Mr Edgar Finchley, unmarried clerk, aged 45, is told to take a holiday for the first time in his life. He decides to go to the seaside. But Fate has other plans in store…From his abduction by a cheerful crook, to his smuggling escapade off the south coast, the timid but plucky Mr Finchley is plunged into a series of the most astonishing and extraordinary adventures.His rural adventure takes him gradually westward through the English country...

How do we understand academic freedom today? Does it still have relevance in a globalreconfiguring of higher education in the interests of the economy, rather than the publicgood? And locally, is academic freedom no more than an inconvenient ideal, paid lip serviceto South Africa’s Constitution as an individual right, but neglected in institutional practice?This book argues that the core content of academic freedom—the principle of supporting andextendin...

Book 3 of the classic trilogy of humorous rural adventures through pre-war EnglandMr Finchley takes a fancy to a horse-drawn caravan that he sees for sale, but his new wife does not relish the prospect of a caravan journey so she goes to visit her brother, while he sets out to explore the countryside and go house-hunting.While learning to handle the horse and the caravan, he encounters a variety of eccentrics and country characters, and sev...

In THE HONORABLE OUTSIDERS Jack Higgins offers up an intensely atmospheric tale set during the tense days in Spain in the years leading up to the Spanish Civil War. A short, stately coming-of-age novel, we see this era anew through the eyes of a young Cambridge-educated, emotionally repressed Irishman who arrives in Andalusia to tutor the young children of a large landowner, surrounded by a countryside seething with poverty but bound inextricably by tradition. The portrait Higgins paints o...

Raymond Williams' prolific output is increasingly recognised as the most influential body of work on literary and cultural studies in the past fifty years. This book provides the most comprehensive study to date of the theoretical and historical context of Williams' thinking on literature, politics and culture.John Higgins traces:* Williams' intellectual development* the related growth of a New Left cultural politics* the origins of the theory and practice of cu...

A new collection of A. A. Milne’s short stories for grown-ups. Gathered in full for the first time, they include several never published before. They show Milne’s renowned charm, concision and whimsical flair in all their brilliance.He paints memorable scenes – from a children’s birthday party, to an accidental encounter with murder, and a case of blackmail – often with an unexpected twist. But he also deals in poignancy, from the girl who pulls the wool over her boyfriend’s eyes, ...

Book 2 of the classic trilogy of humorous adventuresAn ebullient Mr Finchley is about to propose marriage to a lady he had rescued from mishap, when he is sent to Paris by his firm.There he manages to upset a boat, adopt a stray orphan and get himself kidnapped. The fine tangle he gets into takes some unravelling! Only when eventually back in London does he complete the proposal of marriage that was interrupted at the start....

A life-affirming story of family and personal self-discoveryWhen George, the eldest son of Matthew Silverman, announces he won’t follow his father’s footsteps as editor of the family-owned local newspaper, the family finds itself on a course for change. The newspaper has been going for nearly 100 years.With younger brother Alexander and sisters Loraine and Alison growing up fast too, and gradual progress in the world around them, can Matthew do what’s best ...

What’s going on behind the doors of Fountain Inn?When her employer suddenly disappears, young Grace Kirkstall finds herself accepting a new job at a new company in the same building – an oasis of tranquillity off the streets of London.Ben and Helen Brown’s startup company’s pitch is that, for a small consideration, they will help people out of their major and minor fixes. Their first big commission initiates Ben into the gentle art of house...

On a night of wild storms, two troubled figures escape from captivity.One is a 15-year-old boy, Samuel Miles, a.k.a. ‘Smiler’, wrongly convicted of theft and sent to a young offenders institution. The other is a cheetah, Yarra, a restless resident of Longleat Wildlife Park.Both are in danger from the outside world – and each other – but somehow their lives become inextricably bound up as they fight for survival on the edge of Salisbury Plain.

The collected short stories of the great Victor Canning, originally written and published in the 1950s and 1960s – full of humour, charm, and in true fashion of classic crime writing.Canning’s heart-warming vignettes and clever mysteries take us from a Welsh valley to a far-off island and across the French countryside – introducing unforgettable characters and stories along the way.Praise for Victor Canning:‘His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. R...

“A powerful book on an important topic. Speak Up helps us understand the subtle elements that contribute to our holding back valuable ideas and observations. Their TRUTH framework – which is as practical as it is rigorous – identifies essential elements to help individuals find their voice. “ Amy Edmondson, Professor, Harvard Business School, Author, The Fearless Organization (Wiley, 2019)What you say or don’t say in a conversation can have life-defining consequenc...