Mad Dogs and Englishmen is a visually arresting and richly informative tour of the British Empire at its height, when its boundaries stretched from Cairo to Cape Town and from Winnipeg to Wagga-Wagga. The empire 'on which the sun never sets' embraced peoples as diverse as head-hunting Dyaks, Eskimos, Fulani horsemen, Gulf sheikhs, Canadian hunters, Zoroastrian pilgrims, and caparisoned maharajahs. In a sequence of thematic chapters examining every aspect of the Empire, from the imperial monarchy to the armed forces, and from district commissioners to dependent territories, Mad Dogs and Englishmen describes the shape and functioning of the largest imperium in world history. Each chapter consists of a lively and accessible essay, accompanied by a vivid and array of captioned pictures, evoking the fascinating spectacle that the British Empire presented to its citizens: the sights, scenes, and organizations that shaped the world view of people in Britain and its colonies and Dominions beyond the seas.

Librarian-spy Irene and her apprentice Kai are back in the second in this “dazzling”* book-filled fantasy series from the author of The Invisible Library. The written word is mightier than the sword—most of the time... Working in an alternate version of Victorian London, Librarian-spy Irene has settled into a routine, collecting important fiction for the mysterious Library and blending in nicely with the local culture. But when her apprentice, Kai—a dragon of royal descent—is kidnapped by the Fae, her carefully crafted undercover operation begins to crumble. Kai’s abduction could incite a conflict between the forces of chaos and order that would devastate all worlds and all dimensions. To keep humanity from getting caught in the crossfire, Irene will have to team up with a local Fae leader to travel deep into a version of Venice filled with dark magic, strange coincidences, and a perpetual celebration of Carnival—and save her friend before he becomes the first casualty of a catastrophic war. But navigating the tumultuous landscape of Fae politics will take more than Irene’s book-smarts and fast-talking—to ward off Armageddon, she might have to sacrifice everything she holds dear.... INCLUDES AUTHOR INTERVIEW

The guide encompasses the careers of over 350 directors from the last 20 years. A must for any film studies library, it is a unique reference to the changing dynamics of these cinemas.

From the bloody plains of Angola to the jungles of Colombia, David Tomkins' career as a safe-breaker, arms dealer and mercenary spans five decades. A permanent fixture on the watch lists of intelligence agencies across the world, including the CIA and Interpol, he has served prison sentences on both sides of the Atlantic, most recently for conspiring to kill Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar. Dirty Combat is a no-holds-barred account of Tomkins' life, candidly told in his own words. Born in London during the Second World War, he was hospitalised for a time in a psychiatric ward and sent to reform school after he was deemed 'beyond parental control'. Later, following a spell in the Merchant Navy, he graduated from safe-blower to demolitions expert with a notorious mercenary army in Angola. From intrigue in Mayfair offices to the wild Tribal Areas of Pakistan, from guerrilla training camps in South America to solitary confinement in a US jail, Tomkins lets us in on the secrets of his life as a soldier of fortune. Tomkins' story reads like a real-life version of a Tom Clancy thriller. It is a shocking account of crime and corruption, and the scope of his activities will amaze and intrigue.

"My Mercedes Is Not for Sale" is a rollicking, witty and insightful tale of an innocent abroad which captures the high-spirited adventure of a young journalist and paints a vivid portrait of West Africa through a surprise-filled journey into its thriving car cult. "My Mercedes is Not for Sale" has all the wit and charm of John Mole's bestselling "Its All Greek to Me!" and Peter Allison's "Don't Run, Whatever You Do" and the philosophical underpinnings of Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".Dutch journalist Jeroen van Bergeijk came up with what seemed like a great scheme for making a quick profit: buy an old banger in Amsterdam and resell it in the Third World, where a market for clapped-out cars still thrives. His chariot of choice is a rusty 1988 Mercedes 190D with 140,000 miles on the clock; his route takes him from Holland through Morocco, across the Sahara, and into some of the least trodden parts of Africa. Van Bergeijk finds himself facing a driving challenge akin to a Dakar Road Rally but encounters obstacles never dreamed of by race-car drivers: active minefields, occasional banditry-mostly by the border guards - and a teenaged, chain-smoking desert guide with a fondness for Tupac lyrics.Food and water are scarce, sandstorms are frequent, and all he has to patch up his many car breakdowns thousands of miles from civilization is a bar of soap, some duct tape, and a pair of women's tights. Then there's the coup he lived through. "My Mercedes Is Not for Sale" captures more than the adventure - it vividly portrays the impact of globalization on Africa through an adventurous and sometimes dangerous journey into its thriving car culture.