Told with warmth & humour The Ever Open Door" is the story of a hard working down-to-earth community in a small Yorkshire town during the Second World War & its aftermath. Burly steelworker Jim Butler & his wife Sally are quite content in their little house on Potters Row. Jims only complaint is that Sally is too soft hearted for her own good always at the beck & call of any neighbour friend or even stranger. Sally on the other hand accuses Jim of being a soft touch for anyone after a drink or two at the Rising Sun. Both accept that neither will ever change & they love each other & their daughter Daisy deeply. Theirs is a close-knit family in a close-knit community where gossip
- both good & bad
- abounds & neighbour looks out for neighbour & friend for friend. & when Sallys generosity leads to an inheritance it should mean a change of life for the better instead it brings danger & difficult choices for them all."

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In this entertaining & engaging memoir former ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles lifts the lid on embassy life throughout the world. For over thirty years Sherard Cowper-Coles was on the diplomatic front line in a distinguished career that took him from the corridors of power in Whitehall to a string of high-profile around the world. Entering the Foreign Office in 1977 he took up postings in Beirut Alexandria & Cairo Washington Paris & Hong Kong his globe-trotting punctuated with spells in London where the young diplomat had a baptism of fire writing foreign affairs speeches for Geoffrey Howe & Margaret Thatcher. In 1999 under the New Labour government & Prime Minister Tony Blair he was made Principal Private Secretary to the irascible Foreign Secretary Robin Cook providing the book with some of its most hilarious sequences. His career culminated in a succession of ambassadorial posts as Our Man in Israel Saudi Arabia & finally Afghanistan. Ever the Diplomat is his revealing & witty account of half a lifetime in diplomacy. ...

Mike Peyton is the nautical world's best known & much loved cartoonist. For years he has made his mark contributing witty well executed & poignantly funny cartoons to the yachting & boating press poking fun at seafarers of all types & capturing in his distinctive cartoon style their often eccentric & idiosyncratic ways. Now here at last is a wonderful collection of Mike Peyton's light hearted & amusing recollections of time spent messing about in boats all illustrated in his unique cartoon style. A perfect bunkside read for seafarers & landlubbers alike. ...

It seems the odds are forever against Ivy & Tristan being together. Tristan is still trapped in the body of an accused murderer & in trying to clear his name Ivy & Tristan must battle against the dark forces that would keep them apart & destroy them both. Ivy fears for Tristan because as a fallen angel death would mean losing his soul. It's up to Ivy to save the one she loves & hopefully find a way for the two of them to be together… for all eternity. ...

It's been two months since the dark tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That night Nikki's boyfriend Jack made the ultimate sacrifice & took her place in the Everneath for eternity
- a debt that should have been hers. Every night Jack appears in her dreams lost & confused & wasting away. All Nikki wants is to save him before it's too late but no matter how hard she tries to reach for his hand she can never find it. Desperate for answers Nikki turns to Cole the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his Queen
- & the one person least likely to help. But it seems Nikki has touched his heart & surprisingly Cole agrees to help in the only way he can
- by taking Nikki to the Everneath himself. As they descend into the heart of the Everneath Nikki & Cole discover that their journey will be more difficult than they'd anticipated & more deadly. Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack
- even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own...



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This book is the RGS only official publication on the expedition in 2013 marking the 60th anniversary of the first successful ascent &

Includes:: a foreword by Jan Morris. It contains the largest assemblage of images ever published in a book solely about the 1953 Mount Everest Expedition. It features over 250 unique photographs h&-picked by the RGS own collections staff. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Mount Everest on 29th May 1953 by Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay Ammonite Press in association with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) presents a lavish photographic record of this historic event. The Earths highest mountain with a peak 8 848m (29 029ft) above sea level located in the Himalayas between Nepal & China has long been a lure for mountaineers & explorers. The dangers of altitude sickness adverse weather conditions & ferocious winds make the peak tantalisingly difficult to attain. The ninth British expedition led by John Hunt made two attempts in 1953. The first climbing pair came to within 100m (300ft) of the summit on 26th May but were forced to turn back after experiencing oxygen problems. Two days later New Zealander Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay a Nepali Sherpa made a second assault reaching the summit at 11:30am on 29th May via the South Col Route. The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)s extensive archives contain an astonishingly detailed & intimate record of the landmark 1953 expedition with many fascinating & beautiful images captured by the photographers who accompanied the climbing team. This is the first time the RGS has worked in association with a publisher to produce a photographic art book on the subject.

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On 29 May 1953 Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay were the first ever to set foot on the highest point on earth: the summit of Everest. It was a magical moment. Since then many men & women have striven to reach the top of this awesome mountain which can be at once beautiful & mystical unpredictable & highly dangerous never straightforward & always incredibly tough. In this timely & remarkable book published to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the original ascent mountaineers from all round the world tell what motivated them to make their own summit bids. They highlight how it felt to reach the top & the impact it made on them ranging from practical comments to spiritual reflections to philosophical statements on the future of our planet including contributions from climbers such as: Chris Bonington Alan Hinkes Eric Simonson Reinhold Messner Jamling Tenzing Norgay Bear Grylls Greg Mortimer Junko Tabei Peter Hillary Doug Scott & Stephen Venables. Not only is this a fascinating & insightful collection to mark more than half a century of the highest adventure it is also an inspiration to any one of us when we contemplate heroic achievements of our own
- whatever they may be.
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The possibility of climbing the world's highest mountain was first aired in 1885. Although Tibet & Nepal were initially forbidden to explorers the challenge captured the imagination of the world's mountaineers. Over the next 68 years obstacles were overcome to allow 12 full-scale expeditions to attempt the summit. Eleven ended in failure
- until on 29 May 1953 the British team achieved the seemingly impossible. The magic of Everest remains undiminished. Since 1953 many expeditions have conquered the mighty peak but it remains one of the world's supreme challenges: its very name synonymous with the biggest the best & the most dangerous. Packed with stunning photography & informative text Everest" will chronicle the story of the mountain & those who attempted
- some successfully others with fatal consequences
- the ultimate test of bravery."


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In the only book to tell the real story of Everest 1953 Mick Conefrey reveals that what has gone down in history as a supremely well-planned attempt was in fact beset by crises
- both on & off the mountain. To succeed team leader Colonel John Hunt & his team had to draw on unimaginable skill & determination as well as sheer British ingenuity. Everest 1953 is not only a gripping true story of courage & adventure but a fascinating window into the media contest to cover this seminal event in coronation year. The Times had exclusive access to the teambut the Daily Mail & other papers used subterfuge & shenanigans to get their scoops. Revealing the answers to long-enduring controversies
- did Tenzing or Hillary actually reach the top first?
- & exploring the legacy of this great ascent it is the perfect way to commemorate a year of British sporting triumph.


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When Chris Bonington & his team set out in August 1975 to climb the South West face of Everest they were attempting the ultimate challenge of mountaineering
- to conquer the steepest & highest face in the world. Two months later overcoming daunting physical conditions & massive psychological pressures the lead climbers scaled 1000 sheer feet of the previously unconquered Rock Band to reach the summit
- the hard way. Drawing on first-hand accounts of his fellow climbers Chris Bonington portrays the tensions emotions & on one occasion bitter personal tragedy behind one of the most spectacular ascents in the history of climbing.

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