Piers Paul Read Book order

The majority of people learning Tai Chi Forms never finish them. Some are too long, others are just too complex. Fortunately, there are a series of postures that are common to all Tai Chi Schools, and these can be learned quickly and easily in this introductory book. This book takes you through the footwork, the arm positions and then introduces each posture, linking them slowly into a flowing and beautiful short sequence that will serve as a daily practice to work on at home or supplement your existing training. Find inside sections on: *History of the Tai Chi Form *Advice from the classic Tai Chi Writings *How to learn the stepping patterns *How to learn the arm patterns *Step-by-step the 10 Postures *How to expand the Form from 10 to 30 or more steps *How to Mirror the Form *How to add repetitions *How to add transition moves Including inline references, video links and over a 100 step-by-step photos this simple guide provides all you need to learn the basic moves of Tai Chi.

When his estranged father dies in perplexing circumstances, the discovery of a long-forgotten diary soon plunges a pharmaceutical worker back into the events which lead to his family's collapse.

'This is a superb debut... gritty, disturbing and pacy.' -- Alex LakeThe Art Teacher is for anyone who is living life plan B whilst dreaming of plan A. A gritty, harrowing page-turner. Perfect for fans of Linwood Barclay and Peter James

"Piers Paul Read is one of England's most accomplished novelists, and Scarpia is among his finest novels." --The Wall Street Journal It is the late eighteenth century and Sicilian nobleman Vitellio Scarpia finds himself penniless and in disgrace on the streets of Rome. After leaving his home in pursuit of a military career, his fiery passion has seen him expelled from the Spanish royal guard and left to seek his fortune in Italy; a fortune inseparably bound to the Pope, whose rule is put in question by the French Revolution. Scarpia enrolls in the papal army and is soon taken up by a countess eager to have a handsome young officer at her side. She introduces Scarpia into Roman society, and he is both enthralled and agitated by its mix of religiosity, sophistication, decadence, and intrigue. Then, on a mission to Venice, he meets the gifted, beautiful singer Floria Tosca. And as the armies of revolutionary France advance into Italy, and war and revolution engulf the whole peninsula, these two lives become entwined. Steeped in factual detail and exploring the lives--part historical, part fictional--of figures from Puccini's famous opera Tosca, Scarpia shines a light into dusty corridors of history and dark corners of the human soul.

Sir Alec Guiness was one of the greatest actors of the twentieth centuries. With a talent recognised by discerning critics from his very first appearance on the stage, he gained a world-wide reputation. After his death in August 2000, his widow Merula asked the author Piers Paul Read, who had been a friend of her husband, to write his biography. Given full co-operation by the Guinness family and free access to Sir Alec's papers, including his private and unpublished diaries, Read has produced the definitive portrait: a highly entertaining and penetrating account of an intriguing and complex man

The Knights of the Temple of Solomon were a military and religious order founded in Jerusalem by two French Knights after the First Crusade. Its original purpose was to protect pilgrims from infidel attack as they journeyed to the Holy Land. St Bernard of Clairvaux drew up the order's rules, which included fighting the enemies of God under vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. The Templars had no difficulty in finding recruits. The promise of salvation through a life of action and adventure attracted men who had no aptitude for the monastic life. Wearing their distinctive white tunics with a red cross over their chain mail, the Templars soon became an expert military force and a powerful, wealthy order. Their wealth would be their downfall. When the crusading forces were driven from Palestine, the Templars' main activity became banking, and their enormous landholdings and financial strength aroused hostility and envy. In 1307 Philip IV of France, in dire need of funds, charg ed the Templars with heresy and immorality. They were arrested, put on trial and confessions were extracted by torture. When the Templars' Grand Master and other leaders of the order retracted their forced c

Life for the aristocracy was difficult, thier land was falling into the hands ofthe aristocracy.The Kornowski family have to make there ends meat...

A Patriot in Berlin is the dramatic story of Berlin after the fall of the Wall, and Moscow after Gorbachev - of love, faith and patriotism in conflict. Berlin, August 1991. An emigre Russian couple are found murdered. American art historian Francesca McDermott is recruited to organise a major retrospective of 20th century Russian painting. In Moscow, the search begins for a rogue former KGB agent, Andrei Orlov, who disappeared without a trace. Three seemingly unconnected events..

This is the story of a Czech writer who defects to the West and gets involved in an affair with the lady who has taken him under her wing. Piers Paul Reed also wrote "The Professor's Daughter" and "Upstart".