The following is a collection of articles which I wrote for the village monthly newspaper The Medstead Times over a twenty year period. 'Redcote' is the name of our house and 'up' is what goes on there. A series similar to this article is running in one of the national weekly newspapers, I believe - but there the similarity ends.

'Redcote' is the name of our house and 'up' is what goes on there. A series similar to this article is running in one of the national weekly newspapers, I believe - but there the similarity ends.

Miles Cameron weaves an epic tale of magic and mercenaries, war and depravity, politics and intrigue in this action-packed debut fantasy The Red Knight. Twenty eight florins a month is a huge price to pay, for a man to stand between you and the Wild. Twenty eight florins a month is nowhere near enough when a wyvern's jaws snap shut on your helmet in the hot stink of battle, and the beast starts to rip the head from your shoulders. But if standing and fighting is hard, leading a company of men -- or worse, a company of mercenaries -- against the smart, deadly creatures of the Wild is even harder. It takes all the advantages of birth, training, and the luck of the devil to do it. The Red Knight has all three, he has youth on his side, and he's determined to turn a profit. So when he hires his company out to protect an Abbess and her nunnery, it's just another job. The abby is rich, the nuns are pretty and the monster preying on them is nothing he can't deal with. Only it's not just a job. It's going to be a war. . . If you're a fan of Mark Lawrence, John Gwynne, or Brian McClellan you won't want to miss out on this intricate, epic debut fantasy.

"A Parody Outline of History" by Donald Ogden Stewart is a comedic look at American history that aims to retell facts in a humorous way. The book pokes fun at overtly serious texts that turn history into a chore to learn. This book has become an inspiration for countless subsequent books that have told the tale of human history through the narrative tool of humor in the years since. From Plymouth Rock to Custer, the book doesn't leave any stones unturned.

C. Day-Lewis was one of the leading British poets of the 1930’s, closely associated with his friend W. H. Auden, producing poetry of left-wing political statement and individual lyricism. He worked as Clark lecturer at the University of Cambridge, before serving as Professor of Poetry at Oxford and Norton Professor at Harvard. His poetry career culminated with his appointment as Poet Laureate in 1968, succeeding John Masefield. Under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake, he also penned the hugely successful Nigel Strangeways novels, establishing his reputation as one of the leading writers of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature’s finest poets, with superior formatting. This volume presents Day-Lewis’ complete poetry and thrillers, with related illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Day-Lewis’ life and works * Concise introduction to Day-Lewis’ life and poetry * Images of how the poetry books were first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the poems * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry * Easily locate the poems you want to read * Day-Lewis’ complete thrillers, including all of the Nigel Strangeways books * Features rare non-fiction essays, available in no other collection, including the seminal ‘A Hope for Poetry’ * Day-Lewis’ autobiography ‘The Buried Day’, digitised here for the first time — discover his literary life * Ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres CONTENTS: The Life and Poetry of C. Day-Lewis Brief Introduction: C. Day-Lewis Beechen Vigil and Other Poems (1925) Country Comets (1928) Transitional Poem (1929) From Feathers to Iron (1931) The Magnetic Mountain (1933) A Time to Dance and Other Poems (1935) Noah and the Waters (1936) Overtures to Death (1938) Word over All (1943) Poems (1943-1947) An Italian Visit (1953) Pegasus and Other Poems (1957) The Gate and Other Poems (1962) The Room (1965) The Whispering Roots and Other Poems (1970) Miscellaneous Poems The Poems List of Poems in Chronological Order List of Poems in Alphabetical Order The Nigel Strangeways Books A Question of Proof (1935) Thou Shell of Death (1936) There’s Trouble Brewing (1937) The Beast Must Die (1938) The Smiler with the Knife (1939) Malice in Wonderland (1940) The Case of the Abominable Snowman (1941) Minute for Murder (1947) Head of a Traveller (1949) The Dreadful Hollow (1953) The Whisper in the Gloom (1954) End of Chapter (1957) The Widow’s Cruise (1959) The Worm of Death (1961) The Sad Variety (1964) The Morning after Death (1966) Other Novels A Tangled Web (1956) A Penknife in My Heart (1958) The Deadly Joker (1963) The Private Wound (1968) The Non-Fiction A Hope for Poetry (1934) Revolutionaries and Poetry (1935) The Colloquial Element in English Poetry (1947) The Poet’s Way of Knowledge (1956) The Autobiography The Buried Day (1960)

Announcing the completely revised and updated edition of The Wine Bible, the perennial bestselling wine book praised as “The most informative and entertaining book I’ve ever seen on the subject” (Danny Meyer), “A guide that has all the answers” (Bobby Flay), “Astounding” (Thomas Keller), and “A magnificent masterpiece of wine writing” (Kevin Zraly). Like a lively course from an expert teacher, The Wine Bible grounds the reader deeply in the fundamentals while layering on informative asides, tips, amusing anecdotes, definitions, glossaries, photos (all new for this edition), maps, labels, and recommended bottles. Karen MacNeil’s information comes directly through primary research; for this second edition she has tasted more than 10,000 wines and visited dozens of wine regions around the world. New to the book are wines of China, Japan, Mexico, and Slovenia. And through it all the reader becomes ever more informed—and, because of the author’s unique voice, always entertained: “In great years Pétrus is ravishing, elegant, and rich—Ingrid Bergman in red satin.” Or, describing a Riesling: “A laser beam. A sheet of ice. A great crackling bolt of lightning.”

An all-inclusive, easy-to-use primer to all things wine Want to learn about wine, but don't know where to start? Wine All-In-One For Dummies provides comprehensive information about the basics of wine in one easy-to-understand volume. Combining the bestselling Wine For Dummies with our regional and specific wine titles, this book gives you the guidance you need to understand, purchase, drink and enjoy wine. You'll start at the beginning as you discover how wine is made. From there you'll explore grape varieties and vineyards, read labels and wine lists, and discover all the nuances of tasting wine. You'll see how to successfully store wine and serve it to your guests-and even build up an impressive collection of wine. Plus, you'll find suggestions for perfect food pairings and complete coverage on wines from around the world. Features wine tasting, serving, storing, collecting, and buying tips, all in a single authoritative volume Includes information on California wines, as well as other domestic and foreign locations including the US, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. Helps you choose the best vintage for your needs Also covers champagne, sherry, and port wine Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan are the authors of seven Dummies books on wine including the bestselling Wine For Dummies, 4th Edition, other contributing authors are recognized wine experts and journalists in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada Whether you're a wine novice or a budding sommelier, Wine All-In-One For Dummies is the one guide you need on your shelf to make your wine experience complete.