New Releases by Leon Garfield

In a cave on the wild side of St James''s Park live two ragged children; young Nick and his nine-year-old sister Jubilee. Once they had a father, but now they are alone âe" and Nick knows it is his responsibility to find Jubilee a husband. But who would want to marry a girl who can neither cook nor sew, read nor write?

In 1847, an orphaned baby is rescued as the sole survivor of a massacre in a Polish village. Many years later a mysterious and disturbed Russian lady turns up unexpectedly at one of Mr Dolly’s regular Friday night dinner parties. So begins a search for identity and lost inheritance in the seedy and crowded streets of nineteenth century London.

Secrets whispered up a chimney, a golden locket with a broken chain, murder in the streets of London – and suddenly young Barnacle is plunged into a terrifying mystery. The December Rose is a thrilling tale of deceit, espionage and murder set in the teeming, colourful Victorian London.

''Him what''s born on the chime . . . he''s the one what''ll have communications with the devil.'' At the age of fourteen, ''chime-child'' Peter Gannet is apprenticed to a locksmith in Covent Garden. But his desperate longing to escape from the insufferable adults around him and go to sea leads him into some dubious undertakings. Before long, the old ship''s carpenter''s dire prophecy comes true, for in the locksmith''s workroom he meets a phantom with an empty sleeve. Tense and atmospheric, this is a gripping thriller about ghosts, a wall of hands, envy, dishonesty and finally murder!

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was Charles Dickens final novel, and remained unfinished at the time of his death. In this edition, beloved children''s author Leon Garfield gives the story a satisfying ending.

''My father, that stern and upright man, was nothing but a swindler and a thief!'' What is the matter with old Mr Jones? Endless footsteps and low groans can be heard from his room in the dead of night. Only his son William knows the a terrible secret: his father betrayed his business partner Mr Diamond, and swindled him out of a great fortune. William resolves to go to London, find Mr Diamond and make amends. But the murky big city, with its sinister characters and treacherous back streets, is no place for a boy of twelve. And Mr Diamond''s own son is not the sort of person to forgive and forget. Danger and deceit lie waiting... Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can find out more about the wonderful author and learn some Cockney rhyming slang! Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

The Confidence Man follows 14-year-old Hans Ruppert and a band of Protestants as they leave their home town and seek peace and freedom from Persecution in the New World. They are led by a mysterious hussar, who has offered to lead then to safety. To Hans he is a fascinating figure, but to the others he is a swindler, likely to abandon them at any moment.

Eastward in Clerkenwell lies the Mulberry Pleasure Garden: six acres of leafy walks, colonnades and pavillions. In this bosky setting parade a variety of characters of awesome granduer, innocence and evil - and all are subject to a ring of blackmail terror.

Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen retells some of the most famous Greek myths in this classic of children''s literature. This is the epic history of the Greek Gods told from their violent beginnings to the creation of man.

Set in the streets of London, the story follows the hopes and aspirations of young Tim and his pet monkey, Pistol, as they use their wits to get money out of rich folk. Their apparent success is brought to a halt one disasterous foggy evening , and Tim and Pistol are led off to Newgate Gaol . . .

Harris and Bostock are best friends, but they are as different from one another as night and day. Harris thinks up harebrained schemes and Bostock gets in trouble for them. When Harris puts his baby sister Adelaide in the woods to see if she will be adopted by a fox, little do they realize that they are starting a chain of events that will be remembered in their little seaside town as the Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris.

Mr Corbett is a cruel employer and his young apprentice Benjamin can''t help but wish he were dead. So when a strange old man offers to make this wish come true, Benjamin finds it impossible to refuse. Sure enough, Mr Corbett meets an untimely death, but the tables turn on the terrified apprentice who finds himself cursed with the ghost of the man he hated most in the world . . . A brilliant collection of three short stories from a master story-teller, who will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

Jackson is cold and starving in the dreadful winter weather. He''s looking forward to the steaming pie that is payment for a long night''s work. When the huge black dog comes - growling and glaring - Jackson gives it half his meal. One bargain soon leads to another - and to some unexpected rewards . . . With an engaging (and very creepy) story, illustrated in colour and black and white on every double page spread, this story is ideal for newly confident readers.

The Strange Affair of Adalaide Harris

George Treet, actor, suddenly becomes George Dexter Esq., son of Sir John Dexter. Just when he''s getting used to his new position in life he finds himself the victim of attempted murder and family treachery.

An action-packed pirate story, with bloodcurdling deaths, terrifying ghosts and adventures galore on the high seas. Orphan Jack Holborn stows away on a ship, little guessing the dangers and excitements that lie on his journey ahead. Before long he finds himself caught up in the middle of a mystery surrounding his long-lost mother, but before he can discover the truth, he has to survive the quest through an eerie African jungle for a famous diamond, worth more than Jack''s wildest dreams.

A second book of retellings of Shakespeare plays. The plays included are King Lear, Hamlet, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Henry IV part one and The Taming of the Shrew.

Together, Leon Garfield and Michael Foreman have produced a literary and illustrative tour de force that pays homage to the world''s most celebrated playwright.

An abridged version of "King Richard III" accompanied by illustrations from the television series. Suggested level: secondary.

Based on the TV series of animated Shakespeare plays, this version of his comedy of sexual conflict is illustrated in colour by the Russian artists responsible for the animation, and is produced in conjunction with Professor Stanley Wells and Dr Rex Gibson.

An abridged version of "Julius Caesar" accompanied by illustrations from the television series. Suggested level: secondary.

Prehistoric story in which a close encounter with a sabre-toothed tiger sparks off the staging of the first play ever. 5-8 yrs.

After being captured by pirates and sold as a slave, a forgetful young Englishman faces a long imprisonment because he can''t remember where the ransom note should be sent.

An illustrated, abridged version of the Shakespeare play with background information and explanatory stage directions.

An illustrated, abridged version of the Shakespeare comedy with background information and explanatory stage directions.

An illustrated, abridged version of the Shakespeare tragedy with background information and explanatory stage directions.

Canadians have enjoyed a long history of encounters with Shakespeare, from the visual arts to creative new adaptations, from traditional and nontraditional interpretations to distinguished critical scholarship. We have in over two centuries remade Shakespeare in ways that are distinctly Canadian. The Oxford Shakespeare Made in Canada series offers a unique vantage on these histories of production and encounter with attention to accessibility and presentation. These editions explore how a given country can inform the interpretation and pedagogy associated with individual plays. Canadians, or more properly British North Americans from both Upper and Lower Canada, have been interacting with Shakespeare since no less than the 1760s in a tradition that is at once rich and robust, indigenous and international. The Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare project at the University of Guelph has created a multimedia database of hundreds of adaptations, developed from Guelph''s world-class theatre archives and a host of independent sources that reflect on a long tradition -- from pre-Confederation times and heading vibrantly into the future -- of playing Shakespeare in Canada. These are the first editions of the plays of William Shakespeare to place key insights from the world''s best scholarship alongside the specific contexts associated with a dynamic Canadian tradition of productions and adaptations. Specially research images, never printed before, from a range of Canadian productions of Shakespeare will be featured in every play In additional to a scholarly edition of the playtext complete with original new annotation, these books will include both short introductions by noted scholars and prefaces by well-known Canadians who have experience with Shakespeare. In addition, each play will include act and scene summaries, dramatis personal, and recommended reading/resources.

Over two million Shakespeare Shorts sold Discover the world of Shakespeare with this collection of brilliant stories - perfect for readers of all ages. When Macbeth, an ambitious general of the Scottish army, is told by witches that one day he will be king, he becomes consumed by thoughts of royalty and greatness. Encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth decides to hasten the prophesy and plots to murder the king, so he can take the crown... A dramatic retelling of this classic Shakespearean tragedy.

An opportune meeting with a pickpocket and a pupil from a charity school sets events in motion that drastically and irrevocably change the lives of an orphaned brother and sister existing by their wits in the streets of London.