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Books > Biography
This is a book that takes the reader on a detailed tour of many of
the shores of Britain and Ireland and explains the reasons for
their remarkably different scenery. Why, for example, do the rocky
coastlines of Western Scotland and Ireland contrast so markedly
with the sandy beaches of East Anglia? It describes how the complex
coastline of North Wales evolved over some seven million years and
also traces the ways in which the human impact has changed all our
coastlines from prehistoric times to the present day. Crumbling
cliffs, stark headlands, coral beaches, shingle spits, sand dunes
and salt marshes - all are here, as are stories of Gaelic speakers,
fisherman's tales, saints and shipwrecks. One of the book's most
distinctive features tells how the author took part in one of the
National Trust's most successful initiatives, termed Enterprise
Neptune; how it was conceived and how it has led to the acquisition
of more than 775 miles of shoreline to be conserved for the nation
in perpetuity. The book also explores how famous artists, writers,
poets and composers have been inspired by coastal scenery to
produce some of their most important works. And what does the
future hold? What changes can we expect along our shores? The
concluding chapters examine the escalating threats resulting from
increasing human occupation and development and from the impact of
climate change. They outline some of the ways in which the National
Trust is responding to these challenges and how it is planning to
manage our coastal environment for many years to come.
Killing Crazy Horse is the latest installment of the
multimillion-selling Killing series is a gripping journey through
the American West and the historic clashes between Native Americans
and settlers. The bloody Battle of Tippecanoe was only the
beginning. It's 1811 and President James Madison has ordered the
destruction of Shawnee warrior chief Tecumseh's alliance of tribes
in the Great Lakes region. But while General William Henry Harrison
would win this fight, the armed conflict between Native Americans
and the newly formed United States would rage on for decades.
Bestselling authors Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard venture through
the fraught history of our country's founding on already occupied
lands, from General Andrew Jackson's brutal battles with the Creek
Nation to President James Monroe's epic "sea to shining sea"
policy, to President Martin Van Buren's cruel enforcement of a
"treaty" that forced the Cherokee Nation out of their homelands
along what would be called the Trail of Tears. O'Reilly and Dugard
take readers behind the legends to reveal never-before-told
historical moments in the fascinating creation story of America.
This fast-paced, wild ride through the American frontier will shock
readers and impart unexpected lessons that reverberate to this day.
My recollection of one of the proudest days of my life. At the
Meardy Farm, I stood next to my mother and my dad Arthur while she
rang France to speak to the Duke of Windsor. The change in my
mothers voice from this miserable woman in her sixties, who would
moan and groan regardless about life, into a young girl blushing at
the sound of his voice. "Hello David, its Rose," she sounded so
gentle. I looked at Arthur and he did not look happy with mum,
hearing her conversation, watching her acting in this way. I stood
waiting nervously, what would I say to this man? A Prince, a King,
and now the Duke of Windsor, but always my father. Then mum passed
me the telephone, I put it against my ear and stammered. "Hello,
it's Roy, Roy Albert." The telephone went silent for a few moments,
then a voice on the end of the line replied, "Hello Roy Albert,
this is Edward ..."
A frenetic, gonzo account of Britney Spears’s historic rise and equally tragic fall told by an iconoclastic music journalist.
America, 2003: A country at war, its shiny veneer beginning to crack. Von Dutch and The Simple Life dominate. And on the cover of every magazine, a twenty-one-year-old pop star named Britney Spears. Tracking her every move for a third-tier gossip rag in Los Angeles was an unknown young writer taking whatever job he could while pursuing his distant literary dreams. He'd instead become an eyewitness to the slow tragedy of a changing nation, represented in spirit by “the coy it-girl at the end of history.”
Years later, after finally establishing himself as a celebrated journalist, Jeff Weiss presents Waiting for Britney Spears, a gonzo, nostalgic, and “allegedly true” recounting of his years as a tabloid spy in the lurid underbelly of Los Angeles. Weiss follows America’s sweetheart through Vegas superclubs and Malibu car chases, annulled marriages and soul-crushing legal battles, all the way to Britney’s infamous 2007 VMA performance. As Weiss lives through the chaos leading to Britney’s conservatorship, he observes, with peerless style, cringe-inducing fashion waves, destructive celebrity surveillance, and a country whose decline is embodied by the devastating downturn of its former golden child.
With the narrative flair that established him as a singular chronicler of modern pop culture, Weiss goes for broke in Waiting for Britney Spears, a descent into a neon hall of mirrors reflecting our obsession with fame, morality, and the mystery of what really happened to the last great pop star.
The fifth volume of memoirs from the author who inspired the BBC
and Channel 5 series All Creatures Great and Small. During his
decades spent as a country vet in Yorkshire, James Herriot has seen
huge advances in medical science, technological leaps, and a world
irrevocably changed by war. Yet some things have always stayed the
same - gruff farmers, hypochondriac pet owners, and animals that
never do quite what you expect them to. From a green young man in
his first job in the 1930s, to an experienced veterinary surgeon,
married with two children, James has spent his entire career among
the people and animals of Darrowby. And there's nowhere else he'd
rather be. Since they were first published, James Herriot's memoirs
have sold millions of copies and entranced generations of animal
lovers. Charming, funny and touching, Every Living Thing is a
heart-warming story of determination, love and companionship from
one of Britain's best-loved authors. I grew up reading James
Herriot's books and I'm delighted that thirty years on, they are
still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny
as they were then' - Kate Humble
"As I sat on the side of Hamnafield on Foula in the Shetland
Islands, looking down at my 'enormous' 38-foot ferry stowed in its
cradle on the quay in Ham Voe, over 1,000 feet below me, I
reflected on a moderately successful career to date, and wondered
how on Earth I had ended up driving what was, in effect, a floating
dust cart" After 42 years at or connected with the sea, Jeremy
Walker ended up on the Shetland Island of Foula commanding and
running a small ferry to the mainland of Shetland. Throughout the
course of his career, firstly as a seagoing deck officer with a
large, but now defunct, British shipping company, then as a
Hovercraft Commander for four years, returning to sea for a brief
period as Master of two small coastal tankers and then for the
majority of his career as a Pilot on the River Humber, he
encountered many amusing situations. In this book he attempts to
relate these stories and to illustrate the lighter side of what was
a very difficult, responsible and, at times, incredibly stressful
job. And little did he know that his career was far from over and
new opportunities and challenges would take him on for a further 13
years to eventual retirement.
Meet Jess, aka Touretteshero. Jess has Tourettes Syndrome. Welcome
to Biscuit Land is a witty yet stirring first-hand account of
dealing with the daily difficulties of Tourettes - a neurological
disorder characterized by physical and verbal tics. Jess Thom
shares a year of her life, detailing the entire spectrum of her
experiences. From arm and leg tics that can occasionally be
life-threatening to uncontrollable verbal outburst - she says the
word 'biscuit' an average of 16 times per minute - Jess manages
with the support of a close network of friends and family, as well
as encountering strangers who can be unpredictably helpful and
harmful. At once funny and shocking, tender and moving, this memoir
provides a courageous and optimistic voice in the face of the major
challenges, leaving readers with an inspiring message of
resilience.
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Doolhof
Rudie van Rensburg
Paperback
R375
R352
Discovery Miles 3 520
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