Many of the popular, often prophetic, phrases that we use on a day-to-day basis have their roots in traditional folklore. For example: ` One swallow doesn`t make a summer`; ` March comes in like a lion & goes out like a lamb`; &, ` One for sorrow, two for joy`. Such common idioms are familiar to most people, but their history & origins are far from well known. However, in ” One for Sorrow” readers will discover that there is a wealth of fascinating stories & history behind them. This charming book is filled with sayings, legends & proverbs derived from the oral history of the countryside & unveils how they came about, what they mean, & how they came to be such a big part of the language we use today. Written with a light touch & expert knowledge, it will entertain & inform in equal measure
- the perfect gift for anyone with an interest in the rich & varied heritage of the English language.
...

A captivating collection of the origins & meanings of traditional sayings from the folklore of the countryside. Many of the popular, often prophetic, phrases that we use on a day-to-day basis have their roots in traditional folklore, such as: ` One swallow doesn`t make a summer`; ` March comes in like a lion & goes out like a lamb`; ` One for sorrow, two for joy`. Such common idioms are familiar to most people, but their history & origins are far from well known. However, in One for Sorrow readers will discover that there is a wealth of fascinating stories & history behind them. This charming book is filled with sayings, legends & proverbs derived from the oral history of the countryside & unveils how they came about, what they mean, & how they came to be such a big part of the language we use today. Written with a light touch & expert knowledge, it will entertain & inform in equal measure
- the perfect gift for anyone with an interest in the rich & varied heritage of the English language.
...

These poetic & highly personal pieces describe Edward Thomas' wanderings through the English countryside, taking in meadows, farms, inns, maypoles, churches & wildlife. Whether exploring the Kent weald or the heart of Engl&, describing a crisp winter morning or a heady August day, evoking the scent of honeysuckle or the primeval atmosphere of an ancient wood, Thomas brings the countryside alive through precise observation & vivid, lyrical prose. Generations of inhabitants have helped shape the English countryside
- but it has profoundly shaped us too. It has provoked a huge variety of responses from artists, writers, musicians & people who live & work on the land
- as well as those who are travelling through it. English Journeys celebrates this long tradition with a series of twenty books on all aspects of the countryside, from stargazey pie & country churches, to man's relationship with nature & songs celebrating the patterns of the countryside (as well as ghosts & love-struck soldiers).

...

One Hand for Yourself, One for the Ship is a course on single-handed sailing by the man most qualified to give it. It is a highly personal perspective on both the science & art of this ultimate challenge, & it bears the unmistakable stamp of one who has lived on & for the sea. ...

” Catherine Rayner has the marvellous gift for capturing the souls of animals in a few, rich washes of colour.”
- The Daily Telegraph.
...

A unique, colorful view of Victorian London when residents both famous & now-forgotten endured ”the Great Stink” across one hot summer While 1858 in London may have been noteworthy for its broiling summer months & the related stench of the sewage-filled Thames River, the year is otherwise little remembered. & yet, historian Rosemary Ashton reveals in this compelling microhistory, 1858 was marked by significant, if unrecognized, turning points. For ordinary people, & also for the rich, famous, & powerful, the months from May to August turned out to be a summer of consequence. Ashton mines Victorian letters & gossip, diaries, court records, newspapers, & other contemporary sources to uncover historically crucial moments in the lives of three protagonists-Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, & Benjamin Disraeli. She also introduces others who gained renown in the headlines of the day, among them George Eliot, Karl Marx, William Thackeray, & Edward Bulwer Lytton. Ashton reveals invisible threads of connection among Londoners at every social level in 1858, bringing the celebrated city & its citizens vibrantly to life. ...

A celebration of the most enchanting hamlets in France, now available in a popular format. Gorgeously illustrated as well as informative, One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France is a tour through the pleasures of the French countryside, a place where the pace slows, locals engage strangers in conversation, & every town presents a unique set of curiosities waiting to be discovered. Whether you are an armchair traveler or a Francophile planning another trip, this volume is the guide to the hidden treasures of France that proves once & for all that the heart of this popular travel destination lies in the countryside far from the grandeur & pomp of Paris. Wander the serpentine alleyways of the rockbound coastal fishing villages in Brittany & Normandy; explore medieval masterpieces in Alsace & order flammekueche, this region s thin-crusted pizza; spend a day in the Ile-de-France, the green surround of Paris, & visit the magnificent Chateau de Versailles, or the palace at Fontainebleau, a treasure trove of mannerist delights. One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France is a map to the heart & soul of the French countryside, complete with a full appendix of restaurants, hotels, & shops to aid even the most seasoned travelers & Francophiles.” ...

`A letter is handed to you. In broken English, it tells you that you must now vacate your farm; that this is no longer your home, for it now belongs to the crowd on your doorstep. Then the drums begin to beat.` As the land invasions gather pace, the Retzlaffs begin an epic journey across Zimbabwe, facing eviction after eviction, trying to save the group of animals with whom they feel a deep & enduring bond
- the horses. When their neighbours flee to New Zeal&, the Retzlaffs promise to look after their horses, & making similar promises to other farmers along their journey, not knowing whether they will be able to feed or save them, they amass an astonishing herd of over 300 animals. But the final journey to freedom will be arduous, & they can take only 104 horses. Each with a different personality & story, it is not just the family who rescue the horses, but the horses who rescue the family. Grey, the silver gelding: the leader. Brutus, the untamed colt. Princess, the temperamental mare. One Hundred & Four Horses is the story of an idyllic existence that falls apart at the seams, & a story of incredible bonds
- a love of the l&, the strength of a family, & of the connection between man & the most majestic of animals, the horse.

...

A sequel to the highly successful One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy & One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France, this book is a unique photographic tour of the most beautiful towns in every region of Engl&, Scotl&, Northern Irel&, & Wales. The towns of Britain`s countryside are among the most charming & unchanged in Europe`s history. Readers will want to roam the countryside: from the Norman castle towns of the southeast to the spectacular Roman architecture of Bath & St. Albans, & from Celtic cottage farms in the Scottish lowlands to the stone & iron towns of the Welsh borders & the north, One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Great Britain is as much about the history of the Isles as it is about their beauty today. Tom Aiken`s eloquent & informative text not only draws attention to aesthetic, natural, & architectural points of interest in every region, but also brings to life the history of each place, from Shakespeare`s Stratford-on-Avon to the royal Cowes, the monastic abbeys of Yorkshire to prehistoric Irel&, & from the Pagan past of the Scottish Highlands to the legends of Roman Britain. A thorough appendix provides travel tips & details & locations for hotels, restaurants, & shops of interest in all the towns. Whether you`re an armchair traveler or an Anglo-phile planning yet another trip, this volume is the guide to the varied heritage & hidden treasures of Britain. ...

One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns of Italy is a gorgeously illustrated as well as informative journey through the Italian countryside, a place where the pace slows, locals engage strangers in conversation, & every town has a unique story to tell. Breathtaking full-colour photographs create the perfect atmosphere as you discover these unexplored places, & descriptive sidebars offer invaluable information on local curiosities to indulge, unique artisan products to buy, & age-old culinary specialties to sample. A detailed appendix is the perfect source on where to shop, sightsee, & dine! Whether you are an armchair traveler or an Italiophile planning another trip, this volume is the guide to the hidden treasures of Italy that proves once & for all that the heart of this popular travel destination lies in the countryside far from the grandeur of Rome. ...