Non Fiction Books

Book SynopsisMore photos are taken than ever before, but most are neglected and unused. This book suggests new creative directions and explains how you can produce distinctive and exciting works of art. Packed with technical advice and in-depth practical detail, it shows you how to use cameras and equipment for experimental photography. There are ideas on how to develop a creative eye and a personal photographic style. It explains when to use the rules of composition, and when to break them and shows you how to create amazing pictures from everyday objects. It provides inspiration, ideas and techniques for making abstract and pattern pictures, and using textures for artistic impact. Finally, it advises on using software to convert pictures to artwork and how to present art images for maximum effect. Through step-by-step guides and stunning examples, it also helps you create images that tell a personal story. It’s an essential guide to help you take photos that count, not just click away.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Read this book, then look and wonder' Sunday Times *A TLS Book of the Year*We have to learn to live as part of nature, not apart from it. And the first step is to start looking after the insects, the little creatures that make our shared world go round.Insects are essential for life as we know it - without them, our world would look vastly different. Drawing on the latest ground-breaking research and a lifetime's study, Dave Goulson reveals the long decline of insect populations that has taken place in recent decades and its potential consequences.Eye-opening and inspiring, Silent Earth asks for profound change at every level and a passionate argument or us to love, respect and care for our six-legged friends.'Compelling - Silent Earth is a wake-up call' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding'Enlightening, urgent and funny, Goulson's book is a timely call for action' New StatesmanTrade ReviewA powerful book * Mark Cocker, Financial Times *Thoughtful, frightening and yet hugely enjoyable... This book will make you think differently about our right of dominion over the planet * Daily Telegraph *It's remarkable that insect decline has gone largely unnoticed by non-specialists... Keep dreaming, Dave Goulson. We'll need more dreamers like you * The Times *If Silent Earth contains a single incontestable message it is that nature - insects, flowers, plants, trees, birds and mammals, including our species - is a single system... This powerful book tells us that we need to act as if we understand this essential truth * Financial Times *Compelling, penetrating, devastating - Silent Earth is a wake-up call for the world. Dave Goulson matches science with eloquence and passion to spotlight the cataclysmic loss of insect life on our planet. Rachel Carson would be proud. -- Isabella Tree

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE FORTNUM AND MASON FOOD BOOK AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE ANDRE SIMON AWARDA brilliant, passionate and spellbinding tour de force' Claudia RodenThe epic tale of the world''s most sophisticated gastronomic culture, told through a banquet of thirty Chinese dishesChinese was the earliest truly global cuisine. When the first Chinese labourers began to sojourn and settle abroad, restaurants appeared in their wake. Yet Chinese food has the curious distinction of being both one of the world''s best-loved culinary traditions and one of the least understood. For more than a century, the overwhelming dominance of a simplified form of Cantonese cooking ensured that few foreigners experienced anything of its richness and sophistication - but today that is beginning to change.In this book, the James Beard Award-winning cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop explores the history, philosophy and techniques of China''s rich and ancient culinary culture. Each chapter examines a classic dish, from mapo tofu to Dongpo pork, knife-scraped noodles to braised pomelo pith, to reveal a singular aspect of Chinese gastronomy, whether it''s the importance of the soybean, the lure of exotic ingredients or the history of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Meeting local food producers, chefs, gourmets and home cooks as she tastes her way across the country, Fuchsia invites readers to join her on an unforgettable journey into Chinese food as it is made, cooked, eaten and considered in its homeland.Weaving together historical scholarship, mouth-watering descriptions of food and on-the-ground research conducted over the course of three decades, Invitation to a Banquet is a lively, landmark tribute to the pleasures and mysteries of Chinese cuisine.

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Book SynopsisThe creator of the Polyvagal Theory explains the principles in simple terms that are accessible to all.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn impressive exploration of Iran's development since 1979 into an unpredictable pseudo-democracy ... [a] calm and literate portrait of the Islamic Republic * Guardian *If you were to read only one book on present-day Iran you could not do better than this ... Axworthy revokes the sound and fury of the revolution itself -- Ervand Abrahamian * Times Higher Education *Balances scholarly precision with narrative flair ... Axworthy does the best job so far of describing the Iran-Iraq war ... Axworthy's analytical approach helps him demystify a revolutionary regime that has needed to feed off myths. He revisits, and convincingly reinterprets, defining moments of the Islamic republic ... [with] scholarly rigour and first-class analysis. Anyone interested in this most complex of revolutions would do well to read [this book] * Economist *Packed with gobbets of information and policy advice on how to deal with Iran * Telegraph *[A] meticulously fair and scholarly work ... passages from Iranian authors little known in the west as well as references to both popular and arthouse cinema bring depth [and] richness ... moving and vivid ... a very fine work that deserves to be read by anyone interested in the Middle East -- Jason Burke * Observer *Axworthy is a true Iranophile, learned in history and literature ancient and modern ... [A] subtle, lucid, and well-proportioned history ... his method casts theocracy in a refreshingly cold light, and embosses the Islamic Republic's well-established subordination of faith to power * Spectator *In this lucid, nicely written and well-paced work, Michael Axworthy provides a compelling overview of contemporary Iran and its relations with the outside world ... [Axworthy's] perspective is far more persuasive, and interesting, than the neocon line that has dominated the Iran debate * Independent *

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Book SynopsisCollagraph printmaking is an accessible and environmentally friendly way of making striking prints with a unique texture. At its simplest it is a method of printing from collaged plates; at its most sophisticated, it is an innovative and exciting experimental medium. This book is a guide to the technique, with step-by-step instructions for creating and printing simple plates for the beginner, as well as tips, ideas and directions for those with more experience. There is advice on how to get started at the kitchen table; a guide to additional materials and equipment; step-by-step instructions for building collagraph plates and techniques for printing in monochrome using relief and intaglio methods.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

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Book SynopsisFortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards 2015 Highly CommendedCuring and smoking your own food is a bit of a lost art in Britain these days. While our European neighbours have continued to use these methods on their meat, fish and cheese for centuries, we seem to have lost the habit. But with the right guidance, anyone can preserve fresh produce, whether living on a country farm or in an urban flat it doesn''t have to take up a huge amount of space. The River Cottage ethos is all about knowing the whole story behind what you put on the table; and as Steven Lamb explains in this thorough, accessible guide, it''s easy to take good-quality ingredients and turn them into something sensational. Curing & Smoking begins with a detailed breakdown of any kit you might need (from sharp knives to sausage stuffers, for the gadget-loving cook) and an explanation of the preservation process this includes a section showing which products and cuts are most suitable for different methods ofTrade ReviewIf you have yet to come across the River Cottage Handbooks, I can’t recommend them enough * Rachel Khoo, Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA tale of obsession and very big fish from Jeremy Wade, the presenter of ITV''s RIVER MONSTERS.Over ten feet long, it weighs in at nearly a quarter of a ton. Covering its back are armoured plates made of bone. Five hundred stiletto-sharp teeth line its long crocodilian jaws. It''s a prehistoric beast of staggering proportions; a fearsome creature from the time of the dinosaurs.But the Alligator Gar, an air-breathing survivor from the Cretaceous period is still with us today, patrolling inland rivers, hunting in murky waters shared by human communities.And for Jeremy Wade, described as the ''greatest angling explorer of his generation'', the Gar and other outlandish freshwater predators have been an obsession for all his adult life. With names like Arapaima, Snakehead, Goonch, Goliath Tigerfish and Electric Eel, many of them have acquired an almost mythical status.In a quest that has taken him from the Amazon to the Congo, and from North AmericaTrade ReviewThe fishing fanatic's Downton Abbey... a terrific book * THE LADY *A serious angler with a genuinely pioneering streak, his written accompaniment to the series, now in paperback, is well crafted and, although the species are exotic, the tales of chasing elusive specimins will resonate with all anglers. * ANGLING TIMES *A reflective character with a hint of angst about him, he has a travel writer's eye and a philosopher's mind to go with his scientific background. * TROUT FISHERMAN *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE 2020A uniquely strange and wonderful work of literature' Philip HoareAn exciting new voice' Mark Cocker, author of Crow CountryIn his late thirties, Edward Parnell found himself trapped in the recurring nightmare of a family tragedy. For comfort, he turned to his bookshelves, back to the ghost stories that obsessed him as a boy, and to the writers through the ages who have attempted to confront what comes after death.In Ghostland, Parnell goes in search of the sequestered places' of the British Isles, our lonely moors, our moss-covered cemeteries, our stark shores and our folkloric woodlands. He explores how these landscapes conjured and shaped a kaleidoscopic spectrum of literature and cinema, from the ghost stories and weird fiction of M. R. James, Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood to the children's fantasy novels of Alan Garner and Susan Cooper; from W. G. Sebald's The Rings of Saturn and Graham Swift's Waterland to the archetypal folk horroTrade Review‘Ghostland is a delicious, creepy, gothic gazetteer to a British landscape filled with folkloric, literary and filmic spirits, avian auguries, and natural history and a deeply touching personal grief that speaks to the hauntedness of childhood memory and teenage dreams. Obsessive, possessive, nostalgic, an act of vivid retrieval – this is a uniquely strange and wonderful work of literature’ Philip Hoare ‘Psychogeography at is finest, Ghostland is a personal meditation on the primal power of the British landscape to shape literature, film and television that tunes into the core collective experience of the Haunted Generation’ Cathi Unsworth, author of Weirdo ‘Part memoir of family to two parts brilliant excursion into folk-horror darkness and literary nooks and crannies’ Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts ‘Ghostland is both haunting and entertaining, echoing with an enthusiast’s love for that which is out of kilter with the everyday; things not quite right glimpsed from the corner of the eye’ Stuart Maconie, Mail on Sunday ‘A marvellous blend of travel writing, history and grief memoir, Ghostland provides not only a seance with the author’s lost family, but also a premonition of his dazzling literary future’ Paul Willetts, author of Members Only, filmed as The Look of Love ‘A skilful and intriguing weaving together, less of haunted houses as of haunted people, including MR James, Alan Garner, W G Sebald and the author himself, in places where the past has left its mark’ George Szirtes, author of The Photographer at Sixteen ‘His is a wonderfully evocative book, creating a sense of place and invoking the power of literature and nature.’ The Guardian ‘Throughout this impeccably researched book, there is…a fascination with figures in a landscape glimpsed out of the corner of the eye.’ Literary Review

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Book SynopsisChris Mattison is a zoologist who specializes in herpetology. He has written more than 20 reptile books and contributed to a number of magazines and journals. Travelling widely in search of reptiles, he has made research trips to many parts of the world, including the West Indies, North and South America, Africa and Cuba.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the mysteries of the Universe and journey to galaxies beyond our own in this fact-packed companion to space.From icy worlds and hot, fiery giants to the biggest telescopes and latest spacecraft, this book covers more than 40 profiles of the planets, stars, and objects in our universe. Find out all about our neighboring planets, from tiny Mercury to gigantic Jupiter. Discover what lies beyond our solar system and the stars we can see in the night sky. Learn about the latest space technology and when humans may finally land on Mars.Broken down by type, each object is presented in a clear, engaging way, with stunning images and bite-sized chunks of information. Detailed NASA photography brings the mysteries of outer space to life, while pronunciation guides help with tricky names, and a visual index gives a quick overview of all the key objects in the book. Filled with fascinating details for every young stargazer and budding astronaut, My Book of Sta

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Book SynopsisTHE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER An exciting Cold War story about a KGB double agent, by one of Britain''s greatest historians and the ultimate gift for anyone who loves a good spy thriller!''The best true spy story I have ever read'' John le Carré________________On a warm July evening in 1985, a middle-aged man stood on the pavement of a busy avenue in the heart of Moscow, holding a plastic carrier bag. In his grey suit and tie, he looked like any other Soviet citizen. The bag alone was mildly conspicuous, printed with the red logo of Safeway, the British supermarket.The man was a spy. A senior KGB officer, for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine. No spy had done more to damage the KGB. The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia. So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying.Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage, betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever . . .________________''The world''s most important spy since the Second World War. Mercilessly gripping'' Sunday Times''Extraordinary. His best book yet'' John Preston, Evening Standard''A remarkable story of one man''s courage'' The Times, Book of the WeekBen Macintyre, Sunday Times bestseller, August 2023Trade ReviewAn incredible true life spy story...Every word ramps up the tension as you're drawn deeper into the danger * Mail on Sunday *If any spy writer were to put it in a novel, it would not be believed. But, blow by blow, trick by trick, it is all in Macintyre's book -- Fredrick ForsythHe writes like a novelist. One of the last chapters is as tense as any thriller. No wonder le Carré liked it * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisA child's odyssey to reunite with his parents on the other side of the borderTrade Review‘I don’t think I’ve ever read a memoir which captivated me in so many ways... It was a beautiful book about family, those that we have and those that we make, and the little family that they made on their journey, which was almost sort of Iliad-esque. An epic journey to their loved ones, because they had no choice.’ -- Jenna Bush Hager, TODAY'A monumental accomplishment.' -- Oprah Daily'Crafted with stunning intimacy . . . you’ll feel so close to the boy [Zamora] was then that you’ll think about him long after the book is done. It’s impossible not to feel both immersed in and changed by this extraordinary book.' -- Los Angeles Times'An important, beautiful work.' -- New York Times Book Review‘Solito is at once blistering and tender, devastating and affirming – it is, quite simply, a revelation, a new landmark in the literature of migration, and in nonfiction writ large.’ -- Francisco Cantú, New York Times bestselling author of The Line Becomes a River'A beautifully wrought work that renders the migrant experience into a vivid, immediately accessible portrayal' * Kirkus Review (starred) *'A monumental act of reconstruction...Zamora reminds us that behind the word migrant – whether used casually or cruelly – there are human faces, and individual tragedies and triumphs. * New Internationalist *'A gripping story, heart-breaking in some passages and heartening in others. Solito is my travel book of the year.' -- Telegraph'A beguiling personal memoir which is so effortlessly evocative of time and place, so light in its unexpected humour and convincing in its characterisation, it reads like a novel written by a master of imaginative and empathetic fiction.' -- Big Issue'Solito is both a work of personal healing and an implicit appeal for countries, including the United States, to address the hardships and danger that immigration posed to Zamora, and continues to pose for countless others.' -- New York Times'The heartbreaking odyssey of nine-year-old Javier Zamora, travelling through South America alone to reach his migrant parents in California, is both a rare, eye-opening rendition of the brutal reality of border-crossing and a haunting testament to the human cost of contemporary immigration policies. I was brought to tears of sympathy and anger.' -- Lea Ypi, author of Free'It’s the finest work of non-fiction I’ve read this year… Solito is a reminder, too, of how far strangers will go to help one another in times of trouble.’ -- Deskbound Traveller‘If there’s any justice, Solito will someday be considered a classic.’ -- Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind‘This is a magnificent book. Every character is rendered with boundless care and love, and the result is… a gorgeous, riveting tale of perseverance and the lengths humans will go to help one another in times of struggle. With this book, Zamora arrives at the forefront of essential American voices.’ -- Dave Eggers, author of The Circle and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius‘I have waited for a memoir like Solito for decades.’ -- Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street‘Zamora presents an immensely moving story of desperation and hardship in this account of his childhood migration from El Salvador to the US… This sheds an urgent and compassionate light on the human lives caught in an ongoing humanitarian crisis.’ -- Publishers Weekly, starred review'A stone-cold masterpiece. I read with my heart in my throat.' -- Emma Straub, author of the New York Times Bestseller ALL ADULTS HERE‘This incredible book… is an outstanding contribution to migration literature. It should become a compulsory read in schools, to understand better the ordeals that millions of migrants face daily trying to cross borders. Solito is not only a masterpiece of memoir writing but one of my favourite books of non-fiction published in recent years. It is a powerful human account that transcends languages, countries and cultures. The book sings its heart out with devastating force: it’s full of life, struggle and hope.’ -- Morning Star

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Book Synopsis‘It’s all about the flavours.’ Cook Out by Harrison Ward – aka Fell Foodie – is the ultimate outdoor adventure cookbook. Harrison presents over 80 of his easy-to-prepare gourmet recipes that will keep you fuelled all day long. This is al fresco cooking you can really enjoy, whether you’re out on a day walk, wild camping or simply relaxing in the campsite. Cook Out is split into easy-to-follow sections and illustrated throughout with stunning photography by Kenny Block. For breakfast why not try American-style pancakes or Tiroler Gröstl, a delicious Austrian breakfast hash, followed by a posh fish finger sandwich for lunch? For dinner, there are suggestions for one-pot meals including Tuscan bean stew and pork belly ramen, or go all out with Harrison’s ‘summit specials’, like a delicious chickpea, spinach and coconut curry, or sausage and fennel tagliatelle. Puddings are also covered, with Harrison’s personal takes on classics like rhubarb crumble and apple fritters, as well as a complete range of adventure snack recipes. There’s also campstove and equipment advice, and tips and tricks throughout from Harrison’s years of outdoor cooking experience. Cook Out – packed with big flavours for your big adventures.Table of Contents Introduction Acknowledgements How to Use This Book Dos & Don’ts Equipment Tips & Tricks Safety & Hygiene Measurements & Conversions Cook’s Notes Sunrise Breakfasts Elevated Sandwiches One-pot Meals Summit Specials Country Sides Camping Desserts Adventure Snacks Index

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Book SynopsisRSPB ID Spotlight Garden Birds is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 39 of our most widespread and familiar garden birds by renowned artist Stephen Message.Whether you are watching small birds at your garden bird feeder or a raptor soaring overhead, birds are everywhere. But could you recognise a Marsh Tit from a Coal Tit? Or distinguish between a Song Thrush and a Redwing? These are just a handful of the array of birds that are attracted to the UK''s gardens to nest and feed.The species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification, while the artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field. The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our garden birds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how the RSPB is working to support them. Practical tips on how to make your own ''bird pastry'' and put up nest boxeTrade ReviewThey are great for showing children the wide variety of species […] and small enough to take away with you on location, or just to keep in the car. -- John Miles * Bird Watching *Table of ContentsIntroducing the UK’s Garden Birds Habitat Distribution and Migration General Behaviour, Life Cycle and Diet Conservation Spotlight ID with Artwork

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Book SynopsisA publishing sensation, the publication of Victor Klemperer's diaries brings to light one of the most extraordinary documents of the Nazi period.'A classic ... Klemperer's diary deserves to rank alongside that of Anne Frank's' SUNDAY TIMESTrade ReviewThis is a classic ... Klemperer's diary deserves to rank alongside that of Anne Frank's ... These diaries are certain to become not only the main primary source for historians of the Nazi period, but also an essential read for anyone who wishes to understand what it was like to be a Jew living in Germany during the 1930s. But perhaps it is even more than that ... Read this wonderful book and judge for yourself * SUNDAY TIMES *I can't remember when I read a more engrossing book * SUNDAY TIMES *This extraordinary book describes in detail, and with unparalleled force and clarity, what it was like to live in Germany under Nazism. The historical record is very much the richer for it * FINANCIAL TIMES *It is not the horror of the Holocaust we see here, but the subtle, barely discernible corruption of daily life * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Authoritative ... Victor Klemperer's detailed eye-witness chronicle, not dissimilar in its cumulative power to Primo Levi's, is a devastating account of man's inhumanity to man * LITERARY REVIEW *His diaries are not only a harrowingly poignant record of the suffering of just one victimised married couple among countless others. They are also a testament to the restitution that the world still owes to those non-Aryans on whose plight too many turned their backs * DAILY TELEGRAPH *All generalisations about German attitudes, from Trevor-Roper to Daniel Goldhagen, are dashed about the anthill of detail that Victor Klemperer so copiously and courageously assembled. I can hardly wait for the second volume * SPECTATOR *The first-hand immediacy of the material gives is an unmatched potency * OBSERVER *The most detailed personal account of a German Jew's daily life in the Third Reich outweighs and will surely outlive Goldhagen's sensationalist speculations about German anti-semitism ... It's not levity to call Professor Klemperer German Jewry's Mr Pepys of the Hitler years * JEWISH CHRONICLE *Marvellous, depressing, witty, sardonic, devastating * FINANCIAL TIMES *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE HIGHLAND BOOK PRIZE 2022Reflecting on family, identity and nature, belonging is a personal memoir about what it is to have and make a home. It is a love letter to nature, especially the northern landscapes of Scotland and the Scots pinewoods of Abernethy.Beautifully written and featuring Amanda Thomson's artwork and photography throughout, it explores how place, language and family shape us and make us who we are. It is a book about how we are held in thrall to elements of our past. It speaks to the importance of attention and reflection, and will encourage us all to look and observe and ask questions of ourselves.Trade ReviewOutstanding -- ROBERT MACFARLANEA beautifully written meditation on rural surroundings and her place within them * * Sunday Times * *Amanda Thomson's new book manages to carve out a distinctive niche for itself . . . This is a passionate book and infused with a sense of rootedness -- STUART KELLY * * The Scotsman * *In recent years rural landscapes have turned into battlegrounds, and nature writing has become increasingly polemical. Belonging is a quiet book of questions in a genre full of answers, but it is all the more powerful and beautiful for this -- PATRICK GALBRAITH * * TLS * *Deservedly shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize; a thoughtful blend of memoir, family history, artistic scrapbook and nature journal in a compelling collage. [ . . . ] There's also an all-encompassing belief in the importance of listening, looking and learning from the world around us * * Observer * *One of the best things I have read in ages . . . Quiet and beautiful and powerful -- ALYS FOWLERThomson writes of the natural in a way I have yet to encounter before. There is no real hoo-haa, no flowery description of which to speak yet somehow, I came away with that ache inside me - that renewed obsession with the world that is only borne of a very particular kind of writing - poetic, loving, raw . . . Like no other -- KERRI Ní DOCHARTAIGH * * Caught by the River * *I rather enjoyed Amanda's very personal history interweaving ideas of family, place, history and nature. I was left feeling that she is the sort of person that I would love to spend an evening engaged in conversation with -- DAVID LINDO, The Urban BirderWhether writing about nature, about family, about art, or about identity, Amanda Thomson brings a careful and a thoughtful attention to the page. She shows how the threads of a life - its passions and preoccupations - are intricately entangled, each illuminating and complicating the other -- MALACHY TALLACKA book that digs deep . . . Vivid * * Herald * *In belonging, Thomson invites us to think about what living with the land really means: not just beautiful and wild places, but cities, suburbs, old houses, the places that shape us in childhood and beyond, too. This is an evocative, intimate journey through the ways we find home - in family, place, history and language -- JESSICA J. LEELyrical * * Country Living * *A finely-wrought meditation on nature, identity and the tender hold of the past -- SAMANTHA WALTON, author of EVERYBODY NEEDS BEAUTY and THE LIVING WORLDTender, searching and dialectically alert, this glorious book is a primer on noticing, a map of intersectional consciousness. Each passage pulses with incandescent turns of wonder and pain, like wingbeats stirring the air. In strikingly original takes on Scottish history, environmentalism, Black feminist theory, artmaking, list-making, memory and memoir, Thomson crafts a cadence that is as wise as it is vitally alive. Reading it, I felt like I belonged. What a gift: to see and love the world even as it hurts, even as it changes -- MARGOT DOUAIHY, author of SCORCHED GRACEA highly original, beautifully written and timely account -- STEPHEN MOSS

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEKA 2023 BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE GUARDIAN AND THE NEW YORKER ‘Captivating’ Literary Review‘Powerful’ New Scientist ‘Impressive’ Spectator‘Important’ Financial Times Waste is everywhere. It’s clogging our rivers and littering our streets. The Pacific Ocean contains a great garbage patch three times the size of France. Our junk is even orbiting the earth. No wonder there are microplastics in our bloodstreams. Waste, a problem we’ve ignored for too long, is now a global crisis – and it’s getting worse. From the landfills of New Delhi, to the second-hand clothing markets of Ghana and the overflowing sewers of Britain, join Oliver Frankl

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Book SynopsisLearn French step-by-step and soon you'll be making leaps and bounds Your quickest route to learning French is through a solid grounding in grammar basics. Now don't be put off by the "G-word." What you won't find in this book is a lot of repetitive drills. Instead, you get an original, step-by-step approach to learning French based on the way people naturally acquire language.From the very beginning, you are introduced to the most essential structures--allowing you to communicate in French almost immediately. Gradually, through a series of interconnected "steps," you logically progress to more common concepts that govern how French is spoken and written. And along the way you are introduced to hundreds of carefully selected verbs and vocabulary words presented on the basis of how often they are used in everyday French.Guaranteed to get you quickly up and running with the knowledge and skills you need to communicate in French with confidence, Easy FrenTable of ContentsPreface xi I. First Elements of French 1. Nouns, Articles, and Descriptive AdjectivesGender and Number of Nouns and Articles The Definite Article Masculine Nouns Feminine Nouns Masculine and Feminine Articles Before a Vowel Sound or Mute h Singular Nouns and the Definite Article Learning the Gender of Nouns The Indefinite Article Masculine Nouns Feminine Nouns Plural Nouns Pronouncing the Plural Descriptive Adjectives Agreement of Adjectives in Gender and Number Adjectives of Color Adjectives That Precede the Noun Key Vocabulary Les adjectifs descriptifs (Descriptive Adjectives)Les cou/eurs (Colors) Key Vocabulary Les nationalities (Nationanlities) 2. The Verbs etre and avoir, Subject Pronouns, and Negation The VerbsThe Verbs etre (to be) and avoir (to have) Être and Subject Pronouns Subject Pronouns Uses of Être Expressions with Être Key Vocabulary Conjonctions. quafificatifs. et adverbes (Conjunctions, Qualifiers, and Adverbs) Negation with ne ... pas The Verb avoir (to have) Ne ..• pas de ... with avoir If y a ... (There is ... , There are ... ) Expressions with avoir Key Vocabulary La maison (The House) Reading Comprehension: La maison de Jean-Pierre 3.Days and Months, Regular -er Vel"bs in the Pl"eSent Tense, and InterrogativesDays of the Week, Months, and Seasons Les jours de la semaine(Days of the Week) Les mois de I'annee(Months of the Year) Les saisons (Seasons) Les parties du jour(Parts of the Day) Regular Verbs in the Present TenseConjugating Regular -er Verbs Uses of the Present Tense Interrogatives and Interrogative Words Yes/No QuestionsInformation Questions Key Vocabulary Noms mascu/ins (Masculine Nouns) Noms feminins (Feminine Noun~) Adjectifs(Adjectives) Conjonctions(Conjunctions) Reading Comprehension: Une petite ville en province 4 Numbers, Dates, and Time and Regular -ir Verbs in the Present Tense Cardinal Numbers Numbers from 0 to 99 Numbers from 100 Ordinal Numbers The Date and the YearTelling Time Regular -if Verbs in the Present TenseKey Vocabulary Les magas;ns et les commerces (Stores and Businesses)Key Vocabulary Les repas et Jes provisions(Meals and Groceries)Reading Comprehension: Au restaurant

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Book Synopsis''Amazingly detailed and meticulously crafted ... Hitman will stand the test of time as one of the definitive wrestling biographies'' Publishers Weekly''Bret Hart still makes me believe that wrestling is good'' Hulk Hogan''Packed with drugs, sex, vicious family in-fighting and tales of life on the road ... Hart names names and lays it all bare in his own words'' Globe and MailA story of death, sex, betrayal and revenge; sweat, steroids and duplicity - wrestler Bret Hart lifts the lid on the wacky, mythic, secretive word of pro wrestling in this epic tell-all.Trade ReviewThe best wrestling book there is, the best wrestling book there was and maybe even the best wrestling book there ever will be * The Sun *Packed with drugs, sex, vicious family in-fighting and tales of life on the road ... Hart names names and lays it all bare in his own words' * The Globe and Mail *A legend! * The Rock *Bret Hart still makes me believe that wrestling is good * Hulk Hogan *Amazingly detailed and meticulously crafted ... Hitman will stand the test of time as one of the definitive wrestling biographies * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA dual-language edition of contemporary stories from throughout the Hispanic world, perfect for learners of either language   This volume of ten short stories, with parallel translations, offers students of Spanish at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature, without having constantly to refer back to a dictionary.   Richly diverse in themes and styles, the stories are by both new and well-established writers and range from the sharp insights of Gabriel García Márquez’s “María dos Prazeres” and the teasing, deceptive simplicity of Javier Marías’s “On the Honeymoon” to Isabel Allende’s powerful evocation of the oral traditions of the Amerindian and the philosophical speculation of Laura Freixas’s “Absurd Ending.”   Complete with notes, the stories make excellent reading in either language.Table of ContentsShort Stories in Spanish - New Penguin Parallel Text - Edited by John R. King IntroductionEva's IndifferenceSoledad Puértolas (1947- )Translated by John R. KingA Literary Tea PartyJulio Ramón Ribeyro (1929- )Translated by Clive GriffinOn the HoneymoonJavier Marias (1951- )Translated by Eric SouthworthWaliamaiIsabel Allende (1942- )Translated by Margaret Sayers PedenMaria dos PrazeresGabriel García Márquez (1928- )Translated by Edith GrossmanLas AmigasCarlos Fuentes (1928- )Translated by Alfred Mac AdamAbsurd EndingLaura Freixas (1958- )Translated by John R. KingThe PossessedAntonio Muñez Molina (1956- )Translated by John R. KingSecond Time RoundJulio Cortázar (1914-84)Translated by Clive GriffinSyllabusJuan Benet (1927-93)Translated by Eric SouthworthNotes on Spanish TextsAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisOne of the most important nineteenth-century schools of thought, Utilitarianism propounds the view that the value or rightness of an action rests in how well it promotes the welfare of those affected by it, aiming for 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number'. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was the movement's founder, as much a social reformer as a philosopher. His greatest interpreter, John Stuart Mill (1806-73), set out to humanize Bentham's pragmatic Utilitarianism by balancing the claims of reason and the imagination, individuality and social well-being in essays such as 'Bentham', 'Coleridge' and, above all, Utilitarianism. The works by Bentham and Mill collected in this volume show the creation and development of a system of ethics that has had an enduring influence on moral philosophy and legislative policy.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Table of ContentsIntroductionFrom An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation by Jeremy BenthamFrom A System of Logic by J. S. Mill"Bentham" by J. S. Mill"Coleridge" by J. S. Mill"Whewell on Moral Philosophy" by J. S. MillUtilitarianism by J. S. MillFurther ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisUnfinished at the time of Marx''s death in 1883 and first published with a preface by Frederick Engels in 1894, the third volume of Das Kapital strove to combine the theories and concepts of the two previous volumes in order to prove conclusively that capitalism is inherently unworkable as a permanent system for society. Here, Marx asserts controversially that - regardless of the efforts of individual capitalists, public authorities or even generous philanthropists - any market economy is inevitably doomed to endure a series of worsening, explosive crises leading finally to complete collapse. But healso offers an inspirational and compelling prediction: that the end of capitalism will culminate, ultimately, in the birth of a far greater form of society.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Ernest MandelPreface (Frederick Engels)BOOK III: THE PROCESS OF CAPITALIST PRODUCTION AS A WHOLEPART ONE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF SURPLUS-VALUE INTO PROFIT, AND OF THE RATE OF SURPLUS-VALUE INTO THE RATE OF PROFITChapter 1: Cost Price and ProfitChapter 2: The Rate of ProfitChapter 3: The Relationship between Rate of Profit and Rate of Surplus-ValueChapter 4: The Effect of the Turnover on the Rate of ProfitChapter 5: Economy in the Use of Constant Capital1. General Considerations2. Saving on the Conditions of Work at the Workers' Expense3. Economy in the Generation and Transmission of Power, and on Buildings4. Utilization of the Refuse of Production5. Economy through InventionsChapter 6: The Effect of Changes in Price 1. Fluctuations in the Price of Raw Material; Their Direct Effects on the Rate of Profit2. Revaluation and Devaluation of Capital; Release and Tying-Up of Capital3. General Illustration: The Cotton Crisis 1861-5Chapter 7: Supplementary Remarks PART TWO: THE TRANSFORMATION OF PROFIT INTO AVERAGE PROFITChapter 8: Different Compositions of Capital in Different Branches of Production, and the Resulting Variation in Rates of ProfitChapter 9: Formation of a General Rate of Profit (Average Rate of Profit), and Transformation of Commodity Values into Prices of ProductionChapter 10: The Equalization of the General Rate of Profit through Competition. Market Prices and Market Values. Surplus ProfitChapter 11: The Effects of General Fluctuations in Wages on the Prices of ProductionChapter 12: Supplementary Remarks1. The Causes of a Change in the Price of Production2. The Production Price of Commodities of Average Composition3. The Capitalist's Grounds for CompensationPART THREE: THE LAW OF THE TENDENTIAL FALL IN THE RATE OF PROFIT Chapter 13: The Law ItselfChapter 14: Counteracting Factors1. More Intense Exploitation of Labour2. Reduction of Wages below their Value3. Cheapening of the Elements of Constant Capital4. The Relative Surplus Population5. Foreign Trade6. The Increase in Share CapitalChapter 15: Development of the Law's Internal Contradictions 1. General Considerations2. The Conflict between the Extension of Production and Valorization3. Surplus Capital alongside Surplus Population4. Supplementary RemarksPART FOUR: THE TRANSFORMATION OF COMMODITY CAPITAL AND MONEY CAPITAL INTO COMMERCIAL CAPITAL AND MONEY-DEALING CAPITAL (MERCHANT'S CAPITAL) Chapter 16: Commercial CapitalChapter 17: Commercial ProfitChapter 18: The Turnover of Commercial Capital. PricesChapter 19. Money-Dealing CapitalChapter 20: Historical Material on Merchant's CapitalPART FIVE: THE DIVISION OF PROFIT INTO INTEREST AND PROFIT OF ENTERPRISEChapter 21: Interest-Bearing CapitalChapter 22: Division of Profit. Rate of Interest. "Natural" Rate of InterestChapter 23: Interest and Profit of EnterpriseChapter 24: Interest-Bearing Capital as the Superficial Form of the Capital RelationChapter 25: Credit and Fictitious CapitalChapter 26: Accumulation of Money Capital, and its Influence on the Rate of InterestChapter 27: The Role of Credit in Capitalist ProductionChapter 28: Means of Circulation and CApital. The Views of Tooke and FullartonChapter 29: Banking Capital's Component PartsChapter 30: Money Capital and Real Capital: IChapter 31: Money Capital and Real Capital: II (Continuation)1. Transformation of Money into Loan Capital2. Transformation of Capital or Revenue into Money that is Transformed into Loan CapitalChapter 32: Money Capital and Real Capital: III (Conclusion) Chapter 33: The Means of Circulation under the Credit SystemChapter 34: The Currency Principle and the English Bank Legislation of 1844Chapter 35: Precious Metal and Rate of Exchange1. The Movement of the Gold Reserve2. The Exchange RateChapter 36: Pre-Capitalist Relations PART SIX: THE TRANSFORMATION OF SURPLUS PROFIT INTO GROUND-RENTChapter 37: IntroductionChapter 38: Differential Rent in GeneralChapter 39: The First Form of Differential Rent (Differential Rent I)Chapter 40: The Second Form of Differential Rent (Differential Rent II)Chapter 41: Differential Rent II - First Case: Price of Production ConstantChapter 42: Differential Rent II - Second Case: Price of Production Falling1. With the Productivity of the Extra Capital Investment Remaining Constant2. A Falling Rate of Productivity for the Extra Capital3. A Rising Rate of Productivity for the Extra CapitalChapter 43: Differential Rent II - Third Case: Rising Price of Production. Results Chapter 44: Differential Rent Even on the Poorest Land CultivatedChapter 45: Absolute Ground-RentChapter 46: Rent of Buildings. Rent of Mines. Price of LandChapter 47: The Genesis of Capitalist Ground-Rent1. Introduction2. Labour Rent3. Rent in Kind4. Money Rent5. Share-Cropping and Small-Scale Peasant OwnershipPART SEVEN: THE REVENUES AND THEIR SOURCES Chapter 48: The Trinity FormulaChapter 49: On the Analysis of the Production ProcessChapter 50: The Illusion Created by CompetitionChapter 51: Relations of Distribution and Relations of ProductionChapter 52: ClassesSupplement and Addendum to Volume 3 of Capital (Frederick Engels) 1. Law of Value and Rate of Profit2. The Stock ExchangeQuotations in Languages Other than English and GermanIndex of Authorities QuotedGeneral IndexNote on Previous Editions of the Works of Marx and EngelsChronology of Works by Marx and Engels

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERFrom one of our greatest voices in modern philosophy, author of The Course of Love, The Consolations of Philosophy, Religion for Atheists and The School of Life - Alain de Botton sets out to understand our universal fear of failure - and how we might change it''De Botton''s gift is to prompt us to think about how we live and how we might change things'' The Times We all worry about what others think of us. We all long to succeed and fear failure. We all suffer - to a greater or lesser degree, usually privately and with embarrassment - from status anxiety. Alain de Botton gives a name to this universal condition and sets out to investigate both its origins and possible solutions. He looks at history, philosophy, economics, art and politics - and reveals the many ingenious ways that great minds have overcome their worries. The result is a book that is not only entertaining andTrade ReviewDe Botton analyses modern society with great charm, learning and humour. His remedies come as a welcome relief when most books offering solutions to the stresses of life recommend the lotus position * Daily Mail *Measured, amused, compassionate . . . de Botton is a surefooted discoverer of the pungent but less well-known quote * Daily Telegraph *A purveyor of serious but playful manuals for living * GQ *Turned me into a fan, for its range, insight, wit and sheer usefulness * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisThe international million copy bestseller recounting the epic turning point of the WW2______________In October 1942, an officer wrote ''Stalingrad is no longer a town . . . Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure''.The battle for Stalingrad became the focus of Hitler and Stalin''s determination and its citizens endured unimaginable hardship as a result. But the eventual victory of the Red Army, and the failure of Hitler''s Operation Barbarossa, was the first defeat of Hitler''s territorial ambitions in Europe, and the start of his decline.An extraordinary story of tactical genius, civilian bravery, obsession, carnage and the nature of war itself, Stalingrad will act as a testament to the vital role of the soviet war effort.______________''He reveals the full awfulness and human cost of the conflict with scholarly verve and deep sympathy'' Ben Macintyre''A superb re-telling. Beevor combines a soldier''s understanding of war''s realities with the narrative techniques of a novelist'' Orlando Figes, Sunday Telegraph''A brilliantly researched tour de force of military history'' Sarah Bradford, The TimesTrade Review'Captivating . . . Jingoistic statues never pay a proper tribute to the dead, but honest books, like this one, certainly do' -- Vitali Vitaliev * Guardian *Antony Beevor gained access to the unplumbed records, and he reveals the full awfulness and human cost of the conflict with scholarly verve and deep sympathy. The pity of war has seldom been rendered so well -- Ben MacintyreA brilliantly researched tour de force of military history -- Sarah Bradford * The Times *Antony Beevor's account of this historic turning-point is truly powerful, written with a compelling narrative drive . . . This is a fine achievement -- David Pryce-Jones * Daily Mail *A superb re-telling. Beevor combines a soldier's understanding of war's realities with the narrative techniques of a novelist . . . This is a book that lets the reader look into the face of battle -- Orlando Figes * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA provocative history of violence--from the "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Stuff ofTrade ReviewOne of the most important books I've read - not just this year, but ever ... For me, what's most important about The Better Angels of Our Nature are its insights into how to help achieve positive outcomes. How can we encourage a less violent, more just society, particularly for the poor? Steven Pinker shows us ways we can make those positive trajectories a little more likely. That's a contribution, not just to historical scholarship, but to the world -- Bill GatesBrilliant, mind-altering...Everyone should read this astonishing book -- David Runciman * Guardian *A supremely important book. To have command of so much research, spread across so many different fields, is a masterly achievement. Pinker convincingly demonstrates that there has been a dramatic decline in violence, and he is persuasive about the causes of that decline -- Peter Singer * New York Times *[A] sweeping new review of the history of human violence...[Pinker has] the kind of academic superbrain that can translate otherwise impenetrable statistics into a meaningful narrative of human behaviour...impeccable scholarship -- Tony Allen-Mills * Sunday Times *Written in Pinker's distinctively entertaining and clear personal style...a marvellous synthesis of science, history and storytelling -- Clive Cookson * Financial Times *A salutary reality-check...Better Angels is itself a great liberal landmark -- Marek Kohn * Independent *Pinker's scholarhsip is astounding...flawless...masterful -- Joanna Bourke * The Times *Selected by the New York Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2011 * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSatisfying and thoughtful * Daily Telegraph *Publisher's description. Dazzlingly energetic and deeply human, Swing Time is Zadie Smith's most ambitious novel yet: a story about friendship and music and true identity, how they shape us and how we can survive them. Moving from north-west London to West Africa, it is an exuberant dance to the music of time. * Penguin *Endlessly satisfying... [Zadie Smith] has never written better. Pitch-perfect, masterful and sophisticated * Telegraph *Zadie Smith is the best writer of our generation, and Swing Time is her best book to date. As the title promises, the novel swings and pulsates with life, filled with emotion, excited by intellect and haunted by sadness. What a miracle that literature can still do things other forms of art cannot. What a miracle that Zadie Smith is among us, writing. -- Gary ShteyngartClever, funny, confident and kind. Her gift for language is a pleasure and her character shines through * Evening Standard *[Smith] packs more intelligence, humour and sheer energy into any given scene than anyone else of her generation * Sunday Telegraph *Zadie Smith's finest novel. Extraordinary, virtuosic... [It] does what only literature can and what only great literature will: forces us to assess the very vocabulary with which we speak of human experience * Observer *Zadie Smith at her finest... [An] unflinching portrait of friendship... [A] triumph * Guardian *Ingenious, inspired... Zadie Smith's new novel is very good indeed * Sunday Times *Shrewd observation and sly satire, profundity and genuine purpose, as well as some of the most heart-stoppingly lyrical writing of her career * Scotland on Sunday *A powerful story of lives marred by secrets, unfulfilled potential, the unjustness of the world...and the dances people do to rise above it all * Economist *A sweeping meditation on race and identity... [Smith's] most ambitious work yet * Esquire *A nuanced, richly rewarding tale * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe brilliant tale of Anais Nin''s true love affair with Henry Miller, and her ambiguous, charged relationship with his wife, June. Drawn from the journals of a single momentous year in Paris, Henry and June provides a wildly lyrical account of a woman''s sexual awakening and the disillusion of idealized marriage.

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Book SynopsisThe Psychedelic Experience, created by the prophetic shaman-professors Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzer and Richard Alpert, is a foundational text that serves as a model and a guide for all subsequent mind-expanding inquiries. In this wholly unique book, the authors provide an interpretation of an ancient sacred manuscript, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, from a psychedelic perspective. The Psychedelic Experience describes their discoveries in broadening spiritual consciousness through a combination of Tibetan mediation techniques and psychotropic substances.

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Book SynopsisMalthus'' life''s work on human population and its dependency on food production and the environment was highly controversial on publication in 1798. He predicted what is known as the Malthusian catastrophe, in which humans would disregard the limits of natural resources and the world would be plagued by famine and disease. He significantly influenced the thinking of Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace and his theories continue to raise important questions today in the fields of social theory, economics and the environment.With an introduction by Robert Mayhew.

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Book SynopsisGeorges Perec produced some of the most entertaining and spirited essays of his age. His literary output was amazingly varied in form and style and this generous selection of Perec''s non-fictional work also demonstrates his characteristic lightness of touch, wry humour and accessibility.

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Book SynopsisThe ghost is the most enduring figure in supernatural fiction. He is absolutely indestructible. . . . He changes with the styles in fiction but he never goes out of fashion. He is the really permanent citizen of the earth, for mortals, at best, are but transients.—Dorothy Scarborough This new selection of ghost stories, by Michael Newton, brings together the best of the genre. From Elizabeth Gaskell''s The Old Nurse''s Story through to Edith Wharton''s Afterword, this collection covers all of the most terrifying tales of the genre. With a thoughtful introduction, and helpful notes, Newton places the stories contextually within the genre and elucidates the changing nature of the ghost story and how we interpret it.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Book Synopsis10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: UPDATED WITH A NEW PREFACE''Superb ... At a time when government action of any kind is ideologically suspect, and entrepreneurship is unquestioningly lionized, the book''s importance cannot be understated'' GuardianAccording to conventional wisdom, innovation is best left to the dynamic entrepreneurs of the private sector, and government should get out of the way. But what if all this was wrong? What if, from Silicon Valley to medical breakthroughs, the public sector has been the boldest and most valuable risk-taker of all?''A brilliant book'' Martin Wolf, Financial Times''One of the most incisive economic books in years'' Jeff Madrick, New York Review of Books''Mazzucato is right to argue that the state has played a central role in producing game-changing breakthroughs'' Economist''Read her book. It will challenge your thinking'' ForbesTrade ReviewRead her book. It will challenge your thinking * Forbes *One of the most incisive economics books in years * New York Review of Books *This book has a controversial thesis. But it is basically right * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisAn urgent manifesto for re-defining human potential in our turbulent times, from the bestselling author of The Element ''As we face an increasingly febrile future, the answer is not to do better what we''ve done before. We have to do something else . . . We must urgently re-imagine education and schools'' Imagination and creativity are at the root of every uniquely human achievement and those achievements have brought us to this present moment. As we reckon with the extractive practices that have depleted our natural resources and threaten our survival as a species, Sir Ken Robinson argues that we must also find a better way of cultivating human potential in order to navigate our uncertain future. This incisive book distills the thought and expertise that underpinned Sir Ken''s influential work as educator, speaker and adviser; grounded in his unwavering belief in the indispensable value of human potential. Imagine If . . .Trade ReviewA change-maker . . . for forty years he persuasively made the case for more creativity in teaching and the curriculum * Guardian *He makes us rethink what real schooling, learning and creativity means -- Malala YousafzaiThe world's most well-known education luminary * Forbes *

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Book SynopsisA TIMES AND TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR''Beautifully written, movingly told and meticulously researched ... a convincing plea for a wilder, richer world'' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding''By the time I''d read the first chapter, I''d resolved to take my son into the woods every afternoon over winter. By the time I''d read the sixth, I was wanting to break prisoners out of cells and onto the mossy moors. Losing Eden rigorously and convincingly tells of the value of the natural universe to our human hearts'' Amy Liptrot, author of The OutrunToday many of us live indoor lives, disconnected from the natural world as never before. And yet nature remains deeply ingrained in our language, culture and consciousness. For centuries, we have acted on an intuitive sense that we need communion with the wild to feel well. Now, in the moment of our great migration away from the rest of nature, more and more scientific evidence is emerging to confirm its place at the heart of our psychological wellbeing. So what happens, asks acclaimed journalist Lucy Jones, as we lose our bond with the natural world-might we also be losing part of ourselves? Delicately observed and rigorously researched, Losing Eden is an enthralling journey through this new research, exploring how and why connecting with the living world can so drastically affect our health. Travelling from forest schools in East London to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault via primeval woodlands, Californian laboratories and ecotherapists'' couches, Jones takes us to the cutting edge of human biology, neuroscience and psychology, and discovers new ways of understanding our increasingly dysfunctional relationship with the earth. Urgent and uplifting, Losing Eden is a rallying cry for a wilder way of life - for finding asylum in the soil and joy in the trees - which might just help us to save the living planet, as well as ourselves.Trade ReviewEarnest, painstakingly-researched...A heartfelt love-letter to the outdoors * Daily Mail *The benefits of experiencing nature may be far greater than is commonly appreciated ... A fascinating exploration of the new science of our connection to the natural world ... written in such lush, vivid prose that reading it, one can feel transported and restored. * New Statesman *Beautiful...science is proving just how deeply the cycles and rhythms of the natural world have been knitted into our every cell -- Anthony Doerr * Daily Mail *Urgent, accessible, moving ... A beautifully written, research-heavy study about how nature offers us wellbeing * Observer *Losing Eden provides the evidence of how nature makes us calmer, healthier, happier, even kinder. Jones moves between close biological evidence -- how our parasympathetic nervous system is triggered when we're in nature, how bacteria found in soil increases stress resilience -- to large-scale environmental studies. The book is shot through with personal experience [...but is] not really a memoir; it's about all of us. * TLS *Wonderful ... This is an important book * Telegraph Book of the Year *We've all heard it said that going for a dawdle in the park is good for us, but we probably assumed that such ideas are rooted in whimsy rather than empirical fact. Lucy Jones tracks down evidence for the benefits of rewilding our lives. People, research suggests, are not just happier when cities are greener but are also less violent. Losing Eden is just the right blend of the personal and the scientific as she also recounts how reconnecting with nature gave her some meaning after a period of coming undone. * The Times Books of the Year *Beautifully written, movingly told and meticulously researched, Losing Eden is an elegy to the healing power of nature, something we need more than ever in our anxiety-ridden world of ecological loss. Woven together with her own personal story of recovery, Lucy Jones lays out the overwhelming scientific evidence for nature as nurturer for body and soul with the clarity and candour that will move hearts and minds - a convincing plea for a wilder, richer world. * Isabella Tree, author of Wilding *By the time I'd read the first chapter, I'd resolved to take my son into the woods every afternoon over winter. By the time I'd read the sixth, I was wanting to break prisoners out of cells and onto the mossy moors. Losing Eden rigorously and convincingly tells of the value of the natural universe to our human hearts. It's a simple message but Lucy Jones looks at it by using so many interesting and diverse ideas and places that it always stays vital. It is exciting, pertinent and elegantly written: I recommend it to anyone who makes decisions. * Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun *Brilliant -- Melissa HarrisonFascinating ... the connection between mental health and the natural world turns out to be strong and deep - which is good news in that it offers those feeling soul-sick the possibility that falling in love with the world around them might be remarkably helpful. And those who fall in love with the world might protect it, a virtuous cycle that would make a real difference in the fight for a workable planet. * Bill McKibben, author of Falter; Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? *An absorbing book...more than just a scientific treatise: Jones writes beautifully about nature and her own experiences of its healing powers * Country and Townhouse *Fantastic -- Guy Shrubsole

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Book SynopsisIn twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement.From the Congo Basin to the traditions of the Kikuyu people, the lucid, incisive writings in The World We Once Lived In explore the sacred power of trees, and why humans lay waste to the forests that keep us alive.Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.

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Book Synopsis50 Christmas carolsOrchestrations for several of the carols from this collection are available on sale or hire under the titles Three Carol Orchestrations and Five Christmas Carols. Eight Carols for Brass for 5 and 8 part brass (to accompany carols from Carols for Choirs 1 and Carols for Choirs 2) are also on sale.Table of ContentsA boy was born ; A Christmas Carol ; A great and mighty wonder ; A merry Christmas ; A virgin most pure ; Adeste fideles ; And there were shepherds ; Angels, from the realms of glory ; As with gladness men of old ; Away in a manger ; Away in a manger ; Blessed be that maid Mary ; The Blessed son of God ; The Boar's head carol ; Carol, with lullaby ; Coventry Carol ; Coventry Carol ; Ding dong! merrily on high ; The first nowell ; Gallery carol ; Gloucestershire wassail ; God rest you merry, gentlemen ; Good King Wenceslas ; Hark! the herald angels sing ; The holly and the ivy ; I saw three ships ; I saw three ships ; In dulci jubilo ; Infant holy, infant lowly ; It came upon the midnight clear ; King Jesus hath a garden ; The linden tree carol ; Lute-book lullaby ; No sad thought his soul affright ; O come, all ye faithful ; O little one sweet ; O little town of Bethlehem ; O men from the fields ; Once in royal David's city ; Past three a clock ; Rejoice and be merry ; Rocking ; See amid the winter's snow ; The Shepherd's farewell ; Sussex Carol ; The three kings ; Torches ; Unto us is born a son ; Up! good Christen folk, and listen ; We've been a while a-wandering ; What cheer? ; When Christ was born ; While shepherds watched their flocks ; While the shepherds were watching ; Zither Carol

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Book SynopsisRichly illustrated books offering classic stories retold for children accompanied by e-Books, audio, and Activity and Play books.

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Book SynopsisEmma is considered by many to be Austen's finest and most representative novel. The story of Emma Woodhouse's matchmaking, and her awakening to the true feelings of others as well as herself, is told with consummate wit and humour.Table of ContentsIntroduction Select Bibliography A Chronology of Jane Austen EMMA Explanatory Notes

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Book Synopsis''What was merry Christmas to Scrooge? Out upon merry Christmas! What good had it ever done to him?''Ebenezer Scrooge is a bad-tempered skinflint who hates Christmas and all it stands for, but a ghostly visitor foretells three apparitions who will thaw Scrooge''s frozen heart. A Christmas Carol has gripped the public imagination since it was first published in 1843, and it is now as much a part of Christmas as mistletoe or plum pudding. This edition reprints the story alongside Dickens''s four other Christmas Books: The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. All five stories show Dickens at his unpredictable best, jumbling together comedy and melodrama, genial romance and urgent social satire, in pursuit of his aim ''to awaken some loving and forbearing thoughts, never out of season in a Christian land''. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordTable of ContentsA Christmas Carol ; The Chimes ; The Cricket on the Hearth ; The Battle of Life ; The Haunted Man

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Book SynopsisThe Masterpiece is the tragic story of Claude Lantier, an ambitious and talented young artist from the provinces who has come to conquer Paris and is conquered by the flaws in his own genius. While his boyhood friend Pierre Sandoz becomes a successful novelist, Claude's originality is mocked at the Salon and turns gradually into a doomed obsession with one great canvas. Life - in the form of his model and wife Christine and their deformed child Jacques - issacrificed on the altar of Art.The Masterpiece is the most autobiographical of the twenty novels in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. Set in the 1860s and 1870s, it provides a unique insight into his career as a writer and his relationship with Cézanne, a friend since their schooldays in Aix-en-Provence. It also presents a well-documented account of the turbulent Bohemian world in which the Impressionists came to prominence despite the conservatism of the Academy and the ridicule of the general public.Table of ContentsNo Penguin competition.

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Book SynopsisThis new dictionary offers up-to-date coverage of essential Italian and English, and extra help with Italian and English verbs and pronunciation, all in a compact and affordable format.

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