In May 1977 the French national railways announced they were taking the Orient- Express the worlds most fabled train out of service. The public outcry which followed caught the attention of Jim Sherwood. The last remaining four carriages which had featured in the film Murd er on the Ori ent-Expr ess were auctioned by Sothebys in Monte Carlo & Sherwood bought two of them. He then set out on a trip across Europe to track down enough original 1920s carriages with their exquisite Art Deco marquetry & Lalique glass to make a full train. In 1982 four-anda- half years later the lovingly restored Venice Simplon-Orient Express set off from Victoria Station for Venice almost exactly 100 years after it had first carried passengers on their exotic & mysterious journeys across the continent. The re-launch of the Orient-Express attracted so much attention that Sherwood used the name for the luxury hotel company he went on the create. Orient-Express Hotels today owns some of the great hotels of the world all personally bought by Sherwood over a period of last 30 years. It also owns two other de luxe trains
- the Eastern & Oriental carries passengers from Singapore to Bangkok & the Hiram Bingham runs down through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to the mysterious abandoned city of Machu Picchu in Peru. The purchase & restoration of each train & grand hotel has its own extraordinary story behind it which is wittily & compellingly told.
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Orient Express is for busy cooks who want a touch of the light beautiful cuisine of the eastern Mediterranean. Following her acclaimed violet Citrus & Sweet Perfume Silvena Rowe turns her focus to the delicious small dishes that you would find in the bustling street markets of Damascus or Istanbul
- koftes falafels & pilafs
- as well as delicious puddings such as vanilla baklava & chocolate & pistachio mousse. In this treasure trove of a book she presents 100 light enticing new recipes perfectly balanced for mezze-style summer meals. This is a cuisine both for celebrating & sharing: Ottoman-inspired food based around stunning combinations of sweet & sour
- honey & cinnamon saffron & sumac -and given a brilliant modern twist by one of the most exciting chefs working in Britain today. Silvena Rowe has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the foods & culinary traditions of the eastern Mediterranean. Her cooking is light & the presentation of her dishes is elegant & sophisticated while the flavours are powerful & the textures balanced. Her enthusiasm for the food of her heritage is evident on every page.


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More & more people are getting tattoos these days. Whether these are complex traditional symbols or uniquely significant words tattoos are an expression of the wearers feelings & desires. As the tattoo profession grows tattoo artists are perfecting their art & attracting the attention of an increasing amount of dedicated enthusiasts. In this rising trend Asian tattoo art especially that of China & Japan has gained admirers around the world. Through interviews with artists & the presentation of their work Oriental Tattoo Art" puts the charm of contemporary oriental tattoo art on full display. In addition " Oriental Tattoo Art" contains an appendix with nearly 150 traditional oriental symbols & written characters with clear explanations of their unique cultural meanings for the appreciation & use of the reader. Let us pierce the veil of this ancient & alluring profession & learn about the spiritual & artistic worlds of contemporary tattoo artists in China & Japan." ...

Here is a revised edition of vegetable guru Joy Larkcoms guide to the vegetables of the Far East. Based on 10 years of research it features a cornucopia of crops: a whole new world of vegetables that

Includes:: hardy leafy mustards komatsuna Chinese yams lablab beans Japanese pumpkin & water bamboo
- all full of flavour versatile & easy to grow. Joy Larkcom shows how Western gardeners can grow these vegetables whatever their weather whatever their soil type. Using organic methods & both traditional & modern techniques she takes you through each stage of cultivation & provides over 50 of her own delicious recipes.


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For generations now Edward W. Said's Orientalism" has defined our understanding of colonialism & empire & this " Penguin Modern Classics" edition contains a preface written by Said shortly before his death in 2003. In this highly-acclaimed work Edward Said surveys the history & nature of Western attitudes towards the East considering orientalism as a powerful European ideological creation
- a way for writers philosophers & colonial administrators to deal with the 'otherness' of eastern culture customs & beliefs. He traces this view through the writings of Homer Nerval & Flaubert Disraeli & Kipling whose imaginative depictions have greatly contributed to the West's romantic & exotic picture of the Orient. Drawing on his own experiences as an Arab Palestinian living in the West Said examines how these ideas can be a reflection of European imperialism & racism. Edward W. Said (1935-2003) was a Palestinian-American cultural critic & author born in Jerusalem & educated in Egypt & the United States. His other books include " The Question of Palestine" " Culture & Imperialism" & " Out of Place: A Memoir". If you enjoyed " Orientalism" you might like Frantz Fanon's " The Wretched of the Earth" also available in " Penguin Modern Classics". " Stimulating elegant & pugnacious". (" Observer"). " Beautifully patterned & passionately argued". (" New Statesman"). " Very exciting.. .his case is not merely persuasive but conclusive". (John Leonard " New York Times"). " Magisterial". (Terry Eagleton)."
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The magnum opus of one of the worlds leading origami artists the second edition of Origami Design Secrets reveals the underlying concepts of origami & how to create original origami designs. Containing step-by-step instructions for 26 models this book is not just an origami cookbook or list of instructions--it introduces the fundamental building blocks of origami building up to advanced methods such as the combination of uniaxial bases the circle/river method & tree theory. With corrections & enhanced illustrations this new expanded edition also covers uniaxial box pleating introduces the new design technique of hex pleating & describes methods of generalizing polygon packing to arbitrary angles. With coverage spanning the foundations of origami construction & advanced methods using both paper & pencil & custom-built free software Origami Design Secrets helps readers cultivate the intuition & skills necessary to develop their own designs. It takes them beyond merely following a recipe to crafting a work of art. ...

Origami for Children" is the perfect introduction to origami the fun Japanese papercraft for parents & children of all ages. Divided into six sections the projects cover a fun range of themes from classic origami designs such as animals to party decorations & modern vehicles. There's even a project showing how to create the classic Japanese arcade character Pacman. You'll be amazed at how much you can create with a few simple folds. Every stage is described in a series of clear step-by-step photographs showing all the techniques you will need to complete each of these great designs. Also included is a specially designed pack of origami paper with enough pieces to complete all the projects so you can start making your own amazing creations straight away." ...

Clearly illustrated step-by-step instructions take you through the process of writing a hidden message then folding your note into a cool origami disguise. With Origami XOXO you can send love notes or precious secrets folded into sweet origiami shapes with ideas for cute activities. ...

For millennia it has lain there undiscovered. Now the time has come... Research scientist Evelyn Edwards always knew the Antarctic held deep secrets but the discovery of a 40 000 year old body buried under the ice caps surpasses even her wildest expectations. But just as her team begins extracting the body the dream turns into a horrific nightmare as they are targeted for death by someone who wants to keep this secret buried. Evelyn barely escapes with her life... On the run alone & desperate she turns to her ex-husband Matt Adams a former member of an elite government unit for help. Soon they find themselves caught up in a frantic race against time which takes them from Area 51 to the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva as they try to uncover the biggest conspiracy of all time before its too late for everyone... If mankind thought it knew its origins the time has come to think again because its every belief is about to be challenged... ...

The sickness came into the center of her belly & lay there like a tumor. They've been cloning girls. Not just messing with DNA. But creating them. Selling them. The world famous cosmetic surgeon Dr Wilfred Icove has been found dead
- a cold brutal scalpel to the heart. He is a man with nothing to hide but when Lieutenant Eve Dallas exposes Dr Icove's patient records a distressing image appears. Eve's trail leads to an exclusive boarding school for girls. A strange isolated place where everything seems perfect. A little too perfect. & when the main benefactor turns out to be a genius geneticist Eve readies an attack. With the girls nearing perfection & the men nearing insanity Eve suspects something truly horrifying is happening.. .
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