Christmas is a mysterious, as well as magical, time of year. Strange things can happen, & this helps to explain the hallowed tradition of telling ghost stories around the fireside as the year draws to a close. Christmas tales of crime & detection have a similar appeal. When television becomes tiresome, & party games pall, the prospect of curling up in the warm with a good mystery is enticing
- & much better for the digestion than yet another helping of plum pudding. Crime writers are just as susceptible as readers to the countless attractions of Christmas. Over the years, many distinguished practitioners of the genre have given one or more of their stories a Yuletide setting. The most memorable Christmas mysteries blend a lively storyline with an atmospheric evocation of the season. Getting the mixture right is much harder than it looks. This book introduces readers to some of the finest Christmas detective stories of the past. Martin Edwards` selection blends festive pieces from much-loved authors with one or two stories which are likely to be unfamiliar even to diehard mystery fans. The result is a collection of crime fiction to savour, whatever the season.
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The way we are governed is changing; so is our economy. Government has less & less power to influence how we live our lives, while the private sector has more power than ever to control what we do & what we think. Yet the business pages of the newspapers still come as a supplement, while the activities of governments dominate the front pages & the headlines. To understand the new world in which we are living, we need to learn to challenge long-held assumptions about the nature of power in society; The Silent Takeover is an essential guide to that new understanding as we progress through the 21st century: a time in which we can no longer rely on politicians
- of whatever stripe
- to meet our needs; a time in which business, rather than political parties, offers the way forward; a time in which we can make more of an impact through our pockets than we have ever done through the ballot box. In the wake of an economic recession, Hertz`s eye-opening book reveals much about early 21st century politics & its effects on society.

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In 1940 the Chinese writer Chiang Yee arrived in Oxford as a refugee from the London Blitz, his lodgings having been bombed. He came to Oxford, he writes, ”in rather a turmoil”. What was meant to be a brief escape turned into a five-year stay, an affectionate relationship with the city, & the fifth in the hugely successful ” Silent Traveller” series. Looking at the city & its historic university with the curiosity & openness of a complete stranger, Chiang Yee paints a revealing picture of Oxford`s particular atmosphere, its rituals & traditions. He mixes with undergraduates & dons, visits pubs & restaurants, witnesses Union debates & punting on the river, all with a gentle astonishment & perceptive eye for detail. Chiang Yee explores the colleges & other student haunts, but also the city & its surrounds, from Port Meadow to Headington & Hinksey. First published in 1944, The Silent Traveller in Oxford evokes a wartime city of shortages & blackouts. It also captures an earlier age of university life, when students drank sherry & scaled college walls to escape prowling Bulldogs. Throughout Chiang Yee draws parallels between Oxford & his native China, comparing the seasons, architecture, & the nature of learning itself. Illustrated with the author`s own sketches, this book is both an atmospheric account of 1940s Oxford & a charming ” Oriental” view of one of Britain`s best loved cities. ...

Topographic coverage of mainland Spain at 1:50, 000 in the MTN50 (Mapa Topográfico Nacional) series from the Centro Nacional de Información Geografica, the country’s civilian survey organization. The maps have contours at 20m intervals, enhanced by relief shading, plus colouring and/or graphics to show different types of terrain, vegetation or land use. Boundaries of national parks & other protected areas are marked. In addition to all the usual information featured on topographic mapping at this scale, detailed presentation of the road & rail networks, rural tracks & paths, etc, the maps also show campsites & mountain refuges. On more recent editions some GRs, the official long-distance hiking routes, are also marked (although not as clearly as on hiking maps from other publishers). Each map covers 29.5x 18.5 km (with adjustments in the border or coastal areas). The maps have a 1-km UTM grid, plus margin ticks for latitude & longitude at 1` intervals. Map legend is in Spanish only.HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT 50K MAP: all the titles in CNIG’s 200K Provincial Road Maps series at 1:200, 000 are overprinted with the grid for the 1:50, 000 maps & can be used to see the area covered by each 50K title. TO SEE THE LIST OF TITLES IN THIS SERIES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK.PLEASE NOTE
- MAP TITLES: the grids shown on our website serve both the civilian & the military 1:50, 000 topographic series. Although the areas covered by maps in both series are identical (apart from some border or coastal sheets), occasionally map titles differ – only one title is shown on the grid, usually the military one. In Galicia, the Basque country & in the Catalan speaking areas the tendency now is to use local place names rather than the often better known Castilian ones. Where possible, both versions are included in our titles. Map titles listed on our website are based on information received by us at the time of publication, but sometimes maps arrive showing a completely different title! As long as the map number is as ordered, the correct map has been supplied.
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Central Silesia at 1:200, 000 from Höfer Verlag in a series of road maps of areas which used to be part of Germany or the Austro-Hungarian Empire, showing both current & the old German place names. In many places former settlements which now no longer exist are also named. Present road & rail networks are supplemented by historical information, e.g. former railway lines. There is no relief detail apart from spot heights. Forests, nature reserves, national park boundaries & locations of interest are marked, & symbols indicate campsites, historical sites, etc. The maps have no geographical coordinates. Map legend

Includes:: English. As the maps have dual place names, the print is rather small, but each title comes with a special magnifying lens attached to the map cover. Also included is a booklet with separate, cross-referenced indexes for each set of names & a street plan of the central part of the area’s main city, showing both old & current street layout.* In this title:* a street plan of central Wroclaw/ Breslau.

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Silicon Valley on an indexed street plan from Global Graphics with an enlargement showing downtown San Jose in greater detail. The plan indicates freeways & expressways with carpool lanes. The area’s light rail system is shown with names of stations. Longer streets are annotated with block numbers. Symbols indicate locations of important buildings, schools, post offices & medical centres. Coverage

Includes:: Cupertino, East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Santa Clara & Sunnyvale, plus parts of Atherton, Campbell, Fremont, Portola Valley, San Jose (including the downtown area) & Saratoga. An indexed enlargement presents downtown San Jose in greater detail indicating principal traffic arteries, one way streets, car parks, important buildings & selected hotels.

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While in Islamabad investigating the possibilities of setting up an adventure travel company, Jonny Bealby met the woman of his dreams. Not only that, but Rachel was the person with whom he could live out his dream -- to travel the Old Silk Road on horseback. On his return to Pakistan that Christmas, however, Jonny was faced with those dreadful words: `I`ve met somebody else...` With his heart fixed on this journey & the possibility of a TV deal, Jonny set out to find a Quixotic stranger as his companion. In no time he found Sarah -- attractive, warm & funny -- the perfect candidate for a possible romance. Unfortunately, though, during their search for the Heavenly Horses that would carry them across the Mountains of Heaven, their fledgling friendship was beset by problems of communication, inexperience & the difficulty of adapting to radically different cultures & surroundings. A breathtaking travelogue, & an intriguing & heart-warming illustration of human relationships as they are tested to their limits. ...

This text explores the rich & diverse range of silk & textiles from Africa. Focusing on over 30 pieces from the British Museum's collection, it brings together traditions of silk weaving & embroidery from throughout the African continent. These range from textiles commissioned by royalty to multi-coloured burial shrouds. The authors also discuss the makers of the textiles, how ideas travelled across the continent & the significance of pattern & symbolism. ...

Silk Road in the Odyssey Guides series; aimed at travellers particularly interested in the culture & history of their destination; the guides focus on the atmosphere, customs, & distinctive character of a country, region or city. As the only English language publisher based in China, Odyssey Guides specialize in Asian destinations, relying on the expertise of local writers. This gives readers more of an insider ...

The Silk Road in the Odyssey Guides series; aimed at travellers particularly interested in the culture & history of their destination; the guides focus on the atmosphere, customs, & distinctive character of a country, region or city. As the only English language publisher based in China, Odyssey Guides specialize in Asian destinations, relying on the expertise of local writers. This gives readers more of an insider’s perspective, in companion with the practicalities of navigating through remote Asian landscapes. Each title is heavily dedicated to the culture of the destination, all with accompanying colour photography. The guides also showcase a range of literary excerpts which are taken from travel writers together with translations from the work of indigenous writers & poets, creating a distinctive tone unique to the publisher. There are also basic overview location maps & concise practical advice for visitors, including information on getting there & around, itineraries, climate, health, clothing & equipment, money, photography, communications, security, shopping, media, food & drink, holidays & behavior, customs & etiquette. ...