The Search for Ancient Egypt is Jean Vercoutter & Ruth Sharman`s riveting compilation of the major discoveries of ancient Egypt, including the stories of Howard Carter & Lord Carnarvon, Belzoni & Champollion. They write of the `pharaoh`s curse`, the Patagonian Samson, the unlocking of the ever-secretive hieroglyphs & a remarkable rescue of Egypt`s monuments from ravaging flood waters. Buried treasure, looting, intrigue & dedicated scholarship; `wonderful things` gleaming in the darkness; the cache of royal mummies; &, most wonderful of all, the tomb of Tutankhamun. Add this to your cart today! ...

The idea of a hidden refuge, a paradise far from the stresses of modern life, has universal appeal. In 1932 the writer James Hilton coined the word ” Shangri-La” to describe such a place, when he gave that name to a hidden valley in the Himalayas in his popular romance, Lost Horizon. Charles Allen, oral & military historian, acclaimed traveller, & author of several best-selling books on colonial themes, explores here the myth behind the story, tracking down the sources that Hilton drew upon in writing his novel, & then setting out to discover what lies behind the legend that inspired him. In the course of this lively & amusing account of his four journeys into Tibet, Allen also provides a controversial new reading of the country`s early history, dismissing notions of Tibet as a Buddhist paradise & seeking to restore the mysterious pre-Buddhist religion of Bon to its rightful place in Tibetan culture. In his travels to Tibet, Allen located the ”lost” kingdom of Shang-shung &, in doing so, the original Shangri-La itself: in an astounding gorge beyond the Himalayas, full of extraordinary ruins. ...

George Orwell, a man fond of a pint, used to write about his fantasy pub, The Moon Under Water, in his Evening Standard columns
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Inspired by George Orwell, Paul Moody & Robin Turner take a nostalgic road trip around Britain in search of the perfect pub. `A deeply satisfying travelogue` Stuart Maconie In 1946, George Orwell, a man fond of a pint, wrote about his favourite pub, The Moon Under Water, in his EVENING STANDARD column. But it didn`t actually exist. It was Orwell`s vision of a perfect pub. Today, Wetherspoons have fourteen Moon Under Waters, & the nation is awash with identikit, high-street lounge bars competing for a dwindling clientele. Paul Moody & Robin Turner`s road trip around Britain, therefore, is not just a search for the perfect pub. It is a deeper investigation into what has happened to British pub culture, once the toast of the world. In fact, it is a search for a kind of life-force kindled by the British public, something the powers-that-be are forever trying to extinguish. Along the way, such luminaries as Pete Brown (`the King of Beer`), Tim Martin (Wetherspoon`s boss), Iain Sinclair, James Dean Bradfield & Paul Kingsnorth are consulted
- along with a host of micro-brewers, landlords, politicians, bloggers & barroom philosophers. What emerges is a picture of the country as seen through a pint glass, a vision that goes to the heart of what it means to be British.
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In 1990 an expedition of Cambridge scientists arrived at the Plains of Nechisar, tucked between the hills of the Great Rift Valley in the Gamo Gofa province in the country of Ethiopia. On that expedition, 315 species of birds were seen; 61 species of mammal & 69 species of butterfly were identified; 20 species of dragonflies & damselflies; 17 reptile species were recorded; three frog species were filed; plants were listed. & the wing of a road-killed bird was packed into a brown paper bag. It was to become the most famous wing in the world. At British Natural History Museum in Tring, the wing set the world of science aflutter. It seemed that the wing was unique, but they questioned, can you name a species for the first time based only on the description of a wing, based on just one wing? After much to & fro, confirmation was unanimous, & the new species was announced, Nechisar Nightjar, Caprimulgus solala, (solus: only & ala: wing). And birdwatchers like Vernon began to dream. Twenty-two years later an expedition of four led by Ian Sinclair set off to try to find this rarest bird in the world. Vernon R.L. Head captivates & enchants as he tells of the adventures of Ian, Dennis, Gerry & himself as they navigate the wilderness of the plains, searching by spotlight for the elusive Nechisar Nightjar. But this book is more than a boy`s own adventure in search of the rarest bird in the world. It is a meditation on nature, on ways of seeing, on the naming of things & why we feel so compelled to label. It is a story of friendships & camaraderie. But most of all it embraces & enfolds one into the curious & eye-opening world of the birdwatcher. For birdwatchers, twitchers, bird lovers, & about-to-become birdwatchers everywhere. ...

The Caravan Family are spending their summer in beautiful, sandy Seagull Cove. They are staying in their caravans, right at the edge of the sea, & are going to have the best seaside holiday ever! But a new friend, Benjy, is with them & he`s not very cheery! Will he ruin the children`s holiday, or can they cheer Benjy up & help him enjoy the seaside? ...

When travel journalist Sophie Campbell squeezed into heels & a hat to investigate the English social season, she got more than she bargained for. Why, she wondered, were events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Derby at Epsom, Royal Ascot, the Henley Royal Regatta, Wimbledon Fortnight & Glorious Goodwood so formal, so fashionable & so famous? Her hectic & sometimes hilarious journey through the English summer proved as exotic as any tribal rite of passage as she swam the River Thames in the dark, partied with owners & trainers at Ascot, camped out for Wimbledon, joined Irish Travellers at The Derby, infiltrated the parents' stand at the Eton v Harrow cricket match & got caught using a mobile in the Stewards' Enclosure at Henley. En route she found a fascinating & surprisingly complex social structure dating back to the time of the Stuart monarchs & involving fashion, food, art & the marriage market. The English summer will never be the same again. ...

When travel journalist Sophie Campbell squeezed into heels & a hat to investigate the English social season, she got more than she bargained for. Why, she wondered, were events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Derby at Epsom, Royal Ascot, the Henley Royal Regatta, Wimbledon Fortnight & Glorious Goodwood so formal, so fashionable & so famous? Her hectic & sometimes hilarious journey through the English summer proved as exotic as any tribal rite of passage as she swam the River Thames in the dark, partied with owners & trainers at Ascot, camped out for Wimbledon, joined Irish Travellers at The Derby, infiltrated the parents` stand at the Eton v Harrow cricket match & got caught using a mobile in the Stewards` Enclosure at Henley. En route she found a fascinating & surprisingly complex social structure dating back to the time of the Stuart monarchs & involving fashion, food, art & the marriage market. The English summer will never be the same again. ...

” For millennia, the passing seasons & their rhythms have marked our progress through the year. But what do they mean to us now that we lead increasingly atomised & urban lives & our weather becomes ever more unpredictable or extreme? In this splendidly rich & lyrical celebration of the English seasons, Nick Groom investigates the trove of strange folklore & often stranger fact they have accumulated over the centuries & shows how tradition & our links with nature still have a vital role to play in all our lives.” ...

Written for dinghy sailors, windsurfers, motor boaters, jet skiers & yacht sailors, whether prospective or practising, The Seaway Code sets out the technicalities of sailing & driving a craft, & a grounding in safety measures, custom & practice, legal requirements & weather & water conditions. The book covers the background sailors should be familiar with before they venture out onto the water & ties in with the seamanship aspects of basic training contained in the courses provided by the Royal Yachting Association. It is designed to be accessible to teenage readers as well as adults. ...