THE SURFACING is set largely on board a ship in the 1850s, searching for Franklin`s lost expedition. It`s a challenging & dangerous endeavour in a very male world
- that is until Morgan, the second-in-command of the Impetus, realises there is a pregnant stowaway on board & that he is the father. It is too late to turn back, the ice is closing in, & the child will have to be born into the vast & icy wilderness of the Arctic. The men, especially the ship`s doctor, De Haven, & the second in comm&, Lieutenant Morgan, have doubts about the judgement of their captain, & soon their own vessel becomes trapped in the remote Arctic. THE SURFACING is in places quite literally breathtaking. It is a powerful novel of isolation & impasse, resilience & resistance, exploring the battle between man & an unforgiving environment, & the struggle between the sexes. The power of ambition, what drives human beings to take outrageous physical risks, the nature of courage, & of love
- in an unforgettable setting, often bleak, sometimes beautiful, always conveyed in brilliant, keenly pared prose. And in addition to Kitty & Morgan & the rest of the crew, the ice itself forms an extraordinary character in its own right
- sometimes shifting, sometimes stubborn, mostly treacherous.


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Whether you're a beginner trying to get started or an experienced surfer looking to take it to the next level, The Surfing Handbook gives you the tips you need to maximize your performance on the water, with guidance on training & conditioning, technique & style, safety & etiquette, & gear. Written by veteran pro surfing journalist Ben Marcus, this guide is illustrated with instructional photos & drawings, providing step-by-step instructions, background history
- as well as stories & tips from legendary surfers & teachers
- making this an informative & entertaining guide that will help you to master the waves. About the author Ben Marcus is a stoked surfer who grew up in the waves of Santa Cruz & Malibu. He served 10 years as associate editor of Surfer magazine & is the author of The Surfboard, Surfing & the Meaning of Life & other surf books.

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The Surfing Tribe, by veteran Newquay surfer Roger Mansfield, is the first book to document the rise of surfing in Britain from the 1930s to the modern day. The 208-page hardback, with over 200 classic & iconic photographs, tells the fascinating story of how surfing found its way to the chilly shores of Britain thanks, originally, to a Birmingham dentist & a Newquay ice-cream seller. Way back in the late 1930s Midlands dentist Jimmy Dix was leafing through the Encyclopaedia Britannica when he spied a photo of surfing in Hawaii & felt the urge to give it a go. He obtained a 14-foot wooden surfboard from a surf club in Waikiki, Hawaii, & took it down to Newquay in Cornwall on his annual holiday. There he met a young Newquay ice-cream seller, Pip Staffieri, who built his own wooden board & taught himself to surf. The Surfing Tribe tells how, from these small beginnings, & thanks to dozens of colourful characters, the sport took hold in Jersey, Cornwall & Wales, before spreading along the South Coast & as far as Scotland & the Northeast. Today’s surfers, who rely on high-tech wetsuits & boards, will be awed by stories about the bravery of the early surfers, like the Australian & American lifeguards who paddled out at notorious big-wave spot The Cribbar near Newquay in 1966 without leashes, & just wearing shorts & t-shirts. Foreign travel was also very different in the `60s; the early surf travellers had no guidebooks or internet surf forecasts, they often journeyed to surf breaks in France, Spain & Ireland on little more than a rumour. Written by renowned surf historian Roger Mansfield, The Surfing Tribe features all the characters who made the sport what it is today, including former World Junior Champion Rod Sumpter, as well as ‘ Tigger’ Newling, Pete Jones, Linda Sharp, Nigel Veitch, Tim Heyl&, Nigel Semmens & Carwyn Williams. The book also charts the evolution of British surfboards, & looks back at the films & magazines that have portrayed the British scene over the decades. ...

This collection of 20 tried-&-tested circular walks has been written specifically for dogs & their owners, allowing for maximum off-lead time. These routes, covering every corner of the Surrey Hills, will allow you to explore somewhere new, safe in the knowledge that the surroundings will be suitable for your dog. The hills stretch from the county border with Kent almost to Hampshire & were officially designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1958. Explore Leith Hill, Box Hill & the Devil`s Punch Bowl as well as the extensive footpaths & tracks including the famous North Downs Way, Greensand Way & the ancient Pilgrims Way. There are many open commons & rolling hillsides, dotted with rural pubs, market towns & villages, rich in wildlife & woodl&, making the Surrey Hills an ideal place to walk your dog. All the walks include details of:* Distance & terrain* Details of livestock & stiles* Recommended dog-friendly pubs & cafes* Numbered route directions* Points of interest along the way* Contact details for the nearest vets David & Hilary Staines are the authors of many popular dog walking guides, including Kent: A Dog Walker`s Guide & East Sussex: A Dog Walker`s Guide. ...

Survive anything life throws at you with The Survival Handbook. Served in a handy mess tin, The Survival Book is the ultimate visual guide to camping, wilderness, & outdoor survival skills. Written by Colin Towell, an ex-SAS Combat Survival Instructor, The Survival Handbook is bursting with survival tips, manual skills, camping essentials, & advice on how to survive whatever the great outdoors throws at you. Learn how to read a map, how to light a fire, & how to build a raft & be prepared for every outdoor situation. Catch your own dinner & cook it in the mess tin, revel in inspirational real-life survival stories, or serve The Survival Handbook up as a truly unique gift. From survival basics such as finding water & catching fish, to extreme situations including being adrift at sea or lost in the jungle, The Survival Handbook will steer you through life`s toughest adventures in the world`s harshest climates. ...

Every year, more than 40, 000 people climb Mount Kilimanjaro & millions head for the great outdoors every weekend. If you are one of them, would you know what to do if you got stranded or hurt?THE SURVIVAL MANUAL gives essential, practical advice for handling situations that weren`t part of the plan & can quickly escalate. It starts with ten life-saving tips then outlines the crucial components for staying alive, starting with water, food & shelter. Covering every possible scenario, from basic survival skills to advanced insight into surviving in hostile conditions, this is the ultimate survival guide for anyone who spends any time outdoors. ...

Beautifully presented in a large, hardback format, & fully illustrated in colour throughout, this wonderful anthology is a treat for all the family. Be shocked & amazed by these incredible real-life stories of extreme survival, including... The Man Who Sucked Blood from a Shark, a sailor who survived for 133 days on a raft in the Atlantic when his ship was torpedoed, using shark`s blood in place of fresh water. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, a teenager who fell 2 miles from an aeroplane & trekked through the Amazon jungle to safety. The Woman Who Froze to Death
- Yet Lived, a woman who was trapped under freezing water for so long her heart stopped. Four hours later, medics managed to warm her blood enough to revive her. Combining classic tales such as Ernest Shackleton`s Antarctic voyage, as well as more modern exploits such as the adventurer who inspired the movie 127 Hours, these astonishing stories will be retold by young readers to all of their friends.
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You`ll tell her your darkest secrets Susan Svendsen has an unusual talent. She is an expert in finding out secrets. People feel compelled to confide in her & unwittingly confess their innermost thoughts. Her whole life, she has exploited this talent, but now her family is in jeopardy & there is a prison sentence hanging over her head. Then Susan gets a timely offer from a former government official: use her power one more time & have all charges dropped. But there are some powerful people determined to stop her. ...

A beautiful new limited edition paperback of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, published as part of the Bloomsbury Modern Classics ...

` Already it looked as if the police were up against a carefully planned & cleverly executed murder, &, what was more, a murder without a corpse!` Two brothers, John & William Rother, live together at Chalklands Farm in the beautiful Sussex Downs. Their peaceful rural life is shattered when John Rother disappears & his abandoned car is found. Has he been kidnapped? Or is his disappearance more sinister
- connected, perhaps, to his growing rather too friendly with his brother`s wife? Superintendent Meredith is called to investigate
- & begins to suspect the worst when human bones are discovered on Chalklands farml&. His patient, careful detective method begins slowly to untangle the clues as suspicion shifts from one character to the next. This classic detective novel from the 1930s is now republished for the first time, with an introduction by the award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards.

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