Other Non Fiction

Explore the world outside your window. For 13 years the BBC's Springwatch and its sister programmes, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch, (read more)

Explore the world outside your window. For 13 years the BBC's Springwatch and its sister programmes, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch, have been bringing the best of Britain's wildlife into our homes.

Now Springwatch: The 2019 Almanac offers the perfect guide for anyone looking to get out and explore the wonders of nature just outside their back door. Taking you month by month through the coming year, the almanac combines compelling stories with practical guidance that will inspire anyone to start exploring. It has all the information you need to discover the natural wonders around you, from how to identify animal tracks and bird nests to the best time to witness starling murmurations and mayflies hatching. (hide)

Written by expert shibori teacher Jane Callender, this beautiful, practical book is packed with both traditional and inventive stitch-resist (read more)

Written by expert shibori teacher Jane Callender, this beautiful, practical book is packed with both traditional and inventive stitch-resist techniques, a complete dyeing guide and an inspirational gallery of Jane's work. This book contains all the information a beginner will need to get started - including tips on dyeing in small spaces and a guide to all the necessary health and safety considerations - but is also packed with innovative techniques and inspiring designs that will appeal to the experienced textile artist. The book is broken into three sections.

The first shows you all the key stitch-resist techniques you need - from the basics right through to creating intricate designs - and all are clearly explained with photography and illustrations. Learn how to create a range of different shibori styles, oversew, make circles and other shapes, use grids, double needles, stencils and caps, bind fabrics, work with machine stitch, use fabric buffers and incorporate applique. (hide)

Have you ever wanted to introduce vintage into your wardrobe, but felt unsure where to start? Vintage styles have never been more (read more)

Have you ever wanted to introduce vintage into your wardrobe, but felt unsure where to start? Vintage styles have never been more popular, with everyone from major stars to teens on the street looking to indulge in retro glamour. Whether you are looking to completely overhaul your look, go for complete vintage glam, or just introduce a few key vintage pieces into your day-to-day wardrobe, this book shows you how. Packed with tips on how to find unique, one-off items that fit your budget, that will look fabulous and also retain their value, Style Me Vintage: Clothes also teaches you what to look for, when to part with your cash, and what to avoid.

Learn how to determine which era suits your shape and how to build a retro look from the base up. You'll also find tips on how to make retro styles work with modern accessories. Filled with fun, detailed photographs showing classic looks from the 1920s to the 1980s, this is essential reading for every girl who likes to dress up. (hide)

Sustainability Made Simple is an introduction to sustainability and sustainable living that explores the relationship between everyday (read more)

Sustainability Made Simple is an introduction to sustainability and sustainable living that explores the relationship between everyday life and the intricate global environmental issues of today, including air and water pollution, deforestation, and climate change. Rosaly Byrd and Lauren DeMates offer an optimistic yet realistic perspective on our impact on the environment, giving much needed guidance to those who are interested in finding new and relatively easy ways to incorporate sustainability into daily life. An excellent resource for those who are interested in learning what sustainability is about and picking up habits to be more sustainable, Sustainability Made Simple shows that adopting a sustainable lifestyle doesn't require "going off the grid" or making drastic life changes that take time and cost money.

Published:20 Sep 2019 (hide)

Life on Planet Earth is not weirder than we imagine. It's weirder than we are capable of imagining. And we're all in it together: (read more)

Life on Planet Earth is not weirder than we imagine. It's weirder than we are capable of imagining. And we're all in it together: humans, blue whales, rats, birds of paradise, ridiculous numbers of beetles, molluscs the size of a bus, the sexual gladiators of slugs, bdelloid rotifers who haven't had sex for millions of years and creatures called water bears: you can boil them, freeze them and fire them off into space without killing them.

We're all part of the animal kingdom, appearing in what Darwin called "endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful". In this breathtakingly audacious book, Simon Barnes has brought us all together, seeking not what separates us but what unites us. He takes us white-water rafting through the entire animal kingdom in a book that brings in deep layers of arcane knowledge, the works of Darwin and James Joyce, Barnes's own don't-try-this-at-home adventures in the wild, David Attenborough and Sherlock Holmes.

Ten Million Aliens opens your eyes to the real marvels of the planet we live on. (hide)

Have you got what it takes to be an astronaut?Part puzzle book, part guide, The Astronaut Selection Test Book: Do You Have What it (read more)

Have you got what it takes to be an astronaut?Part puzzle book, part guide, The Astronaut Selection Test Book: Do You Have What it Takes? invites readers of all ages to attempt the European Space Agency's rigorous astronaut selection and training program. The book comprises 100 real astronaut tests and training exercises for readers to try at home, and outlines the full ESA selection process for the first time. Fascinating, surprising, and ranging in difficulty from easy to fiendishly hard, the tests include visual memory and perception puzzles, concentration tests, maths and mental arithmetic problems, psychological quizzes, teamwork and leadership exercises, survival skills, physical and medical exams, foreign language aptitude tests (ESA astronauts must learn Russian) and more. (hide)

First opened in 1873, the Victoria and Albert Museum's Cast Courts were purpose built to house copies of architecture and sculpture (read more)

First opened in 1873, the Victoria and Albert Museum's Cast Courts were purpose built to house copies of architecture and sculpture from around the world. They contain some of the Museum's largest objects, including casts of Trajan's Column (shown in two halves) and the twelfth century Portico de la Gloria from the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. Among the Museum's most popular galleries, the Cast Courts are an extraordinary expression of Victorian taste, ambition and public spirit.

Published:26 Nov 2018 (hide)

The official companion to all three seasons. The Great War has ended, but Downton Abbey is far from peaceful...A changing world has (read more)

The official companion to all three seasons. The Great War has ended, but Downton Abbey is far from peaceful...A changing world has brought new challenges and new guests. Inside the walls of the Great House there is more intrigue, rivalry and romance than ever.

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey take you deep into the lives of the Crawleys, their servants, lovers, friends and guests. So wander the crowded servants' quarters and peek into luxurious bed chambers. Go beneath the surface, and experience every aspect of their lives - from daily routines, dressing tables and treasure chests to their most secret hopes and fears. (hide)

As a nation, we're big fans of man's best friend. Nearly a quarter of all British homes own a dog. Sadly, not all of them receive (read more)

As a nation, we're big fans of man's best friend. Nearly a quarter of all British homes own a dog. Sadly, not all of them receive the love and care they deserve and some dogs are neglected or, worse, abused.

Enter The Dog Rescuers. Every day, these dedicated and passionate RSPCA inspectors - like Anthony Joynes - contend with dog owners' abandonment and misuse of their pets, and spring into action on behalf of dogs in trouble, returning them to health, happiness and a loving new home. This collection of heartbreaking but ultimately heartwarming tales follows the likes of puppy Clover, who suffered damage to her face and lips, and Flint, the Lurcher who'd been used for badger baiting and lost most of his tail. (hide)

This title is an updated look at best rules of investing provided by two of the world's greatest financial thinkers. In the updated (read more)

This title is an updated look at best rules of investing provided by two of the world's greatest financial thinkers. In the updated edition of "The Elements of Investing", authors Charles Ellis and Burton Malkiel - two of the world's greatest financial thinkers - have again combined their talents to produce a straight - talking book about investing and saving. Written with every investor in mind, this reliable resource will put you on a path towards a lifetime of financial success.

Page by page, Malkiel and Ellis skillfully focus their message to address the essentials and offer a set of simple, but powerful thoughts on how to avoid Mr. Market and his "loser's game," and instead enjoy the "winner's" approach to investing. All the investment rules and principles you need to succeed are here - with clear advice on how to follow them. (hide)