Search results for ""Whittles Publishing""
Whittles Publishing A Quiet Life
From their inception and through the early years of the 20th century, long before automation, lighthouses were manned by keepers, often with their families in residence. In the case of the Petrie family, in 1922, their number included a new arrival, Martha. Over the years, Martha, or Mattie as she was nicknamed, went with her parents to several lighthouse postings around the British Isles. Growing up in the unusual environment that constitutes a lighthouse station, where going out to play can be a major hazard, Mattie witnessed much of which most children only dream. This is an account of the unique life of the lighthouse where the mundane activities of a mainland existence become exciting, certainly different and often downright near impossible. Martha Robertson recounts her growing up in the 20s and 30s, and describes the war years and life in the Wrens. This is a story of an existence that has disappeared forever as automation puts the seal on lightkeeping as a thing of the past.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing A High and Lonely Place: Sanctuary and Plight of the Cairngorms
This is the work of a man who has known and loved the Scottish Cairngorms for more than 30 years. Jim Crumley marries a poet's instincts to an uncompromising passion for the Cairngorm's arctic character, and for those wildlife tribes which thrive there. He marks nature's rhythms with thoughtful observations of bird and beast, flower and landscape. In the process he strives for a purer empathy with the wilds, seeks out the nourishing bond of man and landscape. Ultimately, the book asserts that the Cairngorms are nature's place. Crumley proposes a radical solution to safeguard the mountains from a threatening array of forces ranged against them. In his conclusion he invokes what Seton Gordon called "the spirit of the high and lonely places".
£15.99
Whittles Publishing The Shadow
Horrific experiences of the blitz in wartime London and the spiritual bankruptcy of her lover and his Marxist acquaintances are seen through the eyes of Nan, a young Scotswoman, who has returned to her native Highlands to recover from a nervous breakdown. Her letters to her lover from the warm and friendly ambience of a widowed aunt's farmhouse reflect her innermost thoughts on the essence of being and the restorative effects of the quiet rhythm of country life. The shadows of the immediate past begin to recede, but her return to health is rudely interrupted by news of the brutal murder of a neighbouring crofter and the unsolicited attentions of a sinister stranger. The inevitable relapse brings her aunt, a practical and cultured woman, into contact with both lover and stranger and pits her optimistic, human and emotional approach to life against the theories and bleak logic of the two men. The recovery of the young woman brings aunt and niece even closer together in their understanding of life, but the final denouement, although imbued with hope, is inconclusive and leaves the reader to imagine the eventual outcome. This is a subtly thoughtful and gripping novel, written with all the power of a master hand. Although written over fifty years ago, the book has a strange relevance to today's events. The blight of terrorism, the dominance of consumerism in everyday life, the absence of a spiritual dimension in domestic affairs and fears of the harmful effects of globalisation on the freedom and development of small communities, are symptoms of an uneasiness with regard to world stability and the erosion of traditional values and beliefs.
£9.65
Whittles Publishing A Private Sort of Life
Bridget MacCaskill has been observing otters for many years and studies undertaken with her late husband Don resulted in books and a film about otters and their environment. Otters are fascinating and delightful creatures but to watch them in their natural habitat requires immense patience over a long period of time and an appreciation of their way of life. For those of us who wish to know more, this book presents an intimate account of an extended otter family. It is written in the form of a story by an unseen observer and tells of the lives of two otter cubs from birth until adulthood, their relationship with their parents and the other otter family on the loch, and their interaction with some of the other creatures there. Enter Coll and Coire, Kyle and Kelpie. All the events in this book are based on actual observation, either from watching the animals themselves or by interpreting signs of their presence. The result is a book that is true to nature and not in the least sentimental. But it conveys a serious message - we must be aware of the need to minimize pollution, disruption of habitat and other harmful intrusions if we are to benefit from the presence of these wonderful creatures. The book should appeal to everyone with an interest in otters and all lovers of wildlife and the natural landscape.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing Testing of Ceramics in Construction: v.2
A guide to testing the main ceramic elements used in the construction industry. Standard tests on fundamental products such as bricks, tiles and pipes are described and how these translate into practical procedures. The majority of authors have been involved in the drafting of Europe-wide standards, resulting in authoritative statements about the choice of test procedures, the state of the art, level of compromise and areas where no compromise is possible. This is a thorough treatment of European practice which finds acceptance worldwide. Chapters covering larger elements such as walls, full-scale tests, as well as model and accelerated testing, are included. Tests concentrate mainly on new products or structures and techniques for dealing with the performance and condition of existing structures are included, as are codes and standards by which brick masonry is designed and described. The future role of test method development using IT is discussed with its associated potential benefits.
£60.00
Whittles Publishing Principles and Practice of Testing in Construction: v.1
Testing is a vital tool for the construction industry which is constantly faced with the demands of quality, durability and cost-effectiveness. Testing programmes ensure that materials will perform to their design requirements. There is an increasing demand for standard and non-standard tests for materials and structures. However, the planning, implementation and operation of a testing programme together with the collection and interpretation of data is no simple task. It is essential that the programme is established to provide answers to relevant questions and when the data has been analysed, that the correct action has been taken. This series will deal with all materials of any import in construction. By building on a broad base, it will be possible for the reader to extract information on a specific topic or to gain a general appreciation of the requirements in testing programmes. A most useful part of these volumes will be to identify the tests and indicate where they might be used, or not, as the case may be. This first volume is an introduction to the subject presenting information and guidance which is also applicable to all subsequent volumes. In addition to a brief history of the subject, the authors deal with issues of fundamental importance, including laboratory planning, quality control and handling data. As a stand-alone volume, it presents a concise appreciation of this important aspect of construction - as part of the series, it forms the foundation of a valuable guide to good practice.
£60.00
Whittles Publishing Self Portrait: The Eyes Within
This is the story of William Mitchell’s life – his career and body of work from an early age to a life of art with international commissions offered 80 years later. Bill’s zest for life, his love of London, his determination to cover the world with sculptures, murals and decoration are main themes, as his work in Qatar, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris and Hawaii testifies. He worked with famous architects such as Basil Spence and Sir Freddie Gibberd who designed the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King where Bill created the famous bronze sculpted doors and designed the Portland Stone frontispiece. He also produced the Stations of the Cross at Clifton Cathedral, Bristol and the Grade II listed Corn King and Spring Queen figures at Wexham and has had a total of nine works of art listed Grade II by English Heritage – more than any other artist. Included are stories about his discussions on art with Princess Margaret, his clashes with Prince Philip, his battles with Mohamed Al Fayed and the phenomenal success of the Egyptian Hall and Escalator in Harrods. He designed the Hall and executed the carving on all 300 panels cladding the walls – no mean achievement for any sculptor but Bill was by then 75 years old. Self Portrait contains a vast array of illustrations of Bill’s work and in so doing reveals the man – a true creative genius, who invariably had a smile or comic story, and whose energy carried projects to completion despite the many challenges. It’s a brilliant and inspiring story.
£27.50
Whittles Publishing Bubbleheads, SEALs and Wizards: America's Scottish Bastion in the Cold War
The American military presence in Scotland during the Cold War was greater than in either of the World Wars, bringing with it the largest peace-time number of foreign military personnel in Scotland’s history. This military power was delivered by individuals – the forgotten heroes. They worked to high standards of professionalism and most had no true concept of the danger they faced from the Soviet threat. This reality was only ever confronted during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The author, a former Cold War special forces officer, brings his personal expertise into play, examining this intriguing story by reaching out to more than one hundred veterans and expert witnesses. Their contributions cover the nitty-gritty end of history, not high-end diplomacy. This fast-moving account of their endeavours, often in long working conditions, highlights the value of teamwork, training and determination. It is clear that Scotland would have been a Soviet target of necessity once the American bases were established. Scotland was of great importance to the United States during the Cold War and this research shows that, for more than thirty years, Scotland was the capstone in Washington’s early Cold War strategy. Scotland was an active centre of US strategic operations and the vital importance of its geographic position is clearly demonstrated as each location is examined, and its benefits listed. There were six significant bases, the most important being America’s only nuclear-armed submarine squadron in the Holy Loch. He details the operations which were carried out by the large radio spy stations (SIGINT) at Kirknewton, Thurso and Edzell. And he reveals for the first time America’s most bizarre intelligence gathering activity of the early Cold War, which also took place in Scotland. Overall, this book provides an important addition to the conventional US/UK Cold War narrative. The United States desperately needed the assistance Scotland provided and the author presents a convincing narrative that Scotland was at the epicentre of the Cold War’s most terrifying episode – the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy’s success was greatly assisted by these Scottish bases which provided him with the firepower and intelligence to outwit Khrushchev. One section of the book deals with the visit of JFK’s top advisor to Holy Loch – a story that has never been revealed before. It emphasises the simple fact that Scotland’s role was a game changer. An interesting theme throughout the book is the espionage effort mounted by the KGB against these bases. The author has interviewed senior intelligence officers and their input is revealing. These were exciting times for the young Americans who crossed the ocean to serve their country and this is their Cold War story.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Horse Welfare: A Window on the Equine World
This book is dedicated to the protection of horses, ponies and donkeys and is based on first-hand international experience from a lifetime spent with horses - hunting, racing and welfare - whether with The Pony Club, The Jockey Club or international horse charity. It covers all equines to the highest levels of performance - racing, show jumping, eventing and endurance riding and encourages all owners to care for their animals. Horses are beautiful animals that can work with their owners to the best effect; it is only right that they should all be cared for with respect so that the partnership is equal, one of working together and free from abuse. Christopher also looks at the world of working horses, donkeys and mules in the developing world, where they are often the only means of transporting people and goods, provide the only power to work the land and are essential for their owners' survival. He calls for them to be given closer attention and care and that training is given to the owners who may not be aware of how to care properly for their animals. He also writes about people in equestrian sports both nationally and internationally and the work of the major charity World Horse Welfare of which he was chairman, calling on his role as a leading regulator and lifelong horseman. He held one of the highest profile jobs in the Jockey Club, steward in charge of enforcing the rules of horse racing - and provides an insight into the high stakes world of racing where winning is everything. But whatever the activity or level, readers will be aware that horses are the real stars.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing Dive Truk Lagoon, 2nd edition: The Japanese WWII Pacific Shipwrecks
The 50-mile wide lagoon of Truk Atoll, far out in the remote expanses of the Pacific, is quite simply the greatest wreck diving location in the world. Scores of virtually intact Japanese WWII wrecks of transport ships, still filled with cargoes of tanks, trucks, artillery, beach mines, shells and aircraft, rest in the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon - along with two Japanese destroyers and one submarine - each today a man-made reef teeming with sea life. The seemingly impregnable fortress islands of Truk Atoll were a powerful air base and the main forward anchorage for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). By 1944, the Allies were pushing westwards across the Pacific islands towards the Japanese homeland. On 4 February 1944, a daring 2,000-mile long-range U.S. reconnaissance flight revealed the Truk lagoon to be full of the might of the Imperial Japanese Navy, along with scores of large supply ships and transports. The Allies decided to attack immediately. Sensing this, the Imperial Japanese Navy scattered, but the merchant ships remained, as crews rushed to offload their war cargoes of aircraft, tanks, artillery, mines and munitions. Other heavily laden supply ships continued to arrive from Japan, unaware of the Allied assault plans. Task Force 58, codename Operation HAILSTONE, was formed for an immediate attack. In total secrecy, nine U.S. aircraft carriers, holding more than 500 combat aircraft, steamed towards Truk - supported by a screen of battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines. At dawn on 17 February 1944, an initial fighter sweep of Truk by 72 F6F Hellcat fighters roared in over Truk under Japanese radar - catching the Japanese by complete surprise. The Hellcats immediately began strafing Japanese airfields and soon hundreds of aircraft were involved in one of the largest aerial dogfights of WW II. The F6F Hellcat was by now vastly superior to the Japanese Zero fighter, and the Japanese planes were shot out of the sky within an hour. With air superiority established, U.S dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers spent two days sinking all the large ships trapped in the lagoon. These sunken ships, with their war cargoes, were largely forgotten about until 1969, when Jacques Cousteau located and filmed many of the wrecks. The resulting TV documentary, Lagoon of Lost Ships, went viral. Truk's secret was out - and the beautiful wrecks, untouched since WWII, have proved an irresistible lure for thousands of divers each year since then. New illustrations of most of the previously unillustrated wrecks have now been specially created to make this book the most comprehensive guide to diving Truk Lagoon that has ever been produced.
£35.00
Whittles Publishing The Futile Pursuit of Power: Why Mussolini Executed his Son-in-Law
Italian history is not widely read but the period under Mussolini's shadow is both interesting and relevant to understanding the wheeling and dealings of the 1930s and into WWII. Through sheer nepotism Galeazzo Ciano married Mussolini's daughter and became Italy's Foreign Secretary, the youngest in Europe and at first scorned at home and abroad. There are many salacious stories of their open marriage and promiscuity, but the focus is Ciano's political life as a man regarded as second only to Mussolini. Through his diary and diplomatic papers, access is gained to the European diplomatic squabbles of the 1930s. The study of Ciano provides insights into Hitler and his leading henchmen, especially Ribbentrop and Goering, as well as the Spanish dictator Franco. Most importantly the figure of Mussolini is exposed in both his professional and somewhat dubious private life. The book explores the question of the Italian Fascist attitudes towards the Jewish population, the Vatican, and the monarchy. The Nazis at first courted him but soon realised he saw them for what they were, and he proved incapable of containing either his criticisms or the growing threat against him. Ciano finally turned against Mussolini only to find after his master's downfall that he had left himself encircled by personal enemies. His flight to Germany initiated his descent into personal chaos, leading to his trial and execution in Italy seemingly supported by his father-in-law. Perhaps the strangest twist in the personal story is the way his wife Edda turned to support him after years of an open and promiscuous marriage. There was considerable German and international interest in his diaries and diplomatic papers because of their revealing insights. He has been described as egotistical and arrogant, clever, perceptive, corrupt and a man with potential. Many despised him, but historically he was an interesting personality who above all left historians with some incisive observations of the critical years of 1935 to 1942.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Black Rood: The Lost Crown Jewel of Scotland
Black Rood tells the fascinating story of one of Scotland’s oldest and most significant crown jewels. Once as famous as the Stone of Scone, the Black Rood was a gold and jewel-studded reliquary for a piece of the True Cross. This profound and holy treasure was smuggled into Scotland after the Norman invasion by the sister of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. On her marriage to King Malcolm III, the Black Rood passed into the Scottish royal family, and so became a symbol of the authority and legitimacy of Scotland’s kingship. Giving its name to the abbey and then the palace and now the parliament of Holyrood, the Black Rood was to help define Scotland as a kingdom which was at least the equal of England in the eyes of God, and in some ways superior to it. David Willem tells the story of the Black Rood though the lives of the kings and queens of Scotland and England who honoured it, treasured it, enacted themselves through it, fought over it, and who sometimes died clutching it, so creating a history in vivid human detail that ranges over a thousand years of Scottish and English history. At the same time, the author tells the story of two other similar reliquaries of the True Cross – the Croes Gneth of Wales and Ireland’s Cross of Cong. Like the Black Rood, these Irish and Welsh crown jewels helped define the autonomy and independence of their nations, and both were to follow similar trajectories through time. The book ends with the mystery of what happened to the Black Rood, and explores the possibility that, like the Cross of Cong, it might still exist and be waiting to be found. Together these stories create a new and compelling perspective on the relationships between Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, just when those relationships are changing again for the first time in hundreds of years.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing The A to Z of Whisky Place-Names: Landscape, Language & Invention
Have you ever wondered about the place-names that appear on Scotch whisky bottles? What language the names come from, what they mean or if they are even real places? If you feel baffled about where to start looking for such information, then this reliable and informative book is for you. Within its pages, you will be able to find out about the derivation and identity of any of these place-names. This book discusses each place-name that is concerned in some way with Scotch whisky, either as the name of the whisky itself, or as the name of the distillery. For each of these names the author provides an informative discussion of the origin, history and development of the name from a linguistic and historical perspective. He also offers an early spelling of the name, the original meaning (where known) and the correct pronunciation. Where applicable he has added curious information, such as a proverb or extract of poetry that mentions the place-name. No special linguistic or local knowledge is assumed. Additionally, there is an introduction for the educated non-specialist dealing with the various languages of Scotland: Gaelic, Scots, English, Norse and Pictish. At the end is a full list of sources used, and an appendix identifying some 'lost' distilleries. Peppered throughout the book are information boxes about particular pertinent topics, such as Inver- and Aber- names and tautological names. As a professional place-name researcher, the author has ensured that the material in this book derives from primary sources (many of which are unpublished) and has been rigorously researched, allowing the reader to distinguish between genuine and spurious names. Interest in Scotch whisky, the Highlands, Gaelic, Scots and place-names has never been higher, and there is an increasing demand for reliable works on these subjects. This is an informative and entertaining book that sets the standard for whisky place-names.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing Understanding Metocean: A User Guide for Offshore Renewables and Oil & Gas
This unique and innovative book provides guidelines, procedures and information for the offshore renewables and oil & gas sectors with regard to the requirements for metocean at each stage of the life cycle of a project. It also provides details about metocean processes and activities that ensure these requirements are addressed. It therefore presents a better understanding of what metocean is all about and how optimum use of data and information can benefit offshore development activities. Reference is made to appropriate standards as and when applicable and it will therefore complement existing standards. Written by an expert with many years practical experience, the book provides information about the development of metocean, the rationale behind it and the key data and procedures that should be utilised and followed to enable more profitable offshore operations.
£45.00
Whittles Publishing The Life and Works of Glasgow Architects James Miller and John James Burnet
This is the first full biography of two of Scotland's most eminent Architects, James Miller and John James Burnet. While born just three years apart into very different circumstances - Burnet was the son of a wealthy Glasgow architect and Miller a farmer's son - their careers and lives became intertwined as they competed for work and eventually the role of Scotland's leading architect. Born in 1857 and 1860 respectively, one inherited and the other established successful practices in Glasgow at the zenith of that city's wealth in the late 19th century. John James Burnet, who was educated at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and led his profession in Glasgow in the latter years of the 19th and early years of the 20th centuries, produced many of the city's finest buildings. These include The Athenaeum on Buchanan Street; Charing Cross Mansions; numerous city-centre commercial buildings such as Waterloo Chambers and Atlantic Chambers and the Townhouses on University Avenue. After moving to London, his work included the extension of the British Museum, The Daily Telegraph Building on Fleet Street and Adelaide House by London Bridge. Burnet was knighted and awarded the RIBA's Gold Medal in 1923 and is recognized as one of Scotland's finest architects. James Miller is simply Scotland's most prolific architect. During his long career he designed The Empire Exhibition of 1901, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow Central Station, Wemyss Bay Station, St Enoch's Underground Station, Turnberry Hotel, Peebles Hydro Hotel, Gleneagles Hotel, the interiors of the SS Lusitania and SS Aquitania, Hampden Park, Forteviot Model Village, the Institution of Civil Engineers in Westminster, numerous banks, commercial buildings and churches in Glasgow and beyond as well as schools, country houses, factories and town halls. Despite this extraordinary output and his considerable architectural contribution to Scotland's heritage, he has received relatively little acclaim, until now. This is a fascinating double biography, the story of Burnet and Miller's parallel lives and work, set against the background of the booming Empire's 'Second City'.
£17.99
Whittles Publishing The Immeasurable Wilds: Travellers to the Far North of Scotland, 1600 - 1900
Towards the end of the 18th century the attention of mapmakers, explorers and travellers turned to the north of Scotland. The mountains that rise north of Stirling formed a formidable barrier for anyone wanting to visit the Highlands, and travellers to the Far North were even rarer: there were no roads at all into most of Sutherland, and Ross and Cromarty until the early years of the 19th century. Who did go there, and why? This book follows the early mapmakers who gradually revealed the area, including Timothy Pont and Alexander Bryce who published the first accurate map of the north coast. General Roy covered the whole of Scotland for his remarkable 'Great Map', and later, the indomitable and energetic General Colby dragged his reluctant Ordnance Survey team across much of the north, as documented by Robert Kearsley Dawson. Meanwhile, Culloden led to increased interest in the area, as is evident not only from the visit of Dr. Johnson, but also those from Thomas Pennant, Bishop Pococke and the Rev. Charles Cordiner, all of whom managed to reach the far north-west and leave fascinating accounts of what they found. The poverty that was apparent to these visitors from the south led to action from the British government, not least an important road-making scheme under Thomas Telford which is documented in this book using not only the official reports, but also an enthusiastic account left by the Poet Laureate of the time, Robert Southey. With the new roads came the tourists, flocking to sites like Loch Katrine, in search of signs of Sir Walter Scott's heroes and heroines. But it was only the bolder few who made it to the far north-west, men like the Rev. James Hall, 'making love' under the table at Caithness, or James Hogg, ever the ladies' man at Lochs Duich and Maree. The book follows this story, which has barely been mentioned in popular literature, and delights in choice anecdotes from all these accounts, touching on a number of disciplines: cartography, early geology and botany. But above all, it gives a picture of this unknown region, as it seemed to those exploring it, an area of astonishing beauty, with inhabitants that showed notable warmth and generosity in spite of their poverty. The book ends with an account of the Highlands Controversy, a debate that divided the geological community for much of the 19th century, culminating in discoveries that revealed that the area contained some of the most remarkable geology not just in Britain, but in the whole world. Thus recognition was at last achieved for a region that contains some of the most striking scenery in the United Kingdom.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing The Dunbars of Ackergill and Hempriggs: The story of a Caithness family based on the Dunbar family papers
The Dunbars of Ackergill and Hempriggs emerged in the late 1600s as one of the largest landowners in Caithness. As such they played a major part in the history of the county, a role revealed in the family papers with their wide variety of documents, including personal letters and legal missives. Readers will learn about the Dunbars selling Caithness grain in the Lowlands, coping with the effects of the last Jacobite rising, handling disputes with their neighbours, arranging elections, dealing with debt - and that is just in the 18th century. During the Napoleonic wars the Dunbars recruited a fencible regiment called the Caithness Legion that saw action in Ireland. At the same time the British Fisheries Society acquired land from the family and began to develop Pulteneytown as a major herring fishing port. An agricultural revolution swept over the estates, leading to the enclosing of fields, disputes over common land, evictions and refurbishment of farms. In the mid-19th century, when the family home at Ackergill Tower was refashioned by the architect David Bryce, the Dunbars adopted the lifestyle of the Victorian country gentry as well as finding careers in the Empire. With family trees, photographs, maps and documents, the book presents an absorbing, intriguing and, at times, amusing account of the social and economic life of the Dunbars over more than three hundred years, using unique messages from the past, never before made public. A fascinating insight into life in northern Scotland during centuries of change.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing A Journey in Landscape Restoration: Carrifran Wildwood and Beyond
Carrifran Wildwood was the brainchild of local people who mourned the lack of natural habitats and decided to act. When Borders Forest Trust was founded the Wildwood became the Trust's first large land-based project, and after 20 years of work it has become an inspirational example of ecological restoration. Removal of sheep and goats and planting 700,000 trees launched the return of native woodland and moorland, transforming degraded hill land into something akin to its pristine, vibrant, carbon-absorbing state, teeming with plants, animals and fungi, alive with birdsong and the sound of the wind in the trees. The 40 contributors vividly describe all the challenges of carrying forward bold initiatives requiring close cooperation with local communities as well as funders, authorities, landowners and partners. A core part of the book is devoted to how nature asserts itself when given a chance. It includes 'before and after' surveys, describes vegetation changes - some of them unpredicted - following removal of sheep, cattle and feral goats; unique documentation of the dramatic changes in bird populations during the 20-year transformation of Carrifran valley from denuded land to a restored mosaic of woodland and moorland habitats; discussion of the gradual development of a diverse range of invertebrate animals; and descriptions of the rich communities of fungi and mosses, many of them newly-recorded in the area. The book concludes with discussion of the role of restoration ecology in addressing the biodiversity crisis and climate change. This is the extraordinary story of how a group of motivated people can revive nature at a landscape scale.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Untangling the Knot, Belugas and Bears: My Natural World on Film
The beginning of the author's adventure with a camera - filming wildlife across the world for the BBC Natural History Unit and other major TV companies - began in 1978 when he joined the RSPB's film unit. Untangling the Knot gives an in-depth look into what is involved in capturing the sequences needed for a natural history film, using comprehensive diaries and over 200 photographs. Mike describes the stresses of international flying with 20 cases of film equipment, sometimes alone, to distant corners of the world. The hardships of living and working for weeks in remote regions, avoiding tropical diseases, the onslaught of forest insects, long hours of waiting from dawn to dusk, and of frustration and disappointment when the elements or circumstances conspired against him. There are times of great elation too, when animal behaviour never seen before is captured on film. Working with top biologists and highly-experienced pilots was an essential partnership in understanding the subject to be filmed, often in remote regions where the challenge was reaching the subject in rainforest canopies, on remote islands or in featureless arctic tundra. In a career spanning 35 years, several of the programmes in which he was involved have won major awards. He describes filming Attenborough in Paradise in New Guinea with Sir David Attenborough as a career highlight, where he filmed behaviour of Birds of Paradise that had never been seen before. His last programme, Jewelled Messengers was the fulfilment of an ambition to make the ultimate film on hummingbirds with producer Paul Reddish, using the latest high-speed, high-definition cameras, and which was shot mainly in Brazil and Ecuador. The story concludes when he realizes his dream of visiting the Ross Sea region of the Antarctic. Mike considers himself lucky to have worked in so many spectacular regions of the world and this book enables readers to travel with him and share his incredible experiences.
£20.95
Whittles Publishing World of Geology: Travels of Rocky Places
A core component of the natural world is the geology, in the rocks and the landforms that have been created by their erosion. The plants that cover so much of the world's land areas, ant the myriad animals that inhabit each environment, form the wonderful world of nature, but the backdrops to all of them are the landscapes that are the world of geology. So many of the world's great natural attractions - the sites, the sights, the national parks, the wow places that folk travel to see - are features of their geology, with landforms that range from awe-inspiring to simply beautiful. And then there are so many more terrains and landscapes that have great stories to tell. Travelling the world, always armed with a camera, led to the author compiling a substantial collection of photographs, many of which reflected his own interests in their geological theme. This has grown into a worldwide overview of just a fraction of the magnificent sights, both natural and influenced by mankind, that make the geological world so totally fascinating and frequently so beautiful. Within these pages, the photographs and their short, accompanying texts offer just a taste of the visual delights within the world of geology. They constitute a grand tour across the surface of our planet, taking in as many as possible of our most spectacular and most fascinating sites. The whole book is perhaps best viewed as a glorious journey of discovery.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing HARD DOWN! HARD DOWN!: The Life and Times of Captain John Isbester from Shetland
Hard Down! Hard Down! describes the eventful life of a Shetland man in pursuit of his ambitions - to reach the top in his profession, to find a wife, to cherish a family, to do his job well and to be respected by his peers. The account is enlivened by extracts from numerous well-chosen family letters, diaries and postcards revealing the minutiae of shipboard and family life 120 years ago. These include a bachelor night out in 'Frisco, buying slippers in Dantzig and a captain who changed his underclothes at midweek because he could not remember which weekend his wife had suggested! After four years as a fisherman in the stormy waters around Shetland, John Isbester chose to spend his next forty years in large square-rigged sailing ships from Liverpool at a time when shipping casualties were all too common. Remarkable feats of survival and tragic deaths are described with clarity and detail. Happier times are also remembered with picnics in Sydney harbour with captain, family and friends transported in the ship's longboat, rowed by the eight apprentices. John Isbester's wife, and sometimes their children, sailed with him on several year-long voyages accompanied by her upright piano. Her letters provide an extra dimension, describing conditions ashore in Sydney, 'Frisco, Antwerp and La Rochelle. She also describes the birth aboard ship of her ninth child! Extracts from the diary of an observant young Scots solicitor on a voyage from Liverpool to Sydney provide many insights into the nature of life aboard a large square-rigged sailing ship on a long voyage. The author, also a professional mariner, has compiled a record of the life of his grandfather from diligent research of shipping records held in the many parts of the world to which John Isbester sailed. Technical issues are illustrated with numerous diagrams for the reader and there are new insights into the loss of the Dalgonar and the acclaimed saving of 26 of the crew.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Recollections of an Unsuccessful Seaman
Recollections of an Unsuccessful Seaman was written in 1928/1929 by George Leonard Noake, who wanted to keep himself occupied for the rest of his days after learning of his incurable illness from which he died, aged 42 years, in 1929. Born in 1887, he joined the nautical training establishment, H.M.S. Conway, in 1903 and then served an apprenticeship at sea until 1908 when his detailed memoirs commence with him sailing as a second officer in the European/West African trade. After going ashore to work on a farm between 1913 and 1915, he returned to the mercantile marine in 1915 during the First World War to sail in a number of ships carrying horses, grain and coal. He survived not only being torpedoed in the English Channel, but also making 112 trips between England and Europe on a ship carrying war materials. Subsequently joining one of the largest tankers in the world, he endured a hazardous passage without a naval escort through the Channel to Rosyth to deliver safely the precious oil cargo before hostilities ended. The narrative of his wartime experiences are both harrowing and humorous. The tanker continued to trade in peacetime between Mexico and South America before eventually returning to Hull, where he signed-off to see his family after being away for seven months. War reparations had him travelling out to the East as a passenger to sail as second officer on board a German vessel bound for Europe, where the Depression after the war gave him no hope for further seagoing employment. Borrowing money from a relative in 1921 he bought into a farm before becoming a haulage contractor. On the verge of bankruptcy in 1923, he escaped his creditors by joining a ship bound for Australia as a quartermaster. Luck was on his side and upon his return home, he became master of a `Glasgow Puffer' that had been converted to carry oil. He remained in the employ of the National Benzole Company to take command of three coastal tankers before accepting work as a chief officer on a ship trading in the Mediterranean. His seagoing career as a chief officer ended in 1927 when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Readers of this poignant portrayal of life in the 1900s, not only at sea but also ashore, will be thoroughly entertained and moved by the author's experiences and humour. Leonard Noake was undoubtedly a true character, a person who enjoyed more than a tipple or two, a strong supporter of the fledgling unions being born in that era and an unrelenting critic of shipping magnates and their shareholders. The last chapter of the book has been published without correction or editing to permit the reader to make his/her own judgement of Len, his heartfelt style of writing and his passionately held beliefs.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Durability of Concrete Structures: Sixth International Conference - ICDCS 2018
The International Conference on the Durability of Concrete Structures (ICDCS) series brings together leading experts in the field of concrete durability from around the world. It presents and discusses recent progress and latest developments in materials technology, assessment of performance both in laboratories and on site, service life concepts and reuse and recycling of construction materials and products to enable concrete construction to be durable and sustainable. This conference at the University of Leeds is the sixth in the ICDCS series and comprises over 110 papers covering seven key themes, preceded by plenary and keynote contributions.
£135.00
Whittles Publishing Britain and the Bomb
This is a very British story from more than 50 years ago. It is a story of remarkable technological ambition from a different country than is seen today. It was an era in which the country adjusted to decolonisation and a dangerous nuclear arms race close to home. The maturing Cold War engineers of the British aviation industry sought to outdo the nationally-celebrated and frankly propagandised achievements of their fathers' generation. Meanwhile, black and white post-war austerity was being replaced by the colour and rhythms of the swinging sixties. For everyone, engineers or otherwise, the country was changing fast. Britain and the Bomb tells one of the great British stories from the Cold War - the transition of the nuclear deterrent from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Navy. The author draws upon insights from the laboratories, the military, popular culture and from politicians to make sense of a complex time and to challenge some widely-held perceptions that Britain in the 1960s lost her technical ambition and ability. Rather than industrial chaos and short-termist leadership, there is instead a story of shrewd, but pragmatic, moves in the chess game that was the Cold War. The author looks at how Britain saw the role of nuclear weapons, providing insights for the decisions that now lie ahead for Britain in the twenty-first century. The story pivots around a single day in April 1965. The recently-established Labour government very publicly cancelled the much-vaunted TSR2 nuclear strike bomber, causing dismay among aviation enthusiasts. The passing decades have done little to diminish the controversy and a pervasive sense of nostalgic melancholy about a lost Britain. What really happened to the TSR2 and more importantly what happened in the years that followed? By taking a wider view, the merit of the 1965 decision is apparent, providing better understanding of the even bolder and more ambitious decisions that were needed into the 1970s. Those bold actions were once highly secret and are still not widely-known or understood. While Britain very publicly cancelled her strike bomber ambitions she very secretly pursued a different nuclear weapons project: the `Chevaline' upgrade of the submarine-based nuclear deterrent. That engineering success deserves to be remembered. This is a fascinating book that takes us back to a time of British boffins, supersonic test pilots, mods, rockers and Cold War spies.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing High Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery: 2nd edition
The second edition of this book has been fully updated to include information on optical sensors launched since 2012 and on new developments in technology, particularly on small satellites and on constellations. There is also a new chapter on applications which looks at how products from optical sensors are used by various organisations for the benefit of end users. Information is given on acquiring images and value added products. Examples and case studies from various disciplines and regions are included. The book is a comprehensive guide to the characteristics and use of high resolution optical images from satellite-borne sensors, concentrating on sensors designed for mapping. It considers in detail the SPOT series of satellites and sensors with a ground sample distance (GSD) of less than 15m, operational since SPOT 1 and particularly the sensors launched since 1999 with GSD of less than 1m The book explains to students, anyone working in map production and scientists working in fields other than mapping, the way in which high resolution imagery is obtained and the issues which surround its collection and use. It deals progressively with the fundamentals of mapping from imagery, followed by the key features in the design of sensors and methods of data storage and transmission, including data compression. Subsequent chapters cover the sensors, calibration, sensor models and the methods of determining the orientation elements and extracting coordinates from the images. Rigorous orientation, use of rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs) and approximate methods are covered. Results from tests showing the accuracy which can be obtained, generation of digital elevations models, their accuracy and the production of orthoimages are included, as are image processing and data fusion. Finally, future missions and the issues which face further development are discussed. High Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery is written by a team of acknowledged international experts, is the only comprehensive text on the subject and has been well received by the geospatial community.
£85.50
Whittles Publishing Concrete for the Modern Age: Developments in Materials and Processes
This volume presents a wide-ranging review of the latest developments in concrete technology that have been largely missing from the global conference circuit. It the first major international event under the auspices of the Institute of Concrete Technology (ICT) and is appropriately located in the Middle East at the heart of a construction boom.Themes covered include admixture technology, durability, mix design, special cements and supplementary materials, reinforced concrete and sustainability. The 39 papers provide interesting theory and applicable practice blended with research findings – from the application of 3D printing to performance-based specifications and the role of concrete in the development of Oman – to produce a volume of value to many engineers and technologists.Founded in 1972, The Institute of Concrete Technology (ICT)’s mission is to preserve and promote concrete technology as a recognised engineering discipline and consolidate the professional status of practising concrete technologists worldwide.
£99.00
Whittles Publishing The Biology and Management of Animal Welfare
This book provides a concise and up to date review of current knowledge on the biological processes affecting animal welfare, and the implications emerging from our improved understanding of those biological principles in terms of options available to assess and manage the welfare status of individuals and populations. Biological principles are embedded within wider consideration of the ethical basis for our concern about animals and their welfare, in recognition of the fact that concern and responsibility for welfare is strongly affected by cultural and ethical norms. The Biology and Management of Animal Welfare covers several topics not addressed in other texts. Thus it pays attention to the difference between animal welfare and animal rights and distinguishes between welfare and evolutionary fitness (which often causes confusion). The thorny problem of necessary versus unnecessary suffering is considered; most legislation provides for the prevention of unnecessary suffering but never defines it. In addition a box feature explores how human psychological development can affect attitudes to animals and how psychological dysfunctions (in terms of attitudes to other humans) can often be detected in advance from attitudes to animals. The book also includes consideration of alternatives to animal experimentation with a chapter devoted to the 3 Rs (Refine, Reduce, Replace). Written by authors who work in the field and all regularly contribute to postgraduate courses in animal welfare, in veterinary faculties and elsewhere, the text is deliberately kept short and concise to emphasise the essential principles, but is comprehensively referenced throughout in order to guide the reader in their own wider background reading around the framework provided by this overview. The book includes a number of dedicated box features that offer more detailed illustration or worked examples for some of the topics addressed in the text, or to focus attention on additional special topics.
£22.50
Whittles Publishing Concrete in Extreme Environments
Contemporary events have shown that buildings designed to modern day codes need to be able to resist accidental extreme actions such as impact, explosions, weather, chemical and seismic events. This is one of the reasons for the present reviewing of the Eurocodes used to design concrete structures. The definition of the use of concrete used in extreme environments is difficult, but extreme events are usually defined as those rare events which occur at the extreme ends of the statistical distribution in a particular situation. Often the clients who order the concrete structures are unable to determine the extremes of environments the concrete will encounter and rely on the designers and construction companies to be able to predict the service conditions.
£80.00
Whittles Publishing Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete: Principles, Production, Properties and Applications
Glassfibre reinforced concrete (GRC) is the most complex materialwidely used in current construction practice. It is an unusual composite, inwhich both the matrix and the reinforcement themselves are composites.This book provides guidance on the properties, its specification, testingand the latest methods for efficient production. Detailed information ispresented about the unique aspects of the internal structure and fracturemechanisms of GRC and how the latest advances in nanotechnology areleading towards a fuller understanding of the rational design of GRC andthe potential for further improvement of properties beyond those used incontemporary construction practice.GRC is already firmly established as the high-tech material of choice for architects and designers and recent decadeshave witnessed a rapid increase in production of GRC world-wide. However, to provide the full picture and encompass themost recent developments in GRC and how it can be exploited in major projects, a substantial part of the book is made upof case studies.GRC has been always a very versatile material; however, its range of practical applications has grown significantly.From small, simple items (flowerpots, drainage channels, window sills, etc.) to large-scale, high-tech iconic projects fromleading architects, where GRC has to cope with the highest demands regarding structural complexity, freedom of shape,striking appearance combined with durability and overall quality and excellent environmental performance. Thecomposite is well used in the reconstruction of complex historic facades and GRC has moved beyond construction into thedomain of art and interior decorations and furniture. The case studies show numerous examples of such designs andproducts, including recently developed large double-curved panels with unusual surfaces and strong colours, and selfcleaningand photocatalytic (air-cleaning) e-GRC.
£50.00
Whittles Publishing Money Talks: British Monarchs and History in Coins
Money Talks is a fast-paced history of the humble British coin, the events which at times literally shaped it and the stories reflected in its creation.It has been used to barter and to bribe, to hold a cloak in place and to pay a king's ransom, been an object of pride and a symbol of courage. The coin has witnessed the great events in history - about kings and queens and the transfer of power - and it speaks to us of generations passed, of battles and heroic deeds, of countries and empires as well as of moments we would rather forget.Money Talks is about how such a small object of desire has been regarded as a symbol of power and authority for more than 2,500 years. It traces British history through the one thing that has come to dominate our lives - hard cash - and it demonstrates how monarchs down the centuries have used it to fund their wars, maintain their lifestyles and portray their image to prove their position or legitimatise dubious claims to the throne.From time to time the coin has slipped out of use altogether as bartering goods was preferred to poor quality coinage for day-to-day business. It has been hoarded for safer times and simply used as adornment.But even as the modern world turns increasingly to electronic transactions moving billions around the world at the touch of a button, the coin retains its place at the heart of everyday life. (In association with Vitabiotics)
£16.99
Whittles Publishing Manual of Aerial Survey: Primary Data Acquisition
Primary data acquisition is the front end of mapping, GIS and remote sensing and involves: aviation, navigation, photography, cameras (film and digital systems), GPS systems, surveying (ground control), photogrammetry and computerized systems.This book deals with differential GPS systems, survey flight management systems (both simple and sophisticated), film types, modern film survey cameras such as LH RC-30, Z/I RMK-TOP, digital cameras, infrared methods, laser profilers, airborne laser mapping, satellite systems, laboratory processing (chemical and digital), camera platforms (fixed wing and helicopter). A fresh approach to the subject includes: soft-copy photogrammetry using desk-top computerized systems, film scanners and direct digital camera inputs. Comparisons are made between old film-based technologies and the new digital camera systems, including the Z/I modular digital mapping camera and the LH 'push-broom' ADS 40 camera.
£60.00
Whittles Publishing Water and Life
Water and Life pursues the goal of the previous volume, Nation and Nationalism, to bridge the often ivory-tower concerns of academic critics and the interest of a wider public in the works and thought of Neil Gunn, considered the foremost Scottish novelist of the twentieth century. The 'circle' in the title reflects its use within Gunn's novels to symbolize both wholeness and the cyclical nature of life. It also represents the group of enthusiasts for Gunn's work that ranges from the energetic volunteers who created and maintain the commemorative centre at Dunbeath in Caithness and those in the Dingwall-based Neil Gunn Trust who actively promote his work to the authors whose own writings owe much to his example and insights. The circle also embraces the scattered community of dedicated readers, within and outwith Scotland, that renews itself with each generation.Water and Life contains eloquent autobiographical pieces from two of those dedicated readers, Mike Vass and Victoria Bernie, who were inspired in their own work in other media.Mike Vass recounts how he read Gunn's Off in a Boat while recovering from a serious illness and, when better, set out to recreate the voyage himself and then to write in song and music about his own experience. Victoria Bernie was moved by Highland River to record in photographs, reproduced in this volume in full colour, the changing nature of the Girnock Burn. Christopher Stokoe also recalls in his autobiographical account how an almost fortuitous encounter with The Serpent led to a lifetime's devotion to the understanding and promotion of all Gunn's writings.Jim Mather, the former Government Minister, begins also with water as a source of life and industry and, in asking the question of who should own this vital resource, outlines a vision, shared by Gunn, of a successful Scottish society built upon principles of community and cooperation. Alistair McCleery discusses this theme in relation to Gunn's novel, The Green Isle of the Great Deep, and recounts the novelist's promotion of individual freedom, collaboration and community as he articulated his opposition to the statist political thought of Naomi Mitchison.The story of Gunn's relationship with another contemporary novelist, Maurice Walsh, is related by Dairmid Gunn, Neil's nephew, to highlight the influence of both men upon one another as well as the continuing example of Ireland upon the development of Gunn's political thought. This is further illustrated by the inclusion of two of Gunn's essays within this volume.Water and Life offers fresh insights into Neil Gunn's life and work to both readers already passionate and knowledgeable about his writings and those who are coming to him for the first time. The contributors write in an accessible and engaging manner, bringing their topics to life in a manner appropriate to the great novelist himself.
£10.33
Whittles Publishing Between Daylight and Hell: Scots Who Left a Stain on American History
This is the culmination of years of research into the lives of Scots who were guilty of dastardly deeds after leaving Scotland for America - in some cases they literally got away with murder. These emigrants were rogues, con artists, charlatans and reprobates of the worst order and their crimes are laid out in detail. For each character the author relates their early lives in Scotland, family backgrounds and why they left to make a fresh start in the New World. 'Between Daylight and Hell' refers to the story of Perthshire man David Jack, a serial land grabber who took over the homes and properties of rancheros and other landowners after America had taken control of California from Mexico. A group of angry squatters wrote to him demanding compensation in the following terms 'If you don't do this within ten days you son of a bitch ...we shall suspend your animation between daylight and hell'.These include William Stewart, who butchered victims as they tried to flee a massacre perpetrated by members of a religious sect; conniving Charles Forbes, who fleeced brave World War One veterans to the tune of millions of dollars to line his own pockets; William Dunbar, a son of the Scottish Enlightenment who was only too happy to mete out brutal punishments, including hanging, to his negro slaves in the American south; or the hapless Adam Stephen, who led troops into a crucial Revolutionary War battle while drunk as a lord - and attacked men fighting on his own side. They came from all over Scotland and their foul deeds spanned a continent - colonial Virginia, the Mormon State of Utah, Chicago, Boston, the Texas hill country and the Pacific coast of California. However, history has been relatively kind to this band of ne'er-do-wells. Their crimes may have made headlines for a brief time after the event but the vast majority of these scoundrels are 'unknown' instead of being cloaked in notoriety for their crimes.Auld Scotia rightly basks in the glory of the well-known achievements of other emigrant Scots but there is another side to the coin, the exploits of these unsavory individuals who made their way across the Atlantic, and this book brings them to a certain justice, albeit some time after the events. This is a rollicking good read, comprehensively researched by one of Scotland's most experienced and respected journalists. Everyone loves a good 'baddie' and this book is full of them.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Enigma: The Untold Story of the Secret Capture
David Balme will be forever known as the 20-year-old hero who, on 9 May 1941, boarded a German U-boat in mid-Atlantic, and captured one of the greatest secrets of the Second World War. This capture - or 'pinch' as it was known within secret, inner circles - changed the course of the Battle of the Atlantic and shortened the war itself. Balme was part of a team comprising officers and men of the Third Escort Group ably led by Commander Joe Baker Cresswell, also commander of HMS Bulldog, who shared the danger with other unsung heroes such as Lieutenant Commander George Dodds. Balme was tasked with taking the Bulldog's whaler and a small party to board the U-boat U-110 which had been disabled. However he was alone when initially boarding, entering and searching the U-boat. This put him in a vulnerable position while descending into the vessel - he risked being shot by any German submariner that may have remained or blown-up by a booby-trap device. Furthermore he could have drowned when Bulldog disappeared into the mists of the Atlantic to hunt another U-boat, as U-110 could have plummeted into the depths at any time.However, where others tried and failed or tragically lost their lives, Balme and his boarding party succeeded magnificently in capturing an entire Enigma machine, the essential rotors and months' worth of associated cipher material. This was an absolute gift to the code breakers at Bletchley Park who were able to read all the secret German naval signal traffic for some months and it enabled them to read virtually the whole of the traffic for the rest of the war and with little delay. The capture was kept so secret that few even on the British side knew about it - not even the Americans were told what had been achieved after they entered the war. Balme returned from the war and never spoke about the secret capture which he believed would be hidden forever. The story of the capture and ransack of U-110 is told for the first time in the words and letters of David Balme, his captain Joe Baker Cresswell, George Dodds and others who took part in the most important submarine capture of the whole war.Besides the capture of U-110, Balme enjoyed an astonishing variety of wartime experience including the Spanish Civil War, the Palestine Patrol, the sinking of HMS Courageous, the Battle of Convoy KJF3, the fight with the heavy cruiser Hipper, the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the Battle of Convoy OB318, being sunk during Operation Harpoon, the air war in the Western Desert, the high level diplomacy of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and pioneering work as a Fighter Direction Officer in the war against Japan.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing Polar Mariner: Beyond the Limits in Antarctica
Captain Woodfield made 20 seasonal voyages to the Antarctic on three research ships between 1955 and 1974. Starting as a Junior Deck Officer he worked for The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey which in 1964 became the British Antarctic Survey. He played a paramount role in the gradual change from using under-powered and poorly-equipped ships to the professionally-managed and sophisticated vessels of his last command. The arts of exploration and survival during his early years in this majestic but unforgiving continent are described as attempts were made to establish research stations, support science, and survey in totally uncharted, ice-filled waters amidst often ferocious weather. Dramatic stories are featured such as the near loss of a ship in pack ice, the stranding of another in hurricane force winds and the collapse of an ice-cliff onto the vessel The pioneers of Antarctic exploration, the area's history, the hardships and incredible achievements of those original seafarers are described.Yet polar navigation during the author's years was not without peril and the near loss in ice of his first ship, the RRS Shackleton, the demise of her Master, and his ill-judged replacement and consequent dramas are fully told.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Southern Lights: The Scottish Contribution to New Zealand's Lighthouses
Southern Lights recounts the story of how New Zealand lighthouses were established through the transfer of technology from Scotland to New Zealand over a period of almost 90 years. This resulted in most of New Zealand's lighthouses being fully or partially built using Scottish materials and expertise. The major Scottish contribution was the professional services provided by the firm founded by Robert Stevenson. The firm of David and Thomas Stevenson took on the first commissions and its successor companies over a period of 80 years were Consulting Lighthouse Engineers to the New Zealand Government. They arranged tenders, advised on technology, supervised manufacture and dispatch of lighthouse components and stores, and much more, proving invaluable to the New Zealand Agent-General in London. It was on this basis that in the period 1859 to 1941, 38 major lighthouses were built; 30 of which were constructed between 19865 and 1897. Thirty-three were built using Scottish-designed and built lanterns and apparatus and Scottish-designed lenses, although these were of French or English manufacture. Of the other five, two were eventually replaced by Scottish lighthouses, two were upgraded with Scottish technology and the fifth remains the sole example of English lighthouse design, although in its time was supplied with Scottish equipment. Scotland also supplied trained professionals who manned the lights, designed and administered them.
£19.99
Whittles Publishing Chasing Conrad: A Tale of the Sea and a Glimpse into the Abyss
Simon Hall's second book is set in the mid-1970s during the closing years of the golden age of British shipping, when cargo carriage at sea saw radical change and the romance of being at sea in old-style cargo ships came to an end. Hall's account is of five years during which he worked as a junior officer in the Far East and South Pacific. This is no ordinary memoir; the prose is vividly expressed, often shocking, sometimes elegiac as evidenced by his description of a night watch in the Indian Ocean: alone on the bridge wing in the warm tropical night, I heard the wind sing through the stays as an Aeolian harp and I felt anointed by my good fortune. His descriptions of jaunts in forgotten parts of the world are strikingly expressed and there is added poignancy from the charting of Hall's struggle against decline into alcohol abuse, expressed in a way that is in turn both sad and shocking: I ordered another cold beer and lit another cigarette, then sat with the ghost of my past dreams while the afternoon died around us and we surveyed the wreckage of all my hopes. This is an important work that captures an age now vanished, written in a style too rarely encountered.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing Structural Safety: Theory & Practice
We all depend on infrastructure for civilised living with the scale and sophistication of what we build ever increasing. Manifestly we all have a vested interest in construction being safe, and yet failures occur. Not infrequently these failures are catastrophic and accompanied by huge cost and occasional loss of life. Avoiding such tragedies is every engineer's desire but how to do it is not straightforward. Nor is it straightforward to respond the question of: is this project safe? Nonetheless, progress can be made by laying down guidelines of what makes structures safe and by studying the pattern of past failures as a basis for predicting what might go wrong. This assists by drawing on the author's considerable career experiences of observation, study and practice. The opening chapter describes the general challenges of making structures safe taking account of uncertainty and the consequence of failure, and it also describes the evolution of safety thinking which nowadays includes issues of worker safety and health. Subsequent chapters discuss what is meant by both failure and safety and describe various safety attributes that ought to be targeted. Even over the last 50 years, structural methodologies for analysis and design have evolved to reflect the way we collectively think is the best to assure safe structures. Many of the notions used are rather abstract and so can best be appreciated by learning from what has gone wrong in the past. Unfortunately there is no shortage of precedents. Hence all subsequent chapters covering human error, material failures, construction failures and fire follow a general pattern of describing the problem, accompanied by examples illustrating how failures have arisen in practice. It will be apparent that common themes recur. Engineered structures protect societies, so some of the biggest challenges we face are of designing against the possibility of man-made or environmental catastrophe. Most readers will be familiar with the occurrence of natural events such as storm, flood and earthquake and so two chapters are devoted to man-made and natural hazards. Occupational health and safety, plus designers' legal obligations to assure these, are described in another chapter. The final chapter concerns Avoiding Failure and deals with concepts such as hazards and risk and the procedures that can be followed to minimise the probability of serious failure occurring.
£85.50
Whittles Publishing Manual of Aerial Survey: Primary Data Acquisition
Primary data acquisition is the front end of mapping, GIS and remote sensing and involves: aviation, navigation, photography, cameras (film and digital systems), GPS systems, surveying (ground control), photogrammetry, computerized systems and above all - keeping abreast of modern techniques. This book deals with differential GPS systems, survey flight management systems (both simple and sophisticated), film types, modern film survey cameras such as LH RC-30, Z/I RMK-TOP, digital cameras, infrared methods, laser profilers, airborne laser mapping, satellite systems, laboratory processing (chemical and digital), and camera platforms (fixed wing and helicopter). A fresh approach to the subject includes: soft-copy photogrammetry using desktop computerized systems, film scanners and direct digital camera inputs. Comparisons are made between old film-based technologies and the new digital camera systems, including the Z/I modular digital mapping camera and the LH "push-broom" ADS 40 camera. The book should be useful to survey operators, aerial photographers, photogrammetrists, surveyors, cartographers and mapping scientists, GIS specialists and the new generation of "desk-top" mapmakers. It is a standard reference for survey practitioners, civil engineers and planner, flight crews, and academics and students in surveying, photogrammetry, remote sensing, GIS and earth sciences.
£84.00
Whittles Publishing Scotland's Global Empire: A Chronicle of Great Scots
Written over five years, this engrossing and enlightening book stretches to over a quarter of a million words and is a fast paced read as it races through the exploits and achievements of an astonishing gallery of the Scots who make up this Scottish Empire. Although household names such as Andrew Carnegie, Alexander Graham Bell, John Logie Baird and Charles Rennie Mackintosh are mentioned to underpin the strength and breadth of the Empire, only abbreviated reminders of their well-known achievements are shown. It's not a recital of the adventures of conquering heroes, although some are included. It's more an outreach of ideas, the story of human endeavor in its many forms ...pushing at the boundaries of the imagination and stretching the accepted order. It encompasses everything from the spirit of pioneering to the mystical qualities of leadership. "It's luckily not dependent on a seat of power and nor is it affected by the bruising arguments about Scotland's place within the UK or as an independent state." Gallagher brings together an astonishing array of characters who may not have made headlines but are essential elements in his illusory empire with a heady mix of extraordinary vision, creativity, energy, leadership, diplomacy, skill, artistry, sometimes pure genius and, more often, downright doggedness.
£20.00
Whittles Publishing One Great George Street: The Headquarters Building of the Institution of Civil Engineers
This book is the most thorough study yet undertaken of the headquarters building of the Institution of Civil Engineers in Great George Street, London, SW1. It considers how the building visually represents the authority of the profession and discusses not only the architecture and technology of the building but also the social relationships that underpin the structure. Few headquarter buildings associated with the professions have been subject to serious historical study; in effect they are anonymous buildings passed by each day almost without comment. The aim of this study is to show that such buildings have a story to tell, that they and their contents are more than just 'mute objects' but give valuable insights into the organisation occupying the building. The Great George Street building, which was constructed over a thirty-seven month interval from 1910 to 1913, is surprisingly barely mentioned by architectural historians and received only briefest acknowledgement in the building press of the day.The story has relevance to all those other professional associations that occupy a large headquarters building or council chamber and anyone who is interested in architecture and construction history.
£45.00
Whittles Publishing The Way We Were: Victorian and Edwardian Scotland in Colour
This is John Hannavy's reflective look at how Scotland was depicted in photographs and postcards 100 - 170 years ago. In many ways, it redefines our view of Scotland's past as we are familiar with seeing Victorian and Edwardian people and views in sepia, but these are in colour, adding a warmth and realism to the scenes which photographers immortalized. The subject matter of the pictures was as wide and varied as Edwardian life and work itself and it is here that the reader meets eccentrics and worthies, sees people going about their daily work, catching buses and trains, embarking on steamers, and simply enjoying Scotland's spectacular scenery. Many aspects of Scottish life are explored from people's jobs to the many ways in which they occupied their limited holiday and leisure time between 1840 and the outbreak of the Great War.These include Creating Tourist Scotland - how Victorian and Edwardian Scotland was sold to the world and the birth of Scotland's tourist industry; Scotland's Railways - the development of the railway network and some of the splendid photographs and postcards which were sold to travellers; Industrial Might; The Ubiquitous Steamer; Gateways to the World; Fisherfolk; Working the Land; The Textile Industry; Taking to the Road; The Scots at War - from the Crimean War, the first to be photographed, to the skirmishes leading up to the Great War; Out in the Scots Fresh Air; On Scotland's Canals; Village Life; Family Life; That's Entertainment; Town and City Life; What we did on Holiday and Sports and Outdoor Pursuits. Included are fine studies of the hardy Scotch Fisher Lassies who worked their way down the east coast of Britain gutting and pickling the herring; the people who lived and worked on Scotland's canals; the men who crewed the country's trains, trams and ferries, together with a host of others. In effect, it opens the book on what was perceived as an almost mystical and mysterious landscape, 'north of the border'.With almost 270 photographs, many of them previously unpublished, The Way We Were brings Scotland's colourful past to life.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Great British Shipwrecks
For more than 30 years, internationally acclaimed wreck diver and best-selling author, Rod Macdonald, has surveyed and researched shipwrecks around the world. His books such as Dive Scapa Flow and The Darkness Below are household names in the diving world. In Great British Shipwrecks Rod uses his encyclopaedic knowledge and an intimate understanding of shipwrecks, gleaned from a lifetime's diving, to provide a snapshot in time of some of the best known and most revered shipwrecks around the UK. For each of the 37 shipwrecks covered Rod provides a dramatic account of its time afloat and its eventual sinking - with each wreck being beautifully illustrated by renowned marine artist Rob Ward. Rod's journey around the UK starts with the classic recreational diving shipwrecks at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands from giants such as the German WWI battleships, Markgraf, Konig and Kronprinz Wilhelm, to the legendary WWI British cruiser HMS Hampshire on which Lord Kitchener perished on a voyage to Russia in 1916. Rod then travels to the English Channel where he covers such famous ships as the P&O liners Moldavia and Salsette which were lost during WWI with many others such as the SS Kyarra and the British submarine HMS/M M2 - the first submarine to carry a seaplane for reconnaissance. The reader is then taken to the North Channel of the Irish Sea where the famous technical diving wrecks of the White Star liner Justicia, HMS Audacious, the first British battleship lost during WWI, and the SS Empire Heritage, which was lost with its deck cargo of Sherman tanks on a voyage from New York during WWII, are beautifully illustrated. Returning to Scotland, the famous West Coast shipwrecks such as the Thesis, Hispania, Rondo and Shuna in the Sound of Mull grace the pages, in addition to the renowned wrecks of the SS Breda, lost near Oban, and the WWII minelayer HMS Port Napier off Skye. Lastly, Rod covers some major North Sea shipwrecks, revealing for the first time the haunting remains of HMS Pathfinder, the first Royal Navy warship to be sunk by U-boat torpedo during WWI. This is a beautifully illustrated and definitive guide to the greatest shipwrecks around the UK and will be an enlightening and unmissable book for many.
£18.99
Whittles Publishing The Myth of UK Integration
This book dares to say what the politically correct thought police are determined you should not know. Michael Cole, broadcaster and writer, Chairman of a PR and broadcasting company, journalist and former Director of Public Affairs for Harrods and House of Fraser Group If we fail to learn how to live with one another - it is inevitable that divisions and hostility will occur. From the Foreword by Lord Noon of St John's Wood While focusing on Asians, Kailash Puri's blunt message is that integration among all ethnic communities and the British is a myth. We must accept that reality and address the implications before mental barriers become real barricades. She says that without talking, tensions build up and become a breeding ground for the violence which has hit cities around the world, not just London. But her solution to the dilemma is unique and inspiring. Honour killings and forced marriages continue to hit the headlines, indicating the prevalence of this largely hidden problem. Kailash Puri draws on more than 50 years' experience of advising clients in India, Africa, America as well as the UK, and gives a timely warning about the inevitable consequences of doing nothing. She warns of: *the dangers of drifting into parallel and hostile communities *the failure to understand one another's cultures *the divisions in education *the polarisation of social activity *the insularity of religion *the indifference of the business community *and the fundamental failure of social cohesion
£12.99
Whittles Publishing To Auckland by the Ganges
In 1863 there was only one method of travelling from Britain to the other side of the world - by sailing ship, on a journey that could take up to four months, when the vagaries of wind and weather could put travellers in peril during long voyages. The offer of grants of land in New Zealand was a means of enticing emigrants to the fledgling colony, particularly people who had a skill to offer. One such emigrant was David Buchanan, a journalist and editor of several prominent Scottish newspapers, who opted for a new life in the hope that the health and fortunes of his family would improve. He travelled with his surviving son and three daughters, having lost his wife giving birth to their ninth child. Using his journalistic skills, Buchanan maintained a daily journal of the voyage which was published twice-weekly in his former newspaper, the Glasgow Herald. His account blended accurate details of the vessel and its handling with anecdotal tales and experiences providing interesting snapshots of mid-nineteenth century life. His devotion to detail suggests a passenger's keen eye upon the operation and progress of the vessel by the ship's crew. Of especial interest is the description of daily life aboard a mid-19th century sailing ship, and the interaction between passengers and crew. The clear class distinction between cabin and steerage class passengers, as well as the many pitfalls and potential injuries to passengers and crew that are described will make illuminating reading. Upon reaching New Zealand Buchanan and his fellow passengers had stepped into the unrest of the Maori Wars, which were closely reported in British newspapers such as the Glasgow Herald. David Buchanan and his family may have settled and led a prosperous life but whatever befell him, he is due our gratification for providing an interesting and valued account of experiences on a voyage during the dominant era of sailing ships.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing High Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery
A comprehensive guide to the characteristics and use of high resolution optical images from satellite-borne sensors Addresses the problems and issues surrounding the generation of high quality information Provides a review of planned sensors
£80.00
Whittles Publishing My Arctic Summer
Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago which is situated between the Greenland and Barents Seas, approximately 600 miles from the North Pole. In the 16th century the islands were visited by Barents' expedition and in the ensuing centuries were used primarily as a base for hunting whales, polar bears, seals and walruses. In the 18th century the first scientific and research expeditions came to the island from many countries. Following the Svalbard Treaty in 1920, Poland took part in this research and has since developed a strong tradition in the science of many aspects of the island's geology, glora, fauna and environment. The author describes her experiences during three polar expeditions to the High Arctic, and conveys to the reader the essence of this fragile environment, the atmosphere of this special place in the North, the landscape, nature and day-to-day life of people working on Spitsbergen - their joys and sorrows, and the complex relationships that can develop between people working under harsh conditions in remote arctic areas for months.For those who have already travelled to the Arctic, this book will be a welcome reminder of their own experiences and adventures, while for others it will open a window on the complex nature of the Arctic environment and the joys and hardships connected with any polar expedition, all within the backdrop of the susceptibility of these areas to environmental change.
£16.99
Whittles Publishing Wildlife Crime
'This is an important book. It is written by an expert who probably knows more about wildlife crime in the UK, and especially in Scotland, than anyone else. It is important because so little is known and understood about a widespread and deeply disturbing illegal practice...' Extract from Foreword by Sir John Lister-Kaye, OBE Through the professional life of Dave Dick, the RSPB's Senior Scottish Investigation Officer between 1984 and 2006, the often murky world of wildlife crime is revealed. This is the first book that faces up to the realities of the often unsuccessful efforts by the justice system in its attempt to stop these crimes. Unflinching accounts of the shocking levels of killing and the cruel and callous nature of the killers are related. However black comedy and lighter moments prevent this being just another catalogue of man's inhumanity to nature with personal accounts of the thrill and joy of watching some of our most beautiful birds and animals in their equally beautiful landscapes. The author examines the motives of both criminals and their pursuers in an attempt to show the truth of what has become a highly-charged and politicised topic.He reveals the truth of what is happening in some corners of our countryside, where the public may be discouraged to tread and hopes to inform a more reasoned debate on the topic. This timely and inevitably controversial book lifts the lid on the pressures faced by some of our most iconic wildlife species which are being shot, trapped and poisoned.
£18.99