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The Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, was a philosopher, mendicant, meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader who lived in Ancient India. He is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism. He taught for around forty five years and built a large following, both monastic and lay. His teaching is based on his insight into duḥkha (typically translated as “suffering”) and the end of dukkha – the state called Nirvana.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, The novel is set during the Reign of Terror following the fthe French Revolution. The title is the nom de guerre of its hero and protagonist, a chivalrous Englishman who rescues aristocrats before they are sent to the guillotine. Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: apparently nothing more than a wealthy fop, but in reality a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist. The band of gentlemen who assist him are the only ones who know his secret identity. He is known by his symbol, a simple flower, the scarlet pimpernel. Opening at the New Theatre in London’s West End on January 5, 1905, the play became a favourite of British audiences, eventually playing more than 2,000 performances.

This book tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman who conceives a child while her husband is missing at sea. The Puritan Elders of the New England settlement of Boston, where she lives, condemn her to wear a scarlet letter A to signify her adultery. She refuses to name her lover, and he too keeps his silence, but with a terrible cost. The tale is prefaced with an account of the Salem Custom-house where Nathaniel Hawthorne was working when he began writing The Scarlet Letter.

The Beatles spent a considerable amount of time playing the seedy clubs of Hamburg, Germany, early in their career, but few know the true particulars of the pivotal, often brutal time. A time when their music and personalities fused from the white heat of the German scene to become the Beatles we know today. With rare stories from the Beatles and those who were there to witness the birth of the group that would conquer the world.