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.


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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. ...

Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox: it sits atop some of the richest oil deposits in the world, & yet the country`s roiling disaffection produced sixteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. It is a modern state, driven by contemporary technology, & yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs & practices rolled back to match those of the Prophet Muhammed over a thousand years ago. In a world where events in the Middle East continue to have geopolitical consequences far beyond the region`s boundaries, an understanding of this complex nation is essential. With ” Inside the Kingdom”, British journalist & bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating & insightful looks at Saudi Arabia ever produced. More than twenty years after he first moved to the country to write about the Saudis at the end of the oil boom, Lacey has returned to find out how the consequences of the boom produced a society at war with itself. Filled with stories told by a broad range of Saudis, from high princes & ambassadors to men & women on the street, ” Inside the Kingdom” is in many ways the story of the Saudis in their own words. ...

Return to the wizarding world & discover how director David Yates & producer David Heyman brought J.K. Rowling`s all-new adventure, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them to the big screen. Discover how director David Yates, producer David Heyman & a talented team of No-Majs brought J.K. Rowling`s Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them to the screen. Meet Newt Scamander, Magizoologist, & explore such wonders as MACUSA, United States counterpart to the Ministry of Magic, the magical secrets of Newt`s case, & the fantastic beasts themselves. Let Inside the Magic: The Making of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them take you on a filmmaking journey into 1920s New York. Learn about the film`s costumes, wands, & special effects, & find out which character`s wand is made from shell, which famous wizard is Newt`s friend, which witch is a Legilimens, & which beast ends up at the zoo! Packed with exciting photos & revealing, behind-the-scenes detail from J.K. Rowling, David Yates, production designer Stuart Craig, Eddie Redmayne & other cast members, this is the definitive companion to the film, & perfect introduction to Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. ...

This is the ultimate resource for any visitor to the area. These pages cover every inch of the Mani with over 500 colour photos clearly illustrating the text. Background information in the introduction details the area's history as well as providing an overview on tower houses & feuds, churches & their frescos & visitors who have come to the Mani & written about their experiences. The body of the guide is colour-coded, section by section to make it quicker to find a particular place. Each section, as well as having its own colour, has a road map & a brief introduction summarising the main characteristics of that area. There are 10 circular walks at the back of the book, spread out throughout the peninsula, again with maps to compliment. If you want just one day out in a hired car to get a feel for the Deep Mani, or you want to embark on a detailed study of Byzantine churches, or want to take a jeep up into the mountains or find a secluded cove on the east coast, then the answers will be found in this book. There is also an accommodation section for the independent traveller. The features include: an introduction on history, tower houses & church frescoes; user-friendly
- eight, colour-coded sections help quickly plan an itinerary; road maps for each section; detailed village maps, including Stoupa & Kardamyli; nine circular walks throughout the area, varying in difficulty; & an accommodation section for the independent traveller.
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China remains an enigma to many. It is suspended in limbo between media reports & the filtered reality of friends & family visits. This enormous & complex country is either vilified for its shortcomings or praised for its vibrancy, culture & heritage. The truth lies somewhere in between. The stories in this fascinating book unearth the modern-day truths of China, in all its complexity, through the words of those who live there. It is a beguiling series of insights & nuggets of knowledge that will educate, inform & surprise you. In reading these stories, you will gain a deeper appreciation of the country & particularly of the people who have laid the foundation for China`s remarkable rise & influence in the world. ...

This fascinating book continues the story begun in the bestselling & critically acclaimed book The Mind in the Cave. Drawing on the latest research & recent discoveries, the authors skilfully link material on human consciousness, imagery & belief systems to propose provocative new theories about the causes of an ancient revolution in cosmology, the origins of social complexity & even the drive behind the domestication of plants & animals. In doing so they create a fascinating neurological bridge to the mysterious thought-lives of the past & reveal the essence of a momentous period in human history. ...

Inside the Peloton, based on its author’s acclaimed diaries of life as a professional cyclist, is a fiercely honest account of the incredible sacrifices & effort required to climb up the ranks. Nicholas Roche, the son of Stephen Roche – the second of only two cyclists to win the triple crown of the Tour de France, the Giro d’ Italia & the World Road Race Championship, tells a candid & cliché-free tale of a life on the road with all its glory & suffering, with long painful days in the saddle, the strictest of diets & the constant need to rest & recover. ...

In 1999, shortly after arriving in Beijing as The Times`s China correspondent, Oliver August set out on the trail of China`s most wanted man, Lai Changxing. An illiterate peasant from the coastal city of Xiamen, Lai created his own shipping empire from nothing before vanishing abruptly when the Communist Party accused him of corruption & fraud. Once the richest man in the country, Lai was now public enemy number one because his immense wealth became a threat to Beijing`s power. Oliver August`s highly entertaining search for Lai takes him to the brothels, backwaters & boardrooms that define the spirit of an emerging nation. Fascinated by Lai`s story, the author visits the town where he was born, travels on the boat used by his smuggling racket & stays in the hotel where government investigators interrogated & tortured his helpers. The book investigates the tycoon`s meteoric rise, his catastrophic demise & the mystery that surrounds his disappearance. After two decades of capitalist reforms, the New China seems to have more cliches than people. Both free & oppressive, anarchic & authoritarian, totally chaotic yet highly regulated, China is changing completely whilst seeming to stay itself. Part investigation, part personal memoir, Inside the Red Mansion is a deeply atmospheric journey into the New China. From the austere bureaucrats of Beijing to the gilded pirate coast opposite Taiwan; from the Gobi desert plains where migrant labour is recruited, to the skyscrapers & nightclubs of boomtowns like Xiamen, Oliver August`s gripping yet thoughtful account reveals the dark side of China`s economic miracle & a nation finally awakening to its desires. ...

This is the story of the House of Osman, the imperial dynasty that ruled the Ottoman Empire for more than seven centuries, an empire that once stretched from central Europe to North Africa & from Persia to the Adriatic. The capital of this empire was Istanbul, ancient Byzantium, a city that stands astride Europe & Asia on the Bosphorus. & it was in the great palace of Topkapi Sarayi that the sultans of this empire ruled. Inside the Seraglio a classic of Ottoman history takes us behind the gilded doors of the Topkapi & into the heart of the palace: the harem, where the sultan would surround himself with his wives, concubines, eunuchs, pages, dwarfs & mutes & where all the tempestuous events of empire were so often played out. This is the history of a remarkable palace in all its colour & opulence & the story of its influence on a great empire. ...