` Magic that takes you out, far out, of this time & this world`
- George Bernard Shaw, after a visit to Skellig. This is the
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The Sketchbook Project is a crowd-sourced library of over 30, 000 sketchbooks (and counting) submitted by people of all ages & backgrounds from all over the world. Organised continent by continent & featuring work from 135 different countries, The Sketch Book Project World Tour will showcase the best & brightest work from hundreds of artists. Along with introductions to each continent section, mini-bios will accompany each artist`s work to provide context to the art. Page by page, the Sketchbook Project World Tour will reveal a unique & intimate look into the inner-creative workings of everyday people around the globe. The Sketchbook Project World Tour`s publication will coincide with the launch of the Sketchbook Project`s 2015 Summer Tour across America. Potential foreword by This is Colossal`s founder & editorial director, Christopher Jobson. ...

Have you ever looked up & wondered what`s going on high up in the skies above your eyes? Take a journey up into the air, through the atmosphere, way out into space, & back down to Earth in this richly illustrated concertina book. Zoom past the technology that fills our skies, from helicopters, fighter jets, weather balloons, to satellites, hang-gliders & hot-air balloons. Discover the insects & animals that whizz through the skies, explore the layers of the atmosphere, & travel through the solar system & out to the galaxies far beyond. The follow up to The Street Beneath My Feet, which dug down to the centre of the Earth, this expansive concertina book opens out to an impressive 2.5 metres, perfect for inquisitive young minds. ...

” It is a shameful thing to win a war.” The reliably unorthodox Curzio Malaparte`s own service as an Italian liaison officer with the Allies during the invasion of Italy was the basis for this searing & surreal novel, in which the contradictions inherent in any attempt to simultaneously conquer & liberate a people beset the triumphant but ingenuous American forces as they make their way up the peninsula. Malaparte`s account begins in occupied Naples, where veterans of the disbanded & humiliated Italian army beg for work, & ceremonial dinners for high Allied officers or important politicians feature the last remaining sea creatures in the city`s famous aquarium. He leads the American Fifth Army along the Via Appia Antica into Rome, where the celebrations of a vast, joy-maddened crowd are only temporarily interrupted when one well-wisher slips beneath the tread of a Sherman tank. As the Allied advance continues north to Florence & Milan, the civil war intensifies, provoking in the author equal abhorrence for killing fellow Italians & for the ”heroes of tomorrow, ” those who will come out of hiding to shout ” Long live liberty” as soon as the Germans are chased away. Like Celine, another anarchic satirist & disillusioned veteran of two world wars, Malaparte paints his compatriots as in a fun-house mirror that yet speaks the truth, creating terrifying, grotesque, & often darkly comic scenes that will not soon be forgotten. Unlike the French writer however, he does so in the characteristically sophisticated, lush, yet unsentimental prose that was as responsible for his fame as was his surprising political trajectory. The Skin was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, & placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. ...

The explosive story of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal & the new spy war between the West & Russia, based on hours of exclusive interviews Skripal gave before his near-death with number one bestselling author Mark Urban, diplomatic & defence editor for BBC Newsnight.` With regard to traitors, they will kick the bucket on their own, I assure you... Whatever thirty pieces of silver those people may have gotten, they will stick in their throat.` Vladimir Putin, 20104 March 2018, Salisbury, Engl&. Sergei Skripal & his daughter Yulia were enjoying a rare & peaceful Sunday spent together, completely unaware that they had been poisoned with the deadly nerve agent Novichok. Hours later both were found slumped on a park bench close to death. Following their attempted murders on British soil, Russia was publicly accused by the West of carrying out the attack, marking a new low for international relations between the two since the end of the Cold War. The Skripal Files is the definitive account of how Skripal`s story fits into the wider context of the new spy war between Russia & the West. The book explores the time Skripal spent as a spy in the Russian military intelligence, how he was turned to work as an agent by MI6, his imprisonment in Russia & his eventual release as part of a spy-swap that would bring him to Salisbury where, on that fateful day, he & his daughter found themselves fighting for their lives. ...

The sky is a never-ending source of inspiration for artists, poets, & anyone who has found peace in contemplating clouds or a colourful sunset. Whether viewed from below or from above
- with the help of satellite images
- the pictures in this new addition to White Star's popular Cubebooks series convey the many faces of the sky. Colourful images capture the violent force of tempestuous storms as well as the glorious sunrises, sunsets, & northern lights that are reflections of nature's gentler side. Readers view the sky in horizons that frame both the most beautiful natural parks & landscapes in the world & the skylines of the world's most sophisticated cities. Spectacular views of flocks of migratory birds pose a fascinating contrast to images of people flying in extreme sports such as paragliding, sky-diving or through the impressive manoeuvres of acrobatic air squads. Throughout the book, insightful captions provide fascinating facts about meteorological phenomena & other heavenly titbits. With its stunning full-page spreads, the Cubebook format is ideal for showcasing sweeping cloud formations, dramatic weather patterns, & vast expanses of deep, pure blue sky. Accessible & delightfully tactile. The Sky Cubebook will appeal to readers of all ages.

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The wellspring of “ The Sky Above, the Kingdom Below” is the remarkable 17th century figure, Thomas Coryate, unofficial jester to the court of King James I, associate of John Donne, Ben Johnson & Inigo Jones, & the original Jacobean grumpy old man. Long forgotten by history at large, he is now regaining well-derserved public recognition as an eccentric wit, an idiosyncratic writer &, above all, a pioneering traveller. He was neither a diplomat nor a merchant & did not live to see any profit from the written records of his travels. In 2004 nearly four hundred years later, Daniel Allen set out on a bicycle to retrace the path of Coryate’s final journey from Turkey to Northern India. It is a journey where everything upon the route has changed & yet somehow remained the same. Amongst the extremities of the terrain, he finds individual instances of generosity & human kindness that reflect back across the centuries to Coryate’s original journey. ...

Celebrating the 55th anniversary of The Sky at Night, this book collects & answers questions sent in by viewers. With sections on the solar system, the bizarre & unexplained, space missions, & more, this is an exciting journey into space for the novice astronomer & the lifelong stargazer alike. Discover how scientists work out the gravity of planets, what the ` Great Attractor` is & the basic principles of space navigation. Learn how to start observing the sky, what event inspired Patrick Moore to take up astronomy, & just how many of his cats are named after celestial bodies. From comets to black holes & Orion to eclipses, The Sky at Night is the ultimate introduction to the wonders & mysteries of the universe. ...

Celebrating the 55th anniversary of The Sky at Night, this book collects & answers questions sent in by viewers. With sections on the solar system, the bizarre & unexplained, space missions, & more, this is an exciting journey into space for the novice astronomer & the lifelong stargazer alike. Discover how scientists work out the gravity of planets, what the ` Great Attractor` is & the basic principles of space navigation. Learn how to start observing the sky, what event inspired Patrick Moore to take up astronomy, & just how many of his cats are named after celestial bodies. From comets to black holes & Orion to eclipses, The Sky at Night is the ultimate introduction to the wonders & mysteries of the universe. ...

The Solar System – so what is it? We`ve all learned the basics at school but how much can you remember? Expert astronomers & co-presenters of The Sky at Night Chris North & Paul Abel take a fascinating guided tour of our Solar System & explain its wonders. They look at all the major players, including our more familiar neighbours – the Sun, the planets & their moons – the occasional visitors to our planet – asteroids, meteors & comets – as well as distant stars & what might be beyond our Solar System – Earth Mark II? Chris & Paul recount the history of how everything came about & the myths that once shaped astronomy. They explain the latest science & discoveries, & reveal how any amateur astronomer can view & interpret the Solar System. ...