Mysteries! There is no such thing as a mystery in connection with any crime, provided intelligence is brought to bear upon its investigation. So says a rather down-at-heel elderly gentleman to young Polly Burton of the Evening Observer, in the corner of the ABC teashop on Norfolk Street one afternoon. Once she has forgiven him for distracting her from her newspaper & luncheon, Miss Burton discovers that her interlocutor is as brilliantly gifted as he is eccentric
- able to solve mysteries that have made headlines & baffled the finest minds of the police without once leaving his seat in the teahouse. As the weeks go by, she listens to him unravelling the trickiest of puzzles & solving the most notorious of crimes, but still one final mystery remains: the mystery of the old man in the corner himself. The Old Man in the Corner is a classic collection of mysteries featuring the Teahouse Detective
- a contemporary of Sherlock Holmes, with a brilliant mind & waspish temperament to match that of Conan Doyle`s creation.

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The Old Patagonian Express is Paul Theroux’s record of his train journey down the length of North & South America in the 1970’s, from an icy Massachusetts to Argentina’s arid southern tip, via pretty Central American towns, the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu & a meeting with Jorge Luis Borges in Buenos Aires. Sweating & shivering his way along the railway, as temperatures & altitudes plummet & climb, Theroux sharply describes the people he meets & the world he observes, in a journey that quite literally takes him to ‘the end of the line’. ...

The Japanese manufacture myths as efficiently as they do televisions, & are as adept at selling them to men who visit their country. Since it is men who write most books on Japan, those myths are perpetuated in the West. Women, though, do not count in that most foreign of countries, & no one is interested in selling myths to them. Harriet Sergeant, who lived in Tokyo for six years, took advantage of this to slip behind the scenery. In this book she provides a glimpse of backstage Japan. From her early collision with a sumo wrestler in a public swimming bath, Harriet confronts Japan head on, to the mixed consternation & amusement of her Japanese friends. They show her the country as it really is, frequently as unpalatable as dried octopus, but yielding some unforgettable experiences
- & acquaintances. There is Yuno, the professional gambler, who introduces Harriet to the gangster underworld with its labyrinthine tentacles of power; the old people of the Kobokan Community Centre, some of whom can remember vividly the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923; the beer-swilling Buddhist priest with an unorthodox taste in bathroom furniture; & Midori, the troubled young woman caught between East & West.
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A beautiful new edition of a classic work of landscape history, in which Alfred Watkins introduced the idea of ancient `ley lines` criss-crossing the English countryside. First published in 1925, THE OLD STRAIGHT TRACK described the author`s theory of `ley lines`, pre-Roman pathways consisting of aligned stone circles & prehistoric mounds, used by our Neolithic ancestors. Watkins`s ideas have intrigued & inspired generations of readers
- from historians to hill walkers, & from amateur archaeologists to new-age occultists. This edition of THE OLD STRAIGHT TRACK, with a substantial introduction by Robert Macfarlane, will appeal to all who treasure the history, contours & mystery of Britain`s ancient landscapes.
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A beautiful new edition of a classic work of landscape history, in which Alfred Watkins introduced the idea of ancient `ley lines` criss-crossing the English countryside. First published in 1925, THE OLD STRAIGHT TRACK described the author`s theory of `ley lines`, pre-Roman pathways consisting of aligned stone circles & prehistoric mounds, used by our Neolithic ancestors. Watkins`s ideas have intrigued & inspired generations of readers
- from historians to hill walkers, & from amateur archaeologists to new-age occultists. This edition of THE OLD STRAIGHT TRACK, with a substantial introduction by Robert Macfarlane, will appeal to all who treasure the history, contours & mystery of Britain`s ancient landscapes.
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In The Old Ways Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge home to follow the ancient tracks, holloways, drove
- roads & sea
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In ” The Old Ways” Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge home to follow the ancient tracks, holloways, drove
- roads
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LONDON`s old buildings hold a wealth of clues to the city`s rich & vibrant past. The histories of some, such as the Tower of London & Westminster Abbey, are well documented. However, these magnificent, world-renowned attractions are not the only places with fascinating tales to tell. Down a narrow, medieval lane on the outskirts of Smithfield stands 41-42 Cloth Fair
- the oldest house in the City of London. Fiona Rule uncovers the fascinating survival story of this extraordinary property & the people who owned it & lived in it, set against the backdrop of an ever-changing city that has prevailed over war, disease, fire & economic crises.
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Not all of Hamish Brown`s many travels about Scotland have taken up mountains or into wild & wind swept places, but he has found himself in some pretty odd locations. Now he has listed them, placing them in their regions, complete with references & directions to produce this beautiful & fascinating book that will take you around Scotland to places you never dreamed of. Beutifully designed by Heather Mac Pherson of Raspberryhmac, & with maps by David Langwell, The Oldest Post Office in the World is a book you will want not only for the car but for the coffee table & the book shelf. It`s one to use & one to treasure. ...

” All my life, I have dreamed of acquiring a crumbling, shabby-chic house overlooking the sea. In my mind`s eye, I have pictured a corner of paradise where friends can gather to swim, relax, debate, eat fresh fruits picked directly from the garden & great steaming plates of food served from an al fresco kitchen & dished up on to a candlelit table the length of a railway sleeper...” When Carol Drinkwater & her partner Michel have the opportunity to buy 10 acres of disused olive farm in Provence, the idea seems absurd. After all, they don`t have a lot of money, & they`ve only been together a little while. THE OLIVE FARM is the story of the highs & lows of purchasing the farm & life in Provence: the local customs & cuisine; the threats of fire & adoption of a menagerie of animals; the potential financial ruin & the thrill of harvesting their own olives
- especially when they are discovered to produce the finest extra-virgin olive oil...
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