Travel

London is one of the world's most exciting cities, but it's also one of the noisiest; a bustling, chaotic, frenetic, over-crowded, (read more)

London is one of the world's most exciting cities, but it's also one of the noisiest; a bustling, chaotic, frenetic, over-crowded, manic metropolis of over 8 million people, where it can be difficult to find somewhere to grab a little peace and quiet. Nevertheless, if you know where to look London has a wealth of peaceful places - places to relax, chill out, contemplate, meditate, sit, reflect, browse, read, chat, nap, walk, think, study or even work (if you must) - where the city's volume is muted or even switched off completely. Peaceful Places contains over 200 of the author's and his friends', colleagues' and acquaintances' favourite locations throughout the city, from restful gardens and serene churches to silent libraries and inspiring galleries; intimate hotels to blissful spas and cosy cafes; smart shops and atmospheric markets to appealing restaurants and charming tea rooms; quiet museums and sweeping parks to relaxing walks and friendly pubs - and much more.

Moreover, these places haven't just been selected for their quietude but also for their excellence: every entry has something special to offer, be it a warm welcome, excellent food/drink, fascinating history, attractive ambience, glorious scenery or tempting goods for sale. Peace is a relative term, however, and not all places are whisper-quiet all the time; even churches have bell-ringing and organ practice, and many parks host noisy school parties and sports events. You can, of course, expect bookshops, libraries, galleries, museums and spas (and churches and parks!) to be tranquil most of the time, but even cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars can be surprisingly quiet - although you may need to time your visit a little more carefully. (hide)

Lonely Planet Best of Europe is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries (read more)

Lonely Planet Best of Europe is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Wander the corridors of Versailles, gaze up at the Sistine Chapel's remarkable ceiling and sip ale in historic London pubs; all with your trusted travel companion. Discover the best of Europe and begin your journey now!Inside Lonely Planet Discover Europe: *Full-colour maps and images throughout *Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests *Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots *Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices *Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss *Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, architecture, family travel, food & drink and landscapes *Over 74 colour maps *Covers Austria, Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Discover Europe , our easy-to-use guide, filled with inspiring and colorful photos, focuses on Europe's most popular attractions for those looking for the best of the best (hide)

Lonely Planet's England is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries (read more)

Lonely Planet's England is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Ponder the mysteries of Stonehenge, visit Shakespeare's home town and take in a London show - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of England and begin your journey now!Inside Lonely Planet's England:
Colour maps and images throughout
Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics
Covers London, Newcastle, Lake District, Cumbria, Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Midlands, the Marches, Nottingham, Cambridge, East Anglia, Oxford, Cotswolds, Canterbury, Devon, Cornwall and more
The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's England is our most comprehensive guide to England, and is perfect for discovering both popular and offbeat experiences.
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Lonely Planet Japan is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries (read more)

Lonely Planet Japan is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Shop and dine in electric Tokyo, explore Kyoto's stunning temples and gardens, or hike the majestic Japan Alps; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Japan and begin your journey now!Inside Lonely Planet's Japan Travel Guide: *Colour maps and images throughout *Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests *Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots *Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices *Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss *Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, architecture, literature, cuisine, sake, onsen (hot springs), customs and etiquette, language and more *Free, convenient pull-out Tokyo map (included in print version), plus over 148 colour maps *Covers Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, Kansai, the Japan Alps, Hokkaido, Northern Honshu (Tohoku), Okinawa & the Southwest Islands, Kyushu, Shikoku, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Japan, our most comprehensive guide to Japan, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.

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Lonely Planet's Malta & Gozo is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries (read more)

Lonely Planet's Malta & Gozo is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Wander prehistoric temples, fossil-studded cliffs and hidden coves; explore an underwater world with a scuba diving or snorkelling trip; and discover a history of remarkable intensity. All with your trusted travel companion.

Get to the heart of Malta & Gozo and begin your journey now!Inside Lonely Planet's Malta & Gozo: (hide)

Lonely Planet's Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, (read more)

Lonely Planet's Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Meander past orange groves and swaying pines to reach steep seaside towns, go cave diving off the Capri coast and contemplate the silent power of Mt. Vesuvius - all with your trusted travel companion. (hide)

A fresh, concise, and accessible history of one of the medieval world's greatest empires For more than a millennium, the Byzantine (read more)

A fresh, concise, and accessible history of one of the medieval world's greatest empires For more than a millennium, the Byzantine Empire presided over the juncture between East and West, as well as the transition from the classical to the modern world. Jonathan Harris, a leading scholar of Byzantium, eschews the usual run-through of emperors and battles and instead recounts the empire's extraordinary history by focusing each chronological chapter on an archetypal figure, family, place, or event. Harris's action-packed introduction presents a civilization rich in contrasts, combining orthodox Christianity with paganism, and classical Greek learning with Roman power.

Frequently assailed by numerous armies-including those of Islam-Byzantium nonetheless survived and even flourished by dint of its somewhat unorthodox foreign policy and its sumptuous art and architecture, which helped to embed a deep sense of Byzantine identity in its people. Enormously engaging and utilizing a wealth of sources to cover all major aspects of the empire's social, political, military, religious, cultural, and artistic history, Harris's study illuminates the very heart of Byzantine civilization and explores its remarkable and lasting influence on its neighbors and on the modern world.

Pub Date:06/09/2016 (hide)

300 stunning maps from all periods and from all around the world, exploring and revealing what maps tell us about history and ourselves. (read more)

300 stunning maps from all periods and from all around the world, exploring and revealing what maps tell us about history and ourselves. Map: Exploring the World brings together more than 300 fascinating maps from the birth of cartography to cutting-edge digital maps of the twenty-fist century. The book's unique arrangement, with the maps organized in complimentary or contrasting pairs, reveals how the history of our attempts to make flat representations of the world has been full of beauty, ingenuity and innovation.

Selected by an international panel of curators, academics and collectors, the maps reflect the many reasons people make maps, such as to find their way, to assert ownership, to record human activity, to establish control, to encourage settlement, to plan military campaigns or to show political power. The selection includes the greatest names in cartography, such as James Cook, Gerard Mercator, Matthew Fontaine Maury and Phyllis Pearsall, as well as maps from indigenous cultures around the world, rarely seen maps from lesser'known cartographers, and maps of outstanding beauty and surprising individuality from the current generation of map makers. (hide)

A map is a snapshot of a place, a city, a nation or even the world at a given point in time - fascinating for what they tell us about (read more)

A map is a snapshot of a place, a city, a nation or even the world at a given point in time - fascinating for what they tell us about the way our ancestors saw themselves, their neighbours and their place in the world. This magnificent collection, drawn from seven centuries of maps held in the National Archives at Kew, looks at a variety of maps, from those found in 14th Century manuscripts, through early estate maps, to sea charts, maps used in military campaigns, and maps from treaties. The text explores who the mapmakers were, the purposes for which the maps were made, and what it tells us about the politics of the time.

Great images are accompanied by compelling stories. Featured is a woodcut map of 16th Century London, a map of where the bombs fell during the Second World War, and a map the first American settlers' drew when they were attempting to establish a new empire on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. Richly illustrated with large scale reproductions of the maps, the book also includes some of the more amusing or esoteric maps from the National Archives, such as the map of the Great Exhibition in 1851 that was presented on a lady's glove, a London Underground map in the form of a cucumber, and a Treasure Island map used to advertise National Savings.

This is a fascinating and unusual journey through the world of maps and mapmakers. (hide)

Marine Life of the Maldives is an identification guide for divers, snorkellers and beachcombers in the Maldives and wider Indian (read more)

Marine Life of the Maldives is an identification guide for divers, snorkellers and beachcombers in the Maldives and wider Indian Ocean region. It includes all the main marine invertebrates, marine plants, mammals, reptiles and birds. The update of this popular book has been carried out by the associate authors after the death of author Neville Coleman in 2012.

It includes a full revision of scientific and common names as well as a revision of the Phylum Cnidaria (Stingers), which includes the Stony corals. A comprehensive introduction outlines the main changes to the marine environment since the book was first published in 2000. Although this book is based on scientific classification, its primary function is to encourage greater awareness among divers on a level that everyone can understand.
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