Throughout the Roman Army, the brutal XIIth Legion is notorious for its ill fortune. For one young man, Demalion of Macedon, joining it will be a baptism of fire. And yet, amid all of the violence and savagery of his life as a legionary, he will come to love the Twelfth and the bloody-minded, dark-hearted soldiers he calls his brothers.

Traditional ploughland is disappearing. The corncrake is all but extinct in England. And the hare is running for its life. This book tells the story of the wild animals and plants that live in and under our ploughland, from microbes to the patrolling kestrel above the corn, from the linnet to seven-spot ladybirds that eat aphids that eat the crop.

Saladin remains one of the most iconic figures of his age. As the man who united the Arabs and saved Islam from Christian crusaders in the 12th century, he is the Islamic world's preeminent hero. Charting his rise to power, his struggle to unify the warring factions of his faith, this book explores the enduring legacy of this champion of Islam.

But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar. We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. In The Secret Life of the Owl, John Lewis-Stempel explores the legends and history of the owl.

'I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.' The most quotable writer of our time, Terry Pratchett's brand of wit made him a bestseller and an endearing source of modern wisdom. This title is filled with his memorable words about life, the universe and snoring.

"Broad in scope, generous in spirit and wittily accompanied by Risbridger's commentary"Sarah Perry, author of The Essex SerpentSet Me On Fire is an anthology for a new moment in poetry: a collection of fresh, vibrant voices from poets all over the globe, both living and dead.

It is 1967 and two Viennese university students decide to liberate the Vienna Zoo, as was done after World War II. The eccentric duo, Graff and Siggy, embark on an adventure-filled motorbike tour of Austria as they prepare for 'the great zoo bust'. But their grand scheme will have both comic and gruesome consequences, as they are soon to find out.