Ros Barber

On May 30th, 1593, a celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in London. That, at least, was the official version. Now let Christopher Marlowe tell you the truth: that his 'death' was an elaborate ruse to avoid his being hanged for heresy; that he was spirited across the channel to live on in lonely exile, longing for his true love and pining for the damp streets of London; that he continued to write plays and poetry, hiding behind the name of a colourless man from Stratford - one William Shakespeare. With the grip of a thriller and the emotional force of a sonnet, this extraordinary novel in verse gives voice to a man who was brilliant, passionate, mercurial and not altogether trustworthy. The son of a cobbler who rose so far in Elizabethan society that he counted nobles among his friends and patrons, a spy in the Queen's service, a fickle lover and a declared religious sceptic, he was always courting trouble. When it caught up with him, he was lucky to have connections powerful enough to help him escape. Memoir, love letter, settling of accounts and a cry for recognition as the creator of some of the most sublime works in the English language, this is Christopher Marlowe's testament - and a tour de force by an award-winning poet: provocative, persuasive and enthralling.

A Novel in Verse

The Marlowe Papers

April is angry.Only nineteen, she is an elective mute, accused of a religiously motivated atrocity. Dr Finlay Logan is broken. A borderline-suicidal psychologist still reeling from his daughter’s death, he must assess April’s sanity in a world where – ten years after the death of Richard Dawkins – moves have been made to classify religious belief as a form of mental illness. Both April and Finlay struggle to understand what has happened to them, sharing secrets, silence and an inability to deal with the world around them. Gently unpicking the lives of these two broken characters, Barber offers a psychologically acute and deeply moving exploration of grief. An extraordinary novel from one of the brightest rising stars in fiction.

Devotion

Mark Rylance

The bestselling 30-Second series takes a revolutionary approach to learning about those subjects you feel you should really understand. Each title selects a popular topic and dissects it into the 50 most significant ideas at its heart. Every idea, no matter how complex, is explained in 300 words and one image, all digestible in just 30 seconds. 30-Second Shakespeare uses this unique approach to grapple with the worlds most famous playwright. From what we know of his life and the intrigue of the authorship question, to uncoding the meanings of key concepts, themes and motifs, and the Bards extraordinary enduring literary and linguistic legacy.

50 Key Aspects of his Works, Life and Legacy, each explained in Half a Minute

30-Second Shakespeare

One of the most exciting new voices in British poetry

How Things are on Thursday

The Bodyboard Manual is the definitive guide to bodyboarding, the most exciting and accessible watersport on the planet – fact! This fifth edition has been expanded and updated to include more info, more tips and more dream destinations for bodyboarders of all abilities. For beginners there are sections covering the basics – equipment, technique, safety, swell forecasting...all the things you need to know to get started. For intermediate and advanced riders there’s info about how to bust sick manoeuvres, where to find the best bodyboard waves, how to get super fit, how to win contests, and heaps more. With tips and advice from the world's top bodyboarders there’s useful stuff for every situation. Author Rob Barber is the editor of ThreeSixty, Europe’s leading bodyboard magazine, and a bodyboard instructor with nearly two decades of experience. The Bodyboard Manual includes a stack of quality imagery taken by the best photographers in the biz, including Sacha Specker, Ray Collins, Tim Jones, Rod Owen, Mike Searle, Tim McKenna, Andy Lawrence, Tom Young, Russell Ord and Mickey Smith. The book also includes a comprehensive resources section where boogers can find up-to-date info about travel agencies, surf camps, bodyboard schools, shops and websites. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an air-busting shredder, The Bodyboard Manual will help you take your bodyboarding to the next level.

The Essential Guide to Bodyboarding

The Bodyboard Manual

The bestselling 30-Second... series takes a revolutionary approach to learning about those subjects you feel you should really understand. Each title selects a popular topic and dissects it into the 50 most significant ideas at its heart. Every idea, no matter how complex, is explained in 300 words and one image, all digestible in just 30 seconds. 30-Second Shakespeare uses this unique approach to grapple with the world's most famous playwright. From what we know of his life and the intrigue of the authorship question, to uncoding the meanings of key concepts, themes and motifs, and the Bard's extraordinary enduring literary and linguistic legacy.

50 Key Aspects of His Work, Life, and Legacy, Each Explained in Half a Minute

Intends to form a meditation on human loss.

Material

Fifty interesting facts, plots, and motifs about Shakespeaere, each explained in a minute. Know It All: Shakespeare uses a unique approach to grapple with the work and influence of the world's most famous playwright. This absorbing crash course in William Shakespeare takes the reader through what we know of his life and then turns to uncoding key concepts, themes, and motifs in his plays and works. Finally, the reader is given a succinct look at the Bard's extraordinary literary and linguistic legacy.

Ros Barber

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