Best Selling Books by John Christopher

Constructed from the wood of over 6,000 trees HMS Victory was designed as a ‘first-rate ship’, packing a formidable punch with over 100 guns arranged over three decks. Immortalised as Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar, after bringing Nelson’s body back to England the Victory sailed out on a number of expeditions until her retirement in 1812.In a wonderfully entertaining narrative, and packed with fun facts, figures and over 100 colour photographs, author John Christopher recounts the story of this celebrated warship right up to its restoration project and current role as the centrepiece of Portsmouth’s historic docks.Author John Christopher is a life-long transport enthusiast and a balloon pilot. He has previously written The Hunter Story and Balloons at War for The History Press.

John C. Maher explains why societies everywhere have become more multilingual, despite the disappearance of hundreds of the world languages. He considers our notion of language as national or cultural identities, and discusses why nations cluster and survive around particular languages even as some territories pursue autonomy or nationhood.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A thirteen-year-old’s expectations of royalty give way to adventure in the first book in the post-apocalyptic Sword of the Spirits trilogy from the author of The Tripods series. In Winchester, roles are clearly defined. Warriors fight battles every spring. Dwarfs make the swords and the shields. Grotesque mutants are the servant class. Seers interpret the wishes and predictions of the spirits. And the Prince is the ruler of the city. Thirteen-year-old Luke has no reason to suspect that any of this will change. It’s been this way for centuries...at least since the year 2000. But things are not what they seem, and soon Luke is thrown into a story of ambition and adventure in the primitive world of the future, expertly crafted by critically acclaimed Tripods author John Christopher.

John Christopher takes a fresh look at 100 years of Britain's most iconic car company, Aston Martin. From the origins of the Aston Martin marque, through the gadget-laden stars of numerous James Bond films, to the prestigious super-cars that continue to be market leaders throughout the world.

Will Parker and his friends have escaped the mind-controlling alien Tripods, and found sanctuary in the White Mountains - but when an opportunity arises for them to infiltrate a Tripod city, they realise they have a chance to strike back against the invaders. What they learn there may hold the key to liberating humanity - if they can survive the beauty and terror of the City of Gold and Lead. The second book in John Christopher's classic dystopian series is available for the first time as an ebook.

Nobody knows how long it has been since the Tripods came. Nobody remembers life on Earth before they enslaved it. Humans live in scattered farms and villages, kept quiet and obedient by the mind-controlling Caps implanted when they reach their teens. Will Parker's time is fast approaching - but a chance encounter with a madman convinces him that it may still be possible to resist the alien masters. So begins an epic tale of survival and defiance - and Will's journey to the White Mountains. John Christopher's classic dystopian series is available for the first time in ebook format.

Xiang Kairan, who wrote under the pen name “the Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang,” is remembered as the father of modern Chinese martial arts fiction, one of the most distinctive forms of twentieth-century Chinese culture and the inspiration for China’s globally popular martial arts cinema. In this book, John Christopher Hamm shows how Xiang Kairan’s work and career offer a new lens on the transformations of fiction and popular culture in early-twentieth-century China. The Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang situates Xiang Kairan’s career in the larger contexts of Republican-era China’s publishing industry, literary debates, and political and social history. At a time when writers associated with the New Culture movement promoted an aggressively modernizing vision of literature, Xiang Kairan consciously cultivated his debt to homegrown narrative traditions. Through careful readings of Xiang Kairan’s work, Hamm demonstrates that his writings, far from being the formally fossilized and ideologically regressive relics their critics denounced, represent a creative engagement with contemporary social and political currents and the demands and possibilities of an emerging cultural marketplace. Hamm takes martial arts fiction beyond the confines of genre studies to situate it within a broader reexamination of Chinese literary modernity. The first monograph on Xiang Kairan’s fiction in any language, The Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang rewrites the history of early-twentieth-century Chinese literature from the standpoints of genre fiction and commercial publishing.

An engaged couple, British, become the owners of a castle in Ireland and turn it into a hotel. They find their love for one another disturbed, nearly shattered, by the guests they have taken in and in whose lives they become entangled. But more disturbing, more shattering, are the haunting suggestions of an intrinsic evil in the castle, of a presence that is hostile and mysterious

This Handbook makes a comprehensive examination of calendrical systems used in mainland Southeast Asia. It is designed (with numerous examples from the literature) to provide a grammar of the subject that will enable scholars to investigate it for themselves.

In 1941, Britain stood alone. North Africa dominated the news. Bismarck sank Hood. Fortress Britain endured the Blitz. Russia was invaded. Japan woke the USA at Pearl Harbor.

"This is a book that captures the drama of discovery while presenting the historical, scientific, and archaeological facts. Where possible, eyewitness reports of sinkings are included, as well as the folklore associated with some of the world's great salvage attempts. Readers are also treated to personal accounts of those who have found great treasure on long-lost shipwrecks."--Jacket.

An interesting look at how Holmes’ London has changed through the last 100 or so years.

This unique collection of superb wartime colour photographs brings the Luftwaffe - its aircraft and personnel - to life in a dramatically vivid way.

Includes excerpt from the author's The Sword of the Spirits.

Explore the London & Blackwall Railway the earliest and most distinctive lines used by the Dockland workers.

A short history of the 51 Wren-designed churches in the city of London.

Coleman and Hendry's bestselling text has now been completely revised and updated to take account of the many changes that have occurred over the last decade. The book has now been reformatted into textbook style.

Young Will Parker and his companions make a perilous journey toward an outpost of freedom where they hope to escape from the Tripods, the huge, three-legged machines that control Earth by "capping" mature humans with brainwashing devices that make them docile, obedient servants.