For nearly eighty years, a huge portion of coastal South Africa was closed off to the public. With many of its pits now deemed “overmined” and abandoned, American journalist Matthew Gavin Frank sets out across the infamous Diamond Coast to investigate an illicit trade that supplies a global market. Immediately, he became intrigued by the ingenious methods used in facilitating smuggling particularly, the illegal act of sneaking carrier pigeons onto mine property, affixing diamonds to their feet, and sending them into the air.

Entering Die Sperrgebiet (“The Forbidden Zone”) is like entering an eerie ghost town, but Frank is surprised by the number of people willing—even eager—to talk with him. Soon he meets Msizi, a young diamond digger, and his pigeon, Bartholomew, who helps him steal diamonds. It’s a deadly game: pigeons are shot on sight by mine security, and Msizi knows of smugglers who have disappeared because of their crimes. For this, Msizi blames “Mr. Lester,” an evil tall-tale figure of mythic proportions.

From the mining towns of Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth, through the “halfway” desert, to Kleinzee’s shores littered with shipwrecks, Frank investigates a long overlooked story. Weaving interviews with local diamond miners who raise pigeons in secret with harrowing anecdotes from former heads of security, environmental managers, and vigilante pigeon hunters, Frank reveals how these feathered bandits became outlaws in every mining town.

Interwoven throughout this obsessive quest are epic legends in which pigeons and diamonds intersect, such as that of Krishna’s famed diamond Koh-i-Noor, the Mountain of Light, and that of the Cherokee serpent Uktena. In these strange connections, where truth forever tangles with the lore of centuries past, Frank is able to contextualize the personal grief that sent him, with his wife Louisa in the passenger seat, on this enlightening journey across parched lands.

Blending elements of reportage, memoir, and incantation, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers is a rare and remarkable portrait of exploitation and greed in one of the most dangerous areas of coastal South Africa.

If you paid even a moment’s attention during high-school history lessons, you probably know that 1910 brought about the Union of South Africa, that the 1948 general election ushered in apartheid, and that the Rainbow Nation was born when Madiba triumphed in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. Spoilt Ballots dishes the dirt on these pivotal events in our history. But it also sheds light on a dozen lesser known contests, starting with the assassination of King Shaka in 1828 and ending with the anointing of President Cyril at Nasrec in 2017.

Spoilt Ballots is as much about the people who voted in some of our most decisive elections as it is about those who didn’t get to make their mark. It explains why a black man in the Cape had more political rights in 1854 than at any other point in the ensuing 140 years and how the enfranchisement of women in 1930 was actually a step back for democracy.

The book will leave you wondering if Oom Paul Kruger’s seriously dicey win in the 1893 ZAR election might have paved the way for the Boer War and whether ‘Slim Jannie’ Smuts really was that slim after all. It shows how the Nats managed to get millions of English-speakers to vote for apartheid and why the Groot Krokodil’s attempt to co-opt coloureds and Indians into the system backfired spectacularly.

Entertaining and impeccably researched, Spoilt Ballots lifts the lid on 200 years of electoral dysfunction in our beloved and benighted nation.

A secretary like no other... In an epic spanning 40 years.

All Hanna Fischer ever wanted to do was to study physics under the great Albert Einstein. But when, as a teenager in 1919, her life is suddenly turned upside-down, she is catapulted into a new and extraordinary life - as a secretary, a scientist, a sister and a spy.

From racist gangs in Berlin to gangsters in New York City, Nazis in the 1930s and Hitler's inner circle during the Second World War, Hanna will encounter some of history's greatest minds and most terrible moments, all while desperately trying to stay alive.

She is a most unique secretary and she will work for many bosses - from shrewd businessmen to vile Nazis, to the greatest boss of them all, Mr Albert Einstein...

Spanning forty years, this is the thrilling tale of a young woman propelled through history's most dangerous times.

Anna O – the world will know her name.

Anna o hasn’t opened her eyes for four years. Not since the night she was found in a deep sleep by the bodies of her best friends, suspected of a chilling double murder.

For Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist on London’s Harley Street, waking Anna O could be career-defining. As an expert in sleep, he knows all about the darkest chambers of the mind; the secrets that lie buried in the subconscious.

As he begins Anna O’s treatment – studying his patient’s dreams, combing her memories, visiting the site where the horrors played out – he pulls on the thread of a much deeper, darker mystery.

Awakening Anna O isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.

A 3-D masterpiece celebrating Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from New York Times best-selling pop-up engineer Matthew Reinhart.

Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Guide To Hogwarts is an exhilarating, interactive guide to the iconic school of witchcraft and wizardry. This book features spectacular pop-up re-creations of key locations inside and outside Hogwarts castle, and it opens flat to form a pop-up map of the castle and its grounds—including the Quidditch pitch, the Forbidden Forest, and beyond. In addition to large pops on each spread, numerous mini-pops will bring to life beloved elements from the Harry Potter films, such as the Marauder's Map and the Flying Ford Anglia.

Each pop will include insightful text about Hogwarts as seen in the films, making for a must-have collectible for fans of the wizarding world.

We have a lot to be positive about in South Africa. With all our problems, it’s easy to feel bleak. But hold those thoughts, because Legends might be just the tonic you need to drive off the gloom. This book tells the stories of a dozen remarkable people – some well known, others largely forgotten – who changed Mzansi for the better.

Most South Africans are proud of Nelson Mandela – and rightly so. His life was truly astounding, but he’s by no means the only person who should inspire us. There’s King Moshoeshoe, whose humanity and diplomatic strategies put him head and shoulders above his contemporaries, both European and African. And John Fairbairn, who brought non-racial democracy to the Cape in 1854. Olive Schreiner was a bestselling international author who fought racism, corruption and chauvinism. And Gandhi spent twenty years here inventing a system of protest that would bring an empire to its knees.

Legends also celebrates Eugène Marais’s startling contributions to literature and natural history (despite a lifelong morphine addiction); Sol Plaatje’s wit, intelligence and tenacity in the face of racial zealots; Cissie Gool’s lifetime fighting for justice and exposing bigots; and Sailor Malan’s battles against fascists in the skies of Europe and on the streets of South Africa. And then there’s Miriam Makeba, who began her life in prison and ended it as an international singing sensation; Steve Biko, who shifted the minds of an entire generation; and Thuli Madonsela (the book’s only living legend), who gracefully felled the most powerful man in the land.

Engagingly written and meticulously researched, Legends reminds South Africans that we have a helluva lot to be proud of.

The extraordinarily open and honest autobiography of acclaimed Friends star Matthew Perry.

There are few shows in our lifetime that have garnered over a billion views, that have reached a global audience of 220 countries, that elicits an emotional reaction from a theme song, or that defined a period of time more for its viewers. That is simply because there is no show that is more iconic or beloved than Friends. It didn't matter that their apartment was unrealistic by New York City's standards or that they always had enough free time to hang out in a coffee shop, they were our friends, they were us. And over the last twenty-seven years, it has yet to lose its title of the greatest sitcom of all time. Yet, the nostalgia and the truth about their relationships is a story that only Matthew Perry could tell, especially as his addiction soared faster than his career.

Heartbreaking and funny, Matthew's honesty is explosive and unrivaled. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that shares the most intimate details of the love he lost, his darkest days, and his greatest friends.

Five feature-length action adventures based on the Marvel comic.

In 'X-Men' (2000), mutants Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) are former friends, but look set to become mortal enemies when fascist US senator Robert Frank Kelly calls for the registration of all humans with abnormal powers. While telepath Xavier, who runs an altruistic academy for superhuman 'X-Men', wishes to enlighten non-mutants and break down the prejudices which divide them, Magneto believes that the only solution is for the mutants to take over. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) - an aggressive loner with an admantium skeleton and the ability to heal his body of any wound - and teenager Rogue (Anna Paquin), who can absorb the life force of others simply by touching them, are selected by Xavier to join his academy, but it isn't long before Magneto's followers are attempting to capture them so that they can assist in his plan for world domination.

In the sequel, 'X-Men 2' (2003), Xavier, Wolverine and the X-Men find themselves in the firing line after a failed assassination attempt on the president points the finger at the school. It was in fact the mysterious teleporter Nightwalker (Alan Cumming) who ordered it, and, in an attempt to clear their names, the X-Men are led into a trap set by the evil William Stryker (Brian Cox), a mysterious scientist apparently working for the government. As it soon becomes evident that Stryker's agenda is to destroy all mutants, the X-Men need to call in the help of many of their old friends and foes, including Magneto, if they are to stop him.

In the third film, 'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006), the mutants are given the option of giving up their powers and becoming human after a private laboratory supported by the government finds a way to use the DNA of a powerful boy to correct the mutants. However, Magneto opposes and decides to join a force to fight against the government and kill the mutant boy. Meanwhile, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) resurrects, uncontrolled by Xavier, and with the personality of the powerful Dark Phoenix. She destroys Cyclops (James Marsden) and Xavier and allies herself to the evil forces of Magneto, making them almost invincible.

The fourth film in the franchise, 'X-Men: Origins - Wolverine' (2009) is a prequel to the other three films. Hugh Jackman reprises his role as Wolverine, who, some 20 years before the action of the original movie, is seeking revenge on his half-brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) for the death of his girlfriend, and eventually signs up to the ominous Weapon X programme.

Finally, 'X-Men: First Class' (2011) charts the beginning of the saga, following Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) through their formative years in the 1960s as they come to terms with their newfound superpowers. Initially close friends who work together to fight against evil, the two men are driven apart by a conflict of opinion that ultimately leads to the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.

Amid evictions, raids, killings, the drug trade, and fire, inner-city Johannesburg residents seek safety and a home. A grandmother struggles to keep her granddaughter as she is torn away from her. A mother seeks healing in the wake of her son’s murder. And displaced by a city’s drive for urban regeneration, a group of blind migrants try to carve out an existence.

The Blinded City recounts the history of inner-city Johannesburg from 2010 to 2019, primarily from the perspectives of the unlawful occupiers of spaces known as hijacked buildings, bad buildings or dark buildings. Tens of thousands of residents, both South African and foreign national, live in these buildings in dire conditions. This book tells the story of these sites, and the court cases around them, ones that strike at the centre of who has the right to occupy the city.

In February 2010, while Johannesburg prepared for the FIFA World Cup, the South Gauteng High Court ordered the eviction of the unlawful occupiers of an abandoned carpet factory on Saratoga Avenue and that the city’s Metropolitan Municipality provide temporary emergency accommodation for the evicted. The case, which became known as Blue Moonlight and went to the Constitutional Court, catalysed a decade of struggles over housing and eviction in Johannesburg.

The Blinded City chronicles this case, among others, and the aftermath – a tumultuous period in the city characterised by recurrent dispossessions, police and immigration operations, outbursts of xenophobic violence, and political and legal change. All through the decade, there is the backdrop of successive mayors and their attempts to ‘clean up’ the city, and the struggles of residents and urban housing activists for homes and a better life.

The interwoven narratives present a compelling mosaic of life in post-apartheid Johannesburg, one of the globe’s most infamous and vital cities.

The penultimate instalment of the sensational, thrilling Jack West Jr. series.

Against all the odds, Jack West Jr found the Three Secret Cities but at a heartbreaking cost. His beloved daughter Lily, it appeared, was slaughtered by Jack's mortal enemy Sphinx in a cruel ancient ritual. With his rivals far ahead of him, Jack must now get to one of the five iron mountains - two of which have never been found - and perform a mysterious feat known only as 'The Fall'. Although what is this object on the moon that is connected to it?

Amid all this, Jack will discover that a new player has entered the race, a general so feared by the four legendary kingdoms they had him locked away in their deepest dungeon. Only now this general has escaped and he has a horrifying plan of his own...

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans star in this superhero action adventure film based on characters from Stan Lee's classic Marvel comic strip. Gawky teenager Peter Parker (Garfield) lives with his aunt and uncle in New York City. Aware that there is some mystery surrounding his history and his parentage, Peter does his best to make sense of the few murky clues he has about his past - until one day he discovers the shocking secret that will change his life forever.

Andrew Garfield reprises his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in this superhero sequel based on the Marvel Comics characters. By day Peter Parker enjoys an ordinary life, spending time with his girlfriend Gwen (Emma Stone), but by night he flies high amidst New York skyscrapers as he battles evil. The emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), a figure with startling power and malevolent intentions, poses Spider-Man his greatest challenge to date, while he also has The Rhino (Paul Giamatti) to keep under control. The unexpected return of his old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) is more welcome. Together, the pair come to realise that shadowy corporation Oscorp seems to be responsible for much of the evil they encounter. Can they find a way to put an end to Oscorp's nefarious activities?

Based on the true story of one of Miami's most notorious businessmen and gangsters, strap yourselves in for a wild ride of corruption, high speed boats, sex, drugs and double-crossing!

John Travolta stars as a speedboat racing champion and multimillionaire whose secret life as a drug trafficker lands him in a deadly crossfire between the DEA and the Mob.

A secretary like no other... In an epic spanning 40 years.

All Hanna Fischer ever wanted to do was to study physics under the great Albert Einstein. But when, as a teenager in 1919, her life is suddenly turned upside-down, she is catapulted into a new and extraordinary life - as a secretary, a scientist, a sister and a spy.

From racist gangs in Berlin to gangsters in New York City, Nazis in the 1930s and Hitler's inner circle during the Second World War, Hanna will encounter some of history's greatest minds and most terrible moments, all while desperately trying to stay alive.

She is a most unique secretary and she will work for many bosses - from shrewd businessmen to vile Nazis, to the greatest boss of them all, Mr Albert Einstein...

Spanning forty years, this is the thrilling tale of a young woman propelled through history's most dangerous times.

A dramatic and intensely moving reconstruction of the greatest border breach in Cold War history and its tumultuous aftermath. In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists did the unthinkable: they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain - and held a picnic. Word had spread of what was going to happen. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German 'holiday-makers' had made their way to the border between Hungary and Austria and packed the nearby camping sites, awaiting an opportunity, fearing prison, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The highest state authorities were choosing to turn a blind eye - but that could change at any moment. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history: that day hundreds would cross from the Communist East to the longed-for freedom of the West. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union - the so-called end of history - all would flow from those dramatic hours. Drawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved - activists and border guards, escapees and secret police, as well as the last Communist prime minister of Hungary - Matthew Longo reconstructs not only this remarkable event but also its complex and bittersweet aftermath. Freedom had been won but parents had been abandoned and families divided. Love affairs faltered and new lives had to be built from scratch. The Picnic is the story of a moment when the tide of history turned. It shows how freedom can be both dream and disillusionment, and how all we take for granted can vanish in an instant.

The leading dating and confidence coach and author of New York Times bestseller Get the Guy shares his wisdom and audience-tested advice on finding love through deep confidence, clear boundaries, and a love for life that leaves you fulfilled both within a relationship and before you've found one. In his first book, Matthew Hussey offered insight into how to "get the guy. "A decade later, he returns to explore the most important relationship of all--the essential foundation for successful romantic partnerships--the relationship we have with ourselves. More than a book about navigating our love lives, Love Life is about the deeper issues our love lives reveal. Love isn't the answer to our problems, Hussey explains. It's a doorway to them; not a way out, but a way in. Like most of us, Hussey has gone through major changes over the past decade, and he shares some of those experiences, vulnerabilities, and mistakes. What happens when we date, fall in love, or when we are faced with loneliness? What decisions do we make that cause us more pain and send us further adrift from what we want? Who hasn't shied away from taking risks because they feared rejection? Who hasn't put up with the wrong behavior because they're afraid of losing someone or of expressing what they really need? Who hasn't lived with the fear and anxiety of not being good enough for their partner? Or knowing their partner isn't good for them, but stay in a bad relationship that is ultimately self-harming? In Love Life Hussey addresses these questions and more. Our love lives hold the uncanny power to elevate or eradicate all the adjacent joy in our lives. The deeper purpose of Love Life is to ensure your love for your life will never be dependent on your relationship status. It's about finding your love for life even while still on the journey to finding your person.

Discover a whole new dimension of Minecraft with Minecraft: The Official Pop-Up, an interactive book that takes you on an eye-catching journey as you craft, gather and explore! Dive into the open world of Minecraft in this intricate, interactive pop-up book! Featuring five lively ‘pops,’ each new page brings delight as you take on creepers, zombies, and Endermen. Never-before-seen, original illustrations give new depth to your favourite biomes, caves and dungeons. From surviving the first night to building a unique base, Minecraft: The Official Pop-Up is the ultimate celebration of every player’s unique experience. This deluxe pop-up book is the ideal collector’s item for Minecraft fans of all ages as they experience their favourite mobs in new ways. FIVE INTERACTIVE POPS: With each turn of the page, you explore new biomes and confront familiar foes in vibrant, detailed “pops� full of surprises to discover FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY: With stunningly detailed pop-up scenes and hidden surprises to discover, this pop-up book is sure to delight Minecraft fans of any age or skill level BEAUTIFUL NEW ILLUSTRATIONS: Featuring gorgeous original artwork, this pop-up book captures the extensive world of Minecraft in a fresh, new way PLAY AND DISPLAY: Minecraft: The Official Pop-Up is ideal for displaying on a bookshelf or using as a companion while playing the game itself FAN-FAVORITE MOBS AND CHARACTERS: Explore the engrossing world of Minecraft as

THE WORLD WILL KNOW HER NAME *The instant global phenomenon* *Publishing in over 30 territories* *The thriller that will wake up the nation* _______________________________________________________________ Anna Ogilvy hasn’t opened her eyes for four years Not since that night at The Farm when she was found asleep with a kitchen knife in her hand, her clothes bloodstained, the bodies of her two best friends lying close. She’d committed the crime of the century – but nothing and no-one could wake her from the nightmare. Believers in her innocence call her Anna O. Believers in her guilt call her Sleeping Beauty. But no-one can take their eyes off the story . . . AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE 2024 Pre-order now

A hilarious and heart-warming new adventure from Sara Pennypacker, the best-selling author of Pax, with illustrations by Caldecott Medal-winner Matthew Cordell Leeva Thornblossom loves to learn: her local newspaper teaches her a new word every day, and soap operas show her the many shades of human expression. And when she comes across the announcement that all children are required to go to school, Leeva sees an opportunity to do something that newspapers and television alone can't provide: the chance to meet people. But Leeva's parents, the insufferable mayor and selfish tax collector of their small town, don't want to send her to school, and they certainly don't want her to meet other people. And so, with the help of the town's librarian and her son, Leeva sets out to finds answers: what have her parents been hiding from her? With hilarious writing and an unforgettable hero, Leeva at Last is perfect for fans of Matilda, Flora and Ulysses, and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

"A gripping ground-level narrative...a marvel of reporting: tightly wound... but also panoramic."--Washington Post "A lean, fast-paced and important account of the chaotic final weeks."--New York Times InThe Steal, veteran journalists Mark Bowden and Matthew Teague offer a week-by-week, state-by-state account of the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In the sixty-four days between November 3 and January 6, President Donald Trump and his allies fought to reverse the outcome of the vote. Focusing on six states--Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin--Trump's supporters claimed widespread voter fraud. Caught up in this effort were scores of activists, lawyers, judges, and state and local officials. Working with a team of researchers and reporters, Bowden and Teague uncover never-before-told accounts from the election officials fighting to do their jobs amid outlandish claims and threats to themselves, their colleagues, and their families. The Steal is an engaging, in-depth report on what happened during those crucial nine weeks and a portrait of the dedicated individuals who did their duty and stood firm against the unprecedented, sustained attack on our election system and ensured that every legal vote was counted and that the will of the people prevailed.