A fascinating journey into the extraordinary world of the king of fish: the salmon. This beautiful book explores the natural history of this most mysterious of fishes. Michael Wigan explores the life cycle of the salmon, weaving his own experiences & stories of salmon fishing & spotting into an evocative narrative. Crucially, he addresses the pressing matter of conservation issues & human management, which in the past has led to fast decreasing populations. History suggests it is the pressure of human development which has narrowed down the survival zone of the salmon, & the author questions whether we can go on altering natural systems & freshwater rivers in order to make space for human populations, & do so in sync with fish needs. In his unique & passionate voice, the author transports us to another world
- his writing is beautifully evocative & his excitement for the salmon palpable throughout.
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` Only the villages are asleep, the eternal reservoir of all kinds of soldiery, the inexhaustible source of physical strength` At the beginning of the twentieth century the villagers of the Carpathian mountains lead a simple life, much as they have always done. The modern world has yet to reach the inhabitants of this isolated & remote region of the Habsburg Empire. Among them is Piotr, a bandy-legged peasant, who wants nothing more from life than an official railway cap, a cottage with a mouse-trap & cheese, & a bride with a dowry. But then the First World War comes to the mountains, & Piotr is drafted into the army. All the weight of imperial authority is used to mould him into an unthinking fighting machine, so that the bewildered peasant can be forced to fight a war he does not underst&, for interests other than his own. The Salt of the Earth is a classic war novel, a powerful pacifist tale about the consequences of war on ordinary men. ...

` The Salt Path is a life-affirming tale of enduring love that smells of the sea & tastes of a rich life. With beautiful, immersive writing, it is a story heart-achingly & beautifully told.` Jackie Morris Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home is taken away & they lose their livelihood. With nothing left & little time, they make the brave & impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon & Cornwall. Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea & sky. Yet through every step, every encounter & every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey. The Salt Path is an honest & life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief & the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, & how it can be lost, rebuilt & rediscovered in the most unexpected ways. ...

The Salvation Army is a byword for philanthropy & charitable work, with its brass bands & uniformed officers indelible parts of the fabric of British life
- yet many may not be aware of the real extent of its work & influence. This is the story of how Reverend William Booth`s East London Christian Mission of 1865 (which became the Salvation Army in 1878) has become a truly global enterprise, one that in Britain is still second only to the government in the provision of social care. It is a symbol of charity that was forged in the crucible of mid-Victorian Britain & is now known in more than 120 countries, & Susan Cohen here explains & illustrates its activities & structures, its history & present, & its very important legacy.
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Twenty-one years ago, with the Allies on their heels, the Nazis hid a sealed chest in the dark, forbidding waters of the Finstersee, a lake surrounded by the brooding peaks of the Austrian Alps. One of the few men who knows of its existence is Richard Bryant, a British agent. He sets out alone to discover the secret of the lake & unleashes a series of violent reactions
- & violent deaths...
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The first comprehensive history of the Sami people of the Nordic countries & northwestern Russia. There is no single volume which encompasses an integrated social & cultural history of the Sami people from the Nordic countries & northwestern Russia. Neil Kent`s book fills this lacuna. In the first instance, he considers how the Sami homeland is defined: its geography, climate, & early contact with other peoples. He then moves on to its early chronicles & the onset of colonisation, which changed Sami life profoundly over the last millennium. Thereafter, the nature of Sami ethnicity is examined, in the context of the peoples among whom the Sami increasingly lived, as well as the growing intrusions of the states who claimed sovereignty over them. The Soviet gulag, the Lapland War & increasing urbanisation all impacted upon Sami life. Religion, too, played an important role from pre-historic times, with their pantheon of gods & sacred sites, to their Christianisation. In the late twentieth century there has been an increasing symbiosis of ancient Sami spiritual practice with Christianity. Recently the intrusions of the logging & nuclear industries, as well as tourism have come to redefine Sami society & culture. Even the meaning of who exactly a Sami is is scrutinised, at a time when some intermarry & yet return to Sapmi, where their children maintain their Sami identity. ...

In 1613 the missionary Father Pedro Velasco`s dream comes true. For the first time, the Japanese are going to cross the Pacific Ocean. & he is going with them. As he sets sail with a group of Samurai, for Mexico, then Spain & finally Rome, his zealous hope is that, by opening up relations with the western world, Japan will become ripe for conversion to Christianity
- with him as Bishop. But fate has other plans for Father Velasco. A gripping portrayal of an extraordinary historical voyage, filled with danger & hardship, The Samurai is a haunting novel of endurance, faith & hubris. ` Endo to my mind is one of the finest living novelists` Graham Greene ` Powerful, beautifully written` New Statesman
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The No 1 Swedish thriller by the author of The Hypnotist & The Fire Witness He`s Sweden`s most prolific serial killer. Jurek Walter is serving a life sentence. Kept in solitary confinement, he is still considered extremely dangerous by psychiatric staff. He`ll lull you into a sense of calm. Mikael knows him as ”the sandman”. Seven years ago, he was taken from his bed along with his sister. They are both presumed dead. He has one target left. When Mikael is discovered on a railway line, close to death, the hunt begins for his sister. To get to the truth, Detective Inspector Joona Linna will need to get closer than ever to the man who stripped him of a family; the man who wants Linna dead. ...

A beautifully illustrated edition of this classic tale by ” War Horse” author Michael Morpurgo. Michael loves his grandfather`s stories about the Sandman & the turtles, but he doesn`t believe that they are real. But that`s about to change, because the Sandman is very real indeed.. .and Michael & his cousins Barry & Polly are going to need his help. This charming tale for younger readers by master storyteller Michael Morpurgo is fully illustrated in colour by Horrid Henry illustrator Tony Ross. ...

Join Ben & Fee Mac Tavish & their friends as they set off for the Caribbean. Their routine of seamanship & snorkelling, kitesurfing & diving is soon interrupted when Captain Macbeth comes into possession of an old nautical chart. When the map is stolen & a new Tobermory recruit jumps ship, Ben, Fee & their friends decide to investigate. But danger lies all around as they follow their quarry to the mysterious Shark Island.. . ...