Travel

This compact and stylish volume presents 101 tasters of cities from around Europe, each one chosen for its appeal to the modern traveller and ease of accessibility. For each destination the low-down on the culture, sights, shopping, accommodation and food is delivered in witty, well-informed prose that highlights the best that the city has to offer. This is accompanied by details of how to get there and who to fly with. Each city is illustrated with excellent colour photography. All of the classic European destinations, such as Paris and Florence, are represented, in addition to an eclectic selection of interesting and emerging destinations around the continent such as Vilnius and Brno. "101 Weekends in Europe" is the perfect companion for the weekend city breaker choosing their next destination or reliving old haunts.

ISBN: 9781847730817

Travel to the most spectacular and enigmatic cities across the globe. The book provides the reader with a wealth of interesting and useful information about each city featured. Each entry is beautifully illustrated.

ISBN: 9780753716038

The book covers 501 must-visit destinations, ranging from remote hideaways and tropical islands to bustling cities, breathtaking monuments and stunning landscapes across the world. Stunning photography sits alongside informative text and a summary of don't-miss features of each site.

ISBN: 9780753713426

501 of the world's most beautiful islands are explored in this beautifully illustrated volume, ranging from the well-trodden and popular to those off the beaten track. "501 Islands" includes spectacular places to visit from the tropical destinations such as Bora Bora to those closer to home like the Scottish Isle of Skye.

ISBN: 9780753716946

Illustrated with stunning photography and providing realistic advice for visiting these sometimes remote corners of the earth, this book serves as both an inspiration and a practical guide. There is a wealth of wonders here to exhaust even the most intrepid of armchair travellers.

ISBN: 9780753715918

This is the 42nd edition of the best-selling "AA Hotel Guide". This full-colour guide to hotels has been fully updated for 2009, with an impressive new format and design to celebrate the centenary of AA Hotel Services, with an extended preliminary section including magazine style features. The guide provides clear and detailed descriptions of over 4,000 AA inspected hotels in Britain and Ireland rated for quality from 1 to 5 stars, with AA red stars highlighting top hotels. Budget hotels are also featured, ideal for over night stops. Up-to-date details on room prices, credit cards, parking, leisure facilities, directions and websites are included throughout, with central reservation telephone numbers available for the major hotel groups. The features included the AA Hotel of the Year awards for England, Scotland and Wales.

ISBN: 9780749557904

Flying hundreds, sometime thousands, of feet above ground strapped into a motorized paraglider that is little more than a parachute with a small motor, National Geographic photographer George Steinmetz has spent more than twenty years photographing some of the most remote and spectacular environments around the world. In "African Air", Steinmetz captures stunning panoramas in more than fourteen countries in Africa, giving readers captivating and intimate views of areas that have rarely, if ever before, been photographed. From densely packed urban centres to small, remote villages, from migrating herds of wildebeests and elephants to infinite miles of desert, "African Air" is a compelling testament and celebration of the majesty and splendour of Africa's most breathtaking landscapes. With extraordinary vision and a unique perspective, Steinmetz portrays sky, land and water in ways that have never been expressed before.

OCTOBER 2008

ISBN: 9780810984035

Explorer Bruce Parry is embarking on yet another epic journey: down the Amazon - the world's greatest river, its largest forest, the most bio-diverse habitat on the planet and home to some of the last uncontacted tribes left on Earth. It's one hell of a trip, as Parry travels over 6,000 kms by foot, light aircraft and boat to meet and live with tribesmen, coca growers, loggers and illegal miners. Written in diary form, "Amazon" gives a rare insight into the ways of life that have existed since the dawn of time and are about to disappear forever. Illness, accidents, and all manner of unforeseen mishaps test Parry's strength every step of the way, but fans will know from Tribe that this man's thirst for new experiences, and his amazing resilience, knows no boundaries. Armchair travel and adventure doesn't get any better than this.

ISBN: 9780718154349

The great revelation of anthropology is the realisation that there are other ways of being, Wade Davis writes in the introduction, a colourful, fascinating, and respectful panorama of ethnic diversity. From the Inuit of the Arctic to the Zulu of southern Africa, from the Ainu of Japan to the Fuegians of Patagonia, the world's most compelling ethnic groups are here - some as small as the Kallawaya of the Peruvian Andes, others as numerous as the Bengalis of India. Small or large, little known or thoroughly familiar, more than 200 ethnic groups from around the world fill the pages of this book with their beliefs and customs, traditions and challenges.Rare times of special celebration, ordinary times of work and play - both find their place in this book about the varieties, and the universality, of the human experience. Threaded through the book as well are the extraordinary findings of the National Geographic's Genographic Project, a research initiative to collect and catalog DNA from around the world, discovering the story of human migration embedded in our genetic material. At once a celebration of glorious diversity, a comprehensive reference, and a thoughtful look at the universal human instinct to belong and identify.

ISBN: 9781426202384

NOVEMBER 2008

"A wide range of historians, archaeologists, scientists, geologists, amateur sleuths, sportsmen, city planners, transport experts and others have willingly given their time and knowledge to unpick what the rest of us would certainly miss. Time and again, I have been taken aback by how much I simply did not see, however hard I looked." Andrew Marr (excerpt from foreword). "Britain From Above" is the official book accompanying the BBC's landmark television series of the same name airing in 2008 and will be presented by Andrew Marr. The centrepiece of the schedules, "Britain From Above" will air on BBC1, BBC2 and BBC4. The book features exclusive, awe-inspiring photography and satellite images from the programmes as well as computer simulations, charting Britain's natural history, its industry and transport systems, its natural heritage and archaeology. "Britain From Above" promises to capture the country's imagination as never before.

ISBN: 9781862058347

Four million captivated viewers watched Charley Boorman complete his last adventure - LONG WAY DOWN - which took him from John O'Groats to Cape Town. Along with Ewan McGregor he achieved not only this amazing feat, but also circumnavigated the globe on the LONG WAY ROUND. In between these two incredible journeys, he found the time to compete in the Dakar Rally, telling his story in his bestselling book RACE TO DAKAR. Charley's passion for travel and adventure continues in his new challenge - BY ANY MEANS. Travelling from his home town in Co Wicklow all the way to Sydney, he will use any means he can to reach his destination, via transport as diverse as steam train, horse, boat, kayak, truck, and tuk-tuk. And of course his beloved motorbike! Whether crossing the Black Sea, trekking through Tibet, riding an elephant in India or hiking through the forests of Papua New Guinea, this will be a unique opportunity to meet fascinating people and explore extraordinary places. With trademark enthusiasm, dedication and good humour, Charley's new trip is set to be his most challenging yet.

ISBN: 9781847442468

OCTOBER 2008

Apparently anonymous mudflats, dunes and scrubland become the source of strange, exotic hues and patterns when viewed directly from above. Small harbours yield complex herringbone arrangements of elegantly narrow boats. Even container ports can become semi-abstract assemblages of multi-coloured units. And familiar landmarks take on a wholly new and fascinating aura. Internationally renowned aerial photographer, Richard Cooke, has created an extraordinary sequence of images that celebrate the diversity and beauty of the UK shores. To achieve the mesmerizing effects of colour and form, Richard chose - as far as possible - to photograph directly above the subject-areas, thus creating marvellously composed photographic compositions. Themselves works of extraordinary beauty, the images in this book are divided according to coast - south, west, east, Scottish and Northern Irish. Together, they form a truly unique and totally unexpected picture of British shores, which reveal themselves to be the equal in variety and drama to any in the world. COVER PRICE £24.95

ISBN: 9780500542842

Yann-Arthus Bertrand's photographic daybook features over 200 completely new photographs. Each image is accompanied on its facing page by a thoughtful and thorough explanatory text. The images reach across the continents, from the icebergs of Antarctica to the cotton fields of India to the olive plantations of Spain. All 12 chapters of the book open with a thoughtful introduction by one of several noted authors who address a wide variety of subjects critical to the present and future health of our planet: agriculture, biodiversity, sustainable development, energy, forests, fresh water, seas, global warming. The book thus offers us a new perspective on our spectacular but fragile environment.

ISBN: 9780500542781

A BARGAIN TITLE

Starting off on the Eurostar from London, Paul Theroux once again sets out on a railway journey through the East, travelling overland through Eastern Europe, and eventually reaching India and Asia. Infused with the changes that have shaped the exterior landscape and enriched with developments to his own perceptions and psychology, "Ghost Train to the Eastern Star" is an absorbing and beautifully written follow-up to "The Great Railway Bazaar". Full of life and impeccably evoked, "Ghost Train to the Eastern Star" is Paul Theroux at his very best.

ISBN: 9780241142530

There's something about motorcycles, and the lure of freedom and the open road that they promise. If you've ever wanted to take a motorcycling holiday, you've been before and are looking for new ideas for places to go, or you just want to do something completely different, then this book will inspire you. With routes taking in the very best of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas, there really is something for everyone.Accompanied by stunning photography, the journeys described here are perfect for everyone, whatever their level of expertise on the bike. Each route features a tool box telling you when to visit, other routes in the region to extend the ride, and exactly what options are available to you in terms of your motorcycle - whether you can take your own bike into the country, make arrangements to hire machines there, or book a bike-inclusive tour. A map also illustrates the route and the points of interest on the way.Featuring awe-inspiring journeys from the snowy passes of Patagonia to Australia's Red Centre, "Great Motorcycling Journeys of the World" is the perfect inspiration for your next big motorcycling adventure.

ISBN: 9781847730800

Between the end of the nineteenth century and the Second World War, Macmillan published a much-loved and extremely successful series of books under the title of "Highways and Byways". In them, the authors took readers on a delightful guided tour of the country, county by county, pointing out places of interest, key historical events and local lore and legend. Now, Macmillan is reissuing - in one beautifully designed volume - a selection of those highways and byways, which affords contemporary readers both a charming period piece and a wonderful glimpse of the very best of Britain.

ISBN: 9780230706927

The National Trust cares for a wealth of houses and historic buildings of all types, ranging from the grand to the quirky to the humble. A companion volume to the bestselling "Gardens of the National Trust", this captivating book is a guide to some of the greatest architectural treasures in the country, encompassing both interior and exterior design.Houses covered include spectacular mansions such as Cliveden and Waddesdon Manor, and more lowly dwellings such as the Birmingham Back to Backs and estate villages like Blaise Hamlet in Bristol. In addition to houses, the book also covers fascinating buildings as diverse as churches, windmills, dovecotes, castles, follies, barns and even pubs.The book also acts as an overview of the country's architectural history, with every period covered: the medieval stronghold of Bodiam Castle, Tudor eccentricity in Hardwick Hall, 18th-century grandeur at Kedleston Hall, Victorian splendour at Tyntesfield, and the clean-lined Modernism of The Homewood.The book teems with stories of the people who lived and worked in these buildings: wealthy collectors (Charles Wade at Snowshill), captains of industry (William Armstrong at Cragside), prime ministers (Winston Churchill at Chartwell) and pop stars (John Lennon at Mendips). Written in evocative, imaginative prose and illustrated with glorious images from the National Trust's photographic library, this book is an essential guide to the built heritage of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.This is a fascinating guide to the National Trust's architectural and interior-design heritage. It covers over 250 properties. It includes stunning images from the National Trust photographic library. It is a companion volume to "Gardens of the National Trust".

ISBN: 9781905400669

Britain possesses one of the most remarkable and varied coastlines in the world, with its richness in geology and human history on display. Since the dawn of time the sea has been sculpting the rocks, sands and marshes, constantly changing the shape of the coastline and the inhabitants of Britain have adapted, defended, sometimes surrendered it or recaptured it in response to the forces of nature. "The Living Coast" brilliantly celebrates this dynamic interplay between sea, land and people in over 350 sumptuous images from the air - a seagull's-eye view round the 9,000 miles of British coast, from Land's End to the wave-pounded isles and the ancient rocks of the far north; the receding shores and sensationally beautiful estuaries of the east; and, the familiar chalk cliffs, crumbling Jurassic coast and drowned river valleys of the south.This book is composed of 14 chapters, each beginning with a narrative and ending with a photographic exhibition. The coast is taken region by region, moving clockwise round the perimeter of the UK.

ISBN: 9780955866609

NOVEMBER 2008

After their fantastic trip round the world in 2004, fellow actors and bike fanatics Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman couldn't shake the travel bug. And after an inspirational UNICEF visit to Africa, they knew they had to go back and experience this extraordinary continent in more depth. And so they set off on their 15,000-mile adventure, experiencing some of the toughest terrain in the world ? and meeting some of the friendliest people. Containing over one hundred exclusive photographs ? including some taken by Ewan and Charley, and many more by internationally renowned photographer Julian Broad ? this beautifully illustrated edition vividly documents a trip of a lifetime.

ISBN: 9781847442499

SEPTEMBER 2008

The "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" team of Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, in the company of their esteemed chairman Humphrey Lyttelton, have been recording their BBC radio show around the UK for longer than any of them can remember...that's about week - or twenty minutes in the case of Barry Cryer. At each venue Humph would present a short history of the location, written by Iain Pattinson, to the mutual delight of the audience, the team and their delightful scorer Samantha (who somehow always found time for a rewarding poke in the area's back streets).We are privileged to present, in gazetteer form, the very best of Humph's local histories from Radio 4's multi award-winning 'antidote to panel games'. As accurate as Wikipedia and as comprehensive as "Reader's Digest", this unique guide tells you everything you never knew you wouldn't ever need to know about the background and inhabitants of Britain's most prominent towns and cities. The intelligent reader will waste no time in adding it to their collection.It was from Bristol in 1497 that John Cabot set off to find a new route to the Spice Islands by sailing north-west. He instead discovered a strange, hostile world which he named 'Newfoundland', until the natives explained that they actually called it 'Swansea'. Nottingham - It's well documented in official records that the city's original name was 'Snottingham' or 'home of Snotts', but when the Normans came, they couldn't pronounce the initial letter 'S', so decreed the town be called 'Nottingham' or the 'home of Notts'. It's easy to understand why this change was resisted so fiercely by the people of Scunthorpe. Brighton - A settlement is first recorded in Brighton as long as ago as 3000BC, when Celtic Druids practised their ancient worship of oaks, mistletoe and virgins, and indeed, oaks and mistletoe are still plentiful in Brighton.

ISBN: 9781848091078

Guy Browning, author of the No 1 bestselling "Never Hit a Jellyfish with a Spade" and popular longstanding "Guardian" columnist, finally turns his unique attention to a rich new comic seam - his own deeply eccentric and far-flung upbringing. Weaned on maps, educated by maps, surrounded by maps and ever so slightly in love with maps, Guy Browning presents a selection of intriguing and quirkily annotated cartographic gems to chart his unsteady progress from pewling toddler to pewling young man via the furthest corners of the Alps, Niagara Falls, the Mediterranean, Central America and darkest Chipping Norton."Maps of My Life" revisits the richly comic highways, byways and unpaved tracks of Guy's unusually peripatetic early years, peopled with unforgettable relatives, friends and foe such as the Fatted Calf, the Sainted One, Langton Machoko and Marshal LaPoulette...Beautifully produced with full-colour maps throughout, "Maps of My Life" is one of the funniest autobiographical travel memoirs since Bill Bryson's "The Lost Continent".

ISBN: 9780224082723

The true flavour of the glory days of steam is brought to life in this richly illustrated collection of tales and first-hand accounts from passengers and railwaymen across Britain.From the glamorous drivers on the great mainline locomotives to everyday commuters and trainspotting schoolboys, the engaging stories give a real glimpse into the lives of those who lived and worked in the steam era.Hundreds of glorious photographs featuring trains, stations, staff and passengers truly transport the reader back to this lovingly remembered age of transport.Special feature spreads interspersed throughout the book focus on some of the most visually striking aspects of the railways during this time, such as extreme weather, recordbreaking trains and the artworks used to decorate the carriages.

ISBN: 9780715329566

From the tempestuous seas round Cape Wrath, at the north-west tip of the Scottish mainland, to the gentle creeks and estuaries of East Anglia, Britain's coastline offers an inexhaustible range of dramatic contrasts. Whether you are looking for peace and solitude or all the fun of the fair, this book will lead you there - to remote sandy coves, lofty clifftop viewpoints or an exhilarating ride on Blackpool's rollercoasters.Starting at the Severn estuary near Bristol, this unique touring guide takes you on an epic voyage of discovery round the entire coast of England, Scotland and Wales, observing the changing scenery, and evoking the character of more than 1,500 places of interest. It describes the type of beaches you will find, identifies castles and stately homes to visit, nature reserves to explore, stunning coast walks to discover and places where you may simply prefer to sit back and relax.

ISBN: 9780276443008

Discover Britain as you've never known it before, with "Amazing Places to Visit in Britain". "Reader's Digest" and a team of experienced travel writers, whose credits include the "Sunday Times", "Holiday Which?" and the "Daily Telegraph" among many others, have specially chosen the 1,000 most amazing places in Britain to feature in this book. From castles, cathedrals, stately homes and natural wonders to power stations, bellfoundries and even a water tower, this book reflects the diversity of fascinating places that Britain has to offer. Read about some of the world's best early medieval stained glass, found in Canterbury Cathedral, and then turn to an entry on the ossuary at St Leonard's church in Hythe housing 2,000 human skulls, or the Donnington Grand Prix collection at Donnington Park. "Amazing Places in Britain" is a modern guidebook to Britain, and as such includes entries you won't find in most UK guidebooks. From the Umbrella Shop on New Oxford Street in London to the Oldbury Power Station on the River Severn and a Soviet submarine in Folkestone harbour, this unique reference guide will ensure that you'll never see Britain in the same way again.

ISBN: 9780276441769

"National Geographic: The Photographs" presents an amazing collection of award-winning "National Geographic" magazine photographs, the facts behind them, and the inside stories of the men and women who took them. The images capture rare moments in nature and the lives of animals, along with defining events in the lives of people everywhere. Many earlier pictures place the new ones in perspective, illustrating how the "Geographic" has created a unique photographic approach and maintained its tradition over decades, while evolving in response the changing realities that the photography documents. Five chapters cover the Society's major themes: wildlife on land and underwater, cultures in the United States and around the world, and science - from astronomy to archaeology to the human senses. On page after page, stunning images reveal the skill and imagination of Geographic's photographers. Accompanying the images are the photographer's accounts of adventures in the field - sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying, always vividly compelling. Author Leah Bendavid-Val writes about the photographers' achievements from technical, journalistic, and artistic points of view. An introductory chapter chronicles the evolution of photographic principles at the "Geographic" and the visionaries who believed in the revolutionary idea that photography had the power to tell important truths about the world.

ISBN: 9781426202919

OCTOBER 2008

This is the first in a new series of highly illustrated books that take a nostalgic look at life in the 20th-century, "On Holiday" explores where we stayed, what we wore, where we went, how we got there and what we did while on holiday in days gone by. Accompanied by text written by best-selling "Antiques Roadshow" expert Paul Atterbury and using predominantly amateur photographs from family albums alongside postcards, publicity material and a range of ephemera from the Edwardian era to the 1970s, "On Holiday" offers a delightfully evocative snapshot of holiday life in 20th-century Britain.

ISBN: 9780749558048

ISBN: 9780847830503

SEPTEMBER 2008

Explorer Bruce Parry is embarking on yet another epic journey: down the Amazon - the world's greatest river, its largest forest, the most bio-diverse habitat on the planet and home to some of the last uncontacted tribes left on Earth. It's one hell of a trip, as Parry travels over 6,000 kms by foot, light aircraft and boat to meet and live with tribesmen, coca growers, loggers and illegal miners. Written in diary form, "Amazon" gives a rare insight into the ways of life that have existed since the dawn of time and are about to disappear forever. Illness, accidents, and all manner of unforeseen mishaps test Parry's strength every step of the way, but fans will know from Tribe that this man's thirst for new experiences, and his amazing resilience, knows no boundaries. Armchair travel and adventure doesn't get any better than this.

ISBN: 9780718154349

OCTOBER 2008

In RAYS MEARS GOES WALKABOUT Ray Mears journeys through the wilderness of the Australian Outback to learn about the people, the wildlife and the culture of this extraordinary land. He is joined by Australian survival experts who enrich his journey and deepen Rays understanding of the bushcraft of this incredible continent. These are journeys that encompass many of the themes of Rays world discovery, the natural world, indigenous culture, adventure and survival. Above all, they represent something very close to Rays heart the most important thing we can learn when travelling is to be open to new ideas, new ways of doing things, new experiences. For Ray, this is the only way to promote understanding and learning. His voyage into the wilds of Australia encompasses so many different natural habitats, with a rich indigenous culture and many tales of exploration and survival, as well all his trademark survival knowledge and wilderness tips.

ISBN: 9780340961513

Alistair Cooke was the greatest of all twentieth century reporters of life in America to the rest of the world. Published to celebrate the centenary of his birth, this book presents the cream of his writings on the events that shaped modern American history, from the end of the Second World War through to the assassination of John Kennedy and of Bobby Kennedy (Cooke was actually present), the moon landings and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Almost all the material is previously unpublished in book form - transcripts of his legendary Letters from America, long-forgotten reports in the Guardian (whose correspondent in New York he was for 25 years) and other freshly discovered writings. The book is illustrated throughout in full colour with iconic photographs of the events Cooke is describing.

ISBN: 9781846140471

"Visions of Paradise" is a panoply of experiences from the most peripatetic photographers on Earth - the photographers of "National Geographic Magazine". After all the stories and all the journeys, each man and each woman shares with us the place he or she found to be Heaven on Earth. The pictures come from all seven continents, from different times of year, in different climates. The stories are as minute as the glance of an amorous leopard seal before lunch or as vast as the landscape of Iceland during the days of the midnight sun. You will swim with penguins underneath the ice in the Antarctic, rest on a leaf in the Amazon with a dragonfly, and roam the forest floor in Borneo with a recognized scientist. By the end, you will know that very effort you make to treasure and preserve our planet is an effort to find your own place that feels like Heaven on Earth.

ISBN: 9781426203381

NOVEMBER 2008

Dartmoor can present a mask of barren wilderness to the uninitiated. But for those willing to explore, the moor unfolds the secrets of its seasonal changes, revealing faces of spectacular colour, inspiring light and landscape distinctly marked over time by the shared presence of humans, wildlife and natural elements alike. The 954 square kilometres of unyielding granite plateau are dotted with tors, peat bogs and stocky trees stubbornly adhering to the scoured earth. David Entrican's moody panoramic photographs capture the magic of this landscape through the seasons and through the changing English weather.

ISBN: 9780711229174

OCTOBER 2008