Search results for ""batsford ltd""

In 1940 Doreen Wallace, prolific novelist, academic, social campaigner and farmer, wrote a book for Batsford on vegetable growing, as part of the publisher's iconic Home Front Handbook series. With its chatty, readable writing style and its beautiful Brian Cook cover, the book became a wartime classic, invaluable for everyone growing fruit and vegetables at home to help the war effort. This reissue of that important book retains all the appeal of the original. As well as being a great read, it contains a wealth of information that is still useful for vegetable gardeners today. It tells you what fruit and vegetables to grow and when, how and why, how to keep down weeds and pests, explores 'The Vexed Question of Small Fruit', gives tips on arrangement and rotation of crops, and even touches on the subject of keeping hens and pigs in your garden. Full of sensible practical advice mixed with whimsical musings and a great deal of charm, this book would make a perfect gift for any gardener.

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The University of Oxford offers 800 years of history: its 39 colleges are inextricably linked with the daily life of a busy city with beautiful buildings, cobbled lanes, and turrets and spires. Fully revised for 2019, and with a map to guide visitors, this guide explores each college, detailing the historical and architectural magnificence, and tales of famous men and women who founded them.

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‘I can't think of a single person who wouldn't enjoy having this beautiful collection of poetry to dip into when they need a boost' – Good Housekeeping ‘This is supreme bedtime reading.’ – The Lady ‘Go to sleep with the lightest of hearts, with verses from Thomas Hardy, Emily Brontë, Simon Armitage, Wendy Cope and more’ – Townswoman These days we're all in need of a little nugget of happiness to help soothe our weary souls at the end of the day. A Happy Poem to End Every Day provides just that: one sublimely happy poem for every day of the year, from cosy fireside idylls in winter to outdoor adventures in summer, encounters with the beauty of nature in spring and moments of quiet reflection in autumn. It features some of the greatest poets ever to put pen to paper, from William Wordsworth on the joy of skating and Emily Brontë enjoying life on the moors to Simon Armitage catching a cricket ball and Wendy Cope sharing an orange, with a good smattering of classic jolly verse such as Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat. Beautifully illustrated with contemplative scenes of pure happiness, this wonderful book is the perfect way to give yourself a little lift every evening. Keep it by your bedside and it's sure to bring restful sleep and sweet dreams.

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An inspirational guide to using nature in textile art, with step-by-step projects Plants, flowers, gardens, insects and birds are a rich source of inspiration for artists and designers of all kinds. This beautiful guide demonstrates how to get the most out of your surroundings to create original and unique pieces in textiles. Beginning with a chapter on drawing from nature, the book demonstrates how to use sketchbooks and create mood boards to explore your local environment and landscape. The author demonstrates how to make small pieces such as folding books based on observational drawing and stitch. Moving on to a section on floral inspiration, the author shows how to use plants and flowers in your work, from using stencilled flower motifs as embellishment to printing with plants onto fabric and making simple relief prints. Finally, the taking flight chapter demonstrates how to move into three-dimensions and sculptural work with birds and insects made from cloth. Featuring step-by-step projects as well as work from contemporary artists, makers and collaborative groups throughout, this practical and beautiful guide shows how practitioners of all kinds can draw from the natural world for making and inspiration.

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WINNER OF THE BEST BRITISH BOOK AND BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD AT THE BRITISH BOOK DESIGN AND PRODUCTION AWARDS 2010 Join Clare Balding on some terrific cycle rides around Britain, whether it's a week-long cycling holiday or an afternoon ride with the family, the book has a cycle ride for everyone. Free-wheeling on and off road – along obscure lanes, bridleways and disused railway lines – Britain by Bike reveals a fresh perspective on our country. Revel in beautiful breathtaking and exhilarating cycle routes and scenery in the six regions of Britain and find out the unusual ways to enjoy these islands, whether it's going to green man festivals, learning local customs or resting up at remote campsites or posh yurts! Share in Clare Balding's practical and cycle-related challenge and learn how to make the most of pedal power with guidance on reading a map, puncture repair, bad weather and tricky terrain. Discover Britain by Bike.

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Somewhere around 4000 BC, people in Britain began to give up their old hunter-gatherer way of life, instead raising livestock and planting crops: they became farmers. This comprehensive and informative guide covers the history of farming in Britain since this time, when cattle were huge beasts and ploughs did little more than scratch the ground’s surface. Tools and technologies may have changed since these primitive times, but the patterns of life on the farm have remained much the same. From the medieval farm to the Agricultural Revolution as enclosure transformed the landscape, here is the story of how farming has evolved into the tractors and mechanization we recognise today. With photographs and illustrations this book also illuminates the life of farmworkers and their families. What was it like being a cattle farmer or a shepherd? What did a farmer’s wife spend her day making? An entertaining and detailed guide for anyone interested in the history and lives of the country’s farmers. Includes a list of farms and museums to visit of historic and general interest.

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Oxford - an eclectic mix of the ancient university colleges, cobbled streets and dreaming spires. But also a modern city with theatres, galleries, bookshops, cafes, pubs and restaurants. Today's tourist can enjoy them all. A guide to help the Chinese visitor explore Oxford and its university - a city with over 40 ancient colleges tightly interwoven, each a part of the other. It looks at the ancient beauty of cobbled streets, neat quadrangles, bell towers and slim spires. Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, including other titles in our popular City Guides series.

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Introducing a beautiful new range of notebooks adorned with stunning illustrations and photographs from our rich archives. All exquisitely finished and cloth bound with woodfree paper, large pocket at the back and elastic closure. These iconic images were originally commissioned for Batsford book jackets in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Brian Cook's heightened use of colour encapsulates classic scenes of glorious countryside of old England and his work has become highly collectable. The perfect notebook for lovers of vintage book jackets!

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In chess, a transposition is a known position reached by a different move order than usual – a less obvious way of getting to somewhere you want to go, leading to confusion for your opponent. Every chess player has a number of them in his arsenal, and they are used most often in openings. There are transpositional tricks in all openings, but this is the first book devoted to them. As the book covers all the key openings variations it can be used by most chess players. The introduction explains what transpositions are and why they're invaluable, followed by 8 chapters discussing transpositions, illustrated by some notorious examples from top-flight matches. Chapters are divided by opening group – Double e-pawn openings; Sicilian Defense; Other Semi-Open openings; Double e-pawn openings; Indian openings; Other 1 d4 openings; Reti, English, 1 g3. The benefits and drawbacks of each set of move orders are discussed throughout. This is an ideal book for all club players and is written by one of the best chess writers in the world today.

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Over 4,000 years of history lie in the seams of British mines, beginning all the way back in the New Stone Age. Large-scale coal mining in Britain developed during the Industrial Revolution, providing energy for industry and transportation in industrial areas from the 18th century to the 1950s. This classic Pitkin guide provides a history of mining in Britain as well as of the hard lives of those who worked in them. Child labour was a normal part of Victorian life, so women and children were found in the dangerous deep pits until 1842, while male miners relied on safety lamps and canaries to avoid mining disasters. Fascinating photographs accompany this guide’s history of these people’s lives, including their time outside of the mines, their homes and hobbies. Whole villages grew up around mines, with close comradeship and tightly knit mining communities emerging. Here is the story of what that life was like for so many, up until British mining's decline in the 19th and 20th centuries. Includes a list of mines, museums and heritage centres to visit.

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Written for the German visitor, this is a lavishly illustrated guide based on walks that take in the 'must-sees' of Bath, with diversions for those with more time. Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, including other titles in our popular City Guides series. Alternative language editions: English, French, Japanese

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An indispensable reference book of chess moves, perfect for any chess player, beginner or club player. This A to Z of chess tactics provides an explanation of all the key terms and jargon used in chess so you can understand them and put them into practice in your own game. From Castling to Zugzwang, from Underpromotion to Zwischenzug. Written in a clear and informative style, the book features a large section with Illustrative games from past chess masters and grandmasters which show the relevant chess definition in action. Plus there are exercises that illustrate the tactic defined – these test you on your ability to recognize the tactics learned, as that is how they will appear in a match. The exercises teach you how to seize the opportunities before they disappear as well as avoiding traps your opponent may leave. Useful for all chess players, this is an essential read for those looking to improve and understand the game better.

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