This book is a celebration of happy dogs & the happy people who own them. At once a companion, a manual & a repository of useful information, The Goodness of Dogs also contains avid dog-lover India Knight`s reflections on the sheer brilliance of dogs & the life-enhancing delight of dog ownership. If you have reached dog nirvana, you will recognize yourself. If you haven`t yet
- this book will help you. With chapters ranging from how to choose a breed (and where to get it from), to the joy & chaos of puppies, to feeding & training your dog, to choosing a vet & even how to cope with illnesses & death, The Goodness of Dogs will take you through every facet of dog ownership. Full of India Knight`s inimitable wit & the sound advice she is famous for, & beautifully illustrated by artist Sally Muir, this book will make the perfect gift for any dog-lover.
...

A heart-warming classic children`s story from Jill Tomlinson about a Gorilla who`s looking to the future. Pongo is a young gorilla who lives in the mountains of Africa. He has long glossy black hair & a black shiny nose. But Pongo can`t wait to grow up, when he will have a silver back like his father`s & a big chest that he can thump. Filled with gentle humour & comfort, Jill Tomlinson`s animal stories have been enjoyed by children who want to snuggle down with a good read for decades. This edition is stunningly illustrated by Paul Howard, making it an even more enjoyable story for young readers. ...

With a foreword by Helen Macdonald, author of the multi-award-winning H IS FOR HAWK. ` No hawk can be a pet. There is no sentimentality. In a way, it is the psychiatrist`s art. One is matching one`s mind against another mind with deadly reason & interest. One desires no transference of affection, demands no ignoble homage or gratitude. It is a tonic for the less forthright savagery of the human heart.` First published in 1951, T.H. White`s memoir describes with searing honesty his attempt to train a wild goshawk, a notoriously difficult bird to master. With no previous experience & only a few hopelessly out-of-date books on falconry as a guide, he set about trying to bend the will of his young bird Gos to his own. Suffering setback after setback, the solitary & troubled White nonetheless found himself obsessively attached to the animal he hoped would one day set him free. ...

Beverley Cottrell had a dream life: a prestigious job, a beautiful husband & new baby boy. But then, one winter afternoon, when her son was barely a few weeks old, Malakay was kidnapped from a parked car. Despite a media campaign, a full police investigation & the offer of a reward, he was never found. Two decades later, Beverley starts to believe that she has finally pieced her life together
- until a young man starts to appear wherever she goes. One dark evening the stalker gets past her security door & calls through her letterbox. He tells her not to be scared. He tells her that he is Malakay, her son.
...

The eastern sections of the Gothic Line across central Italy during the 1944-1945 campaigns of WWII shown on a detailed map based on the Italian topographic survey. Extending from western Tuscany to the Adriatic coast between Marina di Ravenna & Pesaro, the map has an overprint showing the changing front lines, main German defense positions & coastal defenses, anti-tank ditches & walls, names of army units on both sides with dates & directions of assaults, military museums & cemeteries, etc. Also marked are locations where the original fortifications are still recognizable today. Map legend, extensive historical notes on the battles on the Gothic Line, & captions under photos (both contemporary & of present day remains) include English. ...

For centuries, the Gough Map, one of the Bodleian Library`s greatest treasures, has impressed viewers with its remarkable detail & baffled historians with its hidden secrets: who made it & why was it made? Recent digitization of the map is helping to provide answers to these questions, & is making the map more legible than at any other time since its arrival in the Bodleian in 1809. This process has also made it possible to project a modern map of Britain over the Gough Map (georectification), demonstrating the remarkable accuracy of much of this 700 year-old route map. Here, in stunning detail are the principal medieval settlements of Great Britain, from Bristol, through Oxford, & over to Norwich; the Severn, Thames, & Humber rivers, & even the loop of the Wear at Durham; Scotl&, assuming an unfamiliar shape; the routes between towns, marked in red with distances included in Roman numerals; & even a single tree, identifying the New Forest. This beautifully illustrated book contains not only a pull-out print of the map but also many close-up images of each area, providing an unparalleled opportunity to view this spectacular & engaging survival from medieval map-making. ...

France`s greatest food critic is dying, after a lifetime in single-minded pursuit of sensual delights. But as Pierre Arthens lies on his death bed, he is tormented by an inability to recall the most delicious food to ever pass his lips, which he ate long before becoming a critic. Desperate to taste it one more time, he looks back over the years to see if he can pin down the elusive dish. Revealing far more than his love of great food, the narration by this larger-than-life individual alternates with the voices of those closest to him & their own experiences of the man. Muriel Barbery`s gifts as an evocative storyteller are put to mouth-watering use in this voluptuous & poignant meditation on food & its deeper significance in our lives. A delectable treat to savour. ...

Guidebook to the GR10, a 955km trek across the French Pyrenees from Hendaye on the Atlantic Coast to the Mediterranean coast at Banyuls-sur-Mer. Described in 55-day stages of 7-27km, the route can be completed in its entirety, usually in around 45 days, or in shorter sections using the bus & rail links found throughout the Pyrenees. Step by step route descriptions are accompanied by 1:100, 000 mapping & gradient profiles. Useful practical information is also included such as when to go, getting there & back, camping, accessing fuel & water, plus handy equipment tips & more. The easiest, oldest & most popular of the three long-distance routes that traverse the mountain range, the GR10 is well waymarked & follows good mountain paths. For many walkers, the highlight of the route is the magnificent wildflowers & associated butterflies. For others, it`s the spectacular mountain terrain, while those keen on bird watching will delight in scanning the sky for the many varieties of birds of prey that can be seen in the region, from the massive Griffon vulture to the distinctly coloured Egyptian vulture. ...

This comprehensive guidebook for the experienced mountain trekkers to the magnificent GR11 trail
- known also as ‘ La Senda’ (the
...

This comprehensive guidebook to the magnificent GR11 trail, which runs 820km from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, provides everything trekkers will need to take up the challenge
- detailed route description, excellent photographs, lots of background information & unique custom-produced maps. This glorious traverse of the Pyrenees, on the Spanish side, is a serious challenge
- passing over a succession of high alpine passes where boulderfields, scree slopes & occasional snowfields may need to be crossed. It is presented in 47 stages of 8-31km. It is well waymarked & has regular opportunities to top up on food & drink, described within the routes & in a detailed place-by-place appendix at the back. Also included are bad weather options
- although the weather is often good along this route
- detours to find accommodation at some points, & advice on where to stay, supplies, language & logistics, as well as a glossary including Aragon, Basque & Catalan words, to help you find your way.



...