Ian Stewart reveals the really big questions that take us to the limits of mathematics. There are some mathematical problems whose significance goes beyond the ordinary
- like Fermats Last Theorem or Goldbachs Conjecture
- they are the enigmas which define mathematics. The Great Mathematical Problems" explains why these problems exist why they matter what drives mathematicians to incredible lengths to solve them & where they stand in the context of mathematics & science as a whole. It contains solved problems
- like the Poincare Conjecture cracked by the eccentric genius Grigori Perelman who refused academic honours & a million-dollar prize for his work & ones which like the Riemann Hypothesis remain baffling after centuries. Stewart is the guide to this mysterious & exciting world showing how modern mathematicians constantly rise to the challenges set by their predecessors as the great mathematical problems of the past succumb to the new techniques & ideas of the present."


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When Megan winds up her music box shes surprised to hear a tiny voice calling to her over the tinkling melody
- its the Fairy Queen
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These were once internationally known household names such as Cunard White Star Canadian Pacific Anchor Bibby Blue Funnel Blue Star Ellerman City & Hall Furness Withy Lamport & Holt Booth British India Elder Dempster Federal Henderson Pacific Steam Navigation Royal Mail Shaw Savill & New Zealand Shipping. It was a time when the Mersey & its men & women were at the hub of an astonishing web of trade routes that stretched out across the globe. As the industry boomed the lives of thousands of people on Merseyside were profoundly linked with the shipping companies as passengers crew employees & suppliers. From the majestic ocean liners to the humble coastal cargo ships this is the story of Liverpool's great shipping lines the people who worked for them & the iconic Merseyside buildings which their wealth created. Written by national award-winning maritime journalist Peter Elson this magazine features stunning photographs from the acclaimed Liverpool Post & Echo archive. ...

From ancient times to the Bay of Pigs & the Falklands War military history has been marked as much by misjudgements & incompetence as by gallantry & glory. Such blunders have sometimes ended in tragedy sometimes in farce
- such as the English troops supposedly marching on Cadiz in 1625 who instead got drunk in a salt marsh. & sometimes they have ended in triumph despite all the odds. In this fascinating & entertaining collection author Geoffrey Regan not only recounts some of the staggering stories but also highlights the kinds of difficulties that can lead to military disaster. His anecdotes encompass every aspect of warfare from the insanity of commanders to the provision of inadequate supplies. This entertaining & instructive book will appeal to the military buff & general reader alike.
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The Great Modern Poets & CD is the perfect introduction to the finest poetry of the 20th century. This ideal gift is now complete with an 80-minute audio CD featuring original recordings of 29 inspiring poems read by their authors. Here the listener will find beautiful verse by the greatest poets of the modern era including: W.B Yeats The Lake Isle of Innisfree; Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken & Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening; Wallace Stevens Not Ideas About the Thing But the Thing Itself; T.S. Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; John Betjemans A Shropshire Lad & The Licorice Fields at Pontefract; W.H. Audens The Shield of Achilles; Dylan Thomas A Refusal to Mourn...; Ted Hughes Thrushes; Sylvia Plaths Daddy; & a special full-length reading of Howl by Allen Ginsburg among many other much-loved classics. Accompanying the CD is a beautifully illustrated book containing over 150 complete & unabridged poems covering Thomas Hardy W.B. Yeats D.H. Lawrence Robert Frost T.S. Eliot The War Poets E.E. Cummings W.H. Auden Dylan Thomas Ezra Proud Sylvia Plath & many more. Each chapter comprises introductory"ations an illustration a biography of the poet a selection of their key poems & simple explanations of the themes. With an introduction that suggests ways to appreciate the poems & a glossary that demystifies the concepts & movements of modern poetry The Great Modern Poets & CD is an ideal welcome to the pleasures & insights poetry has to offer. ...

If you want wild empty rock landscapes where you can spend weekends battling the elements & not see another soul Scotland's hills are as as good a destination as any in Europe. Hillwalkers & runners prepared to work hard are rewarded with some of the greatest days to be found in any small mountains in settings as varied as the snowbound Cairngorm plateaus & the l&-sea jigsaw of the Hebrides where rugged peaks rise from clear water. Few walking destinations are better suited to routes at the longer tougher end of the scale. These are the subject of this book. Some of the fifty walks described are well known classic challenges while others approach a favourite mountain in a novel way or combine several in a testing round; they can be crammed into a single hard day or backpacked over two. The collection spans Scotland right across its magnificent upland areas & dramatic peaks. Routes range from 12 to 25 miles & many would make a good two-day adventure. Some can be approached by kayak or mountain bike. Over 270 ranges & summits feature in the 50 routes with an index to help you find them. ...

An inspirational & detailed guidebook to fifty memorable walks on the high fells of the English Lake District. These circular routes on the high Lakeland fells have been chosen to provide the moderately adventurous walker with a range of essential walks for exploring the region. The walks are all graded making the guide equally suitable for less experienced walkers looking for new summits & undiscovered areas. Only the mildest of scrambling will be encountered as these are four-season walks. All routes are illustrated with Harvey maps & the author's pictorial route diagrams. ...

An inspirational guide to 50 memorable expeditions across the Pennines. A wide range of routes have been selected to help walkers explore all aspects of this beautiful upland area. The walks are all graded from moderate to strenuous & are between 6 & 13 miles long with plenty of options for both first-time & more experienced walkers. The ancient landscape of the Pennines offers walkers a great sense of leg-swinging freedom. Ranging between the North Pennines Howgills Yorkshire Dales South Pennines & Dark Peak this guide offers the best of the mass of fell & moor that makes up the backbone of Engl&. Routes include Cross Fell Wild Boar Fell Ingleborough Whernside Pen-y-Ghent Pendle Hill Kinder Downfall & a traverse of Ilkley Moor & many are suitable for fell running. All routes are illustrated with 1:40 000 OS mapping & plenty of colour photography. ...

Who was responsible for the design of the Admiral Popov the circular Russian battleship that wouldnt steer straight? Why did Lord Anson set out to circumnavigate the world with a crew of Chelsea pensioners? & how did the British cruiser HMS Trinidad manage to torpedo itself in the Arctic? The answers to these questions & details of numerous other entertaining & unbelievable historical events are revealed in this absorbing survey of naval incompetence from Roman times to the Falklands War. Bestselling author Geoffrey Regan certainly sets out to prove that there is truth in the old adage Worse things happen at sea". Crammed with intriguing & often bizarre anecdotes & over fifty illuminating illustrations " Naval Blunders" takes a serious but often entertaining look at the misjudgements & oversights of captains fleet commanders strategic planners & ship designers over the ages. Peppered with"es from those who did their utmost (albeit unwittingly) to hinder naval progress this entertaining & instructive book will appeal to the naval enthusiast & general reader alike." ...

On Midsummers Eve three heartsick lovers are trapped in San Franciscos Buena Vista Park. Ill met by moonlight they are stalked by a psychopathic Puck in thrall to a beautiful Titania & ambushed by a homeless musical theatre troupe. Together they must survive a night that might just repair their hearts if it doesnt destroy them first. Selected by the New Yorker as one of the best young writers in America Adrian has created a singularly playful moving & humorous novel
- a story that effortlessly crosses the borders between reality & dreams suffering & magic & mortality & immortality.
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