DescriptionThree Men in a Boat is one of the most amusing and durable books in the English language. Semi-autobiographical, it recounts the adventures and mishaps of George, Harris, J. (the author), and his remarkable dog Montmorency during a boat trip along the Thames from London to Oxford. Jerome K. Jerome originally intended the book to be a guide to the Thames Valley, but his publisher thought it so entertaining it was published as a comic novel and has endured as a classic of the genre ever since. Wonderfully light and surprisingly modern in tone, the sense of fun is irrepressible, the enjoyment unstoppable. Real laugh-out-loud stuff, masterfully narrated by Hugh Laurie.
DescriptionYou've stumbled onto something much larger than you can possibly imagine. In the dead of night, a cloaked figure drags a heavy box through snow-covered streets. The chest, covered in images of mythical beasts, can be opened only when the fangs of its serpent's-head clasp taste blood. Centuries later, in an Oxford library, a boy touches a strange book and feels something pierce his finger. The volume is blank, wordless, but fine veins run through its pages, and they seem to quiver, as if alive. Words begin to appear in the book, words only the boy can see. So unfolds a timeless secret.
DescriptionMagdalene la Batarde knows there is trouble brewing in Oxford, with King Stephen bringing together his great council, and her patron, William of Ypres, immediately summoning her. But she never expected it would involve murder. As the accusations fly and the debate rages in Oxford, Magdalene teams up with her old friend, Sir Itchen of Bellamy, to clear up the mess that threatens to lead to a political scandal. Fortunately for Magdalene, she still has friends in Oxford, her former coworkers, the whores and barmaids of Oxford, who may be able to bring her news that will help her untangle a murder.
DescriptionAn utterly compelling historical mystery, in the tradition of Umberto Eco and John Fowles. The setting is England in the 1660s. Oliver Cromwell's short-lived republic is a thing of the past, and Charles II has been restored to the throne. At Oxford's New College, fellow Robert Grove is found dead under suspicious circumstances, and a young woman stands accused. We hear from four witnesses: a physician hungry for fame, the son of an alleged traitor, the king's chief cryptographer, and a renowned Oxford antiquarian - only one of whom is telling the rather extraordinary truth. Who is it? Pears' skillful plot-weaving will keep you guessing until the final seconds.
