International number one bestselling author Jeffrey Archer is a master of the short story form, creating classic tales beloved by his fans and hitting the top of the bestseller lists. This illustrated edition is a collection of his best-loved stories.

In The Short, The Long and The Tall the master storyteller joins forces with renowned illustrator Paul Cox, to re-imagine twenty of Jeffrey Archer's most popular and feted short stories alongside beautifully rendered watercolour illustrations.

Find out what happens to the hapless young detective from Naples who travels to an Italian hillside town to solve a murder and ends up falling in love; and the pretentious schoolboy whose discovery of the origins of his father’s wealth changes his life forever. Revel in the stories of the woman who dares to challenge the men at her Ivy League university during the 1930s, and another young woman who thumbs a lift and has an encounter she will never forget. Discover the haunting story about four men whose characters are tested to the point of death. Finally, a short parable about how pointless war is, and how decent people are caught up in the crossfire of their leaders’ ambitions. This will be a must-buy for dedicated fans of both the author and illustrator’s work.

We’ve always lived on a dangerous planet, but its disasters aren’t what they used to be. How the World Breaks gives us a breathtaking new view of crisis and recovery on the unstable landscapes of the Earth’s hazard zones. Father and son authors Stan and Paul Cox take us to the explosive fire fronts of overheated Australia, the future lost city of Miami, the fights over whether and how to fortify New York City in the wake of Sandy, the Indonesian mud volcano triggered by natural gas drilling, and other communities that are reimagining their lives after quakes, superstorms, tornadoes, and landslides. In the very decade when we should be rushing to heal the atmosphere and address the enormous inequalities of risk, a strange idea has taken hold of global disaster policy: resilience. Its proponents say that threatened communities must simply learn the art of resilience, adapt to risk, and thereby survive. This doctrine obscures the human hand in creating disasters and requires the planet’s most beleaguered people to absorb the rush of floodwaters and the crush of landslides, freeing the world economy to go on undisturbed. The Coxes’ great contribution is to pull the disaster debate out of the realm of theory and into the muck and ash of the world’s broken places. There we learn that change is more than mere adaptation and life is more than mere survival. Ultimately, How the World Breaks reveals why—unless we address the social, ecological, and economic roots of disaster—millions more people every year will find themselves spiraling into misery. It is essential reading for our time.

After twenty years of chasing renegades in the hostile Arizona and New Mexico terrtories, Conway Fargo headed east. Hoping to start a new life, he took a job in Chicago with the Pinkerton Agency. But the manner in which Fargo dealt with criminals was far too violent for eastern society. To keep him out of trouble, the Pinkerton Agency reassigned Fargo to guide two young, aristocratic couples and their Cherokee chaperone to the Navajo reservation. Unknown to Fargo, or to the Cherokee woman, the couples had no interest in the Navajo. Instead, they were secretly bound for Hawikuh, an ancient Zuni pueblo. In possesion of a map, the couples were seeking the lost treasure of Cibola, one of the Seven Cities of Gold sought in 1540 by the conquistador, Coronado. Unkown to the couples, however, Fargo was not the harmless middle-aged guide they assumed could be decieved. He was a man-hunter. The Apaches called him Tats-a-das-ago or Quick Killer. The whites called him The Parson. The Mexicans said he was the hand of God, a man they called Separado.

Discover pigs that can't sing, an interesting species in the zoo, and the sorrows of onion rings. Learn how to score tennis and why not, and the meaning of mosquitoes. Experience thunderstorms under a tin roof and a walnut tree, and the romantic thrill of discovering Whitney, NE, and not going there. Remember digging holes, trying to learn to dance, and flying kites with kids. Spend a day with shrubbery, spies and guacamole. Gain insights into strategic deafness. Become Bda. PEOPLEWATCHING probably won't change your life much. Isn't that a pleasant prospect? But don't be surprised if these essays pop into your head just when you need them, like memories of pleasant times with an old friend.