DOWN TO THE SUNLESS SEA explores the time Coleridge spent in Gibraltar, Malta, Sicily and mainland Italy, where he had planned to recover his health, escape the clutches of opium and gain inspiration from the landscape; however, the reality would prove very different. After his short sojourn in Gibraltar, Coleridge arrived in Malta, where he became acquainted with the British Governor, Alexander Ball. He settled into Maltese life, initially taking on the role of acting Under-Secretary. Travelling to Sicily, Coleridge embraced the islands landscapes but was shaken to find the opium poppy was an important local crop. The Mediterranean would not prove the solution to his addiction. He visited the Consul, G. F. Leckie, and was invited to stay with him at a house on the site of Timoleon's Roman villa. The poet visited the antiquities of Syracuse and at the opera house encountered the soprano, Anna-Cecilia Bertozzi, nearly succumbing to her charms. Back in Malta, he was offered rooms in the Treasury building (now the Casino Maltese) and took up the post of Public Secretary. Legal pronouncements in Italian bear Coleridges signature. Leaving behind these matters of state, he drifted through the Italian peninsula, engaging with a coterie of artistic ex-pats when in Rome. His listless, half-hearted, and financially embarrassed attempts at the Grand Tour included a narrow escape from French troops. Coleridges Mediterranean sojourn impacted on his life and writing, not to mention his health, which saw a marked decline, leading to his final years in Highgate under the roof of a friendly doctor. Down to the Sunless Sea is a literary reflection on the fact that the sun-filled Mediterranean was not the tonic he had first imagined.

Qualifying as a doctor in 1815 at the tender age of nineteen, John Polidori was employed less than a year later by the poet, Lord Byron, as his travelling physician. The precocious medic was seemingly destined for a bright future that would enable him to combine his profession with a love of literature. In His Masters Reflection, the authors follow Polidoris footsteps as he accompanies Byron through Europe to Switzerland where they eventually meet the Shelleys and Claire Clairmont. Fulfilling his fathers prophecy, the fateful summer will prove to have a devastating impact on Polidoris life and legacy. Byrons keen wit and elevated status would leave the sensitive doctor feeling isolated and undervalued. Fuelled by acerbic comments from the poets friends, Byron finally releases Polidori from his contract, leaving the penniless medic to wander over the Alps on foot to Italy, his fathers homeland. Despite attempts at establishing himself as a doctor to the expatriate community, he has to admit defeat and return to England. Still harbouring literary ambitions, his one chance at fame is cruelly denied when The Vampyre, the story he had written in Geneva, is attributed to Byron. Gossip and retelling of events have cast Polidori in the role of a petulant plagiarist. Concussion from a riding accident deeply affected Polidoris temperament and behaviour, leaving questions surrounding his death, which history has recorded as suicide by prussic acid, despite the coroners verdict of visitation by God. The authors delve into his final years in an attempt to redress the balance. The handsome Polidori was more than just his masters reflection.

Rising up from the heart of the Mediterranean, Sicily has a rich and ancient history spanning over 2,000 years. A bounty prized by invaders from the Greeks, Romans and Vandals to the Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, Sicily's violently beautiful landscapes are haunted by a vibrant mix of cultures and her soil has always been fertile ground for the literary and artistic imagination. This compelling guide uncovers the island's multi-faceted personality through those literary figures who have managed to get under her skin - from Pindar, Cicero and Aeschylus to Shakespeare and Cervantes; DH Lawrence, Coleridge and Oscar Wilde to Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Ezra Pound and Lawrence Durrell; as well as local writers who have defined the modern Italian novel - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and Leonardo Sciascia. Through their words and lives we witness the beauty, pain and power of the Sicilian cultural landscape and discover how the potent mix of influences on the island's society has been preserved forever in literature.

`This wonderful book contains everything you need to know to teach maths to children in the nursery and infant school. It is incredibly thorough, very well thought out and with sufficient detail to satisfy every need from a student writing an essay and planning a lesson, to classroom teachers and those on a masters course. The style is clear, illustrations are thought-provoking and the whole structure of the book demonstrates an in-depth understanding of what early years classroom teachers really want to know.... This book deserves to be read by everyone in early years education because it is so utterly practical - yet also analytical with plenty of cross-references to both research and resources. Great stuff!' - Primary Maths & Science `This book is very thorough, practical and accessible..... I think this book deserves to be on primary bookshelves to be dipped into, because it does encourage good reflective practice and suggests ways of tackling problems effectively. I especially like the way it recognizes that at all times we are dealing with people: parents, children, teachers and other educational professionals' - Mathematics Teaching In this comprehensive study of mathematics curriculum management in nursery and infant schools, the author highlights and clarifies the different elements that have been identified in recent reports as `good practice' in managing the teaching and learning of mathematics in the early years of schooling, with illustrations from practice. The book examines the formulation of a mathematics policy, the role of the mathematics co-ordinator, resource management, partnerships with parents, planning processes, classroom and lesson management, assessment, managing differentiation, record-keeping and reporting. The author offers many practical suggestions for managing the active teaching and learning of mathematics in the classroom.

Its literary history began to develop with the Romans and reached an early flowering when Arabic poets drew on centuries of literary tradition, together with the landscapes and passions of Moorish Spain. Later, Prosper Merimee, Byron and Washington Irving forged legends of exotic southern Spain that persist to this day and Spanish writers themselves captured the rich tapestry of Andalucian culture, from Cervantes' Seville to the Cordoba of Baroque poet Luis de Gongora and Lorca's 'hidden Andalucia'. With the advent of the Civil War, a new generation flocked to Andalucia and were inspired to write some of the Twentieth Century's most iconic works of literature, from Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls to Gerald Brenan's The Spanish Labyrinth and Laurie Lee's trilogy of books. As vibrant and compelling as the region itself, Andalucia: A Literary Guide for Travellers illuminates the very soul of Spain.