'This is an urgent and compelling account of great bravery and passion. Delphine Minoui has crafted a book that champions books and the individuals who risk everything to preserve them.' Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book In 2012 the rebel suburb of Daraya in Damascus was brutally besieged by Syrian government forces. Four years of suffering ensued, punctuated by shelling, barrel bombs and chemical gas attacks. People's homes were destroyed and their food supplies cut off; disease was rife. Yet in this man-made hell, forty young Syrian revolutionaries embarked on an extraordinary project, rescuing all the books they could find in the bombed-out ruins of their home town. They used them to create a secret library, in a safe place, deep underground. It became their school, their university, their refuge. It was a place to learn, to exchange ideas, to dream and to hope. Based on lengthy interviews with these young men, conducted over Skype by the award-winning French journalist Delphine Minoui, The Book Collectors of Daraya is a powerful testament to freedom, tolerance and the power of literature. Translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud.

This account of the life of Jacques Vaillant de Guelis follows him from his birth in Cardiff, through school and University and French Military Service. Newly married he was recalled to France in 1939 and was assigned to a company of British engineers as liaison officer until reportedly captured. He escaped via Dunkirk, only to return to France a few days later. He retreated south, escaped over the Pyrenees only to be caught again and flung into the Miranda del Ebro Concentration camp. On his release he returned to England where he was recruited by the fledgling SOE, after an interview with Churchill. He became a familiar figure in Baker Street as a recruiting and conducting officer until he was sent to France on a fact- finding mission in 1941. A stay in Algiers in 1942-3 followed when he took part in the liberation of Corsica before returning to London and leading his 2nd mission to France in 1944. In 1945 he joined SAARF and led his last mission to Germany which culminated in collision with another vehicle when he was badly injured. He died later as a result

This Handbook is a state-of-the-art analysis of proximity relations, offering insights into its history alongside up-to-date scientific advances and emerging questions. Its broad scope - from industrial and innovation approaches through to society issues of living and working at a distance, territorial development and environmental topics - will ensure an in-depth focus point for researchers in economics as well as geography, organizational studies, planning and sociology. Split into four distinctly thematic parts, the Handbook explores the precise definition of proximity relationships and their diversity, including the role they play in social and economic interactions as well as examining the origins and evolution of such relationships. It further presents a detailed overview of the main methods of analysis, highlighting the link between proximity relationships and exchange of information while explaining how exchanges at a distance rely on links of organized proximity, something that plays an increasing role in our societies. This engaging Handbook will provide an excellent update for scientists and researchers on the recent developments in the analysis of proximity relations as well as students looking for precise and detailed information on the main characteristics of proximity relations, regional and spatial analysis, and the major analytical tools.

Spring, summer, autumn or winter - the intrepid Weather Girls are ready for whatever the seasons might bring! Join them as they stomp through autumn leaves, enjoy a summer swim, explore the lush green forests and climb a snowy mountain. There is so much to experience and discover when you jump up and step outside with this lively group of friends.

Get inspired and get active with this stylish book all about the magic of the seasons, the wonders of the outside world and the fun you can have with good friends. The Weather Girls is a charming, rhyming story with striking illustrations and additional nature facts, from illustrator Aki.

In this beautifully photographed book, the author has captured abandoned places in emotive form: places as dark as time; history forgotten in the folds of the subconscious mind; beauty in decay, a presentation of life open to our personal interpretations. Atmospheric scenes unfold before the light of torches, with glass crunching underfoot, complementing the unremitting sound of dripping water. Creative wall art decorations attract attention, bordering the natural and unnatural worlds with a broad range of colours and exuding micro-organisms with compelling effects. The author describes urbexing - the pursuit of images of the abandoned and ruined - as a drug, a way of life as powerful as a state of mind. This is her world - this is Perth.

A walk in the woods turns into a funny, philosophical and irresistibly charming mini-adventure. In this witty tale of insistent parents and talking animals, a child questions his purpose. In the country, there's nothing to do, except: admire. It's the same as being bored, but with your eyes wide open. The hilarious story of grumpy city-child Leonard, forced to go for country walks with his greenery-loving mum and dad, is a wonderful reminder of what use we may be to the world. What do we know? What can we do? And is any of it of real value? The Pointless Leopard is a charming tale for all, about the parts we play in the lives of others. "Overflowing with love and humour" Le monde des livres "Joyful" Notes bibliographiques "By turns hilarious and moving" Parole Colas Gutman's parents were writers, and for a long time he was convinced that it was the worst profession in the world... Until one day the joy of writing grabbed him. And it hasn't let him go since.

This insightful book analyses the process of the first adoption of guiding human rights principles for education, the Abidjan Principles. It explains the development of the Abidjan Principles, including their articulation of the right to education, the state obligation to provide quality public education, and the role of private actors in education. Multidisciplinary in approach, both legal and education scholars address key issues on the right to education, including parental rights in education, the impact of school choice, and evidence about inequities arising from private involvement in education at the global level. Focusing on East African and francophone countries, as well as the global level, chapters explore the role and impact of private actors and privatization in education. The book concludes by calling for the rights outlined in the Abidjan Principles not to remain locked in text, but for states to take responsibility and be held to account for delivering them, as promised in international human rights treaties. Interpreting human rights law as requiring that states provide a quality public education, this book will be a valuable resource for academics and students of education policy, human rights, and education law. It will also be beneficial for policy makers, practitioners, and advocacy groups working on the right to education.

'The Book Collectors of Daraya celebrates the political and therapeutic power of the written word . . . defiant and cautiously optimistic' Financial Times '[An] incredible chronicle . . . The book tells the kind of story that often gets buried beneath images of violence' LitHub In 2012 the rebel suburb of Daraya in Damascus was brutally besieged by Syrian government forces. Four years of suffering ensued, punctuated by shelling, barrel bombs and chemical gas attacks. People's homes were destroyed and their food supplies cut off; disease was rife. Yet in this man-made hell, forty young Syrian revolutionaries embarked on an extraordinary project, rescuing all the books they could find in the bombed-out ruins of their home town. They used them to create a secret library, in a safe place, deep underground. It became their school, their university, their refuge. It was a place to learn, to exchange ideas, to dream and to hope. Based on lengthy interviews with these young men, conducted over Skype by the award-winning French journalist Delphine Minoui, The Book Collectors of Daraya is a powerful testament to freedom, tolerance and the power of literature. Translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud.

Kept is a memoir that recounts the defining moments in my journey from life in a middle-class African-American family tightly bound by duty and God to a life of prostitution, drugs, and crime, and ultimately to the life I lead now- defined by faith, community, and family. It's a journey that stretches from California through Arizona and Texas and on to Memphis. This is not just another story about a woman who loses her way and finds redemption in the end. Even in cheap hotels, dens of drug lords, and prison cells, I always spoke to God. My faith sustained me, as did my love for the man who traveled this broken path along with me. That love despite extraordinary obstacles, became the foundation for the rest of my life.

The first time that Mélanie met Clara, Mélanie was stunned by Clara’s sense of authority, and Clara was struck by Mélanie’s pink, glittery nails, which shimmered in the dark. “She looks like a child,� thought the first. “She looks like a doll,� pondered the second.  These two women, both of the same generation and exposed to the same media throughout their lives, could not be more different in adulthood. Mélanie is a social media superstar, broadcasting her children's daily lives on a family YouTube channel. Clara is a young police officer, assigned to the case after Mélanie’s daughter Kimmy is abducted. Traversing the Big Brother generation, the social media influencer generation, and right up to the 2030s, Delphine de Vigan offers a bone-chilling exposé of a world where everything is broadcasted and profited from, even family happiness.