WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 1996 Four men once close to Jack Dodds, a London butcher, meet to carry out his peculiar last wish: to have his ashes scattered into the sea at Margate. For reasons best known to herself, Jack's widow, Amy, declines to join them . . . On the surface a simple tale of an increasingly bizarre day's outing, this Booker-prize winning, internationally acclaimed novel is a resonant and classic exploration of the complexity and courage of ordinary lives. Intensely local but overwhelmingly universal, faithful to the fleeting rhythms and accidental eloquence of everyday speech but also to the timeless truths of life and death, it succeeds in being comic and heartstopping, affectionate and wise, and in conferring on its stumbling, disappointed characters an enduring decency, dignity and depth. 'A surpassing testament to Swift's vibrant and powerful gifts' The Times 'A triumph . . . a story about the most fundamental things of all' Evening Standard

'Wonderfully imaginative' Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell. Meet James Keane of the 27th Foot: an ill-disciplined card sharp and ladies' man - and one of the finest soldiers of Wellington's army. Keane's task, assigned directly by Wellington, is the creation of an intelligence unit operating behind the French lines. He and his company are trusted with the secrets of the generals - and viewed with hostile suspicion by regular troops. In a bid to recruit men with uncommon skills, Keane springs soldiers from military jails and liberates them from their regiments. It's up to him to form this band of blackguards into an elite unit. Deep in enemy territory, they must negotiate with dangerous guerilla groups and forge new routes for their army if they are to succeed - and survive. Based on the true activities of the first British military intelligence unit, Keane's Company presents an unusual and fascinating picture of the Peninsular War: a nineteenth-century Dirty Dozen and a worthy companion to Sharpe.

In this memoir of his life, David Lodge looks back over his childhood and youth, including his undergraduate years at University College London. After National Service and two years' postgraduate research, married at last and soon a father, he struggles to make a start as both novelist and academic. Candid, witty and insightful, Quite a Good Time to be Born gives a fascinating picture of the evolution of a writer who has become a classic in his own lifetime.