Children’s book author Lyon Wentworth must solve an impossible locked-room murder with a medieval twist—or risk landing on death row. Lyon Wentworth sprints through the woods, chest heaving, dragging a broadsword behind him. He doesn’t remember why he started running, or when he picked up the sword, but he knows that if he stops, he’ll die. When he trips, his attacker is upon him within seconds, but the executioner disappears before he can deliver the final blow. He’s got the wrong man; Lyon isn’t the one he wants dead. A mild-mannered Connecticut children’s book author, Lyon has been drugged, chased, and scared half to death, but why? When he returns to his house, clothes torn and bloody, Lyon knocks on the door of the RV parked in his driveway, where his old friend Morgan has been staying, but there’s no answer. When he finally gets the door open, Lyon finds Morgan dead—hacked to pieces with a broadsword. This incredible locked-room mystery is only the beginning of the incredible Death at King Arthur’s Court. The final book in the Lyon and Bea Wentworth Mysteries, it provides a fitting conclusion to the series by presenting Lyon with his most challenging choice yet: solve the mystery or die. Death at King Arthur’s Court is the 10th book in the Lyon and Bea Wentworth Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Heroic figures, invested with a common pattern that satisfies the human desire for idealization, are the focus of this intriguing study of legendary characters — from Oedipus and King Arthur to heroes of the Trojan War and Robin Hood. A fascinating study that will appeal to students of folklore, mythology, and history.
Presents profiles of major figures in American politics, from Bella Abzug through Woodrow Wilson, arranged alphabetically, by area of activity, and by year of birth.
When the term 'dinosaur' was coined in 1842, it referred to fragmentary British fossils. In subsequent decades, American discoveries—including Brontosaurus and Triceratops—proved that these so-called 'terrible lizards' were in fact hardly lizards at all. By the 1910s 'dinosaur' was a household word. Reimagining Dinosaurs in Late Victorian and Edwardian Literature approaches the hitherto unexplored fiction and popular journalism that made this scientific term a meaningful one to huge transatlantic readerships. Unlike previous scholars, who have focused on displays in American museums, Richard Fallon argues that literature was critical in turning these extinct creatures into cultural icons. Popular authors skilfully related dinosaurs to wider concerns about empire, progress, and faith; some of the most prominent, like Arthur Conan Doyle and Henry Neville Hutchinson, also disparaged elite scientists, undermining distinctions between scientific and imaginative writing. The rise of the dinosaurs thus accompanied fascinating transatlantic controversies about scientific authority.
The first major biography of preeminent historian and intellectual Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a defining figure in Kennedy’s White House. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917–2007), known today as the architect of John F. Kennedy’s presidential legacy, blazed an extraordinary path from Harvard University to wartime London to the West Wing. The son of a pioneering historian—and a two-time Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner in his own right—Schlesinger redefined the art of presidential biography. A Thousand Days, his best-selling and immensely influential record of the Kennedy administration, cemented Schlesinger’s place as one of the nation’s greatest political image makers and a key figure of the American intellectual elite—a peer and contemporary of Reinhold Niebuhr, Isaiah Berlin, and Adlai Stevenson. The first major biography of this defining figure in Kennedy’s Camelot, Schlesinger: The Imperial Historian presents a dramatic life and career set against the backdrop of the American Century. Biographer Richard Aldous draws on oral history, rarely seen archival documents, and the official Schlesinger papers to craft a portrait of the incandescently brilliant and controversial historian who framed America’s ascent to global empire.
This will be a new edition of a large-format illustrated guide to the architecture of the Princeton University Chapel, first published by PUP in 1971, with new color photos, redrawn figures, and a Foreword by the university's Dean of Religious Life"--
This is a revision and an updating of the first edition, published in 2000. Presidents from Washington to Obama (not included are William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield because of very short terms) are rated in five categories: Foreign Relations, Domestic Programs, Administration and Intergovernmental Relations, Leadership and Decision Making, and Presidential Comportment. Each president is evaluated on his effectiveness in each area and a final analysis is provided for the scores combined. The presidents are then ranked overall. The most overrated and underrated chief executives are identified. Each entry includes biographical and political information, as well as an analysis of their overall behavior and status.
An unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young and adult learners. "I love Olly's work - and you will too!" - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers Short Stories in French for Beginners has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories will both entertain you, and give you a feeling of progress when reading. What does this book give you? · Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary · Controlled language at your level, including the 1000 most frequent words, to help you progress confidently · Authentic spoken dialogues, to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability · Pleasure! It's much easier to learn a new language when you're having fun, and research shows that if you're enjoying reading in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!' · Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way Carefully curated to make learning a new language easy, these stories include key features that will support and consolidate your progress, including · A glossary for bolded words in each text · Full plot summary · A bilingual word list · Comprehension questions after each chapter. As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying reading, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language, without ever feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in French for Beginners will make learning French easy and enjoyable.
You see, Edward, editor and budding Grail Knight, youre part of the Merlin myth, and you have been for a long time, said Merlin enigmatically. The figure of Merlin, magician, enchanter, trickster, strategist of King Arthurs Camelot, wise old man of Celtic myth, has intrigued and enthralled readers for centuries, but who, really, was he? Did he ever actually exist? Boston editor Edward Burbage is given a unique opportunity to find out. Hes invited to Merlins home on Mertowney Mountain to interview him. The invitation includes free transportation, and Merlins mountain is not in this world, and for that matter, how on Earth could Burbage be talking to Merlin anyway? Merlin is supposed to be only a character from an old myth, isnt he? Over the course of five years, starting in 2034, Burbage conducts his interviews, and the revelations Merlin makes are astounding. He has been many mythic figures, taken on many guises, such as the Irish Cuchulainn, the Egyptian Anubis, the Navaho Monster Slayer, the Greek Herakles, the Polynesian Maui, and even a few holy men like Saint Columba of Iona and John the Evangelist of Patmos, author of Revelation. Hes worked as initiator, war-god, slayer of inimical spirits, prophet, seer, a guide to the soul in the after-life, geomancer, terraformer, a fisher up of islands, and especially a devoted field agent to the Great Mother, Herself operating under many guises such as Morrigan, Isis, Changing Woman, and Hera. But why has Edward Burbage been brought to Mertowney Mountain? Its not just so Merlin can tell his true story. Merlin has a plan for him, and hes preparing things all the time hes recounting his exploits. Edward Burbage has a key role to play in the next installment of the long life of Merlin. Hes about to step onto the world stage of myth disclosing a long withheld mystery, the secret of the Mer-Line, the truth and power behind Merlin himself.
Spreading democracy takes more than cutting-edge military hardware. Winning the hearts and minds of a troubled nation is a special mission we give to bewildered young soldiers who can’t speak the native language, don’t know the customs, can’t tell friends from enemies, and–in this wonderfully outrageous Iraq-era novel about Vietnam–wonder why they have to risk their lives spraying peanut plants, inoculating pigs, and hauling miracle rice seed for Ho Chi Minh. Brash, eye-opening, and surprisingly comic, Of Rice and Men displays the same irreverent spirit as the black-comedy classics Catch-22 and MASH–as it chronicles the American Army’s little known “Civil Affairs” soldiers who courageously roam hostile war zones, not to kill or to destroy, but to build, to feed, and to heal. Unprepared, uncertain, and naive, they find it impossible to make the skeptical population fall in love with them. But it’s thrilling to watch them try. Among the unforgettable characters: Guy Lopaca, an inept Army-trained interpreter who can barely say “I can’t speak Vietnamese” in Vietnamese, but has no trouble chatting with stray dogs and water buffalo. Guy’s friends include “Virgin Mary” Crocker, a pragmatic nurse earning a fortune spending nights with homesick soldiers; Paul Gianelli, a heroic builder of medical clinics who doesn’t want to be remembered badly, so he never goes home; and Tyler DeMudge, whose cure for every problem is a chilly martini, a patch of shade, and the theory that every bad event in life is “good training” for enduring it again. Pricelessly funny, disarming, thought-provoking, as fresh as the morning headlines, and bursting with humor, affection, and pride, Of Rice and Men is a sincere tribute to those young men and women, thrust into our hearts-and-minds wars, who try to do absolute good in a hopeless situation. From the Hardcover edition.
From the Introduction by Ed Gorman: If there's one thing Dick Lupoff understands (with perverse glee) it's the sorry state of the human condition. In this collection you'll find a wide variety of humans whose conditions leave much to be desired. A pit bull owner who's just as nasty as his dog A thief who believes his father-in-law was a real Nazi A dead-end boxer who has come back in a boxing movie A detective named Caligula Foxx who might be Nero Wolfe in drag A crooked corporal whose payoff is death Not only are the storylines original, the writing is indelibly stamped with Dick's vision and voice. Dick's writing talents really can't be defined by the usual means. Yes, he writes science fiction. Yes, he writes fantasy. Yes, he writes mystery. But what he really writes are Lupoffs. Long, short, hilarious, whimsical, dark, mysterious-they're all Lupoffs. Richard A. Lupoff is the author of many books including the popular Lindsey-and-Plum mysteries. The next of these, The Emerald Cat Killer, will be published by St. Martin's Press in October, 2010. His most recent collection of mysteries is Quintet: The Cases of Chase and Delacroix, published by Crippen & Landru.
This 1984 book describes the development of thought, both of Keynes and others, culminating in the publication in 1936 of Keynes' General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. As one of Keynes' close collaborators - from December 1929, when the writing of the Treatise was nearing its completion - Richard Khan provides a uniquely insightful analysis of these events. The author starts with a brief survey of the contributions influential in forming Keynes' early ideas, and moves on to explore the significance of the Quantity Theory of Money, and traces the development of Keynes' attitude towards the theory through his published books. Subsequent lectures are devoted to Keynes' Treatise on Money, and to his more popular writings as an economic adviser which marked the transition from the thinking in the Treatise to that in the General Theory which the author critically examines. The final lecture records the author's memory of his personal relationship with Keynes.
Using a broad definition of fantasy to include myth, folklore, legend and fairy tale, this survey of the genre will entice as well as inform any student interested in the mysterious, mystical or magical. Beloved authors like J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, William Morris and Robert E. Howard are examined closely.
Spenser's Monstrous Regiment is a stimulating and scholarly account of how the experience of living and writing in Ireland qualified Spenser's attitude towards female "regiment" and challenged his notions of English nationhood. Including a trenchant discussion of the influence of colonialism upon the structure, themes, imagery, and language of Spenser's poetry, this is the first major study of Spenser's canon to engage with primary Gaelic materials in its assessment of his relationship with native Irish and Old English culture.
From James Richard Larson, author of The Eye of Odin and Wolfgar: The Story of a Viking, comes his third novel, a study in horror titled The Right Thing. When a woman is found wandering on a quiet rural road her incoherent rambling is dismissed as fantasy. But others are about to learn that the man from the woods, the man attired in black, intends to pay them a visit as well. Not only will he enter their lives, he will alter their very reality. The Right Thing will take you on a journey into a world of kabbalistic magic, a world of trance and ritual, where an ancient evil is released from the power of one woman's will. So pick up the wand, sword, cup and pentacle, step into the magic circle, and accompany us on a tour of the dark place.
A mystical, whimsical romp through the universe and the Heavens for an answer to a question that cannot wait until tomorrow. Fraser. He's English, eight years old, and has a big question. One night in bed, he calculates distances between things, his house and his uncle's, his uncle's and London, and then on to the Moon, the nearest star, and beyond, until he experiences infinity. He sits up in bed riveted with this question: when you go all the way across the universe, what's on the other side of all the stars? As if on cue, the next morning, Elouesa, an angel assigned to him, starts to provide Fraser with an answer, but it's an answer that is an experience, and it will take him around an Earth he's never even suspected, out into the galaxy at so intimate a level he'll find his nose pressed against its very edge, and even beyond that, into the wild, mysterious, and very exciting universe. A host of characters will give Fraser bits of the answer along the way. Such as: Perflummery, the cosmic clown whose bag of marbles contains all the universes. The enigmatic Purplessence who flies him through the silent heart of the Quiddity. Panalon, the blue-starred dolphin and celestial cocktail party bon-vivant. And the Uncle Blaises, the angelic Marx Brothers of Heaven, joking, dancing, quipping, and always quoting from their unique book, The Angel's Guide to the World. It all comes pummeling back to Earth and "reality" when Fraser goes to school the next day and shows his classmates and teacher what's he learned. And he's lucky to have Uncle Arthur on hand, because he knows where Fraser's been, and with whom. And the question? Does Fraser get it answered? Indeed. But you'll have to read Fraser's Angel to find out what it is
Sir William Garrow was born in Middlesex, England in 1760. He entered the legal profession and became the dominant figure at Old Bailey - London's Central Criminal Court - from 1783 to 1793. Later on, he was a Member of Parliament, a Solicitor-General, an Attorney-General, and, finally, a judge and a lawmaker within the English Common Law Tradition. Aside from BBC1 TV's prime-time drama series Garrow's Law, the story of Sir William Garrow's unique contribution to the development of English law and Parliamentary affairs is little known by the general public. This book tells the real story of the man behind the drama. Garrow dared to challenge the entrenched legal ways and means. His 'gifts to the world' include altering the relationship between judge and jury (the former had until then dominated over the latter in criminal trials), helping to forge the presumption of innocence, rules of evidence, and ensuring a general right to put forward a defense using a trained lawyer. He gave new m
A fascinating recreation of the world of one of England's most charismatic monarchs, from award-winning author and historian Richard Barber The destruction of the French army at Crécy in 1346 and the subsequent siege and capture of Calais marked a new era in European history. The most powerful, glamorous and respected of all western monarchies had been completely humiliated by England, a country long viewed either as a chaotic backwater or a mere French satellite. The young Edward III's triumph would launch both countries, as we now know, into a grim cycle of some 90 years of further fighting ending with English defeat, but after Crécy anything seemed possible - Edward's claim to be King of France could be pressed home and, in any event, enormous rewards of land, treasure and prestige were available both to the king and to the close companions who had made the victory possible. It was to enshrine this moment that Edward created one of the most famous of all knightly orders, the Company of the Garter. Barber writes about both the great campaigns and the individuals who formed the original membership of the Company - and through their biographies makes the period tangible and fascinating. This is a book about knighthood, battle tactics and grand strategy, but it is also about fashion, literature and the privates lives of everyone from queens to freebooters. Barber's book is a remarkable achievement - but also an extremely enjoyable one. Reviews: 'Barber [has an] infectious passion for and deep knowledge of his subject matter ... elegant prose and rigorous historical analysis ... a valuable and thorough addition to the body of work on this most impressive of English monarchs' Sunday Times 'In Edward III and the Triumph of England [Barber] has written the kind of book that the king would have enjoyed: full of battles, glitter and ceremony ... he has an original eye and an elegant pen' Jonathan Sumption, Literary Review 'Barber share's his hero's love of chivalry ... The book sparkle[s] with some of Edward's own glitz' Telegraph 'This absorbing book is layered rather than linear, sifting with uncommon sensitivity through challenging sources to test the boundaries of what we can and cannot know ... We discover the complexity of the world in which Edward and his commanders lived' Helen Castor, The Times About the author: Richard Barber has had a huge influence on the study of medieval history and literature, both as a writer and as a publisher. His major works include The Knight and Chivalry (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award), Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe and The Holy Grail: The History of a Legend. He lives in East Anglia.
This intriguing book tells the story of England’s great medieval Angevin dynasty in an entirely new way. Departing from the usual king-centric narrative, Richard Huscroft instead centers each of his chapters on the experiences of a particular man or woman who contributed to the broad sweep of events. Whether noble and brave or flawed and fallible, each participant was struggling to survive in the face of uncontrollable forces. Princes, princesses, priests, heroes, relatives, friends, and others—some well known and others obscure—all were embroiled in the drama of historic events. Under Henry II and his sons Richard I (the Lionheart) and John, the empire rose to encompass much of the British Isles and the greater part of modern France, yet it survived a mere fifty years. Huscroft deftly weaves together the stories of individual lives to illuminate the key themes of this exciting and formative era.
Charles Frederick Algernon Portal was born in Hungerford, England, in 1893. One of seven brothers, Portal developed a fierce competitive streak and a steely determination from an early age. Known by all who knew him as Peter, Portal enlisted in the Army at the outbreak of the First World War as a dispatch rider, being mentioned in General Frenchs very first dispatch. Portals abilities were quickly recognized, and he gained a commission in short order. It was in the air that Portal saw his future, and he subsequently transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, initially as an observer, before training as a pilot. In this latter role, Portal proved a courageous and instinctive leader, garnering the rare accolade of a DSO and Bar for his wartime service. His meteoric rise continued in the inter-war period, and when Hitlers forces invaded Poland, Portal had already ascended to the Air Force Board. He then took the RAFs top command post at Bomber Command during the battles of France and Britain, before replacing Cyril Newall as Chief of Air Staff, aged just 47, in October 1940. Charles Portal was, in General Eisenhowers words, Britains greatest wartime leader, including Churchill. Portal was a strategist, a diplomat and an outstanding leader of the RAF in the Second World War. He built productive and enduring relationships with the most powerful Allied leaders some of which, including Churchill, Bomber Harris, and Hap Arnold, are explored here. Portal helped direct the UKs strategy from the darkest days of 1940 through to Allied victory in 1945. He never lost his calm, even under the most extreme pressure, and approached the war with a cool logic that defied the chaos of the day. Despite his enormous achievements, and being showered with post-war accolades, Portal is little known today. His historical anonymity is a reflection of his disinterest in his own legacy. He neither kept wartime diaries, nor penned an egotistical autobiography to cash in on his post-war fame. He retired as he had served, with dignity and humility, traits that made him particularly influential with American allies. As Wing Commander Rich Milburn reveals in this long-overdue second biography, Charles Portal was a hero in every sense; a heroic battlefield leader in one global conflict, and one of the men most directly responsible for Allied victory in a second.
In this fascinating work, Barber traces the history of the legends surrounding the Holy Grail, beginning with Chrtien de Troyes's great romances of the 12th century and the medieval Church's religious version of the secular ideal.
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC is one of the most unique churches in the United States. A National Historic Landmark, located just north of Lafayette Square, and in clear view of the White House, it has witnessed the presence within its walls of more notable civilian and military leaders of the United States than any other church in the nation. Apart from the White House, St. John's Church is the oldest building adjacent to Lafayette Square. It was designed, and its construction supervised, by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, a leading architect of the early national period. From its opening in October 1816, every person, beginning with James Madison, who has held the office of President of the United States has attended St. John's at least once. Several Presidents have been members. Thus, St. John's is called "the Church of the Presidents." A significant number of members of St. John's, past and present, have played very prominent roles in the public life of the United States and the city of Washington, DC. This book tells the story of this historic church from its origins to the present, while chronicling notable services held at it, and key events in the lives of distinguished Americans who were personally connected with St. John's during their residence in Washington. REVIEWS The first thing to note about this marvelous history of St. John's Church is the research. From start to finish the facts are meticulously assembled and clearly laid out to the reader. This alone makes the book worth reading. But it is far more than a collection of facts. It is the story--or rather the stories-- of St. John's Church that makes this book stand out as a true gem with very few equals in the annals of Church History. --Harry S. Stout Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History Yale University Sited importantly on its corner across from the White House, St. John's Episcopal Church has served both the famous and Everyman without interruption for nearly 200 years, its architectural evolution an index of the development of the capital itself. Historian Richard Grimmett tells the story of the "Church of the Presidents" in "St. John's Church: Lafayette Square" with the painstaking accuracy of an experienced researcher. Flavored with personalities and rich anecdotes, this book begins life as a Washington classic. --William Seale Editor, White House History author of "The President's House: A History." Because St. John's Church has been so closely associated with presidents, cabinet members, powerful insiders and Washington society ... anyone interested in the compelling historical details of a slice of Washington life would want to add the book to his or her library. --Mary O. Klein Archivist, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
Biographical profiles of the current head of state and head of government, and other recent incumbents of these positions who remain significant and active political leaders.
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