In 1876, a man named Henry Wickham smuggled seventy thousand rubber tree seeds out of the rain forests of Brazil & delivered them to Victorian England`s most prestigious scientists at Kew Gardens. Those seeds, planted around the world in England`s colonial outposts, gave rise to the great rubber boom of the early twentieth century
- an explosion of entrepreneurial & scientific industry that would change the world. The story of how Wickham got his hands on those seeds
- a sought-after prize for many suffered & died
- is the stuff of legend. In this lively account of obsession, greed, bravery & betrayal, author & journalist Joe Jackson brings to life a classic Victorian fortune-hunter & the empire that fueled, then abandoned, him. ” The Thief at the End of the World” is a thrilling true story of reckless courage & ambition.


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The first in Caroline Lawrence`s internationally bestselling Roman Mysteries series, re-issued with a fantastic new cover look. Flavia Gemina is a natural at solving mysteries. The daughter of a ship`s captain living in Ostia, the port of Rome, in AD79, she & her three friends, Jonathan, a Jewish boy (and secretly a Christian); Nubia, an African slave girl; & Lupus, a mute beggar boy, must work together to discover who is beheading the watchdogs that guard people`s homes, & why. A talented storyteller, Caroline Lawrence has created a delightfully readable & accessible series that children will want to read time & time again. ...

” Moves so intensely & inexorably that it almost seems like the war it is describing”. (The New York Times Book Review). ` Is it really worth it to die, to be dead, just to prove to everybody that you`re not a coward?` On Guadalcanal in the south Pacific, the soldiers of C Company are about to enter the war. The men know they face their baptism of fire. But none know if they will be one of `the lucky ones` to make it safely off the isl&. From Captain Stein, who feels like a father to his troops, & ` Mad` Sergeant Welsh, condemning all nations while swigging gin from his canteen, to Private Bell, who just wants to get home to his wife, they will discover the line that divides sanity from madness, & life from death. A scathing critique of heroism, The Thin Red Line is among the greatest masterpieces of war writing. ” The men are real, the words are real, death is real, imminent & immediate”. (Los Angeles Times). ...

One day, the Thing falls from the sky & four strangers stumble across it. Together they decide to work together to take care of the Thing. But before long a media circus builds up around the creature they are protecting & the debate about the Thing spreads far around the world. What is the Thing? Who does it belong to? What does it do? & is it any use for anything at all? This captivating picture book will be many things to many people: a story about thoughtfulness, an adventure in friendship & an intriguing & gentle social commentary on the search for meaning in modern life. Daniel Egneus` unique & engaging artwork beautifully illustrates this enigmatic story & brings the strange Thing to life. With a similar feel to Alexis Deacon`s Beegu & Shaun Tan`s The Lost Thing, this is the perfect bedtime story for children & adults to enjoy together. Praise for The Thing: ” Touching on themes of compassion, kindness & belonging, this quirky tale will undoubtedly instigate crucial questions & topics for further discussion across all age groups”
- Picture Books Blogger Simon Puttock was born in New Zealand &, as a child, wanted to be a vet or an archaeologist. Instead, & after some considerable time & doing other stuff, he became a full-time writer. He has written over 40 books for children & has won several awards, including the 2016 Scottish Children`s Book Award for Mouse`s First Night at Moonlight School. Daniel Egneus was born in Sweden & has had successful collaborations with clients such as Haagen-Dasz, O2 UK, Marie Claire, Time Magazine, Penguin Books & Random House. He was voted best illustrator by the Association of Illustrators in the UK (2005). He has published many books including Little Red Riding Hood (Harper Collins) & Hot Dog cookbook (winner of the Prix Gourmand for Best Illustrated Cookbook in France).
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” When Rachael Weiss left a good job, Thelma the cat & a normal life in Sydney for the romantic dream of being a writer in Prague she intended to stay forever. She lasted just three years, exasperated by the eccentricities of her ancestral city & its mind-boggling bureaucracy & customs. In this surprising & generous memoir full of warmth & unstoppable sociability, Rachael attempts to write her great novel, buy an apartment (any apartment!), dodge unscrupulous employers, & perhaps find love. She gets lost in the woods with a Kyrgyzstani software engineer who wants to eat humans, finds herself leading services at the Spanish synagogue with no real idea of what she is doing & spends long nights drinking beer with a colourful cast of crazy, warm & slightly mad locals & expats. Rich in absurdities & gentle humour, The Thing About Prague...is rife with insight, culture clashes, friendships & above all charm.” ...

From the Orange Prize-winning author of ` Half of a Yellow Sun` come twelve dazzling stories that turn a penetrating eye on the ties that bind men & women, parents & children, Nigeria & the West. In `A Private Experience`, a medical student hides from a violent riot with a poor Muslim woman whose dignity & faith force her to confront the realities & fears she`s been pushing away. In ` Tomorrow Is Too Far`, a woman unlocks the devastating secret that surrounds her brother`s death. The young mother at the centre of ` Imitation` finds her comfortable life threatened when she learns that her husband back in Lagos has moved his mistress into their home. & the title story depicts the choking loneliness of a Nigerian girl who moves to an America that turns out to be nothing like the country she expected; though falling in love brings her desires nearly within reach, a death in her homeland forces her to re-examine them. Searing & profound, suffused with beauty, sorrow & longing, this collection is a resounding confirmation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie`s prodigious storytelling powers. ...

From established literary heavyweights to emerging spoken word artists, the writers in this ground-breaking collection blow away the narrow image of the ` Muslim Woman`. Hear from users of Islamic Tinder, a disenchanted Maulana working as a TV chat show host & a plastic surgeon blackmailed by MI6. Follow the career of an actress with Middle-Eastern heritage whose dreams of playing a ghostbuster spiral into repeat castings as a jihadi bride. Among stories of honour killings & ill-fated love in besieged locations, we also find heart-warming connections & powerful challenges to the status quo. From Algiers to Brighton, these stories transcend time & place revealing just how varied the search for belonging can be. ...

AN OBSERVER NEW FACE OF FICTION FOR 2017` An original & affecting coming-of-age novel` The Observer` Fuses life`s big themes with daily minutiae.. . A voice of the next generation` Stylist`A vibrant portrayal of estate life in the late nineties & an affecting story of friendship` The Independent Ravine & Marianne were best friends. They practised handstands together, raced slugs & went into the woods to play. But now everything has changed. Ten years later, Ravine lies in a bed plagued by chronic pain syndrome. & her best friend Marianne is gone. How did their last adventure go so wrong? Who is to blame? & where is Marianne? Heartbreaking, bittersweet & utterly unforgettable, The Things We Thought We Knew is a powerful novel about the things we remember & the things we wish we could forget. ...

The Times Top 10 Bestseller THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, WITH OVER THREE MILLION COPIES SOLD AROUND THE WORLD` Is it the world that`s busy, or my mind?` The world moves fast, but that doesn`t mean we have to. In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea & educated in the United States, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest & relationships, in a beautiful book combining his teachings with calming full-colour illustrations. Haemin Sunim`s simple messages
- which he first wrote when he responded to requests for advice on social media
- speak directly to the anxieties that have become part of modern life & remind us of the strength & joy that come from slowing down. Hugely popular in Korea, Haemin Sunim is a Zen meditation teacher whose teachings transcend religion, borders & ages. With insight & compassion drawn from a life full of change, the bestselling monk succeeds at encouraging all of us to notice that when you slow down, the world slows down with you.

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The only North American book focusing on top-bar hives & beekeeping. Christy is the owner & founder of Gold Star Honeybees, which offers top-bar hive kits & workshops. Top- bar hives are a `greener, ` more bee-centered way to keep bees. This is chemical free beekeeping, allowing honeybees to return to the natural processes that are thwarted by the use of conventional hive equipment & practices. In September 2011 Christy gave a TEDx Talk. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. (video available). A regular blogger at Mother Earth News. The author has presented at three different Pech Kucha nights, telling the story of bees & why she founded Gold Star Honey bees (Video available), as well as presenting at the Mother Earth News Fair (WA), Green Festival & Common Ground Country Fair (60, 000 attendees). The author is a member of many organizations that would help in the promotion of ths book, including NOFA, The Green business network, North East Treatment-Free Beekeepers, & several other beekeeping associations. There is a lot of attention in the media at the moment in regards to the declining bee population ...