Finely produced titles showcasing works of art, books with exceptional illustrations, collector’s editions of classics and keepsake versions of children’s books – these pages feature a range of titles that are perfect for treating family or friends, or displaying on your own bookshelves.
Phaenomena
Doppelmayr's Celestial Atlas
First published in Nuremberg in 1742, Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr's Atlas Coelestis encapsulated the astronomical knowledge of his day in 30 magnificent hand-coloured engravings. Reproduced here with explanatory text by Giles Sparrow and an introduction by the Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, they demonstrate the theories of Copernicus, Kepler and Halley, the orbits of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the movement of comets, and the constellations beyond our solar system.
Fore. Martin Rees, Giles Sparrow
RRP £50.00 Now £26.00
Citrus
A World History
Tracing the story of citrus as recorded in the literature and art of many civilizations from antiquity to the present day, David J Mabberley offers a sumptuously illustrated global history of oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and their hybrids. In doing so, he reveals how humanity's enduring fascination with these vitamin-rich fruits has influenced advances in medicine, science and agriculture, while also inspiring some of the world's most celebrated artworks.
David J Mabberley
RRP £35.00 Now £18.99
The Spice Ports
Mapping the Origins of Global Sea Trade
Focusing on the ports that played a key part in the oriental spice trade, this well-illustrated volume presents a history of each one. From the early Venetian prowess in shipbuilding – borne of a necessity to bring supplies to the island but developing into the basis for a maritime empire – to the strategic importance of Singapore for the East India Company, it builds a broad picture of global exchange and its impact.
Nicholas Nugent
RRP £40.00 Now £19.99
Atlas of Botany
An Exploration of Plants Across Time and Around the World
Tracing plant life from its origins around 500 million years ago to the present, this beautifully illustrated study highlights its diversity. Produced with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and supported by detailed artwork and photography, the concise commentary brings together geography, science and human history to explain how plants have long adapted to changes in land mass, climate and habitat and the ways in which they interact with evolution.
RRP £30.00 Now £16.99
Poems in Progress
Drafts from Master Poets
Manuscript poems show us works-in-progress and can reveal much about the poets and their creative processes. With reproductions and transcriptions of handwritten documents, the stories behind the poems and commentaries by practising poets, this anthology is arranged by theme, including Epics, Conflict and Love, and presents a great variety of manuscripts, among them papyrus fragments (Sappho), illuminated manuscripts (Chaucer) and scribbled drafts (Byron), fair copies (Rimbaud) and typescript (TS Eliot).
Alexandra Ault, Laura Walker
RRP £30.00 Now £17.99
Ocean
From the Shore to the Abyss
Written by leading marine biologists and illustrated with more than 400 colour photographs and graphics, this volume explores the oceans’ varied environments and the creatures that inhabit them. It profiles diverse shoreline ecosystems from rockpools to mangroves; the sunlit surface zone with its shoals of fish and plankton; and the strange denizens of the darkest depths. A concluding section warns of the threat posed by human activity.
Asha de Vos, Anthony J Martin, Rebecca Helm et al
RRP £45.00 Now £25.00
Animals
Art, Science & Sound
Spanning creatures associated with the dark, water, land and air this well-illustrated catalogue explores the creative and historical context of zoological case studies held by the British Library. Taken from around the world, they represent almost 2,000 years of human interest in animals and include artworks, manuscripts and links to sound recordings to explore how our understanding of animals has been shaped.
Malini Roy, Jones Sharp, Cheryl Tipp
RRP £35.00 Now £14.99
Serpent, Siren, Maelstrom & Myth
Sea Stories and Folktales from Around the World
Mysterious, alluring and deadly, the sea has given rise to countless folk tales around the world, from ‘Sinbad the Sailor’ to ‘The Flying Dutchman’. These 28 stories, retold for modern readers with an explanation of their origins, stem from a range of cultures including Ancient Greek, Celtic, Scandinavian, Caribbean and Polynesian and tell of the creation of the world, gods and monsters, epic voyages, shipwrecks, phantom vessels and sunken cities.
Gerry Smyth
RRP £30.00 Now £16.99
Sindbad the Sailor & Other Stories
from the Arabian Nights
Often wise and always beguiling, the stories from the Arabian Nights, written during the Islamic Golden Age, have long captivated readers. Retold by Laurence Housman (1865–1959) and sumptuously illustrated by Edmund Dulac (1882–1953), this edition presents four of the best-known tales, Sindbad the Sailor, Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, The Story of Three Calendars and The Sleeper Awakened.
Illus. Edmund Dulac, Trans. Laurence Housman
RRP £30.00 now £13.99
The Auspicious Time
Little Auspicious is growing up in Beijing in the 1940s, an era of immense social change. In telling the boy’s story, from the fear that troops from the People’s Liberation Army will occupy his home to encounters with spies and the Kuomintang, this illustrated narrative sheds light on life in the city before liberation. Age 11+
Zhang Zhilu
RRP £14.99 now £7.99
The Judith Kerr Treasury
Five Classic Stories
Never out of print since it was originally published in 1968, The Tiger Who Came to Tea was Judith Kerr's debut picture book. It features in this edition with four other stories by the much-loved author and illustrator: Mog the Forgetful Cat, which sees the family pet get into the first of her many scrapes, One Night in the Zoo, The Other Goose and When Willy Went to the Wedding.
Judith Kerr
RRP £25.00 now £14.99
A Whale of a Time
From limericks and nonsense rhymes to humorous takes on well-known verses and classics such as The Owl and the Pussy-cat, this collection of 366 richly illustrated, light-hearted poems for children includes contributions from a broad selection of writers including Eleanor Farjeon, Spike Milligan, Brian Bilston and Benjamin Zephaniah. Age 6+
Lou Peacock, Illus. Matt Hunt
RRP £25.00 Now £14.99
World of Weird
A Creepy Compendium of True Stories
Blood-spurting lizards, a witch’s collar, an Egyptian mummy with a false toe – presented as the notebook of a Victorian explorer who travelled the world seeking the strangest and creepiest artefacts, this large-format book takes in natural phenomena and manmade objects relating to the worlds of science, crime, spirituality, magic and death. Age 11+
Tom Adams, Illus. Celsius Pictor
RRP £16.99 Now £5.99
