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The great city of Beijing, capital of China from the ninth century, was for a millennium one of the most extraordinary places on earth. At a time when London, Paris, or Rome had only several hundred thousand residents, Beijing held over a million. This book tells the history of this great city, and through it provides a highly engaging summary history of China. In the summer of 1997, President Jiang Zemin made a decision to destroy Beijing. There was no announcement, no explanation given, nor any attempt made to justify his decision. Even those working as architects only became aware of what was happening when it was already too late. Expertly moving between historical analysis and reportage, Jasper Becker describes the impact of this systematic destruction, a unique telling of the city's history that encapsulates both the grandeur of its creation and the tragedy of its demise.

Did you know that a full-grown polar bear standing on his hind legs is as tall as an elephant? Polar bears are one of nature?s most beautiful animals, but their home?the Arctic North?is in danger. Kids will love learning about these Arctic animals and finding out more about global warming.

Exclusive, stylish hardback edition, with a specially created cover design.Contains the six major novels: Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice. Also contains the less well-known Lady Susan.

One of the most important works of cultural theory ever written, Walter Benjamin's groundbreaking essay explores how the age of mass media means audiences can listen to or see a work of art repeatedly - and what the troubling social and political implications of this are. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

Adam Smith's landmark treatise on the free market paved the way for modern capitalism, arguing that competition is the engine of a productive society, and that self-interest will eventually come to enrich the whole community, as if by an 'invisible hand'. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

In Amsterdam, an Israeli terrorist analyst is murdered. The police believe the killer is a deranged Muslim extremist, but Israeli intelligence knows better. Art-restorer, assassin and spy Gabriel Allon is dispatched to investigate, uncovering a major terrorist operation in London. Gabriel arrives too late to prevent the kidnapping of the daughter of the US ambassador. With time running out, Allon has no choice but to plunge into a desperate search, both for the woman and for those responsible, but the truth, when he finds it, is more terrible than he could expect. It will endanger his life and shake him to the core.

Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey's 1962 novel has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Now, in a new deluxe edition with a foreword by Chuck Palahniuk and cover by Joe Sacco, here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them all imprisoned.

Elizabeth has wanted two things her entire life to keep her happy and fulfilled - an Italian husband and lots of rosy-cheeked bambini. The first is ticked off now she's bagged dark and sexy Roberto, the second is proving harder to achieve.But when Roberto

"The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories" is a collection of stories that emerged from a profound spiritual crisis, during which Leo Tolstoy believed that he had encountered death itself. This "Penguin Classics" edition is translated with an introduction by Anthony Briggs, David McDuff and Ronald Wilks. These seven compelling stories explore, in very different ways, Tolstoy's preoccupation with mortality. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is a devastating account of a man fighting his inevitable end, and asks the existential question: why must a good person be taken before his time? In "Polikushka", a light-fingered drunk's chance to prove himself has tragic repercussions, while "Three Deaths" depicts the last moments of an aristocrat, a peasant and a tree, and "The Forged Coupon" shows a seemingly minor offence that leads inexorably to ever more horrific crimes. And in three tales about soldiers, "After the Ball", "The Wood-felling" and "The Raid", Tolstoy portrays the brutality that all too often accompanies military life. The translations by Anthony Briggs, David McDuff and Ronald Wilks capture Tolstoy's powerful, vivid prose. This edition also includes a new introduction by Anthony Briggs discussing Tolstoy's breakdown and the effect this had on his writing, as well as a chronology, further reading and notes. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was born at Yasnaya Polyana, in central Russia. He led a life of wasteful idleness until 1851, when he travelled to the Caucasus and joined the army with his older brother, fighting in the Crimean war. After marrying Sofya Behrs in 1862, Tolstoy settled down, managing his estates and writing two of his best-known novels, "War and Peace" (1869) and "Anna Karenina" (1878). In 1884 Tolstoy experienced a spiritual crisis, becoming an extreme moralist, rejecting the state, the church and private property. His last novel, "Resurrection" (1900), was written to raise money for the Doukhobor sect of Christian spiritualists. If you enjoyed "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", you might like Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment", also available in "Penguin Classics".

On the Road chronicles Jack Kerouac's years traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal Cassady, `a sideburned hero of the snowy West.` As `Sal Paradise` and `Dean Moriarty,` the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge and experience. Kerouac's love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz combine to make `On the Road` an inspirational work of lasting importance.

In this epic and revelatory joint biography, one of America's most distinguished historians probes the lives and times of two unlikely leaders whose partnership dominated the world stage and changed the course of history. Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified documents and tapes, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger's tumultuous personal relationship and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach for foreign policy achievements. He also brilliantly analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home and abroad, while recognizing how both men were continually plotting to distract the American public's attention from the growing scandal of Watergate. Authoritative, illuminating and deeply engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provides a startling new portrait and a new understanding of the immense power and sway these two men held in affecting world history.

He is the only world leader to have outlasted nine US presidents, has survived over 600 assassination attempts and remains one of the twentieth century's most controversial figures. Here Castro tells his story in full for the first time, speaking openly about everything from his parents and earliest influences to his imprisonment, guerrilla war and the Cuban revolution and on to the Bay of Pigs, the missile crisis and his relationship with Che Guevara. He also remembers the people he knew, from John F. Kennedy to Ernest Hemingway. Whatever your views on Castro are, this is an essential record of an incredible life - and even more extraordinary times.

Contemporary / American English Allie Fox hates the United States and he hates the twentieth century. He takes his wife and children to the jungle in Honduras to find a new, simpler way of living. But things go wrong, and their lives become much worse and more frightening than anything back home.

Kids will love reading all about the panda Mei Lan, born at the Atlanta Zoo in September 2006. Through her story, they'll learn about what newborn pandas are like (they're the size of a stick of butter!), about their development, and about what life is like for pandas in the wild. This book also touches on efforts to protect this endangered species.

Robert Fagles's latest achievement completes the magnificent triptych of Western epics. A sweeping story of arms and heroism, The Aeneid follows the adventures of Aeneas, who flees the ashes of Troy to embark upon a tortuous course that brings him to Italy and fulfills his destiny as founder of the Roman people. Retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original, this powerful blend of poetry and myth remains as relevant today as when it was first written.

Oliver’s mother dies when he is born and he is brought up in a workhouse. His first years are cold and lonely – and then he runs away to London. But he falls into the hands of Fagin and the terrifying Bill Sykes. They try to turn Oliver into a criminal. Will he escape to find a better life?