Non Fiction Books

Book SynopsisA classic in the field (New York Times), this is a penetrating investigation into moral and ethical questions raised by war, drawing on examples from antiquity to the present.Just and Unjust Wars has forever changed how we think about the ethics of conflict. In this modern classic, political philosopher Michael Walzer examines the moral issues that arise before, during, and after the wars we fight. Reaching from the Athenian attack on Melos, to the Mai Lai massacre, to the war in Afghanistan and beyond, Walzer mines historical and contemporary accounts and the testimony of participants, decision makers, and victims to explain when war is justified and what ethical limitations apply to those who wage it.Table of ContentsPreface to the Fifth Edition Preface to the First Edition Part One: The Moral Reality of War 1. Against "Realism" The Realist Argument The Melian Dialogue Strategy and Morality Historical Relativism Three Accounts of Agincourt 2. The Crime of War The Logic of War The Argument of Karl von Clausewitz The Limit of Consent The Tyranny of War General Sherman and the Burning of Atlanta 3. The Rules of War The Moral Equality of Soldiers The Case of Hitler's Generals Two Sorts of Rules The War Convention The Example of Surrender Part Two: The Theory of Aggression 4. Law and Order in International Society Aggression The Rights of Political Communities The Case of Alsace-Lorraine The Legalist Paradigm Unavoidable Categories Karl Marx and the Franco-Prussian War The Argument for Appeasement Czechoslovakia and the Munich Principle Finland 5. Anticipations Preventive War and the Balance of Power The War of the Spanish Succession Pre-emptive Strikes The Six Day War 6. Interventions Self-Determination and Self-Help The Argument of John Stuart Mill Secession The Hungarian Revolution Civil War The American War in Vietnam Humanitarian Intervention Cuba, 1898, and Bangladesh, 1971 7. War's Ends, and the Importance of Winning Unconditional Surrender Allied Policy in World War II Justice in Settlements The Korean War Part Three: The War Convention 8. War's Means and the Importance of Fighting Well Utility and Proportionality The Argument of Henry Sidgwick Human Rights The Rape of the Italian Women 9. Noncombatant Immunity and Military Necessity The Status of Individuals Naked Soldiers The Nature of Necessity (1) Submarine Warfare: The Laconia Affair Double Effect Bombardment in Korea The Bombing of Occupied France and the Vemork Raid 10. War Against Civilians: Sieges and Blockades Coercion and Responsibility The Siege of Jerusalem, 72 A.D. The Right to Leave The Siege of Leningrad Taking Aim and the Doctrine of Double Effect The British Blockade of Germany 11. Guerrilla War Resistance to Military Occupation A Partisan Attack The Rights of Guerrilla Fighters The Rights of Civilian Supporters The American "Rules of Engagement" in Vietnam 12. Terrorism The Political Code The Russian Populists, the IRA, and the Stern Gang The Vietcong Assassination Campaign Violence and Liberation Jean-Paul Sartre and the Battle of Algiers 13. Reprisals Deterrence Without Retribution The FFI Prisoners at Annecy The Problem of Peacetime Reprisals The Attack on Khibye and the Beirut Raid Part Four: Dilemmas of War 14. Winning and Fighting Well "Asinine Ethics" Chairman Mao and the Battle of the River Hung The Sliding Scale and the Argument from Extremity 15. Aggression and Neutrality The Right to Be Neutral The Nature of Necessity (2) The Rape of Belgium The Sliding Scale Winston Churchill and Norwegian Neutrality 16. Supreme Emergency The Nature of Necessity (3) Overriding the Rules of War The Decision to Bomb German Cities The Limits of Calculation Hiroshima 17 Nuclear Deterrence The Problem of Immoral Threats Limited Nuclear War The Argument of Paul Ramsey Part Five: The Question of Responsibility 18. The Crime of Aggression: Political Leaders and Citizens The World of Officials Nuremberg: "The Ministries Case" Democratic Responsibilities The American People and the War in Vietnam 19. War Crimes: Soldiers and Their Officers In the Heat of Battle Two Accounts of Killing Prisoners Superior Orders The My Lai Massacre Command Responsibility General Bradley and the Bombing of St. Lo The Case of General Yamashita The Nature of Necessity (4) The Dishonoring of Arthur Harris Conclusion Afterword: Nonviolence and the Theory of War Postscript: A Defense of Just War Theory

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Book SynopsisVolume 1 of the definitive English translation of one of the most important philosophical works of the 19th century, the basic statement in one important stream of post-Kantian thought. Corrects nearly 1,000 errors and omissions in the older Haldane-Kemp translation. For the first time, this edition translates and locates all quotes and provides full index.

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Book SynopsisâA minor modern classic, to my mind, uniting art history and landscape thought by means of dazzling, dancing, unsettling sentences â Iâm delighted itâs back in print in a new editionâ Robert MacfarlaneTrade Review'Original and engaging … [a] modern classic' - Country Life (Book of the Week)'Fierce, witty, wise, elegiac, supremely indifferent to fashion and confident in the long view, this is among the best books written about landscape' - Financial Times'A fascinating, considered and evocative work' - The Critic'Breath-taking ... extraordinary ... written with perfection' - Christopher LloydTable of Contents1. The Problem of Time • 2. White: The Chalk Landscape • 3. Black • 4. The Need for Roots • 5. The Idea of the Garden • 6. The Grid and the Town • 7. Seeing Becomes Feeling • 8. The Sea • 9. Inlets and Estuaries • 10. God • 11. Psychology • 12. Abstraction • 13. Appetite

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Book SynopsisWorld renowned architect Kengo Kuma gives a personal tour of Tokyo's key buildings.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Kengo Kuma Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Kenzō Tange, 1964 Shibuya Daikan-yama One Omotesandō, Kengo Kuma, 2003 Meiji Jingū Museum, Kengo Kuma, 2019 Nezu Museum, Kengo Kuma, 2009 Sunny Hills, Kengo Kuma, 2014 National Stadium, Kengo Kuma, 2020 Suntory Museum of Art, Kengo Kuma, 2007 Kitte, Kengo Kuma, 2012 Shinjuku Mejiro Ikebukuro Ueno & Yanesen Jugetsudo Kabuki-za, Kengo Kuma, 2013 Tsukiji & Shinbashi Takanawa Gateway Station, Kengo Kuma, ongoing La Kagu, Kengo Kuma, ongoing Akagi Shrine, Kengo Kuma, 2010 Daiwa Ubiquitous Computing Research Building, Kengo Kuma, 2014 Western Tokyo Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Centre, Kengo Kuma, 2012 Mukojima Tetchan, Kengo Kuma, 2014 Directory Buildings by Kengo Kuma & Associates Buildings by other architects

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Book SynopsisDo you remember Pathé News? Taking the train to the seaside? The purple stains of iodine on the knees of boys in short trousers? Knitted bathing costumes? Then the chances are you were born in or around 1950. To the young people of today, the 1950s seem like another age.But for those born around then, this era of childhood feels like yesterday. This delightful collection of photographic memories will appeal to all who grew up in this post-war decade; they include pictures of children enjoying life out on the streets and bombsites, at home and at school, on holiday and at events. These wonderful period pictures and descriptive captions will bring back this decade of childhood, and jog memories about all aspects of life as it was in post-war Britain.

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Book SynopsisThis sumptuously illustrated history presents, in an updated new edition, an in-depth account of Britain's most important buildings.

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Book SynopsisThis pocket-sized bilingual dictionary of English and Farsi, the official language of Iran, provides over 8000 entries, with pronunciation and part of speech indicated. A guide to pronunciation and the Farsi script are provided.

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Book SynopsisThese illustrations were chosen to enhance the creative work of origami artists and paper crafters. The pack contains 12 patterns unique to this pack, and all of the papers are printed with coordinating colours on the reverse side to provide aesthetically pleasing combinations in origami projects that show both the front and the back of the papers.

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Book SynopsisEveryone faces big questions when it comes to money: questions about saving, investing, and whether you're getting it right with your finances.Unfortunately, many of the answers provided by the financial industry have been based on belief and conjecture rather than data and evidenceuntil now.In Just Keep Buying, hugely popular finance blogger Nick Maggiulli crunches the numbers to answer the biggest questions in personal finance and investing, while providing you with proven ways to build your wealth right away.You will learn why you need to save less than you think; why saving up cash to buy market dips isn't a good idea; how to survive (and thrive) during a market crash; and much more. By following the strategies revealed here, you can act smarter and live richer each and every day. It's time to take the next step in your wealth-building journey. It's time to Just Keep Buying.

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Book SynopsisA Jungian psychologist argues how careful analyses of fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast can lead to a deeper understanding of human psychology   Of the various types of mythological literature, fairy tales are the simplest and purest expressions of the collective unconscious and thus offer the clearest understanding of the basic patterns of the human psyche. Every people or nation has its own way of experiencing this psychic reality, and so a study of the world''s fairy tales yields a wealth of insights into the archetypal experiences of humankind. Perhaps the foremost authority on the psychological interpretation of fairy tales is Marie-Louise von Franz. In this book—originally published as An Introduction to the Interpretation of Fairy Tales —she describes the steps involved in analyzing and illustrates them with a variety of European tales, from Beauty and the Beast to The Robber Bridegroom. Dr. von Franz begins with a history of the study of fairy tales and the various theories of interpretation. By way of illustration, she presents a detailed examination of a simple Grimm’s tale, The Three Feathers, followed by a comprehensive discussion of motifs related to Jung’s concept of the shadow, the anima, and the animus. This revised edition has been corrected and updated by the author.

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Book SynopsisA dedicated workbook to support and consolidate grammar learning and translation skills for Edexcel GCSE (9-1) German.

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Book SynopsisDuring the Anglo-American War of 1812, British forces launched hundreds of amphibious raids on the United States. The richest parts of the United States were slave-states, and thousands of enslaved African Americans fled to British forces in what was to be the largest emancipation of enslaved Americans until the abolition of slavery in the USA. From these refugees from slavery, the British built a force - the Corps of Colonial Marines. Black redcoats, they were a fusion of two great American fears, the return of the British King and an uprising by their own oppressed slaves. The Corps of Colonial Marines turned Britain''s campaign on America''s coasts from one of harassment to one of existential threat to the new nation. Although small in number, the Colonial Marines - fighting to liberate their own families as much as for Great Britain - exerted a massive psychological impact on the United States which paralysed American resistance with fear of a widespread slave uprising, and allowed

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Book Synopsis“The rarest of business books, one that provides genuinely actionable counsel delivered without empty cliches.” – KIRKUSHow many world-changing startups will fail because the founders and investors never figure out how to work together?  Founder Elizabeth Zalman and Investor Jerry Neumann square off in this one-of-a-kind book, exposing how startups are built, broken, and fought over. Every iconic tech company was once a startup. And while these companies like to paint an origin story full of surefooted confidence, the truth is usually something different: the early life of most startups is pure chaos.This chaos comes from the vastly different motivations and incentives between those with the vision and those with the money. From fundraising paranoia to boardroom coups, Zalman and Neumann train their inimitable voices on the gulf between what founders and investors promise to do and what they end up Trade Review'... No pulled punches, no half-truths, no politically correct weasel-words.' * Sandy Lerner, Co-Founder Cisco, Founder Urban Decay *'A fascinating, informative, and stellar study of tech company turmoil based on the differing perspectives and goals between creators and financial investors inside the tech companies that have come to so dramatically and fundamentally influence our lives, our economy, our politics, and our culture. Founder vs Investor: The Honest Truth About Venture Capital from Startup to IPO is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, college, and university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.' * Midwest Book Review *'Since I first began learning about startups--from the perspective of both founders and investors--I've relied on Jerry to explain how things really work. It's no surprise he and Liz have written the definitive guide to the trickiest parts of the relationships between founders and investors. Anyone in or around startups will emerge wiser having read this book.' * Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Founder of Positive Sum & Colossus, Host of Invest Like the Best *'True leaders make the hard decisions that oftentimes don't please founders or investors, but are ultimately in the best interests of the company. I wish Founder vs Investor had been around earlier in my career; it would have been required reading before the first board meeting.' * Michele Bettencourt, Investor, Advisor, Operator *'Zalman and Neumann's Founder vs Investor: The Honest Truth about Venture Capital from Startup to IPO, is an unvarnished, first-hand guide to their lessons learned about the complex relationship between startup founders and funders. This is a must-read for entrepreneurs and investors alike, demystifying everything from term sheets and valuations to the impact of identity and interests, aligned and conflicted, in fueling a venture-backed startup.' * Chris Wiggins, Columbia University Professor, Chief Data Scientist at the New York Times, and author of How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms *'This is an impressively candid work, and one of remarkable practical value to anyone who intends to be a founder or investor, or work with either. The rarest of business books, one that provides genuinely actionable counsel delivered without empty cliches.' * KIRKUS *

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Book SynopsisTwelve Extraordinary Women offers a poignant and personal look into the lives of some of the Bible''s most faithful women, teaching modern believers that true faith can leave a lasting legacy. These women were ordinary, common, and in some cases even ostracized and rejected by society, yet each was made extraordinary by her life-changing encounter with God.In Twelve Extraordinary Women, bestselling author and Bible teacher John MacArthur shows us that the God to whom they were so faithful is the same God who continues to mold and guide us today.As you meet these women in Scripture and get to know more about their lives and characters, they will challenge you, motivate you, encourage you, and inspire you with love for the God whom they trusted, served, and loved, teaching us that:Our personal struggles and temptations are the very same kinds of trials that all believers of all ages have confronted

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Book SynopsisOne of the most iconic characters in children's literatureHergé's classic comic book creation Tintin is one of the most recognisable characters in children's books. These highly collectible editions of the original 24 adventures will delight Tintin fans old and new. Perfect for lovers of graphic novels, mysteries and historical adventures.The world's most famous travelling reporter is confused by some very strange goings on involving shattering glass and an packet of cigarettes. But can he solve the mystery in time to protect Professor Calculus?Windows, mirrors and chandeliers are spontaneously shattering and Tintin is left flummoxed. After a shooting and a break in, Tintin knows Calculus is in danger, but he has only one clue an unusual packet of cigarettes. He has a mystery to solve. But can he do it before a terrible weapon falls into the wrong hands?Join the most iconic character in comics as he embarks on an extraordinary adventure spanning historical and political events, and thTrade ReviewTintin shows young readers that the world in all its complexity is theirs to bestride. (The Wall Street Journal) I became enthralled with the way Hergé told his stories. Grand, epic, global adventures about a young reporter who goes all around the world looking for stories to tell. (Steven Spielberg, 'The Adventures of Spielberg: An Interview', The New York Times, 2011) Top 100 Children’s Book – Time Out (2022) Terrific world-straddling adventures. (Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Ten Essential Children’s Books, Books for Keeps, 2020) The Red Sea Sharks was named one of Young Bond author Charlie Higson’s favourite books in The Daily Express: “Tintin was a huge inspiration being a young person in an adult world.” (2015) Explorers of the Moon was named one of comedian Milton Jones’ favourite books in The Daily Express (2018) Explorers of the Moon was named one of screenwriter and best-selling crime novelist Peter May’s favourite books in The Daily Express: “A childhood favourite…it encouraged me to create my own cartoon series.” (2016) The Calculus Affair was named one of author and foreign correspondent Christian Jennings’ favourite books in The Week (2017)

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Book SynopsisThe Mr. Men have been tickling children for generations with their funny and charming antics. The Mr Men for Grown-Ups series now gives adults the chance to laugh along as the Mr Men and Little Miss try to cope with the very grown-up world around them. Featuring Roger Hargreaves classic artwork alongside hilariously funny new text.Little Miss Busy hadn''t always been so busy. She used to enjoy lazy weekends and leisurely lie-ins. But then she had kids. Now her life is a constant juggle of demands and pressure to be the perfect mum. How does Little Miss Busy do it?The perfect book for anyone who has ever faced the trials and tribulations of the wonderful and exasperating world of parenthood.Also available The Mr Men for Grown-Ups series:Mr Greedy Eats Clean to Get Lean, Little Miss Shy Goes Online Dating and Mr Happy and the Office Party, Mr Grumpy Nails Fatherhood and Little Miss Lucky is Getting Married.

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Book SynopsisFuchsia Dunlop, our great writer and expert on Chinese gastronomy, has fallen in love with this region and its cuisine and her book makes us fall in love too' Claudia RodenFuchsia Dunlop's erudite writing infuses each page and her delicious recipes will inspire any serious cook to take up their wok' Ken HomThe Lower Yangtze region or Jiangnan, with its modern capital Shanghai, has been known since ancient times as a Land of Fish and Rice'. For centuries, local cooks have been using the plentiful produce of its lakes, rivers, fields and mountains, combined with delicious seasonings and flavours such as rice vinegar, rich soy sauce, spring onion and ginger, to create a cuisine that is renowned in China for its delicacy and beauty. Drawing on years of study and exploration, Fuchsia Dunlop explains basic cooking techniques, typical cooking methods and the principal ingredients of the Jiangnan larder. Her recipes are a Trade Review2016 Cookbook of the Year * Guild of Food Writers *2016 Food Book Award * Andre Simon *Fuchsia Dunlop reveals China’s best-kept food secrets in a magnificent new book about Jiangnan’s culinary heritage * Observer *Dunlop shares everything she has learnt about this rich culinary landscape, with recipes which are eminently doable at home * Telegraph Magazine *Through gifted storytelling and stunning photographs, Fuchsia Dunlop highlights a rich tradition of seasonality and sustainability * Alice Waters *Authoritative and absorbing, full of insight, enticing recipes, and infectious delight in the pleasures of the table * Harold McGee *Amid the constant tsunami of cookery books, a new one by the Chinese food expert Fuchsia Dunlop is always worth looking out for * Jay Rayner, Observer *When Dunlop writes a recipe it is done in the spirit of generosity rather than of showing off. There is a startling purity to these recipes * Literary Review *Eloquently but simply captures the rich cuisine of a region unfamiliar to most Westerners * Cecilia Chiang *Every time I think I've finally started to get Chinese cuisine, Fuchsia seems to come around and point me towards a little door that opens up onto a whole new world of flavors and techniques * J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, author of The Food Lab *We judge a cookbook’s quality on the amount of food stains we’ve flung on it over the years. The filthier, the better. This one’ll become a Pollock-esque masterpiece of soy-sauce, sweet chilli and dried-on rice in a matter of weeks. Everything in it sounds delicious * Mr Hyde *Fuchsia Dunlop is an authority on China’s cuisine. There’s information on the local history, ingredients and approach to food, and the recipes are deceptively easy to make * Delicious *Britain’s greatest expert on Chinese cooking celebrates the Jiangnan region. These are foolproof dishes, but by virtue of the novelty of the region and flavour combinations, they remain exciting. As ever, with Dunlop, the book is an introduction to a whole new world. Dunlop fans need not worry, this book will not disappoint. And it will win her many more * Waitrose Weekend *

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed by the Daily Mail as ''definitive and harrowing'', this is the final volume of The People's Trilogy'', begun by the Samuel Johnson prize-winning Mao''s Great Famine.''The seminal English language work on the subject' Sunday TimesA major contribution to scholarship on modern China, one that is unequalled, certainly in the English language both revealing and rewarding reading for specialists and non-specialists alike'' Literary ReviewAfter the economic disaster of the Great Leap Forward that claimed tens of millions of lives between 1958 and 1962, an ageing Mao launched an ambitious scheme to shore up his reputation and eliminate those he viewed as a threat to his legacy. The stated goal of the Cultural Revolution was to purge the country of bourgeois, capitalist elements he claimed were threatening genuine communist ideology. But the Chairman also used the Cultural Revolution to turn on his colleagues, some of them longTrade ReviewDefinitive and harrowing -- Book of the Week * Daily Mail *Dikötter never allows his intense account to degenerate into melodrama. Networks of power and information are carefully traced, revealing a movement that spiralled into general score-settling on such a scale that Mao and his allies had only intermittent control … A fascinating account of how people twisted or resisted the aims of Mao’s movement * Daily Telegraph *Definitive and harrowing -- Roger Lewis, Book of the Week * Daily Mail *Magnificent ... The author gives full acknowledgement to memoirs and scholarly works but it is his own archival research, allied to a piercing critique, that lifts the book to a higher level. He has mastered the details so well that with the most sparing use of description he weaves a vivid tapestry of China at the time … This brilliant book leaves no doubt that Mao almost ruined China and left a legacy of paranoia that still grips its modern dictatorship under the latest autocrat, Xi Jinping -- Michael Sheridan * Sunday Times *The murderous frenzy of the times, which tore apart friends and families, not to speak of the Communist party itself, is powerfully conveyed -- Book of the Week * The Times *Given the tortuous nature of the event, what contribution does Frank Dikötter’s new book make to our understanding of the Cultural Revolution? The answer is an immense one. He sheds important new light on what has long been a dark (in several respects) period in Chinese history ... The Cultural Revolution exposes, in measured prose and well-documented analysis, the impact of communist rule in a period of extraordinary stress, tension and violence, most of it unleashed by the Party itself. Together, these three books, which Dikötter calls the ‘People’s Trilogy’, constitute a major contribution to scholarship on modern China, one that is unequalled, certainly in the English language … There is something simply unanswerable about many of his judgments on the effects of almost seventy years of communism in China. Much of this has to do with his use of documents from official archives in China, to which access is difficult … his patience and endurance must be considerable and his Chinese-language skills formidable …. both revealing and rewarding reading – for specialists and non-specialists alike * Literary Review *Gripping, horrific … A significant event in our understanding of modern China * International New York Times *A fine, sharp study of [a] tumultuous, elusive era … Excellent follow-up to his groundbreaking previous work … Dikötter tells a harrowing tale of unbelievable suffering. A potent combination of precise history and moving examples * Kirkus *Outstanding * The Week *Searing * Irish Times *During ten years of insanity, between 1.5m and 2million people lost their lives. It is all chillingly documented in Frank Dikötter’s brilliant new book. -- Niall Ferguson * Sunday Times *Magisterial * New Statesman *His “people’s trilogy” … has been hailed as the seminal English language work on the subject. The trilogy’s enduring value lies in its unstinting description of the horrors of life under Mao … Dikötter has done much to ensure that we see the full horror of what happened under Mao * Sunday Times *A significant event in our understanding of modern China * Scotland on Sunday *It includes colourful sketches of famous individuals, a fast-paced account of key political events, and some interesting discussions of how ordinary people experienced and contributed to specific Cultural Revolution episodes … Impressive chapters on the early 1970s that explore and celebrate grassroots developments * Financial Times *A detailed, sober, bleak reminder of the horror and chaos unleashed by Mao Zedong * Tablet *Superb * Tribune *What sets Dikötter apart from many other historians of this period is his obsession with detail and insistence on bringing the story back to the individual account … The level of research in Dikötter’s book is astonishing ... but the book wears this research lightly, with the human story coming through strongly * Irish Times *Dikötter’s well-researched and readable new book on the Cultural Revolution’s causes and consequences is a crucial reminder of the tragedies, miscalculations and human costs of Mao’s last experiment * Guardian *A tragic and salutary history * Catholic Herald *The concluding volume of Dikotter’s superb trilogy on Mao Tse-tung’s China is deeply disturbing * Sunday Times *‘An eye-opener and a page-turner’ * Daily Mail *A revelatory look at a seismic upheaval that has left an indelible imprint on the country * The Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis______________ ''A stylish, deftly erudite and enormously diverting book' - Sunday Telegraph An artfully aimless pleasure cruise around Paris' - Guardian ''White''s genius as a flâneur is revealed in his affinity for unexpected pleasures, and he includes many for our delectation'' - New Yorker______________ A unique and eclectic view of Paris through the eyes of a fierce and witty intellect. A flâneur is a stroller, a loiterer, someone who ambles without apparent purpose but is secretly attuned to the history of the streets he walks - and is in covert search of adventure, aesthetic or erotic. Acclaimed writer Edmund White, who lived in Paris for sixteen years, wanders through the avenues and along the quays, into parts of the city virtually unknown to visitors and indeed to many locals, luring the reader into the fascinating and seductive backstreets of his personal Paris.______________ ''One has the impreTrade Review‘Edmund White is one of the most virtuosic living writers of sentences in the English language' * Dave Eggers *‘White's genius as a flâneur is revealed in his affinity for unexpected pleasures, and he includes many for our delectation' * New Yorker *‘One has the impression of having fallen into the hands of a highly distractible, somewhat eccentric poet and professor who is determined to show you a Paris you wouldn't otherwise see ... White tells such a good story that I'm ready to listen to anything he wants to talk about' * New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisBehold the wisdom of Lord Birthday: a tiny mustachioed king who is as insightful as he is ridiculous. His bite-sized illustrations capture the inherent comedy of being human, and his guidance appeals to anyone who is striving against the odds, believing in both the absurdity and necessity of hope. How to Appear Normal at Social Events is an illustrated guide to modern life. Largely based on Lord Birthday's popular Instagram account, the book offers excessively absurd, occasionally wise advice on topics ranging from finding your life's purpose to defending yourself against forest clowns. (Hint: Set an oatmeal trap.)Trade Review"Simply put, Lord Birthday is a genius. His extraordinary, one-of-a-kind writing style will greet you with offbeat humor and see you out the door with profound hope, optimism, and gratitude. His brain seems like a strange and glorious place to live, and his book gives us a moment to step inside and settle in for a while. Lucky us." (Mari Andrew, author of "Am I There Yet?")"Lord Birthday is in a category all his own. It must be lonely out in geniusland, but I'm glad he's there. Exceptionally, uproariously funny." (Tom Toro, cartoonist for the New Yorker and author of "Tiny Hands")"Read this book. It will make you laugh and remind you of all the feelings and depths you’ve forgotten, in all their intensity. It’s poetry. Lord Birthday is insanely talented and wise and a great artist." (Liana Finck, cartoonist and author of "A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York")"Whether he’s delighting in a hippie getting attacked by a hawk, mocking his own awkwardness, or reminding you of your mortality in skywriting, Lord Birthday aims to make you smile… And maybe, even, remember why life is not such a bad thing to live." (Lulu Miller, NPR's Invisibilia)"If I could take only one thing to a desert island, I would never take this book. It’s far too funny and special to risk it getting damaged. I loved it." (Hamish Blake, comedian)

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Book SynopsisThrough a series of classic-style logic puzzles, solvers will join a group of friends as they visit a variety of differently themed escape rooms, such as a library, pirate ship, video arcade, and more. As an immersive bonus, escape roomstyle puzzles that tie into each room's theme are included throughout, giving readers the feeling and satisfaction of really being in the room.

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Book SynopsisOver decades of research and work with thousands of families, Russell A. Barkley has become a leading authority on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids and teens. He has learned what a huge difference parents can make in supporting their children's success--as well as how overwhelming it can be. This concise guide presents 12 key parenting principles for dealing with common behavioral, emotional, and school challenges. By cultivating a mindset of acceptance and compassion--together with an understanding of the executive function deficits of ADHD--you can strengthen your loving connection with your child and help your whole family thrive. Filled with practical suggestions and quick-reference lists and tips, this is the perfect book to read cover to cover or pick up any time you need extra support.Trade Review"A 'must read.' Dr. Barkley's advice about managing a household with a child with ADHD has reduced stress in every aspect of our lives. He thoughtfully emphasizes the importance of self-care, which many parents underestimate. Dr. Barkley's insights gave us a much better understanding of our child, and are thoroughly life changing!"--Jennie R., Hoboken, New Jersey "With compassion and understanding, Dr. Barkley gives you realistic, concrete approaches for the challenging process of raising a child with ADHD. The book helps you understand how your child's brain works, why they struggle, and how to help them develop the skills to be successful in life. Highly recommended!"--Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, Clinical Director, Chesapeake Center for ADHD, Learning and Behavioral Health, Bethesda, Maryland "When my son got his diagnosis, I felt overwhelmed. There is so much ADHD information out there, and not all of it is helpful. I have struggled to really understand my son and how to help him--but this book has changed all that. We are finally rebuilding the connection that I thought was lost forever. Thank you, Dr. Barkley."--Krystle B., Gladstone, Australia "Dr. Barkley dives right into parents’ most pressing questions and offers practical, science-backed guidance. This book will be at the top of my list to recommend to parents."--Stephen P. Becker, PhD, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center-Russell Barkley is clearly at or among the top providers of professional, validated, accurate information on this disorder….All of Barkley's books represent validated, current, and important information for both parents and professionals dealing with the frustrations and joys of having a child with ADHD. Practitioners can, without hesitation, feel confident in recommending this book to parents.--Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 06/23/2021ƒƒClinical psychologist Barkley successfully distills the most practical material from his comprehensive parenting manual, Taking Charge of ADHD, into a concise and accessible guide….Parents in Barkley's target audience should find his guide to be a valuable and reassuring go-to.--Publishers Weekly, 09/21/2020Table of Contents- Introduction: Understanding ADHD - Principle 1. Use the Keys to Success - Principle 2. Remember That It’s a Disorder - Principle 3. Be a Shepherd, Not an Engineer - Principle 4. Get Your Priorities Straight - Principle 5. Mindful Parenting: Be There and Be Aware - Principle 6. Promote Your Child’s Self-Awareness and Accountability - Principle 7. Touch More, Reward More, and Talk Less - Principle 8. Make Time Real - Principle 9. Working Memory Isn’t Working: Offload It and Make It Physical! - Principle 10. Get Organized - Principle 11. Make Problem Solving Concrete - Principle 12. Be Proactive: Plan for Difficult Situations at Home and Away - Conclusion: Putting It All Together - Resources - Index

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Book SynopsisAn exciting new science-driven guide to protecting your mind from decline.''Fascinating'' Daily MailThroughout our lives, we are always looking for ways to keep our mind sharp and effortlessly productive. In this book, globetrotting neurosurgeon Dr Sanjay Gupta offers insights from top scientists all over the world, whose cutting edge research can help you heighten and protect brain function and maintain cognitive health at any age. Keep Sharp debunks common myths about ageing and cognitive decline, explores whether there''s a ''best'' diet or exercise regimen for the brain, and explains whether it''s healthier to play video games that test memory and processing speed, or to engage in more social interaction. Discover what we can learn from ''super-brained'' people who are in their eighties and nineties but showing no signs of slowing down - and whether there arTrade ReviewDr. Sanjay Gupta has the unique ability to translate the latest scientific research into accessible language we can all understand. His knowledge, perspective, and practical strategies make Keep Sharp an essential and comprehensive guide for people of any age concerned about their memory and cognitive health. * Gary Small, MD, Director, UCLA Longevity Center, and author of The Small Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease *A must-read owner's manual for anyone with a brain. * Arianna Huffington *Dr Gupta is brilliant at busting myths, allaying fears, and giving us the solutions we need to keep sharp throughout our lives. * Dr Dean Ornish, founder and president, Preventive Medicine Research Institute *I wish Keep Sharp existed when I was helping take care of my father as he suffered from Alzheimer's. * Maria Shriver, founder, The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement *Keep Sharp will change how you think about your brain, how you care for it, and how you support its full potential. * Dr David b. Agus, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Illness *Dr Sanjay Gupta brilliantly crafts an actionable plan we can all follow. I feel sharper already. * Dr Mehmet Oz, host, The Dr. Oz Show *This is the book all of us need, young and old! * Walter Isaacson, New York Times bestselling author of Steve Jobs *Keep Sharp looks at the lessons we can learn from so-called 'super brained' people in their 80s and 90s while debunking some common myths about ageing and cognitive decline * Eastern Daily Press *Offers many surprising suggestions. . . not only will this book give you a better idea of how your brain works, it will help it to work better too * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2021''Inspiring''The Guardian''Excellent''Runner''s World''Fascinating'' Publishers Weekly''Brilliant''Ed Vaizey''Through reading this book you will come to understand that the heart and soul of running are to be found in Ethiopia.'' Haile Gebrselassie''Engaging, warm and humane A delight'' TLS''Full of wonderful insights and lessons from a world where the ability to run is viewed as something almost mysterious and magical.'' Adharanand Finn, author of Running with the Kenyans ''Ethiopia is a place where I have been told that energy is controlled by angels and demons and where witchdoctors can help you to acquire another runner''s power. It is a place where an anonymous runner in the forest told me, miming an imaginary scoreboTrade ReviewExcellent * Runner's World *Engaging, warm and humane… A delight * TLS *Through reading this book you will come to understand that the heart and soul of running are to be found in Ethiopia. I welcome everyone to experience the Ethiopian love of running, and to come and have the same life altering experience that Michael had. Running is life! -- Haile GebrselassieInspiring ... evocative and easily paced ... Out of Thin Air peels back the layers of one of the world’s most extraordinary and unexplored sporting cultures, and reveals a powerful simplicity at its core. * The Guardian *Full of wonderful insights and lessons from a world where the ability to run is viewed as something almost mysterious and magical. -- Adharanand FinnOut of Thin Air is marvellous. Crawley is a superb writer, runner and anthropologist. On every page, you'll learn something new about running, and about the culture of the people in the world who do it best. -- Nick Thompson * CEO, The Atlantic *An evocative and clear-eyed portrait of Ethiopian running. -- Ed CaesarOut of Thin Air is a must-read ... We'd happily recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the sport. For the keen runner, it's a must-have! * Trail Running *A deep dive into the rich and complex culture that produces some of the best runners the world has ever seen. -- Alex Hutchinson * author of Endure *Fascinating ... This big-hearted tale will resonate with readers regardless of whether they’ve ever laced up a pair of running shoes. * Publishers Weekly *You don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book * Woman's Weekly *Superb ... one of our favourite books ... recommended reading for anyone with an interest in distance running. * Athletics Weekly *Table of Contents1 Special Air 2 I Could Have Been a Mesinko Player 3 Following Each Other’s Feet 4 So Good, So Far 5 Field of Dreams 6 Zigzagging to the Top 7 Crazy is Good 8 To Win in Rome Would be Like Winning 1,000 times 9 Why It Makes Sense to Run Up and Down a Hill at 3 a.m. 10 Where Does Energy Come From? 11 Th e Game is Worth the Candle 12 Taking the Air 13 Of Course They Are Trying to Kill Each Other 14 Running is Life Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisBrutally honest and fearless, Poverty Safari is an unforgettable insight into modern Britain, and will change how you think about poverty.The Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.Winner of the Orwell Prize.Named the most 'Rebellious Read of the 21st Century' in a Scottish Book Trust poll.Darren McGarvey has experienced poverty and its devastating effects first-hand. He knows why people from deprived communities all around Britain feel angry and unheard. And he wants to explain . . .So he invites you to come on a safari of sorts. But not the kind where the wildlife is surveyed from a safe distance. This book takes you inside the experience of poverty to show how the pressures really feel and how hard their legacy is to overcome.Arguing that both the political left and right misunderstand poverty as it is actually lived, McGarvey sets out what everybody – including himself – could do to change things.'Another cry of anger from a working class that feels the pain of a rotten, failing system. Its value lies in the strength it will add to the movement for change.' - Ken Loach, director of KesTrade ReviewPart memoir, part polemic, this is a savage, wise and witty tour-de-force. An unflinching account of the realities of systemic poverty, Poverty Safari lays down challenges to both the left and right. It is hard to think of a more timely, powerful or necessary book. -- J.K. RowlingNothing less than an intellectual and spiritual rehab manual for the progressive left. -- Irvine WelshAnother cry of anger from a working class that feels the pain of a rotten, failing system. Its value lies in the strength it will add to the movement for change. -- Ken LoachPoverty Safari is an important and powerful book. -- Nicola SturgeonPoverty Safari documents in vivid, piercing and frequently funny prose, the reality of growing up in Pollok and the consequences of a chaotic family life -- Stephen McGinty * Sunday Times *By his own account, Darren McGarvey’s first twenty-five years were a real-life version of Trainspotting . . . Poverty Safari [is] a painfully honest autobiographical study of deprivation and how society should deal with it . . . But what has made McGarvey such a particular figure of attention is his political message . . . [McGarvey] seems to offer an antidote to populist anger that transcends left and right . . . his urgently written, articulate and emotional book is a bracing contribution to the debate about how to fix our broken politics. * Financial Times *Poverty Safari is one of the best accounts of working-class life I have read. McGarvey is a rarity: a working-class writer who has fought to make the middle-class world hear what he has to say. -- Nick Cohen * Guardian *If The Road to Wigan Pier had been written by a Wigan miner and not an Etonian rebel, this is what might have been achieved. McGarvey’s book takes you to the heart of what is wrong with the society free market capitalism has created. -- Paul MasonThe man seems to be on his way to becoming one of the most compelling and original voices in Scotland’s, and maybe Britain’s, public debate. If Scotland’s underclass could speak in a single, articulate, authentic voice to communicate to the rest of us what it’s like to be poor, isolated, brutalised, lost, it would sound very much like this. * Scottish Daily Mail *Raw, powerful and challenging. -- Kezia DugdaleA blistering analysis of the issues facing the voiceless and the social mechanisms that hobble progress, all wrapped up in an unput-downable memoir. -- Denise MinaDescribes in unflinching detail the realities of growing up poor in Britain and sets out to challenge the various ways in which poverty is represented in the media and on both sides of the political divide * Guardian *A raw account of his own deprivation and addiction and a powerful political argument. * Guardian *The standout, authentic voice of a generation . . . the world is looking for eloquent voices like McGarvey's to explain things * Herald (Scotland) *Utterly compelling. -- Ian Rankin * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisFew people can communicate how the economy actually works better than Kyla Scanlon. -Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of MoneyThe stuff you really need to know about how the economy works? It''s pretty simple. Yes, even if you were bored to tears in economics class, or if you''re cross-eyed from reading painfully convoluted-or straight-up misguided-financial commentary. In this particularly disorienting era, Kyla Scanlon is the Tim Harford of the disaffected and disillusioned Gen Z looking for answers.This is the definitive, approachable guide to the key concepts and mechanics of economics and the most common myths and fallacies to steer clear of. Through Kyla''s trademark blend of creative analogies, clever illustrations, refreshingly lucid language-and even quotes from poetry, literature, and philosophy-she answers questions such as:- Is our national debt really a threat?- What is a mild recession, exactly?- What''s really happe

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Book Synopsis***As featured on Dr Rangan Chatterjee's FEEL BETTER, LIVE MORE podcast***"Loads of practical guidance, all the scientific studies . . . beautiful photos and illustrations" Dr Rangan Chatterjee A beautifully illustrated exploration of cold-water traditions in Scandinavia and around the world, and a factual, scientific account of why winter swimming gives such a boost to body and soul.Whether in lake, lido, river or sea, we know the benefits of swimming outdoors and in nature - environmentally friendly and accessible, it can influence our happiness, our energy and our inner tranquility, and give us that winter glow.Danish scientist Dr Susanna Søberg leads us step by step into the icy water and explains the "cold-shock response", the massive endorphin rush as our body reacts and adapts to very cold temperatures through the winter season. Not only do our circulation, heart, lungs and skin respond positively, but our immune system, metabolism and mental health too. In particular she explains how our "brown fat" is activated to benefit multiple health conditions.Winter swimming is fast becoming one of our most popular pastimes. This beautifully illustrated exploration of cold-water traditions in Scandinavia and around the world shows how it can have a significant positive impact on our physical and mental health, confidence and well-being, providing such a boost to body and soul.Praise for Winter Swimming:"Full of brilliant insights . . . an inspiring book" Stylist Christmas Gift Guide 2022"It's all the encouragement you need to dip a toe in icy waters" Woman & Home"Packed with stunning photography" Red Magazine"A perfect gift" My Weekly"A blend of how, and why, and what . . . A beautiful celebration . . . Visual inspiration for anyone hovering on the edge" Sunday Independent"Take an uplifting dip into Winter Swimming" Stylist's "Ultra List"Translated from the Danish by Elizabeth DeNomaTrade ReviewFull of brilliant insights on the cold-shock response and its benefits for mood and the immune system, Winter Swimming is an inspiring book that will keep people working out all through the darkest months. * Stylist Christmas Gift Guide 2022 *It's all the encouragement you need to dip a toe in icy waters * Woman and Home *Packed with stunning photography and musings on why it's so good for body and soul. * Red Magazine *A paean to cold water swimming. A blend of how, and why, and what . . . A beautiful celebration of its appeal and benefits . . . Visual inspiration for anyone hovering on the edge -- Emily Hourican * Sunday Independent *Take an uplifting dip into Winter Swimming, which can help our energy and inner tranquillity * Stylist's "Ultra List" *A perfect gift for those seeking the joy of wild swimming in the winter months * My Weekly *Loads of practical guidance, all the scientific studies, it's got some beautiful photos and illustrations. It's really going to shine a light on just how many organs in the body are positively affected -- Dr Rangan Chatterjee * Feel Better, Live More podcast *

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Book SynopsisGrowing more mushrooms may be the best thing we can do to save the environment, and mushroom expert Paul Stamets explains how in this groundbreaking manual. The science goes like this: fine filaments of cells called mycelium, the fruit of which are mushrooms, already cover large areas of land around the world. As the mycelium grows, it breaks down plant and animal debris, recycling carbon, nitrogen, and other elements in the creation of rich new soil. What Stamets shows is that the enzymes and acids thatmycelium produces to decompose this debris are superb at breaking apart hydrocarbons--the base of many pollutants. Stamets discusses the various branches of this exciting new technology, including mycorestoration (biotransforming stripped land), mycofiltration (creating habitat buffers), myco-remediation (healing chemically harmed environments), and mycoforestry (creating truly sustainable forests)--From publisher description.

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Book SynopsisLet go of the struggle and obsess less. With this unique guide, you’ll find the tools you need to get unstuck from obsessive thoughts, overcome fears, feel more grounded, and live a life that truly reflects your values.Pure obsessional obsessive-compulsive disorder, or “Pure O” OCD, is a subtype of OCD that is characterized by intrusive thoughts, images, or urges without any visible symptoms. These “hidden compulsions” can include constant reassurance seeking, obsessive regret or worry, and may involve avoidance, excessive preparation, and thought rituals. They can also cloud your judgement, causing you to make decisions based on fears and compulsions instead of your values. But trying to stop or change these fearful thoughts only leads to more anxiety and fear. So, how do you break this obsessive cycle?Grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and written by a renowned ACT and anxiety expert, “Pure O” OCD explains the cognitive fusion underlying your obsessive thoughts, and how it can lead to social anxiety, not feeling good enough, panics and phobias, and even other disorders—all of which then reinforce the fusion in an unhelpful, positive feedback loop. Using the five skills in this book—labeling, letting go, mindfulness, purpose, and acceptance—you’ll learn how to finally break free of the struggle, worrying, and avoidance that keep you stuck.With practice, you’ll find that you can counter your anxiety and obsessive thoughts with your own, values-based narrative, and learn how to better accept your thoughts and feelings, so that you can proceed freely and purposefully toward a life that reflects what matters most to you.

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Book SynopsisIf you grew up with an emotionally immature, unavailable, or selfish parent, you may recall your childhood as a time when your emotional needs were not met or dismissed-and you may have lingering feelings of anger, loneliness, betrayal, and abandonment as a result. As an adult, you have fought hard to establish your own sense of self, and heal the invisible wounds caused by your upbringing. But what about other emotionally immature people (EIP) in your life? EIPs are often unpredictable, volatile, and difficult to handle. They tend to be me-first people, with little regard for others. They may not respect you as an individual-which can be isolating, hurtful, and lonely. As an adult child of an emotionally immature parent (ACEIP), you may be particularly vulnerable to EIPs. But you are not powerless! If you're tired of being emotionally hijacked by EIPs, this handbook can help you avoid common traps, build confidence, and stand strong in yourself. In this must-have guide, author Lindsay Gibson provides everyday solutions to help you manage relationships with any emotionally immature person. You'll find practical insights and explorations into the most common challenges ACEIPs face, and practical guidance to help set boundaries and establish healthier relationships. You'll also learn to handle difficult interactions with EIPs, understand their responses, and transform your relationships to build a happier life. It's time to disentangle from EIPs! As an ACEIP, you have spent a lifetime compensating for others' behaviour and putting your needs last. With this handbook, you'll find the information you need to understand how EIPs function, shift your own perspective regarding these relationships, and stand up for yourself without guilt, shame, or fear

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Book SynopsisDesigned for photographers who need just a bit of helpful guidance when they're on the go with their camera, Rocky Nook s handy and ultra-portable quick reference Pocket Guide helps you get the shot when you re out and about. Confirm that your camera is set up properly with the pre-shoot checklist Get a quick refresher on the exposure basics Learn the essential modes and settings you need to know, such as metering, focus, exposure compensation, drive mode, white balance, noise reduction, and more Learn about advanced shooting techniques such as back-button autofocus, auto ISO, and bracketing Master the essential composition techniques that help you capture a great photo Follow tips and techniques for getting great shots in typical scenarios (portrait, landscape, freezing action, low light, etc.)

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize A New Statesman Book of the Year This is the story of our quest to understand the most mysterious object in the universe: the human brain. Today we tend to picture it as a computer. Earlier scientists thought about it in their own technological terms: as a telephone switchboard, or a clock, or all manner of fantastic mechanical or hydraulic devices. Could the right metaphor unlock the its deepest secrets once and for all? Galloping through centuries of wild speculation and ingenious, sometimes macabre anatomical investigations, scientist and historian Matthew Cobb reveals how we came to our present state of knowledge. Our latest theories allow us to create artificial memories in the brain of a mouse, and to build AI programmes capable of extraordinary cognitive feats. A complete understanding seems within our grasp. But to make that final breakthrough, we may need a radical new approach. At every step of our quest, Cobb shows that it was new ideas that brought illumination. Where, he asks, might the next one come from? What will it be?Trade ReviewAn intellectual tour de force, and a brilliant demonstration of how a historical approach is often the best way of explaining difficult scientific problems ... For anybody who wants to understand the depths of our understanding of our brains, and our even deeper ignorance, I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. -- Henry Marsh * New Statesman *Sweeping and electrifyingly sceptical -- James McConnachie * The Times *Cobb is a rare jewel. [The Idea of the Brain] is a typically erudite, thrilling and thorough exploration of the most complex thing in the known universe. -- Adam Rutherford * The Week *The best book produced in my lifetime on the brain. -- Richard C Atkinson, President Emeritus, University of California

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Book SynopsisAnnie Dillard has spent a lifetime examining the world around her with eyes wide open, drinking in all things intensely and relentlessly. Whether observing a sublime lunar eclipse or a moth consumed in a candle flame, the trembling of lily pads on a pond or hundreds of red-winged blackbirds taking flight, Dillard's awe at the fragility of the natural world rejuvenates and inspires pleasure and heartache. Precise in language and deeply meditative in spirit, this is a landmark collection from one of America's masters.Trade ReviewWhat stays longest with the reader is the magnesium-flare intensity of her prose and her invincible joy at being alive * * New Statesman, 'Best Books of 2016' * *For Annie Dillard there's no realm of knowledge without its accompanying gasp of wonder; she has a mystic's appreciation of the glory and plurality of the world, and a gift for communicating astonishment . . . Dillard is triumphantly awake, and these essays are magnificent and dramatic, illuminating and inspirational. Read them; they brim with abundance -- GAVIN FRANCIS * * Guardian * *Luminous, startling, mischievous . . . the memory is scalpel bright, and the imagination alchemical -- RICHARD MABEYAnnie Dillard is a brilliant American poet, novelist and essayist, a kind of philosophical nature writer in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau and John Muir . . . [The Abundance] grips you with a real and painful sense of the natural world in all its mystery and cruelty * * Sunday Times * *Annie Dillard's books are like comets, like celestial events that remind us that the reality we inhabit is itself a celestial event -- MARILYNNE ROBINSONSpirited and gale-force. She raps out her opinions; lyrical, gleeful, cymbal-clashing, peppery. The best thing is her glee, a pied-piperish glee at being in the world, which she evokes better than anyone else -- ROBERT MACFARLANEAnnie Dillard is among the greatest nature writers who have ever lived. Like Thoreau, like Gilbert White, she combines a naturalist's sharp eye with a philosopher's curiosity and a poet's magical gift for language. Keen, urgent and impassioned, her subject is life itself, in all its teeming and marvellous forms -- OLIVIA LAINGAnnie Dillard is one of those people who seem to be more fully alive than most of us, more nearly wide-awake than human beings generally get to be * * New York Times * *A writer who never seems tired, who has never plodded her way through a page or sentence, Dillard can only be enjoyed by a wide-awake reader . . .She opens our eyes to the world and to new ways of articulating what we see -- GEOFF DYERThe trouble with hasty people like me is that we charge through our time on earth without noticing it. It was Annie Dillard who got me, before it was too late, to pay attention to where I was before I lost it. So I did. What abundance! -- RICHARD HOLLOWAYAnnie Dillard's words are the outpouring of a brilliant mind tempered by a pleading heart. Her distinctive voice and incandescent imagery lifts us to heights few writers can ever hope to aspire to. I came to Annie's work through her Pulitzer-winning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and have hung on every word she has written ever since. This anthology is the perfect introduction to her luminous prose, her insightful wisdom and her powerful engagement with nature and the human spirit -- JOHN LISTER KAYEDillard archingly transcends all other writers of our day in all the simple, intimate and beautiful ways of the natural master -- BUCKMINSTER FULLERThe pleasurable voyages of Dillard's prose are grounded in alert observation - but springing into levitations of surprise and lit by eruptions of discovery -- ROBERT PINSKYFew writers evoke better the emotion of awe and few have ever conveyed more graphically the weight of silence, the force of the immaterial * * Boston Globe * *Annie Dillard is, was, and always will be the very best at describing the landscapes in which we find ourselves * * Star Tribune (Minneapolis) * *This book, a writerly mashup of Dillard's best work, samples from an oeuvre forty years in the making. Ever a keen observer, Dillard hooks readers with unusual, often haunting, and yet precisely vivid descriptions. This collection is an excellent entry point into Dillard's writing and would especially appeal to new readers, although Dillard devotees will also enjoy this kaleidoscopic retrospective, this new way of 'seeing' her prose. That said, it will only whet their appetites, leave them hungering for and searching for her complete works * * Library Journal * *Annie Dillard has a tendency to write the literary equivalent of an earworm. She gets stuck in your head. The Abundance is a thoughtful introduction to her work - Annie Dillard 101. It's a great place to start * * Houston Chronicle * *Here is a distillation of a strange, powerful sensibility, unique in contemporary American letters . . . Annie Dillard is a brilliant and necessary writer who forces upon us the knowledge that we are not living as we should * * Chicago Tribune * *[S]he is, flagrantly, a consciousness - an abstract, all-encompassing energy field that inhabits a given piece of writing the way sunlight clings to a rock: delicately but with absolute force, always leaving a shadow behind. This is an essential part of what it means to be human, this shifting between the transcendent self and the contingent world, the ecstasy and the dental bill. We all do some version of it, all the time. But Dillard does it more insistently * * The St Louis Post Dispatch * *An adventure. It is like learning to read all over again. It is a reminder to see - to look and listen - more closely than ever before . . . To read Annie Dillard's latest collection of essays is to be a student of language and a student of the world - to look at everything, even the tiniest moments, with perpetual wonder * * Washington Independent Review of Books * *As observant as Thoreau, as thoughtful as Emerson, as all-embracing as Whitman, Annie Dillard is a great national treasure. Her nature writing is precise and irradiated with the spiritual -- EDMUND WHITEIn essay after essay, Annie Dillard demonstrates the mystical art of using exactitude, condensation, and clarity to intimate turbulence, rapture, and plenty. . . The landscape of nonfiction and American letters looks barren without her radiance -- MAGGIE NELSONLike a jar of fireflies, The Abundance dazzles both in its tiny, blinking specifics and in its cumulative glow. Annie Dillard's wise and funny essays remind us of what a profound blessing life can be if we do but one thing: Pay attention -- GARRY TRUDEAUThe clarity of Annie Dillard's forensic gaze is astonishing - she is one of the most brilliant essayists of the past half-century, and this is a tremendous selection -- KEVIN BARRYArresting, poetic and challenging . . . The Abundance grips and pinions the heart * * Country Life * *

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Book SynopsisPowerful, emotive, unforgettable -- Mama speaks to all mothers in the international language of love. This is a stunning collection of vivid portraits and intimate reflections on motherhood from around the globe. Mama uniquely portrays the emotions and experiences that unite mothers from different times and diverse cultures. Twenty-one striking watercolour portraits and lively pencil sketches by acclaimed artist Quentin Gréban are paired with Hélène Delforge's lyrical words to create a thought-provoking celebration of motherhood in all its complexity: the satisfaction and the sadness, the frustration and the fun -- and, always, the love.This moving and joyful book is a perfect gift for mamas everywhere.Trade Review'A gorgeous, moving look at motherhood from different cultures and eras. Each of Gréban's breath-taking pencil and watercolor illustrations of a mother and child is paired with a free form poem by Delforge imagining the experience and thoughts of that mother. A wonderfully diverse portrayal of motherhood is presented, including a mother who's been left behind by a child's father, a mother who has lost their child, mothers who are frustrated with unwanted advice, and mothers who have mixed feelings about motherhood. An array of cultural dress and styles are also presented in this stunning book... A first purchase for all libraries serving new parents.'-- School Library Journal'Though both these contributors live on the same street in Brussels, this is very much a book about motherhood with a global outlook. How unusual. And welcome. I wouldn't go so far as to say all the world is here, but there's a hell of a lot more of it than we usually see in the Eurocentric west. And Greban's illustrations are exquisite... Delforge's words are simple, sweet, sentimental, and affecting. Mama is tender, beautiful, sweet, imperfect, partial, sometimes disappointing, over-sentimental, and infuriating. Just like motherhood.'-- Chitra Ramaswamy, author of Expecting: The Inner Life of Pregnancy'This is a book that sinks into your soul the more you read it. Incredibly powerful, at times raw. Motherhood with all its power and vulnerability. Mama: A World of Mothers and Motherhood is something phenomenally special. This would make a wonderful gift for Mother's Day.It's a book of hopes, dreams, joys, frustrations, guilt, despair and everything in between. The myriad of emotions you can feel in just one day as a mother.I adored Quentin's representation of different periods of time and cultures from around the world. There's a whole story and more in each of his portraits and the delicate line drawings that are on each double spread.'-- Busy Busy Learning'This is a beautiful book taking an inclusive view of many facets of motherhood: the highs and lows, the pleasures and pains of being the primary carer for a young child... This would be a wonderful gift for someone reflecting on motherhood.'-- Kindling'This is the most gorgeous celebration of motherhood. What's wonderful about the book is that it acknowledges the range of motherhood in all its meanings. There are voices from mothers around the world, covering a spectrum of motherhood experiences and all that being a mother can mean to different people: feeling bored on the bus, then regretting that the journey time ever felt wasted; covering a changed body with tattoos; the grief of losing a child; the guilt of going to war and leaving a child; parenting alone; exhaustion; old age. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. This is a wonderful book full of emotion.'-- Juno 'A beautiful dedication to the mother figures of the world... The stories are beautiful and very emotional. I appreciated the diversity of the illustrations: indigenous women are displayed, women of color, working mothers, mothers who are exhausted, and mothers who are happy. The illustrations look like paintings.' -- Youth Services Book Review'This gorgeous book just sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions -- from smiling, to laughing, to tears, and back to smiling. I was completely swept away by the images and especially by the words -- so many memories and so very poignant. Every mom should have this book!' -- Kit Little, NAIBA (New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association)'This picture book combines lyrical text with striking pencil and watercolour portraits by a renowned Belgian illustrator. Each two-page spread captures a moment in time, a snapshot of the myriad ways of being a mother. Brimming with love but also recognising how hard motherhood can be, this book is essentially a beautiful letter of support for mamas everywhere.'-- Five Books'So incredibly beautiful, so detailed, and portrays a wonderfully diverse group of mothers. The poems were written for and inspired by these gorgeous portraits, and each one is so fitting, sharing the trials and tribulations of motherhood. From those sweet moments to the most challenging ones, sharing the beauty and vulnerability of motherhood itself.'-- Kids Corner Book Club'WOW! Is all I can say about this STUNNING book of portraits and poetry. Each page reflects on the universal journey that is young motherhood. The beauty, heartbreak, bone crushing fatigue, and hope for the future that comes with taking care of little ones. This large format hardcover book is beautiful and unforgettable.'-- Drama Mama Reads'It is so incredibly beautiful, so detailed, and portrays a wonderfully diverse group of mothers. The poems were written for and inspired by these gorgeous portraits, and each one is so fitting, sharing the trials and tribulations of motherhood. From those sweetest moments to the most challenging ones, sharing the beauty and vulnerability of motherhood itself. [...] A wonderful gift for mom this Mother’s Day.'-- Kids Corner Book Club'This book made me reflect on all the small moments both in my short six years as a mother and in the generations before me that all add up to many whole women whose experiences are so intertwined in this powerful identity of motherhood. Conversely, how that identity is only one facet of who I am even if all the decisions I made in my life now revolve around the well-being of this perfect small human who began life growing inside of me. This book is one to sit with, one to reflect with, one to gift to moms to be in your life, and to those who are deep in the muck alongside you. It celebrates our babies (both beside us, and those no longer earthside), our bodies, and all of the feelings that run through our heads each and every day.'-- Inclusive Story Time'If there's a book you should buy for yourself this Mother's Day, this is 100% it. Buy it for your sister too. And your mom friends, sister-in-laws, maybe even your own mother, too. Matter of fact, buy it for every Mama you know because it's that wonderful! And, if you love poetry as much as I do, you will absolutely LOVE the way this book is written. This entire masterpiece is full of the most genuine & real aspects about motherhood that you were never able to put into words yourself. I love that this book connects all mamas together, regardless of their parenting journey. There is no judgement, no shame, no guilt, just mamas being mamas and loving their babies with every fiber of their being. It's no secret that these illustrations are the first thing you notice about this book. They're gorgeous, how could you not?! Throughout the entire book, these breathtaking snapshots into motherhood bring even more beauty to the pages pairing so perfectly with the words.'-- Oh the Books We Love'Since I started this account there have been two picture books to make me cry, Saturdays are for Stella & The Longest Letsgoboy, and now Mama makes the third. There is a reason this book is all over bookstagram right now. This beautiful new release does a great job at capturing the complexities of parenting, good and the bad. Child loss is mentioned which feels like a major aspect of parenthood that's often overlooked in picture books. It feels like a timeless book to have around that can mean many different things to readers at different stages in life in the best way. I loved the depiction of motherhood through a worldwide lens highlighting what a universal human experience raising children is. The artwork is gorgeous with lyrical thought provoking text that make this a wonderful pick as a gift for mothers everywhere.'-- Kid Lit is Lit'What a gorgeous, gorgeous book. First, let me be clear. This is a book FOR mamas. Sure, it's a picture book, and you can read it with your kids, but mamas this one is for you. Just be sure that you have some tissues handy. To begin with, the illustrations are stunning. This could easily be a coffee table book based on the cover, and every illustration inside is just as beautiful. But the words! Written in captivating verse, they are a story of motherhood - with perspectives from the past, the present, and from all around the world - from both mothers and children. Stories of hearing that first "mama"" to the sacrifices we make. Of the mistakes mamas make to the anxious thoughts we have about keeping our babies safe. Of loss and exhaustion - and always, love.'-- Girls Read the World'I am going to hold on to this book forever. As a woman/mother we go through a lot from sleepless nights to hormonal imbalances, from loss to surrogacy, from IVF shots to memory loss. Mama is a thought-provoking celebration of motherhood: happiness, satisfaction, sadness, frustration, fun, and love. This powerful and moving celebration of mamas everywhere explores the experience of motherhood through strikingly intimate portraits and thought-provoking reflections. A book filled with emotions and experiences that unite mothers from different times and diverse cultures.'-- Homeschooling Abhi'Featuring moms from different cultures, time periods, and circumstances, there are sure to be multiple passages in this book that resonate with your motherhood experience. The beautiful verses capture the wide array of emotions we experience in motherhood: joy, fear, exhaustion, pride, guilt, grief, appreciation, hope but most importantly love. What I find especially fascinating about this book is that the words were inspired by the illustrations, instead of vice versa. It gives this book a unique feel and opens up the illustrations for interpretation based on our own experiences as mothers.'-- The Blossoming Bibliophiles'This is such a beautiful heartwarming book. It's more for mothers than for kids. The author has written about motherhood from different eras and cultures. I loved reading all the writings and just thinking how relatable they all are. The illustrations are so captivating and stunning you really can't stop looking at them. This makes a perfect gift for a first time mom or any mom really.'-- Nura's Little Library'Captures the myriad of emotions and experiences mothers have regardless of time and place.'-- Kids Read the World'Powerful, filled with love, unforgettable... This is a beautiful and lyrical collection of vivid portraits and intimate reflections on motherhood from around the globe.'-- Books and Cookies LA'Originally published in French, the sentiments and illustrations in this oversize book easily translate into several different languages. That isn't because of the simplicity of the text, which is powerful, intimate, moving, and eloquent, capturing effectively the various feelings mothers have for their offspring, but because the sentiments are so relatable and timeless. In the lines, mothers ponder their own futures as well as their children, worry about their health, spend time guiding them in the right directions, and offer as many kisses as are requested, even a hundred or more, to reassure the little ones of love. The striking images, full-page paintings featuring mothers from around the world, offer different perspectives of motherhood and focus on a mother's eyes, her feet, her tattooed back, her watchful eyes in the rearview mirror of a car, always careful, always on guard against the world that might do harm to her precious one, and in one case, mourning a loss and pondering if a death means that one is no longer a mother. Gorgeous, glorious illustrations worthy of framing in a museum are accompanied by carefully-chosen words.'-- Barbara, Goodreads reviewer'Tender and beautifully illustrated book to encourage mothers. Delforge takes readers on a trip through all the emotions and activities of motherhood. Moms everywhere will connect with her words and rhythms as they move through their lives. Greban's illustrations capture the exhaustion, worry and love involved in this special bond between a mother and her child.A beautiful gift book for new mothers.'-- Pam, Goodreads reviewer'The artwork in this book was completely stunning. It depicts motherhood across cultures and history, with each illustration accompanied by text reflecting a mother's thoughts to her child. I imagine this would be an enjoyable book to add to any parents' collection.'-- A. J., Goodreads reviewer

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Book SynopsisThis beautiful book draws on Robert Race's extensive collection of traditional moving toys, looking at the ways the makers have achieved remarkable and varied results, often with very limited resources. Each chapter begins by looking at the mechanisms and materials used in some of these traditional moving toys, goes on to consider possible variations, and describes how to make a related moving toy. It continues, from this basis, to develop a design for an automaton. The book shows that designing and making these simple but wonderfully satisfying mechanical devices is fun, and that good results can be achieved in many different ways, using a variety of materials, tools and equipment such as wood and wire, card and paper, bamboo, string, tin plate and feathers.

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Book SynopsisKeith Weighill has many years of experience working with motorcycles, both in the trade and as a former lecturer in motorcycle engineering at Merton College. His book provides the DIY mechanic with procedures and useful advice on servicing and minor repairs. The book is divided into six chapters covering: Tools, Service schedule, Engine procedures, Chassis, Electrics and Accessories.

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Book SynopsisThe royal family is the original Coronation Street - a long-running soap opera with the occasional real coronation thrown in. Its members have become celebrities, like upmarket versions of film stars and footballers. But they have also become a byword for arrogance, entitlement, hypocrisy and indifference to the gigantic amount of public money wasted by them. ... And What Do You Do? is a hard-hitting analysis of the royal family, exposing its extravagant use of public money and the highly dubious behaviour of some among its ranks, whilst being critical of the knee-jerk sycophancy shown by the press and politicians. By turns irreverent and uncompromising, ... And What Do You Do? asks important questions about the future of the world's most famous royal family.

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Book SynopsisLonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet's Dublin is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Find your favourite Dublin pub, stroll the quadrangles of Trinity College, and learn about Ireland's struggle for independence at Kilmainham Gaol - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Dublin and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's Dublin: NEW pull-out, passport-size 'Just Landed' card with wi-fi, ATM and transport info - all you need for a smooth journey from airport to hotel Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Over 30 maps Covers Grafton Street, Camden St, Merrion Square, Temple Bar, Kilmainham & the Liberties, North of the Liffey, Docklands, the Grand Canal, Southside, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Dublin is our most comprehensive guide to Dublin, and is perfect for discovering both popular and off-the-beaten-path experiences. Looking for just the highlights? Check out Pocket Dublin, our smaller guide featuring the best sights and experiences for a short visit or weekend trip. Want more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Ireland for an in-depth guide to the country. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveler's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

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Book SynopsisIf you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might struggle with things like concentrating in school, or sitting still, or remembering lots of instructions. But ADHD is also a superpower. In this book you will meet different girls and boys with ADHD who can do amazing things. You might recognise some of these strengths as things that you can do too! Some of these strengths help with everyday life, like being able to hyper-focus on a task or having boundless energy to try new things. Some strengths are superpowers for interacting with others, like having a strong sense of what is fair or entertaining friends and family to make them feel happy.Each character also shares things that you can ask grown-ups to do to help you, like providing visual aids, creating calm spaces, communicating effectively and being kind and patient. This book also provides guidance for parents and teachers, with advice on how they can support children with suspected or diagnosed ADHD at home or in the classroom, and provides further resources and bonus content.Trade ReviewAn uplifting, easy-to-read, fun and engaging book for young children who may be struggling to understand and accept their ADHD diagnosis. -- Siena Castellon, author of The Spectrum Girl’s Survival Guide: How to Grow Up Awesome and Autistic.What a brilliant and important book to build self-esteem and confidence in children with ADHD! It's so important to know that others share the same challenges and strengths as we do. This will help kids feel less different, more understood and part of a 'tribe', as well as busting stigma and spreading knowledge about the condition. The characters are so relatable. What a warm, lively and fabulous book. An utter delight to support both children with ADHD, and their families. -- Michelle Beckett, Founder, ADHD ActionThis book provides such a warm and child-friendly understanding of ADHD, useful for children and adults who support them such as teachers, social workers and even their parents. It really shows just how hard children with ADHD try and teaches them that they can still succeed! The voice of the child is so important. They need to be heard. This book gives them that voice. I'm so glad that this book shows that people with ADHD can be very different, even if they all have the same condition. -- Andrea Bilbow OBE, Founder & CEO, ADDISSOne of the most important parts of any parent and child's ADHD journey, is finding positive and child friendly materials to share and discuss.Those early conversations are the building blocks of your journey to come, and Soli's book ADHD Is Our Superpower is the perfect first step.Relatable child characters who experience a variety of challenges and advantages as part of their ADHD ensure any child reading this book will feel less alone, and less worried about their future.Written in such a positive and encouraging style, and covering areas of ADHD such as sensory experiences, sibling rivalry, and ADHD within the family, that are not commonly discussed, but are hugely relevant. -- Nichola Parody. Parent of an ADHD Superhero.

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Book SynopsisDelve into this introduction to the popular practice of Pilates and learn all you need to know to energize your mind, body and spirit Discover the wonders of Pilates with this easy-to-follow guide, filled with helpful tips and practical information on this low-impact yet highly effective exercise. This little book contains all you need to know to kick-start your at-home workout routine and improve posture, build strength and increase flexibility. Whether it’s your first time on the mat or you’re a seasoned pro, the teachings in these pages offer the benefits of Pilates to everyone, no matter your fitness level. Containing step-by-step instructions for a variety of workouts – from beginner to advanced level – this book is the ultimate guide to developing your fitness in the comfort of your home. This book includes: Breakdown of the Pilates system with guidance on the six core principles: concentration, control, centre, flow, precision and breathing Step-by-step instructions for 36 different Pilates exercises, with illustrations to guide you Uplifting quotations to inspire positive thinking and enhance your Pilates practice

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Book SynopsisA Gorgeous Collector's Edition of folk and fairy tales from the continent of Africa, with stories from regions now marked as modern nations such as Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, who inherit the folk and mythic tales of ancient peoples. Here you'll find stories of ogres and tricksters, riddles and poems, and great heroes of history such as Liongo. This new collection is created for the modern reader. Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction, authors, myths and tales without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new introduction and a Glossary of Terms.

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Book SynopsisArtisan Art Notebooks, the new Journals from Flame Tree in a range of hues to suit the moment and featuring magnificent art. They’re hand crafted with decorated edges overflowing with petals, teasing vines and patterns. A unique blend of the practical and beautiful, with two ribbons and lined pages, the Artisan Art Notebooks are perfect for notes, creative writing, poetry, doodles and lists. And, with robust flexi covers, they’re easy to slip into your bag and a pleasure to use. Simply, they feel good! This notebook is based on a design by Jade Mosinski, a Derbyshire-based designer and illustrator who loves to create beautiful and intricate illustrations inspired by the natural world, using detailed linework. She also likes to create more colourful, feminine patterns, with bolder shapes and imagery.

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Book SynopsisFrom acclaimed journalist Adam Hay-Nicholls, the very first biography of rising star Charles Leclerc, published to mark the start of the 2023 Formula One season.Few of the drivers on the F1 grid have the racing pedigree of Charles Leclerc. Widely regarded as one of the sport's hottest prospects, he was crowned F3 and then F2 champion in back-to-back seasons before he made his F1 debut with Sauber in 2018. Now firmly established as Ferrari's great hope, following in the footsteps of legends Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher, Leclerc has his eyes set on becoming world champion.Born in Monaco to a family of comparatively modest means, Leclerc remembers playing with toy cars on a friend's balcony as the best drivers in the world whizzed around the Monte Carlo circuit on the streets below. This early experience inspired him to get behind the wheel, encouraged by his father Hervé, and so began his meteoric rise in the sport. Along the way, he lost his father, his godfather and his best friend - all racing drivers - and this gave Leclerc the inner steel to become a winner.Writer Adam Hay-Nicholls, who has spent much of his career in the Formula One paddock, provides the inside track on this rising star, recounting how he has taken the racing world by storm. And as Leclerc's Ferrari is beginning to fire on all cylinders, will he beat his old rival and adversary Max Verstappen to the world title?

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Book SynopsisAs seen in Elle, The Associated Press, and Real Simple A visual celebration of Christmas, from religious beginnings to festive cultural touchstones – a book to treasure This book is a unique and groundbreaking visual celebration of Christmas, a joyous religious and cultural occasion observed by billions of people around the world. The origins of Christmas are in the Christian observance of the birth of Christ on 25 December and, since the early 20th century, it has become a secular holiday with a myriad decorations, rituals, and themes. Key themes covered include advent and the nativity; the Christmas tree and holiday decorations; gift giving and carol singing; classic Christmas films; and festive music. This extraordinary book showcases a broad spectrum of global festive traditions from many different cultures, such as fried chicken eaten for Christmas dinner, surfing Santas, and shoes filled with carrots. A collection of more than 200 rich and evocative images, paintings, books, prints, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and photography, thoughtfully paired to highlight similarities and contrasts between them, the works included feature a diverse range of both lesser-known and iconic artists, including Sandro Botticelli, Grandma Moses, Beatrix Potter, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and many more. These significant works cover festive topics such as Advent; the Christmas tree and holiday decorations; gift giving and carol singing; and classic Christmas films and music. Essays by Sam Bilton, Dolph Gotelli and David Trigg explore traditional festive food and drink, Santa Claus throughout history, and the religious origins of Christmas. In The Christmas Book, the significant artistic and cultural influence of Christmas throughout history is explored through a wide range of beautiful and significant artworks and images from across the ages and six continents, creating the ultimate cultural companion to the festive season.Trade Review'It'll double as decor and a conversation starter for anyone who visits your home during the season.' – Buzzfeed‘Who knew a Christmas coffee table book would be such a festive decoration necessity?’ – ELLE‘Christmas, but make it a book. These stunning pages showcase global traditions, like surfing Santas, shoes filled with carrots, the Nativity, gift giving, and more.’ – Real Simple'A jolly look at Christmas via design and artifacts.' – Associated Press ‘Glorious … this oversize offering is meant to be browsed through and marveled at, whether it's Christmastime or not.’ – Booklist ‘The Christmas Book captures the nostalgia and iconography of Christmas in full-color pictorial splendor.' – Foreword Reviews 'Sure to spur a feeling of nostalgia in anyone who grew up celebrating the holiday.' – Duluth News Tribune‘A beautiful holiday gift.’ – Marie Leslie, The Leslie Lifestyle‘A treasure trove of the traditions, lore, rituals and spirituality of “the most wonderful time of the year.” – The Media Tourist‘Covers the holiday and all its myriad forms, from the advent and the nativity to decorations, rituals, and theme.’ – Uncrate'This quintessential holiday gift is not only a delight for Christmas enthusiasts but also a treasure for those fascinated by art, design, and pop culture.' – Quest Magazine

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Book SynopsisREVISED AND UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE EXPLOSIVE EVENTS OF 2021 and 2022Winner at the Parliamentary Book AwardsShortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the YearLonglisted for the Orwell Prize____________Daily Telegraph's Best Books of the YearGuardian's Best Books of the YearEvening Standard's Best Books of the YearDaily Mail's Best Books of the YearBBC's Biggest BooksProspect's Best Books of the YearPoliticians are consistently voted the least trusted professional group by the UK public. They've recently become embroiled in scandals relating to everything from expenses to sexual harassment to illicit parties. Every year, they introduce new legislation that doesn't do what it sets out to achieve - often with terrible financial and human costs. But, with some notable exceptions, they are decent, hard-working people, doing a hugely difficult and demanding job.In this searching examination of our political class, award-winning journalist Isabel Hardman tries to square this circle. She lifts the lid on the strange world of Westminster and asks why we end up with representatives with whom we are so unhappy. Filled with forensic analysis and revealing reportage, this landmark and accessible book is a must read for anyone who wants to see a future with better government.Trade ReviewA really good book... Well-structured and well-written. * Observer *Hardman's well-written, incisive book provides a good compass with which to navigate this changing landscape * The Times *It's easy to moan that Westminster doesn't work and a lot harder to explain why. To understand, this is the book you need to read. * Laura Kuenssberg – Political Editor, BBC News *An entertaining read that addresses hard questions... invaluable for those who think they know what's wrong with Westminster but have no idea how to put it right. * John Humphrys – Presenter, Today Programme *Hardman's diagnosis of the malaise in the body politic is compelling and entertaining * Robert Peston – Political Editor, ITV News *A vital and compelling read for anyone interested in the way our politics does or doesn't work -- Jess Phillips * New Statesman *A fast-paced, intelligent dissection of modern politics, packed full of juicy anecdotes and insider knowledge. What Isabel Hardman doesn't know about parliament isn't worth knowing. * Helen Lewis – Deputy Editor, New Statesman *A must-read for anyone who wants to change the way they think about politicians and how they vote. * Evening Standard *As someone who has spent years writing about Westminster, Hardman knows better than most what is going wrong there... A must-read for anyone who wants a better Parliament. Crammed with insight and gossip, it will hopefully provoke the Westminster bubble to clean itself up. -- Asa Bennet * Daily Telegraph *Excellent... Hardman has carefully explained how to breathe new life into the existing system. -- Alex Dean * Prospect *The untold, candid account of our MPs. Isabel Hardman has been able to pierce our protective armour because we trust and respect her. And she's analysed what she found with a fierce intellect. * Harriet Harman MP *This thoroughly readable and well-researched book explains why parliamentary powers won't ever be used properly until parties change how they choose their candidates. -- Lord Peter MandelsonWith humour and humanity, Isabel Hardman lifts the lid on the Houses of Parliament and shows with compelling authority how the structure and culture of our political system so often delivers the worst kind of results. This book has the power to fundamentally change how we do things in this country. * Emily Maitlis – Presenter, Newsnight *This highly readable book serves as a reminder that the principal purpose of an MP is to be a legislator, yet poorly thought through laws are often passed. -- Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP for North East SomersetRiveting... Here's hoping lots of MPs get it in their Christmas stocking. * Daily Telegraph *Both original and practical, a press gallery eye view on why so many good people either don't make it into parliament or don't manage to achieve what they thought they would once there. Hardman writes well * Guardian, Best Books of 2018 *A brilliantly lucid explanation of the systemic problems in our electoral system that make policy-making and government such a mess. -- Nick Curtis * Evening Standard *A title no one could disagree with. Political journalist Hardman analyses why we end up with representatives we think are useless and suggests how we might do things differently. * Daily Mail *Eye-opening. * Sunday Telegraph *Excellent. * Independent *Extremely well-written. * Sorted *Table of Contents1: Getting In 2: Starting Out 3: Getting Out There 4: Getting Things Done 5: Getting On 6: Getting Caught 7: Getting Ill 8: Getting Out 9: They Just Don't Get It 10: All Things to All Men 11: Yes-Men 12: Trapped!

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