Search Results for: General Interest

Learn to forage in the hedgerows like the herbalists of the past

As many of us look for ways to live a more planet-friendly lifestyle, the sustainable and ethical art of foraging offers us a way to connect with the world around us. It is a practice rich in tradition and steeped in history, and one that links us to our past and our future.

This foraging companion is designed to be taken with you on your adventures into the hedgerows, forests and woodland all year round. Helpfully arranged by season, this book includes clear photographs to aid plant identification, ideas on how best to prepare and preserve your finds, fascinating foraging and plant folklore, and handy pages to make your own notes and drawings.

Additional features:

– Paperback and lightweight (approx. 330g) design, to allow you to take the book with you while foraging
– A month-by-month foraging calendar
– Advice on foraging etiquette and tips for creating a forager’s toolkit
This is the essential guide to enjoying the bountiful delights of the hedgerows.

Namaste: a respectful greeting frequently used at the end of a yoga session; “I bow to the divine in you”

Nom-aste: a respectful prayer of thanks for delicious, nutritious and just plain yummy food

Looking after our well-being and eating tasty, nourishing food go hand in hand. This beautifully illustrated book celebrates mindful cooking and eating, teaching you how to bring the principles of yoga and mindfulness into your kitchen. From ahimsa (non-violence) and Ayurveda (food as medicine) to the art of making your own bread, you’ll learn how to give your body what it really needs in order to flourish, and how to nurture a healthy, positive attitude toward food. The 60 wholesome, plant-based recipes inside will add vitality to your daily life and leave you filled with good food and gratitude.

Political idealism? Financial reward? The thrill of the chase? What drives a person to risk their life by entering the deadly world of high-level espionage? 

A unique investigation of the most important cases of the twentieth century, this exploration of the world’s most glamorous and dangerous job – including information newly released under the Freedom of Information Act – will keep you enthralled until the last page. Find out the dark secrets of:

• Sidney Reilly, considered by many to be the greatest spy of the century and an inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond

• The ‘Atom Bomb’ spy Klaus Fuchs, who gave the Russians atomic capability

• George Blake, who betrayed over forty British agents, and is still alive in Moscow

• The Cambridge Spies, the double agents who did more damage to British intelligence in the twentieth century than any other group

Neil Root’s insightful book focuses on the personalities of these enigmatic figures, discusses their motivations and influences, and asks whether they were heroes, traitors or just scapegoats.

This upbeat, easy-to-use guide will show you how to organise your work, revise effectively and prepare for exam day to give you the best chance of getting top grades. Most importantly, this book will help you find the best approach for YOU.
Includes:
Preparing your revision environment Organising your notes Using the right revision methods Choosing reliable online resources Best practice for exam day

Discover the fascinating stories behind 38 queer icons, all of them ground-breakers, risk-takers and game-changers. Whether they are activists, sportspeople, scientists or superstars, every one of these people has been a trailblazer in their field, and deserves to have their achievements celebrated the world over. Be empowered and inspired by their extraordinary life stories, their awesome achievements and their wonder-words of wisdom with this pocketbook of remarkable people, and prepare to be introduced to your new superheroes.

Sport can bring out the best in us… and the worst.
The high-pressure world of competitive sport has been shaken over the years by a series of major scandals. Involving drugs, sex, violence, money or pure and simple cheating, these incidents have ruined reputations, fuelled suspicions and shocked loyal supporters. Highlighting some of the most memorable cases from around the world, Norman Ferguson explores both recent and historic instances of dishonesty, betrayal and outrageous unsporting behaviour.
Over 35 scandals, including:
How cancer-survivor Lance Armstrong deceived his fans and cheated his way to seven Tour de France victories The World Cup bidding processes that brought the FBI to FIFA’s door Figure skater Tonya Harding’s sinister plot to break the leg of her rival, Nancy Kerrigan

We all have busy lives but want to be the best parent to our child, without compromise.
Many of us turn to the internet when we want a snap answer to a parenting dilemma, but how do we determine what is reliable information? This book is the antidote to those overwhelming search engine results. It’s a one-stop source for time-poor parents who need reliable, tried and tested advice on all the parenting conundrums from classic to topical, such as:
What’s the best way to encourage good behaviour? How can I ensure my child has a healthy body image. How can I ensure they do their homework with minimal fuss? How can I get my children to play nicely together instead of fight? With no-nonsense solutions, each designed to be read in less than 5 minutes, this book will help to boost your confidence when making important parenting decisions.

Don’t let anxiety define who you are

In a world where we are constantly comparing our looks, our lifestyles, our jobs and our relationships with others, it can be easy to let worries get the better of us. The truth is, whether you’re sociable or solitary, extroverted or introverted, anxiety will affect us all at some point in our lives.

This pocket-sized guide will help you recognize and understand the way you feel, and offers practical advice for looking after your mental and physical well-being. From challenging the way you think to making positive lifestyle changes, this book is your starting point for a more carefree, content and confident you.

Tips and ideas for wild nights in the woods


Whether you’re a seasoned camper or it’s your first time sleeping under the stars, this pocket-sized book, packed with tips and advice on what gear you need, where to pitch up, how to perform basic first aid and much, much more, will be your essential guide to surviving and having fun in the great outdoors.

Meet the inspirational dogs who went from being rescued to becoming rescuer, in these incredible true stories.

You’ll read all about…
– Toby, the golden retriever who performed the Heimlich manoeuvre to save his owner’s life
– Liam, the Lhaso Apso-Poodle mix who helped his owner battle an eating disorder
– Hercules, the St Bernard who saved his owners from burglars on the first day he moved in
– Alfie, the terrier who gave a bullied girl a new lease of life

… as well as many other canine heroes who came to their owner’s aid – whether it was saving them from physical threats, or helping them to recover from mental illness, PTSD and bereavement.

These remarkable dogs all repaid the love and appreciation that their owners displayed in rescuing them. Let these uplifting stories warm your heart, and show you that adopted dogs truly are man’s best friend.

Embrace the power of the divine in this beginner’s guide to some of mythology’s fiercest females and most legendary ladies

Across thousands of years and countless civilizations, goddesses have been a powerful presence. Whether as leaders, mothers, warriors or lovers, these indomitable divinities have always been able to fascinate and seduce us.

This pocket guide offers readers an engaging and accessible introduction to a selection of the most powerful and influential goddesses throughout ancient and modern history, retelling their stories and celebrating their awesome abilities. Each profile includes a concise history of the goddess and her origins, a summary of her main powers, a look at the goddess in myth and popular culture and an exploration of her best attributes.
Learn about the Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war; Bastet, the Egyptian goddess of pleasure and protection; the beautiful Freyja, the Norse goddess of love, and many others.

Let yourself be inspired and empowered by tales of feminine power, strength and wisdom in this pocketbook of dazzling deities.

We buy food we can point to. We stalk the streets until rush hour and wait for the little hatches to open in the sides of restaurants. From the steamy openings, cooks in overalls sell jiaozi (dumplings) and bowls of thick, sticky, white congee – an unholy cross between soup and porridge. Baozi, steamed white buns, are light as air. I buy them filled with water spinach and nettle – delicious dipped in sharp, black Chinese vinegar.

In 2008, Miranda and her partner set off for one last big adventure before settling down. They chose to travel through South-East Asia. All did not go to plan: Asian flu, falling off boats and the general chaos of a life abroad challenged them at every step, and yet, in the midst of it all, they fell in love with the culture and culinary delights of China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.

How do you want to change your life?

Every day is a fresh start, just bursting with opportunities. This book will show you how to fire up each day with positivity and passion, and reinvent your downtime to make it work for you. Inject some magic into your mornings, make your days more fulfilling and more productive, and set yourself on course to achieve your dreams – and all in just five minutes! It’s everything you need to make your day – and your life – spectacular.

There are so many important decisions to make about how we must adapt our lifestyles to reverse climate change, but where do we start?

From your first steps toward living sustainably all the way to going zero-waste, this book is here to help you find solutions to all your climate conundrums by taking inspiration from a true eco-warrior.

If we each approach the climate emergency in the same way as Greta, we can all live a planet-friendly life and enjoy a brighter future.

Did you know…

…that the oldest tree in Wales is a yew in Llangernyw in Conwy, thought to be around 4,000 years old?

… that London is one of only three cities worldwide to have hosted both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games?

… that Ebenezer Place in Wick, Caithness, is officially recognised as the shortest street in the world, at a mere 206 cm (81 in.) in length?

From a Scottish waterfall three times the height of Niagara Falls to the last foreign invasion of Britain and the birthplace of the first Oscar-winning Welshman, The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer brings together hundreds of remarkable facts and feats each pertaining to a different location from across Britain and Ireland. As much an accessible and informative reference book as it is an entertaining miscellany, it aims to expand our knowledge of these extraordinary islands while uncovering and celebrating some of their most remarkable people and places.

From Dark Peak on the Pennine Way in Derbyshire to the misty Malverns in Worcestershire and Milk Hill on the Mid-Wilts Way, walking the county high points provides the perfect opportunity for ramblers to experience the English countryside. An indefatigable walker, David Bathurst has unlaced his boots to produce this unique companion to the country’s most rewarding hilltop trails. His appreciation of the beauty and history of the British countryside and his light-hearted style will appeal to experienced and novice walkers alike.

If you want to know your ichthyosaur from your iguanodon, and your belemnites from your brachiopods, strap in for this whirlwind tour of the highlights of palaeontology

Life as we know it now has a long history, buried beneath the ground. Palaeontology is the science of fossilized animals and plants, using discoveries of ancient lifeforms to uncover secrets of the past. From giant dinosaurs, to ammonites, to the first ever humans, explore the greatest findings in palaeontology in this pocket-sized introduction.

The Little Book of Palaeontology includes:
– The key palaeontological discoveries over the past 400 years, including the dinosaur found complete with intricate scales, and the largest fossil ever uncovered
– Profiles of influential palaeontologists such as Jack Horner, Dong Zhiming and Mary Anning
– What we have learnt about the lives of ancient creatures and how they became extinct
– The big questions about the prehistoric world that palaeontologists are trying to answer today

This illuminating little book will introduce you to the key thinkers, themes and theories you need to know to understand how life evolved. Look through this window to the past and learn about our prehistoric ancestors and the creatures of a bygone age.

The sun is out. The temperature is soaring. And you are starving. If these factors don’t give you a valid licence to grill, then what does?! (NB: a BBQ in winter is totally acceptable, too!)

Whether you are hosting a large gathering or you want to whip up something quick and easy for one, this book covers all BBQ bases, including:
– Meat, fish and veggie grills – raise your culinary game with BBQ pulled pork and creamy slaw burgers, grilled squid with a Thai dipping sauce, and mixed vegetable and seitan skewers, to name just a few!
– Sauces, marinades and rubs – heighten the flavours of your food with BBQ and whisky glaze, homemade mayonnaise, Cajun rub, and much much more!
– Side dishes – serve up some old favourites and new delights, such as chargrilled aubergine and quinoa salad, cheesy Portobello mushrooms and classic egg mayonnaise.
– Sweet treats – top off the feast with some delicious desserts, including s’mores and grilled fruit kebabs.

It’s time to don your apron, fuel the flames and get grilling!

Unlock your unconscious, record your dreams and reveal their hidden meanings. All you need is this journal, a pen and a good night’s sleep.

As Freud famously said, dreams are the royal road to the unconscious. But before we set foot on that path, we need to know why we dream and how we can read them.

Packed with suggestions, facts and advice on all things dream-related, this book will be your essential guide to help you:
– Improve your dream recall
– Learn the basics of dream interpretation
– Identify common dream symbols and concepts
– Understand your dreams and their meanings
– Explore themes and imagery in your dreams

It also provides plenty of space to chronicle your visions and includes a range of quotes from some of the biggest dream experts and philosophers to help you reflect on your visions and interpret them with greater confidence.

It’s time to puff up the pillows, slip into a deep slumber and have sweet dreams!

You’ve received the happiest of news: you’re going to be a parent! So what’s next?


Top Tips for New Parents has advice on everything from what to prepare before your bundle of joy arrives to practical tips for settling in with your new addition to the family. This little book is the perfect companion for your greatest adventure.

Though many of us are unaware of it, everyone has messages running through their head. Some of the messages are positive: ‘Well done, that was great’, or neutral, ‘What am I going to have for dinner?’ But for many people the messages are negative and self-critical: ‘Why did you go and say that?’, ‘You’ll never be successful’, ‘You’re pathetic’. These messages have a profound impact on how we feel and behave, and ultimately they affect how happy and successful we are in life.

This is the first book to provide a range of tried and tested techniques for transforming  your inner critic. By using these techniques you can transform your thoughts, feelings and behaviour to become a happier person. This book covers such topics as:

• Understanding your inner critic

• Listening to your whole self and not just your inner critic

• Being proud of yourself and your strengths

• Releasing your inner wisdom

• Handling criticisms from others

• Creating more fun in your life

Help your kids get off their screens and get moving!

For kids aged 4-11 to help them learn why being active is good for you and instil healthy habits that will last a lifetime

On your marks, get set… it’s time to get busy!
We all know that being active is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and it can be brilliant fun too!

Busy Bodies contains 52 illustrated cards each with a simple challenge or sporty activity to get kids moving and thinking about their physical and mental health. Each card also contains an interesting fact to help kids learn why different activities can be good for you.

The set includes a 16-page booklet with useful tips for parents and carers with information on how much exercise is expected of the age range, a chart showing the different types of exercise grouped into the main categories – strength-building, heart health, coordination and agility, flexibility – and recipes for some healthy post-activity snacks.

‘Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl.’
Frederick the Great 

‘I am the Flail of God… If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.’
Genghis Khan 

‘Everyone’s a pacifist between wars. It’s like being a vegetarian between meals.’
Colman McCarthy 

From Churchill to Sitting Bull, and from Agincourt to the Khyber Pass, history is rich in rousing rhetoric, inspiring quotations and heroic speeches from the most celebrated military leaders, writers and observers. Whether applauding great victories or standing firm against the horrors and injustices of war, the quotations and stories of this collection will take the reader on a roller-coaster ride through the many unique experiences of military history.

‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’


Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own


Prepare your senses for a feast of delicious food scenes in literature accompanied with recipes to bring them to life in your very own kitchen, including Turkish delight Edmund wouldn’t be able to resist, roast goose the Cratchits would be proud of and cucumber sandwiches Algernon would be loath to share.
This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys spending their days with a book in one hand and a saucepan in the other.