This is an all-encompassing, chronological guide to football`s World Cup, one of the world`s few truly international events, in good time for the June 2014 kick-off in Rio de Janeiro. From its beginnings in 1930 to the modern all-singing, all-dancing self-styled `greatest show on Earth`, every tournament is covered with features on major stars & great games, as well as stories about some less celebrated names & quirky stats & intriguing essays. Holt`s focus is very much on what takes place on the field, rather than how football is a mirror for economic corruption, or how a nation`s style of play represents a profound statement about its people, or how a passion for football can lift underpaid, socially marginalised people out of poverty. From the best World Cups, in 1958 & 1970, to the worst, in 1962 & 2010, he looks behind the facts & the technical observations to the stories: the mysterious sins of omission; critical injuries to key players; & coaching U-turns. He explains how England`s World Cup achievements under Sven-Goran Eriksson, far from being a national disgrace, were actually quite impressive, & looks at why Alf Ramsey didn`t take Bobby Charlton off in 1970, but this is no parochial, jingoistic account. The book also asks why Brazil did not contribute in 1966, despite having won the previous two tournaments & going on to win the next one? Why the greatest players of their day did not always shine at the World Cup
- George Best & Alfredo Di Stefano, for example, never even made it to the Finals. Why did Johann Cruyff not go to the 1978 World Cup? & why did one of Germany`s greatest players never play in the World Cup? There are lots of tables, some filled with obvious, but necessary information, but others with more quirky observations. Alongside accounts of epic games, there are also brief biographies of all the great heroes of the World Cup.
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No one sees clearer than an individual whose life is hanging by the finger tips on the edge of an abyss. Probing the furthest reaches of human daring & endurance, here are 28 of the great first-hand accounts of extreme mountaineering, from legendary names. Featuring: Heinrich Harrer
- first conqueror of the notorious Eigerwand; Robert Bates
- the classic account of the ill-fated American 1953 expedition to K2; Maurice Herzog
- his unstoppable ascent of Annapurna at the cost of frostbite; Walter Bonatti
- tragedy on the Central Pillar of Freney on Mont Blanc; George Leigh Mallory
- surviving an avalanche on the 1922 Everest expedition; Rene Desmaison
- his epic story of 14 days stuck on The Grandes Jorasses in winter; &, Jon Krakauer
- recalling his solo ascent of The Devil`s Thumb in Alaska. The price of the summit is often measured in human suffering, yet for those who succeed the rewards can be incalculable. This book is nerve-wracking & unputdownable.






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Map No. 234, Mammoth Cave National Park, KY, in an extensive series of GPS compatible, contoured hiking maps of USA’s national & state parks or forests & other popular recreational areas. Cartography based on the national topographic survey, with additional tourist information. The maps, with most titles now printed on light, waterproof & tear-resistant plastic paper, highlight walking trails along with campsites & other accommodation, picnic sites, areas for various recreational pursuits such as horse riding or skiing, drinking water sources, & many other facilities of interest to the outdoor enthusiast. Cartography is based on information from the USGS (United States Geological Survey
- the country’s national survey organization), revised by the National Geographic Maps in cooperation with the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, etc. Topography is excellently presented by contours (interval varies according to scale), enhanced by relief shading & colouring/graphics for wood cover, glaciers, etc. All heights are given in feet. The maps have a UTM grid plus latitude & longitude margin ticks & GPS waypoints for selected important locations. Each map is double-sided to give either maximum coverage of the chosen area or additional enlargements of its important sections. Accompanying notes provide useful information on relevant regulations, safety precautions, contact addresses, etc.* *IMPORTANT
- PLEASE NOTE: the series is very extensive, ranging in scale from 1:400, 000 for the vast national parks of Alaska to 1:25, 000 for local map in several states. We recommend, therefore, viewing the series by state rather than the whole list.*

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Centred on Obsidian Dome, this map extends north to Lee Vining & the southern fringe of Mono Lake, west to Ellery Lake, south to Lake Virginia in the Sierra National Forest & east to Mc Gee Mtn. One of the five maps in this series reguired to cover the High Sierra between the Yosemite Valley & Mt Whitney. John Muir Trail/ Pacific Crest Trail is marked, as well as numerous other local hiking routes. ...

Map No. 303, Yellowstone NW: Mammoth Hot Springs, WY/MT, in an extensive series of GPS compatible, contoured hiking maps of USA’s national & state parks or forests & other popular recreational areas. Cartography based on the national topographic survey, with additional tourist information. The maps, with most titles now printed on light, waterproof & tear-resistant plastic paper, highlight walking trails along with campsites & other accommodation, picnic sites, areas for various recreational pursuits such as horse riding or skiing, drinking water sources, & many other facilities of interest to the outdoor enthusiast. Cartography is based on information from the USGS (United States Geological Survey
- the country’s national survey organization), revised by the National Geographic Maps in cooperation with the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, etc. Topography is excellently presented by contours (interval varies according to scale), enhanced by relief shading & colouring/graphics for wood cover, glaciers, etc. All heights are given in feet. The maps have a UTM grid plus latitude & longitude margin ticks & GPS waypoints for selected important locations. Each map is double-sided to give either maximum coverage of the chosen area or additional enlargements of its important sections. Accompanying notes provide useful information on relevant regulations, safety precautions, contact addresses, etc.* *IMPORTANT
- PLEASE NOTE: the series is very extensive, ranging in scale from 1:400, 000 for the vast national parks of Alaska to 1:25, 000 for local map in several states. We recommend, therefore, viewing the series by state rather than the whole list.*

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Detailed topographic survey map of the northern half of the isl&, from Tzoundzou 2 (on the east coast) northwards.



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Detailed topographic survey map of the northern half of the isl&, from Tzoundzou 2 (on the east coast) northwards.



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From Olia Hercules
- Observer Rising Star of 2015 ” Exotic, earthy dishes, vibrant colours, big flavours. This is real cooking,
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Man has three mothers: the one who gives birth to her in wartime, the nun who plucks her from a vegetable garden, & her beloved Maman, who becomes a spy to survive. Seeking security for her grown daughter, Maman finds Man a husband
- a lonely Vietnamese restaurateur who lives in Montreal. Thrown into a new world, Man discovers her natural talent as a chef. Gracefully she practices her art, with food as her medium. She creates dishes that are much more than sustenance for the body: they evoke memory & emotion, time & place, & even bring her customers to tears. Man is a mystery
- her name means `perfect fulfillment`, yet she & her husband seem to drift along, respectfully & dutifully. But when she encounters a married chef in Paris, everything changes in the instant of a fleeting touch, & Man discovers the all-encompassing obsession & ever-present dangers of a love affair. Full of indelible images of beauty, delicacy & quiet power, Man is a novel that begs to be savoured for its language, its sensuousness & its love of life.

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Odo of Conteville, the younger half-brother of William the Conqueror, was ordained Bishop of Bayeux while still in his teens. A larger than life character, he is best known for commissioning the Bayeaux Tapestry, in which he makes a dashing appearance at the height of the Battle of Hastings. He also played a pivotal role in the planning & implementation of the Conquest of Engl&, after which, as Earl of Kent, he was second only to William in wealth & power. The popular impression of Odo is of a not so loveable rogue, who typified the worst excesses of the Norman conquerors. He was the first Chief Justice of England & on occasion also acted as regent when the king was in Normandy. After defrauding both Crown & Church, however, Odo was disgraced & his plans to raise an unauthorised army for a campaign in Italy, possibly in order to gain the papacy, saw him imprisoned for five years. He was released by the dying William in 1087, but soon rebelled against the new king, his nephew William Rufus. Yet Odo was far from being a loutish philistine. The bishop recognised the value of education & the arts & amongst his less well-known activities was his generous patronage of both. Trevor Rowley`s book is the first full-length biography of Odo, which seeks to redress this balance & to make Bishop Odo`s extraordinary life-story known. ...