A pocket-sized, photographic guide to the country organised by region. Each chapter has a brief introductory text & a wealth of colour photographs. This is not a guidebook in the traditional sense but, nevertheless, gives a beautiful account of the country & its people. ...

” They say that the history of Vietnam can be found in a bowl of pho, & from his handcart- kitchen, Old Man Hu`ng makes the best in all Hanoi. But a striking young Vietnamese-American woman
- Maggie Ly
- wants more from him than a bowl of soup. Just a young girl when Saigon fell, Maggie fled with her mother to America, leaving her dissident father to an uncertain fate. Now in her thirties, she has returned to the country of her birth in the hopes of discovering what became of him
- & Hu`ng may hold the key. Maggie`s guide through Hanoi is Tu, a street-smart young man as fluent in the ways of Western culture as he is governed by his own. Together the old man, the returning daughter, & the young entrepreneur become unlikely friends & allies; & as their stories gradually unfurl, each adds a new layer to another largely untold story: the story of modern Vietnam.”


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This illustrated tour of the world's most extraordinary trees provides an insight into some of the natural world's most astonishing structures. Through 100 photographs, The Beauty of Trees tells the story of our relationship with trees throughout history. Each image is supported by information about the botany of the tree, along with the stories, traditions & legends associated with it. From the giant sequoias of California to the bonsai of Japan, the pink tulip tree of the Himalayas to the Scots pine
- & even the humble acorn
- award-standard photography & insightful text bring the majesty & mystery of the world's trees to life.

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The Beauty of Zanzibar is a small format collection of photographs which conjure up a sense of the mystery & vibrancy of this tropical African isl&. The images are accompanied by brief written overviews of the region’s history including chapters on the sultans & slaves, British rule & Zanzibar’s Stone Town. ...

Campion`s glorious summer in Pontisbright is blighted by death. Amidst the preparations for Minnie & Tonker Cassand`s fabulous summer party a murder is discovered & it falls to Campion to unravel the intricate web of motive, suspicion & deduction with all his imagination & skill. ...

An astonishing historical novel set in the shadowy, magical forests of South America, which draws on the captivating world of the international bestseller The Watchmaker of Filigree Street Deep in uncharted Peru, the holy town of Bedlam stands at the edge of a forest. The shrine statues move, & anyone who crosses the border dies. But somewhere inside are cinchona trees, whose bark yields quinine: the only known treatment for malaria. On the other side of the Pacific, it is 1859 & India is ravaged by the disease. The hunt for a reliable source of quinine is critical & in its desperation, the India Office searches out its last qualified expeditionary. Struggling with a terrible injury from his last mission & the strange occurrences at his family`s ruined estate, Merrick Tremayne finds himself under orders to bring back cinchona cuttings at any cost & dispatched, against his own better judgement, to Bedlam. There he meets Raphael, a priest around whom the villagers spin unsettlingly familiar stories of impossible disappearances & living stone. Gradually, he realises that Raphael is the key to a legacy left by two generations of Tremayne explorers before him, one which will prove more dangerous & valuable than the India Office could ever have imagined. ...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE`S ENCORE AWARD 2018LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE 2018`A sheer fantastical delight` The Times` Epic` New York Times` An immense treat` Observer Books of the Year`A fast-paced adventure story` i ` Magical` Sunday Express In uncharted Peru, the holy town of Bedlam stands at the edge of a mysterious forest. Deep within are cinchona trees, whose bark yields the only known treatment for malaria. In 1859, across the Pacific, India is ravaged by the disease. In desperation, the India Office dispatches the injured expeditionary Merrick Tremayne to Bedlam, under orders to return with cinchona cuttings. But there he meets Raphael, an enigmatic priest who is the key to a secret which will prove more valuable than they could ever have imagined. ...

The Bedside Book of Beasts blends the best writing about lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, hyenas, bears, wolves & other alpha predators & their prey with a wealth of extraordinary illustration. Among the writers included are: as Simon Armitage, Margaret Atwood, Walter Benjamin, Italo Calvino, Angela Carter, Bruce Chatwin, Gerald Durrell, Henri Fabre, E.M. Forster, Jean Giono, Zbigniew Herbert, W. H. Hudson, Ted Hughes, Franz Kafka, Galway Kinnell, Rudyard Kipling, Barry Lopez, Konrad Lorenz, Haruki Murakami, Robert Musil, Theodore Roosevelt, Leo Tolstoy & Laurens van der Post. Among the illustrations are: prehistoric cave paintings, the work of Audubon, Robert Bateman, William Blake, Mark Catesby, Francisco de Goya, Thomas Landseer, Rene Magritte, Peter Paul Rubens & Henri Rousseau, & outstanding wildlife photography. The Bedside Book of Beasts is a captivating celebration of wild animals
- both the hunters & the hunted
- that draws on folk tales & parables as the work of well known writers, & asks fascinating questions as to whether without an alpha predator there can ever be true wilderness & crucially explores how the balance of nature was disturbed when man first learnt to kill at a distance.

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It was a year that started dramatically & just kept on delivering more shocks. The inauguration of President Trump; the continuing fallout of Brexit; tensions in Syria, North Korea & Afghanistan; a terror attack on Westminster; a surprise general election. It was a year in which fake news itself made the headlines, yet one in which cool, calm & perceptive analysis was more essential than ever. Here, the Bedside Guardian rounds up the best journalism of 2017, in a collection that follows the main news events of the year but is also unafraid to meander into quirkier, more offbeat waters. Showcasing the intelligent wit & thought-provoking opinions for which the paper is famous, this is essential reading for those of us attempting to make sense of a fast-changing world. ...

Bees are a marvel of nature & vital to human existence. The Bee Book is a great introduction to bees & beekeeping & celebrates the wonder of bees in nature, in our gardens & in the hive. A honey bee visits up to 1, 000 flowers a day yet produces only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. The Bee Book offers startling insights into the lives of bees & shows how we can best support & benefit from their presence in our gardens & hives. Marvel at the industry & intelligence of bees, the turbulent life of a queen & the remarkable properties of honey. This book

Includes:: recipes for simple home remedies & beauty treatments using honey, wax & propolis, such as a honey & clay facial mask, or a sunburn lotion. Follow our step-by-step guides to create bee-friendly spaces such as bee `hotels`, read about beekeeping, harness the power of honey for your wellbeing & guard the future of the bee.

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