Great Britain unearths the hidden legends, laws, landscapes, discoveries, adventures and locations that have shaped Britain's compelling, and at times, tumultuous past. Explore how Britain was formed - its geology and climate, the quirky characters and events of its history and the origin of British institutions, such as public schools, fish and chips and driving on the left hand side. Brief, accessible and entertaining pieces on a wide variety of subjects makes it the perfect book to dip in to. The amazing and extraordinary facts series presents interesting, surprising and little-known facts and stories about a wide range of topics which are guaranteed to inform, absorb and entertain in equal measure.

Welcome back to Clarkson’s Farm.

So, that went well …

The spring barley crop failed. Just like the oil seed rape. And the durum wheat. Then the oats turned the colour of a hearing aid and the mushrooms went mouldy. Farming sheep, pigs and cows was hardly more lucrative. Jeremy would be better off trying to breed ostriches.

But in the face of uncooperative weather, the relentless realities of the agricultural economy, bureaucracy, a truculent local planning department and the world’s persistent refusal to recognise his ingenuity and genius, our hero’s not beaten yet. Not while the farm shop’s still doing a roaring trade in candles that smell like his knacker hammock, he isn’t.

On the face of it, the challenges of making a success of Diddly Squat are enough to have you weeping into your (Hawkstone) beer, but misery loves company and in girlfriend Lisa, Farm Manager Kaleb, Cheerful Charlie and Gerald his Head of Security Jeremy knows he’s got the best. And it’s hard for a chap to feel too gloomy about things when there’s a JCB telehandler, a crop-spraying hovercraft and a digger in the barn.

Because as a wise man* once said, ‘there’s no man alive who wouldn’t have fun with a digger …’

*Jeremy

Amazing and Extraordinary Facts: Ireland takes you on an absorbing journey around Ireland to unearth the adventures, inventions, legends, firsts and birthplaces that have shaped the unique history of Ireland. From Baltimore to Barbary, Titanic to Shergar, and even the myth of the Aran jumper, this intriguing compendium of facts and stories will give you a captivating insight into The Emerald Isle, and the ideas and events that have shaped the individual identity of this remarkable country. Brief, accessible and entertaining pieces on a wide variety of subjects makes it the perfect book to dip in to. The amazing and extraordinary facts series presents interesting, surprising and little-known facts and stories about a wide range of topics which are guaranteed to inform, absorb and entertain in equal measure.

The fourth title in Cv's series of English County Guides explores Cornwall from the North East coast of Bude and Tintagel to the South West Peninsula.It carries reports on over 120 villages and county towns, describing the natural and historic character of locations, properties, amenities and communication links for the visitor and relocator.

Celebrating a "golden age" of travel, this new book retraces the steps of a Grand Tour of South East Asia from the turn of the 20th century to the present day. The Romance of the Grand Tour explores the living heritage of 12 exotic port cities: from Rangoon (Yangon), through the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore and the old Dutch East Indies cities of Batavia (Jakarta) and Surabaya, via Bangkok to former Indochina at Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Phnom Penh and Hanoi, through Manila to Hong Kong. Drawing on archival images and accounts as well as present-day photographs and illustrations, the book captures the romance and excitement of these early Grand Tourists, while presenting contemporary scenes and experiences for 21st-century travellers determined to seek out the legacy of a bygone era.

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.