FOR NATALIE　　ACKNOWLEDGMENTS　　Special thanks to Natalie Freer-the most genuine and giving person I know. To Stephen Reilly, my brother and my good friend and my loyal supporter, even from thousands of miles away. To Mum for her ments on the text and to Dad for his woeful title suggestions and to both of them for their love and support. And, last, thanks to everyone at Pan and Thomas Dunne Books (in particular, my editors, Cate Paterson, Pete Wolverton, and Madonna Duffy, first, for "discovering" me and, second, for enduring all of my crazy ideas). To all of you, never underestimate the power of your encouragement.　　SOUTHEASTERN ANTARCTICA　　THE ANTARCTIC ICE SHELF...　

　　　　　　HE SEEMED INCAPABLE of creating such chaos, but much of what he saw below could be blamed on him. And that was fine. He was ninety-one, paralyzed, strapped in a wheelchair and hooked to oxygen. His second stroke seven years ago had almost finished him off, but Abraham Rosenberg was still alive and even with tubes in his nose his legal stick was bigger than the other eight. He was the only legend remaining on the Court, and the fact that he was still breathing irritated most of the mob below.　　　　He sat in a small wheelchair in an office on the main floor of the Supreme Court Building. His feet touched the edge of the window, and he strained forward as the noise increased. He hated cops　

Disclaimer　　　　　　There is more than one reason why the Crown finds this overimaginative work most unacceptable.　　　First and foremost, of course, is that it purports to be about a planet called "Earth" and no such planet exists under that name or its pretended astrographic designation of Blito-P3. Admittedly, it has been cleverly created down to characters and locations. That is the precise danger for the unsuspecting reader.　　　It is also claimed that "Earth" is on the Invasion Timetable and thus scheduled for capture. The Timetable bequeathed by our ancestors has the status of Divine mand. It has unerringly guided us for well over 125,000 years. Altering it in any way would disrupt every sec　

King Henry VI, Part 2King Henry VI, Part 2William Shakespeare1- Page 2-King Henry VI, Part 2ACT I.2- Page 3-King Henry VI, Part 2SCENE I. London. The palaceFlourish of trumpets; then hautboys.Enter the KING, DUKEHUMPHREY OF GLOUCESTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, andCARDINAL BEAUFORT, on the one side; the QUEEN, SUFFOLK,YORK, SOMERSET, and BUCKINGHAM, on the otherSUFFOLK. As by your high imperial Majesty I had in charge at my...　

THE TRAGEDY OF JULIUS CAESARJULIUS CAESARWilliam Shakespeare15991- Page 2-THE TRAGEDY OF JULIUS CAESARACT I.2- Page 3-THE TRAGEDY OF JULIUS CAESARSCENE I. Rome. A street.Enter Flavius, Marullus, and certain Commoners.FLAVIUS. Hence, home, you idle creatures, get you home. Is this aholiday? What, know you not, Being mechanical, you ought not walk...　

　　 HIS NAME WAS THORNE. In the ancient language of the runes, it had been longer-Thornevald. But when he became a blood drinker, his name had been changed to Thorne. And Thorne he remained now, centuries later, as he lay in his cave in the ice, dreaming.　 When he had first e to the frozen land, he had hoped he would sleep eternally. But now and then the thirst for blood awakened him and using the Cloud Gift, he rose into the air, and went in search of the Snow Hunters.　 He fed off them, careful never to take too much blood from any one so that none died on account of him. And when he needed furs anc boots he took them as well, and returned to his hiding place.　 These Snow Hunters were n　

　　JOB INTERVIEW　　　　Jack Torrance thought: Officious little prick.　　Ullman stood five-five, and when he moved, it was with the prissy speed that seems to be the exclusive domain of all small plump men. The part in his hair was exact, and his dark suit was sober but forting. I am a man you can bring your problems to, that suit said to the paying customer. To the hired help it spoke more curtly: This had better be good, you. There was a red carnation in the lapel, perhaps so that no one on the street would mistake Stuart Ullman for the local undertaker.　　As he listened to Ullman speak, Jack admitted to himself that he probably could not have liked any man on that side of the desk-under the cir　

Cleopatraby H. Rider HaggardDEDICATIONMy dear Mother,I have for a long while hoped to be allowed to dedicate some bookof mine to you, and now I bring you this work, because whateverits shortcomings, and whatever judgment may be passed upon it byyourself and others, it is yet the one I should wish you toaccept.I trust that you will receive from my romance of "Cleopatra" somesuch pleasure as lightened the labour of its building up; and thatit may convey to your mind a picture, however imperfect, of theold and mysterious Egypt in whose lost glories you are so deeplyinterested....　

A MILLIONAIRE OF ROUGH-AND-READYA MILLIONAIRE OFROUGH-AND-READYby BRET HARTE1- Page 2-A MILLIONAIRE OF ROUGH-AND-READYPROLOGUEThere was no mistake this time: he had struck gold at last!It had lain there before him a moment agoa misshapen piece ofbrown-stained quartz, interspersed with dull yellow metal; yieldingenough to have allowed the points of his pick to penetrate itshoneycombed recesses, yet heavy enough to drop from the point of his...　

The Enchanted BluffWe had our swim before sundown, and while we were cooking oursupper the oblique rays of light made a dazzling glare on the whitesand about us. The translucent red ball itself sank behind thebrown stretches of cornfield as we sat down to eat, and the warmlayer of air that had rested over the water and our clean sand bargrew fresher and smelled of the rank ironweed and sunflowersgrowing on the flatter shore. The river was brown and sluggish,like any other of the half-dozen streams that water the Nebraskacorn lands. On one shore was an irregular line of bald clay bluffswhere a few scrub oaks with thick trunks and flat, twisted tops...　

The Antiquities of the Jews (1)by Flavius JosephusTranslated by William WhistonPREFACE.1. Those who undertake to write histories, do not, I perceive,take that trouble on one and the same account, but for manyreasons, and those such as are very different one from another.For some of them apply themselves to this part of learning toshow their skill in composition, and that they may thereinacquire a reputation for speaking finely: others of them thereare, who write histories in order to gratify those that happen tobe concerned in them, and on that account have spared no pains,but rather gone beyond their own abilities in the performance:but others there are, who, of necessity and by force, are　

North American Species of CactusNorth American Speciesof Cactusby John M. Coulter.1- Page 2-North American Species of CactusU.S. Department of AgricultureDivision of BotanyCONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE U. S. NATIONAL HERBARIUM Vol.IIINo. 2 Issued June 10, 1894 Preliminary Revision of the NorthAmerican Species of Cactus, Anhalonium, and Lophophora.byJohn M.Coulter. Published by Authority of the Secretary of Agriculture...