The Viking gods fought a constant battle with nature. Odin, Thor and Loki are just some of the familiar characters that maintain an influence over us today through movies, TV series and comics to great fiction and epic poetry. This fabulous new book offers all the main tales with an introduction to the characters and the land that inspired them.

The Algonquins, Iroquois and The Last of the Mohicans - the tribes of North America and their folk tales are deeply fascinating because they are unique amongst the mythologies of the world. The retold tales collected for this new book celebrate the diverse tribal vision of a rich and powerful tradition that still resonates today.

Creation myths, quests, the eternal battle between good and evil, these are some of the classic tales that feed the ravenous beast of modern culture. This new book brings to life the myths and legends of eight intriguing traditions: Native American, Chinese, Celtic, Scottish, Greek, Viking, Indian and African.

A boy goes to the supermarket almost every day, just so he can look at the face of the woman who sells sandwiches. She is beautiful to him, and he calls her "Ms Ice Sandwich," and endlessly draws her portrait. When the boy's friend hears about this hesitant adoration, suddenly everything changes. His visits to Ms Ice Sandwich stop, and with them the last hopes of his childhood.

Here we find humankind battling with the elements in the flood myth, a grim creation story and the great Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest recorded literary treasures. Babylon, a powerful city state in 1800 BC was a centre of spiritual, economic and military power, each represented in the fragments and myths of this book of classic tales.

This new book of classic tales brings the stories of the ancients to life, from the birth of Creation by the Sun God Re, the murder of Osiris, and the revenge of Horus, to the underworld and afterlife. The Egyptians explained the effects of famine, harvest, floods and death by creating a pantheon of gods that still holds our fascination today.

Lively, stark and formidable, the imagery of Norse mythology storms through this classic collection. The fierce glory of Odin, Thor, Frey, Loki and their fellow gods of Asgard are featured here with all the great adventures, from Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life, to Ragnarok. Each Viking legend is riven with a vitality that speaks to us still.

The mythic invasions of Ireland, the mystical kingdoms, warriors, giants, creatures of the underworld and magic, these are the fantastic ingredients of Celtic legend. They told their own stories in the ancient way, by word of mouth, we understand the traditions of these proud people through the records of others, but still they thrive today.

Arthur Rackham's artworks bring a distinctive vein of dark humour to the many classic works he graced in the Golden Age of Illustration. His energetic, dense creations are perfectly suited to the powerful tales of the early Celts, and the later stories of an Ireland of mighty hearths, dreaming of battlefield glory, ancient gods and mystical isles.

A potent pantheon of gods, heroes engaged in epic battles, fearsome mythical creatures and supernatural transformations - such fantastical elements infuse Greek myths with a wonder and excitement that's hard to beat. These tales of love, courage and intrigue, shared for thousands of years, still exercise a powerful influence on our modern lives.

A novel that portrays several characters in a village whose intertwined lives are transformed by the 1952-1960 Emergency in Kenya. It features a reticent Mugo, the village's chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret.

`Exquisite in its honesty and truth and resilience, and a necessary chronicle from one of the greatest writers of our time' Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieSelected as a Book of the Year 2016 in the GuardianWhen Ngugi wa Thiong'o arrives at the prestigious Makerere University, it embodies all the potential and excitement of the early 1960s.

AD 98: The army base at Vindolanda lies on the northern frontier of Britannia and the entire Roman world. Defences are weak, as tribes rebel against Roman rule, and local druids preach the fiery destruction of the invaders.

A Gothic fairy tale set in eighteenth century Mississippi...the South, especially Miss Welty's, is entirely its own thing' Angus Wilson A fable from one of the best loved classic writers of the American South

A portrait of a newly independent woman trying, late in life, to escape the clutches of an over-solicitous family

Desperate to prove himself to his politician father, Esmond Lowndes is sent to Italy to forge ties between the British Union of Fascists and Mussolini's government. In Florence, he discovers art and passion amongst the eccentric expatriates and locals. But with the coming of war he chooses to leave his past and joins the Florentine resistance.

Nicholas Royle challenges and experiments with literary form to forge a new mode of storytelling that is both playful and inquisitive. Tender, absorbing and at times shockingly funny, this extraordinary novel is both mystery and love story. It confronts the mad hand of grief while embracing the endless possibilities of language.

Helene Cixous is among the most influential and original literary critics and feminist thinkers of our time. This volume reproduces - for the first time, in any language - a collection of pages from her original writing notebooks, offering a unique insight into her radical thought and work.

Alfie's not really a bad guy. It's just that he has this overwhelming desire for the ladies. You might say that "birds" are irresistible to him, sort of second nature. There's Ruby, Clare, Siddie, Carla, and Annie - but who's counting? Certainly not Alfie.