This is the quest for a lost wonder of the world, in the author`s words his `ridiculous obsession`, arose from the chance discovery of some dusty memoirs that told of a mighty hedge spanning the Indian subcontinent in the nineteenth century. The hedge was set in place to allow the collection of the Salt Tax by British customs officers, Inspired by the concept of this amazing living barrier, now forgotten, Roy Moxham set off to find out what has happened to it & whether any remnant existed today. His travels in India, & what he found there, form the basis for this illuminating book. Writer Jan Morris comments, ` At first I thought this remarkable book must be a hoax.. . It tells the story of one of the least-known wonders of Queen Victoria`s India
- a customs barrier 2, 300 miles long, most of it made from hedge. It was patrolled by 12, 000 men & would have stretched from London to Constantinople, yet few historians mention it & most of us have never heard of it. Could anything be more astonishing?`
...

Fifty stories of adventure & exploration over more than two hundred years of human history. The Great Horizon features those who set out to conquer new territories & claim world records alongside those who contributed to our understanding of the world all but accidentally. Published in association with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, & with full access to their extensive records, the book

Includes:: unique images & insights from the RSGS archives, along with never-before seen material.

...

The Great Railway Atlas of India, now in its third edition published in 2015, presenting the country’s railway network on maps at approx. 1:1, 000, 000 with numerous more detailed maps of main railway locations, including diagrams of metro networks. Designed & drawn by Samit Roychoudhury, the atlas provides a very detailed classification of the network according to the gauge & the number of lines, electrification (including in progress & planned), closed lines with stations & sidings, etc. Icons mark locations of different types of sheds, workshops, yards, etc. The index lists 12, 000 stations & other railway locations, indicating by colouring closed stations or sidings, etc. Inset maps provide more detailed coverage of 23 important areas, & metro maps are included for Delhi, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow & Mumbai. The atlas also

Includes:: an at-a-glance map of the whole country, a map indicating locations of museums, plus a glossary of changes in names of towns & railway stations.

...

It`s time to depart! Every year, birds from all around the world leave their homes & gather together in the jungle. This is the first time Red Beak has joined the birds` great journey, & he has a long way to travel. Follow Red Beak as he flies to the other side of the world & use the magic view-finder inside the book to discover what`s really going on behind the scenes. Over forests & farmlands, cities & seascapes you`ll see some amazing sights: acrobatic ants, a cruise-ship crocodile, factories in the clouds
- even a monkey play the cello! Like Red Beak, you`ll be bursting to tell everyone what you`ve see on your great journey.
...

A non-fiction thriller by international bestselling author Blaine Harden (Escape from Camp 14) that explores the world`s most repressive state through the intertwined lives of two North Koreans, one infamous, one obscure: Kim Il Sung, the former North Korean leader & No Kum Sok, once the state`s youngest jet fighter pilot. Shortly before the Korean War ended, No Kum Sok met Kim Il Sung, who congratulated him for his flying skill & his courage. A few months later, No Kum Sok stole a Soviet-made Mi G-15 & flew it to a US airfield in South Korea. Beginning with the arbitrary division of Korea in 1945 & ending two months after the shaky armistice that halted combat in the Korean War, The Great Leader & the Fighter Pilot is an ambitious & gripping book which digs deeply into the character of the Kim family dictatorship. At once an irresistible adventure story & an authoritative guide to the notorious state, it explains why North Korea remains so isolated, why it created & maintains a vast gulag of concentration camps, & why it is still so angry at the western world. ...

The golden plateau of the Masai Mara is a sanctuary for African wildlife & the stage for one of the most extraordinary natural phenomenon in the world
- the wildebeest migration. This book captures these animals in photographs, along with other wildlife on the plains.
...

The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery
- the fourth Charlie Mortdecai novel, soon to be a major film starring Johnny Depp. ” Deliciously
...

The Great Mountain Crags of Scotland is a celebration of climbing in Scotland`s wild places, compiled by Guy Robertson & Adrian Crofton. Featuring contributions from many of Scottish mountaineering`s great writers & climbers, & beautifully illustrated with breathtaking photography, it delves deep into the heart of some of the oldest mountains on Earth. This is a book for anyone with an interest in Scotland`s wild places, where the mountains & cliffs, rather than the climbs, take centre stage, transporting the reader far from towns & cities, & deep into the wilderness. The crags are the tallest, steepest & most majestic anywhere in the British Isles. They are all situated in a high mountain environment, & always a good hike from the nearest road. A visit to any of these great crags is therefore a worthy end in itself. For those wishing to venture onto the crags, all the climbs described are highly adventurous, relying solely upon leader-placed protection. Many of the crags & climbs are described & illustrated here in detail for the very first time. Among these pages are accounts of some of Scottish mountaineering`s greatest triumphs, but also accounts of necessary failures
- chasing elusive conditions, knowing when to go down, when to return. The authors relate their personal experiences of these cliffs & the climbing, & contained here are real treasures: schoolboy Dave Mac Leod soloing on The Cobbler in winter after catching the train from Dumbarton, Mark Mc Gowan`s gripping first-hand account of soloing Shibboleth on Slime Wall of Buachaille Etive Mor, Grant Farquhar`s recollections of a cherished first ascent on the Great Prow of Skye`s Bla Bheinn, Es Tresidder falling under the spell of Creag Meagaidh`s Pinnacle Face, & Brian Davison`s 15-year waiting game for the first winter ascent of Mort on the Tough-Brown Face of Lochnagar. Split into four sections
- The South West Highlands, The North West Highlands, The Islands & The Cairngorms & Central Highlands
- this book features unique contributions from, amongst others, Nick Bullock, Rick Campbell, Jason Currie, Brian Davison, Kevin Howett, Julian Lines, Martin Moran, Andy Nisbet, Simon Richardson & Tony Stone. Each section is accompanied by an original poem by Stuart Campbell, & renowned author & mountaineer Andy Cave has contributed the foreword.


...

The world's national parks represent one of the planet's greatest reources of natural beauty & biological significance. From the first park ever to be instigated
- Yellowstone in the USA
- through the great reserves of Africa, passing by the way of the parks of Europe, Asia & Australia, this volume means that you can travel through them all & witness their glories.

...

From Aristotle to Darwin, this enchanting book reveals how the science of natural history emerged, as seen through the lives, discoveries & glorious illustrations of the world’s greatest naturalists. Today we owe a debt of gratitude to the great naturalists who described, experimented & collected, who gave us the means to order & understand the natural world & the potential not only to exploit it, but also to conserve it & ensure its future survival. This book tells the story of nearly 40 of these great pioneers, from all over Europe & America, from classical times to the end of the 19th century, when natural history changed from a broad-based & mainly amateur pursuit to the highly specialised scientific profession that we know today. ...