For lovers of Alexander Mc Call Smith, Nicholas Drayson introduces the charming Mr Malik & the East African Ornithological Society in ”A Guide to the Birds of East Africa”. Reserved, honourable Mr Malik. You wouldn`t notice him in a Nairobi street
- except, perhaps, to comment on his carefully sculpted comb-over
- but beneath his unprepossessing exterior lie a warm heart & a secret passion. Not even his closest friends know it, but Mr Malik is head-over-heels in love with the leader of the local Tuesday-morning bird walk, Rose Mbikwa. Little can he imagine the hurdles that lie before him. Even as he plucks up the courage to ask for Rose`s h&, thieves, potential kidnappers & corrupt officials, not to mention one particularly determined love rival, seem destined to thwart Mr Malik`s chances. Will an Indian gentleman in the heart of Africa be defeated by the many obstacles that stand between him & his heart`s desire? Or will honour & decency prevail? ”A funny, ingenious & touching love story”. (Joanne Harris, ” The Times”). ”A delightful comedy... It invites comparison to ” The No.1 Ladies` Detective Agency” books, but it`s original &, if anything, has more depth”. (” Daily Mail”). ” Sweet, charming & utterly wonderful on the subject of birds”. (” Metro”). Nicholas Drayson was born in England & has lived in Australia since 1982, where he studied zoology & a Ph D in 19th century Australian natural history writing. He has worked as a journalist in the UK, Kenya & Australia, writing for publications such as the ” Daily Telegraph” & ” Australian Geographic”. He is the author of three other novels, ” Confessing a Murder”, ” Love & the Platypus” & ”A Guide to the Beasts of East Africa”.

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A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines is the first & only guide that covers all 572 species of birds known to occur within the 7, 100 islands that make up the Philippines. The Philippine avifauna

Includes:: some 170 endemics
- species that are not found anywhere else in the world
- & is thus of interest to avid birders around the world. Many of these species are also endangered, due to the high levels of habitat destruction in the Philippine forest, & this book is also urgently needed by conservation workers in the region. The Guide is illustrated by 72 specially painted colour plates that show all but the three vagrant species recently recorded there. Its text gives detailed information about the plumage, voice, range, distribution, status, habitat, life history & behaviour of the birds & is accompanied by distribution maps for all the species described. The expert team of authors & artists

Includes:: two prominent Philippine ornithologists, & has combined field experience summing to over 100 years. This book clearly will be the standard for Philippine Ornithology for many years to come.





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Eating out in Venice can be a traumatic affair
- especially for your wallet
- yet the local food has much to offer the inquiring

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The Greatest show on earth has arrived. The year 2012 sees the Olympic Games coming to the UK for the third time in their history. They have been seven years in the making & it will be many years before their sporting & cultural inheritance fades. This book celebrates Britain`s achievement in winning the XXX Olympiad by presenting a concise but thorough chronicle of the Games from Ancient Greece to London 2012. It is often forgotten that London previously hosted the Games in 1908 & 1948, & the progress of the Olympic dream very much matches the turbulent annals of that entire century. The book chronicles those years of international sporting achievement, particularly from London 1948 to the present day. But this account is not justabout athletic prowess. Each Olympics has had its own particular story of rivalry, infighting, political chicanery or financial disaster
- &, on occasions, violent tragedy. The thrills, joys & dramas of the past are all in this concise handbook, to be used as a companion to the spectacular sporting saga being enacted in London 2012.
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This is a stunningly illustrated journey through the spectacular wildlife of Spain, Portugal & Gibraltar. A Guide to Wild Spain, Portugal & Gibraltar is a unique book that brings together the history of exploration of the Iberian Peninsula in the 19th Century with the current state of its wild places & wildlife. The authors re-trace the footsteps taken by British naturalists based in Gibraltar & Jerez over a hundred years ago. They explore the length & breadth of the peninsula, from the Strait of Gibraltar in the south to the Pyrenees in the north. This exquisitely illustrated book is intended for all those with an interest in the natural history of Spain, Portugal & Gibraltar. It tells the reader where to go to find particular species & to witness natural phenomena like the migration of birds of prey. But it also tells how this has changed, often for the worse, but happily sometimes also for the better. In essence, this book is a 21st Century snapshot of one of Europe`s ecologically richest lands. ...

This handbook offers an inspirational resource for those who want to discover more about the thousands of miles of Scotland`s spectacular coastline
- from its stunning geology & diverse marine & bird life to its coastal culture, with its fishing ports, fresh cuisine, arts communities, ancient monuments & colourful local traditions. Featuring achingly beautiful pristine coves & beaches, quirky highlights of island life & sites for exploring our history or spotting wildlife, this handbook is for beachcombers, rockpoolers, wild swimmers, birdwatchers, hikers, history buffs, sailors, walkers, dreamers...
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The Essential Guide to Scottish History. Scotland has more history than you can shake a spurtle at, or a shinty stick, or a sporran
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Updated edition. This concise yet comprehensive handbook, compiled with the expertise of Reforesting Scotland`s editors, covers trees commonly found in Scotl&. From seed provenance & propagation to the history & lore of each species, this single source contains all the information you need to select the right trees for your site & grow them successfully. Whether you are an owner of (or volunteer at) a small woodl&, a gardener looking to incorporate the most appropriate trees into your space, or simply a lover of woodland walks & trees, this invaluable reference will be your one essential guide. ...

Taking its title from T S Eliot`s modernist poem The Waste L&, Evelyn Waugh`s A Handful of Dust is a chronicle of Britain`s decadence & social disintegration between the First & Second World Wars. This Penguin Modern Classics edition is edited with an introduction & notes by Robert Murray Davis. After seven years of marriage, the beautiful Lady Brenda Last is bored with life at Hetton Abbey, the Gothic mansion that is the pride & joy of her husb&, Tony. She drifts into an affair with the shallow socialite John Beaver & forsakes Tony for the Belgravia set. Brilliantly combining tragedy, comedy & savage irony, A Handful of Dust captures the irresponsible mood of the `crazy & sterile generation` between the wars. This breakdown of the Last marriage is a painful, comic re-working of Waugh`s own divorce, & a symbol of the disintegration of society. If you enjouyed A Handful of Dust, you might like Waugh`s Vile Bodies, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. ” One of the twentieth century`s most chilling & bitter novels; & one of its best.” (Nicholas Lezard, Guardian). ” One of the most distinguished novels of the century.” (Frank Kermode).” This is a masterpiece of stylish satire, & is funny, too...a marvellous book.” (John Banville, Irish Times). ...

Aiming to track down a small oasis town deep in the Sahara, some of whose generous inhabitants came to her rescue on a black day in her adolescence, Annie Hawes leaves her home in the olive groves of Italy & sets off along the south coast of the Mediterranean. Travelling through Morocco & Algeria she eats pigeon pie with a family of cannabis farmers, & learns about the habits of djinns; she encounters citizens whose protest against the tyrannical King Hassan takes the form of attaching colanders to their television aerials
- a practice he soon outlaws
- & comes across a stone-age method of making olive-oil, still going strong. She allows a ten-year-old to lead her into the fundamentalist strongholds of the suburbs of Algiers
- where she makes a good friend. Plunging southwards, regardless, into the desert, she at last shares a lunch of salt-cured Saharan haggis with her old friends, in a green & pleasant palm grove perfumed by flowering henna: once, it seems, the favourite scent of the Prophet Mohammed. She discovers at journey`s end that life in a date-farming oasis, haunting though its songs may be, is not so simple & uncomplicated as she has imagined. Annie Hawes has legions of fans. Her writing has the well-built flow of fiction & the self-effacing honesty of a journal.


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