Non Fiction Books

Book SynopsisProofs play a central role in advanced mathematics and theoretical computer science, yet many students struggle the first time they take a course in which proofs play a significant role. This bestselling text''s third edition helps students transition from solving problems to proving theorems by teaching them the techniques needed to read and write proofs. Featuring over 150 new exercises and a new chapter on number theory, this new edition introduces students to the world of advanced mathematics through the mastery of proofs. The book begins with the basic concepts of logic and set theory to familiarize students with the language of mathematics and how it is interpreted. These concepts are used as the basis for an analysis of techniques that can be used to build up complex proofs step by step, using detailed ''scratch work'' sections to expose the machinery of proofs about numbers, sets, relations, and functions. Assuming no background beyond standard high school mathematics, this booTrade Review'Not only does this book help students learn how to prove results, it highlights why we care so much. It starts in the introduction with some simple conjectures and gathering data, quickly disproving the first but amassing support for the second. Will that pattern persist? How can these observations lead us to a proof? The book is engagingly written, and covers - in clear and great detail - many proof techniques. There is a wealth of good exercises at various levels. I've taught problem solving before (at The Ohio State University and Williams College), and this book has been a great addition to the resources I recommend to my students.' Steven J. Miller, Williams College, Massachusetts'This book is my go-to resource for students struggling with how to write mathematical proofs. Beyond its plentiful examples, Velleman clearly lays out the techniques and principles so often glossed over in other texts.' Rafael Frongillo, University of Colorado, Boulder'I've been using this book religiously for the last eight years. It builds a strong foundation in proof writing and creates the axiomatic framework for future higher-level mathematics courses. Even when teaching more advanced courses, I recommend students to read chapter 3 (Proofs) since it is, in my opinion, the best written exposition of proof writing techniques and strategies. This third edition brings a new chapter (Number Theory), which gives the instructor a few more topics to choose from when teaching a fundamental course in mathematics. I will keep using it and recommending it to everyone, professors and students alike.' Mihai Bailesteanu, Central Connecticut State University'Professor Velleman sets himself the difficult task of bridging the gap between algorithmic and proof-based mathematics. By focusing on the basic ideas, he succeeded admirably. Many similar books are available, but none are more treasured by beginning students. In the Third Edition, the constant pursuit of excellence is further reinforced.' Taje Ramsamujh, Florida International University'Proofs are central to mathematical development. They are the tools used by mathematicians to establish and communicate their results. The developing mathematician often learns what constitutes a proof and how to present it by osmosis. How to Prove It aims at changing that. It offers a systematic introduction to the development, structuring, and presentation of logical mathematical arguments, i.e. proofs. The approach is based on the language of first-order logic and supported by proof techniques in the style of natural deduction. The art of proving is exercised with naive set theory and elementary number theory throughout the book. As such, it will prove invaluable to first-year undergraduate students in mathematics and computer science.' Marcelo Fiore, University of Cambridge'Overall, this is an engagingly-written and effective book for illuminating thinking about and building a careful foundation in proof techniques. I could see it working in an introduction to proof course or a course introducing discrete mathematics topics alongside proof techniques. As a self-study guide, I could see it working as it so well engages the reader, depending on how able they are to navigate the cultural context in some examples.' Peter Rowlett, LMS Newsletter'Altogether this is an ambitious and largely very successful introduction to the writing of good proofs, laced with many good examples and exercises, and with a pleasantly informal style to make the material attractive and less daunting than the length of the book might suggest. I particularly liked the many discussions of fallacious or incomplete proofs, and the associated challenges to readers to untangle the errors in proofs and to decide for themselves whether a result is true.' Peter Giblin, University of Liverpool, The Mathematical GazetteTable of Contents1. Sentential logic; 2. Quantificational logic; 3. Proofs; 4. Relations; 5. Functions; 6. Mathematical induction; 7. Number theory; 8. Infinite sets.

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Book SynopsisA macabre, spectacular and thought-provoking survey of human remains used in decorative, commemorative or devotional contexts across the world today, from the author of Heavenly Bodies and The Empire of Death. Memento Mori takes the reader on a ghoulish but beautiful tour of some of the world's more unusual sacred sites and traditions, in which human remains are displayed for the benefit of the living. From burial caves in Indonesia festooned with bones, to skulls smoking cigarettes, wearing beanie hats and sunglasses, and decorated with garlands of flowers in South America, Paul Koudounaris ventures beyond the grave to find messages of hope and salvation. His glorious colour photographs and informed commentaries reveal that in many places, the realms of the living and the dead are nowhere near so distinct as contemporary Western society would have us believe.Trade Review'In the midst of life, you need a good book about death. This is it' - Fortean Times'An engrossing, albeit unsettling, read' - Royal Photographic Society Journal'Guaranteed to make your hair stand on end' - Birmingham PostTable of ContentsIntroduction: Memento Mori 1. The Dead Will Rise: Macabre Masterpieces of the Nineteenth Century 2. The Gates of Paradise: Bones and Salvation in the Christian Tradition 3. They Walk Among Us: Mysterious Burial Caves in Asia 4. Blessed Souls: Elaborate Ossuaries in the Catholic World 5. They Shall Not Perish: Memorials in Bone to Victims of Tragedy 6. Remains to be Seen: Mummies and other Exquisite Corpses 7. Crossing the Border: The Living and the Dead in Bolivia 8. Heavenly Glory: Decorated Bones from Around the World

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Book Synopsis'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words and language' Pam Ayres'Susie Dent is a national treasure' Richard OsmanWelcome to a year of wonder with Susie Dent, lexicographer, logophile, and longtime queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner.From the real Jack the Lad to the theatrically literal story behind stealing someone's thunder, from tartle (forgetting someone's name at the very moment you need it) to snaccident (the unintentional eating of an entire packet of biscuits), WORD PERFECT is a brilliant linguistic almanac full of unforgettable stories, fascinating facts, and surprising etymologies tied to every day of the year. You'll never be lost for words again.Trade ReviewI love this book. Nobody on earth knows more about the English language than Susie Dent and nobody writes about it more entertainingly. This is a treat for every day of the year * GYLES BRANDRETH *Susie Dent is a national treasure * RICHARD OSMAN *A golden vaulted cave of fascinating and funny hidden gems for people who love words, for people who aren't that bothered about words and people who don't even really like words...and that is the magic of Susie Dent. * JO BRAND *Utterly addictive . . . unputdownable -- RICHARD & JUDY * Daily Express *Stuffed with delightful words . . . it'll keep Scrabble fanatics and wordsmiths entertained for hours * Radio Times *Entertaining * Spectator *Packed full of fascinating facts -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express *Magic -- Mark Mason * Daily Mail *You can pick it up and be absorbed for hours * The Press (York) *

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Book SynopsisA beautiful new edition of a classic work of landscape history, in which Alfred Watkins introduced the idea of ancient 'ley lines' criss-crossing the English countryside. First published in 1925, The Old Straight Track described the author's theory of 'ley lines', pre-Roman pathways consisting of aligned stone circles and prehistoric mounds, used by our Neolithic ancestors. Watkins's ideas have intrigued and inspired generations of readers – from historians to hill walkers, and from amateur archaeologists to new-age occultists. This edition of The Old Straight Track, with a substantial introduction by Robert Macfarlane, will appeal to all who treasure the history, contours and mystery of Britain's ancient landscapes.Trade ReviewWatkins re-enchanted the English landscape, investing it with fresh depth and detail, prompting new ways of looking and new reasons to walk -- Robert MacfarlaneA remarkable book... Alfred Watkins [was a] visionary who saw beyond the bounds of his time' -- John MichellRobert Macfarlane in his introduction to this new edition [...] is respectful, finding new relevance in Watkin's writing. The result is to fold Watkins, the counter-cultural mystic-modernist, into the cultural landscape, laying the track for others to follow * TLS *A stimulating historical mediation on landscape * Daily Mail *Careful erudite topography in the grand Enlightenment tradition, which nevertheless presents a vision of Herefordshire that is awe-inspired * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER: an uplifting account of hope and healing by GP Gavin Francis 'I cannot think of anybody - patient or doctor - who will not be helped by reading this short and profound book' - Henry Marsh 'Such a wise, gentle, quietly hopeful book. Exactly what I needed' - Rachel Clarke 'A lovely little book' - Michael Rosen When it comes to illness, sometimes the end is just the beginning. Recovery and convalescence are words that exist at the periphery of our lives - until we are forced to contend with what they really mean. Here, GP and writer Gavin Francis explores how - and why - we get better, revealing the many shapes recovery takes, its shifting history and the frequent failure of our modern lives to make adequate space for it. Characterised by Francis's beautiful prose and his view of medicine as 'the alliance of science and kindness', Recovery is a book about a journey that most of us never intend to make. Along the way, he unfolds a story of hope, transformation, and the everyday miracle of healing.Trade ReviewWise and thoughtful ... this book is a practical guide to recovery from illness as well as a meditation on the practice of medicine ... I cannot think of anybody - patient or doctor - who will not be helped by reading this short and profound book -- Henry Marsh * New Statesman *A lovely little book -- Michael Rosen * Front Row *Wonderful -- Anil Seth, author * Being You *Massively healing -- Sara Sheridan * Scottish Field *Such a wise, gentle, quietly hopeful book. Exactly what I needed -- Rachel Clarke, author of Breathtaking and Your Life In My HandsFrancis offers hope and a rare and precious quiet form of consolation -- Emily Mayhew * Observer *Heartfelt and persuasively argued ... Filled with compassion and warmth, the book provides both insight and succour -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times *Excellent ... could not be more timely ... even if you are not at present ill, it is worth reading this book because the gentle guidance it gives is actually applicable to being healthy. There are things we can do that make life, even a life without pain or fatigue or anxiety, richer -- Stuart Kelly * Scotsman *Humane and thoughtful. Combining personal reminiscence, hard science and history, it explores the architecture of convalescence, rest, treatments and placebos, the healing power of nature and the transformative impact a sick note can have -- Emma Beddington * Observer *Sparkling ... uplifting * Independent *A concise and deeply felt treatise on how, faced with inevitable illness and finitude, we might better live and how medicine might help others better life * The Lancet *The book really shines ... it is worth reading this book because the gentle guidance it gives is actually applicable to being healthy * Yorkshire Post *Short but sagacious ... never has the publication of a book been more timely and welcome * On-Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe perfect stocking filler for beach lovers. A beautiful little guide to one of life's simple pleasures – pebble spotting. Where science meets mindfulness. Learn to appreciate their beauty, discover the amazing journey that brought them to you, search for the rare ones. Leave no stone unturned. Turn a day on the beach or a seaside holiday stroll into a treasure hunt with this lovely little guide to identifying pebbles. Pebble spotting is one of life’s simple joys. There’s nothing quite like searching the rocks on a beach until that special one catches your eye – a perfect shape, a gorgeous colour, an intriguing pattern. But what is it? Use this beautifully illustrated little guide to find out, and to discover your pebble’s fascinating life story and secrets. It could be even more special than you thought… Geologist and passionate pebble spotter Clive Mitchell has created a charming and wonderfully browsable book that is a perfect companion to a day out or holiday, or an idle moment at home. This book contains entries on 40 different types of pebble, complete with detailed facts about the composite rock’s structure and where to find them, with examples including: Flint Feldspar veins Spotted slates Serpentinite Granite ovoids The rare rhomb porphyry – the holy grail of pebble hunting The book includes a space to ruminate on your own findings, taking note of the treasures that you pick up along the way and discovering the secrets of the stones beneath your feet. The Pebble Spotter’s Guide is the perfect introduction to everything you didn’t know there was to know about the mindful pleasure of pebble spotting and the wonder of pebbles. Simply sit on a beach or next to a stream for 10 minutes and find amazing treasures at your feet; there is much to discover.

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES, ROUGH TRADE, ROLLING STONE, MOJO AND UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEARLONGLISTED FOR THE PENDERYN MUSIC BOOK PRIZENew York, 2001. 9/11 plunges the US into a state of war and political volatilityand heralds the rebirth of the city's rock scene. As the old-guard music industry crumbles, a group of iconoclastic bands suddenly become the voice of a generation desperately in need of an anthem.In this fascinating and vibrant oral history, acclaimed journalist Lizzy Goodman charts New York's explosive musical transformation in the early 2000s. Drawing on over 200 original interviews, Goodman follows the meteoric rise of the artists that revolutionised the cultural landscape and made Brooklyn the hipster capital of coolincluding The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, and Vampire Weekend.Joining the ranks of classics like Please Kill Me, Our Band Could Be Your Life, and Can't St

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Book SynopsisIn the vineyards, wine caves, and cellars of France as war and occupation came to the country winemakers acted heroically not only to save the best wines but to defend their way of life. These are the true stories of vignerons who sheltered Jewish refugees in their cellars and of winemakers who risked their lives to aid the resistance. They made chemicals in secret laboratories to fuel the resistance and fled from the Gestapo when arrests became imminent. There were treacheries too, as some of the nation''s winemakers supported the Vichy regime or the Germans themselves and collaborated. Donald Kladstrup is a retired American network correspondent. He and his wife Petie have accumulated these fascinating stories, told with the pace and action that will fascinate fiction and non-fiction readers alike.Trade ReviewA sprightly and amusing book, full of spicy anecdotes * Evening Standard *Entertaining and informative * Sunday Telegraph *A vibrant panorama of the different wine-producing regions and how they responded to the challenge * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisThe first-person account of a 26-year-old who fought in the war in Sierra Leone as a 12-year-old boy.My new friends have begun to suspect that I haven''t told them the full story of my life.Why did you leave Sierra Leone?Because there is a war.You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?Yes, all the time.Cool.I smile a little.You should tell us about it sometime.Yes, sometime.'This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. There are more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide and it is estimated there are some 300,000 child soldiers fighting. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived. Ishmael Beah, now twenty-fivTrade Review'A corrosive, eloquent and illuminating account of a child soldier's life, and it makes you look at the news with a fresh eye. What he has done is to make his situation imaginable for us, and stop us from simply turning away in horror. That is the best gift he could give the world.' Hilary Mantel ‘Gives the war a painfully human dimension and reminds us of its pointlessness…If the pathos of this book helps to persuade the puppeteers of the estimated 300,000 child soldiers fighting today to put down their guns, then Beah will have done more than all those A47s ever have.' The Times ‘A lucid, pensive, beautifully written account of a madness that he has the bravery to revisit head–on.’ TLS ‘Few of those boy soldiers have told their story as eloquently as Ishmael Beah.’ Sunday Telegraph 'The arming of children is one of the greatest evils of the modern world, and yet we know so little about it because the children themselves are swallowed up by the very wars they are forced to wage. Ishmael Beah has not only emerged intact from this chaos, he has become one of its most eloquent chroniclers. “A Long Way Gone” is one of the most important war stories of our generation. We ignore its message at our peril.' Sebastian Junger 'A ferocious and desolate account of how ordinary children were turned into professional killers.' The Guardian 'Beah makes no excuses for his actions and is entirely lacking in self pity, but the honesty of his memoir reveals the full horror of a war in which the brutalisation of children was commonplace…Beah is a living testament to the endurance of the human spirit.' Sunday Times ‘Ishmael Beah has achieved the seemingly impossible task of helping us to imagine the reality behind the statistics by empathising with just one of the many thousands of children who are soldiers around the world – a remarkable book.’ The Guardian

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Book SynopsisA story of becoming an artist, by the godmother of rock''n''roll: the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids Patti Smith ''A poet of distinction'' New York Times''Glorious'' NPR''Rare and ferocious'' Salon''Shockingly beautiful'' New York MagazineEverything contained in this little book is true, and written just like it was. The writing of it drew me from my strange torpor and I hope that in some measure it will fill the reader with a vague and curious joy...In this small, luminous memoir, the National Book Award-winner Patti Smith revisits the most sacred experiences of her early years, with truths so vivid they border on the surreal. The author entwines her childhood self - and its ''clear, unspeakable joy'' - with memories both real and envisioned from her twenties on New York''s MacDougal Street, the street of cafés. Woolgathering was completed in Michigan, on Patti Smith''s 45th birthday and origTrade ReviewA poet of distinction * New York Times *Smith pares down her prose to a state of vivid impressionism, so enigmatic that even ordinary acts - preparing mint tea, nodding off while sewing - take on spiritual weight ... The passages evoking her childhood do reverberate with serene joy ... Writing was not Smith's first choice ... But any fans of her music will not be surprised by her mastery of it here * Observer *

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Book SynopsisThe groundbreaking international bestseller that will help you fulfil your true potential. The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. In this hugely influential book, world-renowned creativity expert Ken Robinson considers the child bored in class, the disillusioned employee and those of us who feel frustrated but can''t quite explain why - and shows how we all need to reach our Element. Through the stories of people like Vidal Sassoon, Arianna Huffington and Matt Groening, who have recognized their unique talents and made a successful living doing what they love, Robinson explains how every one of us can find ourselves in our Element, and achieve everything we''re capable of. With a wry sense of humour, Ken Robinson shows the urgent need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about ourselves. Above all, he inspires us to reconnect with our true self - it could just change everything.''The Element offers life-altering insights about the discovery of your true best self'' Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People''A book that lightens and lifts the minds and hearts of all who read it'' Susan Jeffers, author of Feel the Fear and Do It AnywayTrade ReviewWith a crackling wit and a deep humanity, (Ken Robinson) urges us to ignore the naysayers, bypass the crowd and find the place where our talents and desires intersect -- Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New MindA book that lightens and lifts the minds and hearts of all who read it -- Susan Jeffers, author of Feel the Fear and Do It AnywayHappiness really is within your grasp * Guardian *The Element gives you the feeling that all is possible if we dig deeply within ourselves, using our imaginations and curiosity -- Vidal Sassoon

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Book SynopsisWhat would happen if you got on a bike in central London and didn't stop riding until you hit the Welsh coast? Steve Silk, the best-selling author of The Great North Road, provides the answer over eight days, 300 miles and rather a lot of hills. Enriched with history, Go West is a must for anyone who has ever dreamed of a cycling adventure.

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Book SynopsisA love letter to life on the remote British islands of Shetland and to a wilder way of living, from one of our most celebrated poets.

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Book SynopsisLonely Planet's Experience England is your guide to unforgettable experiences and local surprises. Scout Banksy originals in Bristol, glide through the Norfolk broads on a kayak, try pie and mash in London's East End - all guided by local experts with fresh perspectives. Uncover England's best experiences and get away from the everyday!

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Book SynopsisFleetwood Mac have had a chart-topping career that spans over fifty years and includes some of the biggest-selling albums and greatest hits of the 20th and 21st centuries. But the band's story is one of enormous triumph and also unimaginable tragedy. There has never been a band in the history of music riven with as much romantic drama, sexual tension and incredible highs and lows as Fleetwood Mac.Dreams is a must-read for casual Fleetwood Mac fans and die-hard devotees alike. In the unique 'A to Z' format, consisting of mini-biographies, observations and essays, Mark Blake explores all eras of the Fleetwood Mac story to explore what it is that has made them one of the most successful bands in history.Blake draws on his own exclusive interviews with Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and the late Peter Green and Christine McVie, and addresses the complex human drama at the heart of the Fleetwood Mac story, including the complicated relationships between the band's main members, but he also dives deep into the towering discography that the band have built over the past half-century.

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Book SynopsisTurgenev's masterpiece about the conflict between generations is as fresh, outspoken, and exciting today as it was in when it was first published in 1862.

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Book SynopsisAn authoritative and easy-to-use dictionary, containing 90,000 words, phrases, and definitions, and Better English, a centre section giving guidance on spelling and punctuation.

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Book SynopsisAn essential primary source on Roman history and a fascinating achievement of scholarship covering a critical period in the EmpireAs private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, the scholar Suetonius had access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eyewitness accounts) to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. The Twelve Caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero and the recovery that came with his successors. A masterpiece of observation, anecdote and detailed physical description, The Twelve Caesars presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn—and all too human—individuals. James B. Rives has sensitively updated Robert Graves's now classic translation, reinstating Latin terms and updating vocabulary while retaining the

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Book SynopsisMaster the ideas that have shaped the world of film today. In a series of 50 accessible essays, Helen O'Hara introduces and explains the central ideas, eras and genres of film, beginning with the invention of cinema to the theories and genres that have emerged and evolved since. From concepts such as the mise-en-scène and special effects to Queer Film Theory and the #MeToo movement, 50 Film Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important tenets of film and cinema history

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Book SynopsisPeter Sidwell returns to the food writing scene with his long-anticipated cookbook, Peter Sidwell's Kitchen. Based in the serene Lake District, Sidwell isn't just a chef, but a storyteller who brings flavours to life. Peter's expertise shines through in over 100 delectable recipes.

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Book SynopsisBehind Bars is the indispensable reference book for composers, arrangers, teachers and students of composition, editors, and music processors. Supported by 1,500 music examples of published scores from Bach to Xenakis, this seminal and all-encompassing guide encourages new standards of excellence and accuracy.Trade ReviewIf books, like hotels, had a star-rating system then this book would be off the top of the scale! Among the technical reference books it’s colossus. It’s a book for composers, arrangers, copyists, typesetters, and anyone who interacts in any way with music notation. If you want to know how to write it clearly and unambiguously, this book will tell you. With this book by your side any chance of inaccurate, lazy or impractical notation becomes quite impossible. But it’s not only a useful book, it’s also a fascinating one, and it’s going to become my bedside reading for many months to come. I couldn’t begin to list the areas that it covers: there are far too many of them. As a clarinettist I headed straight for the woodwind techniques section and learned lots on multiphonics, harmonics and how to note unusual modern performance practice ideas. Each area is accompanied by appropriate and generous musical examples from the widest of repertoires – there are evidently over 1,500 examples. Simon Rattle, in his munificient introduction, rightly calls this a reference for musicians for decades to come. He also describes the book as part of the living texture of music itself rather than a book of dry rules. He’s right. Music Teacher Magazine, April 2011Table of ContentsSection I - General Conventions: Ground Rules; Chords – Dotted notes – Ties; Accidentals and Key Signatures; Dynamics and Articulation; Grace Notes, Arpeggiated Chords, Trills, Glissandos and Vibrato; Metre; Tuplets; Repeat Signs; Section II - Idiomatic Notation: Woodwind and Brass; Percussion; Keyboard; Harp; Classical Guitar; Strings; Vocal Music; Section III - Layout and Presentation: Preparing Materials; Score Layout; Part Preparation; Electroacoustic Music; Freedom and Choice

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Book SynopsisA BBC Radio 4 Book of the WeekMagnificent' GuardianRemarkable A compact classic!' Bill McKibbenI learned something new and found something amazing on every page' Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot SeeFens, bogs, swamps and marine estuaries are the earth's most desirable and dependable resources. Here, Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx brings her witness and research to the vitally important role they play in preserving the environment, and their systemic destruction in the pursuit of profit. Travelling from the fens of sixteenth-century England to America's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Fen, Bog and Swamp is both a revelatory history and an urgent plea for wetland reclamation, from one of our greatest prose stylists.A rousing call to action' EsquireSparklingly furious it has a profoundly positive message' Richard Mabey, TelegraphThis haunting tribute is a pleasure to read' Financial TimesTrade Review‘Proulx wants us to see the loss of wetlands – and to appreciate the beauty in these swampy and often stinking places. Boy, does she succeed. The prose is just magnificent, bringing to life hitherto overlooked habitats’ Guardian ‘Proulx’s book is truly peat-ish: layered, learned, feisty, wildly discursive, and most certainly “undulating, dreaming [and] philosophising”’ Richard Mabey, Telegraph ‘A haunting tribute to the world’s peatlands … Proulx’s poetic description of these places, and peat itself, is a pleasure to read’ Financial Times ‘This sobering history of our world’s rich wetlands explains the chilling ecological consequences of their destruction’ New York Times Book Review ‘An enchanting work of nature writing’ Esquire ‘Delves into the history of peatland destruction and its role in the climate crisis … Proulx uses nimble prose to knit together scientific facts, personal experiences, and literary references while deciphering the nomenclature of these three subtly diverse wetlands which collectively hold the key to human history’ Vogue ‘A fierce declaration of peat’s importance to climate stability and human survival ’ New York Review of Books ‘[Proulx’s] astute and impassioned examinations of all kinds of wetlands … show a new side of the novelist we thought we knew’ Los Angeles Times ‘So often feared, dredged and drained, swamps, bogs and fens (it turns out) are just as vital to our species’ survival on this planet as healthy forests and oceans – perhaps more so. Proulx has written a moving elegy and cri de coeur for our world’s wetlands’ Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See ‘Annie Proulx is, as ever, remarkable – her mind, her heart and her learning take us on an unforgettable and unflinching tour of past and present’ Bill McKibben

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Book SynopsisUnlock your garden''s winter potential and see the beauty and promise of the colder months with award-winning garden designer and author, Naomi Slade.There is so much to marvel at in a winter garden. As summer flowers fade and autumn winds strip trees, the season brings new delights to draw us outside, from the dusting of frost on bare seedheads and the long-reaching shadows cast by a December dawn to the joy of huddling up beside a fire pit to see in the New Year.RHS The Winter Garden is a celebration of the coldest season, with stunning photography that captures the very best that winter has to offer. Discover the bulbs that will bloom and the ornamental grasses that will dance in the winter breeze; create unique winter flower arrangements with cut stems and dried flowers; and learn how to design a garden with winter beauty at its heart. With tips on supporting wildlife over winter, the best cold-weather crops, and recipes for creating winter containeTrade ReviewThis celebration of the oft-overlooked season should be required reading for any keen gardener. * Woman & Home *Covering all aspects of the garden in winter, this book will inspire fresh thinking of how to make spaces work attractively through the season. * Gardens Illustrated *Rejoicing in what is so often a forgotten season, Naomi Slade's approach is comprehensive and thorough, addressing the fundamentals of horticulture, sharing key design considerations and offering tips on everything from supporting wildlife and landscaping, to lighting and cut flowers. * Countryside *Naomi Slade's book RHS The Winter Garden is an extensive guide to gardening in the colder months. Beautiful photography captures the delightful opportunities winter brings to the garden and highlights just what can be achieved during this season. * The Garden *Stitched together with exquisite images, this book is a helpful, practical look at gardening in this most beguiling of seasons. Topics range from designing for low light, to gathering bounty from vegetable and cutting gardens. * The English Garden *

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Book SynopsisKew Growing House Plants is an illustrated guide to the most trendy and popular indoor plants with advice on choosing, growing, styling, projects and propagation. Table of ContentsContents INTRODUCTION to the book: Why have houseplants (good for mental health, phsychologically, for beauty, health, clean air. Finding a plant for your home and finding a home for your plant, using the book to ensure success. DISPLAY, staging, modern use: solo, sequence, habitat, negative space, feature, vertical, stands, hanging, privacy. Considering shape, texture, form, size, scale. WHAT can we grow and WHERE: What are houseplants? EIGHT GROUPS. Where they come from, how to look after them, the rooms where you can display them. Native habitat dictates our care. Eight groups are: Ferns; Palms; Cactus; Succulents; Bromeliads including Air plants; Flowering house plants (possibly shorter or longer); Foliage; Carnivorous. HOW TO GROW in general: consider situation, right plant right place, temperature, light, humidity including: Kit and bit on containers to grow them in. This practical section includes the key care points: watering; heating; choosing compost; changing humidity; feeding; repotting; cleaning; holiday care. MAKING MORE PLANTS Propagating in five ways: leaf cuttings using begonia or sanseveria; bulbil babies using sedum; division of palm roots; suckers/offshoots and runners using chlorophytum; adventitious roots using hoya HOUSE PLANT PORTRAITS PROJECTS 12 projects including Kokedama; Plant leaf in a clear glass frame; A series of Sanseveria pots on a windowsill for privacy; Cactus grafting for impressive results; Macrame hanging planter; Air plant mobile; Desert Plant stand; Tray of succulents with strong pattern and landscape feel; Air fresheners collection; Touch me, touch me not. PROBLEMS: trouble shooting, preventative and curative endmatter (index and acknowledgments)

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Book SynopsisWhy don''t we eat more veg? They''re healthy, cost-effective and, above all, delicious. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall believes that we should all be eating more of the good stuff, as he explains in this brilliant book.He''s come up with an abundance of veg-tastic recipes, including a warm salad of grilled courgettes, lemon, garlic, mint and mozzarella, a winter giant couscous salad with herbs and walnuts, radishes with butter and salt, lemony guacamole, linguine with mint and almond pesto and cherry tomatoes, baby carrot risotto, new potato gnocchi, a summer stir-fry with green veg, ginger, garlic and sesame, a winter stir-fry with Brussels sprouts, shiitake mushrooms and five-spice, a cheesy tomato tart, a spring onion gallette, roast jacket chips with merguez spices and spiced yoghurt, curried bubble and squeak, scrambled eggs and asparagus with lemon, tomato gazpacho, pea and parsley soup, roast squash wedges, baba ganoush, beetroot houmous, spinach pasties and barbecued corn on the c

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Book SynopsisWhenever I hear the word curry, I’m filled with a longing for spicy hot food with the fragrance of cumin, cloves and cinnamon. I see deep red colours from lots of Kashmiri chillis, tinged with a suggestion of yellow from turmeric. I think of the tandoor oven, and slightly scorched naan shining with ghee and garlic.When Indians talk of their food, they talk about their life. To understand this country, you need to understand curry.What makes a good curry? Sensual spicy aromas or thick, creamy sauces? Rich, dark dals or crispy fried street snacks? Rick journeys through India to find the answer, searching this colourful, chaotic nation in search of the truths behind our love affair with its food.Chefs, home cooks and street vendors hold the key to unlocking the secrets of these complex and diverse flavours – and Rick's travels take him to the heart of both their long-held traditions and most modern techniques. He uncovers recipes for fragrant kormas, delicate spiced fish and slow-cooked biryanis, all the while gathering ideas and inspiration for his own take on that elusive dish – the perfect curry.

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Book SynopsisAn inspirational and beautifully illustrated book that tells the stories of 80 plants from around the globe.In his follow-up to the bestselling Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori takes another trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. From the seemingly familiar tomato and dandelion to the eerie mandrake and Spanish 'moss' of Louisiana, each of these stories is full of surprises. Some have a troubling past, while others have ignited human creativity or enabled whole civilizations to flourish. With a colourful cast of characters all brought to life by illustrator Lucille Clerc, this is a botanical journey of beauty and brilliance.'A beautiful celebration of the plants and flowers that surround us and a quiet call to arms for change' The Herald'This charming and beautifully illustrated book takes readers on a voyage of discovery, exploring the many ingenious and surprising uses for plants in modern science and throughout history' Kew Magazine'With beautiful illustrations from Lucille Clerc, this captivating book traverses the globe via plants: nettles in England, mangoes in India and tulips in the Netherlands' Daily MailTrade ReviewThis charming and beautifully illustrated book takes readers on a voyage of discovery, exploring the many ingenious and surprising uses for plants in modern science and throughout history * Kew magazine *Who knew that the milky sap from dandelions is similar to that of rubber trees, so much so that, in the 1930s, 260 square miles of Eastern Europe were dedicated to growing Russian dandelions successfully to produce rubber until the end of the Second World War? Or did you know that Cook pine trees tilt towards the equator? These are only two fascinating facts from a book packed with similar gems -- Tiffany Daneff * Country Life *A fun and fascinating read, combining science, culture, botany and travel writing * Flower Arranger *With beautiful illustrations from Lucille Clerc, this captivating book traverses the globe via plants: nettles in England, mangoes in India and tulips in the Netherlands -- Ciara Dossett * Daily Mail *A trustee of the Eden Project, his knowledge is encyclopaedic, but it is the combination of science and storytelling that makes his book stand out... With Drori's evocative prose and Lucille Clerc's exquisite illustrations, this is a book to treasure -- Juanita Coulson * The Lady *AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 PLANTS by Jonathan Drori is a brilliant and - thanks to Lucille Clerc - a beautiful book. It's an excellent companion to the same author's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TREES. Everybody who has the slightest interest in plants - and people - and wonders why we need to conserve botanical biodiversity should read this book -- Nigel Chaffey * Botany.one *The book is lively, entertaining and educational and the author's personal comments and witty asides, often made me laugh out loud. It is a credit to his skill and dedication that every fact-filled sentence is rich in information about each chosen plant, be it ethnobotanical, economic, folklore, myth, history, religion, culinary or etymology - not a word is wasted... Lucille Clerc's astonishingly beautiful, vibrantly coloured illustrations are an absolute delight, summing up the key points about each plant perfectly - you will find humour in these too... It would make a fabulous gift, yet contains enough facts to be of benefit to students of plant sciences, it is also a must have for anyone who guides at a public garden or has an interest in the relationship between plants and people in the past, present and future -- Matthew Biggs * Gardens Illustrated *A beautiful celebration of the plants and flowers that surround us and a quiet call to arms for change * The Herald, Portfolio *With its fascinating blend of the cultural, historic and scientific, Jonathan Drori's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TREES led readers on a global tour telling the stories of people and plants. Now, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 PLANTS (Laurence King £20) reprises the winning formula with a botanical travelogue ranging from the edible - tomato, vanilla, cacao, artichoke - to the religious - myrrh, lotus - and species such as the opium poppy or sugar cane which have dominated whole economies -- Bridget Galton * Ham & High *[Jonathan Drori] comes to this book with a lifetime of experience and a passion for talking about - and encouraging the preservation of - plants, trees, insects and birds. He brings with him a cheerfully wry sense of humour and a wonderful way of explaining to the previously ignorant the golden nuggets of fact, the "did you knows?" that make the book such fun to read -- Jenni Fraser * Jewish Chronicle *Packed with insights, this is a book to treasure * Saga magazine *Beautifully illustrated by Lucille Clerc, the book is crammed with great stories. It will appeal not just to gardeners, but to anyone interested in the natural world and the ingenious means by which our ancestors adapted the plants around them for food, clothing, shelter, recreation and artistry * The Herald *A terrifically opinionated guide to a selection of world plants and their place in culture. Our author travels the globe via plants, like a plantsman Phineas Fogg, from Nettle and Mistletoe here to Saffron crocus and mandrake in Southern Europe to damask rose in South Asia to vanilla in Africa. Each is illustrated with panache by Lucille Clere. It's one to browse, and a source of fun facts. Did you know that nutmeg in excess has hallucinogenic effects? Apparently Malcolm X used nutmeg in jail for a high; it was banned in prisons in the US to avoid misuse. Or that myrrh was used in Biblical times for an antiseptic mouthwash as well as for incense and that the body of Admiral Nelson was preserved in myrrh-infused brandy to bring back to England (which the crew is said to have drunk in his honour)? There's lots like this -- Melanie McDonagh * Evening Standard *Monty Don describes Around the World in 80 Plants as 'A delightful book that informs and charms in equal measure' - a brilliant way to sum up a book written by someone with deep scientific knowledge, rather than where information is simply lifted from websites. As you turn the pages, facts illuminate, titillate and inform. I kept saying to myself 'I didn't know that' and was thrilled by my new knowledge. Jonathan Drori writes with passion, gentle humour and command of the subject... anyone interested in the plant world would find it of great interest. The illustrations by Lucille Clerc completment the worlds beautifully * Flora magazine *If you read extensively on many subjects, then here's another fascinating book to add to your collection - you'll love this one. Not only is it beautifully written and superbly illustrated, but it's also informative and fun. And there's a lot to delve into, depending on your moods. Maybe you'll just want to read up on one of the 80 plants or at other times get stuck into a geographic section. Or perhaps you'll opt for the culinary tips, sometimes the medicinal uses or very often the history. In this, Jonathan Drori has written another remarkable book and distilled fascinating content into each two-page exposé... you'll both learn from and enjoy this colourful introduction to the world of wild plants. * Plant Life magazine *The stories from "the riotous and often bizarre plant world" have the power to "intertwine science with history and culture" and that's exactly what Jonathan Drori does in this world-tour cornucopia of growing things. His scientific knowledge of plants is extensive but he wears it lightly as he writes passionately about intoxicants such as absinthe and cannabis, flavourings such as the misunderstood vanilla, and the imaginative and constant search for aphrodisiacs. If you think you know about the humble potato (Drori's paragraph on our Great Famine is admirably balanced) or tomato or nettle or dandelion, you'll learn still more here, while also learning about exotica such as mandrake and carnivorous plants. The book is beautifully illustrated and a must for anyone interested in the world around them -- Brian Maye * Irish Times *It's fair to say that Jonathan Drori, who has spent his life involved with plants and is now a member of the Council of Ambassadors of WWF and The Woodland Trust, has a real place in his hear for the simple and overlooked... Drori describes plants almost lovingly, allowing space for their beauty and ingenuity. Take this particularly appealing description of the nutmeg plant: 'Girdling the shiny nut is a succulent, lacy layer, an utterly sensual blood-red aril, or seed covering, which is itself surrounded by a fleshy husk.' Such descriptions are complemented throughout by drawings of each plant from illustrator Lucille Clerc; combined, they make for a beautiful book that can easily be dipped in and out of as the fancy takes you -- Katie Burton * Geographical *Structured by continent, this book guides the reader around the world, dipping into the stories of the tiny, the towering, the parasitic and the submarine... Helping to paint the picture of not just what each plant looks like, but how it is used, where it sits in the landscape and how it interacts with wildlife, are Lucille Clerc's beautiful illustrations. From the unfurling leaves of the silver tree fern to the colours and impossible shapes of some unique and strange-looking orchids, these drawings add yet another layer of delight... As with much of the natural world, the more one learns about the individual plant species and the stories that tell of our interactions with them-whether positive or negative-the more intriguing they become. Around the World in 80 Plants makes me want to find out yet more about the plants that are so often overlooked as a green background, or seen merely as scenery to frame the animals, yet are vital for supporting life on Earth. As this book so wonderfully shows, they are more than life-support machines: they provide colour, flavour and magic to our everyday lives, and we need to learn to appreciate them * Oryx *

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Book SynopsisRHS Genealogy for Gardeners is part of the bestselling series that includes RHS Latin for Gardeners and RHS Botany for Gardeners. This informative, easy-to-understand and beautifully designed reference book explores plant families and the plant family tree in unparalleled detail.From roses (Rosaceae) to rhubarb (Polygonaceae) and carrots (Apiaceae) to camellias (Theaceae), RHS Genealogy for Gardeners unlocks a wealth of practical information, helping you to identify, select and cultivate plants from over 70 families most familiar to gardeners. Along with details about the size, range, origin and appearance of each family, feature boxes highlight interesting facts and provide useful growing tips. Whether you are a gardener, horticultural student, budding botanist or plant enthusiast, RHS Genealogy for Gardeners will help you understand and appreciate the extraordinary diversity and unrivalled splendour of the plant kingdom.

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Book SynopsisA flavour-focused drinks recipe book with a feminist slant, Spirited opens up the 'boys' club' world of serious cocktails and features fifty drinks, both alcoholic and booze-free.Spirited brings together fifty well-crafted cocktail recipes, all fuelled by a cook's palate and a love of creative ingredients. Signe Johansen's recipes play with a wide range of flavours such as fresh, floral, herbal and spicy notes and encourage you to think like a cook not a bartender. With chapters on drambling (the joy of winter walks and whisky), creative and delicious drinks to serve at gatherings, warming nightcaps and non-alcoholic 'soothies' to calm an ailing spirit, there is a tipple here for every occasion. There is also a collection of recipes called Cupboard Cocktails – made from staple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen – and more ambitious weekend projects for gifts or special occasions.Spirited is a refreshing departure from earnest mixologists writing about the 'art of the cocktail' – books often written by men, for men. Instead, Signe opens the field for everyone and celebrates the convivial and social experience of healthy hedonism and raising a glass together. This is a warm and inclusive companion to the subject, packed with trade secrets, delicious recipes and fascinating insight into the world of drinks.

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Book SynopsisFlavour-forward, vegetable-based recipes are at the heart of Yotam Ottolenghi’s food. In this stunning new cookbook Yotam and co-writer Ixta Belfrage break down the three factors that create flavour and offer innovative vegetable dishes that deliver brand-new ingredient combinations to excite and inspire.Ottolenghi FLAVOUR combines simple recipes for weeknights, low-effort high-impact dishes, and standout meals for the relaxed cook. Packed with signature colourful photography, FLAVOUR not only inspires us with what to cook, but how flavour is dialled up and why it works. The book is broken down into three parts, which reveal how to tap into the potential of ordinary vegetables to create extraordinary food:Process explains cooking methods that elevate veg to great heights; Pairing identifies four basic pairings that are fundamental to great flavour; Produce offers impactful vegetables that do the work for you. With surefire hits, such as Aubergine Dumplings alla Parmigiana, Hasselback Beetroot with Lime Leaf Butter, Miso Butter Onions, Spicy Mushroom Lasagne and Romano Pepper Schnitzels, plus mouthwatering photographs of nearly every one of the more than 100 recipes, Ottolenghi FLAVOUR is the impactful, next-level approach to vegetable cooking that Ottolenghi fans and vegetable lovers everywhere have been craving.Trade ReviewThis is, quite simply, brilliant ... the way Yotam Ottolenghi and co-author Ixta Belfrage confound your expectations make this my favouriteOttolenghi book yet. -- Diana Henry * The Telegraph *As ever the recipes hit the mark, simple, low-effort dishes that pack real punch. Ottolenghi fans will know the kind of palate-dancing flavours to expect. * The Times *Dead easy to prepare, gorgeous to look at, and a triumph of texture and taste. * Evening Standard *Ottolenghi is a culinary magician, transforming everyday vegetables, grains and pulses into exotic dishes. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe vividly told, gloriously illustrated memoir of an artist born with disabilities who searches for freedom and connection in a society afraid of strange bodies; 'a hymn to life' (DAVID MITCHELL).

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Book Synopsis'Blissfully funny, staggeringly informative, a joyful companion' Caroline Quentin'Tells the endlessly fascinating tale of Britain's natural history in a way that makes every delicate detail sparkle with life' Charlie Corbett, author of 12 Birds to Save Your LifeWhen we go for a walk, whether in the countryside or city, we pass through landscapes full of natural beauty and curiosities both visible and invisible - but though we might admire the view, or wonder idly about the name of a flower, we rarely have the knowledge to fully engage with what we see. When we do, our sense of place is expanded, our understanding deepened and we can discover richness in even the most everyday stroll. John Wright has been leading forays around Britain for decades. As an expert forager, he shows people how to identify the edible species that abound - but he also reveals the natural history, stories and science behind our surroundings. Here, he takes us with him on eight walks: from verdant forests to wil

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Book SynopsisHow many Muses are there? Who were the original twelve Titans? Why is Zeus (Jupiter) associated with power stations, and Poseidon (Neptune) with salt-cellars? Who were Aphrodite's (Venus') handmaidens? In this beautiful little book, packed with helpful details and rare early illustrations, picture-researcher Philippa Lewis reveals the fabulous deities of the Classical world, their colourful characters, memorable stories and visual attributes, showing how the immortals live on even today.Trade ReviewWooden Books are: "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography' Roy StrongThe remarkable story of Bess of Hardwick, her ascent through Elizabethan society and the houses she built that shaped British architectural history.Born in 1521, Bess of Hardwick, businesswoman, money-lender and property tycoon, lived an astonishing eighty-seven years. Through canny choices, four husbands and a will of steel she rose from country squire's daughter to Dowager Countess, establishing herself as one of the richest and most powerful women in England, second only to Queen Elizabeth.Bess forged her way not merely by judicious marriage, but by shrewd exploitation of whatever assets each marriage brought. Wealth took concrete form in her passion for building and she oversaw every stage of the construction of her four houses including Hardwick New Hall, her sole surviving building, which stands as a celebration of one woman's triumphant progress through Elizabethan England.A dynamic portrait Trade ReviewIt's high time for a new biography of this extraordinary woman, who was a cross between Chaucer's Wife of Bath and Thackeray's Becky Sharp... Devices and Desires is fluently written and full of vivid colour and detail... This book will take its place rightly as the definitive biography of Bess of Hardwick -- Roy Strong * Country Life *Part biography and part building history, considering along the way the erection of Elizabethan prodigy houses, such as Longleat, Theobalds, Wollaton, and, above all, Bess's Hardwick New Hall. It is in here that we can still see Bess's wit, ambition, creativity and vast wealth... Meticulous... A work of considerable scholarship -- Suzannah Lipscomb * The Spectator *Carefully researched and smartly written... The story of building in the 16th century is an elegant way into the ambitions and preoccupations of Bess's world.... The book's true stars are the buildings and one is grateful to its author for reminding us how wonderful they were -- Nicola Shulman * The Oldie *A dynamic portrait of Bess's life... Hubbard makes creative use of often-overlooked sources, such as lists of purchases, to flesh out Bess's daily life and surroundings, and how she sought to shape both. The fascinating relationship between Bess's biography and her building projects is also brought to the fore. Bess of Hardwick emerges from Devices and Desires as a fascinating and influential woman -- Joanne Paul * BBC History Magazine *An enjoyable retelling of Bess’s long and remarkable life…and her astonishing impulse to build -- Richard Hopton * Country & Town House *

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Book Synopsis''It covers three centuries of high living, high politics and high drama [...] it is so fascinating'' MEL SYKES_____________________________A Sunday Times bestsellerFive women. One house. One extraordinary history.Even today, Cliveden retains its royal mystique - it is where Meghan Markle and her mother spent the night before the royal wedding - but from its construction in the 1660s to its heyday in the 1960s, Cliveden has played host to a dynasty of remarkable and powerful women.Anna Maria, Elizabeth, Augusta, Harriet, and Nancy were five ladies who, over the course of three centuries, shaped British society through their beauty, personalities, and political influence.Restoration and revolution, aristocratic rise and fall, world war and cold war form the extraordinary backdrop against which their stories unfold. An addictive history of the period and an intimate exploration of the timeless relatiTrade ReviewNarratively enthralling … chronicled with scholarship, readability, wit and a fine eye for telling detail. -- Andrew Roberts * Evening Standard *Her scholarship is considerable and yet she wears it lightly, producing a book which is always lively, entertaining and immensely readable. * Daily Express *Natalie Livingstone has written an utterly fascinating and completely beguiling account of three centuries of high living, high politics, and high drama at one of Britain's most famous stately homes. A page turner from start to finish, The Mistresses of Cliveden perfectly illustrates why social history rules the shelves; it's history with all the good stuff left in. -- Amanda Foreman, author of GEORGIANA, DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIREA wonderful voyage through the fascinating history of Cliveden - this is a brilliant book full of gripping personalities and beautiful detail. -- Kate Williams, author of BECOMING QUEEN and JOSEPHINEWide-ranging and deliciously enjoyable... -- Juliet Nicholson * The Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisOffers a collection of ten biographies that spans the period from the start of the fourth century BC to the early third, and covers some of the most important figures in Greek history, such as the orator Demosthenes and Alexander the Great, as well as lesser known figures such as Plato's pupil Dion of Syracuse.

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Book SynopsisGeorge Orwell's searing account of working-class life in the bleak industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire in the 1930s, The Road to Wigan Pier is a brilliant and bitter polemic that has lost none of its political impact over timeOrwell's graphically unforgettable descriptions of social injustice, cramped slum housing, dangerous mining conditions, squalor, hunger and growing unemployment are written with unblinking honesty, fury and great humanity. It crystallized the ideas that would be found in his later works and novels, and remains a powerful portrait of poverty, injustice and class divisions in Britain.Includes illustrations, explanatory footnotes, and an introduction by Richard Hoggart

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER''Compelling, haunting, tragic stories . . . resonate long after you put the book down'' James McConnachie, Sunday Times Book of the Year The routine traffic stop that ends in tragedy. The spy who spends years undetected at the highest levels of the Pentagon. The false conviction of Amanda Knox. Why do we so often get other people wrong? Why is it so hard to detect a lie, read a face or judge a stranger''s motives?Using stories of deceit and fatal errors to cast doubt on our strategies for dealing with the unknown, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual adventure into the darker side of human nature, where strangers are never simple and misreading them can have disastrous consequences.Trade ReviewI love this book . . . reading it will actually change not just how you see strangers, but how you look at yourself, the news - the world. Reading this book changed me. * Oprah Winfrey *Fascinating . . . you should read the book . . . He's tackling the dark side of human nature - what do we ever know about other people? -- Sathnam Sanghera * The Times Magazine *Now that practically everybody seems to be spoiling for a fight, I have found Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers invaluable . . . His moral - to approach new people with caution and humility - has become my motto. * Evening Standard *Taut, provocative, smart . . . Gladwell's cool, playful intelligence has made him one of our leading public thinkers * New Statesman *A book examining the ways we misinterpret or fail to communicate with one another could not feel more necessary . . . the page-turning urgency of a thriller -- Chris Barton * Los Angeles Times *Superb writing. Masterful . . . bears all the marks that have made Gladwell one of the most successful non-fiction authors of his generation. -- Pilita Clark * Financial Times *A dazzling book . . . Gladwell is a rock star of nonfiction . . . ideas are slowly revealed until the reader arrives at a conclusion they didn't expect. Gladwell is advancing ideas and, sure, they are all open to challenge . . . but they are stimulating and convincing - and you won't regret a minute you spend mastering them * The Times *A wonderful provocation which Gladwell delivers like no other, an awakening to just one of the fascinations that lie in ordinary human experience . . . as ever, Gladwell's genius is in the telling. * Spectator *Malcolm Gladwell made his name bringing intellectual sparkle to everyday subjects, and his new book - about how strangers talk to each other - is no exception. -- Sean O’Hagan * Observer *

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Book Synopsis''A fascinating story about a religion in a surprisingly precarious position'' Dan Jones, Sunday Times''Superb storytelling ... captivating and profound'' Literary Review''A page-turner'' The SpectatorIn the fourth century AD, a new faith exploded out of Palestine. Overwhelming the paganism of Rome, and converting the Emperor Constantine in the process, it resoundingly defeated a host of other rivals. Almost a thousand years later, all of Europe was controlled by Christian rulers, and the religion, ingrained within culture and society, exercised a monolithic hold over its population. But, as Peter Heather shows in this compelling history, there was nothing inevitable about Christendom''s rise to Europe-wide dominance.In exploring how the Christian religion became such a defining feature of the European landscape, and how a small sect of isolated congregations was transformed into a mass movement centrally directed from Rome, Heather shows how Christendom constantly battled against both so-called ''heresies'' and other forms of belief. From the crisis that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire, which left the religion teetering on the edge of extinction, to the astonishing revolution in which the Papacy emerged as the head of a vast international corporation, Heather traces Christendom''s chameleon-like capacity for self-reinvention and willingness to mobilize well-directed force.Christendom''s achievement was not, or not only, to define official Christianity, but - from its scholars and its lawyers, to its provincial officials and missionaries in far-flung corners of the continent - to transform it into an institution that wielded effective religious authority across nearly all of the disparate peoples of medieval Europe. This is its extraordinary story.Trade ReviewHeather's sweeping and engaging history of the making of Christendom over a thousand years is full of reinterpretations and new insights... his approach makes for a startlingly fresh look at a familiar story, a non-triumphalist history of the triumph of Christianity, and his book is all the more powerful for it. -- Jane Shaw * Financial Times *Heather casts his eye across the whole medieval period as he unfolds a fascinating story about a religion in a surprisingly precarious position. -- Dan Jones * Sunday Times *It is more pressing than ever to understand how exactly Christianity came to dominate in Europe. Heather's account cuts through the myth of an innately Christian, culturally monolithic Europe... [and] sheds light on the mechanics of state coercion and intermittent violence which led to the birth of Christendom. It's no light reading - but there's enough drama to make it a page-turner. -- Eleanor Myerson * Spectator *A brilliant exercise in disenchantment ... superb storytelling ... Heather more than delivers. While Christendom is fabulously rich in telling detail, Heather is always mindful of the big picture. The book is at once captivating and profound. -- Costica Bradatan * Literary Review *One of the many delights of this weighty book is the abundance of little-heard but illuminating and intriguing stories that he weaves into the narrative to show how Christianity endlessly reinvented itself to maintain a winning formula .... the tale of how Christianity, from unlikely beginnings, became one of the great mass-member institutions of the world is expertly and entertainingly told. -- Peter Stanford * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA TLS, GUARDIAN AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020The new bestseller from the acclaimed author of Justice and one of the world''s most popular philosophersAstute, insightful, and empathetic...A crucial book for this moment Tara Westover, author of EducatedThese are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favour of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the promise that you can make it if you try. And the consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fuelled populist protest, with the triumph of Brexit and election of Donald Trump.Michael J. Sandel argues that to overcome the polarized politics of our time, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalisation and rising inequality. Sandel highlights the hubris a meritocracy generates among the winners and the harsh judgement it imposes on those left behind. He offers an alternative way of thinking about success - more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, more conducive to an ethic of humility, and more hospitable to a politics of the common good.Trade ReviewSandel is the most important and influential living philosopher. -- Paul Collier * Times Literary Supplement *The Tyranny of Merit is original, lively and no mere critique: unlike many others who have written on the "sorting" of society into winners and losers, Sandel produces a persuasive argument about the kind of community we should seek ... The Tyranny of Merit is an important work, and makes a profound point that our leaders would do well to understand. -- Nick Timothy * Daily Telegraph *Engaging and timely... an insightful critique of where our societies went wrong... that will help us to heal our divided societies -- Matthew Goodwin * Sunday Times *He is good at dismantling the cheap language of recent politics... compelling, too, in diagnosing the growing use of discriminatory language -- Julian Glover * Evening Standard *Credentialism is the last acceptable prejudice... blends fact, analysis and opinion in eminently readable non-fiction -- Rana Foroohar * Financial Times *well-argued, clear, and nicely timed to appeal to the growing disillusionment with meritocracy. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *"rich in moral exhortation - the kind that does your soul good" -- Polly Toynbee

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Book SynopsisHighly Commended for the Wainwright Prize 2023, and shortlisted for the Zócalo Book Prize and the Christopher Moore Prize For Human Rights Writing ''Gaia Vince''s new book should be read not just by every politician, but by every person on the planet'' ObserverAn urgent investigation of the most underreported, seismic consequence of climate change: how it will force us to change where - and how - we liveWe are facing a species emergency. With every degree of temperature rise, a billion people will be displaced from the zone in which humans have lived for thousands of years. While we must do everything we can to mitigate the impact of climate change, the brutal truth is that huge swathes of the world are becoming uninhabitable. From Bangladesh to Sudan to the western United States, and in cities from Cardiff to New Orleans to Shanghai, the quadruple threat of drought, heat, wildfires and flooding will utterly reshape Earth''s human geography in the coming decades.In this rousing call to arms, Royal Society Science Book Prize-winning author Gaia Vince describes how we can plan for and manage this unavoidable climate migration while we restore the planet to a fully habitable state. The vital message of this book is that migration is not the problem - it''s the solution. Drawing on a wealth of eye-opening data and original reporting, Vince shows how migration brings benefits not only to migrants themselves, but to host countries, many of which face demographic crises and labour shortages. As Vince describes, we will need to move northwards as a species, into the habitable fringes of Europe, Asia and Canada and the greening Arctic circle.While the climate catastrophe is finally getting the attention it deserves, the inevitability of mass migration has been largely ignored. In Nomad Century, Vince provides, for the first time, an examination of the most pressing question facing humanity.Trade ReviewWith the government's migration policy in such appalling disarray, Gaia Vince's Nomad Century has to be the most timely book of the year. Vince's calm, compassionate and authoritative explanation of the inevitability of migration is essential reading... There should be a copy on every desk in Whitehall -- Michael Brooks, Books of the Year * New Statesman *A tour de force... Nomad Century should be on the reading list of anyone and everyone in any position of power. It is not simply a future atlas of human geography showing where will be habitable and for how many, but a hard-hitting must-read on how we will need to live in the coming decades to secure the long-term survival of humankind -- Anjana Ahuja * Financial Times *Essential, bold and clear-sighted... I have yet to read a book that takes the question of how to survive the coming decades more seriously -- David Farrier * Prospect *A powerful, provocative argument * Nature *After a summer of climate catastrophes, not least the appalling floods that left a third of Pakistan under water at the end of August, now should be the moment to consider radical solutions -- Philippa Nuttall * New Statesman *Engaging and constructive... Vince leaves the reader with more than a few sparks of hope * Herald *Gaia Vince's new book should be read not just by every politician, but by every person on the planet, because it lays out, much more clearly than any existing scientific assessment, the world we are creating through global heating... Passionate and powerful -- Bob Ward * Observer *Powerful... It holds much wisdom with which to tackle the challenges of our turbulent century... Nomad Century is a visionary book, an attempt to imagine how climate change might reshape our notions of what is politically possible -- Ben Cooke * The Times *Nomad Century is a landmark work - terrifying in its message and urgency, but ultimately empowering in its conviction about a path forward. Gaia Vince lays bare the scale of the challenge before us, and the grand ideas that will be needed to meet it. We must be ready; this book shows us how -- Ed YongOnce again Gaia Vince demonstrates that she is one of the finest science writers at work today -- Bill BrysonThe climate crisis already has millions of people on the move, and that number will steadily grow higher till it breaks the political structures of the planet - unless, as the author suggests, we start now to remake those structures so they can cope, and indeed benefit, from the flow of humans that is now inevitable. An important and provocative start to a crucial conversation -- Bill McKibbenThis book is a rather astounding addition to a growing body of thought that suggests the twenty-first century is going to include, and even require, lots of human migration-and that handled correctly, this could be part of a good adaptation to the climate and biosphere crisis we are now entering. What Vince gives us here is some cognitive mapping to understand the situation and see a way forward -- Kim Stanley RobinsonVince's perspectives and proposals are refreshing in a world where a Don't-Look-Up-style denial is solidly in place... If this book results in even a smidgeon more sympathy for the huge numbers of people being forced away from their homes, that will be a great thing -- Sally Hayden * Irish Times *Nomad Century is the most important book I imagine I'll ever read. Gaia Vince calmly -- without drum-banging or hand-wringing -- sets forth likely consequences and end-of-century projections for our rapidly changing planet. It'll knock you flat. But before you hit the ground, she hands over an impressively detailed survival plan: supporting radical migration from newly uninhabitable regions, rethinking urban structures and food practices, restoring climate. The book is heavily researched, but Gaia's clean, intelligent prose propels the reader -- Mary RoachTerrifying, yet strangely hopeful and immensely important. I'm not sure if you can 'love' a book about our precarious future but this is essential reading. Nomad Century brings together the two most pressing issues of our time: the climate emergency and migration. Every single one of us will be affected by this - and therefore we should all read this book. It's packed with facts, solutions and even some optimism ... so, yes, maybe I actually do 'love' it -- Andrea WulfBrilliant. The most far-sighted book on migration I have read. Gaia Vince doesn't waste a sentence. Read this to understand our future -- Henry ManceNomad Century will broaden your horizon when thinking about the biggest humanitarian crisis of known history. A passionate plea for humankind -- Ece TemelkuranVince sounds the air raid siren for humanity, then offers a thrilling path forward. A harrowing then inspiring read -- Musa OkwongaRigorously researched, accessibly written and illuminating... Vince's book makes a persuasive case that we can meet the momentous tasks ahead * Geographical *The UN's International Organisation for Migration predicts as many as 1.5 billion environmental migrants by 2050, with many fleeing drought, flood and wildfire. The coming together of two hot-button issues - the climate crisis and migration - is the basis for Nomad Century (Allen Lane) by Gaia Vince, an essential book on how humanity must adapt as the planet warms and some regions become uninhabitable. The question, she says, is whether the transition will be managed calmly or whether "hunger and conflict will erupt - an unconscionable outcome that would endanger us all" -- Anhana Ahuja, Books of the Year * New Statesman *After a year in which wildfires, storms and floods have driven thousands from their homes, this book's warning about a rising population of climate migrants has a chilling resonance. The survival solutions it offers - such as global freedom of movement - are not entirely persuasive. But the case it makes for fresh thinking is utterly convincing -- Pilita Clark, Books of the Year * Financial Times *The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has said that she dreams of sending planes full of migrants to Rwanda. But policymakers are in denial about the number of people who will be forced to move as the impacts of climate change become more profound, argues the scientist Gaia Vince in Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval (John Murray). She calls for us all to step up and manage migration humanely -- Philippa Nuttall, Books of the Year * New Statesman *In the opening chapters of Nomad Century, science writer and broadcaster Gaia Vince paints a stark picture of what the world is likely to look like if global average temperatures rise 4°C above pre-industrial levels. This isn't a distant or unrealistic prospect: climate models suggest we're currently heading towards a 3°C-4°C rise by the end of the century - less than three generations away. In this rigorously researched, accessibly written and illuminating book, Vince examines what these changes will entail and how we should respond, ending with an eight-point 'manifesto' to guide us. While not shying away from the scale of the challenges, she doesn't give in to fatalism or inertia: '[We] are facing a species emergency - but we can manage it -- Books of the Year * Geographical *My first choice is Nomad Century by Gaia Vince, a brilliant and disturbing analysis of how climate change will affect the world's migration patterns. Vince argues that, instead of being afraid, we should embrace these new migratory movements. After all, she says, civilisations have all been built on the backs of migration. It is both a disturbing and a hopeful read -- Baroness Boycott, Book of the Year * Politics Home *Got to be one of the most important books in the world today -- Max Porter, author of SHY

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Book SynopsisThis selection of the 100 most popular carols and hymns for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter, is ideal for sacred occasions and carol concerts, and includes accompanied and unaccompanied material.Trade ReviewThis will be widely welcomed by singers who find such volumes in the traditional format difficult to manage. I have occasionally found that spiral-bound volumes have the disadvantage that the pages can become torn and eventually detach themselves; but this volume seems to be very sturdily made. * Stephen Cleobury, Mastersinger, Winter 06 *Table of ContentsAdam lay ybounden ; All my heart this night rejoices ; Alleluya, a new work is come on hand ; Angels, from the realms of glory ; Angelus ad virginem ; As with gladness men of old ; Ave plena gracia ; Away in a manger ; A babe is born ; Birthday carol ; The cherry tree carol ; Child in a manger ; A child is born in Bethlehem ; Christmas night ; Coventry carol ; Coventry carol ; Cradle song ; The crown of roses ; Deck the hall ; Ding dong! merrily on high ; Ding dong! merrily on high ; The first Nowell ; Gabriel to Mary came ; Gabriel's message ; God rest you merry, gentlemen ; Good King Wenceslas ; A great and mighty wonder ; Hail! Blessed Virgin Mary ; Hark! the herald-angels sing ; He is born the divine Christ-child ; Here we come a-wassailing ; The holly and the ivy ; Hush! my dear, lie still and slumber ; I saw a maiden ; I saw three ships ; I saw three ships ; I wonder as I wander ; Il est ne le divin enfant ; In Dulci Jubilo ; In the bleak mid-winter ; In the bleak mid-winter ; Infant holy, infant lowly ; The Infant King ; It came upon the midnight clear ; Jesus child ; Jesus Christ is risen today ; Jesus Christ the apple tree ; Jingle, bells ; Joy to the world ; Joys seven ; King Jesus hath a garden ; Kings of Orient ; Lo! he comes with clouds descending ; Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming ; Longfellow's carol ; Lord of the Dance ; Lute-book lullaby ; A maiden most gentle ; Mary's Lullaby ; A merry Christmas ; Myn lyking ; Nativity carol ; A New Year carol ; O come, all ye faithful ; O come, o come, Emmanuel ; O little one sweet ; O little town of Bethlehem ; O little town of Bethlehem ; O Queen of heaven ; Of the Father's heart begotten ; Once, as I remember ; Once in royal David's city ; Out of your sleep ; Past three a clock ; Personent hodie ; Quelle est cette odeur agreable? ; Quem pastores laudavere ; Rise up, shepherd, and follow ; Sans Day Carol ; See amid the winter's snow ; The shepherds' farewell ; Shepherds in the field abiding ; Shepherds left their flocks a-straying ; Shepherd's pipe carol ; Silent night ; Sing aloud on this day! ; Sir Christemas ; A spotless Rose ; Star carol ; Still, still, still ; Stille Nacht ; Sussex carol ; There is a flower ; There is no rose ; This Christmas night ; This joyful Eastertide ; The three kings ; Tomorrow shall be my dancing day ; The truth from above ; The twelve days of Christmas ; Unto us is born a son ; Up! good Christen folk, and listen ; A virgin most pure ; Wassail song ; Wexford carol ; What cheer? ; When Christ was born ; Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing? ; While shepherds watched their flocks ; Ye choirs of new Jerusalem

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