Earth Sciences, Geography & Environment Books

Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringThe Arctic is demanding global attention. It is warming, melting, and thawing in a manner that threatens fundamental state-change. For communities that call the Arctic ''home'' this is unwelcome. A warming Arctic brings with it the spectre of costly disruption and interference in indigenous lives and communal welfare. For others, the disappearance of sea ice makes the Arctic appear more accessible and less remote. This also brings with it dangers such as the prospect of a new era of great power rivalries involving China, Russia, and the United States. Submarine and long-range bomber patrolling are now commonplace. New terms such as ''global Arctic'' are being used to capture the dynamic of change while others muse about the ''return of a Cold War''.The reality is inevitably more complex. The physical geography of the Arctic is highly varied and variable. Environmental change brings opportunities for indigenous and non-indigenous life-forms to survive and even thrive. The Arctic''s four million people are not helpless pawns in a game of global geopolitics. The Arctic is not only a resource hotspot but also a place where sustainable energy systems are being introduced. A warming Arctic with less ice and permafrost is not unique in the longer history of the Earth either. The Arctic is a complex space. In this Very Short Introduction, Klaus Dodds and Jamie Woodward consider the major dimensions of the region and the linkages beyond - from the geopolitical to the environmental. They examine the causes, drivers, and effects of cultural, physical, political, and economic change, and ponder the future of the Arctic. As they show, it is a future which will affect us all.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThis book is an excellent introduction to the region and will appeal to almost every geographer. * Robert A. Francis, Progress in Physical Geography (2022) *This book will be of significant use to students and publics new to the Arctic. The authors have achieved exactly what is suggested by the title: a short but detailed introduction to the Arctic. Accessible and concise but comprehensive, tackling both physical and human Arctic worlds, The Arctic is a strong and necessary addition to the Very Short Introduction series. * Alice Oats, The Polar Journal *Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Arctic world Chapter 2: The physical environment Chapter 3: Arctic ecosystems Chapter 4: Peoples of the Arctic Chapter 5: Exploration and exploitation Chapter 6: Arctic governance Chapter 7: The Arctic carbon vault Chapter 8: Arctic futures

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Book SynopsisDiscover wholesome, sustainable, plant-based dishes in this essential cookbook, perfect for anyone looking to reduce their waste or cook more economically''Hearty, healthy, flavour-packed dishes'' MAIL ON SUNDAY''A uniquely sustainable and delicious approach to modern plant-based cooking'' VOGUE''The Whole Vegetable blew me away . . . Full of inventive waste-free recipes'' Tom Hunt, GUARDIAN_________Have you ever wondered how to make your diet truly eco-conscious?In this beautiful plant-based cookbook, over 130 simple, creative, planet-friendly recipes put vegetables at the very centre of your table. Embracing often-discarded parts such as leaves, stalks, tops, flowers, seeds and even peelings, this is cooking at its most sustainable and cost-effective.In The Whole Vegetable, Sophie Gordon shows us how to:- Cook with every part of every vegetable- Reduce waste in your cooking- Reinvent your leftovers- Eat with the seasonsFrom Cauliflower Carbonara, Broccoli Pesto and Chunky Pumpkin Tacos, to Cherry Breakfast Crumble, Maple-Roasted Pears and Apple & Walnut Danish Buns, The Whole Vegetable is packed with thoughtful recipes for every season.Most of all, it will ensure that nothing in your kitchen goes to waste._________''Creative, delicious, planet-friendly recipes . . . Teaches you how to put those often discarded parts of fruit and veg to good (and tasty) use'' Women''s Health''Wow, Sophie Gordon''s . . . The Whole Vegetable blew me away. I wonder if she is the next Anna Jones. A seasonal, plant-centric, whole food recipe book without ultra-processed vegan ingredients. The recipes are super-inventive and importantly waste free!'' Eco-Chef Tom Hunt''The Whole Vegetable heroes plant-based cookery, with recipes that also help reduce food waste in the kitchen and improve sustainable living. A worthwhile read'' Good HousekeepingTrade ReviewA uniquely sustainable and delicious approach to modern plant-based cooking * Vogue UK *Creative, delicious, planet-friendly recipes . . . What sets this vegan recipe book apart from other vegan cookbooks is that it teaches you how to put those often discarded parts of fruit and veg - such as, leaves, stalks, tops, flowers, seeds and peelings - to good (and tasty) use * Women's Health *The Whole Vegetable heroes plant-based cookery, with recipes that also help reduce food waste in the kitchen and improve sustainable living. A worthwhile read * Good Housekeeping *Wow, Sophie Gordan's new cookbook The Whole Vegetable blew me away. I wonder if she is the next Anna Jones. It is a seasonal, plant-centric, whole food recipe book without ultra-processed vegan ingredients. The recipes are super-inventive and importantly waste free! -- Eco-Chef Tom HuntA win for us and the planet * Women's Health *The Whole Vegetable blew me away . . . Full of inventive waste-free recipes -- Tom Hunt * Guardian *In The Whole Vegetable, Sophie Gordon demonstrates not only how to make filling, hearty vegan meals from scratch, but also how to eat seasonally, use every part of a vegetable, and give new life to plant-based leftovers * Vogue *Trying to eat a bit more consciously? This beautiful celebration of veggies from plant-based chef Sophie Gordon will help you on your green way * Sainsbury's Magazine *A collection of seasonal recipes celebrating veg in its entirety * Independent Daily Edition *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE TELEGRAPH BEST SPORTS WRITING AWARD 2021SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2021''One of the best books ever written about the early attempts to conquer Everest. A fine, fine slice of history by a truly special writer who proves time and time again that he is among the best of his generation'' Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets''A small classic of the biographer''s art'' Sunday TimesIn the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceived his own crazy, beautiful plan: he would fly a Gipsy Moth aeroplane from England to Everest, crash land on its lower slopes, then become the first person to reach its summit - all utterly alone. Wilson didn''t know how to climb. He barely knew how to fly. But he had pluck, daring and a vision - he wanted to be the first man to stand on top of the wTrade Review'Ed Caesar has written a slim, ravishing chronicle that is absolutely bursting with life - doomed romance, the dread of the battlefield, the lure of adventure, hair-raising tales of amateur aviation, and, above all, the beauty and madness of the quest to ascend Earth's tallest summit. Maurice Wilson is as rich and full of surprise and contradiction as a character in a novel, and through painstaking historical research, Caesar brings his hero back to vivid life in all his messy, inspiring, ultimately tragic glory. A major feat of reporting and elegant storytelling' -- Patrick Radden Keefe, author of the Orwell Prize-winning Say Nothing'The Moth and the Mountain is gripping and exquisite. A mad, magnificent, and moving tale' -- Philippe Sands, author of East West Street'Maurice Wilson was an amazing human being. Passionate, heroic, hilariously deluded, inspired, brave to the point of lunacy, determined, war damaged, lovelorn and gloriously unhinged. The Moth and the Mountain is a wonderful, elegiac account of an extraordinary life written with a wry, compassionate humour. It is clear that Ed Caesar loves his hero. I think I do too' -- Joe Simpson, author of Touching the Void'The adventurer Maurice Wilson was a forgotten figure until Ed Caesar's brilliantly written book restored him to his rightful place in the annals of exploration... Caesar's book received enormous praise on publication last year and rightly so. This splendid tale is every bit as exciting as any adventure novel and deeply moving' -- Alex Larman * Observer *'This bonkers ripping yarn of derring-don't is a hell of a ride ... scrupulously researched ... Maurice Wilson was a one-off, quite outside the ordinary run of people, and The Moth and the Mountain is a "sorry, beautiful, melancholy, crazy" tribute to a man who, like a leaf in autumn, burnt brightest just before he fell' -- John Self * The Times *'An urgent and humane story that invites not mockery of a madman, but pity and admiration. A small classic of the biographer's art' -- James McConnachie * The Sunday Times *'Caesar is a journalist with a novelist's eye for character ... Wilson's story is bonkers, but also beautiful. The profile Caesar builds is compelling, colourful and warm - of a complex, contradictory man with admirable self-belief and a healthy disregard for class boundaries and national borders' (Book of the Week) -- Sam Wollaston * Guardian *'A riveting tale of trauma, spiritual awakening and postwar derring-do ... a gem of a book ... meticulously researched' (Book of the Week) * Observer *'An outstanding book . . . The Moth and the Mountain returns readers to a romantic era when Everest was terra nova rather than an experience to be bought . . . the author, a contributing writer for the New Yorker, is a talented storyteller with a flair for detail. . . Wilson's story is an entry less in the annals of mountaineering than in the Book of Life. That such an extraordinary person even existed is cause for celebration' * Wall Street Journal *'A wonderful adventure story, beautifully told. Based on years of painstaking archival research, Ed Caesar's The Moth and the Mountain brings us a modern-day myth with a beguiling, impossible hero from a vanished era of empire, one man on an epic quest that is by turns gripping and heartbreaking' -- Adam Higginbotham, author of Midnight in Chernobyl'The Moth and the Mountain is a gripping story of heroism, adventure, madness and thwarted love, told with extraordinary empathy and intelligence. Ed Caesar is a writer of rare style and depth, and he has written a great and moving work of non-fiction' -- Mark O'Connell, Wellcome Book Prize-winning author of To Be a Machine and Notes from an Apocalypse'In the 1930s, an Englishman, Maurice Wilson - a traumatized veteran of the Great War - decided he would fly to Mount Everest, crash-land on the slopes and climb to the summit alone. (Never mind that he was a novice pilot and had never climbed a mountain.) It's not a spoiler to say that things didn't go well, but Caesar puts the man, and his quest, in historical context' -- New York Times, 'New Books to Watch Out For''An engrossing biography ... credit to Caesar for rescuing such a splendid tale of an engaging maverick from the footnotes of Everest history. * Spectator *'Praise is due to Ed Caesar for managing to tell this tale so well, because the sheer madness of Wilson's life would surely have thrown off all but the most sure-footed biographer. Caesar sets about it with fantastic energy and makes use of a marvellous collage of letters, diary entries, poetry, telegrams, interviews and archival iced gems. He is to be applauded for giving romantic, adamantine, lion-hearted Maurice Wilson his overdue day in the sun' -- Dan Richards * Literary Review *'Why climb the world's highest mountain? For King and Country; for the glory of God; because it is there. Or, as for Maurice Wilson, because of an unhappy love affair, a wartime trauma, and a longing to get away from a life whose values are measured at the cash register. In Ed Caesar's telling, the hapless, defiant Wilson becomes an unexpected hero - an unforgettable inspiration for anyone who chafes at the limits of ordinary life' -- Benjamin Moser. Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Sontag'Gripping at every turn ... it's impossible not to root for Wilson' * Outside *'Engagingly depicts Wilson and his times in ebullient and well-written prose ... a widely appealing and affecting character study, microhistory, story of love and loss, and inquiry into some surprising effects of trauma and personal tragedy' * Booklist *'Riveting... Caesar's biographical tale of Wilson rightly restores a footnoted figure of alpine history to the storied peaks of Mount Everest, where his body lays still today' * InsideHook *

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Book SynopsisAn optimistic exploration of how, through radical economic reform, the United Kingdom can prosper and flourish in the new global economyTrade Review“A rollicking (and highly readable) account of Britain’s remaining and undersung strengths in high technology, financial services, universities, pharmaceuticals and the creative industries”—Will Hutton, The Guardian ‘Book of the Day’ “A clearly argued case...There are many good ideas here and food for thought for politicians.”—Jonathan Portes, Financial World “In a wide-ranging and upbeat analysis, Alex Brummer paints an ambitious outlook for the UK.”—Christine Shields, 'Reading Room' for The Society of Professional Economists "Brummer provides an inspiring list of reasons to be optimistic about British business."—John Kay, co-author of Radical Uncertainty "Thank goodness for Alex Brummer, someone who closely follows what is happening in the bowels of British business and brings back a mainly uplifting account of the dynamic and innovative core that will see the country prospering in the post-Brexit era."—David Goodhart, author of Head, Hand, Heart "Alex Brummer’s powerful vision of a positive post-Brexit UK future is heartening – but as he himself acknowledges, it depends on singlemindedly protecting, building on and enhancing current strengths. I hope for all our sakes that this can indeed be done."—Vicky Pryce, former Joint Head, UK Government Economic Service

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Book SynopsisOn 8 March 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. The ships, some nearly five hundred feet long, were under the command of Emperor Zhu Di''s loyal eunuch admirals. Their mission was ''to proceed all the way to the end of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas'' and unite the world in Confucian harmony. Their journey would last for over two years and take them around the globe but by the time they returned home, China was beginning its long, self-imposed isolation from the world it had so recently embraced. And so the great ships were left to rot and the records of their journey were destroyed. And with them, the knowledge that the Chinese had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan, reached America seventy years before Columbus, and Australia three hundred and fifty years before Cook...The result of fifteen years research, 1421 is Gavin Menzies'' enthralling account of the voyage of the Chinese fleet, the reTrade ReviewMenzies has come up with something entirely new... it is a startling claim * Guardian *Exhaustively researched... an intriguing and highly persuasive thesis, told with passion and energy * Evening Standard *Popular history at its best * The Times *A book as engrossing as any adventure story * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisIn this richly visual narrative, acclaimed historian Susan Schulten explores five centuries of American history through maps. From the voyages of European discovery to the digital age, she reveals the many ways that maps have shaped history.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. 1490-1600: Contact and Discovery 2. 1600-1700: Early Settlement and a Quest for a Northwestern Passage 3. 1700-1783: Imperialism and Independence 4. 1783-1835: A Nation Realized 5. 1837-1874: Expansion, Fragmentation and Reunification 6. 1874-1914: Industrialization and its Discontents 7. 1914-1940: Prosperity, Depression, Reform 8. 1940-1962: Between War and Abundance 9. 1962-2001: An Unsettled Peace

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Book SynopsisA social, economic, planning, and global historyTrade ReviewWelwyn Garden City was the product of a distinctively British approach to urban reform that laid the foundation for a human-scaled urbanism of international importance. This authoritative and accessible book embeds this pedigree within a remarkably wide-ranging social history that acknowledges the contributions and voices of the community that called it home. -- Rob Freestone

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Book SynopsisWritten by an award-winning historian of science and technology, Planet in Peril describes the top four mega-dangers facing humankind climate change, nukes, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. It outlines the solutions that have been tried, and analyzes why they have thus far fallen short. These four existential dangers present a special kind of challenge that urgently requires planet-level responses, yet today''s international institutions have so far failed to meet this need. The book lays out a realistic pathway for gradually modifying the United Nations over the coming century so that it can become more effective at coordinating global solutions to humanity''s problems. Neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but pragmatic and constructive, the book explores how to move past ideological polarization and global political fragmentation. Unafraid to take intellectual risks, Planet in Peril sketches a plausible roadmap toward a safer, more democratic future for us all.Trade Review'The term 'existential threat' may be overused by those who explore global governance; but it undoubtedly describes climate change and pandemics, two of the four mega-dangers that preoccupy Michael Bess in Planet in Peril. It is hard to believe that international cooperation remains a tough sell in 2022. Imagine: global problems require global solutions! Bess spells out concrete, and hopefully doable, steps toward overcoming polarization and fragmentation. Let's hope he's right.' Thomas G. Weiss, CUNY Graduate Center'We are threatened by our own cleverness, and it is easy to get paranoid. This book, by one of our best historians of science and technology, offers a sane, balanced, and deeply informed look at the major threats and lays out a rational way forward.' Donald Worster, author of Shrinking the Earth and A Passion for Nature'In Planet in Peril, Michael Bess brings his singular voice, intellectual courage, and good judgment to bear on the four mega-dangers facing humankind – climate change, nuclear weapons, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. He avoids the simplistic thinking that characterizes too much of the public debate on these issues and offers insightful, viable solutions. It is one of those rare books that is both a joy to read and a roadmap for solving daunting problems.' Michael Vandenbergh, Vanderbilt University'Written in vivid prose and combining history, science, technology, and politics in reflection and analysis, Planet in Peril offers a single explanatory framework for understanding these seemingly disparate challenges, sketching a plausible roadmap toward a safer, more democratic future for us all.' Josh Hamel, Chapter 16, a Publication of Humanities TennesseeTable of Contents1. Introduction; Part I. Existential Threats: The Four Most Pressing Dangers Facing Humankind: 2. Fossil fuels and climate change; 3. Nukes for war and peacetime; 4. Pandemics, natural or bioengineered; 5. Artificial intelligence: extreme reward and risk; Part II. Strategies and Obstacles: The Solutions We Need, and What's Preventing them from Being Realized: 6. How to beat climate change; 7. Wise governance for nukes and pandemics: where to go faster and where to slow down; 8. Controlling things vs. controlling agents: the challenge of high-level AI 160; 9. The international dimension: where every solution stumbles; Prologue to Parts III, IV, and V: Does history have a direction? Hegel, Smith, Darwin; Part III. Sensible Steps for Today's World: Powerful Measures we Can Implement Right Away: 10. Do it now: five points of leverage; 11. Constructive moves on the international front for the next 25 years; 12. Breaking the political logjam; 13. Lessons from the green movement: how to build lasting change in the absence of full consensus; Part IV. The Middle-Term Goal: New International Tools for the Late 21st Century: 14. A promising track record: the dramatic growth of international institutions and networks since 1900; 15. How to escape the sovereignty trap: lessons and limitations of the EU Model; 16. Taking the UN up a notch: planet-level solutions for the year 2100; 17. The other path to 2100: ruthless competition, fingers crossed; Part V. The Long-Term Goal: Envisioning a Mature System of Global Governance for the 22nd Century: 18. Global government in a world of democracies and dictatorships: what it might look like in 2150; 19. Keeping the system accountable and fair; 20. Collective military security and economic sanctions: how to handle rogues, cheaters, and fanatics; 21. What could go wrong?; 22. Conclusion.

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Book Synopsis__________________ Our Earth is more beautiful and more diverse than we can possibly conceive of. The Book of Vanishing Species is a stunning homage to the planet’s most mysterious, bizarre and wondrous creatures and plants. Their stories are captivating, from the eyeless and tiny dragonlike olm to the hawksbill turtle, whose gender will be determined by the temperature of the sand it is born in. These species may have survived for hundreds of thousands of years by cleverly adapting to their environments, but their future remains far from certain. The book brings to life red cranes as they dance and bow for the sheer joy of movement, trees that breathe out a haze of misty atmosphere for insects that only feast on one kind of flower, a deep-ocean snail quietly building its shell from iron... and each one of them is illuminated with an exquisite illustration. As you turn the pages, there emerges a network of life that stretches across and around the planet in a dazzling web of existence. This is both a love letter to life on Earth, and an urgent summons to protect what is precious and lovely in this world. Trade Review‘Bea Forshall’s images make the heart sing, but her beautiful, revelatory text also makes one weep. From dung beetles to lemurs, we may lose these extraordinary creatures. Forshall makes us fall in love with them, all over again. Let’s hope, to stir us into action, so these wonders don’t join the ranks of dodos and Tasmanian tigers' * Isabella Tree *'This wonderful book, with Beatrice Forshall's superb engravings, serves to remind us of the wonder and beauty of some of the species that may disappear for ever unless we take action to save them - now and before it is too late' * Dr Jane Goodall *'Through her prose and illustrations, Forshall makes a passionate case for protecting each and every one of these species' * The Times *'Forshall might not have a scientific background, but her poetic, human perspective and unique artistry are incredibly moving... The Book of Vanishing Species is both a celebration of our world and an urgent call to action' * BBC Wildlife Magazine *'Forshall's synthesis of artisanal craft, the artist’s eye and the sensibilities of an idealistic yet clear eyed environmentalist…is thrilling' * Sir Tim Smit *'Beatrice draws you into the sublime wonder of the Brazil nut tree, snakes head fritillary or the albatross and then, with gentle frankness enlightens you on their plight. Somehow it left me feeling more motivated, not just devastated, which is a testament to the skill of the author' * Geetie Singh-Watson *'As well as a beautiful celebration, this book is a call to arms' * Chloë Ashby *'Our disappearing flora and fauna are lovingly described and wittily illustrated in Beatrice Forshall's homage to what we are about to lose' * Daunts Books *

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Book Synopsis'A dazzlingly original picture of our relentlessly mobile species’ NAOMI KLEIN ‘Fascinating . . . Likely to prove prophetic in the coming months and years’ OBSERVER ‘A dazzling tour through 300 years of scientific history’ PROSPECT 'A hugely entertaining, life-affirming and hopeful hymn to the glorious adaptability of life on earth' SCOTSMAN __________________ We are surrounded by stories of people on the move. Wild species, too, are escaping warming seas and desiccated lands in a mass exodus. Politicians and the media present this upheaval of migration patterns as unprecedented, blaming it for the spread of disease and conflict, and spreading anxiety across the world as a result. But the science and history of migration in animals, plants, and humans tell a different story. Far from being a disruptive behaviour, migration is an ancient and lifesaving response to environmental change, a biological imperative as necessary as breathing. Climate changes triggered the first human migrations out of Africa. Falling sea levels allowed our passage across the Bering Sea. Unhampered by borders, migration allowed our ancestors to people the planet, into the highest reaches of the Himalayan Mountains and the most remote islands of the Pacific, disseminating the biological, cultural and social diversity that ecosystems and societies depend upon. In other words, migration is not the crisis – it is the solution. __________________ Tracking the history of misinformation from the 18th century through to today’s anti-immigration policies, The Next Great Migration makes the case for a future in which migration is not a source of fear, but of hope.Trade ReviewThis fascinating study debunks false narratives about immigration and finds that, in common with other species, the urge to move is written in our genes . . . This book – a wandering narrative about why people wander – is likely to prove equally prophetic in the coming months and years, since it asks two questions that are already shaping our geopolitics: what causes human beings to migrate? And is such mass movement beneficial to more settled communities and nations? -- Book of the Week * Observer *Shah [tackles] with compassion and insight a deeply complex and challenging subject . . . Shah effectively shows that understanding human migration is fundamentally an intersectional problem, incorporating race, ethnicity, religion, gender, class, economic inequality, politics, nationalism, colonialism and health, not to mention genetics, evolution, ecology, geography, climate, climate change and even plate tectonics . . . Her work addresses issues of fundamental importance to the survival and well-being of us all * New York Times Book Review *A deeply researched and counterintuitive history . . . [Anti-immigration] arguments may indeed be hollow but they spread their spores nonetheless: we need books such as this to expose them * Guardian *Sonia Shah’s life-affirming celebration of migration is an antidote to the naysayers . . . A hugely entertaining, life-affirming and hopeful hymn to the glorious adaptability of life on earth. Always, the argument is threaded through with delicious descriptions of the natural world and its endless mobility, from butterflies to hungry bears . . . [Shah’s] luminous love for this changing world is surely a far better guide, as we face an uncertain future, than the dreary fear-mongering and lies of those she condemns . . . A rich measure of gaiety, humour, and hope * Scotsman *A book that captivates on many levels . . . Part travel journal, part reportage, part investigative journalism, it’s a work impeccably researched but heartfelt and driven by eloquent descriptive storytelling . . . Shah takes the reader on a fascinating kaleidoscopic historical and geographical journey . . . Fascinating, and extremely well written, this is a book of our times * Herald *An examination of relocation in all its forms – human and wild – in the context of impending climate-related disruption. Shah delves into the origins of anti-immigrant rhetoric and unpicks the notion of a static world . . . It’s a dazzling tour through 300 years of scientific history . . . Engrossing * Prospect Magazine *Illuminating . . . This work's beguiling synergy of science, history, and contemporary politics is impressive enough, but it is this intuitive author's captivating narration that makes this such a bracingly intelligent and important title * Booklist *Shah convincingly argues that politicians against immigration distort and misuse data to create unnecessary and cruel barriers, [and that] we must face the inevitable: our social, political and ecological world is changing substantially. The altered communities that result won’t just be different, they’ll often be better adapted to thrive in our warming world * Nature *An incisive examination of migration, which she considers a phenomenon both biological and cultural . . . A scientifically sophisticated, well-considered contribution to the literature of movement and environmental change * Kirkus Reviews *In this striking look at a planet on the move, Sonia Shah provides a bold new way of looking at the ecological and political turbulence of our time - a vision that is as full of hope as it is of understanding -- Charles C. Mann, New York Times bestselling author of '1491'Could hardly be more timely . . . A lively, rigorously researched and highly informative read -- Praise for 'Pandemic' * Wall Street Journal *Grounded, bracingly intelligent . . . Lucidly layers history into a tour of transmission hotspots, from incubators of ‘spillover’ animal-borne illnesses such as China’s wild-animal markets to globalized transport and hyperdense cities -- Praise for 'Pandemic' * Nature *

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Book SynopsisAs seen on Oprah's Book Club! The #1 New Zealand Bestseller! Discover how to live a happier life - simple, traditional wisdom for difficult modern times.Aroha is an ancient Maori word and way of thinking. Maori psychiatrist Dr Hinemoa Elder explores how Aroha can help us all by sharing 52 thought-provoking whakatauki, traditional Maori life lessons - one for each week of the year.Discover how we can all find greater contentment and kindness for ourselves, each other and our world by understanding how we might invite the values of Aroha into our daily lives.Ki te kotahi te kakaho ka whati, ki te kapuia, e kore e whati.When we stand alone we are vulnerable but together we are unbreakable.

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Book SynopsisDiscover Mya-Rose Craig's moving and life-affirming memoir about family, searching for rare birds, and the power of our natural world.'Lyrical, poignant and insightful' MARGARET ATWOOD (on Twitter)'Filled with hope and energy' GuardianIn her memoir, Mya-Rose Craig and her family travel the world in search of rare birds and astonishing landscapes. But a shadow moves with them, too - her mother's deepening mental health crisis. In the face of this struggle, the Craigs turn to nature again and again, and every time it offers joy and stillness.On these journeys, Mya-Rose also witnesses the inequality and destruction we are inflicting on our fragile planet. And so, through the simple, mindful act of looking for birds, she becomes ever more determined to campaign for all our survival.'A delightful account of a young life devoted to birding - and the fight to save birds and the places they live' Stephen Moss* Winner of a Somerset Maugham Award ** Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing ** Longlisted for the Jhalak Prize *Trade ReviewLyrical, poignant and insightful. -- Margaret Atwood, author of THE HANDMAID'S TALEMya-Rose Craig has done more than anyone to promote birding and environmental issues to young people from all backgrounds - especially women of colour - and deserves our admiration and praise. -- Stephen Moss, author of THE ROBINMya-Rose's passion and dedication for the causes she believes in are testament to what we humans can achieve when we are at our best. -- Liz Bonnin, President of the Wildlife TrustCraig manages to capture so vividly what birds mean to her and her family... filled with hope and energy. * Guardian *Reads like a cross between a travel diary, an ornithologist's guide and a thriller. * The Times *

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Book SynopsisAs the world's climate changes, this timely book explains what we should be planting in our outdoor spaces.

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Book SynopsisSeeker: A Sea Odyssey is the story of two people who meet in Mexico and fall in love. Rita is an American part-time English language teacher and freelance reporter for an English language tourist magazine struggling to raise two young boys on her own. Bernard is a French geologist under contract to the Mexican government to search for underground thermal springs. She dreams of finding Shangri-la after witnessing a bloody government crackdown from which she barely escapes. He dreams of having a yacht and sailing the world. Their dreams mesh, and they immigrate to Canada to earn the money to build their boat.

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2016 Charles Foster wanted to know what it was like to be a beast: a badger, an otter, a deer, a fox, a swift. What it was really like. And through knowing what it was like he wanted to get down and grapple with the beast in us all. So he tried it out; he lived life as a badger for six weeks, sleeping in a dirt hole and eating earthworms, he came face to face with shrimps as he lived like an otter and he spent hours curled up in a back garden in East London and rooting in bins like an urban fox. A passionate naturalist, Foster realises that every creature creates a different world in its brain and lives in that world. As humans, we share sensory outputs, lights, smells and sound, but trying to explore what it is actually like to live in another of these worlds, belonging to another species, is a fascinating and unique neuro-scientific challenge. For Foster it is also a literary challenge. Looking at what science can tell us about what happens in a fox's or badger's brain when it picks up a scent, he then uses this to imagine their world for us, to write it through their eyes or rather through the eyes of Charles the beast. An intimate look at the life of animals, neuroscience, psychology, nature writing, memoir and more, it is a journey of extraordinary thrills and surprises, containing wonderful moments of humour and joy, but also providing important lessons for all of us who share life on this precious planet.Trade ReviewTranscendentally eccentric nature writing of the first order. Charles Foster digs deep under the skin of other animals, uncovering gems of wisdom that our usually superficial gaze will otherwise miss -- Hugh WarwickGleefully lascivious in its physical curiosity, Being a Beast advocates for our highest animality by expanding our sensory intelligence. A flabbergasting, thunderstriking, stupendous, brilliant book -- Jay GriffithsThrilling, brilliant, bonkers... a strange kind of masterpiece: the song of a satyr, perhaps, or nature writing as extreme sport. * Financial Times *Charles Foster's chronicle of the sensory lives of beasts and his own forays into self re-wilding is like nothing you have ever read. Deeply serious and at times laugh-out-loud funny, this is an extraordinary book. -- Caspar HendersonUnimaginably different from any book you have ever read - an exploration of our deep kinship with animals that is thought-provoking, funny and full of adventure all at once, brilliantly written, and sparkling with ideas -- Iain McGilchristFoster is funny and profound and his empathic mission shows our kinship with other species -- Patrick Barkham * Guardian *Extraordinary... very funny... Foster is well read and writes beautifully. * The Sunday Times *A wild and whimsical memoir. * The Times *Takes nature writing to new levels... his work is a triumph. -- Kate Green * Country Life *Very funny... hones senses long neglected... Mr Foster is the real thing, going truly feral and in the process discovering a whole new world. It is not a midlife crisis so much as a lifelong passion. * Economist *Funny, exuberant and courageous, nudging closer and closer to how it might feel to enter the non-human world. * Guardian, readers' BOTY 2016 *

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Book SynopsisThe Countries of the World in Minutes is the quickest way to understand the modern world and every country in it.For each of the 195 officially recognised countries of the world, a mini-essay clearly and concisely explains its key history, characteristics and social and political structures. Alongside, an outline map shows each country's global location, main geographic features and capital city, whilst a table of essential data details its population, political system, languages, major religions, currency, gross domestic product, main industries, and much more.Illustrated with 195 up-to-date country maps.

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Book SynopsisDespite the 1989 global ivory trade ban, poaching and ivory smuggling have not abated. More than half of Tanzania's elephants have been killed for their ivory since 2007. A similarly alarming story can be told of the herds in northern Mozambique and across swathes of central Africa. But why the new upsurge? The popular narrative blames a meeting of two evils - criminal poaching and terrorism. But the answer is not that simple.Since ancient times, large-scale killing of elephants for their tusks has been driven by demand beyond Africa's range states from the Egyptian pharaohs through the industrialising West to the new wealthy business class of China. Elephant hunting in Africa is also governed by human-elephant conflict, traditional hunting practices and the impact of colonial exploitation and criminalisation.Ivory follows this complex history of the tusk trade in Africa, and explains why it is corruption, crime and politics, rather than insurgency, that we should worry about. In this ground-breaking work, Somerville argues that regulation - not prohibition - of the ivory trade is the best way to stop uncontrolled poaching.Trade Review'Part historical overview, part polemic and call for policy change, [Keith's] book is dedicated not only to those who gave or risk their lives to conserve elephants but also to "those who have the courage to question the ruling orthodoxy" that burnings and bans save elephants. The author's own appetite for questioning - from the "flexible meanings" of the word "poaching" to the high ideals and more nuanced realities of NGOs' work - makes for informative reading.' * Times Higher Education *'[A] meticulously documented record of an economic activity that has spanned millennia . . . Somerville has made a valuable contribution towards documenting the history of the ivory trade.' -- The Times Literary Supplement'Combating elephant poaching in Africa has become an international priority, attracting Hilary Clinton, Jackie Chan and Prince Harry to its cause. Drawing on decades of experience as a seasoned journalist, Keith Somerville eloquently writes about the politics of ivory poaching in Africa and shows why we should care.' * Dr Alex Vines OBE, Head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House and Senior Lecturer at Coventry University *'Keith Somerville has written a pioneering study in the field of wildlife conservation. Based on a formidable list of sources, the argument is well constructed and superbly expressed. The text will prove an invaluable guide to both scholars and those engaged in the struggle to preserve an asset of incomparable value.' * Professor Jack Spence OBE, Kings College London *'This is an urgently-needed book that strips away the myths around the fast-changing scene of ivory poaching. For this task there is nobody better than Keith Somerville, who has kept a beady eye on Africa for many years.' * Jasper Humphreys, Director of External Relations, The Marjan Centre for the Study of Conflict and the Non Human Sphere, Department of War Studies, King's College, London *'Somerville's analysis of the booming ivory trade under colonial rule is masterly: more firearms, more organized trading, and greater demand for ivory in the West meant escalated killing. He shows the more pernicious, lasting effect to be the alienation of indigenous people from control over wildlife, which happened when British game officials banned Africans from hunting while encouraging white trophy pursuers.' * Robert Eagan, Library Journal *'[A] devastating and majestic history of the supply chain from Africa. […] Somerville has produced the best academic account to date of the history of the supply side of this catastrophic trade.' * Joanna Lewis, Africa at LSE blog *'This excellent book clearly captures the reasons for killing elephants in Africa, and the perils we face in trying to save them. The historical and political dimensions of the phenomenon are often under-stated, but here corruption is shown to be at the heart of the ivory trade, and human conflicts have provided the arena in which large-scale corruption takes place.' * Lucy Vigne, ivory and rhino horn researcher *'This thoroughly researched volume delves into intricate detail regarding the historical and current status of elephants and ivory trading. An excellent addition to an advanced course or seminar on conservation biology, sustainable use, or wildlife policy.' -- CHOICE

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of the key aspects of life on Earth – now and in the future – through the study of 10 and a half species. 'Entertaining and intellectually stimulating... The book highlights the wonderfully interconnected nature of our fragile planet. If you want big science at an accessible scale, this is for you' BBC Wildlife If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking premise of Marianne Taylor's The Story of Life in 10½ Chapters. Each life form explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly dominates that vision. Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life beyond our world. She investigates the virus in an attempt to determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human – 'a distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view of life' – could evolve in a new direction. She tells us that the giraffe was one species, but is now four; that the dusky seaside sparrow may be revived through 're-evolution', or cloning; explains the significance of Darwin's finch to evolution; and much more. The 'half' species is artificial intelligence. Itself an experiment to understand and model life, AI is central to our future – although from the alien visitor's standpoint, unlikely to inherit the earth in the long run.Trade ReviewOutstanding work... Taylor's writing is concise and accessible to a wide audience, while the book's vibrant, attractive layout, filled with beautiful illustrations, adds luster to the text. This rich survey of the long evolution of life on Earth will keep readers focused and fascinated' * Publishers Weekly *Taylor draws the reader in, not only with her species selection and detailed science, but also by means of colourful diagrams and photographs... Throughout the book is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating... The book highlights the wonderfully interconnected nature of our fragile planet. If you want big science at an accessible scale, this is for you' * BBC Wildlife *

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Book SynopsisLooking back over 75 years of angling in Lancashire and other areas

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Book SynopsisA WATERSTONES NATURE AND TRAVEL BEST BOOK OF 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 HIGHLAND BOOK PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT NATURE WRITING PRIZE 2023''Modern, revealing and restorative, a coastal treasure'' Amy Liptrot''Like its talismanic title, Huband''s voice is distinct and singular. A gorgeous reckoning with the sea, islands and mythology'' Sinéad Gleeson''A wild melding of body and landscape. A deep, immersive, storm-tossed read'' Helen Jukes''As vital and complex as the oceans themseleves'' Joanna PocockA powerful journey of sea and self, trial and hope on the islands of ShetlandOn the storm-tossed beaches of the Shetland Archipelago, Sally Huband is searching. A message in a bottle, a mermaid's purse, a lobster trap tag, each find connects her more deeply with our oceans. But it is Sally's quest for a fabled sea bean that unlocks the myths of these islands and carries her

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Book SynopsisWhy does water always take a winding course in streams and rivers? Do common principles and rhythms underlie its movement - whether it be in the sea, in a plant, or even in the blood of a human being? In this seminal and thought-provoking work, the laws apparent in the subtle patterns of water in movement are shown to be the same as those perceptible in the shaping of bones, muscles and a myriad of other forms in nature. Fully illustrated, Sensitive Chaos reveals the unifying forces that underlie all living things. The author observes and explains such phenomena as the flight of birds, the formation of internal organs such as the heart, eye and ear, as well as mountain ranges and river deltas, weather and space patterns, and even the formation of the human embryo. A perennial bestseller since publication, Sensitive Chaos is an essential book for anyone interested in the mysteries of life on earth.Trade Review"So movingly and well told is his tale that you will not want to put the book down until the end." - James Lovelock "...Theodor Schwenk is a seminal exponent of an alternative reading of nature... To study this book is a transforming experience in which meaning and beauty are restored to our world..." - Kathleen Raine

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Book SynopsisEssential reading ... signposts to sustain an activist's heart ... Rob Hopkins, co-founder of Transition Network

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Book SynopsisSnowdonia has a great story to tell, of ancient oceans, mountains, volcanoes and climate change. The mountain landscape of Snowdonia is the result of everything that has happenend to it over geological time - the product of the ancient landscapes that went before it, fragments of which are preserved by rocks and landforms within the present landscape, providing clues of a forgotten past that can be read as you appreciate Snowdonia's wild beauty. The present landscape has also been shaped by the people that have worked the land and exploited its minerals.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThrough examining more than 120 organizations on a global scale, this work shows how almost every human expression involves performing culture. Atlas of Performing Culture is an illustrated voyage across five continents Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas involving the study of venues and events related to performance, the dynamic and unrepeatable mode of artistic activity capable of uniting the audience who becomes the protagonist with artists and works of art, architecture, and nature. The volume is organized around five thematic sections related to the physical spaces, venues, and typologies of events. The unique experience of performing art can involve an island museum in Japan, the Rio Carnival, a Brussels theatrical debut, a rave party in the British countryside, and a cultural center housed in a former funeral home in the outskirts of Paris. Alongside theaters, concert halls, and festivals, we also find museums, sculpture parks, and hybrid cultural centers that elude any attempt of cataloging. By breaking down the traditional frontiers between performance art, visual art, and performing arts, this volume takes the reader whether specialist, practitioner, academic, or simply art aficionado on a journey to some of the main cultural sites and performative experiences around the world. Each section offers a specific overview into leading cultural organizations, as well as a selection of similar international institutions.

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Book SynopsisFreshwater is our planet's most precious resource — essential for life itself. Despite this fact, many people across our planet face difficulties finding safe, clean, potable water. A U.S. State Department report contends that the world's thirst for water may become a human security crisis by 2040. The World Bank reports many developing nations face catastrophe from intensive irrigation, urbanization, and deteriorating infrastructure. Also, numerous reports contend that in many places un-treated wastewater is still released directly into the environment. This is particularly true in low-income countries, which on average treat less than 10% of their wastewater discharges.In short, we face three imminent challenges regarding freshwater: (1) demands by agriculture, cities, industry, and energy production are increasing; (2) severe pollution from various contaminants and growing withdrawals are limiting the capacity of waterways to dilute contaminants — threatening human and aquatic life; and, (3) climate change will cause periods of frequent and severe droughts — punctuated by acute periods of flooding.The goal of this book is to illuminate how the governance of freshwater is a political, social, economic, cultural, and ecological challenge. The management and provision of water are not merely technical problems whose resolution hinges on hydrological principle, cost, or engineering feasibility. They are products of decisions made by governments, businesses, and interest groups that exercise control over who has access to water, how they use it, and in what condition they receive it. It discusses basic knowledge about water supply and quality; the evolution of water policy in different societies; the importance of water to human and environmental health; the role of law, politics, and markets in its allocation, use, and protection; and, the importance of ethics in its equitable provision.

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Book SynopsisProfessor David B. Grant was Professor of Supply Chain Management & Social Responsibility, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland and Bua Luang ASEAN Chair Professor, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand. He has over 175 publications and participates in editorial boards for numerous journals. Professor Chee Yew Wong is Chair of Supply Chain Management at Leeds University Business School, UK. He has extensive consultancy experience in operations, purchasing, production, inventory and distribution management. Dr Alexander Trautrims is a Lecturer in Supply Chain and Operations Management at Nottingham University Business School, UK. His research focuses on sourcing, compliance and supply issues.Trade Review"Publication of the latest edition of Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management is timely. The authors bring their unrivalled expertise to this thorough and holistic exploration of sustainability across business networks. This new edition is essential reading for business managers and students alike." * Professor Edward Sweeney, Head of Operations Management and Logistics, Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University *"If you are looking for a book to inspire you and at the same time have the latest information on Sustainable logistics and SCM, this is the book to read. The authors have managed to capture the essence of logistics and SCM and at the same time add the new perspectives needed to understand how to deal and cope with the challenges posed on businesses in times of crisis. I certainly hope that this book will reach an even broader audience as sustainability and topics addressed here are even more important in the future." * Karen Spens, Rector at BI Norwegian Business School *"This is a great book offering a wide range of topic from transport and logistics to supply chain strategy. Even more important, sustainability is not discussed as an add on, but is central to the presentation of all topics, giving the book a clear competitive advantage." * Professor Dr. Stefan Seuring, Professor of Supply Chain Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Kassel, Germany *Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction; Chapter - 01: Logistics and supply chain management; Chapter - 02: Science of sustainability; Chapter - 03: Freight transport; Chapter - 04: Sustainable warehousing; Chapter - 05: Product design, cleaner production and packaging; Chapter - 06: Sustainable purchasing and procurement; Chapter - 07: Reverse logistics and recycling; Chapter - 08: Risk, resilience and corporate social responsibility; Chapter - 09: Sustainable logistics and supply chain management strategy

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Book SynopsisA radically thought-provoking account of a major shift in how we understand our Earth, not simply as an inanimate planet on which life evolved, but rather as a planet that came to life.''Poetic, engaging, lucid'' The Times Literary Supplement''Wide-ranging and thought-provoking'' The Guardian''Full of mind-bending conceptual twists, and wonderful characters'' Ed Yong, author of An Immense WorldThe notion of a living world is one of humanity's oldest beliefs. Though once scorned by many scientists, the concept of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. Life not only adapts to its surroundings it also shapes them in dramatic and enduring ways. Over billions of years, life transformed a lump of orbiting rock into our cosmic oasis, breathing oxygen into the atmosphere, concocting the modern oceans, and turning rock into fertile soil. Life is intertwined with Earth's capacity to regulate its climate and maintain balance.Through compelling narrative, evocative descriptions, and lucid explanations, in Becoming Earth Ferris Jabr shows us how Earth became the world we've known, how it is rapidly becoming a very different world, and how we will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come.''Fascinating, thought-provoking, and, ultimately, inspiring'' Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2020 Australian Prime Minister's Literary Award for nonfiction and the 2019 NSW Premier''s History Awards for general historyWonderfully researched and beautifully written' Philip Hoare, author of LeviathanSucceeds in conjuring a lost world' Dava Sobel, author ofLongitudeFor more than a millennium, Polynesians have occupied the remotest islands in the Pacific Ocean, a vast triangle stretching from Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island. Until the arrival of European explorers they were the only people to have ever lived there. Both the most closely related and the most widely dispersed people in the world before the era of mass migration, Polynesians can trace their roots to a group of epic voyagers who ventured out into the unknown in one of the greatest adventures in human history.How did the earliest Polynesians find and colonise these far-flung islands? How did a people without writing or metal tools conquer the largest ocean in the world? This conundrum, which came tTrade Review‘I loved this book. I found Sea People the most intelligent, empathic, engaging, wide-ranging, informative, and authoritative treatment of Polynesian mysteries that I have ever read. Christina Thompson’s gorgeous writing arises from a deep well of research and succeeds in conjuring a lost world’ Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and The Glass Universe ‘To those of the western hemisphere, the Pacific represents a vast unknown, almost beyond our imagining; for its Polynesian island peoples, this fluid, shifting place is home. Christina Thompson’s wonderfully researched and beautifully written narrative brings these two stories together, gloriously and excitingly. Filled with teeming grace and terrible power, her book is a vibrant and revealing new account of the watery part of our world’ Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan ‘A compelling story, beautifully told, the best exploration narrative I’ve read in years’ Richard Rhodes, author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb ‘Fascinating and satisfying’ Simon Winchester, author of The Map that Changed the World ‘Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Polynesia, the Pacific, or the spread of humanity around the globe’ Jack Weatherford, author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World ‘Christina Thompson…is perhaps ideally placed to try to answer the question [of Polynesian origins] – and in Sea People, her fascinating and satisfying addition to an already considerable body of Polynesian literature, she succeeds admirably’ New York Times Book Review ‘Compelling… These pages will unleash the imagination [and] spark insight’ National Geographic ‘Superb. . . . An illuminating read for amateur sleuths and professional scholars alike’ Spectator

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Book SynopsisThe world is in the midst of a storm that has shaped the history of modernity along a double fracture: on the one hand, an environmental fracture driven by a technocratic and capitalist civilization that led to the ongoing devastation of the Earth’s ecosystems and its human and non-human communities and, on the other, a colonial fracture instilled by Western colonization and imperialism that resulted in racial slavery and the domination of indigenous peoples and women in particular. In this important new book, Malcom Ferdinand challenges this double fracture, thinking from the Caribbean world. Here, the slave ship reveals the inequalities that continue during the storm: some are shackled inside the hold and even thrown overboard at the first gusts of wind. Drawing on empirical and theoretical work in the Caribbean, Ferdinand conceptualizes a decolonial ecology that holds protecting the environment together with the political struggles against (post)colonial domination, structural racism, and misogynistic practices. Facing the storm, this book is an invitation to build a world-ship where humans and non-humans can live together on a bridge of justice and shape a common world. It will be of great interest to students and scholars in environmental humanities and Latin American and Caribbean studies, as well as anyone interested in ecology, slavery, and (de)colonization.Trade Review“Malcom Ferdinand brilliantly breaks away from the spider web of canonical ecological narratives and arguments. The wrongdoing of modernity is diagnosed from the decolonial Caribbean experience of coloniality. Decolonial Ecology reveals – through the power of storytelling – that the sacralization of reason, statistics, and mega-data has prevented us from realizing that ecological and colonial problems cannot be solved within the blindness of the Western modernity that created the problems.”Walter D. Mignolo, author of The Politics of Decolonial Investigations “This book is a powerful political and scholarly statement that exposes, in order to undermine, reductive enframings of modernity that themselves sustain epistemological barriers between groups that should be on the same side. Its richest contributions lie in the Caribbean-inspired, creolised deployment of political concepts, and of thinkers such as Hannah Arendt, Henry David Thoreau, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. For example, Ferdinand spends considerable time building the conceptual framework of “the Maroon” from the history and modern-day descendants of escaped slaves – people who rejected their oppression and had to live off the land and forge a new creolised culture and identity in the mountains – to build a fresh ecological political theory of freedom. […] The book is a provocation to those thinkers who stress the importance of thinking about the environment through the perspective of geological time, which is a temporal horizon that considers the details of events like colonialism to be insignificant on a planetary scale. Ferdinand’s work is a vehement rejection of that move, an insistence that any thought about modernity’s “crisis” must start with the racist and ecocidal violence of colonialism that created it.”Grace Garland, Environmental Politics "Ferdinand’s Decolonial Ecology contributes to a rich history of anti-colonial Afro-Caribbean philosophy, cements Caribbean values within the global environmental justice movement, and speaks to the struggles of marginalised people around the world as they attempt to shape a world that includes their own visions for the future."Environmental ValuesTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsIndex of ShipsAcknowledgementsForeword – Angela DavisProloguePart 1: The Modern Tempest: Environmental Violence and Colonial RupturesChapter 1: Colonial Inhabitation: An Earth without a WorldChapter 2: The Matricides of the PlantationoceneChapter 3: The Hold and the NegroceneChapter 4: The Colonial HurricanePart 2: Noah’s Ark: When Environmentalism Refuses the World Chapter 5: Noah’s Ark: Boarding, or the abandonment of the worldChapter 6: Reforesting without the World (Haiti)Chapter 7: Paradise or Hell in the Nature Preserves (Puerto Rico)Chapter 8: The Masters’ Chemistry (Martinique and Guadeloupe)Chapter 9: A Colonial Ecology: At the Heart of the Double FracturePart 3: The Slave Ship: Rising Up from Modernity’s Hold in Search of a WorldChapter 10: The Slave Ship: Debarking Off-WorldChapter 11: Maroon Ecology: Fleeing the PlantationoceneChapter 12: Rousseau, Thoreau, and Civil MarronageChapter 13: A Decolonial Ecology: Rising up from the holdPart 4: A World-Ship: World-Making Beyond the Double FractureChapter 14: A World-Ship: Politics of encounterChapter 15: Forming a Body in the World: Reconnecting with a Mother-EarthChapter 16: Interspecies Alliances: The Animal Cause and The Negro CauseChapter 17: A Worldly-Ecology: On the Bridge of Justice EpilogueWorld-MakingThe Intrusion of AyitiRecovering the Sun of AfricaNotes

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Book Synopsis'I have given my whole life to the mountains. Born at the foot of the Alps, I have been a ski champion, a professional guide, an amateur of the greatest climbs in the Alps and a member of eight expeditions to the Andes and the Himalaya. If the word has any meaning at all, I am a mountaineer.'So Lionel Terray begins Conquistadors of the Useless - not with arrogance, but with typical commitment. One of the most colourful characters of the mountaineering world, his writing is true to his uncompromising and jubilant love for the mountains.Terray was one of the greatest alpinists of his time, and his autobiography is one of the finest and most important mountaineering books ever written. Climbing with legends Gaston Rébuffat, Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, Terray made first ascents in the Alps, Alaska, the Andes and the Himalaya. He was at the centre of global mountaineering at a time when Europe was emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and he came out a hero. Conquistadors of the Useless tells of his wartime escapades, of life as an Alpine mountain guide, and of his climbs - including the second ascent of the Eiger North Face and his involvement in the first ever ascent of an 8,000-metre peak, Annapurna. His tales capture the energy of French post-war optimism, a time when France needed to reassert herself and when climbing triumphs were more valued than at any other time in history.Terray's death, in the Vercors, robbed mountaineering of one of its most passionate and far-sighted figures. His energy, so obvious in Conquistadors of the Useless, will inspire for generations to come. A mountaineering classic.Trade ReviewLittle compromise and total commitment are features common in both Terray’s writing and his climbing, the lines of his autobiography are every bit as powerful as the lines he followed in the mountains. – John Baker, Climbers' Club JournalConquistadors of the Useless captures the energy of an optimistic world shaking off the restraints of war and austerity, and is sure to inspire today’s climbers with the irresistible passion of his mountaineering. – Scottish Mountaineering Club JournalConquistadors is one of the great books, hardly perfect but with bursts of powerful writing, especially about climbing. It is irresistible, even to those grown up enough to know better. There’s a Gallic cynicism, a dismissive brilliance that is achingly cool, and which Sutton does capture in his translation. And of course it is an outstanding account of arguably the greatest Alpine career of the 20th century. – Ed Douglas, Climber MagazineFrank, witty, clean, often controversial, Terray irresistibly conveys his lifelong passion for the mountains. – Lara Dunn, Adventure Travel MagazineTable of ContentsNote for the 2001 EditionForewordChapter One – DiscoveryChapter Two – First ConquestsChapter Three – War in the AlpsChapter Four – I meet LachenalChapter Five – The North Face of the EigerChapter Six – Guide to the Great ClimbsChapter Seven - AnnapurnaChapter Eight - Mountain RangingPostscriptAppendix One – The Ascent of Mount HuntingtonAppendix Two – Lionel Terray’s Climbs and Expeditions, and other Achievements

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Book SynopsisAt the beginning of the twentieth century, the South Pole was the most coveted prize in the fiercely nationalistic modern age of exploration. In the brilliant dual biography, the award-winning writer Roland Huntford re-examines every detail of the great race to the South Pole between Britain''s Robert Scott and Norway''s Roald Amundsen. Scott, who dies along with four of his men only eleven miles from his next cache of supplies, became Britain''s beloved failure, while Amundsen, who not only beat Scott to the Pole but returned alive, was largely forgotten. This account of their race is a gripping, highly readable history that captures the driving ambitions of the era and the complex, often deeply flawed men who were charged with carrying them out.THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH is the first of Huntford''s masterly trilogy of polar biographies. It is also the only work on the subject in the English language based on the original Norwegian sources, to which Huntford returned to revise

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Apocalypse Never is an extremely important book. Within its lively pages, Michael Shellenberger uses science and lived experience to rescue a subject drowning in misunderstanding and partisanship. His message is invigorating: if you have feared for the planet’s future, take heart." — Richard Rhodes, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Making of the Atomic Bomb “Environmental issues are frequently confused by conflicting and often extreme views, with both sides fueled to some degree by ideological biases, ignorance and misconceptions. Michael Shellenberger’s balanced and refreshing book delves deeply into a range of environmental issues and exposes misrepresentations by scientists, one-sided distortions by environmental organizations, and biases driven by financial interests. His conclusions are supported by examples, cogent and convincing arguments, facts and source documentation. Apocalypse Never may well be the most important book on the environment ever written.” — Tom Wigley, climate scientist, University of Adelaide, former senior scientist National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) “We must protect the planet, but how? Some strands of the environmental movement have locked themselves into a narrative of sin and doom that is counterproductive, anti-human, and not terribly scientific. Shellenberger advocates a more constructive environmentalism that faces our wicked problems and shows what we have to do to solve them.” — Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now "If there is one thing that we have learned from the coronavirus pandemic, it is that strong passions and polarized politics lead to distortions of science, bad policy, and potentially vast, needless suffering. Are we making the same mistakes with environmental policies? I have long known Michael Shellenberger to be a bold, innovative, and nonpartisan pragmatist. He is a lover of the natural world whose main moral commitment is to figure out what will actually work to safeguard it. If you share that mission, you must read Apocalypse Never.” — Jonathan Haidt, author of Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion "The painfully slow global response to human-caused climate change is usually blamed on the political right’s climate change denial and love affair with fossil fuels. But in this engaging and well-researched treatise, Michael Shellenberger exposes the environmental movement’s hypocrisy in painting climate change in apocalyptic terms while steadfastly working against nuclear power, the one green energy source whose implementation could feasibly avoid the worst climate risks. Disinformation from the left has replaced deception from the right as the greatest obstacle to mitigating climate change." — Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science, MIT "The trouble with end-of-the-world environmental scenarios is that they hide evidence-based diagnoses and exile practical solutions. Love it or hate it, Apocalypse Never asks us to consider whether the apocalyptic headline of the day gets us any closer to a future in which nature and people prosper.” — Peter Kareiva, director of the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA, and former chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy "In this tour de force of science journalism, Michael Shellenberger shows through interviews, personal experiences, vignettes, and case histories that environmental science offers paths away from hysteria and toward humanism. This superb book unpacks and explains the facts and forces behind deforestation, climate change, extinction, fracking, nature conservation, industrial agriculture, and other environmental challenges to make them amenable to improvements and solutions." — Mark Sagoff, author of The Economy of the Earth "We environmentalists condemn those with antithetical views of being ignorant of science and susceptible to confirmation bias. But too often we are guilty of the same. Shellenberger offers ‘tough love:’ a challenge to entrenched orthodoxies and rigid, self-defeating mindsets. Apocalypse Never serves up occasionally stinging, but always well-crafted, evidence-based points of view that will help develop the ‘mental muscle’ we need to envision and design not only a hopeful, but an attainable, future.” — Steve McCormick, former CEO, The Nature Conservancy and former President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation "Michael Shellenberger loves the Earth too much to tolerate the conventional wisdom of environmentalism. This book, born of his passions, is a wonder: a research-driven page turner that will change how you view the world. I wish I'd been brave enough to write it, and grateful that he was." — Andrew McAfee, Principal Research Scientist at MIT and author of More from Less "Will declaring a crisis save the planet? The stakes are high, but Michael Shellenberger shows that the real environmental solutions are good for people too. No one will come away from this lively, moving, and well-researched book without a deeper understanding of the very real social challenges and opportunities to making a better future in the Anthropocene." — Erle Ellis, professor of geography and environmental systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and author of Anthropocene: A Very Short Introduction "Michael Shellenberger methodically dismantles the tenets of End Times thinking that are so common in environmental thought. From Amazon fires to ocean plastics, Apocalypse Never delivers current science, lucid arguments, sympathetic humanism, and powerful counterpoints to runaway panic. You will not agree with everything in this book, which is why it is so urgent that you read it." — Paul Robbins, Dean, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison

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Book SynopsisCally Hall is a geology expert and an author of educational guidebooks that make the subject accessible to a variety of readers. In addition to DK Handbook: Gemstones, she has also written science-themed books aimed at younger audiences.

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Book SynopsisBorn on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall, as a child Judith Schalansky could travel only through the pages of an atlas. Now she has created her own, taking us across the oceans of the world to fifty remote islands. Perfect maps jostle with cryptic tales from the islands, full of rare animals and lost explorers, marooned slaves and lonely scientists, mutinous sailors and forgotten castaways.Trade ReviewUtterly exquisite -- Robert MacFarlane * Guardian *Gorgeous, lyrical and whimsical * Time *Rarely has armchair travel been so farflung and romantic * Time Out *By book's end, I felt that I had travelled to all fifty islands * Washington Post *Anyone who opens this ... is likely to get as lost as Robinson Crusoe * Die Zeit *

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Book SynopsisRanulph Fiennes has entered the public imagination as the intrepid explorer par excellance. Taunted by his wife over the challenge of the never-before attempted circumpolar navigation of the globe, he set off in 1979 on a gruelling 52,000 mile adventure. Together with fellow members of 21 SAS regiment, Fiennes left from Greenwich, travelling over land, passing through both ends of the polar axis. Completed over three years later, it was the first circumpolar navigation of the globe, and justifiably entered Fiennes into the record books. TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH is the record of that journey. It captures the natural beauty of the landscapes they passed through, and the cameraderie that necessarily grows between men who had served in the British forces'' elite regiment and were now throwing themselves into danger of a different sort. Time and again, the expedition found themselves in life-threatening situations, weaving through the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean or sharing a single

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