The Twelve Poems of Christmas Vol. 1 set from a charming “ Instead of a card” series of pamphlets from Candlestick Press, consisting of an attractively produced booklet with the poems, a bookmark left blank for that special message & an envelope – an imaginative alternative for all who still regard sending a card as a more proper, warm & friendly way of offering greetings for those special occasions. The booklet, with an introduction by Carol Ann Duffy & illustrations by Lizzie Adcock, contains Christmas in Envelopes by U.A. Fanthorpe, A Bell by Clinton Scollard, Carol of the Brown King by Langston Hughes, Christmas by Leigh Hunt, Christmas Sparrow by Billy Collins, untitled (‘little tree’) by E.E. Cummings, Mistletoe by Walter de la Mare, Carol by Pauline Stainer, Christmas Song by Norman Williams, Carol of the Birds by Anne Stevenson, In California During the Gulf War by Denise Levertov, & December by Carol Ann Duffy. To see the list of all the titles in this lovely series please click on the series link. ...

The Twelve Poems of Christmas Vol. 2 set from a charming “ Instead of a card” series of pamphlets from Candlestick Press, consisting of an attractively produced booklet with the poems, a bookmark left blank for that special message & an envelope – an imaginative alternative for all who still regard sending a card as a more proper, warm & friendly way of offering greetings for those special occasions. The booklet, with an introduction by Carol Ann Duffy & illustrations by Lizzie Adcock, contains The Christmas Life by Wendy Cope, A Christmas Childhood by Patrick Kavanagh, Shepherd by Gillian Clarke, Mr & Mrs R & the Christmas Card List by Connie Bensley, Delhi Christmas by Moniza Alvi, Alone over Christmas by Elizabeth Jennings, Karma by Edwin Arlington Robinson, The Oxen by Thomas Hardy, Winter by Walter de la Mare, The Starlight Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Picture of a Nativity by Geoffrey Hill & The Single Bed by Carol Ann Duffy. To see the list of all the titles in this lovely series please click on the series link. ...

The Twelve Poems of Christmas Vol. 3 set from a charming “ Instead of a card” series of pamphlets from Candlestick Pres, consisting of an attractively produced booklet with the poems, a bookmark left blank for that special message & an envelope – an imaginative alternative for all who still regard sending a card as a more proper, warm & friendly way of offering greetings for those special occasions. The booklet, with an introduction by Carol Ann Duffy & illustrations by Lizzie Adcock, contains Christmas Eve by Martin Armstrong, A Possible Prayer On New Year’s Day by Frances Bellerby, The Bee Carol by Carol Ann Duffy, seasonal ghazal by Harry Gilonis, Christmas by Ann Gray, at the shipyard by Martin Hayes, Christmas Cards by Lotte Kramer, Carol by George Mackay Brown, The Christmas Goose by William Mc Gonagall, Winter Festival by Julie O’ Callaghan, Expectans Expectavi by Anne Ridler, & Carol by John Short. To see the list of all the titles in this lovely series please click on the series link. ...

The Twelve Poems of Christmas Vol. 4 set from a charming “ Instead of a card” series of pamphlets from Candlestick Pres, consisting of an attractively produced booklet with the poems, a bookmark left blank for that special message & an envelope – an imaginative alternative for all who still regard sending a card as a more proper, warm & friendly way of offering greetings for those special occasions. The booklet, with an introduction by Carol Ann Duffy & illustrations by Lizzie Adcock contains Among Women by Esther Morgan, Various Portents by Alice Oswald, Camels of the Kings by Leslie Norris, Snow by Louis Mac Neice, The Boy who laughed at Santa Claus by Ogden Nash, December Stillness by Siegfried Sassoon, Year Ending by Caroline Cook, Planting Mistletoe by Ruth Pitter, New Year Behind the Asylum by David Constantine, The Year’s Midnight by Gillian Clarke, Ring out, wild bells by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, & The Mistletoe Bride by Carol Ann Duffy. To see the list of all the titles in this lovely series please click on the series link. ...

The 12 Volt Bible is a complete introduction to the 12-volt electrical systems used on small boats to power everything from reading lights to bilge pumps. Written for boaters who are not skilled electricians, it explains how 12-volt systems work & how to maintain them in a good operating condition, how to recognise an electrical problem, & how to troubleshoot that problem. Each chapter covers a different area of boat electrics including the basic theory of electricity, electrical circuits, the battery, wiring, the controls, transducers, recharging the battery, & troubleshooting. ...

The unforgettable silhouette of Eilean Donan Castle at the confluence of three sea lochs in the Highlands, seen against the majestic backdrop of the mountains of Kintail, is an iconic image of Scotland & of Scottish history that adorns calendars, shortbread tins & whisky bottles worldwide. Not many people realise that the castle was only built in 1932. Along with Lutyens`s slightly better known Lindisfarne of 1906, & Castle Drogo of 1930, it represents the astonishing survival of a nostalgia for the middle ages well into our own lifetimes. This book is the first to investigate & illustrate the phenomenon. These castles were not only (relatively) modest country houses in remote & rugged areas, but some were also colossal & fabulously expensive re-creations of complete medieval complexes like Herstmonceux, Leeds, Hever, Saltwood & Allington in Kent & Sussex, specifically chosen for their proximity & ease of commuting access to London. And beyond the conventional extravagance of the millionaire (often spending the money of his American wife) there were the demented fantasies of the likes of William Randolph Hearst whose St Donat`s in Wales boasted thirty bathrooms & a swimming pool with underwater lighting, & Gordon Selfridge`s Hengistbury with its proposed 300 bedroom suites & a tower as high as St Paul`s. Amid all these extraordinary fantasies, & the almost equally extraordinary stories associated with them, however, is a more serious narrative about the conservation & restoration of historic monuments. &, at the end of the twentieth century, when the conservation battles have been more or less resolved, again there is an almost incredible resurgence of neo-medievalism with br&-new castles being built in Engl&, Scotland & Wales, often against substantial opposition, but undoubtedly resulting in remarkable & impressive structures. This book tells their story. ...

Today, Spain is a modern society with an important profile in the European Union. This image contrasts strikingly with the reality of Spain one hundred years ago. After the loss of almost all her overseas empire in 1898, Spain faced the new century handicapped by her international isolation, backward economy & a stagnant & elitist political system. This text tells the story of this country`s long & often painful struggle towards modernity. During this period, Spain has seen two monarchies, one republic, two dictatorships & one of the bloodiest civil wars in Europe`s recent history. ...

When Robyn Scott was six years old her parents abruptly exchanged the tranquil pastures of New Zealand for a converted cowshed in the wilds of Botswana. Once there, Robyn & her siblings, mostly left to amuse themselves, grew up collecting snakes, canoeing with crocodiles & breaking in horses in the veld. In the shadow of one of Africa`s worst AIDS crises, this moving, enchanting memoir is an extraordinary portrait of an unforgettable childhood. ...

The Chilean Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was probably the greatest & certainly the most prolific of twentieth-century Latin American poets. He brought out his first collection at the age of seventeen, & quickly developed an assured & distinctive poetic voice. His third book, Veinte Poemas de Amor y una Cancion Desesperada
- Twenty Love Poems & a Song of Despair- was published in 1924 & attracted international acclaim. It remains one of the most celebrated & admired books of erotic poetry published in the last hundred years, with over a million copies sold worldwide. Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1971.
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These 20 original walks have been designed by Sussex walk expert Pat Bowen to let readers experience every aspect of the rich Sussex landscape, from coast to high heathl&, & on the way entertain you with historical tidbits, anecdotes, nature notes, folk stories, & the kind of insider knowledge that only locals have. ...