Erased by bombing during the Korean War, North Korea`s trophy capital of Pyongyang was entirely rebuilt from scratch from 1953, in line with the vision of the nation`s founder, Kim Il-sung. Designed as an imposing stage set, it is a place of grand axial boulevards linking gargantuan monuments, lined with stately piles of distinctly Korean flavor, to be ”national in form & socialist in content.” Under the present leader, Kim Jong-un, construction has ramped up apace-” Let us turn the whole country into a socialist fairyl&, ” declares one of his official patriotic slogans. He is rapidly transforming Pyongyang into a playground, conjuring a flimsy fantasy of prosperity & using architecture as a powerful anesthetic, numbing the population from the stark reality of his authoritarian regime. Guardian journalist & photographer Oliver Wainwright takes us on an eye-opening tour behind closed doors in the most secretive country in the world, revealing that past the grand stone facades lie lavish wonder-worlds of marble & mosaic, coffered ceilings, & crystal chandeliers, along with new interiors in dazzling color palettes. Discover the palatial reading rooms of the Grand People`s Study House, & peer inside the locker rooms of the recently renovated Rungrado May Day Stadium, ready to host a FIFA World Cup that will never come. This collection features about 300 photographs with insightful captions, as well as an introductory essay where Wainwright charts the history & development of Pyongyang, explaining how the architecture & interiors embody the national ” Juche” ideology & questioning what the future holds for the architectural ambitions of this enigmatic country. ...

” Inside Pepys` London” reveals a vivid picture of London at a critical point in history
- poised to become a major centre of international
...

Rome is a city built for display & grandeur. For centuries it has been a place of pilgrimage for artists & art-lovers, yet many of its greatest treasures remain unseen by the public. This book sets out to penetrate the hidden world of Rome`s historic interiors, & to reveal a side to the city which has been previously unexplored, while aiming to offer fresh perspectives on the less-familiar side of famous buildings. The span of styles presented ranges from the High Renaissance reception rooms of the Palazzo Farnese, to the Art Deco mosaics of Mussolini`s Foro Italico. It surveys Vatican apartments, palaces & villas, embassies, clubs & private institutions. Comprehensive information on buildings open to the public is included. ...

Is there more to Russian politics than Putin? Inside Russian Politics is an intelligent, critical & engaging account of the realities of contemporary Russian politics. It is distinctive in widening our view of Russia beyond the standard account of global power plays & resurgent authoritarian menace. Putin matters, but he is not Russia. Russian military adventurism has had a major effect on contemporary international affairs, but assessing its aims & projecting future intentions & impacts requires analysis within a context deeper than the stock ` Cold War renewed` story. The holistic approach of this book facilitates our understanding of power politics in & beyond the Kremlin & of Russian policy on the international stage. Revealing the Russia beyond Moscow & the central figures around Putin, Edwin Bacon focuses on Russia`s political present, not to ignore the past but to move beyond cliche & misleading historical analogy to reveal the contemporary
- & future
- concerns of Russia`s current generation of politicians.

...

Although this is an academic work, it is aimed at both interested lay people & specialists alike. It looks at how the people of the region view & organise their society. The author compares how they live with their religious representations & with the (rapidly changing) environment. ...

After the victory of Bradley Wiggins & Team Sky in the 2012 Tour de France, the pressure was on the team to repeat their success in 2013. When Wiggins had to pull out of the defence of his yellow jersey, attention moved to Chris Froome, who had finished as runner-up the year before. Could he bring about back-to-back victories for the UK & for Team Sky? With team principal Sir Dave Brailsford at the helm, the levels of expectation were high. Nothing less than a win would do. Embedded within the team was top sportswriter David Walsh, who had been covering the sport for four decades. As the man who had done more than any other journalist to reveal the lies of Lance Armstrong, he has the reputation for exposing the dark secrets that cycling would want to keep hidden. His inside story, from how Team Sky prepared for the Tour de France through to Froome`s emphatic victory, is supported by insights from all the key members of the team, & provides a definitive account of a dramatic race that gripped cycling fans around the world. ...

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of the Species, this title takes readers around the world on a voyage of discovery with the famous scientist, from his early meeting with Captain Fitzroy to his modest return nearly five years later. The book also looks at seafaring in the early 19th-century, including navigation equipment, the captain & crew, & life on board ship. We explore in depth the discoveries which Darwin made on the voyage, the specimens he gathered & the conclusions be came to. The final part of the book deals with his famous writings & the contemporary reaction to the idea of evolution. The book features cutaway diagrams of the ship, illustrations of the journey, maps, contemporary paintings, & photographs from Darwin's published works. Informative captions, a complete glossary, time lines & an index make this title an ideal educational text. It is an ideal text for shared & guided reading for Key Stage 2 pupils within the framework of the National Literacy Strategy. It helps achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14, promoting 'positive attitudes to learning', 'knowledge, understanding & appreciation of the world' & 'skills in literacy'. ...

Nicholas Anderton is a highly respected neurosurgeon at the top of his field. But behind the successful facade all is not well. Tormented by a toxic marriage & haunted by past mistakes, Anderton has been eating to forget. His wife, meanwhile, has turned to drink. There are sniggers behind closed doors
- how can a surgeon be fat, they wisper; when mistakes are made & his old adversary Nash steps in to take advantage, Anderton knows that things are coming to a head...
...

In the wilds of the most diverse nation on earth, while she copes with crocodiles under the blackboard & sorcery in the office, Trish Nicholson survives near-fatal malaria & mollifies irascible politicians & an ever-changing roster of bosses
- realities of life for a development worker. With a background in anthropology & a successful management career in Europe, five years on a development project in the remote West Sepik province of Papua New Guinea more than fulfils Trish Nicholson`s desire for a challenge. In extreme tropical conditions, with few only sometimes-passable roads, travel is by a balus
- an alarmingly tiny plane, landing on airstrips cut with grass knives & squeezed between mountains. Students build their own schools, babies` weights are recorded in rice bags & women walk for days, carrying their produce to market. Physically tested by dense jungle & swaying vine bridges, Trish`s patience is stretched by nothing ever being what it seems & with `yes` usually meaning `no`. Assignments in isolated outstations provide surreal moments, like the 80-year-old missionary in long friar`s robes revealing natty turquoise shorts as he tears away on an ancient motorbike. Adventures on nearby Pacific islands relieve the intensity of life in a close-knit community of nationals & a cosmopolitan mix of expat `characters`. Local women offer friendship, but their stories are often heart-breaking. More chaos arrives with Frisbee, the dog she inherits when the project manager leaves, along with other project expats. Tensions increase between local factions supporting the project & those who feel threatened by it
- & stuck in the middle is Trish. Her emotionally engaging memoir Inside the Crocodile is full of humour, adventure, iron determination &... Frisbee the dog. It is beautifully illustrated with colour photos of Trish`s time there.


...

The Chelsea Hotel, since its founding by a visionary French architect in 1884, has been an icon of American invention: a cultural dynamo & haven for the counterculture, all in one astonishing building. Sherill Tippins, author of the acclaimed February House, delivers a masterful & endlessly entertaining history of the Chelsea & of the successive generations of artists who have cohabited & created there, among them Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Sam Shepard, Sid Vicious, & Dee Dee Ramone. Now as legendary as the artists it has housed & the countless creative collaborations it has sparked, the Chelsea has always stood as a mystery as well: why & how did this hotel become the largest & longest-lived artists` community in the known world? Inside the Dream Palace is the intimate & definitive story. ...