From ancient times to the Bay of Pigs & the Falklands War military history has been marked as much by misjudgements & incompetence as by gallantry & glory. Such blunders have sometimes ended in tragedy sometimes in farce
- such as the English troops supposedly marching on Cadiz in 1625 who instead got drunk in a salt marsh. & sometimes they have ended in triumph despite all the odds. In this fascinating & entertaining collection author Geoffrey Regan not only recounts some of the staggering stories but also highlights the kinds of difficulties that can lead to military disaster. His anecdotes encompass every aspect of warfare from the insanity of commanders to the provision of inadequate supplies. This entertaining & instructive book will appeal to the military buff & general reader alike.
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The Great Modern Poets & CD is the perfect introduction to the finest poetry of the 20th century. This ideal gift is now complete with an 80-minute audio CD featuring original recordings of 29 inspiring poems read by their authors. Here the listener will find beautiful verse by the greatest poets of the modern era including: W.B Yeats The Lake Isle of Innisfree; Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken & Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening; Wallace Stevens Not Ideas About the Thing But the Thing Itself; T.S. Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; John Betjemans A Shropshire Lad & The Licorice Fields at Pontefract; W.H. Audens The Shield of Achilles; Dylan Thomas A Refusal to Mourn...; Ted Hughes Thrushes; Sylvia Plaths Daddy; & a special full-length reading of Howl by Allen Ginsburg among many other much-loved classics. Accompanying the CD is a beautifully illustrated book containing over 150 complete & unabridged poems covering Thomas Hardy W.B. Yeats D.H. Lawrence Robert Frost T.S. Eliot The War Poets E.E. Cummings W.H. Auden Dylan Thomas Ezra Proud Sylvia Plath & many more. Each chapter comprises introductory"ations an illustration a biography of the poet a selection of their key poems & simple explanations of the themes. With an introduction that suggests ways to appreciate the poems & a glossary that demystifies the concepts & movements of modern poetry The Great Modern Poets & CD is an ideal welcome to the pleasures & insights poetry has to offer. ...

Theres something about motorcycles & the lure of freedom & the open road that they promise. If youve ever wanted to take a motorcycling holiday youve been before & are looking for new ideas for places to go or you just want to do something completely different then this book will inspire you. With routes taking in the very best of Europe Asia Africa Australia New Zealand & the Americas there really is something for everyone. Accompanied by stunning photography the journeys described here are perfect for everyone whatever their level of expertise on the bike. Each route features a tool box telling you when to visit other routes in the region to extend the ride & exactly what options are available to you in terms of your motorcycle
- whether you can take your own bike into the country make arrangements to hire machines there or book a bike-inclusive tour. A map also illustrates the route & the points of interest on the way. Featuring awe-inspiring journeys from the snowy passes of Patagonia to Australias Red Centre Great Motorcycling Journeys of the World" is the perfect inspiration for your next big motorcycling adventure."
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If you want wild empty rock landscapes where you can spend weekends battling the elements & not see another soul Scotland's hills are as as good a destination as any in Europe. Hillwalkers & runners prepared to work hard are rewarded with some of the greatest days to be found in any small mountains in settings as varied as the snowbound Cairngorm plateaus & the l&-sea jigsaw of the Hebrides where rugged peaks rise from clear water. Few walking destinations are better suited to routes at the longer tougher end of the scale. These are the subject of this book. Some of the fifty walks described are well known classic challenges while others approach a favourite mountain in a novel way or combine several in a testing round; they can be crammed into a single hard day or backpacked over two. The collection spans Scotland right across its magnificent upland areas & dramatic peaks. Routes range from 12 to 25 miles & many would make a good two-day adventure. Some can be approached by kayak or mountain bike. Over 270 ranges & summits feature in the 50 routes with an index to help you find them. ...

An inspirational & detailed guidebook to fifty memorable walks on the high fells of the English Lake District. These circular routes on the high Lakeland fells have been chosen to provide the moderately adventurous walker with a range of essential walks for exploring the region. The walks are all graded making the guide equally suitable for less experienced walkers looking for new summits & undiscovered areas. Only the mildest of scrambling will be encountered as these are four-season walks. All routes are illustrated with Harvey maps & the author's pictorial route diagrams. ...

Who was responsible for the design of the Admiral Popov the circular Russian battleship that wouldnt steer straight? Why did Lord Anson set out to circumnavigate the world with a crew of Chelsea pensioners? & how did the British cruiser HMS Trinidad manage to torpedo itself in the Arctic? The answers to these questions & details of numerous other entertaining & unbelievable historical events are revealed in this absorbing survey of naval incompetence from Roman times to the Falklands War. Bestselling author Geoffrey Regan certainly sets out to prove that there is truth in the old adage Worse things happen at sea". Crammed with intriguing & often bizarre anecdotes & over fifty illuminating illustrations " Naval Blunders" takes a serious but often entertaining look at the misjudgements & oversights of captains fleet commanders strategic planners & ship designers over the ages. Peppered with"es from those who did their utmost (albeit unwittingly) to hinder naval progress this entertaining & instructive book will appeal to the naval enthusiast & general reader alike." ...

On Midsummers Eve three heartsick lovers are trapped in San Franciscos Buena Vista Park. Ill met by moonlight they are stalked by a psychopathic Puck in thrall to a beautiful Titania & ambushed by a homeless musical theatre troupe. Together they must survive a night that might just repair their hearts if it doesnt destroy them first. Selected by the New Yorker as one of the best young writers in America Adrian has created a singularly playful moving & humorous novel
- a story that effortlessly crosses the borders between reality & dreams suffering & magic & mortality & immortality.
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In Newcastle-upon-Tyne AD 2142 Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones -- but none have been reported missing. & the crimes most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago a North clone billionaire & his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner on the tropical planet of St Libra. But if the murderer is still at large was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough & confident she never waivered under interrogation -- claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra. Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agencys top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earths economy & must be secured. So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway & teams of engineers support personnel & xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor grudgingly released from prison Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off deep within St Libras rainforests. Then the murders begin. Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists its the alien but her new colleagues arent so sure. Maybe she did see an alien or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra.. . In this stunning standalone adventure Peter F. Hamilton blends fast-paced narrative with vividly imagined future-worlds. ...

When attending a Newcastle murder scene Detective Sidney Hurst finds a dead North family clone. Yet none have been reported missing. & in 2122 twenty years ago a North clone billionaire was horrifically murdered in the same manner on the tropical planet of St Libra. So if the murderer is still at large was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? She never wavered under interrogation claiming she alone survived an alien attack. Investigating this potential alien threat now becomes the Human Defence Agency's top priority. St Libran bio-fuel is the lifeblood of Earth's economy & must be secured. A vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway & experts are dispatched to the planet -- with Angela Tramelo grudgingly released from prison. But the expedition is cut off deep within St Libra's rainforests & the murders begin. Angela insists it's the alien but her new colleagues aren't sure. Did she see an alien or does she have other reasons for being on St Libra? Praise for Peter F Hamilton: ' The most powerful imagination in science fiction' Ken Follett ' Novels that combine fantastic speculation with incredible detailed imagining of the lives we will lead' Guardian ' This is thrilling stuff; compulsively readable & abundantly full of ideas' The Times ' Reaches another level of excellence.. . Brilliant' Locus ...

This journey has given me the exciting opportunity to bring my cooking life full circle & to introduce you to the very best recipes from the North of Engl&. I've been able to delve deep into the diverse cultures histories & traditions of the North & of course Northern food. The results of my travels my many tastings meals & experiments are presented here in a book that revels in its Northernness!" SEAN WILSON Britain is a nation built on its food & nowhere has a richer heritage than the North of Engl&. In The Great Northern Cookbook Sean Wilson
- former Coronation Street actor now award-winning cheese-maker & chef
- is our guide to the culinary highlights of the North. A proud Lancastrian Sean serves up timeless recipes & reveals the history behind the foods you love. In The Great Northern Cookbook you'll find homely hotpots & pies alongside beef stew with melting dumplings & a recipe for the soft warm oven-bottom muffins. With soups to feed an army traditional sweet treats delicious Northern curries & of course timeless Yorkshire puddings with mushy peas & gravy Sean serves up the greats from Lancashire Yorkshire Cumbria & Northumberl&. Embrace the Northern passion for simple food made with good authentic ingredients. Tying in to a new TV series The Great Northern Cookbook is packed with delicious & affordable recipes you'll want to eat & share"

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