Category Archives: Travel Guides
The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme
Edwin Lutyens` Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval in Northern France, visited annually by tens of thousands of tourists, is arguably the finest structure erected by any British architect in the twentieth century. It is the principal, tangible expression of the defining event in Britain`s experience and memory of the Great War,
Shopping , Seduction and Mr Selfridge
In 1909, the largest department store in London`s West End, designed and built from scratch, opened in Oxford Street in a glorious burst of publicity. The mastermind behind the facade was American retail genius Harry Gordon Selfridge: maverick businessman, risk-taker, dandy and one of the greatest showmen the retail world has ever known. His talents
Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves
Covering a diving championship in Greece on a hot and sticky assignment for Outside magazine, James Nestor discovered free diving. He had stumbled on one of the most extreme sports in existence: a quest to extend the frontiers of human experience, in which divers descend without breathing equipment, for hundreds of feet below the water,
Jacob`s Room is Full of Books: A Year of Reading
When we spend so much of our time immersed in books, who`s to say where reading ends and living begins? The two are impossibly and gloriously wedded, as Hill shows in Jacob`s Room Is Full of Books. Considering everything from Edith Wharton`s novels through to Alan Bennett`s diaries, Virginia Woolf and the writings of twelfth
Book of Human Emotions: An Encyclopaedia of Feeling from Anger to Wanderlust
Is your heart fluttering in anticipation? Is your stomach tight with nerves? Are you falling in love? Feeling a bit miffed? Are you curious (perhaps about this book)? Do you have the heebie-jeebies? Are you antsy with iktsuarpok? Or giddy with depaysement? The Book of Human Emotions is a gleeful, thoughtful collection of 156 feelings,
Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code and the Uncovering of a Lost Civilisation
The decoding of Linear B is one of the world`s greatest stories: from the discovery of a cache of ancient tablets recording a lost prehistoric language to the dramatic solution of the riddle nearly seventy years later, it exerts a mesmerising pull on the imagination. But this captivating story is missing a crucial piece. Two
Where Do Camels Belong?: The Story and Science of Invasive Species
Where do camels belong? In the Arab world may seem the obvious answer, but they are relative newcomers there. They evolved in North America, retain their greatest diversity in South America, and the only remaining wild dromedaries are in Australia. This is a classic example of the contradictions of `native` and `invasive` species, a hot
Turned Out Nice Again: On Living With the Weather
In his trademark style, Richard Mabey weaves together science, art and memoirs (including his own) to show the weather`s impact on our culture and national psyche. He rambles through the myths of Golden Summers and our persistent state of denial about the winter; the Impressionists` love affair with London smog, seasonal affective disorder (SAD –
Colour My Days
Emmy and Jeff live in a black and white world. But suddenly, the week has started with a splash of yellow and each new day brings a new colour into Emmy and Jeff`s lives. Join them as they explore all the colours in the rainbow! An appealing and evocative introduction to colour for young children.
Acts of Union and Disunion
The United Kingdom; Great Britain; the British Isles; the Home Nations: such a wealth of different names implies uncertainty and contention – and an ability to invent and adjust. In a year that sees a Scottish referendum on independence, Linda Colley analyses some of the forces that have unified Britain in the past. She examines
Free Lance and the Field of Blood
Free Lance has no master – be journeys from village to village and castle to castle, competing in tournaments and working for his keep. The latest tournament is a rotten mess of corruption, rigging and hi-jinks – can Free Lance survive to fight another day? Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 9+
Belles and Whistles: Journeys Through Time on Britain`s Trains
In the heroic days of rail travel, you could dine on kippers and champagne aboard the Brighton Belle; smoke a post-prandial cigar as the Golden Arrow closed in on Paris, or be shaved by the Flying Scotsman`s on-board barber. Everyone from schoolboys to socialites knew of these glamorous `named trains` and aspired to ride aboard
Hari and His Electric Feet
Hari is a dreamer with an unusual talent. He spends the few coins he earns washing cars on cinema trips to watch (and learn from) his beloved Bollywood films. Then one day Hari`s gloriously fancy footwork is spotted by Mr Ram, a man on a mission to resolve conflicts near and far. Hari so entrances
Island on Fire: The Extraordinary Story of Laki, the Volcano That Turned Eighteenth-Century Europe Dark
Laki is Iceland`s largest volcano. Its eruption in 1783 is one of history`s great, untold natural disasters. Spewing out sun-blocking ash and then a poisonous fog for eight long months, the effects of the eruption lingered across the world for years. It caused the deaths of people as far away as the Nile and created
Lark – Shortlisted for the 2020 Carnegie Medal
Shortlisted for the 2020 Carnegie MedalThings are tense at home for Nicky and Kenny. Their mum`s coming to visit and it will be the first time they`ve seen her in years. A lot has changed since they were little and Nicky`s not so sure he`s ready to see her again. When they head for a
The Voices Within: The History and Science of How We Talk to Ourselves
We all hear voices. Ordinary thinking is often a kind of conversation, filling our heads with speech: the voices of reason, of memory, of self-encouragement and rebuke, the inner dialogue that helps us with tough decisions or complicated problems. For others – voice-hearers, trauma-sufferers and prophets – the voices seem to come from outside: friendly
Kings & Queens of England and Scotland
This fascinating, full-colour book illustrates and describes all the English monarchs since Willian the Conqueror and all the Scottish monarchs since Robert the Bruce, right up to Queen Elizabeth II. Each spread features a family tree together with biographies of the monarchs and a description of key events of the period. A pull-out poster shows
Mr Selden`s Map of China: The Spice Trade, a Lost Chart & the South China Sea
In 1659, a vast and unusual map of China arrived in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It was bequeathed by John Selden, a London business lawyer, political activist, former convict, MP and the city`s first Orientalist scholar. Largely ignored, it remained in the bowels of the library, until called up by an inquisitive reader. When Timothy
Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations
Mary Beard is one of the world`s best-known classicists – a brilliant academic, with a rare gift for communicating with a wide audience both though her books and TV presenting. In a series of sparkling essays, she explores our rich classical heritage – from Greek drama to Roman jokes, introducing some larger-than-life characters of classical
Turned Out Nice Again
This is an exploration of our preoccupation with the weather, as heard on BBC Radi 3: Changing Climates. In his trademark style, Richard Mabey weaves together science, art and memoirs (including his own) to show the weather`s impact on our culture and national psyche. He rambles through the myths of Golden Summers and our persistent
