"Don't shoot the messenger" is a phrase taken very lightly throughout the World of Tor as the Bureau of Bad News continues to fuel its power by delivering terrible fates from its golden throne in the City of Trig. Anyone who receives such a letter, and is read out loud, will face a terrible demise, and so will the deliverer. These "Messengers" are considered bile as they travel to deliver such misfortunes, so why would James Roger Clemit volunteer for such a job? Be ready to be engaged in a swash-buckling adventure as James finds himself embarking on a journey of self-discovery, including swashbuckling combat, a Hunter with a death wish, trees that fight bears (and win), talking swords, and moose with Pegasus wings. While James cannot fully contemplate why he had been placed in such a world-altering position, a mysterious god notes that everything is going according to plan.

A new title in ACC Art Books' celebrated Design series, presenting and reviving the work of illustrator Wyndham Payne (1884-1974). Wyndham Payne's career as an illustrator began in the early 1920s, gathering momentum with a series of book illustrations for renowned Charing Cross publisher Cyril Beaumont. Working in the tradition of Claud Lovat Fraser - and others - Payne nurtured a reputation for freedom of line, illustrating books, calendars, greetings cards and advertisements, often with toys - soldiers, model theatres, trains - as a subject. Aside from creating illustrations for the Beaumont Press, Payne was also commissioned by Oxford University Press and Hodder & Stoughton, among others. For The Bodley Head, he designed covers for Agatha Christie titles, whilst his celebrated jacket for The Wind in the Willows was produced for Methuen. Wyndham Payne presents a detailed survey of the artist's work: lino cuts, woodcuts, drawings in pen, watercolours, silhouette painting on glass, and later, when his health became too poor for commercial work, models - including automata - for his children and grandchildren. The book also includes a fulsome biography of the artist, covering his life and work.

"Don't shoot the messenger" is a phrase taken very lightly throughout the World of Tor as the Bureau of Bad News continues to fuel its power by delivering terrible fates from its golden throne in the City of Trig. Anyone who receives such a letter, and is read out loud, will face a terrible demise, and so will the deliverer. These "Messengers" are considered bile as they travel to deliver such misfortunes, so why would James Roger Clemit volunteer for such a job? Be ready to be engaged in a swash-buckling adventure as James finds himself embarking on a journey of self-discovery, including swashbuckling combat, a Hunter with a death wish, trees that fight bears (and win), talking swords, and moose with Pegasus wings. While James cannot fully contemplate why he had been placed in such a world-altering position, a mysterious god notes that everything is going according to plan.