The perfect companion to Bradshaws guide book. Showcasing in colour all that is great about Bradshaws guide. Great British Railway Journeys has been a hugely successful TV programme which is now into its third series on BBC2. Much as Michael Palin built up a dedicated fan base for travel around the globe so Michael Portillo has done likewise for lovers of trains in his explorations the length & breadth of the United Kingdom from the window of a train seat. Both charming & insightful Michael again uses Bradshaws guides & now undertakes five unique journeys that were constructed by the Victorians from 1830-1900. Across 25 episodes he delves into this fascinating & colourful period of our history & show how the modern British landscape was created from this Victorian legacy. From Windsor to Weymouth Great Yarmouth to London Oxford to Milford Haven Berwick to Barrow & finally Dublin to Belfast -- Michael will go back in time to showcase areas of outstanding Victorian engineering & design across Queen Victorias dominions. Key parts of the programme & tie-in book will showcase how the worlds very first fixed-track train in Merthyr Tydfil operated; how the worlds first electric train service ran in Southend to its famous pier; & he also celebrates the wide variety of lines that opened up trade & mobility to the Victorian classes. Travelling on a variety of existing & in some cases restored Victorian train lines he meets their passionate supporters who lovingly work on them & also looks at the modern landscape to tell the story of how each area was shaped by their Victorian forebears. Lavishly produced this will once again be a must have purchase for all train lovers as well as those who simply want to find out their heritage & what is now available to view & travel upon in the 21st century to transport them back in time. ...

From the high-level route across the Pyrenees to the scenic Kerry Way in Ireland from a descent through the Samaria Gorge in Crete to an ascent of Helvellyn in the Lake District this book identifies the greatest walks in Europe: twelve of the best long-distance walks (taking from four to fifteen days to complete) & twelve extraordinary day walks. Among the long-distance walks are the incomparable GR20 in Corsica
- a coast-to-coast journey through jagged peaks & deep forested valleys; the ancient Ridgeway across English downland; the Jungfrau Horseshoe in Austria which visits the best viewpoints of the Bernese Oberlands most famous alpine peaks; & the Kungsleden or Royal Trail through the Swedish wilderness. Short walks include the Snowdon Horseshoe one of the finest mountain walks in Britain; a walk through the Verdon Gorge in France Europes equivalent of the Grand Canyon; & an excursion to the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the romantic Isle of Skye in Scotl&. Richard Sale describes each route explaining noteworthy features of all kinds & giving historical & cultural details as well as useful information about maps statistics & the like. His lavish & spectacular photographs of landscapes & wildlife capture the walks spirit & character. The book will be a boon & a delight to walkers inspiring them to relive past adventures & tempting them to plan expeditions for the future.
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Drawing directly on original manuscripts this collection comprises the major short stories published after Kafkas death. It



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Almost a century on interest in The Great War could be expected to have faded & died; after all the last who fought in it have passed on. Yet indisputably interest is increasing not falling. Families seek their own connection both with ancestors who fought & all too often died & with those at home who had to live & cope with unimaginable losses. This book which sets out to fill a gap is written for the layman who may have some knowledge about the Great War of 1914-18 but who wants to know more. It is a story not a history. It is a guide but not a guidebook. It is a story about people but not a biography. It is well nigh impossible to visualise 20 000 men dying in a day on the Somme but it is possible to look at the individual stories that come together to make up such a tragedy. Covering vital background information graphic explanations of the conduct of the War & vivid personal testimonies The Great War Explained offers a highly readable way of gaining a better understanding of this most dramatic period of World history. ...

Robert Fisks bestselling eyewitness account of the events that have shaped the Middle East is alive with vivid reporting & incisive historical analysis. The history of the Middle East is an epic story of tragedy betrayal & world-shaking events. It is a story that Robert Fisk has been reporting for over thirty years. His masterful narrative spans the most volatile regions of the Middle East chronicling with both rage & compassion the death by deceit of tens of thousands of Muslims Christians & Jews. Robert Fisks remarkable history is also the tale of a journalist at war -- learning of the 9/11 attacks while aboard a passenger jet reporting from a bombed-out Baghdad interviewing Osama bin Laden -- & of the courage & frustration of a life spent writing the first draft of history. ...

This is a masterful history of the First World War covering all areas & explaining the technology & tactics that determined its course. The Great War was the first truly global conflict & it changed the course of world history. Empires fell others were crippled & new contenders emerged. Economies crashed & millions would be affected by the Depression that followed. Understanding The Great War is crucial to understanding the history of the twentieth century & the present day. In this magnum opus critically-acclaimed historian Peter Hart examines the conflict in every arena around the world in a history that combines cutting edge scholarship with vivid & unfamiliar eyewitness accounts from kings & generals & ordinary soldiers. He focuses in particular on explaining how technology & tactics developed during the conflict
- & determined which battles were crucial to its outcome. Combatants from every corner of Earth joined the fray but their voices are rarely heard together. This is a major history of the conflict whose 100th anniversary is fast approaching.
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The Great Warbow" is a vivid & exciting exploration of the bow & arrow as weapons of war. From before the " Domesday Book" through Anglo-Saxon England medieval Wales & Ireland the crusades Bannockburn & the " Wars of the Roses" until the time of the Tudors this book takes us on a wide-ranging & fascinating journey through history. The definitive work on medieval military archery this lively & informative book is essential reading for anyone interested in medieval warfare or the history of archery." ...

This highly visual text is the perfect companion for anyone studying anatomy & physiology. Offering innovative techniques to help students with their learning this user-friendly accessible study skills text is the perfect accompaniment to any course or textbook. Complex processes are brought to life with imaginative diagrams & storylines which aid understanding reinforce memory & also support students with memory dyslexic or mathematical difficulties. ...

The Great Western Beach is Emma Smiths wonderfully atmospheric memoir of a 1920s childhood in Newquay Cornwall. She recalls the rocks the sea the beaches the picnics the teas & pasties the bracing walks the tennis tournaments & bathing parties the curious residents & fascinating holiday-makers
- relishing every glorious salty detail. But above all this is a portrait of a family from the astonishingly clear-eyed perspective of a nine-year-old girl: her furious frustrated father perpetually on his way to becoming a world famous artist but suffering the indignity of being a lowly bank clerk; her beautiful unperceptive mother made for better things perhaps but at least with three fiances killed in the Great War married with children at last; the twins fearless defiant Pam & sickly bewildered Jim for whom life is always an uphill climb & baby Harvey brought on the same winds of change that mean that life with all its complication & wonder cannot stay still & the Cornish playground of Emmas childhood will one day be lost forever.
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The GWRs North Wales tentacles extended from Wrexham to Bala Junction & thence to Blaenau Ffestiniog & via the Cambrian to Barmouth. All these lines are explored here including the sections that today are preserved by no fewer than three very different tourist railways. This brand new Past & Present Companion explores the Great Western Railways historic importance in the north of Wales; both standard gauge & narrow gauge feature within these pages. The past & present comparative treatment is a proven formula for success
- the fact that over 50 titles have been published in the main series speaks volumes literally! In this volume pictures from the real age of steam- steam in years before 1968 & the early diesel years are contrasted with the same locations in recent years. Many lines have long since closed evoking many memories for those young enough to remember while the major preserved railways The Llangollen Railway The Bala Lake Railway & the Fairbourne Railway provide fascinating comparisons with their heritage past
- & of course provide young & old alike with the chance to relive the steam age. Locations covered include Wrexham Blaenau Ffestiniog Barmouth Dolgellau Bala & stations halts junctions & lineside views from across the area.

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