the most bewitching woman Ewan has ever met. And he intends to have her–and to learn how she has managed to survive on her own. Even if he has to employ all the arts of seduction for which he is notorious . . .
A story of the cats of a small village at around the time when Queen Victoria was a little girl. Their ruler, Broomrider, believes he can restore the ancient magical powers of cats. The army commander, Hagshadow, is more practical and trains the cats to fight when the village is attacked by the Rats from the East, while Spellbinder, the female leader, has a gift of healing and is a peacemaker. Most cats are loyal followers of Broomrider but he has opponents, especially Juno, the attractive young newcomer who scoffs at the limits he sets for the females. Her power of attraction inspires devotion yet creates conflict in the village. The story tells how cats balance their domestic lives and their secret, free adventures. As the ever-perceptive Miss Braithwaite says, ""One must never pry into the private life of a cat.
From the Admore Banshee to the ghost in the Bog of Lettermuck, this collection of spine-chilling tales from across County Derry is guaranteed to make your blood run cold.This spooky selection features stories of unexplained phenomena, ghostly apparitions, death knocks and poltergeist activity and includes the tale of the phantom coach said to return to the White Horse Inn every seven years; the helpful ghost that inhabits Derry Opera House; the spirit children said to haunt Rosemount’s By-Wash and even a photograph of the Old Covent taken by a ghost.Drawing on historical and contemporary sources and including many first-hand experiences and previously unpublished tales, Haunted Derry will enthrall anyone interested in the unexplained.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.