'My first English lesson was grammar with the terrifying Mrs Petrie. She spent the entire time marching up and down the classroom, thwacking various items of school furniture with a ruler while she banged on about the ING part of the verb. I sat there, vibrating with fear, desperately trying to figure out what on earth she could mean. Irregular Negative Gerund? Intransitive Nominative Genitive? It was only years later, when I was teaching English to foreign students, that I realised that E...

This illustrated manual describes and discusses the unusually rich and varied flora of the Carolinas, from the semi-tropical coast of South Carolina to the northern forests of the high North Carolina mountains.The manual treats in detail and in a concise format more than 3, 200 species of trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and ferns that grow without cultivation in this two-state area. Special features include diagnostic illustrations, keys for identification, detailed descriptions, flowe...

What is a virtue and what is a sin? Is it possible to say that our actions are evil or good? Every age and culture have their own answers to these timeless questions. For example, in the Western Protestant tradition, the human body and its desire have been considered to be inherently evil, but that is not a position taken for granted in other cultures. Virtue and sin seem to represent a duality that is as old as humankind.This anthology explores how perceptions of virtues and sins ...

'Witty and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless.' Nick Duerden, Independent.'Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky history.' William Leith, Evening Standard.The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language.What is t...

The phenomenal number one bestseller and a major BBC TV series.A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick.Winner of the Specsavers National Book Award and Waterstones Book of the Year.**Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heart-pounding suspense, Jessie Burton's historical novel set in Amsterdam, The Miniaturist, is a story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution.'Completely immerses the reader in ...

Now a major TV series Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2012 Winner of the 2012 Costa Book of the Year Shortlisted for the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction‘Simply exceptional…I envy anyone who hasn’t yet read it’ Daily Mail‘A gripping story of tumbling fury and terror’ Independent on SundayWith this historic win for Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel becomes the first British author and the first woman to be aw...

More than six million copies sold worldwide!A larger-than-life old man with a fondness for vodka goes on an unexpected adventure in this whimsical internationally bestselling novel—perfect for fans of Forrest Gump and A Man Called Ove**.**After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he'...

What is psychology? When did it begin? Where did it come from? How does psychology compare with related subjects such as psychiatry and psychotherapy? To what extent is it scientific?Introducing Psychology answers all these questions and more, explaining what the subject has been in the past and what it is now. The main "schools" of thought and the sections within psychology are described, including Introspection, Biopsychology, Psychoanal...

Collins Webster’s Easy Learning Grammar is an accessible guide to English grammar and punctuation.With clear, concise explanations on everything from adverbs to word order, and from apostrophes to semicolons, this e-book is indispensable for understanding correct usage.Collins Webster’s Easy Learning Grammar is a uniquely helpful guide to all areas of English grammar and punctuation, providing clear guidance through the intricacies of the English language.Each gramm...

Oxford Modern English Grammar is Oxford's brand new and definitive guide to English grammar. This book has been written by a leading expert in the field, covers both British and American English, and makes use of authentic spoken and written examples. Arranged in four clear parts for ease of use, its comprehensive coverage ranges from the very basic to the most complex aspects of grammar, all of which are explained clearly yet authoritatively. This descriptive source of reference is invalu...

From minding your Ps and Qs to wondering why X should mark the spot, Alphabetical is a book for everyone who loves words and language. Whether it's how letters are arranged on keyboards or Viking runes, textspeak or zip codes, this book will change the way you think about letters for ever.How on Earth did we fix upon our twenty-six letters, what do they really mean, and how did we come to write them down in the first place? Michael Rosen takes you on an unforgettable adven...

Us: a brilliant, bittersweet novel about love and family, husbands and wives, parents and children | Longlisted for the Booker Prize'Perfect'INDEPENDENT'I honestly can't imagine loving a novel much more'SUNDAY TIMES'I loved this book. Funny, sad, tender: for anyone who wants to know what happens after the Happy Ever After'JOJO MOYESDouglas and Connie - scient...