New Releases by John Christopher

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

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 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.

A thought experiment in future-shock survivalism'' Robert MacFarlane ''Gripping ... of all science fiction''s apocalypses, this is one of the most haunting'' Financial Times WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ROBERT MACFARLANE A post-apocalyptic vision of the world pushed to the brink by famine, John Christopher''s science fiction masterpiece The Death of Grass includes an introduction by Robert MacFarlane in Penguin Modern Classics. At first the virus wiping out grass and crops is of little concern to John Custance. It has decimated Asia, causing mass starvation and riots, but Europe is safe and a counter-virus is expected any day. Except, it turns out, the governments have been lying to their people. When the deadly disease hits Britain, society starts to descend into barbarism. As John and his family try to make it across country to the safety of his brother''s farm in a hidden valley, their humanity is tested to its very limits. A chilling psychological thriller and one of the greatest post-apocalyptic novels ever written, The Death of Grass shows people struggling to hold on to their identities as the familiar world disintegrates - and the terrible price they must pay for surviving. John Christopher (1922-2012) was the pen name of Samuel Youd, a prolific writer of science fiction. His novels were popular during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably The Death Of Grass (1956), The World in Winter (1962), and Wrinkle in the Skin (1965), all works depicting ordinary people struggling in the midst of apocalyptic catastrophes. In 1966 he started writing science-fiction for adolescents; The Tripods trilogy, the Prince in Waiting trilogy (also known as the Sword of the Spirits trilogy) and The Lotus Caves are still widely read today. Ifyou enjoyed The Death of Grass, you might like John Wyndham''s The Day of the Triffids, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.

This is a story about the lust for gold and treasure," Fine writes. In the 1600s and 1700s, Spain dominated the oceans with its fleet of galleons. Coming to the New World, these ships filled their holds with gold and silver and treasures beyond imagining. The seaway between Spain and the New World was dubbed The Golden Highway. On their journeys back across the seas, many were wrecked on reefs or destroyed by hurricanes. The watery depths now hold their treasures. Today, treasure divers seek their fortunes by attempting--sometimes successfully, sometimes fatally--to retrieve these hordes of riches. In Treasures of the Spanish Main, readers relive each voyage of long ago as well as witness the modern wreck diver''s efforts to extract their secrets. Included are: The 1622 fleet * The Concepcion * The Maravillas * The Shipwreck off Jupiter Beach * The San Jose * the 1715 Fleet * and the 1733 Fleet The voyages of centuries ago come alive with Fine''s excellent historical detail. Readers will experience the wild storms and the results of unfortunate choices made by long-ago sailors. The eccentric treasure hunters of today, along with those of the past, create a mosaic of suspense and drama on the high seas. A must for everyone interested in pirates, treasure, sailing, history, or just plain fun.

The martial arts novel is one of the most distinctive and widely-read forms of modern Chinese fiction. John Christopher Hamm offers the first in-depth English-language study of this fascinating and influential genre, focusing on the work of its undisputed twentieth-century master, Jin Yong.

"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.

A resource written from a distinctively Pentecostal perspective, primarily for pastors, lay persons, and Bible students, based upon the best scholarship, written in popular language and communicating the meaning of the text with minimal technical distractions.In keeping with the ethos and spirituality of the Pentecostal tradition, to which at least 400 million Christians belong, the writers explore how their scholarship might be contextualized within their own local church body and strengthened by the dynamic interaction between the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, and the Word of God. The series is conceived of as part of the ministry of the body of Christ, for the glory of God.The structure of the commentaries reflects the dialogical way in which the tradition tends to approach the biblical text. Each volume begins with a series of questions designed to identify corporate and individual issues illuminated in the biblical book. An introduction proper then discloses the need, process, purpose, time, and place of composition, and a detailed discussion of the genre and structure of the book forms the basis of organization for the exposition that follows.This commentary on the Johannine Epistles, by a leading Pentecostal scholar and editor of the commentary series, provides a running exposition on the text, extended comments on texts of special significance for Pentecostals, and acknowledges and interacts with major options in interpreting individual passages. It also provides periodic opportunities for reflection upon and personal response to the biblical text.

A fascinating portrayal of a medical miracle traces the influence of insulin on the world, from its discovery in 1921 through its widespread dissemination as a treatment for diabetes. (Health & Fitness)

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.

"A massive series of powerful earthquakes on a worldwide scale reduce towns and cities to rubble and plunge the survivors into barbarism. Most of western Europe is dramatically uplifted, transforming the English Channel into a muddy desert, while elsewhere lands are plunged below sealevel and flooded. The protagonist is Matthew Cotter, a Guernsey horticulturalist who finds himself one of only a handful of survivors on the former island. Cotter decides to trek across the empty seabed to England, in the faint hope that his daughter has somehow survived. He finds the situation on the former mainland has descended to barbarism, with competing bands of scavengers preying on survivors. He and his companion, a young boy, finally make their way to the borders of Sussex, where his daughter was staying, only to discover that the land has slipped beneath the sea. Cotter, along with some survivors from the mainland, eventually returns to Guernsey."--Wikipedia.

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.

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.

This is the biography of J. Raymond Jones, premiere political strategist and first Black leader of Tammany Hall, who served New York City and the Democratic Party from the Harlem Renaissance through the Civil rights era. His rise thorough the ranks of the Party is traced in dramatic detail as his power expands to influence national politics and the political destinies of people like John Lindsay, Adam Clayton Powell, and Lyndon Johnson. It is based on extensive interviews with Jones and Jones''s proteges, including politically prominent figures, Robert Wagner, former mayor of New York City, Percy Sutton, and Congressman Charles Rangel. These memoirs are also a history of New York City politics during some of its most interesting and transitional eras. It is a lively account of the gradual emergence of blacks as a key element in the National Democratic Party coalition and will make an excellent case study for political activists by providing a practical, behind-the-scenes view of the political process in our nation''s largest city.

Eade has checked the dates of more than 250 inscriptions from Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. He reproduces old calendrists'' calculations for each year from AD 638 to 2000. The introduction provides an outline of the calendrical system and an explanation of its technical aspects.

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