"In Peacock, Christine E. Jackson provides a comprehensive survey of the influence of the peacock in the visual arts of many cultures, and of its role in religion and mythology. She also explores its natural history, and reveals how this sedentary bird, native to India and Sri Lanka and reluctant to fly great distances, has come to live in semi-domesticated conditions in so many Western countries."--BOOK JACKET.
'Mesmerising from beginning to end' Lizzie Lane Yorkshire Dales 1850 As a terrible storm rages, Annabelle Wallis is shocked to find a distressed young woman at her cottage door, heavy with child. Moments later a baby girl is born. But by dawn, the mother has vanished, leaving behind the helpless child wrapped only in a silk peacock shawl. When news spreads that Lady Eliza Hartley, sister to wealthy estate owner, John Hartley, has been found dead, Annabelle realises the terrible secret she has stumbled on. Terrified she’ll be blamed for Eliza’s death, Annabelle flees to the filthy slums of York, where she plans to raise the precious orphan as her own. The cobbled streets of York’s slums are no place for a young woman like Annabelle or a Hartley babe and John Hartley is determined to bring them both home. But Annabelle proves impossible to find. Annabelle can’t hide forever from the wealthy Hartley family, but can she ever give up the baby she loves? Praise for AnneMarie Brear: 'AnneMarie Brear writes gritty, compelling sagas that grip from the first page.' Fenella J Miller 'Poignant, powerful and searingly emotional, AnneMarie Brear stands shoulder to shoulder with the finest works by some of the genre’s greatest writers such as Catherine Cookson, Audrey Howard and Rosamunde Pilcher.'
President Abdul Rahman patted me on the shoulders and said, Well done, my child! You have held your flag high! That was really excellent! You have changed the fate of the world today! You really are a brave girl! You deserve to be the leader of the Phoenixians, and I am satisfied again that you will guide them. You have the power to control people, change their minds, and lead them. What happens when a meteorite powerful enough to turn all people above twenty-five into ashes once it reaches the earth? The plan has been plotted. Nothing is an accident! Its all well planned and decided by the so-called gods and goddesses who are nothing but mutants. Can a bunch of teens led by Bindu (Aadhmi, an intelligent robot, a multimillionaire scientist, and a saber-toothed tiger cub) fight against the gods master plan and the evil villain, Dr. Malik, and save the human population from destruction at the same time? To give a touch of awesomeness to this thrilling roller-coaster ride with a nail-biting finish, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle is finally revealed!
Very fine collection of essays a rich feast of scholarship with many discoveries and new interpretations of greatest value for Anglo-Saxon history.' SPECULUM St Cuthbert is known to many as the the saintly bishop of Holy Island inthe 7th century, but he was also a figure of great political and territorial power. The book is divided into four sections, each dealing with different aspects of Cuthbert and his milieu. Among the topics investigated are the early Livesof the Saint, two by Bede himself, and his cult; Lindisfarne, its scriptorium and of course the famous Gospels; the sumptuous treasures gathered round the coffin, such as a portable altar and elaborately-worked silks, many of which are still preserved at Durham; and St Cuthbert's community at Chester-le-Street and Durham. Contributors: J. CAMPBELL, CLARE STANCLIFFE, MICHAEL HERITY, BENEDICTA WARD SLG, MICHAEL LAPIDGE, WALTER BERSCHIN, ALAN THACKER, DEIRDRE O'SULLIVAN, CHRISTOPHER D. VEREY, MICHELLE P. BROWN, JANET BACKHOUSE, R. BRUCE-MITFORD, DIBHI CRINN, NANCY NETZER, ROSEMARY CRAMP, RICHARD N. BAILEY, J.M. CRONYN, C.V. HORIE, R.I. PAGE, JOHN HIGGITT, ELIZABETH COASTWORTH, HERO GRANGER-TAYLOR, CLARE HIGGINS, ANNA MUTHESIUS, ERIC CAMBRIDGE, GERALD BONNER, LUISELLA SIMPSON, DAVID ROLLASON, DAVID HALL, A.J. PIPER, VICTORIA TUDOR
'To be a moderately successful wielder of the rod may be looked upon as a very desirable accomplishment, nay, more, a laudable ambition; but, beyond mere skill in casting a fly and killing and landing a fish, a little rudimentary knowledge of the truly scientific and, consequently, most attractive part of the art is essential in order to attain proficiency.' 'Rodsters' everywhere will welcome the reappearance of David Forster's classic work on the art and science of fishing, with its wealth of detailed piscatorial knowledge and its exhaustive information and guidance in practical matters, from how to make one's own tackle and flies to how and when to catch which fish where. Writing in 1885, Forster tells us that, while the 'angler's skill has advanced wondrously' since the time of Izaak Walton, 'keenness of perception and wariness have developed among the denizens of the liquid element in a degree quite proportionate'. However, armed with this volume, as readable and relevant today as any contemporary manual, 'let there be clear water, clear weather and clear scope for observation' and any enthusiast may pit his or her 'superior intelligence against the animal instincts of the brute creation'.
Unlucky in love, Dr Alexander French, a gruff but likeable surgeon travels to Suffolk to start a new life. There, in a small country village, he meets the rich and impulsive Jardine Savage newly arrived from Jamaica and the new owner of Ramillies, the elegant but now dilapidated ancestral home of the Raynor family. Nearby lives Lizzie Raynor a feisty and brilliant artist who at one stroke lost her father, home and lover and is now forced to be one of Jardine’s tenants. Neither she nor the neighbourhood takes kindly to Ramillies new and exotic occupants. ‘This has been an unlucky house since my father died,’ she said quietly to herself, ‘or before that, since … since he killed the peacock. They all said it would bring bad luck. I used to tell myself it was all the fault of the peacock; it was a kind of comfort. But now this: perhaps the house is cursed after all.’ ‘A delightful book’ The Times ‘A delightful novel, full of humour and poignancy and rich in period detail’ Douglas Reeman, Novelist Winner Boots Romantic Novel of the Year Award
Following the events of An Earthly Crown, the jaran conquest of Rhui intensifies as rebel hearts simmer with conflicting loyalties Across Rhui, the jaran have been taking over towns and bending all non-jaran to the law of their rule. With Ilya Bakhtiian in charge, the nomadic fighters are now preparing an assault on the royal city of Karkand. But within the campaign, another struggle looms. Ilya’s wife, Tess, is not from Rhui, but from Earth, and her brother, Charles, is a duke of the empire that includes Rhui, even though he once instigated a rebellion against it. Still driven by thoughts of a human revolt, Charles travels to Rhui for key information about the past, hoping to bring back his sister—his only heir. Does she want to passively abide by either man’s plan for her, though, and is any challenge to the ancient and mighty Chapalii realistic? His Conquering Sword is the third volume of the Novels of the Jaran, which begin with Jaran and An Earthly Crown and conclude with The Law of Becoming.
