The landscape is flawless, the trees majestic, the flora and the fauna are right and proper. All is picturesquely typical of rural England at its best. Sir Giles, an MP of few principles and curious tastes, plots to destroy all this by building a motorway smack through it, to line his own pocket and at the same time to dispose of his wife, the capacious Lady Maude. But Lady Maude enlists a surprising ally in her enigmatic gardener Blott, a naturalised Englishman in whom adopted patriotism burns bright. Lady Maude's dynamism and Blott's concealed talents enable them to meet pressure with mimicry, loaded tribunals with publicity and chilli powder, and requisition orders with wickedly spiked beer. This explosively comic novel will gladden the heart of everyone who has ever confronted a bureaucrat, and spells out in riotous detail how the forces of virtue play an exceedingly dirty game when the issue is close to home.

Blot On The Landscape is John Ngong Kum Ngong's seventh collection of poetry. The central symbol here is 'blot' which takes on complex and fascinating meanings in this rich collection of 42 poems. At a time when concerns for the environment increasingly receive global attention, the collection expresses and problematises the way in which the environment in particular and the landscape in general are treated. The poet decries the fact that there is filth everywhere; in man's thoughts, psyche and behaviour and nobody seems to care. Seen from this angle, human beings themselves seem to constitute the major blot on the landscape.

What is written lives far longer than we do -- or so we would like to think.' From unfinished novel to unsent letters, from prose to play, from Macclesfield to the New Year's Honours List, Liar's Landscape is evidence of the late great author's versatility, wit and passion for the written word. When Sir Malcolm Bradbury died in 2000, he left behind a lifetime's work; some of it published and some of it not; fiction and non-fiction; short stories and novels; completed work, work in progress, work barely begun; plans, sketches, notes, titles. Given shape and coherence by his son, Dominic, that work has now become Liar's Landscape, a book about books, about writing and writers, about being a writer and, of course, about being Malcolm Bradbury. 'Liar's Landscape is essential reading for all admirers of Malcolm Bradbury and, for those who don't know his work, an invaluable sampler of his worldly-wise humour and satirical wit' Tom Rosenthal, Independent

Believe it or not, this is probably the first book to attempt to identify the original sources of some of the English language's most common expressions. We might think we know who first said 'famous for fifteen minutes', 'annus horribilis', 'the cold war' and 'let them eat cake'. It's 'a no brainer', you might say, but Max Cryer has a surprise or two in store for you. 'I kid you not'. In this very readable book, he explores the origins of hundreds of expressions we use and hear every day – and comes up with some surprising findings. Never 'economical with the truth', he might just have 'the last laugh'. We learn what they didn't say...'We are not amused'; 'Elementary my dear Watson'; 'Let them eat cake'; 'First catch your hare'. We learn that the Bible doesn't mention Salome – or seven veils.... We learn about the origins of the infamous Mile High Club. Written in Max Cryer's delightfully witty style, WHO SAID THAT FIRST? is a wonderful book to dip into or settle a friendly dispute. Remember, good books are 'few and far between', and 'you get what you pay for'. So buy this book, 'go ahead, make my day'. Max Cryer is a writer, entertainer and broadcaster, who hosts a weekly radio slot on Radio Live on the quirks of the English language. In a long career, he has been a schoolteacher, a compere and television host, as well as a performer on the opera stage in London and in cabaret in Las Vegas and Hollywood. Now a full-time writer living in Auckland, he has written many books, including LOVE ME TENDER, THE GODZONE DICTIONARY and HEAR OUR VOICES, WE ENTREAT. The inspiration for WHO SAID THAT FIRST? During his years working in Hollywood, Max Cryer became acquainted with Lucille Ball – at the time the world's most popular comedy actress. One day when they were having lunch together, Max complimented her on the amount of pleasure she gave, and Lucille replied: 'I would be absolutely nothing without the writers. It's all to do with the way things are written – they create the springboard for me.' The remark stayed with Max for years, and he realised it was true. Very often the person who said an effective or memorable line didn't actually create it. As Lucille Ball had said, the person in the background should have the credit – but was usually invisible. This is was what motivated him to seek not just popular expressions – but who had actually originated them.

This book is as good as gold for booksellers; I kid you...

Allen’s Dictionary of English Phrases is the most comprehensive survey of this area of the English language ever undertaken. Taking over 6000 phrases, it explains their meaning, explores their development and gives citations that range from the Venerable Bede to Will Self. Crisply and wittily written, the book is packed with memorable and surprising detail, whether showing that 'salad days' comes from Antony and Cleopatra, that 'flavour of the month' originates in 1940s American ice cream marketing, or even that we’ve been 'calling a spade a spade' since the sixteenth century. Allen’s Dictionary of English Phrases is part of the Penguin Reference Library and draws on over 70 years of experience in bringing reliable, useful and clear information to millions of readers around the world – making knowledge everybody’s property.

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.

Contains biographical sketches of representative British novelists whose work began to appear roughly around 1960.