In The Wild Places, Robert Macfarlane embarks on a series of beautifully described journeys in the remaining wildernesses of Britain & Irel&. The result is both an intellectual & a physical journey, with the author travelling in time as well as space. Guided by monks, questers, scientists, philosophers, poets & artists, both living & dead, he explores our changing ideas of the wild. From the cliffs of Cape Wrath, to the holloways of Dorset, the storm-beaches of Norfolk, the saltmarshes & estuaries of Essex, & the moors of Rannoch & the Pennines, his journeys become the conductors of people & cultures, past & present, who have had intense relationships with these places. His journeys take him through some of the most remarkable landscapes of the British Isles. He climbs, walks & swims through these places in rainstorm, sunshine & blizzard, by darkness & by day. He spends nights sleeping out on cliff-tops & remote beaches, deep in snowy woods, on pilgrim islands, mountain summits, & ancient meadows. He bathes in phosphorescent seas, walks frozen rivers at night, & watches a red sun rise over Arctic Engl&. Certain birds, animals, trees & objects
- snow-hares, falcons, beeches, crows, suns, white stones
- recur, & as it progresses this densely patterned book begins to bind tighter & tighter. At once a wonder voyage, an adventure story, an exercise in visionary cartography, & a work of natural history, ” The Wild Places” is written in a style & a form as unusual as the places with which it is concerned. It also tells the story of a friendship, & of a loss. It mixes history, memory & landscape in a strange & beautiful evocation of wildness & its vital importance. In the course of his journeys, Macfarlane’s own understanding of wildness undergoes a transformation. This is Macfarlane’s second book, following his prize-winning debut ” Mountains of the Mind”. He has established himself as a writer of both lyrical elegance & precision; he has also acquired a reputation as a passionate & acute observer of the natural world.

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` An engaging tale that explores many important themes. We can only hope that Roz serves as the template for all future robots. Peter Brown`s illustrations are as marvellous as ever!` Coralie Bickford-Smith, author of THE FOX & THE STARWhen robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild isl&. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is
- but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a fierce storm & escaping a vicious bear attack, she realises that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings & learn from the island`s unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home
- until, one day, her mysterious past comes back to haunt her. From bestselling & award-winning author & illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming & action-packed novel about what happens when nature & technology collide. By turns funny, moving, surprising & dramatic, this is a novel that is as thought-provoking as it is enchanting.

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` An Iron Man style fable for our age` Piers Torday on THE WILD ROBOTThe sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Wild Robot, by award-winning author Peter Brown Roz is no ordinary robot. After being washed up on the shore of a remote & wild isl&, she learned to adapt & make it her home, befriend its animal inhabitants & even adopt a small orphaned gosling, Brightbill. But a new life is now beginning for Roz
- she has been taken away, far away from her isl&, back to civilisation. Where she must pretend that she is a robot like any other
- there to follow orders & to carry out tasks on the farm where she now works. She knows she must never let anyone find out who she really is. & more than anything, she must find a way to escape, back to the island & her beloved Brightbill
- a journey that will be fraught with danger & drama, & some very unexpected surprises.. .


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Mike Parker's The Wild Rover is an intelligent & witty exploration of a glorious & passionate British subject
- footpaths & our
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Mike Parker, bestselling author of Map Addict, is back with a very full, intelligent & witty exploration into a glorious & passionate British subject
- footpaths & the history of land ownership. Mike discovers how these paths have become part of our cultural landscape & why, at the tender age of 44, he suddenly finds himself at a crossroads. Provocative, funny & personal, this book celebrates Britain`s unique & extraordinary network of footpaths. It examines their chequered & surprisingly turbulent history, from the Enclosures Acts of the eighteenth century to the 1932 Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout in Derbyshire; & from the hard-won post-war establishment of great National Trails like the Pennine Way to the dramatic latter-day battles by the likes of Nicholas van Hoogstraten & Madonna to keep ramblers off their l&. The story ranges far & wide, to all corners of the country & beyond, & is filled with the many characters that Mike engages with along the way
- the poets & artists, farmers & ramblers, landowners & Rights of Way officers & campaigners, historians, archivists & anyone else who crosses his path (or even tries to block it).

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The key missing piece of Jon Krakauer`s multi million, multi territory bestseller & widely acclaimed Sean Penn film Into the Wild is finally revealed by his best friend & sister, Carine. The story of Chris Mc Candless, who gave away his savings, hitchhiked to Alaska, walked into the wilderness alone, & starved to death in 1992, fascinated not just New York Times bestselling author Jon Krakauer, but the rest of the nation too. Krakauer`s book & a Sean Penn film skyrocketed Chris Mc Candless to worldwide fame, but the real story of his life & his journey has not yet been told
- until now. Carine Mc Candless, Chris`s sister, featured in both the book & film, was the person with whom he had the closest bond, & who witnessed firsthand the dysfunctional & violent family dynamic that made Chris willing to embrace the harsh wilderness of Alaska. Growing up in the same troubled & volatile household that sent Chris on his fatal journey into the wild, Carine finally reveals the broader & deeper reality about life in the Mc Candless family. For decades, Carine & Chris`s parents, a successful aerospace engineer & his beautiful wife, raised their children in the tony suburbs of Northern Virginia. But behind closed doors, her father beat & choked her mother. He whipped Carine & Chris with his belt. He cursed them, belittled their accomplishments, & told them they were nothing without him. Carine & Chris hid under the stairs, hoping to avoid his wrath. They were teenagers before they learned they were conceived while their father was still married & having babies with his first wife, who finally summoned the courage to leave him after he broke her back in a fight. In the 20-plus years since the tragedy of Chris`s death, she has searched for some kind of redemption. But in this touching & deeply personal memoir, she reveals how she has learned that real redemption can only come from speaking the truth. Finally, she has found the truth not just in her brother`s story, but also her own.
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This is a new addition to the popular ” True Stories” series. It contains thrilling stories of heroism, bravery & battling the odds to provide young readers with a truly compelling read. It also contains maps, line drawings & notes on sources & further reading. It is perfect for fact-fans & reluctant readers, a must-have series during the 2008 Year of Reading. ...

Beginning with the promise of Manifest Destiny, buckskin adventurers opened the American frontier to a steady stream of settlers. The lure of land rich in minerals, fertile for farming & grazing, & plentiful with buffalo bred an all-out obsession with heading westward. The Wild West: 365 Days takes the reader back to these booming frontier towns that became the stuff of American legend, breeding characters such as Billy the Kid & Jesse James who were worshipped as well as feared. Author Michael Wallis spins a colourful narrative, separating myth from fact, in 365 vignettes. The reader will learn the stories of Davy Crockett, Wild Bill Hickok, & Annie Oakley; travel to the OK Corral & Dodge City; ride with the Pony Express; & witness the invention of the Colt revolver. ...

Put on your spurs, fill your pockets with gold dust & ammunition, & plan your trip back in time to America`s legendary frontier in 1880. The newest book in Thames & Hudson`s bestselling ” Time Travel Series” shows the reader what it was really like in everybody`s favourite film landscape: the American Wild West in the days of Jesse James & Dodge City. Drawing on contemporary newspapers & travel memoirs, Joan Tapper offers advice on the cleanest boarding houses & filthiest saloons, what to eat, what to wear, who to meet & who to avoid & how to get out of Dodge in a hurry if you fail to spot the difference. From navigating the new railroads to avoiding calamity when you finally meet Calamity Jane, this entertaining guide belongs in the holster of every time-travelling tourist. ...

Adventures, games & crafts to get you outdoors all the year round. Playing outdoors should be an essential part of growing up; developing your imagination, keeping fit & letting the wild world weave its magic spell on you. In The Wild Year Book, Fiona & Jo have selected 70 of their favourite activities to help you enjoy spending time outdoors, season by season. Perhaps you`ll want to play camouflage games in Spring & make enormous bubbles in the summer, challenge your friends to a foraging bake-off in the autumn, or create ice mobiles in the winter. With this book you will never be short of inspiration! Over 100, 000 copies sold of Fiona & Jo`s Going Wild series. ...