Why do we still get misty-eyed about England`s green & pleasant land? What explains our obsession with country houses
- from the
...

What does it mean to be English? For centuries, Englishness was synonymous with Britishness, informed first by the political dominance of the English monarchs over the British Isles
- reaching its apogee in the rule of Elizabeth I
- & later by the island's imperial might & expansion. But alongside that tradition, reaching back to medieval times, there has also been a vision of England as the rural arcadia celebrated by painters & poets. While the mythology of empire lingers on in the national psyche, Roy Strong argues that it is the rural tradition
- combining aestheticism, pastoralism & patriotism
- that offers an answer to the present crisis of English identity. National identity essentially resides in the mind: evolving over time it is inevitably selective in how it epitomizes the ideals & aspirations of a people. In this searching & deeply passionate book, Roy Strong reveals an iconography of England rooted in the cultural imagination. Rather than simply depicting reality, art & literature have often ennobled
- & immortalised
- reality in a way that has directly affected how we see ourselves. Today we view Suffolk through the eyes of Constable, the Lake District comes to life in the poetry of Wordsworth, & the country house seems to emerge from the novels of Evelyn Waugh. Free from nationalism, chauvinism & political bias, Roy Strong offers a vision of England that is inclusive & relevant for everybody living in the country today
- an appreciation of the beauty of the English countryside, a love of nature & gardening, & a celebration of the dramas of Shakespeare, the paintings of Turner & the music of Elgar.






...

Visions of Paradise is a panoply of experiences from the most peripatetic photographers on Earth
- the photographers of National
...

This season, National Geographic`s must-have photography gift book is more than a visual delight; it is a celebration of all that is uplifting, magnificent, & fascinating in our world, at a time when we most need to remember. ” Visions of Earth” is a breathtaking gallery of all that is right with our world, as seen through a photographer`s eye. stunning landscapes, fascinating people, amazing animals, unexpected glimpses of the usual & unusual are a soothing antidote to the news of natural disasters, conflict, political upheaval, & social unrest that fills our lives. ” Visions of Earth” showcases the many ways that our world is a marvel to behold & a privilege to call home. Begun as a regular monthly photo gallery in the National Geographic Magazine, ” Visions of Earth” is now rated the Number 1 feature among readers. Its only mandate
- to present what is visually incredible. Now, these images & more, some from our own image collection, others captured by renowned photographers throughout the world, & many never-before published, are gathered together into one magnificent volume that will delight & inspire.
...

Fully updated official map of Scotl&, published in association with Scotland`s national tourist authority, Visit Scotl&, shows Scotland`s tourist attractions on one easy-to-use Collins map. This clear, easy to follow Collins road map with colour classified roads contains everything for the tourist who wishes to explore this beautiful country. The map, at a scale of 5 miles to 1 inch (approximately 1:300, 000), shows the locations of over 1700 things to do & places to visit. The map
Includes::* Castles, gardens, distilleries, museums & art galleries.* Ancient monuments & natural wonders & beautiful scenery.* Country parks, forest trails & cycle routes & other outdoor activities.* Camping & caravan sites.* Visit Scotland i Centres & National Tourist Routes.* Detailed inset maps of the main cities Glasgow & Edinburgh.* Distance chart in miles.
...

The lifeless moonscape of Canada`s oil sand strip mines. A vast vortex of plastic floating endlessly around the Pacific. An eerie abandoned town square in a radioactive Ukrainian wilderness. These are the places the tourist boards would rather you didn`t see. The places that don`t show up in any guide books. & the places that, six years ago, journalist & film-maker Andrew Blackwell set out to explore. Visit Sunny Chernobyl is the wry, funny, sometimes poignant tale of his trip through the world`s most degraded environments. ...

The lifeless moonscape of Canada`s oil sand strip mines. A vast vortex of plastic floating endlessly around the Pacific. An eerily abandoned town square in a radioactive Ukrainian wilderness. These are places the tourist boards would rather you didn`t see. The places that don`t show up in any guide books. & the places that, six years ago, journalist & film-maker Andrew Blackwell set out to explore. ” Visit Sunny Chernobyl” is the wry, funny, sometimes poignant tale of his trip through the world`s most degraded environments. ...

Mexico, through the eyes of Sybille Bedford is a country of passion & paradox: arid desert & shrieking jungle, harsh sun & deep shadow, violence & sentimentality. In her frank descriptions of the horrors of travel
- through bug-infested jungle, trapped in a broiling stationary train, or in a bus with a dead fish slapping against her face
- she gains our trust. But it is the charmed world of Don Otavio which steals our imagination. He is, she says, ”one of the kindest men I ever met”. She stays in his crumbling ancestral mansion, living a life of provincial ease & observing with glee the intense life of a Mexican neighbourhood.

...

Visitants traces the extraordinary travels made by Pulitzer-nominated author Dave Eggers. For almost twenty years, Dave Eggers has been travelling widely & chronicling his interactions with the countries & people he has encountered during his journey across continents. Visitants is his first collection of travel writing, one that spans his entire career &

Includes:: pieces on Sudan, China & a dozen other destinations. The book begins at 140kph, with Eggers being driven across the deserts of Saudi Arabia by a hired driver who declares, ” American, boom boom!” This opening sets the stage for the collection`s vast cultural scope & ever-present sense of adventure, inquisitiveness & daring. From Saudi Arabia, Eggers takes us further on caterwauling sojourns in the likes of Cuba & Thail&, followed by brief stopovers in Croatia & Syria, & thought-provoking, meditative expositions on South Sudan, expanding on issues explored in his previous books. Globetrotters & Eggers fans alike will find a faithful companion in his unique combination of humour, humanism & empathy. Praise for Dave Eggers: ” Possibly the most admired & emulated American author of his generation”. (Independent). ” Among the most influential writers in the English language”. (GQ). ”A writer of the highest order”. (San Francisco Chronicle). ” One of the foremost chroniclers of contemporary America”. (Mail on Sunday). ” Dave Eggers is a prince among men when it comes to writing deeply felt, socially conscious books”. (Vanityfair.com). Eggers is the founder & editor of Mc Sweeney`s, an independent publishing house based in San Francisco. He is the author of seven previous books, including The Circle, A Hologram for the King (finalist for the National Book Award 2012), Zeitoun (winner of the American Book Award & the Dayton Literary Peace Prize) & What is the What, which was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award & won France`s Prix Medicis. A native of Chicago, Eggers lives in Northern California with his wife & two children.

...

By the side of a lake in Brandenburg, a young architect builds the house of his dreams
- a summerhouse with wrought-iron balconies,
...