In October 1918, World War I had been raging in Europe for more than four years. When Major Charles Whittlesey led the US 77th Division into France’s Argonne Forest, his troops were soon surrounded and cut off from escape by German forces. Things became even more dangerous when the division came under friendly fire from US forces. The troops’ only hope was to send a carrier pigeon named Cher Ami with an urgent message to stop the attack. Read all about the brave little pigeon that carried out a dangerous mission to deliver a desperate message across a deadly battlefield. This real-life animal adventure story combined with a stunning, full-colour graphic novel format is certain to appeal to all children who love animals, adventure stories, history and/or graphic novels, even struggling and reluctant readers. The book concludes with further information about the heroic animal including real-life historic images, perfect for those readers eager to learn more.

In 1952, the United States was heavily involved in the Korean War. When members of the US Marine Corps brought a horse to join in the war effort, little did they know that a hero would soon emerge. Trained to be a military pack horse, Sergeant Reckless quickly became a key part of her unit and served to support the troops in several combat missions during the war. Discover the heroic story of Sergeant Reckless as she bravely made many solo trips during battles to deliver supplies to troops on the front lines. This real-life animal adventure story combined with a stunning, full-colour graphic novel format is certain to appeal to all children who love animals, adventure stories, history and/or graphic novels, even struggling and reluctant readers. The book concludes with further information about the heroic animal including real-life historic images, perfect for those readers eager to learn more.

In 1811, while exploring the cliffs near Lyme Regis, England, 12-year-old Mary Anning made the find of a lifetime. There in the rocks was the skeleton of a strange creature. Mary's find was later named Ichthyosaurus, a reptile that lived more than 250 million years ago. Anning went on to have a long career finding and identifying dinosaur fossils. However, her work often went unrecognized by male scientists of the time, and she received little credit until long after her death. Learn about Mary Anning's perseverance and her important discoveries in palaeontology.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer's stories of her youth--from her escape from the Nazi's at age 10 to her training as a sniper, to her immigration to the US. Told in Graphic Novel format.

This book tells the story of the various Allied operations and schemes instigated to keep Spain and Portugal out of WWII, which included the widespread bribery of high ranking Spanish officials and the duplicity of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr. Ian Fleming and Alan Hillgarth were the architects of Operation Golden Eye, the sabotage and disruption scheme that would be put in place had Germany invaded Spain. Fleming visited the Iberian Peninsula and Tangiers several times during the war, arguably his greatest achievement in WWII and the closest he came to being a real secret agent. It was these visits which supplied much of the background material for his fiction - Fleming even called his home on Jamaica where he created 007 'Goldeneye'. The book begins with Hitler's dilemma about which way to move, and his meeting with Francisco Franco at Hendaye in October 1940, a major turning point in the war when an alliance between Germany and Spain seemed possible. Simmons explores the British reaction to this, with Operation Tracer being created by Admiral Godfrey, head of Naval Intelligence. This was a plan to leave a listening and observation post buried in the Rock of Gibraltar should it have fallen to the Germans. A chapter is also devoted to Portugal - the SIS and SOE operations there and the vital Wolfram wars. Operation Golden Eye was eventually put on standby in 1943 as the risk of the Nazis occupying Spain was much reduced. Simmons consulted Foreign Office, SOE, CIA and OKW files when writing this book.

In 1953, Ian Fleming's literary sensation James Bond emerged onto the world's stage. Nearly seven decades later, he has become a multi-billion-pound film franchise, now equipped with all the gizmos of the modern world. Yet Fleming's creation, who battled his way through the fourteen novels from 1953 to 1966, was a maverick - a man out of place. Bond even admits it, wishing he was back in the real war ... the Second World War. Indeed, the thread of the Second World War runs through the whole of the Bond series, and many were inspired by the real events and people Fleming came across during his time in Naval Intelligence. In Ian Fleming's War, Mark Simmons explores these remarkable similarities, from Fleming's scheme to capture a German naval codebook that appears in Thunderball as Plan Omega, to the exploits of 30 Assault Unit, the commando team he helped to create, which inspired Moonraker.

"A great read."--Asian Reporter Japan's Gundam franchise boasts a worldwide cult of devotees. This second edition of creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's novelization is redesigned for a new generation of fans. Yoshiyuki Tomino is one of Japan's best known science-fiction directors. Frederik L. Schodt writes extensively on Japanese culture and lives in San Francisco, California.

Elyesa Bazna was the highest-paid spy in history. Working for the British ambassador in Ankara in 1943, Bazna photographed top-secret documents and sold them to the Nazis. So started his career as a ‘walk-in’, a freelance spy whose loyalties lay with the highest bidder. His codename was Cicero. But a beautiful woman was to end it all. Cicero was compromised by an American-controlled agent working at the German Embassy, who obtained his code name and discovered that he was working at the British Embassy. He fled and narrowly avoided being captured by the tipped-off British. Finally free, he realised his money was worthless – most of it was counterfeit, produced by the Nazi scheme Operation Bernhard. Mark Simmons weaves together personal accounts by the leading characters and information from top-secret files from MI5, MI6 and the CIA to tell the astonishing story of Agent Cicero.

'I was delighted when Mark Simmons asked me to write the foreword for this book - mostly because the request implied the book had actually been written and was ready to go. It's a subject I have long wanted to see covered, and finally it has been. Excellent!' Lee Child It is no coincidence that many of Alistair MacLean's most successful novels were sea stories. In 1941, he was called up after volunteering for the Royal Navy and served as Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, and Leading Torpedo Operator. For the majority of his service, he was on HMS Royalist, a modified Dido-class light cruiser, seeing action in the Arctic, and operations against the German battleship Tirpitz . The ship then deployed to the Mediterranean taking part in Operation Dragoon the invasion of the South of France and later in operations against German occupied Greek Islands in the Aegean. After which MacLean and Royalist were deployed to the Indian Ocean and operations against the Japanese in Malaya, Burma, and Sumatra. His wartime experiences coupled with exceptional literary skill resulted in the runaway success of his first novel HMS Ulysses (1955) followed by The Guns of Navarone (1957) and South by Java Head (1958). These three blockbusters cemented his position as one of the most successful and highly paid authors of the era. While not a whole life biography, Mark Simmon's book provides a fascinating insight into Maclean's war service and subsequent works, which deserve enduring popularity.

This book tells the story of the various Allied operations and schemes instigated to keep Spain and Portugal out of WWII, which included the widespread bribery of high ranking Spanish officials and the duplicity of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr. Ian Fleming and Alan Hillgarth were the architects of Operation Golden Eye, the sabotage and disruption scheme that would be put in place had Germany invaded Spain. Fleming visited the Iberian Peninsula and Tangiers several times during the war, arguably his greatest achievement in WWII and the closest he came to being a real secret agent. It was these visits which supplied much of the background material for his fiction - Fleming even called his home on Jamaica where he created 007 'Goldeneye'. The book begins with Hitler's dilemma about which way to move, and his meeting with Francisco Franco at Hendaye in October 1940, a major turning point in the war when an alliance between Germany and Spain seemed possible. Simmons explores the British reaction to this, with Operation Tracer being created by Admiral Godfrey, head of Naval Intelligence. This was a plan to leave a listening and observation post buried in the Rock of Gibraltar should it have fallen to the Germans. A chapter is also devoted to Portugal - the SIS and SOE operations there and the vital Wolfram wars. Operation Golden Eye was eventually put on standby in 1943 as the risk of the Nazis occupying Spain was much reduced. Simmons consulted Foreign Office, SOE, CIA and OKW files when writing this book.

MI5 agent Rob Nicolson is sent to Spain, he is an IRA target after his last mission. Just sit in the sun, get some R & R until it blows over. There is a small job he can do to pass the time. Look up Commander Styles, an ex-pat, an old Firm agent, raising a stink. It is another 'easy job' that goes wrong as Rob arrives on the Costa del Sol to find Styles dead. Murdered; why and by whom? Rob soon feels he is being manipulated. The only person he can rely on, a young woman of Welsh/Spanish descent, a Flamenco dancer. His dilemma, should he bring her into his dangerous world?