Natural History Books

Book SynopsisExplore the woods with i-SPY facts, photos and fantastic spots!Beat the boredom and take time out from screens with this pocket-sized book packed with facts, photos and fantastic spots for hours of fun!Kids will have fun collecting points outdoors with more than 140 things to find. From fungi to flowers, birds to badgers, they'll learn all about nature along the way. And once they've scored 1000 points, super-spotters can claim their official i-SPY certificate and badge.With more than 30 i-SPY books to collect, there's something for everyone!For even more fun outdoors check out i-SPY At the Park (ISBN 9780008529833).Trade Review“A fun, interactive way to encourage curious children to learn about the world around them.” – Parents In touch

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE 2017 PEN ACKERLEY PRIZEWINNER OF THE 2016 WAINWRIGHT PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 ONDAATJE PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 WELLCOME PRIZEAt the age of thirty, Amy Liptrot finds herself washed up back home on Orkney. Standing unstable on the island, she tries to come to terms with the addiction that has swallowed the last decade of her life. As she spends her mornings swimming in the bracingly cold sea, her days tracking Orkney's wildlife, and her nights searching the sky for the Merry Dancers, Amy discovers how the wild can restore life and renew hope.Trade ReviewA lyrical, brave memoir. It's Liptrot's aptitude for marrying her inner-space with wild outer-spaces that makes her such a compelling writer . . . I enjoyed this book enormously -- WILL SELF * * Guardian * *The sheer sensuality of Liptrot's prose and her steely resolve immediately put her right up there with the best of the best. Liptrot is an Orcadian warrior with the breeze in her blood and poetry in her fingers, and The Outrun may even be a future classic. Wherever she journeys next, you will want to go with her * * New Statesman * *An exhilarating memoir . . . Anyone who has ever been unhappy or unwise will find much that resonates in this powerful, beautiful writing -- CATHY RENTZENBRINK * * Stylist * *An uncompromising account of addiction and recovery played out against the blasted fields of Orkney. Liptrot's writing is strong and sure. The Outrun is a bright addition to the exploding genre of writing about place and our place in the natural world * * Observer * *Remarkable . . . a meditative interior journey which Liptrot elevates to an art * * Spectator * *An unflinching examination of trauma, addiction and the restorative power of the natural world . . . It is a wild, wind-lashed book, and you come away from reading with the taste of salt spray on your lips -- Evie Wyld * * New York Times * *Brilliant . . . one of the most scabrously honest, sassy and moving books about addiction and recovery that I have read * * Scotsman * *An astonishingly beautiful book. Amy makes most nature writing seem flat and pedestrian. Her account of her addiction and recovery is electric, sexy, immediate and raw, leaving the reader reeling in her wake . . . This is a luminous, life-affirming book, and I have no doubt that I'll be pressing it into people's hands for years to come -- OLIVIA LAINGThere is a great deal of frank, flinch-making writing in this book, but it is always balanced by a sublimity and graciousness that is rare. This is a bold-hearted and brave-minded book. It is both terribly sad and awfully affecting. I look forward to its presence on some prize lists * * Scotland on Sunday * *Clean, clear and impressive . . . a sensuous book, full of summer nights and winter water. Liptrot swims, walks, lives alone on uninhabited islands and observes. And from that comes a portrait of the natural world she is absorbed into * * Herald * *

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Book Synopsis**A SUNDAY TIMES GARDENING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**'A must-read for every gardener who wants to up their game for wildlife and do their bit for the planet.' -- Isabella Tree'A refreshing, uplifting and positive look at the true value of a garden.' -- Alan TitchmarshThe perfect book for any gardener looking to get back in touch with their wild side.The rewilding of public spaces and farmland is vitally important to conservation, but how can we support native species and provide rich habitats on our own doorsteps?In this practical, beautifully illustrated guide horticulturalist and Gardener's World presenter Frances Tophill shows you how to plan and maintain a beautiful garden that will attract bees and birds as well as a throng of unsung garden heroes. Whether you have a small balcony or a large open space, discover the joys of welcoming natural ecosystems back into your garden - along with a host of new visitors.

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Book SynopsisSeventy-five feline crime purr-zzles to solve using logic, skill and the power of catnip.

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Book Synopsis*** THE INSTANT TOP TEN BESTSELLER *** ‘This spare but elegant account is an unexpected delight, and as soothing as a walk down a tree-dappled lane at sunset’ – Daily Mail‘Gentle and timeless, Paul is the authentic voice of the countryside. This is the story of a man at one with the land.’ – Lara Maiklem, author of Mudlarking'It is impossible not to like Lamb, or this book' – Sunday Times Paul Lamb is a hedgelayer. From the end of summer until the birds nest in the spring, he maintains the ancient boundaries of the British countryside. He lives in his wagon, as many itinerant farm workers used to, and travels the south-west corner of England, restoring an important but often forgotten part of our country.   Hedgerows are a living structure, woven into the fabric of rural life, a vital aspect of man’s partnership with nature. As traditional management techniques are lost to modernisation, hedges have declined dramatically. Paul works alone and by hand to rejuvenate these linear woodlands, saving the homes of the wildlife that rely on them and bringing many other ecological benefits.   Following the rhythm of the seasons, Of Thorn & Briar describes Paul’s life on the road and the practical aspects of his job. It is about practising a craft with skill, preserving our heritage for future generations and celebrating the glory of the landscape he’s spent his life caring for.  

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BEST MIXED MEDIA BOOK AWARD AT THE CREATIVE BOOK AWARDS 2024A gorgeous guide to foraging, pressing and using seaweeds for a wealth of home creative projects. Both aspirational and inspirational, this guide to bringing the outdoors inside is quite unlike anything on the market and will inspire all readers to begin their beach foraging journey.A beautifully packaged, comprehensive visual guide to seaweed by design company Molesworth & Bird. Seaweed will inspire readers to look beyond the tangled piles of seaweed washed up at high tide, to discover its exceptional beauty and appreciate its many uses. The book celebrates the unique appeal of the plants and showcases the myriad ways to bring their beauty indoors, with the authors providing step-by-step activities so you can create your own prints at home. Whether pressing a deep khaki green Peacock's Tail seaweed or creating a stunning cyanotype with Eelgrass, the possibilities are endless with this seashore bounty.The book is packed with glorious photography of the UK coastlines where the seaweeds can be foraged, alongside stylish interiors, and scenes of beach cook-outs and wild swimming spots. It also includes a library of pressed seaweeds presented in colour categories, with notes for identification and use. There is expert guidance on collecting seaweeds, and it will show how foraged seaweeds can be used at home for cooking, dyeing and printing fabrics, and as part of your skincare routine. It explores the fascinating history of seaweed collecting and investigates its potential as a healthy food source and sustainable material, whether foraged or farmed.Trade Review‘Framed foraged seaweed is the wholesome homeware trend you need to know now […] these days the interiors cognoscenti are adorning walls in seaweed art in chic palettes of plum, moss and rhubarb’ – Sunday Times Style, 30th Oct 2022

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Book SynopsisExplore the wonders of the avian world with this comprehensive and fully illustrated guide to every aspect of bird life. Written by highly regarded ornithologist and natural history expert Jonathan Elphick, and with special photography from many top bird photographers, it is essential reading for all ornithologists and bird watchers.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Wildlife of Madagascar is a field guide of great interest for ecotourists and curious readers... This guide will be received well by field researchers, students, and natural historians."--ChoiceTable of ContentsA brief introduction to Madagascar 8 About this book 9 Map of Madagascar showing biogeographic zones and most visited natural sites 10 Biogeographic zones of Madagascar 12 How to use this book 26 MAMMALS 30 CHEIROGALEIDAE: Mouse lemurs 32 Dwarf lemurs 34 Giant mouse and fork-marked lemurs 36 LEPILEMURIDAE: Sportive lemurs 38 LEMURIDAE: Bamboo lemurs 40 Ring-tailed Lemur 44 Northern brown lemurs 46 Widespread brown lemurs 48 Distinctive Eulemur species of the north and west 50 Ruffed lemurs 52 Woolly lemurs 54 INDRIIDAE: Western sifakas 56 Eastern sifakas 58 Local sifakas 60 Indri 62 DAUBENTONIIDAE: Aye-aye 64 EUPLERIDAE: Malagasy carnivorans 66 Fosa 68 CHIROPTERA: Bats 70 TENRECIDAE: Tenrecs 74 NESOMYIDAE: Rodents 78 CETACEA: Marine mammals 80 BIRDS 82 Ducks and grebes 84 Gamebirds 86 Herons 88 White egrets 92 Compact herons and Hamerkop 94 Larger raptors 98 Smaller raptors 100 Shy birds of the forest floor 102 Rails and jacana 104 Plovers 106 Smaller, plainer sandpipers 110 Larger, more distinctive sandpipers 112 Endemic pigeons 114 Aquatic oddities 114 Terns 116 Birds of the sea 118 Doves and pigeons 120 Endemic pigeons 122 Parrots 124 Cuckoos 126 Couas of the dry west & southwest 128 Couas of the wet east & north 130 Owls 132 Nightjars 134 Aerial feeders 136 Kingfishers and bee-eater 138 Hoopoe and roller 140 More common rainforest ground-rollers 142 Scarcer rainforest ground-rollers 144 Long-tailed Ground-roller and Cuckoo-roller 146 Asities 148 Common open-country birds 150 Widespread songbirds 152 Robin-like birds 154 Warblers that live close to the ground 156 Forest canopy warblers 160 Bernierids 162 Sunbirds and white-eye 164 Common and widespread vangas 166 Typical vangas 168 Strange vangas 170 Large vangas 172 Dark-headed vangas and cuckoo-shrike 174 Mid-sized dark birds 176 Weavers 178 REPTILES 180 Tortoises and terrapins 182 Sea turtles and crocodile 184 Tiny leaf chameleons of the north 186 Widespread medium to large leaf chameleons 188 The largest chameleons on earth 190 Common chameleons of degraded areas 192 Eastern rainforest chameleons: small 194 Eastern rainforest chameleons: medium to large 196 Chameleons of the north 200 Chameleons of the west 204 Swifts I: west and southwest 208 Swifts II: rock-dwelling swifts of the southwest 210 Plated lizards I: species without strong stripes on back 212 Plated lizards II: species with strong stripes on back 214 Skinks I 216 Widespread day geckos 220 Day geckos of the north 222 Day geckos of the west, south and centre 224 Dwarf geckos 226 Small nocturnal geckos 228 Large nocturnal geckos 230 Leaf-tailed geckos I: leaf-like and dry bark-like species 232 Leaf-tailed geckos II: mossy bark-like species 234 Malagasy boas 238 Distinctive snakes 240 Common and widespread snakes 242 Rainforest snakes 244 FROGS 246 Ridged frog and reed frogs 248 Distinctive terrestrial microhylids 250 Arboreal microhylids252 Mantellas I: species with orange 254 Mantellas II: green-and-black species 256 Small to medium bright-eyed frogs 258 Medium to large bright-eyed frogs 262 Various arboreal mantellids 266 Various terrestrial mantellids 268 Bridge frogs 270 Madagascar frogs: plain species 274 Madagascar frogs: more distinctive species 278 INVERTEBRATES Invertebrates: distinctive species 282 Butterflies: swallowtails 286 Butterflies: pierids 292 Butterflies: metalmarks and lycanids 396 Butterflies: orange nymphalids 398 Butterflies: various nymphalids (emperors, commodore and pansy) 304 Butterflies: pansies 306 Butterflies: black-and-white nymphalids 308 Butterflies: satyrs 312 Butterflies: skippers, and moths 314 PLANTS Iconic plants 316 Baobabs 320 Glossary of terms 324 Further reading and useful resources 327 Acknowledgements and photo credits 328 Index 332

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Book SynopsisThis guide covers the very best birding sites in Britain. In a formatfamiliar to readers of this popular series, each site is considered interms of ''Habitat'', Access'' and ''Birds'', allowing birdersof all levels to plan successful birding trips anywhere in Britain, and to maximise the chances of getting the best out ofeach site and each region. The book includes detailed maps of thelarger sites, plus general maps of the regions covered, and it isillustrated with attractive line drawings. This book has beenextensively revised, with several new sites added for this edition,together with information on disabled access for most sites.Praise for the 1st edition:There could be no better guide than this book Chris PackhamHighly recommended....the best guide of its kind RSPB BirdsDon''t leave home without it BirdingTrade Review"There could be no better guide than this book" Chris Packham "Highly recommended...the best guide of its kind" RSPB Birds "Don't leave home without it" Birding 'an absolutely invaluable addition to your birding library' Bird Watching, August 2010 'This is a cracking book...highly recommended.' Birds (February 2011) 'essential national site guide' Birdwatch (February 2011) 'A must have for those birding in Britain!' Birdbooker report (November 2010) 'provides a wealth of information' Highland News (August 2010) 'Absolutely invaluable for the travelling birdwatcher. As important to carry as binoculars or telescope.' Bexley Times (September 2010)Table of ContentsIntroduction Acknowledgements How to use this book Access for the disabled Key to the maps South-west England Isles of Scilly Cornwall Devon Somerset Avon Dorset South-east England Isle of Wight Hampshire West Sussex Surrey Berkshire Greater London East Sussex Kent East Anglia Essex Suffolk Norfolk Cambridgeshire Central England Bedfordshire Hertfordshire Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Gloucestershire Worcestershire West Midlands Warwickshire Northamptonshire Leicestershie and Rutland Lincolnshire Nottinghamshire Derbyshire Staffordshire Northern England Cheshire & Wirral Greater Manchester Lancashire& North Merseyside Cumbria Yorkshire Celeveland Durham Northumberland Wales South Wales Mid Wales North Wales Scotland Dumfries & Galloway Borders Lothian Clyde Upper Forth Perth & Kinross (South) Fife Perth & Kinross (North) Angus & Dundee North-east Scotland Moray & Nairn Highland Argyll Outer Hebrides Orkney Shetland Top 100 species to see in Britain Index of sites

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Book SynopsisNow a major film starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and Kyle Chandler, directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle, First Man by James Hansen offers the only authorized glimpse into the life of America’s most famous astronaut, Neil Armstrong – the man whose “one small step” changed history. In First Man, Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this “magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon. When Apollo 11 touched down on the moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the moon became a legend. Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong's career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator Trade Review'Let it be said at once that his book is an outstanding success. It has been immaculately researched and is packed with detail, but written in a way that will appeal to readers of all kinds...this is an important book, and should be in every scientific library.' -- Sir Patrick Moore * Times Higher Educational Supplement *‘The man was a fine engineer, a good pilot – although there is some dispute about that – patriotic, cool, courageous and hard-working, just the sort of guy you want next to you when the chips are down.' * Sunday Times *'Although he was the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong has always been the least public of the Apollo 11 astronauts. He has seldom given interviews, or lent his name to merchandising tat, or haunted the same professional old-boy circuit as his former colleagues... But at 75, he’s finally decided to break his silence - or to have it broken for him by his official biographer, James R.Hansen.’ * Sunday Telegraph *'To understand Armstrong on his own terms is to see a large truth of our time...[Hansen’s] mastery of detailis put to splendid use. The narrative of the moon mission is crisp and dramatic, the science clear. He deftly takes us back into those few days of global fascination with the adventure of the three distant voyagers and the tense uncertainty about how it would turn out...I finished Hansen’s Apollo story with a wholly fresh sense of awe at the magnitude of NASA’s achievement...a compelling and nuanced portrait of the astronaut.' -- James Tobin * Chicago Tribune *'To understand Armstrong on his own terms is to see a large truth of our time...[Hansen’s] mastery of detailis put to splendid use. The narrative of the moon mission is crisp and dramatic, the science clear. He deftly takes us back into those few days of global fascination with the adventure of the three distant voyagers and the tense uncertainty about how it would turn out...I finished Hansen’s Apollo story with a wholly fresh sense of awe at the magnitude of NASA’s achievement...a compelling and nuanced portrait of the astronaut.' -- U.S. Navy Captain William Readdy * Aviation Week & Space Technology *'Most of the astronauts’ books are about the adventure. Jim Hansen’s well researched and documented book is about the adventurer. First Man is a compelling story of a modern-day Columbus which provides the rare opportunity to understand the personal qualities driving explorers. Quiet, complex, and deep, Armstrong, as fuel was running out, was the right man at the right time to take America and the world to the surface of the moon.' -- Eugene F. Kranz, author of Failure Is Not an Option'A powerful, unrelenting biography of a man who stands as a living testimony to everyday grit and determination... A must for astronaut buffs and history readers alike.' * Publishers Weekly *'Ever since Apollo 11’s "one giant leap for mankind" in 1969 the world has wondered who Neil Armstrong really is. Now, at last, Jim Hansen has stripped away the myths and mysteries to bring us face to face with the man himself. This definitive portrait offers many new and fascinating details about Armstrong and his life and about the momentous and unforgettable era of exploration in which he was lucky enough—and talented enough—to play a key role.' -- Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon'This impressively documented and engagingly written biography will stand the test of time.' * Library Journal *'Masterfully written...technically accurate, scholarly yet independent and accessible...Mission accomplished and a perfect touchdown.' -- Leonard David * Ad Astra, The Magazine of the National Space Society *'Hansen’s research is staggeringly impressive... A work that has great appeal for anyone interested in why we explore, who we are in this aerospace age, and what it was about the United States that could enable a little kid from Wapakoneta, Ohio, to take that "one small step" at Tranquility Base in the summer of 1969. A must read!' -- Richard P. Hallion, chief historian for the U.S. Air Force'Jim Hansen has captured the essence of Neil Armstrong, not only as the first man on the Moon, but also as an outstanding aviator and astronaut. I was there for Neil’s other major "space step"—he recovered Gemini 8 from the ultimate end game with aggressive action, cool skill and creative judgement seldom performed in any aviation or space endeavor. Just 16 days after the deaths of the Gemini 9 crew, he probably saved the Moon. Jim Hansen has written an exceptional and accurate account of a unique period in aerospace history and the adventures of Neil Armstrong.' -- Dave Scott, Gemini VIII, Apollo 9, Commander, Apollo 15

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Book SynopsisThe ultimate field guide to birds of Madagascar, the Seychelles, Comoros and Mascarene Islands.The Malagasy region contains one of the most extraordinary concentrations of biodiversity in the world, and a diverse avifauna rich with exciting endemic taxa; birds such as vangas, mesites and asities live nowhere else. This guide covers the whole of the Malagasy region, which comprises both Madagascar and the various islands and archipelagos of the Indian Ocean including the Seychelles, Comoros and Mascarenes Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues all of which host their own endemics and large seabird colonies.Every species in the region is covered in full detail, with a colour distibution map for resident and migrant birds. All species are illustrated on a spectacular series of 124 colour plates by leading bird artists John Gale and Brian Small, with concise species text opposite the plates. The species are arranged to keep the key species of the various archipelagos together in sections.This major work of is a stunning combination of scholarship and beauty. Authoritative yet pocket-friendly, it''s an essential addition to the backpack of any visiting naturalist or birdwatcher, anywhere in the region.Trade ReviewI was fortunate to have a pre-publication copy on my recent trip to Madagascar. It's surely the best and most up-to-date bird field guide out there, with excellent discussions of topics beyond identification. Buy it and take it with you! * Robert. S. Ridgely, Rainforest Trust *Twitchers bound for... Madagascar can enjoy Helm Field Guides' new additions ... Helm's exquisite eye for detail and intricate illustrations - hitting that sweet spot between art and practicality - make these welcome additions. A must-have for any globetrotting birders. * Wanderlust *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements About this book The Malagasy Region and Its Birds Geography, Climate and Habitats Biogeography: Colonisation, Differentiation and Survival Endemic Families and Genera List of Bird Organisations Plate Section Part 1: Larger birds (non-passerines): Malagasy Region Part 2: Landbirds ('near-passerines' and passerines) Part 3: Vagrants: Malagasy region Appendix 1: Checklist of birds of the Malagasy region Appendix 2: A new classification of bird orders and families native to the Malagasy region References Index

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

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Book SynopsisI adore the fox for its magnificence; I hate the fox for killing my chickens. To love and loathe the fox is a British condition.The fox is our apex predator, our most beautiful and clever killer. We have witnessed its wild touch, watched it slink by bins at night and been chilled by its high-pitched scream. And yet we long to stroke the tumbling cubs outside their tunnel homes and watch the vixen stalk the cornfield. There is something about foxes. They captivate us like no other species.Exploring a long and sometimes complicated relationship, The Wild Life of the Fox captures our love and sometimes loathing of this magnificent creature in vivid detail and lyrical prose.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.''we call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.''When his beloved owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty leaves his life as a young, care-free colt behind him and embarks on a working life of misery. Cruelly treated by his new masters, Anna Sewell rails against animal mistreatment in this poignant tale of a horse whose spirit can not be broken.

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Book SynopsisExperience the joy of discovering the natural world around you with this beautiful pocket guide to British trees, an inspiration and treat designed to enthral all nature lovers.This comprehensive guide to British trees contains some of the finest original tree illustrations ever produced. Covering all tree species commonly found outside the major arboretums, the text highlights the most important things to look for to aid fast and accurate identification, and the illustrations are annotated with essential features.The introduction contains illustrations of the main leaves, buds, and firs you are likely to find, which also provide the starting point for identification by leading you to a ''key'' species. Within each tree family there is a list of key species and a guide to the most important features to look for when identifying a particular tree from that family. Individual species are then thoroughly described and a detailed illustration features on the same page.This is the ideal pocTrade Review‘Entertaining and informative. A visual delight' BBC Wildlife 'Outstanding colour paintings … precise and accurate' The Times 'David More's illustrations astonish by their beauty and detail' New Scientist 'A must for all tree huggers and lovers' Ecologist 'In the firmament of tree specialists, Dr Owen Johnson is a definite star' The Field

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES NO.2 BESTSELLERLike A Streecat Named Bob before it, Finding Gobi is a truly heart-warming story for animal lovers worldwideIn 2016, Dion Leonard, a seasoned ultramarathon runner, unexpectedly stumbled across a little stray dog while competing in a gruelling 155 mile race across the Gobi Desert. The lovable pup, who earned the name Gobi', proved that what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in heart, as she went step for step with Dion over the treacherous Tian Shan Mountains, managing to keep pace with him for nearly 80 miles.As Dion witnessed the incredible determination of this small animal, he felt something change within himself. In the past he had always focused on winning and being the best, but his goal now was simply to make sure that his new friend was safe, nourished and hydrated. Although Dion did not finish first, he felt he had won something far greater and promised to bring Gobi back to the UK for good to become a new addition to his family. Thi

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Book SynopsisWho doesn''t love baby animals?AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BABY ANIMALS is an adorable celebration of all kinds of fuzzy, fluffy, scaly, and feathery animal babies and their parents.Full of interesting, weird, and funny facts about animals before they are born (elephants are pregnant for 22 months!), when they are born (whales are born tail-first so they don''t drown!), and life as babies (parrots give their offspring names! Baby macaques have snowball fights!), this book couldn't be cuter.

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Book SynopsisTHE EXTRAORDINARY TALE OF THE FATHER OF MODERN GEOLOGYHidden behind velvet curtains above a stairway in a house in London''s Piccadilly is an enormous and beautiful hand-coloured map - the first geological map of anywhere in the world. Its maker was a farmer''s son named William Smith. Born in 1769 his life was troubled: he was imprisoned for debt, turned out of his home, his work was plagiarised, his wife went insane and the scientific establishment shunned him. It was not until 1829, when a Yorkshire aristocrat recognised his genius, that he was returned to London in triumph: The Map That Changed the World is his story.''For a geologist, this is a must read'' Amazon Reviewer''It serves to lift a genius from academic semi-obscurity and to award him the acknowledgement he undoubtedly deserves'' Amazon Reviewer''Never realised how seminal this map was'' Amazon Reviewer

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Book SynopsisPete Brown is simultaneously allergic to and obsessed by apples. He has written several books on food and drink, including Man Walks into a Pub, Three Sheets to the Wind, and Hops and Glory. His discriminating palate has led him to be a judge in the Great Taste Awards and the Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards, and a frequent contributor to Radio 4's Food Programme.Trade ReviewWonderful, revelatory ... very moving -- Sheila Dillon, BBC Radio 4An absorbing love letter to the English apple tree...lyrical and joyful * The Times Literary Supplement *His ability to laugh at himself, openness to wonder and willingness to go wherever the search takes him make Brown an engaging writer and The Apple Orchard an entertaining journey * Mail on Sunday *A delightful book * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisDavid Christian, creator of Big History (''My favourite course of all time'' Bill Gates), brings us the epic story of the universe and our place in it, from 13.8 billion years ago to the remote future''Nails home the point: Life is a miracle ... A compelling history of everything'' Washington Post ''Spectacular'' Carlo RovelliHow did we get from the Big Bang to today''s staggering complexity, in which seven billion humans are connected into networks powerful enough to transform the planet? And why, in comparison, are our closest primate relatives reduced to near-extinction? Big History creator David Christian gives the answers in a mind-expanding cosmological detective story told on the grandest possible scale. He traces how, during eight key thresholds, the right conditions have allowed new forms of complexity to arise, from stars to galaxies, Earth to homo sapiens, agriculture to fossil fuels. This last mega-innovation gave us an energy bonanza that brought huge benefits to mankind, yet also threatens to shake apart everything we have created.''Rather like the Big Bang, the book is awe-inspiring ... Superb'' The Times''With fascinating ideas on every page and the page-turning energy of a good thriller, this is a landmark work'' Sir Ken Robinson, author of The ElementTrade ReviewIf you read one book this year, make it this one -- Fareed Zakaria, CNNA journey through billions of years that nails home the point: Life is a miracle ... [A] remarkably cogent and compelling history of everything * Washington Post *Rather like the Big Bang, the book is awe-inspiring. The processes it describes are all familiar, but I'd never seen them explained with such clarity and verve ... Superb -- Gerard Degroot * The Times *[Origin Story is] long-haul science with wit and oomph * Nature *Christian tells this story very well, providing, in effect, a short course in modern science. This is a brief history of the universe, and an excellent one * Wall Street Journal *I have long been a fan of David Christian. In Origin Story, he elegantly weaves evidence and insights from many scientific and historical disciplines into a single, accessible historical narrative -- Bill GatesIn Origin Story, David Christian has found a spectacular way to use history to put order in the entire set of our knowledge about the world. This is a wonderful achievement -- Carlo Rovelli * author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of Time *Origin Story is a majestic distillation of our current understanding of the birth of the universe, of the solar system, of the oceans, of mountains and minerals, of all life on earth and of the driving dynamics of human culture and achievement. All of this in just over 300 pages of captivating prose that weaves together innumerable insights from the sciences, arts and humanities. With fascinating ideas on every page and the page turning energy of a good thriller, this is a landmark work that comes at a time when it has never been more important for humanity to have a clearer, more informed understanding of our place on earth and of the earth's place in the cosmos. A spellbinding synthesis -- Ken Robinson * educator and bestselling author of The Element and You, Your Child and School *A remarkable book that puts us self-important humans in our proper place in the cosmos, yet also explains why the story of human culture and knowledge - what Christian calls collective learning - matters for understanding our present world and shaping its future -- Merry Wiesner-Hanks, President of the World History Association

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Book SynopsisFossils have been vital to our understanding of the formation of the earth and the origins of all life on it. However, their impact has not been limited to debates about geology and evolution: attempts to explain their existence has shaken religion at its very roots, and they have remained a subject of ceaseless fascination for people of all ages and backgrounds. In this delightful book, Keith Thomson provides a remarkably all-encompassing explanation of fossils as a phenomenon. How did Darwin use fossils to support his theory of evolution? What are ''living fossils''? What fossils will we leave behind for future generations to examine? Building on the scientific aspects, he places fossils in a very human context, highlighting their impact on philosophy and mythology, our concept of time, and today''s popular culture. What quickly becomes obvious is that the discovery of fossils and the ways in which they have been interpreted over time makes for fascinating reading. From the black market to the Piltdown Man, and from mythological dragons to living dinosaurs, fossils hold a permanent place in the popular imagination.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.Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. A cultural phenomenon ; 3. In the popular imagination ; 4. Some things we know, some things we don't ; 5. Against the odds ; 6. Bringing fossils to life ; 7. Evolving ; 8. Of molecules and man ; 9. Fakes and fortunes ; 10. Back to the future ; Further reading

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Book SynopsisThe Natural History of Selborne (1789) is written as a series of letters, which describe with wit and precision the flora and fauna White observes in his Hampshire parish. A classic of nature writing, this edition includes contemporary illustrations, a contextualizing introduction, and an appendix of readers' responses over 200 years.Trade Review'I can wholeheartedly recommend this edition ... Beautifully produced ... Secord's introduction - surely one of the chief reasons to purchase this new edition of a book never out of print - provides a nuanced and stimulating account of the origins, character, and legacies of Selborne.' * Diarmid A. Finnegan, Journal of Historical Geography *'This Oxford edition offers new insights into a work that has been hugely popular. ' * Land and Business *

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Book SynopsisFifth revised edition of the classic natural history of the killer whale, now up to date with the latest research, conservation news and changes in public awareness.Trade Review[Review of previous edition: ] A well-written, balanced account ... interspersed in the story are excellent summaries of our current knowledge about orca attacks, feeding behavior and hearing acuity. Aside from maps and photos, 8 well-referenced appendixes and a 14-page bibliography make it an important reference source for scientists.--Edward Mitchell, Arctic Biological Station [Canada "Canadian Geographic " [Review of previous edition: ] There is nothing wildlife needs more urgently than truth, for once people understand, people will act with preserved habitat, protective legislation, the tools of conservation. Erich Hoyt tells the truth about the orca in his fascinating book Orca: The Whale Called Killer. It is in itself a conservation tool. Required reading.--Roger Caras "ABC-TV News " [Review of previous edition: ] An enchanting story of adventure and discovery, one told with style, insight, charm and thoroughness.--Akron Beacon Journal [Review of previous edition: ] An engaging picture of the life of killer whales ... Hoyt's style is easygoing and comfortable, and as well organized as it is informative.--Cleveland Plain Dealer [Review of previous edition: ] An intensely personal account....Scientific, political, and historical details are woven into a highly readable narrative...thorough appendixes, lengthy bibliography. Recommended.--Library Journal [Review of previous edition: ] Monumental achievement...the best whale book in years.--Ronn Patterson "Oceans " [Review of previous edition: ] I have never read a better book on whales, partly because Hoyt writes so well ... The developing relationship between the whale-watchers and these magnificent mammals makes absorbing reading ... The book contains valuable scientific and historical appendixes and an excellent index ... Don't miss it!--Philadelphia Inquirer [Review of previous edition: ] Superb ... A fine story of adventure ... One of the best nature books of the year.--Publishers Weekly [Review of previous edition: ] A fine record of observations accumulated by patience and cautious persistence...presented somewhat in diary form of the summers with the whales, and interwoven with facts....The result is a well-compounded blend of close-up nature observation, scientific knowledge, and history. Bonuses are interesting asides on the scenery and wildlife, the lumbering, salmon fishing, and the local flavor of northern Vancouver Island. Hoyt's theme is preserve killer whales in their natural environment. He makes a good argument for it.--Elizabeth N. Shor, Scripps Institute of Oceanograp "San Diego Union Tribune "

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Book SynopsisIn Birds and Us, award-winning writer and ornithologist Tim Birkhead takes us on an epic and dazzling journey through this mutual history with birds, from the ibises mummified and deified by Ancient Egyptians to Renaissance experiments on woodpecker anatomy, from Victorian obsessions with egg collecting to the present fight to save endangered species and restore their habitats.Weaving in stories from his own life as a scientist, including far-flung expeditions to wondrous Neolithic caves in Spain and the bustling guillemot colonies of the Faroe Islands, this rich and fascinating book is the culmination of a lifetime''s research and unforgettably shows how birds shaped us, and how we have shaped them.''Birds and Us wings its way through 12,000 years of our species'' engagement with the avian world. Birkhead tells it all with delightful gusto, plaiting personal encounters with challenging historical research and bewitching scientific rigor'' Tim Dee''Thought-provoking at every turn, this inspiring, shocking, wonder-filled exploration of our relationship with birds from earliest times delivers a sobering challenge to us living with birds today'' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding''A fascinating book about the close and often surprising relationship between birds and people, written by one of our leading ornithologists'' Stephen MossTrade Review'Tim Birkhead is an eminent scientific ornithologist and a masterful science communicator. Birds and Us wings its way through 12,000 years of our species' engagement with the avian world. He tells it all with delightful gusto, plaiting personal encounters (with birds and bird-people) with challenging historical research and bewitching scientific rigor' -- Tim Dee'Thought-provoking at every turn, this inspiring, shocking, wonder-filled exploration of our relationship with birds from earliest times delivers a sobering challenge to us living with birds today' -- Isabella Tree, author of Wilding'A fascinating book about the close and often surprising relationship between birds and people, written by one of our leading ornithologists' -- Stephen Moss'A beguiling and beautifully illustrated study... extraordinary details fly off the page, from how guillemot eggs refuse to harden when boiled, to the discovery of millions of mummified ibises in Egyptian catacombs. Birkhead is a personable, often amusing, guide' * Mail on Sunday (5 star review) *'[Birkhead's] book arrives enticingly illustrated, but it's his obsessive passion which is most transfixing' * Observer *'A compelling combination of first-hand experiences, human stories, birdlore and scientific puzzles that take us through a 12,000-year pageant to the present day...the whole narrative fizzes with his infectious enthusiasm, curiosity and energy' -- Jeremy Mynott * TLS *'Birkhead's approach to writing - hard, clear sentences; deep, revelatory looking - has the same effect as his microscope, making us see the familiar with new eyes' -- Alex Preston'A brilliant and passionate celebration - how birds enrich our lives and now, more than ever, depend on us' -- Nick Davies, author of Cuckoo'Justly acclaimed for his brilliance at explaining complex science in a beguilingly lively style' * BBC Wildlife *'Tim Birkhead is an eminent scientific ornithologist and a masterful science communicator. Birds and Us wings its way through 12,000 years of our species' engagement with the avian world. He tells it all with delightful gusto, plaiting personal encounters (with birds and bird-people) with challenging historical research and bewitching scientific rigor' -- Tim Dee'Thought-provoking at every turn, this inspiring, shocking, wonder-filled exploration of our relationship with birds from earliest times delivers a sobering challenge to us living with birds today' -- Isabella Tree, author of Wilding'A fascinating book about the close and often surprising relationship between birds and people, written by one of our leading ornithologists' -- Stephen Moss'A beguiling and beautifully illustrated study... extraordinary details fly off the page, from how guillemot eggs refuse to harden when boiled, to the discovery of millions of mummified ibises in Egyptian catacombs. Birkhead is a personable, often amusing, guide' * Mail on Sunday (5 star review) *'[Birkhead's] book arrives enticingly illustrated, but it's his obsessive passion which is most transfixing' * Observer *'A compelling combination of first-hand experiences, human stories, birdlore and scientific puzzles that take us through a 12,000-year pageant to the present day...the whole narrative fizzes with his infectious enthusiasm, curiosity and energy' -- Jeremy Mynott * TLS *'Birkhead's approach to writing - hard, clear sentences; deep, revelatory looking - has the same effect as his microscope, making us see the familiar with new eyes' -- Alex Preston'A brilliant and passionate celebration - how birds enrich our lives and now, more than ever, depend on us' -- Nick Davies, author of Cuckoo'Justly acclaimed for his brilliance at explaining complex science in a beguilingly lively style' * BBC Wildlife *

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Book SynopsisFrom antique shop windows and farm stand displays to rustic table settings, lovingly tended gardens, and covered bridges, these 31 richly detailed illustrations celebrate the timeless charm of rural life.

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Book SynopsisA wonderful meditation on the English landscape in wet weather by the acclaimed novelist and nature writer, Melissa Harrison.Whenever rain falls, our countryside changes. Fields, farms, hills and hedgerows appear altered, the wildlife behaves differently, and over time the terrain itself is transformed.In Rain, Melissa Harrison explores our relationship with the weather as she follows the course of four rain showers, in four seasons, across Wicken Fen, Shropshire, the Darent Valley and Dartmoor. Blending these expeditions with reading, research, memory and imagination, she reveals how rain is not just an essential element of the world around us, but a key part of our own identity too.

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Book SynopsisThe USA's National Parks truly are places of wonder: staggering landscapes of jaw-dropping dimensions and incredible diversity where you can stand on the very edge of civilisation.They are the earth's breathing spaces, precious places to conserve nature and wildlife for future generations. Explore countless places to hike, camp, climb, swim and paddle, where you and your family can create lifelong memories of freedom and wide-open spaces.The book contains inspiring narratives reflecting the rich diversity and natural importance of the parks, including their role in conserving wildlife, their intricate ecosystems, and their importance as untamed yet accessible spaces where people love to escape and unwind. In this book you'll discover: -Beautiful photography and inspiring ideas perfect for planning your next adventure -63 national parks in order of designation, showcasing what makes each one special-Maps, facts and figure

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Book SynopsisThe ultimate visual encyclopedia of rocks and minerals, including a detailed directory of 300 specimens.

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

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsForeword xvii Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 4 Beyond the Book 4 Where to Go from Here 5 Part 1: Taking Flight with Beekeeping 7 Chapter 1: To Bee, or Not to Bee? 9 Discovering the Benefits of Beekeeping 10 Harvesting liquid gold: Honey 11 Bees as pollinators: Their vital role to our food supply 11 Being part of the bigger picture: Save the bees! 13 Getting an education: And passing it on! 13 Improving your health: Bee therapies and stress relief 15 Determining Your Beekeeping Potential 16 Environmental considerations 16 Zoning and legal restrictions 16 Costs and equipment 17 Time and commitment 18 Beekeeper personality traits 18 Allergies 19 Deciding Which Beekeeping Approach to Follow 19 Medicated beekeeping 20 Natural beekeeping 20 Organic beekeeping 21 Combining approaches 21 Chapter 2: Getting to Know Your Honey Bees 23 Basic Body Parts 24 Skeleton 24 Head 25 Thorax 26 Abdomen 27 The Amazing Language of Bees 27 Pheromones 27 Shall we dance? 28 Getting to Know the Male and the Two Female Castes 29 Her majesty, the queen 29 The industrious little worker bee 32 House bees 33 Field bees 36 The woeful drone 37 The Honey Bee Life Cycle 39 Egg 39 Larva 41 Pupa 42 Other Stinging Insects 43 Bumblebee 44 Carpenter bee 44 Mason bee 45 Wasp 45 Yellow jacket 46 Bald-faced hornet 47 Part 2: Starting Your Adventure 49 Chapter 3: Alleviating Apprehensions and Making Decisions 51 Overcoming Sting Phobia 52 Knowing what to do if you’re stung 53 Watching for allergic reactions 54 Building up a tolerance 54 Understanding Local Laws and Ordinances 55 Easing the Minds of Family and Neighbors 55 Location, Location, Location: Where to Keep Your Hives 57 Knowing what makes a perfect bee yard 57 Urban considerations 59 Understanding the correlation between geographical area and honey flavors 64 Knowing When to Start Your Adventure 64 Chapter 4: Selecting a Hive That’s Perfect for You 67 The Langstroth Hive 68 The Kenyan Top Bar Hive 70 The Apimaye Insulated Hive 73 The Flow Hive 75 The Warré (People’s) Hive 78 The Five-Frame Nuc Hive 81 The Observation Hive 83 Make a Beeline to the Best Beehive 86 Hives for harvesting honey 87 Hives for pollinating your garden 87 A hive for learning and teaching 88 Chapter 5: Basic Equipment for Beekeepers 91 Starting Out with the Langstroth Hive 92 Knowing the Basic Woodenware Parts of the Langstroth Hive 92 Hive stand 93 Bottom board 93 Entrance reducer 95 Deep-hive body 96 Queen excluder 97 Shallow or medium honey super 98 Frames 100 Foundation 103 Inner cover 106 Outer cover 106 Knowing the Basic Parts of a Top Bar Hive 108 The top bar 108 Everything else 109 Ordering Hive Parts 110 Startup hive kits 110 Setting up shop 111 Adding on Feeders 112 Hive-top feeder 112 Entrance feeder 114 Pail feeder 115 Baggie feeder 116 Frame feeder 117 Top Bar hive feeders 118 Fundamental Tools 118 Smoker 119 Hive tool and frame lifter 119 Bee-Proof Clothing 120 Veils 120 Gloves 122 Really Helpful Accessories 123 Elevated hive stand 123 Frame rest 125 Bee brush 125 Slatted rack 126 Screened bottom board 126 Beekeeper’s toolbox 128 Chapter 6: Obtaining and Installing Your Bees 131 Determining the Kind of Bee You Want 132 Deciding How to Obtain Your Initial Bee Colony 135 Ordering package bees 135 Buying a “nuc” colony 136 Purchasing an established colony 138 Capturing a wild swarm of bees 138 Picking a Reputable Bee Supplier 139 Deciding When to Place Your Order 141 The Day Your Girls Arrive 142 Bringing home your bees 142 Recipe for sugar syrup 143 Putting Your Bees into the Hive 144 Hiving steps for Langstroth type hives and Steps 1–7 for Top Bar hives 144 Hiving Steps 8–14 for Top Bar hives 150 Watching your bees come and go from their new home 151 Part 3: Time for a Peek 153 Chapter 7: Opening Your Hive 155 Establishing Visiting Hours 156 Setting an Inspection Schedule 156 Preparing to Visit Your Langstroth or Top Bar Hive 157 Making “non-scents” a part of personal hygiene 157 Getting dressed up and ready to go 158 Lighting Your Smoker 159 Opening a Langstroth Hive 161 Removing the hive-top feeder 164 Removing the inner cover 165 Opening a Top Bar Hive 166 The Hive’s Open! Now What? 168 Chapter 8: What to Expect When You’re Inspecting 169 Keeping a Journal 170 Inspecting a Langstroth Hive 171 Removing the first frame of your Langstroth hive 171 Working your way through the Langstroth hive 173 Holding up frames for inspection 174 Knowing when it’s time for more smoke 175 Replacing Langstroth frames 175 Closing the Langstroth hive 176 Inspecting a Top Bar Hive 177 Working your way through the Top Bar hive 177 Top Bar comb management 179 Looking into Top Bar cells 180 Replacing the top bars and closing the hive 181 Understanding What to Always Look For 181 Checking for your queen 181 Storing food; raising brood 182 Inspecting the brood pattern 182 Recognizing foodstuffs 183 Your New Colony’s First Eight Weeks 183 Checking in: A week after hiving your bees 183 The second and third weeks 186 Weeks four through eight 188 Chapter 9: Different Seasons, Different Activities 193 Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer 194 Your summer to-do list 195 Your summertime commitment 195 Falling Leaves Point to Autumn Chores 196 Your autumn to-do list 196 Your autumn time commitment 200 Clustering in a Winter Wonderland 201 Your winter to-do list 202 Your wintertime commitment 203 Spring is in the Air (Starting Your Second Season) 203 Your spring to-do list 204 Your springtime commitment 205 Administering spring medication 205 Reversing hive bodies 207 Managing Top Bar Hives in the Spring 208 Finding the cluster 208 Preventing the urge to swarm 209 Expanding the brood nest 209 The Beekeeper’s Calendar 210 Part 4: Common Problems and Simple Solutions 213 Chapter 10: Anticipating and Preventing Potential Problems 215 Running Away (to Join the Circus?) 216 Swarming 216 Absconding 227 Where Did the Queen Go? 227 Letting nature take its course 228 Ordering a replacement queen 228 Introducing a new queen to the hive 229 Avoiding Chilled Brood 230 Dealing with the Dreaded Robbing Frenzies 231 Knowing the difference between normal and abnormal (robbing) behavior 231 Putting a stop to a robbing attack 232 Preventing robbing in the first place 232 Ridding Your Hive of the Laying Worker Phenomenon 234 How to know if you have laying workers 234 Getting rid of laying workers 235 Preventing Pesticide Poisoning 237 The “Killer Bee” Phenomenon 237 What are “killer bees”? 238 Bee prepared! 239 Chapter 11: Colony Collapse Disorder 241 What is CCD? 242 What to Do If You Suspect CCD 243 Why All the Fuss? 243 What’s Causing CCD? 244 The cellphone theory 244 It may be the perfect storm 244 Answers to FAQs 248 What You Can Do to Help 248 Chapter 12: Keeping Your Bees Healthy 251 Understanding the Importance of Good Nutrition 252 What bees eat 252 The need for good gut health 253 Taking steps to ensure good nutrition 253 Medicating or Not? 254 Knowing the Big-Six Bee Diseases 254 American foulbrood (AFB) 255 European foulbrood (EFB) 256 Chalkbrood 257 Sacbrood 258 Stonebrood 258 Nosema 259 A handy chart 260 Chapter 13: Heading Off Honey-Bee Pests 263 Parasitic Problems 263 Varroa mites 264 Tracheal mites 271 Zombie (Phonid) flies 276 Other Unwelcome Pests 276 Wax moths 277 Small hive beetle 278 Ants, ants, and more ants 279 Bear alert! 280 Raccoons and skunks 281 Keeping out Mrs Mouse 282 Some birds have a taste for bees 283 Pest Control at a Glance 283 Chapter 14: Raising Your Own Queens 285 Why Raising Queens is the Bee’s Knees 286 Understanding Genetics 287 Dominant and recessive genes 287 Inbreeding versus outcrossing 288 Accentuate the positive 289 What Makes a Queen a Queen 291 Talking about the Birds and Bees for Honey Bees 292 Creating Demand: Making a Queenless Nuc 293 Queen-Rearing Method 1: Go with the Flow 294 If the queen cells are capped 294 If the queen cells are open 294 Mind the timeline 295 Queen-Rearing Method 2: The Miller Method 296 Queen-Rearing Method 3: The Doolittle Method, also Known as Grafting 298 Tools and equipment 298 How it’s done 301 Providing nuptial housing 303 Finding Homes for Your Queens 304 Evaluating the Results 305 The Queen Rearer’s Calendar 306 Marking Your Queens 307 Part 5: Sweet Rewards 309 Chapter 15: Honey, I Love You 311 Appreciating the History of Honey 311 Understanding the Composition of Honey 313 Healing with Honey 314 Honey and diabetes 314 Honey’s nutritional value 315 Honey and children 315 Choosing Extracted, Comb, Chunk, or Whipped Honey 315 Extracted honey 316 Comb honey 317 Chunk honey 317 Whipped honey 317 Honeydew honey 318 Taking the Terror out of Terroir 318 Customizing your honey 319 Honey from around the world 320 The Commercialization of Honey 324 Is it the real deal? 324 Raw versus regular honey 325 Organic or not? 325 Your own honey is the best 325 Appreciating the Culinary Side of Honey 326 The nose knows 326 Practice makes perfect 327 Recognizing defects in honey 328 Pairing Honey with Food 328 Infusing Honey with Flavors 329 Judging Honey 329 Honey Trivia 330 Chapter 16: Getting Ready for the Golden Harvest 333 Having Realistic Expectations 334 What Flavor Do You Want? 334 Assembling the Right Equipment to Extract Honey 335 Honey extractors 335 Uncapping knife 336 Honey strainer 336 Other handy gadgets for extracting honey 337 Honey containers 340 Planning Your Extracted Honey Harvest Setup 340 Gathering Comb Honey Equipment 342 Section comb cartridges 342 Cut comb 342 Branding and Selling Your Honey 342 Creating an attractive label 343 Finding places to market your honey 346 Selling your honey on the web 346 Chapter 17: Honey Harvest Day 347 Knowing When to Harvest 348 Bad things come to those who wait! 349 A few pointers to keep in mind when harvesting liquid gold 350 Getting the Bees out of the Honey Supers 351 Shakin’ ’em out 352 Blowin’ ’em out 353 Using a bee escape board 353 Fume board and bee repellent 354 Honey Extraction from a Langstroth Frame 356 Harvesting honey using an extractor 357 Cleaning frames after extracting 359 Harvesting Honey from Your Top Bar Hive 360 Selecting the comb to harvest 360 Getting the bees off Top Bar comb 362 Harvesting using the crush-and-strain method 362 Harvesting honey using a honey press 363 Harvesting cut-comb honey 365 Harvesting Wax 365 Part 6: The Part of Tens 367 Chapter 18: More than Ten Fun Things to Do with Bees 369 Making Two Langstroth Hives from One 369 Making One Langstroth Hive from Two 371 Dividing a Top Bar Hive into Two Colonies 373 Combining Two Top Bar Hive Colonies 375 Building an Elevated Hive Stand 376 Building materials list 377 Cut list 377 Planting Flowers for Your Bees 378 Asters (aster/callistephus) 379 Bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea) 380 Bee balm (Monarda) 380 Hyssop (Agastache) 380 Malva (Malvaceae) 381 Mint (Mentha) 381 Nasturtium (Tropaeolum minus) 381 Poppy (Papaver/Eschscholzia) 381 Salvia (Salvia/farinacea-strata/ splendens/officinalis) 382 Sunflowers (Helianthus/Tithonia) 382 Brewing Mead: The Nectar of the Gods 382 Create Cool Stuff with Propolis 385 Propolis tincture 386 Propolis ointment 386 Propolis varnish 387 Making Gifts from Beeswax 387 Beeswax candles 388 Beeswax furniture polish 389 Beauty and the Bees 389 Use your cappings 390 Equipment 390 The recipes 391 Packaging and labeling 396 Chapter 19: More than Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Bee Behavior 397 Chapter 20: My Ten Favorite Honey Recipes 403 Honey Curry Vegetable Dip 405 Golden Cornbread 406 Honey Picante Chicken Wings 407 Apricot Honey Bread 408 Asian Honey-Tea Grilled Prawns 409 Broiled Scallops with Honey-Lime Marinade 410 A Honey of a Chili 411 Beef and Potato Tzimmes 412 Chewy Honey Oatmeal Cookies 413 Apple Honey Tart 414 Part 7: Appendixes 415 Appendix A: Helpful Resources 417 Honey Bee Information Websites 417 Apiservices — Virtual beekeeping gallery 417 The Barefoot Beekeeper 418 Beemaster Forum 418 Bee-Source.com 418 Facebook — Top Bar Beekeeping 418 Honey Bee Health Coalition 418 Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium (MAARAC) 419 National Honey Board 419 Bee Organizations and Conferences 419 The American Apitherapy Society Inc 420 American Beekeeping Federation 420 American Honey Producers 420 Apiary Inspectors of America 420 Apimondia: International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations 421 Eastern Apiculture Society 421 Heartland Apicultural Society Inc 422 International Bee Research Association 422 USDA Agricultural Research Service 422 The Western Apiculture Society 423 Bee Journals and Magazines 423 American Bee Journal 423 Bee Culture 424 Bee World 425 Beekeeping Supplies and Equipment 425 Apimaye Insulated Hives 425 Barnyard Bees 426 Bastin Bees 426 Bee-commerce.com 427 BeeInventive 427 Bee Vital 428 Betterbee 428 Blue Sky Bee Supply 428 Dadant & Sons, Inc 429 Glorybee Inc 429 Healthy Bee 430 Hive Butler 430 Hive Tracks 430 Hungry Bear Farms 431 Kelley Beekeeping 431 Mann Lake 431 Miller Bee Supply 432 Oliverez 432 Pierco 433 Pigeon Mountain Trading Company 433 Rossman Apiaries 433 Sacramento Beekeeping Supplies 434 Swienty Beekeeping Equipment (EU) 434 Thorne Beekeeping Supply (UK) 435 Western Bee Supplies 435 State Bee Inspectors (United States) 436 Appendix B: Beekeeper’s Checklist 437 Appendix C: Glossary 441 Index 449

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Book SynopsisFrom the prize-winning author of In the Place of Fallen Leaves comes a beautiful, hypnotic pastoral novel reminiscent of Thomas Hardy, about an unexpected friendship between two children, set in Devon in 19111911. In a forgotten valley on the DevonSomerset border, the seasons unfold, marked only by the rituals of the farming calendar. Twelve-year-old Leopold Sercombe skips school to help his father, a carter. Skinny and pale, Leo dreams of a job on the estate's stud farm. He is breaking a colt for his father when a boy dressed in a Homburg, breeches and riding boots appears. Peering under the stranger's hat, he discovers Miss Charlotte, the Master's daughter. And so begins a friendship between the children, bound by a deep love of horses, but divided by rigid social boundaries boundaries that become increasingly difficult to navigate as they approach adolescence.Trade ReviewA novel that is as moving and profound as it is evocative of the landscape and period … Pears’s fiction has been likened to Thomas Hardy’s, and the comparison is apposite. As a coming-of-age novel, The Horseman is wise and insightful. As a love story, it is moving and sincere. And as a portrayal of rural Edwardian England, it is powerful, vivid and humane * Observer *Pears has often been praised for his strong, clear prose and his ability to tell fascinating stories without fuss or fanfare. The Horseman is his best work in many years. As a testament to a forgotten generation of countrymen it is unsurpassed * The Times *The pleasure of it lies in taking in the language and the setting - the West country, in 1911 and 1912 - and in reading it like a long poem, with each chapter a stanza ... The natural world is sometimes antagonistic, sometimes beautiful, but always alive with detail ... I am ready for volume two -- Jane Smiley * Guardian *With hypnotic lyricism, Pears describes this bucolic Devon world and the people who inhabit it ... [A] paean to the pastoral * Mail on Sunday *A mesmerising book … An evocation of the pre-First World War countryside, sparely written and imagined with exceptional fidelity -- Clive Aslet * Country Life *The most entrancing novel I read this year is The Horseman by Tim Pears. This intelligent and moving evocation of life on a country estate just before the First World War is both down-to-earth and magical -- Allan Massie * Sunday Herald, Books of the Year *This book needs to be read with quiet attention to reap its rich rewards -- John Harding * Daily Mail *An assured, slow-burn, lyrical book, a rewarding read in our troubled times. Once again Pears celebrates growing up, the trials of family life and the beauty and wildness of untamed nature, offering fascinating insights into the consolations as well as the cruelties of rural life -- Jackie McGlone * Herald *A beautiful portrait of rural life at the turn of the century … Tim Pears combines meticulously researched historical material ... all depicted in rich, evocative detail – with lush, languorous, melodic prose ... A distinctly compelling pastoral bildungsroman that leaves the reader eager for the next installment * BBC Countryfile *Evocative of Hardy … The Horseman is itself an exhilarating vision, a bittersweet elegy for the innocent certainties of an agrarian world before the industrialised horrors of the 20th century come crashing down * Irish Times *A magnificent novel. In spare yet elegant precise prose Tim Pears offers entrance into a place and characters otherwise lost to time ... Leo Sercombe is one of the most engaging creations to come along in fiction in a long time and I eagerly look forward to following his life in future tellings. Tim Pears is a novelist of the first rank and I can't recommend The Horseman more highly -- Jeffrey LentNeatly crafted and compelling * Spectator *

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Book Synopsis_______________WINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR NON-FICTIONTHE TOP 2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEKAN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR_______________Mudlark (/mAdla;k/) noun A person who scavenges for usable debris in the mud of a river or harbourLara Maiklem has scoured the banks of the Thames for over fifteen years, in pursuit of the objects that the river unearths: from Neolithic flints to Roman hair pins, medieval buckles to Tudor buttons, Georgian clay pipes to Victorian toys. These objects tell her about London and its lost ways of life.Moving from the river's tidal origins in the west of the city to the point where it meets the sea in the east, Mudlarking is a search for urban solitude and history on the River Thames, which Lara calls the longest archaeological site in England.As she has discovered, it is often the tiniest objects that tell the greatest storTrade ReviewThis is a quirky and delightful read, wonderfully evocative of London’s gloopy, ghost-haunted river * Daily Mail *A treasure. One of the best books I’ve read in years -- Tracy BormanReveals to us the fascinating and poignant micro-world of London's history -- Hallie RubenholdEnchanting. It made even a capsized cynic like me feel more sentimental about the Thames. In fact, I am quite tempted to join Maiklem on the riverbed looking for treasure * Sunday Times *Mudlarks are river scavengers, but Lara Maiklem is more like a time traveller. Her prose has none of the self-conscious sensibility that defines contemporary nature writing; her thoughtful sentences read as though she were talking to herself. There is a great deal to learn from these pages, not least the insight that finding lost things is the best way of losing yourself. It is, above all, her wisdom that makes Lara Maiklem such restful company * Guardian *Maiklem persists, in this weirdly engaging book, in seeking out a curious beauty. Maiklem’s description of the fog is worthy of Dickens or Joseph Conrad. Maiklem pungently evokes the broken bridges, slippery river stairs, causeways, jetties and boatyards. No one has looked at these odd corners since Sherlock Holmes * Sunday Telegraph *Maiklem’s storytelling shines. Her imagined histories for her special finds read like waterborne fairy stories, a hard kernel of truth clothed in mythical finery. Reading it, I felt like I was down on the foreshore myself, sifting through the pages for titbits * Daily Telegraph *A lovely, lyrical, gently meandering book, filled with fascinating diversions and detail * Literary Review *Maiklem's enthusiasm is infectious, and her reimagining of the lives of those who parted with these items is an illuminated joy * i *Whoever buys it is blessed. I love the fact that [Maiklem] makes herself the centre of this huge, timeless, endless story that reaches from the distant past and flows past all our consciousnesses out to a place far beyond the reach of the estuary. Lara is such a natural writer; every page just tingles with her imagination. It is a love letter to life itself -- Ian MortimerMaiklem has an infectious love of linking the present with the past. It is historic detail like this that makes Mudlarking much more than just a lengthy list of discarded bric-a-brac. Lara is a romantic, motivated primarily by the human stories behind the objects. Curiosity may kill the cat, but it is the making of many an author. And Lara has it in spades * Daily Mail *Maiklem augments the Thamesian tally, summoning old Londoners out of silty suspension from a discarded Victoria Cross or a pot-lid. There are other mudlarking books, but this one offers engaging insight into an amphibian ambience of strongly marked characters, semi-secret exploits and outlandish theories. Maiklem is not alone in resorting to the river for salvation as much as salvage * Spectator *A beautifully written memoir of one woman’s relationship with the sacred Thames and the ghosts of its past. Lara Maiklem’s book on mudlarking is as deep and as rich as the Thames and its treasures. Fascinating -- Stanley TucciA hybrid of personal memoir, London history and literary cabinet of curiosities * Telegraph *Maiklem’s knowledge and skill are evident and unarguable. [She] leaves the door open for the rest of us: with a bit of luck and patience you too, she suggests, could spot something interesting on the foreshore, ask around, take it to a museum and end up owning a little bit of history. What a thrill -- Caught by the River[An] enthralling and evocative history of London and its people -- Book of the Month * Bookseller *

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestseller, from the author of I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You and Is It Just Me?, Miranda Hart's hilarious account of life with her beloved dog Peggy, a gorgeous white bichon frise.

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Book SynopsisAn RSPB audio and book guide to the birdsong of Britain's best known bird species. Birdsong is the natural soundtrack to our lives and can evoke a powerful sense of time, place and season. Often profoundly beautiful, it is also the most effective way to discover many birds, and birds' songs and calls reveal much about their lives and behaviour. But identifying which bird is making which sound can seem challenging. With this groundbreaking and easy-to-use RSPB guide, Adrian Thomas helps you learn and identify bird sounds step by step and at your own pace. Whether you are an experienced birdwatcher or just enjoy hearing the birds in your garden, this new guide will open your ears like never before to the amazing songs and calls around you. Together the book and CD combine to create an RSPB-endorsed sound guide to more than 100 songs and calls of 65 garden, woodland and farmland birds, and a reference section describes in detail the sounds of a further 185 birds of Britain and northTrade ReviewAdrian’s knowledge of the science and majesty of birdsong resonates from every page as he tells how to recognise the vocalisations of 250 species, opening a new dimension of birdwatching to novice and expert. -- Stuart Winter * Sunday Express *Adrian's descriptions of the sounds are excellent - far closer to the real thing and easier to remember than most field guides manage - but his own sonograms are a useful extra touch, and of course the CD (...) adds a very valuable extra dimension. -- Matt Merritt * Bird Watching *Thomas's enthusiasm for his subject, as well as the sheer depth of his passionate knowledge, really shines through on every page. -- The Reviewer * English Garden *It's easy to read, clearly illustrated and as someone with no musical knowledge makes essential reading. -- James Lidster * Birdwatch *It contains the clearest descriptions I have read for understanding pitch, timbre, harmonics and overtones and for anyone struggling to learn bird calls and songs it's a great introduction and I suspect for many it might just be the book they need. -- James Lidster * Birdwatch *Table of ContentsPart 1: An Introduction to Bird Songs and Calls Introduction How to use this guide What is sound? How do birds make noises? Types of bird sound How to describe bird sounds Reading sonograms What sounds to expect: Where and when? What to expect: Habitats Putting it all together Turning it into learning Part 2: Guide to Common Bird Songs and Calls Towns and villages Woods and copses Upland woodland Farmland Reedbeds and marshes Part 3: Reference Guide How to Record Bird Sounds Glossary References Acknowledgements Sound Credits Photo Credits Track List Index

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Book SynopsisRSPB Spotlight Seals is packed with eye-catching, informative color photos and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.Spotlight Seals explores the intricate lives of the UK''s native Grey and Common Seals and their amazing physical and behavioral adaptations to a life split between land and sea. Seals are the sleekest and most agile of all marine mammals, and they are superbly adapted to the watery world in which they spend most of their time. With their whiskery dog-like faces, curious nature and vulnerable pups, they are enduringly appealing animals. Although air-breathing, these marine mammals are superbly tuned to hunt, sleep, mate and keep warm while out at sea, but they remain inextricably linked to land where they moult and have their pups.Frances Dipper also delves into the complex physiology that allows seals to dive deep and for long periods without coming to any harm. Once ruthlessly exploited for their Table of ContentsMeet the Seals Seals Around the World Life on Land Life on Sea The Daily Routine Watching Seals Threats and Protection Seals in Our Lives Further Reading and Resources Acknowledgements Image Credits Index

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