This is an episodic collection of tales set in the mid twelfth century, in the last remaining independent Saxon monarchy in Norman England, due to a nifty legal loophole. Medieval tales of dark deeds, underhand dealings, and horrible tuneless wassailing to hideous wailing crumhornsA set of chronicles in which the King suffers visits from Short and Curly, the two mincing actors from the travelling show Theatre of the Absurd: Lorenz Lawne-Bowlyngge, the flamboyant interior designer: Dr Misaubin, the travelling apothecary and snake-oil man: the misguided owner of a henge-building franchise: Tull, the inventor of the Gardeners Claw: a money-grabbing Water-diviner: an itinerant Tiler: a bunch of homicidal German mercenaries: Joey Pantolooni, the leader of the worst circus on the planet, and many more.Here, for the first time together, are extracts from Wizard Prang's Journal, a chronicler clearly not in the same class as Samuel Pepys, together with the true catastrophic events behind each entry.

A visual journey through the history of North America via a series of engaging, detailed maps, explaining key events and eras from prehistory to the 21st century. Specially created maps tell the story of this vast region: the first human populations and the lands of indigenous peoples; the complex ancient civilizations that arose in Mexico; the first Westerners to arrive on the shores, from the Vikings to the Mayflower; early settlements and the devastating consequences for the indigenous population; the stories of enslaved people and the abolition of slavery; the American Revolution and Civil War that shaped the modern United States; the Mexican-American War; the founding of Canada; and the industrial era and the growth of a global superpower. Brand new maps are accompanied by historic maps, documents, and artefacts, while timelines clearly lay out the chronology of events. Each era is introduced and explained, while features offer a closer look at selected moments. Whether for casual browsing or a deep dive into the past, History of North America Map by Map is essential reading for anyone who wants to know more about this fascinating land.