A guide to twenty little known destinations, all within an hour of Paris by train. An insider`s guide to the most interesting, beautiful & under-visited places in the countryside around Paris, all an hour or less away by train. Contains historical background, photographs & specially-drawn maps, with full details of how to get there by train & brief directions for car drivers. ...

Discover half-hidden chateaux & artists` country houses; walk, boat or dance by the river; explore old towns & country footpaths; & eat in family-run restaurants with 1950s decor--and prices to match. Based on over 20 years` experience of exploring the Paris countryside by train, each visit

Includes:: the essential historical context & practical information to help you discover places unknown to many Parisians. Written with humor & a flair for the unusual & authentic, the text is illustrated with original photos & local maps. It

Includes:: a unique guide to using the excellent local train network.



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” An Ice-cream War” is William Boyd`s hilarious bestselling novel of love & battle. ` We will all melt like ice-cream in the sun!` British soldier, East Africa, October 1914. As millions are slaughtered on the Western Front, a ridiculous & little-reported campaign is being waged in East Africa
- a war they continued after the Armistice because no one told them to stop. Primarily a gripping story of the men & women swept up by the passions of love & battle, William Boyd`s magnificently entertaining novel also elicits the cruel futility & tragedy of it all. ” An Ice-cream War” will be loved by fans of ” Any Human Heart” & ”A Good Man in Africa”, as well as readers of Ben Macintyre, Sebastian Faulks, Nick Hornby & Hilary Mantel. ” Compulsively readable”. (” Observer”). ” He has a black-edged laughter of his own.. .quite outstanding”. (” Sunday Times”). William Boyd has received world-wide acclaim for his novels. They are: ”A Good Man in Africa” (1981, winner of the Whitbread Award & the Somerset Maugham Prize), ” An Ice Cream War” (1982, shortlisted for the 1982 Booker Prize & winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), ” Stars & Bars” (1984), ” The New Confessions” (1987), ” Brazzaville Beach” (1990, winner of the Mc Vitie Prize & the James Tait Black Memorial Prize), ” The Blue Afternoon” (1993, winner of the 1993 Sunday Express Book of the Year Award & the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Fiction, 1995), ” Armadillo” (1998), & ” Any Human Heart” (2002, winner of the Prix Jean Monnet). He is also the author of a collection of screenplays & a memoir of his school days, ” School Ties” (1985); & three collections of short stories: ” On the Yankee Station” (1981), ” The Destiny of Nathalie `X`” (1995) & ” Fascination” (2004). He also wrote the speculative memoir ” Nat Tate: an American Artist”
- the publication of which, in the spring of 1998, caused something of a stir on both sides of the Atlantic. A collection of his non-fiction writings, 1978-2004, entitled ” Bamboo”, was published in October 2005. His ninth novel, ” Restless”, was published in September 2006 (Costa Book Award, Novel of the Year 2006) & his tenth novel, ” Ordinary Thunderstorms”, published September 2009. His most recent novel is ” Waiting For Sunrise” which published in February 2011.

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William Boyd's An Ice-Cream Warwas published in 1982, an auspicious debut by a young writer who would go on to be recognized as 'the finest storyteller of his generation' (Sebastain Faulks). It follows the fortunes of several wildly different characters
- including an expat farmer & a young English aristocrat
- as they are swept up in the fighting in German East Africa during the First World War, their lives converging amid battle, betrayal, love, comedy & tragedy.

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This title reports from science's new frontlines. An Iceberg as Big as Manhattan is a gripping report on the new frontlines of science & the environment from the BBC's own correspondent, David Shukman. His skill is to get the big picture & to present it amid the everyday details of life & people. & these are the major stories of our day, whether Shukman is journeying up the fabled North West Passage in the Arctic, chasing after loggers in the Amazon, battling through plastic waste in the Pacific, or heading to the bottom of the sea to chart the effects of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This new paperback edition of Reporting Live from the End of the Word (9781846688874) has been revised & updated to take stock of recent events. It provides a fascinating eye-witness account of both the environment & of life behind the cameras at the BBC. ...

Presenting the Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington: Adventurer. Philosopher. Idiot. Karl Pilkington isn`t keen on travelling. Given the choice, he`ll go on holiday to Devon or Wales or, at a push, eat English food on a package holiday in Majorca. Which isn`t exactly Michael Palin, is it? So what happened when he was convinced by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant to go on an epic adventure to see the Seven Wonders of the World? Travel broadens the mind, right? You`d think so... Find out in Karl Pilkington`s hilarious travel diaries. ` He is a moron. A completely round, empty-headed, part-chimp Manc.` RICKY GERVAIS ` He`d have been happier in medieval times in a village where you didn`t travel beyond the local community.` STEPHEN MERCHANT ...

An Illustrated Country Year
- Nature uncovered month by month is perfect for nature lovers & everyone who enjoys spending time
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Using essays from renowned archaeologists, historians & scholars as the core of each chapter, this book explains Kazakhstan s long & complex history as a single flowing narrative, complemented by a range of beautiful maps & images, from exquisite museum pieces to landscapes that place you within the hauntingly beautiful environment that molded the region s rich social fabric. The reader is taken on a fascinating journey, from pre-history when changing climate & habitats opened up new areas to human migration, through the globally significant era of the warrior nomads & city-states along the trading routes between East & West, to the colonization of Central Asia by Imperial Russia & the chaos of the Soviet period. Independence for the Central Asian states has seen Kazakhstan take a leading role in the region, & the exciting prospects of this modern state suggest a future as rich & engaging as its past.” ...

This fully illustrated history is divided geographically according to the sequence of succeeding Thai kingdoms. Each section follows a historical chronology, covering accounts of major events during each reign, with an assessment of the character of individual kings & their particular achievements, together with those of other major players. This record of events is blended with descriptive passages about monuments surviving today that are relevant to & help illuminate the history. Political development is thus paralleled by Thailand`s cultural development, especially in relation to the religious & royal architecture. Thailand`s historical progression has been complex, & although the foundations of national identity
- religion & monarchy in particular
- were established in the earliest days of statehood dating back to the 13th century, it is only in comparatively recent times that all elements
- social, political, cultural & linguistic -have cohered into what is recognizable today as Thai & Thail&. By linking the text to existing landmarks the history provides both an enjoyable read in its own right & a fascinating guide to the monuments & buildings that visitors can see on their travels around the country.


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Beginning with a definition of who the people of The Philippines are, this fully illustrated history then tracks back to describe the prehistory of the country through to 1500 AD. The next two chapters chart the colonial experiences under Spain (1500-1896), then the first republic & the subsequent defeat by the United States (1860-1910). Following this are chapters on the Japanese occupation & the third republic (1910-1972). Next comes a description of the Marcos dictatorship & its consequences (1970-1986) & the book ends with a look at the fifth republic & the future of the country. Ray Canoy`s authoritative text describes the history of The Philippines from pre-history to the present day ...