The biggest, most comprehensive, reference guide to the waves on ” Planet Surf” The World Stormrider Surf Guide explores every dynamic surf zone known to man, from world-famous beaches to obscure reefs on the fringes of the known surf world. With completely revised & updated text, as well as painstakingly researched maps, this mammoth book is the largest collection of surf-spot information ever compiled. Each zone

Includes:: detailed analysis of the surf spots & swell forecasting, plus the lowdown on when to go, weather, accommodations, food, culture, hazards, the local scene & much more. A unique set of symbols & statistics make vital surf information instantly accessible. As an added bonus, The World Stormrider Surf Guide

Includes:: a global gallery of professional surf photographs. With over 260 detailed maps & 600 superb photos, this mammoth book is an essential tool & the ultimate surf travel resource for all globe-trotting waveriders.



...

The world boasts myriad teas, most of them lying undiscovered by Western cultures still rooted in the view that tea comes from a tissue bag at breakfast or 4pm. The World Tea Encyclopedia aims to shed light on this wealth of variety & to debunk the snobbishness & doctrine that can scare off newcomers from the joys of tea connoisseurship. For almost 20 years, Will Battle has been tasting teas & creating blends for tea lovers all over the world. He has lived & worked alongside tea producers in Asia & Africa, visiting hundreds of tea gardens & gaining unparalleled expertise in the process. Here, he gives an in-depth look at the wealth of teas on offer to everyone who loves to steep, infuse & brew. Through intuitive categorisation by taste, the book will help enthusiasts navigate the sometimes complex world of tea terminology to find a tea that suits them. It will educate, inspire & feed a new world of tea-drinking enjoyment & opportunity. The knowledge to upgrade the tea bag, to know what to seek online, to brave a journey to the local tea shop, to submit to curiosity & jump into a world of discovery, or better still: to visit the countries & people that lovingly produce it... The World Tea Encyclopedia lifts the lid off the teapot & allows readers to peer inside. Containing beautiful images, the most detailed maps yet created for the world of tea, & in-depth exploration of tea-producing countries, it will transports readers into the world of the tea garden, showing them that there is life beyond a discount tea bag. Readers will also find out more about camellia sinensis
- the tea bush & the hero of this book. Will Battle takes a look at the origins in which it grows, the landscapes & climate that influence it & the artisans who craft it
- & how it all comes together to make a delicious cuppa: surely the only drink to enjoy with this delightful, detailed book, perfect for all tea fans & enthusiasts.

...

Across American praries, through Siberian tundra, over Argentinian pampas & deep into the heart of Africa, the modern world began with the arrival of the railway. The shock was both sudden & universal: railways transformed the world, carrying empire, capitalism & industrialization to every corner of the planet. For some, the ` Iron Road` symbolized the brute horrors of modernity; for others the way toward a brighter future. From 1825, when the first passenger service linked Stockton & Darlington to the outbreak of World War I, Nicholas Faith`s book presents a compelling journey through the first century of rail, introducing visionaries, engineers, surveyors, speculators, financiers & navvies
- the heroes & the rogues of the mechanical revolution that turned the world upside down.
...

A fantastic writer
- compassionate, funny & fearless` George Saunders` One of the US`s finest writers` according to Joshua Ferris,
...

Over the past 500 years, the West achieved global dominance, but do Westerners necessarily have better ideas about how to raise children, care for the elderly, or simply live well? In this epic journey into our past, Jared Diamond reveals that traditional societies around the world offer an extraordinary window into how our ancestors lived for the majority of human history
- until virtually yesterday, in evolutionary terms. Drawing on decades of his own fieldwork, Diamond explores how tribal people approach essential human problems, from health & diet to conflict resolution & language, & discovers they have much to teach us.
...

WINNER OF THE VICTORIAN PREMIER`S LITERARY AWARD 2016 SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016 SHORTLISTED FOR THE STELLA PRIZE 2016 SHORTLISTED FOR THE VOSS LITERARY PRIZE 2016 LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2016 LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2017 It has been six months since Tess Muller stopped speaking. Her silence is baffling to her parents, her teachers & her younger sister, Meg. But the more urgent mystery for both girls is where their mother, Evangeline, goes each day, pushing an empty pram. When their father Stefan discovers a car wreck & human remains on their farm, old secrets emerge to threaten the fragile family. A storm is coming & the Mullers are in its path. ...

This exciting book is an essential guide to more than 30 of the world's best journeys for the adventure motorcyclist. The coverage for each route

Includes:: a first-hand account from someone who has made the trip together with comprehensive information on what to expect in terms of riding conditions, the best time to travel, choice of motorcycle, the history of the route, sights along the way, climate information & all kinds of other practical advice, all accompanied by top-class photography & detailed maps. This latest book in Haynes' adventure motorcycling series will both inspire & inform.

...

Award-winning journalist James Fergusson is among the few to have witnessed at first hand the devastating reality of life in the failed & desperate state of Somalia. This corner of the world has long been seen as the rotting & charred heart of Africa: a melting pot of crime, corruption, poverty, famine & civil war. & in recent years, whilst Somalia's lucrative piracy industry has grabbed the headlines, a darker, much deeper threat has come of age: the Al Qaida-linked militants Al Shabaab, & the dawn of a new phase in the global war on terror. Yet, paradoxically, Somalia's star is brightening, as forms of business, law enforcement & local politics begin to establish themselves, & members of the vast Somali diaspora return to their homel&. Fergusson takes us to the heart of the struggle, meeting everyone from politicians, pirates, extremists & mercenaries to aid workers, civilians & refugees. He gives a unique account of a country ravaged by war, considers what the future might hold for a generation who have grown up knowing little else & exposes the reality of life in this hard, often forgotten l&. ...

` He is unlike anybody else writing today.. . After Donald Trump`s election, we urgently need to rediscover the best of radical America. An essential part of that story is Wendell Berry. Few of us can live, or even aspire to, his kind of life. But nobody can risk ignoring him` Andrew Marr` Wendell Berry is the most important writer & thinker that you have (probably) never heard of. He is an American sage` James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd`s Life Wendell Berry is `something of an anachronism`. He began his life as the old times & the last of the old-time people were dying out, & continues to this day in the old ways: a team of work horses & a pencil are his preferred working tools. The writings gathered in The World-Ending Fire are the unique product of a life spent farming the fields of rural Kentucky with mules & horses, & of the rich, intimate knowledge of the land cultivated by this work. These are essays written in defiance of the false call to progress, & in defence of the local landscapes that provide our cultural heritage, our history, our home. In a time when our relationship to the natural world is ruled by the violence & greed of unbridled consumerism, Wendell Berry speaks out to defend the land we live on. With grace & conviction, he shows that we simply cannot afford to succumb to the mass-produced madness that drives our global economy. The natural world will not withstand it. Yet he also shares with us a vision of consolation & of hope. We may be locked in an uneven struggle, but we can & must begin to treat our l&, our neighbours, & ourselves with respect & care. We must, as Berry urges, abandon arrogance & stand in awe. ...

` Wendell Berry is the most important writer & thinker that you have (probably) never heard of. He is an American sage` -James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd`s Life Wendell Berry is `something of an anachronism`. He began his life as the old times & the last of the old-time people were dying out, & continues to this day in the old ways: a team of work horses & a pencil are his preferred working tools. The writings gathered in The World-Ending Fire are the unique product of a life spent farming the fields of rural Kentucky with mules & horses, & of the rich, intimate knowledge of the land cultivated by this work. These are essays written in defiance of the false call to progress, & in defence of the local landscapes that provide our cultural heritage, our history, our home. In a time when our relationship to the natural world is ruled by the violence & greed of unbridled consumerism, Wendell Berry speaks out to defend the land we live on. With grace & conviction, he shows that we simply cannot afford to succumb to the mass-produced madness that drives our global economy. The natural world will not withstand it. Yet he also shares with us a vision of consolation & of hope. We may be locked in an uneven struggle, but we can & must begin to treat our l&, our neighbours, & ourselves with respect & care. We must, as Berry urges, abandon arrogance & stand in awe. ...