When an angry octogenarian holds a terrified & lovelorn secretary at gunpoint, Inspector Montalbano is reluctantly drawn into the case. The secretary`s boss, a financial advisor, has vanished along with several billion lire entrusted to him by the good citizens of Vigata. Also missing is the advisor`s young colleague, whose uncle just happens to be building a house on the site of Inspector Montalbano`s very favourite olive tree.. . Ably abetted by his loyal & eccentric team, Montalbano, the food-loving, commitment-phobic inspector, returns for another delicious investigation served up in vintage Camilleri style. ...

When Celia Lyttleton visits a bespoke perfumers, one of only a handful in London, she enters the heady & exotic world of scent. From a London backstreet she is transported to a world made up of thousands of oils, unguents & balms, all hidden away in an old Chinese medicine chest. & so begins a remarkable quest to discover the origin, history & culture of the many ingredients that make up Celia's unique, custom-made perfume. It is a quest that will take her from Tuscany to Morocco, from Sri Lanka to Tibet, from the peasants & farmers growing their own crops & the traders who sell to the perfume houses, to the 'noses' who create the scents & the marketing kings involved in this billion dollar industry. As Celia explores the mythology, history & culture behind ingredients such as Jasmine, Nutmeg, Musk & Ambergris, she paints a vivid portrait of this mysterious, sensual world, conjuring up the people she has met & the places she has visited on her Scent Trail. ...

Frances Bissell's The Scented Kitchen allows readers to move beyond scattering a few petals on a salad to enjoy the scents & flavours of both wild & garden flowers such as lavender, elderflower, fennel & roses. Her recipes include the simple
- & highly effective
- flavouring of basic ingredients that allows the cook to transform other dishes. Elderflower Vinegar, for example, lifts an ordinary green salad to a subtly perfumed treat, while Lavender-Flavoured Honey is as delicious on toast as it is when cooked with Roast Duck & Sesame Seeds. Other original recipes include Braised Lamb Shanks with Carnation Sauce, Orange & Fennel Flower Sorbet, Mussels in Cider & Saffron, & Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roses & Cucumber. &, just in case those toiling in the kitchen are in need of a pick-me-up, Frances also offers Frozen Elderflower Margarita, Lavender Julep & other flower-scented cocktails.

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Clothed in mystery & lost in uncharted seas, the Spice Islands of the early sixteenth century tantalized European imagination to the point of obsession. As the only place on Earth where grew the holy trinity of spices-cloves, nutmeg, & mace-these minuscule islands quickly became a wellspring of international intrigue & personal fortune, occasioning the rise & fall of nations across the globe. It is the history of these islands, their mystique, & the men who tried to tame them, that is the fascinating bounty of THE SCENTS OF EDEN. ...

Welcome to the School of Art Here you will learn how to make great art with this fully-illustrated collection of fun & informative lessons. Watch the five professors as they work together to deliver 40 demonstrations, & try each of the accompanying guided activities, which have been developed to help you understand the basics of art & design, including composition, colour, line, shape & perspective. ...

When you travel across the ocean on a boat, all your memories are washed away & you start a completely new life. That is how it is. There is no before. There is no history. The boat docks at the harbour & we climb down the gangplank & we are plunged into the here & now. Time begins. Davíd is the small boy who is always asking questions. Simón & Inés take care of him in their new town Estrella. He is learning the language; he has begun to make friends. He has the big dog Bolívar to watch over him. But he`ll be seven soon & he should be at school. & so, Davíd is enrolled in the Academy of Dance. It`s here, in his new golden dancing slippers, that he learns how to call down the numbers from the sky. But it`s here too that he will make troubling discoveries about what grown-ups are capable of. In this mesmerising allegorical tale, Coetzee deftly grapples with the big questions of growing up, of what it means to be a parent, the constant battle between intellect & emotion, & how we choose to live our lives. ...

When you travel across the ocean on a boat, all your memories are washed away & you start a completely new life. That is how it is. There is no before. There is no history. The boat docks at the harbour & we climb down the gangplank & we are plunged into the here & now. Time begins. David is the small boy who is always asking questions. Simon & Ines take care of him in their new town Estrella. He is learning the language; he has begun to make friends. He has the big dog Bolivar to watch over him. But he`ll be seven soon & he should be at school. & so, David is enrolled in the Academy of Dance. It`s here, in his new golden dancing slippers, that he learns how to call down the numbers from the sky. But it`s here too that he will make troubling discoveries about what grown-ups are capable of. In this mesmerising allegorical tale, Coetzee deftly grapples with the big questions of growing up, of what it means to be a parent, the constant battle between intellect & emotion, & how we choose to live our lives. ...

” Earl Lovelace`s second novel is modest in intent & succeeds through a kind of iron self discipline & restraint in building up a highly compact & convincing diagram of the impingements of a modern life � on a remote modern village in the interior of Trinidad which wants a school & a school master � lovelace writes with a singularly truculent acuteness, both in narrative & in dialogue which captures West Indian speech rhythms so convincingly.. � The school master` is quite unlike anything a British author could produce, being its own enviable thing, absolutely”
- Robert Nye, Guardian
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How do I cook the perfect steak? How do I make succulent fish every time (and should I keep the skin on)? What is the trick to making the perfect souffle? Food scientist Dr Stuart Farrimond answers all these questions
- & many more like them
- equipping you with the scientific know-how to take your cooking to new levels. In The Science of Cooking, fundamental culinary concepts sit side-by-side with practical advice & step-by-step techniques, bringing food science out of the lab & into your kitchen. Get the answers to your cookery questions with intriguing chapters covering all major food types from meat, poultry & seafood, to grains, vegetables, & herbs. Why does chocolate taste so good? Is it OK to reheat cooked rice? How do you tell if an egg is fresh? The Science of Cooking has the answers to your everyday cooking questions, as well as myth busting information on vegan diets & cholesterol. Perfect your cooking with practical instruction
- & the science behind it.


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Have you ever wondered why ice floats & water is such a freaky liquid? Or why chillies & mustard are both hot but in different ways? Or why microwaves don`t cook from the inside out? In this fascinating scientific tour of household objects, The One Show presenter & all-round Science Bloke Marty Jopson has the answer to all of these, & many more, baffling questions about the chemistry & physics of the everyday stuff we use every day. ...