Showing 25–36 of 41 resultsSorted by latest
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£20.00
If Britain’s maritime history were embodied in a single ship, she would have a prehistoric prow, a mast plucked from a Victorian steamship, the hull of a modest fishing vessel, the propeller of an ocean liner and an anchor made of stone. We might call her Asunder, and, fantastical though she is, we could in fact find her today, scattered in fragments across the country’s creeks and coastlines. This extraordinary book collects those fragments for a profound and haunting exploration of our seafaring past. In his moving and original new history, Tom Nancollas goes in search of eleven relics that together tell the story of Britain at sea. From the swallowtail prow of a Bronze Age vessel to a stone ship moored at a Baroque quayside, each one illuminates a distinct phase of our adventures upon the waves; each brings us close to the people, places and vessels that made a maritime nation.
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£50.00
No house embodies the spirit of one dynasty better than Chatsworth. Set in an unspoilt Derbyshire valley, surrounded by wild moorland, and home to the Cavendish family for more than four hundred years, this treasure house is filled with works of art and objects that have all, in their time, represented the very best of the new. ‘Chatsworth, Arcadia, Now’ tells the story of this extraordinary house through seven ‘scenes’ in its life which provide the book’s narrative structure; running alongside is a stunning photographic portrait of the house and its collections at this most optimistic point in its history.
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£20.00
Susan Ogilvy started painting bird nests almost by accident. One day, while tidying up her garden after a storm, she found a chaffinch nest – a strange, sodden lump on the grass under a fir tree. This was the start of an obsession; Ogilvy has since painted more than 50 bird nests from life, each time marvelling at its ingenious construction. Every species of bird has its own vernacular, but sources its materials – most commonly twigs, roots, grasses, reeds, leaves, moss, lichen, hair, feathers and cobwebs, less usually, mattress stuffing and string – according to local availability. Ogilvy would, of course, never disturb nesting birds; instead she relies upon serendipity, which is why all her nests have either been abandoned after fulfilling their purpose, or displaced by strong winds. Exquisitely designed and packaged, ‘Nests’ will be an essential addition to the libraries of all nature lovers.
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£20.00
From the moment she hears Lev’s violin for the first time, Helena Attlee is captivated. She is told that it is an Italian instrument, named after its former Russian owner. Eager to discover all she can about its ancestry, and the stories contained within its delicate wooden body, she sets out for its birthplace, Cremona, once the hometown of famous luthier Antonio Stradivari. This is the beginning of a beguiling journey whose end she could never have anticipated.
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£22.00
Pac-Man. Mario. Minecraft. Doom. Ever since he first booted up his brother’s dusty old Atari, comic artist Edward Ross has been hooked on video games. Years later, he began to wonder: what makes games so special? Why do we play? And how do games shape the world we live in? This lovingly illustrated book takes us through the history of video games, from the pioneering prototypes of the 1950s to the modern era of blockbuster hits and ingenious indie gems.
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£25.00
‘Furnish for how you would like to live, not for what you want people to think.’ When interior designer Frida Ramstedt moved from a characterful old apartment to a functional new build, she started to think about design in a new way. Rather than relying on high ceilings and architectural features, she had to make full use of essential principles to transform a blank canvas into a cosy, attractive and harmonious home. In doing so, she distilled the secrets of successful interior design and styling. This is a book about what looks good and why, filled with practical tips and illustrations to help you work out what’s best for your space and lifestyle – and to discover what your individual tastes really are. With advice on everything from how to hang curtains to how to apply the golden ratio, The ‘Interior Design Handbook’ is an indispensable guide for every home.
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£17.99
When Heike Faller’s niece was born she began to wonder what we learn in life, and how we can talk about what we have learnt with those we love. And so she began to ask everyone she met, what did you learn in life? Out of the answers of children’s writers and refugees, teenagers and artists, mothers and friends, came 99 lessons: that those who have had a difficult time appreciate the good moments more. That those who have had it easy find it harder getting old. That a lot of getting old is about accepting boundaries. And of course, as one 94 year old said to her, ‘sometimes I feel like that little girl I once was, and I wonder if I have learned anything at all’.
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£14.99
‘The Poetry Pharmacy’ is one of the best-selling (and most giftable) poetry anthologies of recent decades. Now, after huge demand for more prescriptions from readers and ‘patients’ alike, William Sieghart is back. This time, tried-and-true classics from his in-person pharmacies are joined by readers’ favourite poems and the new conditions most requested by the public – all accompanied by his trademark meditations on the 58 spiritual ailments he seeks to cure.
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£25.00
A kitchen these days is a wonderful place. You can cook your way right round the world without spending a fortune and without even leaving your home. This is exactly what Cerys Matthews, food enthusiast, finds herself doing, with tried-and-tested recipes from all over the globe. Shall we go Spanish? Japanese? Scottish? Shall I cook inside? Light a fire? Here, low-meat, vegan and vegetarian options, as well as cocktail recipes, offer up the world as your oyster. Accompanied by stories and folklore from each country, with a wonderful list of tracks to inspire while you cook and eat, this is a failsafe way to keep things interesting in the kitchen.
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£14.99
Eltham, South London. 1984: the warm fug of the swimming pool and the slow splashing of a boy learning to swim but not yet wanting to take his foot off the bottom. Fast-forward four years. Photographers and family wait on the shingle beach as a boy in a bright orange hat and grease-smeared goggles swims the last few metres from France to England. He has been in the water for twelve agonising hours, encouraged at each stroke by his coach, John Bullet, who has become a second father. This is the story of a remarkable friendship between a coach and a boy, and a love letter to the intensity and freedom of childhood.
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£14.99
Sometimes only a poem will do. These poetic prescriptions and wise words of advice offer comfort, delight and inspiration for all; a space for reflection, and that precious realisation – I’m not the only one who feels like this. In the years since he first had the idea of prescribing short, powerful poems for all manner of spiritual ailments, William Sieghart has taken his Poetry Pharmacy around the length and breadth of Britain, into the pages of the Guardian, onto BBC Radio 4 and onto the television, honing his prescriptions all the time. This pocket-sized book presents the most essential poems in his dispensary: those which, again and again, have really shown themselves to work.
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£25.00
What if the princess did not marry Prince Charming but instead went on to be an astronaut or an activist? What if the jealous step sisters were supportive and kind? And what if the queen was the one really in charge of the kingdom? ‘Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls’ introduces us to 100 remarkable women and their extraordinary lives. From Marie Curie to Malala, Ada Lovelace to Zaha Hadid, it brings together the stories of scientists, artists, politicians, pirates and spies.
