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'Blackberry Bill' is an enchanting tale about a ten-year-old orphaned boy who bravely sets out alone upon the Kentish marshes in pursuit of a mysterious recluse. He believes that this eccentric character, a gypsy commonly known as Blackberry Bill, may hold the answers he seeks with regard to his own identity. When the two eventually meet, the boy learns that he is in fact the same person who had saved his life as a baby. A touching friendship starts to flourish between the unlikely pair as the gypsy starts to teach the boy all about the pots and bottles which he continually excavates and about the delights and dangers present on the marsh, as well as something of his Romany way of life.'Blackberry Bill' is a gripping, beautifully written story whose wonderfully-evoked naturalistic descriptions bear comparison with Dickens’s own accounts of the mysteries of the Kentish marshes. This book is unforgettable

There is still a great fascination with the British Empire. Opinions vary widely about Great Britain’s imperial past, and about the extraordinary characters who shaped it and were willing to sacrifice everything for it.This remarkable, engrossing true story tells of two of the British Empire’s most pivotal characters: Sir Frederick Lugard, soldier, explorer, anti-slaver and controversial first Governor-General of Nigeria, and Flora Shaw, the first colonial editor of The Times. The Passionate Imperialists recounts how they met, loved and transformed each other’s lives, and how they fought slavery and through their efforts helped improve the lives of millions of people in Africa.The story starts in India and moves to Afghanistan, Sudan, across Africa, then travels to Hong Kong and concludes with the founding of Nigeria.

In 1845 Sir John Franklin led 129 officers and men into the Arctic to try to find the North-West Passage. None of them returned.Trapped is a novel that tells the harrowing, gruelling, fascinating story of the disastrous, ill-fated expedition of Sir John Franklin of 1845 which resulted in the deaths of the entire crew of one hundred and twenty-nine officers and men and the loss of the two expedition ships. These men were the pride of the British Navy and had volunteered heroically for the expedition into the frozen unknown to try to find the North-West Passage. The truth about their fate is still largely unknown.This extraordinary novel, written by an author who has spent seven years researching one of the most courageous expeditions in maritime history, brings alive the courage, the comradeship, camaraderie and bravery that prevailed among the expedition's members even when they faced the gravest of crises.

Emerging like a butterfly from its chrysalis, a remarkable little ship, the 'Sheemaun;' springs from her designer's drawing-board to sail through eight decades of history, gathering in her wake a unique collection of admirers, including former owners, former crews, and those who served courageously on her during WW2. Their stories are revealed here; tales of bravery and daring, accounts of bombs, mines, depth-charging and death; stories of espionage and smuggling; and memorable chronicles of Royal occasions, cruising, maritime festivals and much else. This fascinating, deeply engrossing true story takes the reader into the heart and soul of the 'Sheemaun' and of all those who have loved her.

The 1845 North-West Passage expedition of Sir John Franklin in the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with a full company of 129 officers and men, none of whom ever saw England again, was one of the most heroic and courageous, maritime expeditions in history. This enthralling book is the result of seven years of arduous research by retired geologist Dr. John Roobol, who weighs evidence gathered over more than 170 years, and offers a highly convincing interpretation of what really happened to the lost, heroic, expedition.

'Beyond the Samovar' is a gripping, engaging story of escape, love and loss.In 1919, a young English couple, Livvy and Peter, leave Baku, which the previous year had become the capital of an independent Azerbaijan. While Livvy is reluctant to leave her home, Peter sees no future for Britons in the new country and treats their escape as an adventure. With their baby, they bluff and bribe their way across Bolshevik and White Russian territory to Archangel on the north coast of Russia, hoping to board a British ship. Only two of them ever manage to reach home.

Where are all those movements you made, those passions, those sighs, those sentences, those monologues? They're still here somewhere, in this air, in this space. Things like that don't just vanish. (from Shades of Babel)Goran Stefanovski (1952-2018) was an internationally recognised ex-Yugoslav playwright. Four of his five plays published here have never been available in English before. They all illustrate Stefanovski's characteristic use of source material, particularly folk tales and myth, to present a striking vision of the human condition, especially in the extreme circumstances of war, exile and political insecurity. Except for the elegiac Sarajevo, these plays are written in the playwright's favourite genre of tragi-comedy. The short scenes and robust dialogue mark them out as the work of a connoisseur of the language of theatre. The Black Hole, the first play in this collection, is considered by the Italian theatre director Paolo Magelli to be the best European play of the 1980s and is still regularly performed in theatres worldwide. The Conrad Press is proud to be publishing this remarkable, highly engaging, intensely dramatic collection of plays by a master playwright.

Twitter users might not be so ready with their tweets had they risked the drastic punishments meted out to pamphlet publishers in the 1640s. Here is gossip for the nation, while in Farnham, Surrey, gossip fuels rivalries and domestic conflicts. And into this arrives Charity, an unwilling newcomer. Who, the gossips ask, is she? Why has she come? Which young man is she attracting? What will her choices be?

Meet Izzy and her dog, Columbus. They are truly inseparable. It seems to be another ordinary day in London on Gibbons Road until an incident occurs involving Izzy’s best friend, Max, and a strange, mysterious neighbour. They find themselves in a sticky situation and before they know it are transported to another world - the magical Nakamomo Island where they set off on an exciting adventure through the rainforest, meeting loveable creatures along the way.However, all is not what it seems... Max has disappeared and there is someone following them. Will they ever reach home? This highly entertaining, thrilling story takes you into the heart of their adventures on the fascinating Nakamomo Island.

‘The sudden demise of Valin Pollen brought my career in the communications industry to an abrupt end, but I felt it was a good moment to reflect on what I had gained from the experience.We all tend to make a fair number of mistakes in life, the trick, of course, is to learn from them. What’s important is how we deal with obstacles and the strength we gain in overcoming them.I think I’ve learnt that in adversity one should never, ever quit.Meanwhile I still find myself looking for the next challenge - perhaps because the past didn’t work out quite as I had originally planned.’

When Franco, a teenager living in the monastery at Monte Cassino in 1944 uncovers a long-lost Roman Eagle, the fabled Aquila for the Jupiter Legion, he sets in motion a desperate struggle to prevent the Nazis from using it to win the war. In a do-or-die mission, Franco and Dulcie, a teenage mountain girl, must steal the Eagle back and escape before its deadly power is unleashed. Pursued by the implacable forces of the SS they will discover not just the secrets of the Eagle but also themselves.

Tygo Winter, the son of a locksmith, is trapped alone in Amsterdam in the winter of 1945. Known as the 'Ferret', he is forced to work for the SS on pain of death, breaking into houses to look for plunder while being hunted by the Dutch resistance as a collaborator. But then a chance meeting with a teenage girl, who might know the whereabouts of a fabulous diamond, may just be the key he desperately needs to save his life and hers. That is, until he is given one shot to end the war itself.

Bob Shaw is baffled to see a man in a brown coat at a bustling Underground station. Surely it can't be his friend, the scientist Professor Morley? Morley perished weeks before in a blazing car. Is the man an impostor or did his friend fake his death?This fascinating and ingenious thriller tells of Bob's battle to find out the truth, helped by his wife Anne. They are confronted by ruthless enemies and forced to flee their home in this fast-paced spy thriller from the author of 'Smile of the Stowaway'.

Have you ever thought about why a country’s borders are where they are? ‘Dividing up the World; the story of our international borders and why they are where they are’, is an utterly fascinating study of how borders have come about and the stories behind them.As well as unearthing tales and anecdotes relating to more familiar borders, the author also examines less well-known ones including the Drummully Polyp, the Scots Dike, the Medicine Line, the Gadsden Purchase, Neutral Moresnet, the Green Line, the Sand Wall, the Gambian ‘Ceded Mile’, the Caprivi Strip and an island that changes nationality twice a year.The result is a highly entertaining, meticulously-researched book, full of accounts of geography, maps, politics, colonialism, power, aggression and negotiation. After reading ‘Dividing up the World; the story of our international borders and why they are where they are’, you will never think of borders in the same way again.

This carefully researched and highly engaging story takes you back to the 14th century, where a mystical Gothic abbey is destined for tragedy; and also back to the 20th century when the abbey, with its grotesque stone guardians, is resurrected as a contemporary psychiatric hospital. 'Fisher of Souls' is a dark, provocative, disturbing, often humorous psychological tale. Its satirical theme of demonising others resonates with many conflicts of today.

'Ignatius' is a gripping and highly engaging novel, full of gritty details, that captures the imagination from the start, and offers dramatic insights into a world most of us never see. Ex Special Forces and Intelligence Services Operative, Ignatius Winter, is living a rough, hand-to-mouth existence, using the only skills he knows, to earn money any way he can. Then one day he is framed for the assassination of a high-level Chinese Government Official at the historic London Houses of Parliament. Winter has made many enemies over the years and it soon becomes clear he will need to defeat some immensely powerful adversaries if he wants to stay alive.

'Contemplating Comedy' is a fabulous compilation of laugh-out-loud funny lines, guaranteed to have readers in stitches as they browse the book. The humour is presented in an original and engaging way, enticing readers to choose their favourite lines and think about what really makes them laugh. Beyond the comedy the author also shares some insights and ideas honed from a lifetime of offbeat experience - a painless way to help remove the stitches.

This gripping thriller is set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and chronicles the dramatic events when a former detective, Joseph Carter, sets out to gain redemption from the consequences of an old case that cost him everything. Carter is still haunted by the murders of his niece and brother-in-law at the hands of a serial killer he was trying to track down. One year on, the killer has returned and Carter, now a disgraced detective gone private, launches a personal vendetta to catch him this time around.

‘Maps Full of Borders’ is a delicately and wryly written fresh take on the coming-of-age novel, exploring questions of personal identity, gender and whether we are a human being or a human doing. Fifteen-year-old Molly doesn’t understand the world around her and feels as though she doesn’t belong. By chance, she comes across an old photo album that leads to an unlikely obsession with the boy in the images – a ghost child who allows Molly to express herself more freely than ever before.

War is coming, but will it bring freedom, or disaster? The planet of Benan Ty is just another poor and violent ex-Terran colony. Now the Chi!me, the major power in the galaxy, are coming to broker a peace deal between guerrilla group ViaVera and the government. For Quila, a rising figure in the Chi!me diplomatic service, the posting to Benan Ty could be the making of her career. Meanwhile Terise, one of ViaVera's inner circle, is just trying to get her lover out with his life. But in a conflict where no side's motivations are pure, they are both about to discover how much they have to lose. Set in a future where humanity has gone to the stars, but taken exploitation and oppression with them, this is a story of imperialism, resistance, friendship and ultimately, liberation. 'Glitteringly good' The Morning Star'...an entertaining and exciting book about a serious subject, with a female hero whose optimism gives us everything to root for' Theaker's Quarterly Fiction'A remarkable achievement... Graham-Leigh has written a book that stands with the unremarked, the overlooked, the dispossessed' Counterfire 'Artfully spun, marvellously executed... A virtually flawless SF tale' The Prairies Book Review'...an engaging tale that resonates with contemporary issues' The Fantasy Hive.

'Bangkok Burning' is a brilliantly unsettling thriller about the dark side of desire. It is also something of a warped love letter to a place teeming with a rogues' gallery of characters, for this is not just about one man's struggle but a portrait of a whole city on the brink. Closeted forty-year-old Graham Floyd, trapped by anxiety issues and an abusive marriage, finally escapes, running away from his lifeless existence on a smile and a whim, swapping dreary south London for the brutal chaos of Bangkok. He soon finds himself prey not only to Natasha, the transsexual nightclub schemer he loses his heart to, but in thrall to the slimy American millionaire Svengali who owns her. In a place where Graham is at last true to himself, will he triumph in a fight to the death to get what he really wants?

'Innocently Guilty' is a highly engaging and extremely entertaining first novel full of intriguing characters, international adventure, love and passion, secrets and a chilling mystery at its core.Lottie and Emily are best friends, who want more than anything to have the perfect boyfriend but when a boy is found dead and all eyes are on Lottie, an African adventure awaits that unexpectedly reveals the answers she seeks. This was so not part of the plan.

This beautifully funny and highly entertaining book gives the reader a unique insight into what it's like to be a military and commercial helicopter pilot.We make brief and joyous visits to Jamaica, Syria, Iran, Germany, Oman, Yemen, the North Sea, Sweden and Saudi Arabia. We live through two wars and we meet VIPs and Heads of State. Highly experience helicopter pilot Nick Mylne constantly dazzles and entertains with his recollections of his professional life in a spin.

'The Silent Owl' explores a world of danger, courage and the power of friendship through a story which holds readers spellbound.World War Two veteran David Price lives as a hermit in the woods to hide the destructive torment caused by his horrific memories of war. Then two ten-year-old pals befriend him and decide they can save his sanity. That decision leads to a dangerous adventure which places their very lives in peril. So can David find the courage to rescue them and even win back control of his own damaged mind?

‘Buying Your Granddaughter’ is a gripping story of women wrestling power for themselves in First Century Palestine in order to survive at a time when women are traded and sold like chattels.Tabitha needs a man to save Miriam, her granddaughter, but not just any man. She needs Ezekiel, the man she hates most. Ezekiel sold Tabitha’s maid, Tira, into slavery to another Hebrew tribe and Tira was killed. The Romans are hunting Miriam as her husband was a Zealot in the Judean Revolt. Tabitha plans to have Miriam bought as a slave and supposedly sold to a Gentile so that she can be taken to safety. Ezekiel is the only person short of a real slaver who can believably do this. Can they pull off Tabitha’s audacious plan or will their personal enmity destroy the mission?

Gutsy and compelling, 'Requiem for a Hard Man' follows one man's fight for redemption through the crime-filled backstreets of 1970s Manchester.WW2 hero Jackie Dunne has PTSD - re-ignited by his son's heroin addiction. Unfortunately, fellow war vet Bill Shaw is now one of Manchester's top drug dealers.When Jackie dumps two kilos of heroin down the drain, Bill vows revenge. A deadly standoff erupts between the army mates. Unable to sort things out with brute power, Jackie breaks the cardinal rule... and talks to the authorities.Will Jackie recognize his need for absolution?Is that possible when he won't even admit there was a crime?

This book covers more than a hundred years of chess in the Civil Service, with information about the clubs, the individuals, the events they contested, the successes, and the arguments that sometimes resulted. Clubs regularly featured leading players of the day and the Civil Service representative team frequently beat strong counties in 50-board matches, as well as participating in a mammoth 500-board match against the rest of England. Names of chess clubs bring a whiff of nostalgia, with India Office, War Office and Civil Service Rifles no longer in existence. Leading players served their country not only in their departments, but at establishments like Bletchley Park in the Second World War. Several civil servants represented their country in international matches. Over a thousand players participated in the league at one stage.

Romantic and intriguing, this story draws the reader into mystery and danger with a thrilling and surprising ending.Inheriting a ranch in Wyoming from an unknown cousin called Willard, Sandy Carson goes to investigate. On meeting Kyle, the sexy ranch foreman outside town, their instant attraction is mutual, but having expected to inherit the ranch himself, Kyle is shocked to discover Sandy is the owner. Unable to keep his hands to himself when Sandy responds, it isn't long before things intensify. With Willard and Mary's headstone indicating they had been parents, what secret is hidden in the barn's locked attic and why does Sandy get abducted?

September 1940. A four-year-old London boy gazes at a night sky lit by burning London. Eighty years later, in another emergency and a hugely changed world, the same lad is persuaded to write about his ordinary life that has occasionally been quite extra-ordinary.Vividly described with much laughter, wit and occasional trenchancy is a rewarding career in education, great pleasure in the arts and in sport and all in a world that has now passed into history. In addition, with often moving directness, the author reveals his home life which over eight decades has provided a joyful safe haven for his forays into the world.