First published in 1922, The Beautiful and the Damned is F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel. Exploring the elite of New York Café Society, the novel brilliantly captures the louche, sometimes decadent lifestyle of the Eastern elite during the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald's characters - as in all his novels - are complex, difficult people, and Anthony Patch, a 1920s socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune, is one of Fitzgerald's most memorable protagonists. His relationship with his wi...

Dracula is a Gothic horror novel written by the Irish author Bram Stoker, famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula. The novel relates the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.Although Bram Stoker did not invent the vampire, he defined its modern form, and the novel has spawned theatrical, film and television interpretations ...

Although the theme of bloodied nuptial sheets seems pervasive in western culture, its association with female virginity is uniquely tied to a brief passage in the book of Deuteronomy detailing the procedure for verifying a young woman's purity; it seldom, if ever, appears outside of Abrahamic traditions. In Signs of Virginity, Michael Rosenberg examines the history of virginity testing in Judaism and early Christianity, and the relationship of these tests to a culture that encourages male ...

This book explores the nature of cultural and culturally structured social and behavioral entities, their evolutionary interactions, and the central role purposive behaviors play in those interactions. It, first, makes the case for cultural and cultural structured systems being considered as true entities bounded in time and space, and not ephemera in a constant state of becoming another system. Second, it examines how these entities interact to produce evolutionary culture change. It then...

When Bill, a broke, would-be bestselling novelist, attends a friend's party, the last thing he expects is to meet the condescending but goddess-like Cassandra. He is even more surprised when she whisks him back to her place. Thus begins the 'perfect' relationship, as Bill would say: no commitment, no consideration, no caring. Just sex - and none of that soppy love to get in the way, either. Or so he thinks. Once installed in Cassandra's flashy Hampstead house, all he has to do is...

From the acclaimed author of Kissing Through a Pane of Glass comes an outstanding novel of dreams and desire, a fascinating exploration of guilt and wish-fulfilment – and the very real dangers of having your dreams come true. Daniel's work as a photo-journalist has taken him all around the world. But following a serious accident in which a colleague is killed, his injuries – both mental and physical – prevent him from going much further than the end of the street. Depression, anx...

It's everyone's nightmare. You're home alone one night and something wakes you. Was it a noise? Or do you just have a feeling that something's not quite right? Sleep-befuddled Jonathan Fairchild doesn't really believe it's a burglar. It's more likely to be his wife, who walked out on him two days ago. Yes, it's Liz, back with her tail between her legs, he thinks as he creeps downstairs. Still, strange she hasn't put the lights on... and that's when the man shoves him up against t...

Jonathan Muon’s world is falling apart. Or rather, as he nears his thirtieth birthday, he finds himself ensconced in a world which refuses to behave in a recognisable way. Instead, Jonathan’s world is governed by the rules which actually apply at the microscopic, atomic level… with bizarre consequences. Obsessed by his non-existent sex life, his dreams of unseen yet threatening figures with huge choppers, and the machinations of his office co-workers, Jonathan must learn to cope ...

In a far away land, Hassan - a tomb raider - embarks on a dangerous journey across unmapped deserts in search of a mythical crystal flask believed to contain the elixir of everlasting life.

Kissing Through a Pane of Glass is a Betty Trask Award winning novel. Michael Montrose, young, naive and fresh from university, is travelling alone around India when he meets the strange, alluring Liana. Enchanted by his exotic surroundings and bewitched by Liana's breathtaking beauty, Michael is seduced and falls deeply in love. Everything seems perfect - except for Liana's sporadically odd behaviour. As their relationship develops it becomes clear that...

**Award-winning sports columnist Michael Rosenberg chronicles the extraordinary days of campus unrest and civil turmoil during the Vietnam War years as seen through the prism of two legendary college football coaches."Superb ... the best sports book I've read in years." —Cleveland Plain Dealer**The Vietnam War. Nixon. Kent State.The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time of total turmoil in America. The country was being torn apart by a war most people didn...

The oddly shaped and versatile kettlebell has only recently gained attention in popular fitness. These objects serve as tremendous ballistic training tools that can quickly result in increases across all fitness domains. This How To e-book takes you step-by-step from the history of kettlebells, to basic biomechanics, and through an extensive repertoire of kettlebell movements. Each movement is carefully explained and demonstration photos are provided throughout. At the end of each major mo...