Britain`s empire has gone. Our manufacturing base is a shadow of its former self; the Royal Navy has been reduced to a skeleton. In military, diplomatic & economic terms, we no longer matter as we once did. & yet there is still one area in which we can legitimately claim superpower status: our popular culture. It is extraordinary to think that one British writer, J K Rowling, has sold more than 400 million books; that Doctor Who is watched in almost every developed country in the world; that James Bond has been the central character in the longest-running film series in history; that The Lord of the Rings is the second best-selling novel ever written (behind only A Tale of Two Cities); that the Beatles are still the best-selling musical group of all time; & that only Shakespeare & the Bible have sold more books than Agatha Christie. To put it simply, no country on earth, relative to its size, has contributed more to the modern imagination. This is a book about the success & the meaning of Britain`s modern popular culture, from Bond & the Beatles to heavy metal & Coronation Street, from the Angry Young Men to Harry Potter, from Damien Hirst to The X Factor. ...

Not just a name on a yoghurt pot, Yeo Valley is a real organic farm in the picturesque West Country. In this stunning book ...

The Great British Mountain Bike Trail Guide reveals the best trails to ride across the British Isles. Road-tested by experienced rider Clive Forth, this is a must-have resource for any mountain biker. * A comprehensive guide
- covering the best purpose-built trail centres * Trail evaluation helps you decide which trail to ride: the grading, the facilities, the ride experience * Handy size, packed with clear maps, helpful photos & trail description * Trails from across Britain & Ireland featured.
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Packing up a picnic hamper, throwing a rug in the car boot & savouring an outdoor feast is a time-honoured tradition that never fails to excite & delight. For adults the word picnic evokes warm childhood memories & the enjoyment of simple pleasures, & for children its suggestion of fun & treats brightens up the dullest of days. In this beautifully illustrated book, passionate picnicker Mark Price celebrates, & offers inspiration for, this great British institution
- in all its guises. He provides seasonal recipes for all manner of drinks & picnic fare
- from quick & easy sandwiches & soups, to more elaborate pies & cakes
- whatever the time of year, whatever the weather & however much time you have to prepare. He also offers: tips on how best to transport certain foods; what equipment you`ll need when you arrive; &, a comprehensive guide to 20 top British picnic sites, including a map of the site, how to find the perfect picnic spot & a list of local producers for a `cheat`s` picnic.


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Here are three great things about Great Britain: Pubs; Pub quizzes; & Love of trivia. This book is a winner on all counts, providing the keen pub quizzer with more than 1, 000 questions (and multiple choice answers) all about the UK. Use this book to crib up for your next pub quiz or set your own! ...

An inspirational guide book to help you plan spectacular road rides. Each route is broken down into key elements, giving concise information on the essentials that make for a great day out on the bike, including route, road features, & public transport links for point to point rides, accompanied by inspirational images of the ride. Each ride will has a clear start & end point outlined & takes in fun, flowing roads, deliberately featuring roads that are quiet & offer stunning views of the British landscape, covering all areas across the UK. Browse the pages, choose a route, & head off out with a road ride companion packed with useful information for when you`re out on your bike.

Includes:: two ` Taste Le Tour` rides for each of the two Tour de France Yorkshire stages in 2014, & information on the Giro D` Italia routes coming to Irel&, also in 2014. Also

Includes:: printable routes from the Bloomsbury website.



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The ultimate book of sweetie nostalgia! A colourful, witty & irreverent encyclopedia of all the sweets & crisps of your youth. From Mojos to Rainbow Drops, Space Raiders to Trios, Corona to Kia Ora & everything in between. Fully illustrated with hundreds of wrappers, ads & specially recreated packshots this book will lead you down memory lane until you reach the corner shop, load up a 10p mix up bag & rot your teeth on the contents. The authors have been given access to the archives, factories & warehouses of some of the leading sweet & snack manufacturers in the country & have delivered a book that is packed full of fascinating historical research...and lots & lots of sweets. WITH A FOREWORD BY JONATHAN ROSS. ...

Britain is a place of remarkable beauty & surprising extremes: nowhere else in the temperate world boasts such extreme variety in such a small area. Our humble island has over 10, 000 miles of coastline; iconic animals & birds; & unique spectacles of migration that see wildlife from all corners of the globe descend upon our shores. Here, life is governed by the seasons: each month bringing extraordinary transformations to our land & its inhabitants. This lavish companion to the new BBC One series brings Britain to life, celebrating the vibrancy of the changing year through stunning photography & mesmerising time-lapse sequences, & revealing the unmissable drama & beauty to be witnessed on our very own doorstep. ...

Isambard Kingdom Brunel is a name synonymous with the heroic & inventive engineering of the Victorian era. His personal bravery, persuasive character & refusal to accept the conventional boundaries of his profession led him to a wide range of exceptional achievements. In this revised & updated edition, Chris Morris tracks down Brunel`s legacy to provide an unrivalled visual celebration of the great man & his work. Alongside the graphic photography is a commentary which reveals Brunel to be as much a visionary as an engineer. ...

” The Great Builders” surveys the careers of forty great architects whose engineering skills were crucial to their success. Sixteen nationalities & seven centuries of architectural innovation make for a survey of spectacular scope & depth. From churches & fortresses to bridges & high-tech skyscrapers, it

Includes:: masterpieces from all over the world & covers 700 years of architectural history. This book, in the same series as ” The Great Naturalists” & ” The Great Explorers”, will appeal to anyone with an interest in architecture, buildings, engineering, urban planning or the history of the built environment.

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