In the Shadow of the EmpressOut of the thrilling and tempestuous eighteenth century comes the sweeping family saga of beautiful Maria Theresa, a sovereign of extraordinary strength and vision, the only woman ever to inherit and rule the vast Habsburg empire in her own name, and three of her remarkable daughters: lovely, talented Maria Christina, governor general of the Austrian Netherlands; spirited Maria Carolina, the resolute queen of Naples; and the youngest, Marie

She was exceptionally cute (the dog)

The major and stunning new novel about wartime espionage from bestselling author William Boyd

his life isn't exactly as people think and the little white lie he once told is about to catch up with him

Kids will delight in exploring the familiar scenes of daily life - all illustrated with a charming twist

gas or water in a dilapidated cottage rented for 100 per year

Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be

and even to a disappearing island

Dealing with themes such as belonging

aged eight

'A uniquely strange and wonderful work of literature' Philip Hoare

but of the man who made us fall in love with the natural world

In the last book he completed before he died