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Matariki - he wa maumaharatanga, te iwi, te whenua Matariki - A time of remembrance
Matariki - he wa maumaharatanga, te iwi, te whenua Matariki - A time of remembrance; of people and of place.
This years Matariki exhibition at Corban Estate Arts Centre from 28 May to 11 July combines the annual Auckland Festival of Photography with established Matariki celebrations.
Photographers and multimedia/film artists were invited to submit work that echo one of the core themes of Matariki; a time of remembrance.
Resources on photography and on the meaning of Matariki are available for loan at Waitakere Libraries.
Here is a sample of material recently purchased.
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| Matariki - he wa maumaharatanga, te iwi, te whenua Matariki - A time of remembrance |
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Te Kahui o Matariki is a large-scale book containing contemporary artwork, photography, poetry and short writings including personal experiences of Matariki - the Maori New Year. This book contains an introduction and background to Matariki. The artists include painters, sculptors, photographers, weavers, carvers and mixed media artists --Publisher's description.
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Corban Estate Arts Centre curator Lisa Rogers invited object artists Ronald Andreassend and Karen Chan to submit artworks for an exhibition celebrating Matariki. Keen to broaden the creative scope, Ronald approached the poets from Metonymy to contribute prose to the exhibit. The successful collaboration resulted in an inspiring show of poetry, light and ceramic design. Global Eyes Feet Voice documents this unique event, paying homage to Maori New Year and combining the creative talents of eight New Zealanders. Each ceramic light is conceived as a three-dimensional reconstruction of the poetry written specifically for the Matariki exhibition. The poems reflect the memories and identities of each poet, their interpretations of the meaning of Matariki and their relationship to Aotearoa. The CD contains further reflections of the poems through photography, guerilla poetry, video, audio, lino cuts, wood work, lwanterns, sketches, jewellery, resin objects and candelabras.
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New Zealand camera 2010 : a showcase of outstanding photographic images from the Photographic Society of New Zealand
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New Zealand Camera 2010 showcases 181 exquisite and spectacular images, along with inspirational quotations. Enjoy the wide spectrum of photographic approaches and techniques from some of The Photographic Society of New Zealand's finest photographic artists.
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Explores the key events and the key images that have marked the development of photography. This book examines the evolution of photography in its wider context: social, political, economic, technological and artistic.
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Ten years after the book's first publication, New Zealanders are much more inclined than previously to consider how various traditions can enrich our celebrations here and now. Matariki, the New Year celebration at Winter Solstice, has undergone a massive resurgence - and other seasonal festivities are springing up all over the country. The time is ripe for an updated and expanded edition of Celebrating the Southern Seasons. In the tenth anniversary edition of this unique work, author Juliet Batten sheds more light on customs, symbols and meanings attached to seasonal changes. She reports not only on forms of celebration that New Zealanders have inherited and found but also on those we have devised and adapted. And she suggests readings, myths and stories to enrich our high days and holidays, strengthening the book's role as a valuable resource.
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This richly illustrated, modestly sized casebound book is devoted to Digital Marae a major ongoing photographic and video project by one of New Zealand's foremost artists Lisa Reihana. Published on the occasion of the exhibition Lisa Reihana : digital marae , Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth.
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Marti Friedlander, one of New Zealand's most celebrated photographers, has been observing our lives for more than five decades. From kuia with moko to street demonstrations, from Rita Angus to Norman Kirk, her photographs provide insights into the social and cultural shifts in post-war New Zealand ... art historian Leonard Bell has selected 185 photographs that represent the full breadth of Marti Friedlander's work ... Many are published here for the first time, using her signature methods --Jacket.
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An introduction to the star group Matariki and its significance for Maori in pre-European New Zealand and today.
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Peter Peryer: Photographer includes 80 plates and 50 illustrations, the largest body of Peryers work ever assembled, personally selected by the photographer.
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Since the Lumiere brothers made the autochrome process commercially available in June 1907, colour photography has proliferated in so many directions that we are saturated with it. This large-format collection gathers the finest examples of the art of colour photography, covering major technical and artistic developments in colour photography.
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The rising of the star group Matariki in June each year signifies the beginning of the Maori New Year. Also known in other cultures as the Pleiades and the Seven Sisters, Matariki is being increasingly celebrated each year, with events held throughout New Zealand in all communities. Celebrating Matariki explains what Matariki is, how, where and when the constellation can be seen, and explains the importance of Matariki in Maori life and culture. Her information is illustrated with historical and contemporary imagery, and the book includes 10 Matariki-related activities for children to try. These include: Matariki quiz, Matariki wordfind, how to make a telescope, how to keep a starchart, making a Matariki mobile, how to make a compass, and recipes for a Matariki feast. The story of Matariki is included on the CD, along with 5 songs about Matariki that children can learn. Words to the songs in Maori and English are also included in the book.
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This book explores every aspect of the timeless art of black-and-white photography from its greatest exponents to its applications in the digital age.
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Laurence Aberhart has been at the forefront of New Zealand photography since the late 1970s, and is recognised as a major international figure. Like the paintings of Colin McCahon-an artist with whom Aberhart is frequently paired-his photographs are a sustained meditation on time, place and cultural history. They are also virtuoso pieces of photographic craft. This book is a landmark in New Zealand art publishing. In a definitive overview of Laurence Aberhart's work to date, 235 full-page reproductions of iconic photographs of churches, marae, cemeteries, Masonic Lodges and other subjects are accompanied by illuminating essays by leading New Zealand art writers Gregory O'Brien and Justin Paton.
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A photographic celebration of the people of New Zealand by renowned photographer Brian Curtis. While there is a huge number of books that showcase the many landscapes of our country, few have taken the opportunity to celebrate our people. Faces of New Zealand captures more than 100 images of Kiwis from all over the country and from all walks of life, taking us inside the lives of the locals. Each photo is accompanied by a brief explanatory caption, providing context and commentary. An introduction reflects on the photographic style of portraiture and what inspired the book's photographs. A 'How to take a portrait photograph' section at the back of the book provides tips and suggestions for aspiring photographers.
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This book is a glimpse into the lives of 13 remarkable Canterbury kaumatua who came together for Kaumatua Class at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. There they shared intimate moments, precious memories and passionate dreams and hopes.
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There is no other photographer in this country who has so convincingly captured the huge sweeping grandeur of the New Zealand landscape than Andris Apse. Over the last 30 years he has created an extraordinary body of work, whose scale, use of light and powerful mood has created a truly unique portrait of New Zealand. In Light & Landscape, the best of Andris Apse's New Zealand photography is masterfully presented in a superb, large-format book. Famous for his determination and patience, he has spent decades travelling all over New Zealand gathering his carefully crafted images, often returning time and again to the same spot until the perfect combination of weather and light has yielded the photograph he wants. The images range all over New Zealand and include both the developed rural landscapes of New Zealand and remote wilderness. This is a truly spectacular book from our pre-eminent panoramic landscape photographer --Publisher's description.
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It is an enduring tribute to the work of the late Elsdon Best (1856–1931) that there is a continuing demand for his many published works on Maori life and custom. He was indeed the one writer among 19th century students who made a systematic attempt to cover the whole field, and his intimate knowledge enabled him to achieve a great measure of success. Includes chapters on the Maori year, months of the Maori year, nights of the moon, names of seasons and terms employed to denote time.
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The Truth be Told
If you’re into true stories, why not try some of these recent releases, all of them gripping accounts of real life.
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Everyone is of course familiar with the English Civil War - Charles I got his head cut off and eleven years of cheerless Puritanism followed under Oliver Cromwell. However, there was another, failed, revolution centuries earlier. The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 never sought to get rid of the King, but its members, under Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, demanded social equality and freedom in the wake of the Black Death. Their extremely modern ideas, unheard-of at the time, as well as the astonishing cleverness
- and stupidity - of their campaign and the reaction of the nobles make for truly gripping reading. For a time it seemed they could not fail, especially as England was led by an inexperienced boy King whose ruthless uncle was far away. What happened? This book almost manages to get inside the heads of the major players and march you right into London with them. Fascinating stuff.
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Well, it’s about an extraordinary cat, but that’s about where the similarity with "Dewey" ends. Instead of bringing new life to all he meets, Oscar the nursing home cat predicts their deaths. Dr Dosa tells the stories of several of the home’s patients and their interactions with Oscar, the comfort he brings to the dying, and his own transition from cat-hating sceptic to true believer. The book also touches on the experience of patients in the grip of old age and their families. This story is winning rave reviews overseas, and picking up a great deal of interest here too.
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Any list written by booklovers has to include this autobiography by the doyenne of children’s books in New Zealand, Dorothy Butler. Her specialist children’s bookshop in Ponsonby was renowned among Aucklanders
- so much so that its new owners have renamed it in Dorothy’s honour. Always a champion of education and with eight children of her own, Dorothy has become a much-admired figure for her energy and wisdom. She was as much of an innovator in her personal life as her professional one, once living in a tent on her North Shore property. This book is described as “an affecting account of private triumphs and tragedies, and a salute to the golden age of children's book publishing in New Zealand.” Our reference librarian is halfway through, and says she’s thoroughly enjoying it.
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Richly evoking the volatile world of Georgian Ireland, this recounts the saga of James Annesley, the presumptive heir of five aristocratic titles and scion of the mighty house of Annesley. Kidnapped at twelve years of age by his uncle, James was shipped from Dublin to America in 1728 as an indentured servant. He finally managed to escape after thirteen years, returning to Ireland to bring his nemesis, the Earl of Anglesea, to justice in one of the epic trials of the century. Our local historian says it reads like a thriller and is just as well written as Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, which was inspired by this story.
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If you haven’t reserved this book yet, do it now. Matt Elliott has dredged up a plethora of memories and magical moments from the life of New Zealand’s favourite comedian. He has spoken to friends and family members of the late great Billy T and found many unknown anecdotes about him. Even that Billy T’s trademark laugh wasn’t actually his own. The controversy surrounding Billy T’s life and death has only added to the legend of the Te News reader, con artist, petty crim, weather lady, wisecracking husband, welcomer of Captain Cook and many other classic characters.
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If you can imagine a light-hearted and witty account of life as an undertaker in West Auckland, “Six Feet Down Under” is the real deal. Find out what workers in the “death industry” actually do, the difficulties, emotional situations and triumphs they face every day. Chris Mann has attended many horrific road accidents, and has much to say on the driving behaviour of the New Zealand public, but this book definitely isn’t all doom and gloom. Imagine a funeral celebrant who answers her cellphone in the middle of her service. Or explicit heavy metal blaring out at the end of a heavenly musical interlude. You name it, Mann’s seen it all.
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Fans of Underbelly might appreciate this one. Aussie Wayne McKay ain't no Chopper Reed wannabe. He is, however, an ex-heroin addict, speed addict, pill popper, street criminal, and victim of the system, and Raw Deal is the story of his life. In his true crime autobiography, McKay details life on the street, in jail and without friends and family to count on. It is one man's tale of how a life of hardship and brutality can turn around once you find a little hope. From brutal bashings, hard crime and sexual abuse comes the triumph of a spirit through art, tattoos, music and poetry.
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Hot off the press is medium Kelvin Cruickshank’s new book, where he recounts his experiences of connecting passed spirits with their loved ones. Some of the stories are humorous, others touching, but many have managed to ease the suffering of those struggling to deal with their loss. It follows the bestseller “Walking in Light”, Kelvin’s first book about coming to terms with his abilities and his life so far, including his experiences on TV show “Sensing Murder”.
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Imagine losing whole sections of your life. Not remembering how you got to work. Not recognising people you meet who clearly know you well, but call you by another name. Psychiatrist Dr Baer’s patient, known simply as Karen, came to him for depression, but after several years of little progress, a letter arrived at the clinic. It was from a seven-year-old child, who said she lived inside Karen and wanted help. Over time, Dr Baer unearthed 17 different personalities who inhabited Karen’s mind, none of whom she knew existed. Some were merely “born” to absorb the pain of the horrific abuse she’d suffered in childhood, including a young black boy who was gifted at art
- when white middle-aged Karen couldn’t draw. Karen’s gradually revealed history and how she eventually suppressed her personalities is one of the most astonishing stories you will ever read. Warning, it’s not for the faint-hearted.
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The sub-title of this book says it all. Several books have come out in recent years detailing life in the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, the polygamist sect of the Mormon church. Standouts are “Stolen Innocence” by Elissa Wall and “Escape” by Carolyn Jessop, which tell the story of two women who broke free of the brainwashing and abuse and successfully prosecuted the “prophet” Warren Jeffs. Here Jeffs’s own nephew tells the story of the males of the FLDS, many of whom are exiled as children to reduce competition for wives. It’s an eye-opening view into the world of the polygamists, who routinely flout US law and silence witnesses with the help of a corrupt police force.
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Want to learn more about architects and architecture?
The Alhambra, the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, Angkor Wat and the Empire State Building are some of the most inspiring constructions in the world.
Architecture is a fascinating topic but it can be bewildering too. After
all what on earth is post-modern architecture, muqarnas, and a bow-string truss?
Our reference books can help you make sense of the many aspects of architecture.
We have dictionaries and encyclopaedias plus a range of other books that will explain the terms,
the styles, the history and the architects.
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| Architecture dictionaries & encyclopedias |
| Other architecture reference books |
Sample of architecture books you can borrow
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eResources
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Websites
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Architecture Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
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'Architecture is…frozen music.’ Friedrich von Schelling. Spiral staircase -
Image courtesy of imageafter
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From The Yale book of quotations Ed. Fred R.
Shapiro.
A dictionary of architecture and landscape architecture
by James Stevens Curl.
2006 ed.

Image courtesy of Amazon
The grammar of architecture
Emily Cole, editor. (1 copy is reference & 2 copies may be borrowed).
A visual dictionary of architecture
by Francis D.K. Ching.

Image courtesy of Amazon
The Illustrated dictionary of architects and architecture
General editor Dennis Sharp.
The elements of style
: an encyclopedia of domestic architectural detail.
General editor Stephen Calloway. 2007 ed.
Mary Gilliatt's dictionary of architecture and interior design : plus essential terms for the home. (1 copy is reference & 1 copy may be borrowed).

Image courtesy of Amazon
The Thames and Hudson dictionary of art terms by Edward Lucie-Smith.
2003 ed. (includes architecture).
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art
by Lilian H. Zirpolo. (includes architecture).

Other architecture reference books
The Phaidon atlas of contemporary world architecture. Library use only
Architecture explained
by Neil Stevenson.
A world history of architecture by Marian Moffett, Michael Fazio and Lawrence Wodehouse. 2003 ed.
A global history of architecture
by Francis D. K. Ching, Mark Jarzombek and Vikramaditya Prakash.

Image courtesy of Amazon

Sample of architecture books you can borrow
Key moments in architecture : the relationship between man, buildings and urban growth as seen in the metropolis through the ages by Graham Vickers.
...isms : understanding architectural styles
by Jeremy Melvin.
Image courtesy of Amazon
A world history of architecture by Marian Moffett, Michael Fazio and Lawrence Wodehouse. 2008 ed.
The story of architecture by Jonathan Glancey.
Māori architecture : from fale to wharenui and beyond
by Deidre Brown.
On architecture by Fred Rush.
Next generation architecture : contemporary digital experimentation and the radical avant-garde by Joseph Rosa.
The Elements of style : an [sic] practical encyclopedia of interior architectural details, from 1485 to the present.
Stephen Calloway, general editor. 1996. (1 copy may be borrowed & 1 copy is reference).
Want to find more books on architecture?
Click here for a subject search of ‘architecture’.

eResources
Go to our eResources
page
and search resources like -
- Oxford Art Online (under Arts, music & literature)
- GreenFILE (under Health, science & technology)
- Biography Resource Center, Encyclopædia Britannica, History Resource Center, Virtual Reference Library (under Student)
To look for articles from newspapers and journals search resources like -
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Index New Zealand, Knowledge Basket - New Zealand Index, General OneFile, MasterFILE Premier (under Magazines & Newspapers or New Zealand )

Websites
Intute provides links to various architecture & planning websites. It was set up assist students in finding useful web resources.
Architecture
Studies Library of the University of Nevada, has a directory of Internet resources on architecture and building.
Greatbuildings.com provides information about many of the worlds famous buildings and architects. It often features architectural drawings and 3-dimensional images of buildings.
e-architect is another site that provides information about many of the worlds buildings and architects.
Archnet is an organization that provides resources on architecture, urban design and development in the Muslim world. Its website has a
Dictionary of Islamic Architecture
and a Web Directory
Graphic Novel Lovers!
Graphic Novel Collection
Did you know we have more than 1650 Graphic Novels, comics, cartoons, or
manga titles in our collection?
They cover all tastes, all ages and all genres. They come from as far as the
USA, Japan, Korea or Europe. You even have some local artists and writers!
Find all our titles sorted by the latest arrival date.
Preferred search
If you wish, you can also save this search as one of your
preferred search. How to save your search:
Log into "My Info" and click on New Search the button. After
you perform a search the Save as a preferred search button will
appear below the search history box. Click on this button and the last search
done is saved and the Preferred Searches button appears in "My
Info". You can rerun your search at anytime by using the search link attached to
every saved search.
How to delete your preferred search:
To delete your preferred searches you have two options. Click on the
Clear all Searches button or mark the searches, you would like to
clear, by marking them for removal then updating the list. You can save up to 35
searches at anytime. It's a good idea to delete searches as you no longer need
them.
Manga Lovers
If you prefer manga in particular, we have more than 280 titles of manga or
manga related books (how to draw manga for example).
Find all manga titles on the catalogue sorted by the latest arrival date.
Or read some great local Waitakere manga
creations and read the winning manga of
the "Make a Manga Competition".

If you like Dan Brown's Novels
The latest Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol, was the publishing phenomenon of 2009. We’ve hunted down a bunch of other high-octane thrillers for those of you that can not wait for his next thriller (on average published every 4 to 5 years). Who knows, you might even find a new favourite author. Enjoy!
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Buckle your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen, and make sure you've taken your pills. You won't be able to get off this ride till the gut-busting finish. The heroine of The Dirty Secrets Club returns with a hell-for-leather race to find the family of a former soldier with anteretrograde amnesia. In other words, his ability to form new memories has been erased by a biological weapon called Slick. Forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett has to try and help him find his missing family, aided by a series of nonsensical clues. However, her subject doesn't know or trust her - he can't remember anything for more than five minutes. All he knows is that his family is due to be sacrificed, and someone has betrayed him. He's willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, if his infection doesn't wipe their memories first. A cat and mouse chase ensues, and only one thing is certain. Either they die - or we all do.
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A lost treasure, a Nazi war criminal, and a lifelong quest to find a missing heirloom are the starting points for this new novel from the author of God's Spy. Father Anthony Fowler, CIA operative and member of the Vatican's secret service, the Holy Alliance, pays a visit to a war criminal living under a pseudonym because of the terrible experiments he performed on Jewish children. Fowler offers him a deal - he will not reveal the man's true identity in exchange for a huge candle covered in fine filigree gold. But it isn't the gold Fowler is after - it is the metallic object preserved within the wax, a missing fragment of an ancient map. Soon Fowler is involved in an expedition to Jordan set up by the enigmatic head of Kayn industries, a reclusive billionaire who has links to the highest levels of the Catholic Church. But there is a traitor in the group who has links to terrorist organisations back in the US, and who is patiently awaiting the moment to strike.
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At last, a local thriller that really does read like a Mark Billingham or Ian Rankin. It starts with engines revving and it doesn't slow down. New to these shores from the UK, James Paxton stumbles across a dead body. Suspicion falls all too easily on the Englishman who's hiding a secret. Not only did Paxton find the dead man - he spoke to him, too. Paxton's carefully constructed new world threatens to crumble as he is sucked into the hunt for a predator, while the police snap close at his heels. And the bodies keep on mounting, one by one ...
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Gabriel Allon's idyllic world is once again thrown into turmoil with shocking news from London. The defector and former Russian intelligence officer Grigori Bulganov, who saved Gabriel's life in Moscow, has vanished without a trace. British intelligence is sure he was a double agent all along, but Gabriel knows better. He also knows he made a promise - a promise that leads to a deadly duel of nerve and wits with one of the world's most ruthless men: the murderous Russian oligarch and arms dealer Ivan Kharkov.
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Thousands of years ago, the Persian king Xerxes the Great was said to have raided the Treasury at Delphi, carrying away two solid gold pillars as tribute. In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte and his army stumble across the pillars in the Pennine Alps. Unable to transport them Napoleon creates a map on the labels of twelve bottles of rare wine. And when Napoleon dies, the bottles disappear... Treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo are exploring the Great Pocomoke Swamp in Delaware when they are shocked to discover a World War II German u-boat. Inside, they find a bottle taken from Napoleon’s “lost cellar.” Fascinated, the Fargos set out to find the rest of the collection. But another connoisseur of sorts has been looking for the bottle they’ve just found. He is Hadeon Bondaruk - a half- Russian, half-Persian millionaire. He claims to be a descendant of King Xerxes himself. And he wants his treasure back...
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VATICAN CITY, 29 SEPTEMBER 1978: THE WORLD WAKES TO THE SHOCKING NEWS THAT POPE JOHN PAUL I IS DEAD, JUST A MONTH AFTER HIS ACCESSION . . .Thirty years later in London, young journalist Sarah Monteiro receives a mysterious package. Enclosed is a list of names and a coded message. Moments afterwards a masked assassin attempts to silence her for ever. It seems Sarah holds the key to unveiling a deadly secret - a plot that implicates unscrupulous mercenaries and crooked politicians, and which goes to the very heart of the Vatican. Sarah has no choice but to run, forced into a ruthless game of cat-and-mouse. She can trust no one, especially as her father's name appears on the incriminating list . . .Sarah finds herself at the centre of a worldwide conspiracy, whose keepers will stop at nothing to protect it.
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Catherine 'Cat' Velis, a computer expert working for one of the world's largest accountancy firms, is sent on a dangerous assignment to retrieve an object of immeasurable value from somewhere in the remote reaches of Algeria. Montglane Abbey, France 1790, Mireille de Remy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortress-like Montglane Abbey. With France aflame in revolution, the two girls burn to rebel against constricted convent life - and their means of escape is at hand. Buried deep within the abbey are pieces of the Montglane Chess Service, once owned by Charlemagne. Whoever reassembles the pieces can play a game of unlimited power. But to keep the game a secret from those who would abuse it, the two young women must scatter the pieces throughout the world…PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION.
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Following the adventures of the uncrushable Jack West Jr from The Seven Ancient Wonders and Six Sacred Stones. They've been separated, their mission is in tatters, and Jack was last seen plummeting down a fathomless abyss. After surviving his deadly fall, Jack must now race against his many enemies to locate and set in place the remaining pieces of The Machine before the coming Armageddon. As the world teeters on the brink of destruction, he will learn of the Five Warriors, the individuals who throughout history have been most intimately connected to his quest. OCEANS WILL RISE, CITIES WILL FALL. Scores will be settled, fathers will fight sons, brothers will battle brothers, and Jack and his friends will soon find out exactly what the end of the world looks like...PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION
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Commander Gray Pierce and the Sigma Force confront humankind's greatest threat in an adventure that races from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway, from the ruins of medieval abbeys to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. The ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint - an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key - and a secret that has already claimed the lives of a famed geneticist, a Vatican archaeologist, and a U.S. senator's son.
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When a blackened skeleton is unearthed in the City of London, no one can have the slightest idea of its extraordinary link to a plot to assassinate the Queen of England over 500 years ago. But there is one very conspicuous clue. On the index finger of the body's right hand is a gold ring topped with a brilliant, round emerald. DCI Jack Pendragon has just transferred from Oxford to Brick Lane Police Station - in part to escape his own past. Immediately, he finds himself investigating three particularly gruesome murders. And he will need all the experience he has acquired from two decades on the force to track down a killer for whom an eerie obsession has become total madness. A killer who draws his murderous inspiration from a Renaissance family whose power and cruelty remain a living legend. PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION
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A great one for fans of historical mysteries - Sansom writes as if he has his own portal to the Tudor Age in his study. In 1540, hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake is trying to keep out of the eye of the powerful Thomas Cromwell, chief advisor to Henry VIII and his erstwhile master. But while defending a girl accused of slaying her young cousin, he is thrust into the hunt for a semi-mythical element. Greek Fire is said to be able to burn on water, used by the ancients to destroy their enemies' navies, but the formula has been lost for centuries. However, someone claims to have found it in the library of a dissolved monastery. Sent to find the formula, Shardlake instead stumbles across a series of brutal murders. His own life and future could rest on pleasing the king...and on staying clear of the killer. Meanwhile a young girl's life rests on his help.
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A mysterious manuscript discovered in the tomb of Charlemagne sends Cotton Malone on a perilous international quest that takes him and twin sisters with their own agenda from an ancient German cathedral to the harsh, unforgiving world of Antarctica in pursuit of the truth about the death of his father on a classified sub mission beneath Antarctica.
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Jonathon Payne and David Jones are back in the fray in this page-turning, blockbusting new instalment from Chris Kuzneski, bestselling author of Sword of God, Sign of the Cross and The Lost Throne. When the prophetic writings of sixteenth-century apothecary Nostradamus begin to ring alarmingly true, Payne and Jones find themselves in a life-or-death race across the world to stop those who would use the French seer's predictions for their own dark purposes. PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
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