作者简介： J. K. (Jo) Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury in the UK in 1965. Such a funny-sounding name for a birthplace may have contributed to her talent for collecting odd names. She was quiet, freckly, short-sighted and not very good at sports. She even broke her arm playing netball. Her favourite subject by far was English, but she also liked languages. Jo always loved writing more than anything. 'The first story that I ever wrote down, when I was five or six, was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee. And ever since Rabbit and Miss Bee, I have wanted to be a writer, though I rarely told anyone so. I was afraid they'd tell me I didn't have a hope.' As she got older, Jo kept writing but she never showed what she had written to anyone, except for some of her funny stories that featured her friends as heroines. Jo attended the University of Exeter in Devon where she studied French. When she was 25,

George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fireseries has become, in many ways, the gold standard for modern epicfantasy. Martin--dubbed the "American Tolkien" by Timemagazine--has created a world that is as rich and vital as anypiece of historical fiction, set in an age of knights and chivalryand filled with a plethora of fascinating, multidimensionalcharacters that you love, hate to love, or love to hate as theystruggle for control of a divided kingdom. It is this very vitalitythat has led it to be adapted as the HBO miniseries "Game ofThrones." This boxed set includes the followingnovels: A Game of Thrones A Clash of Kings A Storm of Swords A Feast for Crows

Victory Ford is the darling of the fashion world。Single，attractive，and iconoclastic，she has worked for years to create her own signature line。As Victory struggles to keep her company afloat，she learns crucial lessons about what she really wants in a relationship。 Nico O’Neilly is the glamorous，brilliant editor of Bonfire Magazine——the pop-culture bible for fashion，show business，and politics。Considered one of the most powerful women in publishing，she seems to have it all。But in a mid-life crisis，she suddenly realizes this isn’t enough。 Wendy Healy’s chutzpah has propelled her to the very top of the cut-throat movie industry。When it becomes clear that a competitor is trying to oust her，something has to give—— and Wendy must decide between her career and her marriage。 In Lipstick Jungle，Bushnell once again delivers an addictive page-turner of sex and scandal that will keep readers enthralled and guessing to the very last page。

Myths Legends retells the stories central toevery culture that have been passed down from generation togeneration for thousands of years. Coverage extends from thewell-known tales of the Ancient Greeks, which hold the key to theorigin of such phrases as "Achille's heel," to the lesser-known,but richly colorful, myths of the Americas and the East. Topicspreads explore characters and stories in terms of their cultural,psychological, and religious meanings and show their power,purpose, and influence both in their own time and in today's world.Feature spreads visit the sacred sites that can still be seentoday, and underline the importance of themes that appear acrosscultures and through the centuries. In looking at such universalthemes as creation, heroic trials, tricksters' lessons, and deathand the afterlife, Myths Legends investigates howdifferent cultures have addressed questions such as How was theworld created? How did man learn to use fire? and Why do we growold?

First published in 1938, The Hobbit is a story that "grew inthe telling," and many characters and events in the published bookare completely different from what Tolkien first wrote to readaloud to his young sons as part of their "fireside reads." For thefirst time, The History of the Hobbit reproduces the originalversion of one of literature's most famous stories, and includesmany little-known illustrations and previously unpublished maps forThe Hobbit created by Tolkien himself. Also featured are extensiveannotations and commentaries on the date of composition, howTolkien's professional and early mythological writings influencedthe story, the imaginary geography he created, and how he came torevise the book in the years after publication to accommodateevents in The Lord of the Rings.

Jane Austen is without question, one of England's most enduring and skilled novelists. With her wit, social precision, and unerring ability to create some of literature's most charismatic and believable heroines, she mesmerises her readers as much today as when her novels were first published. Whether it is her sharp, ironic gaze at the Gothic genre invoked by the adventures of Catherine Morland in "Northanger Abbey"; the diffident and much put-upon Fanny Price struggling to cope with her emotions in "Mansfield Park"; her delightfully paced comedy of manners and the machinations of the sisters Elinor and Marianne in "Sense and Sensibility"; the quiet strength of Anne Elliot in "Persuasion" succeeding in a world designed to subjugate her very existence; and Emma - 'a heroine whom no one but myself will like' teased Austen - yet another irresistible character on fire with imagination and foresight.Indeed not unlike her renowned creator, Jane Austen is as sure-footed in her steps through society's whirlpools of

The first three books in von Ziegesar's Gossip Girls series are packaged together in this paperback boxed set. Includes "Gossip Girl, You Know You Love Me," and "All I Want Is Everything."

Magic abounds in this tall,deluxe pop-up carousel that brings Hogwarts School to life!Open the book and then tie the covers together with the purple ribbons for an impressive permanent carousel in your child's room...or fold it back up for easy reshelving.Children will adore identifying rooms and objects they remember from the beloved Harry Potter series,with plenty of flaps to lift and tabs to slide to unveil the ghosts and things that go bump in the night.You can even see where Harry Potter sleeps,and lift the lid of the trunk at the end of his bed!The carousel also features a sheet of punch-out cardboard characters from Severus Snape to Hagrid,so imaginative youngsters can move them around the school.Collectors and Harry Potter fans,rejoice!(Ages 4 and older)

#1 Worldwide Bestseller—More Than 80 Million Copies Sold As millions of readers around the globe have already discovered, The Da Vinci Code is a reading experience unlike any other. Simultaneously lightning-paced, intelligent, and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail, Dan Brown's novel is a thrilling masterpiece—from its opening pages to its stunning conclusion.

In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world’s most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon’s beloved mentor, P

Six years in the writing, The Lost Symbol is Dan Brown's extraordinary sequel to his internationally bestselling Robert Langdon thrillers, Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Nothing is ever what it first appears in a Dan Brown novel. Set over a breathtaking 12 hour time span, the book's narrative takes the reader on an exhilarating journey through a masterful and unexpected landscape as Professor of Symbology, Robert Langdon, is once again called into action. Expertly researched and written with breakneck pace, The Lost Symbol once again demonstrates why Dan Brown is the world's bestselling thriller writer. 作者简介： Dan Brown is the bestselling author of Digital Fortress, Deception Point, Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he has taught English and creative writing. He lives in New England. Visit his UK website at www.danbrownofficial.co.uk.

Londres, été 1888. Sous le poids d'une chaleur suffocante, laville est saisie d'horreur par les premiers meurtres de celui qu'onnommera bient?t " Jack l'Eventreur ". Pourtant, aucune des enquêtesdu célèbre Sherlock Holmes ne mentionne la plus fameuse affairecriminelle qui ait agité ses contemporains. Bien des années plustard, le docteur Watson confie à son éditeur le journal del'investigation qu'il mena aux c?tés du détective surl'insaisissable tueur en série. Une terrible plongée dans l'enferdes bas-fonds londoniens, sur les pas du meurtrier le plussanguinaire et le plus énigmatique que l'Angleterre ait connu.

BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER in Gift Condition-Excellent Buy!-Ships FAST, protected in a Cardboard Box. Bookseller Inventory#mpbd0325。

Everyone has a little dirty laundry. Especially the delectable divas who live on Wisteria Lane...With its darkly comedic take on suburban life, and its unconventional heroines, Desperate Housewives has got the world buzzing. Audiences have been captivated by ill-fated Susan Mayer, ever-perfect Bree Van De Kamp, harried mother-of-four Lynette Scavo, and beautiful but unhappy Gabriela Solis. And in DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, we go behind-the-scenes to get the dish and dirt on everyone's favourite homemakers. Inside you'll discover: hundreds of revealing photographs; in-depth interviews and profiles of the cast; the original pilot *, including unaired scenes; the inspiration behind the housewives' fashions; sizzling quotes from the show; how guest stars are chosen; delicious recipes from each housewife; a comprehensive episode guide to Season One; an exclusive look at the plot lines abandoned in Season One, including some that might still make it to Season Two or Three...; a foreword by the show'

The incomparable Miriam Margolyes applies her story-telling and histrionic gifts to this classic satire of two young English women, one bad but clever and the other good but stupid, who come to no good during the Napoleonic Wars. The abridgers have cut a bit too much at the expense of the characterizations. Although sounding somewhat forced, Margolyes, as always, gives an excellent performance. Y.R. AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

After having lost her family and the luxurious life she livedin beautiful Napa, California, Ava Winters finds herself on RebunIsland, Japan, the site of Satoshi Takeda's Revenge School. There,Ava meets Reena, Jon, Cruz, and Jane. At Revenge School, Ava alsomeets Emily Thorne who has recently returned to her training withTakeda. Emily shares her wisdom about Revenge and the importance oflooking for justice in a world where their enemies have thrived.Jon finds a file in Takeda's office detailing the connective tissuelinking the group currently at Revenge School. He presents Ava andthe others with the information, highlighting the looming May 1stdate of an annual gala in Napa where they will all have theopportunity to address their respective "revengendas." Althoughtheir training is not finished, the group feels the time is rightto set out on their mission. Assuming the delicious melodramatictone of the show, the book will reveal twists, turns, murder,collusion and deception. SCHOOLED IN REVENGE will also

"Many say I was the best geisha of my generation," writes Mineko Iwasaki. "And yet, it was a life that I found too constricting to continue. And one that I ultimately had to leave." Trained to become a geisha from the age of five, Iwasaki would live among the other "women of art" in Kyoto's Gion Kobu district and practice the ancient customs of Japanese entertainment. She was loved by kings, princes, military heroes, and wealthy statesmen alike. But even though she became one of the most prized geishas in Japan's history, Iwasaki wanted more: her own life. And by the time she retired at age twenty-nine, Iwasaki was finally on her way toward a new beginning. Geisha, a Life is her story -- at times heartbreaking, always awe-inspiring, and totally true.

A young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing; one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover -- these are the two couples whose story is told in this masterful novel. In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence, we feel "the unbearable lightness of being" not only as the consequence of our pristine actions but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine.

The best-known and most autobiographical of George Eliot’s novels is now available as a Norton Critical Edition. The text of The Mill on the Floss, that of the 1862 third edition for which Eliot made her last revisions, has been annotated in order to assist the reader with obscure references and allusions Backgrounds includes fifteen letters from the 1859-69 period centering on the novel’s content and composition; "Brother and Sister" (1869), a little-known sonnet sequence; and eight Victorian reviews and responses, both published and unpublished, on the novel, including those by Henry James, Algernon Charles Swinurne, and John Ruskin. Judiciously chosen from the wealth of essays on The Mill on the Floss published in this century, Criticism includes ten of the best studies of the novel, providing the reader with historical and critical perspective. The contributors are Leslie Stephen, Virginia Woolf, F. R. Leavis, George Levine, Ulrich Knoepflmacher, Philip Fisher, Mary Jacobus, John Kuci

Robert Langdon, professeur en symbologie, estconvoqué d'urgence par son ami Peter Solomon, philanthrope et ma?onde haut grade, pour une conférence à donner le soir même. Enrejoignant la rotonde du Capitole, il fait une macabre découverte.Ce sera le premier indice d'une quête haletante, des sous-sols dela Bibliothèque du Congrès aux temples ma?onniques, à la recherchedu secret le mieux gardé de la franc-ma?onnerie. Une aventure oùs'affrontent les traditions ésotériques et la formidableintelligence de Robert Langdon.

In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world’s most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon’s beloved mentor, P

Josie Tyrell,white trash,artist's model,teen runaway and denizen of LA's 1980 punk rock scene,finds a chance at real love with art student Michael Faraday.A Harvard dropout and son of a renowned pianist,Michael introduces her to a world of sophistication,and to his own artistic quest for beauty.But when she receives a call from the Los Angeles County Coroner asking her to identify her lover's dead body,her bright dreams fade to black. What happens to a dream when the dreamer is gone?'As Josie struggels to come to some new understanding of the Michael she thought she knew,she finds herself drawn into a dark and twisted relationship with his mother,Meredith.In mutual distrust and blind need they circle one another-their very survival and memory of Michael is at stake. Passionate,wounded, fiercely alive,Josie Tyrell walks the brink of her own destruction as she fights to discover what is left of the brilliant vision of the future she and Michael once nurtured together. 作者简介： Janet F