Other Non Fiction

This friendly handbook is full of practical advice on attracting wildlife to your garden, and encouraging creatures to stick around, (read more)

This friendly handbook is full of practical advice on attracting wildlife to your garden, and encouraging creatures to stick around, as well as expert tips on green gardening, seasonal planting and garden predators. Colour photographs illustrate hundreds of mammals, birds, insects, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians, flowers, trees, shrubs and fungi, while the comprehensive text explains everything you need to cultivate a haven for nature. The new edition includes additional species as well as fully updated text describing the diverse wildlife that can be found in British gardens. (hide)

This easy-to-use RSPB pocket companion to European and British birds is the ideal field guide for novice birdwatchers and experienced (read more)

This easy-to-use RSPB pocket companion to European and British birds is the ideal field guide for novice birdwatchers and experienced birders alike. From frequently seen garden birds to some of the more elusive birds of prey, discover over 300 species of bird found in the UK and Europe with RSPB Pocket Birds of Britain and Europe. Learn all about them from their calls and feeding behaviour, nesting habits and habitats, and differences in plumage.

Crystal clear photographs bring the birds on the page to life, and notes on distinguishing features will help you identify different species of bird wherever you spot them. Maps show where and when you're likely to see each species, further aiding identification. This new edition also includes a web link, where you can hear common bird songs and calls to make identification even easier. (hide)

Seabirds are the living links between land, air and sea. They enjoy a freedom that even humans, with all our technological assistance, (read more)

Seabirds are the living links between land, air and sea. They enjoy a freedom that even humans, with all our technological assistance, can barely imagine. Many species travel mind-boggling distances across the length and breadth of our planet before returning to land to breed in large, deafening and confusingly crowded colonies.

Yet within this commotion each mated pair forms a bond of extreme closeness and tenderness that survives separation each winter and may persist for decades. The long and geologically varied coastline of the British Isles provides homes for internationally important numbers of breeding seabirds. Visiting their colonies is always unforgettable, whether they are cliff-faces packed with Guillemots, islands white-capped by clustered Gannets on their nests, flat beaches crowded with screaming Arctic Terns or seaside rooftops overlaid with a second townscape of nesting gulls.
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Otters by Nicola Chester is an accessible and lively account of an intriguing and much-loved animal that, surprisingly, is still (read more)

Otters by Nicola Chester is an accessible and lively account of an intriguing and much-loved animal that, surprisingly, is still endangered and rarely seen despite a recent resurgence that has seen it expand from the remote countryside into our cities. Nicola's charming, informed text brings this elusive and exciting mammal into sharper focus revealing what an otter is, and how they live, feed, play and breed. Nicola reflects on how otters exist in our imaginations culturally and how that has changed over the years. (hide)

Essential for anyone who wants to know the difference between a reef knot or complex slip knot, and how to make a simple clove hitch, (read more)

Essential for anyone who wants to know the difference between a reef knot or complex slip knot, and how to make a simple clove hitch, alpine butterfly knot and many more A simple rope can be a lifesaver in a survival situation. Knowing how to use a rope and make effective knots will help you in an amazing variety of ways, from constructing shelters and creating weapons, to fishing and hunting. Most importantly, ropes and knots act as lifelines in dangerous environments, such as when crossing a fast-flowing river or scaling a mountainside.

The SAS and Elite Forces Guide to Using Ropes and Knots draws on the skills of the world's best soldiers to teach you how to use these essential tools in the wilderness. Tried and tested techniques used by the world's special forces give you expert advice on issues such as how to take care of ropes; the most useful knots to use in a survival situation; how to make your own ropes out of animal tendons or plants; how to use your rope effectively when climbing; and how to lash together a log raft or a shelter. Including more than 300 illustrations, this guide is easy to understand, packed with expert advice and essential for anyone who wants to know the difference between a reef knot or complex slip knot, and how to make a simple clove hitch, alpine butterfly knot and many more. (hide)

A thoroughly revised and updated Second Edition of this essential and groundbreaking reference gives a comprehensive overview of (read more)

A thoroughly revised and updated Second Edition of this essential and groundbreaking reference gives a comprehensive overview of one of the most fascinating, important, and controversial trends in the world of wine: the scientific and technological innovations that are now influencing how grapes are grown and how wine is made. Jamie Goode, a widely respected authority on wine science, details the key scientific developments relating to viticulture and enology, explains the practical application of science to techniques that are used around the world, and explores how these issues are affecting the quality, flavor, and perception of wine. The only complete and accessibly written resource available on the subject, The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass engagingly discusses a wide range of topics including terroir, biodynamics, the production of "natural" or manipulation-free wines, the potential effect of climate change on grape growing, the health benefits of wine, and much more.

Published: 23 Aug 2019 (hide)

There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting and enslaving than the life at sea,' wrote Joseph Conrad. There is certainly nothing (read more)

There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting and enslaving than the life at sea,' wrote Joseph Conrad. There is certainly nothing more integral to the development of the modern world. In The Sea: A Cultural History, John Mack considers those great expanses that both unite and divide us, and the ways in which human beings interact because of the sea, from navigation to colonization to trade.

Much of the world's population lives on or near the coast, and people inhabit and engage with the sea in a variety of ways. The Sea explores the diversity of seas themselves, maritime technologies (especially the practice of navigation), and different cultures surrounding the sea. Seafarers have characteristic social and technical practices, as well as having distinctive language and customs. (hide)

06/08/2015 - The outspoken anonymous author is back with the ultimate book to challenge conventional footballing wisdom. With his (read more)

06/08/2015 - The outspoken anonymous author is back with the ultimate book to challenge conventional footballing wisdom. With his trademark wit, intelligence and candour, the Secret Footballer will guide you through formations, tactics, mind games and everything else you need to know about what it takes to be a pro. Includes: in-depth analysis of modern tactics; insight into the psychology of players on and off the pitch; tips on nutrition and fitness; how to deal with fans (including what it's like to play in each Premier League ground in England); a guide to modern footballing language; and a remarkable expose of the finances involved in the commercial game.

If you want to know how to stop a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, or why exactly Rooney is worth GBP300,000 a week, or who the greatest player of all time is, you will find it all here. Fully illustrated with line drawings showing the technical aspects of the game, this will be the perfect Christmas gift for aspiring football stars and armchair pundits alike. (hide)

There is no wildlife closer to us than that found in our gardens - or indeed, in our houses - so it follows that many of those creatures (read more)

There is no wildlife closer to us than that found in our gardens - or indeed, in our houses - so it follows that many of those creatures we love, such as foxes and ladybirds, are literally household names. However, despite this familiarity, many of the characters reveal surprising lifestyles if you take a closer look, and there is more going on in our precious backyards that we might imagine. Did you know that slugs and snails have spine-tingly good sex; that mosquitoes can dodge raindrops and that Grey Squirrels have regular sleepovers with their neighbours? Did you realise that unemployment causes the breakdown of society in wasps, or that it takes the average spider only one hour to build a web from scratch? Perhaps it would even surprise you to know that, in this day and age, it is still possible to have three Old Ladies stuck in your lavatory? (They are moths.) Written in an engaging style and illustrated with photographs and stunning colour paintings by Peter Partington, this book reveals, month by month, the extraordinary hidden world of our most familiar garden wildlife.

You will never look at your garden neighbours in the same way again. (hide)

inclair McKay's Bletchley Park Brainteasers was the runaway quiz book bestseller of 2017, now it's time to pit your wits against (read more)

inclair McKay's Bletchley Park Brainteasers was the runaway quiz book bestseller of 2017, now it's time to pit your wits against the secret heroes of MI5 and MI6 and find out if YOU have what it takes to be a spy!If you cracked the GCHQ Puzzle Book and followed the Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book, you MUST show off your James Bond credentials with Secret Service Brainteasers ... Whether you have linguistic flair, an instinct for technology or good old common sense, pit your wits against some of the greatest minds of our time with ingenious brainteasers including secret languages, sabotage themed brain bogglers, deadly countdowns and hidden codes. (hide)