Category Archives: Travel Guides
Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age
Shortlisted the 2020 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award`s APA Publications Travel Memoir of the Year and The Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the YearThere is a literal Russian landscape, and there is its emotional, literary counterpart. In `Mud and Stars`, award-winning writer Sara Wheeler sets out to explore both. With the writers of the Golden
Keeping an Eye Open: Essays on Art
`Flaubert believed that it was impossible to explain one art form in terms of another, and that great paintings required no words of explanation. Braque thought the ideal state would be reached when we said nothing at all in front of a painting. But we are very far from reaching that state. We remain incorrigibly
These Silent Mansions: A Life in Graveyards
Graveyards are oases: places of escape, of peace and reflection. Each is a garden or nature reserve, but also a site of commemoration, where the past is close enough to touch: a liminal place, at the border of the living world. Jean Sprackland`s prize-winning book, `Strands`, brought to life the histories of objects found on
Maps – Finding Our Place In The World
Maps are universal forms of communication, easily understood and appreciated regardless of culture or language. This truly magisterial book introduces readers to the widest range of maps ever considered in one volume: maps from different time periods and a variety of cultures; maps made for divergent purposes and depicting a range of environments; and maps
The Violet Bakery Cookbook
Discover the recipes behind the bakery that made Prince Harry and Meghan Markle`s wedding cake.The Violet Bakery is a cake shop and cafe in Hackney, east London. The baking is done with simple ingredients including wholegrain flours, less refined sugars and the natural sweetness and muted colours of seasonal fruits. Everything is made in an
Mapping an Empire: The Geographical Construction of British India 1765-1843
There are two parts to this history of the British surveys of India. First the author presents a detailed survey of cartographic techniques in the 18th and early 19th centuries and the institutional structures of the East India Company. Then there is an analysis of the importance of mapping to the British Empire, not just
Nanban: Japanese Soul Food
`Nanban: Japanese Soul Food` is an exploration of southern Japanese cookery focused on authentic yet easy-to-follow recipes. These recipes are set within the context of the region`s history and the story of 2011. MasterChef winner Tim Anderson`s personal relationship with the cuisine of Japan; from first discovering Japanese food on American TV as a teenager,
The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars
There is nothing quite as beautiful as an English country house in summer. And there has never been a summer quite like that Indian summer between the two world wars, a period of gentle decline in which the sun set slowly on the British Empire and the shadows lengthened on the lawns of a thousand
Everything is Teeth
Evie Wyld was a girl obsessed with sharks. Spending summers in the brutal heat of coastal New South Wales, she fell for the creatures. Their teeth, their skin, their eyes; their hunters and their victims. Everything is Teeth is a delicate and intimate collection of the memories she brought home to England, a book about
101 Damnations: Notes from the 101st Tour De France
This title lets you join Ned Boulting as he reports on his dozen-th Tour de France, an event in which blokes do amazing things on bikes, and, we`re oft told, the biggest annual sporting event in the world. 101 Damnations is a chance to relive the 2014 race, stage for stage, fall after fall, tantrum
Today We Die a Little: Emil Zatopek, Olympic Legend to Cold War Hero
This book was longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. The definitive biography of one of the greatest, most extraordinary runners and Olympic heroes of all time, from the author of running classic Feet in the Clouds. On the track, his running made him a legend; off it, his charisma and
Higher Calling: Road Cycling`s Obsession with the Mountains
Why do road cyclists go to the mountains?After all, cycling up a mountain is hard ‘“ so hard that, to many non-cyclists, it can seem absurd. But, for some, climbing a mountain gracefully (and beating your competitors up the slope) represents the pinnacle of cycling achievement. The mountains are where legends are forged and cycling’s
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words
Did you know that the Japanese have a word to express the way sunlight filters through the leaves of trees? Or that there`s a Swedish word that means a traveller`s particular sense of anticipation before a trip? Lost in Translation brings the nuanced beauty of language to life with 50 beautiful ink illustrations. The words
Middle Class Problems: Problems but Not Real Actual Problems, Just Middle Class Ones
This is a collection of real-life inconveniences faced by the iPhone-losing, polenta-burning, Eurostar-missing middle classes. While 870 million people in the world suffer from starvation, it`s worth sparing a thought for the beleaguered and misunderstood middle classes who face similarly harrowing issues every day. `My horse just ate my favourite boots`, `Feel like I`ve forgotten
The Modern Preserver: Chutneys, Pickles, Jams and More
Preserving is an ancient technique which speaks to a modern sensibility. It puts you in step with the seasons, you can use up leftovers, and it helps you rediscover a timeless kitchen craftsmanship – all aspirations of the thoughtful modern cook. The Modern Preserver takes you through every aspect of preserving: from classic chutneys and
Man of the World
In his brilliant first book, “150 Things Every Man Should Know”, Gareth May instructed the young man about town in vital life lessons such as how to undo a girl`s bra with one hand, and how to down a pint without being sick. All is well and good. But there comes a time in most
Theatre of War
At the beginning of the Second World War the Ministry of Information, through the advice of Kenneth Clark, commissioned Cecil Beaton to photograph the Home Front. Beaton set to work recording the destruction of the Wren churches in the City and the heroism of Londoners under attack. He conducted a survey of Bomber and Fighter
A Less Boring History of the World
Refreshes the parts other history books can`t reach…A bit ropy on the Renaissance? In the dark about the Enlightenment? Or, in fact, do you need a revision course on the entire history of the world and want to read a witty, irreverent, definitely not boring romp through everything that has ever happened on planet earth
The Great War: A Photographic Narrative
The Great War: A Photographic Narrative offers an impressive 502-page selection of photographs from the archives of the Imperial War Museum. Arranged into five sections, each prefaced with a detailed chronology of events and a historical summary, every picture has an explanatory caption and, where possible, is attributed.The advent of popular photography meant that the
Shaped By War
Don McCullin has held many exhibitions over the years, including his first landmark show at the V&A in London nearly thirty years ago. As the greatest war photographer of his time, it is no surprise that his work is the subject of a huge exhibition currently being organized by the Imperial War Museum. The exhibition
