The Allotment Book
¥110.46
A wonderfully illustrated celebration of the blood, sweat and joy to be had ‘growing your own’ in an allotment – with the in-depth, practical gardening know-how for which Collins is renowned. No longer considered the preserve of old men in sheds, allotment gardening is currently enjoying a renaissance of interest. People of all ages and from all walks of life are digging their own plots in search of the ultimate in fresh, organic produce – and you cannot get more locally-sourced than your own allotment! This book testifies to the vibrancy of allotment culture, aiming both to inspire the next generation of plot-holders and to provide all the practical knowledge needed to turn a patch of soil into a lifelong adventure. Open to all the eco-gardening techniques, and the various weird and wonderful ways people make use of their plots, contents include: ? the history of allotments – from 19th century origins, through wartime ‘Dig for Victory’, to the cosmopolitan communities of today; features photos and interviews with current plot-holders ? planning your perfect allotment – finding it, assessing it, clearing the ground and working out what to grow ? the brown stuff – all you need to know about soil management, the key to growing success ? choosing a gardening method – organic, biodynamic, rotation beds, companion planting, greenhouse, multi-level, potager, cottage garden, and so on… ? the hard stuff – constructing sheds, compost bins, cold frames, fruit cages, ponds, seating and play areas ? selecting crops – what and how to grow, from parsnips and peas to chilli peppers and lemon grass ? cultivation techniques – digging, sowing, feeding, weeding and harvesting, plus troubleshooting pests and diseases ? the allotment calendar – extensive, month-by-month look at what’s in season, jobs for now and looking ahead
Sew and Save
¥63.27
An excellent, nostalgic gift from a bygone era when hard times were no excuse for shabby dressing. Contains practical tips to repair and improve clothes to save money. Travel back to the forties when a war-torn Europe was still no excuse to dress shabbily and the one thing you didn't ration was fashion. In this exclusive reproduction of a genuine archive copy, retro domestic goddess Joanna Chase prescribes ways to avoid fashion fauz pax in money-tight scenarios - whether the cause is a lack of coupons - or a credit crunch. In this book you will learn: o How to make the most out of every last inch of fabric o How to transform old skirts into brand spanking new outfits o How to make clothes out of old furnishings o How to turn your old dresses into ones that fit for your children o How to plan a whole families wardrobe in demand With this book, repackaged in a charming, nostalgic cover, as much a fashion accessory as a practical advice guide, you will learn all this and much much more. Uniform with this guide: Food Facts for the Kitchen Front o Make your Garden Feed You o The archive collection- because good advice never goes out of date.
Collins Complete Photography Course
¥110.46
A practical, affordable and accessible home photography tutor. This inspiring project-based course book covers everything from basic composition to the latest digital darkroom techniques. Learn at your own pace as this practical, comprehensive course helps you develop your key photographic techniques. Contents include: step-by-step projects on exposure, aperture, lenses, light, filters, colour, black and white and image enhancement; plus professional secrets and stunning shots from around the world. The fully interactive and project-based approach of Collins Complete Photography Course will help you to raise both your camera confidence and your level of photography.
Dad’s Army (The Best of British Comedy)
¥50.62
People shout the "Don't tell him, Pike!" line at me regularly - and I didn't even say it!' Philip Madoc.In the annals of British television, no finer example of classic comedy exists than in the shape of Dad's Army, the Home Guard-based sitcom written by veteran writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft. Although they penned many other sterling programmes, including Hi-De-Hi! and the underrated You Rang, M'Lord?, they'll forever be remembered for their brilliant wartime comedy spotlighting the antics of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, led by the irascible and pompous Captain Mainwaring.Between 1968 and '77, nine series and three Christmas Specials - totalling 80 instalments - were screened, much to the delight of the millions of fans who tuned in; but the show's popularity has continued unabated and even today, four decades since the platoon marched onto the scene, it remains one of the golden offerings from the sitcom genre.With the 40th anniversary of Dad's Army in 2008, what better time to celebrate the magic of this show.The Best of British Comedy - Dad's Army includes:”? The History: an overview of how Dad's Army was born and developed”? Gags and Catchphrases: a collection of classic quotes from the programme”? Did You Know?: snippets of info about the show, cast, etc.”? Favourite scenes: the most memorable scenes in full”? A Dad's Army quizEpisode: 'Something Nasty in the Vault'Mainwaring and Wilson are stuck in the bank's strong room. There has been an air raid and they've ended up holding an unexploded bomb. Pike arrives.Pike: Uncle Arthur?Wilson: Oh, what it is, Frank?Pike: Do you think I ought to phone mum and tell her you're holding a bomb?Wilson: No!Pike: But she might get cross if she found out that you'd been holding a bomb and she wasn't told about it.
Talk to the Hand
¥66.22
A battle-cry for civilised behaviour from the author of the multi-million selling Eats, Shoots and Leaves. "Talk to the hand 'cause the face ain't listening," the saying goes. When did the world get to be so rude? When did society become so inconsiderate? It's a topic that has been simmering for years, and Lynne Truss says that it has now reached boiling point. Taking on the boorish behaviour that has become a point of pride for some, Talk to the Hand is a rallying cry for courtesy. Like Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Talk to the Hand is a spirited conversation, not a stuffy guidebook. It is not about forks, for a start. Why hasn't your nephew ever thanked you for that perfect Christmas present? What makes your builder think he can treat you like dirt in your own home? When you phone a utility with a complaint (and have negotiated the switchboard), why can't you ever speak to a person who is authorised to apologise? What accounts for the appalling treatment you receive in shops? Most important, what will it take to roll back a culture that applauds rudeness and finds it so amusing? For anyone who's fed up with the brutality inflicted by modern manners (and is naturally too scared to confront the actual yobs), Talk to the Hand is a colourful call to arms from the wittiest defender of the civilised world.
Betjeman’s Best British Churches
¥154.02
A beautiful and practical up-to-date guide to over two thousand of Britain’s best parish churches. Although now most famous for his poetry, Sir John Betjeman’s great passion was churches. For over fifty years his guide, regularly updated, has been the eminent authority and the most distinguished guide to the best churches to visit. This edition, in full colour throughout and illustrated with over 350 specially commissioned photographs, covers over 2,500 of the very best churches in England, Scotland and Wales. Fully updated by bestselling author Richard Surman, this is the most complete and up to date guide to Britain’s church heritage.
I Love You
¥44.24
Bestselling artist Edward Monkton's profound and funny musings on LOVE and RELATIONSHIPS are both funny and profound, making this collection the perfect gift for lovers everywhere. You are a Chocolate Button of LOVELINESS on the great Caramel Pudding of LIFE Following the phenomenal success of such stylish and original books as The Lady and the Chocolate, The Pig of Happiness, The Shoes of Salvation, Love and The Penguin of Death, Edward Monkton now assembles his funny, sometimes surreal and suprisingly philisophical drawings and thoughts on love. Edward Monkton’s surprisingly philosophical take on all aspects of love, life and happiness have made Monkton’s drawings cherished collectors’ items and a mark of good taste year in, year out.
364 Days of Tedium: or What Santa Gets up to on his Days Off
¥66.22
Ever wondered what Santa gets up to the rest of the year? You’ll wish you hadn’t! For 364 days of the year Santa has bugger all to do. The elves do all the manual labour and these days he orders all the presents online. All he has to do is deliver them. So, for the rest of the time he is bored out of his tiny mind. Dave Cornmell’s brilliant and inspired comic strip is an irreverent and incredibly rude look at Santa’s real life featuring an hilarious cast of characters including Mrs Claus, the elves, reindeer, a variety of arctic wildlife, Santa’s bath toys and some maggots. Find our where Santa goes on holiday, what he does with his bin bags, what he watches on telly, how he copes when his wife goes away and whether or not the rumours are true about him and Vixen. Whatever your idealised image of Santa may be, the truth is that he’s just a bored fat bloke who hates his job. Get used to it.
It’s Not Me, It’s You!: Impossible perfectionist, 27, seeks very very very tidy
¥69.26
‘I loved Jon’s book. It’s even better than the real thing because you can’t hear his voice.’ Michael McIntyre A control freak looks for love (women who leave wet teaspoons in sugar bowls need not apply). ‘I haven’t woken up with a cup of tea by the bed for seven years. It seems such a small thing but it’s one of a thousand things I miss about having someone around to take care of me. I have spent my entire adult life getting things the way I want them and all I want now is someone to give it all up for.’ Is your filing faultless? Your CDs, apostrophes, cutlery all in the right places? Can you eat a biscuit in the correct way? Then Jon Richardson (single for seven years and counting) could be your ideal man… Living alone in a one bedroom flat in Swindon, Jon has had far too much time on his hands to think. In fact to obsess. About almost everything. Jon’s obssessive compulsive personality disorder has seen him arrange the coins in his pockets in ascending size and colour code his bookshelves. It takes him less than 90 seconds to locate a receipt for a pair of shoes he bought in 1997. Over to the filing cabinet and R for receipts, S for shoes. But Jon doesn’t want to be like this, in fact he would quite like to share his life with someone. But who could that someone be? Someone like himself, a quarrelsome perfectionist only with breasts and less body hair? Absolutely not. But who exactly is Jon looking for and where will he find her? Faced with a loveless future filled with his own peculiar quirks and perfectionism, Jon sets about his search for The One. The question is, will he mind her keeping the knives to the left of the forks in the cutlery drawer or organising the CDs by genre and not alphabetically?
The Garden in the Clouds: From Derelict Smallholding to Mountain Paradise
¥66.22
A warm, witty memoir of one man’s escape from the city in an unlikely quest to create out of a mountainous Welsh landscape a garden fit for inclusion in the prestigious Yellow Book – the ‘Gardens of England and Wales Open for Charity’ guide – in just one year. It was a derelict smallholding so high up in the Black Mountains of Wales it was routinely lost in cloud. But to Antony Woodward, Tair-Ffynnon was the most beautiful place in the world. Equally ill-at-ease in town and country after too long in London’s ad-land, Woodward bought Tair-Ffynnon because he yearned to reconnect with the countryside he never felt part of as a child. But what excuse could he invent to move there permanently? The solution, he decided, was a garden. In just a year he’d create a garden so special it would be selected for the prestigious Yellow Book – the famous National Gardens Scheme guide to gardens open to the public for charity. It’s an unlikely ambition to entertain in this most unlikely of settings, and one that soon sees Woodward driven by odder and odder compulsions – from hauling a 20-tonne railway carriage up the mountain to making hay with hopelessly antiquated machinery. The path to Woodward’s elusive sense of belonging turns out to be a rocky and winding one, taking in childhood haunts, children’s books and Proustian nostalgia trips. As the family battles gales, mud and Welsh mountain sheep of marble-eyed cunning, not to mention the notoriously fastidious NGS County Organiser, it remains deeply uncertain whether the ‘Not Garden’ and the ‘infinity vegetable patch’ (that grows only stones) will ever make the grade… Warm, thought-provoking and brilliantly funny, this is a memoir of a hopeless romantic with a grandly ludicrous ambition – an ambition to which anyone who’s ever dropped into a garden centre, or opened a packet of seeds, has already succumbed.
21st Century Dodos: A Collection of Endangered Objects (and Other Stuff)
¥39.04
A REVISED AND UPDATED EBOOK EDITION WITH ALL NEW READERS’ DODOS! We’ve all heard of the list of endangered animals, but no one has ever pulled together a list of endangered inanimate objects. Until now, that is. Steve Stack has catalogued well over one hundred objects, traditions, cultural icons and, well, other stuff that is at risk of extinction. Some of them have vanished already. Cassette tapes, rotary dial phones, half-day closing, milk bottle deliveries, Concorde, handwritten letters, typewriters, countries that no longer exist, white dog poo… …all these and many more are big a fond farewell in this nostalgic, and sometimes irreverent, trip down memory lane.
Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies: RSC Stage Adaptation - Revised Edition
¥70.34
A new, revised edition for the London transfer of Mike Poulton’s expertly adapted two-part adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s hugely acclaimed novels, featuring a substantial set of character notes by Hilary Mantel. Mike Poulton’s ‘expertly adapted’ (Evening Standard) two-part adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed novels ‘Wolf Hall’ and ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ is a gripping piece of narrative theatre … history made manifest’ (Guardian). The plays were premiered to great acclaim by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2013, before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End in May 2014. ‘Wolf Hall’ begins in England in 1527. Henry has been King for almost twenty years and is desperate for a male heir; but Cardinal Wolsey is unable to deliver the divorce he craves. Yet for a man with the right talents this crisis could be an opportunity. Thomas Cromwell is a commoner who has risen in Wolsey’s household – and he will stop at nothing to secure the King’s desires and advance his own ambitions. In ‘Bring Up the Bodies’, the volatile Anne Boleyn is now Queen, her career seemingly entwined with that of Cromwell. But when the King begins to fall in love with self-effacing Jane Seymour, the ever-pragmatic Cromwell must negotiate within an increasingly perilous Court to satisfy Henry, defend the nation and, above all, to secure his own rise in the world. Hilary Mantel’s novels are the most formidable literary achievements of recent times, both recipients of the Man Booker Prize. This volume contains both plays and a substantial set of notes by Hilary Mantel on each of the principal characters, offering a unique insight into the adaptations and an invaluable resource to any theatre companies wishing to stage them.
Little Needle-felt Animals
¥95.75
Needlefelting is fast becoming the most popular and easiest way to create cute and quirky characters and curiosities. In this book you can learn to make 30 adorable little animals. Needlefelting is the ideal craft for beginners, far easier and cheaper to learn than knitting or crochet. You can make almost anything by sculpting loose wool roving with one or two needles – the only limit is your imagination. This book includes a comprehensive introduction and guide to getting started, a breakdown of the basic needlefelting techniques and the equipment you will need. It also features a very cute photograph of each animal and an illustrated step-by-step guide. Learn to make the following little animals … Lion – Baby elephant – Sea lion – Penguin- Whale – Angel fish- Dolphin – Octopus- Snail – Bee – Hedgehog – Fox – Quail – Guinea pig – Puppy- Kitten- Rabbit – Robin – Sheep – Pig
Charm: An Essay (What Money Can’t Buy)
¥28.06
An informative, fun and rather charming essay on the nature and history of one of life’s most desirable assets, Charm, by renowned culture and design critic, Stephen Bayley. Aiming to wound, a schoolmaster wrote on future design-guru Stephen Bayley’s last ever school report “Charm alone will not get him through”. Bayley took this to mean that an affable, genial, outgoing nature was not enough to ensure survival in a harsh world of statistical performance. But survive and flourish is exactly what Bayley did and now he aims to define Charm by looking at its origins and meanings throughout history and in the modern age.
The Half-Gallon Quarter-Acre Pavlova Paradise
¥34.14
A witty, satirical de*ion of life in 1960s New Zealand, and Kiwi culture, by Austin Vernon Mitchell MP, who was an extremely popular TV figure in New Zealand. Yorkshireman Austin Mitchell emigrated to New Zealand and taught history and politics at Otago and Canterbury universities before becoming well known as a television broadcaster. In 1972, after his return to the UK, he published this best-selling commentary on New Zealand. It takes the form of advice to a prospective English immigrant to New Zealand and was celebrated for its warm wit and insight into New Zealand and its people.
100 Of The Best Curses and Insults In Italian
¥82.31
For When You Need Just the Right Word Travelling is fantastic – we don't deny it. But sometimes when you're in another country, stuff happens. A thieving kid lifts your wallet, a cab driver nearly kills you, or a waiter charges you $25 for bottled water. You feel powerless without the ability to do what you really want to do – curse them out. And what's the use of knowing the right curse if you can't pronounce it correctly? The only thing you'll succeed in doing is looking like some lame tourist. But you don't have to look like an idiot anymore. Here are 100 of the best curses and insults in Italian, complete with an audio track featuring 25 curses and insults for your listening pleasure. So the next time a texting teen in Rome knocks over your gelato or a snickering Prada saleswoman in Milan insults your waistline, you'll know precisely how to say, Vaffanculo!
Watercolour Tips (Collins Gem)
¥34.14
The Collins Gem series is being relaunched in Spring 2004 and this new title features a new internal design and a strong new cover design. Packed full of tips for the aspiring watercolourist, its handy format makes it ideal for quick reference either in the studio or out in the field. Contents include: ? essential tips on all the basic watercolour techniques, plus helpful advice on sketching and drawing ? guidelines on painting skies, backgrounds, foregrounds, the main subject, trees, details and shadows ? clear and straightforward step-by-step instructions for painting a complete landscape in 7 easy stages ? tips on painting water in various forms and adding people to a painting
May Martin’s Sewing Bible: 40 years of tips and tricks
¥184.23
Star of the Great British Sewing Bee and doyenne of the Women’s Institute, May Martin has been teaching sewing for over 40 years. Now for the first time she shares her tips and tricks, offering the ultimate beginners’ guide to sewing. Beautifully styled and simple-to-follow, this authoritative sewing bible gives readers information on everything they need to know to get started with sewing. Providing all the essential background information on sewing, setting up your sewing space and detailed lists of all the equipment you’ll need; step-by-step instructions for over 40 projects; and a wealth of general sewing tips and techniques to help you finally master overlocking, seams, fastenings, hemming and much much more, with this book May will simplify all the skills and terms you need, demystify sewing and inspire you to unpack your sewing machine and have a go. It contains over 40 beautiful projects, including crafts, accessories, womenswear, kidswear, menswear and home furnishings. With a range of difficulties for each category – from super-easy but stylish ideas to get even the most nervous sewers started to more elaborate ideas for the aspiring sewer looking for a challenge.
May Martin’s Sewing Bible e-short 4: Christmas
¥15.60
The fourth of 6 eBook-only shorts from star of the Great British Sewing Bee and doyenne of the Women’s Institute, May Martin, including a delightful array of seasonal-inspired projects from stockings to Christmas decorations just in time for the end-of-year festivities - taken from May Martin’s Sewing Bible. May has been teaching sewing for over 40 years. Now she shares three easy and practical ways to brighten up the home for Christmas, perfect as little additions to the festive home. Beautifully styled and simple-to-follow, this authoritative sewing e-short, taken from May Martin’s Sewing Bible, provides three projects to add to the holiday spirit.
May Martin’s Sewing Bible e-short 1
¥9.71
The first of 6 eBook-only shorts from star of the Great British Sewing Bee and doyenne of the Women’s Institute, May Martin, with everything the aspiring seamstress needs to get started: A Place to Sew & the Equipment You Need, General Dressmaking Tips, and Hand Stitches. An exclusive first look at May Martin’s Sewing Bible, due out in August. May has been teaching sewing for over 40 years. Now for the first time she shares her tips and tricks, offering the ultimate beginners’ guide to sewing. Beautifully styled and simple-to-follow, this authoritative sewing e-short, taken from May Martin’s Sewing Bible, gives readers information on everything they need to know to get started with sewing.
May Martin’s Sewing Bible e-short 2
¥15.60
The second of 6 eBook-only shorts from star of the Great British Sewing Bee and doyenne of the Women’s Institute, May Martin, including three gorgeous projects to try at home - Pencil Skirt, Bucket Bag and Shell Blouse - taken from May Martin’s Sewing Bible. May has been teaching sewing for over 40 years. Now she shares her tips and tricks for creating beautiful garments at home, perfect for beginner sewers. Beautifully styled and simple-to-follow, this authoritative sewing e-short, taken from May Martin’s Sewing Bible, offers three starter projects for those looking to create their own unique wardrobe.