He is recognized as a great inventor and one of the founders of modern electrical engineering, but it is unlikely that only these merits could generate a huge interest in both his work and his personality. He earned millions, but died in poverty, patented more than 800 inventions, but he was considered the 'greatest charlatan' and 'genius madman', was at the origins of the invention of radio...

There is, indeed, something bewitching about the first snow. It brings lovers together, muffles sounds, lengthens shadows, and conceals tracks. While searching for the missing Birta Becker, Harry Hole comes to a chilling realization: for years, married women in Norway have vanished without a trace on the very day the first snow falls. For the first time, Harry finds himself pitted against a...

Guzel Yakhina is the brightest debutante in the history of modern Russian literature, laureate of the Big Book and Yasnaya Polyana prizes, author of the bestselling books Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes and My Children. Her new book Echelon to Samarkand is a travel novel and a kind of 'red eastern'. 1923 year. Echelon chief Deev and commissar Belaya evacuate five hundred street children from Kazan to...

The Russian folk tale about the Snow Maiden is read with enthusiasm at any age. It is full of magic and slight sadness, because it not only tells the wonderful story of a tender and fragile snow girl, but also reveals the secrets of the world around it: the change of seasons, the struggle between cold and heat, the water cycle in nature. In the surprisingly harmonious and graceful drawings of...

Since its release in 1969, The Godfather has made an indelible mark on American crime fiction. From the mind of master storyteller Mario Puzo, it traces the Corleone family, whose brilliant and brutal portrayal illuminated the violent and seductive allure of power in American society. A tale of family and loyalty, law and order, obedience and rebellion, it has stood the test of time as the...

On a future Earth poisoned by global wars—amidst radioactive dust and neon signs beckoning people toward a sweet life in colonies on other planets—bounty hunter Rick Deckard must track down and ‘retire’ six fugitive androids: beings almost indistinguishable from humans. But as his investigation unfolds, Deckard begins to be plagued by doubts and questions—questions to which he has yet to find...

The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.