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P. d. james provides an introduction to one of the greatest mystery novels in english literature, wilkie collins’s the moonstone.

In 101 world heroes, bestselling historian simon sebag montefiore presents his personal selection of the 100 most heroic figures from the pages of world history. emperors and queens, soldiers and statesmen, religious leaders and philosophers rub shoulders with composers and poets, scientists and explorers, artists and storytellers from three millennia. all are united not just by what they did in their own lifetimes, but also by the enduring legacy they have bequeathed to the sum of human experience and achievement. the central spine of the book consists of a series of narrative entries recording the lives and legacies of the 101 heroes and heroines. each entry is accompanied by a brief essay opening a window on the times in which he or she lived. thus the life of egypt’s greatest pharaoh, ramses ii, is accompanied by an essay looking at the gods and goddesses of ancient egypt, while the entry for admiral horatio nelson explores the tactics and gunnery of a ship-of-the-line. the book is illustrated throughout with maps, diagrams, paintings and photographs, and an appendix celebrates a further 100 individual deeds of heroism with a special claim to immortality. the heroes include: ramses the great leonardo da vinci albert einstein king solomon elizabeth i of england winston churchill the buddha tokugawa ieyasu m. k. gandhi aristotle william shakespeare f. d. roosevelt alexander the great thomas jefferson david ben gurion hannibal voltaire george orwell jesus napoleon bonaparte elvis presley marcus aurelius horatio nelson j. f. kennedy mohammed duke of wellington john paul ii charlemagne abraham lincoln nelson mandela leo tolstoy charles darwin

Analyzes the decision making and actions of shakespeare’s characters to see what leadership lessons can be learnt for today’s managers.

Charles dickens was a phenomenon. perhaps the greatest novelist in the english language, the creator of characters who live immortally in the english imagination, sam weller, mr pickwick, the artful dodger, david copperfield, little nell, lady dedlock, mrs gamp, pip, miss havisham and many more. he was also a demonically hard-working journalist, father of ten children, indefatigable walker and traveller, and tireless in his support of liberal social causes. at the age of twelve he was sent by his affectionate but feckless parents to work in a blacking factory. by the time of his death in 1870 he drew adoring crowds to his public appearances, had met princes and presidents on both sides of the atlantic, and had amassed a fortune. he was truly ‘the inimitable’, as he jokingly described himself. when he died, the world mourned, and he was buried – against his wishes – in westminster abbey. the energy and brilliance concealed a complex and divided character. a republican, he took strongly against america when he visited the country; sentimental about the family in his writings, he cast his wife into outer darkness after taking up with a young actress; often generous with his time and money, he cut off his more impecunious children and siblings; loyal to his friends in the theatre, he treated his publishers appallingly. after his death his own daughter wrote to bernard shaw, ‘if you could make the public understand that my father was not a joyous, jocose gentleman walking about the world with a plum pudding and a bowl of punch, you would greatly oblige me.’ charles dickens- a lifeis the examination of dickens we deserve. it gives full measure to his heroic stature – his huge virtues both as a writer and as a human being – while observing his failings in both respects with an understanding but unblinking eye. twenty years ago claire tomalin’s award-winning the invisible womanconvincingly traced the relationship between dickens and nelly ternan, in a triumph of sympathetic scholarship. now she has written a full-scale biography of the writer, a story worthy of dickens’ own pen- a comedy that turns to tragedy as the very qualities that made him great – his indomitable energy, boldness, imagination, showmanship and enjoyment of fame – finally destroyed him.