Varying Degrees of Success : The new memoir from one of Britain’s best loved writers

In turn-of-the-twentieth-century France, Vincent-an ingenious designer of secret passages-embarks on a thrilling adventure to unlock ancient mysteries in a quest for lost treasure. Along the way, he battles against dark forces as he tries to discern who he can trust, while racing against the clock. Vincent knows what it means to keep a secret. With his troupe of talented craftsmen-his only family-he designs hidden compartments for priceless treasures and passages for undetectable escape routes. The rich and powerful who hire him pay handsomely for his work-and for his discretion. As Paris hosts the 1889 World's Fair, the city fills with visitors who come to see the controversial new Eiffel Tower with its gravitydefying elevators, to discover the latest inventions from across the globe, or to scout for prospective investment opportunities. After Vincent takes on an urgent secret mission, his team suddenly becomes the target of attempted assassinations. In a race against time, as death licks at their heels, they puzzle over who could be behind the violence. A client trying to erase tracks to a secret ? The dark forces of the occult somehow provoked by their work ? Confronted with mysteries uncovered from the past, and a life-or-death challenge that tests the limits of his ability, Vincent will do everything in his power to thwart the menace and protect his friends ... if only he can survive.

Part of the Chiltern Clssics range. When Ishmael joins the crew of a whaling ship, he doesn't know that the captain is obsessed with taking revenge on Moby Dick, the great whale that ripped off his leg. Ishmael recounts their adventures aboard ship as the captain pursues his foe - but Herman Melville's richly textured novel is more than a classic adventure. Exploring themes of ambition, self-discovery and the wonder of the natural world, it ranks among the foremost works in the English language. Chiltern are publishers of exquisitely crafted editions of the world's finest classic literature. These beautiful books are a perfect mix of tradition and the very latest in printing techniques. With wonderful original, detailed and embossed covers, sparkling gilt edges, cream art paper, ribbon markers and stitched binding they are simply the most beautiful classics ever published.