The Oxford Book of Villains

The Oxford Book of Villains PDF Author: John Mortimer
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 492

Get Book Here

Book Description
Villains have been celebrated in song and drama, poem and fiction since the Bible first recorded the exploits of Adam's descendants. John Mortimer is ideally placed, as an author and QC, to compile an anthology of the most infamous representatives, real and imagined, of the criminal world. Whether or not the Devil has all the best tunes, Milton's Satan has some very good lines, good enough, according to Marlowe and Goethe, to persuade a man to sell his soul. Not all villains are as anguished as Faust, however; Sherlock Holmes's arch-enemy Moriarty suffers no qualms of conscience in his determination to destroy the sleuth, and Iago, to name but one of Shakespeare's villains, shows no remorse against Othello. The reputation of some real-life villains is so great that they too have acquired legendary status: Dr. Crippen, Lizzie Borden, and Al Capone are among the murderers remembered here. Criminality takes many forms, from pickpocket and highwayman to pirate and con man. Here Jonathan Wild rubs shoulders with Mac the Knife, Captain Kidd with Captain Hook. Casanova, Don Juan, and Richardson's Lovelace have all mastered the pitiless art of seduction, while other villains betray their countries. Tyranny shows itself a brutal regime in the hands of Caligula and Nero, and more subtly oppressive within the family and schoolroom. Attractive scoundrels and incompetent rogues, calculating murderers and unscrupulous swindlers pack these pages with a richness and variety that will by turns delight, surprise, and chill the reader. John Mortimer shapes this villainous crew into a unique and absorbing collection.

The Oxford Book of Villains

The Oxford Book of Villains PDF Author: John Mortimer
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 492

Get Book Here

Book Description
Villains have been celebrated in song and drama, poem and fiction since the Bible first recorded the exploits of Adam's descendants. John Mortimer is ideally placed, as an author and QC, to compile an anthology of the most infamous representatives, real and imagined, of the criminal world. Whether or not the Devil has all the best tunes, Milton's Satan has some very good lines, good enough, according to Marlowe and Goethe, to persuade a man to sell his soul. Not all villains are as anguished as Faust, however; Sherlock Holmes's arch-enemy Moriarty suffers no qualms of conscience in his determination to destroy the sleuth, and Iago, to name but one of Shakespeare's villains, shows no remorse against Othello. The reputation of some real-life villains is so great that they too have acquired legendary status: Dr. Crippen, Lizzie Borden, and Al Capone are among the murderers remembered here. Criminality takes many forms, from pickpocket and highwayman to pirate and con man. Here Jonathan Wild rubs shoulders with Mac the Knife, Captain Kidd with Captain Hook. Casanova, Don Juan, and Richardson's Lovelace have all mastered the pitiless art of seduction, while other villains betray their countries. Tyranny shows itself a brutal regime in the hands of Caligula and Nero, and more subtly oppressive within the family and schoolroom. Attractive scoundrels and incompetent rogues, calculating murderers and unscrupulous swindlers pack these pages with a richness and variety that will by turns delight, surprise, and chill the reader. John Mortimer shapes this villainous crew into a unique and absorbing collection.

If We Were Villains

If We Were Villains PDF Author: M. L. Rio
Publisher: Flatiron Books
ISBN: 1250095301
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Much like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, M. L. Rio’s sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession...will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments.” —Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest "Nerdily (and winningly) in love with Shakespeare...Readable, smart.” —New York Times Book Review On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras. But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent. If We Were Villains was named one of Bustle's Best Thriller Novels of the Year, and Mystery Scene says, "A well-written and gripping ode to the stage...A fascinating, unorthodox take on rivalry, friendship, and truth."

The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales

The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales PDF Author: Chris Baldick
Publisher: Oxford Books of Prose & Verse
ISBN: 9780199561537
Category : English fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Bringing together the work of such writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Conan Doyle, Eudora Welty, Thomas Hardy, William Faulkner, Isak Dinesen, and Joyce Carol Oates, The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales presents 37 sinister and unsettling tales for all lovers of ghost stories, fantasy, and horror.

Heroes & Villains

Heroes & Villains PDF Author: Frank McLynn
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1409070344
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the history of warfare, an elite group of men have attained almost legendary status through their courage, ambition and unrivalled military genius. But many of these same men possessed deep personal character flaws. In Heroes & Villains, acclaimed historian Frank McLynn focuses on six of the most powerful and magnetic leaders of all time: Spartacus, Attila the Hun, Richard the Lionheart, Cortés, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Napoleon. How did these mortal men rise to positions of seemingly invincible power? What were the motives, the personal strengths and often weaknesses that drove them to achieve what no one else dared? In six powerful portraits, McLynn brilliantly evokes the critical moments when each of these warriors proved themselves in battle, changing their own lives, the destiny of their people and, in some cases, the history of the world. We discover what drove Spartacus to take on the might of Rome against seemingly impossible odds, and how the young Napoleon rose to power in dramatic fashion at the Siege of Toulon. Heroes & Villains is more than a collection of individual biographies. By examining the complex psychologies of these extraordinary men, McLynn builds up a convincing profile of the ultimate warrior. Accompanying a major BBC television series, this brilliant book takes us into the minds of the greatest warriors in history.

Heroes Or Villains?

Heroes Or Villains? PDF Author: Haydn Middleton
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780198472056
Category : Criminals
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this cluster, Tiger enters his remote control aeroplane in for a competition - find out if he manages to beat the bully, Lucy, in Air Scare. In Heroine in Hiding read the story of Dani Day and how she tries to warn the children about the evil Dr X. Join special agent Jake Jones as he triesto stop Vlad the Bad from taking all the things that start with the letter V in Jake Jones v Vlad the Bad. Also, find out more about fictional villains and perceived heroes and villains in the two non fiction books, Dr X's Top Ten Villains and Heroes or Villains?Each book comes with notes for parents that highlight tricky words or concepts in the books, prompt questions and suggest a range of follow-up activities. The Heroes and Villains Guided Reading Notes provide step-by-step guided reading support for each book in the Heroes and Villains cluster,together with guidance about comprehension, assessment for learning and vocabulary enrichment. Hands-on follow-up activities and cross-curricular links are also provided for each book.

Vicious

Vicious PDF Author: V. E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 1466822171
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 367

Get Book Here

Book Description
V. E. Schwab's New York Times bestseller Vicious is a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers. Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end? In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question. "A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one...highly recommended!" —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero One of Publishers Weekly's Best Fantasy Books of 2013 At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Lessons from History

Lessons from History PDF Author: Alex Deane
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
ISBN: 1785907115
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Get Book Here

Book Description
History is full to the brim with untold tales of heroics and villainy, gruesome battles, hilarious happenings and downright bizarre coincidences. Meet the war veteran who lost an eye and amputated his own fingers. Discover the original Die Hards, whose bravery would put even Bruce Willis to shame. Just who stole the still-missing Irish crown jewels and how did Adeline, Countess of Cardigan, scandalise society so completely? In Lessons from History, Alex Deane takes us on an uproarious romp through the tales you didn't hear at school. With stories ranging from the little-known characters who played their vital parts in the world's most famous wars to the remarkable adventures of figures across the centuries, to events so extraordinary as to be almost – almost – unbelievable, this book proves that fact is almost always wilder than fiction. Bringing these stories joyfully and often poignantly back to life, Deane finally shines a light on the tales lost to history, and on what we might learn from them today.

Project X: Heroes and Villains: Dr X's Top Ten Villains

Project X: Heroes and Villains: Dr X's Top Ten Villains PDF Author: Andrea Smith
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 9780198472193
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Part of the dynamic reading programme Project X, this book is truly boy-friendly. Project X is a reading programme that has been developed based on research into what will really hook boys into reading and make them love books. Project X includes fiction and non-fiction, exciting adventure stories, lots of gadgets, and 21st-century illustrations. Each book comes with notes for parent/teaching assistants that highlight tricky words or concepts in the books, prompt questions and suggest a range of follow-up activities.

Villains of All Nations

Villains of All Nations PDF Author: Marcus Rediker
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1789601967
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 275

Get Book Here

Book Description
Pirates have long been stock figures in popular culture, from Treasure Island to the more recent antics of Jack Sparrow. Villains of all Nations unearths the thrilling historical truth behind such fictional characters and rediscovers their radical democratic challenge to the established powers of the day.

The Oxford Handbook of Sentencing and Corrections

The Oxford Handbook of Sentencing and Corrections PDF Author: Joan Petersilia
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190241446
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 777

Get Book Here

Book Description
This handbook surveys American sentencing and corrections from global and historical views, from theoretical and policy perspectives, and with attention to a number of problem-specific issues.