When is a building just a building & when is it art? This accessible guide cuts through the jargon & clearly explains the essentials of architecture demystifying the incredible ways in which structures & spaces come alive. Youll gain a real appreciation for architecture & the confidence to talk about it even to an architect. It provides just the essential information for readers on the go who want to understand architecture. It covers the highlights of architectural history from the Great Pyramids to Frank Gehrys Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. It explains how to look at a building & appreciate it. It explains when a buildings a building & when its art. Part of Tens

Includes:: Ten Great Architectural Masterpieces Ten Biggest Architectural & Engineering Failures Ten of the Most Interesting Architects Working Today & more.

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The Architecture of Happiness" is Alain de Botton's exploration of the hidden links between buildings & our well being. Bestselling author Alain de Botton has written about love travel status & how philosophy can console us. Now he turns his attention to one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs: with our houses & their furnishings. He asks: What makes a house truly beautiful? Why are many new houses so ugly? Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas & pictures
- & can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved? Will minimalism make us happier than ornaments? To answer these questions & many more de Botton looks at buildings across the world from medieval wooden huts to modern skyscrapers; he examines sofas & cathedrals tea sets & office complexes & teases out a host of often surprising philosophical insights. " The Architecture of Happiness" will take you on a beguiling tour through the history & psychology of architecture & interior design & will forever alter your relationship with buildings. It will change the way you look at your current home
- & help you make the right decisions about your next one. " Engaging & intelligent.. .full of splendid ideas happily & beautifully expressed". (" Independent"). Alain de Botton was born in 1969 & is the author of non-fiction essays on themes ranging from love & travel to architecture & philosophy. His bestselling books include " Essays in Love"; " The Romantic Movement"; " Kiss & Tell"; " Status Anxiety"; " How Proust Can Change Your Life"; " The Pleasures & Sorrows of Work"; " The Art of Travel"; " The Architecture of Happiness" & " Religion for Atheists". He lives in London & founded The School of Life & Living Architecture."

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This guide describes the buildings created for the London 2012 Games including both permanent & temporary structures built for the Olympic Park & venues across the city. Two of Britains most incisive & entertaining writers on contemporary architecture & design Tom Dyckhoff & Claire Barrett examine whats been built who designed the work & how it is set to transform London itself. Considering the human as well as the architectural stories behind the designs they also look at how the programme for the 2012 Games has pioneered a new level of sustainability & explore the lasting legacy of London 2012. ...

Tom must free the magical beasts of Avantia from an evil spell. Armed with a sword & shield from the Wizard Aduro Tom sets off to face Arcta the mountain giant. Can Tom save his land from destruction? Don't miss FERNO THE FIRE DRAGON SEPRON THE SEA SERPENT NANOOK THE SNOW MONSTER TAGUS THE HORSE-MAN EPOS THE FLAME BIRD ...

This is an engaging & beautifully illustrated guide to some of the most exciting wildlife in the world. This enchanting guide to the birds animals & marine life of the Arctic Ocean & its polar fringes is a fascinating & informative read. Visitors to the region can cruise the Arctic coast in the company of blue whales & belugas observe polar bears pursuing barnacle geese & seals & experience a host of shorebirds & wildfowl gorging on the abundant food. Tony Soper's expert knowledge is richly supplemented with full-colour illustrations by award-winning wildlife artist Dan Powell. This revised edition

Includes:: a new section covering the distinct flora & fauna of the Bering Sea an area about to see a significant increase in visitor numbers as a direct result of changes in the ice cover of the Arctic Ocean.

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' Adrift in a savage land of ice & snow'. Hal & Roger Hunt are colder than they've ever been in their lives up among the ice floes of Greenl&. This harsh land holds many dangers from killer whales to grizzly bears but an evil man may turn out to be the deadliest threat the boys have to face. ...

These are the books that show you what others only tell you
- fully revised & updated. DK Eyewitness Arctic & Antarctic" is
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During the last four years of the Second World War the Western Allies secured Russian defences against Germany by supplying vital food & arms. The plight of those in Murmansk & Archangel who benefited is now well known but few are aware of the courage determination & sacrifice of Allied merchant ships which withstood unremitting U-boat attacks & aerial bombardment to maintain the lifeline to Russia. In the storms fog & numbing cold of the Arctic where the sinking of a 10 000 ton freighter was equal to a land battle in terms of destruction the losses sustained were huge. Told from the perspective of their crews this is the inspiring story of the long-suffering merchant ships without which Russia would almost certainly have fallen to Nazi Germany. ...

Its hardly a surprise to discover that Sam Branson has a love of adventure & a real concern about our future in a world where the climate is changing rapidly. Journeying into the heart of the Arctic wilderness with his father & a film crew Sam explores the changing landscape & the lives of the native Inuit people who have survived in a relentlessly inhospitable environment for 5000 years. Sleeping on frozen seas & encountering majestic polar bears Sam & his father embark together on a winter expedition which Sam must ultimately complete on his own finding new depths of resilience & courage in a formidable & breathtaking landscape. ...

Winner of the National Book Award & a best-seller upon publication in 1986 Arctic Dreams is now acknowledged as a classic a book that re-defined the genre of nature writing. In prose of transparent beauty Lopez celebrates the Arctic landscape & the animals & people that live there. He recounts massive migrations by land sea & air the epic voyages of explorers distant mountain that is actually a looming mirage. But he also looks deep into our dreams & the strange fascination that the Arctic exerts over our imaginations. Why do we find such a hostile elemental environment so beautiful so full of magic so rich in ideas about how we should live our lives? ...