The rich bird life of Malawi (ex-Nyasaland) has long been one of the better-documented avifaunas of Africa, since ” Belcher” (1930) & then ” Benson & Benson” (1977). This book brings the picture up-to-date, with detailed scientific accounts of the 650 species known (including nearly 100 migrants from Eurasia). For each there are sections on distribution, ecology, status & movements, conservation, breeding seasons (where applicable) & taxonomy, the whole based on extensive fieldwork supported by some 700 published references. There are clear atlas maps for all but vagrants, as well as details of ringing recoveries & a gazetteer of 400 localities. In 80 pages, the introductory chapters review such topics as vegetation & major bird habitats, biogeography, conservation & a history of ornithological exploration in Malawi. 16 pages of color photos illustrate the habitats of Malawi as well as a dozen of the more interesting bird species. This book is not intended as a field guide (there are few illustrations of birds), but as a handbook & distribution atlas, highlighting the status, distribution & conservation of each species. ...

The Iberian Peninsula is one of Europe`s most ornithologically varied regions offering a host of regional specialities. It



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This well-illustrated volume covers the birds of Singapore, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand & the tip of Tenasserim (Burma) with their associated island archipelagos. David Wells' historically complete accounts draw on a full range of recent field & museum research. Over 380 species are described, including topics such as systematics, distribution, plumage, biometrics, status, habitat, food & foraging, voice, behaviour, breeding biology, moult & conservation. Along with an accompanying volume, on passerine species, it brings together the most complete modern summery of field survey work & other research on all the birds found in the peninsula. Volume 1 & Volume 2 available as a shrinkwrapped set: 0 7136 7483 0 GBP99 ...

This book presents detailed accounts of the more than 750 species known (among which there are 100 migrants from the northern hemisphere) in Zambia. Extensive fieldwork by the authors & many collaborators means that the maps (for all species except vagrants) present a clear picture of distribution in this country of some 750, 000 sq. km. The text complements the maps, with a synthesis of what is known of ecology, status, movements, breeding seasons, taxonomy & conservation concerns. This book is not intended as a field guide (there are few illustrations of birds), but as a handbook & distribution atlas, highlighting the status, distribution & conservation of each species. More than 900 published references are cited, & there are details of ringing recoveries & a gazetteer of more than 800 localities. In 70 pages, the introductory chapters review the vegetation & major bird habitats, biogeography, migration, conservation & the history of ornithological exploration in Zambia. Sixteen pages of colour photos illustrate the habitats of Zambia as well as over a dozen of the more typical bird species (including the endemic Black-cheeked Lovebird & Chaplin`s Barbet). Zambia is at the centre of the Zambezian region of endemism, & its woodlands, dry forests & dambos harbour 57 of the 64 bird species confined to this biome. This is the sixth account of the birds of Zambia (ex-Northern Rhodesia) since the first (Pitman 1934), & it updates & expands its immediate predecessor ” The Birds of Zambia” (Benson, Brooke, Dowsett & Irwin, 1971). ...

This is the most compact & concise guide to the 430 species of birds that live in or regularly visit Britain & the rest of Europe. It is the only truly pocket-sized field guide. There are at least six illustrations of each species & Peter Hayman's unique painting style brings the birds to life. The well-researched text in the form of captions & annotation tells you all you need to know to be able to identify correctly different species. Symbols show at a glance in which habitats each bird can be found & at what time of year each is present
- both essential factors for correct identification. Differentiating between one species & another could never be made simpler. This guide is the essential companion for taking into the field wherever you go birdwatching in Britain & Europe.
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This is the unsettling story of a young woman`s descent into mental illness, from the author of The Haunting of Hill House & We Have Always Lived at the Castle. ” An amazing writer”. (Neil Gaiman). Elizabeth Richmond is almost too quiet to be believed, with no friends, no parents, & a job that leaves her strangely unnoticed. But soon she starts to behave in ways she can neither control nor underst&, to the increasing horror of her doctor, & the humiliation of her self-centred aunt. As a tormented Elizabeth becomes two people, then three, then four, each wilder & more wicked than the last, a battle of wills threatens to destroy the girl & all who surround her. The Bird`s Nest is a macabre journey into who we are, & how close we sometimes come to the brink of madness. Shirley Jackson`s chilling tales of creeping unease & casual cruelty have the power to unsettle & terrify unlike any other. She was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the most iconic American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year & was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird`s Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House & We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep at the age of 48. ” The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie & unforgettable... It is a place where things are not what they seem; even on a morning that is sunny & clear there is always the threat of darkness looming, of things taking a turn for the worse”. (A. M. Homes). ” Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders”. (Dorothy Parker). ” Shirley Jackson is one of those highly idiosyncratic, inimitable writers.. .whose work exerts an enduring spell”. (Joyce Carol Oates). ...

We all have a little piece of Birmingham in our kitchen
- classic cupboard staples such as Bird`s Custard, Cadbury chocolate &
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A short, brilliant account of the birth of the RAF for the centenary of its founding The dizzying pace of technological change in the early 20th century meant that it took only a little over ten years from the first flight by the Wright Brothers to the clash of fighter planes in the Great War. A period of terrible, rapid experiment followed to gain a brief technological edge. By the end of the war the British had lost an extraordinary 36, 000 aircraft & 16, 600 airmen. The RAF was created in 1918 as a revolutionary response to this new form of warfare
- a highly contentious decision (resisted fiercely by both the army & navy, who had until then controlled all aircraft) but one which had the most profound impact, for good & ill, on the future of warfare. Richard Overy`s superb new book shows how this happened, against the backdrop of the first bombing raids against London & the constant emergency of the Western Front. The RAF`s origins were as much political as military & throughout the 1920s still provoked bitter criticism. Published to mark the centenary of its founding this is an invaluable book, filled with new & surprising material on this unique organization.
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Drawing on a wealth of contemporary source material, The Bishop`s Brothels is a fascinating social history of how commercial sex has been bought & sold in London for over a thousand years. The Bankside Brothels, or `stewes`, were a celebrated feature of London life since Roman times. Located on the south side of the River Thames, in the Bishop of Winchester`s ` Liberty of the Clink`, they were a highly lucrative source of revenue for the Church. In AD 1161 a royal decree ordered that these establishments be licensed & regulated. For many years they attracted the great & the not-so-good, helping to make Southwark the `pleasure-garden` of London. But who were the people of the Bankside Brothels? What living conditions did they have to endure? How did women cope with the constant threat of violence, unwanted pregnancy & venereal disease? The streets of Southwark & those who walked them are vividly brought to life in this richly researched exploration of the history of this stretch of the Thames over the centuries. Through the stories of those who lived & worked in this fascinating part of London, we can begin to gain an understanding of a crucial but hitherto neglected aspect of the social history of Engl&. ...

Winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize for new writers A Times Children`s Book of the Week A Guardian Top Teen Read of 2015 ” Happy birthday, Stanly. We hope you like your present...” Cynical, solitary Stanly Bird is a fairly typical teenager
- unless you count the fact that his best friend is a talking beagle named Daryl, & that he gained the powers of flight & telekinesis when he turned sixteen. Unfortunately, his rural Welsh home town is not exactly crying out for its very own superhero. London is calling
- but what Stanly finds there is a good deal weirder & more terrifying than anything he could have imagined. Perhaps he should have stayed in Wales.. .

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