New Releases by Barry HINES

Humankind''s relationship to nature is governed by money in this first US publication of a classic by the greatest chronicler of the British working class

"First published in Great Britain by Michael Joseph in 1968."--Title page verso.

This volume contains an anthology of essays, stories and poems by Barry Hines, the author of the much-celebrated ''A Kestrel For A Knave'', better known as ''Kes''. Many of the pieces were written at the same time as this seminal novel and have never been published before.

This popular tale is accompanied by notes to aid Caribbean students'' comprehension of the text. As with other texts in the series, the notes include commentary on the plot, characters, the context of the novel, culminating in exam-style comparative questions to give students the best practice for their English B exam.

With prose that is every bit as raw, intense and bitingly honest as the world it depicts, Barry Hines''s A Kestrel for a Knave contains a new afterword by the author in Penguin Modern Classics. Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a troubled teenager growing up in the small Yorkshire mining town of Barnsley. Treated as a failure at school, and unhappy at home, Billy discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk. Billy identifies with her silent strength and she inspires in him the trust and love that nothing else can, discovering through her the passion missing from his life. Barry Hines''s acclaimed novel continues to reach new generations of teenagers and adults with its powerful story of survival in a tough, joyless world. Ken Loach''s renowned film adaptation, Kes, has achieved cult status and in his new afterword Barry Hines discusses his work to adapt the novel into a screenplay, and reappraises the legacy of a book that has become a popular classic. Barry Hines (b. 1939) was born in the mining village of Hoyland Common, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Leaving Ecclesfield Grammar School without any qualifications, Hines worked as an apprentice mining surveyor for the National Coal Board before entering Loughborough Training College to study Physical Education. Working as a teacher in Hoyland Common, he wrote novels in the school library after work, later turning to writing full-time. If you enjoyed A Kestrel for a Knave, you might like The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories by Jack London, published in Penguin Classics.

From the author of KESTREL FOR A KNAVE, a contemporary novel about a middle-aged rocker. After the death of his mother, a man begins to think about his teenage years as a Teddy Boy, something which is a far cry from his unemployed, middle-aged life.

The Heinemann Plays series offers contemporary drama and classic plays in durable classroom editions. Many have large casts and an equal mix of boy and girl parts. In this dramatization of Barry Hines''s novel, 15-year-old Billy trains a kestrel for whom he learns to feel great affection.

Centred around the daily grind at Milton colliery, a visit by the Prince of Wales provides the opportunity for well-aimed swipes at middle-management as they grass over the slag heaps, whitewash the blackened walls and put soft soap in the toilets. But when disaster strikes Hines brings the reader face-to-face with the horror.