Takes an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

Dealing with the craft of detective writing and sharing her personal thoughts and observations on one of the most popular and enduring forms of literature, the author examines the challenges, achievements, and potential of this genre.

Ever since boys' comics were first published in the middle years of the nineteenth century, they have offered readers fun, adventure and escapism. This book tells the stories of footballing heroes. It presents the history of the comic book footballer. It introduces the magic of these imaginary sporting stars to a whole new generation.

Covers key Hitchhiker's concepts and plot devices from tea, cricket and towels to small yellow fish. This book contains stories behind all your favourite characters: Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebox, Trisha McMillan and, of course, Marvin, the paranoid Android.

Covers such subjects as the secretive (and, to some, sinister) world of Freemasonry and the influence it had on America's founding fathers, the Masonic symbolism found in, for instance, the US one-dollar bill and the architecture of Washington DC. This book is suitable for those who want to delve deeper into the mysteries of Dan Brown's fiction.

A major reassessment of the great English novelist

'York Notes Advanced' offer an accessible approach to English Literature. This series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, 'York Notes Advanced' introduce students to sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.

'York Notes Advanced' offer an accessible approach to English Literature. This series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, 'York Notes Advanced' introduce students to sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.

Full of analysis and interpretation, historical background, discussions and commentaries, York Notes will help you get right to the heart of the text you're studying, whether it's poetry, a play or a novel.

Explores what Proust had to say about friendship, reading, looking carefully, paying attention taking your time, being alive. This book also contains the author's own commentary on Proust.

Suitable for readers who dream of solving crimes in turn-of-the-century London, this handbook features skills that would-be sleuths should know: How to Use Deductive Reasoning, How to Analyze Fingerprints - Without Computers, How to Master a Dozen Disguises, How to Survive a Plunge over a Waterfall, and How to Fake Your Own Death.

A collection of original documentary photographs of the landscape that was integral to Tony Hillerman's writing. It also contains brief synopses of Hillerman's novels, descriptive passages from each work, the author's own comments about the sites, and narrative information on the locations pictured.

Joseph Conrad and the Reader is the first book fully devoted to Conrad's relation to the reader, visual theory and authorship. This challenging study proposes new approaches to modern literary criticism and deftly examines the limits of deconstructionist theories, introducing groundbreaking new theoretical concepts of reading and reception.

A collection of 29 essays that covers a mixture of canonical and the non-canonical themes, authors, literatures, and critical approaches. It explores various topics, such as ecological literature and ecocriticism, children's literature, and the influence of Darwin on fiction.

A survivor's guide to literary bluffing

Thomas Hardy is one of the sacred figures in English writing, a great poet and a novelist with a world reputation. His life was also extraordinary: from the poverty of rural Dorset he went on to become the Grand Old Man of English life and letters, his last resting place in Westminster Abbey. This seminal biography, by our leading biographer, covers Hardy's illegitimate birth, his rural ...

Features various articles considering the art of fiction under a range of headings such as 'The Intrusive Author', 'Suspense', and 'Magic Realism'. This book illustrates several styles and techniques by passages from classic or modern fiction. It is suitable for writers, students and those who want to understand how literature works.

There is an unresolved tension in Dostoevsky's novels - a tension between believing and not believing in the existence of God. This book enables us to consider the nature of God in the 21st Century through the lens of Dostoevsky's novels.

* A follow-up to Aurum's successful Agatha Christie Companion * Lavishly illustrated throughout in full colour * Aimed at the gift market as well as the aficionado * Plot summaries of every Holmes story * Includes original interviews with actors who've played Holmes

Packed full of analysis and interpretation, historical background, discussions and commentaries, York Notes will help you get right to the heart of the text you're studying, whether it's poetry, a play or a novel. You'll learn all about the historical context of the piece; find detailed discussions of key passages and characters; learn interesting facts about the text; and discover structures, ..