A guide to writing fiction by the Booker Prize-winning author of Vernon God Little. Part biography, part reflection & part practical guide, Release the Bats explores the mysteries of why & how we tell stories, & the craft of writing fiction. DBC Pierre reveals everything he learned the hard way. ...

The World Marathon Challenge-seven marathons on seven continents in seven days-is the ultimate race for adventurous runners. It tests the athletes to their limits, going from biting cold Antarctic conditions one day to dry desert heat another. To survive the onslaught of sensations-fear, fatigue, depression, elation-takes a special sort of determination & strength of will. Few would voluntarily take on such a challenge, & fewer still would finish it. Relentless: Seven Marathons, Seven Continents, Seven Days is David Gething`s amazing story of his journey from a middle-aged couch potato to a World Marathon champion. Gething gives a deeply personal & candid view of what it is like to compete in one of the most demanding amateur sporting events on the planet, including the sacrifices made just to get to the start of the race & what it takes to win. He describes in detail each individual contest-originating in Antarctica & ending in Australia a week later-and the physical, emotional, & psychological sides of this grueling, multi-day stage race. Far from just depicting the event itself, Gething also delves into the interpersonal relationships, rivalries, & bonds that form on this adventure that is like no other. Featuring photographs taken during the event from Gething`s personal collection, & including private emails to & from the author & his family & friends, Relentless gives a truly unique & intimate view into the inner workings of this punishing ultra-endurance battle. Marathon runners, sporting enthusiasts, & anyone with a dream & a determination to succeed despite the odds will find Gething`s journey a fascinating & inspiring story. ...

Alain de Botton`s ” Religion for Atheists” looks at the God debate with fresh eyes ” All of us”, whether religious, agnostic or atheist, are searching for meaning. & in this wise & life-affirming book, non-believer Alain de Botton both rejects the supernatural claims of religion & points out just how many good ideas they sometimes have about how we should live. & he suggests that non-believers can learn & steal from them. Picking & choosing from the thousands of years of advice assembled by the world`s great religions to get practical insights on art, community, love, friendship, work, life & death, Alain de Botton shows us a range of fascinating ideas on a range of topics, including relationships, work, culture, love & death
- & that could be of use to all of us, irrespective of whether we do or don`t believe. In the ” Sunday Times” top-ten bestseller ” Religion for Atheists”, Alain de Botton takes us one step further than Dawkins & Hitchens have ventured & into a world of ideas beyond the God debate...”A serious & optimistic set of practical ideas that could improve & alter the way we live”. (Jeanette Winterson, ” The Times”). ”A beautiful, inspiring book.. .offering a glimpse of a more enlightened path”. (” Sunday Telegraph”). ” Packed with tantalizing goads to thought & playful prompts to action”. (” Independent”). ” Smart, stimulating, sensitive. A timely & perceptive appreciation of how much wisdom is embodied in religious traditions & how we godless moderns might learn from it”. (” Financial Times”). ” There isn`t a page in this book that doesn`t contain a striking idea or a stimulating parallel”. (” Mail on Sunday”). ” Packed with tantalizing goads to thought & playful prompts to action”. (” Independent”). Alain de Botton was born in 1969 & is the author of non-fiction essays on themes ranging from love & travel to architecture & philosophy. His bestselling books include ” How Proust Can Change Your Life”, ” The Art of Travel”, ” The Consolations of Philosophy”, ” The Architecture of Happiness”, ” Status Anxiety”, ” Essays in Love”, ”A Week at the Airport” & ” The Pleasures & Sorrows of Work”. He lives in London & founded The School of Life & Living Architecture.
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Learn about the religions of the world
- in minutes. What are the differences between Sunni & Shi`a, Catholic & Protestant, Buddhism
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Topographic coverage of mainland Spain at 1:25, 000 published by the Centro Nacional de Información Geograficá, the country’s civilian survey organization. The maps have contours at 10m intervals & colouring and/or graphics to show different types of vegetation or land use. Boundaries of national parks & other protected areas are marked. In addition to all the usual information shown on topographic maps at this scale, detailed presentation of the road & rail networks, rural tracks & paths, etc, the maps also show campsites. The maps have a 1-km UTM grid, with margin ticks for latitude & longitude at 1` intervals. Map legend is in Spanish only.PLEASE NOTE: our grid for the whole of Spain is in preparation
- in the meantime, for areas other than those shown on the attached grid please use CNIG’s topographic survey at 1:50, 000 by searching for ‘SI00000832’. Each 25K map covers one quarter of the corresponding 50K map, with the numbering system: I = NW quarter, II = NE quarter, III = SW quarter & IV = SE quarter. CNIG maps in the Provincial Road Maps series at 1:200, 000 are overprinted with the grid for the 1:50, 000 survey & can be used to see the area covered by each 50K or 25K title in more detail. To see the list of titles in this series please click on the series grid
- for map numbers not yet listed on our website please contact us by email.

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The Euro crisis has served as a stark reminder of the fundamental importance of Germany to the larger European project. But the image of Germany as the dominant power in Europe is at odds with much of its recent history. ” Reluctant Meister ”is a wide-ranging study of Germany from the Holy Roman Empire through the Second & Third Reichs, & it asks not only how such a mature & developed culture could have descended into the barbarism of Nazism but how it then rebuilt itself within a generation to become an economic powerhouse. Perhaps most important, Stephen Green examines to what extent Germany will come to dominate its relationship with its neighbors in the European Union, & what that will mean. ...

Leon & his younger sister, Grace, have recently moved to London from New York & are struggling to settle into their new school when rumours of an unidentified virus in Africa begin to fill the news. Within a week the virus hits London. The siblings witness people turning to liquid before their eyes, & they run for their lives. A month after touching Earth`s atmosphere the virus has assimilated the world`s biomass. But the virus isn`t their only enemy, & survival is just the first step.. . ...

Remaking Beijing traces China's modern & contemporary experience, focusing on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, still the most exalted space in China today. Wu Hung describes the square's transformation from a proscribed imperial space to a public arena of political expression, & from a monumental Communist complex to a holy relic of the Maoist era. For over half a century, since the square became the symbolic center of the new socialist capital, it has determined the city's development; in examining the square, the author examines the city as a whole. The author also explores the importance of Tiananmen as a locus of art production in China: as the site for Mao's standard portrait on Tiananmen's facade; as the location of museums & monuments showcasing masterpieces of socialist art; & as a parade ground for extravagant National Day celebrations representing the revolutionary masses. In recent years it has also inspired unofficial artists to create a large body of works
- paintings, photographs, real & simulated performances
- which challenge its authority. Using a wide range of sources including government archives, newspapers, photography, architecture, literature, art exhibitions & advertisements, this book explores the history & complex meaning of Beijing's public spaces. As a native of Beijing, Wu Hung witnessed the construction & transformation of the city; in this book he combines historical enquiry with his own personal experience, offering a case study of a particular type of modern metropolis whose construction is intertwined with the creation of a political nation-state.

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What is a Treevipus? A fantastic creature with the head of a trunkfish, the body of a weevil & the tail of a platypus, of course! Here, a host of creatures presented in humorous pictures & informative captions take on new names, & a hilarious new identity when their heads, bodies & legs are swapped around as the pages are flipped. In this Mini Edition, Tony Meeuwissen`s witty interchangeable text & beautifully detailed artwork combine to make an exceptional novelty book. To see some artwork inspired by this book click here. ...

What is a Treevipus? A fantastic creature with the head of a trunkfish, the body of a weevil & the tail of a platypus, of course! Here, a host of creatures presented in humorous pictures & informative captions take on new names, & a hilarious new identity when their heads, bodies & legs are swapped around as the pages are flipped. In this Mini Edition, Tony Meeuwissen`s witty interchangeable text & beautifully detailed artwork combine to make an exceptional novelty book. ...