Search results for ""gb publishing org""

Pointless, risky, absurd. Yes, that is the beauty of it - absurdly determined to metamorphose themselves into a glossy photograph seen in a glossy magazine that caused a spark of desire within the tinder-dry kindling of their imagination. They were consumed with all that the photograph promised until that reality could be made theirs: to achieve all of the experience, the life's journey implied within it, to redefine their already long lives, to change themselves, to fast-track to the achievement of the decades of experience exemplified by those young adventurers in that glossy photograph in that glossy magazine. What an absurd notion. For no other reason, it had to be: three quickly became five guys on heritage motorcycles, hooking up with an ex-Special Forces operative and a combat zone photographer to make it seven for a safari across the top of Africa. From Spain to Tangier, they traversed the Riff, navigated the Atlas Mountains, circled Cirque du Jaffar, and rode through the Gorges du Ziz. Rough-riding across Morocco has never been so much fun. Wild camping on the way under star-spattered sky, across unforgiving terrain where luxury is a warm sleeping bag. In places where if you don't guard it you lose it, and where changing co-ordinates on a fast and furious basis makes good sense. Through oft sudden lows where the warmth of a Moroccan welcome exceeds the heat from black coffee, honeyed mint teas, or a meal from a hot tajine. Until dusty boots touch down on the sands of the Sahara at Erg Chebbi to witness a new dawn rise.

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Is it murder, or a welcome release? After defeating the 'Anubis Killer' NYPD homicide detective Prentiss finds herself on the trail of the mysterious 'Dark Lady', a spectral woman who targets the aged and infirm. Her investigations lead her to the For-Life Foundation. What happens next will confound her understanding of reality and confront her with horrors beyond her wildest imagination. Death, despair, and the stench of evil await her in the shadows.

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Our world has gone mad - politically and otherwise But why and how did it come to this? A wry look at the state of the UK (and beyond), focusing on the appalling standards of governance and leadership we see today, and the ineffectiveness of our myriad institutions. Starting with a review of the 2016 referendum and its aftermath, the author moves on to consider the wider problems we are facing. This includes a close look at the work of our regulatory bodies, who have become a billion pound industry covering everything from regulation of the press to the funding of political parties, and communications to the supply of gas and electricity. The book also considers the dreadful state of the criminal justice system; broadcasting, and the decline of the BBC, as well as asking why overseas aid is frequently sent to undeserving places and spent unwisely in places that need help. This is a revealing investigation into the sheer incompetence of the state we are currently in, and the story of how we got here.

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Dame Jacqueline Wilson: "An imaginative gentle story with a concept to delight younger children." Lula knows that life is magical and if you wish hard enough for something, your dreams really can come true. She lives in a children's home but her boring life is changed forever after she finds an adorable little cheeky but wise dog made from crumbs. Together they discover an amazing land full of wonder and adventure through the old oak tree at the bottom of the garden. There they meet new friends including Marmalademonkey and Chipcat and take part in a very unusual race. Crumbdog is a story that emphasises the important things in life; friendship, laughter, loyalty, fun, courage and of course...crumbs!

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The preceding volume in the series, GODS' Enemy, is an Indies 2016 BOOK AWARD FINALIST, FANTASY. November 1917. The first great allied tank battle takes place at Cambrai in the Pas de Calais. At first it proves a rousing success but after a hard fought two weeks German forces repulse the British on every front. Reserves called up in support of the retreat include five hundred American engineers, including captain Colin Cahoon, a deeply religious Texan. Cahoon is injured during an enemy shell bombardment and wakes up in a hospital bed to find he is being treated by the enigmatic Dr Spindrift. Cahoon finds himself embroiled in a titanic struggle that will stretch the Texan's religious beliefs, his sanity and his courage to breaking point. During the final year of The War To End All Wars, the future of all mankind will be decided.

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A night of little interest turns out to be the most momentous and threatening of peoples' lives, when they wake to a world without progeny. With no chance of ever conceiving women wonder about making themselves attractive or taking any interest in fashion or beauty. Would they still do all that just for themselves? And, if offspring are no longer a viable option, is there a need for men in the aging world that awaits? A mysterious meteor-like object hits the sea off Ireland, quickly followed globally by hundreds more, creating vast amounts of vapour, but little damage. The mists soon clear and people start to relax. But within weeks comes a shocking realisation. Men are suddenly and inexplicably impotent and infertile, with doctors as baffled as they are. No more babies? The devasting news dominates the media - and markets across the globe begin to collapse as the horrific economic implications of an ageing and terminally reducing world sink in. Scientific and military and space experts find evidence that now convinces sceptical world leaders that an alien force intends to take over a weakened world by the patient and devious means of destroying human reproduction. One brave woman puts forward a radical idea as the only possible and secret solution. But will it work?

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A fallen angel, a beautiful spirit woman and a brave adept man must save mankind from the Sha-aneer. Texas 1883: A man found face down in a fire ants' mound has been raped and brutally murdered. His killing sparks a nightmare for Sheriff Caleb Sawyer and the townspeople of Mule's Ass - named after the last thing the founder looked at before setting up camp. Aided by the enigmatic Preacher Spindrift, Sawyer must solve the murder to defeat the hideous Sha-aneer - an ancient creature that devours the flesh and souls of mankind - or the light of human civilisation will be extinguished forever. Orbiting beyond Mars, the huge and alien General Organism Development System (GODS) has steered the evolution of life on Earth for many millions of years...but something else got there first and now wants the planet back.

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"Pearson is the possessor of an extraordinary imagination that brilliantly assaults every variant of the sci-fi genre. His writing is vivid, urban and unflinching in its descriptions, taking the reader on a breathtaking journey through Saturn's rings, outer world 'constructs', altered perceptions and a glorious African landscape smouldering with sexual heat and the odour of violence. This is hard-hitting story telling with full-on language and a brutally splendid plot twist, which, if you make it to the end, will leave you crossing your legs!" SURREY LIFE magazine (UK) Sep 2015 (p. 109), Juliette Foster______'The dry thing behind her eyes made her stand up; it stooped, collected the child into its mother's arms and stepped out into space.'We pick up the story of Milla Carter after the destruction of the Body Holiday Foundation. She has ripped down the poisoned tree but the parasite still lives, and the infection is worse than anyone could possibly imagine. It is no longer just Carter fighting for survival and the forces arrayed against her are more powerful than ever before.From a ledge 173 floors above the Moscow streets to New York, the asteroid belt and beyond, Soul's Asylum establishes Derek E Pearson as one of the most prolific imaginations in the science fiction arena. 'Look at it, my first sight of alien life and it's infesting a chunk of murdered human meat."Where Pearson will take you is impossible to predict, strap in and enjoy the ride. The Body Holiday trilogy has concluded, Soul's Asylum begins a new epic tale in the same universe. We are no longer asking who dunnit but what - and why?'

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Lethal is rarely lovely, as in this concluding volume of Pearson's extremely witty, sexy, violent and popular fantasy adventure. To her lover she's a walking dream, to her enemies she's a waking nightmare. Milla Carter, science fiction's sexiest heroine telepath, is back for the last chapter in the Body Holiday trilogy and the breathless pace is only matched by the manic humour. The hardcore action moves from Japan to a luxury hotel in Tibet, an ice dome in Antarctica and the highest heights of the London sky tower. And this time Milla has her worthiest opponent in the form of the lovely and lethal assassin, Su Nami, a woman who is so much more than she seems. Imagination sets the pages alight and readers will ask themselves, who survives? Another page turning triumph from cyberpunk science fiction's newest cult author.

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With a tribute to Southern Turkish Cuisine Foreword by Ghillie Basan GOURMAND World Cookbook Awards Winner, Best In The World, Heritage Turkey Foreword Indies AwardsWinner (USA, International), Honorable Mention for Cooking "My very warm welcome to you - Hosgeldiniz" This book is Ozlem's tribute to the wonderfully diverse cuisine of Turkey and a celebration of her Southern Turkish roots with local recipes from her home town, Antioch, Antakya. She hopes these recipes will take you on a Turkish journey - to learn, taste and enjoy the delicious foods of her homeland and most importantly to feel the warmth and sharing spirit of Turkish culture. Turkish cuisine is based on seasonal fresh produce. It is healthy, delicious, affordable and easy to make. She shows you how to recreate these wonderful recipes in your own home, wherever you are in the world. Her dishes are flavoured naturally with: olive oil, lemon juice, nuts, spices, as well as condiments like pomegranate molasses and nar eksisi. Turkish cuisine also offers plenty of options for vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan diets. Living abroad, it can be difficult to access speciality ingredients, so she also offers substitutes and/or alternatives wherever she can. She hopes her recipes inspire you to recreate them in your own kitchen and that they can bring you fond memories of your time in Turkey or any special moments shared with loved ones. Her roots - Ancient Antioch, Antakya Her family's roots date back to ancient Antioch, Antakya, located in the southern part of Turkey, near the Syrian border. This book is a special tribute to Antakya and southern Turkish cuisine, as her cooking has been inspired by this special land. Her parents, Orhan and Gulcin, were both born in Antakya and she spent many happy childhood holidays in this ancient city, playing in the courtyard of her grandmother's 450 year old stone home, under the fig and walnut trees. Her dad's father, Ahmet, was a soap maker (her father's surname "Sabuncu", means "soap maker") making the city's landmark olive oil soaps. Her mother's father, Suphi, was a food merchant, trading fresh and dried produce within the city as well as with Syria. She grew up with the abundance of fresh produce as her grandpa would share cases of figs, aubergines and tomatoes with family and friends at the family home in Antioch. Love of good food and sharing has been instilled in her since childhood and she grew up with the generosity of her parents and extended family. Her mother and grandma would cook lunch and dinner every day and everyone would be welcomed to their table. Her grandma would leave an extra plate or two on the table as someone would always turn up at mealtimes and they would be warmly welcomed to the dining table. They would all sit around her courtyard dinner table under the fig tree and have a feast of senses with arrays of wonderful mezzes (small plates of appetizers), an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables cooked in olive oil (Zeytinyaglilar), succulent kebabs and many more. The Turkish saying "Basimin ustunde yerin var" ("I would place you at the top of my head") sums up the Turkish hospitality perfectly. For Turks guests are the most important people. Turks place their guests at the top of the table and they are always delighted to share whatever food they have. A typical Turkish table Preparing dishes is a personal choice and it is perfectly fine to tweak a recipe to reflect your taste as well as making use of what you have in your cupboard. When tackling a new recipe, say stuffed vegetables, it always starts with a phone call to Ozlem's mother. Her mum talks about how she makes it, and Ozlem tells her about the ingredients she can get (for instance instead of pointy red peppers, it could be bell peppers), and things she may be able to substitute with others. They remember how they would all gather at preparing the filling for dolma, her dad collecting vegetables from the market and settling into removing seeds from peppers, her mum preparing the filling and whoever is around the house setting the table and helping to stuff the vegetables. She is mindful and very grateful to have grown up with such a love of food, caring for one another and helping one another. Turks love to have family and friends around and there's always an abundance of food at the table. A typical Turkish meal usually starts with soup, a very important part of Turkish cuisine. And there is always some hot and cold mezzes on the table; it could be filo pastry rolls with cheese and parsley, Sigara Boregi, or perhaps spinach and feta pie with filo pastry, Ispanakli Borek. Depending on the season and the region, on the table there may be pureed eggplants (aubergines) with lemon and olive oil sauce, Patlican Salata or red pepper paste and walnuts dip, Cevizli Biber. Then there is often a meat based course; it can be a hearty stew or casserole with meat, chicken or in season fish and seasonal vegetables or salad. Turks love their dessert; from baklava to stuffed apricots with walnuts, there's always time for dessert. And they finish off with a wonderful Turkish coffee or Turkish tea, cay, savoring every sip in the company of friends and family. Today in Turkey, food and mealtimes are still the hub of everyday life. Time is always taken to share meals with family members or friends, to relax and enjoy conversations. Participants wish each other "Afiyet Olsun", literally meaning "May you be healthy and happy with this food you eat". This is followed by a tribute to the creator of the meal, "Elinize Saglik", meaning "Health to your hands". Guests are always received with the most cordial hospitality and it is believed that no one should ever leave a Turkish table without feeling satisfied and happy. Antakya's Cuisine Antakya's cuisine has an incredible richness of fresh herbs, spices, grains like bulgur and freekeh, natural condiments like olive oil and pomegranate molasses. It's a cuisine packed with flavour and ancient traditions, from where her cooking has been inspired. Antakya's (ancient Antioch's) cuisine is influenced by Ottoman, Arabic and French cuisines (Antakya was under French rule for a short period after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, before it became part of the Republic of Turkey). Antakya also hosts many diverse communities, including the Vakifli Armenian village and various religious groups. Jews, Christians, Muslims live in harmony, under one roof. She loves that you can hear the church bell alongside the muezzin call tor prayer at the mosque's minarets for Muslims. Her food merchant uncle in Antakya would celebrate Christmas and Hannukah with his Christian and Jewish friends, as well as breaking his fast with the Muslim community during Ramadan. She hopes this book will provide you with a good, inviting introduction to Turkish cuisine. These are some of her own favorite Turkish recipes - lovingly made and passed down from her grandmother to her parents and now to her own family's table. She truly hopes they will inspire you to create, cook, experiment and most of all enjoy the magnificent cuisine of Turkey.

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Pointless, risky, absurd. Yes, that is the beauty of it – absurdly determined to metamorphose themselves into a glossy photograph seen in a glossy magazine that caused a spark of desire within the tinder-dry kindling of their imagination. They were consumed with all that the photograph promised until that reality could be made theirs: to achieve all of the experience, the life's journey implied within it, to redefine their already long lives, to change themselves, to fast-track to the achievement of the decades of experience exemplified by those young adventurers in that glossy photograph in that glossy magazine. What an absurd notion. For no other reason, it had to be: three quickly became five guys on heritage motorcycles, hooking up with an ex-Special Forces operative and a combat zone photographer to make it seven for a safari across the top of Africa. From Spain to Tangier, they traversed the Riff, navigated the Atlas Mountains, circled Cirque du Jaffar, and rode through the Gorges du Ziz. Rough-riding across Morocco has never been so much fun. Wild camping on the way under star-spattered sky, across unforgiving terrain where luxury is a warm sleeping bag. In places where if you don't guard it you lose it, and where changing co-ordinates on a fast and furious basis makes good sense. Through oft sudden lows where the warmth of a Moroccan welcome exceeds the heat from black coffee, honeyed mint teas, or a meal from a hot tajine. Until dusty boots touch down on the sands of the Sahara at Erg Chebbi to witness a new dawn rise.

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The Grail has fallen, in this sequel to Galahad Suns. A devastated Sapphire Nova set in motion a plan for revenge against their enemies as uncertainty spreads across the galaxy. As a haunted Kurcher finds himself under the protection of Echo, other organisations look to gain an upper hand in the power struggle raging across known space. When a new nightmare emerges from the shadows, it brings with it only the promise of oblivion.'

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A witty, wacky satire on the end of the world from Book Award writer Christopher Ritchie. When Marty Molloy goes about his usual business and finds himself drawn into rescuing a young girl from an attack, little does he know she's Earth's last angel on a mission to stop the `false apocalypse' that occurred just over 100 years earlier. Civilisation was all but destroyed following the third world war - the result of political squabbling and growing racial, sexual and religious hate and distrust. Now the angel's mission becomes Marty's: to assemble his own team of Horsemen, to travel back in time to stop the sinister force behind it all, and to save humankind. This bold, hilarious and thought-provoking satire is inspired by the events of 2016-2017 - but its question is timeless: is humanity worth saving? Previously published in episodic format, this novel is the complete collection. Expand your mind - and your vocabulary - and watch out for Red. He's hungry.

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When six-year-old Jerome Talbot is abducted by the mysterious 'Lady' his disappearance sparks a series of events that will plunge him and his mother into a nightmare of possession and psychic terror from which there seems no escape. During two sweltering summer weeks in an idyllic Sussex cathedral town, police officer Rose Platt and child psychiatrist Sharif Mohammed find themselves fighting for the boy's sanity and their lives during an overwhelming assault by ancient magic seeking bloody revenge. A promise has been broken and powerful dark spirits have risen to protect a secret path that crosses the time worn landscape. The town must pay the price.

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A series of brutal murders pitch NYPD homicide detective Prentiss into the most bizarre cases in her entire career. Why is an ancient god stalking New York's philanthropic elite leaving their half-naked bodies shockingly mutilated? What secrets caused their humiliating deaths? To find the answers, Prentiss risks not only her sanity but even her immortal soul: is she ready to be weighed in death's scale?

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Martin Kingswraith is undergoing transition to a higher level of white wizardry with the help of Penelope Epimeliad, Queen of the London tree Sprites. The date is 1885, in Victorian London, and Kingswraith has come to the attention of the Umbra, the living shadows. He has killed one of them. Without his advanced training he will be destroyed along with everyone he values. To reinforce his power Kingswraith works with Penelope to create a stave, a wizards' staff with a core of pure silver in a sheath of woven wood. Three of the Umbra come to London and establish a base in Barnes. They surround themselves with ape-like were-men called hierodules and the faceless undead, partially eaten people who fall under the thrall of the shadows... Pearson is a Foreword Indies Book Award Finalist in Fantasy with: all three books in his Preacher Spindrift trilogy and Star Weaver in his Soul's Asylum trilogy.

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"Pearson is the possessor of an extraordinary imagination that brilliantly assaults every variant of the sci-fi genre. His writing is vivid, urban and unflinching in its descriptions, taking the reader on a breathtaking journey through Saturn's rings, outer world 'constructs', altered perceptions and a glorious African landscape smouldering with sexual heat and the odour of violence. This is hard-hitting story telling with full-on language and a brutally splendid plot twist, which, if you make it to the end, will leave you crossing your legs!" SURREY LIFE magazine ______Telepath and psychopath-buster Milla Carter continues to fight a far greater threat from outer space. Hovering over the inky shadows of London's crevassed streets a patrol drone discovers the body of a woman, and the signature MO - she's been garrotted with a cheese wire and scalped - is that of a notorious serial killer. But this time the sexy Milla Carter is incapable of luring the target, who turns out to be telepath opaque.In need of reinforcements, she joins the telepath sisterhood in their fight against members of the Earth's Senate - until, they learn that a deadly alien Swarm is closing in on the outer fringes of space. ______The Sun newspaper, Soul's Asylum: "It's originality and top writing make for a great read ****."

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Stern Magazine, the Black Scorpion: "we will aim at everything - even if it is not moving" Surrey Life magazine: "George S Boughton was an oil engineer in Nigeria during the 1967 to 1970 Biafran War and what emerges from this intense, emotional memoir is a withering indictment of governing elites and the destructive consequences of their out-of-control behaviour. Around a million people starved to death or were killed in the fighting; yet the news vacuum meant that Boughton and other expat workers were often in the dark about the true extent of what was going on. Black Gold Black Scorpion is a fascinating, first-hand account of how a nation at war with itself became a magnet for cold war politics as it sank into moral darkness". Recounted are the lives of a young oil engineer, his wife and newborn child, during the War, when they inadvertently lived through one of the worst episodes of African history. Working in an industry that has gone on to pollute massively with oil, theirs is a different story of Africa, oil and aid. The author describes the political elites and those, like Ojukwu and Adekunle, who fought them - having himself been captured and detained, one to one, by the mythically ruthless Black Scorpion; this, the strangest of events, enabling him to observe at close range the disintegration of a powerful personality. More especially, the author's and his family's interaction with the people of the area, the people of Igboland, serves to underline how most of Africa continues to be let down by the pillars of the modern world - political elites, capitalists, the media and warring world powers.

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2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards Finalist (winners announcement June 2016) __Christopher Ritchie shows he's a skilful writer, after his House of Pigs was also a finalist in the 2013 IndieFab Awards - "This is a grippingly surreal novel with an edgy narrative and visual touches reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining." SURREY LIFE magazine. 'The ordinary' is an allegory-laden horror-satire in which Stanley, one of the ordinary, is so evil his touch alone freezes girls' minds with fear; caught up in porn, in their teens, he captures and keeps them as trophies. While, 'the ordinary' feed from humanity's rot intent on bringing about the next phase for the human race. Amid this dark descent humanity's fight for survival, as with retired policeman Rob, his son Jez and girlfriend Maria, seems doomed by its own dark, arrogant dehumanizing of women.

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Hands off our poo! Doogie has had enough. His band of Rollers have had their dung stolen by the thuggish Dwellers one too many times, and now he's determined to go somewhere where they will never find him. And so he leads his friends on a gruelling quest for a magical land of endless dung. Along the way, crossing over and under both land and water, they face terrifying crocodiles, ferocious lions and deadly eagles. Eventually, Doogie not only has to face his arch enemy but save the girl he loves and lead his friends to the promised land. It's an exhilarating adventure in a hilarious world of poo!

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Just as the heroine in these stories, in real life Erin is a young girl who cannot walk, talk or use her hands. She has cerebral palsy. Within are subtle messages for her and many others* such as 'never give up', 'I am able just as I am', 'reading gives one so much' and 'accept me as me'... Clare Latham was asked by SpecialEffect founder Dr Mick Donegan if she could build a communication system with Erin, which she did together with her Mum and personal assistant. Erin's tenacity, ability and sense of fun then spurred Clare to write these stories from their shared experiences and, as it were, keep her going... * There are 17 million around the world living with cerebral palsy (US National Institute of Health)... SpecialEffect: The charity is dedicated to giving disabled people the technology to access video games and the internet, thus promoting fun and inclusion. Dr Donegan was awarded an MBE for his service to disability.

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Showing off, bullying and taunting do not win in the end. A small happy frog lives quietly in a garden pond until his peace is disturbed by the arrival of three rather unpleasant goldfish who show off, bully him, and taunt him every day about his ugliness. Then, one day, a heron flies up looking for food; he settles beside the pond unseen by the fish and then gobbles them up, not noticing Spoddle. Soon after, he is joined by another frog seeking a new home...

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Book 2. It's not often you find a children's book told completely in verse, with stunning illustrations that tell the story in a vibrant visual way. But, thankfully, the two-volume 'Little Tommy and the Kingdom of Clouds' is such a book, and as such deserves to become a treasure of childhood literature. The books outline in a unique and original way the adventures of Little Tommy, a small boy, who, thanks to a magical ring he finds, is whisked away to the enchanting Kingdom of Clouds. Here he befriends a whole host of animals with fantastic talents, particularly in sports and the arts. The stories highlight the qualities of imagination, creativity and hope, as well as the importance of friendship and following your dreams. Each passage in both volumes is reinforced by the superlative illustrations of Ukrainian artist, Nick Solonair, which I am sure both children and adults will love. The whole story takes the reader on a thrilling journey into someone else's world...across the Rainbow Staircase to the magical Kingdom of Clouds. So why not join Little Tommy on that journey and take a peek at his amazing adventures....": Agnes Meadows, Poet & Writer

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It's not often you find a children's book told completely in verse, with stunning illustrations that tell the story in a vibrant visual way. But, thankfully, the two-volume 'Little Tommy and the Kingdom of Clouds' is such a book, and as such deserves to become a treasure of childhood literature. The books outline in a unique and original way the adventures of Little Tommy, a small boy, who, thanks to a magical ring he finds, is whisked away to the enchanting Kingdom of Clouds. Here he befriends a whole host of animals with fantastic talents, particularly in sports and the arts. The stories highlight the qualities of imagination, creativity and hope, as well as the importance of friendship and following your dreams. Each passage in both volumes is reinforced by the superlative illustrations of Ukrainian artist, Nick Solonair, which I am sure both children and adults will love. The whole story takes the reader on a thrilling journey into someone else's world...across the Rainbow Staircase to the magical Kingdom of Clouds. So why not join Little Tommy on that journey and take a peek at his amazing adventures....": Agnes Meadows, Poet & Writer

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A completely new look at plants - not only in food, drink and commerce, and how they have created civilisation, trade and empires, but also in love, in war, in crime, in horror and delight, in music, poetry and prose, and on the screen. Not just another gardening or plant book, this is a complete picture of how plants affect people, for better or worse, now, in the past and in the future with illuminating and startling facts about their ubiquitous presence in human affairs - through life, death, illness, happiness, murder, despair, desperation, love, hate, loss, and far more. From Presidents to pop stars, from scientists to slavers, royals to religious leaders, chefs to charlatans, pioneers to politicians, artists to actors, Plants & Us is a unique overview of plants, wild and cultivated, their vital importance and the threats they face. Above all, how they affect all our lives in stories that will often surprise the reader.

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It's not often you find a children's book told completely in verse, with stunning illustrations that tell the story in a vibrant visual way. But, thankfully, the two-volume 'Little Tommy and the Kingdom of Clouds' is such a book, and as such deserves to become a treasure of childhood literature. The books outline in a unique and original way the adventures of Little Tommy, a small boy, who, thanks to a magical ring he finds, is whisked away to the enchanting Kingdom of Clouds. Here he befriends a whole host of animals with fantastic talents, particularly in sports and the arts. The stories highlight the qualities of imagination, creativity and hope, as well as the importance of friendship and following your dreams. Each passage in both volumes is reinforced by the superlative illustrations of Ukrainian artist, Nick Solonair, which I am sure both children and adults will love. The whole story takes the reader on a thrilling journey into someone else's world...across the Rainbow Staircase to the magical Kingdom of Clouds. So why not join Little Tommy on that journey and take a peek at his amazing adventures....": Agnes Meadows, Poet & Writer

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Opening with his award of Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the book relates John's personal and family history from his English and Belgian parents and grandparents and their roles in two World Wars. His Belgian grandparents were evacuated to England in the first war: his father was shot at by the Germans during the liberation of Antwerp and his mother bombed in a pub in South London while serving in the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service in the second. Managing to get into veterinary college from a large comprehensive school in South London, John recounts tales from his studies and goes on to discuss various major debates which occurred during his career, including vaccinations and the anti-vaccine lobby. The role of badgers and TB is also discussed. The tale of his experience of meeting children with the drug-induced injury of thalidomide is both life-affirming and tear-jerking. His time in East Africa, including his experiences in Uganda under Idi Amin's dictatorship, is chilling but still funny and up-lifting. The tales of his experiences in general and specialist veterinary practice, with memorable farm, horse, dog and cat cases are enlightening, educational and sometimes sad but often very hilarious. The horrific experiences with foot-and-mouth disease will get any animal lover in tears and questioning what happened and why? But the option of a Vegan Utopia in a world without farm animals is dismissed as a sad alternative as demonstrated when large swathes of the United Kingdom were left without stock after the outbreak.

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THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT: Narrative that is direct, candid, unpretentious. A member of a highly privileged caste in Soviet society... reduced to a 'mozho' girl mixing with foreigners, with instructions to report on them... the real story is in the simple, graphic and almost entirely persuasive account of her observations - some amusing and others horribly or pitifully gruesome. In the unforgiving WWII climate of 1940, 21-year old Nora is faced with a perilous ultimatum: Enlist with Stalin's secret police as a honey trap, or face the death of her family. Despairingly she agrees. Nora finds herself struggling to seduce her target, John Murray, a British Embassy cypher in Moscow. As two disparate lives intertwine, their desperate escape leads the couple through frozen Arctic wastelands, clutching forged papers and hopes not just for survival but for a future together.

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TV Presenter Juliette Foster: Not a film script but a novel with a credible plot, strong characters and powerful screen writing. Mercenary Davian Kurcher always had two simple choices in his line of work, but when a request from one of Taurus Galahad's most senior commanders sends him on a frantic hunt across known space and beyond, his life suddenly becomes much more complicated. Tasked with hunting down and recruiting seven of the universe's most dangerous criminals, Kurcher finds himself embroiled in a ruthless plot to seize control, but who do you turn to when there is nobody left to trust? In this compelling new sci-fi classic in the making, David Kimberley creates a complex universe of intelligent warfare, intrigue, and suspense as Kurcher takes on his most dangerous mission yet.

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In this sequel to Doogie and the Rollers, having found the promised land of Dungalore, Doogie and his friends decide to investigate its mysterious and magnificent pyramid. But what begins as an adventure quickly becomes a race against time for Doogie and his friends to save their fellow dung beetles, battling through booby traps of fire and glass, and escaping a ferocious shark, a hungry crow and an angry lizard. Finding an unexpected ally with a shocking revelation, Doogie leads his friends through the pyramid to face a terrifying new enemy. Will he be able to defeat them and save his friends?

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Revenge needs no salt to taste this good! "It's damn near impossible to put down. Milla Carter, the sexy, all-action heroine of Derek E Pearson's novel Body Holiday, is back in the sequel Shadow Players. This time, Milla's war against the sinister Body Holiday Foundation and its twisted founder is more than just personal. She's out to destroy them both and, quite frankly, who can blame her? This outfit makes big bucks from normalising some of the most depraved forms of human behaviour. Nothing is off-limits where these creeps are concerned and they deserve every bit of what's coming. One thing you can say about Pearson is that he's the possessor of an extraordinary imagination that brilliantly assaults every variant of the sci-fi genre. His writing is vivid, urban and unflinching in its descriptions, taking the reader on a breathtaking journey through Saturn's rings, outer-world 'constructs', altered perceptions and a glorious African landscape smouldering with sexual heat and the odour of violence. This is hard hitting storytelling with full-on language and a brutally splendid plot twist, which, if you make it to the end, will leave you crossing your legs!" Surrey Life magazine (UK), Juliette Foster

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A beautifully illustrated sailing classic. This rare memoir opens onto the early adventures of a 12-year-old boy sent to sea after the tragic deaths of his sister and father and the impending poverty of his mother. Not for these alone did the book draw great reviews from The Times and The Spectator, when first published in the 1920s. Recently, intrigued by this touching life story, his grandson researched press clippings and documents that compelled him to update and publish the book again, to reveal the full story that must have influenced and spurred on his hero. Weathering fierce storms and worse, in his first 8 years as an apprentice mariner the boy grew into a fine young man, learning from and appreciating the multicultured seamen about him as they ploughed through the Asian trading routes, often fighting off formidable pirates on the South China seas. On his first return home, now aged 20, Boughton arrived in time to save his mother from bailiffs and life in a poorhouse. (He supported her to the end of her days.) Exemplifying that steadfastness, he became a captain and then rose to become the Superintendent of the Shipping Federation of Britain as well as Member of the Marine Board for London. Notably, the book reproduces the original illustrations by Shoesmith, the still much admired artist of his day. The publication also includes old sea shanties, knots and amazing facts regarding world religions and more.

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in the 2060s action over climate change, wildlife conservation, overpopulation have long failed. Cities are overcrowded, wildlife has dwindled, natural disasters are increasing as are migrations and wars. Planet B is mankind's destiny now. Dwindling natural resources, shrinking standards in overcrowded cities, has constantly swelled economic migrations. To the point that populating 'Planet B' is urgently underway. An international team of researchers is assigned to live and work in newly built Near Earth Territories - each vessel greatly more spacious than the largest ocean liners, which they dwarf. Except, on Earth, an unforeseen escalation in natural disasters is plunging territories into anarchy and territorial wars. The researchers must find answers and least qualified among the scientists is Sashia, a paraplegic who surprisingly becomes a rock on which they all depend. Doctors Mei Sai Ling and Steve Nord form the scientific team's backbone, headed by Professor Mark Madison and assisted by FayWell, the enigmatic Artificial Intelligence to the fleet. Tending their medical needs is Doctor O'Malley. Their mission is to discover the cause of the natural disasters, to avert this Mass Extinction becoming as apocalyptic as the end Cretaceous event. News coverage is increasingly grim with refugees fleeing disasters caught up in battles between new styled warlords and United Nation Security Council forces. Those actions extend to space, where the Territories fleet, escorted by the biggest and best US Navy battle-carrier, becomes a primary target. Our species is outgrowing the home planet. The Territories fleet is predominantly manned by designer-babies now in young adulthood. Designed to reside permanently in space, they are the beginning of a new branch of the human species, transformed into extraterrestrial beings. As for the Earth: It's not too late. Time to let nature revive and evolve on its own...

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A completely new look at plants - not only in food, drink and commerce, and how they have created civilisation, trade and empires, but also in love, in war, in crime, in horror and delight, in music, poetry and prose, and on the screen. Not just another gardening or plant book, this is a complete picture of how plants affect people, for better or worse, now, in the past and in the future with illuminating and startling facts about their ubiquitous presence in human affairs - through life, death, illness, happiness, murder, despair, desperation, love, hate, loss, and far more. From Presidents to pop stars, from scientists to slavers, royals to religious leaders, chefs to charlatans, pioneers to politicians, artists to actors, Plants & Us is a unique overview of plants, wild and cultivated, their vital importance and the threats they face. Above all, how they affect all our lives in stories that will often surprise the reader.

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You Are Noah! sees YOU taking an active interest, in a dramatic dream – to save wildlife the world over, especially animals on the IUCN red list of endangered species. Publicity for the most ambitious of projects began with the Introduction volume of this book series, and its tie-in to Noah's Ark TV Series 1. It was then, and still is now, the Introduction to the whole programme. The TV series, which ran on Sky TV (UK) in 2021, along with the release of music singles, is now going back into production to track on camera building the world's most iconic and technologically advanced conservation park ever conceived of. The series is part of an Entertainment programme that will include: more books as well as music labels by A-list stars, and even a London West End musical. And a series of mega benefit Concerts will kick off with performances potentially in London's Wembley Stadium and New York's Madison Square Garden. Both, Entertainment and Concerts, are aimed at putting The Noah's Ark Conservation Park at the heart of eco-tourism, and its conference centre and research facilities high in conservation circles. The overriding aim being to protect wild animal species, sustainably, for decades to come. Located in large open expanses along the coast of Africa, its main attractions will be: seeing the biggest range of animals from across the world, protected by Jurassic Park strength security, with massive Eden-Project-like Geo Domes for species (with their natural vegetation) from other climates, and the largest sea life aquarium in the world. Noah's Ark's response to the biodiversity crisis our planet faces, is a beacon for many more to follow worldwide. Climate change is receiving more attention, as are recycling and prioritising renewable energy. And in line with that, especially at COP Conferences and around the world post-COVID, people are now reconnecting much more with nature. All of which is raising awareness to the overriding need for a united front on the crisis. The challenge for the project team, led by Richard Curson & Hein Prinsloo, is to inspire YOU, and all who want to save our planet, to collectively raise a tsunami wave of opinion. Opinion that changes policies worldwide to our precious biodiversity, and with that to peace and wellbeing for all humanity. It will all start simply with what YOU watch, read, say, buy and follow. Note: Project development, essentially building the park, is with Scapha Ltd (UK). While Entertainment and Concerts are with The Noah's Ark Foundation – a non-profit organisation set up to sustainably support this project, and others that aim to tackle threats to animal wildlife from industrial and agricultural development, pollution, also poaching.

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When Scotland Yard involved the Professor and his young ward Martin Kingswraith in the strange case of the 'Depleted Men', neither of those skilled white wizards, or Lux Texentes, could foresee the terrible dangers they would face. In the soot-coated cobbled streets of late Victorian London, Kingswraith must overcome his greatest challenge or perish in the attempt. Kingswraith would receive help from the strangest quarters, not least Penelope Epimeliad and the mysterious children who haunted the stone forests of London town, children who had once been tree sprites in Britain's magnificent primordial woodlands when mammoths still trumpeted in the frozen wilds. The children now lived in a vast Roman reservoir under the Tower of London, from which they would emerge as a force of good, dedicated to fighting evil, bringing aid and comfort to the innocent, and food to the downtrodden masses. It was they who created the Depleted Men, actually wicked murderers, using ancient enchantments to suck the minerals from the killers' bodies, leaving behind a shell of soft, jelly-like protein. Penelope recognises Kingswraith's unique qualities as a scion of the house of Pendragon and she brings her own immense powers to bear to prepare him for his inevitable battle against sinister Haven Slighe, one of the ten Viventem Nominis Umbra, or malevolent Lords of Living Shadow. Slighe is a forceful mage. He and his nine fellows are a pitiless force of darkness driven towards reducing civilisation to its lowest possible ebb so they feed from humanity's despair. They will encourage any wickedness, drunkenness and lechery, until the whole population is lost without God or hope of redemption. The Lux Texentes has been standing in their way, but the Umbra has been cutting them down at every opportunity. To take Kingswraith, Haven Slighe captures the Professor. To save him Kingswraith must face Slighe alone, and afraid.

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150 signature starters, main courses and desserts featuring Gin; introducing "The Ginologist Cook". Written, simmered, grilled, sliced and baked by South African clever food "maker-uppers" who mixed Gin with their food to achieve new flavours, textures and experiences to bring the world a book which gives Tonic Water a run for its money. The famous South African Rose Geranium infused in the Floral Gin becomes delightful and complex, a showpiece of this recipe collection, and has brought new flavour to cooking. Extracts from the flower - also known to have age defying qualities - are used in skin creams. Ginologist Gin was created in 2016 by South African Gin enthusiasts Matt Van Wyk and Richard Kolbe as a hobby. Ginologist Spice, Citrus and Floral Gins each won awards at the 2017 Michaelangelo Wine and Spirits Awards in South Africa. Pieter Carter, the Chief Distiller, is passionate about flavour and created the first recipe before the book was conceived; Floral Gin and Clotted Cream Ice Cream. The family and friends hobby has fast become a household brand distributed internationally. The Ginologist Distiller vows to always give the attention and love to every drop of Gin he creates no matter how many bottles. Realising the amazing flavours Gin can infuse into food The Ginologist Distiller is experimenting with Pantry Essentials to give the discerning home cook even more to get excited about; Gincentrates; tubes of yummy gin reductions. Photographed at the five star Hemmingway's Restaurant & Wine Cellar in Pretoria, South Africa the book includes stunning photographs of the naturally landscaped exotic gardens and woodland. Whoever thought we would be creating dishes using Gin? This book contains recipes cooks can enjoy making for the family, dinner parties and on special occasions. There are starters to savour and divine desserts. Pumpkin Tart, Short Ribs, Savoury Cheesecake, Ice Cream, panacotta, Oysters and a Ginoholic Victoria Sponge! Meat, fish and vegetarian savoury dishes inspired by spicy Cape Malay cuisine from The Cape of South Africa are sitting next to sweet fruity desserts inspired by French Pastry Chefs. This eclectic mix of culinary creations demonstrates South Africa can win the world's heart through its stomach. Gin and Tonic who? The Ginologist Distiller meets The Ginologist Cook, in 150 delicious recipes with Gin.

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ROYAL GAMBIT is the third book of the Antecedent series and a direct sequel to Nova Descent; the latest chapter in this gritty space opera set in a universe of intelligent warfare, intrigue and suspense. The corporations are in disarray. As Sapphire Nova succumbs to a terrifying new enemy and Taurus Galahad recover from their wounds, it is the wronged Sigma Royal who make the next move against those who caused their home world's demise, sparking a new war that will ultimately affect millions across the populated systems. With Kurcher and his allies fighting to repel threats from all corners of the galaxy, they inevitably find themselves once again at the heart of battles old and new in their bid to survive, setting them on a collision course with corporations, mercenaries and the nightmare spawned from the Grail itself.

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The sheep of yesterday are the wolves of today As an undergraduate, Kurt has had little to deal with in life - beyond essays, estate agents and finances - he struggles with even maintaining a conversation. So, waking one day to find humanity has developed incredible and terrifying abilities - he discovers he has telekinesis - it's safe to say, he's somewhat more than out of his depth. In this new land authority has crumbled, power is literal. Kurt and his friends find one person with a semblance of control and her intentions are dubious at best. His anxiety escalates, drastically. This is made even worse by the fact he still has to hold conversations...

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Recipes for ROMANCE Press/media: Femail, Woman & Home, The List SENSUOUS CELESTIAL COOKING? Yup. Could serving the right food capture a heart? Yes, according to passionate cook Penny Thornton (author of Suns and Lovers) who believes matching meals to personality types can open the route to happy seduction. Want to cook to win a heart? Penny's advice: spread your love over a perfectly laid table and then serve sensual starters, mouth-watering mains and puddings to provoke passion. Not easy? Yes, could be, with a little help from Zodiac Cooks, a book packed with recipes targeted for love with the right person for you. What some people relish could be 'poison' to others so, before that special dinner at yours, check out a potential new partner's taste. Plain food, or titillating choices? Would s/he warm to a hearty French cassoulet, or might a delicate sea bass prove more tempting. Cleverly linking likes and dislikes from trends in star signs, ardent home-based cook Thornton has produced a unique book which includes a fine selection of tried and tested recipes for informed seduction - a novel idea for this fun, delicious book: Zodiac Cooks, by Penny Thornton.

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The ancient and peaceful city of Lijiang and the iconic Tiger Leaping Gorge, China, 1918. These will become the stage, at a time when the whole world is riven by what seems to be endless war, for a final titanic struggle that could mean the preservation or the end of all humanity. The enigmatic Preacher Spindrift's GODS having deserted him, he is now the last of his kind remaining on Earth.

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Told is the story of an alternate world within a Christmas Tree; a fully realised world, not populated by humans, but by the Tree's ornaments. Power - held by a governing fairy - is handed on to the next in line every few seasons. One fairy though - Phaedria - refuses to stand down. Forcibly removed and stripped of magic, she is banished, but formulates a plan to retake the Tree. By hunting and absorbing the Tree's lights with the help of an enslaved ice-creature, she's able to regain her powers and gather an army. The Tree's ornaments, many and varied, must put aside their differences and come together. Little do the Tree's owners (the young boy Henry and his father) know of this world, until Henry - along with his faithful teddy bear - are pulled in and embroiled in a war. On his journey Henry is burdened with a perilous mission. Kidnapped by elves, he falls into the hands of Phaedria the fallen fairy. If he wants to keep his beloved Bear alive (a stuffed teddy from home, now animated) he must agree to deliver a 'gift' to Lilly, the current governing fairy. Henry hitches a ride on a giant snowflake, transforms to a bird, meets a tiny wizened king and the winds he commands, amongst many other encounters - and all in pyjamas and a dressing gown.

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When, in a story 1/2 a billion years in the making, some 200 young people disappear from a resort diminutive medium Medina Bishop follows perplexing clues to save hundreds of dead souls from an eternity of tortured madness. At her shoulder stands an earth elemental Fargo, sent to protect her, with whom she finds a bizarre and touching kind of love.

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Following the destruction of the Body Holiday Foundation, the extraordinary life story of telepath Milla Carter continues in Derek E Pearson's Soul's Asylum trilogy. Now, the adventures conclude in this volume. Iapetus in Saturn's orbit: Antisoc Outer has been destroyed and now the intelligent gas creature, the Swarm, is tightening its grip on the solar system. Iapetus Sector Manager 'The Padre' and his lover, Laura Bradley, are working with two super intelligent AIs in a desperate bid to find a way to stop the Swarm's relentless progress. If they fail their only hope is for everyone in Saturn's proximity to flee in a motley fleet of refugee spaceships. Milla Carter and her friends know there is no escape from the cloud beast. Mankind's only hope is to destroy it before it snuffs OUT every soul on Earth. But there seems TO BE no defence against its immense power.

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2013 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist __"This brain-twister of a novel, by horror author Christopher Ritchie, has won plenty of acclaim and deservedly so as he takes the reader on a frightening, disturbing journey that tests the imagination, pushing it beyond the limits of 'normal'. When officer Joe Gullidge is sent on a routine police call, the situation rapidly descends into a sequence of horrifically unsettling events that eat into the very depths of his soul. As 'Gully' is dragged into a reluctant search for the truth, his conscious mind struggles to separate reality from the suggestion of a parallel world. Is Gully's journey a metaphor for the deeper reality of an inescapable past - or is the explanation more straightforward than it initially appears? House of Pigs doesn't fall into the 'easy read' category given the complexity of its ideas and multiple layers of interpretation - but these are strengths not weaknesses. This is a grippingly surreal novel with an edgy narrative and visual touches reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining."SURREY LIFE magazine (UK) Sep 2015 (p.1 09), Juliette Foster__ More REVIEWS__"House of Pigs will horrify you with some really gritty and gory events...I love the imagery and the pace": Rebbie Reviews__"Needs to be read to even begin to grasp Ritchie's vision...His alternate worlds may throw you for an entertaining loop": Vitina Molgaard, Horror Novel Reviews

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A sailing classic, of real life adventure, beautifully illustratedTV Presenter JULIETTE FOSTER: "Captain George P Boughton's maritime career began in 1881 at the age of 12, and thanks to his grandson, the founder of GB Publishing Org, this intriguing memoir of a life at sea is now available to a new generation of readers." THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT: "His book is genuine sea salt...warm colours of Mr Shoesmith's pictures accord well with the romantic story [of days before steamships]" THE SPECTATOR: "recalls emotions [on sea-life] that have fleeted from the minds of most" First published in 1926, Seafaring - The Full Story reveals that a life on the ocean waves was anything but jolly: conditions were tough, the food was just about edible while the work was back-breaking - although the salt-of-the-earth camaraderie helped. As much a one-man reminiscence as it is an elegy for a forgotten way of life, it's not hard to imagine a gravely-voiced Boughton recalling the era of the 'large sailing ships'. and why the world stopped being a better place when they were forced off the sea. Boughton died in 1940 at the age of 71, having worked his way up to the position of Superintendent to the Shipping Federation of Britain. With the publication of these memoirs, his contribution to our understanding of this area of history will surely live on." In this edition of Seafaring, which deals with ships and life aboard ships in the days before steam had conquered sail, a Prologue is added that tells of the tragic circumstances that led up to the author going to sea when aged twelve. An Epilogue also reveals his fortunes since writing the book. The men who spent the best part of their lives on sailing vessels are now gone but fortunately Captain Boughton, as one of them, committed to writing his first hand account of what their lives aboard were really like. The salt of the sea is in these breezy pages; they reflect the virile enjoyment with which the men of whom Captain Boughton writes faced the hardships of their existence. ~*~ The inclusion of several of the traditional sea "chanties", with the musical scores, and the end-papers that illustrate sailors' knots, add the final flavour to an inspiring and enduring book.

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