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'Breathtaking... vital and important. A wonderful read' PETER FRANKOPAN 'Marvellous... escapes the inane, balance-sheet view of Empire and sees its full complexity' SATHNAM SANGHERA 'A new, global history of British imperialism which feels both epic and immediate' TRISTRAM HUNT 'Extraordinary... (brings] the world of a century ago to fresh, vivid life' ALEX VON TUNZELMANN THE STORY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AT ITS MAXIMUM TERRITORIAL EXTENT On Saturday 29 September 1923, the Palestine Mandate became law and the British Empire now covered a scarcely credible quarter of the world's land mass, containing 460 million people. It was the largest empire the world had ever seen. But it was beset by debt and doubts. This book is a new way of looking at the British Empire. It immerses the reader in the contemporary moment, focusing on particular people and stories from that day, gleaned from newspapers, letters, diaries, official documents, magazines, films and novels: from a remote Pacific island facing the removal of its entire soil, across Australia, Burma, India and Kenya to London and the West Indies. In some ways, the issues of a hundred years ago are with us still: debates around cultural and ethnic identity in a globalised world; how to manage multi-ethnic political entities; racism; the divisive co-opting of religion for political purposes; the dangers of ignorance. In others, it is totally alien. What remains extraordinary is the Empire's ability to reveal the most compelling human stories. Never before has there been a book which contains such a wide spread of vivid experiences from both colonised and coloniser: from the grandest governors to the humblest migrants, policemen and nurses.

'This is a novel about everything and nothing, sour and melancholy, with elements of sheer comedy and almost unbearable beauty... The older Deborah reflects that "I'm surprised any of us lived to tell the tale", and if this subtle book has a message, it is how alien and yet how relatable the past remains' Guardian Book of the Day'A bittersweet, nostalgia-tinged adventure... with a steadily growing voltage' Daily Mail 'A deliciously unsettling read' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures 'Lovely' Patrick GaleA sharp eye and keen wit are brought to bear on the secrets and lies of a small rural community - secrets and lies that may prove deadly.It's 1972 and ten-year-old Deborah is living a ten-year-old life: butterscotch angel delight and Raleigh chopper bikes, and Clunk Click, and Crackajack and Jackanory, Layla and the Bee Gees, flares and ponchos.But new girl Sarah-Jayne breezes into ten-year-old Deborah's school, pretty as a picture and full of gossip and speculation, as well as unlikely but thrilling stories about levitation. The other girls are dazzled but Deborah is wary and keeps her distance. That same week, eighteen-year-old brickie Sonny turns up on her doorstep with a stray tortoise and begins an unlikely friendship with her young widowed mum. That's bad enough, Deborah thinks, but then Sonny starts work on a site opposite the school and Sarah-Jayne decides he's the latest love of her life. Nothing escapes Sarah-Jayne, and Deborah fears what she'll make of her mum. It's good to be different, her mum often says; but not, Deborah knows, too different.So, Deborah changes tactics, keeping her friends close and her enemy closer, even stepping up for some of Sarah-Jayne's levitation sessions. Then she's invited to Sarah-Jayne's lovely house, where she meets her charming family and encounters Sarah-Jayne's big sister's fiance, Max, which is when she senses that all isn't quite as it seems.Readers say:'Suzannah Dunn is a master at dissecting the relationships that are closer than "just friends", those love affairs we have with our oldest friends, the attachments we formed before we were old enough to rationalise our preferences - the friends of our blood and bone. This book is a subtle, elegant and creepily powerful examination of what happens to one such friendship' Five star reader review for Venus Flaring'I love this book and have read it and re-read it many times. It is so evocative of being a teenage girl in the late eighties and yet it somehow manages to be timeless. It perfectly captures the sense of self-importance that we all have as a teenager' Five star reader review for Blood Sugar

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Holland, who co-hosts the podcast The Rest Is History, is at his best when having fun with Rome's bloody history' The Times 'A book for lovers of traditional, grand sweep narrative history' Sunday Times The definitive history of Rome's golden age - antiquity's ultimate superpower at the pinnacle of its greatness The Pax Romana has long been revered as a golden age. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Arabia, and contained perhaps a quarter of humanity. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state the world had yet seen. Beginning in 69AD, a year that saw four Caesars in succession rule the empire, and ending some seven decades later with the death of Hadrian, Pax presents a dazzling history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland portrays the Roman Empire in all its predatory glory. Vivid scene follows vivid scene: the destruction of Jerusalem and Pompeii, the building of the Colosseum and Hadrian's Wall, the conquests of Trajan. Vividly sketching the lives of Romans both ordinary and spectacular, from slaves to emperors, Holland demonstrates how Roman peace was the fruit of unprecedented military violence. A stunning portrait of Rome's glory days, this is the epic history of the pax Romana.

How are you going to spend your summer holiday? Will you be going on a sunny beach holiday, meeting your friends at the park, or relaxing in the garden with an ice cream? This title is packed with short stories, puzzles, facts and activities all about summer holidays. A fantastic collection of short stories, activities and puzzles all about summer holidays, perfect for any Jacqueline Wilson fan.How are you going to spend your summer holiday? Will you be going on a sunny beach holiday, meeting your friends at the park, or relaxing in the garden with an ice cream?Jacqueline Wilson's Happy Holidays is the perfect read for any fan. It's packed with brilliant short stories, puzzles, facts and activities all about summer holidays, and includes a very special brand-new story from Jacqueline. Join Tracy, Hetty and all your other favourite characters for the best summer ever! Autorid: Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt

Clover Moon's imagination is her best escape from a life of hardship in poverty-stricken Victorian London. When tragedy plunges her into a world of grief, Clover realizes that everything she loved about the place she called home is gone. Clover hears of a place she could run to, but where will she find the courage - and the chance - to break free? Clover Moon’s imagination is her best escape from a life of hardship in poverty-stricken Victorian London. When tragedy plunges her into a world of grief, Clover realizes that everything she loved about the place she called home is gone. Clover hears of a place she could run to, but where will she find the courage – and the chance – to break free? And could leaving her family be just what she needs to find a place that really feels like home? Introducing the brilliant and brave new heroine from the wonderful world of the bestselling and award-winning Jacqueline Wilson. Autorid: Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt, Nick Sharratt

Tilly can't believe it when her best friend Matty is asked to be a bridesmaid. In Tilly's favourite daydream, she's wearing the most beautiful bridesmaid dress and walking down the aisle behind a bride. The one wedding she'd really love to attend is her own mum and dad's - but it seems like that's never going to happen. Tilly can’t believe it when her best friend Matty is asked to be a bridesmaid. In Tilly’s favourite daydream, she’s wearing the most beautiful bridesmaid dress and walking down the aisle behind a bride. The one wedding she’d really love to attend is her own mum and dad’s - but it seems like that's never going to happen. So Tilly decides to make her own dream come true, and puts a notice in the local shop, advertising her services as a bridesmaid. And to her amazement, she gets a reply . . . A fabulous, funny and moving story about finding family and friendship in all sorts of places, from the mega-bestselling author of Tracy Beaker, Hetty Feather and Katy. Autorid: Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt, Nick Sharratt

Tells you what you need to know from the Big Bang to Barack Obama, taking in the Byzantines, the Black Death, Bin Laden and the fall of bankers along the way, all boiled down to bite size chunks so that you can finally piece together all the different bits of history - and see how on earth we ended up in the mess we are today. Refreshes the parts other history books can't reach...A bit ropy on the Renaissance?In the dark about the Enlightenment?Or, in fact, do you need a revision course on the entire history of the world and want to read a witty, irreverent, definitely not boring romp through everything that has ever happened on planet earth -- from 15 billion years BC to the present day? Good.A Less Boring History of the World tells you everything you need to know from the Big Bang to Barack Obama, taking in the Byzantines, the Black Death, the Boston Tea Party, Bonaparte, and Bin Laden along the way. Each historical episode is boiled down to edible, bite size chunks so that you can finally piece together all the different bits of history -- and see how on earth we ended up in the mess we are today. Whipping through the chaotic journey of man, past ancient civilisations, the rise of empires, and the fall of bankers, A Less Boring History of the World refreshes your memory and broadens your mind. And, if that's not enough, it will also make you laugh. A lot. Autorid: Dave Rear