Search results for ""author julian""

The 26th Kydd adventure from veteran writer Julian Stockwin.

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Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011From the hairdessing salon where an old man measures out his life in haircuts, to the concert hall where a music lover carries out an obsessive campaign against those who cough in concerts; from the woman who reads elaborate recipes to her sick husband as a substitute for sex, to the woman 'incarcerated' in an old people's home beginning a correspondence with an author that enriches both their lives - all Barnes' characters, in their different ways, square up to death and rage against the dying light.

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`Creative Solutions to a World in Crisis’ is a manual for change, a wakeup call for us to take back control over our lives before they become irreversibly controlled. The book examines where we lost our way: historically, socially, environmentally, agriculturally, economically, technologically, and in law, education and spirit. It demonstrates how to now resolve the key dilemmas brought about via `wrong doing’ in each of these spheres –and beyond. The book focuses on pragmatic human scale resolutions to conflicting socio-economic problems, proposing realisable `local’ solutions as an antidote to rapidly developing global crises. Through the channelling of reawakened human energies into a process of root and branch societal reform, the author foresees a `new renaissance’ of hope, creative endeavour that can reshape our perilous planetary existence and lead to a deeper and more subtle relationship between man and nature as well as between fellow human beings. Quite simply: it is an uncompromising call for us to rise to meet the challenge of our time.

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A groundbreaking formula of interlocking ideas which integrate circadian physiology with the transformations that constitute human life. Based on forty years of clinical practice, Julian Barker takes knowledge, information, and data from various disciplines, presenting an integrative model of health, linking circadian biology with the psychosocial human being. He develops a theory that attempts to explain how medicinal plants modify human physiology and how they contribute to health. Aimed at the student acquiring knowledge and developing the skills to practise medicine as well as the qualified herbal practitioner, this thought-provoking work breaks new ground in health theory.

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Encompassing the southern half of Cardigan Bay on the wild west coast of Wales, Ceredigion is famed for its glorious sandy beaches, dramatic sea cliffs and caves, spectacular sunsets and a wonderful array of wildlife, including the largest colony of bottlenose dolphins in Europe. Away from the sea, rolling farmland, fertile river valleys and characterful market towns give way to the brooding Cambrian Mountains, the main watershed of Wales. As one of the least populated regions of Wales, there is plenty of room to walk and in these 40 rambles Julian Rollins leads you through the best countryside and seascapes Ceredigion has to offer.

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'Yankee Mission is a jewel in Julian Stockwin's crown as a master in naval fiction, with a ship-to-ship fight so vivid that the battle's sounds and scents fly off the pages like lethal wooden splinters' - Quarterdeck1812. Off the coast of Brazil, HMS Java, a proud British 38-gun frigate, is captured in battle by the American USS Constitution - signaling across the world's oceans a challenge to Britain's naval premiership that cannot be ignored.Back in England Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is enjoying a moment of normal life with his wife and his newborn son. With his Thunderer in dock receiving some well-earned repairs he is, momentarily, without a command. It's a position the Admiralty does not leave him in for long, and he is soon given a mission: engage the young republic in a fair fight, frigate against frigate, and restore the Navy's reputation. And they have just the ship and crew for him . . . Tyger. But on reaching the US east coast, Kydd and his trusted Tygers realise that the hardest part of their mission will be drawing out one of the Yankee men-o'-war to engage in battle - especially once the Americans get wind of his purpose. It's a tall order, requiring every ounce of the crew's guile and persistence - and when fortune turns against them, Kydd finds not only his career, but his life, hanging in the balance.Praise for Julian Stockwin's Kydd series:'A very readable and enjoyable story . . . I can only recommend that you go out, beg, borrow or buy, and enjoy' - Bernard Cornwell 'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - Guardian'The characterization is first-class, and the reader quickly becomes involved with all that happens' - Historical Novels Review

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''pulls no punches'' The Sun''full of eventful tales from the past'' Daily Mail''punchy, earthy ... entertaining stories that capture football in an era long before sanitised PR and Instagram self-promotion'' IndependentFrom West Ham''s cult hero, Julian Dicks, a hugely entertaining romp through football and the East End of the Eighties and Nineties.''Cult figure'' is a term hardly used in football these days: where have they all gone? In the sterile and corporate modern game, is there room for the mercurial midfielder or the tough-tackling defender or the pot-bellied goal poacher? Rewind two or three decades and British professional football was stuffed to the gunnels with these ''one-offs'': players with bags of talent, yes, but also lorryloads of personality and a hugely relatable quality which meant they''d all be playing Sunday morning park football if they hadn''t become professionals. No media t

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'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - GuardianMore than a decade ago, Thomas Kydd and Nicholas Renzi were in the Caribbean as sailors before the mast in the old Trajan. Now Kydd, a storied hero of Trafalgar, holds the glory of being post-captain of the 32-gun frigate, L'Aurore. After unremitting war a Caribbean posting seems a welcome respite. But Kydd and Renzi soon find themselves facing a familiar threat as the French imperil Britain's vital sugar trade.When merchantmen begin vanishing from the sea, Kydd and Renzi must embark on a dangerous game of espionage, seamanship and breath-taking action in order to destroy a new and terrible danger to the Empire.*********************What readers are saying about CARIBBEE'A proper swashbuckling affair' - 5 stars'Totally amazing!' - 5 stars'Loved this book' - 5 stars'A real find' - 5 stars'A gripping read' - 5 stars

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The root causes of land degradation are the actions of political entrepreneurs, aid agencies, and governments of developing countries who misuse 'aid' money. Only when individuals are permitted to own property, especially land and water, to engage in free trade, and to resolve disputes through customary law, will the problems of land degradation, poverty, and hunger be reduced to acceptable levels.

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Swan & Maclaren were the most prominent and prestigious architectural practice working in Singapore during the latter part of the British era, that is to say, from 1892, when the firm was founded, through to independence in 1965. As such, the history of Singapore architecture, during that period, is very much the history of Swan & Maclaren. Of course there were other important players, local Singaporeans as well as British, working in Singapore at this time, but there is no denying that Swan & Maclaren were the key players during this era, representing the architects of choice for those who could afford them - their list of clients during the period we are considering reads like a litany of the good and the great of Singapore. The output of the firm was extraordinary, too, ranging from corporate blockbusters like the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank and the Union Building of the 1920s, to factories, shophouses, department stores, hotels, schools and university buildings, railway stations, churches, mosques, a synagogue, bungalows, even the odd cattle shed! And not just in Singapore, but also in Peninsular Malaya (later Malaysia), Bangkok, Rangoon and the east Bornean state of Sarawak, once the fiefdom of the White Rajahs, later a Crown Colony. The names of partners and senior members of staff are also among the most famous in Singapore's architectural record: the eponymous Messrs Swan and Maclaren who founded the firm, Regent Alfred John Bidwell, one of the most talented architects of the British era, famous for having designed Raffles Hotel, the Victoria Memorial Hall and Theatre, the Chased-el Synagogue, the Teutonia Club (today's Goodwood Park Hotel), Stamford House and much else besides; Arts and Crafts maestro, Scotsman David McLeod Craik; the 1920s and thirties triumvirate of "starchitects", Frank Lundon, Denis Santry and Frank Brewer; Serbian Slobodan Petrovitch who designed the Tanjong Pagar Railways Station, and C. Y. Koh, author of everyone's favourite early Modernist masterpiece, the Water Boat House on Fullerton Road. Similarly in the postwar era, when we see the emergence of a new generation of local Singaporean architects who would lead the practice through to independence. The scope of the book covers the period from the mid-1880s, when the two eponymous founding partners, Archibald A. Swan and J. W. B. Maclaren first came to Singapore, and continues through to the end of the British era in 1965.

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This book is an essential companion for all those considering a house extension. Featuring checklists and guidance on how to ensure your project is a success, this essential guide distils all the practical information needed to run a project from dream to reality, highlighting the pitfalls along the way and suggesting ways to avoid them. Richly illustrated with inspirational examples and case studies, this book demystifies both the building process and all the surrounding issues to do with design, sustainability, budgeting, planning, regulations and the use of building contracts.

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Art and Architecture of Sicily is the first book to cover the rich artistic heritage of Sicily from prehistory up to the late 20th century. Sicily’s strategic position in the centre of the Mediterranean led to settlement or conquest by a succession of different peoples – Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, Germans, French, Spanish – each one leaving its traces on Sicilian culture. The book provides a chronological survey, each section opening with a brief historical overview which is followed with an authoritative and engaging account of the development of the period’s art and architecture. The leading architects, artists and stylistic currents are all discussed and outstanding individual buildings and works of art are analysed, some famous, others which may be unfamiliar to readers. While architecture is the principal starting point for the understanding of each period, paintings and sculpture are treated in some detail; archaeology, urban development, patronage and decorative arts are also covered. The development of art and architecture in Sicily not interpreted as a story of artistic conquests, but as one of acculturation and creative transformation. The author instead reveals that successive layering of different cultures, and the way each one interacted with its predecessors produced art and architecture quite distinct from anywhere else in Europe. He thus challenges the commonly held view that Sicilian art and architecture is provincial and derivative, merely imitating the art of others.

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Jean Renoir''s 1937 film La Grande Illusion is set during the First World War, butits themes of Franco-German conflict, divided loyalties in a time of war and therise ofanti-Semitism made itcompelling and controversial viewing. Julian Jackson traces the film''s historical context and its reception history.

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'BARNES'S MASTERPIECE' - OBSERVERIn May 1937 a man in his early thirties waits by the lift of a Leningrad apartment block. He waits all through the night, expecting to be taken away to the Big House. Any celebrity he has known in the previous decade is no use to him now. And few who are taken to the Big House ever return.‘Stunning’ Sunday Times‘A profound meditation on power and the relationship of art and power… It is a masterpiece of sympathetic understanding… I don’t think Barnes has written a finer, more truthful or more profound book’ Scotsman‘A tour de force by a master novelist at the top of his game’ Daily Express

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The Bolds are just like you and me: they live in a nice house (in Teddington), they have jobs (like writing Christmas cracker jokes) and they love to have a bit of a giggle.Follow the hilarious adventures of the Bolds in these four fabulously funny books!The BoldsThe Bolds to the RescueThe Bolds on HolidayThe Bolds in Trouble

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'Stockwin creates a knotty narrative, writing with authority about Britain's Georgian navy and the physical world at sea with intrigue, captivating characters, and deft storytelling. Thunderer is a suspenseful journey' Quarterdeck1812. Arriving back in England after his successes in the Adriatic, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is bestowed with honours. In London he's greeted by the Prince Regent who, despite Kydd's protestations that he's happy with his present command, insists he be given a bigger ship - HMS Thunderer, a 74-gun ship of the line. But she's old, and being part of a standing fleet Kydd's chances of further fame and distinction are slim indeed. Winning over his new command is fraught with challenges. A hostile crew, abysmal levels of gunnery and sail-handling capabilities are intolerable to a fighting captain like Kydd. With the ship short of men and no incentives to attract more, can he ever bring Thunderer to a proper state of fighting preparedness?Kydd is sent to reinforce the Baltic squadron as Bonaparte's vast army invades Russia. News reaches him of French victory at the Battle of Borodino. The road to Moscow is now open. To avert total French victory, Kydd must lead a vital convoy through battle and tempest to the aid of Britain's last ally.Praise for Julian Stockwin's Kydd series'Paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line' Daily Express'This heady adventure blends fact and fiction in rich, authoritative detail' Nautical Magazine'Fans of fast-paced adventure will get their fill with this book' Historical Naval Society

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'PERSEPHONE is another shining milepost for Captain Thomas Kydd and his creator, Julian Stockwin' - QuarterdeckNovember 1807. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd must sail to Lisbon to aid the Portuguese Royal Family's evacuation in the face of Napoleon's ruthless advance through Iberia. In the chaos of the threatened city an old passion is reawakened when he meets Persephone Lockwood, a beautiful and determined admiral's daughter from his past. But the Royal Family's destination is Brazil, Perspehone's England, and it seems Kydd's chance has gone again. Only later he discovers Persephone has another suitor - and that, if he wants to win her hand, he must enter the highest echelons of London society.Mixing with aristocracy and royalty brings other responsibilities. The Prince of Wales asks him to take temporary command of the Royal Yacht. Sailing to Yarmouth, Kydd realises they are being stalked by French privateers. The terrible threat of a prince of the blood being captured sees Kydd call on daring seamanship of the highest order.***************What readers are saying about PERSEPHONE'Very much recommended, for this is an absolutely astonishing naval story by this author, and that's why I like to say: "Sail On, Thomas Kydd"!' - 5 stars'A masterly piece of writing!' - 5 stars'End one and start another - they're addictive' - 5 stars'Read it - that's all I'll say' - 5 stars'Still excellent, still gripping' - 5 stars

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In Nonplussed!, popular-math writer Julian Havil delighted readers with a mind-boggling array of implausible yet true mathematical paradoxes. Now Havil is back with Impossible?, another marvelous medley of the utterly confusing, profound, and unbelievable--and all of it mathematically irrefutable. Whenever Forty-second Street in New York is temporarily closed, traffic doesn't gridlock but flows more smoothly--why is that? Or consider that cities that build new roads can experience dramatic increases in traffic congestion--how is this possible? What does the game show Let's Make A Deal reveal about the unexpected hazards of decision-making? What can the game of cricket teach us about the surprising behavior of the law of averages? These are some of the counterintuitive mathematical occurrences that readers encounter in Impossible? Havil ventures further than ever into territory where intuition can lead one astray. He gathers entertaining problems from probability and statistics along with an eclectic variety of conundrums and puzzlers from other areas of mathematics, including classics of abstract math like the Banach-Tarski paradox. These problems range in difficulty from easy to highly challenging, yet they can be tackled by anyone with a background in calculus. And the fascinating history and personalities associated with many of the problems are included with their mathematical proofs. Impossible? will delight anyone who wants to have their reason thoroughly confounded in the most astonishing and unpredictable ways.

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Math--the application of reasonable logic to reasonable assumptions--usually produces reasonable results. But sometimes math generates astonishing paradoxes--conclusions that seem completely unreasonable or just plain impossible but that are nevertheless demonstrably true. Did you know that a losing sports team can become a winning one by adding worse players than its opponents? Or that the thirteenth of the month is more likely to be a Friday than any other day? Or that cones can roll unaided uphill? In Nonplussed!--a delightfully eclectic collection of paradoxes from many different areas of math--popular-math writer Julian Havil reveals the math that shows the truth of these and many other unbelievable ideas. Nonplussed! pays special attention to problems from probability and statistics, areas where intuition can easily be wrong. These problems include the vagaries of tennis scoring, what can be deduced from tossing a needle, and disadvantageous games that form winning combinations. Other chapters address everything from the historically important Torricelli's Trumpet to the mind-warping implications of objects that live on high dimensions. Readers learn about the colorful history and people associated with many of these problems in addition to their mathematical proofs. Nonplussed! will appeal to anyone with a calculus background who enjoys popular math books or puzzles.

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A Telegraph, Spectator, Prospect, and Times Best Book of the Year“Enthralling.”―Geoffrey Wheatcroft, New York Review of Books“This is a story not just about Pétain but about war and resistance, the moral compromises of leadership, and the meaning of France itself.”―Margaret MacMillanFor three weeks in July 1945 all eyes were fixed on Paris, where France’s former head of state was on trial. Would Philippe Pétain, hero of Verdun, be condemned as the traitor of Vichy?In the terrible month of October 1940, few things were more shocking than the sight of Marshal Philippe Pétain—supremely decorated hero of the First World War, now head of the French government—shaking hands with Hitler. Pausing to look at the cameras, Pétain announced that France would henceforth collaborate with Germany. “This is my policy,” he intoned. “My ministers are responsible to me. It is I alone who will be judged by History.”Five years later, in July 1945, after a wave of violent reprisals following the liberation of Paris, Pétain was put on trial for his conduct during the war. He stood accused of treason, charged with heading a conspiracy to destroy France’s democratic government and collaborating with Nazi Germany. The defense claimed he had sacrificed his personal honor to save France and insisted he had shielded the French people from the full scope of Nazi repression. Former resisters called for the death penalty, but many identified with this conservative military hero who had promised peace with dignity.The award-winning author of a landmark biography of Charles de Gaulle, Julian Jackson uses Pétain’s three-week trial as a lens through which to examine one of history’s great moral dilemmas. Was the policy of collaboration “four years to erase from our history,” as the prosecution claimed? Or was it, as conservative politicians insist to this day, a sacrifice that placed pragmatism above moral purity? As head of the Vichy regime, Pétain became the lightning rod for collective guilt and retribution. But he has also been an icon of the nationalist right ever since. In France on Trial, Jackson blends courtroom drama, political intrigue, and brilliant narrative history to highlight the hard choices and moral compromises leaders make in times of war.

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Mystics of all traditions speak of the unity that lies behind all things. Scientists seek to define the laws that govern matter and energy. But neither approach accounts satisfactorily for the world of imagination, ritual and creativity, for the inexplicable connections found in precognition, for the uncanny accuracy of oracles like the I Ching, or for the effectiveness of healing modalities like homeopathy. In One Earth | Three Worlds, Julian Carlyon draws on quantum theory, Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicity, the work of scientists Rupert Sheldrake and David Bohm, and ancient Chinese wisdom, to better understand how the unity lying behind all life might manifest itself in the daily-life world of our experience. Through his schema of ‘oneness world’, ‘twoness world’ and ‘intermediary world’ the author draws together such diverse threads as quantum entanglement, synchronicity, similarity and analogy, homeopathy, healing, dreams, creativity, free choice and destiny, spiritual unity, movement practice and the body. In doing so, he offers a way to appreciate how spiritual and scientific perspectives can exist alongside one another – a way to see how the unity behind everything can show up and work its magic in the physical reality of our lives. This is a book for anyone – scientist, therapist, creative artist, healer, eco-activist or enquirer – curious about how our world works and how to reconcile our apparently conflicting approaches to reality.

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AUTHOR OF INTERSTATE, STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016"Julian's tales of weaving through the streets of London on two wheels bring to life the gig economy, showing how things have changed in the modern workforce but have also stayed the same. Messengers gives the reader insights on what goes on behind the grand lobbies of the UK's banks and large companies, to see the people who really make business work" Financial TimesMessengers sees Julian Sayarer return to work as a London bicycle courier, after six months cycling around the world. From saddle and kerbside, his stories of delivering flowers to politicians, and administration notices to banks toppled by the financial crisis, make for a social history of a less seen city, written from the perspective of someone stuck in one of London's most insecure and poorly paid jobs.Underneath the deliveries, we meet London's bicycle messengers, a family drawn from jaded graduates, jailbirds and recovering drug addicts. The riders all share their brushes with the law, struggles on the breadline and compete together in alleycat races, forming an unlikely but tender community upon the streets.With a bicycle the one constant that seems to make sense of everything else, Messengers is a two-wheeled portrait of everyday life in a modern city at the start of the twenty-first century."Sayarer is a precise and passionate writer . . . The vast energy of his commitment to discover, observe and communicate makes for engrossing, often incandescent prose. We need writers who will go all the way for a story, and tell it with fire. Sayarer is a marvellous example" HORATIO CLARE

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The letters of a young doctor who was sent to a remote hospital in Bangladesh in the years following its war of independence. They describe the day-to-day life of the hospital, its ups and downs, its triumphs and disasters. Through these challenging circumstances, he discovers a new experience of the presence of God.

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__________________*A road-map for a kinder, fairer capitalism that is fit for the 21st century*Financial Times Book of the Month‘The founder of Richer Sounds is one of the finest entrepreneurs we have.’ Archie Norman, chairman of Marks & Spencer__________________Capitalism has lost its way.Every week brings fresh news stories about businesses exploiting their staff, avoiding their taxes, and ripping off their customers. Every week, public anger at the system grows. Now, one of Britain’s foremost entrepreneurs intervenes to make the case for putting business back firmly in the service of society, and setting out on a new path to a kinder, fairer form of capitalism. Drawing on four decades of hands-on management experience, the founder of Richer Sounds argues that ethically run businesses are invariably more efficient, more motivated and more innovative than those that care only about the bottom line. He uncovers the simple tools that the best leaders use to make their businesses fair, revealing how others can follow suit. And he also delves into the big questions that modern capitalism has to answer if it is to survive and to thrive.

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Major General Julian Thompson first wrote No Picnic when the momentous events of April - June 1982 were fresh in his mind. As Commander of 3 Commando Brigade, he was at the heart of the planning and conduct of the War. Under his direct command had been the Royal Marine Commandos and the two battalions of the Parachute Regiment who conducted the lion's share of the fighting.No-one therefore is better qualified to tell the extraordinary story of there-taking of the Falkland Islands from the Argentinians. The author, now a celebrated military historian, has revised his early book and added for this 25 Anniversary edition more of his own personal thoughts and impressions.It is all too easy to overlook just how perilous and risky a venture this expedition to the depths of the Southern Hemisphere was. Victory and defeat hung in the balance. Even those who feel they know about this most remarkable of wars will learn more from reading this classic account.

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As Chief of the Imperial General Staff and chairman of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee, Alanbrooke was principal military advisor to Churchill for most of the Second World War and one of the chief architects of Anglo-American strategy. He also played a crucial role in saving the British Expeditionary Force in France in May 1940 and was Montgomery’s immediate superior throughout WW2. Whilst Alanbrooke the soldier and strategist has been covered by historians, Alanbrooke the man is unexplored territory. This book reveals – for the very first time – his complex and contradictory character and presents him in a markedly different, and more sympathetic, light to the way he has been portrayed since 1945. Based on a detailed analysis of Alanbrooke’s war diary, it also identifies the lessons which could have been learnt from his experiences in World War Two: these include the difficult relationship that exists between political and military leaders, the weaknesses of politicians (notably Churchill) and the invaluable template created by Alanbrooke as to how military leaders should handle their political masters. The importance of these lessons is illustrated by showing how some of the mistakes made in WW2 were repeated in the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Want to upgrade/update your cars electronic systems, but don't know how? Here's the solution! Cars of the 1990s and 2000s are from a golden era - they've got sufficient electronic systems to achieve great outcomes, but they're not so complex that they're impossible to modify. The missing link, until now, has been a hands-on manual on how to achieve those results. Well, here it is! This book covers everything from cheap modifications that allow you to adjust engine fuelling and ignition timing, to modifying car systems like power steering and even stability control. Easy upgrades to lighting, sound systems and the dashboard - right through to fitting and tuning programmable engine management. Photos and circuit diagrams guide you each step of the way. All the car modifications are practical, and have been tried and tested by the author. From a 660cc turbo front-wheel drive screaming to 8500rpm on standard engine management but with big injectors... to a DOHC V8 rear-wheel drive with modified traction control... to a twin-turbo all-wheel drive with a custom torque split controller. Even modifying the re-gen braking on a hybrid! This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to exploit the true electronic potential of their 1990s-2000s cars.

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'A delightful read' RADIO TIMES'Heartwarming tales' DAILY MAILA celebration of the different creatures - great and small - that this Yorkshire vet has come to know and love.Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton has spent his days as a mixed practice vet treating animals across the bucolic Yorkshire Dales. Julian's voice and humour - well known from his titular role in Channel 5's long-running series The Yorkshire Vet - leap out from every page as stories of drama and excitement unfold.Whether treating dogs, cows or sheep, Julian has come to recognise and appreciate the very particular ways in which healthy and happy animals express their well-being and contentment. Lambs will skip and gambol, cows will ruminate placidly, and the gentle sounds and soft curious facial expression of alpacas or llamas are enough to lift the spirits and warm the coldest of hearts. Here in All Creatures, Julian tells the stories of each of the eight species he has the good fortune to care for every day. He shares the heart-warming and life-affirming characteristics of animal happiness and once again reminds us of the power these creatures have to bring joy to us all.

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Julian Romane examines the military events behind the emergence of the Sui and Tang dynasties in the period 581-626 AD. Narrating the campaigns and battles, he analyses in detail the strategy and tactics employed, a central theme being the collision of the steppe cavalry with Chinese infantry armies. By the fourth century AD, horse nomads had seized northern China. Conflict with these Turkic interlopers continued throughout the 5th and most of the 6th century. The emergence of the Sui dynasty (581-618) brought some progress but internal weakness led to their rapid collapse. The succeeding House of Tang, however, provided the necessary stability and leadership to underpin military success. This was largely the achievement of Li Shimin, who later became the second Tang Emperor. By the start of Li Shimin s reign as Emperor Tang Taizong, effective military organizations had been developed and China reunified. His military campaigns are examples of tactical and strategic virtuosity that demonstrate the application of the distinctive Chinese way of war expounded in Chinese military manuals, including Li Shimin s own writings.

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'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - Guardian1808. With the Peninsula in turmoil, Napoleon Bonaparte signs a treaty to dismember Portugal and put his brother, Joseph, on the throne of Spain. Meanwhile, Nicholas Renzi, the Lord Farndon, undertakes a deadly mission to stir up partisan unrest to disrupt this Napoleonic alliance with Spain.Thrust into the crucible of the uprising, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is dismayed to come up against an old foe from his past - now his superior and commander - who is determined to break him. Kydd will soon face the greatest decision of his professional career.Bonaparte, incensed by the reverses suffered to his honour, gathers together a crushing force and marches at speed into Spain. After several bloody encounters the greatly outnumbered British expedition have no option other than make a fighting retreat to the coast. Only the Navy can save them.But the flame of insurrection has been lit - and the Peninsular War has begun.More Praise for Julian Stockwin and the Thomas Kydd Series'Paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line' Daily Express'This heady adventure blends fact and fiction in rich, authoritative detail' Nautical Magazine on VICTORY'Fans of fast-paced adventure will get their fill with this book' Historical Naval Society on THE ADMIRAL'S DAUGHTER

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'Paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line' - Daily ExpressCape Colony is proving a tiresome assignment for Captain Kydd's daring commander-in-chief Commodore Popham. Rumours that South America's Spanish colonies are in a ferment of popular unrest and of a treasure hoard of silver spur him to assemble a makeshift invasion fleet and launch a bold attack on the capital of the Viceroyalty of the River Plate, Buenos Aires.Navigating the treacherous bars and mud flats of the river, the British invasion force lands and wins a battle against improbable odds, taking the capital and the silver. But nothing is as simple as it seems in this region of the world: the uprising that will see the end of Spanish rule never arrives and the locals begin to see dark conspiracies behind the invader's actions. Soon the tiny British force finds itself surrounded by an ever more hostile population. The city begins to revolt against its liberators.Now Kydd's men must face fierce resistance and the betrayal of their closest allies. Can they save themselves, and their prize?****************What readers are saying about BETRAYAL'Another page-turner from a sailor who knows his craft' - 5 stars'An outstanding addition to an excellent series' - 5 stars'A great read and I would highly recommend it!' - 5 stars'A really good naval series written with good taste and fine detail' - 5 stars'A triumph' - 5 stars

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'A naval tale of the first order' - 5-star reader reviewVictory at the Battle of Trafalgar removed the spectre of invasion and England is now free to seek conquests and colonies in the furthest reaches of the world. Captain Kydd joins an expedition to take Dutch-held Cape Town, a strategic imperative to secure the rich trade-route to India.But even if the British can defeat the enemy and take possession of the capital, there is still more fighting to be done. Kydd and his men must defend the fragile colony from attacks by the enemy from all sides, while braving the wild beasts and hostile environment of Africa's vast and savage hinterland.****************What readers are saying about CONQUEST'I loved each and every page . . . I strongly recommend Conquest to all readers attracted to naval fiction and indeed historical fiction in general.' - 5 stars'Excellent as always' - 5 stars'Another year, another winner' - 5 stars'Another glorious tale' - 5 stars'Excellent, but then the whole series is!' - 5 stars

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In this book:"Philosophy is like fish: best presented without too much adornment; hard to get just right and easy to ruin."What's the point of it all? In Philosophy: All That Matters, bestselling philosopher Julian Baggini shows how abstract ideas feed into the most important existential questions of all. He tells the story of Philosophy, bringing together and interlinking all its different areas, to create what is perhaps the first non-historical narrative of the subject -- one that takes you right to its heart. It places philosophy firmly at the centre of what makes us human. From ethics and metaphysics, to the philosophy of science and religion, Baggini explains what makes us different to other species, why philosophy lies at the heart of that difference, and why that matters.This accessible and readable book will appeal to both students and general readers, giving a fascinating taste of philosophy -- and what matters most within it.The All That Matters series:All That Matters books:All books in the All That Matters series are written by world experts in their subject field. These experts work to distil a topic and get right to its heart, making the book accessible for both students and general readers. Each compelling book contains new and interesting perspectives and tells stories that matter. The Author:"one of our most lucid and accessible popularisers of philosophy"Julian Baggini is a philosopher, author and journalist, who was recently named on the Observer's list of Britain's top public intellectuals. His doctorate was from University College London on the philosophy of personal identity, and his books have been published globally and translated into twelve languages. Baggini is widely regarded as one of our most lucid and accessible popularisers of philosophy. His work appears regularly in the Guardian, Prospect and the New Humanist, and he founder The Philosophers Magazine. Julian has also appeared as a character in an Alexander McCall Smith novel, and been the subject of a question in University Challenge. Keep up with Julian Baggini on his website or follow his Twitter account @microphilosophy.Other books in the All That Matters series:All That Matters - Interesting introductions to important issuesBooks on the following subjects are available from the All That Matters series: Muhammad, Water, Political Philosophy, Sustainability, God, Intelligence, Love, Russian Revolution, War, and Creativity.

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'A powerful, eloquent and deeply affecting book. I loved it' EDMUND DE WAAL'Tender, evocative and deeply moving' JONATHAN FREEDLAND'Profound, elegiac and fascinating... I zipped through it' PHILIPPE SANDS'Compelling' DAILY MAIL, BOOK OF THE WEEK'I SEEK A KIND PERSON WHO WILL EDUCATE MY INTELLIGENT BOY, AGED 11.' In 1938, Jewish families are scrambling to flee Vienna. Desperate, they take out adverts offering their children into the safe keeping of readers of a British newspaper, the Manchester Guardian. The right words in the right order could mean the difference between life and death.Eighty-three years later, Guardian journalist Julian Borger comes across the advert that saved his father, Robert, from the Nazis. Robert had kept this a secret, like almost everything else about his traumatic Viennese childhood, until he took his own life. Drawn to the shadows of his family's past and starting with nothing but a page of newspaper adverts, Borger traces the remarkable stories of his father, the other advertised children and their families, each thrown into the maelstrom of a world at war.From a Viennese radio shop to the Shanghai ghetto, internment camps and family homes across Britain, the deep forests and concentration camps of Nazi Germany, smugglers saving Jewish lives in Holland, an improbable French Resistance cell, and a redemptive story of survival in New York, Borger unearths the astonishing journeys of the children at the hands of fate, their stories of trauma and the kindness of strangers.I Seek a Kind Person is a gripping family memoir of grief, courage and hope, connecting us with multiple generations, distant continents and the hidden histories of our almost unimaginable past.

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