Strategy is the craft of a warrior - Miyamoto Musashi Written around 1645, Miyamoto Musashi's Five Rings is a classic Japanese work on mastery in swordsmanship, leadership and conflict. Musashi was a swordsman, philosopher and strategist, and today his work remains of influence not only in the realm of martial arts but in the business world, too. Musashi's no-nonsense approach to the martial arts and combat includes eliminating technical flourishes, understanding that technique should simply be understood as defeating your opponent, and appreciating that the same qualities apply in both small- scale and large-scale conflicts. Repeatedly, he stresses the importance of learning through practice, rather than merely reading about them. Produced using beautiful traditional Chinese bookbinding techniques, Five Rings Illustrated is presented in an exquisite illustrated edition with a brand new modern translation.

We often think of Baseball as an American sport. While baseball is considered to be America s national pastime, it is also played all over the world, including Canada, Japan, the Caribbean islands, and South America, just to name a few places. This slow moving, nonviolent game has not only captured the hearts of Americans, but has also spread to other parts of the world. In the United States, baseball is still considered to be the ultimate sport. While the Super bowl, which is the final contest for American pro-football, gets more television viewers than any other event each year, baseball is still followed and watched. Boys and even girls of all ages join little league by the time they are around 4 or 5 years old and learn to play this game. Most American children understand the rules of baseball and have, at one time or another, played this game. The rules of baseball are simple. They have changed little throughout the ages, although there are doubts as to the origin of the game. While historians argue over how and when baseball started, one thing is clear, by the end of the 19th century, it was already America s pastime. Baseball field sizes have changed. The size of the bat has changed as have the size of the balls. The distance between the pitcher s mound has been modified throughout the years as has the distance between the bases. But the main gist of the game has remained the same for over 100 years."

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

It has been very difficult over the years for collectors to know just what has been produced from the works of Tolkien, and where it can be purchased. There is not, and has never been, any 'official' Lord of the Rings cataloguing. Clear and specific documentation has been almost impossible to find, and any listing that has been available has been a patchwork at best. Over the last few years, the Internet has become a great source of assistance through various webrings that connect the many Lord of the Rings fans. This four-colour, highly graphic book will provide information on all things Tolkien; books, calendars, toys and movie memorabilia. Both the novice and die-hard collector will find this guide helpful and like the new film trilogy from Peter Jackson, make us believe again.

This book provides a detailed classification of all the varieties of dumps, and is unequalled as a collector's guide to these unique English folk art antiques. This book is the most complete guide to English bottle glass dumps, doorstops and paperweights ever published. It contains almost 500 colour photographs ranging from Kilner bubble dumps from the 1830s, to elaborate floral ornaments and sulphide inclusions from the early 1900s. Of particular interest to the serious collector will be the 15 examples of rare garnitures (sets of three dumps), several examples of very rare Redfearn weights, an exceptionally large variety of sulphide inclusions, dumps with coloured glass centres to their flowers, flowers with blue or gold petals, and many other rarities and curiosities. There are examples in green, turquoise, blue, amber and amethyst glass. The book includes information on dump damage and restoration, and how to assess and value dumps, together with a price guide.

A stunning illustrated edition of the magical bestseller - a perfect gift for Christmas! Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize Winner of the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award Shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize Beautiful, thrilling and magical, Sunday Times bestselling-author Kiran Millwood Hargrave's critically-acclaimed first novel is a modern classic. 'Absolutely loved it from start to finish' TOM FLETCHER 'I read it, I loved it' MALORIE BLACKMAN 'Kiran Millwood Hargrave creates a spellbinding world of magic, myth and adventure' EMMA CARROLL Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella dreams of the faraway lands her cartographer father once mapped. When her friend disappears, she volunteers to guide the search. The world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland - and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself. A beautifully written, multi award-winning story of friendship, discovery, myths and magic for any age - perfect for fans of Philip Pullman, Frances Hardinge or Katherine Rundell A perfect gift for Christmas, illustrated in colour by Olia Muza, and featuring a bonus chapter From the author of Julia and the Shark, Leila and the Blue Fox and The Mercies, chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club Set in an extensive and stunningly-imagined parallel world imbued with magical realism