We are proud to sell this wonderful book, as The Mapmakers is quite literally, all about us. One of London’s best known specialist shops, we have been trading, in Charing Cross & now Covent Garden, for more than 150 years & we are famous all over the world as a premier supplier of maps & geographical books. This book celebrates the history of our company, charting its role as a publisher of worldwide maps in the era when the British Empire was at the height of its power, & as a sales agent for the Ordnance Survey for more than a century. It tells the story of the company’s Victorian founders & some of their distinguished customers
- real & fictitious
- including John Ruskin, Florence Nightingale, Captain Scott, General Gordon & Sherlock Holmes. The specialist family business was almost destroyed by the wars & economic crises of the 20th century, but we survived to become once again unrivalled as a supplier of maps & guidebooks to a new generation of world travellers. In order to succeed, any business must mirror in some important way the society around it; this fascinating book shows how Stanfords reflected many of the forces which shaped the 19th & 20th century worlds.

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In the tradition of Allende, this is a magical novel, written in the form of an opera, & set in Seville & Mexico in the late 1800s. Act I opens in Seville. Emilio has been forced by his overbearing mother into the priesthood. Monica is a governess in a wealthy household who falls pregnant by the head of the house. A chance meeting in Seville cathedral suggests a solution to both their predicaments -- they decide to marry, though it is not a love match. Emilio raises Monica`s son Diego as his own, & they form a close bond over their mutual love of language, books, maps & birds. When Emilio dies, Monica reveals that he was not Diego`s father. She grows ever more embittered & eventually dies, leaving Diego to pursue his true calling
- his love of birds. Act 2 follows Diego`s life in Mexico
- his apprenticeship to an American who is mapping the birds of Mexico; his love for Sofia, the beautiful, independent daughter of a Mexican farmer; & his obsession with saving the Passenger Pigeon from extinction. The cities of Seville & Merida are so central to the narrative, & evoked so beautifully, that they are almost characters themselves. Taking in many of the stock characters that appear in the best operas -- the philanderer, the wronged wife, the harassed servant, the star-crossed lovers -- The Mapmaker`s Opera is an original & magical novel which will appeal to lovers of Gabriel Garcia Marquez & Isabel Allende.

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In 1735 a team of French scientists set out on a daring expedition into the South American wilderness to resolve one of the great scientific challenges of the time: the precise size & shape of the Earth. Scaling the Andes & journeying along the Amazon, the mapmakers faced all manner of danger, while madness, disease & violent death each took their toll. However one, Jean Godin, fell in love with a local girl called Isabel Grameson. When the time came for the expedition to return to France, Godin travelled ahead to ensure the way was safe for his new family. But on reaching French Guiana, disaster struck: Spain & Portugal closed their borders & he was stranded, unable to return to Isabel. What followed lies at the core of this extraordinary tale
- a heartbreaking 20-year separation that ended when Isabel, believing she might never see her husband again, decided to make her own way across the continent: a journey that began in hope but became hell on earth... Drawing on his own experience retracing Isabel`s epic trek as well as contemporary records, Robert Whitaker recounts a captivating true story of love & survival set against the backdrop of what many still regard as `the greatest expedition the world has ever known`.
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In the early years of the 18th century, a band of French scientists set off on a daring, decade-long expedition to South America in a race to measure the precise shape of the earth. Like Lewis & Clark`s exploration of the American West, their incredible mission revealed the mysteries of a little-known continent to a world hungry for discovery. Scaling 16, 000foot mountains in the Peruvian Andes, & braving jaguars, pumas, insects, & vampire bats in the jungle, the scientists barely completed their mission. One was murdered, another perished from fever, & a third-Jean Godin-nearly died of heartbreak. At the expedition`s end, Jean & his Peruvian wife, Isabel Grameson, became stranded at opposite ends of the Amazon, victims of a tangled web of international politics. Isabel`s solo journey to reunite with Jean after their calamitous twenty-year separation was so dramatic that it left all of 18th-century Europe spellbound. Her survival-unprecedented in the annals of Amazon exploration-was a testament to human endurance, female resourcefulness, & the power of devotion. Drawing on the original writings of the French mapmakers, as well as his own experience retracing Isabel`s journey, acclaimed writer Robert Whitaker weaves a riveting tale rich in adventure, intrigue, & scientific achievement. Never before told, The Mapmaker`s Wife is an epic love story that unfolds against the backdrop of ”the greatest expedition the world has ever known.” ...

This is the visual story of life in Maasai Mara, Kenya, wild home of African big game & one of the world s most famous wildlife reserves. Anup Shah s distinctive style of photography propels the reader into the middle of this evocative land & its resident animals, immediately & intimately. ” The Mara ”reveals a magnificent stage for the performance of life. The drama is driven by the rhythm of the seasons, from the start of new life at the end of the rainy season, through to the hardships endured during the long, dry season. The images capture anger, death, hope, arrivals, & departures, & provide a startlingly fresh & rarely seen view of life in this popular reserve. The images are accompanied by thought-provoking captions which describe the breathtaking land that Anup experienced first-hand during trips to the Mara between 2011 & 2015. Now the reader can experience the essence & wonder of Mara life with this astounding volume.” ...

Parisian bookseller Victor Legris finds a new case to investigate very close to home, when his business partner`s apartment is burgled. Curiously the only item stolen is a decorative goblet of little value. But on learning that two people have been murdered who were connected to to the goblet, Victor becomes convinced of its secret significance. How quickly can he recover it & end the killing spree, in a city beset with terrorist activity? In this fourth case for the bookseller sleuth, Claude Izner offers a convincing portrait of a Paris shaken by anarchist bombings in the spring of 1892. ...

A box of possessions. A father with no memory. A daughter with just one day to piece together the past. When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father`s belongings, her seemingly uneventful life suddenly alters & shifts. In the single day she has to search for answers about the man she thought she knew, a man who can no longer remember his own story, Sabrina uncovers far bigger secrets than she could have imagined. & discovers that sometimes it`s the people closest to us that we know the least. ...

From the distinguished American historian whose work has been acclaimed around the world, a major new book that penetrates one of the most bizarre & fascinating paradoxes in history: the persistent pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own intersts. Across the march of thirty centuries, Tuchman brings to life the dramatic events which constitute folly`s hallmark in government; the fall of Troy, symbolic prototype of freely chosen disaster; the Protestant secession, provoked by six decades of spectacularly corrupt papcy; the British forfeiture of the American colonies; & America`s catastrophic thirty year involvement with vietnam. The March of Folly, a work of profound & poignant relevance today, is breathtaking in its scope, originality & vision, & represents the writing of Barbara Tuchman at it`s finest. ...

The Marche is home one of Italy's most attractive stretches of coast as well as castles further inl&. From gorgeous Adriatic beaches, to spectacular caves & dramatic gorges, The Marche is also the place for those seeking culture. Footprint Focus provides invaluable information on transport, accommodation, eating & entertainment to ensure that your trip

Includes:: the best of this celebrated region of Italy. Essentials section with useful advice on getting to & around The Marche. Comprehensive, up-to-date listings of where to eat, sleep & play.

Includes:: information on tour operators & activities, from great restaurants to Roman remains. Detailed maps for The Marche & around. Slim enough to fit in your pocket. With detailed information on all the main sights, plus many lesser-known attractions, Footprint Focus The Marche provides concise & comprehensive coverage of one of Italy's most fascinating regions. The content of the Footprintfocus The Marche guide has been extracted from Footprint's Umbria & Marche Full-Colour Guide.



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Marche guide (all text is in Italian), by the Touring Club Italiano, Italy’s leading travel publisher, exploring the history, culture, food & wine, walking opportunities, local markets & festivals of the region. The guide has been designed for independent travellers with practical information on how to prepare for the trip & make the most out of it as well as transports, cultural & musical events, eating, sleeping & leisure. A detailed introduction explores the history, culture & attractions of the region. Colour photographs & maps are included throughout the guide, illustrating some of the region’s historic sites & landmarks. The Itineraries section is divided into 9 main sections – Ancona, Urbino, Il Piceno e I monti Sibillini to name a few. It is a journey that will take you from the gentle hills rolling into the sea to the mountains of regional parks, old monastries, palazzi & medieval town in 22 itineraries exploring this region. Each section has area profiles, colour maps showing town & building plans, detailed descriptions of the history & heritage of the area, 2 or 3 suggested day-trips & details of the main attractions in the area. Individual information boxes help provide further insight into the art & architecture, food & local customs. An overview map of the region is also included in the inside-back cover. In the 90 pages attached booklet Marche Informazioni Pratiche, you will find practical information on where to stay, restaurant, museums, shopping, leisure, sport & local events.*ALL THE TEXT IS IN ITALIAN ONLY.* ...