' On A Balcony is devoted to the 14th century [B.C.] and the Pharaoh Ikhnaton, his sister-wife Nefertiti, the sculptor Tutmose, and the rivalry his religion of Aton brought to Egypt and its then current cult of Amon... presenting Ikhnaton's imposition of a new religion upon those who look on him as a god.' Kirkus Review'A fascinating study in royal neuroticism.' John Davenport, Observer'A weird, subtle and compelling novel.' Time & Tide

' Segaki is the story of two men, a woman, a dog, and a handful of snails. It is a very simple story. But like most simple stories, it is also a parable... It is the third volume of three novels concerned with various aspects of the religious experience... Segaki deals with [the] getting of wisdom, or insight, and deals with it, moreover, entirely in terms of Zen... Zen cannot be explained. It can only be embodied, and in that form, shown to people who will not see it unless they ...

The Judges of the Secret Court , first published in 1961, is a historical novel about John Wilkes Booth and the aftermath of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. The book vividly portrays the setting and sentiments of the time, as well as Wilkes' befuddled thinking and his short-lived escape from justice, followed by the trial of those involved in the assassination.David Stacton's The Judges of The Secret Court is a long-lost triumph of...

'Dancer in Darkness is a unique three-way collaboration - the tragic tale of the murdered Giovanna d'Aragona, Duchess of Amalfi, as told in Renaissance Italian sources, then in The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster's masterpiece of Jacobean revenge and fate, and now here by David Stacton, the literally incomparable American historical novelist. Black as stage velvet, Stacton's version is as full of chilling insights and dreadful doings as Webster's, but at bottom all his own...

Sir William: Or A Lesson in Love by David Stacton is a richly layered historical novel that delves into the life and loves of Sir William Hamilton, a British diplomat and antiquarian whose fascinating relationships became the stuff of legend. Set in the opulent and turbulent world of 18th-century Europe, this novel masterfully intertwines personal passion, political intrigue, and the allure of art and beauty.At the heart of the story is the complex and unconventional triangle betwee...

'King Ludwig has fascinated me ever since I was a child, yet fascination is not quite the right word. Fellow-feeling would be the proper phrase...' David Stacton, 1957With his fourth published novel - and his first on historical themes and personages - David Stacton's writing career took a decisive turn. Remember Me, over which he laboured for four years, is an extraordinarily vivid and felt portrait of the infamous Ludwig II of Bavaria, evoking with assurance the...

Set against the backdrop of the collapsing Ottoman Empire, the Gallipoli campaign and the subsequent bitter struggle between Greeks and Turks, Birds Without Wings traces the fortunes of one small community in south-west Anatolia - a town in which Christian and Muslim lives and traditions have co-existed peacefully for centuries.When war is declared and the outside world intrudes, the twin scourges of religion and nationalism lead to forced marches and massacres, and the pe...

‘Ma, I feel exhausted with consuming, with taking and grabbing and using. I am so bloated that I feel I cannot breathe any more. I am leaving to find some air, some place where I shall be able to purge myself, push back against the life given me and make my own. I feel I live in a borrowed house. It’s time to find my own . . . Forgive me . . .’ Calcutta, 1967. Unnoticed by his family, Supratik has become dangerously involved in student unrest, agitation, extremist political activism. Compe...

As the first girl to be born into the Nachimanda family in over thirty-five years, the beautiful Devi is the object of adoration of her entire family. Spirited and strong-willed, she befriends the shy Devanna, a young boy whose mother has died in tragic circumstances. Together they grow up amidst the luscious jungles, rolling hills, and coffee plantations of Coorg in Southern India; cocooned by an extended family whose roots to this beautiful land can be traced for centuries. Their futures...

The dramatic and passionate story of Hatshepsut, Queen of Egypt during the Eighteenth dynasty. Ambitious, ruthless and worldly, Hatshepsut established Amun as the chief god of Egypt, bestowing his Priesthood with unprecedented riches and power. This is a story of vision and obsession, of mighty projects and heartbreaking failures -- the story of a woman possessed by the desire for power and the need to love.Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun is part of Moyra Caldecott's magnificen...

"Jennings combines inexhaustible research with the yarn-spinner's art, drawing indelible portraits of Marco [Polo] . . . on the long journey. Stunning." — Los Angeles Times Book ReviewMarco Polo was nicknamed "Marco of the millions" because his Venetian countrymen took the grandiose stories of his travels to be exaggerated, if not outright lies. As he lay dying, his priest, family, and friends offered him a last chance to confess his mendacity, and Marco, i...

The Woman in the Dunes, by celebrated writer and thinker Kobo Abe, combines the essence of myth, suspense and the existential novel.After missing the last bus home following a day trip to the seashore, an amateur entomologist is offered lodging for the night at the bottom of a vast sand pit. But when he attempts to leave the next morning, he quickly discovers that the locals have other plans. Held captive with seemingly no chance of escape, he is tasked with shoveling back...