China`s Great Wall north of Beijing is one of the world`s most famous sights. Millions every year climb the line of stone snaking over mountains. We all feel we know the Wall. But we are wrong. It is too big, too varied, too complex to be captured by a few images or a day-trip. Myths surround it. Many believe that the stone barrier marches across all China, that it has been in existence for over 2, 000 years, & that it is the only man-made structure visible from the Moon. In fact, most of it is made from earth, & much of it is not there at all. It cannot even be seen from earth orbit, let alone the Moon. Estimates of its length vary from 1, 500 to 5, 000 miles. Even its name is deceptive
- it is not an it, a single entity, but many walls (hence the uncertain length), built at different times. Yet behind the confusion are great simplicities. The many walls are united by two ideas
- self-protection & unity
- which go back to the First Emperor, who founded the nation in 221 BC. For 2, 000 years, the Wall marked the border between China & nomadic peoples to the north & west. Mutual hostility inspired centuries of attacks, counter-attacks & Wall-building, until the northward spread of China in the 20th century made the Wall redundant. For this riveting account, John Man travelled the Wall from the far western deserts to the Pacific, exploring the grandest sections & many `wild` ones. He is the first writer to describe two unknown walls in Mongolia. He covers two millennia of history, from the country`s first unification to the present day, when the Great Wall, built & rebuilt over centuries of war, has become a symbol of tranquillity.


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Over many years & many journeys, Daniel Schwartz has patiently & meticulously photographed one of mankind`s supreme monuments
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It is commonly & mistakenly believed that there is a single Great Wall of China. Rather, it is made up of many small walls built over the course of time. The first defensive wall in China dates from around 688 BC, but the Great Walls that we know today were mainly completed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Man has used it in ways that range from a potent defensive measure to an iconic piece of cultural heritage to a major tourist attraction. The Great Wall of China brings together some fascinating insights into the study of the Walls. Diverse methods are employed to illustrate the social & political history of the Wall from ancient times up to the present day. Scholarly, but accessible essays are interspersed with contemporary interviews which reveal the local experience of this Chinese institution. The book is divided into 6 major themes: Fame, Form, Forces, Foundations, Frontiers & Facades & comprises 13 essays by authors from Australia, China & the US. Accompanying an exhibition held in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney & the National Museum of China, Beijing, they consider the Wall from historical, defensive, conservationist & touristic perspectives. This is an innovative & informative discussion of the Great Walls of China which deserves to stand as a classic for all those interested in this illustrious construction. ...

The Great Wall of China is the largest construction on earth, yet myths about it are more widely known than facts. The best way to appreciate the Great Wall is to explore it on foot. This richly illustrated book focuses on especially rewarding parts of the Ming Dynasty Wall (1368-1644). The book offers: walking notes on seven sections in detail; clear site plans of Badaling, Mutianyu & Simatai; two map panels showing the entire Wall network, plus one panel around Beijing (larger scale); practical information about transport & travel; introduction to Mandarin Chinese, Pinyin & pictographs; lavishly illustrated, with 70 colour photographs; rucksack-friendly format The sections include Laolongtou, where the Wall runs into the sea, & Panjiakou reservoir, a tranquil hike & boat trip. The glorious stretch from Simatai to Jinshanling runs along high ridges with 30 watch towers, & the Badaling & Mutianyu sections are surprisingly accessible from Beijing. The book sets the Ming Wall in the context of wall systems developed by different dynasties since the seventh century BC. ...

Drawing directly on original manuscripts, this collection comprises the major short stories published after Kafka`s death. It



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The Great War July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme. It is an illustrated panorama with an essay by Adam Hochschild. ” Sacco`s work [is] the best argument around for comics as a journalistic medium”. (GQ). Launched on July 1, 1916, the Battle of the Somme has come to epitomize the madness of the First World War. Almost 20, 000 British soldiers were killed & another 40, 000 were wounded that first day, & there were more than one million casualties by the time the offensive halted a few months later. In The Great War, acclaimed cartoonist Joe Sacco depicts the events of that day in an extraordinary, 24-foot-long wordless panorama: from the riding exercises of General Douglas Haig to the massive artillery positions & marshalling areas behind the trench lines, to the legions of British soldiers going `over the top` & being cut down in No-Man`s-L&, to the tens of thousands of wounded soldiers retreating & the dead being buried en masse. Printed on fine accordion-fold paper & packaged in a deluxe hardcover slipcase with a 16-page accompanying booklet, The Great War is a landmark work in Sacco`s illustrious career, & makes visceral one of the bloodiest days in history. ...

Excellent World War I commemorative map from the IGN presenting an overview of the Western Front supported by three more detailed enlargements of the main battlefields including the Somme area, & highlighting 15 special Remembrance Trails, remaining trenches, numerous memorial sites, museums, cemeteries, etc. Prepared by the IGN in collaboration with the Mission du Centenaire programme set up by the French Government, the map has a far more detailed base for presenting all the WWI-related information than found on other maps of the Western Front. A road map of northern France at 1:410, 000 shows the whole of the front line in October 1914 from the Swiss border to the coast of Flanders, also indicating the limit of the German advance & the eventual Armistice line of 11.11.1918. Three panels provide more detailed enlargements at 1:290, 000: the Béthune
- Péronne area including the Somme battlefields, Arras & the Vimy Ridge; the Reims
- Compiègne area with Chemin des Dammes; plus Verdun. Both the main map & the enlargements indicate numerous memorial locations, including several commemorative tours by car, train, bicycle or walking, e.g. The Front route between Ypres & the Somme, a 92-km Albert
- Thiepval
- Péronne route through the main Somme battlefields, The British Circuit of Remembrance & The Victoria Cross routes near Soissons, etc. 15 tours have brief descriptions with website addresses & some with QR codes for downloading further information. Also provided is a year-by-year list of the principal Western Front battles with each entry cross-referenced to its location on the main map. Map legend & all the text are in English, French & German.PLEASE NOTE: although the map covers the whole of the Western Front, including Flanders with Ypres & Passendale/ Passchendaele, the overprint within Belgium is more limited – the map is designed to provide information mainly within France. This title is also available as a wall map but with its map legend & and all the additional text only in French.



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IGN’s excellent World War I commemorative map presented in an encapsulated, waterproof wall map format, size 121 x 100cm (46.5” x 39.5” approx). The map provides an overview of the Western Front supported by three more detailed enlargements of the main battlefields including the Somme area, & highlights 15 special Remembrance Trails, remaining trenches, numerous memorial sites, museums, cemeteries, etc. Prepared by the IGN in collaboration with the Mission du Centenaire programme set up by the French Government, the map has a far more detailed base for presenting all the WWI-related information than found on other maps of the Western Front. A road map of northern France at 1:410, 000 shows the whole of the front line in October 1914 from the Swiss border to the coast of Flanders, also indicating the limit of the German advance & the eventual Armistice line of 11.11.1918. Three panels provide more detailed enlargements at 1:290, 000: the Béthune
- Péronne area including the Somme battlefields, Arras & Vimy Ridge; the Reims
- Compiègne area with Chemin des Dammes; plus Verdun. Both the main map & the enlargements indicate numerous memorial locations, including several commemorative tours by car, train, bicycle or walking, e.g. The Front route between Ypres & the Somme, a 92-km Albert
- Thiepval
- Péronne route through the main Somme battlefields, The British Circuit of Remembrance & The Victoria Cross routes near Soissons, etc. 15 tours have brief descriptions with website addresses & some with QR codes for downloading further information. Also provided is a year-by-year list of the principal Western Front battles with each entry cross-referenced to its location on the main map. PLEASE NOTE: in this wall map format, map legend & all the additional text are in French only; in the folded version of this title all the information

Includes:: English. Although the map covers the whole of the Western Front, including Flanders with Ypres & Passendale/ Passchendaele, the overprint within Belgium is more limited – the map is designed to provide information mainly within France.LAMINATED & ENCAPSULATED WALL MAPS:- LAMINATED wall maps have a thin layer of plastic usually applied to the printed side only. They can be written on with suitable marker pens without any damage to the map but, unless laminated on both sides, they are not damp-proof.- ENCAPSULATED wall maps are sealed between two sheets of plastic. They are more rigid & heavier than laminated maps of the same size. They are damp-proof & do not crinkle in humid conditions. Encapsulation gives the map a shiny surface, similar to being displayed behind glass.- PLEASE NOTE: many publishers & retailers often use these two terms interchangeably. Our map titles & descriptions follow the definitions provided above.





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The Great War 1914-1918: from Liege to the Yser & the Somme, a commemorative map at 1:250, 000 from the Belgian national survey organization showing current road network with an overprint highlighting lines of attack, museums & memorials, etc. The map is double-sided & covers most of Belgium plus parts of northern France (but please see below), Extensive bold overprint indicates lines attack by the Germans & of retreat by the Belgian forces, also front lines at different dates. Large icons mark locations of military cemeteries colour-coded to indicate the nationality & annotated with the number of graves, battle sites, museums, etc. The map also shows locations where atrocities were committed against Belgian civilians, with separate panels providing additional more detailed information for each province. The map has latitude & longitude margin ticks at 5’ intervals. Further panels provide a more detailed enlargement of the Ypres Salient area & information on the fighting in 1914 around Liege, Brussels & Namur. The map is surrounded by panels of contemporary & present day photos & drawings. Accompanying booklet provides more information, particularly about the fighting in 1914. The main map legend & the text in the booklet include English; annotations of some of the additional map panels & photos/drawings are in French and/or Flemish only.PLEASE NOTE: in France the map does cover the main Somme battlefields, but the area south of Albert & west of Laon is not included. Within Belgium, for visiting the Ypres Salient battlefields using more detailed mapping of this area is recommended. ...

The Great War 1914-1918: from Liege to the Yser & the Somme, a commemorative map at 1:250, 000 from the Belgian national survey organization showing current road network with an overprint highlighting lines of attack, museums & memorials, etc. The map is double-sided & covers most of Belgium plus parts of northern France (but please see below), Extensive bold overprint indicates lines attack by the Germans & of retreat by the Belgian forces, also front lines at different dates. Large icons mark locations of military cemeteries colour-coded to indicate the nationality & annotated with the number of graves, battle sites, museums, etc. The map also shows locations where atrocities were committed against Belgian civilians, with separate panels providing additional more detailed information for each province. The map has latitude & longitude margin ticks at 5 ...