THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Ambitious and beautifully crafted' THE TIMES 'Faulks writes with great emotional authority' SUNDAY TIMES Amidst the letters of the alphabet, a life reveals itself. Flashing backwards and forwards through time, we meet Pietro Russell. As a photographer in Sri Lanka, a schoolboy in Fulham and even before he was born to his wounded English father and young Italian mother. The extraordinary moments of Pietro's life are navigated with unique imagination, giving the reader a chance to view a life from a new and moving vantage point. A Fool's Alphabet is a novel of true invention from a master storyteller that sees life in all of its compelling, poignant glory.

The events of Pietro Russell's life are told in 26 chapters. From A-Z each chapter is set in a different place and reveals a fragment of his story. As his memories flicker back and forth through time in his search for a resolution to the conflicts of his life, his story gradually unfolds.

Pietro Russell's nomadic life unfolds alphabetically, not chronologically, with each segment from A to Z corresponding to the first letter of a place, such as L for Lyndonville, the town in which he fell in love. By the author of A Trick of the Light.

A New York Times Bestseller! A "raucous trip through the odd corners of our alphabet." —The New York Times Let's get real—the English language is bizarre. A might be for apple, but it's also for aisle and aeons. Why does the word "gnat" start with a G but the word "knot" doesn't start with an N? It doesn't always make sense, but don't let these rule-breaking silent letters defeat you! This whimsical, funky book from Raj Haldar (aka rapper Lushlife) turns the traditional idea of an alphabet book on its head, poking fun at the most mischievous words in the English language and demonstrating how to pronounce them. Fun and informative for word nerds of all ages!

Celebrate 20 years of A to Z Mysteries! No foolin’! It’s the first of April in Green Lawn! Mr. Paskey, owner of the Book Nook, plays an April Fools’ Day prank on Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. They hatch a plan to get back at him, but then the bookstore is robbed—no joke! Can the kids track down the crook? Or will this April Fools’ be an April fail? The alphabet may be over, but the mysteries continue in this ninth A to Z Mysteries Super Edition, featuring a 26-letter secret message hidden in the illustrations.

Our purpose is threefold: first, to visually introduce an historical character who contributed to the practice of humor and satire in cartoon form. Second, we offer a bit of doggerel to tease some aspect of the person. Third, we settle down and provide a bit of context for the illustration and the verse. Like Horace's dulce et utile, we hope to teach and delight simultaneously. A mix of verse and illustration and commentary is meant to send readers back to the sources, to the rich, varied tradition of wit and humor being used for moral and spiritual reform. It then serves as that mirror that shows the reader his or her face, even as the authors recognize the marks of folly in their own.