For the first time ever, a very special edition of the forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, illustrated throughout in colour by J.R.R. Tolkien himself and with the complete text printed in two colours. The Silmarilli were three perfect jewels, fashioned by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves, and within them was imprisoned the last Light of the Two Trees of Valinor. But the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, stole the jewels and set them within his iron crown, guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. The Silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all the heroism, against the great Enemy. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part. The book also includes several shorter works: the Ainulindale, a myth of the Creation, and the Valaquenta, in which the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Numenor at the end of the Second Age, and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien could not publish The Silmarillion in his lifetime, as it grew with him, so he would leave it to his son, Christopher Tolkien, to edit the work from many manuscripts and bring his father's great vision to publishable form, so completing the literary achievement of a lifetime. This special edition presents anew this seminal first step towards mapping out the posthumous publishing of Middle-earth, and the beginning of an illustrious forty years and more than twenty books celebrating his father's legacy. This definitive new edition includes, by way of an introduction, a letter written by Tolkien in 1951 which provides a brilliant exposition of the earlier Ages, and for the first time in its history is presented with J.R.R. Tolkien's own paintings and drawings, which reveal the breathtaking grandeur and beauty of his vision of the First Age of Middle-earth.

The Crescent Moon Fox is a compassionate, heart-breaking, brutal, and occasionally, humorous, novel about Cypriot Turks. The reader experiences the lives of the inhabitants of one particular village during the lead-up to Independence from Britain and the tragic aftermath of the post-Colonial era in Cyprus - and in particular, of two of its young men: Zeki and Aydin. Zeki who, shaped and nurtured by the British Colonial system, is destined for great things; and Aydin, a misfit in his community who, in his own complex and disturbing way, achieves greatness and redemption. The span of the novel is from the nineteen thirties to the first decade of the twenty first century - showing the life of the Cypriot Turks, unique and distinct as a minority, in the lead-up to Independence and to what they become in the modern era. It gives a voice to Cypriot Turks, of all different backgrounds, and particularly to the illiterate rural women of the Colonial Era. The Crescent Moon Fox is also a poignant journey of discovery of one's true identity...

SOUTH VIETNAM--1965--INITIAL MILITARY BUILDUP

Lieutenant David Jeffries is deployed with a company of army engineers to a backward country where foreign combatants have invaded rural areas and insurgents threaten urban centers. There, faced with conflicting goals of supporting allied combat units and befriending local civilians, he struggles to identify and deal with the principles of right and wrong conduct.

Jeffries wants to be a good soldier, but he finds that difficult because of puzzling ethical choices he has to make. He unwittingly faces life-threatening combat situations with conditioned courage when called upon to support the 101st Airborne and the 1st Air Cavalry Division. He reluctantly becomes embroiled in political struggles over policies regarding civilians. Influenced by people with diametrically opposed philosophies--Captain John Slaughter, an Airborne Ranger, and Lieutenant Joe Goodrich, a self-declared peacenik--Jeffries tries to find acceptable common ground through a passed-over major who is due to retire and two trusted but misguided sergeants.

From the battlefields to the brothels, from the tents to the temples, "Noble Conflict" gives a unique perspective of unconventional war through the eyes of a trained soldier trying to do his ethical best under unusual circumstances and preconditions established not by him, but by others.

Tony Marino has reached a crossroads in life. With high school commencement just two weeks away, Marino is definitely ready to explore the world that lies outside Cleveland, Ohio. But times are tough in 1949, leaving Marino only one viable option-to join the navy. As he enlists, he has no idea that the Korean War is about to break out. Soon after his ship is assigned to action in Korea, Marino is sent on an undercover mission with two shipmates, Sully and Peacock, to provide valuable information to General MacArthur, who is planning an invasion of Inchon. As his mission increases in intensity, Marino and his shipmates bravely face great danger as they scout out three islands, gather critical information, and finally return safely to the ship. But as the war progresses, it is not long before their ship is assigned to help in the evacuation of Hungnam in North Korea-a fateful decision that leads Marino and Sully to imprisonment in a clandestine hospital known for its inhumane experiments. In this military thriller loosely based on real-life events, two American sailors must rely on the CIA and a beautiful Korean girl to escape-before it is too late.

Deep within a Vietnamese jungle, an inexperienced American unit has just been ambushed. As their infantry battalion commander is led through the darkness by a rope tied around his neck, branches tear at his body as he stumbles with exhaustion. Lieutenant Colonel Steven Marion is a great prize for the North Vietnamese, and now he is officially a prisoner of war.As the American military attempts to determine whether he is alive or dead, Marion is marched off to a prison camp in Cambodia where he is hypnotized by the enemy, who hope to return him back to the United States to spout anti-American propaganda. But little do they know that the man who guards Marion is carefully developing a plan to defect to South Vietnam--with the help of his American prisoner. Meanwhile back home in America, Marion's wife, Elaine, is notified that her husband is dead. As she quietly moves on with her life and marries again, Elaine has no idea that Marion is still alive.Ninety Days is the compelling story of an American battalion commander who must battle to survive in war-torn Vietnam as the life he knew back home slowly crumbles.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

Thomas Blackstone, Edward III's Master of War takes to Spain in the seventh instalment of David Gilman's gripping chronicle of the Hundred Years' War. Winter, 1364. The King is dead. Defeated on the field of Poitiers, Jean Le Bon, King of France, honoured his treaty with England until his death. His son and heir, Charles V, has no intention of doing the same. War is coming and the predators are circling. Sir Thomas Blackstone, Edward III's Master of War, has been tasked with securing Brittany for England. In the throes of battle, he rescues a young boy, sole witness to the final living breaths of the Queen of Castile. The secret the boy carries is a spark deadly enough to ignite conflict on a new front - a front the English cannot afford to fight on. So Blackstone is ordered south to Castile, across the mountains to shepherd Don Pedro, King of Castile, to safety. Accompanied only by a small detachment of his men and a band of Moorish cavalrymen loyal to the king, every step takes Blackstone further into uncertain territory, deeper into an unyielding snare. For the Master of War, the shadow of death is always present.

"Ricks captures Vietnam's dust, heat, and 'fog of war' as only someone who was there can do. His book took me back in a heartbeat: It was so vivid I could almost SMELL it again!"--Ross Rainwater, LTC, Aviation, USA (Retired), 1st Cavalry Division, 1970-71Set in the dust, heat, forests and mud of Vietnam's Central Highlands, "Revelation" is a story drawn from actual historical events. The conflict, the action is real.When Army Captain John Davis gets the chance at his own command during the latter days of the Vietnam War, he eagerly accepts the job. Unknown to him, the men of his new unit murdered the officer who had the command before him. These killers have not been identified or caught. Davis' new boss never even told him of the crime.Dealing with internal unit conflicts, external bureaucratic indifference and his own fears and weaknesses, he must still carry on with the assigned mission. In a series of dangerous situations, Davis is at risk, but are these the hazards of war or more murder attempts? Will he ever be reunited with the woman he loves?

In August 1956 a troubled teen-age boy runs away from home, seeking the grand adventures he has only read about. Lying about his age he enlists in the Coast Guard at fourteen. A decade later, his career takes him to Vietnam where he is awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry. Returning home, he begins a new career as an undercover narcotics agent. Undergoing torture when his cover is blown, he prays for rescue.

Carbo returns in an unputdownable novel of murder and mystery in ancient RomeAfter years of captivity and torture by German barbarians, former legionary Cicurinus' ordeal should be over. Hearing of the legendary Carbo, he returns to Rome to seek out this hero who might help to bring him balance. Instead he finds Carbo descending into alcoholism and gambling, a broken man who brutally rebuffs him. Devastated and disgusted by the immoral city around him, Cicurinus, embarks on a rampage of slaughter through Rome's poor and downtrodden. And to hide his tracks, he frames Carbo for the crimes. With everything at stake, can Carbo master his demons, clear his name, and stop the Killer of Rome? This latest from Alex Gough, a master of the genre, is a Roman thriller that you won't be able to put down. Perfect for readers of Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden and Ben Kane.

It is September, 1940, and the Battle of Britain is not going well for the Germans. The RAF Spitfire, powered with a high performance carburetor made with platinum parts, is outperforming the Messerschmitt. Gold and platinum, smuggled out of the Andes in 1939 by a German elite force, lies at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea off Margarita Island. Retrieval of this strategic ore will allow the Germans to refit their fighters with a new ignition system and reverse their declining fortunes. Adolph Hitler himself authorizes a mission, code named Black Eagle, to recover the sunken gold and platinum from the sea bottom and return it to Germany.

With the aid of the IRA and an Irish marine recovery vessel and specialists, the German mission, comprising an armed tender and two U-boats, play a game of "blind man's bluff" with British and American forces, the Germans intent on recovering the sunken cargo, the Allies intent on stopping it. Professor Jack Ford, a group of British commandoes and a patched-together Allied naval force of subs and surface craft are all that stand in the way of a successful German mission. The challenge on both sides is filled with twists of events making it uncertain who to trust and which way to turn. Anything is possible.

Armee-Abteilung Narwa is a fictional story. The name identifies an actual department of German Army Group North that stubbornly held the Russian Army from breaking through at Narva, Estonia.

German Army Group North requested approval to begin an organized retreat from Leningrad to Estonia in late 1943, but had been ordered by Hitler to hold. When the Russian Army broke through the Leningrad Blockade in late January 1944, the resulting colossal German Army retreat to the west was incredibly disorganized. The Red Army pressed all the way to the Narva River, where they were stopped by Armee-Abteilung Narwa. For the next few months, stragglers from the numerous German Divisions bypassed by the Russians at the Leningrad Front kept fighting their way back to join the German defenders at the Panther Line on the Narva River.

Armee-Abteilung Narwa focuses on individuals from both sides of the various battles during the confused German retreat. Experience the vicious "Total War" that was fought on the Eastern Front during WWII, through the eyes of participants on both sides of the conflict.