In these troubled times, even the most pessimistic diagnosis of our future ends with an uplifting hint that things might not be as bad as all that, that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, argues Slavoj Zizek, it is only when we have admit to ourselves that our situation is completely hopeless
- that the light at the end of the tunnel is in fact the headlight of a train approaching us from the opposite direction
- that fundamental change can be brought about. Surveying the various challenges in the world today, from mass migration & geopolitical tensions to terrorism, the explosion of rightist populism & the emergence of new radical politics
- all of which, in their own way, express the impasses of global capitalism
- Zizek explores whether there still remains the possibility for genuine change. Today, he proposes, the only true question is, or should be, this: do we endorse the predominant acceptance of capitalism as a fact of human nature, or does today`s capitalism contain strong enough antagonisms to prevent its infinite reproduction? Can we, he asks, move beyond the failure of socialism, & beyond the current wave of populist rage, & initiate radical change before the train hits?



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In 1903 Leon M
- the son of two Russian revolutionaries
- is given the responsibility of `liquidating` Valerian Alexandrovitch

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Many decisions which have had enormous historical consequences have been made over the dinner table, & have been accompanied (and perhaps in influenced) by copious amounts of food & wine. In this book Struan Stevenson brings to life ten such moments, exploring the personalities, the issues & of course the food which helped shape the course of history. From the claret consumed on the eve of the Battle of Culloden, through the dinners which decided the fates of George Washington, Archduke Ferdinand & Adolf Hitler, to the diplomatic feasts that decided future relations with Russia, China & the Middle East, each chapter covers every detail, character, decision & morsel which decided the course of history. ...

In many ways the history of civilization is a history of our relationship with nature & landscape. Christophe Girot sets out to chronicle this intimate connection, drawing on all aspects of mankind`s creativity & ingenuity, & bringing together the key stories that have shaped our man-made landscapes. Starting from the dual inclination to clear land for cultivation & to enclose space for protection there emerges a vital & multifaceted narrative that describes our cultural relationship to, & dependence on, the landscape, right up to the present day. Organized chronologically, the chapters consist of a thematic essay that ties together the central developments, as well as a case study illustrated with specially commissioned photographs & meticulously detailed 3D re-creations showing the featured site in its original context. The result of over two decades of teaching experience & academic research at the world`s leading landscape institutes & universities, this masterful & hugely ambitious new interpretation of human intervention in the landscape will be essential reading for students & professionals worldwide. ...

At dinner parties & over coffee, Rabih & Kirsten`s friends always ask them the same question: how did you meet? The answer comes easily
- it`s a happy story, one they both love to tell. But there is a second part to this story, the answer to a question their friends never ask: what happened next? Rabih & Kirsten find each other, fall in love, get married. Society tells us this is the end of the story. In fact, it is only the beginning. From the first thrill of lust, to the joys & fears of real commitment, to the deep problems that surface slowly over two shared lifetimes, this is the story of a marriage. It is the story of modern relationships & how to survive them. Playful, wise & profoundly moving, The Course of Love is a delightful return to the novel by Alain de Botton, twenty years after his debut Essays in Love.
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Tina isn`t like the other cows. She believes that the sky is the limit, that everything is possible. But her sisters aren`t convinced & when Tina tells them she has climbed a tree & met a dragon, they decide that her nonsense has gone too far. Off they go into the woods to find her.. .and soon discover a world of surprises! A richly atmospheric, thoughtful & funny picture book from rising star Gemma Merino. Her debut picture book, The Crocodile Who Didn`t Like Water, has won a string of awards & many fans all over the globe. Her deliciously expressive artwork is created using monoprint, coloured digitally. ...

One night a star CRASH-LANDS right on top of a flock of bumbling sheep. But the star is not a star... It`s a little lost cow. & all she can say is `WOOOOOO`. How will she find her way home when nobody can understand a word she`s saying? Both stylish & sweet, this hilarious tale is packed with Nadia Shireen`s adorable animal characters
- perfect for all those who loved The Bumblebear.
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The Cowal Way runs for 57 miles (92 km) across the Cowal peninsula, which lies west of Glasgow. The route starts at Portavadie on Loch Fyne & ends at Inveruglas on Loch Lomond. It's connected by ferry both to the Kintyre Way & to the West Highland Way, & thence to the Great Glen Way. It's the missing link that enables Scotland's ultimate long-distance walk, from the Mull of Kintyre all the way to Inverness. The trail is waymarked & undulating, with rugged terrain & glorious views over Bute & the Firth of Clyde. The area is rich in history & heritage, with wildlife sightings including red squirrel, red deer & golden eagle. This essential trail guide contains all you need to plan & enjoy your holiday, with detailed route descriptions, background information, side-trips & planning information for travel by car, ferry, bus & plane. The book is in full colour, with over 60 photographs & it has a dropdown route map (1:110, 000), all printed on waterproof paper. ...

The boy Laddy Merridew, sent to live with his grandmother, stumbles off the bus into a small Welsh mining community, where he begins an unlikely friendship with Ianto Passchendaele Jenkins, the town beggar-storyteller. Ianto is watchman over the legacy of the collapse many years ago of Kindly Light Pit, a disaster whose echoes reverberate down the generations of the town. Through Ianto's stories Laddy is drawn into both the town's history & the conundrums of the present. Why has woodwork teacher Icarus Evans striven most of his life to carve wooden feathers that will float on an updraft? Why is the undertaker Tutt Bevan trying to find a straight path through the town? Why does James Little, the old gas-meter emptier, dig his allotment by moonlight? & why does window cleaner Judah Jones take autumn leaves into a disused chapel? These & other men of the town, & the women who mothered them, married them & mourned them, are bound together by the echoes of the Kindly Light tragedy & by the mysterious figure of Ianto Jenkins, whose stories of loyalty & betrayal, loss & love, form an unforgettable, spellbinding tapestry. The Coward's Tale is a powerfully imagined, poetic & haunting novel, spiked with humour. It is a story of kinship & kindness, guilt & atonement, & the ways in which we carve the present out of an unforgiving past. ...

The Cowards (1958) is Josef Skvorecky`s blackly comic tale of post-war politics that was immediately banned on publication. In 1945, in Kostelec, Danny is playing saxophone for the best jazz band in Czechoslovakia. Their trumpeter has just got out of a concentration camp, their bass player is only allowed in the band since he owns the bass, & the love of Danny`s life is in love with somebody else. But Danny despairs most about the bourgeoisie patriots in his town playing at revolution in the face of the approaching Red Army
- not least because it ruins the band`s chance of any good gigs.
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