'A richly told tale of tangled loyalties. French ratchets up the tension in increments . . . By the end, these characters have taken on such solidity that, long after finishing it, I often catch myself wondering how they're doing - a testament to the author's mastery of her craft' GUARDIANReturn to the dark underbelly of Ardnakelty in the thrilling new sequel to The Searcher. -----It's a blazing summer when two men arrive in the village. They're coming for gold. What they bring is trouble. Two years have passed since retired Police Detective Cal Hooper moved from Chicago to the West of Ireland looking for peace. He's found it, more or less - in his relationship with local woman Lena, and the bond he's formed with half-wild teenager Trey. So when two men turn up with a money-making scheme to find gold in the townland, Cal gets ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey. Because one of the men is no stranger: he's Trey's father. But Trey doesn't want protecting. What she wants is revenge. Crackling with tension and slow-burn suspense, The Hunter explores what we'll do for our loved ones, what we'll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide, from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Tana French. ---Nobody writes tension like Tana French:'Terrific - terrifying, amazing' STEPHEN KING'One of the greats of contemporary crime fiction' IAN RANKIN'The most important crime novelist to emerge in the last ten years' WASHINGTON POST'A truly great writer' GILLIAN FLYNN'Among the first rank of great literary novelists' OBSERVER'A masterful, beautiful mystery...' CHRIS WHITAKER'Crime fiction's biggest contemporary star' GUARDIAN'Completely, indescribably magnificent' MARIAN KEYES'Lyrical, suspenseful, unpredictable' HARLAN COBEN'Comes closer to perfection than anything I've read in the last decade' SARAH HILARY'A spectacularly talented writer' LOUISE O'NEILL

'Do not read this. No reader deserves to be terrified like this' Linwood Barclay 'Explosively exciting' SUNDAY MIRROR 'Brutally compelling serial killer thriller... told at blistering pace' DAILY MAIL 'Completely mesmerizing!' Lisa Gardner When the two strangers turn up at Rowena Cooper's isolated Colorado farmhouse, she knows instantly that it's the end of everything. For the two haunted and driven men, on the other hand, it's just another stop on a long and bloody journey. And they still have many miles to go, and victims to sacrifice, before their work is done. For San Francisco homicide detective Valerie Hart, their trail of corpses - women abducted, tortured and left with a seemingly random series of objects inside them - has brought her from obsession to the edge of physical and psychological destruction. And she's losing hope of making a breakthrough before that happens. But the slaughter at the Cooper farmhouse didn't quite go according to plan. There was a survivor, Rowena's 10-year-old daughter Nell, who now holds the key to the killings. Injured, half-frozen, terrified, Nell has only one place to go. And that place could be even more terrifying than what she's running from.

'Do not read this. No reader deserves to be terrified like this' Linwood Barclay 'Explosively exciting' SUNDAY MIRROR 'Brutally compelling serial killer thriller... told at blistering pace' DAILY MAIL 'Completely mesmerizing!' Lisa Gardner When the two strangers turn up at Rowena Cooper's isolated Colorado farmhouse, she knows instantly that it's the end of everything. For the two haunted and driven men, on the other hand, it's just another stop on a long and bloody journey. And they still have many miles to go, and victims to sacrifice, before their work is done. For San Francisco homicide detective Valerie Hart, their trail of corpses - women abducted, tortured and left with a seemingly random series of objects inside them - has brought her from obsession to the edge of physical and psychological destruction. And she's losing hope of making a breakthrough before that happens. But the slaughter at the Cooper farmhouse didn't quite go according to plan. There was a survivor, Rowena's 10-year-old daughter Nell, who now holds the key to the killings. Injured, half-frozen, terrified, Nell has only one place to go. And that place could be even more terrifying than what she's running from.

Fifty-two men and one woman have held the post of Prime Minister during the past three centuries - from Sir Robert Walpole to David Cameron. In this omnibus edition, which includes Eighteenth-Century British Premiers , Nineteenth-Century British Premiers , A Century of Premiers , plus new and updated chapters on Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, Dick Leonard recounts the circumstances which took them to the top of the ‘greasy pole’; probes their political and personal strengths and weaknesses, assesses their performance in office and asks what lasting influence they have had. The author also recounts fascinating and often littleknown facts about the private lives of each of the Prime Ministers, for example who was suspected of being the illegitimate half-brother of George III, who was assassinated in the House of Commons, who spent his evenings prowling the streets of London, trying to ‘reform’ prostitutes, which two premiers, one Tory one Labour, were taught by the same governess as a child, and who was described by his own son as ‘probably the greatest natural Don Juan in the history of British politics’?

G.I. Joe is a highly skilled special operations force of men and women from around the globe. tasked with defending the world from Cobra, a ruthless criminal organization bent on total domination. Wherever there’s trouble, G.I. Joe is there. New to the G.I. Joe Classified Series line, Jason &#34,Shockwave&#34, Faria comes ready for adventure, with multiple points of articulation for high poseability. This Jason &#34,Shockwave&#34, Faria figure contains 9 character-inspired accessory pieces including a riot shield, hat, 2 knives, nightstick, and 4 weapon accessories, plus a footlocker to stow his gear! Shockwave was the youngest member of the Detroit Police Department S.W.A.T. Team, and the holder of two citations for bravery when he applied for, and was accepted by the Joe Team. &#34,Everybody on a S.W.A.T. Team has a specific job, like in a choir. Shockwave is the door kicker. He’s the first inside and the first to find out how bad it really is. He&#39,s also a half-decent tenor when his voice is in shape.&#34, Achtung! Nicht für Kinder unter 3 Jahren geeignet wegen verschluckbarer Kleinteile.

INDIE TOP 40 BESTSELLER A Goodreads Editor's Pick, One of Book Riot's "Best New Releases," One of Samantha Shannon's Debut Novels She's "REALLY EXCITED ABOUT" in 2026 To protect her homeland, one queen must fight her people’s historic enemy—once and for all. Abbakka Chowta never expected to be queen. The youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, Abbakka has spent years in rigorous combat training to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world—and fate—are upended. The Porcugi—giant half-men, half-snakes who attack from the sea—haven’t been seen in Ullal since their failed invasion more than fifty years ago. But now, they’re back with vengeance and a choice: pay their tithes or suffer total devastation. Soon, Abbakka’s definitions of strength, subterfuge, and statecraft are put to the test. Will marriage to a neighboring king give her the resources she needs to protect her people . . . or will she watch her homeland be crushed beneath the waves of would-be colonizers? A lush historical fantasy that reimagines the Portuguese attacks on South India in the 1500s and the fierce real-life queen’s story, Burn the Sea is an electrifying exaltation of female power and the value of freedom.

Charlie Sheen – ein Name, der Hollywood in Atem hielt und die Öffentlichkeit wie kaum ein anderer polarisierte. Von gefeierten Filmklassikern wie Platoon und Wall Street über Kultkomödien wie Hot Shots! bis hin zur ikonischen TV-Rolle als Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men war Sheen ein fester Bestandteil der internationalen Film- und Fernsehlandschaft. Doch sein kometenhafter Aufstieg wurde durch persönliche Eskapaden und Skandale überschattet, die ihn immer wieder ins Zentrum der Boulevardpresse rückten. Dieses Buch bietet einen tiefen Einblick in die faszinierende Karriere eines Schauspielers, dessen Leben weit über das Hollywood-Skript hinausgeht. Mit detaillierten Kapiteln über seine bekanntesten Filme und Serien, seine persönlichen Höhen und Tiefen und seine Beziehung zu den Fans schildert dieses Werk die filmische Reise eines Mannes, der Erfolg und Abgründe gleichermaßen erlebte. Erfahren Sie mehr über die einzigartigen Rollen, die ihn berühmt machen, und die tragischen Wendungen, die ihn zu einer der kontroversesten Figuren Hollywoods werden ließen.

Henry David Thoreau reflects on life, politics, and society in these two inspiring masterworks: Walden and Civil Disobedience. In 1845, Thoreau moved to a cabin that he built with his own hands along the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Shedding the trivial ties that he felt bound much of humanity, Thoreau reaped from the land both physically and mentally, and pursued truth in the quiet of nature. In Walden, he explains how separating oneself from the world of men can truly awaken the sleeping self. Thoreau holds fast to the notion that you have not truly existed until you adopt such a lifestyle-and only then can you reenter society, as an enlightened being. These simple but profound musings-as well as "Civil Disobedience," his protest against the government's interference with civil liberty-have inspired many to embrace his philosophy of individualism and love of nature. More than a century and a half later, his message is more timely than ever. With an Introduction by W.S. Merwin and an Afterword by Will Howarth

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017 A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2017 From the great historian of the American Revolution, New York Times-bestselling and Pulitzer-winning Gordon Wood, comes a majestic dual biography of two of America's most enduringly fascinating figures, whose partnership helped birth a nation, and whose subsequent falling out did much to fix its course. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could scarcely have come from more different worlds, or been more different in temperament. Jefferson, the optimist with enough faith in the innate goodness of his fellow man to be democracy's champion, was an aristocratic Southern slaveowner, while Adams, the overachiever from New England's rising middling classes, painfully aware he was no aristocrat, was a skeptic about popular rule and a defender of a more elitist view of government. They worked closely in the crucible of revolution, crafting the Declaration of Independence and leading, with Franklin, the diplomatic effort that brought France into the fight. But ultimately, their profound differences would lead to a fundamental crisis, in their friendship and in the nation writ large, as they became the figureheads of two entirely new forces, the first American political parties. It was a bitter breach, lasting through the presidential administrations of both men, and beyond. But late in life, something remarkable happened: these two men were nudged into reconciliation. What started as a grudging trickle of correspondence became a great flood, and a friendship was rekindled, over the course of hundreds of letters. In their final years they were the last surviving founding fathers and cherished their role in this mighty young republic as it approached the half century mark in 1826. At last, on the afternoon of July 4th, 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration, Adams let out a sigh and said, "At least Jefferson still lives." He died soon thereafter. In fact, a few hours earlier on that same day, far to the south in his home in Monticello, Jefferson died as well. Arguably no relationship in this country's history carries as much freight as that of John Adams of Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Wood has more than done justice to these entwined lives and their meaning; he has written a magnificent new addition to America's collective story.

'As hypnotic as an opium dream and pretty unputdownable' Daily Mail In September 1838 a storm blows up on the Indian Ocean and the Ibis, a ship carrying a consignment of convicts and indentured laborers from Calcutta to Mauritius, is caught up in the whirlwind. When the seas settle, five men have disappeared - two lascars, two convicts and one of the passengers. Did the same storm upend the fortunes of those aboard the Anahita, an opium carrier heading towards Canton? And what fate befell those aboard the Redruth, a sturdy two-masted brig heading East out of Cornwall? Was it the storm that altered their course or were the destinies of these passengers at the mercy of even more powerful forces? On the grand scale of an historical epic, River of Smoke follows its storm-tossed characters to the crowded harbors of China. There, despite efforts of the emperor to stop them, ships from Europe and India exchange their cargoes of opium for boxes of tea, silk, porcelain and silver. Among them are Bahram Modi, a wealthy Parsi opium merchant out of Bombay, his estranged half-Chinese son Ah Fatt, the orphaned Paulette and a motley collection of others whose pursuit of romance, riches and a legendary rare flower have thrown together. All struggle to cope with their losses - and for some, unimaginable freedoms - in the alleys and crowded waterways of 19th century Canton. As transporting and mesmerizing as an opiate induced dream, River of Smoke will soon be heralded as a masterpiece of twenty-first century literature.

New York Times Bestseller: A "powerful and epic story ... the best account of infantry combat I have ever read" (Col. David Hackworth, author of About Face ) . In November 1965, some 450 men of the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Harold Moore, were dropped into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was brutally slaughtered. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. They were the first major engagements between the US Army and the People's Army of Vietnam. How these Americans persevered-sacrificing themselves for their comrades and never giving up-creates a vivid portrait of war at its most devastating and inspiring. Lt. Gen. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway-the only journalist on the ground throughout the fighting-interviewed hundreds of men who fought in the battle, including the North Vietnamese commanders. Their poignant account rises above the ordeal it chronicles to depict men facing the ultimate challenge, dealing with it in ways they would have once found unimaginable. It reveals to us, as rarely before, man's most heroic and horrendous endeavor. "Hal Moore and Joe Galloway have captured the terror and exhilaration, the comradeship and self-sacrifice, the brutality and compassion that are the dark heart of war." -Neil Sheehan, author of A Bright Shining Lie

Henry David Thoreau reflects on life, politics, and society in these two inspiring masterworks: Walden and Civil Disobedience. In 1845, Thoreau moved to a cabin that he built with his own hands along the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Shedding the trivial ties that he felt bound much of humanity, Thoreau reaped from the land both physically and mentally, and pursued truth in the quiet of nature. In Walden, he explains how separating oneself from the world of men can truly awaken the sleeping self. Thoreau holds fast to the notion that you have not truly existed until you adopt such a lifestyle-and only then can you reenter society, as an enlightened being. These simple but profound musings-as well as "Civil Disobedience," his protest against the government's interference with civil liberty-have inspired many to embrace his philosophy of individualism and love of nature. More than a century and a half later, his message is more timely than ever. With an Introduction by W.S. Merwin and an Afterword by Will Howarth

The International No. 1 Bestseller A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick 'Cuts to the heart of who we are' Sunday Times 'A book that begs discussion' Vanity Fair All Lina wanted was to be desired. How did she end up in a marriage with two children and a husband who wouldn't touch her? All Maggie wanted was to be understood. How did she end up in a relationship with her teacher and then in court, a hated pariah in her small town? All Sloane wanted was to be admired. How did she end up a sexual object of men, including her husband, who liked to watch her have sex with other men and women? 'I will probably re-read it every year of my life' Caitlin Moran 'Will have millions nodding in recognition' The Times 'As gripping as the most gripping thriller' Marian Keyes 'When I picked it up, I felt I'd been waiting half my life to read it' Observer 'The kind of bold, timely, once-in-a-generation book that every house should have a copy of, and probably will before too long' New Statesman The book Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Alexa Chung, Jodie Comer, Reese Witherspoon, Harry Styles, Fearne Cotton, Caitriona Balfe, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sharon Horgan, Zoe Ball, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Davina McCall, Gemma Chan, Christine and the Queens and Gillian Anderson are all reading

A ROUGH TRADE AND UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 'Brilliantly entertaining' MOJO 'A rollercoaster tale' Classic Pop 'Endlessly vivid' i Paper 'A beautifully candid bromance . . . the shared vision and the strength of their bond is palpable on every page of a book that even casual fans should devour' Record Collector 'A bruised but brilliant story' God Is in the TV 'Burchill and Kerr take it in turns to tell the story of the band and the story of their friendship. The result feels very Simple Minds, full of ambition, steeliness and proper humour' Herald, Music Books of the Year 2025 The long-awaited memoir from Simple Minds' founder members and lifelong collaborators, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill A candid, moving and kinetic story of self-realisation through the power of music, Our Secrets Are The Same is the remarkable joint memoir by Simple Minds' founder members, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. It not only reveals the inner workings of one of the most innovative and successful British bands of the past half-century, but the deeply personal tale of an extraordinary friendship which powered teenage dreams into visionary action. Exploring key songs, places, years and events in the Simple Minds story, and told in the distinct voices of both men, Our Secrets Are The Same explores a bond which has encompassed stratospheric highs and humbling lows, marriages and divorces, fatherhood, fickle fame, tricky inter-band dynamics, the occasional explosive bust up, and a ruthless streak to rival the Sicilian Mafia. Their connection is grounded in shared experiences and a set of values and codes so deeply ingrained they don't need to be spoken. For Our Secrets Are The Same is not just the story of two rock stars, but of two sons, brothers, partners and parents who have never forgotten where they come from. Two men who have remained deeply bonded to their roots and each other, while fulfilling a teenage dream to form a world-class live band and take their music around the globe. Fascinating and funny, evocative and inspiring, this unforgettable memoir captures a unique journey through life and music, and a friendship like no other.

A ROUGH TRADE AND UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 'Brilliantly entertaining' MOJO 'A rollercoaster tale' Classic Pop 'Endlessly vivid' i Paper 'A beautifully candid bromance . . . the shared vision and the strength of their bond is palpable on every page of a book that even casual fans should devour' Record Collector 'A bruised but brilliant story' God Is in the TV 'Burchill and Kerr take it in turns to tell the story of the band and the story of their friendship. The result feels very Simple Minds, full of ambition, steeliness and proper humour' Herald, Music Books of the Year 2025 The long-awaited memoir from Simple Minds' founder members and lifelong collaborators, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill A candid, moving and kinetic story of self-realisation through the power of music, Our Secrets Are The Same is the remarkable joint memoir by Simple Minds' founder members, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. It not only reveals the inner workings of one of the most innovative and successful British bands of the past half-century, but the deeply personal tale of an extraordinary friendship which powered teenage dreams into visionary action. Exploring key songs, places, years and events in the Simple Minds story, and told in the distinct voices of both men, Our Secrets Are The Same explores a bond which has encompassed stratospheric highs and humbling lows, marriages and divorces, fatherhood, fickle fame, tricky inter-band dynamics, the occasional explosive bust up, and a ruthless streak to rival the Sicilian Mafia. Their connection is grounded in shared experiences and a set of values and codes so deeply ingrained they don't need to be spoken. For Our Secrets Are The Same is not just the story of two rock stars, but of two sons, brothers, partners and parents who have never forgotten where they come from. Two men who have remained deeply bonded to their roots and each other, while fulfilling a teenage dream to form a world-class live band and take their music around the globe. Fascinating and funny, evocative and inspiring, this unforgettable memoir captures a unique journey through life and music, and a friendship like no other.

A ROUGH TRADE AND UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 'Brilliantly entertaining' MOJO 'A rollercoaster tale' Classic Pop 'Endlessly vivid' i Paper 'A beautifully candid bromance . . . the shared vision and the strength of their bond is palpable on every page of a book that even casual fans should devour' Record Collector 'A bruised but brilliant story' God Is in the TV 'Burchill and Kerr take it in turns to tell the story of the band and the story of their friendship. The result feels very Simple Minds, full of ambition, steeliness and proper humour' Herald, Music Books of the Year 2025 The long-awaited memoir from Simple Minds' founder members and lifelong collaborators, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill A candid, moving and kinetic story of self-realisation through the power of music, Our Secrets Are The Same is the remarkable joint memoir by Simple Minds' founder members, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. It not only reveals the inner workings of one of the most innovative and successful British bands of the past half-century, but the deeply personal tale of an extraordinary friendship which powered teenage dreams into visionary action. Exploring key songs, places, years and events in the Simple Minds story, and told in the distinct voices of both men, Our Secrets Are The Same explores a bond which has encompassed stratospheric highs and humbling lows, marriages and divorces, fatherhood, fickle fame, tricky inter-band dynamics, the occasional explosive bust up, and a ruthless streak to rival the Sicilian Mafia. Their connection is grounded in shared experiences and a set of values and codes so deeply ingrained they don't need to be spoken. For Our Secrets Are The Same is not just the story of two rock stars, but of two sons, brothers, partners and parents who have never forgotten where they come from. Two men who have remained deeply bonded to their roots and each other, while fulfilling a teenage dream to form a world-class live band and take their music around the globe. Fascinating and funny, evocative and inspiring, this unforgettable memoir captures a unique journey through life and music, and a friendship like no other.

A Courtney series adventure - Book 2 in The Burning Shore sequence A POWERFUL FAMILY. A DEVASTATING WAR. Centaine de Thiry Courtney has more than just survived the many challenges of her life. She thrived and became a successful businesswoman with two sons: Shasa Courtney, the heir to the Courtney Mining and Finance Company, and Manfred de la Rey, Shasa's half-brother and secret child raised by his renegade father to be a hunter?of lions, and of men. As Shasa and Manfred rise to power, however, the world becomes a much more dangerous place. The Great Depression takes hold and the winds of World War II reach Africa, forcing Centaine to make difficult decisions to ensure the security of her family. Sweeping from the goldfields of South Africa to the backrooms of Afrikaaner power, from the thronged stadiums of the 1930s Olympics to the bloody war over Abyssinia, this masterwork of historical fiction is an unforgettable account of rivalry, revenge, and survival. The Power of the Sword is the shocking second novel in The Burning Shore sequence of the Courtney family saga by Wilbur Smith, one of the bestselling and most beloved authors of the 20th century.

INDIE TOP 40 BESTSELLER A Goodreads Editor's Pick, One of Book Riot's "Best New Releases," One of Samantha Shannon's Debut Novels She's "REALLY EXCITED ABOUT" in 2026 To protect her homeland, one queen must fight her people’s historic enemy—once and for all. Abbakka Chowta never expected to be queen. The youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, Abbakka has spent years in rigorous combat training to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world—and fate—are upended. The Porcugi—giant half-men, half-snakes who attack from the sea—haven’t been seen in Ullal since their failed invasion more than fifty years ago. But now, they’re back with vengeance and a choice: pay their tithes or suffer total devastation. Soon, Abbakka’s definitions of strength, subterfuge, and statecraft are put to the test. Will marriage to a neighboring king give her the resources she needs to protect her people . . . or will she watch her homeland be crushed beneath the waves of would-be colonizers? A lush historical fantasy that reimagines the Portuguese attacks on South India in the 1500s and the fierce real-life queen’s story, Burn the Sea is an electrifying exaltation of female power and the value of freedom.

A New York Times Bestseller A New York Times Best Thriller of the Year (So Far) An NPR Favorite Fiction Read of 2024 A Parade Best Book of 2024 So Far A New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year (So Far) Named a Best Beach Read of 2024 by Entertainment Tonight and Harper’s Bazaar “Hailed as the queen of Irish crime fiction, French spins a taut tale of retribution, sacrifice, and family.”—TIME From the New York Times bestselling author of The Searcher and “one of the greatest crime novelists writing today” (Vox), a spellbinding new novel set in the Irish countryside. It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die. Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or less: he’s built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he’s gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey’s long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge. From the writer who is “in a class by herself;” (The New York Times), a nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.

WINNER OF THE 2025 PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY An Economist book of the year 2024. The dramatic, globe-spanning and meticulously-researched story of two scientific rivals and their race to survey all life. In the 18th century, two men dedicated their lives to the same daunting task: identifying and describing all life on Earth. Their approaches could not have been more different. Carl Linnaeus, a pious Swedish doctor with a huckster's flair, believed that life belonged in tidy, static categories. Georges-Louis de Buffon, an aristocratic polymath and keeper of France's royal garden, viewed life as a dynamic, ever-changing swirl of complexities. Both began believing their work to be difficult, but not impossible--how could the planet possibly hold more than a few thousand species? Stunned by life's diversity, both fell far short of their goal. But in the process they articulated starkly divergent views on nature, on humanity's role in shaping the fate of our planet, and on humanity itself. The rivalry between these two unique, driven individuals created reverberations that still echo today. Linnaeus, with the help of acolyte explorers he called "apostles" (only half of whom returned alive), gave the world such concepts as mammal, primate and homo sapiens--but he also denied species change and promulgated racist pseudo-science. Buffon coined the term reproduction, formulated early prototypes of evolution and genetics, and argued passionately against prejudice. It was a clash that, during their lifetimes, Buffon seemed to be winning. But their posthumous fates would take a very different turn. With elegant, propulsive prose grounded in more than a decade of research, bestselling author Jason Roberts tells an unforgettable true-life tale of intertwined lives and enduring legacies, tracing an arc of insight and discovery that extends across three centuries into the present day.