Connemara & Mayo form an area known for stunning scenery & this guidebook describes some of the region`s best & most spectacular ...

” Connemara: A Little Gaelic Kingdom” is the triumphant conclusion to Tim Robinson`s extraordinary ” Connemara” trilogy, which Robert Macfarlane has called `one of the most remarkable non-fiction projects undertaken in English`. Robinson writes about the people, places & history of south Connemara
- one of Ireland`s last Gaelic-speaking enclaves
- with the encyclopaedic knowledge of a cartographer & the grace of a born writer. From the man who has been praised in the highest terms by Joseph O` Connor (` One of contemporary Ireland`s finest literary stylists`), John Burnside (`one of the finest of contemporary prose stylists`), Fintan O` Toole (` Simply one of the best non-fiction prose writers currently at work`) & Giles Foden (`an indubitable classic`), among many others, this is one of the publishing events of 2011 & the conclusion of one of the great literary projects of our time. ” He is that rarest of phenomena, a scientist & an artist, & his method is to combine scientific rigour with artistic reverie in a seamless blend that both informs & delights.” (John Banville, ” Guardian”).”A masterpiece of travel & topographical writing, & an incomparable & enthralling meditation on times past... This perfectly pitched work opens readers up to the world around them”. (” Sunday Times”).

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The Connemara region of Irel&, including the Twelve Bens & the Maumturks, at 1:30, 000 on a waterproof & tear-resistant map from Harvey Map Services in their Superwalker series. Additional overprint highlights the course of the Western Way. Maps in Harvey’s Superwalker series have contours at 15m intervals, with additional graphics for various types of terrain (crags, large boulders, scattered rocks) & colouring for different kinds of land use or vegetation (pastures, bogs, forests or woodl&, etc). The maps show local hiking paths, indicating where appropriate long-distance routes, & boundaries of national parks or other protected areas. Scottish titles also indicate Munro, Corbett & Graham hills. Some maps in addition highlight local cycle routes. A range of symbols mark various facilities for walkers including youth or independent hostels, campsites & caravan sites, information points, etc. Each map has a 1-km British or Irish national grid. To see other titles in this series please click on the series link. ...

Connemara Mollie – An Irish Journey on Horseback by Hilary Bradt is the moving account written with a humorous style, of the author’s long-distance ride through western Ireland in 1984. Bradt treks through Ireland’s Counties Galway, Mayo, Clare & Kerry with her Connemara pony called Mollie, to fulfil a childhood dream of a long horseback journey. The story describes the bond between the author & her horse, the many challenges they face & the people they meet along the way. The dialogues that ensue reveal the rural Ireland before the ‘ Celtic Tiger’ era, the Irish hospitality, & the landscape with lush fields, orchards, gardens & breathtaking views. This a-thous&-mile journey is a charming & moving true story delivered with honesty & humour that will grip any horse & adventure lover. ...

The ferocious Taklamakan desert, the harshest on earth, is known by the Chinese as the `desert of death` or the `place of no return`
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As remarkable as Columbus & the conquistador expeditions, the history of Portuguese exploration is now almost forgotten. But Portugal`s navigators cracked the code of the Atlantic winds, launched the expedition of Vasco da Gama to India & beat the Spanish to the spice kingdoms of the East
- then set about creating the first long-range maritime empire. In an astonishing blitz of thirty years, a handful of visionary & utterly ruthless empire builders, with few resources but breathtaking ambition, attempted to seize the Indian Ocean, destroy Islam & take control of world trade. Told with Roger Crowley`s customary skill & verve, this is narrative history at its most vivid
- an epic tale of navigation, trade & technology, money & religious zealotry, political diplomacy & espionage, sea battles & shipwrecks, endurance, courage & terrifying brutality. Drawing on extensive first-hand accounts, it brings to life the exploits of an extraordinary band of conquerors
- men such as Afonso de Albuquerque, the first European since Alexander the Great to found an Asian empire
- who set in motion five hundred years of European colonisation & unleashed the forces of globalisation.



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Author of the best-selling AGINCOURT, Juliet Barker now tells the equally remarkable, but largely forgotten, story of the dramatic years when England ruled France at the point of a sword. Henry V`s second invasion of France in 1417 launched a campaign that would put the crown of France on an English head. Only the miraculous appearance of a visionary peasant girl
- Joan of Arc
- would halt the English advance. Yet despite her victories, her influence was short-lived: Henry VI had his coronation in Paris six months after her death & his kingdom endured for another twenty years. When he came of age he was not the leader his father had been. It was the dauphin, whom Joan had crowned Charles VII, who would finally drive the English out of France. Supremely evocative & brilliantly told, this is narrative history at its most colourful & compelling
- the true story of those who fought for an English kingdom of France.


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The Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th century was one of the most important & cataclysmic events in history. Spanish expeditions endured incredible hardships in order to open up the lands of the ` New World`, & few stories in history can match these for drama & endurance. In Conquistadors, Michael Wood follows in the footsteps of some of the greatest of the Spanish adventurers travelling from the forests of Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, the deserts of North Mexico, the snowpeaks of the Andes & the heights of Machu Picchu. He experiences the epic journeys of Cortes, Pizarro, Orellana & Cabeza de Vaca, & explores the turbulent & terrifying events surrounding the Spanish conquest of the Aztec & Inca empires. Wood brings these stories to vivid life, highlighting both the heroic accomplishments & the complex moral legacy of the European invasion. Conquistadors is Michael Wood at his best
- thoughtful, provocative & gripping history.
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At a time of unparalleled environmental change, there has never been a greater need for new ways of defending nature. In this forward-thinking work, Paul Jepson & Richard Ladle cover all aspects of modern conservation to provide a fascinating look into how we`re fighting for the earth`s species & habitats, as well as details on where conservation is heading, & how we can all contribute. Because, it`ll be far more than just a pity when we lose the polar bears, pandas, & parrots. ...

Consett, Derwent Reservoir & Stanhope area on a detailed topographic & GPS compatible map No. 307, waterproof version, from the Ordnance Survey’s 1:25, 000 Explorer series. MOBILE DOWNLOADS: this title & all the other OS Explorer maps include a code for downloading after purchase the digital version onto your smartphone or tablet for viewing on the OS smartphone app.OS EXPLORER SERIES: to see the list of all the titles in the OS Explorer series, both paper & waterproof versions, please click on the series link. The Explorer series, Ordnance Survey’s most detailed maps recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities, provides topographic coverage of Great Britain at 1:25, 000 on GPS compatible maps with hiking trails, cycling routes & extensive tourist information. Each printed map is available either on paper or as a waterproof & tear-resistant OS Active Map, as indicated in its title. Britain’s National Parks & other areas of particular tourist interest are presented on often double-sided OL (Outdoor Leisure) maps, whilst most standard format Explorers cover an area of 30 x 20km (approx. 19 x 12 miles). All three versions (paper, waterproof & digital) are the same & provide plenty of recreational & tourist information, indicating the traditional public right of way paths (except in Scotland where different laws apply), including bridleways & byways. National Trails & other long-distance paths are marked, as well as permissive footpaths or bridleways & on-road or traffic-free cycle routes with, where appropriate, their National/ Regional Cycle Network numbers. Boundaries of access land are clearly marked. A wide range of symbols provides additional tourist information, highlighting camping & caravanning sites, information offices & visitors’ centres, parking & picnicking places, country pubs, sport & recreational facilities including cycle hire locations & mountain biking trails, historic buildings & museums, etc. Exceptionally clear presentation of the landscape is provided by contours at 5m or in the uplands at 10m intervals, with additional spot heights plus colouring and/or graphics for different types of woodlands, orchards, heath, marshl&, scree or boulders, & other topographic features. For GPS users the maps have British National Grid lines at 1km intervals, with latitude & longitude given by margin ticks at 1`. Clearly laid out map legend

Includes:: French & German translations for the tourist information symbols.

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