At a restaurant party thrown by Marlene of the Top Girls Employment Agency are Isabella Bird, the 19th-century traveller, Lady Nijo, courtesan to a 13th-century Japanese Emperor, Brueghel's Dull Gret, Pope Joan and Patient Griselda, wife of Chaucer's Clerk.

This collection of short stories explores the "muddy foreshore and abysmal depths" of the human psyche. "Caring, Sharing" envisages a realm where adults can be the children they really are, while "The Nonce Prize" presents a chilling portrait of a man who has been framed as a child abuser.

In "The Riddle of the Sands", a gripping spy story set amongst the shoals and mists of the North Sea coast in the years before the First World War, Erskine Childers fathered the modern genre of spy adventures. Childers himself led a life involving spying, gun-running and conspiracy. This title tells the story of this talented eccentric

Provides comprehensive advice for those training to become primary teachers. This book provides guidance on: choosing the right course; preparing and applying for the course; understanding the requirements of the training course; developing effective teaching skills; and, applying for jobs in order to achieve QTS.

Offers initial guidance on the 'pros and cons' of choosing teaching as a career before going on to provide advice on how to make a successful application for a place on a training course. This book includes practical advice on: finding out whether teaching really is for you; choosing the right course; and getting to grips with educational jargon.