` Lucy Inglis has done a wonderful job bringing together a wide range of sources to tell the history of the most exciting & dangerous plants in the world. Telling the story of opium tells us much about our faults & foibles as humans
- our willingness to experiment; our ability to become addicts; our pursuit of money. This book tells us more than about opium; it tells us about ourselves.`
- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads` The only thing that is good is poppies. They are gold.` Poppy tears, opium, heroin, fentanyl: humankind has been in thrall to the ` Milk of Paradise` for millennia. The latex of papaver somniferum is a bringer of sleep, of pleasurable lethargy, of relief from pain
- & hugely addictive. A commodity without rival, it is renewable, easy to extract, transport & refine, & subject to an insatiable global dem&. No other substance in the world is as simple to produce or as profitable. It is the basis of a gargantuan industry built upon a shady underworld, but ultimately it is a farm-gate material that lives many lives before it reaches the branded blister packet, the intravenous drip or the scorched & filthy spoon. Many of us will end our lives dependent on it. In Milk of Paradise, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America & Afghanistan, from Sanskrit to pop, from poppy tears to smack, from morphine to today`s synthetic opiates. It is a tale of addiction, trade, crime, sex, war, literature, medicine &, above all, money. &, as this ambitious, wide-ranging & compelling account vividly shows, the history of opium is our history & it speaks to us of who we are.


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Mark Kurlansky`s first global food history since the bestselling Cod & Salt; the fascinating cultural, economic, & culinary story of milk & all things dairy--with recipes throughout. According to the Greek creation myth, we are so much spilt milk; a splatter of the goddess Hera`s breast milk became our galaxy, the Milky Way. But while mother`s milk may be the essence of nourishment, it is the milk of other mammals that humans have cultivated ever since the domestication of animals more than 10, 000 years ago, originally as a source of cheese, yogurt, kefir, & all manner of edible innovations that rendered lactose digestible, & then, when genetic mutation made some of us lactose-tolerant, milk itself. Before the industrial revolution, it was common for families to keep dairy cows & produce their own milk. But during the nineteenth century mass production & urbanization made milk safety a leading issue of the day, with milk-borne illnesses a common cause of death. Pasteurization slowly became a legislative matter. & today milk is a test case in the most pressing issues in food politics, from industrial farming & animal rights to GMOs, the locavore movement, & advocates for raw milk, who controversially reject pasteurization. Profoundly intertwined with human civilization, milk has a compelling & a surprisingly global story to tell, & historian Mark Kurlansky is the perfect person to tell it. Tracing the liquid`s diverse history from antiquity to the present, he details its curious & crucial role in cultural evolution, religion, nutrition, politics, & economics. ...

In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend & to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, & rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes `interesting`. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed & to be noticed is dangerous. Milkman is a tale of gossip & hearsay, silence & deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences. ...

Milkman is extraordinary. I`ve been reading passages aloud for the pleasure of hearing it. It`s frightening, hilarious, wily & joyous all at the same time.
- Lisa Mc Inerney, author of The Glorious Heresies In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend & to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, & rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes `interesting`. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed & to be noticed is dangerous. Milkman is a tale of gossip & hearsay, silence & deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.
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Nothing sings of leisurely weekend indulgence like supping chocolate thickshakes through a stripy straw, the ice cream melting & oozing down the side of a cool soda glass. Or perhaps your favourite is a frothy frappe or a fizzy float? Recreate milkshake bar classics & experiment with inspired new creations in your own home with Hannah Miles' delightfully nostalgic new book. Classic recipes include Cream Soda Floats, Banana Caramel Milkshakes & a thick Chocolate Malt Shake. For a lighter option, turn to the Fruity chapter, which is full of brilliant blends: from a refreshing Watermelon Cooler to a delicate Apple Snow Shake. Fun recipes are perfect for the child in all of us
- from cute Doughnut or Raspberry Ripple Floats to a Honeycomb Shake
- while Indulgent recipes are for milkshakes which have definitely grown-up! Sip a sweet Salted Caramel Shake, a decadent Cherry Garcia or a fragrant Rose Dream. Whatever your choice, shakes are not just for summer, they make a perfect treat or dessert for those happy days all year round!

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The Milky Way on a colourful & informative wall map, size 79.5 x 51.5cm (31” x 20” approx) – encapsulated version, from the National Geographic, showing the galaxy’s spiral-shaped system of a few hundred billion stars & where we sit inside it. Colouring indicates the galactic bulge, placed in the centre of the map, globular star clusters, nebulae, molecular clouds, etc. Various arms of the Milky Way are named & specific points are cross-referenced to the surrounding explanatory text (if not, alas, to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) & illustrated with more detailed images. Also provided is a cross-section of the galactic latitude. This title is also available on paper.LAMINATED & ENCAPSULATED WALL MAPS:- LAMINATED wall maps have a thin layer of plastic usually applied to the printed side only. They can be written on with suitable marker pens without any damage to the map but, unless laminated on both sides, they are not damp-proof.- ENCAPSULATED wall maps are sealed between two sheets of plastic. They are more rigid & heavier than laminated maps of the same size. They are damp-proof & do not crinkle in humid conditions. Encapsulation gives the map a shiny surface, similar to being displayed behind glass.- PLEASE NOTE: many publishers & retailers often use these two terms interchangeably. Our map titles & descriptions follow the definitions provided above. ...

The Milky Way on a colourful & informative wall map, size 79.5 x 51.5cm (31” x 20” approx) – paper version, from the National Geographic, showing the galaxy’s spiral-shaped system of a few hundred billion stars & where we sit inside it. Colouring indicates the galactic bulge, placed in the centre of the map, globular star clusters, nebulae, molecular clouds, etc. Various arms of the Milky Way are named & specific points are cross-referenced to the surrounding explanatory text (if not, alas, to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) & illustrated with more detailed images. Also provided is a cross-section of the galactic latitude. This title is also available encapsulated. ...

Mill Hill Broadway in 1895 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. The map covers the western part of Mill Hill, although at the time the lower end of Lawrence Street had not yet been renamed The Broadway; indeed the population was still under 2, 000. This is reflected in a relatively rural map, although several streets are being laid out between Lawrence Street & Hammers Lane. The map covers an area from Lower Hale eastward to Mill Hill, Hammers Lane; the Midland Railway goes through the centre of the map, including Mill Hill station; Featherstone Hill is in the south-eastern corner, & Holcombe Hill & St Paul`s church are in the north-eastern. Other features include St Josephs RC College, Lawrence Street Farm, Copthall Park, Upper Hale, Goldbeaters Farm. On the reverse is a large section of the 1st Edition six inch to the mile map surveyed in 1863/18666 & showing a slightly wider area from Lower Hale eastward to Mill Hill & Drivers Hill, & northward to Highwood Hill & Barnet Gate. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25” OS Series: 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. The plans have been taken from the Ordnance Survey mapping & reprinted at about 15 inches to one mile (1:4, 340). On the reverse most maps have historical notes & many also include extracts from contemporary directories. Most maps cover about one mile (1.6kms) north/south, one & a half miles (2.4kms) across; adjoining sheets can be combined to provide wider coverage.FOR MORE INFORMATION & A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL AVAILABLE TITLES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK. ...

Mill Hill Village in 1898 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. The map covers the area of Mill Hill later known as the Village, which had become a `gentleman`s suburb` by 1800. Hamlets were at the summits of Bittacy & Milespit Hills, & large houses were strung along the line of the Ridgeway between them. This is still very much a rural map; frequent spot heights detail the climb up the two hills, & a group of buildings are shown where the two roads join
- Grammar School, inns, almshouses etc. Major buildings include The Priory, St Vincent`s School & Convent, Burton Bank, Bittacy House. To the east is empty countryside, apart from Frith Manor House & Nether Court. On the reverse is a ` Map of the Roads from London to Mill Hill & Barnet` by John Cooke, from 1792, an attractive early road map. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25” OS Series: 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. The plans have been taken from the Ordnance Survey mapping & reprinted at about 15 inches to one mile (1:4, 340). On the reverse most maps have historical notes & many also include extracts from contemporary directories. Most maps cover about one mile (1.6kms) north/south, one & a half miles (2.4kms) across; adjoining sheets can be combined to provide wider coverage.FOR MORE INFORMATION & A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL AVAILABLE TITLES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK.
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Topographic survey of France at 1:25, 000 in IGN`s excellent TOP25 / Série Bleue series. All the maps are GPS compatible, with a 1km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude lines at 5’ intervals. Contours are at 5m intervals except for mountainous areas where the maps have contours at 10m intervals, vividly enhanced by hill shading & graphics for rocky terrain. Colouring with graphics indicates different types of vegetation or land use (deciduous or coniferous forests, moors, orchards, vineyards, etc). PLEASE NOTE: coverage of France at this scale is currently being revised – the format & the presentation of each title are indicated by the letters at the end of its Sheet Reference number (e.g. 0416ET, 3531ETR, 1923SB, etc.)MAPS WITH FULL TOURIST OVERPRINT & AN ENGLISH MAP LEGEND: all TOP25 maps & the SB editions of Série Bleue have an overprint highlighting waymarked walking trails including long-distance GR routes &, where appropriate, ski routes. Symbols indicate campsites, gîtes d’etape, refuges, equestrian centres & other recreational facilities or sites, tourist information centres, cultural heritage, etc. Towns & locations of particular interest are highlighted.- ET or OT = single-sided TOP25 map covering approx. 29x 21 km / 18x 13 miles.- ETR or OTR = waterproof & tear resistant TOP25 map covering the same area as the corresponding ET or OT number, but double-sided, printed on a smaller size sheet with a good overlap between the sides.- SB = Série Bleue map with full tourist overprint; these maps, first introduced in summer 2014, each cover approx. 29x 24km / 18x 15 miles.SÉRIE BLEUE maps with numbers ending in E (Est) or O (Ouest): most editions now indicate the GR routes, but do not show any other tourist information. Map legend is in French only. Each map covers approx. 14x 20km / 9x 12 miles. ...