All 13 episodes from the second series of the award-winning political drama starring Kevin Spacey. Based on the novel by Michael Dobbs and the subsequent BBC adaptation of the book, the series follows Francis Underwood (Spacey), a politician whose sense of ambition is matched and encouraged by his wife Claire (Robin Wright). Armed with an arsenal of political secrets to equal anyone in Washington, Francis is more than willing to scheme and blackmail his way to the top. In this series, Underwood is appointed Vice President of the USA. However, never one to rest on his laurels, he soon has his eye on the top job...

All 13 episodes from the first series of the award-winning political drama starring Kevin Spacey. Based on the novel by Michael Dobbs and the subsequent BBC adaptation of the book, the series follows Francis Underwood (Spacey), the House Majority Whip who, despite his position of authority, is gravely dissatisfied. Fuelled by a sense of ambition matched and encouraged by his wife Claire (Robin Wright), Francis ultimately wants to be president and is embittered by the fact that he has recently been denied a promotion. Armed with an arsenal of political secrets to equal anyone in Washington, Francis sets out to scheme and blackmail his way to the top.

All 13 episodes from the second series of the award-winning political drama starring Kevin Spacey. Based on the novel by Michael Dobbs and the subsequent BBC adaptation of the book, the series follows Francis Underwood (Spacey), a politician whose sense of ambition is matched and encouraged by his wife Claire (Robin Wright). Armed with an arsenal of political secrets to equal anyone in Washington, Francis is more than willing to scheme and blackmail his way to the top.

In this series, Underwood is appointed Vice President of the USA. However, never one to rest on his laurels, he soon has his eye on the top job...

The second book in the trilogy that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards After scheming his way to power in House of Cards, newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King, The role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King. Their differences of opinion quickly degenerate into open hostility. The battlefield ranges from architecture to the underprivileged; the battle is fought with rigged opinion polls, manipulated newspaper headlines, sexual scandal and economic brinkmanship as Urquhart sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends but even the King himself. Continuing the dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, To Play the King reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. "This blood and thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity....a great triumph." The Independent"

The #1 bestselling novel that inspired the hit Netflix series

A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power.

Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics--and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life.

House of Cards is a classic political thriller reinvented for a new generation.

"This blood and thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity....a great triumph." -- The Independent

From an acclaimed British author, a sharply focused, riveting account - told from inside the White House - of the crucial days, hours, and moments when the Watergate conspiracy consumed, and ultimately toppled, a president. In January 1973, Richard Nixon was inaugurated after winning re-election in a historic landslide. But by April his presidency had fallen apart as the Watergate scandal metastasised into what White House counsel John Dean called 'a full-blown cancer'. King Richard is the intimate, utterly absorbing narrative of the tension-packed hundred days when the Watergate burglars and their handlers in the administration turned on one another, revealing their direct connection to the White House. Drawing on thousands of hours of newly released taped recordings, Michael Dobbs takes us into the very heart of the conspiracy, recreating these dramatic events in unprecedentedly vivid detail. He captures the growing paranoia of the principal players, and their desperate attempts to deflect blame, as the noose tightened around them and the daily pressures became increasingly unbearable. At the centre of this spellbinding drama is Nixon himself, a man whose strengths - particularly his determination to win at all costs - were also his fatal flaws. Structured like a classical tragedy with a uniquely American twist, this is an epic and deeply human story of ambition, power, and betrayal.

The State Opening of Parliament. The most magnificent royal occasion of the year. The Queen, her Cabinet and all the most powerful people in the land are gathering in one room, the House of Lords. And none of them know they are about to endure the most terrifying day of their lives. Not all of them will survive. Sitting amongst the hostages are two young men, the sons of the British Prime Minister and the US President. It creates the cruellest challenge any leader could face. As the world watches on live television and holds its breath, President and Prime Minister are torn in two between their duty as statesmen, and their love as parents. Yet others have their agendas, too, not least of them Harry Jones, a man who is already undergoing the worst day of his life when he becomes swept up in the maelstrom. What can he do about this act of terrorism when the most powerful people are rendered helpless? He can ask one simple question - why?

In the Swiss Alps a teenage girl is thrown from a helicopter and her boyfriend is brutally abducted to Trieste, a city filled with undercurrents of past hatreds. Ruari, son of Irish media owner J J Breslin, is in desperate danger, at the mercy of ruthless kidnappers making impossible demands. His terrified mother contacts the only person she knows can help her son: Harry Jones, her former lover, who she walked out on many years ago. Now memories of their passionate affair, the guilt, hurt, anger and humiliation, come flooding back. Time is running out for Ruari and Harry, torn between his loyalties, is quickly drawn into a political game played for high stakes. Far higher than he realizes...

Colonel Peter Amadeus is an old soldier with a grievance. He wants an apology from the Prime Minister. But this Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything.For Amadeus it becomes a matter of honour – and retribution. Soon London is a city under siege, its lifelines cut. Then comes his ultimatum: the Prime Minister must resign – or London will be destroyed.Only one man stands between the capital and disaster – Tom Goodfellowe, a backbench MP who can’t even sort out his own life, let alone save the lives of others. He is a man torn between ambition, honour and love – with the fate of London slipping swiftly through his fingers.

Backbench MP Tom Goodfellowe is caught up in the search for the new Dalai Lama in this highly original and compelling thriller from the author of GOODFELLOWE MP and HOUSE OF CARDS - now reissued in new cover style. Tom Goodfellowe is the unlikeliest of political heroes. An MP whose career has already been consigned to the scrapheap of history, with a private life that staggers between confusion and chaos... And it's all about to get worse. A new Dalai Lama is born. The infant god-king of Tibet. And around the child explodes an international conspiracy that will carve a trail of death from the slopes of Mount Everest right to the heart of London's Chinatown. Goodfellowe becomes drawn into a murderous race against time and against sinister sources within his own government. On the outcome will hang the fate of one of the world's great religions - and Goodfellowe's turbulent personal life. Because someone, someone very close, is betraying him at every turn.

Winston Churchill embarks on a battle of wills with Adolf Hitler in the run-up to Dunkirk. The compelling new historical novel from the acclaimed author of Winston's War. Winston Churchill at his lowest ebb -- pitted in personal confrontation with Adolf Hitler, and with ghosts from his tormented past. Friday 10 May 1940. Hitler launches a devastating attack that within days will overrun France, Holland and Belgium, and bring Britain to its knees at Dunkirk. It is also the day Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister. He is the one man capable of standing in Hitler's way -- yet Churchill is still deeply mistrusted within his own Cabinet and haunted by the memory of his tortured father. Never Surrender is a novel about the courage and defiance that were displayed in abundance -- not just by Churchill, but by ordinary men and women over three of the most momentous weeks in British history.

''Winston's War' is a masterful blending of imagination and compelling fact that places the reader at the right hand of the most momentous events in our history.'

Saturday 1 October 1938. Two men meet. One is elderly, the other in his twenties. One will become the most revered man of his time, and the other known as the greatest of traitors.

Winston Churchill met Guy Burgess at a moment when the world was about to explode. Now in his astonishing new novel, Michael Dobbs throws brilliant fresh light upon Churchill's relationship with the Soviet spy and the twenty months of conspiracy, chance and outright treachery that were to propel Churchill from outcast to messiah and change the course of history.

'A thriller writer with a marvellous inside track knowledge of government.'
'Daily Express'

REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION Francis Urquhart's eventful career as Prime Minister comes to a spectacular end in the final volume in the Francis Urquhart trilogy - now with brand new material. He schemed his way to power in House of Cards and had a memorable battle of wills with the new king in 'To Play the King'. Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demand new blood, that is precisely what he will give them... Francis Urquhart goes out in a blaze of glory in this final volume in the irresistible story of the most memorable politician of the decade.

Michael Dobbs, author of the No. 1 bestseller that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards, returns to the subject that made him a household name - the human drama and scandal in Westminster. First Lady is a compelling and witty novel of power, seduction and revenge, perfect for fans of John Grisham and Philip Kerr. Virginia Edge: mid-thirties, attractive, self-sufficient, ambitious. This is the story of her transformation from dutiful political wife to masterful manipulator of the entire political process at Westminster. She is a woman who is driven by the failings of men and the greed of others to take over their system and undermine it, to repay them in kind. In this battle she has two great allies - the intuition and determination of a wronged wife, and the blind ineptitude of Westminster men. Praise for Michael Dobbs: 'Brilliant... Full of magnificently dark political characters' Daily Mail 'It's barbed and breakneck, often very funny and hugely entertaining' The Times 'Here is a political thriller writer with a marvellous inside track knowledge of government' Daily Express

Box set containing the Urquhart trilogy: three series based on the bestselling novels by Michael Dobbs, starring Ian Richardson as corrupt politician Francis Urquhart. In 'House of Cards', Urquhart is a long-serving MP who has his eye on the top job, and will stop at nothing to fulfil his ambition. As the trusted Chief Whip, he has insider knowledge that could bring down the already precarious Prime Minister, and in order to unleash his power he draws innocent young journalist Mattie Storin (Susannah Harker) into his schemes. 'To Play the King' continues to follow Urquhart's career. Having been made Prime Minister at the end of the last series after murdering an investigative reporter, he now crosses swords with the newly crowned monarch (Michael Kitchen) - a passionate man with firm liberal beliefs on the future of the country. In the final part of the trilogy, 'The Final Cut', Urquhart is well on his way to becoming Britain's longest-serving Prime Minister, and is starting to plan his retirement. He still has the Cyprus peace treaty to tie up, however, and the dark secrets from his past are beginning to come back to haunt him.

All 13 episodes from the third season of the award-winning political drama starring Kevin Spacey. Based on the novel by Michael Dobbs and the subsequent BBC adaptation of the book, the show follows Francis Underwood (Spacey), a politician whose sense of ambition is matched and encouraged by his wife Claire (Robin Wright). Armed with an arsenal of political secrets to equal anyone in Washington, Francis is more than willing to scheme and blackmail his way to the top. In this season, Francis's approval ratings plummet, a devastating hurricane hits the East Coast and Claire makes plans to run for Ambassador to the U.N.

Colonel Peter Amadeus is an old soldier with a grievance. He wants an apology from the Prime Minister. But this Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything.For Amadeus it becomes a matter of honour and retribution. Soon London is a city under siege, its lifelines cut. Then comes his ultimatum: the Prime Minister must resign – or London will be destroyed.Only one man stands between the capital and disaster Tom Goodfellowe, a backbench MP who can’t even sort out his own life, let alone save the lives of others. He is a man torn between ambition, honour and love – with the fate of London slipping swiftly through his fingers.

October 27, 1962, a day dubbed Black Saturday in the Kennedy White House. The Cuban missile crisis is at its height, and the world is drawing ever closer to nuclear apocalypse. As the opposing Cold War leaders, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, mobilize their forces to fight a nuclear war on land, sea and air, the world watches in terror. In Bobby Kennedy's words, 'There was a feeling that the noose was tightening on all of us, on Americans, on mankind, and that the bridges to escape were crumbling.' In One Minute to Midnight Michael Dobbs brings a fresh perspective to this crucial moment in twentieth-century history. Using a wealth of untapped archival material, he tells both the human and the political story of Black Saturday, taking the reader into the White House, the Kremlin and along the entire Cold War battlefront. Dobbs's thrilling narrative features a cast of characters - including Soviet veterans never before interviewed by a western writer - with unique stories to tell, witnesses to one of the greatest mobilizations of men and equipment since the Second World War.

All 13 episodes from the second series of the award-winning political drama starring Kevin Spacey. Based on the novel by Michael Dobbs and the subsequent BBC adaptation of the book, the series follows Francis Underwood (Spacey), a politician whose sense of ambition is matched and encouraged by his wife Claire (Robin Wright). Armed with an arsenal of political secrets to equal anyone in Washington, Francis is more than willing to scheme and blackmail his way to the top. In this series, Underwood is appointed Vice President of the USA. However, never one to rest on his laurels, he soon has his eye on the top job...

It doesn't seem so odd nowadays that people in their 20s through 60s quote Bugs Bunny or collect animation art or look forward to a new animated DVD chock full of extras. Growing up in the 1950s and '60s, cartoons were definitely kid's stuff. Oh sure, adults watched The Flintstones, which was shown during prime time. And Rocky and Bullwinkle had jokes I didn't get but my parents did. Generally, though cartoons were thought of as the programs children watched on Saturday morning or feature films that were deemed suitable entertainment. By the late 1980s the status of animation had begun to change. The fact is if you were 25 years old in 1965 and loved cartoons, many people would have thought you had some sort of arrested development. Today, there's nothing wrong with adults decorating their cubicle at work with Loony Tune action figures or a Betty Boop toy. This book is more than just a collection of updated articles, interviews and reviews I wrote for my two animation magazines, Animato and Animation Planet. It is also a look at how animation went from being perceived as a throwaway medium aimed at kids to a commercial art form for both adults and children. How did this change take place? How did an adult fan base for animation emerge? Several key factors made this shift take place. This book, chock full of interviews and photos, examines the change in the animation industry. Have fun, kids!

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"In 1942, Hitler's Nazi regime trained eight operatives for a mission to infiltrate America and do devastating damage to its infrastructure. It was a plot that proved historically remarkable for two reasons: the surprising extent of its success and the astounding nature of its failure. Soon after two U-Boats packed with explosives arrived on America's shores-one on Long Island, one in Florida-it became clear that the incompetence of the eight saboteurs was matched only by that of American authorities. In fact, had one of the saboteurs not tipped them off, the FBI might never have caught the plot's perpetrators-though a dozen witnesses saw a submarine moored on Long Island.
As told by Michael Dobbs, the story of the botched mission and a subsequent trial by military tribunal, resulting in the swift execution of six saboteurs, offers great insight into the tenor of the country--and the state of American intelligence--during World War II and becomes what is perhaps a cautionary tale for our times.

Box set containing the Urquhart trilogy: three series based on the bestselling novels by Michael Dobbs, starring Ian Richardson as corrupt politician Francis Urquhart. In 'House of Cards', Urquhart is a long-serving MP who has his eye on the top job, and will stop at nothing to fulfil his ambition. As the trusted Chief Whip, he has insider knowledge that could bring down the already precarious Prime Minister, and in order to unleash his power he draws innocent young journalist Mattie Storin (Susannah Harker) into his schemes. 'To Play the King' continues to follow Urquhart's career. Having been made Prime Minister at the end of the last series after murdering an investigative reporter, he now crosses swords with the newly crowned monarch (Michael Kitchen) - a passionate man with firm liberal beliefs on the future of the country. In the final part of the trilogy, 'The Final Cut', Urquhart is well on his way to becoming Britain's longest-serving Prime Minister, and is starting to plan his retirement. He still has the Cyprus peace treaty to tie up, however, and the dark secrets from his past are beginning to come back to haunt him.

"One of the great stories of our time . . . a wonderful anecdotal history of a great drama."
--San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

As Washington Post correspondent in Moscow, Warsaw, and Yugoslavia in the final decade of the Soviet empire, Michael Dobbs had a ringside seat to the extraordinary events that led to the unraveling of the Bolshevik Revolution.  From Tito's funeral to the birth of Solidarity in the Gda´nsk shipyard, from the tragedy of Tiananmen Square to Boris Yeltsin standing on a tank in the center of Moscow, Dobbs saw it all.

The fall of communism was one of the great human dramas of our century, as great a drama as the original Bolshevik revolution. Dobbs met almost all of the principal actors, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, Václav Havel, and Andrei Sakharov. With a sweeping command of the subject and the passion and verve of an eyewitness, he paints an unforgettable portrait of the decade in which the familiar and seemingly petrified Cold War world--the world of Checkpoint Charlie and Dr. Strangelove--vanished forever.


"Down with Big Brother ranks very high among the plethora of books about the fall of the Soviet Union and the death throes of Communism. It is possibly the most vividly written of the lot."
-- Adam B. Ulam, Washington Post Book World

The finale in the trilogy that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards

He schemed his way to power in House of Cards and had a memorable battle of wills with the new king in To Play the King. Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demands new blood, that is precisely what he will give them...

This is a different Francis Urquhart more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything, but one thing is certain: whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.

Finishing the dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, The Final Cut reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power.

"A triumphant return...the best book of the three. The action is unflagging, the characterization razor-sharp, the satirical barbs at politics and politicians unfailingly accurate. What a brilliant creation F.U. is." --Sunday Telegraph"