This magnificent & comprehensive illustrated reference to the world's most exotic dive locations covers the Caribbean Sea (Bahamas Mexico Cuba Cayman Islands The Virgin Islands Belize Honduras Aruba Bonaire & Curacao Tobago St Lucia & Dominica) Bermuda the Red Sea (Egypt & Sudan) the Indian Ocean (Oman Maldives Seychelles Mozambique & Western Australia) the Indo-Pacific (Thailand Malaysia & Indonesia) & the Pacific Ocean (Philippines Micronesia Melanesia Papua New Guinea French Polynesia & Eastern Australia). superb quality underwater photography shows a huge variety of wrecks marine habitats & aquatic species. The descriptions detail the type of dive to be experienced as well as what you can expect to see. Each dive site featured can be located via a detailed regional site map & a travel advisory is also included. ...

Haynes Pocket Manuals" are a new series of small books providing factual & practical information on a wide range of popular subjects including machines history & the natural world. Aimed at children they are written using language suitable for young readers & are fully illustrated in colour throughout. " World's Fastest Cars" charts the history of fast cars from standard production models to highly modified cars racing cars drag racers & l&-speed-record breakers whether powered by piston electric or jet engine. Fact boxes & sidebars provide handy additional information on aspects of making cars go faster from aerodynamics to the very special tyres used in drag racing." ...

Award-winning journalist James Fergusson is among the few to have witnessed at first hand the devastating reality of life in the failed & desperate state of Somalia. This corner of the world has long been seen as the rotting & charred heart of Africa: a melting pot of crime corruption poverty famine & civil war. & in recent years whilst Somalia's lucrative piracy industry has grabbed the headlines a darker much deeper threat has come of age: the Al Qaida-linked militants Al Shabaab & the dawn of a new phase in the global war on terror. Yet paradoxically Somalia's star is brightening as forms of business law enforcement & local politics begin to establish themselves & members of the vast Somali diaspora return to their homel&. Fergusson takes us to the heart of the struggle meeting everyone from politicians pirates extremists & mercenaries to aid workers civilians & refugees. He gives a unique account of a country ravaged by war considers what the future might hold for a generation who have grown up knowing little else & exposes the reality of life in this hard often forgotten l&. ...

This lavishly-illustrated & comprehensive survey of 50 of the most influential designers ranging from early celebrity designers such as Paul Poiret to current cutting edge talent such as Hussein Chalayan. The names chosen are there because they have had an extraordinarily powerful influence on fashion & collectively they are responsible for almost the whole fashion story of the last 100 years. Each designer's iconic creations are shown in detail & graphic timelines & cross references show not only why these pieces were extraordinary in their own time but why they are still influencing those creating fashion today. The timelines demonstrate design influence through the generations. The result is a fascinating look at the fashion world that will appeal to anyone interested in fashion as well as being a useful resource for all fashion students. ...

Castles are among the most mysterious buildings on earth. Their grimly silent stones are signposts to a past filled with high adventure grim tragedies & glorious victories. Ghosts hauntings & other paranormal phenomena are frequently reported from castles. Do strange paranormal powers lurk among their ancient ruins? The World's Most Mysterious Castles takes you on a journey through hidden chambers & subterranean tunnels of castles all over the world. Their walls served the sinister needs of spies traitors & assassins. Do the spirits of attackers & defenders who died in long-forgotten sieges still linger where they fell? Screams of unbearable pain & despair were muffled within their deepest darkest torture dungeons. Do they echo there still? ...

Equally loved & loathed by the public & the media airports are crucial to the operation of passenger & airfreight services worldwide. The World's Top 500 Airports" is the leading guide on the subject. It contains a brief history of each airport details of runways & terminals annual passenger numbers & aircraft movements. For the ' Top 250' airports there is a map details of the main user airlines & details of whether traffic is scheduled chartered passenger or freight. Freight traffic figures & ranking for freight are also given. Data & world rankings are supplied by the US-based Airports Council International." ...

That saying? Behind every famous man.. .? From Mrs Midas to Queen Kong from Elvis's twin sister to Pygmalion's bride they're all here in Carol Ann Duffy's inspired & inspirational collection The World's Wife. Witty & thought-provoking this is a tongue-in-cheek no-holds-barred look at the real movers & shakers across history myth & legend. If you have ever wondered for example how exactly Darwin came up with his theory of evolution or what precisely Frau Freud thought about her husband -- then this is the book for you as the wives of the great the good the not so good & the legendary are given a voice in Carol Ann Duffy's sparkling & inventive collection. ' Carol Ann Duffy is a poet of skill talent & great heart' Erica Wagner ' Duffy takes a cheeky subversive no-nonsense swipe with a dish clout at the famous men of history & myth. They don't have a chance in hell of dodging her quick-witted wallop as she relays their stories from their spouse's points of view' The Times ' Poignant thoughtful funny rich & accessible' Ruth Padel Guardian Books of the Year ...

The final revision of this classic bestseller the 7th edition defines the common thread linking the world's greatest economic thinkers & explores the philosophies that motivate them. Hailed by Galbraith as a brilliant achievement" " The Worldly Philosophers" with over 2 million copies sold worldwide not only enables us to see more deeply into our history but helps us to better understand our own times. Heilbroner provides the new theme that connects thinkers as different as Adam Smith & Karl Marx: the desire to understand how a capitalist society works. A new chapter conveys a concern that today's increasingly "scientific" economics may overlook fundamental social & political issues that are central to economics." ...

Chosen by National Geographics family of globe-trotting contributors the lavish Best of the World offers in-depth site descriptions; dozens of fun themed Best of the World lists; locator maps; illuminating sidebars several by travel & literary luminaries; & hundreds of dazzling oversized full-colour images to bring to life 500 awe-inspiring locations in a wide variety of categories
- from entire countries to mountaintop villages to pristine lakes to ancient wonders. This broad general interest travel title will appeal to active travellers looking for the next great trip as well as to the many readers who simply love dreaming of visiting far-flung idyllic destinations & for those who love to be in the know of the next travel trend. Five years after Journeys of a Lifetime" hit the stores fans are eager for the next great set of cant-miss travel hits revealed in this beautiful 2012 gift book."
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King Arthur is probably the most famous & certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed & multiplied. & in more recent times there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to have discovered the 'facts' about or to unlock the secret or truth behind the 'once & future king'. Broadly speaking there are two Arthurs. On the one hand is the traditional 'historical' Arthur waging a doomed struggle to save Roman civilization against the relentless Anglo-Saxon tide during the darkest years of the Dark Ages. On the other is the Arthur of myth & legend
- accompanied by a host of equally legendary people places & stories: Lancelot Guinevere Galahad & Gawain Merlin Excalibur the Lady in the Lake the Sword in the Stone Camelot the Round Table. The big problem with all this is that ' King Arthur' might well never have existed. & if he did exist it is next to impossible to say anything at all about him. As this challenging new look at the Arthur legend makes clear all books claiming to reveal 'the truth' behind King Arthur can safely be ignored. Not only the 'red herrings' in the abundant pseudo-historical accounts even the 'historical' Arthur is largely a figment of the imagination: the evidence that we have
- whether written or archaeological
- is simply incapable of telling us anything detailed about the Britain in which he is supposed to have lived fought & died. The truth as Guy Halsall reveals in this fascinating investigation is both radically different
- & also a good deal more intriguing.



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