Twenty-five-year-old Tom Harding is a newcomer to the Persian Oil Fields. As an assistant geologist in the late 1940s he joins a desert encampment of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In these years before revolution there were fortunes to be made in this dusty outpost of European civilization this land of unbearable sweltering heat & torrential drenching rains of wolves & bandits insect plagues & earthquakes. But despite the hardships Tom soon falls under the spell of this amazing country & he is captured by its romantic promise rose-coloured mystery & soft Eastern allure. ...

Oil paint is such a responsive & versatile medium that no two painters need use it in exactly the same way & since its invention in Renaissance times it has never lost its popularity with artists. Amateurs also find it appealing both because it is enjoyable to use & because mistakes can be so easily rectified. This compact book explains all the materials techniques & different approaches to painting with oils &

Includes:: illustrated step-by-step projects to complete.

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The quick-start guide to great results! Oil painting doesn't have to be rocket science although some books on the subject make it seem that way. Filled with encouraging easy-to-follow instruction Oil Painting for the Absolute Beginner is a no-fear no-experience-required guide to enjoyable painting & happy results. Focusing on the needs of the first-time painter this book covers everything from selecting brushes & setting up your palette to key principles of color & composition presented in a way that moves you confidently from first strokes to finished paintings. Mini demonstrations break down fundamental painting techniques in a clear common sense way 12 step-by-step painting projects progress from simple landscapes still life & flower paintings to more challenging subjects such as animals seascapes & portraits The bonus DVD-workshop features the author creating two paintings from start to finish You'll learn tricks for keeping the greens in your landscapes looking fresh advantages to working with water-soluble oil paints simple tips for dynamic compositions & other expert advice to make your introduction to oil painting the beginning of a beautiful friendship. ...

This is a practical & comprehensive guide for all oil painting enthusiasts from the beginner to the experienced artist. Starting with advice on materials painting from photographs colour & composition it goes on to describe basic & more advanced techniques such as wet on wet wet on dry scumbling dry brush sgraffito impasto & glazing & the wonderful effects they can produce. For those wanting to avoid the use of smelly additives like turpentine or white spirit there is a section on water mixable oils. For readers who would like to see quick results there is a section on instant oil painting or painting in an intuitive spontaneous way. Easy to follow step-by-step demonstrations show the reader how to paint landscapes sea & sky still life & flowers & each section is accompanied by a selection of inspirational paintings by the four featured artists in a rich variety of styles. ...

Opening in 2006 after ten years in the making British Petroleums $4 billion pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean has become an icon of globalization. Over a thousand miles long it weaves a route around the Russian & Iranian borders transporting oil & gas to hungry Western markets. Bringing to bear a wealth of expertise on their subject the authors look at the reality behind the pipelines gleaming facade. Traveling along its route they trace the shadowy forces & institutions behind it meeting whistleblowers security forces local villagers & fishermen; in doing so they expose a story of cracked coatings new arms races & displaced local communities. They explore too the wider forces the pipeline represents from state repression investment banking & energy security to environmental degradation & social movements. A compelling travelogue The Oil Road explores the hidden history of an iconic project that is also a metaphor for our age. ...

Beauty of the beasts. This is Frans Lantings vibrant tribute to Old Africa revisited on its 20th anniversary. Botswana many say represents the last of Old Africa. & in the heart of this arid land lies a place as inspiring & as incongruous as the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro rising on the equator: that is the Okavango one of the greatest wetlands on earth whose very existence in the middle of a desert is nothing short of miraculous.
- Frans Lanting 1993 For a year between 1988 & 1989 Frans Lanting roamed the wetlands & deserts of northern Botswana living by the rhythms of the water & the movements of the animals as he captured them on film. The National Geographic" had sent him there on assignment but what he would take away was much more than a magazine story; it was a seminal & unparalleled collection of photographs depicting a world of flora & fauna that many had assumed no longer existed on this earth. As Lanting wrote " To many who have seen the fate of other wild areas in Africa & elsewhere in the world the very notion that such a place as Okavango still exists is like a dream." Living out of vehicles & canvas tents gliding through swamps following lions by night
- Lanting armed with his Nikon FE2 got up close & personal with some of the planets most formidable creatures. The book he published a few years later " Okavango" was a testament not only to the wondrous wildlife of the region but also to Lantings extraordinary courage skill & photographic eye. After many publications of Lantings work including " Jungles" " Eye to Eye" & " Penguin" TASCHEN now revisits his original classic with this updated & expanded edition of " Okavango" further enhanced with all new reproductions & dozens of previously unpublished photos as well a new preface by Lanting."

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OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Survey's most detailed map & is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities like walking horse riding & off-road cycling. Providing complete GB coverage the series details essential information such as youth hostels pubs & visitor information as well as rights of way permissive paths & bridleways. ...

MARRIAGE MISCHIEF IN THE WILD WEST Independent Josephine Malloy is determined to stake her own claim during the latest Oklahoma land run. But to fend off the countless suitors seeking a wife & a homestead she needs a fake fiance for cover. Enter horse trader Solomon Tremain... As an undercover Deputy US Marshal investigating land fraud Sol should probably keep his distance from this firebr&. But when Josie gets in trouble with the law its Sol to the rescue
- though hell need to make their marriage for real. If only shell stay out of hot water long enough to say I do!
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Oksa Pollock is a thirteen-year-old girl moving with her family from Paris to a new life in London. Along with her best friend Gus she is ready to settle into their new lives. But bizarre things start happening around Oksa. When she finds she has magical powers the truth emerges: her family are not from this world but from Edefia having fled their magical hidden homeland years ago in fear of all their lives. & Oksa is their queen. Between her loving powerful grandmother her wicked new physics teacher her mysterious uncles & Gus plus a whole host of fantastical Edefian creatures Oksa will be thrown into a wilder adventure that she could ever have. & Oksa knows she must triumph over her enemies. The whole of Edefia is counting on her. ...

' Cicero remarked that old age is a strange business. No one wants to miss it he said & everyone complains about it when they get there. Not I though'. Old age comes to us all & Enfield" wittily advises on how to survive its trickier obstacles not least the people who suggest you must 'do something'. One of the great delights of the golden years is doing less
- from giving up DIY & ambition to not inviting people to dinner. In these elegantly entertaining essays " Enfield" guides those entering their finer years on how to make the most of old age."
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