An evocative historical novel that explores the rising influence of Dickens's work in mid–19th century London through the journey of a young woman's struggle against poverty and injustice. In the winter of 1836, a young journalist named Charles Dickens held an infant in his arms. Only eight months of age, Ruby Spriggs was living under the most deplorable conditions that existed in London. Crushing poverty seemed her only future. Through the intervention of kind patrons, the child blossoms into a young woman instilled with a love of learning and books. But the forces that Dickens fought against for most of his life threaten to destroy her. At the heart of The Baker's Tale is Ruby Spriggs; Edwin Chatfield, the young man who would be her lover; Alexander Murd, the scheming coal baron who would destroy them; Abraham Hart, a dwarf who befriends Ruby in a faraway land; and Octavius Joy, a 19th–century philanthropist cut from unique cloth. Meticulously researched and masterfully told, The Baker's Tale recreates the voice of beloved author Charles Dickens in gorgeous prose brimming with the atmosphere of historical London. It's a gripping tale of obsession, corruption, hope, and love instilled with the unequaled passion of Dickens's social conscience.

'My name is Laddy Merridew. I'm a cry-baby. I'm sorry.' 'And my name is Ianto Jenkins. I am a coward. And that's worse.' Nine-year old Laddy Merridew, sent to live with the grandmother he barely knows, stumbles off the bus into a small Welsh mining town, where he begins an unlikely friendship with Ianto 'Passchendaele' Jenkins, the town beggar. Through Ianto, Laddy learns of the collapse decades earlier of the coal mine of Kindly Light: a disaster whose legacy has echoed down through the generations and shaped the lives of all who live in the shadow of the colliery, especially Ianto, the keeper of all their stories. Thaddeus 'Icarus' Evans strives in vain to carve wooden feathers that will float; 'Half' Harris and Matty Harris have the same mother and yet have spent a lifetime ignoring each other; 'Baker' Bowen - despite carrying the name of his forebears - has never learned to bake, and James Little, the gas-meter emptier, digs in his allotment by moonlight, his pockets filled with the treasures of his neighbours. Along with the other men of the town and the women who mothered them, married them and mourned them, they are bound together by the shared tragedy of Kindly Light and by the mysterious figure of Ianto Jenkins.

Death is only a stone’s throw away. When a series of accidents begin to occur during the building of the chapel at Queen’s College, they do not appear a cause for major concern. But they quickly grow more serious, and stonemasons are injured. Nicholas Elyot becomes involved after it is discovered that an intruder has reached the college by way of his garden. And when Jordain Brinkylsworth’s youngest student goes missing, it seems at first that his disappearance is unconnected... Surely this serious and studious boy cannot be responsible for the troubles? But when a murder is committed, both Nicholas and Jordain must put their personal views aside to catch the killer, before they can strike again. A totally immersive historical thriller, and the final tale in the Oxford Medieval Mysteries, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, S. J. Parris and D. V. Bishop.

Profiling 48 classic American foods ranging from junk and fast food to main dishes to desserts, this book reveals what made these dishes iconic in American pop culture. Americans have increasingly embraced food culture, a fact proven by the rising popularity of celebrity chefs and the prominence of television shows celebrating food themes. This fascinating overview reveals the surprising story behind the foods America loves. The Story Behind the Dish: Classic American Foods is an engaging pop culture resource which helps tell the story of American food. Each chapter is devoted to one of 48 distinctive American dishes and features the story of where the food developed, what inspired its creation, and how it has evolved. The book not only covers each food as a single entry, but also analyzes the themes and events that connect them, making the text useful as both a reference and a narrative on the history of food.

Possibly the world's first feminist mystery--by the author of the best-selling The Yellow Wallpaper.

This meticulously edited Anthony Trollope collection is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents:_x000D_ Chronicles of Barsetshire:_x000D_ The Warden_x000D_ Barchester Towers_x000D_ Doctor Thorne_x000D_ Framley Parsonage_x000D_ The Small House at Allington_x000D_ The Last Chronicle of Barset_x000D_ Palliser Novels:_x000D_ Can You Forgive Her?_x000D_ Phineas Finn_x000D_ The Eustace Diamonds_x000D_ Phineas Redux_x000D_ The Prime Minister_x000D_ The Duke's Children_x000D_ Irish Novels:_x000D_ The Macdermots of Ballycloran_x000D_ The Kellys and the O'Kellys_x000D_ Castle Richmond_x000D_ An Eye for an Eye_x000D_ The Landleaguers_x000D_ Other Novels:_x000D_ La Vendée_x000D_ The Three Clerks_x000D_ The Bertrams_x000D_ Orley Farm_x000D_ The Struggles of Brown, Jones & Robinson_x000D_ Rachel Ray_x000D_ Miss Mackenzie_x000D_ The Belton Estate_x000D_ The Claverings_x000D_ Nina Balatka_x000D_ Linda Tressel_x000D_ He Knew He Was Right_x000D_ The Vicar of Bullhampton_x000D_ Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite_x000D_ Ralph the Heir_x000D_ The Golden Lion of Granpère_x000D_ Harry Heathcote of Gangoil_x000D_ Lady Anna_x000D_ The Way We Live Now_x000D_ The American Senator_x000D_ Is He Popenjoy?_x000D_ John Caldigate_x000D_ Cousin Henry_x000D_ Ayala's Angel_x000D_ Doctor Wortle's School_x000D_ The Fixed Period_x000D_ Kept in the Dark_x000D_ Marion Fay_x000D_ Mr. Scarborough's Family_x000D_ An Old Man's Love_x000D_ Short Stories:_x000D_ Tales of All Countries:_x000D_ La Mère Bauche_x000D_ The O'Conors of Castle Conor_x000D_ John Bull on the Guadalquivir_x000D_ Miss Sarah Jack, of Spanish Town, Jamaica_x000D_ The Courtship of Susan Bell_x000D_ Relics of General Chassé_x000D_ An Unprotected Female At the Pyramids…_x000D_ Lotta Schmidt & Other Stories_x000D_ An Editor's Tales_x000D_ Why Frau Frohmann Raised Her Prices and other Stories_x000D_ Other Stories_x000D_ Plays:_x000D_ Did He Steal It?_x000D_ The Noble Jilt_x000D_ Travel Writings:_x000D_ The West Indies and the Spanish Main_x000D_ North America_x000D_ South Africa_x000D_ How the 'Mastiffs' Went to Iceland_x000D_ Sketches:_x000D_ Hunting Sketches_x000D_ Travelling Sketches_x000D_ Clergymen of the Church of England_x000D_ Studies & Essays:_x000D_ The Commentaries of Caesar_x000D_ Thackeray_x000D_ Life of Cicero_x000D_ Lord Palmerston_x000D_ A Walk in a Wood_x000D_ On Anonymous Literature_x000D_ On English Prose Fiction as Rational Amusement_x000D_ On the Higher Education of Women_x000D_ The Civil Service as a Profession_x000D_ The National Gallery_x000D_ Clarissa_x000D_ The Uncontrolled Ruffianism of London_x000D_ The Young Women at the London Telegraph Office_x000D_ An Autobiography of Anthony Trollope_x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_