‘ For me, the bond I have with Peg, my border collie sheepdog is priceless. I know how very lucky I, & thousands of other shepherds & farmers, are to have these extraordinarily bright, enthusiastic dogs at our side. But we, who work the land & our flocks, are not the only beneficiaries of the extraordinary relationship between man & dog …’ In A Farmer & His Dog, Adam Henson explores the unique relationship between a farmer & his most loyal friend. Sheepdogs come in a variety of shapes & sizes from border collies to Australian kelpies (rumoured to be a distant relative of the dingo). Not only are they essential to the running of a farm, but they are also fiercely intelligent & exceptionally devoted companions, having evolved over millennia to make the make the work of a shepherd possible. But it is not just the farmer working the land who benefits from the extraordinary relationship between man & dog. Beginning by introducing us to the dogs who have been faithful companions to the Henson family over the years, Adam goes on to explore the impact made by the UK’s hardest working breeds. From traditional herding dogs & gundogs – such as the Labrador’s he grew up with & the Hungarian wire-haired Vizslas like Boo & Olive who live with him now – to the assistance dogs, sniffer dogs & even search & rescue dogs, whose stories have reinforced Adam’s belief that we humans owe an enormous debt to our wet-nosed, four-legged friends. ...

In A Farmer & His Dog, Adam Henson explores the unique relationship between a farmer & his most loyal friend. Sheepdogs come in a variety of shapes & sizes from border collies to Australian kelpies (rumoured to be a distant relative of the dingo). Not only are they essential to the running of a farm, but they are also fiercely intelligent & exceptionally devoted companions, having evolved over millennia to make the make the work of a shepherd possible. But it is not just the farmer working the land who benefits from the extraordinary relationship between man & dog. Beginning by introducing us to the dogs who have been faithful companions to the Henson family over the years, Adam goes on to explore the impact made by the UK`s hardest working breeds. From traditional herding dogs & gundogs
- such as the Labrador`s he grew up with & the Hungarian wire-haired Vizslas like Boo & Olive who live with him now
- to the assistance dogs, sniffer dogs & even search & rescue dogs, whose stories have reinforced Adam`s belief that we humans owe an enormous debt to our wet-nosed, four-legged friends.

...

A spellbinding concoction of crime, history & horror
- perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes & Jonathan Creek. New Year`s Day,
...

A Fez of the Heart is the tale of Jeremy Seal’s journey around Turkey in search of a hat. Setting out across Turkey in the extremes of winter, Seal traces the history of the culture- defining, cone-shaped hat. It is not long before he comes to see the fez as the key by which this enigmatic country, so beset by contradictions, might be understood. A Fez of the Heart is both an intelligent, humorous & informative travelogue, as well as being a skilled & entertaining portrait of late twentieth century Turkey. ...

A Field Guide to Getting Lost is an investigation into loss, losing & being lost. Taking in subjects as eclectic as memory & mapmaking, Hitchcock movies & Renaissance painting, Rebecca Solnit explores the challenges of living with uncertainty. Beautifully written, this book combines memoir, history & philosophy, shedding glittering new light on the way we live now. ...

A guide to critical thinking in the `post-truth` era, from the author of Sunday Times best-seller The Organized Mind We live in a world of information overload. Facts & figures on absolutely everything are at our fingertips, but are too often biased, distorted, or outright lies. From unemployment figures to voting polls, IQ tests to divorce rates, we`re bombarded by seemingly plausible statistics on how people live & what they think. Daniel Levitin teaches us how to effectively ask ourselves: can we really know that? & how do they know that? In this eye-opening, accessible guide filled with fascinating examples & practical takeaways, acclaimed neuroscientist Daniel Levitin shows us how learning to understand statistics will enable you to make better, smarter judgements on the world around you. ...

` Extraordinary, wise, funny, adventurous` A. L. Kennedy ` So utterly startling & inventive, it`s almost an act of resistance` Miriam Toews `I couldn`t put it down. A cult following seems certain` Literary Review ` Refreshing as well as disconcerting to read a novel that sets aside convention so resolutely` Guardian ` Opts to push the boundaries of what the novel is` Telegraph `A comic metaphysical thriller` Scotland on Sunday In this darkly ironic novel
- a quest for truth, a satire, an elegy
- Joanna Kavenna displays fearless originality & wit in confronting the strangeness of reality & how we contend with the death of those we love. Beautiful, ethereal drawings by Oly Ralfe illustrate this haunting journey through time, space & human understanding.

...

China is one of the largest countries in the world, covering 7% of the earth`s land surface, & encompassing a hugely diverse range of habitats. As a result it boasts a rich & diverse avifauna, including some of the most spectacular & fascinating birds to be found anywhere in the world. John Mac Kinnon & Karen Phillipps` important new guide will be the first truly comprehensive, taxonomically modern, & fully illustrated field guide to the birds of China. Over 1300 bird species are illustrated in 128 original colour paintings, by Karen Phillipps & Dave Showler. The species accounts stress the key points for field recognition & give a full description of the plumage, voice, range, distribution, status, & behavioural characteristics for every bird, with additional descriptions provided for hundreds of subspecies. Colour distribution maps are provided for all illustrated species. The book also

Includes:: a useful introductory section that presents a background to the ecology of China, a brief history of Chinese ornithology, & plenty of practical hints on birdwatching in China. The guide`s portable format means it will fit easily into a backpack or pocket. John Mac Kinnon lived in China & Hong Kong for eight years, & has extensive experience of watching & writing about Chinese birds. He has been working in ecology & conservation in Asia for over 30 years, & his work in China included co-authoring the master plan to save the Giant Panda & its habitat. He has written & co-authored many books on the natural history of Asia, including a number of other bird guides. Karen Phillipps was born in Borneo, lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years, & has illustrated several other books on the birdlife of the region.

...

Judge not, lest ye be judged. This timeless wisdom has guided the Anglican Church for hundreds of years, fostering a certain tolerance of eccentricity among its members. Good thing, too. The ` Mermaid of Morwenstow` excommunicated a cat for mousing on a Sunday. When he was late for a service, Bishop Lancelot Fleming commandeered a Navy helicopter. ` Mad Jack` swapped his surplice for a leopard skin & insisted on being carried around in a coffin. & then there was the man who, like Noah`s evil twin, tried to eat one of each of God`s creatures... In spite of all this they saw the church as their true calling. After all, who cares if you`re wearing red high heels when there are souls to be saved? ...

Explore the colourful world of alpine flowers. This practical book will help you make a quick, reliable identification of each plant, with concise descriptions & illustrations for individual plants to enable differentiation from similar species. Flowers can be identified quickly from colour & shape. The notable characters of each plant are clearly highlighted. Covering 500 species, each with colour photographs, this compact guide is designed for walkers & botanists. For each plant the common name, scientific name, flowering time, plant height, protected status, & distribution (habitat & altitude) are described. ...