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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Cape Horn`s fearsome reputation & the price it has extracted from those who venture there derives from a lethal contrivance of geography that unleashes the most powerful natural dynamic forces on the earth`s surface. Reaching deep into the Southern Ocean, the Cape intrudes into the flow of the water & weather patterns at the bottom of the world & funnels them into a maritime superhighway a mere 500 miles wide, building massive seas & accelerating wind speeds to hurricane strength. Currents rip at rates that defeat powerful engines. These legendarily treacherous conditions were enough to secure Cape Horn`s reputation as the ultimate in ocean violence; the supreme test of sailors & ships. It is the oceanic equivalent of the climbers` Everest, & the challenge to some became irresistible. The roll call of sailors who have managed to round the Horn east-about (and more rarely, head to wind & west-about) glitters with the names of sailing legends: Vito Dumas, Marcel Bardiaux, Francis Chichester, Robin Knox-Johnston, Bernard Moitessier & Chay Blyth. This book recounts the history of the Cape through the stories of the people who`ve taken it on & made it round
- the Cape Horners` Club. From the very first recorded single-hander in 1934 (Al Hansen, who was lost shortly afterwards & his body never found), we follow these very different protagonists as they pursue the ultimate goal whilst battling almost overwhelming odds. Woven through their stories is a history of the Cape, from its discovery to its use as a trading corridor until the opening of the Panama Canal, to its more recent role as a pure challenge for the very best yachtsmen & yachtswomen in the world. Changes in weather prediction & navigation have had a huge impact, but the pressure for ever-faster times has never been greater.
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This Cicerone guidebook to walking the 200 miles of the Cape Wrath Trail from Fort William to Cape Wrath, crossing the wild north west of the Scottish Highlands, describes the route in detail in 14 stages, with 6 alternative stages along the way. This epic challenge has long been recognised as the toughest long-distance route in Britain & travels through breathtakingly wild landscapes in Morar, Knoydart, Torridon & Assynt. With a wide range of route alternatives, it's perfect for the ambitious & experienced backpacker. It's a tough test & you'll brave genuine wilderness, rugged terrain, rain, wind, midges, bog & remote river crossings. Whatever time of year you attempt the trail, it will test the limits of your endurance. & this guidebook gives you all the information you need about bothies, campsites & (rare) amenities en route as well as detailed OS mapping & route profiles to help you plan & prepare for your trip. ...

The Capital Ring, a 125km/78 miles route encircling inner London & incorporating footpaths through the capital’s parks, woodlands & nature reserves, in a series of walking guides to the National Trails in England & Wales & other long distance paths with colour extracts from the Ordnance Survey`s Explorer series at 1:25, 000 showing points along the route cross-referenced to the text The Capital Ring takes in some of London’s most outstanding attractions, including the Thames Barrier, Eltham Palace & Richmond Park, & encounters little-known treasures such as Oxleas Meadows, the Parkland Walk & Abney Park Cemetery. The guide divides the route into 15 sections, each representing a day’s walk of reasonable length & starting & finishing at a public transport point. The guides in this series are illustrated throughout with colour photos & include an introductory section on the path & the surrounding landscape, plus a chapter of useful information including access to various locations along the route by public transport, a list of tourist information offices & (where appropriate) principal overnight stopping places, a bibliography, etc. To see other titles in the Aurum Press series of guides to the national trails & other long-distance footpaths, please click on the series link. ...

The Capital Ring is a 75-mile (120 km) walking route encircling inner London that links the astonishing number of islands of green space
- parks, woodlands, abandoned railway lines, towpaths & nature reserves
- which still survive in the very heart of the city. The Ring takes in many of London`s leading attractions
- for example, the Thames Barrier, Eltham Palace & Richmond Park
- as well as overlooked gems such as Oxleas Meadows, the Parkland Walk & Abbey Mills Pumping Station, & gives a close-up view of the ever-changing Olympic Park. This guide divides the route into 15 sections, each starting & finishing at a public transport point, & is packed with a vast amount of information.



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To sail first Class on the great ocean liners was to experience the last word in luxury & service. The Captain`s Table recalls ...

Written in Paris in the early 1950s, this book created instant controversy in its analysis of modern society that had allowed itself to be hypnotized by socio-political doctrines, & to accept totalitarian terror on the strength of a hypothetical future. ...