New Releases by Graeme Davis

Re-reading ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' provides an insightful commentary which takes readers through the novel. It looks at such areas as literary quality, character analysis and plot analysis, while showing that the novel is contextualised within the British culture which informs it. There''s plenty for Harry Potter fans in its attention to detail and examination of theories, plot holes and more. J K Rowling''s excellence as a writer is explored alongside her occasional shortcomings. Structured in a fun and lighthearted manner, the book gives each chapter a start rating, and assessment includes a look at the heroes and villains in each. Yet it is also a step towards serious literary criticism of the novel, based on the view that the Harry Potter stories should be treated as quality literature. This book is presented to those re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as a prompt for serious consideration of the novel as a work of literature. Inevitably you will agree with much and disagree with much that is written here - that is the nature of literary criticism - but the process of agreeing and disagreeing develops a more considered critical response. Certainly literary criticism is needed. For a book which has received the massive sales of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (15,000,000 copies in the first twenty-four hours alone) there has so far been amazingly little proper criticism published. This book may be regarded as an early contribution to the literary criticism of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Demonstrating that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a polished work by a highly skilled writer, this book suggests that it can stand alongside established works of literature. It offers to adult readers as much as it does to the young adults and children that were its first audience, and as such it has the potential to become a true literary classic. The novel''s position in global culture is set out and the moral values of the novel are explored, including Harry''s role as a Christian hero. Re-reading ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' aims to develop your appreciation of a remarkable novel.

What happens to the environment when a flood occurs? What are some of the causes of floods? What can people do about the problems caused by floods? How can you use your math skills to learn more about floods? Read this book to find the answers to these questions and learn more about floods.

What happens to the environment when a earthquake occurs? What are some of the causes of earthquakes? What can people do about the problems caused by earthquakes? How can you use your math skills to learn more about earthquakes? Read this book to find the answers to these questions and learn more about earthquakes.

''Brick walls'' occur everywhere and all the time in genealogy research. Solving Genealogy Problems will help you make real progress through difficult areas and dead ends. With this book you can take your British Isles family tree back further. Solving Genealogy Problems will: - Help you find new records, including unusual ones genealogists often don''t know about, and make the best use of them when you do find them. - Suggest new ideas for looking at old problems. - Give additional ideas on using the census - Further ideas on using census substitutes when the census doesn''t have the answers. - Suggest ways of finding elusive births, marriages and deaths - and then of making progress anyway, even when you absolutely cannot find them. This book covers all periods of British Isles genealogy. The new frontiers of genealogy are considered for the hope they give on even the most intractable research block, and the possibility they allow of building even the most difficult of family trees. Contents: 1. RECOGNISING BRICK WALLS; 2. UNDERSTANDING BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS; 3. FINDING BMD BIRTHS; 4. FINDING BMD MARRIAGES; 5. FINDING BMD DEATHS; 6. CENSUS SOLUTIONS; 7. UNDERSTANDING PARISH REGISTERS; 8. FINDING PARISH REGISTER CHRISTENINGS; 9. FINDING PARISH REGISTERS MARRIAGES; 10. FINDING PARISH REGISTER BURIALS AND MEMORIAL INSCRIPTIONS; 11. USING NEWSPAPERS AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE; 12. GETTING MORE FROM WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS; 13. DIRECTORIES AS A CENSUS SUBSTITUTE; 14. ELECTORAL ROLL AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE; 15. OTHER ALTERNATIVE SOURCES; 16. YET MORE SOURCES: THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACTS AND THE GENEALOGIST; 17. PUBLISHING YOUR FAMILY TREE; 18. ORAL HISTORY; 19. LOCAL HISTORY; 20. DESCRIPTIONS OF AN ANCESTOR''S HOME; 21. CLUSTER GENEALOGY AND COMMUNITIES; 22. MILITARY RECORDS; 23. OCCUPATIONAL RECORDS; 24. IRELAND: PROBLEMS AND INSPIRATION; 25. INTERNATIONAL GENEALOGY; 26. PHOTOGRAPHS; 27. EARLY GENEALOGY; 28. GENETICS AND GENEALOGY; 29. HERITAGE; 30. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS FOR RESEARCH; 31. THE GENEALOGY INDUSTRY; APPENDIX: THE TOP 10 BRICK WALL TIPS; INDEX.

When Columbus claimed to have discovered America in 1492, and the Borgia Pope claimed it as a New World for Catholic Spain, the Vatican started a 500 hundred year conspiracy to conceal the true story of Viking America. In this groundbreaking work by the author of The Early English Settlement of Orkney and Shetland, the true extent of the Viking discovery and colonisation of the eastern seaboard of America is fully examined, taking into account the new archaeological, linguistic and DNA evidence which supplements the historic account. For four centuries or more, from their first visits around AD 1000 to the eve of the Columbus voyages, the Vikings explored and settled thousands of miles of the coasts and rivers of North America. From New York''s Long Island to the Canadian High Arctic the New World was a playground for Viking adventurers. And the name the Vikings gave to this New World - America.

"In their lightless sanctuary, an army of serpentfolk gathers to bring the world above to its knees. The skull of the dead god Ydersius has fallen into the hands of his worshipers once more, and fanged fanatics now commence the rites to resurrect their slain deity."--Back cover

Find out what your surname means and trace your ancestors who share it too. Perhaps your surname is that of a Norman who came to Britain after the Battle of Hastings; or a Celtic clan name. Maybe it is an old English trade. It may be distinctive of a particular location. And just possibly you might be related to everyone who bears the name. Find out! Your surname is part of you -- so use this book to discover what it really means. This comprehensive book will show you how to research your surname and your family tree, both in earliest and in more recent years. It provides practical activities to investigate the meaning of any British surname. You will discover: -- The meaning of your surname -- How old it is -- Where it comes from -- What associations it has today -- How to use your surname to trace ancestors You may also be able to take part in a One Name Study or use DNA profiling to make contact with other people who bear your surname and with whom you share distant ancestors.

Ghosts, demons, and monsters aren''t going to take a vacation, so neither can you. Whether you''ve been hunting the supernatural your whole life or just this summer, this book''s got more than enough to keep you busy. From demon bikers to diabolical alchemists, evil never lets up in this collection of five adventures for the Supernatural Role Playing Game.

From the Introduction: The Lost Symbol contains a big surprise. Not only is the lost symbol found within the context of the novel, but according to Dan Brown this lost symbol is out there for every one of us to find for ourselves. This is a book which he wants to have real impact on our lives. For some readers it may even be life-changing-and that''s not what we expect of a thriller. Readers haven''t known quite what to make of The Lost Symbol. Early reports-for example reader reviews on Amazon-have shown in roughly equal numbers reviews which are very positive and those which reveal the reader''s disappointment or confusion. There seems to be a consensus of sorts that as a thriller this book is better than the average page-turner, but that it nonetheless has plot holes and shortcomings. For many it does not live up to expectations, though in view of the plot weaknesses of all previous Dan Brown books it is perhaps surprising that the expectations were so high. Yet there is something about The Lost Symbol which lifts it from the status of just another fast-paced thriller to something which warrants consideration as a serious work of literature. For in this book the characters go in search of what is in effect a Holy Grail-the lost symbol-and in a break with the tradition of the genre they really do find the lost symbol. By the end of this book this symbol is not only found but is made available to every reader. It is a quest both for the characters and for the readers, and a quest where for both the goal is really reached. If you read The Lost Symbol you too can find the Lost Symbol-and perhaps it can change your life. My view is that The Lost Symbol is no ordinary thriller, and those who seek to evaluate it solely as a thriller miss the point. Rather this is a book where we are invited to follow the hero Robert Langdon on a journey of personal development, a voyage into the mysteries of faith. In this book l I offer some additional information and reflection aimed at following up on the quest set by Dan Brown, and perhaps helping a few more people find what Dan Brown is showing us. Taking The Lost Symbol section by section this book offers an exploration of Dan Brown''s themes, his plot and characters, and explores some of the references in this work which Dan Brown calls "fact-based fiction". It looks also at his presentation of the Masons and how Dan Brown''s own life influences his book. Most of all it looks towards finding the lost symbol, helping to unlock the potential of the novel and bring to the fore its message of hope for humanity.

This is a step-by-step guide to using the wealth of online records to trace your family tree from your own computer, without the need to travel to national and regional record offices. Whether you are a novice or an experienced genealogist, and whether you plan to devote just a few hours of your time or embark on a life-time hobby, this book will guide you through the mass of records available - birth, marriage and death, the census, and much, much more - so that you can trace your line back hundreds of years. You will also learn how to upload your results to the internet, both to preserve your family''s heritage and to connect with relatives, so that you can exchange photos and reminiscences. Contents: Welcome!; 1. What the internet offers the genealogist; 2. How to start; 3. Finding records of birth, marriage and death; 4. Using census records; 5. Other major sources; 6. Military; 7. Wills and where to find them online; 8. Migration; 9. Newspapers; 10. Occupations; 11. The poor and workhouse records; 12. Noble ancestors; 13. Directories; 14. School and university records; 15. Working with the wider context; 16. Family medical history; 17. DNA; 18. Working with names; 19. Recording your family tree; 20. Online recording options; 21. Problems of online trees; 22. Finding living relatives; 23. Genealogical miscellany; 24. Accent and dialect; 25. Final; Key websites; Index

Now''s the time to re-read HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS with the aid of this funny, insightful guide to the book by Potter expert Dr. Graeme Davis. Includes reviews of each and every chapter with star ratings from one to seven -- find out which ones the author gives sevens and which ones he gives ones! (There are a couple.) See whether you agree with him about the best "Rowling Moments" in each other chapter and who should be classified "Hero" or "Fool." Terrific fun for any Potter fan and an ideal companion when you are in the mood to re-read the series.

Insightful, provocative analysis of J.K. Rowling''s BEEDLE THE BARD by Potter expert Graeme Davis, author of THE UNAUTHORIZED HARRY POTTER QUIZ BOOK. Davis evaluates each tale from moral, easthetic, and fan perspectives. A must companion for anyone who buys BEEDLE THE BARD and enjoys Potter discussions.

Now''s the time to go back to the very beginning and re-read HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER''S STONE with the aid of this funny, insightful guide to the book by Potter expert Dr. Graeme Davis. Includes reviews of each and every chapter with star ratings from one to seven -- find out which ones the author gives sevens and which ones he gives ones! (There are a couple.) See whether you agree with him about the best "Rowling Moments" in each other chapter and who should be classified "Hero" or "Fool." Terrific fun for any Potter fan and an ideal companion when you are in the mood to re-read the series.

This is a Harry Potter quiz book like no other. It won''t be asking you questions like "what school did Harry Potter go to?" (If you are a Harry Potter fan, then of course you know the answer ) Rather it asks questions which will develop your literary appreciation of the Harry Potter books and your general knowledge of the Harry Potter phenomenon. Some of these questions are easy, quite a few are fiendishly difficult, and several of them really don''t have simple answers, but thinking about possible answers is what it is all about. Work through this quiz book (with an eye on the answers) and come out the other end with a much better understanding of the phenomenon that is Harry Potter. After each question, space is provided in which you may jot down your preliminary answer. In this quiz book there is a focus on the language used by J. K. Rowling. From alchemy to whomping via such gems as hallows and knickerbockers the books use a range of words which are not part of the everyday word stock of most speakers of English, and certainly not of most children. True fans of the Harry Potter series will want to know them There is a mass of information around the world of Harry Potter, some of it trivia (but fun ), some key to our appreciation of the books. Also fans have realized that the books have some serious points to make. No book achieves anything approaching the success of the Harry Potter series unless it includes something that makes us all think. This Harry Potter Quiz Book aims to draw your attention to some of these big questions. Knowing the name of Harry Potter''s school is not likely to change the life of any one of us, but thinking about the moral issues raised in the books might do just that.

The dialect of the English county of Surrey was recorded towards the end of the Victorian age by the antiquarian Granville Leveson Gower in a volume for the English Dialect Society. This present Dictionary makes available a new edition of his work, along with materials setting out the characteristics, history and current position of Surrey English. Today little remains of the traditional Surrey dialect, though those familiar with the county will nonetheless find echoes of it in the speech of many present inhabitants. In recent years the dialect has influenced the speech patterns of the Home Counties, and the new southern English standard has been influential worldwide. Surrey English has its place as one of the many distinctive forms of English worldwide, with its own unique words and forms of expression which are part of the rich heritage of the English language.

Lingua et Linguistica is part of the JLL Project: Language Linguistics Literature Learning published in association with Shakespeare Centre Press, and linked to the on-line journals of the Project: Journal of Language and Linguistics, Journal of Language and Learning, Journal of Language and Literature. Further information about the JLL Project and the refereeing committee for this journal is available at the project web-site: http: //www.jllonline.org Lingua et Linguistica seeks to publish work which makes an original contribution to linguistics and language study, including language teaching methodology and the language of literature. Submission information is available through the project web site.

Dr Graeme Davis counters popular historical belief by proposing that there was a Saxon settlement in both Orkney and Shetland during the fourth century AD. Dr Davis challenges some of the longest held beliefs about the settlement of Orkney and Shetland and casts a new light on the origins and history of the first island settlers.

Study of the syntax of Old English and Old Icelandic has for long been dominated by the impressions of early philologists. Their assertions that these languages were «free» in their word-order were for many years unchallenged. Only within the last two decades has it been demonstrated that the word-order of each shows regular patterns which approach the status of rules, and which may be precisely described. This book takes the subject one step further by offering a comparison of the syntax of Old English and Old Icelandic, the two best-preserved Old Germanic languages. Overwhelmingly the two languages show the same word-order patterns - as do the other Old Germanic languages, at least as far as can be determined from the fragments which have survived. It has long been recognised that Old English and Old Icelandic have a high proportion of common lexis and very similar morphology, yet the convention has been to emphasise the differences between the two as representatives respectively of the West and North sub-families of Germanic. The argument of this book is that the similar word-order of the two should instead lead us to stress the similarities between the two languages. Old English and Old Icelandic were sufficiently close to be mutually comprehensible. This thesis receives copious support from historical and literary texts. Our understanding of the Old Germanic world should be modified by the concept of a common «Northern Speech» which provided a common Germanic ethnic identity and a platform for the free flow of cultural ideas.

The daughter of a noble family has gone missing. A proud and ancient house has fallen to ruin. Even the dead are disappearing. A disgraced exile may be the only one who can save them.

The ashes still cool and the wounds still heal after the onslaught of Archaon and the forces of Chaos Undivided-but Middenheim still stands! Perched atop the massive height of the Ulricsberg, the defenders of the Empire threw back the Chaos hordes.

A guide to the glory of Rome. Covering major periods from Rome''s founding to the final barbarian incursions, it gives you what you need to explore this era. Packed with historical and mythic details, it presents historical games, providing the necessary tools to bring Roman culture into existing d20 games.

From all corners of the world, they come. Leaving their graves for food, vengeance, or by the command of mysterious powers, the dead walk among the living. Nor is this something new - the dead have walked for ages. Some walking dead are obvious from their appearance, but others could be the normal-looking person sitting nearby. A few might be family members. Or even family pets. Some fall from shotgun blasts just like the brain-eaters back home. Others are much harder to kill. Some can only find rest when they have completed their purpose, and some cannot die at all. Ever. Across the world and down through the centuries, people have wondered: How do you kill something that''s already dead? The Atlas of the Walking Dead is a supplement for the All Flesh Must Be Eaten RPG. In it, you will find: Descriptions of more that 60 types of walking dead from different cultures and countries, divided into 18 easy-to-use sections. Bonus features for each creature type, allowing nearly endless customization. Nearly 50 new zombie aspects and several new rules. More than 60 story ideas tied to these new creatures. Details on undead animals from around the world.

Creatures of Freeport is an innovative collection of monsters inspired by Green Ronin''s Freeport setting but at home in any world. While there are many bestiaries on the market, there are none like Creatures of Freeport. These monsters are more than simple stat blocks. Each entry also includes Knowledge (what a character knows about a creature from Knowledge skills, Bardic Lore and other sources of information), Uses (details on parts that can be harvested and used by alchemists, spellcasters and others), and Adventure Hooks, many of which come with fully statted NPCs to make the GMs job even easier. With a cover by fan-favorite Wayne Reynolds and interior illustrations by the cream of Green Ronin''s artistic roster, Creatures of Freeport is a stunning addition to any collection.

Death in Freeport defined the d20 adventure in August, 2000, and went on to win an Origins Award and an ENnie Award. Now it''s time to return to the city that started it all in this brand new anthology of adventures. Critically acclaimed author Graeme Davis (architect of the Enemy Within Campaign) brings you four new Freeport adventures, plus a chapter of adventure hooks. The heart of the book is the Soul of the Serpent, in which the players tangle once again with the mysterious serpent people. Three shorter adventures round out the collection. Featuring a stunning cover by Monster Manual and Book of Vile Darkness artist Wayne Reynolds, Tales of Freeport is a must for any fan of the City of Adventure.

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