The gripping story of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union from an acclaimed historian & writer On the morning of 26 April 1986 Europe witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine. The outburst put the world on the brink of nuclear annihilation. In the end, less than five percent of the reactor`s fuel escaped, but that was enough to contaminate over half of Europe with radioactive fallout. In Chernobyl, Serhii Plokhy recreates these events in all of their drama, telling the stories of the firefighters, scientists, engineers, workers, soldiers, & policemen who found themselves caught in a nuclear Armageddon & succeeded in doing the seemingly impossible: extinguishing the nuclear inferno & putting the reactor to sleep. While it is clear that the immediate cause of the accident was a turbine test gone wrong, Plokhy shows how the deeper roots of Chernobyl lay in the nature of the Soviet political system & the flaws of its nuclear industry. A little more than five years later, the Soviet Union would fall apart, destroyed from within by its unsustainable communist ideology & the dysfunctional managerial & economic systems laid bare in the wake of the disaster.A poignant, fast paced account of the drama of heroes, perpetrators, & victims, Chernobyl is the definitive history of the world`s worst nuclear disaster. ...

Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1886-1959) was one of the youngest members of Captain Scott`s final expedition to the Antarctic. Despite appalling short sight, Cherry undertook an epic journey in the Antarctic winter to collect the eggs of the Emperor penguin. The temperature fell to -70, it was dark all the time, his teeth shattered in the cold & the tent blew away. ` But we kept our tempers, ` Cherry wrote, `even with God.` After serving in the First World War, Cherry was invalided home, & with the zealous encouragement of his neighbour Bernard Shaw he wrote a masterpiece: The Worst Journey in the World. The story of Captain Scott`s doomed expedition to the South Pole has been told more than once. But not that of the author of that classic masterpiece. Sara Wheeler has travelled extensively in the Antarctic & has had the unrestricted cooperation of Cherry-Garrard`s family in writing this biography. The result is a poignant portrait of Cherry, detailed & with plenty of introspection into the complex personality of the Antarctic explorer. Through Cherry`s life, Wheeler also gives a portrait of the great changes that took place during his life
- in Britain & in the world. Another excellent book from Sara Wheeler.
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This title captures the essence of Japan's ancient symbol of mortality amidst Kyoto's beauty. Cherry trees, symbol of the Japanese spring, flower in a riotous blaze of glory from late March through early April, suffusing the surrounding landscape with springtime colour. The peak cherry-viewing season, however, is extremely short, blossoms scattering without trace in little over a week. Despite the fleeting nature of the spectacle, cherry blossoms have occupied a special place in the hearts of the Japanese since earliest times. Doing its utmost to dazzle during its short life before gracefully bowing out, cherry blossoms are seen as an ideal model for life & death, & a symbol embodying both the glorious & ephemeral natures of human existence. As such, over the centuries they have provided inspiration for poets, painters, & many other artists. Identifying in nature a sublime spirituality transcending external beauty, & elevating that spirituality to an art form lies at the core of Japanese culture. For over a millennium, the city of Kyoto has made this aesthetic sensibility its own. In these pages, readers will find a rare fusion of centuries-old culture, & natural splendour unchanged since ancient times. This is a superbly illustrated book showing the beauty of cherry blossoms in Kyoto. It features forty-eight classic cherry blossom-viewing locations captured by three photographers born & raised in Kyoto. There is a bilingual map section that provides address information & contact details for each location: practical & portable. ...

Always wondering where to write down those favourite recipes that you collect from friends, family, magazines etc. Featuring a cloth bound spine this beautifully packaged journal is the answer. This recipe journal has six section dividers for easy access
- Soups & Starters, Seafood, Meat & Poultry, Pasta & Rice, Vegetables & Salads & Sweet Treats. An added bonus is the pocket at the back to store your recipes when you haven`t time to write them out.
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Enid Blyton`s timeless collection of farm stories, perfect for holidays or rainy days, & an ideal gift for anyone who loved the stories during their own childhood to pass on to the next generation of readers. Benjy, Penny, Rory & Sheila are spending the holidays with their aunt & uncle at Cherry Tree Farm. They play with the animals & learn to feed them, roam the countryside & hunt for the mysterious Tammylan, who lives deep in the woods. Everywhere is teeming with adventure & the children are bound to get into mischief! This collections brings together some of Enid Blyton`s earliest & most imaginative stories
- The Children of Cherry Tree Farm (1940) & two further stories about the same children, The Children of Willow Farm (1942) & More Adventures at Willow Farm (1943).
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Chesham in 1923 in a fascinating series of reproductions of old Ordnance Survey plans in the Alan Godfrey Editions, ideal for anyone interested in the history of their neighbourhood or family. The map is double-sided to give maximum coverage. The main map covers the northern part of the town plus the area of countryside westward to Great Friars Hill. Features include Chesham Park, Broadway, High Street, Blucher Street, Broad Street, New Town, Broadlands, Severalls Avenue (near eastern edge of map), cemetery, Berkhampstead Road, Hiving`s Hill, etc. On the reverse is part of adjacent sheet 39.13 extending coverage southward & this

Includes:: St Mary`s church, Chesham Bois Manor, Amersham Works, Duck Alley, Elvidge Wood, Hodds Wood, Hilbury Wood. The station is split between the two maps. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25” OS Series: Selected towns in Great Britain & Ireland are covered by maps showing the extent of urban development in the last decades of the 19th & early 20th century. The plans have been taken from the Ordnance Survey mapping & reprinted at about 15 inches to one mile (1:4, 340). On the reverse most maps have historical notes & many also include extracts from contemporary directories. Most maps cover about one mile (1.6kms) north/south, one & a half miles (2.4kms) across; adjoining sheets can be combined to provide wider coverage.FOR MORE INFORMATION & A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL AVAILABLE TITLES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK.

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This is a comprehensive guide to the buildings of Cheshire in all their variety, from Pennine villages to coastal plains & seaside resorts. Chester, the regional capital & cathedral city, is famous for its Roman walls & black-&-white timber architecture, its noble Neoclassical monuments, & its unique medieval shopping `rows` with their upper walkways. But Cheshire is also a major industrial county, with spectacular & internationally significant mills & canal structures. Specialist settlements include the famous railway borough of Crewe, the salt towns of Nantwich, Northwich & Middlewich, & Lord Leverhulme`s celebrated garden suburb at Port Sunlight. ...

Cheshire in a series of colourful reproductions of attractive county maps by John Speede from about 1610-1611, printed on thick art paper & ideal for framing. Each title, 58 x 45cm / approx. 23” x 18”, is decorated with additional notes, drawings, coats of arms, street plans, etc. Little drawings are used to show locations of towns, larger villages, hills & woodlands or parks. Rivers & lakes are also drawn, as are boundaries of the administrative subdivisions with the names of the Hundreds. Surrounding the county are decorative panels filled with additional information which differs from title to title: street plans, coats of arms of notable local families, geographical features, notes about local history, etc. ...

Cheshire & The Gritstone Edge in the Short Walks guide series, produced in association with Ordnance Survey & published by Crimson; comprising a range of walking guides to popular British destinations. Each title

Includes:: 20 varied walks that are suitable for walkers of all ages & abilities & is accompanied by detailed Explorer 1:25, 000 Ordnance Survey mapping with colour-coded marked routes. The guides are structured in three main sections with different levels of difficulty- short & easy walks, those of modest length that may include uphill walking & more challenging routes that may be longer & over more rugged terrain- covering a total of 20 walks. Each walk has a mini summary & an information box with details of starting points, distance, approximate time, parking & any individual route features. There is also information on refreshments, local transport & public toilets en route. Appendices provide further useful information on walking safety, GPS, the Countryside Code, local organisations & Ordnance Survey maps.

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This is a collection of twenty circular walks designed for children & family groups which explore the local landscape & wildlife. It

Includes:: routes at Lymm, Alderley Edge, Little Budworth, Chester, Warmingham, Audlem & the Wirral, with maps & photographs.

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