The photographs included & analysed here were taken by the Royal Flying Corps to provide reconnaissance for the British Army on the Western Front & are drawn for the huge archive held by The Imperial War Museum. Few have had the courage to delve into the ` Box Collection`. Nicholas Watkis is one. The images have been chosen to reveal significant actions & have been carefully annotated to show the terrain & defences, pinpointing strongpoints, machine guns, mortars & gun batteries. The seven battles are Neuve Chapelle, Loos, La Boiselle, Flers, Vimy Ridge, Cambrai & Amiens. Not only does the real work of the RFC become clear
- shooting down enemy aircraft was entirely ancillary to photo recon
- the reader also, quite literally, sees for himself just what the Western Front looked like. He also understands how that appearance affected the plans of British High Comm&.

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The area of Belgium & northern France that was the Western Front is a place like no other. In a line running seven hundred kilometers from the English Channel to the Swiss border the horrors of industrialised war consumed men by the millions for over four years. When the War finally ended, entire societies were in shock & the ensuing outpouring of grief can be seen today in the countless cemeteries & memorials that dot the landscape. Much has been written of the British experience & the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission including the major architects of national memorials, but little material can be found regarding the American, French & German sites. In 2013 Marcel & a friend travelled the entire length of the Western Front. The images he captured tell an amazing story & the chapters of the book are organised in such a way as to help the reader to understand the stupendous efforts of the nations involved to remember their fallen ...

This volume of pen-&-ink drawings of Scottish mountain scenery by A. Wainwright
- author of the legendary Pictorial Guides to the
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The Western coast of Turkey has captivated travellers for centuries. With its dramatic mountains & idyllic bays & promontories, scattered with ancient ruins, it is not only one of the most beautiful parts of the country, but is also of great historical interest. The Western Shores of Turkey is the distillation of a succession of journeys that John Freely made along this coast
- an odyssey spanning a quarter of a century. From Istanbul to Antakya (Antioch) on the Syrian border, he discovered both the charm of modern Turkey & the wonders of its past. The result is both an informative guide & a remarkable travelogue for all who follow in his footsteps.
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Crammed into Westminster & Pimlico are an abbey, a cathedral, a parliament, palaces, numerous government offices, up-market shops, men's clubs, beautiful parks, statues galore, theatres, the most famous clock in the world & one of the best schools in the country. 150 years ago the list would have included breweries & brothels, for here, in the capital of the world's richest nation, an underclass of starving, wretched people existed within shouting distance of those who governed them. This is an A-Z historical guide to the area. ...

This guidebook is all you need to discover The Westweg, a 285km walk along the length Germany`s Black Forest from Pforzheim to Basel. This classic long-distance trail takes around two weeks to walk, in stages of 15-28km. The route is well way-marked & suitable for experienced hikers & those new to long distance walking, though some sections are steep. The Westweg incorporates many of the region`s highlights, such the Schwarzwald National Park, the source of the Danube & Lake Titisee. At Titisee there is a choice to make: the western route taking in the Black Forest`s highest peak Feldberg & the vineyards of the Markgraflerl&, or the quieter eastern route via the Herzogenhorn peak & on to Basel, with all its cultural attractions & old-world charm. With well-maintained & waymarked trails, an efficient public transport system & conveniently placed huts & farmhouse inns, the Black Forest is one of Germany`s best-loved walking destinations. Soft-contoured, forest-clad hills, interspersed with pastures & picturesque villages combine on with far-ranging vistas right across the Alpine chain. Detailed descriptions & 1:100, 000 maps accompany each stage of the route & the book describes options for shortening stages using public transport. There is also information on when to go, where to stay & a German-English glossary
- all of which will earn this useful guide a place in your rucksack.
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`I am taking a few months off to travel & wander, drinking my way across the Islamic world to see whether I can dry myself out, cure myself of a bout of alcoholic excess. It is a personal crisis, a private curiosity. I am curious to see how non-drinkers live. Perhaps they have something to teach me.` Booze is mankind`s premier drug of choice, the most popular mind-altering substance ever devised, & it plays a furtive, celebrated & subversive role in nearly every culture on earth. In ” The Wet & the Dry”, Lawrence Osborne explores the culture of permission, particularly in the West, & the opposing culture of prohibition, notably in the Islamic East. Osborne`s globe-trotting odyssey takes him from the luxurious bars of Milan to the vineyards of Lebanon, threatened by Hezbollah; from Swedish vodka to Pakistani strawberry gin; from the Nellie Dean pub in Soho to the dangerous brothels & drinking dens on the Malaysian border; from the boutique scotch produced on Islay to the liquor destroying Native American reservations; & from the only brewery in the dry country of Pakistan to the search for a bottle of New Year`s champagne in Oman. All the while, Osborne`s own Irish family history of terrifying alcoholism fails to deter him from seeking out a drink wherever he can. ...

There is a legend that a Great Spotted Whale lives in the ocean; local fishermen still talk of it, although the first sighting fifty years ago was never corroborated. Now, two young whale watchers each set out to find the whale, one armed with sound recording equipment, the other a camera. Mid-ocean their boats collide, so they pool their resources & set off together to capture incontrovertible proof that the mythical Great Spotted Whale exists. The eventual sighting is a magical moment: the whale is truly phenomenal, & swimming along beside her is a small whale calf. The children return to shore, solid proof in h&. As an added twist to the story, they discover that it was their own grandparents who first sighted the Great Spotted Whale fifty years ago. The Murrow`s epic, wordless adventure is brought to life with Ethan`s stunning graphite drawings, which convey the drama & haunting beauty of the ocean, & capture the majesty of this awe-inspiring creature. ...

A mystical story of Maori culture The birth of a daughter
- Kahu
- breaks the lineage of a Maori tribe. Rejected by her grandfather,

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” The Whale Road” is a creative non-fiction story based on a true tale told to an unborn child in which a sailor falls off a cliff, & turns into an albatross, & a pod of female sperm whales chases the setting sun. The journey begins on a research vessel, as her small crew follow the path of the Hwaelweg through the South Pacific, a hunting ground once so fertile that sailors` logs claim the whales formed a black road in the sea. The expedition sails from Tahiti to New Zeal&, making an enthralling tale about human & animal nature, nurture, love & a search for peace. ...