Search results for ""whittles publishing""

Descended from a Haddington family of printers and booksellers, Patrick Neill became head of the most prestigious printing firm in Edinburgh. Leaving his manager to run the business, he devoted his life to writing, natural history, horticulture and civic duties. His early tour of Orkney and Shetland provided an insight into the social life of the islands and he regaled readers of the Scots Magazine with an intriguing running commentary on events in the Lothians. His survey of both private and commercial gardens and orchards in Scotland was a landmark publication and he published a perceptive account of his travels in northern Europe to discover whether any of their horticultural methods might be worth adopting. As a founder member and secretary for 40 years of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, he was a key figure in its successful establishment. He was also a founder member and secretary of the Wernerian Natural History Society, whose origins related to the dominating geological controversy of that era. His role as secretary brought him into contact with most of the natural scientists in Scotland and distinguished botanists and other scientists were frequently around Neill's dinner table. His wide circle of friends included famous figures such as William Jackson Hooker and his son Joseph, Robert Brown, Sir William Jardine, Sir Calverly Trevelyan, Robert Stevenson, the McNabs, father and son, of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the maverick botanist George Don. To cap it all Neill won national recognition for the unparalleled diversity of species of plants, including newly-introduced species, in his remarkable garden at Canonmills. According to Loudon, the famous landscape designer, it was the richest urban garden in the country. This engaging book contains a wealth of historically valuable observations and also an insight into Edinburgh's scientific scene in the early 19th century. Patrick Neill is revealed as one the most interesting Scotsmen of the 19th century in terms of the variety of enterprises he fostered and the friendships he enjoyed with so many natural scientists of his day.

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Rudolph Glossop made a unique contribution to the early development of both geotechnical engineering and engineering geology and this volume presents a fascinating and revealing perspective on his involvement by means of selected extracts from personal diaries, letters and journals. From his early experience as an undergraduate and the four years spent in the Gold Coast to the establishment of Soil Mechanics Ltd and his time as director of Mowlems, Glossop became one of the key figures and was involved in many of the key stages in the development of geotechnology. His journal provides a fuller understanding of the Mulberry Harbour, which was a key factor in the success of the D-Day landings in northern France, June 1944; while his diaries give a unique account of the significant challenges that had to be overcome during construction of Derwent Dam, N.E. England.The famous Skempton, in his obituary of Glossop, refers to works of original scholarship, written with the clarity and style of which Glossop was a master - by his own example and by the example of others, he never lost sight of the importance of bringing together the practical and academic aspects of both geology and soil mechanics. A" Ron Williams has painstakingly pieced together a fascinating account of the life and career of an outstanding engineer, and in the process has painted a vivid portrait of Rudolph Glossop and his achievements. Not before time will today's engineers and scientists have the opportunity to appreciate the achievements of one of the key figures in geotechnical engineering.

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Situated on the south side of the Firth of Forth, the port of Leith, Edinburgh, is a major harbour for warships and cruise liners. Over hundreds of years it has been a trading port and a military dockyard. With Rosyth Dockyard situated further west, this busy waterway has two historically-important destinations for vessels and over time, many vessels were sunk during storms, failed to avoid collisions or were wartime victims of U-boats or aircraft. From Leith Docks the river widens forming a huge estuary filled with volcanic islands and submerged pinnacles that are blasted by fierce tidal streams, providing an opportunity for some fantastic scenic diving. This is also the final resting place of hundreds of shipwrecks, many of which are of especial historical importance. For the diver there is so much to explore in these new and exciting deeper wrecks that have the added attraction of being little known. These wrecks include an aircraft carrier, a German light cruiser that saw action at the Battle of Jutland, aircraft and even steam-powered submarines are all there waiting to be dived. Unlike the well-documented and dived River Clyde wrecks on the west coast, or those in the English Channel, these in the Firth of Forth are rarely mentioned - although many lie within a 20-mile radius of Edinburgh. The author has dived all the 100 sites and wrecks in the book and as a professional underwater photographer has provided truly atmospheric images that capture the special identity of these East coast wrecks and reefs. As well as his detailed knowledge of the sites, the author has also given his recommendations for dive sites, including their GPS positions, safety, and skill level required. Practical information such as dive centres, dive boats, accommodation and onshore activities is also included. This guide will help divers select the best dives to suit local weather conditions and to find the best scenic sites. It includes all the new and exciting dive sites recently found in areas such as Burntisland, North Berwick, Dunbar, St. Abbs and Eyemouth and information on how best to dive them - an absolute must for divers visiting this area!

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The Storm Leopard is an alchemic blend of travel and nature writing that explores the primary dilemma of the 21st century - the conflict of modern lifestyles with the natural environment. This is an account of the author's journey from the Cape to the Serengeti Plains and his search for an answer to the Old Timer, a Kenyan who foretold the end of the wild. Martyn decided on one more trip, but this time without an agenda, without a timetable and without preconceptions: with no purpose other than to know, to feel and to understand. The book is filled with insights of African elephants and antelope, and with portraits of a natural world inhabited by Bushmen, game wardens and scientists. Running through it is an outspoken and highly ethical regard for humankind's relationship with nature. From his first contact with Bushman rock art in the Western Cape, the author is drawn into a spiritual journey as he grapples with the quandary of balancing our lifestyles with protecting the environment. His travelling companion, Stu, a fellow scientist and arch cynic, is nettled by this lack of rationality. Marooned together in their 4A--4, the friction, humour and hardship of their journey carry the reader across the continent from one adventure to another, to the final revelation atop an isolated kopje in the heart of the Serengeti Plains. The Storm Leopard is a unique book that emanates from the author's passionate affair with nature and many years of experience in the field as an ecologist and consultant in conservation - nothing deals with today's environmental issues in the same way.

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Polymers and composites are widely used for a range of applications in engineering and technology. Selecting the correct material which is fit for purpose is a critical decision faced by engineers and scientists who do not necessarily have an in-depth knowledge of the chemistry or physics of polymers. This text book provides a practical insight into the factors which influence the performance of a polymer or composite allowing informed selections to be made. It is the result of thirty years of teaching polymer science and technology to engineers and scientists and provides a solid foundation from which more advanced study may be developed. The book complements introductory courses on polymers and composites, but also contains specialist material on the chemistry and physics of polymers appropriate for scientists seeking a general knowledge of polymer science. The production of articles from thermoplastics and thermoset resins is considered with respect to the vital issue of fabrication method and a broad appreciation of the use and application of polymers is provided by considering polymers as adhesives, in medical applications and in the fabrication of semiconductor circuits. Also included are the important topics of adhesion, fatigue, viscoelasticity, basic composite design, theoretical description of polymers, polymer synthesis and characterization.

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Dedicated to the ship's company of "La Moqueuse", this book is not so much an account of naval operations as a kind of social history. With the help of recollections, diaries and letters home, the author recreates the reactions of an undergraduate to his various incarnations as an ordinary seaman in a corvette, the most junior officer on board a destroyer and the British naval liaison officer in a Free French sloop. Roughly half of the book deals with the very special atmosphere in the Free French forces and the complex situation in southern France immediately after its liberation in August 1944. The volume as a whole provides a vivid impression of what it actually felt like to be involved in the day-to-day experience of helping to make a warship work.

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After 20 years working as a professional biologist, the author decided to 'retire' to the Highlands, moving with his wife to a croft at the edge of a small and somewhat inaccessible village on the west coast. This was no romantic and idealistic aspiration for the Good Life, nor really an attempt to 'get away from it all'; rather a growing disaffection with living in the overpopulated south of England and a desire to return to his Scottish roots. Moving was like stepping back 50 years in time: most of the other residents of this tiny hamlet had been born and bred there, the majority were Gaelic-speaking and, with few of the conventional 'services', there was a strong sense of community that had been missed. This engaging story gives a collection of cameos from those first few years as they moved into and settled in their remote smallholding. It is developed as a series of short 'anecdotes' about life in this isolated west-coast Scottish community. Actual anecdotes are interwoven with snippets of natural history observation related to various topical wildlife issues. In the tradition of Lillian Beckwith's The Hills is Lonely, the stories revolve around the strong characters who made up this isolated community and became part of their everyday life. All the people and events described in this book are real, although places and names may have been changed. Enough clues remain that professional biologists or those with a keen interest in natural history will readily identify the peninsula. It is a joy to read and reveals Highland life with all its humour and character. Beautifullly illustrated by wildlife artist Catherine Putman.

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Into the Abyss, the first volume in The Diving Trilogy, is a fascinating collection of true life diving adventures from Rod's long and varied diving career. It follows his progression from novice diver in the 1980s through the dangers of the deep air diving era and on to trimix diving in the 1990s where divers began to use commercial mixed breathing gases as the sport of technical diving was born. This opened up vast, previously inaccessible, swathes of the seabed, ushering in a great era of discovery of virgin shipwrecks, lost in time. Rod takes the reader to famous shipwreck sites around the world, from the sunken Japanese Fleet at the bottom of Truk Lagoon and Palau in the Pacific, to diving the third largest whirlpool in the world - the Corryvreckan Whirlpool off the west coast of Scotland. He describes this and many other terrifying incidents in which he and his colleagues have come close to death. The book is filled with danger, drama and excitement and chronicles his all-consuming passion, taking the reader on a spellbinding journey beneath the waves.

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Following the success of the first edition, this new edition has been expanded and improved with additional images and enhanced drawings. The subject matter has been expanded with the chapter on grammar and pronunciation extended. There are examples of how Gaelic personal names and the human body are used in place-names and many etymological sources have been added to place-name tables. In addition to the generic index, there is now an index of specific place-names. Finally, there's more to say about hares, bears and boars! Reading the Gaelic Landscape is essential for anyone who is interested in the Scottish Highlands and its native language. It enables people to read and understand place-names in Gaelic, providing insights into landscape character and history. The book enriches the experience of walkers, climbers, sailors, bird watchers and fishers by sketching the named context, where they practise their pursuits. Outdoor enthusiasts need no longer struggle with unfamiliar spellings and words, as they can develop a new perspective of place through an understanding of Gaelic toponymy. The ways Gaelic poets like Sorley MacLean and Duncan Ban MacIntyre used the named landscape in their work is explored. Names are used to speculate about species extinctions and the history of the Caledonian Forest. Readers learn how place has been defined in Gaelic and how this has been recorded, through a deeper understanding of how native speakers applied their language to the landscape. This new edition will build on the praise for the first: * ...essential for those interested in the Highlands and its ancient, living language. It helps readers and outdoor enthusiasts understand seemingly obscure words on maps, with insights into landscape history and ecology. The Scots Magazine * ...John Murray's book is unique ... The result is a triumph. ... Just occasionally you come across a book whose lasting value is so obvious that you know people will be referring to it in 50 years' time or more. Reading the Gaelic Landscape is one of those books. Undiscovered Scotland * ...the scope of the book is admirably broad, with primers on the history of the Gaelic language in Scotland, how the first maps of the country came to be made, and how the Gaelic speakers of old would have conceptualised things like colours and sounds, seasons and time. Roger Cox, The Scotsman * ...this book is a useful resource for those interested in Scotland's landscapes, environment and history. Wild Land News

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Foreword by H.E. Dr. Khaled Al-Duwaisan, GCVO, Ambassador for the State of Kuwait, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Dean of Arab Ambassadors Prologue by Professor Nabil Ayad, formerly Founder and Director of the Academy of Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University London Diplomatic Protocol explores the etiquette of diplomacy, without which all efforts to negotiate would flounder. In a world of instant communications, and the growing informality and influence of social media, the rules of diplomatic exchange have never been more important. They are not there to restrict but to enable. This book provides examples both modern and old, from taking up a post for the first time to departing a mission, where diplomatic protocol has been successful and where diplomacy has failed. Without a clear understanding of the practicalities of diplomatic protocol no aspiring ambassador can hope to succeed. With the benefit of first-hand international experience working with the diplomatic, political, military and business communities, the author offers a unique perspective on the challenges facing a troubled world and as a university lecturer, public and external examiner in diplomatic studies, she brings a current interpretation of a subject which is increasingly recognised as being essential in international affairs. From NATO HQ in Brussels and the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, from the United Nations to many of the royal palaces of the world, Rosalie Rivett is able to reflect from a privileged position on the past, present and future direction of diplomacy. Diplomatic protocol may be well-established but its interpretation and correct application in a rapidly-changing and complex political environment could not be more relevant.

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The outstanding properties of ceramics have guaranteed their use for millennia and they remain vitally important in modern technology. This book provides an overview of the current status of processing of ceramic materials in micro technology. Emanating in part from scientific partners in the ceramics division of the European Network of Excellence, the book deals particularly with micro manufacturing and applications of ceramic materials.The book covers the spectrum of topics from design, through material development and synthesis, to microforming, thermal processing and metrology strategies, including characterization, quality control and the dependence of properties upon processing and microstructure. Processing technologies form a significant part of the book, and include replication techniques, tooling and mould fabrication and also special techniques such as embossing, electrophoretic deposition, high-pressure injection moulding and prototyping. Subtractive and additive process technologies are dealt with, before the book concludes with sections on quality assurance, metrology, and test equipment for micro components.

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This new book is a very much improved and updated edition of the successful previous edition, "Shipwrecks of the Forth", and benefits hugely from the vast amount of vital new information gleaned by the author during 15 years of painstaking research. Each wreck is listed by area with details of position, history and fate. The text is accompanied by maps and charts and illustrated with many dramatic photographs. As a result of this meticulous work, exciting discoveries and recoveries such as ships' bells and pottery have been made by divers, allowing them to confirm identities of previously unknown wrecks.In addition to first-hand local knowledge of fishermen, coastguards, lifeboat men and divers, the author has consulted primary sources including official records from the Admiralty and Lloyds, official German U-boat records and Norwegian, Swedish and Danish records. Many vessels were lost due to running aground or collisions but the vast majority of shipwrecks immediately surrounding our coasts resulted from military activities during the First and Second World War. As such this aspect of the book provides significant historical interest for readers.

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This is the second volume of three that provides a comprehensive working manual for the laboratory testing of soils for civil engineering purposes. It is an essential practical handbook for all who are engaged in laboratory testing of soils as well as being of great value to professional engineers, consultants, academics and students in geotechnical engineering. The contents have been revised and updated to reflect current practice in standard laboratory test procedures for determining some of the important engineering properties of soils.The authors have had many years experience in managing large soil testing laboratories since the early 1950s through to the present day, whilst actively contributing to the development of geotechnical testing through training courses, lectures, committees and working groups. They recognise that it is particularly important for test methods to be fully understood and a step-by-step approach has therefore been used in presenting each section. The test procedures comprise the measurement of soil permeability, CBR value, drained and undrained shear strength, and consolidation characteristics.Additional material in this new edition includes the Fall cone procedure for measurement of shear strength in clays based on the European Technical Specification, a simplified direct approach and a useful arrangement for applying pressures in multistage triaxial tests to meet the requirements of BS1377. The latest requirements for calibration of equipment and measuring devices are presented and discussed, together with the significance of quality assurance based on recognised laboratory accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025.Descriptions of test methods are complemented by many numerical examples in order to illustrate the methods for recording test data, making calculations, presenting graphical plots and deriving test results. Fundamental principles are explained, where appropriate, so that the operator can have a better understanding of the significance of the tests and guidance is given where experience has shown that difficulties may be encountered. The importance of good techniques, essential checks on test equipment and laboratory safety are all emphasised.

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Delivering two 38-year-old Mississippi river tugboats halfway around the world from Bahrain to Trinidad would not be every ship master's dream employment. However, for Captain David Creamer, the seven-week voyage of the Justine and Martha was not only unique, but a memorable experience he was unlikely ever to forget or repeat. As the author relates the day-to-day problems that the twelve crewmen encountered while living onboard, the reader is drawn into their world. The discovery of a plague of rats, steering problems, running out of fresh water and running aground in the middle of Sitra port, Bahrain are just some of the difficulties the two old boats encountered on their way to the Caribbean. Rusty water, fuel oil in a toilet, and a fire onboard in the Gulf of Suez were some of the setbacks experienced on the first leg of the voyage.Designed principally for river work and not as ocean-going or deep-sea vessels, the hapless Justine and Martha encountered a short but violent Mediteranean storm on the passage from Port Said to Malta rendering conditions onboard extremely uncomfortable.On the leg of the journey from Malta to Trinidad, they hit more bad weather, partially flooding the Martha. It also became apparent that the fuel taken onboard by both vessels was biologically contaminated. Forced to stop at Gibraltar to clean the fuel tanks, the author and Chief Engineer visited Nerja in Spain, which coincided with the start of the Mardi Gras. Although blessed with good weather for their crossing of the Atlantic, this epic voyage almost ended in disaster just a few meters from the final destination. An explosion from the engine-room, followed by a high-pitched mechanical whining, signalled the end of both engines, leaving the Justine to drift helplessly towards the jagged edges of a ramshackle concrete pier.

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Written by Tom 'Jack' Sullivan Green, AB of Bristol in the 1920s, "Escape to the Sea" is an inspiring, first-hand account of survival against the odds of an orphan boy in early Victorian England. Recounted in a fluent style and peppered with dialogue, this gripping tale of a seaman's life chronicles both tragedy and comedy amongst the everyday lot of a working world unimaginable in the modern era. Tom traces his early life when cholera claimed his Irish immigrant parents in the London slums of 1848; being apprenticed to a tailor before running away to sea to escape a 'miserable life'. His new life as an Ordinary Seaman began at Rochester on a West Hartlepool-based ship, but when a new and tyrannical skipper made terrifying death threats he was again forced to run away.Walking from London to Liverpool in 1866 to try his hand on trans-Atlantic passages, he gives a chilling account of the last public hanging at Stafford of a murderer, William Collier. Later in the same year, Tom's travels take him to Georgia, USA where he gives an eye-witness account of the tragic plight of slaves who were freed after the American Civil War. Homeless and weakened by starvation and disease, they came to the river bank to collect driftwood only to be grabbed by alligators. This description and other harrowing sights he saw ashore leave a searing impression of the aftermath of a devastating conflict. Following various brushes with authority, Tom changes his name to Jack Green and lies low taking shore jobs near Cardiff where he turns down working digging the Severn Tunnel due to claustrophobia. Eventually settling and marrying near Bristol, he experienced more exotic times as a mariner before he 'swallowed the anchor'.These included plying the former slave routes to West Africa; accompanying the third mate of his ship with some locally-recruited native sailors to collect the future bride of a chieftain which incurred a series of adventures, some at gunpoint. "Escape to the Sea" is complemented with documents such as the author's discharge certificates, illustrations of vessels and harbours visited, maps and photographs including his handwritten will, which required that 'when the breath is out of my body' it should be buried 'with no ceremony whatsoever'. A modest end for a colourful character whose wish was that his experiences should be made available to a wider audience than his immediate family. This action-packed maritime autobiography will be of especial interest to anyone with an interest in maritime history, ships and shipping and anyone looking for a good read.

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Based on his daily diary entries that provide a vivid and accurate picture of events, the author candidly recounts his development as a merchant mariner from his early years as an indentured apprentice on the Elysia, followed by two years sailing on a passenger ship to India before the Second World War erupted. At sea the war news is relayed in bits and pieces, feeding the underlying tension that keeps rising to the surface. Daily life is punctuated by terrifying episodes such as seeing ships sunk in convoy or hearing bombs drop beside the ship when in port during heavy air raids and the author also relates the horrific experience of being torpedoed. The extremes of nature that all on board had to contend with - winter storms on the North Atlantic; navigating in convoy through flow ice and avoiding icebergs; fog and the ever-present danger of collision; the extreme heat experienced in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, without air conditioning - are all accurately described. He also relates the problems encountered when sailing on worn-out ships that would normally have been scrapped had it not been for the war, and as a consequence experiencing leaks, engine trouble and bursts of flame spouting from the funnel in areas where submarines were operating! There are glimpses of the author's moods and thoughts, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant and sometimes romantic. He displays a droll sense of humour and there are interesting philosophical comments dotted throughout the book. On a return to peacetime sailing, the author was an officer on cargo ships, qualifying as a Master Mariner before he left the sea. "School of the Sea" is a treasure house of unusual information, the kind not usually included in history books. It's personal, vivid, and entertaining and contains some wonderful descriptions of the dramas and mundane routines of shipboard society; stays in foreign ports; when on leave and the long sequestered life at sea. So much is missing from some existing maritime literature on WWII, where the focus is mainly on danger, excitement and death - this book, like no other, captures every dimension of daily life at sea and in port.

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This novel, from a foremost expert on the Clearances, tells the story of Flo Campbell and her eviction from the family's island home, and all her subsequent struggles. The compelling storyline has terrific energy, from the Battle of the Braes and Flo's departure from the island to her travels and employment on Skye and beyond. Flo's spirit remains unquenched whether challenged by the faithlessness of lovers or the callousness of employers and she is a historical witness who embodies the undying memories of her Highland people. She spends much of her life in the lowlands of Britain and in this as in many ways she incarnates the crofters, fishermen, labourers and artists who spring from that epic northern terrain. This is a masterful portrayal of the perverse power and wretched consequences of the Clearances and how they transformed the lives of individuals, and also the power of a native landscape in a Celtic breast.

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The part played by code-cracking in World War II has been revealed in popular film and has also inspired several accounts by code-crackers. Much less well-known is how code-cracking was used in operational situations. In this account the "Silent Service" speaks through the voice of a young and inexperienced naval officer whose rites of passage to manhood required him to act as a seagoing eavesdropper, a role calling not only for quick intelligence but also for facing up to excitement and danger. Sir Alan Peacock's story is interlaced with graphic accounts of life on the lower deck, being torpedoed in a Channel action, and how to contribute to intelligence information that was required to foil enemy attacks on Russian convoys whilst facing atrocious weather conditions. The influence this intense experience exerted on Peacock's subsequent career in economics is also discussed.

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As society becomes more aware of the significance of the environment, such issues become increasingly important. The book exemplifies the vital role of environmental geology and geological processes in understanding the physical environment and the influence and fundamental importance of engineering geology in our modern world, particularly the infrastructure, whether it be foundations, routeways or reservoirs. The influence of geohazards, the significance of soil and water resources, and the impact of mining, waste disposal and pollution/contamination on the environment are all examined in this book. The various aspects of construction that are involved in the development of the infrastructure are also discussed - land evaluation and geological construction materials are therefore taken account of in this context. The book provides a wealth of practical examples and a comprehensive suggested reading list is provided for each chapter.

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This work covers a number of diverse topics and has underlying chemistry, especially combustion chemistry, as a unifying theme across the chapters. There is frequent reference to the research literature, and accounts of many case studies. There are over 40 numerical examples in an appendix, suitable for tutorial use, with fully worked solutions in a second appendix.

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This volume supplements a selection of contemporary newspaper articles, mainly from the 1920s and 1930s, with background information from other sources such as the reports of Marine Courts of Inquiry, extracts from ships' log books and references to crew agreements, law reports and published narratives by ships' masters. Some imaginative details have been added, but the stories are all firmly based on true events as reported and recorded at the time.

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This book discusses the durability of construction materials in the context of structures. Steel, concrete, timber, masonry, aluminium, plastics and composites are all dealt with. The state of the art is presented for each material and the effects of the environment on durability are covered, including the particular problems faced with, for example, underground structures, and structures in marine and tropical environments. Where appropriate, authors assess properties of materials before considering the performance of structures. Each chapter is augmented by numerous examples illustrating the durability of elements in a structure, the performance of materials, and any problems encountered with durability. How these problems are overcome and improvement of durability is discussed as appropriate. The chapters are written by an international team of authors, resulting in a wide spread of information, drawing upon vast cumulative experience and illustrated by many real examples. In addition, a diverse array of climates is considered, making this a comprehensive volume containing much vital information for engineers and materials technologists.Further an introduction is given to organisations involved in creating national and international standards and the important legal aspects of durability and related issues are also presented. The book is very heavily illustrated with line drawings and graphs, photographs of specific examples and also materials under test and after forensic testing. This enables the reader to fully appreciate the topic of durability and how it interleaves with forensic engineering.

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This valuable book draws on the author's long and varied experience in combustion technology and contains soundly-based engineering calculations in fire protection engineering based on start-of-the-art methods. This branch of engineering has evolved in order that knowledge in areas including chemistry, physics, structural engineering, mechanical engineering and statistics can be focused on fire safety. This is of especial importance in the operation of facilities such as airports, campuses and shopping malls and also in industrial settings where fire safety is vital due to the major benefits in terms of preservation of life and assets. The topics covered in the book have their basis in thermochemistry and heat transfer and examples covered are wide and include household fires, vehicular fires, extinguishments, calorimetry, and evacuation of persons in a fire and detector systems. The contents of the book have an original slant with many new ideas. However, these have been adapted into calculations, which are ideal for student use, requiring no additional mathematical skills beyond those expected of an engineering or physics student. Each chapter has a short introduction followed by worked examples with information for the calculations being derived from international authoritative publications on fire protection engineering, resulting in a valuable teaching/learning tool.

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An introduction to the nautical history of the North Atlantic. For centuries the Atlantic hemmed Europe behind its storms and mysterious breadth. This was the ocean sea that extended to nowhere, or to the end of the world. Although there were legends of crossings by Celtic saints and Norse ocean farers, it took the vision of an Italian and the finance of a Spanish queen to shatter the shackles of superstition. Columbus was the catalyst who opened the door to the modern world. "Across the Pond" tells of the changing use of this ocean, from a barrier to a route to riches and a highway for trade. There are episodes of exploration and exploitation, there are fighting ships and fisheries, treasure and timber, and always the danger of the sea. There also slipped the slavers with their cargo of shame. This is an ocean that bred some of the world's hardiest mariners, famous men such as Cabot and Hudson and Vespucci, but also the nameless thousands who manned ships, the hard-used mariners from the Chesapeake, the Solway and Seville. Here was bred the down east Yankee, the Nova Scotian bluenose and the Scouser from Liverpool.

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Generation after generation, people dragooned by government rise up and struggle with the bonds of law and ownership which oppress them, and so it was on Tayside at the end of the 18th century and in the Outer Isles in 1849. From time to time a person of unusual resolve and clarity of mind finds him - or herself thrown up into the vanguard of the rising, to speak and decide and rally. Angus Cameron, a wright from Lochaber, spoke up for the families around Loch Tay who were faced with losing their young men to a Conscription Act in the summer of 1797. Cameron knows how his people have suffered through decades of eviction and military recruitment and is anguished by how little the ordinary people can do against a heartless Establishment which has weapons, powers and privileges. Arrested and outlawed, he survived to live on. King Cameron imagines a later life for him, as husband and father, then again as spokesman for crofters facing eviction on North Uist. These are times of famine, emigration, and the desperate fight with stones and tangle-stems against clearance from the homeland. David Craig writes with power and anger of lives which have few memorials. Past times are not museum-frozen, they are brought near enough to hear and touch and smell. The whole experience of countryfolk as they fish and plant argue and sing, love and bear children are revealed to the reader. Here is an entire class, shown (as it rarely is) in lifelike close-up, during the most testing episodes in its history, enduring the Potato Famine, battling with their bare hands against clearance. It will appeal to everyone with an interest in the Clearances, Scottish history or anyone who appreciates a good read by an expert storyteller. For a fuller appreciation of the story, readers will enjoy its sequel, the acclaimed "The Unbroken Harp".

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Ship masters and officers may not seem like pioneers of trade unionism. However, this history of their unique union, Nautilus International, shows how they have been pitched into the forefront of a long struggle for decent jobs, fair pay and conditions, employment rights, and health and safety – all in an international industry marked by savage and cut-throat competition. This book traces the evolution of today’s trans-boundary organisation from its roots in the Victorian-era expansion of the merchant fleet and the moves to raise the status and professionalism of its seafarers. It tells how successive unions have sought to overcome such seemingly perennial problems as piracy, criminalisation, substandard ships, excessive working hours and the threat of being replaced by low-cost crews – not to mention the battle against government indifference and public ignorance of an industry that is essential for an island nation. From the formation, in 1857, of the Mercantile Marine Service Association (MMSA) – the foundation stone in the building of today’s union – the book explains the remarkable ways in which the union has adapted and developed to meet the changing and complex challenges faced by members. From the provision of specialist welfare services and a global network of legal support to its leading role in the development of the international ‘bill of rights’ for seafarers, the union and its forerunners have been at the cutting edge of cradle- to-grave support for members. Pulling Together also describes the way in which the union has helped to produce trail-blazing systems of structure and organisation to represent members against the backdrop of a volatile ‘boom and bust’ industry, often in the face of intense shipowner hostility. Helping to build national negotiating machinery in one of the most open markets of all industries, the union and its predecessors have worked across borders to create a united response to the global challenges they face. With the shipping industry now entering its fourth industrial revolution, this book shows how Nautilus can draw from more than 160 years of history to continue the fight for a fair future for its members.

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Written originally in 1936–38 by Admiral Cumberlege as a record of his life, Salt Horse was never published. The original manuscript has been expertly edited and made readable in terms of language to a modern audience. It now comprises chapters on Cumberlege’s naval career in the RN and Royal Australian Navy and also on the 1922–38 period when he lived year-round on two large sailing craft, cruising the coasts of France and Spain. Cumberlege writes with some verve. He has strong views, made numerous friends wherever he and his second wife Nora went, and lived a spirited, irreverent and fortunate existence in peace and war. Some of his stories (for instance, about WW1 in New Guinea, or about his 1905 lunch in Gibraltar as a young officer with Kaiser Wilhelm II) are historic and eye-catching. In many ways, the book describes a world, and a way of life, that has disappeared for ever. Salt Horse is complemented with a timeline, family tree and Introduction which trace Cumberlege’s background. An Afterword takes his life story from 1938–63 when he died. The numerous black-and-white images and short footnotes bring many of the people mentioned in the text to life.

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A critique of modern conservation in the face of climate and biodiversity emergencies. It describes the author's journey from nature lover to conservationist

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Roaming Wild details the unconventional and pioneering lives of Anna and Peter Roberts, a British couple who were instrumental in making the animal welfare movement a respectable, highly-impactful and worldwide organisation. This book explores the paths that led Anna and Peter to found and steward what is now the world's largest and most successful animal welfare charity from a backroom of their own home, with few funds, and at a time when caring for animals and our planet was seen as 'crankish' and 'sentimental'. This is the story of their family, their era, influence, their rebellion and prophetic ideas and the development of Compassion in World Farming. It spans the period from the early 1920s when they were born, throughout the decades of their childhoods and World War II, to their highly romantic meeting and marriage in the 1950s, and then the next years of their lives as dairy and chicken farmers in rural Hampshire. This 'ordinary' part of their story preceded their move to change everything by making the 'extraordinary' decision during the tumultuous 1960s, of risking their livelihood, going vegetarian (as animal farmers), and losing the approval of their peers, to found their compassion-driven campaign. This personal transformation was at a time when the British countryside was also transforming, irrevocably and for the worse, when intensive, polluting farms were just taking root, the cruel battery and broiler system had recently been developed, and the countryside's biodiversity was being destroyed with the implementation of monoculture and the profligate spraying of lethal biocides, such as DDT. The Roberts were at first rejected by the popular animal charities of the day; believing that the public cared only about companion animals or those in circuses, rather than those animals who suffer the most at human hands - those in the food chain - and so the Roberts family went out alone and set up CIWF in the face of much public derision. Then followed the highs and lows of campaign life, a court battle with an order of veal-farming Catholic monks, famine campaigns in Ethiopia, work alongside comedian Spike Milligan, model Celia Hammond and philosopher Peter Singer, challenging EU legislation, and battles with agricultural and chemical giant Monsanto. Corporate giants like McDonald's were influenced to go free-range, even the British Royal family was challenged to go free-range, and animals were put on the agenda of every major political party in the 1970s and much more. The story interweaves the personal with the political and documents the highs and lows of family life, the judgement faced when they chose to raise their three daughters as vegetarians in the 1960s, their myriad spiritual quests, including the couple's time spent in the Indian ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, their rewilding of the land near their family home, and the story of their fifty-year love. This is a tale of an 'ordinary couple with an extraordinary vision'.

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This is for anyone who believes there is something special about taking on a challenging task in a remote place where few, if any people have been before. It may be a mountain range where your team is the only human presence, or a mountain on which you are making a first ascent. It's a unique opportunity to relate to a particular landscape, and in doing so to understand that environment and yourself better than before; something valuable that's shared within your team. Most mountaineers are familiar with challenges but the added dimension of remoteness intensifies the experience, tests one's self-reliance and teamwork so much more thoroughly. Having been told on numerous occasions that 'I'd love to go on an expedition but I don't know where to start', the Handbook offers much more than just a start. Based upon years of Alpinism and expeditionary mountaineering, including leading more than 20 expeditions, it became apparent to the author that a systematic approach can avoid logistical and personnel problems by thorough preparation. After running seminars on expedition planning at the National Outdoor Centre, the author believed there was much more ground to cover - even after a two-hour interactive session. As well as providing this information, the book shares some of the accumulated wisdom from the traditions of expeditioning in the writings of such towering figures as Bill Tilman, Eric Shipton and Frank Smythe. An Expedition Handbook includes many practical tips, from assessing the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning to tent design and pitching methods. Readers can learn about expeditions whilst enjoying the very elements that make it all worthwhile; the adventure, the camaraderie, the exotic locations, the triumphs. Aspirant expeditioners should therefore be able to organise more successful and satisfying expeditions so that fewer but better expeditions take place, cutting the climate cost of travel, and bringing back an appreciation of wild places and a willingness to stand up for rewilding in environments closer to home.

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This book encompasses many different topics in the field of nuclear safety and answers the need for an accessible introductory text to complement industry guidance. It focuses on the principles and applications of nuclear safety, guiding the reader through the 'why' and the 'how' of constructing a nuclear safety case. The theory is enhanced by the provision of examples on how safety cases may tackle a particular problem. Each nuclear site licensee has its own way of undertaking nuclear safety although there is much common ground. The book adopts a consensus approach to the various methodologies used in the industry and armed with such knowledge, an individual should have a good grounding for the application of nuclear safety in the manner required for their industry. Introduction to Nuclear Safety describes why we pursue nuclear safety, including the legal, financial and moral reasons. The fundamental concept of reducing risks to as low as reasonably practicable in the nuclear industry is discussed and the safety case life-cycle from design to commissioning to operations and decommissioning is described. Typical safety case methodologies are also discussed. In considering the applications of nuclear safety, examples of how to undertake an assessment are given. Producing a safety case is not solely a theoretical exercise; it must be implemented and adopted for use within the plant. Therefore, the book describes how safety case documents can be utilised within the plant. The book assumes only a relatively basic knowledge of physics, engineering and mathematics but the interested reader can find more detailed texts in the bibliography.

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Changes in farmland management throughout the twentieth century, including agricultural intensification and increasing mechanisation, have resulted in the loss of habitat for many species. The Corncrake is one such species that has faced multiple challenges to its survival. Although it was once a common bird throughout northern Europe, the breeding areas of Corncrakes have been steadily reduced to a fraction of what they once were, and in many areas their continuation as a regularly breeding bird is in serious doubt. In addition, the behaviour of the Corncrake, nesting under the cover of tall grass and undertaking annual long-distance migrations, means that for most of the last hundred years, its detailed ecology has remained mysterious and little understood. Although there have been millions of words written about the Corncrake in scientific papers, until now there has been no full-length book that attempts to capture all the aspects of its ecology, and to present this information to non-specialists. As a result, until very recently, many important facts about its lifestyle and behaviour have not been widely known, even among ornithologists. Although scarcely seen in its natural habitat, the Corncrake is well-known in many rural areas due to its characteristic (and persistent) night-time calling, but new discoveries with the aid of acoustic science have proved surprising, and may offer new ways of improving the location, identification, and management options to protect and enable the population of this iconic species to recover, even to thrive in our countryside. A new appreciation of the requirements of this species and the ways in which our sensitive management of the whole landscape, both in its potential breeding areas across Europe and Asia and in the seasonal quarters in regions of Africa, offer new hope for the future of this fascinating bird.

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This under-documented expedition was a pivotal moment in the annals of polar exploration and was the starting point, in historical terms, of revealing the great unknown continent of Antarctica. It was the first time in nearly 70 years since Captain James Cook had circumnavigated Antarctica, that a Royal Naval voyage of discovery had ventured so far South. They set a new 'furthest south' record in the process beating the one set up by James Weddell in a whaling ship in 1823. The expedition set sail from Greenwich in 1839. It consisted of two wooden sailing ships commanded by Captain James Clark Ross and Commander Francis Crozier. The ships were manned exclusively by Royal Naval personnel and each ship had a complement of 64 men and officers. Their primary task was of a scientific nature to study the Earth's magnetic field and build up a set of results that could provide a greater understanding of the effects of magnetism on compasses and their use in navigating the world's oceans. This voyage had a set of planned targets and all were accomplished. In the process a vast amount of scientific information was collected. Many exotic places were visited during the voyage amongst them Madeira, St Helena, Cape Town, Kerguelen island, New Zealand, Australia and the Falkland Islands but the pinnacle was the discovery of the Ross Sea, The Ross Ice Shelf and the mighty volcanoes of Erebus and Terror (named after the two ships). The crews experienced the dangers of navigating in ice-strewn waters and narrowly escaping being crushed by icebergs. Illness was kept at bay although several lives were lost due to accidents. It would be another 60 years before the scenes of their greatest discoveries were visited again and then the Golden Age of Discovery was ushered in with the likes of Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen.

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At the very end of the road is a six-bar metal gate. It is chained and padlocked and marks the exact line where the tarmac stops. Beyond that is a track, twelve pasture and hay fields, and an area of saltmarsh, bounded on one side by a river and on the other by vast tidal mudflats. Deep in the west of England, this is a place sculpted by the wind and painted by the tides. It is a place full of wildlife. This immersive and carefully crafted book of place explores the impact of season and tides and weather upon this land at the edge through a series of literary pictures crafted through lyrical imaginative language. The author attempts what few, if any, have tried to do, namely to render meticulous observations of the intimate details of wildlife and landscape to depict a place as faithfully and transparently as possible. This is a bold book, one that tries to capture the elusive soul of a place; a daring examination of both what makes a place and how it is remade daily through the interactions between landscape and observer. It is also radical for its approach challenges the current orthodoxy of nature writing that in order to supply a connection between author, subject, and reader, some sort of narrative framework of human emotion is required to provide it with a rationale. So, although the prose is subjective, the book is framed in such a way as to remove the author's presence almost completely. There is no story save that of the eternal change of the seasons, no narrative connection, no focus on a single species, no discussion or allusion to the environmental issues of our age, no characters. Indeed, there is barely any mention of people at all. Although it rarely tries to explain or educate, it simply places observations at centre stage. Yet in trying to unearth what it is precisely that constructs our relationship with place, the author has, paradoxically, produced one of the most deeply personal and unusual nature books.

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Rosslyn Wemyss' life and career was both fascinating and brilliant - a most distinguished admiral who is very little known. As the Allied Naval Representative at the Armistice negotiations on 11th November, 1918, he left an indelible mark on the life of this country when he was responsible, with Marshal Foch, for the creation of Armistice Day. The negotiations took place in a railway carriage at Compiegne in France when the decision was made at 5.30 am to cease hostilities on land, in the air and sea at 11 am on that day. One of the most illustrious of Scottish admirals, he was a member of the Clan Wemyss, whose ancestral seat is Wemyss Castle in Fife, overlooking the Firth of Forth. Rosslyn joined the Navy at the age of 13 in 1877, at the same time as Prince George, the younger son of the Prince of Wales, they became lifelong friends. After they left Dartmouth they joined their first ship together and sailed around the world for the next two years. In his early career, this friendship found him posted to serve on two ships for Royal Tours abroad and on two of the Royal Yachts. In 1915, by then a Rear Admiral, he was sent to create a naval base at Mudros, to serve the Gallipoli campaign and was in command of the landings and then the evacuation of all the troops. The evacuation was so successful that only one man was lost from the approximately 140,000 who were taken off the beaches. From there, he was sent to Port Said to command the East Indies and Red Sea Station. For the next 18 months, the main thrust of his command was supporting the Arab Revolt and helping T.E. Lawrence and the Arabs, under Emir Feisal, to oust the Turks from all the ports on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. Without his support, the Arab Revolt would have collapsed and the legend of Lawrence of Arabia would not have been created. In 1917 he returned to the United Kingdom to become Deputy First Sea Lord, stepping up to the post of First Sea Lord at the end of the year. As First Sea Lord, he represented British naval interests at the Versailles Peace Conference. Through Rosslyn's rich archive of letters and reports and his own words, this book gives a wonderful insight into the life of a man who became one of the most popular and senior officers in the Royal Navy at the time, and who was known throughout the Navy as 'Rosy'.

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Born in 1828 near Kelso in the Scottish Borders, Wyllie went to sea as an apprentice seaman in 1852 and quickly rose through the ranks. By 1862 he had gained his masters certificate in Liverpool, and there he took command of his first vessel, the Bonita. He sailed for Nassau, then a booming port involved in running contraband through the Union blockade of the Confederate States, at that time fighting in the American Civil War. Sailors from Britain rushed to man these vessels as great fortunes could be made if a successful run was made into a Confederate port. On the return journey, two agents of the State of North Carolina, Thomas Crossan and John White, were travelling to Britain on the orders of Governor Zebulon Vance to purchase ships to run the blockade. This set Wyllie's career as a blockade runner on course. White and Crossan arranged the purchase of the Clyde-built paddle steamer Lord Clyde and, just five months after docking in Liverpool as commander of the Bonita, Wyllie took command of the Lord Clyde, renamed the Ad-Vance. He was aboard from the start of the vessel's new career until her capture in September 1864. Two more commands of blockade runners followed; he was captured again and then evaded the American authorities through an ingenious, and at sometimes unbelievable, escape to Scotland. After the war Wyllie continued at sea for another two years before returning to Scotland to settle as a farmer. Unlike some of those who ran the blockade, Wyllie appears not to have come back a wealthy man. For over 30 years he gave numerous popular lectures of his time at sea in aid of local charities and was known locally as 'Captain Wyllie'. The role that Wyllie played during the Civil War is explored in depth and reveals that he was a constant face, and force, in the crew of the steamer with his actions and abilities being greatly appreciated by both crew and owners alike. The most comprehensive history of the Ad-Vance is provided, from the day she left Glasgow until her capture off the Carolina coast. Many fascinating contemporary passenger diaries, personal recollections from crew, letters and telegrams between Wyllie and Governor Vance, official records of the war and newspaper reports are included. In association with Glasgow Museums.

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This is a revised and updated edition of the highly successful first and second editions. In the intervening period the procedures used in the description of soils and rocks have continued to develop and evolve and this new edition incorporates changes in the international standards EN ISO 14688 and 14689 and those resulting in the national standard, BS 5930:2015 and the 2020 amendment thereof. Close comparison is also made with US practice in description (ASTM D2488) and classification (ASTM D2487). Significant changes in rock description are included – the reintroduction of the Approaches 1 to 5 for rock weathering; Approach 1 for description and Approaches 2 to 5 (Rock Weathering Working Party) for classification when appropriate and helpful. Also covered is the reintroduction of the 12.5 MPa boundary and the term moderately weak in rock strength description: a significant boundary in design in rock. The book continues to provide invaluable practical guidance in carrying out engineering geological logging of soil and rock samples and exposures in the field. The systematic and codified approach is laid out in detail to ensure the defined descriptors are used in a consistent format, rendering mistakes less likely and the necessary communication from field to design more successful. The procedures, techniques and tips within this book continue to serve and guide young practitioners learning their craft, but also their seniors and mentors, including responsible experts who sign off the logs and report on behalf of their company. More than ever, the need to be aware of current practices in order in order to avoid costly mistakes is paramount.

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This volume brings together a selection of key papers by this soil mechanics pioneer. The papers have been selected on the basis of their importance in the development of soil mechanics and to highlight the nature and range of subjects that Bishop investigated during the thirty-seven years of his career. Bishop's most influential paper was presented at an ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) conference in Boulder, Colorado, in 1960, and while it made a big impression at the time, it is now in danger of disappearing from sight. In addition, two of Bishop's very significant papers were published in the late 1970s in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, not normal reading for the soil mechanics fraternity, and thus became known to only a few people. That has remained the case to this day, and the fact that these two papers have not been republished was the initial motivation for creating this volume. In addition, it is nearly 40 years since Bishop retired from his professorial position at Imperial College and a fitting time to remember Bishop with both a biography, The Bishop Method, and this volume of his papers. In addition to the Bishop papers, there is a paper by Laurie Wesley and Richard Pugh reflecting their research with Bishop. Separate papers were to have been written after the completion of their PhDs, with Bishop as the lead author, but because of his illness this didn't happen. The opportunity has now been taken to present the comprehensive research in these papers, as a tribute to their supervisor and mentor.

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'In clear and utterly compelling English, this moving memoir tells the story of the agony, and the ecstasy, of one refugee - and of every refugee. A must read for anyone interested in the triumph of Afghanistan's spirit over its seemingly endless suffering'. Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, British Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2007-2010 Flight From Afghanistan is a harrowing account of what drives a man to flee his home country in fear of his life, the trauma of refugee camps and the dangers he faces even when he reaches the sanctuary of the West. Afghans are the second largest refugee group in the world. When confronted by certain death at the point of a gun, Tella Omeri, an uneducated boy from a peasant family knew he had no alternative but to put his life in the hands of ruthless human traffickers, living on his wits and instincts. His 11-year flight, which began as a six-year- old child, is a story combining brutality with courage, hopelessness with resilience. The author asks for no pity, but in his short story he seeks to explain the motivation behind his decisions and paints a radically different picture of life in a troubled region, challenging world leaders and domestic warring factions to find a solution to the endless conflict. While thousands of refugees flee conflict and danger every day, Flight from Afghanistan shines a powerful light on what it actually means to undertake such a journey, and gives a voice to the often forgotten silent victims of the long running wars in the author's home country. * 'Afghan refugees represent one of the world's largest protracted refugee populations. Over the past four decades, many have been forced from their homes to never see them again. Some were able to return, for a while, but had their lives upended by a fresh eruption of conflict and violence - either to be displaced elsewhere in the country, or to become refugees yet again'. Amnesty International * 'Afghanistan is the world's least peaceful country'. Institute for Peace and Economics, June 2019 Tella Omeri now lives in the UK as a British Citizen with his wife and children.

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Caithness, the most northerly county in mainland Britain, is one of the richest cultural landscapes in Europe. The relative geographical isolation of the area, traditional landholding and the survival of large estates, combined with the use of flagstone as the main building material since earliest times, has ensured the survival of a wide range of monuments in a profusion unequalled elsewhere in Scotland. In the 19th century, Caithness was at the forefront of archaeological endeavours with many sites central to our understanding of Scottish prehistory. Since then, despite intermittent activity, the archaeology of Caithness has become somewhat marginalized and there is a perception that there are only a handful of archaeological sites for visitors to enjoy and the archaeologist to uncover and interpret. However, the county is full of hidden riches and traces of the past are visible everywhere. Caithness is dominated by landscapes rich in archaeological remains of all periods; chambered cairns, stone settings, brochs, Pictish settlements, wags, castles, harbours and post-medieval settlement, amongst many others. The authors have presented a cross section of these monument types in an attempt to re-centre the county in archaeological and early historical narratives. For the last decade, the authors have been involved in a range of heritage projects in the county, thus allowing them time to discover, observe and consider its archaeology. Their peregrinations provided opportunities for deeper contemplation of the county's archaeology, the result of which is presented in some new interpretations and perspectives which convey the excitement of working on heritage in Caithness.

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Foreword by Admiral Lord West of Spithead Few people, even in the Navy, are even aware of this dreadful incident [the loss of submarine HMS Truculent in the Thames] and certainly not the details of human error that led to this huge loss of life. The account is gripping, and explains the strange title of the book. ... John Johnson-Allen has put Fred Henley's personal accounts in the context of world-changing events, and in particular provides a wonderful snapshot of the Royal Navy of that era. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This compelling story is the result of many hours spent recording the memories of Fred Henley. His life at sea is at the centre of his being and his own words are at the heart of the book. At the age of 14 Fred worked on a Thames sailing barge, then after his training at HMS Ganges, he joined his first ship which took him from the icy Arctic Ocean to the heat of West Africa where the Bismarck and her support ships were hunted. His experiences included visiting Archangel, sailing on Arctic convoys, capturing German supply ships, the failed attack on Oran, landings in Piraeus, Salonika and the French Riviera and operating with special forces in the Greek Islands. There is inevitably some humour when Fred recounts his encounters with girls. The book then explores the tragic loss of his last submarine, HMS Truculent. In the cold January waters of the Thames Estuary, within sight of Southend, over 60 men were lost in a major disaster, just five years after the end of the war. The voices of the survivors are heard telling how they stood in complete blackness in a sunken submarine, waiting for the water to come in so that they could escape to the surface, only for all but a few to drift away and die in the darkness. The story concludes with happier times with Fred visiting ports in the Mediterranean during peacetime as a married man.

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As a barefoot lad in the Outer Hebrides, Bill Innes dreamed the impossible dream of becoming a pilot and this book tells how that dream came to pass. The author's career of over forty years spanned a period of incredible advances in the air - now regarded as a golden era in aviation. After gaining his RAF wings in Canada he really started to learn his trade by flying pre-war Dakotas for British European Airways around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland - one of the most testing aviation-operating areas in the world. The experience was to stand him in good stead as he moved to London to fly classic 20th century British aircraft such as the Viscount, Comet, Vanguard and Trident. The narrative comes alive through tales of the many characters encountered in a time before flight recorders. There are authentic versions of some of the most famous anecdotes in the folklore of the sky, but also reflections on training philosophy and techniques which have a relevance outwith aviation. Along the way he explored his limits, barnstorming vintage aircraft in Tiger Club displays - surviving one breach of those limits which should have proved fatal! Progressing to being a training captain, Bill was happy to pass on his experience to colleagues. As one of the team that introduced the Boeing 757 to British Airways, post-retirement, he was privileged to be the trainer on the first flights of charter airlines such as Air 2000 and Canada 3000 before his swansong, flying long range Boeing 767s for Alitalia. Technical background is lightened by the thread of humour which runs throughout and there are also some sage words of comfort for the nervous passenger.

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This wonderful book describes the fascinating lives of the two most ubiquitous shorebirds in the world. Between them the Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) and Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) make use of a large part of the world's terrestrial habitat and they exhibit many of the exciting features of shorebirds. As the birds arrive on the breeding ground, their displays are spectacular and their sounds are an exciting announcement of springtime. Unusually, the Spotted Sandpiper appears to be the only bird where the female is the territory holder, laying successive clutches of eggs for different males to care for, while the male of the Common Sandpiper holds the territory, has one mate, and shares most duties. They stay on the breeding grounds only as long as is essential to reproduce before making a migration southwards to a broad range of non-breeding homes in Central and South America, Africa, India, and eastwards to Australia with vagrants reaching as far as Tristan da Cunha and New Zealand. The Common Sandpiper has also been recorded breeding in East Africa and wintering in Scotland so their flexibility is amazing. The author has spent over 40 years studying the lives of these fantastic birds and provides a wealth of information including their breeding behaviour, migrations, distribution, food sources, habitats and their history from the present back to 36 million years ago. This beautiful book will hopefully stimulate others to watch these worldwide birds more appreciatively and add to our knowledge.

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Little Ross is an attractive and unspoiled island and its lighthouse, beautifully designed by the famous Stevenson family, is officially a 'lesser' light, far away from busy sea lanes, at the summit of this remote island.The island was unknown to most people until 1960 when a murder in the lighthouse buildings brought it widespread notoriety, to the grief and consternation of all who were involved. The author was at the island on the day of the murder, and was a witness in the High Court trial that followed. Over the subsequent 57 years, he has repeatedly been asked to tell his story but the 117 years of diligent tending of the light by numerous lighthouse keepers and their families has been largely forgotten. In Life and Death on Little Ross, the author has redressed the balance by telling the story of the island, its lighthouse and its people who lived and worked there including extracts from a detailed diary that has survived from WWI. Also featured are the island's earliest inhabitants, the ships and their crews that came to grief, the case made by concerned local people for a lighthouse to be erected, the political wrangling that frustrated its approval for many years, the lighthouse design, and the eventual construction of the buildings.The story did not end with the murder. The process of automation began immediately after the event and the work of conversion, repair and maintenance, including first-hand accounts by some of the tradesmen is provided. The story of the restoration and conversion of the lighthouse keepers' derelict cottages is one of courage, patience, stamina, skill and resourcefulness which should inspire all of the many people that love wild, beautiful and unspoiled places like Little Ross Island and care about the future of buildings of distinction.

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This stunningly beautiful and informative book celebrates the Arctic, one of the last great wildernesses on the planet; a place where animals have survived for thousands of years protected only by fur and feathers. Humans also survive in the Arctic, but only those who have adjusted to the climate over millennia and who clad themselves in the skins of the animals they hunt. For the casual visitor, this is a place where survival for any extended period requires taking advantage of the best that modern technology can offer. But the rewards are immense: the Arctic can be harsh, but it is also stunningly beautiful - days during which the sun glints on ice, nights illuminated by the ethereal dancing light of the aurora and with a glimpse of some of the most remarkable animals on the planet. Many travel to the Arctic to see the animals, the land mammals, the whales and seals, and the birds. However, the Arctic also has an absorbing human history. The origins of the Inuit in North America, and the array of Eurasian northern peoples, from the Sami of Scandinavia to the Yuppik hunters from Asia's Bering Sea coast, are still debated, while the discovery, just a year or so ago, of the second ship of Franklin's doomed expedition to find the North-West Passage has reopened the arguments over exactly what did happen to more than 100 Royal Navy seamen. The Arctic provides not only an understanding of the formation of the Arctic but the science of snow and ice including the phenomena of aurora and parhelia, and the way in which the area's wildlife contends with the chilling harshness of its climate. This fascinating, magnificent area is now under severe threat. Global warming is causing the sea ice to shrink, in both area and volume. This allows easier access to its probable resources and, ironically, this access merely adds to the threats to the area and its wildlife. Due to feedback mechanisms, the Arctic warms about twice as fast as the Earth. The area therefore acts in the way that canaries once acted in coal mines, giving an early warning of danger: melting sea ice not only threatens the local wildlife but indicates the threat to the Earth as a whole. This is a truly remarkable book encompassing the diverse facets of this magnificent area and its vital importance as an indicator of the planet's health.

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'Inspiring leadership lessons from the sea,' Rear Admiral Robert O. Wray Jr, USN (ret), author of Saltwater LeadershipAlthough merchant ships carry 90% of the world's trade, the mariners who run them have little guidance on leadership. This can result in disasters such as the Titanic, Costa Concordia, the Exxon Valdez, and the recent El Faro. With modern ships being worth several million dollars, seafarers need leadership advice at every level of their career. Golden Stripes, Leadership on the High Seas provides this guidance, and much more.Captain Parani weaves together his rich experience, cutting-edge insights and real-life stories in this book which has already garnered international acclaim. The reader will discover how to run a tight ship; enhance expertise; lead and communicate with a team; implement safety leadership; decide effectively in high-stake situations and be inspired by legendary sailors. It is a practical leadership action plan which can be applied at sea, or in any other workplace, anywhere.Golden Stripes is the first leadership book of its kind, written by a mariner specifically for commercial shipping.The author's experience both on board and from his corporate roles gives him a unique perspective on why, when and how sailors fail or succeed. Important messages are woven around engaging stories, quotes and practical leadership models, making this an indispensable read for all leaders.

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Mike Tomkies gives a remarkable picture of the whole cycle of nature around him, in a harsh and testing environment of unrivalled beauty. Vivid colours and sounds fill these pages - exotic wild orchids, the roar of rutting stags, a pair of dragonflies mating, the flight of the redwing, the territorial movements of foxes, otters and badgers, an oak tree being torn apart by hurricane-force gales. Nothing seems to escape his penetrating eye, to which the selection of his photographs in this book - some revealing little-known aspects of animal behaviour - immediately testifies. Yet Mike's extraordinary insights into the wildlife that shared his otherwise empty territory of 300 square miles are not gained without perseverance in the face of perilous hazards. Every pound of supplies (including heavy gas canisters) has to be manhandled in and out of his boat, which once sank beneath him in a storm. Thousands of miles of rock faces and hillside must be trekked each year in summer and winter, the tussock grass concealing sodden peat holes that will break an ankle. Hours on end, day and night, are spent in cramped hides on windy, precipitous ledges.A Last Wild Place is much more than the chronicle of a man who left city life in order to study the wilderness. It is a celebration of nature at its most rugged and spectacular in all Britain. Like the enormous ageing salmon he threw back because he felt he had no right to claim its life, Mike Tomkies reveals through his quest our urgent need to become retuned to natural rhythms if mankind is to regain a measure of health and sanity in a world bent on self-destruction.

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This book provides a visual reconstruction of Palmyra, a World Heritage Site situated in Syria, which flourished in Greco-Roman times. Palmyra is situated in a desert oasis and served as a vibrant caravan station on the Silk Road connecting the Roman world with the East. It has been called 'the Queen of the Desert' and 'Venice of the Sands'.In 2015-2017 the city was conquered by ISIS who destroyed its monuments and museum, also killing several of its inhabitants. Their aim was to erase the memory and identity of the place, its people and our common heritage. However, through the use of modern technology including photogrammetry, digital imagery and 3D modelling, it has been possible to recreate the documented monuments, thus overcoming to some extent the trauma, cultural destruction and loss. The book unveils the rediscovery of the site by the West and revives and reconstructs the ancient city through images and history. The reader is taken through the spectacular city and its past by providing the information to follow the roots and development of the site, its monuments and its people through the ages, including rulers such as Queen Zenobia. The combination of visualization and written accounts interlink the environment and its people, the monuments and archaeological small finds by using ancient written sources, old photographs, new imagery, 3D models and 3D printing. Thus this ancient site and its past is revived in multiple dimensions. Monuments are visualized as digitally reconstructed ruins or as complete virtual models. This text is therefore the perfect guide for readers who wish to immerse themselves visually in the history of the area and to discover more about the archaeology and its preservation using diverse methods employing modern technology.

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