' Billy Collins is one of my favourite poets in the world' Carol Ann Duffy Readers will only have to open this book at random to realize the privation a life without Billy Collins has been. A writer of immense grace & humanity Billy Collins shows how the great forces of history & nature converge on the tiniest details of our lives
- & in doing so presents them in a new radiance. He is also unbelievably funny. ' The most popular poet in America' New York Times ' Billy Collins writes lovely poems.. . Limpid gently & consistently startling more serious than they seem they describe all the worlds that are & were & some others besides' John Updike ' Billy Collins' medium is a rare amalgam of accessibility & intelligence. I'd follow this man's mind anywhere. Expect to be surprised' Michael Donaghy ' Smart his strings tuned & resonant his wonderful eye looping over the things events & ideas of the world rueful playful warm voiced easy to love' E. Annie Proulx
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When Ellen finished the Vendee Globe yachtings toughest race aged just 24 the nation took her to its heart. The depth of the affection for Ellen is extraordinary
- she makes people feel like they can do anything! This is her story written in true Ellen style in her own words without the help of a ghost writer. Passionate dramatic & deeply affecting her story will move & inspire all who read it.
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A practical stimulating & superbly illustrated book for intermediate watercolourists who are looking for greater challenges in their work & who are prepared to experiment with this popular medium. Shirley Trevena's watercolours are visually inspiring vibrant with colour & strong in composition. This book shows what stunning results she achieves & how she does it by taking risks with watercolour. Although watercolour can be a difficult medium to handle Shirley maintains that you get the best results if you have no sense of fear & just let yourself enjoy watercolour's fascinating versatility. Taking you through her paintings from the first concept to the finished watercolour Shirley explains & illustrates her prize-winning techniques for producing luminous & colourful watercolours. She covers a wide range of topics encouraging the reader to experiment with vibrant colour dynamic composition tone & bold textures & patterns to produce exciting still life landscape & flower paintings. She also explains what to do if things go wrong & how to develop your paintings successfully & move on in your work. ...

Today most major cities have undertaken some form of sustainability initiative. Yet there have been few systematic comparisons across cities or theoretically grounded considerations of what works & what does not & why. In Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously Kent Portney addresses this gap offering a comprehensive overview & analysis of sustainability programs & policies in American cities. After discussing the conceptual underpinnings of sustainability he examines the local aspects of sustainability; considers the measurement of sustainability & offers an index of serious" sustainability for the fifty-five largest cities in the country; examines the relationship between sustainability & economic growth; & discusses issues of governance equity & implementation. He also offers extensive case studies with separate chapters on large medium-size & small cities & provides an empirically grounded analysis of why some large cities are more ambitious than others in their sustainability efforts. This second edition has been updated throughout with new material that draws on the latest research. It also offers numerous additional case studies a new chapter on management & implementation issues & a greatly expanded comparative analysis of big-city sustainability initiatives. Portney shows how cities use the broad rubric of sustainability to achieve particular political ends & he dispels the notion that only cities that are politically liberal are interested in sustainability. Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously draws a roadmap for effective sustainability initiatives." ...

Electras finally taking the plunge. After all her friend Lucy did it in France Sorrel thought she had but hadnt after all & Claudia whos done it loads of times has bet Electra she wont. She will though. Shes going to go out with the first boy who asks her. But what if he turns out to be a frog & not a prince? ...

After the wholesale assassination of the Romulan senate in the feature film Star Trek: Nemesis the Romulan Empire is in disarray with rival factions fighting to pick up the pieces & seize the reins of power. After several factions separately contact the Federation Council -- each laying claim to legitimate political power -- Starfleet Command sends Captain William Riker & the USS Titan to Romulus to set up a forum for power-sharing talks. But even as the factions take their first faltering steps towards building a new Romulus civil war looms. Meanwhile the remnants of the Romulan intelligence service the dreaded Tal Shiar are regrouping behind the scenes taking advantage of the political vacuum to mobilize ships & soldiers threatening to touch off a conflict that would tear Romulus apart. With no other help available Riker & the Titan crew are all that stands between the shattered Star Empire & a bloodbath. ...

On March 4 2002 a team of SEALs was choppered onto a hostile Afghan mountain peak as part of Operation Anaconda. The largest operation by US forces since Vietnam it was intended to bring to battle foreign al-Qaeda fighters who had fled after the overthrow of the Taliban & the battle of Tora Bora. But when their special ops Chinook was hit by RPGs it marked the beginning of the SEALs' epic day-long battle for survival which involved Coalition special forces gunships & Predators in a 17-hour firefight against the al-Qaeda guerrillas. ...

The battle of Talavera in 1809 was one of the major battles of the Peninsular War & Arthur Wellesleys first victory in Spain itself following which he was created Viscount Wellington of Talavera & Wellington. Although Welleselys forces were outnumbered & a sizeable contingent of the Spanish ran away he had chosen a superb defensive position & was able to beat off successive French attacks though at a heavy cost in terms of casualties. Although the French had withdrawn leaving Wellesley the master of the field his high casualties & approaching French reinforcements led to Wellesley withdrawing to Portugal. His foray into Spain had an enormous effect on Spanish morale as they realized they were not alone in the struggle. British redcoats had had got to within 70km of Madraid & they would return in future years. ...

This is the story of a silly little duck who more than anything wants to hatch her own eggs. The thing is she isnt very good at being a duck
- she cant sit still on her eggs she really cant fly very well & she doesnt realise shes supposed to run away from foxes. Meet Jemima Puddle-duck the silliest luckiest duck of all. An irresistible picture book about Beatrix Potters famous duck with lots of laughs & surprises for young children to enjoy.
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It's been 110 years since Frederick Warne published Beatrix Potter's very first book The Tale of Peter Rabbit" & in celebration we are delighted to be publishing special editions of her entire body of work. Unlike the traditional little white books these editions have delightful colourful covers & specially designed endpapers. & to make them extra special we have included a publisher's note to tell you all about the history of how each book came to be. Peter Rabbit's cousin Benjamin Bunny has been a very popular character since this book's first publication in 1904. In this tale we hear all about his adventures with Peter in Mr. Mc Gregor's vegetable garden & what happens to them when they meet a cat! Even more frightening is what happens to the two pesky bunnies when Old Mr. Benjamin Bunny finds out what they have been up to! " The Tale of Benjamin Bunny" is number four in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books." ...