Discover the answers behind the mysteries of the countryside in all their fascination and beauty... Ever wondered about the masses of twigs in bare-branched trees that look like abandoned nests? Seen fuzzy red balls on roses? A stranded pond on a hilltop? Or even considered the shaded ways we walk along? One of Britain's best-known naturalists, John Wright describes and explores fifty of the natural (and unnatural) puzzles of the countryside that might confound the ever-curious. He reveals the histories and practicalities of those that are man-made and the astounding and intricate lives of the natural wonders around us. From the enormous to the truly tiny he illuminates the oddities that pepper our countryside and reveals the many pleasures of spotting and understanding them. Informative, entertaining and beautifully illustrated, this is for anyone who has ever gone outside and wondered what is that?

Get away from it all and reignite your wanderlust with this unique collection of epic landscape photography from some of the remotest and most spectacular locations around the globe. Curated by award-winning travel and lifestyle photographer Finn Beales, Let's Get Lost offers pure visual escapism with over 200 spectacular shots of remote and beautiful places which will inspire you to get back out into the world after months and years of lockdowns and travel restrictions. For the adventurous amongst us, this book dares you to get off the beaten track andgo in search of the most remarkable natural environments on the planet. Chapters capturing off-grid coastal views, rugged mountain landscapes, majestic forests and expansive wildernesses are all featured, stirring within you a sense of adventure. From the Pacific Northwest to Southeast Asia, New Zealand to Scandinavia, these are the places where amazing photos are taken, now you need to experience them. For the armchair traveller, this book represents a breathtaking visual compendium of how beautiful the world can be, with truly awe-inspiring full page reproductions of some of instagram's most talented landscape photographers. Each of the photographers profiled reveal their unique stories and the little-known locations they have discovered that allow them to capture such breathtaking images, from Chris Burkard's perilous tour of Russia's extremities, and Emilie Ristevski's wanderlust-filled journey through Namibia's wild heart, to Timothy Allen's airborne search for a long-lost Bulgarian monument. Photographers featured: Finn Beales (finn) Alex Strohl (alexstrohl) Jonathan Gregson (jonathangregsonphotography) Richard Gaston (richardgaston) Cath Simard (cathsimard) Emilie Ristevski (helloemilie) Reuben Wu (itsreuben) Laura Pritchett (bythebrush) Lucy Laucht (lucylaucht) Chris Burkard (chrisburkard) Molly Steele (moristeele) Benjamin Hardman (benjaminhardman) Greg Lecoeur (greg.lecoeur) Charly Savely (charlysavely) Timothy Allen (timothy_allen) Hannes Becker (hannes_becker) Tobias Hagg (airpixels) Callum Snape (calsnape) Nicolee Drake (cucinadigitale) Holly-Marie Cato (h_cato) Mads Peter Iversen (madspeteriversen_photography)

The Golden Retriever - A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed - The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: Dogs And How To Know Them by Edward C. Ash (1925), Dogs Of The World by Arthur Craven (1931), Hutchinson's Dog Encyclopaedia by Walter Hutchinson (1935) and many others.

'In this excellent book, Ecott's evocative telling makes me want to go to this weird and wonderful place.' - PAUL THEROUX 'I never want to leave the remote island world so atmospherically, precisely educed between the covers of this book. Ecott's prose has the power of tides, his perception is as searching as the Atlantic wind, and he has the soul of a natural-born naturalist. A masterpiece.' - JOHN LEWIS-STEMPLE Following the natural cycle of the year, The Land of Maybe captures the essence of 'slow life' on the 18 remote, mysterious islands which make up the Faroes in the North Atlantic. Closer to the UK than Denmark, this fast disappearing world is home to a close-knit society where just 50,000 people share Viking roots and a language that is unlike any other in Scandinavia. We follow the arrival of the migratory birds, the over-wintering of the sheep and the way food is gathered and eaten in tune with the seasons. Buffeted by the weather and the demands of a volatile natural environment, people still hunt seabirds and herd pilot whales for a significant portion of their basic food needs. This is not a travelogue, but a deeper exploration of how 'to be' in a tough landscape; a study of a people and a way of life that represents continuity and a deep connection to the past. The Land of Maybe offers not just a refuge from the freneticism of modern life, but lessons about where we come from and how we may find a balance in our lives.

Excursions contains the complete texts of nine of Thoreau's most popular essays. These include Natural History of Massachusetts, his first essay to appear in The Dial (a quarterly periodical edited by Margaret Fuller), as well as other well known early works like A Winter Walk and The Landlord. Later works include his famous essays Walking, Autumnal Tints and Wild Apples, the last of which was based on a lecture he gave during the Concord Lyceum's 1859-1860 season and was published in the Atlantic Monthly after his death. *** Because Excursions is a chronological presentation of Thoreau's work, including early pieces as well as essays from his later life, it gives us a fascinating look at the development of one of America's greatest writers and thinkers. *** Thoreau had a tremendous influence on American literature and in the development of the study of natural history. He is considered one of America's foremost writers, both in terms of his writing style and because of the forward-looking views that his essays embody. *** This edition includes a biographical "sketch" of Thoreau by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

From common toads and turtles to sea horses, cephalopods, and triggerfish, Tim Phelps's mandalas cast an artistic eye on the real and imagined micro-architecture of animals. Vibrant illustrations and an engaging narrative invite the reader to wonder at nature's seemingly endless variety of forms, from the simple to the complex. Using the graphic and symbolic patterns of mandalas, the artist combines color, texture, and fluidity to tell the story of each organism and the role it plays in a healthy ecosystem. These elegant artworks have been shaped by the artist's interest in art nouveau and art deco, the works of Charley Harper and Ernst Haeckel, and Victorian ornamental art, Asian art, batik, hot rod flame painting, swirling tie dye, and iconography. By exploring the how, what, and why of fauna, the book encourages us to look closely at the rich biodiversity in our own backyards.

The authors of this volume follow four interrelated themes. In the first section "Evolving Definitions - Changing Practices" the fundamental shifts in urban modeling practices are examined in relation to the new theoretical and computational advances in the field. The second section "Ecologic Processes and their Land Use Implications" provides current examples of ecological models that influence land use policy and planning. "Visualization, Representation and Communication" deals exclusively with the science and art of geographic data generation and representation techniques. Finally the section on "Socioeconomic Implications of Transportation and Land Use" examines the traditional domain of urban models from a sociological and environmental perspective and offers new insights on transportation planning.

The sixty poems collected in Beach Synchronization are set either on the ocean, or on the beach, or in transit to or from the beach or, finally, in the mind of the narrator when he is simply thinking about the beach and the ocean. The first person narrator of these poems is the poet. This suggests what is indeed fact, that the poet has spent a great deal of time enjoying the many beautiful beaches along the west central Florida coast. However, while the beach is often beautiful, anyone who has spent any time near or on the ocean knows marine weather can be harsh, even life-threatening. Indeed, the beach is an arena where dramas of life and death are played out daily. To truly appreciate the shore and the ocean, then, one must respect the marine environment and the lessons it has to teach us. One must, in other words, be in synch with the various moods of the sea and nature. The poems herein are loosely organized around the premise that the moods of the sea and marine weather have their various rhythms. An overarching theme of the poems is that one who is in tune with the rhythms of marine life will find himself or herself in communion with a transcendent reality. In other words, one who is synchronized to the natural world is likely to feel that the world of the senses is not the only world. In many of the poems in this collection, the narrator is overcome with a premonition or an inkling that the world he knows with his senses provides evidence of a higher reality, a reality in which the significance of his human experience - whatever it has been -- will become fully clear and will be justified.

The German Shepherd - A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed - The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: Dogs And How To Know Them by Edward C. Ash (1925), Dogs Of The World by Arthur Craven (1931), Hutchinson's Dog Encyclopaedia by Walter Hutchinson (1935) and many others.

Why is the Hawk's Tail Red? is a book of faith. Not faith in the conventional sense, however. In fact, it wasn't until I divested myself of my Christian shackles that I discovered my true spirituality, one rooted in the natural world. The book deals with some of the reasons Western Man has found it difficult to feel harmony with life, a key factor being his inability to reconcile the natural and the divine. It offers proof that there is room for the inexplicable in scientific theory, and points out that a formal acceptance of God would lead to more beneficial advances. This would transpire independent of the creationism viewpoint. The conformist will find little solace in the text. Who am I kidding? He'll never find the book period. For it takes a swan dive, or better yet, performs a cannonball, into the waters of some of our most cherished institutions. Its content will entice the discontented, those who do not feel quite right when all seems right with the world, and perceive amid all the present hoopla, a slight disturbance within the essence of the collective soul.

Binary Rare Earth Oxides is the first book in the field of rare earth oxides that provides coverage from the basic science through to recent advances. This book introduces the unique characteristics of the binary rare earth oxides with their chemistry, physics and applications. It provides a comprehensive review of all the characteristics of rare earth oxides, essential for scientists and engineers involved with rare earths, oxides, inorganic materials, ceramics, and structures. The binary rare earth oxides bring us a variety of interesting characteristics. Understanding their fundamental mechanisms builds a bridge between solid-state chemistry and materials science.

The book begins with a brief introduction to binary rare earth oxides, their physical and chemical stabilities, polymorphism, crystal structures and phase transformation and the association with current applications. The book goes on to present the band structure of the oxides using several quantum chemical calculations, which belong to a newly developed area in the binary rare earth oxides. Central to this chapter are the characterizations of electrical, magnetic and optical properties, as well as details of single crystal growth and particle preparation methods that have progressed in recent years. Later chapters concentrate on thermo-chemical properties and trace determination techniques. The final chapter contains a variety of useful applications in various fields such as phosphors, glass abrasives, automotive catalysts, fuel cells, solid electrolytes, sunscreens, iron steels, and biological materials.
This book is an invaluable resource for materials scientists and solid-state physicists and chemists with an interest in rare earth oxides, as well as advanced students and graduates who require an approach to familiarize them with this field. This book provides guidance through a comprehensive review of all the characteristics of binary rare earth oxides.

This book explains to the hillwalker, in easy to understand but accurate terms, how geology has shaped the landscape of Snowdonia. A selection of seventeen guided walks is used to illustrate this in terms of what can be seen on the ground. This book, divided into two parts, is intended to help those who love Snowdonia's mountain scenery to understand how this haunting landscape came about. The first half narrates the story of colliding continents, volcanoes, mountain-building and glaciations in creating Snowdonia, explaining why volcanoes occurred, the rocks they created and how to interpret signs of mountain-building and glaciations on the ground. The second half describes several recommended walks, of differing levels of difficulty, but all with a wide variety of geological features to be seen and, most important, enjoying consistently fantastic views of the very best of Snowdonia's wonderful scenery. The author has concentrated on what you can see as you walk around the hills, pointing to conspicuous, easily seen features in rocks and the overall shape of the terrain in accounting for the present day landscape. New in this 2nd Edition - coverage of Southern Snowdonia; new improved maps; and, five new walks. Also in this series by Paul Gannon - Rock Trails Lakeland; Rock Trails Peak District; and, Rock Trails Scottish Highlands.