A walking tour of New York from Battery Park to Harlem celebrates the architecture and history, landmarks, people, and pastimes of the Western world's most remarkable city.

The thirteenth century brought new urgency to Catholic efforts to convert non-Christians, and no Catholic ruler was more dedicated to this undertaking than King Louis IX of France. His military expeditions against Islam are well documented, but there was also a peaceful side to his encounter with the Muslim world, one that has received little attention until now. This splendid book shines new light on the king’s program to induce Muslims—the “apple of his eye”—to voluntarily convert to Christianity and resettle in France. It recovers a forgotten but important episode in the history of the Crusades while providing a rare window into the fraught experiences of the converts themselves. William Chester Jordan transforms our understanding of medieval Christian-Muslim relations by telling the stories of the Muslims who came to France to live as Christians. Under what circumstances did they willingly convert? How successfully did they assimilate into French society? What forms of resistance did they employ? In examining questions like these, Jordan weaves a richly detailed portrait of a dazzling yet violent age whose lessons still resonate today. Until now, scholars have dismissed historical accounts of the king’s peaceful conversion of Muslims as hagiographical and therefore untrustworthy. Jordan takes these narratives seriously—and uncovers archival evidence to back them up. He brings his findings marvelously to life in this succinct and compelling book, setting them in the context of the Seventh Crusade and the universalizing Catholic impulse to convert the world.

Pre-order The Nurse now! The gripping and totally addictive new thriller from Claire Allan. ‘Utterly addictive. Compulsive, twisty, tense.’ CLAIRE DOUGLAS, author of Local Girl Missing Just how far is a mother willing to go?

"Any reader who loves good fiction, mysteries, or even romance would enjoy The Apple of My Eye." –Readers' Favorite When Brea Cass, a young mother, is awakened in the night by the news that her loving husband, Paul, has been shot during a robbery, she is stunned. When she finally emerges from the fog of her life, it dawns on her that something is amiss in the way her husband died. As Brea searches for answers, she discovers things she never knew... and things she's not sure she wants to know. Delving into unsolved mysteries brings several questions to the forefront of Brea's thoughts, and she must decide if moving forward can erase the heartache and mistakes.

Ronnie Sidney is a perfect child. The illegitimate by-product of a wartime romance, he gives his mother unconditional love when all she has known is loss, rejection and contempt. In her eyes, he is faultless: a glorious ray of sunshine in the grey of her existence. But beneath the golden exterior, a very different nature wages an ever stronger fight for life. For Susan Ramsey, life is easy. Cherished by her parents, she knows nothing of hardship or misery. Until the sudden death of her father - and an introduction to a new and deeply disturbing world. When Susan and Ronnie meet, the attraction is instant. Each recognises the soulmate for whom they have longed. At last Ronnie feels able to remove his mask of perfection. But, like Pandora's Box, what is released can never again be restrained.