A towering figure in the history of Islamic scholarship, who shaped biographical literature and the emerging genre of city histories
';Abd al-Jabbar ibn Hamdis (10551133) survives as the best-known figure from four centuries of Arab-Islamic civilisation on the island of Sicily. There he grew up in a society enriched by a century of cultural development but whose unity was threatened by competing warlords. After the Normans invaded, he followed many other Muslims in emigrating, first to North Africa and then to Seville, where he began his career as a court poet. Although he achieved fame and success in his time, Ibn Hamdis was forced to bear witness to sectarian strife among the Muslims of both Sicily and Spain, and the gradual success of the Christian reconquest, including the decline of his beloved homeland. Through his verse, William Granara examines his life and times.
';Lucid, informed and persuasive' Evening Standard ';Thought-provoking' Daily Mail ';An extraordinary book' Nicholas Evans, author of The Horse Whisperer The history of humanity's relationship with other species is baffling. Without animals there would be no us. We are all fellow travellers on the same evolutionary journey. By charting the lovehate story of people and animals, from their first acquaintance in deep prehistory to the present and beyond, Richard Girling reveals how and where our attitudes towards animals began and how they have persisted, been warped and become magnified ever since. In dazzling prose, The Longest Story tells of the cumulative influence of theologians, writers, artists, warriors, philosophers, farmers, activists and scientists across the centuries, now locking us into debates on farming, extinction, animal rights, pets, experiments and religion. ';Essential reading' Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming and author of Farmageddon
The most talented musical family in the world. For the first time, mother Kadie Kanneh-Mason shares her unique story.
';Laughs, family, friendships and a thrilling adventure Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire has it all.' Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. ';Fast-paced, clever and completely hilarious with the BEST cast of characters... LOVE IT TO BITS.' Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of Dosh10-year-old Tess is a born entrepreneur. She just needs to come up with the perfect money-making scheme. Then she finds a million quid buried in her back garden. Never mind where the money came from Tess and her best friend Toby know exactly how to spend it. But, as it turns out, spending a million isn't that easy when you're a kid. Cue bouncy castles, sweets, scheming and a whole lot of troubleFeatures bonus tips on how to become a schoolyard millionaire inside!
A memoir of a fundamentalist Muslim childhood and of redefining faith, belonging and family in adulthood
The unforgettable second book in the Burrowhead Mystery series
The reclaimed history of a woman whose tragic life tells a story of madness, forced marriages and how the super-rich came to own London
Black River is an electrifying return for relentless reporter Tuva Moodyson, from the author of Dark Pines and Red Snow.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes a bold combination of true crime, psychology and a hint of the metaphysical. ';A novel of both great sadness and great beauty; a gripping story drenched in the exquisite allure of the natural world.' Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale ';A tour de force of literary suspense. It pulled me under and left me gasping.' Christina Baker Kline, author of The Exiles ';Visceral and hauntingly suspenseful.' Aimee Molloy, author of The Perfect MotherA detective hiding away from the world. A disappearance that reaches into her past. Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective living in San Francisco. When unspeakable tragedy strikes, she turns to the Californian village of Mendocino to grieve. Seeking comfort in the chocolate-box village she grew up in, Anna instead arrives to news that a local girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of a crucial time in Anna's childhood, when an unsolved murder changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna is forced to confront the darkest side of human nature.
Biologist John Spicer shows how closely our future is linked with that of biodiversity while navigating readers through some key problems facing our planet, including mass extinctions, population explosions, habitat destruction, and pollution. Along the way, he provides valuable insight into the impact humans have had upon the earth and its inhabitants, whether efforts such as ecotourism really help, and how scientists and economists calculate the 'value' of biodiversity. Passionately argued, this book is a must for anyone who has an appreciation for nature and wants to understand the real issues at stake in preserving it.
Ahmad ibn Tulun (835884) governed Egypt on behalf of the Abbasid dynasty for sixteen years. An aggressive and innovative actor, he pursued an ambitious political agenda, including the introduction of dynastic rule over Egypt, that put him at odds with his imperial masters. Throughout, however, he retained close ties to the Abbasid house and at no point did he assert outright independence. In this volume, Matthew Gordon considers Ibn Tulun's many achievements in office as well as the crises, including the betrayals of his eldest son and close clients, that marred his singular career.
The story of the creation, history and near destruction of Notre-Dame in the fire of April 2019 - and the controversy behind the plans for reconstruction
Nothing begins when you thought it did...
Join best friends Katy, Cassie and Zia on a series of amazing adventures as they work together to save the planet...
Two hundred years from the birth of the Bab, this volume offers a unique, wide-ranging exploration of the life and legacy of the Bab, the Babi community of Iran, and the origins of the Baha'i faith
In the first of the Burrowhead Mysteries, an atmospheric murder investigation unearths the brutal history of a village where no one is innocent.
The thrilling sequel to the critically-acclaimed Mrs Mohr Goes Missing
Is mental illness a disease of the brain or a disease of the mind?
Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, a devastating story of displacement, war, and the unlikely glimmer of hope in the dark
A groundbreaking study of the Iranian People's Fada'i Guerrillas, their ideology, actions and impact on the 1979 revolution
If Wes Anderson wrote feisty, female-led mysteries set in Poland, this is what he might write! Cracow, 1893. Desperate to relieve her boredom and improve her social standing, Zofia Turbotynska decides to organise a charity raffle. In a bid to recruit the patronage of elderly aristocratic ladies, she visits Helcel House, a retirement home run by nuns. But when two of the residents are found dead, Zofia discovers that her real talents lie in solving mysteries. Inspired by Agatha Christie and filled with period character and zesty charm, series opener Mrs Mohr Goes Missing vividly recreates life in turn-of-the-century Poland, confronting a range of issues from class prejudice to women's rights, and proves that everyone is capable of finding their passion in life, however unlikely that passion may seem.
An epic history revealing how the US and Iran went from allies to adversaries over three hundred years
The startlingly young genius and his professor delve into the rich and strange world of mathematics
Who says you can't fight fascism in a cassock?
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