Taking the Waters is a celebration of four unique swimming spots on Hampstead Heath: the Kenwood Ladies' Pond the Highgate Men's Pond the Mixed Bathing Pond & the Parliament Hill Lido. People have swum at the ponds for over 200 years
- from champion swimmers & world famous divers to international film stars & hardy year round bathers
- while the Lido is one of London's few remaining outdoor pools. Together they attract over a quarter of a million visits a year. How & why did they come to be & what stories do they have to tell? This book is an illustrated history full of personal memories archive images & stunning modern photography.

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After the wholesale assassination of the Romulan senate in the feature film Star Trek: Nemesis the Romulan Empire is in disarray with rival factions fighting to pick up the pieces & seize the reins of power. After several factions separately contact the Federation Council -- each laying claim to legitimate political power -- Starfleet Command sends Captain William Riker & the USS Titan to Romulus to set up a forum for power-sharing talks. But even as the factions take their first faltering steps towards building a new Romulus civil war looms. Meanwhile the remnants of the Romulan intelligence service the dreaded Tal Shiar are regrouping behind the scenes taking advantage of the political vacuum to mobilize ships & soldiers threatening to touch off a conflict that would tear Romulus apart. With no other help available Riker & the Titan crew are all that stands between the shattered Star Empire & a bloodbath. ...

On March 4 2002 a team of SEALs was choppered onto a hostile Afghan mountain peak as part of Operation Anaconda. The largest operation by US forces since Vietnam it was intended to bring to battle foreign al-Qaeda fighters who had fled after the overthrow of the Taliban & the battle of Tora Bora. But when their special ops Chinook was hit by RPGs it marked the beginning of the SEALs' epic day-long battle for survival which involved Coalition special forces gunships & Predators in a 17-hour firefight against the al-Qaeda guerrillas. ...

The battle of Talavera in 1809 was one of the major battles of the Peninsular War & Arthur Wellesleys first victory in Spain itself following which he was created Viscount Wellington of Talavera & Wellington. Although Welleselys forces were outnumbered & a sizeable contingent of the Spanish ran away he had chosen a superb defensive position & was able to beat off successive French attacks though at a heavy cost in terms of casualties. Although the French had withdrawn leaving Wellesley the master of the field his high casualties & approaching French reinforcements led to Wellesley withdrawing to Portugal. His foray into Spain had an enormous effect on Spanish morale as they realized they were not alone in the struggle. British redcoats had had got to within 70km of Madraid & they would return in future years. ...

This is the story of a silly little duck who more than anything wants to hatch her own eggs. The thing is she isnt very good at being a duck
- she cant sit still on her eggs she really cant fly very well & she doesnt realise shes supposed to run away from foxes. Meet Jemima Puddle-duck the silliest luckiest duck of all. An irresistible picture book about Beatrix Potters famous duck with lots of laughs & surprises for young children to enjoy.
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Welcome to the story of Despereaux an unforgettable literary hero for our time from the pen of award-winning writer Kate Di Camillo. The Tale of Despereaux takes the reader back to the timeless genre of fairytales but with a fantastic modern twist & a wryly witty authorial voice. The Tale of Despereaux is the story of a tiny fragile-looking mouse with a huge heart. Its a fairytale of heroes & villains; of a beautiful princess who inspires love & courage in the unlikely hero; of a rat called Roscuro who lives in a dark bleak dungeon & longs for the light & of a servant-girl whose one wish is to be a princess. These characters? lives become inextricably entwined in this classic new story for all ages. ...

Written in the eleventh century this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the worlds first novel
- & is certainly one of its finest. Genji the Shining Prince son of an emperor is a passionate character whose tempestuous nature family circumstances love affairs alliances & shifting political fortunes form the core of this magnificent epic. Royall Tylers superb translation is detailed poetic & true to the Japanese original while allowing the English reader to appreciate its timeless beauty. In this deftly abridged edition Tyler focuses on the early chapters which vividly evoke Genji as a young man & leave him at his first moment of triumph.
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This is the prose masterpiece of the Heian era of the 10th & 11th centuries which is recognized as a great period in Japanese literature. It is an account of the intricate exquisite highly ordered court culture which made such a masterpiece possible. ...

Ginger & Pickles (a terrier & a ginger cat) kept a very popular shop. Their customers loved to buy their provisions there but they were less keen to pay for them & ran up a great deal of credit making poor Ginger & Pickles lives very difficult indeed. The Tale of Ginger & Pickles" is number 18 in " Beatrix Potter's" series of 23 little books the titles of which are as follows: " The Tale of Peter Rabbit"; " The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"; " The Tailor of Gloucester"; " The Tale of Benjamin Bunny"; " The Tale of Two Bad Mice"; " The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle"; " The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher"; " The Tale of Tom Kitten"; " The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"; " The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"; " The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse"; " The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes"; " The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse"; " The Tale of Mr. Tod"; " The Tale of Pigling Bland"; " The Tale of Samuel Whiskers"; " The Tale of The Pie & the Patty-Pan"; " The Tale of Ginger & Pickles"; " The Tale of Little Pig Robinson"; " The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit"; " The Story of Miss Moppet"; " Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes"; & " Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes"." ...

Poor Jemima. All she wants to do is lay her eggs in peace & be allowed to hatch them herself. At last she flies off & finds the perfect place. Little does the silly duck realise that the charming gentleman who has lent her his woodshed is busily planning a delicious meal of...roast duck! Jemima was a real duck belonging to Beatrix Potter who lived at her farm Hill Top. The story also features Beatrixs own sheepdog Kep who thankfully manages to save Jemima from a nasty fate! The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck" is number nine in Beatrix Potters series of 23 little books the titles of which are as follows: " The Tale of Peter Rabbit"; " The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"; " The Tailor of Gloucester"; " The Tale of Benjamin Bunny"; " The Tale of Two Bad Mice"; " The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle"; " The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher"; " The Tale of Tom Kitten"; " The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"; " The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"; " The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse"; " The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes"; " The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse"; " The Tale of Mr. Tod"; " The Tale of Pigling Bland"; " The Tale of Samuel Whiskers"; " The Tale of The Pie & the Patty-Pan"; " The Tale of Ginger & Pickles"; " The Tale of Little Pig Robinson"; " The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit"; " The Story of Miss Moppet"; " Appley Dapplys Nursery Rhymes"; & " Cecily Parsleys Nursery Rhymes"." ...