‘Written with great humanity, warmth and vast medical knowledge – Ian is the man you want in your corner if you or anyone you love finds themselves navigating the scary terrain of breast cancer’ – EMMA BARNETT, broadcaster and journalist'Invaluable for anyone experiencing breast cancer or supporting someone through it. I wish I'd had a copy when I was facing a double mastectomy. It's like an expert hand to hold' – DR SIAN WILLIAMS, broadcaster and ...

Bloomsbury presents The Rest is History: A History of the World in 51 Heroes and Villains, written by Goalhanger Podcasts with Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, with David Whitehouse, read by Dominic Sandbrook, Tom Holland, Ben Onwunkwe, Clare Corbett, Daniel York Loh, David Rintoul, Homer Todiwala, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Mei-Mei Macleod and Sudha Buchar.'I am a helpless, devoted, pathetic fan. So is everyone I know' JAMES MARRIOTT, THE TIMES

Epic tales of justice, redemption, and the enduring power of the human spirit. This extraordinary collection brings together two of literature's most monumental works, each a masterful exploration of betrayal, morality, and the resilience of the human soul. From the treacherous intrigues of Parisian society to the relentless pursuit of justice across Europe, these novels offer readers timeless adventures and profound moral insight.The titles included here are:...

Adventure, intrigue, and unforgettable heroes from one of literature's most thrilling storytellers.Step into the world of Alexandre Dumas, where honor, betrayal, love, and vengeance collide in stories that have captivated readers for generations. This essential collection includes two of Dumas's most celebrated novels, showcasing his talent for crafting unforgettable characters, breathtaking plots, and timeless drama.The titles included here are:The Count o...

Told by servant Ephraim Mackellar, The Master of Ballantrae is set at the time of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and portrays the Durie family. James abandons his ancestral home to support the Jacobites while his younger brother, Henry, loyal to the English King, remains. However, years later James, who had been supposed dead, returns to claim his inheritance, resulting in a feud between the brothers that shifts from the Scottish Highlands to the Wild West of America.

The 12 Lays of Marie de France offer one of the most striking collections of short narrative poems of the 12th century - two centuries before Chaucer.Written in Anglo-French, they contain beguiling and entertaining stories of love and romance, of chivalry and adventure with sometimes even a magical twist. They are especially unique in early literature by being ascribed to a female poet, Marie de France: in the very first Lay - 'Guigemar' - is the introductory line: ‘Hear my Lords, ...

In To the Island of Tides, Alistair Moffat travels to and through the history of the fated island of Lindisfarne. Walking from his home in the Borders, through the historical landscape of Scotland and northern England, he takes us on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of saints and scholars, before arriving for a secular retreat on the Holy Isle. Lindisfarne, famous for its monastery, has long been a place of sanctuary. It is an island rich in history: the Romans knew it as Insula Medicata; it ...

Xenophon’s The Art of Horsemanship is a highly unusual text in the corpus of Classical Greek literature. It is a short survey on the various aspects of care for horses as seen by a highly experienced rider from the 5th century BCE. It is particularly notable because so many of its observations are relevant to the modern rider. Xenophon, friend of Socrates and professional soldier, is best known as the author Anabasis, the vivid account of a failed military expedition deep into Persia....

Demosthenes (384-322 BCE) is regarded as one of the greatest orators of Classical times. This view has persisted through the centuries even though his rousing speeches warning of the dangers of Macedonian expansion - firstly guided by Philip II and then Alexander the Great - failed to stem the course of continued military success.A contemporary of Plato and Aristotle, it is said that Demosthenes undertook arduous measures to cure himself of a stammer by speaking with pebbles in his...

One of the finest German medieval epic poems, The Lay of the Nibelungs is perhaps best known now as one of the principal sources for Wagner’s four-part music drama The Ring of the Nibelung. It is easy to see how Wagner was enthralled by the story and the poetry for the power of the tale drives the narrative: intense love, loyalty, jealousy, murder, duty, honour and massacre are all interwoven into a classic.Many of the figures known to us by Wagner’s opera cycle are here: Alberich,...

Here are three important but very different Dialogues from the Middle Period. Symposium, the most well-known in this collection, is concerned with the theme of love. In the house of Agathon, a group of friends - each very different in personality and background - meet to consider and discuss various kinds of love. Each one, Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes (the playwright) and Agathon (a prize-winning tragic poet), presents his particular view in a short discourse until Socra...

The remarkable range of Plato's Dialogues is vividly demonstrated by these three works.It opens with Phaedrus, a highly personal discussion between Socrates (David Rintoul) and the young, love-struck Phaedrus (Gunnar Cauthery). They go for a walk outside the walls of Athens and, under a plane tree by the banks of the Ilissus, talk about love - erotic and 'Platonic'. Socrates endeavours to steer Phaedrus away from infatuation and show him that real love is based on concern for the b...