Search results for ""Pacific""
Casemate Publishers The One Ship Fleet: USS Boise—WWII Naval Legend, 1938–45
The Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Boise (CL-47) was one of the most famous US combat ships of World War II, already internationally renowned following her participation in the naval battles in the Solomons in 1942. After repairs and modifications, in 1943 the Boise was sent to the Mediterranean theatre, there to participate in the invasions of Sicily, Taranto, and Salerno, and enhancing her fame by destroying enemy tanks during armoured counterattacks in both Sicily and Salerno.From the Mediterranean, Boise was sent to the Southwest Pacific theatre to join the US 7th Fleet for the campaign in New Guinea in 1943–44 and then the invasion of the Philippines. She fought in the battle of Leyte Gulf, notably in the night engagement in the Surigao Strait, where battleships faced off against each other for the last time in maritime history. Boise was credited with helping to sink a Japanese battleship. She also fought off the suicide planes known as kamikazes at Leyte and later at Lingayen Gulf during the invasion of Luzon. MacArthur used her as his flagship for the Luzon attack, thereby adding to her already considerable fame, then after helping retake Corregidor and other islands in the Philippines, Boise carried the general on a triumphant tour of the islands. This tour was interrupted for the invasion of Borneo, but completed when the beach was secured. After MacArthur left the ship in June 1945, she returned to the US for overhaul which was just complete as the war ended, by which time she had been awarded 11 battle stars, more than any other light cruiser in her class.This full account of USS Boise’s war not only gives us an insight into how one ship navigated a global conflict, but also an insight into the experiences of the men who served on her, and a new perspective on the naval campaigns of the war.
£31.46
HarperCollins Publishers Inc In Search of a Kingdom: Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire
“FASCINATING . . . Dramatic and timely.” —New York Times Book Review, Editors' ChoiceIn this grand and thrilling narrative, the author of the 200,000-copy paperback bestseller Over the Edge of the World reveals the singular adventures of Sir Francis Drake, whose mastery of the seas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I changed the course of history.“Entrancing . . . Very good indeed.” —Wall Street JournalBefore he was secretly dispatched by Queen Elizabeth to circumnavigate the globe, or was called upon to save England from the Spanish Armada, Francis Drake was perhaps the most wanted—and successful—pirate ever to sail. Nicknamed “El Draque” by the Spaniards who placed a bounty on his head, the notorious red-haired, hot-tempered Drake pillaged galleons laden with New World gold and silver, stealing a vast fortune for his queen—and himself. For Elizabeth, Drake made the impossible real, serving as a crucial and brilliantly adaptable instrument of her ambitions to transform England from a third-rate island kingdom into a global imperial power.In 1580, sailing on Elizabeth’s covert orders, Drake became the first captain to circumnavigate the earth successfully. (Ferdinand Magellan had died in his attempt.) Part exploring expedition, part raiding mission, Drake’s audacious around-the-world journey in the Golden Hind reached Patagonia, the Pacific Coast of present-day California and Oregon, the Spice Islands, Java, and Africa. Almost a decade later, Elizabeth called upon Drake again. As the devil-may-care vice admiral of the English fleet, Drake dramatically defeated the once-invincible Spanish Armada, spurring the British Empire’s ascent and permanently wounding its greatest rival. The relationship between Drake and Elizabeth is the missing link in our understanding of the rise of the British Empire, and its importance has not been fully described or appreciated. Framed around Drake’s key voyages as a window into this crucial moment in British history, In Search of a Kingdom is a rousing adventure narrative entwining epic historical themes with intimate passions.
£12.99
Hodder & Stoughton Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers
'Mary careens across these pages with her usual wit, wisdom and honesty' - Julie Andrews'Having had the pleasure of meeting Mary Rodgers personally its so wonderful to read her story in her own words . . . I couldn't put it down' - Elaine Page'[A] thoughtful chronicle of one woman's journey through experience to understanding - and a lot of fun to read' - The Washington Post'Pure pleasure . . . jaw-droppingly shocking' - Daniel Okrent, The New York Times'Mary Rodgers's book has a humour and honesty that is very rare in entertainment memoirs'. - Sir Tim RiceThe wonderfully funny, candid and outrageous NYT bestselling memoirs of Mary Rodgers - writer, composer, Broadway royalty, and 'a woman who tried everything.'Mary Rodgers was the daughter of Richard Rodgers, who, with Oscar Hammerstein, wrote some of the biggest musicals of the 20th century-from Oklahoma! and Carousel to South Pacific and The King and I. Shy is the story of how Mary went from angry child, constrained by a self-absorbed mother and her father's overwhelming gift, to finally living life on her own terms-falling in love, often unwisely, marrying twice, having six children, and forging a career of her own.Through her long and rich life Mary grabbed every chance possible-and then some. Her musical Once Upon A Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. She was the renowned author of the much-loved Freaky Friday books, as well as a close friend and collaborator of Stephen Sondheim, falling in love with him at 13 over a game of chess. She also dated producer Hal Prince and worked alongside composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.With copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from Mary's collaborator Jesse Green, the chief theatre critic of The New York Times, the result is laugh-out-loud funny and frequently moving. Above all, Shy is a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don't make any more. They make themselves.
£22.50
Oxford University Press Inc Weather Prediction: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Weather has always affected human life. Understanding how weather events form and predicting what kind of weather is coming can help enormously to manage weather-risk and will become even more important as we shift towards strongly weather-dependent energy sources. Some big steps forward in numerical weather prediction have been made in the past 40 years, thanks to advances in four key areas: the way we observe the Earth, the scientific understanding of the phenomena, advances in high-performance computing (that have allowed the use of increasingly complex models), and improved modelling techniques. Today we are capable of predicting extreme events such as hurricanes and extra-tropical windstorms very accurately up to 7 to 10 days ahead. We can predict the most likely path and intensity of storms before they hit a community, estimate the confidence level of the forecast, and can give very valuable indications of their probable impact. Larger-scale phenomena that affect entire countries, such as heat or cold waves, periods with extremely high or low temperatures lasting for days, can be forecast up to 2-to-3 weeks before the events occur. Phenomena that affect a big portion of the oceans or of a continent and that evolve slowly, such as the warming of the sea-surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean when an El Nino event occurs, can be predicted months ahead, and in some cases even longer. Weather Prediction: What Everyone Needs to Know® discusses some of the key topics linked to weather prediction and explains how we got here. It discusses questions that are often asked, such as: how are weather forecasts generated? How complex are the models used in numerical weather prediction, and how to solve them? Was this event predictable? Why was this forecast wrong? How did you manage to predict this hurricane path 10 days before the event? Will weather forecast continue to improve, or is there a predictability limit?
£12.99
Oxford University Press Inc Polygamy: A Very Short Introduction
Marriage has not always meant just one man and one woman. For much of human history, over much of the globe, the most common alternative was polygamy: marriage involving more than one spouse. Polygamy, or plural marriage, has long been an accepted form of union in human societies, involving people living on every continent. However, polygamy has come to symbolize a problematic, even "barbaric," form of marriage that is often labeled as "backwards," less modern and progressive, embodying the oppression of women by men. In Polygamy: A Very Short Introduction, Sarah M. S. Pearsall explores what plural marriages reveal about the inner workings of marriage and describes the controversies surrounding it. The book emphasizes the diversity of historical polygamist societies, from the Shi'ite Muslims and Wendat men who practiced short-term marriages to the Mixteca, Maori, Inca, Algonquin, and Marta indigenous people of North America and the Pacific Islands, as well as medieval Irish kings, rulers of the Kingdom of Buganda in east Africa, and residents of the Ottoman Empire. Pearsall also explains the Old Testament origins of polygamy in the book of Genesis, making note of vocal Protestant defenders of the practice such as Martin Luther and John Milton, and the divides within Christianity that led to Joseph Smith's establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism) and the Mormons' fight throughout the 19th-century under his successor Brigham Young's leadership to freely practice plural marriage. Polygamy: A Very Short Introduction looks at how polygamous domestic and sexual relationships have influenced larger dynamics of power, gender, rank, race, and religion in societies all over the world, while also attempting to untangle the paradox of female constraint and liberty for women who advocated for polygamy, arguing that plural marriage offered security and stability rather than restraint for women. In balancing an explanation of the many complexities and misunderstandings of plural marriage, the book reveals how polygamy continues to have an influence on society today.
£9.04
Pentagon Press Understanding South China Sea Geopolitics
The twenty-first century geopolitics is gradually concentrating on the maritime world with the increase in the global economic interaction in the post liberalization world. The sea lanes of communication are attracting attention with the growing emphasis on economic interactions among the emerging economies with emphasis on military strength, especially in Asia. According to some scholars the twenty-first century global power is shifting from the Atlantic to the Pacific world where the maritime world has historically played significant role. This growing economic interdependencies promoting economic prosperity and resultant military modernization are shaping the geopolitics of Asia today as it is found in East Asia. In this part of the world the geopolitics has been maritime in character and today they are significant with the growing importance of maritime disputes in East and South China Sea among the emerging power China and her neighbours in the region, and with special role of the USA.South China Sea is fast emerging as a major zone of conflict in the East Asian, especially Southeast Asian, geopolitics. Although the soul of the conflict remains the centuries old territorial dispute over possession of some geographical features of this maritime zone, it is gradually transcending the periphery of inter-state territorial feud and emerging as the driving force of an Asian cold war of the twenty-first century. In this context it is important to study the South China Sea geopolitics with reference to its history. The book here is an attempt to study the South China Sea geopolitics of today with reference to its past and investigate its character. The study here does not revolve round the territorial disputes and their historical character and legality but rather attempts to focus on the larger context of traditional intermingling of regional and extra-regional actors shaping the maritime geopolitics there in the past and at present, sometimes independent of the disputes while sometimes in their context. Here reference of India is also made given her growing interest and role in the South China Sea maritime zone.
£43.95
The University of Alabama Press Zombiescapes and Phantom Zones: Ecocriticism and the Liminal from "Invisible Man" to "The Walking Dead
A study of the natural world as imagined by contemporary writers, specifically their portrayals of nature as monster In Zombiescapes and Phantom Zones: Ecocriticism and the Liminal from “Invisible Man” to “The Walking Dead,” Lee Rozelle chronicles the weirdest, ugliest, and most mixed-up characters to appear on the literary scene since World War II—creatures intimately linked to damaged habitats that rise from the muck, not to destroy or rule the world, but to save it. The book asks what happens to these landscapes after the madness, havoc, and destruction. What monsters and magic surface then? Rozelle argues that zombiescapes and phantom zones depicted in the book become catalysts for environmental reanimation and sources of hope. Liminality offers exciting and useful new ways to conceptualize places that have historically proven troublesome, unwieldy, or hard to define. Zombiescapes can reduce the effects of pollution, promote environmental justice, lessen economic disparity, and localize food production. The grotesques that ooze and crawl from these passages challenge readers to consider new ways to re-inhabit broken lands at a time when energy efficiency, fracking, climate change, the Pacific trade agreement, local food production, and sustainability shape the intellectual landscape. Rozelle focuses on literary works from 1950 to 2015—the zombiescapes and monsterscapes of post–World War II literature—that portray in troubling and often devastating ways the “brownfields” that have been divested of much of their biodiversity and ecological viability. However, he also highlights how these literary works suggest a new life and new potential for such environments. With an unlikely focus on places of ruination and an application of interdisciplinary, transnational approaches to a range of fields and texts, Rozelle advances the notion that places of distortion might become a nexus where revelation and advocacy are possible again. Zombiescapes and Phantom Zones has much to offer to various fields of scholarship, including literary studies, ecocriticism, and environmental studies. Research, academic, and undergraduate audiences will be captivated by Rozelle’s lively prose and unique anthropological, ecocritical, and literary analyses.
£29.27
Little, Brown Book Group The Whale in the Living Room: A Wildlife Documentary Maker's Unique View of the Sea
The Whale in the Living Room follows the thrilling adventures of film-maker, John Ruthven, as he travels the globe, dives into our oceans and passionately recounts his life-affirming experiences.What creatures could remain undiscovered in the 95 per cent of the seas that have not been thoroughly explored? How vast, really, are our oceans? The surface of Mars and Venus are better known to us than Earth's seabed. Yet to map the world's ocean to even 100-metre blocks of accuracy, something that environmentalists say is essential for its protection, could take another 300 years. Even creatures that are known to us, like the giant squid, have proved too difficult to accurately capture on film. Quite literally immersed in his subject, John can help readers understand the magnitude of our planet's oceans and why it is so important for us to protect our seas and the creatures that inhabit them. He is the only producer to have worked full-time on both series of Blue Planet, as well as nearly fifty other films about the sea. Through his first-hand experience, John shows us the loneliness of whale calves in the deep blue, the fear of seals as they dodge great white sharks near the coast, or the curiosity of octopus staring back at us through the camera. His book takes us through the blue rings of South Pacific coral atolls, on submarine rides into the abyss with ancient life forms, and up close and personal encounters with singing humpback whales that make you feel the water around you.The Whale in the Living Room, like the proverbial 'elephant in the room', is also about how, until recently, we have been largely blind to our polluting of the seas. John, for example, explores how plastic 'went wild' in the ocean; tries to understand how we got into this mess; and see if we can ever untangle the oceans from its grip.
£10.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Man Who Discovered Antarctica: Edward Bransfield Explained - The First Man to Find and Chart the Antarctic Mainland
Captain Cook claimed the honour of being the first man to sail into the Antarctic Ocean in 1773, which he then circumnavigated the following year. Cook, though, did not see any land, and he declared that there was no such thing as the Southern Continent. Fifty years later, an Irishman who had been impressed into the Royal Navy at the age of eighteen and risen through the ranks to reach the position of master, proved Cook wrong and discovered and charted parts of the shoreline of Antarctica. He also discovered what is now Elephant Island and Clarence Island, claiming them for the British Crown. Edward Bransfield's varied naval career included taking part in the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 onboard the 50-gun warship HMS _Severn_. Then, in 1817, he was posted to the Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron off Valpara so in Chile, and it was while serving there that the owner and skipper of an English whaling ship, the _Williams_, was driven south by adverse winds and discovered what came to be known as the South Shetland Islands where Cook had said there was no land. Bransfield's superior officer, Captain Sherriff, decided to investigate this discovery further. He chartered Williams and sent Bransfield with two midshipmen and a ship's surgeon into the Antarctic - and the Irishman sailed into history. Despite his achievements, and many parts of Antarctica and an Antarctic survey vessel being named after him, as well as a Royal Mail commemorative stamp being issued in his name in 2000, the full story of this remarkable man and his historic journey, have never been told - until now. Following decades of research, Sheila Bransfield MA, a member of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, has produced the definitive biography of one of Britain's greatest maritime explorers. The book has been endorsed by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, whose patron the Princess Royal, has written the Foreword.
£22.50
Penguin Books Ltd The Island of Doctor Moreau
A parable on Darwinian theory, and a biting social satire, H.G. Wells's science fiction classic The Island of Dr Moreau is a fascinating exploration of what it is to be human. This Penguin Classics edition is edited by Patrick Parrinder with notes by Steven McLean and an introduction by Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale.Adrift in a dinghy, Edward Prendick, the single survivor from the good ship Lady Vain, is rescued by a vessel carrying a profoundly unusual cargo - a menagerie of savage animals. Tended to recovery by their keeper Montgomery, who gives him dark medicine that tastes of blood, Prendick soon finds himself stranded upon an uncharted island in the Pacific with his rescuer and the beasts. Here, he meets Montgomery's master, the sinister Dr. Moreau - a brilliant scientist whose notorious experiments in vivisection have caused him to abandon the civilised world. It soon becomes clear he has been developing these experiments - with truly horrific results.This edition includes a full biographical essay on Wells, a further reading list and detailed notes. Margaret Atwood's introduction explores the social and scientific relevance of this influential work.H.G. Wells (1866-1946) was a professional writer and journalist. Wells's prophetic imagination was first displayed in pioneering works of science fiction, but later he became an apostle of socialism, science and progress. Among his most popular works are The Time Machine (1895); The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), filmed with Bela Lugosi in 1932, and again in 1996 with Marlon Brando; The Invisible Man (1897); The War of the Worlds (1898), which was the subject of an Orson Welles radio adaptation that caused mass panic when it was broadcast, and a 2005 film directed by Stephen Spielberg; and The First Men in the Moon (1901), which predicted the first lunar landings.If you enjoyed The Island of Doctor Moreau, you might like Wells's The Time Machine, also available in Penguin Classics.
£8.42
Faber & Faber Exiles: Three Island Journeys
A luminous exploration of exile - the people who have experienced it, and the places they inhabit - from the award-winning travel writer and author of The Immeasurable World and The Moor. 'Breathtakingly good . . . Exiles is completely sui generis.'EDMUND DE WAAL'Atkins spins a marvellous tapestry of colourful tales, beautifully weaving history and travel accounts.'ANDREA WULF, author of The Invention of Nature'A volume for our times.'SARA WHEELER, THE SPECTATOR'A fascinating study of exile and its effects.'OBSERVERThis is the story of three unheralded nineteenth-century dissidents, whose lives were profoundly shaped by the winds of empire, nationalism and autocracy that continue to blow strongly today: Louise Michel, a leader of the radical socialist government known as the Paris Commune; Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo, an enemy of British colonialism in Zululand; and Lev Shternberg, a militant campaigner against Russian tsarism.In Exiles, William Atkins travels to their islands of banishment - Michel's New Caledonia in the South Pacific, Dinuzulu's St Helena in the South Atlantic, and Shternberg's Sakhalin off the Siberian coast - in a bid to understand how exile shaped them and the people among whom they were exiled. In doing so he illuminates the solidarities that emerged between the exiled subject, on the one hand, and the colonised subject, on the other. Rendering these figures and the places they were forced to occupy in shimmering detail, Atkins reveals deeply human truths about displacement, colonialism and what it means to have and to lose a home.Occupying the fertile zone where history, biography and travel writing meet, Exiles is a masterpiece of imaginative empathy.'[Atkins] is humane, humble, and empathetic . . . beautiful and moving.'ILYA KAMINSKY, author of Deaf Republic and Dancing in Odessa'An incredible, brilliant act of retrieval.'PHILIP HOARE, author of Albert & the Whale'A finely crafted and lyrical meditation.' TLS'Gracefully written . . . Brilliant.' THE ECONOMIST'Rarely has a book been more timely.' HISTORY TODAY***Read The Moor and The Immeasureable World for more award-winning writing from William Atkins
£10.99
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA The South American Camelids
One of the most significant differences between the New World's major areas of high culture is that Mesoamerica had no beasts of burden and wool, while the Andes had both. Four members of the camelid family--wild guanacos and vicunas, and domestic llamas and alpacas--were native to the Andes. South American peoples relied on these animals for meat and wool, and as beasts of burden to transport goods all over the Andes. In this book, Duccio Bonavia tackles major questions about these camelids, from their domestication to their distribution at the time of the Spanish conquest. One of Bonavia's hypotheses is that the arrival of the Europeans and their introduced Old World animals forced the Andean camelids away from the Pacific coast, creating the (mistaken) impression that camelids were exclusively high-altitude animals. Bonavia also addresses the diseases of camelids and their population density, suggesting that the original camelid populations suffered from a different type of mange than that introduced by the Europeans. This new mange, he believes, was one of the causes behind the great morbidity of camelids in Colonial times. In terms of domestication, while Bonavia believes that the major centers must have been the puna zone intermediate zones, he adds that the process should not be seen as restricted to a single environmental zone. Bonavia's landmark study of the South American camelids is now available for the first time in English. This new edition features an updated analysis and comprehensive bibliography. In the Spanish edition of this book, Bonavia lamented the fact that the zooarchaeological data from R. S. MacNeish's Ayacucho Project had yet to be published. In response, the Ayacucho's Project's faunal analysts, Elizabeth S. Wing and Kent V. Flannery, have added appendices on the Ayacucho results to this English edition. This book will be of broad interest to archaeologists, zoologists, social anthropologists, ethnohistorians, and a wide range of students.
£12.00
Avalon Travel Publishing Moon Joshua Tree & Palm Springs (Third Edition): Hiking, Scenic Drives, Desert Getaways
From the chic pools of Palm Springs to the rugged beauty of Joshua Tree National Park, soak up the California sunshine with Moon Joshua Tree & Palm Springs. Inside you'll find:* Flexible itineraries, like relaxing weekends in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley and the week-long best of Joshua Tree National Park, including day trips to the Salton Sea and Idyllwild* Strategic advice for outdoor adventurers, spa-seekers, poolside loungers, and more* The best hikes in Joshua Tree and the Palm Springs area marked with mileage, duration, difficulty level, and elevation gain, plus trailheads and detailed directions* Top activities and unique experiences: Discover hidden waterfalls, fan palm oases, and stunning canyons on a hike through Joshua Tree, or trek part of the Pacific Crest Trail on a day trip to the Sand to Snow National Monument. Try a rejuvenating sound bath or soak in serene hot springs. Admire mid-century architecture and sip retro-chic cocktails in Rat-Pack-era hangouts and sample the best of the party scene, from poolside resorts to wild west saloons* Insider advice from SoCal local Jenna Blough on when to go, where to stay, and how to get around, including how to get to Joshua Tree and Palm Springs from Los Angeles* Helpful resources on Covid-19 and traveling to Joshua Tree and Palm Springs* Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout* Background information on the landscape, history, and culture, plus tips for families, seniors, LGBTQ travelers, and visitors with disabilitiesExperience the best of the desert with Moon Joshua Tree & Palm Springs.Exploring California's national parks? Check out Moon Death Valley National Park or Moon Sequoia & Kings Canyon.About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell-and they can't wait to share their favorite places with you.For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.
£11.99
Lonely Planet Global Limited Lonely Planet Epic Road Trips of the Americas
Buckle up for the next installment in our Epic series and the follow-up to Epic Drives of the World. Showcasing 50 of the Americas’ greatest road trips across North and South America as well as the Caribbean, you’ll discover classic drives including the Pacific Coast Highway, Gaspesie Loop in Canada and the Hana Highway in Hawaii, plus lesser-known routes. We cover a huge variety of themes and experiences across drives that range from a few hours to a week or more.Each of the featured drives include: First-person accounts from writers who have completed the drive Challenge level grading: easy / harder / epic Inspirational photography, maps and practical information to follow the writer’s journey Driving factbox: when is the best time to drive, vehicle hire information, how to get there, what to take Expert travel advice: where to stay, recommended detours, the best places to eat Suggestions for similar drives With a vibrant cover illustrated by Ross Murray, this beautiful hardback continues this collectible series. Whether you’re a regular road tripper or just want to explore your destination in a new way, Epic Road Trips of the Americas will inspire a lifetime of adventures out on the open road.About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, 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 phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller'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)
£22.49
John Murray Press A Nasty Little War: The West's Fight to Reverse the Russian Revolution
A BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR'Chillingly original' Max Hastings'A vivid and sparkling account, full of colour and dark drama' Observer'Brilliantly depicts a disastrous failure' Antony Beevor'Witty and elegant . . . Excellent background to today's events' Anne Applebaum'Britain's most forgotten war, brilliantly remembered' Simon Jenkins'Vivid and remarkably timely' Martin Sixsmith From the bestselling author of Borderland: A Journey Through the History of UkraineThe extraordinary story of how the West tried to reverse the Russian Revolution. In the closing months of the First World War, Britain, America, France and Japan sent arms and 180,000 soldiers to Russia, with the aim of tipping the balance in her post-revolutionary Civil War. From Central Asia to the Arctic and from Poland to the Pacific, they joined anti-Bolshevik forces in trying to overthrow the new men in the Kremlin, in an astonishingly ambitious military adventure known as the Intervention.Fresh, in the case of the British, from the trenches, they found themselves in a mobile, multi-sided conflict as different as possible from the grim stasis of the Western Front. Criss-crossing the shattered Russian empire in trains, sleds and paddlesteamers, they bivouacked in snowbound cabins and Kirghiz yurts, torpedoed Red battleships from speedboats, improvised new currencies and the world's first air-dropped chemical weapons, got caught up in mass retreats and a typhus epidemic, organised several coups and at least one assassination. Taking tea with warlords and princesses, they also turned a blind eye to their Russian allies' numerous atrocities.Two years later they left again, filing glumly back onto their troopships as port after port fell to the Red Army. Later, American veterans compared the humiliation to Vietnam, and the politicians and generals responsible preferred to trivialise or forget. Drawing on previously unused diaries, letters and memoirs, A Nasty Little War brings an episode with echoes down the century since vividly to life.
£22.50
John Murray Press Finding God in the Waves: How I lost my faith and found it again through science
'Through the lens of neuroscience, McHargue makes his case for valuing religion not for its factual explanatory power but rather for its ability to give meaning to human existence . . . For those who fear science will rob them of both God and Christian community, this work may offer much-needed hope that Christianity and science can coexist.'-Publishers Weekly'I thoroughly recommend this book. It is written with humility, honesty and a liberal sprinkling of humour ... not only thought-provoking, but also a jolly good read ... A review does not do it justice, so I suggest you read the book!'- Methodist RecorderWhat do you do when God dies? It's a question facing millions today, as science reveals a universe that's self-creating, western culture departs from its Christian heritage and the idea of God begins to seem implausible at best and barbaric at worst. Mike McHargue understands the pain of unravelling belief. In Finding God in the Waves, Mike tells the story of how his evangelical faith dissolved into atheism as he studied the Bible, a crisis that threatened his identity, his friendships and even his marriage. Years later, Mike was standing on the shores of the Pacific Ocean when a bewildering, seemingly mystical moment motivated him to take another look. But this time, it wasn't theology or scripture that led him back to God - it was science. In Finding God in the Waves, 'Science Mike' draws on his personal experience to tell the unlikely story of how science led him back to faith. Among other revelations, we learn what brain scans reveal about what happens when we pray; how fundamentalism affects the psyche; and how God is revealed not only in scripture, but in the night sky, in subatomic particles, and in us.For the faithful and sceptic alike, Finding God in the Waves is a powerful, page-turning read about belonging, life's biggest questions, and the hope of knowing God in an age of science.
£9.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Windfall Battleships: Agincourt, Canada, Erin, Eagle and the Latin-American & Balkan Arms Races
This new book explores for the first time the full story of how two Turkish and two Chilean battleships became British capital ships after the outbreak of the First World War. Under construction by the shipbuilding giants of Armstrong and Vickers in August 1914, Sultan Osman I, Re?adiye, Almirante Latorre and Almirante Cochrane became HM Ships Agincourt, Erin, Canada and Eagle. The first three served with the Grand Fleet, fighting at Jutland, while the last was transformed into a pioneering aircraft carrier, which would serve with distinction until sunk while escorting a convoy to Malta in 1942\. While two of the other ships had short lives - cut short by the Washington Naval Treaty - the final ship, Almirante Latorre, would be returned to Chile after the war, for a continuing active career that would last into the 1950s. When finally towed away for scrap in 1959, she was the penultimate survivor of Jutland. Drawing on extensive archival research, the book begins with an overview of the warships under construction around Europe for foreign customers in August 1914, and how the four ships featured were acquired by the Royal Navy. It then looks at them as manifestations of the international rivalries which directed much of the national budgets of impecunious South American and Balkan states towards armaments. The focus then switches to the British service of the ships actually completed as battleships, and then to the story of the carrier. Although never finished as a battleship, she would play a crucial role in the development of British carrier aviation. Finally, the author traces the stories of the battleships of the Latin-American naval race from the 1920s down to the 1950s. The stories and back-stories of Agincourt, Erin, Canada and Eagle embrace almost the whole of the twentieth-century battleship era, and they take us down the byways of international naval power, ranging from the Pacific to the Black Sea, and from the line of battle to mutiny and revolution. A fascinating and original story.
£22.50
Fordham University Press Oh Capitano!: Celso Cesare Moreno—Adventurer, Cheater, and Scoundrel on Four Continents
Italian adventurer and sea captain Celso Cesare Moreno traveled the world lying, scheming, and building an extensive patron/client network to establish his reputation as a middleman and person of significance. Through his machinations, Moreno became a critical player in the expansion of western trade and imperialism in Asia, the trafficking of migrant workers and children in the Atlantic, the conflicts of Americans and Native Hawaiians over the fate of Hawaii, and the imperial competitions of French, British, Italian, and American governments during a critically important era of imperial expansion during the nineteenth century. Oh Capitano! teases out Moreno’s enormous peculiarities and fascination as well as his significance. Celso Cesare Moreno was simultaneously toxic, deceitful, and charming in equal measure. He wandered, adventured, cheated, exaggerated, promoted (mainly himself), and continuously created newly invented past lives. He repeatedly sought a role at the center of a globalizing world with gusto and had no qualms about lying or betraying others. He claimed at times to be the ruler of a Southeast Asian island that he then offered for sale to several western nations. He briefly became prime minister of Hawai’i. He testified before the U.S. Congress as an expert witness. He sought to promote a trans-Pacific cable project. He fought with the ministers and leaders of many countries (and with his fellow Italians and Catholic churchmen almost everywhere) but was more often ignored and rejected than feted. He was accused, probably with good cause, of abusing his obligations after claiming guardianship of the sons of King David Kalakaua of Hawaii. Dragged by his uncontrollable polemical passions, the old Captain died alone, unloved by anyone and with no significant relations to others. With its focus on Moreno, Oh Capitano! illustrates some of the most puzzling cultural traits of emigrant Italian elites. Called a “carpetbagger,” “land pirate,” “extinct volcano,” among many other derogatory monikers, Celso emerges in this fascinating biography as a multifaceted, chameleon-like personality not reducible to a single epithet.
£121.00
Firefly Books Ltd Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises
In this updated edition, award-winning author and whale researcher Erich Hoyt takes readers into the field for an intimate encounter with 93 species of cetaceans that make their homes in the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes. Drawing on decades of firsthand experience and a comprehensive familiarity with the current revolution in cetacean studies, Hoyt provides unique insights into the life histories of whales. This new edition features descriptions of three new whale and dolphin species, along with the latest discoveries about cetacean biology and behaviour, from the physical differences and adaptations among the baleen and toothed whales to their highly intelligent hunting and feeding methods. Uncovered in fascinating detail are the courtship and mating practices, family relationships and the lifelong bonds among some family members. The symphonic composer of the whale world is the humpback whale, whose complex 30-minute songs reverberate across the liquid universe of the ocean. Current research reveals that blue, fin, bowhead and other whales also sing, mostly in tones below human hearing. Using sound for navigation, some whales hunt in deep, high pressure waters while others negotiate migrations across entire ocean basins. Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest findings, this book is perfect for anyone curious about the cetacean world. Budding whale students will gain insights on how to research whales, dolphins and porpoises as well as how to save at-risk species and their increasingly damaged habitat. Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises includes: detailed profiles of 93 current species of cetaceans (3 more than in the previous edition); the story of the newly discovered Sato’s beaked whale, a small black whale from the North Pacific related to the Baird’s beaked whale; fascinating sidebars that bring to life cetacean society and culture; an enlightening discussion of the differences between dolphins and porpoises; new information on the history and impact of whaling; illustrations of each species by renowned artist Uko Gorter, including the three new species named in the past five years; colour photographs by world-famous marine photographer Brandon Cole, among others.
£30.00
HarperCollins Publishers Las Vegas Then and Now: Revised Fifth Edition (Then and Now)
Las Vegas Then and Now pairs vintage shots from 100 years of the city's history with the same view today. ‘Las Vegas Then and Now’ captures the city's evolution from a desert railroad outpost into the gambling and entertainment capital of the world. Pairing historical photographs of the town with specially commissioned views of the same scene today, this book provides the reader with an intriguing look into the history of a city that has become a cultural icon. Historic Fremont Street, which has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renewal programme, presents the most vivid contrast between the dusty desert town of the 1920s and the pulsating entertainment city we know today. Las Vegas is ever changing – the popular Mermaids and Vegas Vicky on Fremont are gone, but further down the Strip, the High-Roller has arrived, one of the world’s tallest observation wheels befitting this thrill-seeking town. Casinos on the Strip have changed too. The Sahara closed in 2011, re-opened as SLS which also closed, and has now re-opened as The Sahara! Experienced ‘Then and Now’ photographer Karl Mondon takes to the skies of Vegas to get some inspiring comparison shots, while author Su Kim Chung once again points out the changes to a city she has written about for the last twenty years. ‘Las Vegas Then and Now’ truly captures the buzz of a city where the only constant is change. Sites include: Allegiant Stadium, Circa, Arts District, Fremont Street, Railroad Depot, Union Pacific Station, Arizona Club, Golden Nugget, El Portal Theatre, Nevada Hotel, Sal Sagev Hotel, El Cortez, Vegas Vic, The Mint Hotel, Las Vegas Post Office/Mob Museum, El Rancho Vegas, Last Frontier, New Frontier, Little Church of the West, Flamingo, Thunderbird Hotel, Desert Inn, Sahara Hotel, Sands Hotel, Stardust, Riviera, La Concha Motel, Dunes Hotel, Caesars Palace, Hacienda, Tropicana, MGM Grand, Aladdin, Boardwalk, International, Landmark Hotel, Las Vegas Convention Center, Moulin Rouge and much more.
£20.00
Stackpole Books Fly Fishing the Greater Yellowstone Backcountry
Yellowstone National Park is one of the most crowded parks in the country, and for good reason: breathtaking scenery, amazing wildlife, and for anglers, great fishing. Yet, even a short hike from the road or trailhead into the backcountry of the park and the surrounding area can put anglers into even better fishing, often in solitude. This guidebook focuses on backcountry fishing opportunities in Yellowstone Park and surrounding areas in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho (Greater Yellowstone Area). In addition to full color photographs of the destinations, the author includes essential information for each stream or lake, including maps and written directions, flies, gear, and timing. Waters Covered Yellowstone Park Fall River Basin Beula Lake Boundary Creek Cascade Creek Hering Lake Mountain Ash Creek Robinson Creek Lewis River Drainage Moose Creek Polecat Creek Gallatin River Drainage Madison River Drainage “Beaver Meadows” of the Madison River Duck Creek Gneiss Creek Yellowstone River Drainage Blacktail Ponds Blacktail Deer Creek Cascade Lake Grizzly Lake McBride Lake Riddle Lake Tower Creek West of Yellowstone Park (Montana) “Waters to the West” Centennial Valley Red Rock Creek Odell Creek Elk Lake Elk Spring Creek Hidden Lake Graben Lakes Cliff Lake Wade Lake Madison River Drainage Between Highway 191 and Hebgen Lake Quake Lake Smith Lake South Fork Madison River West Fork Madison River Ruby River Upper River F. North of Yellowstone Park Gallatin River Taylor Fork Yellowstone River Drainage G. East of Yellowstone Park North Fork Shoshone River Drainage Clark’s Fork Drainage Sunlight Creek H. South of Yellowstone (Idaho and Wyoming) “Waters to the South” Snake River Drainage Grand Teton Park Waters Fish Creek Flat Creek Pacific Creek Upper Gros Ventre River Hoback River Drainage Willow Creek (Wyoming) Granite Creek Grey’s River Drainage Salt River Drainage Beaver Ponds Idaho Tributaries Swift Creek Willow Creek (Idaho) Drainage Beaver Ponds Henry’s Fork Drainage Teton River and Bitch Creek Fall River Blackfoot River Fish Lake Harriman Fish Pond Henry’s Lake Outlet Horseshoe Lake Warm River and Robinson Creek Wind River Drainage Brooks Lake Upper Wind River Warm Springs Creek
£27.00
University of Nebraska Press The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman
2019 Tucson Weekly “40 Essential Arizona Books” pick 2014 One Book Yuma selection 2010 Best of the Best from the University Presses (ALA) selection 2010 Caroline Bancroft History Prize Finalist 2009 Southwest Book of the Year"The Blue Tattoo is well written and well researched; it re-opens the story of white women and men going West and Native people trying to survive these travels."—June Namias, Pacific Historical Review In 1851 Olive Oatman was a thirteen-year old pioneer traveling west toward Zion, with her Mormon family. Within a decade, she was a white Indian with a chin tattoo, caught between cultures. The Blue Tattoo tells the harrowing story of this forgotten heroine of frontier America. Orphaned when her family was brutally killed by Yavapai Indians, Oatman lived as a slave to her captors for a year before being traded to the Mohave, who tattooed her face and raised her as their own. She was fully assimilated and perfectly happy when, at nineteen, she was ransomed back to white society. She became an instant celebrity, but the price of fame was high and the pain of her ruptured childhood lasted a lifetime. Based on historical records, including letters and diaries of Oatman’s friends and relatives, The Blue Tattoo is the first book to examine her life from her childhood in Illinois—including the massacre, her captivity, and her return to white society—to her later years as a wealthy banker’s wife in Texas. Oatman’s story has since become legend, inspiring artworks, fiction, film, radio plays, and even an episode of Death Valley Days starring Ronald Reagan. Its themes, from the perils of religious utopianism to the permeable border between civilization and savagery, are deeply rooted in the American psyche. Oatman’s blue tattoo was a cultural symbol that evoked both the imprint of her Mohave past and the lingering scars of westward expansion. It also served as a reminder of her deepest secret, fully explored here for the first time: she never wanted to go home.
£16.99
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc South: The Illustrated Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917
Experience in the polar explorer’s own words, Ernest Shackleton’s thrilling yet ill-fated expedition on the ship Endurance, the wreck of which was discovered off the coast of Antarctica in March 2022.In 1914, Ernest Shackleton announced an ambitious plan to lead the first trek across Antarctica via the South Pole. The expedition would prove fraught with adventure—and peril.This handsome, breathtakingly illustrated edition, first published in 2016, is presented in paperback to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the original publication in 1919 and features: The remarkable tale of the treacherous expedition, told in Shackleton’s own words Images by expedition photographer Frank Hurley Modern color photography of the fauna and vistas the men encountered Long-lost photos taken by the expedition’s Ross Sea Party that were discovered in 2013 The expedition’s story begins on the eve of World War I, when the ship Endurance departed England with Shackleton and his team of six men. The plan was to travel 1,800 miles across the icy continent from the Atlantic side, while a second team aboard the Aurora, would reach Antarctica’s Pacific side and lay out supply depots for the advancing team. As the Endurance approached the continent, however, it became hopelessly locked in an ice floe, beginning a series of harrowing travails.Over a century later and despite extreme conditions, the wreck of the Endurance was found in the Weddell Sea by a mission dubbed Endurance22, launched by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and led by polar geographer Dr. John Shears. Though the discovery of the Endurance is not covered in this edition, Shackleton’s account of the expedition and the photography within are a prerequisite for understanding the full story behind this famed shipwreck.Today considered an adventure survival classic, South is the true story of a thrilling polar expedition. Never before has Shackleton’s lively prose been so extensively and stunningly illustrated.
£19.80
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel of the Heroic Women Who Served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps During World War I
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory. “An eye-opening and detailed novel about remarkable female soldiers. . . Chiaverini weaves the intersecting threads of these brave women’s lives together, highlighting their deep sense of pride and duty.”—Kirkus Reviews In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed telephone operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls, speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire, and be utterly discreet, since the calls often conveyed classified information.At the time, nearly all well-trained American telephone operators were women—but women were not permitted to enlist, or even to vote in most states. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Signal Corps promptly began recruiting them.More than 7,600 women responded, including Grace Banker of New Jersey, a switchboard instructor with AT&T and an alumna of Barnard College; Marie Miossec, a Frenchwoman and aspiring opera singer; and Valerie DeSmedt, a twenty-year-old Pacific Telephone operator from Los Angeles, determined to strike a blow for her native Belgium.They were among the first women sworn into the U.S. Army under the Articles of War. The male soldiers they had replaced had needed one minute to connect each call. The switchboard soldiers could do it in ten seconds.Deployed throughout France, including near the front lines, the operators endured hardships and risked death or injury from gunfire, bombardments, and the Spanish Flu. Not all of them would survive. The women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps served with honor and played an essential role in achieving the Allied victory. Their story has never been the focus of a novel…until now.
£10.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc It Happened One Summer: A Novel
The first in a spicy and unforgettable rom-com duology from #1 New York Times bestseller and tik tok favorite Tessa Bailey, in which a Hollywood “It Girl” is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong. Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar... in Washington.Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart. As seen on E!Online, PopSugar, CNN, EliteDaily, Vulture, Buzzfeed, Bustle, the Nerd Daily, PARADE, LA Magazine, Country Living, USA Today, and more!
£9.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd American Airline's Secret War in China: Project Seven Alpha, WWII
In late 1941, President Roosevelt agonized over the rapid advances of the Japanese forces in Asia; they seemed unstoppable. He foresaw their intentions of taking India and linking up with the two other Axis Powers, Germany and Italy, in an attempt to conquer the Eastern Hemisphere. US naval forces had been surprised and diminished in Pearl Harbor and the army was not only outnumbered but also ill-prepared to take on the invading hoards. One of Roosevelt's few options was to form a defensive line on the eastern side of the Patkai and Himalayan Ranges; there, he could look for support from the Chinese and Burmese. It was the only defence to a Japanese invasion of India. To support and supply the troops who were fighting in hostile jungle terrain, where overland routes had been cut off, he desperately needed to set up an air supply from Eastern India. His problem was lack of aircraft and experienced pilots to fly the dangerous 'Hump, over the world's highest mountains. Hence the inception of Operation Seven Alpha, a plan to enlist the aircraft - DC-3s - and the pilots - veterans of World War One - of American Airlines.This newly formed elite Squadron would fly the medium-range aircraft in a series of long-distance hops across the Pacific and Southern Asia to the Assam Valley in India. They would then create and operate the vital supply route, carrying arms, ammunition and food Eastward to the Allied bases, before returning with wounded personnel. This is the story of that little-known operation, carried out in the early days of the Burma Campaign. The book is based on first-hand experiences of those who were involved, and it serves as a fitting tribute to the bravery and inventiveness of a band of men who answered their country's desperate call at the outset of the war against Japan in Asia.
£13.49
Casemate Publishers How Carriers Fought: Carrier Operations in WWII
In November 1921 the first purpose-built carrier was launched by the Japanese, followed a year later by the British launch of the Hermes. After WWI, battlecruisers were readily converted into aircraft carriers, with questions on how to handle the aircraft on the flight deck beginning to be raised and techniques of how to attack enemy ships beginning to develop. How Carriers Fought focuses on the HOW, not the what, when, or the by whom. It begins by examining the tools and the building blocks of carrier operations, looking at what life was really like in the cockpit for the pilots alongside the technicalities of navigation and communication. A world of tactical dehydration, amphetamine pills, and illegal smoking is explored, as well as the measures they put in place to reduce their risk of death on being hit.This book goes on to examine the major carrier battles of WWII, from the Battle of the Coral Sea to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, with a focus on how the tools of carrier operations were employed during these battles. At the Battle of the Midway the debate of concentration vs. dispersion became relevant, as the Japanese decided to divide their forces while the Americans concentrated theirs. How Carriers Fought questions these tactics, exploring which worked best in theory and in practice. How were searches made, how many planes were used, what was the range and coverage of the search, and how many hits were scored and losses suffered?The final section of the book looks at how carrier operations changed in major ways during the course of the war, as better technology and a better understanding of this new type of warfare allowed for quick advances in how operations were carried out. For example, the balance between fighter and bomber planes changed dramatically, with the US beginning the war with 20% fighters and ending it with 80% fighters. This book gives a comprehensive insight into carrier operations in WWII, with a focus on the Pacific War between the US Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy. A series of appendices expands on topics such as radar, landing on a carrier, radios and even carrier pigeons.
£24.75
Wydawnictwo STRATUS, Artur Juszczak Mitsubishi Babs Vol. 2
Mitsubishi Babs Vol. II – The world’s first high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft completes the history of Japan’s revolutionary high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft design. This second volume describes the Imperial Japanese Navy’s flawed attempts to develop its own high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft and their decision to ultimately adopt the Army’s magnificent Ki-15 design into Navy service as the C5M/Type-98 Reconnaissance Plane (Allied codename Babs).Across eight chapters Mitsubishi Babs Vol. II outlines the unit histories and the operational deployment of Navy C5M aircraft during the Sino-Japanese and Pacific War, andhow, through Army support and training, the Navy was finally able to perform its own long-range strategic reconnaissance missions deep into mainland China and Australia.A major portion of Vol. II is devoted to the first highly detailed technical description of this aircraft to be compiled since the Mitsubishi engineering department completed the final Babs airframe in August 1941. Individual coverage of the Ki-15-I, civilian Karigane-I, Ki-15-II, Karigane-II, C5M1, C5M2 and Ki-15-III provides aviation historians and modellers alike with an in-depth understanding of individual airframe systems and reconnaissance equipment, all lavishly supported with custom artwork, cutaways, original engineering drawings and detailed photographs.A chapter is also devoted to the pilot’s operating manual, which describes exactly how to fly this high performance aircraft.The often inaccurately reported capabilities of Babs are reviewed across two chapters which outline what the Allied intelligence teams believed about the aircraft, supported by crash investigations and technical reports.And to counter these numerous technical inaccuracies and half-truths, two chapters are devoted to reassessing various technical aspects of the aircraft, with the hope of correcting the history books once and for all. The first deals with the all important performance figures, while the second reveals the somewhat absurd manufacturing and assembly details of the Army and Navy airframes, the true production figures and decoding the Babs Construction numbers and prefix codes.The book also contains a small chapter on the history of Babs model kits and surviving memorabilia.
£36.00
Amber Books Ltd The Balkans, Italy & Africa 1914–1918: From Sarajevo to the Piave and Lake Tanganyika
The History of World War I series recounts the battles and campaigns that took place during the 'Great War'. From the Falkland Islands to the lakes of Africa, across the Eastern and Western Fronts, to the former German colonies in the Pacific, the series provides a six-volume history of the battles and campaigns on land, at sea and in the air. The assassination in Sarajevo of the Austro-Hungarian heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand lit an explosive mixture of ethnic tensions, nationalism, political opportunism, and the quest for power within the Balkans to plunge Europe into a conflict that would cost millions of lives. Austro-Hungary faced both Serbia and Russia during the opening phase of the war, but Bulgaria's decision to join the Central Powers in October 1915 led to the opening of the Salonika front in Greece, where 150,0000 British and French troops saw little fighting until the disastrous 1918 Doiran campaign. At the war's outbreak, the British authorities in Africa were totally unprepared, with few forces available to attack the German colonies, who themselves were effectively left isolated from help. The German commander in East Africa, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, launched a brilliant guerrilla campaign with scant resources, conducting lightning attacks on Allied targets, particularly the Uganda Railway. He was opposed by the South African General Jan Smuts and his mixture of Boer, British, Rhodesian, Indian, African, Belgian and Portuguese soldiers: fighting continued until November 1918. Italy entered the war against the Central Powers in April 1915. For two years, Austro-Hungarian forces were kept at bay on Italy's northern borders, until a combined German and Austro-Hungarian defeated the Italian forces at the Battle of Caporetto in October 1917. Revenge came with the Allied victory at Vittorio Veneto in November 1918, which led to Austro-Hungary's collapse. With the aid of over 300 photographs, complemented by full-colour maps, The Balkans, Italy & Africa provides a detailed guide to the background and conduct of the war in the Balkan, Italian and African theatres from the assassination in Sarajevo to the surrender of the Central Powers.
£19.99
Key Publishing Ltd Tactical Air Command
TAC was the largest of the USAF’s major Cold War combatant commands. Formed in 1946 and headquartered at Langley AFB, Virginia, it operated a huge range of aircraft over the following 46 years until it was inactivated in 1992. In 1946, it was equipped with mainly World War Two aircraft types including P-47s and P-51s. It soon ushered into service jet aircraft operations with the P-80 and F-86. Within a few years, TAC was operating a wide range of tactical fighters, ground attack fighters, light bombers, tactical missiles, photographic reconnaissance and special mission aircraft (reconnaissance, special operations, and electronic warfare). TAC played a significant part in the Korean War, the Cuban missile crisis and later the wars in SE Asia and the Gulf in 1991. It came to operate a large number of tactical fighter and attack aircraft including the F-84, F-100 and F-105. As the 1960s progressed, they were joined by the A-7, F-111 and F-4 and, in the 1980s, supplemented by A-10s, F-15s and F-16s through to the end of the Cold War. In the run-up to any war with the USSR, Tactical Air Command was expected to deploy its combat airpower to USAF Commands in Europe and/or the Pacific. That deployment capability struggled during the 1970s. However, from 1978 to 1984, the strength and capability of TAC was transformed by its new commander, General Wilbur ‘Bill’ Creech. He organised, equipped and prepared his units (including ANG and AFRES elements) to deploy from the continental US to the frontline in Europe. Ready to fight and familiarized with their area of operations they could have joined the war immediately, drawing on pre-positioned weapons stocks. As the Soviet threat diminished towards the end of the 1980s, all TAC’s preparations, planning and capabilities were tested for real following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Suddenly sent to Middle East in the countries surrounding Iraq, those well tested plans saw TAC aircraft form a major part of all coalition air forces that took part in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1992, in a major USAF reorganisation TAC became Air Combat Command.
£16.99
Lonely Planet Global Limited Lonely Planet USA Planning Map
From Lonely Planet, the world's leading travel guide publisher Durable and waterproof, with a handy slipcase and an easy-fold format, Lonely Planet USA Planning Map is your conveniently-sized passport to traveling with ease. Get more from your map and your trip with images and information about top country attractions, itinerary suggestions, a transport guide, planning information, themed lists and practical travel tips. With this easy-to-use, full colour navigation tool in your back pocket, you can truly get to the heart of the USA, so begin your journey now! Durable and waterproof Easy-fold format and convenient size Handy slipcase Full colour and easy-to-use Before-you-go info Beautiful imagery Tailored itineraries Can't-miss regional highlights Detailed town index Transport planner Themed lists Covers New York City, Washington, DC, Boston, New England, Walt Disney World, Miami, The Everglades, New Orleans, Nashville, Blue Ridge Parkway, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon National Park, Austin & San Antonio, Los Angeles, Pacific Coast Highways, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Great Lakes Check out Lonely Planet USA, our most comprehensive guidebook to the country, covering the top sights and most authentic off-beat experiences. Or check out Lonely Planet Best of USA, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss experiences for a quick trip. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller'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 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times
£6.52
Quarto Publishing PLC Artistic Places: Volume 5
Explore the landscapes and places that inspired great art: find peace in Monet’s lily-filled garden oasis, climb Mount Fuji on a printmaker’s pilgrimage, sail with Gauguin to the South Pacific to stretch your imagination, or contemplate light and the changing seasons on Chelsea Embankment. Artistic Places is a stunningly hand-illustrated, visionary guide for seekers of beauty, rare tales and cultural riches. Find yourself instantly transported to the places where great artists have sought refuge, found their inspiration and changed the course of art history forever. Susie Hodge, bestselling author and art historian, presents 25 famous and forgotten artistic destinations around the world, and connects these to the artists they inspired. In keeping with the Inspired Traveller’s Guide series design, each entry is accompanied by specially commissioned illustrations from Amy Grimes which perfectly evoke the wonders that first attracted the masters, while Hodge delves into each location's curious history with insightful stories both in and beyond the canon. So take a leaf out of your favourite artist’s sketchbook and discover the places they loved best. Artists and locations include: J.A.M Whistler in London, England John Constable in Suffolk, England Barbara Hepworth in St Ives, England Paula Rego in Cascais and Estoril, Portugal Pablo Picasso and Guernica, Spain Salvador Dalí in Catalonia, Spain Claude Monet in Giverny, France Vincent van Gogh in Arles, France Rene Magritte in Brussels, Belgium Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland Michelangelo in Florence, Italy Canaletto in Venice, Italy Johannes Vermeer in Delft, Netherlands Anni Albers in Dessau, Germany Caspar David Friedrich in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Germany Gustav Klimt and Lake Attersee, Austria Edvard Munch in Oslo, Norway Hilma af Klint and Lake Mälaren, Sweden Henri Matisse in Tangier, Morocco Hokusai on Mount Fuji, Japan Paul Gauguin in Papeete and Papeari, Tahiti Jean-Michel Basquiat in New York, USA Grant Wood in Iowa, USA Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico, USA Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán, Mexico Each book in the Inspired Traveller's Guides series offers readers a fascinating, informative and charmingly illustrated guide to must-visit destinations round the globe. Also from this series, explore intriguing: Spiritual Places, Literary Places, Hidden Places and Mystical Places.
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC A History of the Royal Navy: World War I
World War I is one of the iconic conflicts of the modern era. For many years the war at sea has been largely overlooked; yet, at the outbreak of that war, the British Government had expected and intended its military contribution to be largely naval. This was a war of ideologies fought by and for empires. Britain was not defending simply an island; it was defending a far flung empire. Without the navy such an undertaking would have been impossible. In many respects the Royal Navy fought along the longest 'front' of any fighting force of the Great War, and it acted as the leader of a large alliance of navies. The Royal Navy fought in the North and South Atlantic, in the North and South Pacific, its ships traversed the globe from Australia to England, and its presence extended the war to every continent except Antarctica. Because of the Royal Navy, Britain could finance and resource not only its own war effort, but that of its allies. Following the naval arms race in the early 20th century, both Britain and Germany were equipped with the latest naval technology, including revolutionary new vessels such as dreadnoughts and diesel-powered submarines. Although the Royal Navy's operations in World War I were global, a significant proportion of the fleet's strength was concentrated in the Grand Fleet, which confronted the German High Seas Fleet across the North Sea. At the Battle of Jutland in 1916 the Royal Navy, under the command of Admiral Jellicoe, fought an iconic, if inconclusive battle for control of shipping routes. The navy might not have been able to win the war, but, as Winston Churchill put it, she 'could lose it in an afternoon'. The Royal Navy was British power and prestige. 43,244 British navy personnel would lose their lives fighting on the seas in World War I. This book tells their story and places the Royal Navy back at the heart of the British war effort, showing that without the naval dimension the First World War would not have been a truly global conflict
£21.52
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Chasing the Demon: A Secret History of the Quest for the Sound Barrier, and the Band of American Aces Who Conquered It
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • At the end of World War II, a band of aces gathered in the Mojave Desert on a Top Secret quest to break the sound barrier–nicknamed "The Demon" by pilots. The true story of what happened in those skies has never been told. Speed. In 1947, it represented the difference between victory and annihilation. After Hiroshima, the ability to deliver a nuclear device to its target faster than one’s enemy became the singular obsession of American war planners. And so, in the earliest days of the Cold War, a highly classified program was conducted on a desolate air base in California’s Mojave Desert. Its aim: to push the envelope of flight to new frontiers. There gathered an extraordinary band of pilots, including Second World War aces Chuck Yeager and George Welch, who risked their lives flying experimental aircraft to reach Mach 1, the so-called sound barrier, which pilots called “the demon.” Shrouding the program in secrecy, the US military reluctantly revealed that the “barrier” had been broken two months later, after the story was leaked to the press. The full truth has never been fully revealed—until now. Chasing the Demon, from decorated fighter pilot and acclaimed aviation historian Dan Hampton, tells, for the first time, the extraordinary true story of mankind’s quest for Mach 1. Here, of course, is twenty-four-year-old Captain Chuck Yeager, who made history flying the futuristic Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947. Officially Yeager was the first to achieve supersonic flight, but drawing on new interviews with survivors of the program, including Yeager’s former commander, as well as declassified files, Hampton presents evidence that a fellow American—George Welch, a daring fighter pilot who shot down a remarkable sixteen enemy aircraft during the Pacific War—met the demon first, though he was not favored to wear the laurels, as he was now a civilian test pilot and was not flying the Bell X-1.Chasing the Demon sets the race between Yeager and Welch in the context of aviation history, so that the reader can learn and appreciate their accomplishments as never before.
£10.99
Taschen GmbH Great Escapes USA. The Hotel Book
The USA is one of the most varied and fascinating countries in the world. Its areas of natural beauty such as the Pacific Coast, the Yosemite National Park, and Monument Valley are the stuff of great cinema (Hollywood finds its best settings practically in its backyard). For everyone who explores the USA beyond its big cities on a classic road trip, on the trail of Native Americans and pioneers, in the mountains or by lakes and beaches, unforgettable moments are guaranteed. In Great Escapes USA, Angelika Taschen presents remarkable places to stay through impressive photography, entertaining texts, and practical details on how to get there, prices, and tips for books and films. Her journey starts on the East Coast, where intellectuals and artists once met in idyllically located country houses such as the Twin Farms in Vermont and Troutbeck in New York State. It continues to the South, where The Moorings Village and Hôtel Peter & Paul, for example, tell of the history of Florida and Louisiana, and Southern belles such as the Commodore Perry Estate in Austin, Texas reveal their glamor. Dunton Hot Springs, once a miners’ camp in Colorado, now transformed from a ghost town to an upscale rustic resort, lies on the route, just like the urban utopia that is Arcosanti in Arizona, conceived by the architect Paolo Soleri in the 1970s. The trip comes to a wonderful conclusion in California with unique hotels such as Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, where many famous writers have stayed in the Norwegian-influenced wooden cabins, laid-back motels like The Surfrider Malibu, which is all about the California dream, and heavenly destinations for gourmets, for example SingleThread in Sonoma County with its three Michelin stars. The photography in this opulent publication presents hotels in the tradition of great architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright as well as the work of young contemporary designers and buildings in the typical American mid-century style. A horse ranch, a glamping site, even a hippie bathhouse and vintage mobile homes are also included – places as varied as the USA itself.
£40.00
University of Hawai'i Press Unpredictable Agents: The Making of Japan’s Americanists during the Cold War and Beyond
In Unpredictable Agents, twelve Japanese scholars of American studies tell their stories of how they encountered "America" and came to dedicate their careers to studying it. People in postwar Japan have experienced "America" in a number of ways—through literature, material goods, popular culture, foodways, GIs, missionaries, art, political figures, celebrities, and business. As the Japanese public wrestled with a complex mixture of admiration and confusion, yearning and repulsion, closeness and alienation toward the US, Japanese scholars specializing in American studies have become interlocutors in helping their compatriots understand the country. In scholarly literature, these intellectuals are often understood as complicit agents in US Cold War liberalism. By focusing on the human dimensions of the intellectuals’ lives and careers, Unpredictable Agents resists such a deterministic account of complicity while recognizing the relationship between power and knowledge and the historical and structural conditions in which these scholars and their work emerged. How did these scholars encounter "America" in the first place, and what exactly constitutes the "America" they have experienced? How did they come to be Americanists, and what does being Americanists mean for them? In short, what are the actual experiences of Japan’s Americanists, and what are their relationships to "America"? Reflecting both the interlocked web of politics, economics, and academics, as well as the evolving contours of Japan’s Americanists, the essays highlight the diverse paths through which these individuals have come to be "Americanists" and the complex meanings that identity carries for them. The stories reveal the obvious yet often neglected fact that Japanese scholars neither come from the same backgrounds nor occupy similar identities solely because of their shared ethnicity and citizenship. The authors were born in the period ranging from the 1940s to the 1980s in different parts of Japan—from Hokkaido to Okinawa—and raised in diverse familial and cultural environments, which shaped their identities as "Japanese" and their encounters with "America" in quite different ways. Together, the essays illustrate the complex positionalities, fluid identities, ambivalent embrace, and unpredictable agency of Japan’s Americanists who continue to chart their own course in and across the Pacific.
£34.25
Nova Science Publishers Inc Ethnicity and Syndrome X
The syndrome X or metabolic syndrome may be defined as a constellation of several interrelated risk factors of metabolic origin which includes centrally distributed obesity, decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood pressure and hyperglycemia. Persons with syndrome X are at twice the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and are at about five-fold the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus as compare to persons with this syndrome. There are considerable evidences of important ethnic differences in the prevalence of syndrome X, its components and sequelae. The prevalence varied between ethnic groups even within the same geographical location. Apart from multifactorial (genetic vs. environmental) nature, there are intriguing metabolic and anthropometric differences found across different ethnic groups. The estimates vary by ethnicity, for instance, high prevalence in non-European groups such as Black African-Caribbeans, Hispanics, indigenous populations of North America, South Asians, and the Western Pacific Region and lower prevalence in Chinese populations, and European-White. Public health strategies that are well known to be important for chronic disease prevention in general can substantially reduce the prevalence of syndrome X. Population-specific studies will be important in identifying subgroups for which syndrome X is a health issue and for which disease management strategies are needed. Simultaneously, studies to identify different biomarkers associated with syndrome X that are linked with the development of specific chronic diseases, such as CVD and diabetes, will significantly enhance the early detection of these diseases. Existing preventions strategies, if implemented in population subgroups at highest risk, may have a substantial effect on reducing these trends. The prevalence of syndrome X increases with advancing age suggests that the efforts to increase awareness of prevention strategies must begin early. Intensive treatment and effective targeting efforts would help in avoiding future sequelae of syndrome X across different ethnicity. This book will be an assemblage of similarities and differences in the risk of syndrome X and related disorders among different ethnic groups worldwide, and reviews potential mechanisms for ethnic differences. It would certain help in translational research for early intervention and better prevention of syndrome X and its associated public health burden worldwide.
£127.79
Open University Press Health Promotion Practice: Building Empowered Communities
"The book provides an excellent combination of broad theoretical background with a generous helping of vocational guidance on the practice of health promotion."scotregen"A very welcome addition to the practical side of health promotion! Laverack’s brief and simply-worded text weaves together just the right balance of theory, evidence, tips and case studies to satisfy the new learner looking to gain a grasp of health promotion’s empowering whole, while still offering new insights to the more seasoned practitioner."Ronald Labonté, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa How can health promotion practitioners help communities to become more empowered? How do you encourage different communities to work together towards a shared goal? How can you focus your resources to be most effective in building empowered communities? How do you evaluate your success (and failures) in building empowered communities? Power and empowerment are two complex concepts that are central to health promotion practice. People experience empowerment in many different ways and this book explains an approach that has been used by health promoters to intentionally build and evaluate empowerment. The book provides a special focus on communities and is illustrated throughout with useful field experiences in the United Kingdom, Asia, North America, the Pacific region and Africa.The book aims to provide the reader with: An understanding of the key concepts of power and empowerment and the link to improved health outcomes in the context of health promotion programmes An understanding of practical approaches that can be used in health promotion programming to build and evaluate empowered communities Case study examples of how communities can be empowered in practice This unique book offers sound theoretical principles to underpin the practical approaches used to build empowered communities and brings together new and innovative approaches in health promotion practice.Health Promotion Practice is essential reading for health promotion students and practitioners who want to learn more about innovative approaches to build empowered communities in their everyday work. It will inspire them to work in more empowering ways in health promotion practice and to carefully contemplate how they can influence the way others gain power.
£31.99
APA Publications Insight Guides Panama (Travel Guide with Free eBook)
Insight Guides Panama Travel made easy. Ask local experts.Comprehensive travel guide packed with inspirational photography and fascinating cultural insights, now with free eBook.From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this guide to Panama is all you need to plan your perfect trip, with insider information on must-see, top attractions like Casco Viejo, the Colonial forts and Bocas del Toro, and cultural gems like the wildlife paradise in the Parque Nacional Soberania, partying in the Azuero and ziplining through cloudforest in the Chiriqui Highlands.Features of this travel guide to Panama:- Inspirational colour photography: discover the best destinations, sights and excursions, and be inspired by stunning imagery- Historical and cultural insights: immerse yourself in Panama's rich history and culture, and learn all about its people, art and traditions- Practical full-colour maps: with every major sight and listing highlighted, the full-colour maps make on-the-ground navigation easy- Editor's Choice: uncover the best of Panama with our pick of the region's top destinations- Key tips and essential information: packed full of important travel information, from transport and tipping to etiquette and hours of operation- The ultimate travel tool: download the free app and eBook to access this and bonus content from your phone or tablet- Covers: Panama City; The Canal and Central Caribbean Coast; Central Panama and the Pacific Beaches; The Azuero Penninsula and Veraguas; Chiriqui and Western Panama; Bocas del Toro; Comarca Guna Yala; Darien and the EastLooking for a specific guide to Costa Rica? Check out Insight Guides Costa Rica for a detailed and entertaining look at all the country has to offer.About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.
£16.19
Dorling Kindersley Ltd Picturepedia: an encyclopedia on every page
Discover everything you could ever know about science and technology, nature, geography, culture, sports and hobbies, and history in this vibrant visual encyclopedia for children! Did you know that more than half of the human body's weight is water, and that a koi carp can live for more than 200 years? Or how about there being more than 20,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, or that Turkey eats the most bread, with each person getting through 104.6 kg of it every year? You can learn all these things and more with Picturepedia, and become an expert in everything from incredible insects and musical instruments, to space-craft, prehistoric life and everything in between, with this engaging encyclopedia for children aged 9-12.Celebrate your child's curiosity as they explore:- Each topic is covered on one double-page spread- Comprehensive coverage of over 150 popular topics.- Each topic is illustrated with up to 100 photos, graphics, and illustrations.- Fun, visual approach combines unprecedented density of detail with crystal-clear structure.- Includes timelines, top ten lists, step by steps, fun facts, and more.First published in 2015, Picturepedia has been revamped into a more thrilling edition that will take you on a visual odyssey. This captivating kid's enyclopedia is jam-packed with stunning photographs, gripping information, and explanatory diagrams that allow for fascinating discoveries. Newly updated with thousands of pictures and fascinating facts about science, nature, culture, sports, and history, Picturepedia is the ultimate visual encyclopedia for kids. With 5 core chapters split into the topics of Science and Technology, Nature, Geography, Culture, Sports and Hobbies, there truly is something for every avid young reader to explore and learn, making this an excellent reference book for curriculum-based homework help. The striking graphics and illustrations featured throughout provide an optimum visual learning experience for children ages 9-12 years, that adults can also enjoy. With over 10,000 images in total, more so than any other encyclopaedia on the market, this enthralling children's encyclopedia can make a beautiful and educational gift that can be passed down generations.
£22.49
Penguin Books Ltd World Without End: The Global Empire of Philip II
Following Rivers of Gold and The Golden Age, World Without End is the conclusion of a magisterial three-volume history of the Spanish Empire by Hugh Thomas, its foremost worldwide authorityWorld Without End is the climax of Hugh Thomas's great history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. It describes the conquest of Paraguay and the River Plate, of the Yucatan in Mexico, the only partial conquest of Chile, and battles with the French over Florida, and then, in the 1580s, the extraordinary projection of Spanish power across the Pacific to conquer the Philippines. More significantly, it describes how the Spanish ran the greatest empire the world had seen since Rome - as well as conquistadores, the book is people with viceroys, judges, nobles, bishops, inquisitors and administrators of many different kinds, often in conflict with one another, seeking to organise the native populations into towns, to build cathedrals, hospitals and universities. Behind them - sometimes ahead of them - came the religious orders, the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and finally the Jesuits, builders of convents and monasteries, many of them of astonishing beauty, and reminders of the pervasiveness of religion and the self-confidence of the age.Towering above them all, though moving rarely from the palace of the Escorial outside Madrid, is the figure of King Philip II, the central figure in the book. The Venetian ambassador thought him 'the arbiter of the world'. Once the Philippines had been consolidated, Philip's advisors contemplated an invasion of China: the Jesuit Father Sanchez called it 'the greatest enterprise which has ever been proposed to any monarch in the world'. It was an enterprise never undertaken, but never explicitly abandoned.Was it a great or a terrible empire? In contrast to other empire builders, the Spaniards entered upon arguments with each other about their right to rule other peoples, and their ruthlessness was often tempered by humanity. Hugh Thomas's conclusion is unequivocal: 'The speed with which the sixteenth-century conquistadores conquered such large territories on two vast continents, and the comparable success of missionaries with large populations of Indians, stands as one of the supreme epics of both valour and imagination by Europeans.'
£14.99
Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth
From the Los Angeles Times Book Prize–winning historian, the colorful, dramatic story of Charles Darwin’s journey on HMS Beagle that inspired the evolutionary theories in his path-breaking books On the Origin of Species and The Descent of ManWhen twenty-two-year-old aspiring geologist Charles Darwin boarded HMS Beagle in 1831 with his microscopes and specimen bottles—invited by ship’s captain Robert FitzRoy who wanted a travel companion at least as much as a ship’s naturalist—he hardly thought he was embarking on what would become perhaps the most important and epoch-changing voyage in scientific history. Nonetheless, over the course of the five-year journey around the globe in often hard and hazardous conditions, Darwin would make observations and gather samples that would form the basis of his revolutionary theories about the origin of species and natural selection.Drawing on a rich range of revealing letters, diary entries, recollections of those who encountered him, and Darwin’s and FitzRoy’s own accounts of what transpired, Diana Preston chronicles the epic voyage as it unfolded, tracing Darwin’s growth from untested young man to accomplished adventurer and natural scientist in his own right. Darwin often left the ship to climb mountains, navigate rivers, or ride hundreds of miles, accompanied by local guides whose languages he barely understood, across pampas and through rainforests in search of further unique specimens. From the wilds of Patagonia to the Galápagos and other Atlantic and Pacific islands, as Preston vibrantly relates, Darwin collected and contrasted volcanic rocks and fossils large and small, witnessed an earthquake, and encountered the Argentinian rhea, Falklands fox, and Galápagos finch, through which he began to discern connections between deep past and present.Darwin never left Britain again after his return in 1836, though his mind journeyed far and wide to develop the theories that were first revealed, after great delay and with trepidation about their reception, in 1859 with the publication of his epochal book On the Origin of Species. Offering a unique portrait of one of history’s most consequential figures, The Evolution of Charles Darwin is a vital contribution to our understanding of life on Earth.
£14.99
Lonely Planet Global Limited Lonely Planet San Francisco City Map
From Lonely Planet, the world's leading travel guide publisher Durable and waterproof, with a handy slipcase and an easy-fold format, Lonely Planet San Francisco City Map is your conveniently-sized passport to traveling with ease. Get more from your map and your trip with images and information about top city attractions, transport maps, itinerary suggestions, extensive street and site index, and practical travel tips and directory. With this easy-to-use, full colour navigation tool in your back pocket, you can truly get to the heart of San Francisco, so begin your journey now! Durable and waterproof Easy-fold format and convenient size Handy slipcase Full colour and easy-to-use Extensive street and site index Images and information about top city attractions Handy transport maps& & Practical travel tips and directory Itinerary suggestions Covers The Castro, Chinatown, Civic Center, Cole Valley, Cow Hollow, Dogpatch, Financial District, Fisherman's Wharf, Hayes Valley, Jackson Square, Japantown, Lower Haight, The Marina, Mission Bay, The Mission, Nob Hill, Noe Valley, North Beach, Pacific Heights, Potrero Flats, Potrero Gulch, The Richmond, Russian Hill, SoMa Check out Lonely Planet San Francisco, our most comprehensive guidebook to the city, covering the top sights and most authentic off-beat experiences. Or check out Lonely Planet Pocket San Francisco, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss experiences for a quick trip. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller'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 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times
£6.41
Avalon Travel Publishing Moon Tahoe & Reno (First Edition): Local Spots, Getaway Ideas, Hiking & Skiing
From the glittering lake and trail-lined mountains to Old West towns and artsy urban centers, experience the best of this adventurous region with Moon Tahoe & Reno. Inside you'll find:*Flexible itineraries, including a week-long Lake Tahoe road trip, long weekends for both winter and summer, and the one-week best of Tahoe and Reno*Strategic advice for hikers, skiers, beach bums, families with kids, foodies and brewery lovers, and more*The best hikes in Tahoe: Find your adventure, from challenging mountain treks to serene meadow walks, with trail descriptions, difficulty ratings, and detailed trail maps*Outdoor adventures for any season: Hit the slopes and get the first tracks through snow-covered pines or spark your adrenaline on the Heavenly Blue Streak zipline. Mountain bike along the breathtaking cliffside Flume Trail, whitewater raft down the Truckee River, and kayak the crystalline waters of Emerald Bay. Hike the rugged Rubicon Trail along the shores of Lake Tahoe to the remarkable Vikingsholm Castle or trek a section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail. Take a relaxing dip in a natural hot spring, soak in the serenity of a secret beach, and watch the sun set over the lake*Must-see highlights and unique experiences: Drive around Lake Tahoe's 72-mile shoreline, stop at scenic viewpoints, and meander through Old West mountain towns. Stroll past the sculptures and boutiques of Reno's Truckee Riverwalk or explore the interactive installations of Reno Playa Art Park. Take a ride on a 150-year-old railroad route or descend deep into an underground mine. See what's on tap at Reno's award-winning craft breweries, sip craft cocktails in a trendy lounge or try your luck at a casino*Expert advice from Tahoe local Nicole Szanto on where to eat, where to stay, and how to minimize your environmental impact*Full-colour photos and maps throughout, including a fold-out map *Thorough background on the weather, wildlife, and history, plus tips on getting there and getting around by car and public transportationWith Moon Tahoe & Reno's practical tips and local insight, you can plan your trip your way. Want to keep on driving? Pick up a copy of Moon Northern California Road Trips.
£13.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Mitsubishi Zero
The Mitsubishi Zero is one of the great legendary fighter aircraft ever to have graced the skies. Symbolic of the might of Imperial Japan, she represented a peak of developmental prowess in the field of aviation during the early years of the Second World War. Engineered with manoeuvrability in mind, this light-weight, stripped-back aircraft had a performance that left her opponents totally outclassed. The dogfights she engaged in with the Chinese, British, Dutch and American warplanes in the 1941-42 period are the stuff of aviation legend. The Zero fighter had four major assets - agility, long-range, experienced and war-blooded pilots and, most importantly of all, a total inability of the Allies, particularly in the Pacific Theatre of operations, to believe that Japan could produce such a machine. Despite a whole series of eyewitness reports from China, where she had swept the skies clean of all opposition, western minds were closed, and remained so until the brutal facts imposed themselves on their biased mindsets. All aircraft designs are a compromise of course, and the Zero had faults as well as strengths, two of which were to finally doom her; one was her lack of armour protection and the other was the inability of the Japanese to match the overwhelming production strength and innovation of Allied aircraft construction. Even so, she remained a potent threat until the end of the war, not least in her final role, that of a Kamikaze aircraft, in which she created as much havoc on the sea as she had done earlier in the air. Peter C. Smith takes the reader on a journey from inspired inception to the blazing termination of this unique aircraft, the first Naval fighter to be superior to land-based aircraft. It describes in detail the many victories that punctuated the early days of its operational career as well as the desperate dying days of the Second World War which witnessed her final demise. Smith also lists the preserved Zero aircraft on display today. This is a fast-paced and fascinating history of a fighter aircraft like no other.
£19.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Doolittle Raid: The First Air Attack Against Japan, April 1942
On 1 April 1942, less than four months after the world had been stunned by the attack upon Pearl Harbor, sixteen US aircraft took to the skies to exact retribution. Their objective was not merely to attack Japan, but to bomb its capital. The people of Tokyo, who had been told that their city was invulnerable' from the air, would be bombed and strafed - and the shock waves from the raid would extend far beyond the explosions of the bombs. The raid had first been suggested in January 1942 as the US was still reeling from Japan's pre-emptive strike against the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Americans were determined to fight back and fight back as quickly as possible. The 17th Bomb Group (Medium) was chosen to provide the volunteers who would crew the sixteen specially-modified North American B-25 bombers. As it was not possible to reach Tokyo from any US land bases, the bombers would have to fly from aircraft carriers, but it was impossible for such large aircraft to land on a carrier; the men had to volunteer for a one-way ticket. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy' Doolittle, the seventy-one officers and 130 enlisted men embarked on the USS Hornet which was shielded by a large naval task force. However, the ships were spotted by a Japanese ship. The decision was therefore made to take-off before word of the task force's approach reached Tokyo, even though the carrier was 170 miles further away from Japan than planned and in the knowledge that the B-25s would not have enough fuel to reach their intended landing places in China. The raid was successful, and the Japanese were savagely jolted out of their complacency. Fifteen of the aircraft crash-landed in, or their crews baled-out over, China; the sixteenth managed to reach the Soviet Union. Only three men were killed on the raid, with a further eight being taken prisoner by the Japanese, three of whom were executed and one died of disease. The full story of this remarkable operation, of the men and machines involved, is explored through this fascinating collection of images.
£14.99
Oxford University Press Inc World War II at Sea: A Global History
Author of Lincoln and His Admirals (winner of the Lincoln Prize), The Battle of Midway (Best Book of the Year, Military History Quarterly), and Operation Neptune, (winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature), Craig L. Symonds has established himself as one of the finest naval historians at work today. World War II at Sea represents his crowning achievement: a complete narrative of the naval war and all of its belligerents, on all of the world's oceans and seas, between 1939 and 1945. Opening with the 1930 London Conference, Symonds shows how any limitations on naval warfare would become irrelevant before the decade was up, as Europe erupted into conflict once more and its navies were brought to bear against each other. World War II at Sea offers a global perspective, focusing on the major engagements and personalities and revealing both their scale and their interconnection: the U-boat attack on Scapa Flow and the Battle of the Atlantic; the "miracle" evacuation from Dunkirk and the pitched battles for control of Norway fjords; Mussolini's Regia Marina-at the start of the war the fourth-largest navy in the world-and the dominance of the Kidö Butai and Japanese naval power in the Pacific; Pearl Harbor then Midway; the struggles of the Russian Navy and the scuttling of the French Fleet in Toulon in 1942; the landings in North Africa and then Normandy. Here as well are the notable naval leaders-FDR and Churchill, both self-proclaimed "Navy men," Karl Dönitz, François Darlan, Ernest King, Isoroku Yamamoto, Erich Raeder, Inigo Campioni, Louis Mountbatten, William Halsey, as well as the hundreds of thousands of seamen and officers of all nationalities whose live were imperiled and lost during the greatest naval conflicts in history, from small-scale assaults and amphibious operations to the largest armadas ever assembled. Many have argued that World War II was dominated by naval operations; few have shown and how and why this was the case. Symonds combines precision with story-telling verve, expertly illuminating not only the mechanics of large-scale warfare on (and below) the sea but offering wisdom into the nature of the war itself.
£26.09
Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth
From the Los Angeles Times Book Prize–winning historian, the colorful, dramatic story of Charles Darwin’s journey on HMS Beagle that inspired the evolutionary theories in his path-breaking books On the Origin of Species and The Descent of ManWhen twenty-two-year-old aspiring geologist Charles Darwin boarded HMS Beagle in 1831 with his microscopes and specimen bottles—invited by ship’s captain Robert FitzRoy who wanted a travel companion at least as much as a ship’s naturalist—he hardly thought he was embarking on what would become perhaps the most important and epoch-changing voyage in scientific history. Nonetheless, over the course of the five-year journey around the globe in often hard and hazardous conditions, Darwin would make observations and gather samples that would form the basis of his revolutionary theories about the origin of species and natural selection.Drawing on a rich range of revealing letters, diary entries, recollections of those who encountered him, and Darwin’s and FitzRoy’s own accounts of what transpired, Diana Preston chronicles the epic voyage as it unfolded, tracing Darwin’s growth from untested young man to accomplished adventurer and natural scientist in his own right. Darwin often left the ship to climb mountains, navigate rivers, or ride hundreds of miles, accompanied by local guides whose languages he barely understood, across pampas and through rainforests in search of further unique specimens. From the wilds of Patagonia to the Galápagos and other Atlantic and Pacific islands, as Preston vibrantly relates, Darwin collected and contrasted volcanic rocks and fossils large and small, witnessed an earthquake, and encountered the Argentinian rhea, Falklands fox, and Galápagos finch, through which he began to discern connections between deep past and present.Darwin never left Britain again after his return in 1836, though his mind journeyed far and wide to develop the theories that were first revealed, after great delay and with trepidation about their reception, in 1859 with the publication of his epochal book On the Origin of Species. Offering a unique portrait of one of history’s most consequential figures, The Evolution of Charles Darwin is a vital contribution to our understanding of life on Earth.
£21.99