Collins Arabic Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 3 to 11. The series is structured with reference to the learning progression of Arabic at nursery & primary schools researched especially for Collins. This carefully graded approach allows children to build up their reading knowledge of Arabic step by step. Level 11 books provide more literary language, more complex sentence structures & less support from illustrations. Characters are more varied, with action sustained over several pages. Non-fiction titles include glossaries where necessary. Sentences are still short for better understanding. However, grammatical vowel endings are more evident to encourage fluent reading & to provide familiarity with some higher-level features of written Arabic. What happens when a happy pair of socks goes missing? Where do all the lost socks go? Discover the mystical world of sock land for yourself. ...

The Lost Tombs of Thebes
- Life in Paradise is a lavish, photographic collection celebrating the hundreds of unique & wonderfully
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In an age when building developments seem to be advancing on every small plot of unspoilt countryside, it seems hard to imagine times when well-established settlements were declining & dying. Such times certainly did exist, & thousands of villages have perished. In fact, deserted settlement sites are all around us, & most British people will live within very few miles of an example. Empty houses only stand at the relatively recent settlements, like failed quarry villages. Elsewhere, hollows in the pasture marking former lanes & level platforms where dwellings once stood are more normal. In several of the more evocative cases, a ruined church presides over the site. Villages are not symbols of timeless stability as we are led to believe, & exist only for so long as they have a role to play. All the evidence suggests that villages can be lost & that a period of widespread abandonment might well return. This accessible, illustrated history & guide from Britain`s leading popular author on landscape history explores the contributing factors behind the desertion of our villages, & offers the reader practical advice for investigating lost villages in their locality. ...

Starting from its original conception & design by the owners & naval architects at the White Star Line through construction at Harland & Wolff`s shipyards in Belfast, Nick Barratt explores the pre-history of the Titanic. He examines the aspirations of the owners, the realities of construction & the anticipation of the first sea-tests, revealing that the seeds of disaster were sown by the failure to implement sealed bulkheads
- for which the original plans are now available. Barratt then looks at what it was like to embark on the Titanic`s maiden voyage in April 1912. The lives of various passengers are examined in more detail, from the first class aristocrats enjoying all the trappings of privilege, to the families in third-class & steerage who simply sought to leave Britain for a better life in America. Similarly, the stories of representatives from the White Star Line who were present, as well as members of the crew, are told in their own words to give a very different perspective of the voyage. Finally, the book examines the disaster itself, when Titanic struck the iceberg on 14 April & sunk hours later. Survivors from passengers & crew explain what happened, taking you back in time to the full horror of that freezing Atlantic night when up to 1, 520 people perished. The tragedy is also examined from the official boards of enquiry, & its aftermath placed in a historic context
- the damage to British prestige & pride, & the changes to maritime law to ensure such an event never took place again. The book concludes by looking at the impact on those who escaped, & what became of them in the ensuing years; &

Includes:: the words of the last living survivor, Millvina Dean.



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Over three hundred years ago the first European colonialists set foot in Africa, Asia & the Caribbean to found permanent outposts of the great empires. This epic migration continued until after World War II when these tropical outposts became independent black nations, & the white colonials were forced, or chose, to return home. Some of these colonial descendants, however, had become outcasts in the poorest stratas of the society of which they were now a part. Ignored by both the former slaves & the modern privileged white immigrants, & unable to afford the long journey home, they still hold out today, hiding in remote valleys & hills, `lost white tribes` living in poverty with the proud myth of their colonial ancestors. Forced to marry within the tribe to retain their fair-skinned `purity` they are torn between the memory of past privileges & the present need to integrate into the surrounding society. The tribes investigated in this book share much besides the colour of their skin: all are decreasing in number, many are on the verge of extinction, fighting to survive in countries that alienate them because of the colour of their skin. Riccardo Orizio investigates: the Blancs Matignon of Guadeloupe; the Burghers of Sri Lanka; the Poles of Haiti; the Basters of Namibia; the Germans of Seaford Town, Jamaica; &, the Confederados of Brazil. ...

From outer space, the 115 islands that make up the Seychelles archipelago are little more than specks of rock & coral spread in a fan across the western Indian Ocean. This magnificent book is a visual journey into the aquatic world of this remote archipelago, & a celebration of its underwater world & spectacular marine wildlife. The Seychelles coral reefs are among the most extensive in the Indian Ocean, & Sir David Attenborough described the south-western atoll of Aldabra is one of the wonders of the world. Mangrove forests & sea grass beds are also well represented. With a high level of marine biodiversity
- the Seychelles hosts one of one of the world`s most important hawksbill turtle populations, & are a globally important sanctuary for whale sharks. This title is published in association with the Save our Seas Foundation.
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Dorothy Hartley (1893
- 1985) is an author revered by enthusiasts for old English food & cookery & English country life. Her many
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` Lost Worlds: Ruins of the Americas` is a unique visual exploration that vividly captures the haunting mystery & visual poetry of historic ruins throughout the Americas. This extraordinary collection perfectly portrays the architectural, geographic & historical significance of ruins that are considered world wonders & little known gems. Included are monumental temples of Mexico`s Mayan civilization, a Colonial era palace on the island of Haiti, earthquake-ravaged cathedrals in Guatemala, & astonishing Incan citadels in Peru`s Sacred Valley
- culminating with the breathtaking beauty of Machu Picchu.. This unprecedented publication transports the reader on a journey to ancient temples, abandoned palaces & lofty citadels. Evocative & enlightening, ` Lost Worlds` will stir the imagination of those with a passion for photography, travel, history, architecture, & archaeology. Shot in infrared format on a specially adapted digital camera, these images expose crumbling, overgrown walls, broken columns, & cracked arches in ways most readers have never seen. They will offer readers a new way of viewing the landscape as well as an enhanced vision of the collective identity of the Americas.

Includes:: a foreword by noted travel writer Pico Iyer & text by Arthur Drooker explaining each site`s rise, fall & lasting significance.


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Lostock Hall & Farington North in 1909 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. 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. In this title: the map covers the Lostock Hall area & also the northern section of Farington. Coverage stretches from Moss Lane Farm eastward to Lostock Fold, & from Tardy Gate southward to Fowler Lane Bridge. The railways are a major feature, including Lostock Hall station, engine shed, Farington station, Farington Fork, Farington Curve, Lostock Hall Connecting Line & many sidings, etc. Other features include Lostock Hall itself, Cuerden Green Mills, Lostock Hall Mill, Woodcock Hall, Cuerden Green, St Paul's church Farington, Tardy Gate Mill, etc. A 1918 directory of Lostock Hall is included on the reverse together with a railway timetable for the Liverpool to Preston service. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25 ...