Travel

As seen on the highly acclaimed BBC2 series Monty Don's Paradise Gardens, a full colour exploration of the astonishing beauty of (read more)

As seen on the highly acclaimed BBC2 series Monty Don's Paradise Gardens, a full colour exploration of the astonishing beauty of twenty-nine Islamic paradise gardens from Iran, Turkey, India, England, Spain and Morocco. In the Islamic tradition, a garden with its central elements of water, the scent of fruit trees, and places for rest and reflection, celebrate heaven on earth. Paradise gardens play a central role in everyday life in the Islamic world, yet little is known about them.

Monty Don and acclaimed photographer, Derry Moore, set off on a journey to find out more about the principles and immersive delights of paradise gardens and how a very different culture and climate has influenced garden design round the world. Their journey covers twenty-nine gardens from the Real Alcazar and the Alhambra in Spain, and Le Jardin Majorelle in Morocco, to Highgrove and a Mughal garden in Bradford in England. There are some spectacular and rarely seen examples such as Pasargadae and the Maidan in Isfahan, Iran, the birthplace of paradise gardens, as well as the more renowned examples such as Turkey's Topkapi Palace and the Amber Palace and Taj Mahal in India. (hide)

Paris--City of Love, City of Light, City of Flowers. From elegant floral boutiques to lively flower markets to glorious blooming (read more)

Paris--City of Love, City of Light, City of Flowers. From elegant floral boutiques to lively flower markets to glorious blooming trees and expansive public gardens, flowers are the essential ingredient to the lush sensory bouquet that is Parisian life. With beautiful photography, Paris in Bloom transports and guides readers on a stunning floral tour of the city, and provides a simple guide to the best flower markets and seasonal walking tours.

Timeless in content, Paris in Bloom is a book for Paris lovers to savour again and again, one to keep on the nightstand to conjure fond memories of their first visit and inspire dreams of the next. (hide)

A man, a piano, a Syrian street under siege . . One morning on the outskirts of war-torn Damascus, a starving man stumbles through (read more)

A man, a piano, a Syrian street under siege . .

One morning on the outskirts of war-torn Damascus, a starving man stumbles through a once familiar street - now just piles of rubble. Everything he once knew has been destroyed by famine and war.

In despair he turns to his only comfort and joy, music, and pushes his piano into the street and begins to play. He plays of love and hope, he plays for his family and for his fellow Syrians. He plays even though he knows he could be killed for doing so. (hide)

Discover 500 amazing global adventures for colour seekers. From natural phenomena and architectural wonders to art installations (read more)

Discover 500 amazing global adventures for colour seekers. From natural phenomena and architectural wonders to art installations and cultural events, The Rainbow Atlas takes you around the world from one vibrant landmark to the next. It explores locations such as the extraordinary pink lakes of Western Australia, the brightly coloured fishermen's houses of Burano in Italy, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the old town in Antigua, the tulip fields of Holland, Bangkok's famous Damnoen Saduak floating market, and the otherworldly landscape of the Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye Danxia, China. (hide)

Red Sands, the follow-up to Caroline Eden's multi-award-winning Black Sea, is a reimagining of traditional travel writing using food (read more)

Red Sands, the follow-up to Caroline Eden's multi-award-winning Black Sea, is a reimagining of traditional travel writing using food as the jumping-off point to explore Central Asia.

In a quest to better understand this vast heartland of Asia, Caroline navigates a course from the shores of the Caspian Sea to the sun-ripened orchards of the Fergana Valley. A book filled with human stories, forgotten histories and tales of adventure, Caroline is a reliable guide using food as her passport to enter lives, cities and landscapes rarely written about. Lit up by emblematic recipes, Red Sands is an utterly unique book, bringing in universal themes that relate to us all: hope, hunger, longing, love and the joys of eating well on the road. (hide)

In the bestselling style of the Reeds Handbook series, Reeds Ocean Handbook follows on from Reeds Skipper's Handbook for skippers (read more)

In the bestselling style of the Reeds Handbook series, Reeds Ocean Handbook follows on from Reeds Skipper's Handbook for skippers or crew planning to venture further afield. Complimenting the RYA Ocean Yachtmaster course, this handy pocketbook provides an aide-memoire for all the essential navigation, weather and route planning theory as well as practical guidance and advice on long-distance radio communications, ocean passage-making and risk/emergency preparations.

Colour coded sections, for user-friendly accessibility, cover: - World climate and route planning (including world wind systems, ocean currents, tropical revolving storms) - Navigation (charts, great circle vs Mercator routes, time zones, satellite navigation systems, advice on on-passage navigation routines) - Astro navigation (basic theory refresher, practical astro navigation, plus using and adjusting the sextant) - Passage making (route planning, preparing the yacht, power needs, supplies of water, food, gas and diesel, watch-keeping routines, crew care) - Communications (features and advantages of VHF, MF, SSB and satellite phones, weather fax, email and access to the internet) - Risks and emergencies (preparing for them, equipment checklist, grab bags, emergency scenario procedures)

Amazon UK comparison price - £9.99 (plus any postage cost). (hide)

There are a couple of hundred songs that are sung by millions across the world each day, that school children know by heart and sports (read more)

There are a couple of hundred songs that are sung by millions across the world each day, that school children know by heart and sports fans belt out perfectly even after eight beers. And they aren't pop songs - they are national anthems. These are songs which inspire the fiercest of feelings: for some they are a declaration of nationalistic pride; for others a rallying cry for revolution; and for others still they serve as a shameful reminder of past wrongs.

And yet, despite the fact that for many of us they form a fundamental part of our national consciousness, the fascinating stories underlying the creation and adoption of each national anthem have rarely, if ever, been told. In Republic or Death, Alex Marshall brings the incredible stories of the world's national anthems to life. Taking in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Americas North and South, he embarks on an adventure that includes cycling the route along which French revolutionaries marched as they first sang La Marseillaise; entering a competition for the best singer of the Star-Spangled Banner; and attempting to bribe his way to an audience with the king of Nepal in order to uncover the story behind the only national anthem written on a Casio keyboard.

Pub Date:05/05/2016 (hide)

Stroll breathtaking coastlines, explore Roman ruins, and soak up some sun in the South of France with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves (read more)

Stroll breathtaking coastlines, explore Roman ruins, and soak up some sun in the South of France with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Provence & the French Riviera you'll find:*Comprehensive coverage for spending a week or more exploring Provence and the Riviera*Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites*Top sights and hidden gems, from the Pont du Gard aqueduct and Impressionist masterpieces to warm stone villages and cozy wineries (hide)

The incredible true story of the twelve boys trapped with their coach in a flooded cave in Thailand and their inspiring rescue. On (read more)

The incredible true story of the twelve boys trapped with their coach in a flooded cave in Thailand and their inspiring rescue. On June 23rd, 2018, twelve members of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach were exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in northern Thailand when disaster struck. A rainy season downpour flooded the tunnels, trapping them as they took shelter on a shelf of the dark cave.

Eight days of searching yielded no signs of life, but on July 2nd they were discovered by two British divers. The boys and their coach were eventually rescued in an international operation that took three days. What could have been a terrible tragedy became an amazing story of survival. (hide)

The number 1 choice for all users of the inland waterways. This established, popular and practical guide covers the canals and waterways (read more)

The number 1 choice for all users of the inland waterways. This established, popular and practical guide covers the canals and waterways between Exeter and the River Thames. Waterways covered in this guide - Basingstoke Canal, Bridgwater & Taunton Canal, Grand Western Canal, Exeter Ship Canal, Kennet & Avon Canal, River Thames, Wey & Godalming Navigations.

The detailed Ordnance Survey(R) maps clearly show the location of essential features such as locks, towpaths and boating facilities, as well as pubs, shops and restaurants in the area. There are comprehensive navigational notes and descriptive text on the history of each canal, and on local services and places of interest, for which postcodes are included - ideal for use with sat-navs. This practical A5 guide features 'lie flat' spiral binding and 'book mark' back cover flap for ease of reference. (hide)