Search Results for: General Interest

Great British Cars celebrates the cars commonly seen on the nation’s roads during a golden age of motoring. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Britons drove such models as the Ford Zephyr, Hillman Imp, Triumph Herald, Ford Capri, Vauxhall Viva and, of course, the Morris Minor 1000. While rarely seen now on our roads, the 40 models described here still have a special place in many drivers’ hearts. Join Stephen Barnett on a nostalgic road trip back in time, in this beautifully illustrated celebration of classic cars.

Do you know…
What are the most unusual things left behind by passengers on British trains? How China is using trains to recreate the ancient Silk Road? How many of the sixty Sherlock Holmes stories feature travel by rail? The appeal of trains travels far and wide. More than just a means of transport, these revolutionary machines connect communities, evoke memories and promise adventures galore. This fact-packed miscellany tracks their development across the globe from the earliest steam locomotives through to the superfast trains of today, stopping off along the way to explore great railway journeys, iconic stations and memorable depictions in the arts. Whether you’re a rail aficionado or a curious newcomer, this companion will keep you engrossed and entertained to the end of the line.

This charming and practical handbook is bursting with tips, facts and folklore to guide you through the birdwatching year. Find out how to identify birds by sight or song, everything you need to know about their behaviour, habitats and breeding and migration habits, and tips for encouraging birds into your garden. Also includes handy diary pages for making your own notes each month. A must-have for any eager birdwatcher.

This charming and indispensable reference guide contains specific month-by-month ‘to do’ lists for ornamental gardens, edible crops and general maintenance, as well as tips on everything green-fingered, from protecting your plants from frost, pests and disease to making sure you get a bumper harvest to enjoy year-round. With diary pages for making your own notes each month, this pocket-sized yearbook is a must-have for every season. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this book will become an old and trusted friend.

Have you ever wondered if there is a way to stop airport staff from flinging your luggage around like a Frisbee? Do you wish there was a way to relax on the beach without getting sandy? Are you keen to discover ingenious ways to make your trip unforgettable without it costing an arm and a leg? Travel Hacks is your handy guide to making your trips that little bit easier, whether you are jetting off for a week or a year. This fully illustrated manual covers everything from maximising space in your suitcase to keeping mosquitoes at bay, and much, much more.

Show nature the kindness it deserves

Whether you long to see butterflies flit across your flowerbeds or hear birdsong all year round, there’s something endlessly rewarding about playing host to wildlife. With practical projects and helpful tips for gardens big and small, this guide will help boost local biodiversity and benefit countless native species. Learn how to:

– Choose the best type of bird feeder and seed for your feathered friends
– Build natural habitats and provide shelter for all manner of insects
– Make sugaring recipes to attract butterflies and moths
– Select the right pollinator plants for bees in every season
Wherever you do it – on a balcony, in a garden or across acres of land – you too can create the perfect sanctuary for an abundance of creatures.

A bike can be so many different things – a simple way of navigating busy city streets or enjoying quiet lanes, a cross-country steed to take a rider up hill and down dale or even a world-beating racing machine. What unites everyone who rides is that they each have their own cycling story to tell.
This book collects inspirational stories from riders around the world, both ordinary and extraordinary, from the cyclist who conquered Mont Ventoux on a Boris bike, to the trials rider who hops from building to building, to classic tales of Grand Tour rivalries and legendary cycling records of days gone by. Essential reading for anyone who loves life on two wheels.

A life-saving illustrated guide to making student life easier, more productive and more fun. With shortcuts to academic success, tips for making the most of the student experience and – most importantly – hangover hacks to make things better the next day.

Welcome to the world of being a student! Where gaining knowledge is top priority and partying follows closely behind. The majority of your time in higher education will be spent moaning about lectures, then about exams and assignments, and then about how broke you are every month. Luckily this fully illustrated manual is here to solve your everyday dilemmas, with low-budget tips and tricks on all aspects of student living, including:

– Ways to make your student loan stretch further
– Tips to help you get out of bed in time for class
– Study, exam and revision hacks, including how to listen to your lectures in half the time
– How to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew – and how to get wine stains out of the carpet
– A trick for changing those pesky duvet covers
– How to store your beer bottles in the fridge without them toppling over
– Drawer and wardrobe space maximizers
– Party hacks
– Food and drink hacks to use up leftovers and make the most of whatever’s hiding in your fridge
Whether you’re a fresh-faced fresher or a seasoned student searching for shortcuts, this trusty guide will be your go-to for all occasions, helping to make your student years gloriously hassle-free.

‘I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.’
Joseph Addison
This pocket-sized miscellany, packed with fascinating facts, handy hints and captivating stories and quotes from the world of birds, is perfect for anyone who knows the incomparable joy of birdwatching.

Ever accidentally used your thumb as a hammer cushion while putting up a picture hook?

Do you become enraged at the uncontrollable bobbing of the straw in your drinks can?

Are you yearning to find a way to make your toilet roll tube enhance your music listening experience?

These and dozens of other everyday dilemmas are solved with Life Hacks, your handy guide to solving little annoyances before they turn into big problems. This fully illustrated manual covers everything from nifty electric cable management to ingenious cooking methods and much, much more.

Remember: if life throws you a curveball – HACK IT!

Whether you are in need of some blossoming inspiration or your fingers are the colour of freshly mown grass, this compendium is overflowing with snippets of fascinating folklore and tips for making your garden grow.

Follow the garden path to horticultural heaven and learn about:
– Growing your own herbs to make therapeutic delights
– Banning bugs and slugs and attracting beneficial creatures
– Recycling old household items for gardening solutions
– Keeping bees and chickens
– Cooking up your produce, even the weeds
– Why you should always keep a leek in your attic and never kill a ladybird

Do you spend hours on garden maintenance, leaving no time for the fun stuff? Would you like the chance to eat your produce before the pests get to them? Do you dream of an abundant garden that’s beautiful all year round? These and dozens of other gardening dilemmas are solved with this trusty guide filled with ingenious gardening hacks. Whether you’re a regular Best In Show looking for some time-saving tips or you’ve just planted your first seedlings and you want to learn more, Gardening Hacks is your fully illustrated manual to blossoming as a gardener.

‘For as long as I stay here, I know I will have to also get to the wild places.’
                                                                                                                  Robert Macfarlane
This pocket-sized miscellany, packed with tips on equipment, food, surviving bad weather and finding the right campsite, and with facts and stories from the world of camping, is perfect for anyone who knows the incomparable joy and adventure of pitching their tent under an open sky.
 

The world is yours to explore

The great outdoors is the beating heart of our world, but modern life is pulling us ever further away from it. Spending our time shut away indoors and hunched over screens, we’ve lost touch with nature, and it’s harming our health and our happiness. But it’s never too late to find our way back.

This book will help you find a way of reconnecting with the great outdoors. Whether you like to walk, run or swim, admire the wildlife or forage for wild foods, within these pages there will be something to inspire you to get out into the fresh air and reignite your sense of wonder at the world around you. Nature is a balm for the body and soul, so escape the pace of the everyday and set yourself free: get out there, find adventure, and go wild!

A book for bike lovers.
Whether for transport, leisure or sporting endeavour, cycling supports and inspires millions across the globe. This fact-filled miscellany looks at biking from its origins through to its remarkable scope and status in the present day. Covering cycling’s great races, athletes and anecdotes, Ride also provides practical tips on how to maintain your bike and improve your riding.

Far away from the bright lights of international rugby, there is another version of the game played by ordinary blokes of all shapes, sizes and degrees of physical ability.

Steven Gauge was the last person anyone would expect to find on a rugby field, being somewhat shorter than average, bespectacled and decidedly “unsporty”. But as a gentleman of a certain age when strange life choices are sometimes made, Steven chose to pick up a rugby ball and run with it.

He discovered a hidden and hilarious world of convoluted nicknames, creative interpretations of the laws of the game and the inevitable, beer-related, post-match mayhem. But he also found a heartfelt sense of belonging and camaraderie of the kind that only a good, honest team sport can provide.

So forget everything you think you know about rugby and join us on the touchline of Warlingham Rugby Club as Steven leads out the 4th XV. Welcome to the world of mud, sweat and beers…

A leisurely ramble through the woods, a meandering city stroll, a blustery seaside promenade or a vigorous mountain hike – all have their delights and incomparable joys. Whatever your walking style, you’ll be captivated and enthralled by the stories and excerpts of classic writing, trivia and practical tips in this book – perfect for anyone who loves the freedom of lacing up their hiking boots and heading for the hills.    

Learn to forage in the hedgerows like the herbalists of the past with this best-selling beginner’s guide.

For centuries our ancestors looked to nature not just for food, but also for healing. To this day, our ancient hedgerows, woodlands and forests are still full of remedies – and they’re waiting to be discovered.

This is the essential guide to enjoying the bountiful delights of the natural world. Learn how to make delicious preserves, healing balms, soothing toddies and cures for colds with nature’s jewels such as rose hips, elderberries and mugwort.

You will also find:

– Photographs to help you safely identify edible plants
– Advice on what is available in each season
– Guidance on how best to prepare and preserve your finds
– The fascinating folklore and history of foraging
Every walk is an opportunity to learn, identify a new plant, gather something to eat and reconnect with nature – so dive in to begin your foraging adventure.

Tips and ideas for travelling the world
So you’re off to explore the big, wide world: head filled with possibilities and hiking boots laced.
But a big trip raises big questions, like ‘How do I go about choosing and packing a bag?’, ‘How should I handle money abroad?’ and ‘What the hell do I do when my hostel dorm is filled with snorers?’ Luckily this handy guide is filled with essential tips, advice and hacks to make your adventures on the road truly unforgettable. 

Dive into this deck of 52 cards containing delicious cocktail recipes, both classic and modern. The box also includes a pocket-sized booklet and stand for displaying the recipe cards.

Bottoms up! Whether you’re a mixologist in the making or looking for new ideas to refresh your repertoire, let The Cocktail Deck help to make any occasion one to remember.

From the crowd-pleasing classics such as the Margarita and Piña Colada to modern must-know recipes like the Paper Plane and White Negroni, this beautifully illustrated deck includes over 50 recipes to spark your imagination, as well as a handy booklet full of expert tips and techniques on blending the perfect drink.

This is an ideal gift for all those who appreciate the unique alchemy of cocktail making.

– Box includes 52 individual cards and a 16-page booklet with extra cocktail tips, tricks and presentation ideas
– Display your cocktail recipe in the high-quality wooden stand as you create the perfect sip
– Each card features a bespoke illustration

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.

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!

Featuring simple tips, practical advice and inspiring ideas, this book will help you discover how to reap the mental, physical and spiritual benefits found in nature

We all know that our environment is critical to our well-being, so when seeking a boost to our happiness, where better to look than the garden? Whether you’re hoping to cultivate a calmer mindset, nurture your physical strength or connect with your community, the restorative powers of gardening can help you flourish.

With valuable information, actionable tips, creative project ideas and feel-good gardening facts, this book will help you discover the all-round health benefits that can come while honing your green fingers.

Inside you will discover:
– How the aromas, colours and sounds of plants and nature can both relax and invigorate you
– Why gardening and its therapeutic actions are beneficial for your mental health
– How to energize your body, tone muscles and improve flexibility for overall fitness
– The plentiful spiritual aspects to be found through breathwork and grounding exercises
– How and why gardening can plant you within your community and encourage teamwork and cooperation

Discover the fascinating world of mushrooms with this beautiful pocket guide, featuring trivia, history, identification tips, delicious recipes and more

One of nature’s most extraordinary organisms can be found right under your feet: the mushroom. For thousands of years these fungi have intrigued humankind, providing food, inspiring folklore and proving to be both poison and cure.

The Little Book of Mushrooms will allow you to uncover this mysterious kingdom for yourself. Learn the difference between a giant puffball and a scarlet elf cup and discover how mushrooms and the fungal network help plant life to communicate. You will also find:

– Fascinating facts about the fungi kingdom
– Mushroom folklore from around the world
– A beginner’s guide to identifying common wild mushrooms
– A collection of delicious mushroom-based recipes
Mushrooms are vital to life on earth, and this book will be your guide to these spectacular organisms that have influenced our past and could shape our future.