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Oxford University Press
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Games are played everywhere: from economics and online auctions to social interactions, and game theory is about how to play such games in a rational way, and how to maximize their outcomes. This VSI reveals, without mathematical equations, the insights the theory can bring to everything from how to play poker optimally to the sex ratio among bees. |
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For over half a century, scholars have laboured to show that C. S. Lewis's famed but apparently disorganised Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance and the structure of Narnia's symbolis... |
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The history of Russia — from Kievan Rus to Vladimir Putin Russia: A History cuts through the myths and mystery that have surrounded Russia from its earliest days, with startling revelations from classified archives that until comparatively recently were not even known to exist. A distinguished team of historians has stripped away the propaganda and preconceptions of the past to tell the definitive story of Russia, from tenth-century Kiev and Muscovy through empire and revolution to the fall of Communism and the 'new order' of the 1990s and early 21st century. A compelling story in its own right, it is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Russia and its place in the world. This updated edition now covers the developments in the Putin era in the first decade of the 21st century. |
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At the centre of Hide and Seek (1854) a secret waits to be revealed. Why should the apparently respectable painter Valentine Blyth refuse to account for the presence in his household of the beautiful girl known as Madonna? It is not until his young friend Zack Thorpe, who is in rebellion against his repressive father, gets into bad company and meets a mysterious stranger that the secret of Madonna can be unravelled. Wilkie Collins's third novel, dedicated to his life-long friend Dickens, is a story in which excitement is combined with charm and humour. In its mixture of the everyday and the extraordinary, Hide and Seek forms a bridge between the domestic novel and the sensational fiction for which Collins later became famous. |
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Winnie the Witch is an accident waiting to happen! In 'Winnie and the Cog' you'll find her creating a most unusual pet; in 'Winnie's School Dinner' she has some new interpretations of canteen favourites, in 'Winnie Fixes It' she takes on some home improvements with dramatic results; and in 'Winnie the Twit' Winnie fancies herself as a bit of a naturalist. Four crazily funny stories featuring everyone's favourite witch, her big black cat, Wilbur, and a zany supporting cast of new characters. Korky Paul's exuberant black line illustrations complement the humour, slapstick, and moments of real drama that run through each story. Pure magic! |
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Winnie the Witch is ready for anything life throws at her! In 'Winnie's Awful Auntie' Winnie and Wilbur have to deal with an unbearably fussy relative on an unexpected visit; in 'Winnie Gets Cleaning' Winnie offers her janitorial services to the local school with hilarious results; in 'Winnie and the Ghost in the Post' Winnie and Wilbur find themselves the surprise winners of a television poetry competition and in 'Mini Winnie' there's an unusual solution to a laundry problem. Four crazily funny stories featuring everyone's favourite witch, her big black cat, Wilbur, and a zany supporting cast of new characters. Korky Paul's exuberant black line illustrations complement the humour, slapstick, and moments of real drama that run through each story. Pure magic! |
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Neverland is calling again... Something is wrong in Neverland. Dreams are leaking out-strangely real dreams, of pirates and mermaids, of warpaint and crocodiles. For Wendy and the Lost Boys it is a clear signal-Peter Pan needs their help, and so it is time to do the unthinkable and fly to Neverland again. But back in Neverland, everything has changed-and the dangers they find there are far beyond their dreams... Specially commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children as the winner of their competition to write the official sequel to J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, Peter Pan in Scarlet is a thrilling adventure that you will never forget. Proceeds from every copy sold will go to benefit Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. |
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Winnie, the Witch lives in a black house. She has black chairs and black stairs, black floors and black doors. The trouble is that Winnie's cat, Wilbur, is also black. After sitting on him and tripping over him, Winnie decides to turn Wilbur into a green cat. But then, he goes out into the long grass! Winnie is going to need a little magic to make sure she can always see Wilbur... This is a beautifully-crafted story with a colourful final twist. |
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Winnie, the Witch is getting ready for the Witches' Magic Show. She can't wait to show off her favourite spells with her magic wand. But when Winnie inadvertently puts her wand in the washing machine with her party dress, it comes out crumpled, soggy, and certainly not in working order! How is Winnie going to wow her friends at the show? Perhaps Wilbur has just the thing to bring a little magic into her act? |
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Winnie, the Witch is tired of winter. She's tired of shivering in the cold and looking out at her garden covered in snow. And Wilbur is tired of frozen fur and whiskers. So, Winnie uses a little magic to bring summer and sunshine to her house. But just as she settles down in her deckchair... hordes of people arrive. With the unruly crowd comes noise, and mess, and chaos. Maybe winter isn't so bad, after all? |
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Winnie, the Witch loves travelling by broomstick. Sadly, when the sky starts filling up with all kinds of flying machines, Winnie and Wilbur have a few mid-air crashes and a few more near misses. Winnie tries a little magic to turn her broomstick into a bicycle, a skateboard, even a horse. But the accidents still happen. Perhaps, Winnie needs to look no further than the end of her nose for an answer to her problems... |
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Winnie, the Witch is very pleased with her new computer. She decides to throw away her book of spells and her wand — from now on all her magic will be at the click of a mouse! When Wilbur tries to pounce on the mouse, things start to go wrong. Winnie wakes up to discover she has no cat... and no computer. She could really use a little magic, but just where is it going to come from? This is a hilarious Winnie story for the digital age! |
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Captain Teachum has a reputation as a wicked and terrible pirate. He has, so his readers are told, led a life of crime: capturing ships, making his enemies walk the plank, and burying stolen treasure all over the world. But then we discover some unexpected secrets about Captain Teachum's home life: he is more than a little hen-pecked, he has twenty five children, and his memory is rather unreliable... Hardly surprising, then, that Captain Teachum has not been able to find his buried treasure. So, by the time Captain Teachum's story is finished and we see his mischievous grin as he lies in his hammock, we're left wondering how much of his boastful bluster about past dastardly deeds is true and how much of it is wishful thinking! |
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Sanji lives above a baker's shop. Every morning, he steps on to his balcony and enjoys the delicious aroma of freshly-baked breads and pastries. But the Baker is a mean-spirited, greedy and selfish man. 'Thief!' he cries at Sanji's door. 'You are stealing my smells!' Poor Sanji is taken to court to pay a hefty fine. How will the Judge make sure the Baker gets what he deserves? The riveting story is great to read aloud and Korky Paul's illustrations take to you to an exotic faraway location. With its clever courtroom-drama finale, this is a book that children will just love to hear over and over again. |
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Professor Puffendorf is a world-class inventor: where would any of us be without her Unburnable Toast or her Smell-o-Telephone? She shares her laboratory with her much-loved guinea pig, Chip, and Enzo, her rather lazy assistant. One day, when the professor goes out to address a conference, Enzo opens her 'top secret' cabinet. Inside he discovers an array of potions promising to deliver anything from curly, luxuriant hair to a beautiful singing voice. Enzo realizes the secret formulas for these potions could make him unbelievably rich but first he decides to test them on poor Chip. However his devious plan does not quite go as he imagined and it is the villainous Enzo who ends up as the guinea pig — quite literally — in this entertaining cautionary tale of role reversal. |
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Deep in the ocean lives a fish whose wishes come true! He wishes for all sorts of crazy things — a castle, a car, and even fine clothes to wear. But he is a rather foolish fish and one day he wishes to be just like all the other fish... perhaps this will be the one wish he wishes he never wished! The rhythmical text is great to read aloud and Korky Paul's illustrations take to you to a crazy underwater world. With its neat punchline, this is a book that children will just love to hear (and join in with) over and over again. |
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This is a collection of fun, engaging and gently humorous stories about Lotta, the little sister who can find trouble anywhere. She and her young siblings get into all sorts of scrapes, from falling out of their old neighbour's windows and learning some very bad swear words, to making their own pancake tree. Every day brings a new and funny adventure. |
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Whether he's running his little sister up a flagpole, or trying to escape after getting locked in a shed, Emil's adventures never stop. Hens, dogs, little sisters — and adults — all flee his path. But Emil doesn't mean to be bad, it's just that trouble — and fun — follow him wherever he goes. A collection of utterly engaging tales from one of the world's best-loved children's authors. |
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Winnie decides she needs a seaside break, so she and Wilbur zoom off to the coast. Winnie makes a beeline for the sea to cool down. Wilbur makes a beeline for anywhere other than the sea — he hates water, and can't bear getting wet. Winnie is having so much fun in the water that she doesn't notice her broomstick being washed out to sea. She waves her magic wand in an attempt to get the broomstick back but it doesn't really go according to plan. The mix of magic and mayhem that follows involves a surfer and a whale and, predictably, it's poor Wilbur who gets the worst of things... |
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The night that Peter Pan flies into the Darling children's nursery is the night that magic flies into their lives. It's the night that Wendy and her brothers follow Peter out of the window and soar through the sky to Neverland. It's the night that they discover a world of mermaids, fairies, and pirates, of lost boys, and of the terrible Captain Hook. It's the night the adventure begins... Peter Pan is one of the best-loved stories ever written for children. For more than one hundred years this unforgettable tale has enchanted readers of all ages. Step into Neverland with this magical, timeless classic. |
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