Great traveller & explorer Wilfred Thesiger was born in Addis Ababa & spent his early years in Abyssinia. In this book he reveals to what extent the early experience of Abyssinia influenced his future & provides a precious personal account of the tragic history of East Africa. ...

Harper Collins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. Meet the greatest entertainer of the 19th Century... In 1834, desperate to create a better life for his family, small-time Connecticut businessman P. T. Barnum moved to New York City. With true entrepreneurial spirit & against all odds, he wowed audiences with his ensemble of musical spectacles, attractions & variety shows
- often exploiting the vulnerable for entertainment value. A master showman, his crowning achievement was the world-famous circus, Barnum & Bailey`s Greatest Show on Earth. In this account of his life & work, written by the man himself & first published in 1855, P. T. Barnum creates an aura of excitement about himself & his enduring fame, confirming his reputation as the greatest impresario of all time & revealing the controversial decisions that helped him to his fortune.
...

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl`s birth, this book traces his life from his childhood, to his time in Africa & as a fighter pilot & his early writing
- leading to Roald becoming one of the funniest, most famous & best-loved children`s authors of all time. The book also

Includes:: information about his legacy. A fun quiz & brief summaries of four of Roald Dahl`s best-loved books (James & the Giant Peach, Matilda, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, The BFG) are included to inspire children to read them. Every page features easy-to-follow text & a black-&-white line drawing to help bring Roald Dahl`s adventures to life. Accessible to readers aged 6 & up.


...

In this book Steven Parissien examines the impact, development & significance of the automobile over its turbulent & colourful 130-year history. He tells the story of the auto, & of its creators, from its earliest appearance in the 1880s
- as little more than a powered quadricycle
- via the early pioneer carmakers, the advances of the interwar era, the ` Golden Age` of the 1950s & the iconic years of the 1960s to the decades of doubt & uncertainty following the oil crisis of 1973, which culminated in the global mergers of the 1990s & the bailouts of the early twenty-first century. This is not just a story of horsepower & performance. The Life of the Automobile is a tale of people: of intuitive carmakers such as Benz, Agnelli, Royce & Citroen; of exceptionally gifted designers such as Issigonis, Lefebvre, Michelotti & Bangle; & of visionary industrialists such as Ford, Tata & Porsche. Above all, The Life of the Automobile demonstrates how the epic story of the car mirrors the history of the modern era, from the brave hopes & soaring ambitions of the early twentieth century to the cynicism & ecological concerns of a century later.

...

” In this book Steven Parissien examines the impact, development & significance of the automobile over its turbulent & colourful 130-year history. He tells the story of the auto, & of its creators, from its earliest appearance in the 1880s
- as little more than a powered quadricycle
- via the early pioneer carmakers, the advances of the interwar era, the ` Golden Age` of the 1950s & the iconic years of the 1960s to the decades of doubt & uncertainty following the oil crisis of 1973, which culminated in the global mergers of the 1990s & the bailouts of the early twenty-first century. This is not just a story of horsepower & performance. The Life of the Automobile is a tale of people: of flamboyant entrepreneurs, shrewd businessmen & gifted engineers; of outstanding success & abject failure. It is a chronicle of innovation, & a testimony to the value of good design. Above all, The Life of the Automobile demonstrates how the epic story of the car mirrors the history of the modern era, from the brave hopes & soaring ambitions of the early twentieth century to the cynicism & ecological concerns of a century later.”

...

Transform your home into a permanently clear & clutter-free space with the incredible Kon Mari Method. Japan`s expert declutterer & professional cleaner Marie Kondo will help you tidy your rooms once & for all with her inspirational step-by-step method. The key to successful tidying is to tackle your home in the correct order, to keep only the things you really love & to do it all at once
- & quickly. After that for the rest of your life you only need to choose what to keep & what to discard. The Kon Mari Method will not just transform your space. Once you have your house in order you will find that your whole life will change. You can feel more confident, you can become more successful, & you can have the energy & motivation to create the life you want. You will also have the courage to move on from the negative aspects of your life: you can recognise & finish a bad relationship; you can stop feeling anxious; you can finally lose weight. Marie Kondo`s method is based on a `once-cleaned, never-messy-again` approach. If you think that such a thing is impossible then you should definitely read this compelling book.
...

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. For nearly two hundred years its volunteers have shown courage & selflessness in facing storm & shipwreck to offer assistance. Never taken for granted, these qualities of service transcend the centuries to ring as true now as in the earliest days of the lifeboats. This unprecedented new book is a photographic celebration of every-day bravery, compassion, & outstanding commitment in the toughest of conditions. From the Cornish coasts to the Shetland Isles, we join crewman & photographer Nigel Millard as he travels the length of Britain & Irel&, living & working with his fellow lifeboatmen & accompanying them on their rescue missions. In 2011 alone some 7, 976 people were saved by lifeboat crews & a further 17, 670 were assisted by the service`s new lifeguard units, with lifeboats launching on average almost 20 times a day. This book honours the dedication of generations of hard-working people who generously give their time to those in danger & their families who wait for news while the lifeboats are out
- a visual tribute to the sea & those who go to it. All around our coasts, & every day of the year, the men & women of the RNLI are on duty`s call. Though the RNLI has evolved, through its technologies & size of organisation, its sense of purpose & vision
- to end preventable loss of life at sea
- is as clear as it was in the very beginning. This is a simple story of a voluntary rescue service, of men & women happy to race to the assistance of strangers at all hours of day or night should ever the need arise. We hope these photographs show something of this spirit. We are encouraged never to forget the bravery, skill & sacrifice of the people of the RNLI. They are heroes all.


...

From author & photographer David Pickford, The Light Elsewhere is a photographic essay in three parts. The first part is an exploration of the changing nature of wilderness landscapes. The second part is a celebration of adventure on rock, ice, snow, & two wheels. & the third part is a personal portrait of that which resists & survives the passage of time. Featuring images & stories from over thirty countries across the world, this limited edition book lavishly illustrates the work of one of Britain`s leading outdoor photographers. At the same time, the stories that accompany the photographs chronicle some of the most exciting places on earth for climbing, mountaineering & adventure travel. The Light Elsewhere is an essential addition to the library for all who love the great outdoors. ...

From time immemorial Afghanistan has been both a fortress of faith & a mountainous crossroads. Through its high valleys merchants traded Chinese porcelains, bundles of indigo cloth, sacks of lapis lazuli, golden jewellery, emeralds & fine carvings from both east & west. Ancient scrolls & beliefs entered the land in the satchels of Buddhist pilgrims & in the baggage of military invaders
- from Alexander the Great to Mughal, Persian & Arab conquerors & even the ill-fated armies of the British Raj. In this resonant account, Peter Levi seeks the clues which each migration left, in the company of the young Bruce Chatwin. Since his journey in the 1970s, Afghanistan has suffered forty years of invasion & civil war, making it all the more poignant to rediscover, with Levi, not a rocky wilderness guarded by fearsome tribes, but `this highway of archangels/this theatre of heaven/the light garden of the God-forgiven angel King.`
...

” Magical, moving & deeply atmospheric”
- Patrick Barkham; As November stubs out the glow of autumn & the days tighten into shorter
...