Bernard Cornwell

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BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR


Title: Stonehenge: A Novel Of 2000 Bc: Description:
From the earliest times, human beings have looked at the sun and the moon, and at life and death, and have imagined gods who control such things, and looked for ways to control those gods. In Stonehenge, Bernard Cornwell, famous for his novels about Rifleman Sharpe's adventures in the Napoleonic wars and for a sequence of brutally realistic Arthurian novels, considers the men and women who built Stonehenge and Avebury. These stone circles are impressive enough today; but all the more so if you imagine shifting stones from Wales to Salisbury Plain by raft and roller, dressing them with burning fat and grindstones, hauling the lintel stones up tiers of platforms. "The oxen were goaded again, and, finger's breadth by finger's breadth, the huge stone eased forward until half of it was poised and then the oxen tugged once more and Saban was shouting at the beasts' drivers to halt the animals because the stone was tipping at last. For a heartbeat, it seemed to balance on the ramp's edge, then its leading half crashed down onto the timbers, then the great boulder slid down the ramp to lodge against the hole's face." It is the story of Saban, made architect against his will; of his brothers Lengar, the aspiring conqueror and Camaban, the cripple-turned-magician. It is the story of Derrewynn, princess-turned-witch, and Aurenna, sacrifice-turned-priestess queen. Stonehenge is an epic tale of people as smart as us, inventing religion and mythology and forcing their wills on the world and each other. --Roz Kaveney

Title: Sharpe's Sword: Description:
The bitter rivalry between Sharpe and the ruthless Frenchman Colonel Leroux is brought to life against the vivid canvas of the Peninsular War

Title: Sharpes Battle: Description:
Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811In the spring of 1811, while quartered in the crumbling Portuguese fort of San Isidro, Richard Sharpe and his men are attacked by an elite French unit commanded by the formidable Brigadier Loup, and suffer heavy losses. Sharpe has already clashed once with Loup, and the Frenchman has sworn to have his revenge. After the attack, Sharpe is faced with the ruin of his career and reputation, as the army's high command tries to blame him for the disaster. With thousands of French troops massing at a tiny village nearby, Sharpe's only hope is to redeem himself on the battlefield. To save his honour, Sharpe must lead his men to glory in the narrow streets of Fuentes de Onoro. The Complete Sharpe Collection with a new introduction by the author

Title: Gallows Thief: Description:
By setting Gallows Thief in the Regency period, Bernard Cornwell is able to use his customary skills of characterisation and razor-sharp plotting against a vividly realised new backdrop. It is Britain in the 1820s. After the wars with France, with unemployment high and soldiers paid off, the government lives in mortal fear of social unrest. The solution is draconian punishment for any crime, and thousands die on the gallows. But despite this, it was possible to petition the King and instigate an investigation. Cornwell's new hero Rider Sandman is a hero of Waterloo struggling to repay his family debts when he becomes involved in the case of a man waiting to be hanged in Newgate prison. Given the job by the Home Secretary of investigating the man's guilt or innocence, Sandman finds himself knee-deep in labyrinthine plots involving bribes, sedition and a massive conspiracy of silence. As this suggests, the contemporary parallels are never far away. The world Cornwell has conjured for us is as richly drawn as any in his distinguished career: gentlemen's clubs and taverns, haughty aristocrats, fashionable painters and their mistresses, and professional cut-throats; all this creates a heady melange that is just as impressive as anything in Cornwell's Sharpe series. --Barry Forshaw

Title: Heretic (the Grail Quest): Description:
Heretic is the third book in Bernard Cornwell's much-acclaimed Grail Quest series, a series that many were initially cautious about because it represented something of a change of pace for the master historical novelist. But Cornwell quickly demonstrated that this period of history was well within his remit, and the sequence has proved to be among his most mesmerising work. Heretic begins with a bloody battle outside Calais in 1347, a short time before the city fell to the English. The sympathetic Thomas of Hookton is bending every sinew at the service of his master, the Earl of Northampton; after risking his life time and again, Thomas finds himself commissioned to track down the most sacred relic in Christendom, the Holy Grail. He travels to Gascony, seat of power of his nemesis, Guy Vexille. Utilising his archers, Thomas conducts a fierce guerrilla war against Vexille, and yearns for a face-to-face encounter. But then Thomas is routed and finds his campaign in shreds, facing the twin enemies of the church and the plague. In this third book, Bernard Cornwell ups the ante in every sense: along with the splendidly realised battle scenes (a Cornwell trademark), the evocation of the Middle Ages is more crowded and bustling than one might have thought possible without subsuming the protagonists. But most of all, it's the character of Thomas that powers the narrative; having his hero fall in love (sensitively handled here) sets off the ultimate conflict with his mortal enemy perfectly. Leave the 21st century behind and venture into a dark and foreign era--it's a journey you won't regret. --Barry Forshaw

Title: The Bloody Ground (starbuck Chronicles): Description:
It is late summer 1862 and the Confederacy is at last invading the United States of America. Nathaniel Starbuck, the northern preacher's son who fights for the rebel South, is given command of a punishment battalion, a despised unit of shriekers and cowards. His enemies expect the appointment to be his downfall. To prove them wrong, Starbuck must lead the ramshackle unit against thenorthern garrison at Harper's Ferry and then across the frontier to the bank of the Antietam Creek. There he will fight in what will prove to be the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

Title: The Winter King: Description:
Derfel, once a captain in Arthur's warband, recalls the days of Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and Bishop Sansum. But, above all, it tells the story of Arthur, the only man who can hold Uther's throne for its infant heir, and unite Britain's squabbling kingdoms against the enemy.

Title: Scoundrel: Description:
Five million dollars in gold will buy fifty-three Stinger missiles, which may be for the IRA but might have more to do with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait ... 'Convincing, fast moving and extremely readable'

Title: Wildtrack: Description:
His father in prison for fraud, his ex-wife bleeding him dry and his spine shattered by a bullet, Falklands hero Nick Sandman, VC, has no money and no prospects. Only a boat and the dream of sailing her away to a new life ... 'A compelling tale, packed with invention and intrigue'

Title: Crackdown: Description:
To avoid the brittle theatrical world inhabited by his father, Nick Breakspear joined the Royal Marines. Now he is sailing the exotic islands, lagoons and reefs of the Bahamas, without a care in the world. But dreams of paradise are shattered when he discovers a derelict yacht riddled with bullets ... 'One you'll have trouble putting down' (New York Times)

Title: Sharpe's Rifles: Description:
the 9th book in bernard cornwells popular sharp series.first edition

Title: Sharpe's Honour: Description:
the 4th book in the sharp series 1985 collins.first edition

Title: Sharpe's Siege: Description:
the 8th book in the sharp series collins 1987.first edition

Title: Sea Lord: Description:
john rossendale is a modern day wandering sailor until a priceless family heirloom goes missing and several dangerous people want it very badily even kill for it

Title: Harlequin (grail Quest): Description:
Following the phenomenal success of the Sharpe novels set in the Napoleonic Wars, Bernard Cornwell has turned his storytelling talents to another great moment in English history, the Hundred Years War between England and France throughout the 14th century. Harlequin is the first book in Cornwell's Grail Quest series, which chronicles the adventures of young Thomas of Hookton, "a big, bony, black-haired country boy". Thomas rejects the church in favour of the life of an archer in France after his village is brutally sacked by the French. The young Thomas fights back against the French with his bow, and "in that one instant, as the first arrow slid into the sky, he knew he wanted nothing more from life". He vows to seek revenge on the plains of France, and recover the holy relic of St. George stolen from his village by the sinister "harlequin" with whose destiny Thomas finds himself inextricably entwined. The rest of the action moves at a hectic pace across the violent and bloody battlefields of northern France, as Thomas falls for a beautiful French widow nicknamed "the Blackbird", makes a mortal enemy of the "poor, bitter and ambitious" Sir Simon Jekyll, and follows the ensign of King Edward III and his heroic son, the Black Prince. Harlequin is a fast-paced and graphic recreation of the Hundred Years War, despite a rather gratuitous fixation on rape and pillage. The action comes thick and fast, although it remains to be seen if Thomas of Hookton has the wit and flair of Cornwell's other great heroic creation, Richard Sharpe. --Jerry Brotton .

Title: Sharpe's Escape: Description:
There's no question that Bernard Cornwell's ever-growing magnum opus consists of his books featuring the doughty soldier Richard Shape, of which Sharpe's Escape is the 20th title. All the elements that aficionados look for in Cornwell's books are firmly and satisfyingly in place. The year is 1810, and the British Army is struggling against the confident French, who are assailing Portugal once again. As British soldiers cross into Spain, they find a hunger-ridden, depleted land. In the middle of the chaos is Captain of the Light Company, Richard Sharpe, who has found a new nemesis in Ferragus, a duplicitous Portuguese man well-connected with the French invaders. However, the battle between the two men takes a more dangerous turn, when Sharpe, no longer with his regiment, takes some unorthodox routes to prosecute his personal battle. With only his ex-colleague, the reliable Sergeant Harper and a Portuguese ally, Jorge Vicente, to help confront myriad enemies, the Sharpe/Ferragus duel is fought through the ruined streets of Coimbra and on to Lisbon, as Wellington mounts a coup de grace against the French. Bernard Cornwell fans know what to expect: vivid scene-setting and pithy historical detail (never artificially freighted in, always comfortably ensconced), exhilarating action set-pieces, and (riding above it all) the larger-than-life figure of Richard Sharpe, realised with real bravura. --Barry Forshaw

Title: Sharpe's Rifles: Description:
Richard Sharpe and the French invasion of Galicia, January 1809

Title: Sharpe's Trafalgar: Description:
The seventeenth Sharpe novel sees Sharpe returning from India to London to join the newly formed Green Jackets in Britain. His voyage home should be a period of rest, but his ship is riven with treachery and threatened by the Revenant, a French sea-raider that is terrorising British shipping in the Indian Ocean. Betrayed and defeated, Sharpe is imprisoned on the Ile de France, doomed to rot there until the war ends. But an unlikey ally secures his escape into a British warship that is hunting the Revenant. That hunt turns into a pursuit as the French ship races home, and when she encounters the combined French and Spanish fleets of Cadiz, it seems Sharpe's enemies are safe. But over the horizon is another fleet, led by Nelson, and Sharpe's revenge will come when the two armadas meet on a calm October day off Cape Trafalgar.

Title: Sharpe's Devil: Description:
Richard Sharpe believes that his soldiering days are over, but his retirement is interrupted by a request from Donna Louisa Vivar for Sharpe to discover the truth about the disappearance of her husband, the Captain-General of Chile. Sharpe's quest takes him to St. Helena and an encounter with Napoleon, and on to Chile where he soon finds himself caught up in the rebellion against Spanish rule and fighting alongside the flamboyant rebel admiral, Lord Thomas Cochrane. "Sharpe's Devil" is an adventure story in the classic tradition - a tale of loyalty and treachery, secret scheming and daredevil exploits, and bloody battles fought at sea and on land. About the Author Born in Essex in 1944 Bernard Cornwell was adopted at the age of six weeks by two members of a strict fundamentalist sect called the Peculiar People. He grew up in a household that forbade alcohol, cigarettes, dances, television, conventional medicine and toy guns. Not surprisingly, he developed a fascination for military adventure. As a teenager he devoured CS Forester's Hornblower novels and tried to enlist three times. Poor eyesight put paid to his dream, instead he went to university to read theology. On graduating, he became a teacher, then joined BBC's Nationwide, working his way up the ladder to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland, then editor of Thames News. In 1979, his life changed when he fell in love with an American. "Judy couldn't live here, so I gave up my job and moved to the US. I couldn't get a green card, and for 18 months the only thing I could do was write novels." The result was his first book about 19th century hero, Richard Sharpe, SHARPE'S EAGLE. Today with 16 Sharpe adventures behind him and worldwide sales of over 2 million, plus a series about the American Civil War, the Starbuck novels, and an enormously successful trilogy about King Arthur, The Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell owns houses in Cape Cod and Florida and two boats. Every year he takes two months off from his writing and spends most of his time on his 24 foot Cornish crabber, Royalist. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: Sharpe's Fortress: Description:
Sharpe, having just received his commission, faces his toughest battle yet in this return to India, the terrain of the bestselling Sharpe's Tiger.

Title: Sharpe's Gold: Description:
Bold, professional and determined, Richard Sharpe embarks on a desperate mission. He must recover the treasure, vital to the success of the war, now hidden behind enemy lines. The gold is in the possession of a powerful guerrilla leader, feared by ally and enemy alike. And, he has no love for Sharpe, the man who has stolen his woman. But Sharpe's fiercest battles lie with the British officers, ignorant of his deadly secret and mistrustful of his ruthless methods. From the Publisher The third of the Sharpe series in the Peninsular, in chronological order. --This text refers to the Paperback edition. About the Author Born in Essex in 1944 Bernard Cornwell was adopted at the age of six weeks by two members of a strict fundamentalist sect called the Peculiar People. He grew up in a household that forbade alcohol, cigarettes, dances, television, conventional medicine and toy guns. Not surprisingly, he developed a fascination for military adventure. As a teenager he devoured CS Forester's Hornblower novels and tried to enlist three times. Poor eyesight put paid to his dream, instead he went to university to read theology. On graduating, he became a teacher, then joined BBC's Nationwide, working his way up the ladder to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland, then editor of Thames News. In 1979, his life changed when he fell in love with an American. "Judy couldn't live here, so I gave up my job and moved to the US. I couldn't get a green card, and for 18 months the only thing I could do was write novels." The result was his first book about 19th century hero, Richard Sharpe, SHARPE'S EAGLE. Today with 16 Sharpe adventures behind him and worldwide sales of over 2 million, plus a series about the American Civil War, the Starbuck novels, and an enormously successful trilogy about King Arthur, The Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell owns houses in Cape Cod and Florida and two boats. Every year he takes two months off from his writing and spends most of his time on his 24 foot Cornish crabber, Royalist. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: Sharpe's Battle: Description:
"Sharpe's Battle" takes Richard Sharpe and his Riflemen back to the spring of 1811 and one of the bitterest battles of the Peninsular War, in the narrow streets of Fuentes de Onoro. Sharpe finds himself given the responsibility for the Irish Company of the exiled King of Spain's household guard, a motley crew indeed with which to defeat the elite French brigade under Brigadier Guy Loup. Once more, Sharpe must fight against the odds to protect his honour, his career and his life.

Title: The Lords Of The North: Description:
Enter a world where bloody battles and heroic deeds combine in the historic struggle to unite Britain in the face of a common enemy. The third installment in Bernard Cornwell's "King Alfred" series follows on from the outstanding previous novels "The Last Kingdom" and "The Pale Horseman". The year is 878 and the Vikings have been thrown out of Wessex. Uhtred, fresh from fighting for Alfred in the battle to free Wessex, travels north to seek revenge for his father's death, killed in a bloody raid by Uhtred's old enemy, renegade Danish lord, Kjartan. While Kjartan lurks in his formidable stronghold of Dunholm, the north is overrun by chaos, rebellion and fear. Together with a small band of warriors, Uhtred plans his attack on his enemy, revenge fuelling his anger, resolute on bloody retribution. But, he finds himself betrayed and ends up on a desperate slave voyage to Iceland. Rescued by a remarkable alliance of old friends and enemies, he and his allies, together with Alfred the Great, are free to fight once more in a battle for power, glory and honour. "The Lords of the North" is a tale of England's making, a powerful story of betrayal, struggle and romance, set in an England torn apart by turmoil and upheaval. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC Television for seven years, mostly as a producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the Current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States.

Title: Rebel (starbuck Chronicles): Description:
Set during the American Civil War, this book follows the confrontation of North against South. Nathaniel Starbuck is a Northerner, but fleeing his family after the disgrace of his involvement with a French actress, he turns to his best friend, Adam Faulconer.

Title: Sharpe's Devil: Description:
From his French rural idyll, to a meeting with Napoleon, to a cliffhanging role in the Chilean War of Independence - the character of Richard Sharpe returns in this adventure story. About the Author Born in Essex in 1944 Bernard Cornwell was adopted at the age of six weeks by two members of a strict fundamentalist sect called the Peculiar People. He grew up in a household that forbade alcohol, cigarettes, dances, television, conventional medicine and toy guns. Not surprisingly, he developed a fascination for military adventure. As a teenager he devoured CS Forester's Hornblower novels and tried to enlist three times. Poor eyesight put paid to his dream, instead he went to university to read theology. On graduating, he became a teacher, then joined BBC's Nationwide, working his way up the ladder to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland, then editor of Thames News. In 1979, his life changed when he fell in love with an American. "Judy couldn't live here, so I gave up my job and moved to the US. I couldn't get a green card, and for 18 months the only thing I could do was write novels." The result was his first book about 19th century hero, Richard Sharpe, SHARPE'S EAGLE. Today with 16 Sharpe adventures behind him and worldwide sales of over 2 million, plus a series about the American Civil War, the Starbuck novels, and an enormously successful trilogy about King Arthur, The Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell owns houses in Cape Cod and Florida and two boats. Every year he takes two months off from his writing and spends most of his time on his 24 foot Cornish crabber, Royalist.

Title: Sharpe's Enemy: Description:
A classic Sharpe adventure: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of Portugal, Christmas 1812 Newly promoted, Major Richard Sharpe leads his small force into the biting cold of the winter mountains. His task is to rescue a group of well-born women held hostage by a rabble of deserters. And one of the renegades is Sergeant Hakeswill, Sharpe's most implacable enemy. But the rescue is the least of Sharpe's problems. He must face a far greater threat. With only the support of his own company and the new Rocket Troop -- the last word in military incompetence -- to back his gamble, Sharpe cannot afford even to recognize the prospect of defeat. For to surrender -- or to fail -- would mean the end of the war for the Allied armies...The Complete Sharpe Collection

Title: Sharpe's Honour: Description:
A classic Sharpe adventure: Richard Sharpe and the Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813 Major Richard Sharpe awaits the opening shots of the army's new campaign with grim expectancy. Victory depends on the increasingly fragile alliance between Britain and Spain -- an alliance that must be maintained at any cost. But Sharpe's enemy, Pierre Ducos, seizes a chance to both destroy the alliance and take a personal revenge on Sharpe. And when the lovely spy, La Marquesa, takes a hand in the game, Sharpe finds himself caught in a web of deadly intrigue and becomes a fugitive, hunted by enemy and ally alike... From the Publisher The third of the Sharpe series in the Peninsular, in chronological order.

Title: Sharpe's Siege: Description:
A classic Sharpe adventure: Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814. The invasion of France is under way, and the British Navy has called upon the services of Major Richard Sharpe. He and a small force of Riflemen are to capture a fortress and secure a landing on the French coast. It is to be one of the most dangerous missions of his career. Through the incompetence of a recklessly ambitious naval commander and the machinations of his old enemy, French spymaster Pierre Ducos, Sharpe finds himself abandoned in the heart of enemy territory, facing overwhelming forces and the very real prospect of defeat. He has no alternative but to trust his fortunes to an American privateer -- a man who has no love for the British invaders. From the Publisher Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814.

Title: Sharpe's Trafalgar: Description:
The seventeenth Sharpe novel sees Sharpe returning from India to London to join the newly formed Green jackets. Sharpe, though a little more comfortable with his new officer rank, is sure that this new unit is of lower status, and that he has failed. His ship home is shipwrecked: he is captured by pirates but fighting free with a few companions, finds himself on a British Navy ship heading to join Nelson's fleet. And there, in October 1805, he finds himself involved in the great sea battle, and discovers new skills in fighting on sea.

Title: Sharpe's Waterloo: Description:
Richard Sharpe and the Waterloo Campaign, set between 15 June and 18 June, 1815.

Title: Sharpe's Havoc: Description:
The latest book in the brilliant, bestselling Sharpe series brings Sharpe to Portugal, and reunites him with Harper. It is 1809 and Lieutenant Sharpe, who belongs to a small British army that has a precarious foothold in Portugal, is sent to look for Kate Savage, the daughter of an English wine shipper. But before he can discover the missing girl, the French onslaught on Portugal begins and the city of Oporto falls. Sharpe is stranded behind enemy lines, but he has Patrick Harper, he has his riflemen and he has the assistance of a young, idealistic Portuguese officer. Together, they have to find the missing girl and extricate themselves from the entanglements cast by Colonel Christopher, a mysterious Englishman who has his own ideas on how the French can be ejected from Portugal. Those ideas are as fantastic as they are dangerous, but the French are rampant, Lisbon is threatened and Christopher sees Sharpe and his riflemen as the only obstacles to his subtle scheme. But there is a newly arrived British commander in Lisbon, Sir Arthur Wellesley, and just when Sharpe and his men seem doomed, Sir Arthur mounts his own counter-attack, an operation that will send the French army reeling back into the northern mountains. Sharpe becomes a hunter instead of the hunted and he will exercise a dreadful revenge on the men who double-crossed him. Sharpe's Havoc is a classic Sharpe story, a return to Portugal in the company of Sergeant Patrick Harper, Captain Hogan and Sharpe's beloved Greenjackets, who can turn a battle as fast as Cornwell's readers can turn a page. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC Television for seven years, mostly as a producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the Current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Title: Heretic (grail Quest): Description:
The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the number one bestseller Vagabond, this is the third instalment in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series. In 1347 the English capture Calais and the war with France is suspended by a truce. But for Thomas of Hookton, the hero of Harlequin and Vagabond, there is no end to the fighting. He is pursuing the grail, the most sacred of Christendom's relics, and is sent to his ancestral homeland, Gascony, to engineer a confrontation with his deadliest enemy, Guy Vexille. Once in the south country Thomas becomes a raider, leading his archers in savage forays that will draw his enemy to his arrows. But then his fortunes change. Thomas becomes the hunted as his campaign is destroyed by the church. With only one companion, a girl condemned to burn as a heretic, Thomas goes to the valley of Astarac where he believes the grail was once hidden and might still be concealed, and there he plays a deadly game of hide and seek with an overwhelming enemy. Then, just as Thomas succeeds in meeting his enemy face to face, fate intervenes as the deadliest plague in the history of mankind erupts into Europe. What had been a landscape of castles, monasteries, vineyards and villages, becomes death's kingdom and the need for the grail, as a sign of God's favour, is more urgent than ever. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Title: Harlequin: Description:
Published in 2000 by BCA.

Title: Vagabond (grail Quest): Description:
The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling Harlequin, this is the second instalment in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series. In Harlequin, Thomas of Hookton travelled to France as an archer and there discovered a shadowy destiny, which linked him to a family of heretical French lords who sought Christendom's greatest relic. Having survived the battle of Crecy, Thomas is sent back to England, charged with finding the Holy Grail. But Thomas is an archer and when a chance comes to fight against an army invading northern England he jumps at it. Plunged into the carnage of Neville's Cross, he is oblivious to other enemies who want to destroy him. He discovers too late that he is not the only person pursuing the grail, and that his rivals will do anything to thwart him. After hunting and wounding him, Thomas's enemies turn him into a fugitive. Fleeing England, he travels to Normandy, determined to rescue Will Skeat, his old commander from Harlequin. Finally Thomas leads his enemies back to Brittany, where he goes to discover an old love and where his pursuers at last trap their reluctant pilgrim. Vagabond is a vivid and realistic portrait of England at a time when the archer was king of Europe's battlefields. From the Publisher Vagabond is a vivid and realistic portrait of England at a time when the archer was king of Europe's battlefields. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. He is also the author of the extremely successful Sharpe series. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: The Lords Of The North (alfred The Great 3): Description:
Enter a world where bloody battles, and heroic deeds combine in the historic struggle to unite Britain in the face of a common enemy. The third installment in Bernard Cornwell's "King Alfred" series, follows on from the outstanding previous novels "The Last Kingdom" and "The Pale Horseman". The year is 878 and Wessex is free from the Vikings. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, helped Alfred win that victory, but now he is disgusted by Alfred's lack of generosity and repelled by the king's insistent piety. He flees Wessex, going back north to seek revenge for the killing of his foster father and to rescue his stepsister, captured in the same raid. He needs to find his old enemy, Kjartan, a renegade Danish lord who lurks in the formidable stronghold of Dunholm. Uhtred arrives in the north to discover rebellion, chaos and fear. His only ally is Hild, a West Saxon nun fleeing her calling, and his best hope is his sword, with which he has made a formidable reputation as a warrior. He will need the assistance of other warriors if he is to attack Dunholm and he finds Guthred, a slave who believes he is a king. He takes him across the Pennines to where a desperate alliance of fanatical Christians and beleaguered Danes form a new army to confront the terrible Viking lords who rule Northumbria. "The Lords of the North" is a powerful story of betrayal, romance and struggle, set in an England of turmoil, upheaval and glory. Uhtred, a Northumbrian raised as a Viking, a man without lands, a warrior without a country, has become a splendid heroic figure. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC Television for seven years, mostly as a producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the Current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States.

Title: The Bloody Ground (the Starbuck Chronicles): Description:
Right at the moment Nate Starbuck begins to doubt his own courage, the Faulconer Legion is spitefully stripped from him and he is given command of the Yellowlegs - a battalion of cowards, malingerers, stragglers, skulkers and convicts led by cowards and bullies. In order to restore the honour of the Special Battalion, Starbuck pits himself and his Yellowlegs against the Union army at Sharpsburg in one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. But not all his enemies are northerners: among his own ranks are white demons, bad as they come, whose rifles, revolvers and resentments are aimed at Starbuck's back. From the Publisher A superbly exciting novel which vividly captures the horror of the battlefield, The Bloody Ground is the fourth volume in the Starbuck Chronicles --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: Sharpe's Eagle: Description:
Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign, July 1809. Richard Sharpe, bold, professional and ruthless, goes to war. Once a private, now he leads his men into action in the bloodiest battle of the war. The danger is as great from his enemies on his own side as from those across the battlefield. But through treachery and gunsmoke, through swordfight and bloody warfare, Sharpe saves his own life and the honour of the regiment. The Complete Sharpe Collection with a new introduction by the author

Title: Sharpe's Gold: Description:
Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of Almeida, August 1810Bold, professional and determined, Richard Sharpe embarks on a desperate mission. He must recover the treasure, vital to the success of the war, now hidden behind enemy lines. The gold is in the possession of a powerful guerrilla leader, feared by ally and enemy alike. And he has no love for Sharpe, the man who has stolen his woman. But Sharpe's fiercest battles lie with the British officers, ignorant of his deadly secret and mistrustful of his ruthless methods. The Complete Sharpe Collection with a new introduction by the author From the Publisher The third of the Sharpe series in the Peninsular, in chronological order. About the Author Born in Essex in 1944 Bernard Cornwell was adopted at the age of six weeks by two members of a strict fundamentalist sect called the Peculiar People. He grew up in a household that forbade alcohol, cigarettes, dances, television, conventional medicine and toy guns. Not surprisingly, he developed a fascination for military adventure. As a teenager he devoured CS Forester's Hornblower novels and tried to enlist three times. Poor eyesight put paid to his dream, instead he went to university to read theology. On graduating, he became a teacher, then joined BBC's Nationwide, working his way up the ladder to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland, then editor of Thames News. In 1979, his life changed when he fell in love with an American. "Judy couldn't live here, so I gave up my job and moved to the US. I couldn't get a green card, and for 18 months the only thing I could do was write novels." The result was his first book about 19th century hero, Richard Sharpe, SHARPE'S EAGLE. Today with 16 Sharpe adventures behind him and worldwide sales of over 2 million, plus a series about the American Civil War, the Starbuck novels, and an enormously successful trilogy about King Arthur, The Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell owns houses in Cape Cod and Florida and two boats. Every year he takes two months off from his writing and spends most of his time on his 24 foot Cornish crabber, Royalist.

Title: The Last Kingdom: Description:
The first book in a brand new series, The Last Kingdom is set in England during the reign of King Alfred. Uhtred is an English boy, born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria. Orphaned at ten, he is captured and adopted by a Dane and taught the Viking ways. Yet Uhtred's fate is indissolubly bound up with Alfred, King of Wessex, who rules over the only English kingdom to survive the Danish assault. The struggle between the English and the Danes and the strife between christianity and paganism is the background to Uhtred's growing up. He is left uncertain of his loyalties but a slaughter in a winter dawn propels him to the English side and he will become a man just as the Danes launch their fiercest attack yet on Alfred's kingdom. Marriage ties him further still to the West Saxon cause but when his wife and child vanish in the chaos of the Danish invasion, Uhtred is driven to face the greatest of the Viking chieftains in a battle beside the sea. There, in the horror of the shield-wall, he discovers his true allegiance. The Last Kingdom, like most of Bernard Cornwell's books, is firmly based on true history. It is the first novel of a series that will tell the tale of Alfred the Great and his descendants and of the enemies they faced, Viking warriors like Ivar the Boneless and his feared brother, Ubba. Against their lives Bernard Cornwell has woven a story of divided loyalties, reluctant love and desperate heroism. In Uhtred, he has created one of his most interesting and heroic characters and in The Last Kingdom one of his most powerful and passionate novels. From the Publisher The Last Kingdom, like most of Bernard Cornwell's books, is firmly based on true history. It is the first novel of a series that will tell the tale of Alfred the Great and his descendants and of the enemies they faced, Viking warriors like Ivar the Boneless and his feared brother, Ubba. Against their lives Bernard Cornwell has woven a story of divided loyalties, reluctant love and desperate heroism. In Uhtred, he has created one of his most interesting and heroic characters and in The Last Kingdom one of his most powerful and passionate novels. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC Television for seven years, mostly as a producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the Current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Title: Enemy Of God: A Novel Of Arthur (a Novel Of Arthur: The Warlord Chronicles): Description:
This is the continuing story of Arthur, the second in a trilogy which began with "The Winter King". The novels bring Arthur and his world to vivid life. A man battling for his vision of the future in a brutal age, dragged down by suspicions and magics of the past, surrounded by intrigue, dependent on his skill at war and genius for leadership.

Title: Sharpe's Prey: Description:
The 18th novel in this bestselling series takes Sharpe to battle in Copenhagen. An army is travelling to the Danish capital to enforce British policy, but unless Sharpe can complete the mission against enemies as subtle and clever as any he has ever faced, that army will meet disaster. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States. Excerpted from Sharpe's Prey by Bernard Cornwell. Copyright © 2002. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Captain Henry Willsen of His Majesty’s Dirty Half Hundred, moreformally the 50th Regiment of West Kent, parried his opponent’s sabre.He did it hurriedly. His right hand was low so that his sabre’s bladewas raised in the position known to the fencing masters as the quartebasse and the knowledgeable spectators thought the parry was feeble.A surprised murmur sounded, for Willsen was good. Very good. Hehad been attacking, but it was apparent he had been slow to see histaller opponent’s counter and now he was in disorganized retreat. Thetaller man pressed, swatting the quarte basse aside and lunging so thatWillsen skittered backwards, his slippers squeaking with a staccatojudder on the wooden floor which was liberally scattered with Frenchchalk. The very sound of the slippers on the chalked wood denotedpanic. The sabres clashed harshly again, the taller man stamped for-ward,his blade flickering, clanging, reaching, and Willsen was counter-ingin apparent desperation until, so fast that those watching couldscarce follow his blade’s quick movement, he stepped to one side andriposted at his opponent’s cheek. There seemed little power in theriposte, for its force all came from Willsen’s wrist rather than from hisfull arm, but the sabre’s edge still struck the taller man with such mightthat he lost his balance. He swayed, right arm flailing, and Willsengently touched his weapon’s point to his opponent’s chest so that hetoppled to the floor.‘Enough!’ the Master-at-Arms called.‘God’s teeth.’ The fallen man swept his blade at Willsen’s ankles ina fit of pique. The blow was easily blocked and Willsen just walkedaway.‘I said enough, my lord!’ the Master-at-Arms shouted angrily.‘How the devil did you do that, Willsen?’ Lord Marsden pulled offthe padded leather helmet with its wire visor that had protected hisface. ‘I had you on your damned arse!’Willsen, who had planned the whole passage of the fight from the moment he made a deliberately soft quarte basse, bowed. ‘Perhaps I wasjust fortunate, my lord?’‘Don’t patronize me, man,’ Lord Marsden snapped as he climbedto his feet. ‘What was it?’‘Your disengagement from the sixte was slow, my lord.’‘The devil it was,’ Lord Marsden growled. He was proud of hisability with foil or sabre, yet he knew Willsen had bested him easilyby feigning a squeaking retreat. His lordship scowled, then realized hewas being ungracious and so, tucking the sabre under his arm, heldout a hand. ‘You’re quick, Willsen, damned quick.’The handful of spectators applauded the show of sportsmanship.They were in Horace Jackson’s Hall of Arms, an establishment onLondon’s Jermyn Street where wealthy men could learn the arts ofpugilism, fencing and pistol shooting. The hall was a high bare roomlined with racks of swords and sabres, smelling of tobacco and liniment,and decorated with prints of prize fighters, mastiffs and racehorses.The only women in the place served drinks and food, or else workedin the small rooms above the hall where the beds were soft and theprices high.Willsen pulled off his helmet and ran a hand through his long fairhair. He bowed to his beaten opponent, then carried both sabres tothe weapon rack at the side of the hall where a tall, very thin andextraordinarily handsome captain in the red coat and blue facings ofthe 1st Regiment of Foot Guards was waiting. The guardsman, astranger to Willsen, tossed away a half-smoked cigar as Willsenapproached. ‘You fooled him,’ the Captain said cheerfully.Willsen frowned at the stranger’s impertinence, but he answeredpolitely enough. Willsen, after all, was an employee in Horace Jackson’sHall and the Guards Captain, judging by the elegant cut of his expen-siveuniform, was a patron. The sort of patron, moreover, who couldnot wait to prove himself against the celebrated Henry Willsen. ‘Ifooled him?’ Willsen asked. ‘How?’‘The quarte basse,’ the guardsman said, ‘you made it soft, am I right?’Willsen was impressed at the guardsman’s acuity, but did not betrayit. ‘Perhaps I was just fortunate?’ he suggested. He was being modest,for he had the reputation of being the finest swordsman in the DirtyHalf Hundred, probably in the whole army and maybe in the entirecountry, but he belittled his ability, just as he shrugged off those whoreckoned he was the best pistol shot in Kent. A soldier, Willsen likedto say, should be a master of his arms and so he practised assiduouslyand prayed that one day his skill would be useful in the service of hiscountry. Until that time came he earned his captain’s pay and, becausethat was not sufficient to support a wife, child and mess bill, he taughtfencing and pistol-shooting in Horace Jackson’s Hall of Arms. Jackson,an old pugilist with a mashed face, wanted Willsen to leave the armyand join the establishment full time, but Willsen liked being a soldier.It gave him a position in British society. It might not be a high place,but it was honourable.‘There’s no such thing as luck,’ the guardsman said, only now hespoke in Danish, ‘not when you’re fighting.’Willsen had been turning away, but the change of language madehim look back to the golden-haired Guards Captain. His first carelessimpression had been one of privileged youth, but he now saw that theguardsman was probably in his early thirties and had a cynical, knowingcast to his devil-may-care good looks. This was a man, Willsen thought,who would be at home in a palace or at a prizefight.

Title: Sharpe's Waterloo: Description:
Featuring the character of the newly-promoted Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Sharpe, this book describes his exploits at the Battle of Waterloo. Other books by this author include "Sharpe's Honour", "Sharpe's Regiment", "Sharpe's Siege" and "Sharpe's Rifles". About the Author Born in Essex in 1944 Bernard Cornwell was adopted at the age of six weeks by two members of a strict fundamentalist sect called the Peculiar People. He grew up in a household that forbade alcohol, cigarettes, dances, television, conventional medicine and toy guns. Not surprisingly, he developed a fascination for military adventure. As a teenager he devoured CS Forester's Hornblower novels and tried to enlist three times. Poor eyesight put paid to his dream, instead he went to university to read theology. On graduating, he became a teacher, then joined BBC's Nationwide, working his way up the ladder to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland, then editor of Thames News. In 1979, his life changed when he fell in love with an American. "Judy couldn't live here, so I gave up my job and moved to the US. I couldn't get a green card, and for 18 months the only thing I could do was write novels." The result was his first book about 19th century hero, Richard Sharpe, SHARPE'S EAGLE. Today with 16 Sharpe adventures behind him and worldwide sales of over 2 million, plus a series about the American Civil War, the Starbuck novels, and an enormously successful trilogy about King Arthur, The Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell owns houses in Cape Cod and Florida and two boats. Every year he takes two months off from his writing and spends most of his time on his 24 foot Cornish crabber, Royalist. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: Sharpes Prey: Description:
Harper Collins 2006

Title: Sharpe's Prey: Description:
The 18th novel in this bestselling series takes Sharpe to battle in Copenhagen. An army is travelling to the Danish capital to enforce British policy, but unless Sharpe can complete the mission against enemies as subtle and clever as any he has ever faced, that army will meet disaster. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States. Excerpted from Sharpe's Prey by Bernard Cornwell. Copyright © 2002. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Captain Henry Willsen of His Majesty’s Dirty Half Hundred, moreformally the 50th Regiment of West Kent, parried his opponent’s sabre.He did it hurriedly. His right hand was low so that his sabre’s bladewas raised in the position known to the fencing masters as the quartebasse and the knowledgeable spectators thought the parry was feeble.A surprised murmur sounded, for Willsen was good. Very good. Hehad been attacking, but it was apparent he had been slow to see histaller opponent’s counter and now he was in disorganized retreat. Thetaller man pressed, swatting the quarte basse aside and lunging so thatWillsen skittered backwards, his slippers squeaking with a staccatojudder on the wooden floor which was liberally scattered with Frenchchalk. The very sound of the slippers on the chalked wood denotedpanic. The sabres clashed harshly again, the taller man stamped for-ward,his blade flickering, clanging, reaching, and Willsen was counter-ingin apparent desperation until, so fast that those watching couldscarce follow his blade’s quick movement, he stepped to one side andriposted at his opponent’s cheek. There seemed little power in theriposte, for its force all came from Willsen’s wrist rather than from hisfull arm, but the sabre’s edge still struck the taller man with such mightthat he lost his balance. He swayed, right arm flailing, and Willsengently touched his weapon’s point to his opponent’s chest so that hetoppled to the floor.‘Enough!’ the Master-at-Arms called.‘God’s teeth.’ The fallen man swept his blade at Willsen’s ankles ina fit of pique. The blow was easily blocked and Willsen just walkedaway.‘I said enough, my lord!’ the Master-at-Arms shouted angrily.‘How the devil did you do that, Willsen?’ Lord Marsden pulled offthe padded leather helmet with its wire visor that had protected hisface. ‘I had you on your damned arse!’Willsen, who had planned the whole passage of the fight from the moment he made a deliberately soft quarte basse, bowed. ‘Perhaps I wasjust fortunate, my lord?’‘Don’t patronize me, man,’ Lord Marsden snapped as he climbedto his feet. ‘What was it?’‘Your disengagement from the sixte was slow, my lord.’‘The devil it was,’ Lord Marsden growled. He was proud of hisability with foil or sabre, yet he knew Willsen had bested him easilyby feigning a squeaking retreat. His lordship scowled, then realized hewas being ungracious and so, tucking the sabre under his arm, heldout a hand. ‘You’re quick, Willsen, damned quick.’The handful of spectators applauded the show of sportsmanship.They were in Horace Jackson’s Hall of Arms, an establishment onLondon’s Jermyn Street where wealthy men could learn the arts ofpugilism, fencing and pistol shooting. The hall was a high bare roomlined with racks of swords and sabres, smelling of tobacco and liniment,and decorated with prints of prize fighters, mastiffs and racehorses.The only women in the place served drinks and food, or else workedin the small rooms above the hall where the beds were soft and theprices high.Willsen pulled off his helmet and ran a hand through his long fairhair. He bowed to his beaten opponent, then carried both sabres tothe weapon rack at the side of the hall where a tall, very thin andextraordinarily handsome captain in the red coat and blue facings ofthe 1st Regiment of Foot Guards was waiting. The guardsman, astranger to Willsen, tossed away a half-smoked cigar as Willsenapproached. ‘You fooled him,’ the Captain said cheerfully.Willsen frowned at the stranger’s impertinence, but he answeredpolitely enough. Willsen, after all, was an employee in Horace Jackson’sHall and the Guards Captain, judging by the elegant cut of his expen-siveuniform, was a patron. The sort of patron, moreover, who couldnot wait to prove himself against the celebrated Henry Willsen. ‘Ifooled him?’ Willsen asked. ‘How?’‘The quarte basse,’ the guardsman said, ‘you made it soft, am I right?’Willsen was impressed at the guardsman’s acuity, but did not betrayit. ‘Perhaps I was just fortunate?’ he suggested. He was being modest,for he had the reputation of being the finest swordsman in the DirtyHalf Hundred, probably in the whole army and maybe in the entirecountry, but he belittled his ability, just as he shrugged off those whoreckoned he was the best pistol shot in Kent. A soldier, Willsen likedto say, should be a master of his arms and so he practised assiduouslyand prayed that one day his skill would be useful in the service of hiscountry. Until that time came he earned his captain’s pay and, becausethat was not sufficient to support a wife, child and mess bill, he taughtfencing and pistol-shooting in Horace Jackson’s Hall of Arms. Jackson,an old pugilist with a mashed face, wanted Willsen to leave the armyand join the establishment full time, but Willsen liked being a soldier.It gave him a position in British society. It might not be a high place,but it was honourable.‘There’s no such thing as luck,’ the guardsman said, only now hespoke in Danish, ‘not when you’re fighting.’Willsen had been turning away, but the change of language madehim look back to the golden-haired Guards Captain. His first carelessimpression had been one of privileged youth, but he now saw that theguardsman was probably in his early thirties and had a cynical, knowingcast to his devil-may-care good looks. This was a man, Willsen thought,who would be at home in a palace or at a prizefight.

Title: Sword Song: Description:
The fourth in the bestselling Alfred series from number one historical novelist, Bernard Cornwell. Our hero, Uhtred, has been made Governor of London. This fourth book in the series will mostly be set in London and will cover Alfred's building of fortified towns to hold Wesssex and his push into Mercia. From the Inside Flap The year is 885 and England is at peace, divided between the Danish kingdom to the North and the Saxon kingdom of Wessex in the south. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, warrior by instinct, Viking by nature, appears to have settled down. He has land, a wife, two children and a duty given to him by Alfred to hold the frontier on the Thames. But trouble stirs, a dead man has risen and new Vikings have arrived to occupy London. Their dream is to conquer Wessex, and to do it they need Uhtred's help. Alfred has other ideas. He wants Uhtred to expel the Viking raiders from London. It is a dangerous time and Uhtred must decide how much his oath binds him to the king. Other storm clouds are gathering. Æthelflæd - Alfred's daughter - is now married, but a cruel twist of fate means that her very existence becomes a threat to Alfred's kingdom. It is Uhtred, half Saxon, half Dane, whose uncertain loyalties must now decide England's whole future. Sword Song tells the story of the making of England and, like all Bernard Cornwell's previous novels, is based on true events. It is a gripping story of love, deceit, and violence, set in an England of tremendous turmoil and strife, yet one galvanised by a small flicker of hope that Alfred, the great king of Wessex, may prove a force that lasts. Uhtred, his greatest warrior, has become his sword, a man feared and respected the length and breadth of the land, his Lord of War.

Title: The Enemy Of God (a Novel Of Arthur: The Warlord Chronicles): Description:
The second book in a trilogy telling the story of Arthur. After one last battle, Arthur will rule a peaceful land. But, unlike Merlin, Arthur has forgotten the Gods, who thrive on chaos. Arthur's plans are thrown into turmoil, as the search for the 13 sacred objects to restore the Gods begins.

Title: The Pale Horseman (alfred The Great 2): Description:
THE PALE HORSEMAN the compelling sequel to the bestselling THE LAST KINGDOM. Uhtred, Northumbrian born, raised a Viking and now married to a Saxon, is already a formidable figure and warrior. But at twenty he is still arrogant, pagan and headstrong, so not a comfortable ally for the thoughtful, pious Alfred. But these two, with Alfred's family and a few of Uhtred's companions, are apparently all that remains of the Wessex leadership after a disastrous truce. It is the lowest time for the Saxons. Defeated comprehensively by the Vikings who now occupy most of England, Alfred and his surviving followers retreat to the trackless marshlands of Somerset. There, forced to move restlessly to escape betrayal or detection, using the marsh mists for cover, they travel by small boats from one island to another, hoping that they can regroup and find some more strength and support. They seek refuge in Athelney, a tidal swamp to which Alfred's kingdom has shrunk. Uhtred finds himself torn between his Danish foster brother and the winning Vikings, and his growing respect for the stubborn leadership of Alfred.He must decide whether to rebuild the Saxons' strength from his watery base and help them to take on the Vikings once more. THE PALE HORSEMAN is a splendid story of divided loyalties and desperate heroism, with a wonderful range of characters from Vikings to British kings in their Cornish fortresses, from political but passionate priests to enduring fishermen and farmers desperately striving to survive as the battle sweeps over them. Uhtred and Alfred, Vikings and Saxons, are a winning combination for Bernard Cornwell.

Title: A Crowning Mercy: Description:
A highly entertaining, wonderfully colourful story, now revealed to be written by one of our favourite historical novelists. In mid seventeenth-century England, the nation was in upheaval. In the Dorset countryside, one sunlit afternoon, a young girl - illicitly bathing in a stream - first fell in love with a passing stranger. Her parents called her Dorcas, but he called her Campion and that's what she longed to be, then and forever. She had one gift left for her by her unknown father - a pendant made of gold, banded by tiny glowing stones and at its base was a seal engraved with an axe and the words: St Matthew. So when she flees before the unbearable, worthy suitor who is forced upon her after her forbidden meeting, she takes this and the delicate lace gloves with her, and hopes to find her father, and her lover. There are four of these intricately wrought seals - each owned by a stranger, each holding a secret within. And when all four seals are united, then the holder will have access to great wealth and power. That is Campion's inheritance. But to claim this and find again her summer love, she must follow the course her father's legacy charts for her. It is a road full of both

Title: Vagabond (the Grail Quest): Description:
The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling Harlequin, this is the second instalment in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series. In Harlequin, Thomas of Hookton travelled to France as an archer and there discovered a shadowy destiny, which linked him to a family of heretical French lords who sought Christendom's greatest relic. Having survived the battle of Crecy, Thomas is sent back to England, charged with finding the Holy Grail. But Thomas is an archer and when a chance comes to fight against an army invading northern England he jumps at it. Plunged into the carnage of Neville's Cross, he is oblivious to other enemies who want to destroy him. He discovers too late that he is not the only person pursuing the grail, and that his rivals will do anything to thwart him. After hunting and wounding him, Thomas's enemies turn him into a fugitive. Fleeing England, he travels to Normandy, determined to rescue Will Skeat, his old commander from Harlequin. Finally Thomas leads his enemies back to Brittany, where he goes to discover an old love and where his pursuers at last trap their reluctant pilgrim.Vagabond is a vivid and realistic portrait of England at a time when the archer was king of Europe's battlefields. From the Publisher Vagabond is a vivid and realistic portrait of England at a time when the archer was king of Europe's battlefields. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. About the Author Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television's Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States.

Title: The Pale Horseman (alfred The Great 2): Description:
Continuing the outstanding success of "The Last Kingdom", "The Pale Horseman" is the second installment of Bernard Cornwell's fantastic series, following the fate of Alfred the Great, and the forging of Britain. It is the lowest time for the Saxons. Defeated comprehensively by the Vikings who now occupy most of England, Alfred and his very small group of surviving followers retreat to the trackless marshlands of Somerset. There, forced to move restlessly to escape betrayal or detection, using the marsh mists for cover, they travel by small boats from one island refuge to another, hoping that they can regroup and find some more strength and support. Only Uhtred remains resolute. Determined to discover the enemy's strategies, he draws once again on his Viking upbringing, and attempts to enter the Viking camps. His plan is to become accepted by their leaders, and to sit in their councils and uncover their plans. But once there, the attractions of his many friends among the Vikings coupled with his disillusion with the Saxons' leadership and anger at Alfred's criticism of his own conduct, draws him back again to his allegiance to the Vikings."The Pale Horseman", an even more powerful and dramatic book than "The Last Kingdom", brings both Uhtred and the Saxons' dilemmas vividly to life.

Title: Pants On Fire: Description:
A broken heart is hard to mend. And a good heart is practically impossible to find...When Georgia Abbott's fiance cheats on her, she's left with a broken heart and the reality of her humdrum life in London. Until someone tells her about a job on Glow magazine: in Sydney. That's Sydney, Australia - where the welcome is as warm as the weather and the men look like Mel Gibson, but taller. What's she got to lose? So Georgia packs up and ships out Down Under. And at first things seem promising, as she's swept up in a whirl of A-list parties, dancing, and debauchery. But while Australian water may go down the plughole the other way, Australian men are - oh dear - starting to look all too familiar...

Title: Azincourt: Description:
The story of the battle of Agincourt as seen through the eyes of am English Archer

Title: Sharpe's Fortress: Richard Sharpe And The Siege Of Gawilghur, December 1803: Description:
Richard Sharpe andthe siege of Gawilghur, December 1803 Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's Fortress -- the stunning successor to Sharpe's Tiger and Sharpe's Triumph -- marks the explosive finale in Richard Sharpe's trio of unforgettable adventures in India. Richard Sharpe, now an officer in Wellesley's army, faces a battle of a different kind-this time among his own ranks. Uncomfortable with his newfound authority and unwilling colleagues, Sharpe is relegated to the tedium of baggage duty. But when he catches wind of a treasonous scheme devised by none other than his oldest and worst enemy, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, Sharpe has little choice but to take up arms, seek revenge, and regain his stolen treasure-the jewels of the Tippoo Sultan. Joining Wellesley's army as it prepares to lay siege to this fortress high above the Deccan Plain, Sharpe will risk his honor, reputation, and fortune on a battle that will test him as never before.

Title: Fallen Angels: Description:
London: HarperCollins, 1983. '"Fallen Angels" is a powerful blend of passion, adventure and intrigue, played out in the shadow of the guillotine and the sunlit splenour of an English estate. It is a great successor to "A Croening Mercy", the first chronicle of the Lazender family.'

Title: Harlequin (the Grail Quest): Description:
Harlequins are lost souls, so loved by the devil that he would not take them to hell, but left them to roam the earth. In French, the word is hellequin -- the name given to the English archers who crossed the Channel to lay waste the towns and countryside. In the fourteenth century the English were just beginning to discover their national identity, and one of the strongest elements of this was the overwhelming success in battle of the English bowmen. England's archers crossed the Channel to lay a country to waste. Thomas of Hookton was one of those archers. When his village is sacked by French raiders, he escapes from his father's ambition to become a wild youth who delights in the opportunities which war offers -- for fighting, for revenge and for friendship. But Thomas is hounded by his conscience. He has made a promise to God to retrieve a relic stolen in the raid from Hookton's church. The search for the relic leads him into a world where lovers become enemies, enemies become friends and always, somewhere beyond the horizon that is smeared with the smoke of fires set by the rampaging English army, a terrible enemy awaits him. That enemy would harness the power of Christendom's greatest relic -- the grail itself. In this, the first book of a new series, Thomas begins the quest that will lead him through the fields of France, until at last the two armies face each other on a hillside near the village of Crecy.

Title: Stonehenge: Description:
An epic story told with a masters skill- TLS

Title: Fallen Angels: Description:
A highly entertaining, wonderfully colourful story, now revealed to be written by one of our favourite historical novelists. The gilded family had been the envy and the pride of England for centuries. Never had the Lazenders seemed more powerful or more wealthy. And never had the unseen means of their destruction seemed so close! Yet the heir to the estate was absent. Toby Lazender worked for the British in Revolutionary France -- where he hunted down the men who had murdered the innocent girl he loved. It was his sister, Campion, who oversaw the family's affairs at the 'little kingdom' of Lazen Castle. But Lazen is, unknowingly, a house under siege. The Fallen Angels -- among the most powerful and dangerous men in Europe -- are plotting to bring revolution to England. To succeed, they need money, and the Lazender fortune can provide it. The key to the fortune is control of Campion's future. A web of deceit closes around Lazen, drawing Campion ever closer to a subtle trap that has been laid just for her. Her only hope for survival lies with the Gypsy -- her brother's broodingly aloof horse-master -- a man whose loyalties are at best uncertain. The Fallen Angels is a powerful blend of passion, adventure and intrigue, played out in the shadow of the guillotine and the sunlit splendour of an English estate. It is a worthy successor to A Crowning Mercy, the first chronicle of the Lazender family.

Title: Sharpe's Prey: Description:
It is 1807 and Sharpe, back from India and Trafalgar, has joined the newly formed Greenjackets - but his career is in ruins, and his future in the army apparently hopeless. He is rescued from disgrace by General Sir David Baird, an old comrade from India, who needs a 'disposable' man for a mission in Copenhagen. An army is travelling to the Danish capital to enforce British policy, but unless Sharpe can complete the mission against enemies as subtle and clever as any he has ever faced, that army will meet disaster.

Title: Sharpe's Triumph: Description:
From the author of The Bloody Ground, a historical novel which features Richard Sharpe. In 1804, Sharpe is an army sergeant serving in India, on the trail of a renegade East India Company officer. His pursuit takes him into several bloody battles, the most notable of which sees Sharpe fighting at the side of the future Duke of Wellington. Excerpted from Sharpe's Triumph by Bernard Cornwell. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. It was not Sergeant Richard Sharpe's fault. He was not in charge. Hewas junior to at least a dozen men, including a major, a captain, asubadar and two jemadars, yet he still felt responsible. He felt responsible,angry, hot, bitter and scared. Blood crusted on his face where a thou-sand flies crawled. There were even flies in his open mouth.But he dared not move.The humid air stank of blood and of the rotted egg smell made bypowder smoke. The very last thing he remembered doing was thrustinghis pack, haversack and cartridge box into the glowing ashes of a fire,and now the ammunition from the cartridge box exploded. Each blastof powder fountained sparks and ashes into the hot air. A couple ofmen laughed at the sight. They stopped to watch it for a few seconds,poked at the nearby bodies with their muskets, then walked on.Sharpe lay still. A fly crawled on his eyeball and he forced himselfto stay absolutely motionless. There was blood on his face and more blood had puddled in his right ear, though it was drying now. Heblinked, fearing that the small motion would attract one of the killers,but no one noticed.Chasalgaon. That's where he was. Chasalgaon; a miserable, thorn-walled fort on the frontier of Hyderabad, and because the Rajah ofHyderabad was a British ally the fort had been garrisoned by a hundredsepoys of the East India Company and fifty mercenary horsemen fromMysore, only when Sharpe arrived half the sepoys and all of the horsemen had been out on patrol.Sharpe had come from Seringapatam, leading a detail of six privatesand carrying a leather bag stuffed with rupees, and he had been greetedby Major Crosby who commanded at Chasalgaon. The Major provedto be a plump, red-faced, bilious man who disliked the heat and hatedChasalgaon, and he had slumped in his canvas chair as he unfoldedSharpe's orders. He read them, grunted, then read them again. `Whythe hell did they send you?' he finally asked.`No one else to send, sir.'Crosby frowned at the order. `Why not an officer?'`No officers to spare, sir.'`Bloody responsible job for a sergeant, wouldn't you say?'`Won't let you down, sir,' Sharpe said woodenly, staring at theleprous yellow of the tent's canvas a few inches above the Major'shead.`You'd bloody well better not let me down,' Crosby said, pushingthe orders into a pile of damp papers on his camp table. `And youlook bloody young to be a sergeant.'`I was born late, sir,' Sharpe said. He was twenty-six, or thought hewas, and most sergeants were much older.Crosby, suspecting he was being mocked, stared up at Sharpe, butthere was nothing insolent on the Sergeant's face. A good-looking man,Crosby thought sourly. Probably had the bibbis of Seringapatam fallingout of their saris, and Crosby, whose wife had died of the fever tenyears before and who consoled himself with a two-rupee village whoreevery Thursday night, felt a pang of jealousy. `And how the devil do youexpect to get the ammunition back to Seringapatam?' he demanded.`Hire ox carts, sir.' Sharpe had long perfected the way to addressunhelpful officers. He gave them precise answers, added nothingunnecessary and always sounded confident. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Title: Sharpe's Fortress: Description:
Sharpe, having just received his commission, faces his toughest battle yet in this return to India, the terrain of the bestselling Sharpe's Tiger. Repackaged in the fantastic new Sharpe look. It is 1803 and Sir Arthur Wellesley's army is closing on the retreating Mahrattas in western India. Marching with the British is Ensign Richard Sharpe, newly made into an officer and wishing he had stayed a sergeant. Spurned by his new regiment, he is sent to the army's baggage train and there finds corruption, romance, treason and enemies old and new. Sergeant Hakeswill wants Sharpe dead, and Hakeswill has powerful friends while Sharpe has only an orphaned Arab boy as his ally. And waiting with the cornered Mahrattas is another enemy, the renegade Englishman, William Dodd, who does not envisage defeat, but only a glorious triumph. For the Mahrattas have taken refuge in Gawilghur, the greatest stronghold of India, perched high on its cliffs above the Deccan Plain. Who rules in Gawilghur, it is said, rules India, and Dodd knows that the fortress is impregnable. There, behind its double walls, in the towering twin forts, Sharpe must face his enemies in what will prove to be Wellesley's last battle on Indian soil.

Title: Gallows Thief: Description:
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Title: Rebel & Copperhead: Description:
Historical set in American civil war

Title: Redcoat: Description:
In the winter of 1777, the British Army marched triumphantly into Philadelphia. The Redcoats had won the battles against the rebellious colonists and forced them to winter in the cod hills, while they danced in Philadelphia. Christopher Vane and Sam Troop both meet women that winter who change their lives. It was crucial that the Redcoats should show spectacular victories to prevent the French alliance with the Americans. But some of the Redcoats are torn in their allegiances.

Title: Azincourt: Description:
Nicholas Hook, an archer in the army of Henry V finds his true place in the company of Archers and on the battle field of one of the epic battles of history

Title: Excalibur: A Novel Of Arthur (a Novel Of Arthur: The Warlord Chronicles): Description:
A story of love, war, loyalty and betrayal, "Excalibur" begins with the failure of Lancelot's rebellion and the ruin of Arthur's marriage to Guinevere. The Saxons, sensing the disunity of the Britons, seize the chance to destroy Arthur. The climax of the war comes with the legendary triumph at Mount Badon, and Arthur's great victory. But the promises he made then come back to haunt him after the years of peace and glory.

Title: Azincourt: Description:
An extraordinary and dramatic depiction of the legendary battle of Agincourt from the number one historical novelist Agincourt, fought on October 25th 1415, on St Crispin's Day, is one of the best known battles, in part through the brilliant depiction of it in Shakespeare's Henry V, in part because it was a brilliant and unexpected English victory and in part because it was the first battle won by the use of the longbow - a weapon developed by the English which enabled them to dominate the European battlefields for the rest of the century. Bernard Cornwell's Azincourt is a vivid, breathtaking and meticulously well researched account of this momentous battle and its aftermath. From the varying viewpoints of nobles, peasants, archers, and horsemen, Azincourt skilfully brings to life the hours of relentless fighting, the desperation of an army crippled by disease and the exceptional bravery of the English soldiers.

Title: Sharpe's Trafalgar: Description:
Sharpe's Trafalgar