John Telfer

John Pearce discovers that Madrid plans to desert the British-led coalition and join the enemy. In company with Lord Langholm, he has taken a Spanish treasure ship but is forced into a deep bay overlooked by Spaniards who have a cannon aimed at the...

A short story from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection The Outcast and Other Dark Tales by E.F. Benson. ‘A Winter Morning’ is a dark story of longing and regret. It sees a widower, mourning both his wife and son, recall his son’s final...

The discovery of Sir Robert Boniface's body on the floor of his limousine was made quite accidentally on a sultry Friday evening towards the end of June. The industrial and financial tycoon, and former stalwart of the British Cabinet, was shot in the...

A short story from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection The Outcast and Other Dark Tales by E.F. Benson. Thomas Oulton has worked for a London banking house for 30 years and is widely respected by his colleagues, so when he seemingly...

A dark shadow looms over the Rhineland where Inspector Henri Bencolin and his accomplice Jeff Marle have arrived from Paris. Entreated by the Belgian financier D'Aunay to investigate the gruesome and grimly theatrical death of actor Myron Alison, the...

Our students’ success will be defined by their ability to read fluently and skilfully. But despite universal acceptance of reading’s vital importance, the reading gap in our classroom remains, and it is linked to an array of factors, such as parental...

As teachers grapple with the challenge of a new, bigger and more challenging school curriculum, at every key stage and phase, success can feel beyond our reach. But what if there were 50,000 small solutions to help us bridge that gap? In Closing the...

A portrait of one of the ancient world’s first political celebrities, who veered from failure to success and back againThe life of Demetrius (337–283 BCE) serves as a through-line to the forty years following the death of Alexander (323–282 BCE), a...

John Pearce faces a court martial, but will a cowardly chief witness stand up to questioning? With the matter unresolved, HMS Hazard is put under the command of Horatio Nelson. In London, the government denies prize money for the cargo of silver...

The titular short story from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection From the Depths. A Swedish freighter is on a special mission to locate and survey a number of wrecks after the First World War. The first on their list was torpedoed...

1796. John Pearce is stuck with a difficult mission, a crew of Quota Men forced to enlist in the Royal Navy, four new midshipmen as well as Samuel Oliphant, companion-cum-spy, whom he finds a constant irritant. In his favour he commands HMS Hazard, a...

In the smoke-wreathed gloom of a Parisian salon, Detective Bencolin has summoned his allies to discuss a peculiar case. A would-be murderer, imprisoned for his attempt to kill his wife, has escaped and is known to have visited a plastic surgeon. His...

In one of the first novels in the English language, we follow the picaresque adventures of Joseph Andrews, a virtuous young man who is keen to maintain his innocence, despite being coerced into bed by nearly every woman he encounters. The episodic...

What makes human language unique? Do women speak differently from men? Just what is the meaning of "meaning"? Language: The Basics< provides a concise introduction to the study of language. Written in an engaging and entertaining style, it encourages...

October 1604. Plague has hit London, and the theatres are closed. But the capital's loss is Plymouth's gain, when a London theatre troupe, the Company, arrive on their 'Plague Tour'. Country physician Gabriel Taverner is bewitched and unnerved by the...

On a sultry afternoon in July, a man stumbles through thick foliage, making for the coast. He wears prisoner's garb and guards are hot on his heels. Happening upon a bather's clothes, the escapee leaves the scene looking the part of the average...

A bookish puzzle threatens an eagerly awaited inheritance; a submission to a publisher recounts a murder that seems increasingly to be a work of non-fiction; an irate novelist puts a grisly end to the source of his writer’s block. There is no better...

A short story from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection From the Depths. When a petrol yacht catches fire in the South Atlantic, its lone survivor Patterson swims to safety. He is relieved when he washes up on a tropical island inhabited...

A short story from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection Glimpses of the Unknown. Two friends embark on a walking tour of northern France, but they encounter a strange fellow traveller who they struggle to shake off on their journey…...

A short story from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection Glimpses of the Unknown. ‘Phantom Death’ is an imaginative story about a painting that has perplexed crowds across Europe. The painting must be viewed in solitude and is presented in...

How do I reduce crime in my police command? How do I tackle chronic crime problems? How do I address the long-term issues that have plagued my community? How do I analyze crime and criminal behaviour? How do I show evidence of success in crime...

From the local to the global level, religion is more than ever an important and hotly debated part of modern life in the twenty-first century. From silver rings to ringtones and from clubs to headscarves, we often find the cultural role and discussion...

This essential guide helps teachers refine their approach to fundamental challenges in the classroom. Based on research from cognitive science and formative assessment, it ensures teachers can offer all students the support and challenge they need and...

'An immense feat of endurance, a remarkable achievement, and a truly inspirational adventure filled with courage and hope' – Sir Ranulph FiennesAt the age of sixty, and having lived with Parkinson’s disease for over ten years, Guy Deacon CBE set out...