This is the fascinating extraordinary & often bizarre story of the Spacesuit through science fiction & fact. Man has dreamed of flying into space & walking on other planets for hundreds of years but gradually it became clear that to leave the earths atmosphere & gravity our frail bodies would need protection from many dangers. In the period between the World Wars daring pilots competing with each other ventured higher & higher into the thinner atmosphere. They challenged the physiologists & engineers to provide them with special suits to achieve this goal. At the same time cheap pulp fiction magazines pumped out colourful adventures of humans in space. Their eye-catching cover illustrations became the archetypical feature of these pulps & allowed artists to give vent to their wildest fantasy. Nevertheless their inventive dreams for spacesuits fed back to the scientific community. Fiction influenced fact. Complemented by astonishing & detailed illustrations this book unlocks the seemingly impenetrable secrets of how the spacesuit was made into a practical & essential device. It shows how simple everyday items such as the car tyre the caterpillar & the concertina provided critical clues that eventually brought the spacesuit to reality. With an absorbing blend of drama & detail the author explains how the seemingly impossible dream gradually evolved into the complex suits of today & how the quest continues for the Mars & Beyond suits of tomorrow. ...

This lucid account of crofting life during the second World War has been a popular classic since its first publication in 1949. One of very few books available on Moidart in the north-west of Scotland it evokes the enchanted magical beauty of this much-loved area of the country. Margaret Leigh was already a successful author when her longing for freedom & independence led to her decision to become a crofter in the West Highlands. These memoirs describe her attempts to transform a deserted croft into a home & her struggles to snatch land back from the wilderness. Although far from the Blitz the effects of the war are felt throughout the Highlands & the rationing of food & vital materials the battles with bureaucrats who had no understanding of a crofters needs & even the appearance of a Nazi mine off the coast all frustrate Margaret Leighs efforts. But despite the hardships the land & the people of the Highlands gave her a contentment & happiness she had never known before. This edition has a new Introduction by Katie Maclean who knew Margaret Leigh during her time in Moidart. ...

After food rationing was introduced in 1940 & German U-boats began threatening merchant shipping bringing in essential foodstuffs the Ministry of Agriculture decided something had to be done to make the kitchens of Britain more self-sufficient. The result was one of Britain's most successful propaganda campaigns
- Dig for Victory
- encouraging every man & woman to turn their garden or even the grass verge in their street over to cultivating vegetables. By 1942 half the population were taking part & even the Royal Family had sacrificed their rose beds for growing onions. Now Daniel Smith tells the full story of this remarkable wartime episode when spades forks & bean canes became weapons the ordinary citizen could take up against the enemy. It had tangible benefits for the war effort in that shipping could be reallocated for munitions instead of food imports as well as for the health of the nation in encouraging a diet of fresh fruit & veg. The campaign threw up unexpected celebrities like C.H. Middleton whose wartime BBC radio talks on gardening reached a vast audience & it even sowed the seeds for the modern allotment movement. Ultimately it is a war story without fighting or killing one that shows how even The Little Man with the Spade in the words of the Minister for Agriculture at the time did his bit for Victory.

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Windswept Roman ruins cathedrals of rare power & incomparable jewels of Islamic architecture speak of a country where the great civilizations have risen fallen & left behind their indelible mark. Anthony Ham Lonely Planet Author Our Promise You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about each & every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage & you can rely on us to tell it like we see it. Inside This Book 8 authors 130 tapas bars reviewed 280 days of research 560 orders of caf solo" Inspirational photos In-depth background Pull-out city map 3D plans of iconic sights At-a-glance practical info Easy-to-read layout" ...

From Roman times to the present day Spain has occupied a significant role in the evolution of our Western world. This book highlights the notable trends intellectual & social of each particular era in its history. The imposition of Roman rule created the notion of Hispania as a single entity. Chapters on the Visigoth monarchy Moorish Spain the establishment an empire the eighteenth-century Enlightenment all chart the political & economic development of Spain but also emphasize the extraordinary & diverse artistic & literary achievements of the Spanish people within this one country at these different times. Moving on to the nineteenth century we read of the rise of liberalism & of its fall which ushered in a period of disarray leading to the Civil War & authoritarian rule. Today Spain is a fully integrated & enthusiastic member of the European community. ...

Windswept Roman ruins cathedrals of rare power & incomparable jewels of Islamic architecture speak of a country where the great civilizations have risen fallen & left behind their indelible mark. Anthony Ham Lonely Planet Author Our Promise You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about each & every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage so you can rely on us to tell it like it is. Inside This Book 8 passionate authors 14 national parks 31 Michelin-starred restaurants 614 days of colourful festivals Inspirational photos In-depth background Pull-out city map of Barcelona 3D plans of iconic sights Eat & Drink Like a Local feature Easy-to-read layout ...

The only independently inspected English-language accommodation guide to small & charming hotels with colour photos. No hotel pays to be in the guide. Continuing the series relaunch Spain now joins the Charming Small Hotels Series" alongside Britain France & Italy with beautifully redesigned insides & a larger format. There are many new entries: " Like all Charming Small Hotel Guides" it is highly selective. Every entry is more than just a bed for the night: it's an experience worth planning a holiday around or going out of your way for." ...

Marco Polo Atlases feature unique spiral binding with a wrap-around spine. The high quality cartography with distance indicators & scale converters aid route planning. A fold-out overview map is ideal for route planning & 7 self-adhesive Marco Polo mark-it stickers can be used to pin-point a destination or route for future reference. Scenic routes & places of interest are highlighted
- ideal for touring holidays. The scale is 1: 300 000 & it contains a comprehensive index.

Includes:: inset maps of: Madeira Tenerife La Palma Lanzarote Fuerteventura Gran Canaria Albacete Alicante Almeria Avila Barcelona Badajoz Bilbao Burgos Caceres Cadiz Castellon de la Plana Ceuta Ciudad Real Cordoba Cuenca A Coruna Donostia-San Sebastian Gijon Girona Granada Guadalajara Huelva Huesca Jaen Leon Lisboa Logrono Lugo Lleida Malaga Madrid Melilla Merida Murcia Ourense Oviedo Palencia Palma Pamplona Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Pontevedra Porto Slamanca Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santander Santiago de Compostela Segovia Soria Sevilla Tarragona Teruel Toledo Valladolid Valencia Vigo Vitoria-Gasteiz Zamora Zaragoza. (Scales vary for city / inset maps.)


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Marco Polo maps feature completely up-to-date digitally generated mapping. The high quality cartography with distance indicators & scale converters aid route planning. Contains city maps of: Valencia Barcelona Granada Malaga Alicante San Sebastian A Coruna Porto Coimbra Lisboa Sevilla & Madrid. A fold-out overview map is ideal for route planning & 7 self-adhesive Marco Polo mark-it stickers can be used to pin-point a destination or route for future reference. Scenic routes & places of interest are highlighted
- ideal for touring holidays. Comprehensive index. The map scale is 1: 800 000.
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OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Surveys most detailed map & is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities such as walking horse riding & off-road cycling. The series provides complete GB coverage & can now be used in all weathers thanks to OS Explorer Map
- Active a tough versatile version of the OS Explorer Map.
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