Ever since first visiting Ireland twenty years ago, John Mc Carthy has felt a strong affinity with its people & the landscape, but despite his roots has never considered himself remotely Irish. He now returns to a much-changed country & discovers his heritage is still alive & thriving. With sections on politics, religion, literature, language & music, Mc Carthy presents an unsentimentalised account of the people & places he encounters, while tackling some of the ghosts in his own life. ...

Brian Ladd examines the ongoing conflicts radiating from the fusion of architecture, history & national identity in present-day Berlin. This volume asks such questions as: how will a reunified Germany confront a diverse & authoritarian past rendered tangible by the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag, Hitler`s bunker
- even the Brandenburg Gate? How can the rich culture of the past, the artistic & intellectual heritage of Berlin`s avant garde be rescued from the Cold War blight of Potsdamer Platz? & can the Neue Wache, Berlin`s monumental rememberance of the horrors of tyranny & war, become the structural centre-piece & symbollic guardian of this once & future capital? Ladd surveys the urban landscape & deconstructs the public debates & political controversies emerging from Berlin`s past & concludes that the ghosts of Berlin may never, indeed, should never, fade away.
...

In a remarkable & indefatigable archaeological quest Juliet Barnes, who has lived in Kenya all her life & whose grandparents knew some of the Happy Valley characters, has set out to explore Happy Valley to find the former homes & haunts of this extraordinary & transient set of people. Happy Valley was the name given to the Wanjohi Valley in the Kenya Highlands, where a small community of affluent, hedonistic white expatriates settled between the wars. While Kenya`s early colonial days have been immortalised by farming pioneers like Lord Delamere & Karen Blixen, & the pioneering aviator Beryl Markham, Happy Valley became infamous under the influence of troubled socialite, Lady Idina Sackville, whose life was told in Frances Osborne`s bestselling The Bolter. The era culminated with the notorious murder of the Earl of Erroll in 1941, the investigation of which laid bare the Happy Valley set`s decadence & irresponsibility, chronicled in another bestseller, James Fox`s White Mischief. But what is left now? With the help of a remarkable African guide & further assisted by the memories of elderly former settlers, she finds the remains of grand residences tucked away beneath the mountains & speaks to local elders who share first-hand memories of these bygone times. Nowadays these old homes, she discovers, have become tumbledown dwellings for many African families, school buildings, or their ruins have almost disappeared without trace
- a revelation of the state of modern Africa that makes the gilded era of the Happy Valley set even more fantastic. A book to set alongside such singular evocations of Africa`s strange colonial history as The Africa House, The Ghosts of Happy Valley is a mesmerising blend of travel narrative, social history & personal quest.
...

At 28, 251 ft, K2 might be almost 800 ft shorter than Everest, but it`s a far harder climb. In this definitive account, Mick Conefrey grippingly describes the early attempts to reach the summit & provides a fascinating exploration of the first ascent`s complex legacy. From the drug-addicted occultist Aleister Crowley to Achille Compagnoni & Lindo Lacedelli, the Italian duo who finally made it to the summit, The Ghosts of K2 charts how a slew of great men became fixated on this legendary mountain. Through exclusive interviews with surviving team members & their families, & unrivalled access to diaries & letters that have been archived around the world, Conefrey evokes the true atmosphere of the Savage Mountain & explores why it remains the `mountaineer`s mountain`, despite a history steeped in controversy & death. Wrought with tension, & populated by tragic heroes & eccentric dreamers, The Ghosts of K2 is a masterpiece of mountaineering literature. ...

K2 is almost 800ft shorter than Everest, yet it`s a far harder climb. Many great mountaineers became obsessed with reaching its summit, not all of them lived to tell of their adventures. Capturing the depth of their obsession, the heart-stopping tension of the climb & delving into the controversy that still surrounds the first ascent, Mick Conefrey delivers the definitive account of the ` Savage Mountain`. From drug-addicted occultist Aleister Crowley to the brilliant but tortured expedition leader Charlie Houston &, later, the Italian duo who finally made it to the top, Conefrey resurrects the tragic heroes, eccentric dreamers & uncompromising rivalries forever instilled in K2`s legacy. This is the riveting, groundbreaking story of the world`s deadliest mountain. ...

The Giant`s Causeway on Ireland`s north Antrim coast is a place where myth & science meet. For over 300 years visitors have pondered the choice between giants & geology to explain this natural & cultural wonder. From tales of the Irish giant, Finn Mac Cool, & his building of the huge stone causeway, to the ancient & mysterious cooling of lava to form the basalt columns, The Giant`s Causeway takes the reader on an illustrated tour of the history, folklore, people, geology, wildlife, & stunning landscape of this unique place. Today the Giant`s Causeway is one of Ireland`s most popular tourist attractions, with half a million visitors each year from all over the world. ...

The definitive guide to one of Ireland`s most fascinating natural & cultural wonders. The Giant`s Causeway is a place where myth & science meet. Were the spectacular basalt columns formed through the rapid cooling of lava from an underwater volcano, or created by mythical Irish giant, Finn Mac Cool? For centuries visitors have explored the causeway`s unique rock formations. Today the Giant`s Causeway is one of Ireland`s most popular attractions, with three-quarters of a million tourists each year from all over the world. This book takes the reader on an illustrated tour of this unique place. With a wealth of recent research into the landscape, history, folklore, wildlife & the underwater world, it

Includes:: walks & driving routes through the beautiful surrounding north Antrim coast.

...

A tense & thrilling ghost story from the internationally acclaimed author of War Horse. It all began with a necklace, made from glistening pink cowrie shells. A long, long necklace that had taken Cherry days
- weeks
- of careful, painstaking work. It was nearly complete, & Cherry was determined it would be the longest necklace she had ever made; that it would be fit for a giant! But the end of the holidays had arrived. ” You`ve only got today, Cherry, ” said her mother. ” Just today, that`s all.” Cherry didn`t mind, a day would be enough
- she only needed a few more shells. So, amidst the taunts of her older brothers, she set out to search for them. Then the clouds grew dark & the waves grew large, & as the storm blew in, Cherry realized, to her horror, that she was cut off from the shore. From then on, events began to take a decidedly dark turn. One from which there was no turning back...


...

The exceptional talents of Carol Ann Duffy & papercut artist Rob Ryan combine to present the story of a girl`s journey through life & the desires that shape it. With a kind of magic that is timeless, The Gift speaks to everyone who wonders about the mysteries that lie at the heart of the human experience. A unique gift book for all ages by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy This lyrical text about life, love & art is accompanied by stunning papercut illustrations. The Gift portrays the cycle of life in a subtle, accessible way while exploring themes of birth, death, love & the importance of family & friends. ...

Penang, 1939, sixteen-year-old Philip Hutton is a loner. Half English, half Chinese & feeling neither, he discovers a sense of belonging in an unexpected friendship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat. Philip shows his new friend around his adored island of Penang, & in return Endo trains him in the art & discipline of aikido. But such knowledge comes at a terrible price. The enigmatic Endo is bound by disciplines of his own & when the Japanese invade Malaya, threatening to destroy Philip's family & everything he loves, he realises that his trusted sensei
- to whom he owes absolute loyalty
- has been harbouring a devastating secret. Philip must risk everything in an attempt to save those he has placed in mortal danger & discover who & what he really is. With masterful & gorgeous narrative, replete with exotic & captivating images, sounds & aromas
- of rain swept beaches, magical mountain temples, pungent spice warehouses, opulent colonial ballrooms & fetid & forbidding rainforests
- Tan Twan Eng weaves a haunting & unforgettable story of betrayal, barbaric cruelty, steadfast courage & enduring love.



...