What happened to Edinburgh`s once notorious but picturesque Tolbooth Prison? Where was the Black Turnpike, once a dominant building in the town? Why has one of the New Town designer`s major layouts been all but obliterated? What else has been lost in Edinburgh? From Edinburgh`s mean beginnings
- `wretched accommodation, no comfortable houses, no soft beds`, visiting French knights complained in 1341
- it went on to attract some of the world`s greatest architects to design & build & shape a unique city. But over the centuries many of those fine buildings have gone. Some were destroyed by invasion & civil strife, some simply collapsed with old age & neglect, & others were swept away in the `improvements` of the nineteenth century. Yet more fell to the developers` swathe of destruction in the twentieth century. Much of the medieval architecture vanished in the Old Town, Georgian Squares were attacked, Princes Street ruined, old tenements razed in huge slum clearance drives, & once familiar & much loved buildings vanished. The changing pattern of industry, social habits, health service, housing & road systems all took their toll; not even the city wall was immune. The buildings which stood in the way of what was deemed progress are the heritage of Lost Edinburgh. In this informative & stimulating book. Hamish Coghill sets out to trace many of the lost buildings & find out why they were doomed. Lavishly illustrated, ” Lost Edinburgh” is a fascinating insight into an ever-changing cityscape.

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Lost England records the greatest transition in England`s history as the longstanding practices of a largely rural economy shifted focus into towns & cities: astonishing photographs give the reader access to the streets, living & working spaces of the growing cities as well as the daily routines of rural life. ...

In this sweeping & richly illustrated history, S. Frederick Starr tells the fascinating but largely unknown story of Central Asia`s medieval enlightenment through the eventful lives & astonishing accomplishments of its greatest minds--remarkable figures who built a bridge to the modern world. Because nearly all of these figures wrote in Arabic, they were long assumed to have been Arabs. In fact, they were from Central Asia--drawn from the Persianate & Turkic peoples of a region that today extends from Kazakhstan southward through Afghanistan, & from the easternmost province of Iran through Xinjiang, China. Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 & 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade & economic development, the size & sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, &, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, & theology, among other subjects. They gave algebra its name, calculated the earth`s diameter with unprecedented precision, wrote the books that later defined European medicine, & penned some of the world`s greatest poetry. One scholar, working in Afghanistan, even predicted the existence of North & South America--five centuries before Columbus. Rarely in history has a more impressive group of polymaths appeared at one place & time. No wonder that their writings influenced European culture from the time of St. Thomas Aquinas down to the scientific revolution, & had a similarly deep impact in India & much of Asia. Lost Enlightenment chronicles this forgotten age of achievement, seeks to explain its rise, & explores the competing theories about the cause of its eventual demise. Informed by the latest scholarship yet written in a lively & accessible style, this is a book that will surprise general readers & specialists alike. ...

` Belly-achingly hilarious` Sunday Times ` Written with restless wit.. .a pleasure.` Observer ` What makes you smile, & smile, & smile is the elegance of the writing. Seldom was so much pretentiousness skewered so stylishly.` Novel of the Week, Mail on Sunday ` Everything St. Aubyn writes is worth reading for the cleansing rancor of his intelligence & the fierce elegance of his prose.` Anne Enright, New York Times Book Review ` Black & brilliant stuff.. . Very clever & extremely funny.` The Times ...

` Quirky, clever & unputdownable.` Katie Fforde ` An exquisite story.` Liz Fenwick ` Burns fiercely with love & hurt.` Linda Green `I cried like a motherf***er.` Shelley Harris This bookshop keeps many secrets.. . Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never show you. Into her refuge
- the York book emporium where she works
- come a poet, a lover, a friend, & three mysterious deliveries, each of which stirs unsettling memories. Everything is about to change for Loveday. Someone knows about her past & she can`t hide any longer. She must decide who around her she can trust. Can she find the courage to right a heartbreaking wrong? & will she ever find the words to tell her own story? It`s time to turn the pages of her past.. . Lost for Words is a compelling, irresistible & heart-rending novel, perfect for fans of The Little Paris Bookshop & 84 Charing Cross Road. Praise for Lost for Words: ` Loveday is a marvellous character & she captured my heart from the very first page.. .and her bookshop is the bookshop of readers` dreams.` Julie Cohen, bestselling author of Dear Thing ` Loveday is so spiky & likeable. I so loved Archie, Nathan & the book shop & the unfolding mystery` Carys Bray, author of A Song For Issy Bradley & The Museum of You ` Beautifully written & atmospheric. Loveday is an endearing heroine, full of attitude & fragility. The haunting story of her past is brilliantly revealed.` Tracy Rees, Sunday Times top ten bestselling author of Amy Snow

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As a uniquely British phenomenon, the thirty or so figures cut into the turf of southern England have excited antiquarians, archaeologists & the general public for generations. However, their origins are enigmatic. Paul Newman shows how hill-figures reveal Britain's darkest past: Druid massacres, conjectured human sacrifice & strange phallic & pagan rites that in milder form survive even today. This scholarly & comprehensive account of all the recorded hill-figures in England offers not only description but also analysis, discussion & interpretation. In the ten years that have passed since the first edition of this book, much has changed in the world of hill-figure studies, most significantly perhaps the absolute dating by scientific means of early silts incorporated into the Uffington White Horse, which can now be seen to date from around 1000 BC. ...

Through beautiful landscape photography, cutting edge technology, & a treasure trove of precious artefacts, NG recreates the crucible of England`s creation
- the mysterious Dark Ages. The story spans an era long wrapped in myth & legend, from the dusk of the Roman Empire in 450 A.D. to the Norman invasion in 1066. Discovered in Staffordshire in July 2009 by an amateur metal-detecting enthusiast these 1500 pieces of bejewelled gold & silver Anglo-Saxon treasure promise to shed unprecedented light on this key period of British history; a time when the Saxons, Celts, Picts, Jutes, & Vikings battled for control of the British Isles. Set in a landscape whose beauty endures, the story of the making of England emerges through a wealth of archaeological & written material. This story highlights the fluid nature of human societies & carries a surprisingly modern message of a successful, cohesive culture emerging from a diverse group of people.
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A unique, stylish & offbeat travel guide to Bali & its surrounding islands. Covers:- Bali
- Bukit Peninsula
- Seminyak- Canggu
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Flying out of India, a light aircraft is hijacked & flown into the high Tibetan Himalayas. The few passengers on board anxiously await their fate, among them Conway, a talented British consul. But on landing they are unexpectedly conducted to a remote valley, a legendary paradise of peace & beauty, known as Shangri-La. Have they been kidnapped? Can they leave? & do they even want to? From the author of Goodbye Mr Chips, this is the epic adventure story of literature`s most entrancing utopia & one of our most enduring literary mysteries. ...

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of this magical & well-loved classic. Following a plane crash, Conway, a British consul; his deputy; a missionary; & an American financier find themselves in the enigmatic snow-capped mountains of uncharted Tibet. Here they discover a seemingly perfect hidden community where they are welcomed with gracious hospitality. Intrigued by its mystery, the travellers set about discovering the secret hidden at the shimmering heart of Shangri-La. ...