' There is nothing more enticing disenchanting & enslaving than the life at sea' wrote Joseph Conrad There is certainly nothing more integral to the development of the modern world In The Sea A Cultural History John Mack considers those great expanses that both unite & divide us & the ways in which human beings interact because of the sea from navigation to colonization to trade Much of the world's population lives on or near the coast & people inhabit & engage with the sea in a variety of ways The Sea explores the diversity of seas themselves maritime technologies (especially the practice of navigation) & different cultures surrounding the sea Seafarers have characteristic social & technical practices as well as having distinctive language & customs Many cultures have created a society of the sea which is usually all-male often cosmopolitan & always hierarchical The separation of sea & land is evident in the use of different vocabularies on land & on sea for the same things the change in a mariner's behavior when on land & in the liminal status of points uniting the two realms like beaches & ports Ships are also deployed in symbolic contexts on land from ship burials to ecclesiastical & public architecture The two realms
- land & sea
- are never completely separate Casting a wide net The Sea uses histories maritime archaeology anthropology art history biography & literature to provide an innovative & experiential account of the waters that surround us

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The full story of seabirds from one of the greatest nature writers The book looks at the pattern of their lives their habitats the threats they face & the passions they inspire
- beautifully illustrated by artist Kate Boxer SHORTLISTED FOR THE RICHARD JEFFERIES SOCIETY AWARD FOR NATURE WRITING 2017 In ten chapters each dedicated to a different bird & each beautifully illustrated by Kate Boxer The Seabird's Cry travels their ocean paths fusing traditional knowledge with all that modern science has come to know about them the way their bodies work their dazzling navigational expertise their ability to smell their way to fish or home to understand the workings of the winds in which they live At the heart of the book are the Shiant Isles
- a cluster of Hebridean islands in the Minch that Adam Nicolson has known all his life
- but he has pursued the birds much further across the Atlantic up the west coast of Ireland to St Kilda Orkney Shetland the Faeroes Iceland & Norway to the eastern seaboard of America the Falklands South Georgia the Canaries & the Azores
- reaching out across the widths of the world ocean This book is a paean to the beauty of life on the wing but even as we are coming to understand the seabirds a global tragedy is unfolding Their number is in freefall dropping by nearly seventy per cent in the last sixty years a billion fewer now than in 1950 Of the ten birds in this book seven are in decline Extinction stalks the ocean & there is a danger that the grand cry of a seabird colony rolling around the bays & headlands of high latitudes will this century become but a memory



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The Seagull is Ann Cleeves' searing eighth novel in the Vera Stanhope series about corruption deep in the heart of a community & about fragile & fracturing family relationships A visit to her local prison brings DI Vera Stanhope face to face with an old enemy former detective superintendent & now inmate John Brace Brace was convicted of corruption & involvement in the death of a gamekeeper
- & Vera played a part in his downfall Brace promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall a notorious wheeler-dealer if she will look out for his daughter & grandchildren He tells her that Marshall is dead his body buried close to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay However when a search team investigates officers find not one skeleton but two This cold case takes Vera back in time & very close to home as Brace & Marshall along with a mysterious stranger known only as the Prof' were close friends of Hector her father Together they were the Gang of Four' & Hector had been one of the last people to see Marshall alive Vera must confront her prejudices & unwanted memories to dig out the truth as the past begins to collide dangerously with the present
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The debut novel of abduction & slavery set in 17th century Iceland & North Africa by Sunday Times bestselling author & broadcaster Sally Magnusson Selected for the Zoe Ball ITV Book Club & BBC Radio 2 Book Club 384 pages Magnusson Sally ...

Maria Duenas's million copy best-selling tale of adventure tragedy love & war The Seamstress a Richard & Judy 2012 book club pick Spain 1936 & the brink of civil war Aged twelve Sira Quiroga was apprenticed to a Madrid dressmaker As she masters the seamstress's art her life seems to be clearly mapped out
- until she falls passionately in love & flees with her seductive lover But in Morocco she is betrayed & left penniless As civil war engulfs Spain Sira finds she cannot return & so turns to her one true skill
- & sews beautiful clothes for the expat elite & their German friends With Europe rumbling towards war Sira is lured back to Franco's Nazis-friendly Spain She is drawn into the shadowy world of espionage rife with love intrigue & betrayal & where the greatest danger lies ' Maria Duenas is a true storyteller Read this book & prepare to be transported' Kate Morton author of The House at Riverton'A wonderful novel with intrigue love mystery & tender audacious & clean-cut characters' Mario Vargas Llosa'A magnificent novel that flawlessly brings together history & intrigue' Juan Gomez-Jurado author of The Moses Expedition Maria Duenas holds a Ph D in English Philology & is currently a professor at the University of Murcia She has also taught at American universities is the author of several academic articles & has participated in various educational cultural & editorial projects She is currently writing her second novel

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Please note this is a region B Blu-ray & will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play The story of the evolution of extreme sports featuring breath-taking footage & interviews with the pioneers of the movement More than just a compilation of stunts The Search for Freedom is an exciting engrossing & considered look at the on-going pursuit of personal freedom & the desire to keep pushing limits ...

Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play The story of the evolution of extreme sports featuring breath-taking footage & interviews with the pioneers of the movement More than just a compilation of stunts The Search for Freedom is an exciting engrossing & considered look at the on-going pursuit of personal freedom & the desire to keep pushing limits ...

Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play The Search for Sherlock Holmes follows Hayman on a fascinating & personal journey to reveal the heart of one of the world s most significant & loved literary figures & the most portrayed movie character of all time So far over 70 actors have played the part of Sherlock Holmes in over 200 films with Robert Downey Jr taking the lead in the latest adaptation with Jude Law taking his side as Dr Watson Travelling the length of Britain David investigates the extraordinary character that he has loved & admired for most of his life Attempting to discover the secret to Sherlock Holmes long lasting success he sets out to discover what influenced Holmes creation & reveals the personal demons of his Scottish creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle During his travels David visits many of the places that influenced Conan Doyle s work including his home town Edinburgh & London s Baker Street where Holmes was said to live He meets with Sherlock Holmes experts & celebrity enthusiasts including Stephen Fry & crime writer Linda La Plante & looks at how real crimes in Victorian Britain shaped not only Holmes but the creation of the modern detective ...

Robert Mc Gee's best-selling book has helped millions of readers learn how to be free to enjoy Christ's love while no longer basing their self-worth on their accomplishments or the opinions of others In fact Billy Graham said that it was a book that should be read by every Christian In this re-launch of this timeless classic you will Gain new skills for getting off the performance treadmill Discover how four false beliefs have negatively impacted your life Learn how to overcome obstacles that prevent you from experiencing the truth that your self-worth is found only in the love acceptance & forgiveness of Christ Discover what two million readers have already discovered that true significance is found only in Christ ...

wo times Emmy award & Golden Globe Nominated winning BBC miniseries filmed in Africa Released in the UK for the first time ever on DVD Stars Michael Gough (Batman Batman Returns Sleepy Hollow) James Mason (North by Northwest 20000 leagues Under the Sea) Kenneth Haigh (Man at the Top a Hard Day s Night) Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play Exceptional cinematography of harsh & unforgiving African landscapes remarkable sequences of mass camel treks & perilous river crossings the series was highly acclaimed at the time & commands strong online interest to this day Achieved huge audiences world wide most notably in North America In the middle of the 19th Century at the height of Britain s imperial power an unsolved mystery lay in the very heart of Africa the mystery of the source of the Nile It was a challenge that attracted a handful of extraordinary men a challenge strong enough to reveal the best & the worst in all of them Before long it was to become an obsession

Includes:: English Subtitles for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

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