For centuries trade has been vital to the growth & prosperity of societies. The ancient world saw the expansion of Western Asian Mediterranean & Polynesian civilizations as transport networks for trade were established. These routes were instrumental in founding urban centres & trading ports that became ethnically & culturally diverse hubs of commerce & learning. Later imperial expansion reached far-flung corners of the world bringing all manner of goods to a mass populace. The Great Trade Routes examines the principal trade networks throughout history. Encompassing coastal & trans-oceanic maritime trade inland waterway traffic & overland trade it traces the steps of the pioneering explorers & merchants who pushed into remote regions across the globe. Filled with fascinating historical detail exotic locales & a wealth of illustrations the book analyzes the importance of trade to commercial & cultural exchange focusing on great routes such as the Silk Road the Grand Trunk Via Maris Hanseatic & Mediterranean sea-routes tea & grain races & passages to the New World. From cargoes of semi-precious stones & metals to textiles foodstuffs & luxury goods such as furs silk & spices this fascinating work examines the routes that were established to transport an astounding variety of lucrative goods giving an expansive overview from the pre-classical period to the modern post-industrial age. ...

Time Out Great Train Journeys is a selection of forty of the worlds best train journeys from nostalgic steam lines to state of the art high-speed locomotives. Beautifully illustrated & written with passion it will appeal to dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts but also reaches out to a new generation of train travellers both actual & armchair. Divided into inspiring sections such as Crossing Continents State of the Art Cultural Experiences Nostalgia & Scenic Spectaculars this book will appeal to people for whom rail journeys reflect the contemporary mood of travel which cherishes the individual the ethical & the characterful
- time well spent above time quickly spent. Trains no longer belong only to trainspotters & Time Out Great Train Journeys is the first train book to have a contemporary quirkily fashionable feel to it.
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GBP2.6 million stolen in 46 minutes prison sentences totalling 378 years 23 criminals countless victims. In the early hours of Thursday 8 August 1963 at Sears Crossing near Cheddington in Buckinghamshire GBP2.6 million (GBP45 million today) in unmarked GBP5 GBP1 & 10 shilling notes was stolen from the Glasgow to London mail train in a violent & daring raid which took forty-six minutes. Quickly dubbed the Crime of the Century it has captured the imagination of the public & the worlds media for fifty years taking its place in British folklore. Ronnie Biggs Bruce Reynolds & Buster Edwards became household names & their accounts have fed the myths & legends of The Great Train Robbery. But what really happened? This definitive account dismantles the myths & strips away the sensational headlines to reveal a flawed darker & more complex story. The crime the police investigation the trial two escapes from high-security prisons & an establishment under siege are all laid bare in astonishing detail for an epic tale of crime & punishment. Fifty years later here is the story set out in full for the first time -- a true-life crime thriller & also a vivid slice of British social history. ...

The Great Train Robbery of 1963 is one of the most infamous crimes in British history. The bulk of the money stolen (equivalent to over GBP40 million today) has never been recovered & there has not been a single year since 1963 when one aspect of the crime or its participants has not been featured in the media. Despite the wealth & extent of this coverage a host of questions have remained unanswered: Who was behind the robbery? Was it an inside job? & who got away with the crime of the century? Fifty years of selective falsehood & fantasy has obscured the reality of the story behind the robbery. The fact that a considerable number of the original investigation & prosecution files on those involved & alleged to have been involved were closed in many cases until 2045 has only served to muddy the waters still further. Now through Freedom of Information requests & the exclusive opening of many of these files Andrew Cook reveals a new picture of the crime & its investigation that at last provides answers to many of these questions. ...

In the early hours of Thursday 8th August 1963 at rural Cheddington in Buckinghamshire GBP2.6 million (GBP50 million today) in unmarked GBP5 GBP1 & 10-shilling notes was stolen from the Glasgow to London nightmail train in a daring & brilliantly executed operation lasting just 46 minutes. Quickly dubbed the crime of the century it has captured the imagination of the public & the world's media for 50 years taking its place in British folklore & giving birth to the myths of The Great Train Robbery. Ronnie Biggs Buster Edwards & Bruce Reynolds became household names. But what really happened? This is the story of four talented villains who took the criminal world by storm of the 'perfect crime'. It is also the story of ruthless policemen determined to hunt the robbers down & to make sure nobody slipped through the net not even the innocent. It is the story of an Establishment under siege & of one mistake which cost the robbers 307 years in prison. Fifty years later here is the story set out in full for the first time a true-life crime thriller & also a vivid slice of British social history. ...

The Great Vegetable Plot is Sarah Ravens guide to growing vegetables for all keen cooks & any level of gardener. In it she demonstrates how to plan & plant your plot recommends the best vegetables to grow & eat & gives clear instructions on how to cultivate them using minimum input to get maximum reward. Divided into 3 sections the book shows you what & what not to grow & the basic principles & techniques to help you achieve this. A landmark Gardeners World book it brings the principles of simplicity & speed to the vegetable plot as well as including delicious food pictures to illustrate why its worth growing your own. Illustrated with over 250 photographs by the award-winning photographer Jonathan Buckley the book is a stylish & practical guide to vegetable gardening & a companion volume to Sarahs previous title Grow Your Own Cut Flowers. ...

The perfect companion to Bradshaws guide book. Showcasing in colour all that is great about Bradshaws guide. Great British Railway Journeys has been a hugely successful TV programme which is now into its third series on BBC2. Much as Michael Palin built up a dedicated fan base for travel around the globe so Michael Portillo has done likewise for lovers of trains in his explorations the length & breadth of the United Kingdom from the window of a train seat. Both charming & insightful Michael again uses Bradshaws guides & now undertakes five unique journeys that were constructed by the Victorians from 1830-1900. Across 25 episodes he delves into this fascinating & colourful period of our history & show how the modern British landscape was created from this Victorian legacy. From Windsor to Weymouth Great Yarmouth to London Oxford to Milford Haven Berwick to Barrow & finally Dublin to Belfast -- Michael will go back in time to showcase areas of outstanding Victorian engineering & design across Queen Victorias dominions. Key parts of the programme & tie-in book will showcase how the worlds very first fixed-track train in Merthyr Tydfil operated; how the worlds first electric train service ran in Southend to its famous pier; & he also celebrates the wide variety of lines that opened up trade & mobility to the Victorian classes. Travelling on a variety of existing & in some cases restored Victorian train lines he meets their passionate supporters who lovingly work on them & also looks at the modern landscape to tell the story of how each area was shaped by their Victorian forebears. Lavishly produced this will once again be a must have purchase for all train lovers as well as those who simply want to find out their heritage & what is now available to view & travel upon in the 21st century to transport them back in time. ...

From the high-level route across the Pyrenees to the scenic Kerry Way in Ireland from a descent through the Samaria Gorge in Crete to an ascent of Helvellyn in the Lake District this book identifies the greatest walks in Europe: twelve of the best long-distance walks (taking from four to fifteen days to complete) & twelve extraordinary day walks. Among the long-distance walks are the incomparable GR20 in Corsica
- a coast-to-coast journey through jagged peaks & deep forested valleys; the ancient Ridgeway across English downland; the Jungfrau Horseshoe in Austria which visits the best viewpoints of the Bernese Oberlands most famous alpine peaks; & the Kungsleden or Royal Trail through the Swedish wilderness. Short walks include the Snowdon Horseshoe one of the finest mountain walks in Britain; a walk through the Verdon Gorge in France Europes equivalent of the Grand Canyon; & an excursion to the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the romantic Isle of Skye in Scotl&. Richard Sale describes each route explaining noteworthy features of all kinds & giving historical & cultural details as well as useful information about maps statistics & the like. His lavish & spectacular photographs of landscapes & wildlife capture the walks spirit & character. The book will be a boon & a delight to walkers inspiring them to relive past adventures & tempting them to plan expeditions for the future.
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Drawing directly on original manuscripts this collection comprises the major short stories published after Kafkas death. It



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Almost a century on interest in The Great War could be expected to have faded & died; after all the last who fought in it have passed on. Yet indisputably interest is increasing not falling. Families seek their own connection both with ancestors who fought & all too often died & with those at home who had to live & cope with unimaginable losses. This book which sets out to fill a gap is written for the layman who may have some knowledge about the Great War of 1914-18 but who wants to know more. It is a story not a history. It is a guide but not a guidebook. It is a story about people but not a biography. It is well nigh impossible to visualise 20 000 men dying in a day on the Somme but it is possible to look at the individual stories that come together to make up such a tragedy. Covering vital background information graphic explanations of the conduct of the War & vivid personal testimonies The Great War Explained offers a highly readable way of gaining a better understanding of this most dramatic period of World history. ...