"Decolonization and Independence Movements: Shaping the Modern World" is a compelling exploration of the profound transformations that defined the 20th century and continue to shape our world today. This book delves deep into the dramatic and often turbulent journeys of nations across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East as they fought for freedom from colonial rule. From the inspiring nonviolent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi in India to the fierce battles f...

'A beautifully written novel imbued with empathy, spirits and magic' Scottish Daily MailSpring, 1985.Phoebe MacDonald's world is falling apart.After losing her parents in a tragic house fire, twelve-year-old Phoebe must now leave Scotland - the only place she has ever known - to live with her aunt and uncle deep within the Welsh woods.Lonely and grieving, she slowly falls into the rhythm of life with her eccentric g...

The Obsidian Throne is J.D. Oswald's stunning conclusion to 'The Ballad of Sir Benfro' series - an epic high fantasy tale of dragons, swordsmanship, honour and two of the most unlikely yet extraordinary heroes in all of fiction.There is no war in the northlands, just annihilation. Either the dragons will destroy this world or Queen Beulah will raze it to the ground.Below the city is a secret the House of Balwen have kept for millen...

The Broken World is the fourth instalment in the epic fantasy series by J. D. Oswald, The Ballad of Sir Benfro, preceded by Dreamwalker**, The Rose Cord** and The Golden Cage**.*****The book, sir. The Llyfr Draconius.You'll find what you need in there, if you know how to look.The war across the Tw...

Dreamwalker is the first spellbinding novel in the new epic fantasy series from J. D. Oswald - The Ballad of Sir Benfro.In a small village, miles from the great cities of the Twin Kingdoms, a young boy called Errol tries to find his way in the world. He's an outsider - he looks different from other children and has never known his father. No one, not even himself, has any knowledge of his true lineage.Deep in the forest, Ben...

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Ballad of Sir Benfro: The Rose Cord, the second installment in the new fantasy series from JD Oswald, read by Wayne Forester.Fleeing the vengeful Inquisitor Melyn, Sir Benfro is drawn to the last resting place of a great dragon of legend, Magog. Through Magog's spirit, Benfro discovers the true nature of his forebears. But with this knowledge comes terrible danger.Errol Ramsbottom's dreams of becoming a...

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Ballad of Sir Benfro: The Golden Cage, the third installment in the new fantasy series from JD Oswald, read by Wayne Forester.Queen Beulah is determined to have her war, despatching Inquisitor Melyn north into the land of her enemies.Battling the ever-growing influence of Magog, Benfro struggles to resist the treacherous orders of the long-dead Dragon Mage, a task made yet more difficult by the arrival ...

The great truths of Nature are here ready for you, reader. Are you ready for them?Are you free from prejudice, and willing to read and reason without considering the opinions of so-called authorities ? To a free and intelligent human being there is no authority for him higher than his own reasoning power.If you are free from the slavery of prejudice this book will give you food for thought. It will teach you that weakness is a crime—that it is the result of plain, easily avo...

Just a week after the Kristallnacht terror in 1938, young Luzie Hatch, a German Jew, fled Berlin to resettle in New York. Her rescuer was an American-born cousin and industrialist, Arnold Hatch. Arnold spoke no German, so Luzie quickly became translator, intermediary, and advocate for family left behind. Soon an unending stream of desperate requests from German relatives made their way to Arnold’s desk.   Luzie Hatch had faithfully preserved her letters both to and from far-flung...

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?The theme ...

“Anyone can take responsibility for a place,” writes Simon Roosevelt, great-great grandson of avid conservationist President Theodore Roosevelt, here in his foreword. “How persistently and well a conservationist pursues responsibility, connection, and the imperatives of use and care is as much a record of a conservation commitment as is the landowner’s mark on the land.” Private working lands account for 60 percent (more than one billion acres) of US land, providing food, fiber, purified a...

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Gathering Dark by James Oswald, read by Ian Hanmore.A truck driver loses control in central Edinburgh, ploughing into a crowded bus stop and spilling his vehicle's toxic load. The consequences are devastating.DI Tony McLean witnesses the carnage. Taking control of the investigation, he soon realises there is much that is deeply amiss - and everyone involved seems to have something to hide.But as...