Celebrated for his comedic stage performances, Alec Maitland was once the toast of London. But fame is fickle, and Maitland returns from a sojourn abroad to find himself out of work. A chance encounter with an old friend, now an important official in the Civil Service, offers an unexpected opportunity for lucrative employment as a secret agent. His task? Infiltrate a shooting party at an old Highland estate and recover stolen government documents that threaten the security of British inter...

When Francis McNab is consulted by Ann Cardew about perplexing changes in her father’s behaviour, McNab’s associate Godfrey Chance is convinced that this is a case of ill-health, requiring a doctor’s rather then a detective’s expertise. When James Cardew dies suddenly shortly afterwards, Chance is even more convinced of his initial diagnosis. But McNab is uncertain, and dispatches Chance to the tiny hamlet of Burrish, in the middle of the forbidding Romney marshes, to see if he can discove...

Having temporarily taken over Dr. Wright's practice on the island of Guernsey, Dr. Dunn has in mind a few months of peace and relaxation, punctuated with light and undemanding medical duties away from the hustle and bustle of mainland life. But this is not to be. A routine call on a patient with heart trouble leads to a hunt for a man suspected of homicidal mania – and when a dead body is discovered in suspicious circumstances, Dunn finds himself in a pitched battle with authorities who se...

At the houses of Parliament MPs are gathered for an all-night sitting. A tense time awaits them as they debate a bill which could mean the downfall of the present government….That same night, Police Constable Roberts, on a routine patrol in central London, is alerted to a strange occurrence at one of the many bookshops that line Charing Cross Road. Investigating an open shop door, he discovers the body of Mr. Dodsley, the well-known bookseller. He has been shot through the head….

A comprehensive study of the award-winning Midwestern author of fiction and nonfictionAlex Engebretson offers the first comprehensive study of Marilynne Robinson's fiction and essays to date, providing an overview of the author's life, themes, and literary and religious influences. Understanding Marilynne Robinson examines this author of three highly acclaimed novels and recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction, the Pulitzer Prize fo...

A man with three different names ties together the stars of professional wrestling, country music, and the New York Mets.John Arezzi was a lifelong Mets fan who dreamed of a job in baseball. In 1981, he took a job with the Mets Class A team in North Carolina. But Arezzi had another love: professional wrestling. He ran a fan club for the villainous “Classy” Freddie Blassie as a teenager, then progressed to wrestling photographer, and finally even stepped into the ri...

The mountainous district of France to which, somewhat loosely, Stevenson applies the name Cevennes, lies along the western confines of Provence, and overlaps on several departments, chief of which are Ardèche, Lozère, Gard, and Herault. In many parts the villages and the people have far less in common with France and the French than Normandy and the Normans have with provincial England. Here in these mountain fastnesses and sheltered valleys the course of life has flowed along almost chang...

For some years previous to the date of the expedition of which the progress is narrated in these pages, the attention of British merchants at home and in India had been directed to the prospect of an overland trade with Western China. Most especially did this interest the commercial community of Rangoon, the capital of British Burma, and the port of the great water highway of the Irawady, boasting a trade the annual value of which had increased in fifteen years to £2,500,000. The avoidance...

"Addresses" by John A. Martin is a compelling collection of speeches and writings that reflect the author's deep engagement with the social and political issues of his time. Martin, a prominent figure in Kansas, uses his eloquence to address various topics, ranging from civic responsibility to the importance of education. His insights are not only relevant to his contemporaries but also resonate with modern readers, offering timeless wisdom on leadership and community involvement. The book...

"Bergson and His Philosophy" by John Alexander Gunn delves into the profound ideas of Henri Bergson, a pivotal figure in 20th-century philosophy. Gunn explores Bergson's concepts of time, intuition, and the nature of reality, emphasizing how they challenge the mechanistic views of the universe. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of Bergson's major works, illustrating his influence on existentialism and modern thought. Through clear exposition, Gunn invites readers to appreciate Ber...

The Baptism of the Prince: A Sermon by John Alexander, published in 1906, is a reflective discourse centered around the significance of baptism, particularly in the context of royal or notable figures. In this sermon, Alexander draws on the biblical account of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, using it as a foundational narrative to explore themes of identity, purpose, and divine calling.The sermon delves into the transformative power of baptism, highlighting it as a rite of initiation t...

Infant Schools and Dissenters by John Alexander is a work that addresses the role of early education in 19th-century Britain, particularly focusing on infant schools and the involvement of dissenting religious groups in their establishment and operation. The book examines the educational needs of young children and the efforts of various dissenting denominations—religious groups who did not conform to the Church of England—to provide education to working-class children, often outside of tr...