China constitutes a fifth of the world`s population. Over the last twenty years its economy has doubled to make it the fifth largest economy in the world; if the pace is repeated over the next twenty it is set to become second only to the US. The speed of its development is stunning, a combination of cheap labour & commitment to science & technology that has never been matched by a developing country. The Pearl River Delta, Shanghai & Beijing have become city-regions whose growth & embrace of modernity strike the visitor with awesome force. This is a continent on the move, recovering the world position & wealth it once had. The re-emergence of China as a superpower constitutes the biggest challenge the world has had for more than a century. Never before in modern times has the financial, trade, economic & diplomatic world pecking order been so profoundly reconstituted with the challenger country itself in the grips of incredible ideological & political change. This is a transition both internally in China & externally in the world beyond beset by hazard & risk. The world`s peace & prosperity depends upon it being executed successfully. ...

Writtenby well know BBC DJ Mike Read Theauthor is Chairman of the British Plaque Trust, the body set up to revive the Blue Plaque scheme Publishedto coincide with the unveiling of the BBC`s plaque to Buddy Holly Major UK publicity & marketing campaign ...

From clay tablets to the printing press. From the pencil to the internet. From the Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter. This is the true story of literature -- of how great texts & technologies have shaped cultures & civilizations & altered human history. The inventions of paper, the printing press & the world wide web are usually considered the major influences on the way we share stories. Less well known is the influence of Greek generals, Japanese court ladies, Spanish adventurers, Malian singers & American astronauts, & yet all of them played a crucial role in shaping & spreading literature as we know it today. The Written World tells the captivating story of the development of literature, where stories intersect with writing technologies like clay, stone, parchment, paper, printing presses & computers. Central to the development of religions, political movements & even nations, texts spread useful truths & frightening disinformation, & have the power to change lives. Through vivid storytelling & across a huge sweep of time, The Written World offers a new & enticing perspective on human history. ...

“ The Wrong Kind of Snow” is the complete daily companion to how the weather made Britain. It is a fact universally acknowledged that the British are obsessed with the weather. This is not surprising as no country in the world has such unpredictable weather, with such power to rule people`s lives. Rain gave us Inspector Morse & the sliding tackle. Fog gave us the Cat’s Eye, Impressionism & chains on front doors. Wind brought a Protestant monarchy. Hail gave us the Norwich Union insurance company. Storms gave us the pencil, the lifeboat, the Norfolk Broads & the first weather forecast. & cold, grey days? Penicillin. In Britain, what isn’t affected by the weather? Since the first chilly Roman sat on Hadrian’s Wall & pulled his socks on before his sandals (yes, they’re the culprits), British life & British weather have been inseparable.* 31 January: The Big Freeze of 1963 brings the FA Cup competition to a halt: every football pitch in Britain is frozen: the third round takes 66 days to complete: the Pools Panel is formed as a result. * 9 February: British Rail blames the ` Wrong Kind of Snow`. It was a journalist`s phrase, but on this day in 1991 it stuck to the beleagured BR like flesh to ice. * 15 July: The exceptionally hot & steamy summer of 1858 caused the Great Stink of London, resulting in the building of London`s sewage system, still in use today. On the same day in 1930, rainfall in Yorkshire was so heavy that the Whitby lifeboat makes a rescue two miles inl&.* 10 September: A violent storm rather than British sea power defeats the Spanish Armada in 1588. Had the weather held & the fleet reached home, it would have been hailed as a Spanish triumph. Four centuries later, bad light & rain stop play at the Oval. This is the story of a people forever caught out in the rain (or by the wrong kind of snow). But it’s also the story of a country that knows how to appreciate a fine day. It’s about an obsession with fresh air
- & the thousands of ways we’ve devised to make the most of it. Because, beneath our restless skies, there’s something only we know: in Britain there’s no such thing as a dull day. An incredibly addicted book, you’ll find yourself coming back to it time & time again.
...

This classic & touching tale by Edward Ardizzone is brought back into print in 2016. One day, Johnny gets out on the wrong side of the bed. His day starts badly & gets worse from there
- until he finds a sixpence & decides to turn things around. This wordless story, told only by Ardizzone`s trademark cross-hatched illustrations, is a heartwarming story about the very familiar feeling of nothing going your way.
...

As a yacht stew for over 20 years, Alene Keenan has traveled the world & served on world-renowned yachts, & has provided yacht owners & charter guests with the most memorable holidays imaginable. Alene shares her unique expertise, practical tips & guidelines, insider knowledge, & accompanies it all with photos, illustrations, checklists, & more. With the same grace & generosity that she has shown through her years of service onboard, this book will teach you how to elevate your hospitality skills & excel on a luxury yacht. ...

Drawn from over 35 years of the author`s own experiences, this book is packed with expert wisdom & h&-holding guidance on every aspect of owning, equipping, maintaining, sailing, & of course, enjoying your first boat. Topics covered include: choice of boat, insurance, assessing (and costing) moorings & berths, navigation & safety equipment, domestic equipment (galley, bedding, clothing, etc), navigation (including in fog), manoeuvring in close spaces, sources of weather information & forecasts, responsibilities towards crew, catering & cooking, maintenance advice (daily tips, winterising, engine servicing, fitting out for spring, etc), paperwork (including customs forms), dealing with emergencies & more. ...

Isle of Mull covers the coasts & islands from Crinan to Fort William & Ardnamurchan as well as Mull, Coll & Tiree. The last of Martin Lawrence's pilots to the west coast of Scotland to be revised & reissued in full colour, the sailing directions & plans have been fully updated & are now illustrated with new colour photographs from sea level & the air. ...

This pilot covers the most remote areas of the west coast of Scotland between Ardnamurchan Point & Cape Wrath & the Island of Skye. Martin Lawrence has completely revised the text & for this edition has added new photographs taken from both the air & sea. The use of full colour throughout the work brings a clarity to the photographs & harbour plans. New photographs have been added to support changes to the text & plans in this 3rd edition. Martin Lawrence has spent many years sailing on the West Coast of Scotland & is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation. He is well known as the author of the Yachtsman`s Pilot series. ” An excellent example of how text, charts & photos can be made to work together to enhance the information available to the navigator. It is also further evidence that this publisher is far ahead of its rivals in presentation of information for the yachtsman”.
- CT, Yachting Monthly ” Yachtsman`s Pilot to Skye & NW Scotland is a revelation in clarity. The layout is excellent with line drawings & chartlets on the same page & often with a photograph making it useful to have on deck when eyeballing. This book is an essential item on any boat ruising north of Ardnamurchan Point”.
- Cruising Association Bulletin

...

Highly acclaimed upon its initial publication, Alaa Al Aswany`s The Yacoubian Building is a mesmerising & controversial novel that is at once an impassioned celebration & a ruthless dissection of a society dominated by bribery & corruption. The Yacoubian Building -once gr&, now dilapidated- stands on one of Cairo`s main boulevards. Taha, the doorman`s son, has aspirations beyond the slum in the skies, & dreams of one day becoming a policeman. He studies hard, & passes all the exams, but when he is rejected because his family is neither rich nor influential, the bitterness sets in. His girlfriend, Busayna, finds herself unable to earn a living without also providing sexual services for the men who hire her. When Taha seeks solace in a student Islamic organisation, the pressure mounts, & he is drawn to actions with devastating consequences. The Yacoubian Building follows Taha`s trajectory from innocence to tragedy. The people whose lives orbit his -- the inhabitants of the building -- are also facing their own difficult choices. From those living in squalid & cramped conditions on the rooftops, to the homosexual editor of Le Caire newspaper & a womanising aristocrat, all of the contradictions in Egyptian society are here. Religious feelings live side by side with promiscuity; bribery & exploitation alternate with moments of joy & elation; modernity clashes with the vision of a more ancient society. Alaa Al Aswany`s mesmerising novel provoked cries of anger & social rebuke when it was published in Egypt. Provoking, controversial or astutely realised, The Yacoubian Building is without doubt an impassioned celebration & a ruthless dissection of a society dominated by bribery & corruption. ...