The abridged, junior edition of the story of Able Seacat Simon, beloved hero of the high seas. A must for Michael Morpurgo fans! When an orphaned kitten is discovered in the Hong Kong docks in 1948 by a British sailor, he has no idea of the journey that awaits him. Smuggled onto HMS Amethyst & named ` Simon` by his new friends, the little cat quickly gets used to life on the seas & appoints himself chief rat-catcher. When tragedy strikes, Seacat Simon keeps spirits up
- but it`s a long & dangerous journey back to England for the heroic kitten & his crewmates.. . Inspired by real events, this is the story of ` Able Seacat` Simon`s adventures & heroics in dangerous wartime seas, as told by the cat himself!
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On eight treks in Nepal`s Himalaya; to Kanchenjunga, Manaslu, Annapurna, Everest, Langtang, Dolpo, Api & Mugu, the true spirit of trekking is captured in Kev Reynolds` reverence, curiosity & ongoing love of the world`s greatest mountain range. The Himalaya are no ordinary mountains. Stretching through five countries & dwarfing all others, they have captured the imaginations of travellers & mountain lovers for centuries. While some seek to reach their snowy heights, many more step out onto winding & climbing trails to trek through the heart of the mountains, & live
- if only for a little while
- the life of an adventurer. The first time a trail is explored offers unknown beauty & fresh experience around every turn. This is Kev Reynolds` collection of eight such discoveries along popular trails & into lands previously locked away. Brought to life in vivid style, Reynolds evokes the scent of fragrant rhododendron jungles & travelling past terraced fields, hillside villages & ancient temples. Then exploring into hidden valleys beyond the reach of civilization, & on to towering, ice-locked peaks that scratch the sky. All proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to the Nepal Earthquake Appeal.

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One of the first four titles in the Barefoot Books` Early Reader series, specially created to support beginner readers with: -Simple sentences -Short, numbered chapters -Colourful illustrations -Exciting storylines -Carefully chosen vocabulary -Engaging characters ...

In the 18th century, as European colonization proceeded apace, one continent remained to be discovered, the mythical Terra Australis incognita. This, the largest isl&-continent, had been inhabited for over 60, 000 years by the Aborigines, who were described by the first explorers as the `miserablest people in the world`. This perception was the beginning of a deep & long-lasting misapprehension, which the authors resoundingly dispel in this lively social & cultural history. They explore how the aborigines actually came to be in Australia, their extraordinary rituals & ` Dreamings`, & the importance of `kin` to their social structures. A chapter is devoted to the aborigines` often atrocious treatment at the hands of white settlers, & the pervasive racial prejudice that remained enshrined in the Australian constitution until 1967. The final section deals with the massive indigenous cultural renaissance over the past four decades, & discusses how Aboriginal art
- be it Central Desert acrylic art, batik, contemporary urban painting, sculpture or traditional bark painting
- has become a flagship for Australian culture.

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Aboriginal artists today practise in one of the world's longest continuous tradition of art
- & perhaps the last to be generally
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At a dinner party given by his parents-in-law, Commissario Brunetti meets Franca Marinello, the wife of a prosperous Venetian businessman. He`s charmed
- perhaps too charmed, suggests his wife Paola
- by her love of Virgil & Cicero, but shocked by her appearance. A few days later, Brunetti is visited by Carabinieri Maggior Filippo Guarino from the nearby city of Marghera. As part of a wider investigation into Mafia takeovers of businesses in the region, Guarino wants information about the owner of a trucking company who was found murdered in his office. He believes the man`s death is connected to the illegal transportation of refuse
- & more sinister material
- in his company`s trucks. No stranger to mutual suspicion & competition between rival Italian police departments, Brunetti is nevertheless puzzled by the younger man`s paranoid behaviour. Eventually Guarino agrees to email a photo of his suspect, but by the time the photograph arrives, he himself is dead. Was he killed because he got too close?



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With beautiful, h&-drawn illustrations & lithographs, this is an ideal companion for not just amateur bird-watchers & wildlife enthusiasts but also seasoned ornithologists. The book is ideal for everyone who wishes to enjoy the rich & varied bird-life of India. ...

`the greatest short story writer who has ever lived` Raymond Carver`s unequivocal verdict on Chekhov`s genius has been echoed many times by writers as diverse as Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, John Cheever & Tobias Wolf. While his popularity as a playwright has sometimes overshadowed his achievements in prose, the importance of Chekhov`s stories is now recognized by readers as well as by fellow authors. Their themes
- alienation, the absurdity & tragedy of human existence
- have as much relevance today as when they were written, & these superb new translations capture their modernist spirit. Elusive & subtle, spare & unadorned, the stories in this selection are among Chekhov`s most poignant & lyrical. They include well-known pieces such as ` The Lady with the Little Dog`, as well as less familiar work like ` Gusev`, inspired by Chekhov`s travels in the Far East, & ` Rothschild`s Violin`, a haunting & darkly humorous tale about death & loss. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World`s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford`s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, & much more.

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This is a new pocket guide book aimed at cultural & heritage tourists. It explores festivals, events, castles, museums, galleries, historic houses & industrial heritage throughout Mid Wales. The book is heavily illustrated with superb pictures throughout the content. The About Wales pocket guides have over 100 ideas each on what to see & do in that region of Wales, with information about where to stay & eat. It

Includes:: a foreword Sian Lloyd, & writer David Williams.

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Since she`s been ill, Lalla Fatma has become a frail little thing with a faltering memory. Lalla Fatma thinks she`s in Fez in 1944, where she grew up, not in Tangier in 2000, where this story begins. She calls out to family members who are long dead & loses herself in the streets of her childhood, yearning for her first love & the city she left behind. By her bedside, her son Tahar listens to long-hidden secrets & stories from her past: married while still playing with dolls & widowed for the first time at the age of sixteen. Guided by these fragments, Tahar vividly conjures his mother`s life in post-war Morocco, unravelling the story of a woman for whom resignation was the only way out. Tender & compelling, About My Mother maps the beautiful, fragile & complex nature of human experience, while paying tribute to a remarkable woman & the bond between mother & son. ...