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	<title>Ancient religions &amp; mythologies &#8211; The Bell Bookshop</title>
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		<title>Bog Queen</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/bog-queen/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=52080</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In 2018, a young forensic scientist, homesick and adrift in the North of England, is heading to a coroner's office to identify a body. But this body, found in a moss-layered bog, is not like any Agnes has ever seen: its bones prove it was buried more than 2000 years ago, yet it is almost completely preserved. The body draws the attention of numerous groups with competing interests: archaeologists desperate to study the bog, those who want to profit from the land's resources, a group of neo-pagans who demand the body be returned to its resting place. And underfoot, all along, there's the land itself: a teeming colony of moss, with its own dark stories to tell. As Agnes becomes tangled in controversies stirred by her own discovery, she must face the deep history of what she has unearthed.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>&#8216;SPARKLES LIKE UNEARTHED TREASURE&#8217; KALIANE BRADLEY<br />&#8216;A MESMERISING NOVEL&#8217; <i>OBSERVER<br /></i></b><b>&#8216;AN IRIDESCENT CONTEMPORARY FOLKTALE&#8217; LUCY ROSE</b><br /> <b></p>
<h3>Rich, wild and shimmering with mystery, <i>Bog Queen</i> is the new novel from Anna North, bestselling author of Reese&#8217;s Book Club Pick <i>Outlawed</i> </h3>
<p></b><br />In 2018, a young forensic scientist, homesick and adrift in the North of England, is heading to a coroner&#8217;s office to identify a body. But this body, found in a moss-layered bog, is not like any Agnes has seen before: its bones prove it was buried more than two thousand years ago, yet it is almost perfectly preserved. </p>
<p>Soon Agnes is drawn into a mystery from the distant past: the death of an Iron Age queen more like her than she knows. Along the way, she must contend with numerous groups who want to profit from the bog and activists who demand that the land be left undisturbed. Meanwhile, underfoot, there&#8217;s the land itself: the wet, teeming colony of moss has its own dark stories to tell. </p>
<p>As Agnes becomes tangled in controversies stirred up by her own discovery, she must face the deep history of what she has unearthed. In <i>Bog Queen</i>, the lives of two young women separated by many centuries become inextricably connected, as each learns to harness their strange strengths in a landscape more mysterious than either can imagine.</p>
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		<title>Mythology</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/mythology-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/mythology-2/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Dive into the timeless tales of gods and heroes in this bestselling A-to-Z encyclopedia detailing classic myths and legends-perfect for curious readers and academics alike.Edith Hamilton's mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek, Roman and Norse myths that are the keystone of Western culture-the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.We follow the drama of the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus. We hear the tales of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Cupid and Psyche, and mighty King Midas. We discover the origins of the names of the constellations. And we recognize reference points for countless works for art, literature and culture inquiry-from Freud's Oedipus complex to Wagner's Ring Cycle of operas to Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes ElectraBoth a reference text for scholars of all ages and a book to simply enjoy, Mythology is a]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>Dive into the timeless tales of gods and heroes in this bestselling A-to-Z encyclopedia detailing classic myths and legends-perfect for curious readers and academics alike.</b><br />Edith Hamilton&#8217;s mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek, Roman and Norse myths that are the keystone of Western culture-the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.</p>
<p>We follow the drama of the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus. We hear the tales of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Cupid and Psyche, and mighty King Midas. We discover the origins of the names of the constellations. And we recognize reference points for countless works for art, literature and culture inquiry-from Freud&#8217;s Oedipus complex to Wagner&#8217;s Ring Cycle of operas to Eugene O&#8217;Neill&#8217;s <i>Mourning Becomes Electra</i></p>
<p>Both a reference text for scholars of all ages and a book to simply enjoy, <i>Mythology </i>is a classic not to be missed.</p>
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		<title>Blood flowers</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/blood-flowers/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=37834</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[      An explosive new, dystopian romantasy YA, perfect for fans of The      Hunger Games, The Atlas Six and Leigh Bardugo, based on where Jay      grew-up, focussed on themes of poverty, class divide and addiction.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>  </p>
<h3><strong>An explosive new dystopian romantasy YA, perfect for      fans of <em>The Hunger Games,</em> <em>The Atlas Six </em>and Leigh      Bardugo.</strong></h3>
<p>Seventeen-year-old Bear lives in the walled town of Calleston      &#8211; a place of stark divide between the rich and poor. Living      down in Cobbleside, Bear is painfully conscious of the inequalities      between him and residents of Roofside.</p>
<p>When the town&#8217;s annual <em>Field Day</em> &#8211; an event during      which those who&#8217;ve recently come of age test their Sinsen growing      capacities &#8211; shows Bear to have unprecedented abilities,      he&#8217;s hurtled into the upper echelons of society, and everything      he&#8217;s ever wanted is within his grasp. But it soon becomes apparent,      that it&#8217;s not all he expected it to be. He finds himself existing      amidst an uncaring, callous people, concerned only with themselves,      living in a society in which corruption is rife.</p>
<p>Finding himself unwillingly entangled with the Overlord&#8217;s beautiful      but spiteful daughter, Bear is forced to make decisions which      may jeopardise everything he&#8217;s dreamed of &#8211; or risk the      lives of the people he once lived amongst.</p>
<p><strong>A story of love, witchcraft, betrayal and murder!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>From member of internationally adored band The Wanted,      Jay McGuiness, comes his breathtaking debut YA novel.  </strong></li>
<li><strong>Based on where Jay grew-up, with themes of poverty, class      divide and addiction.  </strong></li>
<li><strong>A powerful plot, sweeping, heartfelt romance and an iconic      new YA hero. </strong></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Oh Maya gods!</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/oh-maya-gods/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=35616</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[      The world's worst-behaved immortals are at it again! Meet Vesper,      the bossy, football-mad daughter of Elliot Hooper, and super-bright      Aster, son of Constellation, Virgo. Off they head to the Maya      underworld, where Kizin and his Lords and Ladies of Death are messing      with astronomy, chocolate and human sacrifice ...]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<br />
<h3><strong>A brand new hilarious adventure from the author of the      bestselling <em>Who Let the Gods Out</em> series!  </strong></h3>
<p><em>&#8216;Hilarious with a bolt of genius </em>&#8211;<em> her best      yet&#8217; </em><strong>M.G. LEONARD</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;A riotous slam-dunk of immortal hijinks. An absolute blast!&#8217;</em>      <strong>SAM COPELAND</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;Gripping, exciting and of course, packed with trademark Evans      humour, </em>OH MAYA GODS!<em> proves again that Maz is one      of the very finest storytellers we have.&#8217;</em>  <strong>PHIL      EARLE</strong></p>
<p><strong>Meet the children of Elliot and Virgo, beloved heroes      of <em>Who Let The Gods Out?</em></strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s the turn of football-loving Vesper and super bright Aster      to take on the world&#8217;s worst-behaved immortals.  </p>
<p>Beginning with Maya bad boy, Kizin, and his Lords and Ladies of      Death &#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Superstar author Maz Evans&#8217;s hilarious new adventure      is a welcome return to the bestselling world of the <em>Who      Let the Gods Out?</em> series &#8211; shortlisted for the Waterstones      Children&#8217;s Book Prize</strong></li>
<li><strong>Book 1 of 3 in a superlative new spin-off series of mythological      baddies</strong></li>
<li><strong>Packed full of edge-of-your-seat adventure, belly laughs      and Maya mythology</strong></li>
<li><strong>As well as a brand-new Gods Squad led by Vesper and Aster,      your favourite characters from <em>Who Let the Gods Out?</em>      are back</strong></li>
<li><strong>Perfect for readers aged 8+</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>PRAISE FOR <em>WHO LET THE GODS OUT?</em>:  </strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;I totally fell in love with Elliot and the gods, and I think      you&#8217;re all going to love them too.&#8217;</em>  <strong>ROBIN      STEVENS</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;One of the funniest new voices in children&#8217;s literature.      The laughs come thick and fast&#8217; </em><strong>DAVID SOLOMONS</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;Blistering humour, mortal danger and immortal heart&#8217;</em><strong>      KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;Very, very funny&#8217;</em> <strong>PIERS TORDAY</strong></p>
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		<title>Stars and skies</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/stars-and-skies/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[An exploration of the mysteries of the stars, skies and heavens above. People have gazed up at the same stars for millennia, trading stories about them; conjuring gods and goddesses; mapping the constellations; and navigating the complex human world below. The tales, traditions and myths included here traverse countries and continents and have been chosen to highlight how humans are linked through time and place, with shared dreams, fears and ways of rationalising the unknown. Under 'Stars and Heavens' Willow delves into rosy fingered dawn and the hubris of Icarus, the Greek myths surrounding the constellations and the omen of meteors, the trials of the Hawaiian goddess Hina and the legend of the rabbit in the moon.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Following on from the hugely popular <em>Treasury of Folklore: Seas and Rivers</em> and <em>Woodlands and Forests </em>comes <em>Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies</em>, an exploration of the mysteries of the stars, skies and heavens above.</strong></p>
<p>People have gazed up at the same stars for millennia, trading stories about them; conjuring gods and goddesses; mapping the constellations; and navigating the complex human world below. The tales, traditions and myths included here traverse countries and continents and have been chosen to highlight how humans are linked through time and place, with shared dreams, fears and ways of rationalising the unknown.</p>
<p>Under &#8216;Stars and Heavens&#8217; Willow delves into rosy fingered dawn and the hubris of Icarus, the Greek myths surrounding the constellations and the omen of meteors, the trials of the Hawaiian goddess Hina and the legend of the rabbit in the moon. In the section on &#8216;Skies&#8217; we are introduced to winged Pegasus and the trials of the Firebird, the Witch of Westray and stories of storms, the mysteries of the Northern Lights and unexplained UFOs.  </p>
<p><em>Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies</em> is a fascinating portal into a rich history of myths surrounding the sky, an aspect of the natural world that continues to fascinate and confound.</p>
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		<title>Life and afterlife in ancient China</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/life-and-afterlife-in-ancient-china/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=33820</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The three millennia up to the establishment of the first imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC cemented many of the distinctive elements of Chinese civilisation which are still in place today. Records of these early achievements, and their diverse and unexpected expressions, often lie not in written history, but in how people marked the end of their lives: their dwellings for the afterlife. Beautifully illustrated and drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, 'Life and Afterlife in Ancient China' shows how the tombs form a mosaic of one of the oldest civilisations in the world.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>A <i>Prospect </i>Book of the Year</p>
<p>An epic new history of Ancient China told through the prism of a dozen extraordinary tombs</b></p>
<p>The three millennia up to the establishment of the first imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC cemented many of the distinctive elements of Chinese civilisation still in place today: an extraordinarily challenging geography and environment, formidable infrastructure, a society based on the strict hierarchy of the family, a shared written script of characters, a cuisine founded on rice and millet, a material culture of ceramics, bronze, silk and jade, and a unique concept of the universe, in which ancestors continue to exist alongside the living. Records of these early achievements, and their diverse and unexpected expressions, often lie not in written history, but in how people marked the end of their lives: their dwellings for the afterlife. Tombs, and the treasures within them, are almost the only artefacts to survive from Ancient China; their scale and sophistication rivals their equivalents in Ancient Egypt.</p>
<p>Jessica Rawson, one of the most eminent Western scholars of China, explores twelve grand tombs &#8211; each from a specific historical moment and place &#8211; showing how they reveal wider political, dynastic and cultural developments, culminating in the lavish ambition of the First Emperor&#8217;s monument, guarded by his army of terracotta warriors. Beautifully illustrated and drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, <i>Life and Afterlife in Ancient China </i>illuminates a constellation of beliefs about life and death very different from our own and provides a remarkable new perspective on one of the oldest civilisations in the world.</p>
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		<title>The girl who grew wings</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/the-girl-who-grew-wings/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=34025</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[      <p><p>Twin sisters, Icari and Sephie, live in a world where magical      gifts are bestowed on a chosen few. Sephie discovers she has two      powers - a crime punishable by death. Then, winged demons steal      her to the underworld. Only a pair of wings can bring Icari to      save her twin ... But can a gentle healer learn to fight - and fly?]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<br />
<h3>  </h3>
<h3><strong>A stunning YA romantasy inspired by Greek mythology by      the acclaimed author of  <em>The Fandom</em> duology.</strong></h3>
<p><em>&#8216;Gorgeous and deeply heartfelt&#8217; </em><strong>BEA FITZGERALD</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;This book has it all&#8217;</em> <strong>ALEXANDRA CHRISTO</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;A triumph of a book&#8217;</em>  <strong>ANN SEI LIN</strong></p>
<p>In the citadel of Appollis, the Gods bestow single gifts on a      chosen few.</p>
<p>Icari has always known she&#8217;s a Healer, while her twin sister,      Sephie, is cast as an Embalmer, despite showing early promise as      an Alchemist &#8211; a secret the sisters keep to themselves for possessing      two skills is punishable by death.  </p>
<p>While Sephie learns how to wrap the dead, Icari eases the suffering      of others, including a charismatic enemy prisoner called Caszeil.      And it&#8217;s to Caszeil that Icari turns when demons rise up from      the Underworld and kidnap her sister. With his help, perhaps      she can rescue Sephie. Even if this means growing wings &#8211; and flying      in the face of the devil himself . . .  </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>A thrilling YA fantasy adventure romance inspired by      Greek mythology</strong></li>
<li><strong>From the acclaimed author of  <em>The Fandom  </em>duology      (as Anna Day)</strong></li>
<li><strong>A tale of love, sisterhood, magic and the triumph of      life and truth over death </strong></li>
<li><strong>Set in a gorgeous desert world of Oases and citadels</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>MORE PRAISE FOR  <em>THE GIRL WHO GREW WINGS</em>:  </strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;I was completely swept away&#8217;</em> <strong>KATHERINE CORR</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;Captured my heart from the start and never let go&#8217;  </em><strong>BEX      HOGAN</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;Clever, angry, ferociously feminist&#8217;</em> <strong>LAURA WOOD  </strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;Sublime, evocative, and full of twists and turns&#8217;</em><strong>      NATALI SIMMONDS</strong></p>
<p><em>&#8216;Kept me guessing throughout&#8217;</em> <strong>BEN OLIVER</strong></p>
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		<title>God</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/god-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=25323</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<i>God: An Anatomy</i> is cultural history and often controversial examination of the real God of the Bible.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>Winner of The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize<br />Shortlisted for The Wolfson History Prize<br />A <i>The Times </i>Books of the Year</b></p>
<p><b>A fascinating, surprising and often controversial examination of the real God of the Bible, in all his bodily, uncensored, scandalous forms.</p>
<p>&#8216;One of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today&#8217; &#8211; Dan Snow</b></p>
<p>Three thousand years ago, in the lands we now call Israel and Palestine, a group of people worshipped a complex pantheon of deities, led by a father god called El. El had seventy children, who were gods in their own right. One of them was a minor storm deity, known as Yahweh. Yahweh had a body, a wife, offspring and colleagues. He fought monsters and mortals. He gorged on food and wine, wrote books, and took walks and naps. But he would become something far larger and far more abstract: the God of the great monotheistic religions.</p>
<p>But as Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou reveals, God&#8217;s cultural DNA stretches back centuries before the Bible was written, and persists in the tics and twitches of our own society, whether we are believers or not. The Bible has shaped ideas about God and religion, but also cultural preferences about human existence and experience; our concept of life and death; attitude to sex and gender;  habits of eating and drinking; the understanding of history.</p>
<p>Examining God&#8217;s body, from his head to his hands, feet and genitals, she shows how the Western idea of God developed. She explores the places and artefacts that shaped our view of this singular God and the ancient religions and societies of the biblical world. And in doing so she analyses not only the origins of our oldest monotheistic religions, but also the origins of Western culture.</p>
<p><b>Beautifully written, passionately argued and frequently controversial, <i>God: An Anatomy</i> is cultural history on a grand scale.</b></p>
<p><b>&#8216;Rivetingly fresh and stunning&#8217; &#8211; <i>Sunday Times</i></b></p>
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		<item>
		<title>God</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/god/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=16607</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[A fascinating, surprising and often controversial examination of the real God of the Bible, in all his bodily, uncensored, scandalous forms.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOLFSON PRIZE 2022</p>
<p>&#8216;Rivetingly fresh and stunning&#8217; &#8211; <i>Sunday Times</i></b><br /><b>&#8216;One of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today&#8217; &#8211; Dan Snow</b></p>
<p>Three thousand years ago, in the Southwest Asian lands we now call Israel and Palestine, a group of people worshipped a complex pantheon of deities, led by a father god called El. El had seventy children, who were gods in their own right. One of them was a minor storm deity, known as Yahweh. Yahweh had a body, a wife, offspring and colleagues. He fought monsters and mortals. He gorged on food and wine, wrote books, and took walks and naps. But he would become something far larger and far more abstract: the God of the great monotheistic religions.</p>
<p>But as Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou reveals, God&#8217;s cultural DNA stretches back centuries before the Bible was written, and persists in the tics and twitches of our own society, whether we are believers or not. The Bible has shaped our ideas about God and religion, but also our cultural preferences about human existence and experience; our concept of life and death; our attitude to sex and gender; our habits of eating and drinking; our understanding of history. Examining God&#8217;s body, from his head to his hands, feet and genitals, she shows how the Western idea of God developed. She explores the places and artefacts that shaped our view of this singular God and the ancient religions and societies of the biblical world. And in doing so she analyses not only the origins of our oldest monotheistic religions, but also the origins of Western culture.</p>
<p>Beautifully written, passionately argued and frequently controversial, <i>God: An Anatomy</i> is cultural history on a grand scale.</p>
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