Josephine Cox, who died this year, was born in 1938 into a family of ten children brought up in a poor cotton-mill house in Blackburn, Lancashire. Despite her success as a bestselling novelist, she remained true to her roots and her books mingle new stories of northern life with scenes and characters from her own working-class past. The six titles included in this set are: Tomorrow the World (Read more...) The Gilded Cage (Read more...) Rainbow Days (Read more...) Love Me or Leave Me (Read more...) Let Loose the Tigers (Read more...) Her Father's Sins (Read more...)

The ‘Norwegian queen of crime’ Karin Fossum found international success with her Inspector Sejer novels. Beginning with In the Darkness in 1995, these complex and compassionate psychological thrillers introduce an unusual detective: the quiet, clean-living Konrad Sejer and his quest to understand the criminal mind. The four titles included in this set are:The Murder of Harriet Krohn (Read more...) The Drowned Boy (Read more...) In the Darkness (Read more...) Hellfire (Read more...)

Lizzie Lane is a pseudonym of Jean G Goodhind, an author with a passion for storytelling with over 50 novels to her several names, including crime mysteries, exotic sagas and historical romance. Lizzie Lane specializes in stories set in England during the Second World War. The four titles included in this set are: Wartime Brides (Read more...) War Baby (Read more...) Home Sweet Home (Read more...) A Wartime Friend (Read more...)

Rebecca Tope grew up on a farm in Devon and the cruelties, concerns and rewards of farming and rural life inform her cleverly plotted West Country Mysteries, the characters of local policeman Den Cooper and the undertaker-cum-sleuth Drew Slocombe, and the intriguing crimes they investigate. The five titles included in this set are: Grave Concerns (Read more...) Death of a Friend (Read more...) Dark Undertakings (Read more...) A Dirty Death (Read more...) A Death to Record (Read more...)

The two titles included in this set are:Fun and Games (Read more...) Activity Book (Read more...)

Each of these guides provides the instruction needed to master basic drawing techniques and develop an individual style. In addition to practical information on tools, materials and how to choose the right medium, the illustrations and exercises demonstrate the principles of proportion, perspective, light and shade, structure and form, and how to work from photographs.

Aimed at young readers who have wondered what would happen if the hero of a story chose a different course of action, each book in this series gives the openings of some of the greatest tales ever told. Ruled pages follow on which to write a new continuation, with inspiring illustrations, plot suggestions, storywriting tips, quizzes and useful words. Age 7+ The four titles included in this set are: My Book of Stories: Myths (Read more...) My Book of Stories: Adventures (Read more...) My Book of Stories: Fairy Tales (Read more...) My Book of Stories: Shakespearean Tales (Read more...)

The protagonist of Phil Rickman’s thoroughly modern, paranormal mysteries is Merrily Watkins, Anglican priest and Deliverance Consultant – or exorcist – for the Diocese of Hereford. Her work is the unravelling of mysteries, spiritual, psychological, supernatural and criminal, in the isolated villages of the Welsh borders. The seven titles included in this set are: The Secrets of Pain (Read more...) The Magus of Hay (Read more...) The Smile of a Ghost (Read more...) The Prayer of the Night Shepherd (Read more...) The Lamp of the Wicked (Read more...) A Crown of Lights (Read more...) Midwinter of the Spirit (Read more...)

Describing himself as ‘a crusty but urbane Scot, in his prime’, Quintin Jardine gave up a career as a political spin-doctor for a job ‘more in touch with reality’: writing crime fiction. His Bob Skinner books are set mainly in Edinburgh, where Skinner – ‘Britain’s toughest cop’ – leads the CID. The five titles included in this set are:Skinner's Trail (Read more...) Skinner's Rules (Read more...) Skinner's Round (Read more...) Skinner's Ordeal (Read more...) Skinner's Festival (Read more...)

Georgette Heyer began her hugely successful literary career in the 1920s and was writing up until her death in 1974 – her last book was published posthumously. Mostly set in Regency Bath, with meticulously researched period detail, Heyer’s romances were ignored by critics and adored by her readers. The four titles included in this set are:Lady of Quality (Read more...) Friday's Child (Read more...) Black Sheep (Read more...) Bath Tangle (Read more...)

Detailed illustrations and cutaways are the leading feature of this series of books celebrating the most significant military hardware of the modern era. Charting technological development from the first innovations to the latest high-tech models, each volume selects 50 of the most significant vehicles, the entry for each including specification tables, photographs and descriptions outlining notable design features. The three titles included in this set are: Tanks (Read more...) Warships (Read more...) Military Jets (Read more...)

The two titles included in this set are: Betsy Goes to School (Read more...) Betsy Visits Her Grandparents (Read more...)

These colourful books, printed on thick card, contain everything you need to play ten board games, with double-sided boards and counters to punch out, a die to assemble, clear explanations of the rules and a note of how long each game takes to play. Age 8+ and not suitable for children under 3. The two titles included in this set are: The 10 Best Games of All Time (Read more...) The 10 Best Games in the World (Read more...)

A former Professor of Russian History at Oxford University and the author of several important works on Soviet history, Robert Service has been described by a fellow biographer of Stalin, Simon Sebag Montefiore, as ‘the founding maestro of Stalinist history’. This trilogy comprises a single-volume life of Lenin (2000), the critically acclaimed biography of Stalin (2004) and a genuinely revelatory study of Trotsky (2009). The three titles included in this set are: Trotsky (Read more...) Lenin (Read more...) Stalin (Read more...)

The two titles included in this set are:My Animal Book (Read more...) My Head-to-Toe Body Book (Read more...)

Set in Cornwall, this is one of the popular family sagas by the Cornish writer Gloria Cook. The story unfolds in six novels following the lives of the Harvey family of Ford Farm through two world wars, from 1917 to 1948. The titles included in this set are:Touch the Silence (Read more...)Moments of Time (Read more...)From a Distance (Read more...)Never Just a Memory (Read more...)A Stranger Light (Read more...)A Whisper of Life (Read more...)

The food writer and journalist Diana Henry is a columnist with The Sunday Telegraph and a regular contributor on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. Her recipes draw on a range of world cuisines and are aimed at home cooks, reflecting her ‘do-able’ approach to food. The two titles included in this set are: Food from Plenty (Read more...) A Change of Appetite (Read more...)

Often focusing on the bonds of family and featuring strong female characters, Martina Cole's bestselling novels are mostly set in London, among the underworld gangs and organized crime families of the East End and the author's home county of Essex. The four titles included in this set are: The Faithless (Read more...) Faces (Read more...) The Life (Read more...) The Family (Read more...)

Inspired by Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation television series of the 1960s, the 2018 BBC series explored the role of art and the creative imagination in the formation and development of civilizations. These two illustrated studies accompanied four programmes in the series, offering deeper explorations of their themes. The two titles included in this set are: How do we Look, The Eye of Faith (Read more...) First Contact, Cult of Progress (Read more...)

Aimed at adults, these hardback gift titles showcase the wit and wisdom of AA Milne through the observations of his best-loved creations, complemented by EH Shepherd’s original illustrations. Each book offers carefully selected quotations that highlight the most distinctive traits of the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood – from Pooh’s endearing greed to Eeyore’s stoic misery. The four titles included in this set are: Deep Thoughts and Ponderings for the Wise (Read more...)Little Somethings and Smackerels for Food Lovers (Read more...)Doubt and Disquiet for Worriers (Read more...)Gloom and Doom for Pessimists (Read more...)

Letters written as editor of the school magazine, love letters, begging letters, letters to literary editors, fellow poets and friends: the collected letters of Dylan Thomas trace his life from the age of 16 to shortly before his death in New York in 1953, at the age of 39. Outspoken, and often indiscreet, they form the poet’s own narrative, telling of his love of Caitlin, his opinions on poets and poetry, and a life famously marred by drink and debt. Second edition. The two titles included in this set are: Dylan Thomas The Collected Letters Volume I: 1931–1939 (Read more...)Dylan Thomas The Collected Letters Volumes II: 1939–1953 (Read more...)

The two titles included in this set are: Mr Wolf and the Three Bears (Read more...) Mr Wolf and the Enormous Turnip (Read more...)

In these two books, Murray Naylor acts as our guide to a selection of cathedrals and churches, all of which are within easy reach of a railway station. He offers an introduction and personal appreciation of the ecclesiastical builders and their contribution to Christian culture, and observations on the railway, past and present, and its engineers. Both books include details and maps of rail routes and around 200 photographs. The two titles included in this set are: England's Cathedrals by Train (Read more...) England's Historic Churches by Train (Read more...)

Continuing the tradition begun by Ian Allan in the 1940s, the ABC Rail Guides are the long-trusted source of information on all the locomotives, multiple units and rolling stock used on the railways of Britain and Ireland. Listed in operator order, entries include route maps and photographs, and stock numbers are also separately listed and cross referenced. The two titles included in this set are: Main Line Systems (Read more...) Light Rail and Heritage Railways (Read more...)

The protagonist of this humorous ‘cosy’ mystery series is the eccentric retired art teacher (and crime magnet) Miss Seeton, who possesses an uncanny ability to sketch vital clues into her drawings – a skill that quickly becomes invaluable to Scotland Yard. The three titles included in this set are: Picture Miss Seeton (Read more...) Miss Seeton Draws the Line (Read more...) Witch Miss Seeton (Read more...)

This set comprises ten novels by Sunday Times bestselling author Dilly Court. Each story paints an evocative picture of London life in the early 20th century, and features a strong female protagonist, well-researched period detail and adventurous, fast-moving plots. The ten titles included in this set are: A Mother's Trust (Read more...) The Beggar Maid (Read more...) Cinderella Sister (Read more...) A Loving Family (Read more...) The Workhouse Girl (Read more...) The Ragged Heiress (Read more...) The Best of Daughters (Read more...) A Place Called Home (Read more...) The Orphan's Dream (Read more...) The Lady's Maid (Read more...)

BAFTA-winning actress and comedian Dawn French is probably best known for her comedy collaborations with Jennifer Saunders and her role in The Vicar of Dibley. She is also a bestselling author of several humorous novels that encompass themes such as love, death, grief, childhood and motherhood. The three titles included in this set are:A Tiny Bit Marvellous (Read more...) Oh Dear Silvia (Read more...) According To Yes (Read more...)

The three titles included in this set are: Die of Shame (Read more...) Love Like Blood (Read more...) The Killing Habit (Read more...)

In these lively accounts of journeys with her more reluctant husband, agnostic Jill Dudley seeks ‘answers to impossibly difficult questions’ through encounters with the sites, people, festivals and beliefs associated with different religious traditions, both ancient and modern. The four titles included in this set are: Lap of the Gods (Read more...) Holy Smoke! (Read more...) Gods in Britain (Read more...) Ye Gods! (Read more...)

Science fiction and fantasy have given programmes such as Star Trek and Doctor Who the freedom to explore controversial social issues and, on a personal level, questions of emotion, identity, memory and the perception of reality. In these books, each comprising 19 or 20 essays, the contributors analyse psychological problems raised by the adventures of the space and time explorers. The three titles included in this set are: Star Wars Psychology (Read more...) Doctor Who Psychology (Read more...) Star Trek Psychology (Read more...)

The two titles included in this set are: First Term at Malory Towers (Read more...) The Twins at St Clare's (Read more...)

These simplified editions of the books about the kindly Viking King Noggin the Nog are based on the BBC series by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, the creators of The Clangers, Bagpuss and Ivor the Engine), and were written especially for emergent independent readers. Age 6+ The eight titles included in this set are: Noggin the King (Read more...) Noggin and the Whale (Read more...) Noggin and the Storks (Read more...) Noggin and the Money (Read more...) Noggin and the Dragon (Read more...) Noggin and the Moon Mouse (Read more...) Nogbad and the Elephants (Read more...) Nogbad Comes Back (Read more...)

The three titles included in this set are: Epitaphs of The Great War: Passchendaele (Read more...) Into the Abyss (Read more...) City of London in the Great War (Read more...)

The three titles included in this set are: Terry Frost (Read more...) Francis Bacon (Read more...) British and Irish Art 1945–1951 (Read more...)

The two titles included in this set are: How to Sew (Read more...) How to Embroider (Read more...)

Zorro, the masked alter ego of Don Diego de la Vega, first rode out on his black stallion to avenge the oppressed of Spanish California in The Curse of Capistrano (1919). Zorro was so popular, his creator, Johnston McCulley (1883–1958), wrote three more books of adventures. The novellas are read here by Bill Homewood. Unabridged. The items included in this set are:Sign of Zorro (Read more...) Further Adventures of Zorro (Read more...) Zorro Rides Again (Read more...)