Dusk is filling the valley It is the time of the gloaming the owl-light Out in the wood the resident tawny has started calling Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o' There is something about owls They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards They are creatures of the night & thus of magic They are the birds of ill-tidings the avian messengers from the Other Side But owls
- with the sapient flatness of their faces their big round eyes their paternal expressions
- are also reassuringly familiar We see them as wise like Athena's owl & loyal like Harry Potter's Hedwig Human-like in other words No other species has so captivated us In The Secret Life of the Owl John Lewis-Stempel explores the legends & history of the owl & in vivid lyrical prose he celebrates all the realities of this magnificent creature whose natural powers are as fantastic as any myth ' John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation' Country Life

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Since software programs have come to dominate offices & studios the pencil has become a symbol for creative freedom In other words the work you do on the computer is what you do for work to pay the rent whereas the stuff you do with your pencil is the stuff you do for fun Apart from stimulating the world&s most important creative minds the pencil has become the modern creative&s ultimate fetish This book presents a unique collection of close-up pictures of pencils from some of our foremost artists designers writers architects & musicians What makes these pictures compelling is the fact that they somehow reflect the creative personalities of their owners Philippe Starck&s is a stylish black & red Paul Smith&s is a classic jewel-like thing worth GBP3000 (a present from Jonathan Ive) while Anish Kapoor&s is sculpted into a mini Arcelor Mittal Orbital tower The pictures are complemented by material such as sketches"es & brief interviews giving a further insight into the workings of these great creative minds ...

Colin Tudge's The Secret Life of Trees How they Live & Why they Matter explores the hidden role of trees in our everyday lives
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For over 60 years spanning from his childhood to the Cold War to the current day former Israeli paratrooper & Six Day War veteran Uri Geller has been a major enigma Is he merely one of the most convincing stage magicians in history a multimillionaire entertainer courted by presidents & rock stars? Or is the now 67 year-old UK resident the possessor of genuine paranormal powers which have not only been tested & verified by the most demanding scientific laboratories in the US but employed by the US & other western powers in secret operations? In July a sensational new BBC2 documentary by Oscar-winning director Vikram Jayanti aired bringing to light the most convincing testimony ever heard
- much from retired CIA chiefs
- that Geller alongside being one of the most famous people in the world in his day was as late as post-911 operated as a psychic spy by the US military spymasters & those of other governments But the revelations in the BBC film are merely the tip of the spooky iceberg according to FT & Observer technology writer Jonathan Margolis who wrote Geller's biography in the late 1990s Much weirder scientist-documented paranormal phenomena manifested around Uri Geller in secret US government facilities throughout the 1970s & 80s In The Secret Life of Uri Geller the always sceptical Margolis tells the full story of how a poor boy from a broken family in the back streets of Tel Aviv went from being a playground sensation whom friends recall as baffling hapless teachers with his strange powers
- to a bizarre player in the Cold War superpower mind games of the 1970s later reactivated for the war on terrorism in this century To those who remember Geller in his heyday to younger people who have barely heard of him it is one of the strangest true stories ever told


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Walter Mitty is an ordinary man living an ordinary life But he has dreams
- vivid extraordinary day dreams
- in which the life

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'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox Every colour has a story & here are some of the most alluring alarming & thought-provoking Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer' Simon Garfield The Secret Lives of Colour tells the unusual stories of the 75 most fascinating shades dyes & hues From blonde to ginger the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague Picasso's blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux acid yellow to kelly green & from scarlet women to imperial violet these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history In this book Kassia St Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours & where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation Across fashion & politics art & war The Secret Lives of Colour tell the vivid story of our culture ...

The unforgettable history of colours & the vivid stories behind them in a beautiful multi-coloured volume 336 pages St Clair Kassia ...

An introvert guide & manifesto for all the quiet ones-and the people who love them Is there a hidden part of you that no one else sees? Do you have a vivid inner world of thoughts & emotions that your peers & loved ones can't seem to access? Have you ever been told you're too quiet" shy" boring" or awkward"? Are your habits & comfort zones questioned by a society that doesn't seem to get the real you? If so you might be an introvert On behalf of those who have long been misunderstood rejected or ignored fellow introvert Jenn Granneman writes a compassionate vindication exploring discovering & celebrating the secret inner world of introverts that only until recently has begun to peek out & emerge into the larger social narrative Drawing from scientific research in-depth interviews with experts & other introverts & her personal story Granneman reveals the clockwork behind the introvert's mind & why so many people get it wrong initially Whether you are a bona fide introvert an extrovert anxious to learn how we tick or a curious ambivert these revelations will answer the questions you've always had What's going on when introverts go quiet? What do introvert lovers need to flourish in a relationship? How can introverts find their own brand of fulfillment in the workplace? Do introverts really have a lot to say & how do we draw it out? How can introverts mine their rich inner worlds of creativity & insight? Why might introverts party on a Friday night but stay home alone all Saturday? How can introverts speak out to defend their needs? With other myths debunked & truths revealed The Secret Lives of Introverts is an empowering manifesto that guides you toward owning your introversion by working with your nature rather than against it in a world where you deserve to be heard ...

For nearly sixty years Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was one of the most famous writers in the world An enormously successful playwright & the author of over a hundred short stories & twenty-one novels
- several of which are now established classics
- Maugham expertly concealed a private life Predominantly homosexual & deeply in love with the charming but dissolute Gerald Haxton he made a disastrous marriage to Syrie Wellcome which he would escape by travelling & writing extensively in the Far East A talented linguist during both world wars Maugham worked for British Intelligence In between he moved in literary & theatrical circles in London New York & Hollywood & entertained lavishly at his luxurious villa in the south of France Outwardly his life was richly rewarding but privately he suffered anguish from an unrequited love affair & a shocking final betrayal Acclaimed biographer Selina Hastings has had access to Maugham's extensive private correspondence as well as to important family testimony which sheds a fascinating new light on this complex & extraordinary man

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A moving & heart-warming modern British Muslim take on Little Women from growing star brand & former Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain The four Amir sisters
- Fatima Farah Bubblee & Mae
- are the only young Muslims in the quaint English village of Wyvernage On the outside despite not quite fitting in with their neighbours the Amirs are happy But on the inside each sister is secretly struggling Fatima is trying to find out who she really is
- & after fifteen attempts finally pass her driving test Farah is happy being a wife but longs to be a mother Bubblee is determined to be an artist in London away from family tradition & Mae is coping with burgeoning You Tube stardom Yet when family tragedy strikes it brings the Amir sisters closer together & forces them to learn more about life love faith & each other than they ever thought possible


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