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Join us on a literary tour of the 20th century, starting with the 1910s, when D H Lawrence brought us a portrait of the working class and the first stirrings of the sexual revolution in Sons and Lovers, Japan entered belatedly into the modern era in Soseki Natsume's Kokoro and a generation sacrificed itself to a dubious cause in The Return of the Soldier.
Easter, the Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, is one of the most significant festivals in the calendar and heralds the beginning of spring. It's also a big favourite among children - but where does the tradition of giving and eating chocolate eggs come from? How can Easter be celebrated in a more meaningful way? Our selection will help children and adults alike get more out of this special time in the calendar.
Be entertained and educated by some of the best non-fiction on CD. There are gripping slices of history like David Starkey's Monarchy and Juliet Barker's Agincourt, classics texts such as Machiavelli's The Prince, fascinating BBC radio series such as The Cosmic Quest and essential bestsellers such as Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion, plus a whole lot more.
The rhyming world of Dr Seuss has entertained and educated youngsters worldwide for over 50 years and we're delighted to offer you savings of up to 25% on some of our favourites.
Whether it's a tough-talking cop who doesn't mind bloodying a few noses to get the job done or a private investigator working outside the law, the noirish cool of hard-boiled detective fiction makes for the ideal read when it's cold and dark outside. From the cold detachment of Dashiel Hammett's Sam Spade to the gritty realism of 'the Dickens of Detroit' Elmore Leonard, the best crime-fighters walk the mean streets with a gun on their hip and an eye out for the dames.
There's often more drama packed into one playtime than there is in five acts of Hamlet. And the staff room can be the source of more slander and discontent than Julius Caesar. So, let us take you back to the days when both the summer holidays and double maths seemed to go on forever, and PE teachers inspired more fear than the Kray twins, with our masterclass in school fiction: a selection of great novels set at the chalkface, in the headmaster's study and occasionally behind the bike sheds.
This selection of books helps us to see our city in a wholly new way, whether like London Now and then, which pairs historic photographs with contemporary images; Tunnels, Towers and Temples, which reveals the hidden stories and curious histories behind dozens of often quite familiar places, or Lost London in colour, which is packed with previously unpublished photographs revealing the life and times of a changing city.
A writer's life can be a lonely one, so it's no wonder that so many of them pair up with like-minded scribblers. We've brought together some of the most stellar literary partnerships to show how two heads can be better than one for those who make their living by the printed word.
The Royal Academy's Real van Gogh exhibition presents a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the complex mind of an extraordinary artist. This landmark exhibition will focus on his remarkable correspondence, together with around 65 paintings and 30 drawings. Save money on our van Gogh selection and click here for details of how to win free tickets to the exhibition.
The New Year is a time for making changes, for self-improvement of all kinds. And while we'd never think of reading books as an onerous duty, everyone has their own mental list of books they keep meaning to get around to. So here are some of those we'll be making sure don't lie gathering dust on our shelves for another twelve months, books we know will enrich and entertain in equal measure, from modern classics such as Shantaram and Gilead to all-time favourites such as Gravity's Rainbow and Ulysses.
Never has thrift seemed more of a virtue - or indeed a necessity - as now, when both money and resources are at a premium. On the plus side, we are developing new ways to make what we have go further, from economy gastronomy to becoming more self sufficient, doing more ourselves and even rearing our own food.
Channel 4's new book show, the TV Book Club, is coming soon. Here's your chance to get ahead by reading some (or all!) of the books to be featured in the first series. And you can save up to 35%
Save up to 33% on these truly special gifts that will be cherished for years to come, from the 20-volume edition of the OED through a stunning monograph on Edvard Munch, a magnificent limited edition tribute to Pele and the definitive insider's view, Superyacht.
The shortlists for the Costa Book Awards for fiction, non-fiction and children's writing have been announced as follows. The category winners will be announced on 5th January and the overall winner at an awards ceremony on the 26th January. This year's Man Booker winner, Wolf Hall, is among the books shortlisted for the Novel Award.
With the days overcast and windy, the tennis court and the playing field are the preserve of the hardier amongst us. So, with human beings regrettably not having the option of hibernating until spring, we've come up with a few ideas for things to do indoors to help keep mind and body active. See also, our Teach Yourself Promotion, packed with ideas for things to do indoors.
Much of the greatest literature of the last hundred years has sprung from Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. In conjunction with our week-long Festival of Ibero-American Literature at Foyles we are proud to bring you some literary greats, some - like Isabel Allende, Borges and Fuentes - well-known, others just waiting to be discovered.
When does a great book become a classic and who decides? In its ten years of publication the New York Review of Books Classics series has explored the boundaries of this enduring but problematic term. We've put together a selection of their finest books in celebration, and are proud to be holding an event at Foyles, when a panel of acclaimed writers will come together to put our entire system of literary values under the microscope.
Autumn often yields strong rock music books and this year is no exception, with the publication of Ozzy Osborne's I am Ozzy, Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland of The Police and Peter Doggett's biography You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle for the Soul of the Beatles. Here are some more great rock biographies and autobiographies at savings of up to 25%.
With unemployment reaching a level not seen for over 20 years and many traditional jobs changing beyond recognition, there's never been a better time to reinvent yourself and take on new challenges. There are many revolutionary thinkers with tried and tested ways of creating a new, more confident you and bringing you more job satisfaction than you ever thought possible.
To celebrate the publication of Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry - the long awaited follow-up to The Time Traveler's Wife, we've put together a selection of other great second novels, including Midnight's Children, Farewell My Lovely and The Golden Notebook - yours at savings of up to 35%.
Before his tragically premature death at the age of 49, Douglas Adams had occasionally suggested that his Hitchhiker 'trilogy' was not yet complete: 'I suspect at some point in the future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book. Five seems to be a wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number.' And so his widow, Jane Belson, decided to allow Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl books, to conclude the story. The result is And another thing, and we've taken the opportunity of its publication to look back at 'Hitchhiker' in all its glorious manifestations. (See also: Foyles' Guide to the Galaxy.)
Although the periodic table has long since supplanted the classical notion of the four states of matter - earth, air, fire and water - this ancient classification of the elements is a persistent cultural concept. The unyielding ground, the capricious wind, all-consuming flames and all-engulfing water all provide writers with powerful imagery. Here's a selection of fiction governed by elemental forces.
Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Under the banner 'Great Ideas' Penguin have collected the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are. Already modestly priced, they're available to Foyles readers at a further 25% off.
To celebrate this year's Open House London, in which Londoners are allowed in free to some 700 buildings, many of which are not normally open to the public, we've put together our own selection of new and recent architectural titles. We've strayed above eye level, delved into some nooks and crannies in derelict London and wandered beyond the capital to villages and other hidden treasures.
It's not only sexual content or language deemed to be too explicit for its times that causes a book to be banned; many have been withdrawn or suppressed because of their potential to offend or insult or because they are critical of the ruling administration. All the books here have been banned at one time or another but are now readily available, at least in the UK, and you can even save 25% when you sample any of these illicit reads.
Not yet read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight? Or has her series of books about vampires inspired you to read more about these and other nightmarish creatures - from zombies strangely finding their way into Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to horrifying parasites and of course, Bram Stoker's classic, Dracula.
Douglas Coupland's new novel Generation A occupies the perplexing hinterland between optimism about the future and everyday, apocalyptic paranoia. But was it ever thus? We've put together a selection of recent books about the future from such writers as Margaret Atwood and Kazuo Ishiguro and taken a look at how earlier novelists envisaged the future in a pre-global, pre-electronic age.
Wedge, doorstop, blockbuster... whatever you care to call it, there's nothing finer than getting stuck into a really good book, one whose opening paragraphs confirm that you have a really big, satisfying read on your hands. Every one of these post-war novels, each weighing in at over 600 pages, is something to savour - so fortify your bookshelves and get stuck in.
The Icons series of graphic introductions, comprising small books on big subjects, continues to go from strength to strength, with new titles such as Foucault having just been launched and more being introduced this September, including Statistics and Wittgenstein. Now you also have a chance to hear some of the books' authors tackle the biggest of big questions in the Foyles Gallery this autumn.
The war that changed the world forever began on September 1st 1939 with the invasion of Poland. To mark this significant anniversary, we've put together a selection of World War II fiction and non-fiction - and added discounts of up to 35%.
Whether it's Jay Rayner's search for the perfect meal, John Reader waxing lyrical over the potato, Nigel Slater discussing the British attitude to food or Isabel Allende exploring the connection between food and sex, we have food (and drink) to thank for some of the most passionate, heartfelt and inspired writing. Sample this feast of words and save up to 30%.
Historically, female writers have too often remained in the shadow of their male counterparts, with only nine winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature being women. To correct this dismal imbalance, we've put together a selection of some of the finest female authors of the 20th century. From Willa Cather's classic story of the prairie pioneers, My Antonia, to such post-war classics as Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook and cult favourite Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley, there's a classic novel for everyone, men most definitely included.
School may be out for summer but you can still teach yourself anything from screen writing to basic DIY, self-motivation to speed reading or even how to save energy in your home. Try any of these fabulous Teach Yourself Guides, pick up a new skill and save 30% in the process.
OK, so it's another lousy English summer. But even though you may have been persuaded to stay put by an economy in meltdown and promises of a 'barbecue summer' , you can still dream - and plan future holidays. Here's our selection of inspiring travel classics for those who - this time around at least - won't be going further than their own armchair.
Inspired by a new collection from Penguin of the best crime writing from the gaslight area, The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime: Con Artists, Burglars, Rogues, and Scoundrels from the Time of Sherlock Holmes, we've put together our own selection of favourites from or set in the period, including such classics as Poe's Murder in the Rue Morgue, Collins' The Moonstone and Carr's contemporary classic, The Alienist.
Not everyone wants to carry a 600-page blockbuster to the beach. If that's you, then here's your chance to catch up on some classic shorter fiction, which will fit neatly in your bag alongside your sunscreen and sunglasses. And we've added a selection of perfect summer reads - all in the kind of hot settings which, this summer at least, we Brits can only dream about.
It's healthy, it's as easy or as challenging as you want to make it and it's free! Armed, perhaps, with a rain-jacket there's no better way to experience London's streets and the best that the British and Irish countryside has to offer than by exploring on foot. There's everything here from London Walks to Great British Journeys, plus the inimitable classic guides and notebooks of Alfred Wainwright.
With the 40th anniversary celebrations of the moon landing taking place this summer, it seems we've fallen in love with space travel, stars and planets all over again. Here's a selection of fiction, non fiction and children's titles to feed and inform, entertain and delight in equal measure.
Until 13th September, the Royal Academy of Arts is presenting a major retrospective exhibition of the Pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse RA (1849-1917).To accompany the exhibition, we've put together a selection of our favourite art titles on the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, many of them available at specially reduced prices.
One genre that looks set to endure forever is the historical novel. Whether looking as far back as Ancient Rome, or to more recent history; whether exploring love or friendship, scandal or sorcery, there's something here to cater to all tastes. And as each one seems to be part of its own mini genre, whatever your starting point, you're bound to find others with similar themes or settings to follow on with.
Poetry has been in the headlines even more than usual, with the controversy over the position of Oxford Professor of Poetry and with the appointment of Carol Ann Duffy, whose work includes latest collection is Rapture, as the new Poet Laureate. This spring has also seen a wealth of fine new editions of old favourites as well as some striking new collections including a memorable debut from Emma Jones.
Help us celebrate the 60th anniversary of Nineteen Eighty-Four, with a look at George Orwell's magnificent oeuvre and some other classic works published in 1949 such as Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate.
With our politicians daily making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, we thought it might be timely to take a closer look at politics generally and at our own politicians. You probably won't be able to claim the book on expenses but at least you can save up to an honest 30%!
With longlists, shortlists and winners of various literary prizes being announced seemingly weekly, we thought it time to look back at some of our favourite winners and titles shortlisted for prizes from the Nobel to the Pulitzer, the IMPAC to the Booker.
According to David Aaronovitch, author of Voodoo Histories, conspiracy theories are everywhere - and looking around the bookshelves at Foyles, we'd be inclined to agree. Our selection below looks at some of the most popular secret societies and theories.
With the 2009 Eurovision being held in Moscow between May 12th and 16th, we thought it timely to take a look at some of the best fiction from a selection of the participating countries. We think you'll agree that in many cases their writing is somewhat better than their singing!
To coincide with a spectacular exhibition at the V&A on the Baroque movement of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, here's our selection of favourite titles, including the V&A's own publication, available at a saving of 25%.
From Virginia Woolf to Doris Lessing, John Steinbeck to Kurt Vonnegut, many of the finest writers were happy to give their novels a canine twist. Each in its own way a tribute to man's best friend, some of those here, such as Paul Auster's Timbuktu, make the dog the star of the show. But even where the animal has more of a walk-on part, it is hard to imagine, say, The Wizard of Oz without Toto.
These guides present a tightly edited, discreetly packaged list of the best a location has to offer the design-conscious traveller, as well as providing advice on where to stay and what to eat and drink, whether you have a week or just 24 hours in the city. With maps, currency cards and colour-coding for ease of use, these are the ultimate combination of form and function - as well as being incredibly affordable.
Whether your child likes stories featuring animals, those with humour, magic, whimsy or reading about experiences similar to their own, such as those beautifully captured by Lauren Child, there's something here for even the most discerning of readers (and their parents!). If you haven't got children of your own, our selection will make you want to borrow one to read with!
Graphic novels are making ever more frequent visits to the bestseller lists lately, especially when they hit the big screen - Watchmen - or are derived from a successful film - Waltz with Bashir. Check out our selection of favourites, which include a graphic adaptation of Paul Auster's City of Glass.
We are delighted to have available for sale a wonderful collection of signed, limited edition natural history prints.
Was there ever a more glorious city than London? We don't think so, and not just because we occupy homes in some of its landmarks, from Charing Cross Road, to the Southbank Centre and now St Pancras as well! Celebrate the glories of our dynamic and varied capital through our selection of histories, biographies, guides, maps and fiction - and save up to 30%.






