Following on from the huge success of the 44 Scotland Street series, Alexander Mc Call Smith has 'moved house' to a crumbling four-storey mansion in Pimlico
- Corduroy Mansions. It is inhabited by a glorious assortment of characters: among them, Oedipus Snark, the first ever nasty Lib Dem MP, who is so detestable his own mother, Berthea, is writing an unauthorised biography about him; & one small vegetarian dog, Freddie de la Hay, who has the ability to fasten his own seatbelt. (Although Corduroy Mansions is a fictional name, the address is now registered by the Post Office.)
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Corduroy Mansions, Pimlico is an oasis of old-fashioned civilisation, its inhabitants considerate & peace-loving. But beneath the polite exterior seismic change is stirring. Barbara Ragg makes an eye-popping discovery about her stolid Scottish suitor`s past, while Oedipus Snark
- newly appointed & tirelessly self-interested Government Minister
- has a close encounter in Switzerland that leaves him a new man all together. Then plucky canine Freddie de la Hay goes missing, & his owner, widower William French, is so shaken by an unexpected declaration of love that he seriously considers making a disappearance himself. Goodhearted, well-intentioned but often to be found barking up the wrong tree, the residents of Corduroy Mansions remain a thoroughly entertaining example to us all.

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`A murder of crows`, `a charm of goldfinches`, `an ostentation of peacocks`: collective nouns for British birds have existed since at least the mid fifteenth century. They are thought to originate in texts about hunting, but have since evolved into evocative, witty & literary expressions, each striving to capture the very essence of the animal they describe. Some are portentous
- `a conspiracy of ravens` perfectly evokes this sinister bird
- others convey sound, such as `a murmuration of starlings` or `a chattering of choughs`. Yet more reflect with a flourish the beauty of the bird itself: what could be more celebratory than `a crown of kingfishers`, or `an exaltation of larks`? The best of these imaginative expressions are collected here, illustrated with charming woodcuts by Thomas Bewick, the renowned naturalist engraver of the eighteenth century. Featuring songbirds, aquatic birds, birds of prey & garden favourites, this beautifully presented book will delight both bird-lovers & word-lovers in equal measure.

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In a snow-covered village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as her father is abducted in the middle of the night by Russian soldiers. Their life-long friend & neighbour, Akhmed, has also been watching, & when he finds Havaa he knows of only one person who might be able to help. For tough-minded doctor Sonja Rabina, it's just another day of trying to keep her bombed-out, abandoned hospital going. When Akhmed arrives with Havaa, asking Sonja for shelter, she has no idea who the pair are & even less desire to take on yet more responsibilities & risk. But over the course of five extraordinary days, Sonja's world will shift on its axis, revealing the intricate pattern of connections that binds these three unlikely companions together & unexpectedly decides their fate. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is simply spectacular. (Ann Patchett). ...

A Continent Revealed presents the findings of the European Geotraverse (EGT),
- a unique study of the tectonic evolution of the
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Every year in spring, Gabriel Gate spends two months travelling in his beloved native l&, where he began as a chef more than 40 years ago. During these visits Gabriel delights in the top gourmet specialities of France`s renowned cities & regions including Nice, Marseille, Provence, the Loire Valley & Paris. On his travels, Gabriel discovers the outstanding fish & seafood, excellent wines & liqueurs, extraordinary cheeses, unique range of charcuteries, delicious bread, cakes & patisseries which are a constant delight for the French people. In A Cook`s Tour of France, he shares recipes for dishes from all the main regions of France, such as the popular Auge Valley chicken casserole from Normandy, the colourful ratatouille from Nice with lemon chantilly &, of course, stunning desserts as only the French can do, like the luscious strawberry tart from the Loire Valley. This beautifully illustrated book gathers the best classic recipes from the many regions of France, one of the world`s best destinations for food lovers ...

Every year in spring, Gabriel Gate spends two months travelling in his beloved native l&, where he trained as a chef more than 40 years ago. During these visits Gabriel delights in the top gourmet specialities of France`s renowned cities & regions including Nice, Marseille, Provence, the Loire Valley & Paris. On his travels, Gabriel discovers the outstanding fish & seafood, excellent wines & liqueurs, extraordinary cheeses, unique range of charcuteries, delicious bread, cakes & patisseries which are a constant delight for the French people. In A Cook`s Tour of France, he shares recipes for dishes from all the main regions of France, such as the popular Auge Valley chicken casserole from Normandy, the colourful ratatouille from Nice with lemon chantilly &, of course, stunning desserts as only the French can do, like the luscious strawberry tart from the Loire Valley. ...

A Corkscrew is Most Useful is a fascinating & richly detailed journey around the world as seen through Victorian eyes. At the height Queen Victoria’s British Empire, countless men & women set off to explore the known & unknown face of the globe, at the very same moment that the phenomenon of mass tourism was being launched by a Mr Thomas Cook. Their reasons for leaving Britain were as many & various as they themselves were. Some were searching for knowledge, adventure, fame, exotic animals to kill. Some hoped to be the first to stamp their mark upon a lake, a river source, a passage through the ice or an unknown inland sea; while others dreamed of bringing home archaeological specimens & ancient works of art of finding untold natural riches. Some travelled, as people have always done, for no reason at all except the sheer marvellous enjoyment of it
- & so it seems some parts of the Empire are alive & well after all. This is a fascinating book, ideal for anyone with a penchant for travelling, even those doing so from their armchair.
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The coast of Galicia between the towns of A Coruña & Ferrol on a detailed, GPS compatible topographic map at 1:50, 000 from the country’s civilian survey organization, with additional nautical information in the bays of Ferrol, Ares, Betanzos & Coruña. The map has the cartography of Spain’s civilian topographic survey at 1:50, 000 with contours at 20m intervals enhanced by relief shading, plus coloring & graphics to provide an excellent presentation of the terrain & land use. Road & rail information & other detail expected of topographic mapping at this scale are marked. The map also shows nautical information such as sea depth, navigational channels, lighthouses & buoys, etc, but PLEASE NOTE: this title is sold by Stanfords as a topographic map & not as a navigational chart of the area. The map has a 1-km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude margin ticks at 1’ intervals. Map legend is in Spanish only. To see other titles in this series please click on the series link. ...

Topographic coverage of mainland Spain at 1:50, 000 in the MTN50 (Mapa Topográfico Nacional) series from the Centro Nacional de Información Geografica, the country’s civilian survey organization. The maps have contours at 20m intervals, enhanced by relief shading, plus colouring and/or graphics to show different types of terrain, vegetation or land use. Boundaries of national parks & other protected areas are marked. In addition to all the usual information featured on topographic mapping at this scale, detailed presentation of the road & rail networks, rural tracks & paths, etc, the maps also show campsites & mountain refuges. On more recent editions some GRs, the official long-distance hiking routes, are also marked (although not as clearly as on hiking maps from other publishers). Each map covers 29.5x 18.5 km (with adjustments in the border or coastal areas). The maps have a 1-km UTM grid, plus margin ticks for latitude & longitude at 1` intervals. Map legend is in Spanish only.HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT 50K MAP: all the titles in CNIG’s 200K Provincial Road Maps series at 1:200, 000 are overprinted with the grid for the 1:50, 000 maps & can be used to see the area covered by each 50K title. TO SEE THE LIST OF TITLES IN THIS SERIES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK.PLEASE NOTE
- MAP TITLES: the grids shown on our website serve both the civilian & the military 1:50, 000 topographic series. Although the areas covered by maps in both series are identical (apart from some border or coastal sheets), occasionally map titles differ – only one title is shown on the grid, usually the military one. In Galicia, the Basque country & in the Catalan speaking areas the tendency now is to use local place names rather than the often better known Castilian ones. Where possible, both versions are included in our titles. Map titles listed on our website are based on information received by us at the time of publication, but sometimes maps arrive showing a completely different title! As long as the map number is as ordered, the correct map has been supplied.
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