This is the most authoritative & readable account to date of just how British Columbia became British & how Oregon Washington & Alaska became American. By the closing years of the 18th century the stage was set for a major international confrontation over the Northwest Coast. Imperial Russia was firmly established in Alaska Spain was extending its trade routes north from Mexico Captain James Cook had claimed Northwest America for England & Captain Robert Gray had claimed the Columbia River region for the United States. Open warfare between Spain & England was narrowly averted during the Nootka Sound Controversy of 1789-1794 & again between Britain & the US in the War of 1812 when a British warship seized American property in Oregon. In Fortune's a River" noted historian Barry Gough re-examines this Imperial struggle for possession of the future British Columbia & fully evokes its peculiar drama. It turned out the great powers were reluctant conquerors in this area. Russia & Spain withdrew of their own accord. Britain was in a position to dominate but couldn't be bothered. The US vaguely wished to fulfill its manifest destiny by securing the Northwest Coast but it was not a priority. In the end the battle was carried on by private enterprise & individuals of vision. Alexander Mackenzie established an overland route to the coast & with his partners Simon Fraser & David Thompson set up a network of fur trading forts south to Oregon. US president Thomas Jefferson countered by sending out the Lewis & Clark expedition to strengthen American claims & an American entrepreneur John Jacob Astor established a lonely US outpost at Astoria. Gough examines each of the players in this territorial drama bringing them fully to life & vividly recounting their hardships & struggles. This is a major historical work that reads like a wild west adventure." ...

Warned by a fortune-teller not to risk flying the author
- a seasoned correspondent
- took to travelling by rail road & sea.

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This collection of pithy brilliantly acerbic pieces is a companion to Sixty Stories Barthelmes earlier retrospective volume. Barthelme spotlights the idiosyncratic haughty sometimes downright ludicrous behavior of human beings but it is style rather than content which takes precedence. ...

This is a clear & authoritative introduction to fossils their study & their use in reconstructing the history of life on Earth. Paleontologist Richard Fortey explains in accessible language what fossils are how they form & how they help us to understand Earths geological past & the emergence of life. Drawing on the latest information he discusses evolution & extinction the economic uses of fossils such as oil & coal as well as offering advice for making a fossil collection. Extensively illustrated throughout Fossils is an up-to-date guide to our understanding of the fossil record & the significance of fossil finds. It will appeal to all those with an interest in our past & will encourage the reader to study further & enjoy our geological legacy. ...

This is a new edition of the clearest most authoritative guide to fossils. Packed with more than 1 000 amazing photographs of over 500 species this handbook is designed to cut through the complicated identification process & enable you to recognize species instantly. It covers everything from what a fossil is how they are classified to how to start a collection. Perfect for fossil lovers
- this is a comprehensive guide for collectors.
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Kate left her seaside home town of Lyme Regis for the bright lights of London when she was eighteen & never looked back. She had it all: the glamorous career the lovely house the gorgeous husb&. But now she's back: unemployed separated & holed up in her dead granny's bungalow. Worse still she's forced to share the bungalow with Ben the clueless & domestically challenged fiance of her bossy sister Prue. Ben is a man in need of simple instruction. & Kate is a woman in need of a project. So she decides to secretly train Ben her foster husband as a selfless pre-wedding gift to her sister. But Kate may still have a few lessons of her own to learn... ...

Three book editors jaded by reading far too many crackpot manuscripts on the mystic & the occult are inspired by an extraordinary conspiracy story told to them by a strange colonel to have some fun. They start feeding random bits of information into a powerful computer capable of inventing connections between the entries thinking they are creating nothing more than an amusing game but then their game starts to take over the deaths start mounting & they are forced into a frantic search for the truth. ...

Foul Play: the second book in this crime fighting series by Tom Palmer. Danny is obsessed with two things: football
- especially
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Russian billionaire Dmitri Tupolev & a mystery Englishman agree to fix an important match in Russia's favour by intimidating the England goalie Alex Finn. But Alex goes against their wishes. His punishment: an 'accidental' car crash & he's out of the return game in Russia. Something is going on with England's replacement goalie & Danny soon finds himself caught up with the criminals of the footballing underworld. Will he unravel the match-fixing mystery? ...

In recent months there has been a spate of burglaries at the houses of players from Danny's favourite football club City FC. Danny wants to know who's behind it all & is on the case. But after scouting out the crime scenes there are newspaper reports of a young boy having been seen hanging around. Danny needs to find out who's behind these crimes
- & fast. If he doesn't he might have turned from crime detective into the biggest suspect of them all...
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