A Country Parish (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 9)
¥456.66
The natural history of an ordinary English country parish was one of the first subjects that suggested themselves when the New Naturalist series was planned. Collins are delighted to announce the republication in facsimile form of the first editions of the very first volumes in the New Naturalist Library. Originally planned in the darkest days of World War II and first published in 1945, this series is the longest running nature series in the world. It is a reflection of the quality of the authors and the books they wrote, that they are still sought after 73 years later. The books will be identical in every way to the original first editions, including the iconic jackets by Clifford and Rosemary Ellis. The natural history of an ordinary English country parish was one of the first subjects that suggested themselves when the New Naturalist series was planned. Being chiefly farmland and therefore practically all man-made, most country parishes are extremely complex from the naturalist's point of view and also inevitably contain a vast amount of human history. Any attempt to describe their plants and animals has to be closely related with the ways of man himself, who must be regarded as the chief element in the community - a fact which has been obvious enough to naturalists ever since the days of Gilbert White. For this book we were fortunate to find an author who combined a thorough all-round knowledge of natural history with a sound insight into human customs, history, pastimes and farming methods. Arnold Boyd lived in Cheshire all his life - and in keeping with the best tradition of English amateur naturalists, he excelled as a collector of facts, as is apparent from his previous books, his writing in the Manchester Guardian and other journals, and in his assistant editorship of British Birds. By weaving together his collection of facts he presents us with a book of remarkable unity and which shows a wide grasp of every aspect of the living communities. This charming yet erudite portrait will protect his beloved parish for ever from the ravages of human forgetfulness.
Grass and Grassland (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 48)
¥456.66
The use of natural and seeded grass pastures for the feeding of livestock and other unfamiliar uses for the ubiquitous grass family are described in this succinct and beautifully illustrated work. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.com The New Naturalist series has already covered many facets of the interrelationship between man and nature, but the grass family is probably the most important man in the whole plant kingdom - just how important is shown in this book. Dr. Moore, the Principal of Seale Hayne Agricultural College in Devon, is our leading authority on grasses and their utilization. His special interest is the use of natural and seeded grass pastures for the feeding of livestock. Striking advances have been made in recent years in the improvement of such pastures and Dr. Moore deals very fully with this vital link in the feeding of the human race; but he also covers that other equally important role of the grass family in our economy, the cultivation of cereal crops for the production of grain. Grass lawns and playing fields form a centre-piece in most British gardens and public parks and there is a chapter on these, but the horticultural value of grasses as ornamental plants in herbaceous borders and woodland gardens is less well known. These and many other unfamiliar uses for the ubiquitous grass family are described in this succinct and beautifully illustrated work.
On Nature: Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside
¥154.12
A diverse and entertaining collection of writing examining and celebrating the British Countryside, from falconry to foraging and from the musings of a nighttime angler to tips for seasonal drinking. LAND Stuart Maconie (Radio 2) on hill walking / Wainwright walks Nick Small (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) how to get nature into your garden, no matter how urban it is Richard King (Loops magazine editor) on the Winter Solstice and on the Summer Solstice John Wright (www.wild-food.net/ on the basics of getting started in foraging Bill Drummond (Damsons in Distress) Dan Kieran (Crap Towns/I Fought The Law) on falconry RIVER / INLAND WATERS John Andrews (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) on winter pike fishing Jon Berry (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) writing about the night from a fishermen's perspective, the sounds, shadows, the hallucinatory effects of sleep deprivation when the sun rises COASTLINE Ian Vince (The Lie of the Land) on the Jurassic coast and fossils Martin Noble (British Sea Power) the Exmoor to Dartmoor coastal walk Nick Hand (http://www.slowcoast.co.uk/) on what you see when cycling the entire coastline of the UK Michael Smith (BBC4 Drivetime) on the coastline in the north of England ISLAND LIFE Sarah Boden (The Observer) on fleeing London to move and become a sheep farmer on Eigg
The Natural History of Orkney (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 70)
¥456.66
This is the first survey of the islands' natural history, complete in one volume. Because Orkney is exceptional, it is vital reading for the serious naturalist, as well as for being a comprehensive and absorbing guide for every visitor. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.com Orkney is a very special place for naturalists. Closer to Oslo than to London, its geography and climate create quite distinct environmental conditions - even though it is only six miles from the Scottish mainland. On these islands of fierce gales, long summer days and long winter nights, the wildlife has adapted in intriguing ways… Starlings adapt to ground-nesting…local sheep eat seaweed…and there are voles exclusive to Orkney. Here is one of the very few areas where the rare and delicate Scottish Primrose thrives…where you find the British stronghold of the Hen Harrier, and vast colonies of seabirds and seals. This is the first - and long-needed - survey of the islands' natural history, complete in one volume. Because Orkney is exceptional, it is vital reading for the serious naturalist, as well as for being a comprehensive and absorbing guide for every visitor. In his tracing of the island's evolution from its geological creation to the effects of oil technology; in the detailed, yet fascinating exploration of the plants and animals (and where best to see them), Professor Berry's expertise and enthusiasm is backed by that of local specialists, and Orkney's long tradition of natural history study. Appendices include definitive lists of all the species of flora and fauna on record, and an extensive bibliography.
Birds Britannia
¥132.53
Birds and bird lore provide a fascinating window onto our social and cultural history, and can tell us much about our changing relationship with the British landscape, our people and society. We Brits love our birds. They hold a special place in our hearts – whether it's the sound of birdsong on a spring morning, the sight of a Barn Owl hunting on a summer's evening, or a Robin perched on our garden spade. In this book, Stephen Moss focusses on some of our most beloved and charismatic birds. He explores their fascinating biology, and their place in the evolving culture and history of the British people. The author delves into the worlds of Sea Birds (Puffin, Sea Eagle and Gannet), Water Birds (Kingfisher, Swan and Avocet), Countryside Birds (Red Grouse, Nightingale and Skylark ) and Town & Garden Birds (Robin, House Sparrow and Magpie), weaving their stories together to tell four very different stories about the changing face of Britain.
Dartmoor (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 111)
¥385.34
New Naturalist Dartmoor explores the complex and fascinating history of one of southern England's greatest National Parks, an area of enormous interest to naturalists and tourists alike. Dartmoor is said to be the loneliest wilderness in England. This has been said more often of Dartmoor than any other part of our country. Traditionally in the world of fiction as well as that of fact, Dartmoor has been renowned as a vast and empty moorland area, the property of nature rather than of man. It has always been the public's idea of a lonely place. Not many generations ago it was regarded with a certain amount of awe and nowadays it is one of our most important centres of recreation, an island in upland England of abundant interest to the naturalist. In 1951 it became a National Park, one of the first of several places that have been so designated in Great Britain, helping to conserve and promote both its beauty and cultural heritage. Spanning miles of open moorland, whilst also hiding small secluded river valleys, rare plants and endangered birds, Dartmoor is a place of variety, and has evolved in the public's mind from a forbidding place to that of romance and mystery. In the latest addition to the long-running New Naturalist series, Ian Mercer sets out to explore every aspect of this important area of southern Devon. Focusing not only on its extensive history and physical landscape, but also its cultural place within Great Britain, this is both a comprehensive and engaging look at the wild and rugged landscape that has inspired so many poets, painters and musicians over countless centuries.
Pesticides and Pollution (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 50)
¥456.66
Pesticides and Pollution examines the problems of pollution of air, land, river, and the sea, by herbicides, pesticides, sewage, industrial effluents, gases, radiation, leakages, over-drainage, mistakes and mismanagement, in Britain today. From an objective and scientific standpoint, Dr. Mellanby examines the problems of pollution of air, land, river, and the sea, by herbicides, pesticides, sewage, industrial effluents, gases, radiation, leakages, over-drainage, mistakes and mismanagement, in Britain to-day. He sets out to placate neither farmers nor naturalists, but to explain in each case what is happening, to point to both dangers and practical necessities, and to discuss what steps should be taken. Dr. Mellanby is Director of the Nature Conservancy's Monks Wood Experimental Station, was head of the Entomology department at Rothamsted, and for many years before that did research in medical entomology both in Britain and the tropics.
British Birds of Prey (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 60)
¥456.66
Leslie Brown's account of our 15 resident, 7 vagrant and 2 migrant species of eagles, falcons, hawks and vultures in Britain presents a great mass of scientific information about our birds of prey in a manner as attractive to the general reader as to the dedicated ornithologist. The diurnal raptors are among the most arresting and dramatic of British bird species, from the magnificent and immense golden eagle of the Highlands to the more widespread but equally spectacular peregrine falcon and the frequent and adaptable kestrel of motorways and urban ledges. Leslie Brown's account of our 15 resident, 7 vagrant and 2 migrant species of eagles, falcons, hawks and vultures in Britain presents a great mass of scientific information about these birds in a manner as attractive to the general reader as to the dedicated ornithologist. Each of the resident species is discussed in detail - its status, past and present; its feeding and hunting behaviour; its life history; its breeding behaviour; migration and the threats to its survival. Then the biology of the birds of prey, changes in their habitat and status, their food habits, breeding behaviour, their territories and populations are examined in depth in separate chapters. An acknowledged world authority on birds of prey - co-author with Dean Amadon of Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World, and author of many other books besides - Leslie Brown is immensely enthusiastic; and the many tables, maps, figures and bibliography are all indicative of the thoroughness of his research. Also illustrated with 40 superb black and white photographs.
The Fix
¥68.67
Addictions to iphones, painkillers, cupcakes, alcohol and sex are taking over our lives. Our most casual daily habits can quickly become obsessions that move beyond our control. Damian Thompson, who has himself struggled with a range of addictions, argues that human desire is in the process of being reshaped. Shunning the concept of addiction as disease, he shows how manufacturers are producing substances like ipads, muffins and computer games that we learn to like too much and supplement tradition addictions to alcohol, drugs and gambling. He argues that addictive behaviour is becoming a substitute for family and work bonds that are being swept away by globalisation and urbanisation. This battle to control addiction will soon overshadow familiar ideological debates about how to run the economy, and as whole societies set about “fixing” themselves, the architecture of human relations will come under strain as never before. The Fix offers a truly frightening glimpse of the future and is essential reading for fans of Naomi Klein’s ‘No Logo’, Oliver James’s ‘Affluenza’ and Francis Wheen’s ‘How Mumbo-jumbo Conquered the World’.
Inside Nature’s Giants
¥147.35
With a foreword by Richard Dawkins, and based on the BAFTA award-winning Channel 4 TV series, Inside Nature’s Giants gets under the skin of the largest animals on the planet. See them as you've never seen them before – from the inside out. Inside Nature’s Giants explores the anatomy of the largest animals on the planet to reveal how these amazing creatures really work. Rather than simply telling you how an animal behaves, the book features dissection, CGI and wildlife photography to show how millions of years of evolution have enabled animals to thrive across the world. This is natural history as you’ve never seen it before – from the inside out. Join the Inside Nature’s Giants team of scientists and anatomical experts, including, among others, veterinary scientist Mark Evans, enthusiastic, scalpel-wielding anatomist Joy Reidenberg, science presenter Simon Watt and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, as they unlock the secrets behind some of nature's most extraordinary beasts. Why doesn’t a giraffe keel over and faint, when its head is so far above its heart? Why are crocodiles hopeless at chewing, when they have the strongest bite of all animals, and why does a giant squid have three hearts and pass food through its brain? By rolling up their sleeves to delve into these animals the team discover the answers to these, and many other fascinating, questions, revealing how evolution by natural selection is responsible for the bizarre biology of elephants, sharks, giraffes, big cats, hippos, crocodiles, camels, whales, kangaroos, giant squids and more. Using an interactive approach, Inside Nature’s Giants offers an exciting, alternative take on natural history. By opening the single- and double-page gatefolds readers can go beneath the skins of the animals to experience for themselves how evolution has shaped the anatomy of some of nature’s most magnificent animals.
Back from the Brink: The Inside Story of the Tory Resurrection
¥109.48
Lifting the lid on the most captivating story in British politics today, ‘Back from the Brink’ charts the Conservative Party's remarkable journey from the political wilderness to the threshold of power. Based on unprecedented access to key figures in the Conservative party, including every leader from John Major to David Cameron, political journalist Peter Snowdon sheds new light on the dramatic decline and renaissance of the party that dominated 20th century British politics. He reveals how the Conservatives were torn apart by in-fighting as they struggled to come to terms with their catastrophic electoral defeat in 1997 and the continuing trauma of Margaret Thatcher's sudden removal from office several years earlier. Under a succession of hapless leaders - William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard - the party lost two further elections and at times effectively ceased to function as a political force across whole swathes of Britain. It took the emergence of a new generation of Conservatives, and David Cameron's election as leader in 2005, to set the party on the uneven road to electoral recovery. Packed full of fresh insights into what really goes on behind closed doors at Westminster, Back from the Brink exposes the bitter rivalries and recriminations that have blighted the Conservatives in Opposition, and gets to the heart of Cameron's quest for power and ambitions for office.
Collins Where to See Wildlife in Britain and Ireland
¥147.35
Have you ever wondered where the best places to go are to see leaping salmon, rutting deer, diving gannets, breaching whales or bluebell woods in full bloom? The British Isles are home to some of the richest and most varied wildlife to be found in Europe, and knowing when and where to go is the key to seeing Britain’s natural beauty at its very best. Divided into 50 regions, each accompanied by a detailed map, Where to See Wildlife in Britain and Ireland is packed with essential information on Britain and Ireland’s most exciting conservation sites, from nature reserves in Somerset renowned for their otters, to remote bird sanctuaries in the Highlands of Scotland, home to the glorious golden eagle. Featuring over 800 sites, including National and Local Nature Reserves, National Parks, RSPB Reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this highly informative book provides practical advice on the best time to go, how to get there, and what to see, along with suggestions for other places to visit in each area. Plants and animals associated with each site are highlighted throughout, and special features provide insight into the range of habitats you will encounter along the way, from marshes and wetlands to lakes and mountains. With over 500 stunning colour photographs and clear Collins road mapping, Where to See Wildlife in Britain and Ireland allows nature-lovers to plan anything from a fun day out for the family to a two–week tour of Britain’s wildlife treasures. So whether you want to see glow-worms glow in Devon, hares box in Hertfordshire, or sea eagles soar over Skye, this book will get you to the right place at the right time, helping to answer many of your questions along the way.
Etiquette (Collins Nutshell Books)
¥37.96
Ever wondered about the correct way to address a Duke? Or how to get out of a car elegantly? What do you do if you embarrass yourself in public? These, and a whole host of other practical questions, are answered in this charming pocket-sized book. First published in 1960 this charming book provides a wealth of practical information on the right thing to do in just about every situation. Hailing from a time when it was not yet fashionable to condemn good manners and courtesy as hypocrisy, and social situations were distinct from each other with specific codes of conduct, Etiquette is both a delightful insight into the social mores of the '60s and a guide to good manners that is still relevant today. Chapters cover the problems involved in letter writing; sending out invitations; striking up conversation; telephone conversations; flat sharing; entertaining friends, business acquaintances - and their children; correct behaviour on a first date and even how to organise a wedding. Etiquette is part of a series of Collins Nutshell Books which cover hobbies, sports, practical activities and leisure-time interests of many kinds. Originally produced in the '60s, Collins Nutshell Books, recall a bygone era which flourished on the knowledge that many interests make for a happy life and that leisure means much more than watching television.
The Royal British Legion: 90 Years of Heroes
¥147.35
The Royal British Legion was founded in 1921. It is now the country’s leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces and their dependants. The RBL is behind the annual Poppy Appeal, the highest profile charity appeal in Britain. This book has the full support of the Royal British Legion and will tell the complete story of its history through exclusive access to its archives, thus providing a celebratory, as well informative, tribute to their work over the past 90 years. It will be the definitive history of this much-loved organisation, charting its work with soldiers and ex-servicemen through the stories of its heroes, famous as well as unknown, during the highest-profile military campaigns of the past 90 years. The book will be divided into nine chapters, each representing one decade in the RBL’s existence. Each chapter will celebrate one hero per year; 1921, 1922, 1923, etc. giving an account of that particular person, and what they achieved. Within each chapter will be special spreads that emphasise also the social history of the evolution of the RBL as a charity. Each one of the heroes, from 1921 right through to 2011, has been personally chosen by decorated royal marine, and RBL ambassador, Lance Corporal Matt Croucher GC. Men such as Major Robert Henry Cain VC (1909-1974), who destroyed six tanks during Operation ‘Market Garden’ at Arnhem in 1944 and was one of the only officers from his battalion to escape the German encirclement of the British 1st Airborne Division. The book was published in late autumn to coincide with the 2011 Poppy Appeal, which will be the biggest in the Legion’s history, with events running nationwide, TV advertising, celebrity involvement and a high-profile marketing campaign. Matt Croucher will be involved in the campaign as an ambassador for the RBL. For any serving member of the armed forces, or those retired from service, or members of the public who are keen to know about this beloved organisation; this will be a fascinating and valued purchase, knowing that royalties will be going to the charity themselves.
The Cracking Code Book
¥53.56
How to make it, break it, hack it, crack it. The secret history of codes and code breaking. Simon Singh’s best-selling title The Code Book now re-issued for the young-adult market. The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography. Simon Singh brings life to an amazing story of puzzles, codes, languages and riddles – revealing the continual pursuit to disguise and uncover, and to work out the secret languages of others. Codes have influenced events throughout history, both in the stories of those who make them and those who break them. The betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the enigma code that helped the Allies in World War II are major episodes in a continuing history of cryptography. In addition to stories of intrigue and warfare, Simon Singh also investigates other codes, the unravelling of genes and the rediscovery of ancient languages and most tantalisingly, the Beale ciphers, an unbroken code that could hold the key to a $20 million treasure.
World War One:History in an Hour
¥18.05
Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour. The ‘Great War’, from July 1914 to November 1918, was without parallel. It brought to an end four dynasties, ignited revolution, and forged new nations. It introduced killing on an unprecedented scale, costing an estimated nine million lives. It was the war that destroyed any notion of romance or chivalry in battle; it pulled in combatants from nations across the globe and shattered them, body and mind. The War involved all of the world’s great powers – the Central Powers, dominated by Germany and Austria-Hungary; the Triple Entente, lead by Britain, France and Russia; and America. World War One: History in an Hour explains the unprecedented battles on land, sea and in the air and describes the Home Front, espionage, and the politics behind them. This, for the first time in history, was ‘total war’. Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour…
The Siege of Leningrad:History in an Hour
¥18.05
Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour. The Siege of Leningrad was one of the longest sieges in history and it inflicted some of the worst civilian casualties of World War Two. When Hitler declared his intention to obliterate the key city of Leningrad on 22 September 1941, he could not have foreseen the grim determination of its citizens. Over the course of 900 days, the city resisted the Germans pounding at its gates. Its survival contributed to the defeat of Nazism. But the price was heavy – over 1 million died in Leningrad from German bombs and artillery, or from disease, the cold or starvation. In its suffering Leningrad became a source of symbolic national pride, of good conquering evil. The story of the siege is one of heroic resistance and stoical survival but it also one of unimaginable suffering and extreme deprivation. THE SIEGE OF LENINGRAD: HISTORY IN AN HOUR is essential reading for all history lovers. Know your stuff: read about the Siege of Leningrad in just one hour.
The Sugar Girls - Joan’s Story
¥18.74
This is Joan’s story, one of four stories from The Sugar Girls.During the Blitz and the years of rationing, the Sugar Girls kept Britain sweet. The work was back-breakingly hard, but the Tate & Lyle factory was more than just a workplace - it was a community, a calling, a place of love and support and an uproarious, tribal part of East London. ‘Joan had joined Tate & Lyle expressly for the social life, and she was determined to make the most of it. She could see that her old friend Peggy already had an established group of her own among the sugar girls, so she set about building a new set of friends. It wasn’t difficult for Joan, whose cheerful self-confidence, natural chattiness and naughty sense of humour acted as a magnet to those around her.’ In the years leading up to and after the Second World War thousands of women left school at fourteen to work in the bustling factories of London’s East End. Despite long hours, hard and often hazardous work, factory life afforded exciting opportunities for independence, friendship and romance. Of all the factories that lined the docks, it was at Tate & Lyle’s where you could earn the most generous wages and enjoy the best social life, and it was here where The Sugar Girls worked This is an evocative, moving story of hunger, hardship and happiness, providing a moving insight into a lost way of life, as well as a timeless testament to the experience of being young and female. Includes Joan’s own personal photographs of life as a sugar girl.
A Book of Voyages
¥69.26
Never previously published in this country, A Book of Voyages presents writings by various travelers, annotated and introduced by Patrick O Brian. Most are taken from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; O Brian felt that, unlike Elizabethan or Victorian accounts, these writings were relatively unknown in our time. On her journey through the Crimea, Lady Craven witnesses barbaric entertainments in the court of the Tartar Khan. John Bell tells us of his day s hunting with the Manchu emperor in 1721 outside Peking. An English woman in Madras gives us a detailed de*ion of the extraordinary costume and body decoration of a high-born Indian woman, wife of a nabob. These and other selections are glimpses of a world, now gone forever, that few readers would ever see for themselves. They are also quite possibly the inspiration for the travels and adventures of O Brian s own fictional heroes Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin."
Broke:Who Killed the Middle Classes?
¥66.22
If you thought being middle-class meant your own home, something set aside for the kids and a comfortable retirement – think again. For the first time ever, today’s middle classes will struggle to enjoy the same privileges of security and comfort that their grandparents did. How did this situation come about? What can be done about it? In this beautifully shaped inquiry, David Boyle questions why the middle classes are diminishing and how their status, independence and values are being eroded. From Thatcher’s boost of the mortgage market to Blair and Brown’s posturing over public services, ‘Broke’ examines the key moments in recent history that created ‘the squeezed middle’. Can the middle classes be revived? Should they be? Although they were not innocent in their downfall, Boyle argues that a newly galvanised middle class could be the key to future economic stability. The middle class may be broke, but it is not beyond repair.
Sisters, Secrets and Sacrifice
¥57.09
Two sisters. Two special agents. One War. Sisters, Secrets and Sacrifice is the incredible true story of British special agents Eileen and Jacqueline Nearne, two sisters who risked everything to fight for our freedom during the Second World War. The death of an eccentric recluse is rarely an event to be given more than a few lines in a local newspaper. But when, in September 2010, police were called to a tiny, cluttered flat in Torquay and discovered the body of local ‘cat lady’ Eileen Nearne, they also found a small bundle of possessions that told an amazing story. For Eileen Nearne had been an agent for the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War, going undercover in Nazi-occupied France to send wireless messages of crucial importance to the Allies. Astonishingly, Eileen was not the only special agent in the family – her sister Jacqueline had also been an SOE. Rarely had two members of the same family sacrificed so much to such dangerous work. Sisters, Secrets and Sacrifice pays tribute to these fiercely patriotic women with hearts of courage, who fought for freedom at much personal cost. While Jacqueline narrowly avoided capture several times, tirelessly couriering secret documents for the resistance, Eileen was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo before being incarcerated at Ravensbrück concentration camp. She was only 23. This is a true story of triumph and tragedy, of two sisters who sacrificed themselves to defend our freedom, who stood shoulder to shoulder during the darkest of days.

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