In 1827 the young Edward Lear (1812–1888) began to draw ‘for bread and cheese’; later he became a renowned wildlife and landscape artist and, later still, the author of the famous limericks and songs. Reproducing many of his paintings and drawings, Jenny Uglow’s critically acclaimed biography describes Lear the artist, traveller, writer of nonsense verse and self-appointed exile, and aims to discover ‘how the layers are laid down, how they overlap and twist like strata’ in a strange contradictory life of art and nonsense.

Beginning with Shepton Mallet prison, which had been in use for 400 years when it closed in 2013, Michael Portillo investigates the stories hidden within the walls of twelve buildings that illuminate aspects of Britain’s modern history. Through structures including Brighton’s sewer system, Imber village in Wiltshire, a nuclear bunker in Cambridge and the New Victoria cinema in Bradford, he explores four themes: crime and emergency, life and death, defence, and ‘People’s Pleasure Domes’.

In Japan, logic puzzles such as Sudoku are considered an art form and there is a community of creators who write their puzzles by hand with a view to aesthetic as well as mathematical beauty. This collection selects over 200 examples of ingenious brainteasers and introduces more than 20 new types, including Shakashaka and Marupeke.

From the time of William the Conqueror, the Greys were one of England’s most powerful families. Beginning in the reign of Henry IV (1399–1413), when the rivalry between Lord Grey of Ruthyn and Owain Glyndwr led to the Welsh uprising, this history follows their fortunes through the Wars of the Roses, in which Greys fought and died on both sides, to their downfall with the execution in 1554 of the ‘Nine Days Queen’, Lady Jane Grey.

Writing in 1721 to alert a population grown indifferent to the renewed threat of the Black Death, Defoe describes, with accurate and vivid realism, the horror of plague-ridden London in 1665. Through the eyes of a saddler who had chosen to remain while multitudes fled, he re-enacts the terror of a helpless people and chronicles the decimation of their great city. Edited, with an introduction and notes by Cynthia Wall.

This trio of children’s novels by the author of War Horse comprises Mr Nobody’s Eyes, the story of a boy in all sorts of trouble who finds a friend in a circus chimp named Ocky; The Nine Lives of Montezuma, concerning the exploits of a very adventurous farmyard kitten; and Little Foxes, in which a boy devoted to wildlife finds himself in danger along with the foxes he is trying to save. Age 9+

Each of the 150 recipes in this illustrated compendium, from canapes to Christmas lunch-with-all-the-trimmings, have been triple-tested by the Good Housekeeping cookery team to ensure perfect results. A dietary index highlights the recipes that are dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan, and metric and imperial measurements are listed. The volume also includes time management tips, creative suggestions for leftovers and advice on making the most of festive gatherings.

Fife in the 1630s was a hotbed of rebel priests, fire-breathing politicians and unemployed mercenaries, many connected through family. This innovative history shows how a combustible mixture of Covenanters, Catholics, Gibbites, Malignants and a host of other sects ignited not only Scotland’s wars of religion but conflict in Ireland and the English Civil War, resulting in more than 600,000 deaths. The book concludes with a gazetteer of the buildings, ruins, monuments and battlefields of Scottish wars from 1639 to 1689.

Hampered by tactical mistakes in preparation for the invasion and by severely stretched resources, the Germans nevertheless almost repelled the Allies in June 1944 and the Battle of Normandy remained in the balance for two months. This assessment of the D-Day landings and the subsequent struggle for the Falaise Pocket from the defenders' perspective, focuses on the performance of the German commanders on the ground and uses first-hand accounts to give an insight into conditions and contemporary attitudes.

As well as a successful military operation, the Normandy invasion of June 1944 was one of the most impressive logistical feats in the history of warfare. Using contemporary photographs and over 90 detailed maps, including declassified secret documents, this analysis explains how the Allies conceived the plan. It reveals how they co-ordinated several armies and deception schemes, meticulously assessed and charted German defences, and organized the 5,000 craft and 150,000 troops for the assault and subsequent breakout from the beachheads.

Celebrating England’s long tradition of tolerance towards unconventional men of the cloth, these short biographies describe how clergy have displayed their own unique forms of holiness by treading ‘the thin line between prophet and clown’. The peculiar parsons include a mermaid-impersonator, a collector of French pornography and the incumbent who surrounded his vicarage with barbed wire – not to mention the infamous Vicar of Stiffkey, whose performance as Daniel in a den of real lions brought predictably fatal results.

The freelance enforcer for the Kray twins, and one of London's most feared gangsters, tells the inside story of the heists, shoot-outs, police corruption and betrayals, including his notorious kidnap and arrest for the Shoreditch Security Express cash robbery.

Simon Jenkins describes our medieval cathedrals as 'the most spectacular and lasting accomplishment of the English people', and they take pride of place in this engrossing volume. A companion to his bestselling England's Thousand Best Churches, the book comprises illustrated architectural histories and personal, keenly observed appreciations of 42 Anglican diocesan cathedrals in England, plus Westminster Abbey and a selection of Roman Catholic cathedrals. The buildings are arranged alphabetically, with one or more colour photographs accompanying each entry.

The extraordinary saga of the Eddystone Lighthouse serves as prologue to this engrossing and authoritative study of the history and construction of lighthouses, the development of their lights and lenses and the ‘splendours and miseries’ of the lighthouse keepers’ work. Among the period drawings, architectural plans and photographs evoking the bygone era of manned lighthouses are visual surveys and details of 100 of the most famous; and the book ends with their demise in the era of automation, radar and GPS.

The renowned gerontologist Daniela Mari draws on her extensive experience of elderly care to reveal the art and science behind a healthy, happy old age, explains the concept of 'active ageing', and looks at how our sleeping habits and diet contribute to longevity.

At the accession of Henry II in 1154 the Plantagenets ruled over a realm that stretched from the Scottish borders to the Pyrenees. When Richard III died in 1485 only Calais was left on the European mainland, but the Plantagenets had consolidated and secured royal control within Britain. In this lucid account of their 300-year reign Wilson chronicles the turbulent and often blood-soaked world of kings such as Richard the Lionheart, King John and Henry V, the hero of Agincourt.

Compiled by two Doctor Who novelists, this illustrated companion tells the history of the universe through the renegade Time Lord’s encounters with humans and with lifeforms from other planets. After explaining the cause of the Big Bang, it charts the rise of Cybermen and Daleks, describes how Earth has survived many alien incursions and ends in humanity’s final haven of Utopia.

This comprehensive guide for beginners and experienced dolls’ house enthusiasts, whether using 1/12 or 1/24 scales, describes a range of styles, covering historical periods and cultural influences from a Tudor interior to a Zen apartment. The author suggests ways to present miniature scenes featuring purchased items and provides instructions for making items such as tables and a fireplace. Illustrated with colour photographs, the book includes advice on equipment and a list of suppliers.

The Peppercorn Class A1 Pacific, Tornado, was completed in 2008 and is the first steam locomotive built in Britain since 1960. This illustrated celebration of the achievement reveals how it was designed and constructed and is now run and maintained. Including a technical breakdown of the engine, the book was originally published in a larger format as the Tornado Owners’ Workshop Manual.

Shackleton's 1914–17 Antarctic expedition is best remembered for its legendary escape after his ship Endurance was crushed by ice. Less well known are the exploits of the 'Mount Hope Party', dispatched aboard the Aurora to lay food depots across the Great Ice Barrier, without which the planned crossing of the frozen continent would have been impossible. Drawing on the diaries of six expedition members, this book records their story of hardship, heroism and camaraderie – and their tragic fate.

From smartphones to microwaves, invisible forms of light have a profound effect on our lives. This popular science book explains what they are, how they work and how they have been put to work in modern technology.

The death of Lord Kitchener when the battleship carrying him on a secret mission to Russia struck a German mine stunned a nation at war, and gave rise to various conspiracy theories. Suspicion fell on the IRA, the Boers, and even the British government, who disliked him intensely. Drawing on recently declassified documents, this history separates truth from fiction to reveal what really happened that day in June 1916.

In 2002, shortly after the fall of the Taliban, Rory Stewart walked 300 miles through the remote highlands of Afghanistan. His account describes the landscape, society and his encounters with opium growers and mujahedin fighters. An afterword to this new edition reflects how more than a decade of foreign engagement has failed through a fundamental misunderstanding of the country’s traditions.

'When Edward Bear said that he would like an exciting name all to himself, Christopher Robin said at once, without stopping to think, that he was Winnie-the-Pooh. And he was.' This slipcased set contains the four children's classics by AA Milne, all with their original line drawings by EH Shepard: Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Age 6+

From the 1880s to around 1914, a group of young painters based in Glasgow challenged the traditional art of the Scottish Academy, favouring instead the naturalistic ideas of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, and en plein-air painting. The realism and freedom of their portraits, informal scenes and landscapes was to revolutionize Scottish art. This book introduces the Glasgow Boys – among them James Guthrie, John Lavery, Arthur Melville, George Henry and David Gauld – and presents over 85 reproductions of their work.

In 1501, when William Dunbar described it as ‘the flower of Cities all’, London was already a significant capital city, a great port and a hub of culture and commerce. In 1666, the Great Fire destroyed almost all of the old walled city and environs. Drawing on archaeological, written and pictorial records, Wynn Jones traces London’s history from Ancient Britons, through Roman, Saxon, medieval, Tudor and Stuart times, to the aftermath of the Fire. The book concludes with four walks for rediscovering the pre-1666 city.

In 1780 the anti-Papist Gordon riots left 1,000 dead and London in flames; half a century later, Parliament passed the Catholic Emancipation Act. This narrative history charts the struggles that brought about that conclusion. It profiles the key players, including George III (a staunch opponent of emancipation), the political rivals Wellington and Peel, and the Irish campaigner Daniel O’Connell, and examines the conflict between the right to practise one’s religion and allegiance to the state.

When a Crusade was launched against them early in the 13th century, the Cathars were dominant in the Languedoc region and had won widespread support from nobility and peasants. Martin explains the movement’s development, the fractious political context in which it flourished and the principles of simplicity, equality and non-violence which lay at the heart of the Cathars’ heretical teachings and their implacable opposition to the Catholic Church. Second edition.

This history and analysis of snipers’ equipment and tactics takes an overview of the role and psychology of marksmen from the medieval period onwards, and details the improvements in observation, accuracy and ranging that transformed sniping over the last century. Individual stories include the Finn who amassed 505 kills in less than 100 days of the 1939–40 Winter War, resulting in the USSR training over 2,000 snipers.

In 1911 the world watched and waited as Amundsen and Scott raced across the Antarctic wastes to the South Pole. Over a century later, this enigmatic, unforgiving continent retains its allure for explorers, scientists and extreme skiers. Packed with stunning colour photographs and vintage images, this book charts its discovery, from Cook's first venture into its icy waters, through the pioneering voyages of James Clark Ross and Carsten Borchgrevink, to the heroic age of Shackleton and Scott.

From the ancient civilization of Sumer some 5,000 years ago, to the end of the Second World War, the history of the world has been distilled into simple, accessible chunks in this concise and authoritative book. Each of its six chapters - from First Empires and Civilizations 3,500 BCE-800 CE, to A New World Order 1900-1945 - is split into sections covering developments in the Middle East and Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Far East and Oceania.

During the 20th century it became clear that our traditional understanding of cosmology was too simplistic, since there must be not only some invisible material holding together galaxies but also an unknown phenomenon that is driving the universe’s accelerating expansion. Brian Clegg describes how the existence of this ‘dark matter’ and ‘dark energy’ was discovered and explains the different theories and experiments that researchers have been employing as they seek knowledge about this challenging aspect of modern science.

Now housed in the Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, these scrapbooks, described by Edward Bawden himself as a ‘mass of ancient rubbish’, are in fact a vast and intriguing collection of Christmas cards, letters, cuttings, photographs and drawings. With reproductions of pages from all five scrapbooks and notes on the ‘scraps’ and the people mentioned, this volume is the closest thing we have to an autobiography of one of the finest, but most reclusive British artist-designers of the 20th century.

Most of the basic technology of the racing bike was in place by 1900 but, along with the fitness and tactics of riders, has been continually in development since. With over 130 specially commissioned illustrations, this stylish celebration of road cycling explores the evolution of the racing bicycle and associated kit as well as profiling the great races and the riders that have shaped the sport.

Commissario Guido Brunetti takes a break from the Venice Questura after mishandling an interrogation; but his solitary retreat on Sant’Erasmo in the laguna is disrupted after the caretaker of his island villa goes missing: Brunetti is compelled to investigate.

The botanist Ben-Erik van Wyk presents a fully illustrated, scientific guide to nearly all the commercial herbs and spices in use today. After chapters on the history of spices and culinary traditions and lists of common names, the A to Z covers over 150 species, from Aframomum corrorima (Ethiopian cardamom) to Zingiber officinale (ginger), each illustrated entry giving details of the spice or herb, the plant, its origins, cultivation and culinary use and the chemistry of its flavour.

Drawing on manuscripts, artefacts and family photographs, this volume introduces the life and work of Wilfred Owen (1893–1918), from his upbringing on the Welsh borders to his military service, including meeting Siegfried Sasson at the Craiglockhart sanatorium. Accompanied by some of his best-known poems, it explores the literary apprenticeship of the ‘poet’s poet’, and the growth of his reputation after his death just a week before the Armistice.

From the fibres our ancient ancestors wove from plants to the invention of the synthetic material that enabled humans to venture into space, fabric has played many roles throughout history, far beyond offering warmth and protection, demarcating status and providing an outlet for self-expression. This collection of essays considers topics such as the linen used by the ancient Egyptians to wrap their dead, the craft that inspired Vermeer to paint The Lacemaker and recent innovations in sports textiles.

Throughout history, many travellers have seen deserts as hostile, desolate places; but William Atkins was drawn to them. Travelling to five continents over three years, he visited Oman’s Empty Quarter, Australia’s nuclear test grounds, China’s Gobi Desert, the dried-out Aral Sea, and the arid regions of the American West. Illustrated with maps of each area, his travelogue explores the history, the people, the cultures, the folklore and the symbolism of these forbidding places.

Aimen Dean was a bomb maker for al-Qaeda and was well respected in the organization, but grew sceptical of their philosophy and defected to become an MI6 agent. Recalling his life as a spy, which included meeting Osama bin Laden, the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and many other key figures, his extraordinary memoir provides a deep insight into the terrorists’ world.

With pages designed to be turned by little hands, this brightly illustrated board book introduces 70 everyday words grouped by theme, with a prompt to encourage discussion on every spread. Age 1+

Once crucial to Glasgow’s industrial strength, the Clyde’s role has changed dramatically over time: for centuries workers on days off went ‘doon the watter’; now, the river is used more for recreation than industry. This volume examines the geography and history of the Clyde through a selection of 108 maps ranging from a 17th-century version of Ptolemy’s Insulae Albion et Hibernia to Russian maps of Glasgow and the lower Clyde dating from the Cold War, and 21st-century tourists’ guides.

Linked to the Channel 4 series exploring popular diets, and based on his own experience with weight loss, Dr Van Tulleken offers a four-step plan that encourages readers to adopt healthy habits for life. His guide contains achievable goals, meal plans and 75 straightforward recipes, including vegan options as well as roasted meats, curries and desserts such as Gooey Chocolate Pots.

In 1831, 26-year-old Captain Robert FitzRoy advertised for a companion to join him on a voyage to South America. The ship was the HMS Beagle; the successful applicant the young Charles Darwin; the result of the voyage the theory of natural selection. This entertaining compendium of 40 historical anecdotes, whose topics include science, politics, food and literature, illustrates how seemingly insignificant events can alter the course of history.

Departing from the usual format of the Wildlife Art series, this volume on the theme of migration brings together contributions from authors and artists involved in the protection, study and observation of migrants. In sections on the USA, Northern Europe, Malta and the UK, with individual pieces on Kenya and the Southern Hemisphere, the essay subjects vary widely from studies of single species to bird photography. The result is a fresh and visually exciting portrayal of the spectacle of bird migration.

When Henry VIII and Francis I met in northern France in June 1520, the emphasis was on entertainment rather than politics, yet the sheer extravagance of the event was a statement of power. Amy Licence offers a fresh perspective on that fortnight of fabulous costumes, golden tents, jousting and dancing, looking at political aims and results but also at the astonishing logistics of the operation and how ‘The ideal of perfect chivalry and friendship, as unsustainable as the summer, had been realised’.

Arranged alphabetically from Aballava (the Roman fort at Burgh-by-Sands) to Zone Point, Cornwall, this is a totally new compilation of English place names and their meanings and etymologies, based on the archives of the English Place-Name Society and recent scholarship. It contains entries for cities, towns, villages and hamlets, and for geographical features such as rivers, streams and hills, all with National Grid references and historical and variant spellings. First published in 2004. This reprint edition is exclusive to Postscript. Previously published at £330.00 Laminated cover.

Famous for his tough interviews on Radio 4’s Today programme, John Humphrys has had a long journalistic career including spells as a local reporter, foreign correspondent and television newsreader. His biography describes his working-class childhood in Cardiff, his eyewitness experiences of seismic news events such as the Aberfan disaster and the resignation of Richard Nixon. Also revealed are behind-the-scenes insights into the making of Today and his jousts with leading politicians of the last 30 years

From the Blitz to the Swinging Sixties, London was home to a major art scene. Several key players – Auerbach, Bacon, Freud – were figurative painters rebelling against the prevailing Abstract orthodoxy. Others – Bridget Riley, John Hoyland – found their own distinctive forms of abstraction. Gayford’s study profiles the artists and explores their influences and connections. Drawing on first-hand interviews and illustrated with 114 paintings and photographs, it recreates the Soho bohemia these painters inhabited, with its friendships, feuds and legendary drinking sessions.

This colourful introduction to cooking explains the basics – such as what simmering means and how to separate an egg – and has step-by-step instructions for 60 snacks, main meals and salads, including Carrot Hummus, Chicken Nuggets, Lamb Koftas and Hail Caesar Salad. Age 6+

Dan Hooke offers a clear explanation of the science behind climate change, with concise text supported by numerous diagrams. World maps show the environmental impact of different countries, detailing issues such as their population growth, consumption and deforestation, as well as how they have been affected by the rise in global temperatures. A final section describes the actions being taken in response to the crisis, and the part individuals can play. Age 10+

In this frank and intimate memoir, the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club explores the traumatic childhood that made her a writer, her complex relationship with her father, and the shocking truths uncovered by family memorabilia.

Daniel Defoe's famous castaway has been etched into the popular imagination for three centuries. This account of the real island – Juan Fernández Island in the South Pacific – draws on the voyage journals, maps and illustrations of visiting sailors, scientists, writers and artists to reveal its colourful and often violent history, from the early encounters of the 1500s to the naval battles of the First World War, and the devastating tsunami of 2010.

The Scottish journalist Alan Taylor first met Muriel Spark (1918–2006) when he interviewed her in Arezzo, near her home in Tuscany, in 1990. In this memoir, he recounts his time spent with the novelist and her companion Penny, describing their parties, travels and idiosyncratic household arrangements. While offering an affectionate portrait of a witty, vivacious and intelligent woman, he does not shy away from controversy, particularly her bitter estrangement from her son.

Legend has it that without its ravens the Tower of London would crumble into dust and the kingdom would fall, so there are always at least six ravens living at the Tower. Another resident, Yeoman Warder Chris Skaife, is the Ravenmaster, responsible for the birds’ safety and welfare. Chris’s love for his charges is obvious from his light-hearted account of their work together and his character sketches of the seven ravens: Munin, Merlina, Erin, Rocky, Jubilee II, Gripp II and Harris.

Although her life is poorly documented the beautiful appearance of Akhenaten’s consort Nefertiti has been made familiar by the haunting, colourfully painted bust excavated at Amarna in 1912. This history of the artwork first covers the evidence for its creator, manufacture and purpose during the ‘heretic’ pharaoh’s reign more than three millennia ago, then traces its remarkable (and sometimes controversial) celebrity and cultural influence in the modern world.

From the establishment of the grand tours to the recent dominance of British riders, this analysis of road cycling describes the evolution of the sport as well as examining its extreme physical demands, complex tactics and frequent controversies.

Zircon crystals found in Western Australia have been dated to 4.4 billion years ago, the oldest things found so far on Earth and remnants of the original formation of the planet. This highly illustrated manual explains the processes that have shaped our world from the Big Bang to the evolution of life-supporting conditions and the physics of our current environment. Hundreds of diagrams, illustrations and infographics explain the natural forces at work.

This illustrated compendium offers information such as the Latin name, habitat, history, associations, intriguing facts and famous quotes pertaining to 50 genera of trees from around the world. It also contains chapters that cover the spiritual and medicinal properties of trees, how they have inspired the work of artists, authors and composers over the centuries and the threats posed to them by fungi, parasites and humans.

Gibraltar has been an indispensable naval fortress since 1704, yet in July 1940 it was threatened on four sides: by Vichy France, Nazi Germany, and fascist Italy and Spain. This history of the Rock’s strategic importance during the war also explores the pre-war imperial incursions in the Mediterranean region, which would threaten Gibraltar as a wartime escape route and key link in the ‘steel chain of sea power’.

This 400-piece jigsaw is based on Stephen Walter’s intricate map of the city. The large pieces have been carefully cut to preserve his annotations, which include the birthplaces of historical figures, sites of historic interest, facts, and humorous commentaries on cultural stereotypes and local peculiarities.

A bestseller when it was originally published in 1985, this collection of patients’ case histories by physician Oliver Sacks (1933–2015) explores their neurological disorders and the strategies they adopted to cope with them. The 24 cases include a man with a special form of visual agnosia, patients with Tourette’s syndrome, and the 'lost mariner' – a former sailor with no recent memory, isolated in a single moment of being. Slightly off-mint.

In the 1930s, the Ovitz family – seven of whom were dwarfs – enjoyed massive success as the Lilliput Troupe of singers and actors, but as the Nazi regime tightened its grip, they were plunged into the horrors of Auschwitz. Based on interviews with Perla Ovitz, the last living member of the troupe, and many other concentration camp survivors, this powerful book tells the inspirational story of this remarkable family and their indomitable will to survive.

This illustrated guide to the rolling stock of London’s rail network covers the London Underground, London Overground, TfL Rail and the engineers’ trains. It gives insights into the evolution of the system and the afterlife of old stock in locations around the British Isles, and includes a directory of the serial numbers of all units currently in service.

The mythologies of Greece and Rome are full of strange and powerful tales of love and betrayal, war and heroism. These unforgettable stories, whose symbolism still pervades Western culture, are here retold by Jenny March, with translated and quoted passages showing how they were treated in ancient literature and how they have continued to inspire writers up to the present day. This hardback edition is exclusive to Postscript.

On their 50th anniversary the Queen described Prince Philip as her ‘strength and stay’, whose support for her never wavered. In this revealing portrait, one of the most respected writers on the royal family explores what their relationship was really like, from their very different childhoods and initial controversy about their marriage to how they raised their children and weathered family trauma while in the public eye.

It has long been recognized that Stonehenge was a religious site, but recent intensive research has helped us understand much more about its place within the ancient ritual landscape of Salisbury Plain. In this book one of Britain’s most distinguished archaeologists traces the centuries-long process of construction, explaining how the enigmatic stone circle relates to a wider complex of monuments and what this reveals about the social and ideological system of our prehistoric ancestors during a period of significant change.

Tracing the early incarnations and changing line-ups of rock bands has long held a fascination for pop music aficionados and this volume provides an encyclopaedic reference to 250 of the best-loved acts of all time. Innovative colour-coded graphic timelines chart the personnel changes, musical duties and major recordings of each artist and for the most famous performers there is also a visual history, provided by photographic montages and artwork from their best-known albums.

Billy Connelly recounts with customary humour his ten-week journey through the North West Passage, piloting an aeroplane over Iceberg Valley, trekking through mountains and kayaking through ice floes. Although in awe of the landscape, illustrated here with hundreds of photographs, it was his encounters with ordinary people that made the greatest impression, introducing him to traditions that were essential for survival in this challenging environment. Slightly off-mint.

Marshall Hall's illustrated biographical dictionary has long been the standard reference work on the painters, sculptors, draughtsmen and women, printmakers, stained-glass artists, illustrators and caricaturists of Northumberland, Durham, Cleveland and Tyne and Wear. This updated and greatly enlarged edition now includes well over 1,000 artists, including, for the first time, those born between 1900 and 1950. In addition to the biographies, Hall's introduction discusses the broad trends of artistic endeavour in the north east.

The image used for this jigsaw is a modern map of the world that identifies each country and its associated territories with bright colours and clear names. Also indicated are the locations of capitals and other major cities, as well as the oceans and many seas.

Board games have existed for millennia and, despite the allure of smartphones, remain hugely popular, even giving birth to the recent phenomenon of board-game cafés. From the ancient Egyptian Senet (‘a playable guide to the afterlife’), via such classics as Monopoly (which originally used a circular board), this book explores why they captivate us and traces their development up to the latest innovative ‘Eurogames’.

Challenging the view of plants as passive vegetation, Mabey approaches them as ’authors of their own lives’ and explores our relationship with them, from prehistoric cave painting, through cultivation and exploration to the ‘astonishing revelations of 19th-century botany’. Among the intriguing plants whose lives he discusses are the baobab tree; ginseng, the panacea; the carnivorous tipitiwitchet; an Amazonian giant water lily whose leaves were the model for the Crystal Palace; and the intelligence of mimosa.

Catherine Wendell, a charismatic and charming American girl, caught the eye of Lord Porchester when she was just 20, marrying him in 1922. Less than a year later his father, Lord Carnarvon, died, and she found herself the chatelaine of Highclere Castle, the setting for the massively popular drama Downton Abbey. Drawing on private archives and beautiful period photographs, the present Countess tells Catherine's story, transporting us back to a vanished world of magnificent banquets and weekend house parties.

The London Eye, the Shard, St Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben and Tower Bridge are some of the capital's most widely recognized landmarks. These five models offer a chance to understand their construction and to examine their architectural details more closely. The step-by-step instructions make it easy to assemble the press-out pieces, while the accompanying facts and figures on the design and history of each structure will enable you to speak knowledgeably as you show off your handiwork.

From the age of eleven, Jane Austen was writing short pieces of fiction, poetry and drama, often parodying contemporary novels and at times violent and risqué. She copied some of these stories into notebooks – ‘Volumes’ – for family and friends to read. This book presents a photographic facsimile of the first of the three surviving notebooks, offering a rare and sometimes quite shocking introduction to the young Austen, along with an introduction, ‘A Writer’s Apprenticeship’, by Kathryn Sutherland.

The Vikings were integral to the shaping of medieval Europe and the development of nation states; their ships crossed the Atlantic, their traders reached Constantinople and their raiders struck without warning. Combining contemporary historical sources with the evidence of recent archaeological discoveries, this history of the Viking Age focuses on the key events and major characters of the period from the raid on Lindisfarne in 793 to the death of Harald Hardrada in 1066.

While the downfall of the Maya has variously been attributed to earthquake, famine, plague and war, this account of their demise, which critically evaluates many of the proposed causes, asks not only how the civilization collapsed, but what collapsed. David Webster draws upon recent archaeological research and discoveries at sites including Copán, Tikal and Piedras Negras to examine the history and culture of the Maya, and to analyse the complex factors behind their decline. Slightly off-mint.

Only 2 per cent of our DNA contains the codes to produce proteins, so for many years scientists assumed that the rest of the genome was simply 'junk'. However, modern research is finally identifying the many vital functions performed by these 'dark' regions. In this book Carey introduces the most significant insights, with clear explanations for the general reader, and looks forward to the opportunities they provide for revolutionary developments in the treatment of a range of medical conditions.

Following on from the bestselling Lost London 1870–1945, this book presents some 280 photographs originally commissioned by the London County Council to record streets and neighbourhoods on the threshold of redevelopment. Enlarged and cropped, the photographs reveal the built environment and life within it in great detail. They are, as Dan Cruickshank writes in his foreword, 'photographs which record not just the appearance of the building but also, in some uncanny way, its atmosphere, its grand but crumbling soul'.

McDonnell Douglas's F4 Phantom entered service with the US Navy in 1960 as an interceptor but its versatility saw it take on a host of other duties, from fighter-bomber to reconnaissance plane, and it also proved a highly successful international export. This book tells the story of its design, construction and active service for air forces around the world, up to the 1990s, and is illustrated with hundreds of photographs, diagrams and illustrations detailing different liveries and variants.

Dusty Springfield (1939–1999) was one of the most celebrated stars of the 1960s, whose ‘blue-eyed soul’ was popular both here and in America. This biography discusses her musical development and lasting legacy, but also delves beyond Dusty’s cheerful image to explore a more conflicted person. In the words of her lover, Dusty ‘wanted to be straight and she wanted to be a good Catholic and she wanted to be black’.

On at least 50 occasions during the 14th century French invaders landed on British soil, where they razed trading centres and massacred their inhabitants. As he tells the story of these incursions, Cameron corrects the usual interpretation that they were merely ‘pirate raids’ and describes the French plans for full-scale conquest. He also considers the major economic and political damage that was inflicted by the invasion crisis, as well as its lasting effects on English society.

A founder member of the French Impressionists, Berthe Morisot (1841–95) was highly regarded by her circle of artists and widely praised as a colourist, but the experimental element of her work went unrecognized until the late 20th century. Ann Kay’s illustrated introduction to the life and work of the artist accompanies around 90 reproductions, including Morisot’s paintings of gardens and landscapes, her portraits of women and children, and depictions of the Parisian leisured class at play.

This book provides instructions to games for all ages, including some for young children. Arranged by groups of games – Whist, Casino, War, Rummy, Hearts – it explains how many players are needed, which cards are used, and how to deal, play and win.

Written for the reluctant gardener, this is a guide to what not to do in the garden. Rather than letting your plot revert to wilderness, Wareham (the gardener of Veddw House, near Tintern) encourages finding easier ways to do the jobs you dislike and suggests effective alternatives. The book is arranged by season, from what not to do in spring (grow roses – if you don’t grow them they won’t need pruning), to winter (washing empty pots – madness).

First published in 1967, this book follows the GP John Sassall as he goes about his rounds in rural Gloucestershire. What emerges, in the words of John Berger and the photographs of Jean Mohr, is a portrait of a community, and of a remarkable man who combined breadth of vision with a deep appreciation of the minutiae of everyday life.

A former police constable turned car builder, Ant Anstead presents a lively history of the British Police Force’s relationship with the car, from chasing pioneer motorists on bicycles and the realization that they needed to be quicker than the offenders, to the high spec supercars in use today. Anstead traces the car’s changing role in policing with the emphasis on the motors, whether Morris Minor panda cars or powerful Subaru Impreza Turbos.

Finding Woozles, meeting the Heffalump, solving the problem of Eeyore’s tail: Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the 100 Aker Wood set off on their adventures – some of them as dangerous as looking for the North Pole – in this collection of 17 stories from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. The book is illustrated with EH Shepard’s original drawings in full colour and ends with ‘The End’ from Now We Are Six. Age 5+

Touring, mountain, road and recumbent bicycles, BMX bikes, tandems and folding bikes... Each of 100 modern-era bicycles is photographed against an immaculate white background for these semi-matt postcards. There are technical details on the reverse sides and the whole set is contained in a smart red and white card box.

Using examples from a vast range of writings, Mark Forsyth presents an amusing and wonderfully erudite guide to the ‘formulas, flowers and figures’ of rhetoric. For each of 39 figures, he explains some that are well-known - hyperbole, paradox, rhetorical questions – and other, less familiar strategies that work their magic behind the scenes, such as diacope in the immortal phrase ‘Bond. James Bond.’

From images of the first industrial war by Edward Wadsworth, Paul Nash and CRW Nevinson, to Sybil Andrews’s abstract illustrations of urban life, this catalogue examines the impact of Continental Futurism and Cubism on British modernist printmakers. The book focuses on 13 artists, with reproductions of over 100 prints, arranged thematically by subject matter and stylistic direction, and essays on linocut block printing and the Grosvenor School artists. The catalogue accompanied an exhibition held in Boston and New York.

For two millennia the role of Mary Magdalene in the foundation of the Christian Church has been hotly disputed. This study uncovers the symbolic numbers or gematria in the New Testament, and explores the hidden meanings behind them. They reveal a long-suppressed fact: that Mary was the bride of Christ, in a sacred union between the masculine and feminine principles that formed the cornerstone of the early Church.

With its vibrant flavours and simple ingredients – rice, seafood, olives, almonds – Spanish cuisine is firmly rooted in home cooking. Beginning with a journey through each of the country's regions, this vibrant and enthusiastic handbook explores the culture in which the food is grown, cooked and eaten. The recipes for salads, soups, main meals and puddings include Rice with Clams, Artichokes with Ham, Pork with Chestnuts, and Arrope – an Andalusian fruit compote.

Young, wealthy and passionate about plants, Joseph Banks sailed with Captain Cook on Endeavour’s 1768 voyage in search of a southern landmass predicted by geographers. They visited Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia, with Banks collecting and recording plants, wildlife, landscape and artefacts. This volume brings together some of the riches brought home on Endeavour, including maps, drawings and paintings, landscapes and Maori and Aboriginal objects, along with portraits of Banks himself. Foreword by Sir David Attenborough.

The book that sparked the award-winning TV series details Jennifer Worth’s experiences as a young midwife based in a convent amid the chaos of post-war London Docklands. Her true-life stories show how tough conditions were in the East End, especially for women, who often lived in slum accommodation – grateful if they had a cold-water tap – with ten or more children to look after.