This is the perennially fascinating Egyptian pyramids introduced by a world expert. How did a people who lived nearly five thousand years ago, who knew neither iron nor bronze & who lacked mastery of elementary rules of calculation, manage to construct enormous stone structures with a precision seldom matched even by modern architecture? By one of the world`s leading Egyptologists, ” The Pyramids” sets our knowledge of these unique, haunting & perennially fascinating edifices into the context of ancient Egyptian culture & politics. ...

The Pyramids of Giza are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that still stands today. Defying the centuries, these gigantic tombs, built more than 4, 500 years ago by three great pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty, have long been objects of wonder, speculation & mystery, but it was not until the archaeological discoveries of the 19th century that a true picture of their fascinating history began to emerge. This pocket-sized, profusely illustrated book separates fact from fiction to tell the ongoing story of the Great Pyramids. ...

The Pyrenees is accomplished walker Kev Reynolds’ large-format Cicerone guide to one of Europe’s most famous & impressive mountain ranges. The guide gives a valley-by-valley description of the High Pyrenees from west to east & is a very useful reference to help identify the best locations for walking, mountaineering, skiing & climbing. Reynolds explores the entire stretch of the 400km long Pyrenees- from the Cirque de Lescun on the edge of the Basque country in the west, to the Carlit massif & Cerdagne to the east of Andorra. The guide is divided into five main chapters
- The Western Valleys, Cirques & Canyons, The Central Pyrenees, Enchanted Mountains & Andorra & the Eastern High Pyrenees
- detailing the diverse outdoor opportunities throughout the Pyrenean chain. Classic walks & climbs are identified, as are routes up the classic peaks of the range. The guide is a useful reference tool for those intending to walk the longer routes of the GR11, GR10 & the Pyrenean Haute Route, as well as for visitors wanting to plan shorter trips or a variety of mountain activities. An extensive introduction gives practical advice on when to go, weather, getting there, travel within the Pyrenees, accommodation, maps & guidebooks & health considerations. Detailed area descriptions are accompanied by information boxes describing the best way to tackle certain routes & the varying possibilities available at each peak & valley, in addition to colour photographs illustrating some of the highlights of the Pyrenean chain.

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Michael Palin`s diaries begin when he was newly married & struggling to make a name for himself in the world of television comedy. But Monty Python was just around the corner.. . Enjoying an unlikely cult status early on, the Pythons then proceeded to tour the USA & Canada. As their popularity grew, so Palin relates how the group went their separate ways, later to re-form for stage shows & the celebrated films THE HOLY GRAIL & LIFE OF BRIAN. Living through the three-day week & the miners strike, & all the trials of a peripatetic life are also essential ingredients of these perceptive & funny diaries. ...

This is the definitive, the official, the most lavish, the completely-different-to-anything-done-before Pythons` autobiography, reissued to coincide with the eagerly-anticipated live shows. Over forty years ago, a group of five Englishmen
- & one wayward American
- rewrote the rules of comedy. MONTY PYTHON`S FLYING CIRCUS, an unheralded, previously unseen half-hour show of sketches, hilarities, inanities & animations, first appeared on the BBC late one night in 1969. Its impact has been felt on the world ever since. From its humble beginnings, it blossomed into the most influential movement in modern comedy. THE PYTHONS` AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY THE PYTHONS is a unique look at arguably the most important comic team of the modern age, with 64 pages of photographs, many culled from the team`s own personal collections, many more seen for the first time. This is the definitive word on all things Pythonesque.

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On a lonely stretch of road a nameless man commits a murder. The victim is a religious minister on his way to take up a post in a nearby town. The murderer decides to steal the dead man`s identity in order to conceal the crime. But one of his first duties as the new minister is to bury a body that has just been discovered in suspicious circumstances. As the corpse is laid to rest the manhunt begins... In The Quarry, Galgut`s tender prose combines with the power of myth to create a devastating drama, alive with tension. ...

When Martha accepts a place at university, her decision is met with a mixture of hostility & pride by her uncomprehending family. This is the story of a young woman`s journey to maturity & independence, struggling to cope with the intellectual & emotional challenges that surround her, at a time when such space was rarely given freely to women. In The Quarry Wood, Nan Shepherd`s subtle prose is matched with intense & memorable descriptions of the natural world, & a dry sense of humour. Ninety years after the first publication, it remains as fresh & original today. ...

Down by the harbour the quayside cat, Jim, comes to talk with Old Tregarn about his days long ago at sea. Inspired by Old Tregarn`s tales, Jim longs for his own sea adventure. Before long the two cats have jumped aboard a ship, & so begins Jim`s daring adventure at sea... ...

An updated edition of Ben Pimlott`s classic biography of the Queen: ` There is no better biography of Elizabeth II.` PETER HENNESSY, Independent on Sunday The royal family have been through a tumultuous decade, but with the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, Prince Philip`s 90th birthday & the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee celebrations, there is renewed interest & appreciation of our monarchy. The Queen is an in-depth look at the woman at the centre of it all & is the only biography to take Elizabeth II seriously as the subject of historical biography, or to examine the influences that formed her & the ideas she represents. Ben Pimlott (described by Andrew Marr in the Independent as `the best writer of political biography now writing`) treats the Head of State to the rigorous & objective scrutiny he applied to major political personalities, using a wide range of sources, including interviews, diaries & letters, & papers in the Royal Archives. The Queen looks at the social, political & psychological aspects of his subject in detail, as well as at the changing role of Monarchy in the British Constitution. In the process, the book displays all the author`s formidable analytic & narrative skills, & provides a gripping yet sensitive account of one of the most publicised
- yet least known
- figures of our time. It is vital reading for all those who care about public life in Britain
- past, present & to come.


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Join Britain`s much-admired monarch on one of her rare days-off, as she & her loveable pet corgi Mr Brown enjoy an action packed adventure at London`s Natural History Museum. On a grey, gloomy & unbearably miserable day, the two friends go in search of dinosaurs. Armed with sandwiches & biscuits they encounter immense skeletons, huge teeth & a thigh bone as big as the Queen. There are aliens from outer space & some smelly dinosaur dung too! After much exploring it is no surprise when they both fall asleep
- which is when the real excitement begins! Find out what really happened to the dinosaurs all those years ago, what the Queen is doing on top of a Megalosaurus & who wins a famous victory. Beautifully illustrated & affectionately told, the book is great to read aloud & is also highly suited to encourage children to read on their own. With lots of facts about how dinosaurs lived & why they all disappeared, this is a delightful tale of two close friends & their eventful day at the Museum.
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