This book is short listed for the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize ` Part detective story, part Dickensian saga, part labour history. ”A thrilling & unnerving read.” (Observer). ” Mesmeric & deeply moving.” (Daily Telegraph). ” Remarkable, haunting, full of wisdom.” (The Times). Family history is a massive phenomenon of our times but what are we after when we go in search of our ancestors? Beginning with her grandparents, Alison Light moves between the present & the past, in an extraordinary series of journeys over two centuries, across Britain & beyond. Epic in scope & deep in feeling, Common People is a family history but also a new kind of public history, following the lives of the migrants who travelled the country looking for work. Original & eloquent, it is a timely rethinking of who the English were
- but ultimately it reflects on history itself, & on our constant need to know who went before us & what we owe them.
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Published anonymously in 1776, the year of the American Declaration of Independence, Paine`s ” Common Sense” became an immediate best-seller, with fifty-six editions printed in that year alone. It was this pamphlet, more than any other factor, which helped to spark off the movement that established the independence of the United States. From his experience of revolutionary politics, Paine drew those principles of fundamental human rights which, he felt, must stand no matter what excesses are committed to obtain them, & which he later formulated in his ” Rights of Man”. ...

East Africa boasts a tremendous natural wealth of flora
- indigenous, naturalized & exotic. This updated second edition of ” Field
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It is 1964: Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating`s christening party uninvited & notices a heart stoppingly beautiful woman. When he kisses Beverly Keating, his host`s wife, he sets in motion the joining of two families, whose shared fate will be defined on a day seven years later. In 1988, Franny Keating, now twenty-four, is working as a cocktail waitress in Chicago. When she meets the famous author Leon Posen one night at the bar, & tells him about her family, she unwittingly relinquishes control over their story. ...

A powerful story of two families brought together by beauty & torn apart by tragedy, the new novel by the Orange Prize-winning author of Bel Canto & State of Wonder is her most astonishing yet It is 1964: Bert Cousins, the deputy district attorney, shows up at Franny Keating`s christening party uninvited, bottle of gin in h&. As the cops of Los Angeles drink, talk & dance into the June afternoon, he notices a heart-stoppingly beautiful woman. When Bert kisses Beverly Keating, his host`s wife, the new baby pressed between them, he sets in motion the joining of two families whose shared fate will be defined on a day seven years later. In 1988, Franny Keating, now twenty-four, has dropped out of law school & is working as a cocktail waitress in Chicago. When she meets one of her idols, the famous author Leon Posen, & tells him about her family, she unwittingly relinquishes control over their story. Franny never dreams that the consequences of this encounter will extend beyond her own life into those of her scattered siblings & parents. Told with equal measures of humour & heartbreak, Commonwealth is a powerful & tender tale of family, betrayal & the far-reaching bonds of love & responsibility. A meditation on inspiration, interpretation & the ownership of stories, it is Ann Patchett`s most astonishing work to date. ...

Sam Thompson`s compelling Man Booker-longlisted novel recognises that cities are made up of people`s stories: stories that collide & diverge, that touch on the normal & the unusual, that deal with crime & love. Communion Town is the tale of a location that never glances twice in the same direction; a destination conceived by each new visitor who strolls through its constantly-changing streets, hearing voices half-heard, learning of wishes half-acknowledged & seeing signs half-glimpsed. This is a story of urban renewal
- of people who keep discovering other people`s cities in places they thought they knew. Get your copy now!
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The ” Community Tourism Guide” will lead you to a new type of holiday. Tribal people & rural villagers in Africa, Asia, Australia, North & South America & the Pacific islands are setting up their own tours: tours from which they, & not the international hotel chains, derive some income. For the traveller, they offer uniquely exciting opportunities, far from the usual tourist ghettos, & they are based on fair trade, benefiting local communities & giving them hope of a better future. Written by Mark Mann for Tourism Concern, Europe`s leading ethical tourism organization, the Guide brings together the pick of these holidays. It describes hundreds of different holidays in many of the most beautiful places around the world, with full contact details & a range of further useful information. Chosen by Tourism Concern, & not available through conventional travel agents, they promise uniquely rewarding experiences to the adventurous & those concerned about the impacts of their visits. ...

On the eve of the railway age, London was the world s largest & most populous city & one of the most congested. Traffic-clogged roads & tightly packed buildings meant that travel across the city was tortuous, time-consuming & unpleasant. Then came the railways. They transformed the city & set it on a course of extraordinary development that created the metropolis of the present day. This is story that David Wragg explores in his fascinating new book. He considers the impact of the railways on London & the Home Counties & analyses the decisions taken by the railway companies, Parliament & local government. He also describes the disruptive effect of the railways which could not be built without massive upheaval. His study of the railway phenomenon will be thought-provoking reading for anyone who is keen to understand the city s expansion & the layout of the capital today. ...

Following each of the railway lines that radiate from the capital`s main stations, The Daily Telegraph Guide to Commuterland discusses house prices, developments & changes within commuter communities in reach of London. More than 1, 200 towns & villages in southern England are described, from Frinton & Ipswich in the east to Bristol & Bath in the west. In each case there is a summary of the types of property to be found, details of how much you can expect to spend to buy one, & a succinct, easy-to-use breakdown of the pros & cons of each option in terms of local facilities, amenities & social make-up. Forget estate agents: Commuterland is a godsend for house-hunters. Now you can narrow down your search to focus on the areas most likely to meet your needs without ever leaving the comfort of an armchair. ...

Como on an indexed street plan at 1:10, 000 from Litografia Artistica Cartografica, with a detailed enlargement of the city’s historic centre at 1:7, 500. 35 monuments including historic buildings & churches, cultural or educational institutions, & important municipal buildings or facilities are numbered & listed next to the plan. Litografia Artistica Cartografica (LAC) are Italy’s leading publishers of street plans with an extensive range of titles. Where appropriate, the plans include an enlargement showing the historic centre in greater detail. On each plan monuments including historic buildings & churches, archaeological sites, cultural or educational institutions, & important municipal buildings or facilities are numbered & listed next to the plan. Unless indicated to the contrary in the individual description, one way streets are not marked. Street index is on the reverse. ...