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

Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a disillusioned teenager growing up in a small Yorkshire mining town. Violence is commonplace and he is frequently cold and hungry. Yet he is determined to be a survivor and when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk he discovers a passion in life. Billy identifies with her proud silence and she inspired in him the trust and love that nothing else can. Intense and raw and bitingly honest, A KETREL FOR A KNAVE was first published in 1968 and was also madeinto a highly acclaimed film, ''Kes'', directed by Ken Loach.

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.