David Pickering – författare

Arranged in an easy-to-use A-Z form, THE NEW PENGUIN CONCISE THESAURUS offers a vast selection of synonyms for a whole host of words, ranging from the everyday to the comparatively esoteric and from standard vocabulary to contemporary slang and jargon ('e-tailer', 'chill out'). Each entry is simplicity itself to follow, and where a particular word has several different senses, these are clearly indicated and explained. A perfect companion to THE NEW PENGUIN CONCISE ENGLISH DICTIONARY.

What's in a name? Rather more than you might at first suspect, for names are steeped in history and myth and have much to tell us about our past, our beliefs - even our personality traits. Now fully updated for its second edition, with 150 new entries, The Penguin Dictionary of First Names takes a close look at over 5,000 examples, ranging from the familiar to the comparatively obscure, drawn from all parts of the English-speaking world. Detailed and informative, it is essential reading for expectant parents and for anyone who is intrigued by the story attached to each name.

Have you heard the one about the man who walked into a bar? (Ouch!)... Penguin Pocket Jokes is essential (and hilarious) reading for anyone searching for the perfect joke. Whether you want a snappy wisecrack or a longer rib-tickler when making a speech, this easy-to-use guide will provide the perfect witticism.

Of all the decisions a new parent makes, choosing that special name is the most significant and the most rewarding. A new reference book for prospective parents, this clear, helpful and easy-to-use A-Z guide gives you thousands of brilliant suggestions for picking the perfect name for your new arrival. It also includes appendices of the top ten names through the centuries and the most popular celebrity names.

It was not so long ago that the belief in witchcraft was shared by members of all levels of society. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, diseases were feared by all, the infant mortality rate was high, and around one in six harvests was likely to fail. In the small rural communities in which most people lived, affection and enmity could build over long periods. When misfortune befell a family, they looked to their neighbours for support - and for the cause. During the sixteenth century, Europe was subject to a fevered and pious wave of witch hunts and trials. As the bodies of accused women burnt right across the Continent, the flames of a nationwide witch hunt were kindled in England. In 1612 nine women were hanged in the Pendle witch trials, the prosecution of the Chelmsford witches in 1645 resulted in the biggest mass execution in England, and in the mid-1640s the Witch finder General instigated a reign of terror in the Puritan counties of East Anglia. Hundreds of women were accused and hanged. It wasn't until the latter half of the seventeenth century that witch-hunting went into decline.In this book, Andrew and David Pickering present a comprehensive catalogue of witch hunts, arranged chronologically within geographical regions. The tales of persecution within these pages are testimony to the horror of witch-hunting that occurred throughout England in the hundred years after the passing of the Elizabethan Witchcraft Act of 1563.

As Charles Frazier's novel Cold Mountain dramatizes, dissenters from the Confederacy lived in mortal danger throughout the South. In scattered pockets from the Carolinas to the frontier in Texas, these dissenters, or ""brush men,"" often died at the hands of their own neighbors as a result of their belief in the Union or an unwillingness to preserve the slaveholding Confederacy. Brush Men and Vigilantes tells the story of how dissent, fear, and economics developed into mob violence in the Sulphur Forks river valley northeast of Dallas. Authors David Pickering and Judy Falls have combed through court records, newspapers, letters, and other primary sources and have collected extended-family lore to relate the details of how vigilantes captured and killed more than a dozen men. Betrayed by links to a well-known Union guerrilla, many dissenters were captured, tried in mock courts, and hanged. Still others met their death by sniper fire or private execution. Their story begins before the Civil War, as the authors describe the particular social and economic conditions that gave rise to such tension and violence. Four more chapters follow, each detailing the horror and hysteria that characterized post-Civil War Texas.

Perfect Family Quiz is an invaluable source of entertainment for the whole family. Whether you're looking for a fun way to spend a rainy day, an activity for a long car journey, or you simply want to improve your general knowledge, Perfect Family Quiz has all the questions and answers. With topics ranging from Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter, and from prime ministers to prime-time TV, this easy-to-use quiz book will provide hours of fun for everyone. The Perfect series is a range of practical guides that give clear and straightforward advice on everything from getting your first job to choosing your baby's name. Written by experienced authors offering tried-and-tested tips, each book contains all you need to get it right first time.