Product Description: In the spring of 1348, tales begin arriving in England of poisonous clouds fast approaching, which have overwhelmed whole cities and even countries, with scarcely a human being left. While some pray more earnestly and live yet more devoutly, others vow to enjoy themselves and blot out their remaining days on earth by drinking and gambling...read more

Second in the gripping new 19th century ‘Cathedral’ murder mystery series from the acclaimed author of the ‘Nick Revill’ mysteries - For the newly-weds Tom and Helen Ansell life is no honeymoon, as they are drawn into a murky underworld of Victorian spiritualism and stage magic when they’re sent on a mission to the stunning cathedral city of Durham. Not only must they investigate Helen’s Aunt Julia, who has mysteriously fallen for a medium, but also solve the riddle of the sinister Lucknow dagger. Until suddenly things go from bad to worse when a body turns up and Helen herself is accused of murder.

Third in the highly-acclaimed nineteenth-century ‘Cathedral’ mystery series When Mr Lye, an elderly partner at Tom Ansell’s law firm, drops dead at his desk, Tom is dispatched to Ely to search for Mr Lye’s will at Phoenix House, the home of his brother, Ernest. At the same time, Tom’s wife Helen has been commissioned by New Moon magazine to write a piece on a town with ‘inner beauty’ – and what better place than Ely? But shortly after they arrive at Phoenix House, their host is arrested for murder – and Tom and Helen find themselves at the centre of an ever-deepening mystery.

Born as a Germanic tongue with the arrival in Britain of the Anglo-Saxons in the early medieval period, heavily influenced by Norman French from the 11th century, and finally emerging as modern English from the late Middle Ages, the English language has grown to become the linguistic equivalent of a superpower, and is now sometimes described as the world's lingua franca. Worldwide some 380 million people speak English as a first language and some 600 million as a second language. A staggering one billion people are believed to be learning it. English is the premier international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy and also on the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945. It is considered by many good judges to be well on the way to becoming the world's first universal language. Author Philip Gooden tells the story of the English language in all its richness and variety. From the intriguing origins and changing definitions of common words such as 'OK', 'beserk', 'curfew', 'cabal' and 'pow-wow', to the massive transformations wrought in the vocabulary and structure of the language by Anglo-Saxon and Norman conquest, through to the literary triumphs of Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and the works of Shakespeare. The Story of English is a fascinating tale of linguistic, social and cultural transformation, and one that is accessibly and authoritatively told by an author in perfect command of his material.

A language expert looks at hundreds of words derived from real people who are famous--or infamous--enough to give their stamp to a movement, a way of thinking or acting, a style, or even a mood, including a variety of terms based on figures in politics, sports, literature, science, history, pop culture, and the arts. 17,500 first printing.

In a murder mystery set in a Shakespearean milieu, focusing on the peace negotiations between the Spanish and the British in 1604, Nick Revill and his theatrical company become caught up in a dangerous conspiracy and a series of suspicious deaths.

The Chamberlain's Men, a roving group of Elizabethan players, are set to perform a play written by one of their members, a young Will Shakespeare, for the marriage of an extremely reluctant bridegroom, the elder son of Lord Elcombe, but two very suspicious deaths force Nicholas Revill, a minor actor with the troup but a major sleuth, to face the daunting challenge of confronting and solving the crimes, in a historical mystery with authentic settings and a solid, intriguing plot.

Product Description: Brand New. Ship worldwide

Product Description: Brand New. Ship worldwide

Product Description: Winner of the HRH Duke of Edinburgh English Speaking Union English Language Book Award 2006. An award winning language book, this is a lively and engaging expose on the foreign words and phrases that populate our language. Each entry gives a translation of the expression, the language of origin, pronunciation, an insightful comment on usage, plus illuminating examples from the press...read more

A lighthearted A-to-Z primer on commonly confused English words provides numerous examples of good and poor usage and how to avoid typical mistakes, in a guide that complements potential verbal gaffes with entertaining 'embarrassment ratings' and includes coverage of such words as 'affect' and 'effect,' principle' and 'principal,' and 'its' and 'it's.'

Five interlinked novella-length mysteries from the Medieval Murderers Group.

The author of Mask of Night presents another murder mystery set in a Shakespearean milieu, focusing on the peace negotiations between the Spanish and the British in 1604, as Nick Revill and his theatrical company become caught up in a dangerous conspiracy and a series of suspicious deaths.

Product Description: You'll never again confuse affect and effect! Have you ever been fazed by the spelling of phased, or fretted over the difference between anxiety and angst, stationery and stationary? If so, you are not alone: the English language is a minefield, full of words that look and sound alike but mean different things in different places...read more

In the fifth novel in the Shakespearean mystery series, physician Dr. Hugh Fern hires Nick Revill and the Chamberlain's Men to stage a private performance of Romeo & Juliet in the midst of a city wide plague and ends up dead.

When evidence points to Nick Revill as the murderer of his friend and fellow actor, Peter Agate, Nick tries to find the real killer in a search that leads him from the Inns of Court, to gaol, to the English countryside.

Product Description: Midsummer 1601. Nick Revill and his fellow actors in the Chamberlain’s Men are journeying across the Wiltshire Downs for a country-house presentation of his friend and mentor Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But what should be a pleasant, well-paid jaunt to celebrate a noble wedding gets worse and worse, with a sinister arranged marriage, a possible suicide, and finally a case of outright murder against an ancient backdrop of Stonehenge...read more

Ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day, thsi entertaining anthology features more than 250 stories and anecdotes about famous writers, divided into such categories as 'Writers and Crime,' 'Writers and Sex,' 'Writers and Money,' and 'Writers and the Public.' Original.

Filled with adventure and excitement, a classic compilation of stories contains The Lost World, in which Professor Challenger makes his debut as he embarks on an expedition to an ancient world where he encounters dinosaurs and ape-men. Original.

Aspiring Shakespearean actor and amateur sleuth Nick Revill takes on a new role as spy for the government to investigate a plot against the throne of Queen Elizabeth I, but as some of his companions in the Chamerlain's Men theatrical troupe begin to turn up dead, he begins to suspect that the mastermind behind the conspiracy is closer than he had thought. Reprint.