Category Archives: Travel Guides
That Glimpse of Truth: The 100 Finest Short Stories Ever Written
Profound, lyrical, shocking, wise: the short story is capable of almost anything. This collection of 100 of the finest stories ever written ranges from the essential to the unexpected, the traditional to the surreal. Wide in scope, both beautiful and vast, this is the perfect companion for any fiction lover. Here are childhood favourites and
Aelfred`s Britain: War and Peace in the Viking Age
In 865, a great Viking army landed in East Anglia, precipitating a series of wars that would last until the middle of the following century. It was in this time of crisis that the modern kingdoms of Britain were born. In their responses to the Viking threat, these kingdoms forged their identities as hybrid cultures:
In the Land of Giants
The five centuries between the end of Roman Britain (410) and the death of Alfred the Great (899) have left few voices save a handful of chroniclers, but Britain`s `Dark Ages` can still be explored through their material remnants: buildings, books, metalwork, and, above all, landscapes. Max Adams explores Britain`s lost early medieval past by
The Light in the Dark: A Winter Journal
“Magical, moving and deeply atmospheric” Patrick BarkhamAs November stubs out the glow of autumn and the days tighten into shorter hours, winter`s occupation begins. Preparing for winter has its own rhythms, as old as our exchanges with the land. Of all the seasons, it draws us together. But winter can be tough. It is a
Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship
Captained by English nobleman-turned-pirate Joseph Bannister, the Golden Fleece was a pirate ship sunk by the Royal Navy in 1686 taking with it many fortunes` worth of gold. When present-day adventurers John Chatterton and John Mattera hear of it, they know they have to risk everything to get their hands on it.Bestselling author Robert Kurson
Spring: An Anthology for the Changing Seasons
It is a time of awakening. In our -fields, hedgerows and woodlands, our beaches, cities and parks, an almost imperceptible shift soon becomes a riot of sound and colour: winter ends, and life surges forth once more. Whether in town or country, we all share in this natural rhythm, in the joy and anticipation of
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics Signed Copy
All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to understand world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements… but if you don`t know geography, you`ll never have the full picture.To understand Putin`s actions, for example, it is essential to consider that, to be a
Summer: An Anthology of the Changing Seasons
Summer is a season of richness: gold against blue; sun dazzle on water; sweet fragrance, and the sound of insects, filling the air. We feel the sand between our toes, or the grass beneath our feet. In these long, warm days, languid and sensual, we reconnect with the natural world, revelling in light and scent
Autumn: An Anthology for the Changing Seasons
Autumn is a time of transformation. Crisp, clear days mark summer`s close and usher in a new season with its rich scents and vivid palette, leaves flaming red and gold by day, bonfires and fireworks lighting up the lengthening nights. There is abundance, as humans and animals make stores for the winter; and there is
Winter: An Anthology for the Changing Seasons
Winter is a withdrawal: quiet and dark and cold. But in the dim light frost shimmers, stars twinkle and hearths blaze as we come together to keep out the chill. In spite of the season, life persists: visiting birds fill our skies, familiar creatures find clever ways to survive, and the world reveals winter riches
Worth Dying for: The Power and Politics of Flags
When you see your nation`s flag fluttering in the breeze, what do you feel?For thousands of years flags have represented our hopes and dreams. We wave them. Burn them. March under their colours. And still, in the 21st century, we die for them. Flags fly at the UN, on the Arab street, from front porches
Land of Plenty: A Journey Through the Fields and Foods of Modern Britain
Golden fields, ripening apples, lowing cattle: our idea of the landscape has been shaped by agriculture, as has the land itself. But in a fast-changing world, how does the great British countryside continue to provide the food we eat?Most people living in Britain today must go back several generations before they find an ancestor who
Killer Intent
As seen on ITV in the Zoe Ball Book Club; An assassin`s bullet. A deadly conspiracy. But who is calling the shots?; `A twisty, action-packed conspiracy thriller. Kent knows how to bring the thrills` — MASON CROSS, author of the Carter Blake series; When an attempted assassination sparks a chain reaction of explosive events across
Travellers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism Through the Eyes of Everyday People
One of the Daily Telegraph`s Best Books of 2017 A Guardian `Readers` Choice` Best Book of 2017Without the benefit of hindsight, how do you interpret what`s right in front of your eyes?The events that took place in Germany between 1919 and 1945 were dramatic and terrible but there were also moments of confusion, of doubt
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words
The ultimate gift for wordsmiths and lovers of language: a word for every day of the year
Under the Rock: The Poetry of a Place
A bold and original exploration of landscape, nature and literature by one of Britain`s most acclaimed novelists; Carved from the valley side above Mytholmroyd in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, Scout Rock is a steep crag overlooking wooded slopes and flat weed-tangled plateaus. To many it is unremarkable, to others it is a doomed place where 18th-century
Rebellious Spirits: Audacious Tales of Drinking on the Wrong Side of the Law
A delicious taste of the secret, exciting and often dangerous history of illicit spirits; Britain has always been a nation of enthusiastic drinkers. Any attempt to regulate, limit or ban our favourite tipple has been met with imaginative and daring acts of defiance: selling gin through pipes in a London back alley; smuggling brandy across
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics
It’s easy to get complacent about maps. In our everyday lives, they are the things that get us from place to place: from the office to a meeting; from our hotel to a recommended restaurant; from the train station to some summer wedding venue in the back of beyond’ฆ We forget they’re not simply a
Salvador
El Salvador, 1982, is at the height of a ghastly civil war. Joan Didion travels from battlefields to body dumps, interviews a puppet president, considers the distinctly Salvadorean meaning of the verb `to disappear` and trains a merciless eye not only on the terror there but also on the depredations and evasions of US foreign
Miami
This is a surprising portrait of the pastel city, a masterly study of Cuban immigration and exile, and a sly account of vile moments in the Cold War. Miami may be the sunniest place in America but this is Didion`s darkest book, in which she explores American efforts to overthrow the Castro regime, Miami`s civic
