Every movie in this book is a gem that every discerning film buff should know about. Although a few might be familiar – “Barbarella”, “Un Chien Andalou”, “The Blues Brothers” – most will be unfamiliar, and all will boast a small but devoted fanbase. So, just what makes a cult movie? Typically, these movies are independently made on a small budget and were never expected by their creators to attract a broad audience: the eccentricity of the film making or story telling, the controversial stance taken, or the narrow appeal of the subject matter guaranteed that their appeal was limited. Some movies achieve cult status long after their release. Neither commercially nor critically successful at the time, these movies were too revolutionary, fashionable, or simply badly made to find an appreciative audience. Movies, such as “Harold and Maude” and “Plan 9 From Outer Space”, languished unnoticed until a small, devoted group from a later generation discovered them and declared them cool. A few movies, such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, originally attracted cult status, even though they were made by a major studio, owing to their dark, controversial, or offbeat subject matter.As tastes changed and tolerance increased, these films went on to appeal to a much wider audience and to gain commercial success without ever losing their cult status. With insight from critics, film historians, and academics from around the world, “101 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die” is a homage to a century filled with 50-foot women, alcohol-fueled binges, surreal imaginary friends, flying pink elephants, and improbably large arachnids.

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One by one the boys begin to fall…In 1914 a room full of German schoolboys fresh-faced and idealistic are goaded by their schoolmaster to troop off to the ‘glorious war’. With the fire and patriotism of youth they sign up. What follows is the moving story of a young ‘unknown soldier’ experiencing the horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.

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Aliens love underpants in every shape and size But there are no underpants in space so here’s a big surprise… You probably thought aliens came down to Earth with a view to taking over the planet – but no they simply want to steal your pants! This zany hilarious tale delightfully brought to life by Ben Cort’s vibrant illustrations is sure to enchant and amuse the whole family. With a madcap rhyming text perfect for joining in this story is fantastically fresh and funny – you’ll laugh your pants off!

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Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the troubled and bitter Rasheed who is thirty years her senior. Nearly two decades later in a climate of growing unrest tragedy strikes fifteen-year-old Laila who must leave her home and join Mariam’s unhappy household. Laila and Mariam are to find consolation in each other their friendship to grow as deep as the bond between sisters as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs life a desperate struggle against starvation brutality and fear the women’s endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. In the end it is love that triumphs over death and destruction. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is an unforgettable portrait of a wounded country and a deeply moving story of family and friendship. It is a beautiful heart-wrenching story of an unforgiving time an unlikely bond and an indestructible love

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‘Wise old man won’t you help me please? My house is a squash and squeeze’. What can you do if your house is too small? The wise old man knows: bring in a flappy scratchy noisy crowd of farmyard animals. When you push them all out again you’ll be amazed at how big your house feels! This brilliantly funny story is the first ever picture book written and illustrated by the award-winning team of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler authors of “The Gruffalo”.

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One of the most beloved children’s classics of all time, Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is boldly reinterpreted by Camille Rose Garcia, whose dark yet whimsical style has won her resounding praise and an international cult following. The story of a young girls’ strange adventures in a fantasy world comes to life in this stunning, affordably priced edition that will delight the many millions of confirmed Alice fans everywhere and captivate a new generation. The publication of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” will coincide with the release of Tim Burton’s 2010 film starring Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Anne Hathaway among others – and the Hollywood buzz has predicted it will be one of the year’s biggest hits. The recent success of Collins Design’s publication of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald – published in sync with the release of David Fincher’s Academy Award-winning film – indicates there is an enormous market for creative interpretations of literary classics.This new, imaginatively illustrated edition holds even greater promise, with an enormous fan base, long literary history, and the timing of its publication with the film. Alice is going Goth – and her adventures are more wondrous than ever before.

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This title covers Victorian charm and steam-powered machinery parts with modern day elements and technology. Whether a converted steampunk enthusiast or a newcomer to the genre, this funky and fabulous book is the perfect practical introduction to the whimsical world of steampunk jewelry. Each of the five themed chapters has its own imaginative story, and the 20 different projects allow you to make characteristic pieces from decadent jewellery to wine charms. This highly visual book is packed with photography and design elements to give a real flavour of the steampunk process and readers are taught the beginning-level jewellery and related techniques.

Price : £ 10.49

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Get acquainted with a northern soul Jimmy Nail has been a household name since Auf Wiedersehen Pet hit our screens in the 1980s. since then his career as an actor and a musician has put on him on the silver screen alongside Madonna and given him a No. 1 hit single. Success on this astonishing scale was beyond the wildest dreams of the working class lad whose harsh childhood and brutal schooling put him on a collision course with Strangeways. But a short spell in prison helped propel Nail onwards and upwards. With the support of his friends and family it wasn’t long before Jimmy’s unique talents and single-minded determination brought him attention of a different kind and changed his life for ever. In A Northern Soul Jimmy Nail tells his own vivid story in this intriguing inspiring and sometimes confounding account of how one man rose to fame and fortune by refusing to be anything but himself.

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Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s antiapartheid movement he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.”Long Walk to Freedom” is his moving autobiography Here Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela tells the extraordinary story of his life – an epic of struggle setback renewed hope and ultimate triumph which has until now been virtually unknown to most of the world.The foster son of a Thembu chief Mandela was raised in the traditional tribal culture of his ancestors but at an early age learned the modern inescapable reality of what came to be called apartheid one of the most powerful and effective systems of oppression ever conceived. In engrossing prose he tells of his early years as an impoverished student and law clerk in Johannesburg of his slow political awakening and of his pivotal role in the rebirth of a stagnant ANC and the formation of its Youth League in the 1950s. He describes the struggle to reconcile his political activity with his devotion to his family the anguished breakup of his first marriage and the painful separations from his children.He also brings to life the escalating political warfare in the 1950s between the ANC and the government culminating in his dramatic escapades as an underground leader and the notorious Rivonia Trial of 1964 at which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He recounts the surprisingly eventful 27 years in prison and the complex delicate negotiations that led both to his freedom and to the beginning of the end of apartheid. Finally he provides the inside account of the unforgettable events since his release that produced at last a free multiracial democracy in South Africa.

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Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s antiapartheid movement he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.”Long Walk to Freedom” is his moving autobiography Here Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela tells the extraordinary story of his life – an epic of struggle setback renewed hope and ultimate triumph which has until now been virtually unknown to most of the world.The foster son of a Thembu chief Mandela was raised in the traditional tribal culture of his ancestors but at an early age learned the modern inescapable reality of what came to be called apartheid one of the most powerful and effective systems of oppression ever conceived. In engrossing prose he tells of his early years as an impoverished student and law clerk in Johannesburg of his slow political awakening and of his pivotal role in the rebirth of a stagnant ANC and the formation of its Youth League in the 1950s. He describes the struggle to reconcile his political activity with his devotion to his family the anguished breakup of his first marriage and the painful separations from his children.He also brings to life the escalating political warfare in the 1950s between the ANC and the government culminating in his dramatic escapades as an underground leader and the notorious Rivonia Trial of 1964 at which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He recounts the surprisingly eventful 27 years in prison and the complex delicate negotiations that led both to his freedom and to the beginning of the end of apartheid. Finally he provides the inside account of the unforgettable events since his release that produced at last a free multiracial democracy in South Africa.

Price : £ 9.44

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