Written during the 'noisy, bomb-filled winter' of 1940, Margery Allingham's 'The Oaken Heart' records the events and emotions of the Essex village of Tolleshunt D'Arcy during the war. This illustrated edition of features previously unpublished diaries, letters and photos.
This biography was researched in the very room where Margery Allingham worked, and was written with the full co-operation of Margery's sister, her secretary and her housekeeper. It was first published in 1991. Since then, however, new material has becoma available, including a revalationary collection of letters and the startling truth about her husband's relationship with the writer Nancy Spain. Was there a corpse underneath the sofa? The book's new title, new introduction and afterword invite the reader to look again. The Adventures of Margery Allingham is a new edition of Margery Allingham: a Biography published by William Heinemann Ltd in 1991.
Vitala Salonius, champion of the warlike game of Caturanga, is as deadly as she is beautiful. She’s a trained assassin for the resistance, and her true play is for ultimate power. Using her charm and wit, she plans to seduce her way into the emperor’s bed and deal him one final, fatal blow, sparking a battle of succession that could change the face of the empire. As the ruler of a country on the brink of war and the son of a deposed emperor, Lucien must constantly be wary of an attempt on his life. But he’s drawn to the stunning Caturanga player visiting the palace. Vitala may be able to distract him from his woes for a while—and fulfill other needs, as well. Lucien’s quick mind and considerable skills awaken unexpected desires in Vitala, weakening her resolve to finish her mission. An assassin cannot fall for her prey, but Vitala’s gut is telling her to protect this sexy, sensitive man. Now she must decide where her heart and loyalties lie and navigate the dangerous war of politics before her gambit causes her to lose both Lucien and her heart for good.…
World War II on the home front: “Fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or James Herriot will enjoy this unique historical account.” —Library Journal This remarkable firsthand account—from the acclaimed Golden Age mystery author—was written to let people know how the Second World War affected ordinary English country people. The Oaken Heart is Margery Allingham’s tribute to the resiliency and determination of the people of Tolleshunt D’Arcy, the Essex village where she lived and nicknamed “Auburn” in her manuscript. Allingham, already a successful mystery author in 1939, was at work on the Albert Campion novel Traitor’s Purse. The first hint of war was felt in the alarm of a radio announcer’s voice, and Allingham put down her pen as her peaceful corner of the world braced for sending its men into battle, and even possible invasion. As villagers rallied around the cause—supporting each other and their country—Allingham found herself acting as the local billeting officer and first aid organizer. She writes of the sacrifices of farmers, the mistrust of politics, the grim acceptance of rationing, the bombing of London. And through it all, the never-ending hope for peace. The Oaken Heart captures the personal and universal toll of war, far from the front lines, written by a woman whose own quest for justice jumped from the page to the streets where she lived. “Engrossing and moving.” —Kirkus Reviews “Her record of the events and people of this fraught wartime period is rendered with the skill found in the best of her fictional writing . . . remains an insight into another facet of a remarkable talent.” —Crime Time
The March/April 2021 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine. Featuring new fiction by Catherynne M. Valente, Dominica Phetteplace, Caroline M. Yoachim, Carrie Vaughn, Rati Mehotra, and Sarah Pinsker. Reprint fiction by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Essays by Tansy Rayner Roberts, Sid Jain, Marieke Nijkamp, and Jay Edidin, poetry by Tamara Jerée, Brandon O'Brien, Terese Mason Pierre, and Ali Trotta, interviews with Caroline M. Yoachim by Tina Connolly, and Sarah Pinsker by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Paul Lewin, and editorials by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas. Uncanny Magazine is a bimonthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in November 2014. Edited by 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020 Hugo award winners for best semiprozine, and 2018 Hugo award winners for Best Editor, Short Form, Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Chimedum Ohaegbu and Elsa Sjunneson, each issue of Uncanny includes new stories, poetry, articles, and interviews.
In British Women Writers of World War II , Phyllis Lassner offers a challenging analysis of politicized literature in which such British women writers as Virginia Woolf, Elizabeth Bowen, Stevie Smith and Storm Jameson debated the `justness' of World War II. Lassner questions prevailing approaches to women's war writing by exploring the complex range of pacifist and activist literary forms of women who redefined such pieties as patriotism and duty and heroism and victimization.
Uncommon folktales and a few old favorites revived and retold for young people and tradition keepers. Folk and fairy tales celebrate different cultures and ways to see the world. A collection of the author's favorite folktales from his professional storytelling repertoire, retold in contemporary jargon for young reader, UNDER THE OAKEN BOUGH is an anthology which breathes new life into the folk and fairy tales of old. Professional storyteller, Simon Brooks, has written the stories he loves to tell in the style he uses on stage, whether at a library, school, college, private event or festival. Each story concludes with brief notes about the tale. This wonderful little book is a must have, not just for young people entering the realm of folk and fairy tales for themselves, but for parents who love to read to their children, teachers and librarians. The book includes a Q & A section with the author, a guide on how to tell stories, suggested reading, and a list of vocabulary words and their meanings. Half of the eighteen stories come from Europe, the remainder from the rest of the world. Some of these stories are old favorites, but inside you will find stories which can be hard to find, and seldom told. Join Simon Under the Oaken Bough and step into another realm, far, far away.
This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. How well did civilian morale stand up to the pressures of total war and what factors were important to it? This book rejects contentions that civilian morale fell a long way short of the favourable picture presented at the time and in hundreds of books and films ever since. While acknowledging that some negative attitudes and behaviour existed—panic and defeatism, ration-cheating and black-marketeering—it argues that these involved a very small minority of the population. In fact, most people behaved well, and this should be the real measure of civilian morale, rather than the failing of the few who behaved badly. The book shows that although before the war, the official prognosis was pessimistic, measures to bolster morale were taken nevertheless, in particular with regard to protection against air raids. An examination of indicative factors concludes that moral fluctuated but was in the main good, right to the end of the war. In examining this phenomenon, due credit is accorded to government policies for the maintenance of morale, but special emphasis is given to the ‘invisible chain’ of patriotic feeling that held the nation together during its time of trial.
It takes a village to bury a child... September 1st, 1939. As the mass evacuation takes place across Britain, thousands of children leave London for the countryside, but when a little girl vanishes without a trace, the reality of separation becomes more urgent and more deadly for those who love her. In the chaos and uncertainty of war, Josephine struggles with the prospect of change. As a cloud of suspicion falls across the small Suffolk village she has come to love, the conflict becomes personal, and events take a dark and sinister turn. Blending a Golden Age mystery with the timeless fears of a child’s abduction, Dear Little Corpses is an atmospheric snapshot of England in the early days of war.