Antiquities & Oddities

//Antiquities & Oddities
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  • A drama takes place in a small town in Northern England following the life of a young doctor who has returned from the Congo to take over his uncle's practice. Very likely to have been based on Wallace's own time in the Congo reporting on the brutality and violence of Belgian colonialism, this novel follows the young doctor as he fights the intolerance, ignorance and religious fanaticism of his local townsfolk.
  • For eleven-year-old Badge the world is bounded by the high ridges that enclose his valley home, deep in the heart of Tasmania. He delights in the wild life that surrounds him, and cares little for the world Outside. But one day visitors arrive from Outside - Russ, a splendid cousin from America, and his friend Dr Heftman, who have come to study the local natural history: and they bring a new interest into Badge's life. He had once been shown one of the country's rarest animals, the nearly extinct Tasmanian tiger, coming to a pool to drink: and he had promised never to reveal its whereabouts. But, carried away by the admiration of his cousin, he tells the secret: and then faces a terrible dilemma, for now Russ will want to carry the rare animal away from the free life of the wilds into captivity.
  • Considered a must for every child's Christmas stocking. Tiger Tim's annual has stories, games, puzzles, cartoons, jokes and riddles - something for all ages and just the thing to keep children occupied in the post-Christmas aftermath, especially in England.
  • A thrilling story of a strange caravan - a group of British colonists in the Raj travel in a wheeled house pulled by a steam-powered mechanical elephant in 1867 - that penetrates the Terai, the immense forest that stretches across India at the foot of the mighty Himalayas. In this forest wild men, wilder beasts and even more adventures are encountered in the aftermath of the Sepoy rebellion.
  • A story of sibling devotion told from The Mill On The Floss. This excerpt of Tom and Maggie's early years was first published as a stand-alone in 1909. Little Maggie worships Tom and wants his approval - but Tom is unpredictable; sometimes he acts as if he loves Maggie and other times he is very unpleasant to her. Tom is sent to school to get a proper education and Maggie misses him greatly.  But when his school days are done, Tom may have learnt to love his studies; he has made a very good friend; and Maggie is becoming a young lady.
  • No collection of nautical fiction would be complete without the inclusion of Tom Cringle's Log, a novel that - together with the works of Marryat - became a cornerstone of the genre on its publication some 150 years ago. Told in an irresistible and immediate style, the story follows the life of young midshipman Tom Cringle: his imprisonment in occupied Germany by Napoleon's forces, his West Indian cruise on the Torch, a British man-of-war, his daring escape from West Indian pirates and his ultimate promotion to the officer ranks. Edited by Ernest Rhys.
  • Tony makes an impression wherever he goes - he knows all the right people, wears all the right clothes, is seen in all the right places and is always in the society columns.  Yet there are some odd stories also circulating...a messy divorce case...blackmail and Mob involvement...a very peculiar wedding...He's a rogue, a rascal and a reprobate.  Patrick Dennis tells a good story and has a sly dig at society pretensions and the cult of so-called celebrity at the same time.
  • The hilarious story of how Graham 'Screw' Turner established a bus touring company using old converted double-decker buses. From humble beginnings in London 1973, Screw, together with a crew of colonial larrikins, builds up a fleet of 100 deckers. Screw, Spy, Bill Speaking, Wombat. Filthy, Grilly, Budgie, the mysterious Graham James Lloyd and other incorrigible crew members lead their unsuspecting punters on riotous escapades to the far flung, exotic corners of the world. Today, Graham 'Screw' Turner is one of Australia's wealthiest men and is the CEO of Flight Centre, which he began in the 1980s.  With caricatures by Bill Leak and cartoons by Warren Brown. Illustrated with black and white photographs and newspaper clippings.
  • Can one think of Torquay without the image of Basil Fawlty cropping up? This charming guide book covers not only the Torquay of 1920 but also delves into history, folklore and local customs. With beautiful colour plate illustrations by Frederick J. Widgery. Reprinted in 2016.