A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARA collection of seventeen wonderful short stories showing that two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is as talented a writer as he is an actor. A hectic, funny sexual affair between two best friends. A World War II veteran dealing with his emotional & physical scars. A second-rate actor plunged into sudden stardom & a whirlwind press junket. A small-town newspaper columnist with old-fashioned views of the modern world. A woman adjusting to life in a new neighborhood after her divorce. Four friends going to the moon & back in a rocket ship constructed in the backyard. A teenage surfer stumbling into his father’s secret life. These are just some of the people & situations that Tom Hanks explores in his first work of fiction, a collection of stories that dissects, with great affection, humour & insight, the human condition & all its foibles. The stories are linked by one thing: in each of them, a typewriter plays a part, sometimes minor, sometimes central. To many, typewriters represent a level of craftsmanship, beauty & individuality that is harder & harder to find in the modern world. In his stories, Mr Hanks gracefully reaches that typewriter-worthy level. Known for his honesty & sensitivity as an actor, Mr Hanks brings both those characteristics to his writing. Alternatingly whimsical, moving & occasionally melancholy, Uncommon Type is a book that will delight as well as surprise his millions of fans. It also establishes him as a welcome & wonderful new voice in contemporary fiction, a voice that perceptively delves beneath the surface of friendships, families, love & normal, everyday behaviour. ...

A collection of seventeen wonderful short stories showing that two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is as talented a writer as he is an actor. A hectic, funny sexual affair between two best friends. A World War II veteran dealing with his emotional & physical scars. A second-rate actor plunged into sudden stardom & a whirlwind press junket. A small-town newspaper columnist with old-fashioned views of the modern world. A woman adjusting to life in a new neighborhood after her divorce. Four friends going to the moon & back in a rocket ship constructed in the backyard. A teenage surfer stumbling into his father`s secret life. These are just some of the people & situations that Tom Hanks explores in his first work of fiction, a collection of stories that dissects, with great affection, humour & insight, the human condition & all its foibles. The stories are linked by one thing: in each of them, a typewriter plays a part, sometimes minor, sometimes central. To many, typewriters represent a level of craftsmanship, beauty & individuality that is harder & harder to find in the modern world. In his stories, Mr Hanks gracefully reaches that typewriter-worthy level. Known for his honesty & sensitivity as an actor, Mr Hanks brings both those characteristics to his writing. Alternatingly whimsical, moving & occasionally melancholy, Uncommon Type is a book that will delight as well as surprise his millions of fans. It also establishes him as a welcome & wonderful new voice in contemporary fiction, a voice that perceptively delves beneath the surface of friendships, families, love & normal, everyday behaviour. ...

Uncommon nurtures variety of expression through close collaboration with the editors-at-large, via a centralised editorial team. Each destination is approached with attention to detail & respect for the local customs & social structure. Uncommon seeks to remain local in a global environment, working as much as possible with local editors, contributors, publishers, printers, distributors & marketing companies in each destination, who come together globally on the Uncommon digital platform. Unique to Uncommon is the appeal to both resident & visitor, as well as to those who may never visit the destination. Unlike other formulaic travel guides that offer standard instruction to `places of interest`, Uncommon sets off where others end their journey. We do not propose to offer systematic checklists of `secret` or `underground`. Uncommon is not exhaustive & has within its breadth all aspects of the locality in question, not through impersonal, dry jargon, but rather through personal, evocative, distinct & well-informed voices. Text & image combine to reveal the codes & constructs of a place, & to celebrate & revere the particular. Subsequently, Uncommon compels you to find your own path & tell your own story. In book format we experience an intimate meeting with a gathering of people, summoned to perform the same task
- that of sharing stories of place & providing direction through text, photography, illustration & mapping. This A5 companion is intended to be an object of aesthetic appeal & to become part of one`s library. It is easy to carry on your journey, & may be picked up over & over again, referenced & revisited, just as we do with our most treasured neighbourhoods & destinations. The people selected are connected to their society, may have a Facebook page or similar form of social media & digital representation, belong to a professional strata & be actively involved in their community. The tone of the contributions will not be a pose for the camera, but rather what we do in our off time, & how we connect to what we are passionate about. We are not promoting a superficial lifestyle that is impossible to sustain, but rather a gentle meander through a neighbourhood with reward. Timeless & far-reaching in its appeal, Uncommon is a journey we never stop taking.
...

Map No. 147, covering the northern part of the Uncompahgre Plateau in Colorado at 1:63, 360 in an extensive series of GPS compatible, contoured hiking maps of USA’s national & state parks or forests & other popular recreational areas. Cartography based on the national topographic survey, with additional tourist information. The maps, with most titles now printed on light, waterproof & tear-resistant plastic paper, highlight walking trails along with campsites & other accommodation, picnic sites, areas for various recreational pursuits such as horse riding or skiing, drinking water sources, & many other facilities of interest to the outdoor enthusiast. Cartography is based on information from the USGS (United States Geological Survey
- the country’s national survey organization), revised by the National Geographic Maps in cooperation with the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, etc. Topography is excellently presented by contours (interval varies according to scale), enhanced by relief shading & colouring/graphics for wood cover, glaciers, etc. All heights are given in feet. The maps have a UTM grid plus latitude & longitude margin ticks & GPS waypoints for selected important locations. Each map is double-sided to give either maximum coverage of the chosen area or additional enlargements of its important sections. Accompanying notes provide useful information on relevant regulations, safety precautions, contact addresses, etc.IMPORTANT
- PLEASE NOTE: the series is very extensive, ranging in scale from 1:400, 000 for the vast national parks of Alaska to 1:25, 000 for local map in several states. We recommend, therefore, viewing the series by state rather than the whole list.

...

Map No. 146, covering the southern part of the Uncompahgre Plateau in Colorado at 1:63, 360 in an extensive series of GPS compatible, contoured hiking maps of USA’s national & state parks or forests & other popular recreational areas. Cartography based on the national topographic survey, with additional tourist information. The maps, with most titles now printed on light, waterproof & tear-resistant plastic paper, highlight walking trails along with campsites & other accommodation, picnic sites, areas for various recreational pursuits such as horse riding or skiing, drinking water sources, & many other facilities of interest to the outdoor enthusiast. Cartography is based on information from the USGS (United States Geological Survey
- the country’s national survey organization), revised by the National Geographic Maps in cooperation with the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, etc. Topography is excellently presented by contours (interval varies according to scale), enhanced by relief shading & colouring/graphics for wood cover, glaciers, etc. All heights are given in feet. The maps have a UTM grid plus latitude & longitude margin ticks & GPS waypoints for selected important locations. Each map is double-sided to give either maximum coverage of the chosen area or additional enlargements of its important sections. Accompanying notes provide useful information on relevant regulations, safety precautions, contact addresses, etc.IMPORTANT
- PLEASE NOTE: the series is very extensive, ranging in scale from 1:400, 000 for the vast national parks of Alaska to 1:25, 000 for local map in several states. We recommend, therefore, viewing the series by state rather than the whole list.

...

William Charles Scully was Irish-born & largely self-educated. As his Unconventional Reminiscences describes, at fourteen he set off for South Africa's diamond fields to find his fortune & during the 1870s lived as a digger panning for gold. For the rest of the nineteenth century he worked as a magistrate in remote areas of Namaqualand & the Transkei, which he introduced to the world's literary map. ...

The crimes of Jack the Ripper have gone down in history as some of the most brutal & violent ever committed. These horrendous acts of serial murder confounded the police at the time, & the mystery of the Ripper`s identity remains unsolved to this day. In addition to the sense of fear & panic the murders brought to the London streets of the late 1880s, they also shed a harsh light on the impoverished & dangerous conditions of the East End & brought numerous tensions to boiling point. In this new edition, the book examines the wider context of the murders, taking into account the social conditions against which they were committed, the animosity between police & press, the instances of anti-Semitism & the physical geography of the area now & then. Providing detailed analysis of the attacks & the investigation, the book also considers acts committed before & after that could also have been the work of the same person. Featuring previously unpublished documents & photographs, this book is a must for all Jack the Ripper enthusiasts. It is perfect for all those Ripperologists out there or those with an interest in area of True Crime or Victorian history. It is also the perfect book for any of the many thousands of people who visit the scene of the crime on organised walks each year. ...

Many of us have dreamed about upping sticks, leaving the humdrum of urban living for a new life of blue skies, warm sunshine & sparkling seas. For Anthony & Ivana Stancomb, moving from Fulham to Vis was an easy decision. But fitting in with the locals was one of the hardest things they have ever had to do. Under a Croatian Sun takes the reader on a journey from Grey Britain to a ramshackle village in Croatia
- a village proudly defined by its tragic history, its unique cafe culture, its fishing industry & its potent alcohol. Faced with a language barrier & not the friendliest of locals, little by little our undaunted couple become islanders in their own right, & melt a few hearts in the process. With the Adriatic Sea as a backdrop, we trace their transformation from foreigners to friends, taking in their adventures on the water, fierce grandmothers, star-cross`d lovers & the establishment of the island`s first ever cricket team. This heartwarming accounts of following your heart & not your head, shows how, with a bit of courage & an open mind, home is wherever you make it.
...

The daughter of prosperous Jews, Heda Kovaly found her world turned upside down with the German annexation of Czechoslovakia. Deported to Lodz Ghetto in 1941 & then to Auschwitz, where her parents were murdered, in 1944, Kovaly made a miraculous escape from a column of prisoners being marched to Bergen-Belsen in early 1945. On reuniting with her husband in Prague after the war, things started to look more hopeful. Rudolf Margolius became a deputy minister of foreign trade. But in 1952 he & 13 other government officials were tried & 11 of those hanged in one of the era`s most notorious show trials. Heda Kovaly & her four year old son were hounded by the state & shunned by society. In this powerful & moving memoir, Kovaly describes her imprisonment by the Nazis during WWII & her persecution by the Communists in the 1950s
- a classic account of life under totalitarianism.
...

` All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, & to, & why.` Rick Stein`s childhood in 1950s rural Oxfordshire & North Cornwall was idyllic. His parents were charming & gregarious, their five children much-loved & given freedom typical of the time. As he grew older, the holidays were filled with loud & lively parties in his parents` Cornish barn. But ever-present was the unpredicatible mood of his bipolar father, with Rick frequently the focus of his anger & sadness. When Rick was 18 his father killed himself. Emotionally adrift, Rick left for Australia, carrying a suitcase stamped with his father`s initials. Manual labour in the outback followed by adventures in America & Mexico toughened up the naive public schoolboy, but at heart he was still lost & unsure what to do with his life. Eventually, Cornwall called him home. From the entrepreneurial days of his mobile disco, the violet Tiger, to his first, unlikely unlikely nightclub where much of the time was spent breaking up drink-fuelled fights, Rick charts his personal journey in a way that is both wry & perceptive; engaging & witty. ...