South Asia in World Politics offers a comprehensive introduction to the politics and international relations of South Asia, a key area encompassing the states of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. While U.S. interest has long been sporadic and reactive, 9/11 alerted Washington that paying only fitful attention to one of the world's most volatile and populous regions was a recipe for everyday instability, repeated international crises, majo...

Amid the splendours and pretensions of the royal court, the Earl of Rochester impresses Charles II with his irreverence and plain speech. So much so, that the monarch gives him the task of creating a ‘ministry of pleasure', thus liberating him to tour the country in search of all manner of delights.Featuring some of Rochester's most infamous poems, The Ministry of Pleasure opened at the Latchmere Theatre, London in June 2004.

In 1996, Bangladesh celebrated its 25th anniversary. When the country became independent from Pakistan in 1971, it proclaimed itself a parliamentary democracy with four goals—democracy, secularism, socialism, and nationalism. This comprehensive introduction to Bangladesh's history, polity, economy, and society reassesses its successes and failures in reaching these goals after a quarter century of nationhood. Craig Baxter traces the development of national identity in the region, first as ...

Winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel from the Canadian Crime Writers Association.On a dark road outside London, a highwayman stumbles upon slaughter...As plague grips the city, can the uneasy alliance of a thief, a thief-taker and an actress catch a serial killer?'A rich and addictive read, ideal for fans of historical fiction.' Publisher's Weekly‘With Kings and cripples, rats and rotters, highwaymen and loos...

For fans of Downton Abbey and The American Heiress. A lush, vibrant Victorian saga.When the 8th Earl of Staton dies, he leaves behind a legacy in peril. The title falls to his eldest son, Richard—a man more practiced in unreliability than in leadership. As Richard struggles to keep the estate from ruin, he must confront the weight of a title he never truly wanted.Meanwhile, the Earl’s niece, the spirited American-born Daphne, finds herself increasingly dra...

Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit captures the sweet mischief of childhood in a story that endears itself to young readers. In the classic style of fables, this story uses animals and their antics to teach a valuable life lesson. By describing Peter Rabbits insatiable hunger for cabbage and carrot, this speaks to young children about keeping their hands out of the cookie jar.

This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.Living under the threat of death for some weeks until his reprieve was obtained would have been enormously traumatic for Bates. At least, we must imagine that it was. Bates is a man who has been so opaque and guarded in h...

A funny, fantastically entertaining debut novel, in the spirit of Wodehouse and Monty Python, about a famous poet who inadvertently sells his wife to the devil--then recruits a band of adventurers to rescue her.When Lionel Savage, a popular poet in Victorian London, learns from his butler that they're broke, he marries the beautiful Vivien Lancaster for her money, only to find that his muse has abandoned him.Distraught and contemplating suicide, Savage acci...

At the height of the American War of Independence, Hart Purchis, captain of a privateer, marries the rebellious spy Mercy Phillips, rescuing her from the wrath of the British in Savannah. But it is not long before the wide waters of the Atlantic separate the lovers: Hart's ship is captured by the British and Hart himself falls under the spell of his evil cousin Julia in London.Mercy, it seems to him, is lost to him forever. Or is she? Back in Philadelphia Mercy has met a mysterious...

Hodgkiss and The Fatal Map / Hodgkiss and the Telltale Eyes / Hodgkiss and the Unsafe SafeHodgkiss is a cranky old sod. The continual sniping and point-scoring between him and his son-in-law, Detective Sergeant Donald Burke, drives his daughter Esme to distraction. Hodgkiss compensates for his obnoxious treatment of Donald by helping him to solve a series baffling crimes, thus giving a welcome boost to his son-in-law's career. But it is towards the incompetent and corrupt Kanundda ...

He was 'THE WICKEDEST MAN ALIVE'.He went to Oxford University at the age of 12He slept with his first prostitute at 13He was an alcoholic by 14He was imprisoned in the Tower at 18He was acclaimed a war hero at 19He died of syphilis at the age of 33He was English history's first celebrity.He was John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester: Poet, dandy and libertine.BLAZING STAR is a compelling portrait of a remarkable and comple...

‘I am up for it. All the time. That’s not a boast. Or an opinion. It is bone-hard medical fact.’John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. Charismatic poet, playwright and rake with a legendary appetite for excess. Yet when a chance encounter with an actress at the Playhouse sends him reeling, he is forced to reconsider everything he thinks and feels.With all the wit, flair and bawdiness of a Restoration comedy, Stephen Jeffreys’ brilliant play is an incisive critique of life...