If there`s one distinctive feature of the British countryside, it has to be the hedgerow. In fact, hedgerows are such an established part of our landscape that sometimes we take them for granted. But take a closer look, & the diversity & variety of plant species that form them is little short of wondrous. & it is not only plant life that thrives in abundance in the hedgerow
- native wild animals, birds & insects are protected & nourished by them. We know that at least 65 species of birds live in our hedgerows & that they are crucial to the survival of moths, bats & dormice. Hedgerows can provide a great fund of fresh, wild food for us, too, & this is partly what this book is about. In ” The Hedgerow Handbook” Adele Nozedar reintroduces the wild & natural hedgerow ingredients that our grandmothers used on a regular basis
- but gives them a fresh & contemporary twist. From angelica to ash & bird cherry to borage, from pineapple weed to plantain & wild garlic to wimberries, each entry is accompanied by an exquisite full colour illustration to help you identify each plant or flower, along with its history & folklore, & culinary & medicinal uses. You won`t find yet another recipe for blackberry pie nor nettle soup here however
- this is not your run-of-the mill hedgerow book. Instead, why not try Adele`s Spicy Ash Key Pickle, her Beechnut Turron, Red Clover Lemonade or Wild Raspberry Vodka? The ” Hedgerow Handbook” is much more than a foraging book
- it is an inspiration & a trigger for a new experience of our countryside & for memories: of a summer filled with hot sunny days; or of the time you got drenched in a sudden rain shower miles away from the warmth & dryness of your car or home, which made those blackberry muffins even more enjoyable.



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An exploration of everything the countryside means to us, from a hundred years of the Telegraph's archive. The Telegraph is, as its former editor Max Hastings identified, more than any other national broadsheet the newspaper of the countryside, which over the years has been written about in its pages by such distinguished writers as J.H.B. Peel, John Betjeman & W.F. Deedes, alongside eminent modern naturalists like Richard Mabey & even unlikely proponents of the rural life like Boris Johnson. This anthology is no bland celebration of bucolic idyll, but rather an exploration of everything that the countryside represents to the British. For some it means the reintroduction of long-lost wildlife such as the red kite, or ancient crafts like thatching. For others it means jouncing along a green lane in a four-wheel-drive Range Rover. To the Prince of Wales, his new town of Poundbury is the countryside while subjects as diverse as crop circles, second homes, Mad Cow Disease & polytunnels are all flashpoints in the modern debate about what, & who, the countryside is for. Hugely varied, by turns funny & provocative, this is an essential exploration of a central aspect of our national identity. ...

The Prophet Muhammad taught the word of God to the Arabs. Within a generation of his death, his followers
- as vivid a cast of
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The Hell-Fire Clubs scandalized eighteenth-century English society. Rumours of their orgies, recruitment of prostitutes, extensive libraries of erotica, extreme rituals, & initiation ceremonies circulated widely at the time, only to become more sensational as generations passed. This thoroughly researched book sets aside the exaggerated gossip about the secret Hell-Fire Clubs & brings to light the first accurate portrait of their membership (including John Wilkes, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, & the Prince of Wales), beliefs, activities, & the reasons for their proliferation, first in the British Isles & later in America, possibly under the auspices of Benjamin Franklin. Hell-Fire Clubs operated under a variety of titles, but they all attracted a similar membership
- mainly upper-class men with abundant leisure & the desire to shock society. This book explores the social & economic context in which the clubs emerged & flourished; their various phases, which first involved violence as an assertion of masculinity, then religious blasphemy, & later sexual indulgence; &, the counter movement that eventually suppressed them. Uncovering the facts behind the Hell-Fire legends, this book also opens a window on the rich contradictions of the Enlightenment period.
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Enter a vanished & unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren`t trusted not to steal the silver... There`s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child & nursing the hurt caused by her own son`s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; & white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen & Minny. No one would believe they`d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend & rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. & together they have an extraordinary story to tell. ...

The Help is the phenomenal international bestseller (that inspired the Oscar nominated film) by Kathryn Stockett. Enter a vanished & unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren`t trusted not to steal the silver... There`s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child & nursing the hurt caused by her own son`s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; & white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen & Minny. No one would believe they`d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend & rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. & together they have an extraordinary story to tell... Penguin by Hand is a collection comprising six of Penguin`s most popular women`s fiction titles of recent years, all with new & beautiful craft-inspired jackets. ...

We think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did. His aphorism ' The unexamined life is not worth living' may have originated twenty-five centuries ago, but it is a founding principle of modern life. Socrates lived & contributed to a city that nurtured key ingredients of contemporary civilisation
- democracy, liberty, science, drama, rational thought
- yet, as he wrote nothing in his lifetime, he himself is an enigmatic figure. The Hemlock Cup gives Socrates the biography he deserves, setting him in the context of the Eastern Mediterranean that was his home, & dealing with him as he himself dealt with the world. Socrates was a soldier, a lover, a man of the people. He philosophised neither in grand educational establishments nor the courts of kings but in the squares & public arenas of Golden Age Athens. He lived through an age of extraordinary materialism, in which a democratic culture turned to the glorification of its own city; when war was declared under the banner of democracy; &, when tolerance turned into intimidation on streets once populated by the likes of Euripides, Sophocles & Pericles. For seventy years he was a vigorous citizen of one of the greatest capitals on earth, but then his beloved Athens turned on him, condemning him to death by poison. Socrates' pursuit of personal liberty is a vibrant story that Athens did not want us to hear, but which must be told. Bettany Hughes has painstakingly pieced together Socrates' life, following in his footsteps across Greece & Asia Minor, & examining the new archaeological discoveries that shed light on his world. In The Hemlock Cup she reveals the human heart of the man, & relates a story that is as relevant now as it has ever been.

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We think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did. His aphorism ` The unexamined life is not worth living` may have originated twenty-five centuries ago, but it is a founding principle of modern life. For seventy years Socrates was a vigorous citizen of Golden Age Athens, philosophising in the squares & public arenas rather than in the courts of kings, before his beloved city turned on him, condemning him to death by poison. Socrates lived in & contributed to a city that nurtured key ingredients of contemporary civilisation
- democracy, liberty, science, drama, rational thought
- yet, as he wrote almost nothing down, he himself is an enigmatic figure. In The Hemlock Cup, acclaimed historian Bettany Hughes gives Socrates the biography he deserves, painstakingly piecing together Socrates` life & using fresh evidence to get closer to the man who asked `how should we live?`
- a question as relevant now as it has ever been.


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An acknowledged classic of narrative nature-writing, Donald Watson`s The Hen Harrier was the culmination of a lifetime`s study of this beautiful upland bird. A gentle, warm & wonderfully written book, The Hen Harrier stems from an age of `amateur` conservation, from the pen of a man who cared deeply about birds & their habitats, especially of the Scottish borders where he conducted much of his research & painting. The book was among the last of a dying breed; it would be thirty years or more before writing on our natural history would again reach the heights of accessibility to nature-lovers exemplified by Donald Watson & his peers. The book starts with Watson setting down more or less everything known about harriers
- which at that time often consisted of information sent by letter to the author, rather than published in a journal
- before moving on to the story of Watson`s years studying nests in the south-west of Scotl&. With a foreword by conservation champion Mark Avery, this edition of Watson`s greatest work is particularly timely. The conflict between grouse-shooting interests, which has overseen the virtual extinction of the harrier as a breeding bird in England through illegal persecution, & an increasingly vocal conservationist lobby is the number one conservation issue in Britain today. Donald Watson`s narrative soars like a sky-dancing harrier throughout this book. Read it, & be taken back to a simpler age of nature conservation by a true master of the art.

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This is the practical, plot-to-plate guide to growing & cooking with herbs. From basil to vervain, ” The Cook`s Herb Garden” will teach you everything you need to know about nurturing, harvesting & cooking with herbs. Delve into this little book to find notes on herb flavours, the best growing conditions, storage & how to use them in the kitchen. There are inspirational planting schemes for window boxes & pots including Mediterranean, everyday essentials & salad herbs & a photographic catalogue of more than 130 culinary herbs. Packed with more than 70 delicious recipes for rubs & marinades, sauces & salsas, flavoured butters, cordials, syrups, teas & tisanes, plus charts on best herb-with-food flavour combinations, ” The Cook`s Herb Garden” is the perfect herb guide for any cook. ...