Embrace the new world of fiance by leveraging the power of crypto-currencies using Bitcoin and the BlockchainAbout This BookSet up your own wallet, buy and sell Bitcoin, and execute custom transactions on the BlockchainLeverage the power of Bitcoin to reduce transaction costs and eliminate fraudA practical step-by-step guide to break down the Bitcoin technology to ensure safe transactions Who This Book Is For If you are familiar with online banking and want to expand your finances into a resilient and transparent currency, this book is ideal for you. A basic understanding of online wallets and financial systems will be highly beneficial to unravel the mysteries of Bitcoin.What You Will LearnSet up your wallet and buy a Bitcoin in a flash while understanding the basics of addresses and transactionsAcquire the knack of buying, selling, and trading Bitcoins with online marketplacesSecure and protect your Bitcoins from online theft using Brainwallets and cold storageUnderstand how Bitcoin’s underlying technology, the Blockchain, works with simple illustrations and explanationsConfigure your own Bitcoin node and execute common operations on the networkDiscover various aspects of mining Bitcoin and how to set up your own mining rigDive deeper into Bitcoin and write *s and multi-signature transactions on the networkExplore the various alt-coins and get to know how to compare them and their value In Detail The financial crisis of 2008 raised attention to the need for transparency and accountability in the financial world. As banks and governments were scrambling to stay solvent while seeking a sustainable plan, a powerfully new and resilient technology emerged. Bitcoin, built on a fundamentally new technology called “The Blockchain,” offered the promise of a new financial system where transactions are sent directly between two parties without the need for central control. Bitcoin exists as an open and transparent financial system without banks, governments, or corporate support. Simply put, Bitcoin is “programmable money” that has the potential to change the world on the same scale as the Internet itself. This book arms you with immense knowledge of Bitcoin and helps you implement the technology in your money matters, enabling secure transactions. We first walk through the fundamentals of Bitcoin, illustrate how the technology works, and exemplify how to interact with this powerful and new financial technology. You will learn how to set up your online Bitcoin wallet, indulge in buying and selling of bitcoins, and manage their storage. We then get to grips with the most powerful algorithm of all times: the Blockchain, and learn how crypto-currencies can reduce the risk of fraud for e-commerce merchants and consumers. With a solid base of Blockchain, you will write and execute your own custom transactions. Most importantly, you will be able to protect and secure your Bitcoin with the help of effective solutions provided in the book. Packed with plenty of screenshots, Learning Bitcoin is a simple and painless guide to working with Bitcoin.Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide to working with Bitcoin and the Blockchain technology. This book is ideal for anyone who wants to learn the basics of Bitcoin and explore how to set up their own transactions.

Become an expert in Bayesian Machine Learning methods using R and apply them to solve real-world big data problemsAbout This BookUnderstand the principles of Bayesian Inference with less mathematical equationsLearn state-of-the art Machine Learning methodsFamiliarize yourself with the recent advances in Deep Learning and Big Data frameworks with this step-by-step guide Who This Book Is For This book is for statisticians, analysts, and data scientists who want to build a Bayes-based system with R and implement it in their day-to-day models and projects. It is mainly intended for Data Scientists and Software Engineers who are involved in the development of Advanced Analytics applications. To understand this book, it would be useful if you have basic knowledge of probability theory and analytics and some familiarity with the programming language R.What You Will LearnSet up the R environmentCreate a classification model to predict and explore discrete variablesGet acquainted with Probability Theory to analyze random eventsBuild Linear Regression modelsUse Bayesian networks to infer the probability distribution of decision variables in a problemModel a problem using Bayesian Linear Regression approach with the R package BLRUse Bayesian Logistic Regression model to classify numerical dataPerform Bayesian Inference on massively large data sets using the MapReduce programs in R and Cloud computing In Detail Bayesian Inference provides a unified framework to deal with all sorts of uncertainties when learning patterns form data using machine learning models and use it for predicting future observations. However, learning and implementing Bayesian models is not easy for data science practitioners due to the level of mathematical treatment involved. Also, applying Bayesian methods to real-world problems requires high computational resources. With the recent advances in computation and several open sources packages available in R, Bayesian modeling has become more feasible to use for practical applications today. Therefore, it would be advantageous for all data scientists and engineers to understand Bayesian methods and apply them in their projects to achieve better results. Learning Bayesian Models with R starts by giving you a comprehensive coverage of the Bayesian Machine Learning models and the R packages that implement them. It begins with an introduction to the fundamentals of probability theory and R programming for those who are new to the subject. Then the book covers some of the important machine learning methods, both supervised and unsupervised learning, implemented using Bayesian Inference and R. Every chapter begins with a theoretical de*ion of the method explained in a very simple manner. Then, relevant R packages are discussed and some illustrations using data sets from the UCI Machine Learning repository are given. Each chapter ends with some simple exercises for you to get hands-on experience of the concepts and R packages discussed in the chapter. The last chapters are devoted to the latest development in the field, specifically Deep Learning, which uses a class of Neural Network models that are currently at the frontier of Artificial Intelligence. The book concludes with the application of Bayesian methods on Big Data using the Hadoop and Spark frameworks.Style and approach The book first gives you a theoretical de*ion of the Bayesian models in simple language, followed by details of its implementation in the R package. Each chapter has illustrations for the use of Bayesian model and the corresponding R package, using data sets from the UCI Machine Learning repository. Each chapter also contains sufficient exercises for you to get more hands-on practice.

Over 90 practical and highly applicable recipes to successfully deploy various OpenStack configurations in productionAbout This BookGet a deep understanding of OpenStack’s internal structure and servicesLearn real-world examples on how to build and configure various production grade use cases for each of OpenStack's servicesUse a step-by-step approach to install and configure OpenStack’s services to provide Compute, Storage, and Networking as a services for cloud workloads Who This Book Is For If you have a basic understanding of Linux and Cloud computing and want to learn about configurations that OpenStack supports, this is the book for you. Knowledge of virtualization and managing Linux environments is expected. Prior knowledge or experience of OpenStack is not required, although beneficial.What You Will LearnPlan an installation of OpenStack with a basic configurationDeploy OpenStack in a highly available configurationConfigure Keystone Identity services with multiple types of identity backendsConfigure Glance Image Store with File, NFS, Swift, or Ceph image backends and use local image cachingDesign Cinder to use a single storage provider such as LVM, Ceph, and NFS backends, or to use multiple storage backends simultaneouslyManage and configure the OpenStack networking backendConfigure OpenStack's compute hypervisor and the instance scheduling mechanismBuild and customize the OpenStack dashboard In Detail OpenStack is the most popular open source cloud platform used by organizations building internal private clouds and by public cloud providers. OpenStack is designed in a fully distributed architecture to provide Infrastructure as a Service, allowing us to maintain a massively scalable cloud infrastructure. OpenStack is developed by a vibrant community of open source developers who come from the largest software companies in the world. The book provides a comprehensive and practical guide to the multiple uses cases and configurations that OpenStack supports. This book simplifies the learning process by guiding you through how to install OpenStack in a single controller configuration. The book goes deeper into deploying OpenStack in a highly available configuration. You’ll then configure Keystone Identity Services using LDAP, Active Directory, or the MySQL identity provider and configure a caching layer and SSL. After that, you will configure storage back-end providers for Glance and Cinder, which will include Ceph, NFS, Swift, and local storage. Then you will configure the Neutron networking service with provider network VLANs, and tenant network VXLAN and GRE. Also, you will configure Nova’s Hypervisor with KVM, and QEMU emulation, and you will configure Nova’s scheduler filters and weights. Finally, you will configure Horizon to use Apache HTTPD and SSL, and you will customize the dashboard’s appearance.Style and approach This book consists of clear, concise instructions coupled with practical and applicable recipes that will enable you to use and implement the latest features of OpenStack.

Make use of Node.js to learn the development of a simple yet scalable cross-platform mobile applicationAbout This BookUse Node.js to satisfy the core backend requirements of modern apps, including user management, security, data access, and real-time data communicationBuild practical real-world mobile applications, which will give you the necessary knowledge to build your very own mobile solutionsStep-by-step development of projects using Ionic Framework as the frontend and Node.js for the backend supported by a MongoDB database Who This Book Is For This book is intended for web developers of all levels of expertise who want to deep dive into cross-platform mobile application development without going through the pains of understanding the languages and native frameworks that form an integral part of developing for different mobile platforms. This book is also for you if you are a developer who wants to capitalize on the MobileFirst strategy and so are going to use JavaScript for your complete stack.What You Will LearnDevelop an API from scratchSet up a MongoDB Database as part of your mobile application backendDeploy a cross-platform mobile application from the command lineIncorporate features within your mobile application that use native phone features such as a gyroscope, GPS, and accelerometerImplement mobile applications that use web-enabled APIsBuild a mobile application with real-time chat messaging featuresDevelop a secure mobile application that is capable of functioning with real-time data In Detail Node.js is a massively popular JavaScript library that lets you use JavaScript to easily program scalable network applications and web services. People approaching Node.js for the first time are often attracted by its efficiency, scalability, and the fact that it's based on JavaScript, the language of the Web, which means that developers can use the same language to write backend code. Also, it’s increasingly being seen as a "modern" replacement for PHP in web development, which relies on fast-paced data exchange. The growing community and the large amount of available modules makes Node.js one of the most attractive development environments. This book takes a step-wise and incremental approach toward developing cross-platform mobile technologies using existing web technologies. This will allow you to truly understand and become proficient in developing cross-platform mobile applications with Node.js, Ionic Framework, and MongoDB. The book starts off by introducing all the necessary requirements and knowledge to build a mobile application with a companion web service. It covers the ability to create an API from scratch and implement a comprehensive user database that will give you the opportunity to offer a mobile application with a personalized experience. Midway through the book, you will learn the basic processes to create a successful mobile application. You will also gain higher-level knowledge, allowing you to develop a functional and secure mobile application to ensure a seamless user experience for end users. Finally, the book ends with more advanced projects, which will bring together all the knowledge and expertise developed in the previous chapters to create a practical and functional mobile-application that has useful real-world features.Style and approach This book is an easy-to-follow guide that takes a step-wise approach in giving expertise and knowledge to help you truly understand what is needed to create a memorable user experience for end users. Each topic is placed in the context of the bigger picture, that is, to create cross-platform mobile applications using existing technologies.

Over 90 recipes to help you build and run automated tests for your web applications with Selenium WebDriverAbout This BookLearn to leverage the power of Selenium WebDriver with simple examples that illustrate real-world problems and their workaroundsExplains the testing of mobile applications with Appium for mobile platforms such as iOS and AndroidA pragmatic manual with engaging recipes and attractive screenshots to test your web applications efficiently Who This Book Is For This book is intended for software quality assurance/testing professionals, software project managers, or software developers with prior experience in using Selenium and Java to test web-based applications. This books also provides examples for C#, Python and Ruby users.What You Will LearnUnderstand how the locators work and use various locator methods to build reliable testsBuild reliable and maintainable tests with the Selenium WebDriver APIUse the PageFactory pattern to build a robust and easy to maintain test frameworkBuild data-driven tests and extend Selenium API to implement custom steps and checksIntegrate and use ATDD/BDD tools such as Cucumber, SpecFlow, Capybara, and Behave with the Selenium WebDriver APISet up iPhone/iPad and Android simulators and devices to test your mobile web application with AppiumSet up Selenium Grid for faster and parallel running of tests, increasing test coverage and reducing test execution time for cross-browser testingBuild extended Selenium WebDriver tests for additional coverage In Detail This book is an incremental guide that will help you learn and use the advanced features of the Selenium toolset including the WebDriver API in various situations to build a reliable test automation. You start off by setting up the test development environment and gain tips on the advanced locater strategy and the effective use of the Selenium WebDriver API. After that, the use of design patterns such as data - driven tests and PageFactory are demonstrated. You will then be familiarised with extending Selenium WebDriver API by implementing custom tasks and setting up your own distributed environment to run tests in parallel for cross-browser testing. Finally, we give you some tips on integrating Selenium WebDriver with other popular tools and testing mobile applications. By the end of this book, you will have learned enough to solve complex testing issues on your own.Style and approach This recipe-based guide covers real-life scenarios of testing your web apps with Selenium. Each recipe begins with a short introduction and key concepts along with illustrated examples of use cases, and ends with detailed but informative de*ions of the inner workings of the example.

Navigate the world of data analysis, visualization, and machine learning with over 100 hands-on Scala recipesAbout This BookImplement Scala in your data analysis using features from Spark, Breeze, and ZeppelinScale up your data anlytics infrastructure with practical recipes for Scala machine learningRecipes for every stage of the data analysis process, from reading and collecting data to distributed analytics Who This Book Is For This book shows data scientists and analysts how to leverage their existing knowledge of Scala for quality and scalable data analysis.What You Will LearnFamiliarize and set up the Breeze and Spark libraries and use data structuresImport data from a host of possible sources and create dataframes from CSVClean, validate and transform data using Scala to pre-process numerical and string dataIntegrate quintessential machine learning algorithms using Scala stackBundle and scale up Spark jobs by deploying them into a variety of cluster managersRun streaming and graph analytics in Spark to visualize data, enabling exploratory analysis In Detail This book will introduce you to the most popular Scala tools, libraries, and frameworks through practical recipes around loading, manipulating, and preparing your data. It will also help you explore and make sense of your data using stunning and insightfulvisualizations, and machine learning toolkits. Starting with introductory recipes on utilizing the Breeze and Spark libraries, get to grips withhow to import data from a host of possible sources and how to pre-process numerical, string, and date data. Next, you’ll get an understanding of concepts that will help you visualize data using the Apache Zeppelin and Bokeh bindings in Scala, enabling exploratory data analysis. iscover how to program quintessential machine learning algorithms using Spark ML library. Work through steps to scale your machine learning models and deploy them into a standalone cluster, EC2, YARN, and Mesos. Finally dip into the powerful options presented by Spark Streaming, and machine learning for streaming data, as well as utilizing Spark GraphX.Style and approach This book contains a rich set of recipes that covers the full spectrum of interesting data analysis tasks and will help you revolutionize your data analysis skills using Scala and Spark.

Sharpen your skills in Swift by designing and deploying seven fully functional applicationsAbout This BookDevelop a variety of iOS-compatible applications that range from health and fitness to utilities using this project-based handbookDiscover ways to make the best use of the latest features in Swift to build on a wide array of applicationsFollow step-by-step instructions to create Swift apps oriented for the real world Who This Book Is For If you are a competent iOS developer who wants to develop stunning applications with Swift, then this book is for you. Familiarity with Swift programming is assumed.What You Will LearnGet to grips with the basics of Xcode and Swift for application developmentCreate a Photo Sharing application to capture an image, edit it using different features and share it via social media.Develop applications using the WatchKit and exchange data between iPhone and the WatchUse advanced features such as SpriteKit to build a gameInstall third-party Swift frameworks to improvise on your application developmentDiscover how to simulate home automation with HomeKitBuild an application to monitor the user's weight, heart rate and the number of steps for Health Historic AnalysisManipulate media using AVFoundation framework to merge audio and video. In Detail In this book, you will work through seven different projects to get you hands-on with developing amazing applications for iOS devices. We start off with a project that teaches you how to build a utility app using Swift. Moving on, we cover the concepts behind developing an entertainment or social networking related application, for example, a small application that helps you to share images, audio, and video files from one device to another. You’ll also be guided through create a city information app with customized table views, a reminder app for the Apple Watch, and a game app using SpriteKit. By the end of this book, you will have the required skillset to develop various types of iOS applications with Swift that can run on different iOS devices. You will also be well versed with complex techniques that can be used to enhance the performance of your applications.Style and approach This book takes a step-by-step approach to help you build apps from scratch and learn the methodology to develop real-time applications using Swift.

Over 100 hands-on recipes to quickly prepare LaTeX documents of various kinds to solve challenging tasksAbout This BookWork with modern document classes, such as KOMA-Script classesExplore the latest LaTeX packages, including TikZ, pgfplots, and biblatexAn example-driven approach to creating stunning graphics directly within LaTeX Who This Book Is For If you already know the basics of LaTeX and you like to get fast, efficient solutions, this is the perfect book for you. If you are an advanced reader, you can use this book's example-driven format to take your skillset to the next level. Some familiarity with the basic syntax of LaTeX and how to use the editor of your choice for compiling is required.What You Will LearnChoose the right document class for your project to customize its featuresUtilize fonts globally and locallyFrame, shape, arrange, and annotate imagesAdd a bibliography, a glossary, and an indexCreate colorful graphics including diagrams, flow charts, bar charts, trees, plots in 2d and 3d, time lines, and mindmapsSolve typical tasks for various sciences including math, physics, chemistry, electrotechnics, and computer scienceOptimize PDF output and enrich it with meta data, annotations, popups, animations, and fill-in fieldsExplore the outstanding capabilities of the newest engines and formats such as XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX, and LaTeX3 In Detail LaTeX is a high-quality typesetting software and is very popular, especially among scientists. Its programming language gives you full control over every aspect of your documents, no matter how complex they are. LaTeX's huge amount of customizable templates and supporting packages cover most aspects of writing with embedded typographic expertise. With this book you will learn to leverage the capabilities of the latest document classes and explore the functionalities of the newest packages. The book starts with examples of common document types. It provides you with samples for tuning text design, using fonts, embedding images, and creating legible tables. Common document parts such as the bibliography, glossary, and index are covered, with LaTeX's modern approach. You will learn how to create excellent graphics directly within LaTeX, including diagrams and plots quickly and easily. Finally, you will discover how to use the new engines XeTeX and LuaTeX for advanced programming and calculating with LaTeX. The example-driven approach of this book is sure to increase your productivity.Style and approach This book guides you through the world of LaTeX based on over a hundred hands-on examples. These are explained in detail and are designed to take minimal time and to be self-compliant.

Over 50 hands-on recipes to help you efficiently administer and maintain your games with Cocos2d-xAbout This BookBuild exciting games, apps, and other cross-platform GUI based interactive programs with Cocos2d-xExplore the nitty-gritty of the latest Cocos2d-x on the block, version 3.6A step-by-step guide that shows you the functionalities of Cocos2d-x followed by an explanation of how they work Who This Book Is For If you are a game developer and want to learn more about cross-platform game development in Cocos2d-x, then this book is for you. Knowledge of C++, Xcode, Eclipse, and how to use commands in the terminal are prerequisites for this book.What You Will LearnInstall and set up Cocos2d-x for your development environmentBuild, test, and release game applications for iOS and AndroidDevelop your games for multiple platformsCustomize Cocos2d-x for your gamesUse a physical engine in your gamesSave and load text, JSON, XML, or other formatsExplore the brand new features of Cocos2d-x In Detail Cocos2d-x is a suite of open source, cross-platform game-development tools used by thousands of developers all over the world. Cocos2d-x is a game framework written in C++, with a thin platform-dependent layer. Completely written in C++, the core engine has the smallest footprint and the fastest speed of any other game engine, and is optimized to be run on all kinds of devices. You will begin with the initial setup and installation of Cocos2d before moving on to the fundamentals needed to create a new project. You will then explore and create the sprites, animations, and actions that you will include in the game. Next you will look at strings and create labels, including a label with True Type Font (TTF) font support. Later, you will learn about layer and scene creation and transition. Then you will create the GUI parts essential for a game, such as buttons and switches. After that, you will breathe life into the game with background music and sound effects using the all new Cocos2d-x audio engine. You will then discover how to manage resource files and implement processes that depend on the operating system. Finally, you will polish your game with physics such as gravity and elevation, learn about tools that will help you make games more robust and stable, and get to know best practices to improve the game you have developed.Style and approach This book is an easy-to-follow guide with ample recipes to help you better understand Cocos2d-x.

Create a high-quality first person shooter game using the Unity game engine and the popular UFPS and Probuilder frameworksAbout This BookLearn how to use Unity in conjunction with UFPS and ProBuilder to create a high-quality game quicklyCreate both interior and exterior environmentsA step-by step guide to building a project with clear examples and instructions to create a number of interesting scenarios Who This Book Is For This book is for those who want to create an FPS game in Unity and gain knowledge on how to customize it to be their very own. If you are familiar with the basics of Unity, you will have an easier time, but it should make it possible for someone with no prior experience to learn Unity at an accelerated pace.What You Will LearnUse UFPS to build custom weapons with custom meshes and behaviorsExplore level design as you prototype levels, making use of Prototype to build levels out quicklyBuild environments that are realistic as possible while keeping peak performance and repetitiveness downReview tips and tricks on how to create environments using both terrain for outdoor areas and a modular workflow for interiorsDevelop a number of different encounters that your players can fight against, from a simple turret enemy to complex AI characters from Shooter AIDiscover how to create unique objects such as exploding barrels and objects you can interact withCreate a custom GUI to help your game stand out from the crowdPackage your game for release, create an installer, and get your game out into the world In Detail Unity, available in free and pro versions, is one of the most popular third-party game engines available. It is a cross-platform game engine, making it easy to write your game once and then port it to PC, consoles, and even the web, making it a great choice for both indie and AAA developers. Building an FPS Game in Unity takes readers on an exploration of how to use Unity to create a 3D first person shooter (FPS) title, leveraging the powerful UFPS framework by VisionPunk and Prototype/ProBuilder 2.0 by ProCore3D. After some setting up, you will start by learning how to create custom weapons, prototype levels, create exterior and interior environments, and breathe life into our levels. We will then add polish to the levels. Finally, we will create a custom GUI and menus for our title to create a complete package.Style and approach An easy-to-follow guide with each project containing step-by-step explanations, diagrams, screenshots, and downloadable material. Concepts in Unity and C# are explained as they are used and for the more inquisitive, there are more details on the concepts used with additional external resources to learn from.

Learn how to do more with the Android SDK with this advanced Android Application guide which shows you how to make even better Android apps that users will loveAbout This BookLearn how to design and build better Android apps to reach new usersExplore the latest features and tools in the Android SDK that will help you become a better developerFrom concurrency to testing – through to adding adverts and billing, this book ties together every element to help you deliver a high-quality Android application on Google Play Who This Book Is For Mastering Android Application Development is intended for Android developers that want insight on and guidance through the steps they need to take to give their creations the edge in a competitive market.What You Will LearnCreate an Android project with Android M featuresDesign the basic navigation for our app using the UI componentsSet up a cloud-based platform and store data on itImplement programming patterns such as Singleton and Observer to maintain your project code for future useDisplay lists and grids using Android RecyclerViewImplement user interface components and make your app look professionalHandle, download, and store images along with memory managementCreate the database and content providers to perform read-write operationsAdd notifications to the app and analytics to track the user’s usageShow a Google map view on your appConfigure minify to obfuscate the codeAdd adverts and create products for purchase in your app In Detail There are millions of Android apps out there for people to download – how do you make sure yours has the edgeIt’s not always about innovation and ideas – the most successful apps are those that are able to satisfy customer demands – they’re the ones that look the best, the fastest, and the easiest and most intuitive to use. This book shows you how to create Android applications that do precisely that – it has been designed help you consider and answer those questions throughout the development process, so you can create applications that stand out against the crowd. Learn how to create exemplary UIs that contribute to a satisfying user experience through the lens of Material Design, and explore how to harness the range of features within the Android SDK to help you. Dive deeper into complex programming concepts and discover how to leverage concurrency and navigate memory management and image handling. You’ll also find further guidance on testing and debugging so you can guarantee that your application is reliable and robust for users. Beyond this you’ll find out how to extend your app and add greater functionality, including notifications, location services, adverts and app billing (essential if you want to properly monetize your creation!). To make sure you have confidence at every stage in the process, the book also shows you how to release your app to the Play store – to make sure your maximising your efforts to create a popular Android application!Style and approach This is a step-by-step guide where theory and practice are merged in a way that helps you to put a new concept into practice with ease. By helping to focus on the end result, and showing all the technical steps you need to get there, you will be poised for development success!

This edition does not include illustrations. ‘Dry Store Room No. 1’ is an intimate biography of the Natural History Museum, celebrating the eccentric personalities who have peopled it and capturing the wonders of scientific endeavour, academic rigour and imagination. Behind the public fa?ade of any great museum there lies a secret domain: one of unseen galleries, locked doors, priceless specimens and hidden lives.Through the stories of the numerous eccentric individuals whose long careers have left their mark on the study of evolutionary science, Richard Fortey, former senior paleaontologist at London's Natural History Museum, celebrates the pioneering work of the Museum from its inception to the present day. He delves into the feuds, affairs, scandals and skulduggery that have punctuated its long history, and formed a backdrop to extraordinary scientific endeavour from Darwin to the present day. He explores the staying power and adaptability of the Museum as it responds to changes wrought by advances in technology and molecular biology – 'spare' bones from an extinct giant bird suddenly become cutting-edge science with the new knowledge that DNA can be extracted from them, and ancient fish are tested with the latest equipment that is able to measure rises in pollution. 'Dry Store Room No.1’ is a fascinating and affectionate account of a hidden world of untold treasures, where every fragment tells a story about time past, by a scientist who combines rigorous professional learning with a gift for prose that sparkles with wit and literary sensibility. Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.

Redcoat is the brilliant story of the common British soldier from 1700 to 1900, based on the letters and diaries of the men who served and the women who followed them. Delving into the history of the period – charting events including Wolfe's victory and death at Quebec, Wellington's Peninsular War, Waterloo, the retreat from Kabul and the Sikh wars – celebrated military historian Richard Holmes provides a comprehensive portrait of a fallible but extraordinarily successful fighting force.

At the beginning of the financial crisis, in September 2008, Gordon Brown called an emergency press conference in which he declared, 'we will do whatever it takes to restore stability in the financial markets'. He was to repeated the phrase ‘whatever it takes’ constantly in the following weeks. As Shadow Chancellor Brown would do whatever it took to restore Labour's economic credibility. As leader-in-waiting he would do whatever it took to acquire the crown. As Prime Minister he would do whatever it took to buttress his enfeebled regime, going as far instigating a rapprochement with Peter Mandelson, a figure he had come to despise. Determined, wilful, multi-layered in his complexity, Brown would always do whatever it took to survive. New Labour, as a political force, rootless and defensive in its origins, would similarly do whatever it took to retain support in what its founders regarded as a conservative country. Written by one of the most influential political commentators in the UK, the Independent's chief political commentator, Steve Richards, this political expose examines Gordon Brown's wildly oscillating career and the ruthless and sometimes shallow pragmatism displayed by New Labour as a whole.

In the sequel to his bestselling JFK in Ireland, the Emerald Isle’s favourite son delves into his country’s past to celebrate the Irish people who through their skills and endeavours helped make the British Isles great. In ‘The Irish Are Coming’ Ryan Tubridy takes a journey into Ireland’s past to unearth the many amazing, and altogether fascinating, contributions the Irish have made to everyday British life; whether it be making us laugh (Graham Norton), thrilling us with their acting (Peter O’Toole), or dazzling us with their audacious adventuring (Earnest Shackleton). Just as Stuart Maconie has celebrated in his own unique way all that is great about his North of England roots, so Ryan Tubridy makes a passionate case for the magnificent contribution Ireland has made to its nearest neighbour.

An authoritative and radical rethinking of the history of Ancient Britain and Ancient Ireland, based on remarkable new archaeological finds. British history is traditionally regarded as having started with the Roman Conquest. But this is to ignore half a million years of prehistory that still exert a profound influence. Here Francis Pryor examines the great ceremonial landscapes of Ancient Britain and Ireland – Stonehenge, Seahenge, Avebury and the Bend of the Boyne – as well as the discarded artefacts of day-to-day life, to create an astonishing portrait of our ancestors. This major re-revaluation of pre-Roman Britain, made possible in part by aerial photography and coastal erosion, reveals a much more sophisticated life in Ancient Britain and Ireland than has previously been supposed. This edition does not include illustrations.

The delicious true story of the early chocolate pioneers by the award-winning writer, and direct descendant of the famous chocolate dynasty, Deborah Cadbury In 'Chocolate Wars' bestselling historian and award-winning documentary maker Deborah Cadbury takes a journey into her own family history to uncover the rivalries that have driven 250 years of chocolate empire-building. Beginning with an account of John Cadbury, who founded the first Cadbury's coffee and chocolate shop in Birmingham in 1824, 'Chocolate Wars' goes on to chart the astonishing transformation of the company's fortunes under his grandson George. But while the Cadbury dynasty is the fulcrum of the narrative, this is also the story of their Quaker rivals, the Frys and Rowntrees, and their European competitors, the Nestles, Suchards and Lindts. These rivalries drove the formation of the huge chocolate conglomorates that still straddle the corporate world today, and have first call on our collective sweet tooth. This is narrative history at its most absorbing, peopled by wonderfully colourful characters - the true story of the chocolate pioneers, the visions and ideals that inspired them and the mouth-watering concoctions they created.

Bestselling royal historian David Starkey’s captivating biography is a radical re-evaluation of Henry VIII, the British monarchy’s most enduring icon. Larger than life in every sense, Henry VIII was Britain’s most absolute monarch – but he was not born to rule. In this brilliantly readable history, David Starkey follows the promising young prince – a Renaissance man of exceptional musical and athletic talent – as he is thrust into the limelight after the death of his elder brother. His subsequent quest for fame was as obsessive as that of any modern celebrity, and his yearning for a male heir drove him into dangerous territory. The culmination of a lifetime’s research, David Starkey’s biography is an unforgettable portrait of the man behind the controversies, the prince turned tyrant who continues to tower over history.

Following on from his epic ‘1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow’, bestselling author Adam Zamoyski has written the dramatic story of the Congress of Vienna. In the wake of his disastrous Russian campaign of 1812, Napoleon's imperious grip on Europe began to weaken, raising the question of how the Continent was to be reconstructed after his defeat. There were many who dreamed of a peace to end all wars, in which the interests of peoples as well as those of rulers would be taken into account. But what followed was an unseemly and at times brutal scramble for territory by the most powerful states, in which countries were traded as if they had been private and their inhabitants counted like cattle. The results, fixed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, not only laid the foundations of the European world we know; it put in place a social order and a security system that lie at the root of many of the problems which dog the world today. Although the defining moments took place in Vienna, and the principle players included Tsar Alexander I of Russia, the Austrian Chancellor Metternich, the Duke of Wellington and the French master of diplomacy Talleyrand, as well as Napoleon himself, the accepted view of the gathering of statesmen reordering the Continent in elegant salons is a false one. Many of the crucial questions were decided on the battlefield or in squalid roadside cottages amid the vagaries of war. And the proceedings in Vienna itself were not as decorous as is usually represented. Drawing on a wide range of first-hand sources in six languages, which include not only official documents, private letters, diaries and first-hand accounts, but also the reports of police spies and informers, Adam Zamoyski gets below the thin veneer of courtliness and reveals that the new Europe was forged by men in thrall to fear, greed and lust, in an atmosphere of moral depravity in which sexual favours were traded as readily as provinces and the 'souls' who inhabited them. He has created a chilling account, full of menace as well as frivolity.

A delightful and fascinating social history of Victorians at leisure, told through the letters, diaries, journals and novels of nineteenth-century men and women, from the author of the bestselling ‘The Victorian House’. Imagine a world where only one in five people owns a book, where just one in ten has a knife or a fork – a world where five people out of every six do not own a cup to hold a hot drink. That was what England was like in the early eighteenth century. Yet by the close of the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution had brought with it not just factories, railways, mines and machines but also fashion, travel, leisure and pleasure. Leisure became an industry – a cornucopia of excitement for the masses – and it was spread by newspapers, advertising, promotions and publicity – all of which were eighteenth-century creations. It was Josiah Wedgwood and his colleagues who invented money-back guarantees, free delivery and celebrity endorsements. New technology such as the railways brought audiences to ever-more-elaborate extravaganzas, whether it was theatrical spectaculars with breathtaking pyrotechnics and hundreds of extras – ‘hippodramas' recreating the battle of Waterloo – or the Great Exhibition itself, proudly displaying 'the products of all quarters of the globe' under twenty-two acres of the sparkling 'Crystal Palace'. In ‘Consuming Passions’, the bestselling author of ‘The Victorian House’ explores this dramatic revolution in science, technology and industry – and how a world of thrilling sensation, lavish spectacle and unimaginable theatricality was born.

A várost átszel? folyóból holtan húznak ki egy fiatal n?t. Néhány hónappal korábban egy sérülékeny tinédzser lány végezte ugyanott, ugyanígy. El?ttük évszázadokon át asszonyok és lányok hosszú sora lelte halálát a s?tét vízben, így a két friss tragédia régen eltemetett titkokat bolygat meg - és hoz felszínre.Az utolsó áldozat árván maradt, tizen?t éves lányának szembe kell néznie azzal, hogy félelmetes nagynénje lett a gondvisel?je, aki most kényszeredetten tér vissza oda, ahonnan annak idején elmenekült, és ahová szíve szerint soha nem tette volna be újra a lábát. A folyóparti ház eresztékei éjjelente hangosabban nyikorognak, a fal t?vében susogó víz kísérteties neszekkel t?lti meg az egyébként zavartalan csendet. A lány a vonaton cím? regényhez hasonlóan PAULA HAWKINS újabb t?rténete is megállíthatatlanul sodorja az olvasót a végkifejlet felé, bizonyítva, hogy az írón? nagy ismer?je a n?i léleknek és az emberi ?szt?n?knek. A lány a vonaton az elmúlt évek legnagyobb sikere volt a magyar és a nemzetk?zi k?nyvpiacon. A szerz? második thrillerére két évet kellett várni. De - ahogy az els? olvasók egybehangzóan állítják - megérte.