Avebury parish in Wiltshire contains an amazing collection of Stone Age monuments. Four thousand years ago this stretch of the chalk downs was the metropolis of Britain, with the tallest man-made hill (Silbury), the largest henge or sacred enclosure (Avebury), the great chambered cemetery of West Kennet Long Barrow & the two stone avenues of West Kennet & Beckhampton. This new edition, which takes into account recent discoveries, explores the mystery of the Avebury monuments & reveals their collective purpose. Making use of archaeology, ethnography & folklore the book argues that the monuments were key elements in the worship of the Great Goddess, each representing different aspects of the annual fertility cycle corresponding to the agricultural year. ...

This sumptuous book displays & describes a variety of beautiful birds. Exquisite ornithological illustrations accompany a lyrical text that brings to life more than 50 species. Press-out sections enable you to reveal the outlines of the birds & transform your book into a work of art. ...

Elizabeth Stavely sits in the Bodleian Library, her hands trembling as she holds a fragment of parchment, the key to a story untold for four hundred years Constantinople 1599: the English merchant Paul Pindar must deliver an extraordinary gift to the Sultan. Grieving for his lost love, drowned in a shipwreck, he hears rumours of a new golden-haired slave in the Sultan`s harem. Could this be his Celia? ...

” The Awakening & Selected Stories” is Kate Chopin`s groundbreaking depiction of a woman who dares to defy the expectations of society in the pursuit of her desire, edited with an introduction by Sandra M. Gilbert in ” Penguin Classics”. When ” The Awakening” was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness & immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity & irreparably damage its author`s reputation. But a century after her death, it is widely regarded as Kate Chopin`s great achievement. Through careful, subtle changes of style, Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife & mother, who
- with tragic consequences
- refuses to be caged by married & domestic life, & claims for herself moral & erotic freedom. In her introduction, Sandra M. Gilbert considers the issues explored in the novel & the stories collected here (including ” Emancipation”, ” At the cadian Ball”, & ” Desiree`s baby”) from their growth out of the feminist literary tradition of the nineteenth century, to their place among other concerns of fin de siecle writers in America & Europe, to their impact on contemporary feminist writing. Katherine O` Flaherty (1850-1904), known by her married name Kate Chopin, was an American author of short stories & novels. Her works appeared in literary magazines & popular American periodicals of the day, including ” Vogue & The Atlantic”. In 1899, her second novel, ” The Awakening”, was published to much outrage & harsh criticism based upon moral, rather than literary, standards. If you enjoyed ” The Awakening & Selected Stories”, you might enjoy Jean Rhys`s ” Good Morning Midnight”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”.

...

Did you know that there is a tree-climbing fish? Or that some bees drink crocodile tears? Or that a jellyfish was sent into space? Be truly inspired by incredible facts about the creatures that share our planet. Find out: If you`re as tall as an emperor penguin or a velociraptor Whether a honey badger could beat a lion in a fight How one man was swallowed head first by a great white shark
- & survived! Find out disgusting, hilarious, weird & wacky facts with this awesome book! Are you ready for another EPIC book from the winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2016 (Best Book with Facts)?
...

On the gulf of Thail&, the Juree family are managing their run-down beach resort for the second year
- still stalked by disaster.
...

The Ayahuasca diaries is a vine-entangled tale of shamans, jungles, psychedelic substances, a broken-hearted poker player, a few pretty girls (and a couple who aren`t) & several dark temples where smoking & spitting are encouraged.. .if only to ease access into the spirit world. In this, the first South African title to chronicle the South American Ayahuasca experience, Caspar Greeff, in the throes of a mid-life crisis, travels to Peru with his father where they are introduced to Ayahuasca, ”the vine of the dead”. The dark, foul-tasting psychedelic brew is made up of the leaves of an indigenous shrub & a jungle vine. While Ayahuasca is believed to transport its drinkers to the world of spirits, the land of the dead, it is also known as ”the mother of all medicine” by the Quechua Indians of the Amazon. They regard it as a healer of body, mind & spirit, which enables its drinkers to purge both physical & spiritual toxins. Documented as a cure for everything from cancer to cocaine addiction, Ayahuasca is a way to clear emotional blocks, to gain a sense of inner peace & an enlightened perspective on life. This lively travelogue takes the reader along on the author`s psycho-spiritual odyssey through the rain forests of Peru & further to Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela & Ecuador where Ayahuasca is taken in the dark of night at ceremonies presided over by shamans who sing otherworldly songs that are both magical & healing. His Ayahuasca experiences ignite in him a renewed enchantment with life that leaves him with a burgeoning sense of self & an intimate connection with the natural world. ...

The Ayatollah Begs to Differ is a revealing insight into a culture that remains something seen mostly through the headlines by most people. Hooman Majd, acclaimed journalist & New York-residing grandson of an Ayatollah, has a unique perspective on his Iranian homel&. In this vivid, warm & humorous insider`s account, he opens our eyes to an Iran that few people see, meeting opium-smoking clerics, women cab drivers & sartorially challenged presidential officials, among others. Revealing a country where both t-shirt wearing teenagers & religious martyrs express pride in their Persian origins, that is deeply religious yet highly cosmopolitan, authoritarian yet reformist, this is the one book you should read to understand Iran & Iranians today. ...

Iran is a country with global ambitions, an elaborate political culture, & enormous implications for world peace. How will its diversity of political positions resolve itself? Drawing on privileged access to Iranian society, Hooman Majd has spoken to ayatollahs, politicians & ordinary people to show that, despite the violence of the 2009 elections, the ideal of an Iranian republic is still alive. A personal, candid tour of the political landscape, ” The Ayatollahs` Democracy” is a powerful dispatch from a country at a historic turning point. ...

` In the gloom it came along the branches towards me, its round, hypnotic eyes blazing, its spoon-like ears turning to & fro independently like radar dishes.. .it was Lewis Carroll`s Jabberwocky come to life.. .one of the most incredible creatures I had ever been privileged to meet`. The fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar is home to woodlice the size of golf balls, moths the size of Regency fans & the Aye-Aye, a type of lemur held by local superstion to be an omen of death. But when Gerald Durrell visited the isl&, the destruction of the forests meant that the Aye-Aye & many other creatures were in danger of extinction. Told with his unique sense of humour & inimitable charm, Gerald Durrell`s ” The Aye Aye & I” is the final adventure from one Britain`s best loved conservationists. ...