Search results for ""author weird"

Collecting the fifth volume of the classic comic adaptation of Michael Moorcock's bestselling fantasy saga! With his reluctant companion Moonglum in tow, the albino emperor embarks upon a perilous quest in search of the dark sorcerer Theleb K'aarna. But in order to achieve his goal, he must first prove himself against the many horrors of the Young Kingdoms and form an unlikely pact with the beautiful and mysterious, Myshella - the Empress of the Dawn. Based on Michael Moorcock's most popular work. Essential reading for all fans of the novels - the epic tales brought to life with luxuriant imagination! Perfect for fans ofFables, Sandman, Elfquest, andA Game of Thrones. Elric's antihero protagonist will also appeal to readers looking for an alternative to Tolkienesque Fantasy. Praise for Michael Moorcock Library Previous Volumes: "This spectacular, resplendently flamboyant adaptation is a deliciously elegant, savagely beautiful masterpiece of the genre effortlessly blending blistering action and gleaming adventure with the deep, darkly melancholic tone of the cynical, nihilistic, Cold-War mentality and era that spawned the original stories." - Comics Review "Fantasy of the highest order, with dragons, pirates and magic swords coming together into an incredibly epic and robust world"- Adventures In Poor Taste Captures all the weird and terrible beauty of Moorcock's novels, and the new edition is a perfect companion to Titan's other Elric offerings."- Ron Marz (Silver Surfer, Green Lantern) "Unforgettable action and intrigue...a must-read for any fans of science fiction, sorcery or sword-and-sorcery epics!"- Comics Bulletin "Richly deserves to be back in print...can't wait to return to the dreaming city!"- SFX "Working together, these three creators made an adaptation that remains faithful to the original novel but never feels like a mere adaptation or retelling of the source material. They made Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone novel into their great comic book."- Newsarama"

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Tokyo Travel Sketchbook traces the journey of illustrator and graphic designer Amaia Arrazola on a four-week trip through the beating heart of Tokyo.When Arrazola accepts a month long artist's residency in the Japanese capital, she has little idea of what to expect but gamely packs her paints and pencils and seizes the opportunity to create an illustrated diary of her time there, filling the pages of her sketchbooks with curious images of life in the world's largest city.This book provides readers with a unique vision of Japan's capital, as seen through the eyes of an artist. Arrazola immerses herself in the cult of Hello Kitty and the pop-eyed charms of "Kawaii" cute culture, while conveying the collision of traditional and modern Japanese culture in the female Samurais she meets and draws.The city's cultural curiosities come alive in a metropolis that is ever on the go, as she browses sex shops, drinks pink coffee, eats spaghetti sandwiches and photographs subway sleepers. Throughout her explorations, Arrazola uses the concept of wabi sabi as a guiding principle—coming to see her own life and artworks as examples of "flawed beauty" and imperfectly perfect Zen design.The result is a fresh, often funny, one-of-a-kind look at a city that works hard and plays hard—in many surprising ways. At the heart of Tokyo Travel Sketchbook are two contradictory Japans—the glittering neon world of a high-tech ultramodern society existing side-by-side with a nation where ancient tradition holds sway and where the unadorned, the simple and the silent are prized and celebrated as much as the new, the fashionable and the trendy. These competing realities make for a memorable visual journey and a stunning souvenir of a stranger's brief stay in a strange land.From smoking laws to high-tech toilets, Arrazola finds beauty in the weirdness and imperfection of this modern metropolis.*Recommended for readers ages 14 & up*

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Busy is a legit writer with a voice as clear as a bell' Tina Fey 'Funny, refreshingly candid memoir about Hollywood, motherhood and BFFhood' Cosmopolitan'Judy Blume meets Karl Ove Knausgaard meets one brave woman from Arizona' Miranda JulyA memoir by the beloved comedic actress known for her roles on Freaks and Geeks, Dawson's Creek, and Cougartown who has become 'the breakout star on Instagram stories . . . imagine I Love Lucy mixed with a modern lifestyle guru' (New Yorker).Busy Philipps's autobiographical book offers the same unfiltered and candid storytelling that her Instagram followers have come to know and love, from growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona and her painful and painfully funny teen years, to her life as a working actress, mother, and famous best friend.Busy is the rare entertainer whose impressive arsenal of talents as an actress is equally matched by her storytelling ability, sense of humor, and sharp observations about life, love, and motherhood. Her conversational writing reminds us what we love about her on screens large and small. From film to television to Instagram, Busy delightfully showcases her wry humor and her willingness to bare it all.'I've been waiting my whole life to write this book. I'm just so grateful someone asked. Otherwise, what was the point of any of it??''Candid, painful and extremely wryly funny' Stylist'Like most women, famous or not, bad things have happened to Busy Philipps - as well as weird stuff, jawdropping stuff and heartwarming stuff' Refinery29'This Will Only Hurt a Little has stopped me in my tracks completely' Sophie Heawood, Observer

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Tales from the Crib will make all parental units feel better about themselves—no vegetables required.Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to sit next to that chipper mom at playgroup who knows everything. Please. You want to plop down by the mom who’s just as clueless and cranky as you are and have a good, hearty, conspiratorial laugh together. Because that mom gets it. That mom makes you feel better. That mom isn’t afraid to admit that chicken nuggets are one of her household’s major food groups (though she is fraught with guilt over it). That mom is just like you.That mom is DeeDee Filiatreault—a regular housewife with fairly normal kids (if there is such a thing). But unlike you, she writes all her ridiculous family stuff down (for her newspaper column and blog) with wit, snark, heart, faith, and far fewer swear words than she’s probably thinking. Her writings have yet to appear in the New Yorker or HuffPo, she doesn’t go on morning shows to dole out parenting advice (mainly because she doesn’t really have any), and she doesn’t have a weird, new hook for a “mom-oir”—like how she survived a year of family dumpster-diving or co-parenting her children with wolves. She doesn’t have eighteen kids either, just two. And oh yeah, only one husband (as required by state law).This collection of DeeDee’s favorite columns and writings spans her first near-decade in the mom business. Reading it is like plunking down next to that funny mom at playgroup. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll feel less lonely in this thing. And you may even feel a little superior. (That alone might be worth the price tag.) Just come and sit down next to her.

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Geek out over the TARDIS, aliens, alternate timelines, parallel worlds, and all your favorite characters from the Doctor Who Universe!Doctor Who arrived with the Space Age, when the Doctor first began exploring the universe in a time-traveling spaceship. Over half a century since, the Doctor has gone global. Millions of people across this planet enjoy Doctor Who in worldwide simulcast and cinema extravaganzas. Doctor Who has infused our minds and our language and made it much richer.What a fantastic world we inhabit through the Doctor. The program boils over withballsy women, bisexual companions, scientific passion, and a billion weird and wonderful alien worlds beyond our own. The show represents almost sixty years' worth of magical science-fiction storytelling. And Doctor Who is, despite being about a thousands-of-years-old alien with two hearts and a spacetime taxi made of wood, still one of our very best role models of what it is to be human in the twenty-first century.In The Science of Doctor Who, we take a peek under the hood of the TARDIS and explore the science behind questions such as: What does Doctor Who tell us about space travel? Could the TARDIS really be bigger on the inside? In what ways does the Doctor view the end of our world? Is the Doctor right about alternate timelines and parallel worlds? Will intelligent machines ever rule the earth? Is the earth becoming more like Doctor Who's matrix? Is the Doctor a superhero? How do daleks defecate? So welcome to The Science of Doctor Who, where the Doctor steps smoothly in and out of different realities, faces earthly and unearthly threats with innovation and unpredictability, and successfully uses science in the pay of pacifist resistance!

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Brings the science of biological anthropology to bear on understanding how our evolutionary history has shaped a phenomenon everyone has experienced – childhood. Tracking deep into our evolutionary history, anthropological science has begun to unravel one particular feature that sets us apart from the many, many animals that came before us – our uniquely long childhoods. Growing Up Human looks at how we have diverged from our ancestral roots to stay ‘forever young’ – or at least what seems like forever – and how the evolution of childhood is a critical part of the human story. Beginning with a look at the ways animals invest in their offspring, the book moves through the many steps of making a baby, from pair-bonding to hidden ovulation, points where our species has repeatedly stepped off the standard primate path. From the mystery of monogamy to the minefield of modern parenting advice, biological anthropologist Brenna Hassett reveals how differences between humans and our closest cousins lead to our messy mating systems, dangerous pregnancies, and difficult births, and what these tell us about the kind of babies we are trying to build. Using observations of our closest primate relatives, the tiny relics of childhood that come to us from the archaeological record, and the bones and teeth of our ancestors, science has started to unravel the evolution of our childhood right down the fossil record. In our species investment doesn’t stop at birth, and as Growing Up Human reveals, we can compare every aspect of our care and feeding, from the chemical composition of our milk to our fondness for formal education from ancient times onwards, in order to understand just what we evolved our weird and wonderful childhoods for.

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Fundamental does for physics what Tim's first book, Elemental, does for chemistry: it demystifies the topic in his trademark humorous, engaging style, including the most recent developments in the field.At the start of the twentieth century, science appeared complete and the laws of nature were almost all discovered, but then we woke a sleeping giant - we discovered quantum mechanics. In the quantum realm, objects can be in two places at once. It's a place where time travel is not only possible, but necessary. It's a place where cause and effect can happen in reverse and observing something changes its state. From parallel universes to antimatter, quantum mechanics has revealed that when you get right down to it, the laws of nature are insane. The scientist J. B. S. Haldane once said, 'Reality is not only stranger than we imagine . . . it's stranger than we can imagine.' Never is this more true than with quantum mechanics; our best, most recent attempt to make sense of the fundamental laws of nature.Fundamental is a comprehensive beginner's guide to quantum mechanics, explaining not only the weirdness of the subject but the experiments that proved it to be true. Using a humorous and light-hearted approach, Fundamental tells the story of how the most brilliant minds in science grappled with seemingly impossible ideas and gave us everything from microchips to particle accelerators. Fundamental gives clear explanations of all the quantum phenomena known to modern science, without requiring an understanding of complex mathematics; tells the eccentric stories of the scientists who made these shattering discoveries and what they used them for; explains how quantum field theory (a topic not covered in detail by any other popular-science book) gave rise to particle physics and why the Higgs boson isn't the end of the story.

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A dazzling dawn breaks over the Stonehenge midwinter solstice, where the assembled new-age revellers are horrified to discover a green-painted human hand dangling from beneath a mound of snow, high on one of the stone lintels.Leading the investigation into this peculiar death is DI Shanti Joyce and her partner, Vincent Caine. To Shanti's chagrin the pair have become known as 'the go-to team for weird stuff in the West Country' and this festive fatality is the mother and Father Christmas of odd and ritualistic crimes.Amidst the swirling flurries of Salisbury Plain, the unlikely duo discover that the deceased is none other than Hector Lovell-Finch, the eccentric Earl of Lovell Court, known to all as 'Finch' - and who also happens to be the father of the notoriously right-wing MP, Quentin Lovell-Finch.It is no secret that relations between father and son have become decidedly frosty since Finch's acrimonious divorce from Quentin's mother, his conversion to environmentalism, and second marriage to an indigenous Brazilian environmentalist half his age. Now there is the icy issue of who will inherit the ancient Lovell-Finch Estate.To make things more complicated, single mum Shanti has faithfully promised her son, Paul a magical Christmas with all the trimmings. Can this most knotty of English murders be untwined in just five days? And will the unlikely detective duo celebrate the season with merriment, mindfulness and mistletoe?Praise for Solstice of Death'Quirky, engrossing and can be devoured at any time' Devon LifePraise for Laurence Anholt'A super start to the series' Frances Brody'An entertaining murder mystery . . . witty' L C Tyler'This quirky, fast-paced crime mystery is magically entertaining' Dundee Courier 'Quirky, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable' Kate Ellis

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Thursday, November 25: Evening, my crib Spirit Level: Cold and stuffedOkay, just when I thought things were totally perfect and Bevan and I were going to live happily ever after together (or, like, go to the movies), I remembered the Katie Parker factor!! AND Katie has been giving me the super cold shoulder, and I mean F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G cold!! She must know. As if things aren’t weird enough, Mom wants the Grizzlies to go to the state regional competition to cheer on the Titans and see a real competition. I’m psyched to watch all the cheering, especially since the Grizzlies are getting a bit restless without a big game on the horizon. But if Katie knows about me and Bevan, the temp of this super high-pressured weekend is going to get really cold—REALLY fast. And something tells me that this competition is going to have MORE than its fair share of stunts—on AND OFF the mat. Oh brother… Just when things with the Titan cheer trio are finally looking up (or at least straight across), Maddy finds herself in yet another tangled web. Her crush, Bevan—who everyone knows head Titan cheerleader Katie Parker just broke up with—asks Maddy out! Still hoping to one day make the Titan team, Maddy has to choose: Table for one, or pyramid OF one? All is definitely NOT fair in love and cheerleading. Meanwhile, without a "real" game in sight to cheer for, the Grizzlies are starting loose steam and it's up to Maddy, Jacqui, and Coach Carolyn to give them something to CHEER for. When the Titan's big cheerleading competition sectionals brings both teams to one place for one pressure-filled weekend, the stakes rise as cheerleaders start performing stunts on AND off the mat--breaking hearts, spirits, and even ankles!

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'A spectacular treasury of treats. Page after page of utter joy: I can’t tear my eyes away' - Derren BrownIn The Spectacle of Illusion, professional magician-turned experimental psychologist Dr. Matthew L. Tompkins investigates the arts of deception as practised and popularised by mesmerists, magicians and psychics since the early 18th century. Organised thematically within a broadly chronological trajectory, this compelling book explores how illusions perpetuated by magicians and fraudulent mystics can not only deceive our senses but also teach us about the inner workings of our minds. Indeed, modern scientists are increasingly turning to magic tricks to develop new techniques to examine human perception, memory and belief. Beginning by discussing mesmerism and spiritualism, the book moves on to consider how professional magicians such as John Nevil Maskelyne and Harry Houdini engaged with these movements – particularly how they set out to challenge and debunk paranormal claims. It also relates the interactions between magicians, mystics and scientists over the past 200 years, and reveals how the researchers who attempted to investigate magical and paranormal phenomena were themselves deceived, and what this can teach us about deception. Highly illustrated throughout with entertaining and bizarre drawings, double-exposure spirit photographs and photographs of spoon-bending from hitherto inaccessible and un-mined archives, including the Wellcome Collection, the Harry Price Library, the Society for Physical Research, and last but not least, the Magic Circle’s closely guarded collection, the book also features newly commissioned photography of planchettes, rapping boards, tilting tables, ectoplasm, automata and illusion boxes. Concluding with a modern-day analysis of the science of magic and illusion, analysing surprisingly weird phenomena such as ideomotor action, sleep paralysis, choice blindness and the psychology of misdirection, this unnerving volume highlights how unreliable our minds can be, and how complicit they can be in the perpetuation of illusions.

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A 2022 Best Comedy Book, VultureA rousing call for liberals and progressives to pay attention to the emergence of right-wing comedy and the political power of humor. "Why do conservatives hate comedy? Why is there no right-wing Jon Stewart?" These sorts of questions launch a million tweets, a thousand op-eds, and more than a few scholarly analyses. That's Not Funny argues that it is both an intellectual and politically strategic mistake to assume that comedy has a liberal bias. Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx take readers––particularly self-described liberals––on a tour of contemporary conservative comedy and the "right-wing comedy complex." In That's Not Funny, "complex" takes on an important double meaning. On the one hand, liberals have developed a social-psychological complex—it feels difficult, even dangerous, to acknowledge that their political opposition can produce comedy. At the same time, the right has been slowly building up a comedy-industrial complex, utilizing the humorous, irony-laden media strategies of liberals such as Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver to garner audiences and supporters. Right-wing comedy has been hiding in plain sight, finding its way into mainstream conservative media through figures ranging from Fox News's Greg Gutfeld to libertarian podcasters like Joe Rogan. That's Not Funny taps interviews with conservative comedians and observations of them in action to guide readers through media history, text, and technique. You will find many of these comedians utterly appalling, some surprisingly funny, and others just plain weird. They are all, however, culturally and politically relevant—the American right is attempting to seize spaces of comedy and irony previously held firmly by the left. You might not like this brand of humor, but you can't ignore it.

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STEM for Kids ― Fun for Kids (Ages 8-10)#1 New Release in Children's Books: Environment & Ecology, Atlases, Anatomy, and Earthquake & VolcanoIn their debut illustrated science book for kids, the team behind the popular YouTube channel MinuteEarth answers all of your child’s wackiest questions about animals, nature, and science alongside engaging images of the natural world.From the scientists, writers, and illustrators at MinuteEarth. Have you ever wondered where Earth’s water came from? Or why leaves change color in the fall? Entertain and educate your kids with fun facts about animals, nature and the wonders of the earth.Amazing STEM for kids, explained simply. With over 300 million views, MinuteEarth simplifies such serious subjects as geology, ecology and biology making them fun for kids. Featuring their signature puns and fun illustrations, this first book in the MinuteEarth Explains series explores topics ranging from weird animal facts to extreme weather, making science for kids enjoyable and unforgettable.Curious questions about our awesome planet. Whether your child is obsessed with the wonder of nature, can’t learn enough interesting facts about animals, or is fascinated by volcanoes, MinuteEarth Explains captures their imagination and fosters an interest in animals, the Earth, and ocean life! By combining humor with rigorous research, this book provides fun facts about animals, nature, science and more in an equally engaging and informative way for kids.MinuteEarth Explains captivates kids with answers to: Why do some animals get gigantic? Why do rivers curve? Can plants talk? How much food is there on earth? And more! If you’re looking for nature books for kids (8-10) or earth science books for kids―or if your child loves books such as The Big Book of Birds, Why?: 1,111 Answers to Everything, or The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth―then your whole family will love this debut book by MinuteEarth!

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Filipino comic artist and three-time National Book Awardee Manix Abrera, in cooperation with ABLAZE, presents "12". Twelve remarkable stories, weird and surreal, thought-provoking yet funny, sometimes disturbing, others terrifying, but nonetheless always enchanting. Twelve genuinely touching stories, all drawn in Manix’s simplistic style, devoid of words, but communicate loudly and resonate wildly with your emotions. Each story presents itself in its own charm, with intriguing twists – a young man spends his entire life searching for answers but shock awaits when he finally gets that eureka moment; someone finds love that unexpectedly finds somebody else; two men argue over who goes first on an escalator; a mother and daughter fight over a cockroach; a drunk man urinates on a tree and gets a big surprise – making you wonder how these mundane plots can turn out bizarrely, prompting you to reflect and crave for more! One story reveals a mysterious horror encountered in gloomy desolate highways. Another shows how some group of scientists acquire superpowers because someone hesitated to dissect a frog. A young girl attaches her eyes to a balloon so she can look for her mother above a crowd. What is the meaning of life? Is finding happiness worth it when you lose what really matters the most? Would you even know what matters the most? Embrace pain and sorrow. Hope for love and will for hope. Manix Abrera’s 12 breaks all language barriers in the world of storytelling, but cuts straight into your soul, touches your heart in several dimensions you can and cannot imagine. Allow this collection of wordless comic stories speak to you in your own voice and transport you into a whole new exciting universe, at your own pace and power.

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The thirteen provocative stories in A Sharp Tooth in the Fur, Darryl Whetter's first collection, offer lots of sex, a bit of violence, and a wickedly clever exploration of human nature.Backed into emotional corners, Darryl Whetter's men are creatures of feckless energy and intermittent idealism. Their fragile relationships break up easily, and men who don't retreat into pot-fuelled lethargy revert to ambitious self-destruction. Excellent as he is at capturing his characters' essence, Darryl Whetter is mature enough to view the men in particular, but also the women, with considerable irony. Whetter's "heroes" are often men in their twenties or thirties, men with little self-knowledge but boundless self-centredness and sexual appetite.The event that propels several stories is the break-up of a marriage, a love affair, or a liaison of convenience. When separation doesn't inspire pot-induced lethargy, it goads these men to frenzy. Backed into emotional corners, they revert to self-destruction. Sometimes, as in the hilarious "Profanity Issues," valiantly suppressed rage, shame, and terror erupt at a weird angle, and blind loyalty to an impulsive misjudgement snowballs into weeks of public humiliation. "Non-Violent, Not OK" is an insider's view of the 2001 Quebec City riot. The central character, Chuck, is encouraged in an abstract sort of way by his lazily liberal prof, equipped by a father who thinks money fixes everything, and armed with pop-psych instructions from a bloodless riot manager. Innocent of ideology, he wanders aimlessly around in the tear gas, offering his Maalox-based eye-spray to friend and foe alike. In "A Sharp Tooth in the Fur," an ex-couple acts out a highly original sexual fantasy that's as hilarious as it is shocking. From the classroom to the laundromat, from Paris to the mosquito-infested Ontario bush, Whetter dissects a portion of human experience that has never been so deftly explored, revealing the psyche of the 20-something male.

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What is the world made of? All About Chemistry explores the chemistry of everyday things, from how blood needs iron to why helium balloons are lighter than air.It's the perfect introduction to chemistry for kids aged 8-12. They will learn all about this exciting realm of science with one of the world's most famous science professors, Robert Winston! Elements make up everything around us - our computers, our bodies, our foods and drinks. They make up trees and grass, cars and roads, and are the fundamental building blocks of our incredible world.Robert Winston takes children of all ages on a scientific adventure through the explosive world of atoms, elements and the periodic table in this outstanding educational book for kids.This kids' science book is designed with easy-to-understand, kid-friendly language, questions and fun facts. The contents are clearly organised, while the bold, colourful design and engaging stories work together to make learning about the elements a fun and exciting experience for budding scientists.Explore, Discover And Learn!Learn how lightbulbs work and explore what's on your plate and in your water. The whole periodic table is explained and catalogued, and common elements, including sodium, gold, and iron are explored. Learn about elements weights, melting points and types. All About Chemistry brings to life what the world is made of in a fresh and fun way.It's a truly educational kids book that looks at this weird and wonderful side of science through a unique and exciting biography of the elements.Packed with fun facts about science for kids covering:- Metals- Gases- Matter- The periodic table- Oxygen, and more!Check out other fantastic titles in the DK Big Questions series of children's books including Evolution Revolution, What Do You Believe?, Why PI?, and Show Me The Money covering big questions for little people about evolution, religion, maths and finance.

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Ishmael Jones knows all there is to know about solving mysteries. Together with his love and partner in crimes, Penny Belcourt, he specializes in cases of the weird and uncanny. Lucas Carr went to Glenbury Hall, an old country manor house turned hotel. He signed in at reception, took his key, and went upstairs to his room. But he never got there. Somehow he vanished along the way, with not a single clue to suggest what might have happened to him. Lucas belonged to the same mysterious organization that employs Ishmael and Penny, so they are sent in to solve the mystery. But when they arrive at grim and isolated Glenbury Hall, they discover it has a reputation as one of the most haunted old houses in England. None of the usual headless monks or walled-up nuns—just stories of lost souls that dance with the statues in the grounds; doors that won’t stay shut, and rooms that aren’t always there; and something that prowls the house in the early hours, endlessly searching. They say… it crawls. Does Lucas’ disappearance have something to do with the organization or the Hall’s haunted past? Ishmael and Penny have to work their way through a series of mysterious clues and misleading suspects, uncovering secret after secret, before they finally arrive at a truth that no-one suspected. The problem with history is that it’s not always content to stay in the past. About Simon R. Green: “A macabre and thoroughly entertaining world.” —Jim Butcher on the Nightside series “A splendid riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, conveyed with trademark wisecracking humor, and carried out with maximum bloodshed and mayhem. In a word, irresistible.” —Kirkus, Starred Review of Simon R. Green's Night Fall “[F]or those who want a fantasy-genre mash-up that doesn’t slow down.” —Booklist on From a Drood to a Kill “Simon R. Green is a great favorite of mine. It’s almost impossible to find a writer with a more fertile imagination than Simon. He’s a writer who seems endlessly inventive.” —Charlaine Harris

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Embark on an awe-inspiring and informative journey through our Solar System and beyond in this illuminating astronomy book! Discover how big the Universe is, why our view of the sky is constantly changing, what came before the Big Bang, and so much more in 3... 2... 1…. Blast Off! Inside the pages of this comprehensive guide to astronomy for beginners, you’ll discover: • Simple text and step-by-step graphics that make astronomy easy to understand • Fun facts and tip-of-the-tongue questions are presented through bite-sized factoids and question-and-answer features • Clear explanations demystifying more advanced topics such as cosmic rays, dark matter, and black hole collisions Take a peek at what lies beyond the stratosphereThis out-of-this-world reference book about space introduces you to the weird and wonderful discipline of astronomy and space exploration. From the structure of the Milky Way to the Earth’s nearest celestial body, the Moon, How Space Works takes you on an unforgettable tour through the stars and galaxies, and to the furthest reaches of space!Answering all your burning questions about space, from ancient white dwarf stars to the Mars Rover, this visual guide explains the essentials of astronomy through bold graphics and step-by-step artworks. It’s the ultimate book for armchair astronomers and space-technology enthusiasts looking for reliable and up-to-date facts and explanations.Don’t let the learning stop - try the rest of the series!DK's How Things Work series uses dynamic graphics and jargon-free text to explain the modern world simply and clearly. Packed with fascinating facts and stats, these visual guides cover everything from science to philosophy, making complex topics more accessible than ever before!

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From Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Michelle Kadarusman comes a novel about a young violinist who discovers her mother’s family secretly harbor a sanctuary for extinct Tasmanian tigers in the remote Australian rainforest Shipped halfway around the world to spend the summer with her mom’s eccentric Australian relatives, middle schooler and passionate violinist Louisa is prepared to be resentful. But life at the family’s remote camp in the Tasmanian rainforest is intriguing, to say the least. There are pig-footed bandicoots, scary spiders, weird noises and odors in the night, and a quirky boy named Colin who cooks the most amazing meals. Not the least strange is her Uncle Ruff, with his unusual pet and veiled hints about something named Convict Rock. Finally, Louisa learns the truth: Convict Rock is a sanctuary established by her great-grandmother Eleanor—a sanctuary for Tasmanian tigers, Australia’s huge marsupials that were famously hunted into extinction almost a hundred years ago. Or so the world believes. Hidden in the rainforest at Convict Rock, one tiger remains. But now the sanctuary is threatened by a mining operation, and the last Tasmanian tiger must be lured deeper into the forest. The problem is, not since her great-grandmother has a member of the family been able to earn the shy tigers’ trust. As the summer progresses, Louisa forges unexpected connections with Colin, with the forest, and—through Eleanor’s journal—with her great-grandmother. She begins to suspect the key to saving the tiger is her very own music. But will her plan work? Or will the enigmatic Tasmanian tiger disappear once again, this time forever? A moving coming-of-age story wrapped up in the moss, leaves, and blue gums of the Tasmanian rainforest where, hidden under giant ferns, crouches its most beloved, and lost, creature.

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Get to know more than 100 of the world's favourite dinosaurs and other prehistoric life forms with this essential illustrated introduction.This must-have first book on dinosaurs and other ancient creatures is filled with beautiful illustrations and storybook text on every page, perfect for early readers who want to know more about the life that once roamed our planet. The Bedtime Book of Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Life includes the earliest life that appeared in the ocean, to the giant dinosaurs, and the wonderfully weird mammals that followed them. Children aged 3-5 can discover a huge variety of organisms that are shown within the three chapters, which cover the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. With old favourites, such as Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, as well as new discoveries, including Yi and Changmiania, there is something for every young fan of the primeval world.Inside the pages of this exciting dinosaur book, you'll find:- An introduction to the essential information about each prehistoric species in a friendly, accessible way.- Beautiful and accurate illustrations combined with introductory reference text about a wide variety of dinosaurs and other ancient plants and animals.- Engaging text for young children that can be read aloud - perfect for parents, carers, and children to enjoy at bedtime. - A one-hit introduction to prehistoric life, featuring more than 100 animals - an essential addition to every 3-5 year old's library.This exciting dinosaur guide helps to develop an early understanding of the prehistoric world for little ones and clearly explains the key features of each animal or plant, as well as how to say their names. A timeless gift book, this is a must-have for parents, carers, and educators who want to introduce core dinosaur knowledge at a young age in a fun and engaging way.

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Imagine being able to see in ultraviolet wavelengths, or locating your next meal in near darkness, or being able to rotate your eyes independently so you can see nearly everything around you without moving your head. These are just a few examples of the incredible adaptations animals’ eyes have made to help them survive and thrive in their habitats. Animal Eyes introduces young readers to the wonderful, wideranging and sometimes downright weird eyes that make up the animal kingdom. The book starts with a crash course in how eyes and vision work — covering everything from the biology of eyes to the physics of light to the features that protect eyes and keep them clean. Following this is a survey of 40 of the world’s most interesting animal eyes, replete with gorgeous full-bleed and inset photos and detailed captions. Here are just some of the animals covered: The bald eagle sees four to five times better than humans; in fact it can see small prey as far as 2 miles away; Bees can see ultraviolet bull’s-eye patterns on flower petals, directing them to specific flowers; Domestic cats have strong low-light vision, which allows them to hunt in the dark. A special feature called a tapetum lucidum is a reflective layer under their retinas. This gives cats and other animals that distinct eye glow; Peacock mantis shrimp are said to have the best vision in the world. Their compound eyes rotate independently in all directions on the end of stalks. Their eyes are unlike any other animal’s: they can detect ultraviolet light, infrared light and have 16 photoreceptors. They can also see polarized light. Animal Eyes is sure to enthrall and inspire the next generation of young naturalists with its informative text and beautiful photos.

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This new edition of Ben le Vay's irrepressible and irreverent guide to one of the greatest of English cities has been updated and expanded to include even more entertaining tales. There are more civilian/non-academic eccentrics, there is more local history, and there's a particularly fascinating bit of military history about Oxford that even many locals have never heard of. Dreaming spires, honeyed stone, cycling dons ... forget all that tourist twaddle, says Benedict le Vay. Find out the secrets the colleges don't want you to know, the inside track on the best pubs and eating places, the scandal and gossip about nutty professors and disgraceful students past and present, the brilliant stories about the great, the good and the bad. With 8 maps and a mix of colour and black and white illustrations and photographs, this is the essential guide to take you beyond the normal sights. William Morris called Oxford 'a perfect jewel' of a city; Benedict le Vay goes in search of the quirkier gems among its medieval back alleys. Here roam batty dons, daft students, barmy aristocrats and political firebrands. Who does that gargoyle remind you of? Why is a shark plunging into that man's house? When do students jump naked into the River Cherwell as Latin hymns are sung? What powers the 'Cosmic Triangle' of vibrant East Oxford? How do you control a punt without looking like a plonker? . The pubs where Inspector Morse and Bill Clinton enjoyed a pint . Where to eat a great fry-up in a unique setting . Where to find a weird museum . Calendar of annual eccentric events Press acclaim for le Vay's previous Bradt Eccentric guides: 'Wonderfully barmy', 'The ultimate guide', 'A must', 'Endlessly fascinating', 'One of the best'

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Mathematics is beautiful--and it can be fun and exciting as well as practical. Good Math is your guide to some of the most intriguing topics from two thousand years of mathematics: from Egyptian fractions to Turing machines; from the real meaning of numbers to proof trees, group symmetry, and mechanical computation. If you've ever wondered what lay beyond the proofs you struggled to complete in high school geometry, or what limits the capabilities of computer on your desk, this is the book for you. Why do Roman numerals persist? How do we know that some infinities are larger than others? And how can we know for certain a program will ever finish? In this fast-paced tour of modern and not-so-modern math, computer scientist Mark Chu-Carroll explores some of the greatest breakthroughs and disappointments of more than two thousand years of mathematical thought. There is joy and beauty in mathematics, and in more than two dozen essays drawn from his popular "Good Math" blog, you'll find concepts, proofs, and examples that are often surprising, counterintuitive, or just plain weird. Mark begins his journey with the basics of numbers, with an entertaining trip through the integers and the natural, rational, irrational, and transcendental numbers. The voyage continues with a look at some of the oddest numbers in mathematics, including zero, the golden ratio, imaginary numbers, Roman numerals, and Egyptian and continuing fractions. After a deep dive into modern logic, including an introduction to linear logic and the logic-savvy Prolog language, the trip concludes with a tour of modern set theory and the advances and paradoxes of modern mechanical computing. If your high school or college math courses left you grasping for the inner meaning behind the numbers, Mark's book will both entertain and enlighten you.

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Shoot for the Stars Blast off into a galaxy of adventure with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! Step into your powered armor and grab your magic-infused laser rifle as you investigate the mysteries of a weird universe with your bold starship crew. Will you delve for lost artifacts in the ruins of alien temples? Strap on rune-enhanced armor and a laser rifle to battle undead empires in fleets of bone ships, or defend colonists from a swarm of ravenous monsters? Maybe you'll hack into the mainframe of a god-run corporation, or search the stars for clues to the secret history of the universe or brand new planets to explore. Whether you're making first contact with new cultures on uncharted worlds or fighting to survive in the neon-lit back alleys of Absalom Station, you and your team will need all your wits, combat skill, and magic to make it through. But most of all, you'll need each other. This massive 528-page hardcover rulebook is the essential centerpiece of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, with rules for character creation, magic, gear, and more-everything you need to play Starfinder as either a player or Game Master! The next great adventure in science-fantasy roleplaying takes off here, and the Starfinder Core Rulebook is your ticket to a lifetime of adventure amid the stars! Inside this book, you'll find: • All of the rules you need to play or run a game of Starfinder. • Seven character classes, from the elite soldier and stealthy operative to the physics-hacking technomancer and mind-bending mystic. • Character races both new and classic, from androids, insectile shirrens, ratlike ysoki, and reptilian vesk to the dwarves and elves of the distant future. • An in-depth exploration of the Starfinder setting, including its planets, gods, factions, and threats. • Hundreds of weapons, spells, technological gadgets, magic items, and other options to outfit any character. • Complete rules for starships, including customization and starship combat.• Rules and tips on using Pathfinder RPG content with Starfinder.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | REESE BOOK CLUB PICK | BBC BIG JUBILEE BETWEEN THE COVERS READ'It reminds me of Where the Crawdads Sing . . . it's an amazing book' Rhys Stephenson on BBC's Between the Covers'You won't be able to put this one down!' Reese WitherspoonThey say a tiger that devours too many humans can take the form of a man and walk among us... In 1930s colonial Malaya, a dissolute British doctor receives a surprise gift of an eleven-year-old Chinese houseboy. Sent as a bequest from an old friend, young Ren has a mission: to find his dead master's severed finger and reunite it with his body. Ren has forty-nine days, or else his master's soul will roam the earth forever. Ji Lin, an apprentice dressmaker, moonlights as a dancehall girl to pay her mother's debts. One night, Ji Lin's dance partner leaves her with a gruesome souvenir that leads her on a crooked, dark trail. As time runs out for Ren's mission, a series of unexplained deaths occur amid rumours of tigers who turn into men. In their journey to keep a promise and discover the truth, Ren and Ji Lin's paths will cross in ways they will never forget.Captivating and lushly written, The Night Tiger explores the rich world of servants and masters, ancient superstition and modern ambition, sibling rivalry and unexpected love. Woven through with Chinese folklore and a tantalizing mystery, this novel is a page-turner of the highest order.'An exuberant medley of magic, romance and weirdness' The Times'[A] highly imaginative and a spellbinding read' Woman's Weekly 'I was willingly propelled into a fascinating and exotic world' Daily MailReaders love The Night Tiger'Gripping, enchanting' 5* Reader Review'Captivating from the very beginning' 5* Reader Review'Simply beautiful' 5* Reader Review'Profound' 5* Reader Review'A real feel-good and warming novel' 5* Reader Review

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Te intriga el espacio y lo que va más allá de esta tierra? Descubre el vasto tamaño del universo, por qué nuestra visión del cielo cambia constantemente, qué vino antes del Big Bang, y mucho más. Es una guía completa para principiantes en donde descubrirás: • Un texto simple y gráficos paso a paso que hacen que la astronomía sea fácil de entender. • Datos curiosos y preguntas que se presentan a través de explicaciones sencillas, expandiendo así tu conocimiento sobre el espacio. • Explicaciones claras desmitificando temas más avanzados como rayos cósmicos, materia oscura y colisiones de agujeros negros.Este libro de referencia fuera de este mundo presenta la maravillosa disciplina de la astronomía y la exploración espacial. Desde la estructura de la Vía Láctea hasta el cuerpo celeste más cercano de la Tierra, la Luna, te llevarás a una gira inolvidable a través de las estrellas y las galaxias. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the pages of this comprehensive guide to astronomy for beginners, you’ll discover: • Simple text and step-by-step graphics that make astronomy easy to understand • Fun facts and tip-of-the-tongue questions are presented through bite-sized factoids and question-and-answer features• Clear explanations demystifying more advanced topics such as cosmic rays, dark matter, and black hole collisions.Take a peek at what lies beyond the stratosphere This out-of-this-world reference book about space introduces you to the weird and wonderful discipline of astronomy and space exploration. From the structure of the Milky Way to the Earth’s nearest celestial body, the Moon, How Space Works takes you on an unforgettable tour through the stars and galaxies, and to the furthest reaches of space!

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The definitive biography of Michael Jackson, a "vivid...gripping...authoritative account of a world-changing force of nature" (Rolling Stone), celebrating the King of Pop's legendary contributions to music, dance, and popular culture. From the moment in 1965 when he first stepped on stage--at age seven--in Gary, Indiana, Michael Jackson was destined to become the undisputed King of Pop. In a career spanning four decades, Jackson became a global icon, selling over four hundred million albums, earning thirteen Grammy awards, and spinning dance moves that captivated the world. Songs like "Billie Jean" and "Black and White" altered our national discussion of race and equality, and Jackson's signature aesthetic, from the single white glove to the moonwalk, defined a generation. Despite publicized scandals and controversy, Jackson's ultimate legacy will always be his music. In an account that "reminds us why Michael Jackson was, indeed, a 'genius' entertainer" (New York Newsday), Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Jackson's music and talent. From the artist's early days with the Jackson 5, to his stratospheric success as a solo artist, to "Beat It" and "Thriller," "Bad" and "The Man in the Mirror," to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and untimely death, Knopper draws on his "critical and reportorial savvy in assessing Jackson's creative peaks and valleys," (USA TODAY) exploring the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fueled Michael Jackson's genius. Drawing on an amazing four hundred interviews--ranging from Jackson's relatives, friends, and key record executives to celebrities like will.i.am and Weird Al Yankovic--this critical biography puts his career into perspective and celebrates his triumph in art and music. This is "a thoughtful look at an artist who grew up in a segregated mill town and who, for the rest of his life, made music to bring down walls" (Chicago Tribune).

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Today, architecture in China is at a watershed. Over the last decade, rapid urbanisation and the burgeoning economy turned the country into a playground for the world’s signature architects, making it possible to realise extravagant forms and structures at a vast scale. The Chinese government has now drawn a line under this phenomenon by issuing a directive calling an end to the ‘oversized, xenocentric, weird’ buildings devoid of character or cultural heritage that have sprung up across the country, requiring that urban architecture be 'suitable, economic, green and pleasing to the eye'. This government directive comes at a time when homegrown architecture has become increasingly self-assured and reflective in its approach. A new generation of architects in China in their 30s and 40s are emerging, and in a wholly contemporary way they are exploring local responses to often bewildering urban and rural conditions and serious social and environmental challenges. This is often expressed through a revival of interest in traditional street patterns, courtyards and gardens. At the same time, architects are also recognising the opportunities to harness the potential of China’s established manufacturing base to develop prefabricated building systems. Innovative practices are employing new modes of working, such as research-based studio teaching and exhibitions, field workshops, cross-disciplinary collaboration, laboratory-based practice, design think-tanks and collective projects, generating a vibrant culture of design research. Contributors: Lu Feng, Murray Fraser, Xiao Fu and Wei You, Xiahong Hua and Shen Zhuang, Xinggang Li, Yichun Liu, James Shen, Yehao Song, Hui Wang, Shuo Wang, Xin Wang and Qiuye Jin, Philip F Yuan and Xiang Wang, Li Zhang, Xin Zhang and Jingxiang Zhu. Featured architects: Archi-Union Architects, Atelier Archmixing, Atelier Deshaus, Atelier Li Xinggang, Integrated Architecture Studio, LanD Studio, META-Project, People's Architecture Office, SUP Atelier, URBANUS and Zaoyuan Gardening Studio

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Get ready to have your mind blown with these jaw-dropping facts and visual comparisons about the human body!Packed with incredible stats and facts about the human body that will leave you and your family utterly amazed. The perfect book for kids and adults who love science, biology, or any weird, wonderful and gruesome facts.Do you want to impress your family and friends with mind-boggling information? Well, now you can. Inside the pages of this educational book, you'll find:- 1,000 amazing facts about the human body- Stunning images help explain big numbers relating to facts about the body so that children can understand- Fast fact science boxes that are illustrated with engaging info-graphics to cover essential info on how the body works- Amazing pictures magnified many times show you parts of the body as you've never seen them before- Simple, easy-to-understand secondary artworks which make the main images on each spread the stars of the show- Fun, accessible text suitable for ages 9+ - and fascinating information for adults too!Did you know that Chimpanzee skin has the same number of hairs as humans? Or that you regrow your outer layer of skin 700 times in your lifetime! Or that your DNA can stretch to the sun and back - not once - but 16 times? If these facts have already blown your mind, then wait until you read all 1000 facts! Discover unbelievable facts about your body, with enough blood and guts to satisfy even the most curious kids. It Can't Be True! Human Body! is filled with bite-size, fascinating nuggets of information about the incredible abilities of human bodies. Compelling, computer-generated images (CGIs) reveal just how impressive your body is. It's the perfect addition to any family or classroom bookshelf!

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Dive into the weird and wonderful world of sleep, from the science behind dreams to a peek into animal sleeping habits, in this incredible book for children aged 7 to 9.We spend about 26 years of our lives sleeping, but how much do you really know about what happens when your head hits the pillow? Flick through the charming illustrated pages and discover:- What is sleep, and why do we need it?- Who's still awake across the globe when you are tucked up in bed?- The history of sleep, including the evolution of the bed and the significance of dreams in myths and legends- How does sleep differ in the animal kingdom? From polyphasic sleeping lions and nocturnal raccoons to birds high in the sky and whales in the ocean- What happens to plants when the sun sets?- Practical tips and tricks to help you improve your bedtime routineThe Magic of Sleep answers all your questions about what goes on in your head when you snooze, including the difference between light and deep sleep, where dreams come from, and how essential sleep is to staying healthy. Discover fascinating facts about how people slept in the past, and how people sleep in different ways around the world. Did you know that the oldest mattress was found in South Africa and is 77,000 years old? Vivid and engaging illustrations by Vicky Woodgate bring the topic to life.As well as humans, learn about the sleeping habits of other animals, from bears hibernating to how bats sleep upside down. Even plants sleep! Finally, learn how you can get a proper night's sleep with practical tips and ideas for meditation to calm your mind before bedtime. This book is ideal for children who have difficulty getting to sleep, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about how our brains and bodies work.

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WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY MARK HADDON In Postcard From The Past, Tom Jackson has gathered a collection of the funniest, weirdest and most moving real messages from the backs of old postcards. ‘Sublimely funny’ Jason Hazeley, author of the Ladybird Books for Grown Ups ‘My favourite Twitter account is now my favourite book. Irresistible!’ Jill Mansell ‘This book is an absolute treat’ Holly Walsh ‘Transfixing, beguiling, warmly haunting. These are the ghosts of a childhood’ Robin Ince ‘A hilarious and occasionally disturbing look at how the British remain resolutely small-minded wherever they go’ Charlie Higson ‘Six by four inch portions of pure heaven’ Rachel Johnson ‘Somehow both poignant and deeply creepy’ Samira Ahmed ‘One of Twitter’s most nourishing concepts – each one arriving like a bonsai Alan Bennett play’ Danny Baker ‘Beautiful. Inspiring. Educational. Hilarious’ Emma Freud ‘One of the saddest and funniest picture books you're ever likely to read’ Owen Hatherley, author of The Ministry of Nostalgia ‘Hilarious, haunting, silly, poetic and profound’ Danny Wallace ‘A book of rare and genuine beauty’ James O’Brien, LBC

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What do Skull and Bones, the Kennedys, and UFOs all have in common? They’re all shrouded in mystery and conspiracies Entering the world of conspiracy theories and secret societies is like stepping into a distant, parallel universe where the laws of physics don't apply and everything you know is wrong: black is white, up is down. If you want to understand what's really going on — from fluoridated water and chemtrails to alien autopsies, free electricity, and more — you need a good reference book, and that's where Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies comes in. Whether you're a skeptic or a true believer, this fascinating guide, packed with the latest information, walks you through some of the most infamous conspiracy theories — such as Area 51, the assassination of JFK, and reptilian humanoids — and introduces you to such mysterious organizations as the Freemasons, the Ninjas, the Illuminati, the Mafia, and Rosicrucians. This behind-the-curtain guide helps you separate fact from fiction and provides insight into the global impact these mysterious events and groups have had on our modern world. Discover how to: Test a conspiracy theory Spot a sinister secret society Assess the Internet's role in fueling conspiracy theories Explore world domination schemes Evaluate 9/11 conspiracy theories Figure out who "they" are Grasp the model on which conspiracy theories are built Figure out whether what "everybody knows" is true Distinguish one assassination brotherhood from another Understand why there’s no such thing as a "lone assassin" Additionally, you can read about some conspiracy theories that turned out to be true (like the CIA's LSD experiments), theories that seem beyond the pale (such as the deliberate destruction of the space shuttle Columbia), and truly weird secret societies (Worshippers of the Onion and nine more). Grab your own copy of Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies and decide for yourself what is fact and what is a conspiracy.

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No other instrument has witnessed such a dramatic rise to popularity--and precipitous decline--as the accordion. Squeeze This! is the first history of the piano accordion and the first book-length study of the accordion as a uniquely American musical and cultural phenomenon. Ethnomusicologist and accordion enthusiast Marion Jacobson traces the changing idea of the accordion in the United States and its cultural significance over the course of the twentieth century. From the introduction of elaborately decorated European models imported onto the American vaudeville stage and the instrument's celebration by ethnic musical communities and mainstream audiences alike, to the accordion-infused pop parodies by "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jacobson considers the accordion's contradictory status as both an "outsider" instrument and as a major force in popular music in the twentieth century. Drawing on interviews and archival investigations with instrument builders and retailers, artists and audiences, professionals and amateurs, Squeeze This! explores the piano accordion's role as an instrument of community identity and its varied musical and cultural environments. Jacobson concentrates on six key moments of transition: the Americanization of the piano accordion, originally produced and marketed by sales-savvy Italian immigrants; the transformation of the accordion in the 1920s from an exotic, expensive vaudeville instrument to a mass-marketable product; the emergence of the accordion craze in the 1930s and 1940s, when a highly organized "accordion industrial complex" cultivated a white, middle-class market; the peak of its popularity in the 1950s, exemplified by Lawrence Welk and Dick Contino; the instrument's marginalization in the 1960s and a brief, ill-fated effort to promote the accordion to teen rock 'n' roll musicians; and the revival beginning in the 1980s of the accordion as a "world music instrument" and a key component for cabaret and burlesque revivals and pop groups such as alternative experimenters They Might Be Giants and polka rockers Brave Combo. Loaded with dozens of images of gorgeous instruments and enthusiastic performers and fans, Squeeze This! A Cultural History of the Accordion in America represents the accordion in a wide range of popular and traditional musical styles, revealing the richness and diversity of accordion culture in America.

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A fun, fact-packed introduction to the brain and nervous system for young science enthusiasts.The brain - a wrinkly, spongy mass the size of a cauliflower that sits in our heads and controls everything we do! Discover what its made of, how it works and why we even need one in this fun, fact-packed introduction to the brain. Inside the pages of this STEM book for children aged 7-9, budding young scientists will discover:- An age-appropriate introduction to the brain, what it is, what it does, how it works, and how it evolved- All about how scientists study the brain and nervous system- Introduces concepts like how we think, what consciousness is, and how the brains of other animals are different - Encourages young readers to develop an interest in STEM fields - including biology, medicine, and science- Each page is filled with engaging photographs and artworks with easy to understand text Filled with colourful illustrations and bite-sized chunks of information, this book covers all your questions on everything from the anatomy of the brain and nervous system, to how information is collected and sent around the body. Also, explore questions about the brain that we don't know the answers to yet! This educational book for kids introduces complex topics in an age-appropriate way, from how our brains learn and how processes like making memories, thinking, emotions, and sleep happen in the brain. Kids will also learn about the weird and wonderful world of different animal brains and how they impact their behaviour. With entertaining illustrated characters, clear diagrams, and fascinating photographs, children will love learning about their minds and this all-important organ. Complete the series:The Brain Book is an ideal introduction to the brain and nervous system, but why not check out the other titles in this educational book series, The Bacteria Book and The DNA Book - an excellent introduction to science for young readers and a great addition to any library.

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NeoG—the Near-Earth Orbital Guard, a diverse military force that patrols and protects the solar system, inspired by the real-life mission of the Coast Guard—and the crew of Zuma’s Ghost are under attack, and shocking truths are about to be exposed. What the black takes should stay in the black.Ensign Nell “Sapphi” Zika has been working hard to get past her trauma, but the unnerving pleas for help she’s hearing in the Verge and the song she can’t get out of her head are making that increasingly difficult. As Zuma’s Ghost gears up for a final run at the Boarding Games, their expert hacker is feeling anything but confident. Plus, her chief’s robot dog, Doge, is acting weird—a computer problem she can’t find an answer to—and the increasing number of missing freighters is putting everyone living on or stationed around Trappist on edge.It doesn’t help the NeoG’s mission that Dread Treasure is sidelined from competing in the Boarding Games, and Commander D’Arcy Montaglione is stuck on the front lines of the mystery of the missing ships while also stuck in his own head. Never good at trusting people to begin with, he’s struggling to piece together his new crew in the aftermath of a great betrayal, knowing this may be his final chance at command. The last thing he wants to do is prove his enemies right and end up getting shoved behind a desk and forgotten. The easy answer to missing ships is pirates, but D’Arcy soon realizes the easiest answer is rarely the right one out in the vacuum of space. What’s worse is that the actual pirates are scared of something out beyond the asteroid belt. Something that’s been taking their ships too…As the unknowns multiply and one of their mysterious enemies escalates by launching an attack on the NeoG itself, the Interceptor crews must brave both cyber and outer space to hunt down their foes, but no one is prepared for the truth that is revealed or the way it will shake the foundations of everything they believe about the universe.

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ABLAZE proudly presents "14", the second silent graphic novel created by Filipino comic artist, Manix Abrera. This graphic novel is also his first work to achieve a National Book Award (Category: Wordless Graphic Literature) in 2015, awarded by the National Book Development Board and Manila Critics Circle.14 tells the story of a human who mysteriously discovers a 13th floor on his building and finds himself in the middle of a storytelling session among different mythological creatures of Philippine folklore. Together with a partying crowd of supernatural beings, he listens to stories narrated by creatures such as the Manananggal, Diwata, Tikbalang, Kapre, Tiyanak, and even by a White Lady and a Doppelganger. With each creature taking the stage, describing wild stories spurred by their unique, terrifying traits and abilities, 14 is a grand narrative of weird yet wonderful tales, humorous albeit dark and spooky, surreal but unarguably true to the emotions of the heart. Stories like finding love then losing it, searching for happiness, getting lost, staying trapped, wanting to belong, dying to be born again – may all sound too human, but are also being experienced by these mythological creatures.Using absolutely no words in this graphic novel, Manix successfully tells the stories through careful planning of each scene and sequence. Frame by frame, panel by panel, Manix effectively renders each scene in detail and maximizes the power of images to completely convey the stories and emotions he wants to evoke in his readers. It is now up to you, the reader, to notice these details, to savor each frame, page by page until the big picture and meaning unfold sans the usual text balloons. Sounds mind-blowing!Reading without words is like talking without a voice, almost supernatural but not impossible. Let Manix Abrera’s 14 talk to you visually and take you into a truly exciting and totally unforgettable literary experience.

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The third full-length collection by Julien Poirier, Out of Print is a truly bicoastal volume, reflecting the poet's years in New York as well as his return to his Bay Area roots. Consider it a meetinghouse between late New York School and contemporary California surrealism, a series of quips intercepted from America's underground poetry telegraph, or an absurdist mirror held up to consumerist culture. "Welcome Julien Poirier! What a distinct inspired voice. His work is abundant in surprise. His musical,often bonkers play of language is, for me, a source of delight & revelation."--David Meltzer "Julien Poirier's poems calibrate the vernacular in a sublime mathematics of commonalities. The effect is that of feelings on the run, enunciated clearly. In a sudden down-draught-'You're wind, you melt on my tongue'-he'll take the contemporary love poem into new stretches of believability while knowingly calling to account the failings that, whether perennial or merely topical, hem round ourselves to disastrous effect. For, no mistake, Out of Print means business: a forceful wake-up call, allowing as how for this old world the time for meaningful action may well have run out and we've joined the fabled damned, lost but for such eloquence, affection, and mad, mad laughter in Hell's despite."-Bill Berkson "Out of Print's unexpectedly a love poem, its humor sharpening into dissonant pleasure. And what a pleasure! Julien Poirier's weirdly direct and directly weird poems notice what an event is, whether it's four square monks in a Coupe de Ville or becoming the Invisible Hand, and render that event into a sensual and searching landscape. You are really there, no where, but there, in poetry as a means to think differently, and maybe, absurdly, hope."--Karen Weiser Julien Poirier is the co-founder of Ugly Duckling Presse. He has taught poetry in New York City and San Francisco public schools and at San Quentin State Prison. Previous books include Way Too West (2015) and El Golpe Chileno (2010).

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Dive into the world of football with this mega book of everything to do with the beautiful game. Learn all the lingo; meet the greatest players, managers and teams from both the men’s and women’s games; take masterclasses with the pros; wander through the haircut hall of fame; learn the most iconic goal celebrations and more. Written by the team at MUNDIAL, the celebrated football lifestyle magazine, and filled with fun, colourful illustrations, The Big Book of Football by Mundial covers it all: The basics and the lingo that will have you talking like a football expert in no time. History of football, including how we got from playing with a ball made of feathers to using high-tech footballs, the greatest teams of all time and the evolution of football boots. The great players, including Paolo Maldini, Lev Yashin, Joy Fawcett, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff, Michelle Akers, Sir Stanley Matthews and Marta Vieira da Silva. Legendary managers and how they did it – learn the favourite killer formations of greats like Rinus Michels and Sir Alex Ferguson. The big cups, with their histories and greatest players. The world’s most amazing stadiums, including Wembley, Melbourne Cricket Ground and San Siro. Kits hall of fame, from the USSR’s (now Russia) classic red sweatshirt with ‘CCCP’ written across the front to Mexico’s green home shirt with Aztec patterns and the giant face of the Aztec god of death. How to take the perfect shot like Ji So-yun, take the perfect set piece like David Beckham, take penalties like Matt Le Tissier, beat the offside trap like Fernando Torres, do the perfect attacking header like Didier Drogba and more. Weird and wonderful, from the way we describe things that happen in the game (a fox in the box) to the way we celebrate a goal (by pretending to be a robot) or do our hair (shaving it all off except for a triangle at the front). The culture and people surrounding the game, from traditional pre-game food to the referee, commentator and all-important crowd. This great big book is your essential guide to the wonderful world of football.

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"Swing Hacks" helps Java developers move beyond the basics of Swing, the graphical user interface (GUI) standard since Java 2. If you're a Java developer looking to build enterprise applications with a first-class look and feel, Swing is definitely one skill you need to master. This latest title from O'Reilly is a reference to the cool stuff in Swing. It's about the interesting things you learn over the years--creative, original, even weird hacks--the things that make you say, "I didn't know you could even do that with Swing!" "Swing Hacks" will show you how to extend Swing's rich component set in advanced and sometimes non-obvious ways. The book touches upon the entire Swing gamut-tables, trees, sliders, spinners, progress bars, internal frames, and text components. Detail is also provided on JTable/JTree, threaded component models, and translucent windows. You'll learn how to filter lists, power-up trees and tables, and add drag-and-drop support. "Swing Hacks" will show you how to do fun things that will directly enhance your own applications. Some are visual enhancements to make your software look better. Some are functional improvements to make your software do something it couldn't do before. Some are even just plain silly, in print only to prove it could be done. The book will also give you give you a small glimpse of the applications coming in the future. New technology is streaming into the Java community at a blistering rate, and it gives application developers a whole new set of blocks to play with. With its profusion of tips and tricks, "Swing Hacks" isn't just for the developer who wants to build a better user interface. It's also ideally suited for client-side Java developers who want to deliver polished applications, enthusiasts who want to push Java client application boundaries, and coders who want to bring powerful techniques to their own applications. Whatever your programming needs, "Swing Hacks" is packed with programming lessons that increase your competency with interface-building tools.

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In the capital, Nineveh, resides a deep and complex man, the power behind the King of the World. Faced with unforeseen disaster that threatens his authority, he emerges as a psychopathic killer.The author uses his familiarity with ancient writings preserved in the world's museums to recreate a vanished world in which those who step from the shadows in ruthless violence to pursue ultimate control show themselves at the same time to be disconcertingly human.The tight prose and graphic illustrations make this a gripping and unusual tale not of this world, but at the same time weirdly familiar.

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Another deluxe edition of new writing and neglected perspectives. Asian ghosts and supernatural beings – from India to Sri Lanka, China to Korea, Japan to the Philippines – can be both terrifying and comforting. Underpinned by strong cultural beliefs in the cycles of life and ancestor worship, the nature of Asian spirits differs from that of their counterparts in other areas of the world. The possibility is more instinctually accepted that ghosts remain with us, as part of the world, whether we can see them or not. Featured here are all kinds of stories from across East, South and Southeast Asia: classic weird tales by the likes of Pu Songling, Rabindranath Tagore, S Mukerji, Im Bang and Yi Ruk, Lafcadio Hearn and Yei Theodora Ozaki, are complemented by stories by Asian writers of today. An egui (the Chinese version of a 'hungry ghost') is exorcised, a vicious jiangshi (Chinese zombie-like revenant) is encountered in the night, a Bengali shakchunni (the ghost of an unsatisfied bride) poignantly seeks love with devastating effect, a family is haunted by vengeful Korean gwishin, and the iconic Japanese tragedies of Oiwa and O-Kiku are revisited. New, contemporary and notable writers featured are: Joshua Bartolome, Eliza Chan, the late Eugie Foster, T.M. Hurree, Nur Nasreen Ibrahim, Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito, K.P. Kulski, Monte Lin, Usman T. Malik, Samuel Marzioli, Rena Mason, Lena Ng, Ayida Shonibar, Karen Tay, Emily Teng, Yilin Wang, Alda Yuan, Yi Izzy Yu and John Yu Branscum (translating Ji Yun). The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

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Featuring communist bunkers, burning gas craters and at least one sponge-rock fluorescent grotto built by Polish monks, this book reveals weird and wonderful sights the crowds don't reach. We've all heard of India's Taj Mahal, but what about Karna Mata Temple? It's a building teeming with rats so revered they enjoy A-list treatment with daily offerings of milk and fruit. It's no secret that visitors to Berlin can see parts of its infamous Wall still standing in the city. Not so many people know that segments of the wall have travelled all around the world and can be found in places including Los Angeles, Japan and Iceland. Stonehenge is one of the UK's most popular tourist sites. So why not beat the crowds and head to Nebraska instead, where you can marvel at a Carhenge - a replica of the great monolith site constructed entirely from vintage cars. This packed and fascinating title takes its readers on a journey through the world's lesser known marvels. Dive into an underworld of the planet's most surprising, fun, perplexing, kitsch and downright bizarre sights - and explore human stories and mysterious happenings that you won't find inside a regular guidebook. From eerie natural wonders to historical oddities and bizarre architecture, this is a travel companion for the incurably curious. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times

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"Illuminated, feral, Kocot's creativity engenders an excitement comparable to being twelve years old, exposed to good poetry or music or art for the first time...One can't help but to be unsteady, but believe in that instability...She leaves us hanging in the best way: always about to fall, always about to be saved."--Nick Sturm, Coldfront "Characterized by an utter irreducibility, Noelle Kocot's poetry displays an elemental movement of thinking and suggests a poetics of vision."--Jean-Paul Pecqueur, Rain Taxi Noelle Kocot's poetry resets hierarchies in favor of a world outside of time or telescope. Soul in Space is a masterful combination of Kocot's intimacy and authority over poetic form, and leaves a brighter and weirder world in its wake. But now, back to our story, It has coffee in it, a naked river. Blessed are we who rapture An electric wire, blessed be The falling things about our faces, Blessed is the socket of an eye That lights the body, because In the end, in the very end, it's Just you. You and you. And you. Noelle Kocot is the author of six collections of poetry. Her work has been featured in The Best American Poetry (2012 and 2013) and in Postmodern American Poetry: A Norton Anthology (edited by Paul Hoover). She is the recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of American Poets, the Fund for Poetry, and the American Poetry Review. She lives in New Jersey.

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'Hilarious and heartwarming . . . my shields are at full strength and my heart is ready for Eva's next adventure' Patrick Weekes, Lead writer at BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect)A debut space opera that features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her misfit crew . . .Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister is kidnapped, Eva must undergo a series of dangerous missions to pay the ransom. But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money. The ship's hold is full of psychic cats, an amorous fish-faced emperor wants her dead, and her engineer is giving her a pesky case of feelings. The worse things get, the more she lies, raising suspicions and testing her loyalty to her found family.To free her sister, Eva will risk everything: her crew, her ship, and the life she's built on the ashes of her past misdeeds. But when the dominoes start to fall and she finds the real threat is greater than she imagined, she must decide whether to play it cool or burn it all down.'Jam-packed with weird aliens, mysterious artefacts, and lovable characters... A tremendous good time and an impressive debut' Kirkus Reviews (starred review)'Mass Effect meets The Expanse in this energetic space opera adventure. Eva Innocente is an unforgettable starship captain and I love every member of her crew-slash-family. This book has enough twists to keep you up way past bedtime, and I can't wait for the sequel'Michael R. Underwood, host of The Skiffy and Fanty Show'This engaging space opera debut delivers a story that dances between hilarity and seriousness, with all the joy and frustration psychic cats can bring to the mix' Library Journal (starred review) 'Imagine if Firefly and Mass Effect got together and had a baby, and that baby were delivered by Guillermo del Toro. This book is that baby. ¡Esto fue un triunfo!'Curtis C. Chen

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Explore the Earth’s natural riches with this beautiful book that brings every corner of the planet, from core to atmosphere, to life!Introducing The Science of Earth - an informative, visually arresting introduction to planet Earth. Did you know that bubbles of ancient air trapped inside the Antarctic ice core can reveal how Earth’s climate has changed over time? Or that a piece of pumice thrown several miles into the air by a volcano helps to explain what happens when tectonic plates collide? Well, now you do! Learn all about our weird and wonderful planet with The Science of Earth. The core of the book features large, detailed photographs of single objects, many of them small enough to be held in the hand, that each speaks volumes about an aspect of Earth’s environments and how they work. Structured around an imaginary journey that takes the reader from the inner core to Earth’s surface (including both land and oceans) and up to the top of the atmosphere, whilst taking in environments such as grasslands, forests, and reefs, the coverage includes both living and inanimate realms!Dive deep into the pages of this awe-inspiring book on Planet Earth to discover: - Spotlights showcasing celebrated sites, such as the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, and the Great Barrier Reef- Easy-to-read explanations of large-scale Earth processes, such as weather systems and oceanic currents- Study of Earth segments look at breakthroughs our understanding of how the planet worksMany of the most beautiful parts of the natural world are beyond reach, but with fascinating feature pages throwing a spotlight on iconic places, such as the Amazon Rainforest or the Dead Sea, or a particular process, such as glacial erosion - this beautifully informative natural history book truly brings them to life.A must-have volume for readers interested in geography, geology, oceanography, meteorology, ecology, or the natural world in general, so whether you have a passion for landscape photography, or you’re a frequent watcher of TV documentaries such as Our Planet, Blue Planet II, and Planet Earth - The Science of Earth is a great addition to the bookshelf of both schools and libraries alike, doubling up as the perfect gift purchase for anyone interested in the natural world.

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The Pig is a collection of restaurants with rooms in Hampshire, Devon, Dorset and Somerset - and soon in Kent, West Sussex and Cornwall. Now, everyone can enjoy The Pig from the comfort of their own homes. Among the pages of The Pig you will find an idiosyncratic, seasonal approach to the good life, with delicious recipes, how-to guides, tips, tricks and stories.Inside the pages of The Pig you will find: Classic recipes from Nan's rice pudding to proper fish pie, porchetta, gammon with parsley sauce, devilish devilled kidneys on toast, a right old eton mess and even a pink blancmange bunny.The Pig's Guide to Pigs from identifying different breeds and selecting the best cuts of meat to making your own sausages, crackling and charcuterie. How to pickle, forage and identify edible flowers and suggestions on how to bring the weird and wonderful vegetables, fruits and salads from the garden into the kitchen. Noble wine, simple food from classic cocktails to modern twists and all the best accompaniments. Interior design recreating the comfort and elegance of The Pig at home.Setting the scene, The Pigs top tips on hosting your own festivals, summer feasts and winter gatherings, including creating the perfect playlist to the best recipes to cook outdoors. Praise for the book:'For us at home, the cookbook provides the perfect inspiration.' The Telegraph Magazine Praise for The Pig Hotels:Rick Stein: 'Dinner, bed and breakfast at The Pig, any Pig, is a comforting thought of some lovely flavoured pork, a British abundance of vegetables and some fabulous red wine.' The Sunday Times: 'There isn't a trace of cynicism here - just enthusiasm, craft and people who love what they do, creating a place you really, really don't want to leave.' The Financial Times 'Some inherited memory of a weekend with grandparents I never had... a little bohemian, and unbelievably good at cooking.' Tom Parker Bowles: 'The Pig revolutionised the country house hotel, creating a true home away from home. No pomp or pretence, just beautiful rooms and magnificent food with produce from their own kitchen gardens. Where The Pig goes, the others follow.'

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There's a whole universe out there...Imagine you had a spacecraft capable of travelling through interstellar space. You climb in, blast into orbit, fly out of the solar system and keep going. Where do you end up, and what do you see along the way?The answer is: mostly nothing. Space is astonishingly, mind-blowingly empty. As you travel through the void between galaxies your spaceship encounters nothing more exciting than the odd hydrogen molecule. But when it does come across something more exotic: wow!First and most obviously, stars and planets. Some are familiar from our own backyard: yellow suns, rocky planets like Mars, gas and ice giants like Jupiter and Neptune. But there are many more: giant stars, red and white dwarfs, super-earths and hot Jupiters. Elsewhere are swirling clouds of dust giving birth to stars, and infinitely dense regions of space-time called black holes. These clump together in the star clusters we call galaxies, and the clusters of galaxies we call... galaxy clusters.And that is just the start. As we travel further we encounter ever more weird, wonderful and dangerous entities: supernovas, supermassive black holes, quasars, pulsars, neutron stars, black dwarfs, quark stars, gamma ray bursts and cosmic strings.A Journey Through The Universe is a grand tour of the most amazing celestial objects and how they fit together to build the cosmos. As for the end of the journey - nobody knows. But getting there will be fun.ABOUT THE SERIESNew Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.

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A humorous and very personal guide written by Bill Bailey about his favourite British birds, complete with drawings, notes and cartoons by the comedian himself.'When herons are spooked they have a habit of vomiting as a defence. Half-digested pieces of eel and water vole skull on your head is not a good look. Just so you know.'Bill Bailey's wonderfully charming and informative book on the birds he loves is now available as a handy, easy-to-carry pocket paperback. Packed with the comedian's observations, illustrations and sketches, this edition is perfect for birdwatching expeditions, with new information for proper twitchers, including:· A 'British Birds' checklist · A list of the best birdwatching sites in the UK· Suggestions of bird spotting equipment· Information about joining a birdwatching clubBailey takes us on a journey around the British Isles, zooming in on those birds that enthuse him the most. Whether it's what they eat, where they fly to or how they communicate, these birds are always fascinating, and he introduces us to their weird and wonderful ways in a manner that is always entertaining. If you're a parent who'd like to appear a bit clever when your child asks you the name of a bird; if you want to find a new and healthy hobby that takes you outdoors; or whether, quite simply, you want to understand a bit more about our natural environment and have a laugh at the same time, this is the companion book to have.Funny and insightful, and positively crackling with energy, knowledge and wit, this beautiful paperback will delight Bailey's fans, birds as well as those who fancy a bit of armchair escapism.Alongside music and stand-up, one of Bailey's favourite pastimes is birdwatching, which he has been doing since he was a child in the West Country. His fondest memories are of family outings with parents, grandparents and cousins, ticking the birds off in his little Observer's Book of Birds. As he has said about those formative years, 'birdwatching gave a purpose to the day and a love of the natural world which has carried on into my adult life'.

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Robert Winston answers 100 big questions from kids across the world in this fun and unique science book.In this unique science book, Professor Robert Winston answers more than 100 real-life questions from children all around the world! And who could be a better scientist to ask questions to than Professor Robert Winston? Ask a Scientist puts the fun back into science in this thrilling book for children aged 6-9. All the popular science topics are covered, with weird and wacky questions and clear and lively answers, including biology: "Why do freckles come in dots on your face?"; physics: "Could you jump off the world?"; Earth: "Why is the sky blue?"; chemistry: "Why are there bubbles in boiling water?"; natural science: "Do dogs cry?", and space: "Why will the Sun explode and make us extinct?". This exciting new edition includes eight pages of additional questions relating to the recent hot topics in science, including the COVID-19 pandemic.Inside the pages of this quirky science book, you'll find: - Every aspect of science: including biology; space; physics; chemistry; Earth; natural sciences.- The topic of science presented in a fresh, exciting way, by tackling it from the child's perspective.- More than 100 real-life questions from children from all around the world about every aspect of science.- Updated reissue of the 2019 edition with an additional eight new pages, including coverage of important recent topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic.The inspiration behind this unique science book came from the many questions posed by Robert Winston's grandchildren and by children from the schools he has visited over the years. The book includes some of these questions, plus many more gathered from countries all over the world - including the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, Canada, the USA, India, China, and Japan. The 100 big questions featured inside the book cover all the main science topics: chemistry, physics, biology, Earth, space, and natural science.

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