How to Read Modern Buildings is an indispensable pocket-sized guide to understanding the architecture of the modern era. It takes the reader on a guided tour of modern architecture through its most iconic & significant buildings, showing how to read the hallmarks of each architectural style & how to recognize them in the buildings all around. From Art Deco & Arts & Crafts, through the International Style & Modernism to today`s environmental architecture & the rise & fall of the icon, all the major architectural movements from the 1900s to the present day are traced through their classic buildings. Examining the key architectural elements & hidden details of each style, we learn what to look out for & where to look for it. Packed with detailed drawings, plans, & photographs, this is both a fascinating architectural history & an effective I-spy guide
- a must-read for anyone with an interest in modern design & architecture.
...

How to Read New York uncovers & illuminates the rich architectural language of one of the world`s truly great cities, from its celebrated skyscrapers to its lesser-known treasures. Charting both the key technical developments & aesthetic movements that have influenced architecture in the Big Apple, this accessible guide. ...

How to Read Paris is a pocket-sized guide to understanding & appreciating the architecture of Paris. Packed with detailed drawings, plans & photographs, & covering squares, bridges, streets & monuments as well as buildings, it is both a fascinating architectural history & an effective I-spy guide
- a must-read for anyone with an interest in this fascinating & beautiful city. Compact enough to carry in your pocket yet serious enough to impart a real understanding, this handy reference guide.
...

`I want to imbue the reader with the same sense of awe & wonder that overtakes me when I stand & look at something that was created on our own soil maybe 5, 000 years ago I want to bring history alive in people`s minds & make it as fascinating for them as it is for me.` Alan Butler How to Read Prehistoric Monuments offers the best possible insight into the massive range of earthworks, henges & standing stones whose founding predates written history. Describing what monuments you can find in the British Isles & where specifically they can be found, the book explains as much as is known about the structures & why they were created as well as offering readers additional information about specific sites which are either especially interesting or especially spectacular. The main body of the book comprises of an A-Z section which details all the prehistoric site types in the British Isles & explains what they are
- for example, ` Long Barrows`, ` Standing Stones` & ` Fugues`. The book offers examples of where some of the structures in question can be found, with longitudes & latitudes so that the sites can be found either on a map or on a search engine like Google Earth. The book

Includes:: profiles of a number of the sites which have particular interest to the tourist & amateur historian.


...

Jonas, fresh from a failed marriage, is desperate to make sense of the ties that have forged him. How can he dream of a future when he can`t make sense of his past? He hits the road, tracing the route that his parents
- young Ethiopians in search of an identity as an American couple
- took thirty year earlier to Nashville, Tennessee. In a stunning display of imagination he weaves together a history that takes him from the war-torn Ethiopia of his parents` youth to a brighter vision of his own life in contemporary America, a story
- real or invented- that holds the possibility of reconciliation & redemption.


...

Patrick Whitefield presents twenty years worth of notes on different types of landscapes. It explains everything from animal signs & tree shapes to how whole landscapes fit together & function. It

Includes:: extracts & photographs from his notebooks illustrating actual examples of the landscapes described. Patrick Whitefield has spent a lifetime living & working in the countryside & twenty years of that taking notes of what he sees, everywhere from the Isle of Wight to the Scottish Highlands. This book is the fruit of those years of experience. In How to Read the Landscape Patrick explains everything from the details, such as the signs which wild animals leave as their signatures & the meaning behind the shapes of different trees, to how whole landscapes, including woodl&, grassland & moorl&, fit together & function as a whole. Rivers & lakes, roads & paths, hedgerows & field walls are also explained, as are the influence of different rocks, the soil & the ever-changing climate.

...

At just 24 pages each, & no bigger than a credit card, these three books are an easy guide through the complexity & potential confusion of dining in France, Italy & Spain. This set of phrase books is designed specifically for use in restaurants; the simple A-Z listing makes it easy to find items that perplex the diner, allowing for navigation around ingredients that offend, disgust or just don`t appeal. Their compact size means there`s none of the embarrassment of referring to a large book &, with everything on the printed page, no data roaming charges to worry about. Sold as a set of three in a handy folded wallet, these guides are as discreet as they are useful; the next best thing to having your own interpreter.* Enough information to help you navigate a tricky menu?* Small enough to keep with your credit card?* Fits in any wallet?* Simple A-Z listing?* Ideal for allergy sufferers?* Rounded corners to prevent dog-ears ...

How to Read Towns & Cities is a pocket-sized primer to understanding the forces that have shaped the world`s cities. It takes a practical, highly visual approach
- showing us how to read the stories embedded in the fabric of the neighbourhoods, towns, & cities in which we live today. The fortunes of towns & cities rise & fall along with the fate of the civilisations to which they belong. Some are lost entirely, now no more than ruins; others have thrived as urban centres for millennia; & all contain vital clues embedded in their streets & skylines which reveal why their inhabitants grouped together, & tell of their unique social, political & cultural histories. Packed with plans, maps, & drawings, this book takes the reader on an international journey of discovery to explore the history of cities from our earliest urban origins to the contemporary world city
- from Babylon to Beijing, London to Paris, & from the skyscrapers of New York to the streets of their own home town. A must-read for anyone interested in history, cities, & travel, this fascinating book turns the reader into urban detective to see how our towns & cities grew the way they are.

...

A must-have book for walkers, sailors & everyone interested in the natural world, How To Read Water unlocks the hidden secrets of water. Natural Navigator Tristan Gooley imparts knowledge & teaches skills, tips & useful observations to help you navigate the landscape around you. From wild swimming in Sussex to canoeing in Borneo, Tristan Gooley draws on his own pioneering adventures to reveal the secrets of ponds, puddles, rivers, oceans & more, & gives you the skills to read water. ...

A Sunday Times ` Must Read` book ` Jam-packed with information, this book will fascinate sailors, fishers, birders, naturalists, hikers, & anyone interested in the natural world.`
- Forbes ` This study of rivers, lakes, puddles & seas brims over with astonishing facts... His observational skills can be breathtaking` The Sunday Times ` This inspired guide to water in all its forms will make a big splash... Gooley has done his subject proud
- this is seriously fascinating stuff.` The Times ` The quirks & habits & secrets of good old H2O were crying out to have a book written about them. That said, it had to be written by the right person... Fortunately, the job went to Tristan Gooley.` The Spectator A must-have book for walkers, sailors, swimmers, anglers & everyone interested in the natural world, in How To Read Water, Natural Navigator Tristan Gooley shares knowledge, skills, tips & useful observations to help you enjoy the landscape around you.

Includes:: over 700 clues, signs & patterns. You`ll learn how to: Interpret ponds like a Polynesian Spot dangerous water in the pitch black with the help of a clock face Read the sea like a Viking Forecast the weather from waves Find your way with puddles Decipher wave patterns on beaches Decode the colour of water Unravel a river like an expert From wild swimming in Sussex to wayfinding off Oman, via the icy mysteries of the Arctic, Tristan Gooley draws on his own pioneering journeys to reveal the secrets of ponds, puddles, rivers, oceans & more to show us all the skills we need to read the water around us.



...