Xenophobe’s Guide to the Canadians is a pocket-size guide that takes a frank & funny look at what makes the Canadians Canadian.“ Canadians have figured out that anything that can be done on water can also be done on ice.” Xenophobe’s guides attempt to forewarn readers of the main stereotypes & foibles that are associated with individual nationalities. Each guide explores the characteristics of a country’s people in a series of dedicated sections, encompassing nationalism & identity, behaviour, manners, character, obsessions, beliefs & values, leisure & pleasure, culture, custom & tradition, business, systems, health & hygiene, crime & punishment, government & bureaucracy, conversation & gestures & language. ...

The perfect summer romance from the author of A Christmas Tail. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan & Holly Martin. Summer Freeman returns to the waterside village of Willowbeck to rescue the Canal Boat Cafe, her late mother`s picturesque narrowboat, which has run into choppy waters. A family friend, Valerie, has been trying to keep things afloat, but the coffee machine is jammed, the cake offerings are paltry, & not all of the locals want to see the cafe succeed. Help comes from the boat next door, in the shape of handsome wildlife photographer, Mason & his naughty Border Terrier, who are showing more than a passing interest in Summer & her adorable Bichon Frise, Latte. But is Mason being honest about himself? Or does he have something to hide? As her life & the community of Willowbeck begin to entwine, Summer finds herself setting sail on a new adventure. Will the anchor of a steady life on land be too strong, or can Summer learn to cut loose & embrace life afloat? ...

Canal Builders is a classic history book for anyone interested in the development of Britain`s canal system. The book, which was first published in the 1970s, is now republished here in a new fifth edition. It takes the reader from the middle of the eighteenth century, to the start of the railway age in the early nineteenth century. Anthony Burton has revised & enhanced the original text, using new material that he has found in archives since it was first published, & has added many extra illustrations. This is the remarkable story of the many groups of people who were responsible for building Britain`s canal system. There were industrialists such as Josiah Wedgwood, who promoted canals to help his own industry, & speculators, financed the projects in the hope of a good return. The work was planned by engineers, some of whom, such as James Brindley & Thomas Telford, have become famous, while others have remained virtually unknown but still did magnificent work. This is also the story of the great, anonymous army of men who actually did the work
- the navvies. This was the first book ever to study the lives of these labourers in detail. Altogether it is an epic story of how the transport route that made the industrial revolution possible was built.` Well planned & well written.. . There is no better introduction to the early canal age.` The Economist
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The Canal du Midi: A Cruiser’s Guide from Adlard Coles Nautical covers the canal from Toulouse to the Mediterranean plus the connecting route to the Rhône at Arles or Beaucaire along the Canal du Rhône à Séte. The route from the Gironde at Bordeaux along the Garonne, often covered by guides to the Canal du Midi, is not included in this publication. The mapping of the waterways is less detailed here than in the alternative publications, showings locks, restricted entry points, navigation marks, moorings, kilometer markings & overhead bridges. The guide aims to be more than just a set of instructions with its text providing not only technical tips & advice for navigating but also background information about the construction of the canals, historical notes on the surrounding countryside & nearby places of interest, etc. The guide is extensively illustrated with attractive & enticing colour photos & will also provide interesting background reading before the trip. ...

This attractive guidebook shows off just how rich our waterways heritage is. Picking out Britain`s 50 most beautiful & interesting canals, Stuart Fisher gives a lively background to the history, wildlife, pubs & nearby attractions of each waterway. Each of the 50 chapters also features a map, colour photographs & a handy info box. Through the beautiful cities of London, Bath & Oxford, traversing stunning countryside & national parks, & exploring some of the best Victorian engineering & industry, this book is an inspiring & thoroughly enjoyable read, as well as a perfect resource for anyone thinking about a day out or holiday along Britain`s wonderful canals. ...

Insulae Canariae Ol. Fortunatae, an original antique map by Anonymous / P. Bertius, published in Amsterdam, 1598 -1609. A copperplate engraving, coloured. Map size 12 x 9 cm, with a mount size of 30 x 26.5 cm. At the end of the 16th Century pocket atlases began to appear in the marketplace, thus making geography available to a wider readership. Often using reduced versions of the work of the renowned cartographer Abraham Ortelius, they acquired great popularity on the continent of Europe. Charmingly engraved, this example from the Bertius series has Dutch text to the verso. Petrus Bertius went on to become Cosmographer to Louis XIII in 1618. Antique maps from various original publishers are presented on the Stanford ...

The seven volcanic Canary Islands that bask in the Atlantic off shore from the north-west African coast have long had legendary connotations. To the Greeks they were the Gardens of the Hesperides, blessed with a perennial spring-like climate, while the Carthaginians christened them the `violet Isles` on account of the rich dye material they obtained there. Inhabitants have ranged from the early Berber-descended Guanches, of whom cultural traces still remain, to the rich blend of European & Latin peoples that evolved after the Spanish conquest in the fifteenth-century. Famous visitors have included Columbus, Humboldt & General Franco, who famously flew from Gran Canaria in a (British-piloted) Dragon Rapide in 1936 to launch Spain`s Civil War. In today`s cosmopolitan capitals of Las Palmas & Santa Cruz de Tenerife Spanish colonial-era buildings merge with modern centres equipped with sophisticated amenities. For holidaymakers tiny ecologically-oriented havens like Gomera vie with big brash tourist resorts like Playa del Ingles & Playa de las Americas, today`s major money-makers after the brief trade boom of yesteryear. Peter Stone explores the fascinating history & culture of this archipelago, where nature & geology provide a spectacular setting for today`s tourism industry. FANTASY LANDSCAPE Bone dry `badlands`, orange-grey dunes, giant craters, frozen lava flows, black-sanded coves, rich green bananas plantations & sylvan woodlands shrouded in perennial mists all form part of this multi-faceted paradise. NATIONAL PARKS & WILD LIFE Four of Spain`s fifteen great national parks are located on the islands; Tenerife`s 3, 700-metre Teide, the country`s highest mountain, is the most visited. Island fauna vary from the desert-like lizards of Lanzarote to the rich bird life of La Palma. UNIQUE LOCAL CULTURE Local fiestas abound & traditional dance & music exhibitions are held in cultural centres like Gran Canaria`s Pueblo Canario. Mould-breaking Lanzarote architect Cesar Manrique has left a supreme legacy of innovative buildings & monuments. ...

” This is a fascinating account of why—as well as how— Jeremy became leader of the Labour Party & transformed our politics. For anyone engaged in this movement, understanding precisely how we came to be where we are can only make us more effective as we go forward. That`s why Alex Nunns` book is so important.” — John Mc Donnell, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer”A valuable, insightful account … too well-reported not to read.” — Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian” The best researched account I`ve seen to date.” — Clive Lewis MP” Insightful... As far as the leader`s closest allies are concerned, Nunns`s book is the most authoritative yet published on his rise.” — Stephen Bush, The New Statesman” If you’ve been inspired by the movement growing around Jeremy Corbyn, or simply want to know a bit more about the Labour leader’s unlikely rise to power, this is the book for you.” — Liam Young, columnist, The Independent“ What Alex Nunns has achieved with The Candidate is remarkable. It`s the real, inside story of the campaign to elect Jeremy Corbyn, from the ground up. It`s as if someone has followed the participants with a video camera throughout, carefully detailing the important moments. But it`s more than that: it bears all the hallmarks of someone who genuinely understands the decisive forces that made up the Corbyn moment. & Nunns communicates all this expertly. The book reads like a political thriller, & even though we all know the ending, it`s nevertheless an enormously exciting read.” — Red Labour“ Grippingly told … Alex Nunns has done a real service in explaining [ Corbyn’s] path to power.” — Mike Phipps, Labour Briefing In September 2015 an earthquake shook the foundations of British politics. Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong & uncompromising socialist, was elected to head the Labour Party. Corbyn didn’t just win the leadership contest, he trounced his opponents. The establishment was aghast. The official opposition now had as its leader a man with a plan, according to the conservative Daily Telegraph, “to turn Britain into Zimbabwe.” How this remarkable twist of events came about is the subject of Alex Nunns’ highly readable & richly researched account. Drawing on first-hand interviews with those involved in the campaign, including its most senior figures, Nunns traces the origins of Corbyn’s victory in the dissatisfaction with Blairism stirred by the Iraq War & the 2008 financial crash, the move to the left of the trade unions, & changes in the electoral rules of the Labour Party that turned out to be surreally at odds with the intentions of those who introduced them. The system of one-member-one-vote, which delivered Corbyn’s success, was opposed by those on the left & was heralded by Tony Blair who described it as “a long overdue reform that… I should have done myself.” Giving full justice to the dramatic swings & nail-biting tensions of an extraordinary summer in UK politics, Nunns’ telling of a story that has received widespread attention but little understanding is as illuminating as it is entertaining. He teases out a plotline of such improbability that it would be unusable in a work of fiction, providing the first convincing explanation of a remarkable phenomenon with enormous consequences for the left in Britain & beyond. ...

The cocaine industry is getting bigger & bigger. Having been propelled to the position of drug of choice in the west, just how did the international cocaine market grow so large? & who`s responsible for maintaining it? In The Candy Machine, Tom Feiling travels the cocaine trade routes from Columbia & onwards to Kingston, Miami, London & New York. En route he meets traffickers, hitmen & narcotics officers, whose job involves stemming the cocaine tide caused by the gangs & cartels. Dispelling myths about the white market, the author reveals another side to the story of cocaine
- one that`s never been told before. Add this to your cart today!
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Peter Ackroyd’s prose re-telling of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales makes the Middle English classic accessible to a new generation of readers. Using expletives & avoiding euphemisms, the tales are presented in all the glorious splendor, colour & grime of their originals. From the exuberant Wife of Bath`s Arthurian legend to the Miller`s worldly, ribald farce, the Canterbury Tales tales can be taken as a mirror of fourteenth-century London & incorporate every style of medieval narrative
- bawdy anecdote, allegorical fable & courtly romance, all of which encompass a blend of universal human themes. Ackroyd has also written a historical introduction to Chaucer & the Tales which sheds light on why he felt inspired to “translate” them for a modern day audience.
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