Professor Frederick Lothian, retired engineer, world expert on concrete and connoisseur of modernist design, has quarantined himself from life by moving to a retirement village. Surrounded and obstructed by the debris of his life, he is determined to be miserable, but is tired of his existence and of the life he has chosen.

When a series of unfortunate incidents forces him and his neighbour, Jan, together, he begins to realise the damage done by the accumulation of a lifetime's secrets and lies, and to comprehend his own shortcomings. Finally, Frederick Lothian has the opportunity to build something meaningful for the ones he loves.

Humorous, poignant and galvanising, this is a novel about all kinds of extinction - natural, racial, national and personal - and what we can do to prevent them.

Light Alloys Directory and Databook is a world-wide directory of the properties and suppliers of light alloys used in, or proposed for, numerous engineering applications. Alloys covered will include aluminium alloys, magnesium alloys, titanium alloys, beryllium. For the metals considered each section will consist of: a short introduction; a table comparing basic data and a series of comparison sheets. The book will adopt standardised data in order to help the reader in finding and comparing different materials and identifying the required information. All comparison sheets are cross-referenced, so that the user will be able to locate data on a specific product or compare properties easily. The book is designed to complement the existing publications on high performance materials.

Advanced Technical Ceramics Directory and Databook is a world-wide directory of the properties and suppliers of advanced technical ceramic material used in, or proposed for, numerous engineering applications. The information is subdivided into sections based on the class of ceramic, e.g. Nitrides-silicon nitride, sialon, boron carbide, aluminium nitride etc. Each section consists of a short introduction, a table comparing basic data and a series of data sheets. The book adopts standardised data in order to help the reader in finding and comparing different data and identifying the required information. It is designed to complement the existing Chapman & Hall publications on high performance materials.

A worldwide directory of commercially available adhesive products for use in a wide range of engineering disciplines. Along with product names and suppliers, basic property data are tabulated and cross-referenced. The book is subdivided according to class of adhesive, with introductions to each class followed by comparison tables and datasheets for each adhesive. The datasheets contain detailed information, from product codes to environmental properties and are therefore of interest across a broad readership. Standardized data will aid the user in cross-comparison between different manufacturers and in easily identifying the required information.