Across the face of southern Africa are more than 460 remarkable stone palaces, once the abodes of kings. Some are small, others ramble, but many are absolutely astonishing: all are the legacy of kingdoms past.

Palaces of Stone brings to life the story of these early African societies, from AD 900 to approximately 1850. Some, such as Great Zimbabwe and Khami in Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe in South Africa, are famous world heritage sites, but the majority are unknown to the general public, unsung and unappreciated. Yet, the stone ruins that have survived tell a common story of innovative architecture and intricate stonework; flourishing local economies; long-distance travel; global trade; and emerging forms of political organisation.

By exploring a selection of known and unknown sites, Palaces of Stone reimagines the apparently empty spaces bequeathed to us by history, an Africa of places that once hummed with life. All that remains now are the ruins – a bedrock from which to unravel the past and understand the present.

Bafana Republic And Other Satires is a selection of monologues from a series of one-person satirical revues. Using the 2010 FIFA World Cup as an entry point for satirical commentary, the sketches focus on various issues facing democratic South Africa: state 'vanity' projects, land issues, abuse of women and state capture.

In any deeply polarised society, satire provides an effective means for challenging audiences. Van Graan's potent mix of comedy, poetry and drama compels audiences to reflect on controversial topics in a non-alienating, thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining way. The collection tackles themes of corruption, colonialism, violence against women, AIDS denialism, violent crime, racism and inequality head on. Readers or audience members cannot remain unaffected by the use of humour, exaggeration, irony and ridicule in the sketches to highlight social and political issues and human foibles. They will laugh and cringe and sometimes cry, but ultimately they will appreciate more deeply the beauty and humanity of their country, and perhaps feel recharged with hope.

The sketches in the collection come from six one-person revues:

• Bafana Republic (2007),
• Bafana Republic: Extra Time (2008),
• Bafana Republic: Penalty Shootout (2009),
• Pay Back the Curry (2016),
• State Fracture (2017)
• Land Acts (2018)

The compilation can be used as monologues for exam purposes or as acting exercises for drama students, or selections can be made from the sketches to make up one-person shows of varying lengths.

The discovery of the modern-day coelacanth will forever be linked with the name of JLB Smith. An intense, irascible, eccentric man, JLB (as he was widely known) and his long-suffering wife Margaret were both remarkable South African scientists who changed the course of the biological sciences.

Best known for their research on the coelacanth, they also contributed in many other ways to the scientific study of fishes (ichthyology) and related fields.

• The first comprehensive biography about JLB and Margaret Smith.
• Traces their formative years and serendipitous meeting, leading up to the discovery of the coelacanth, and the tumultuous years that followed.
• Details their punitive work ethic, eccentric and rugged lifestyle, and their astonishingly productive lives.
• A story awash with adventure, travel, discovery, risk-taking, near-death experiences – and their extraordinary contribution to science.

Illustrated with black-and-white images of the Smiths’ fascinating lives, as well as a 16-page colour section, Mike Bruton’s lively account fills a scientific and biographical niche and will become a classic of the South African scene.

First there is the killing of the minister of energy. Then the cop investigating the murder commits suicide. Fearing a conspiracy, the minister’s lover hires pi Fish Pescado to find the killer.

Then she goes missing. And Fish is being stonewalled by the cops because in the dark shadows of Cape Town there’s another game being played out. A complex one involving Iranian agents, the theft of highly enriched uranium, the kidnapping of a top scientist, and ex-spy Vicki Kahn being bribed by her former handler to track the terrorists.

The hunt is deadly and nothing is what it seems. A sleeper has been awoken. ISIS is involved. So is the CIA. And chatter leads to talk of a dirty bomb...

4 World Champions. 3 Priceless Points. 2 Cups Back-To-Back. 1 Phenomenal Journey

In this timely follow-up to The Fireside Springbok, Bok to Bok details the electrifying Springbok campaign at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Featuring Mike Greenaway's analysis as well as the words from various Springbok Team Players and Coaches, perfectly complemented by the images of Steve Haag and other photographers. Discover the story behind the Springboks' rugby success in this riveting account showcasing their unwavering dedication to uplifting South Africans through the sport they love. Dive into the heart of a team that plays not just to win, but to unite and inspire a nation.

The legendary All-Black captain Richie McCaw once said that an advantage the Springboks enjoyed was the responsibility they felt to play for the greater good of their  country. McCaw came to that conclusion after sharing a room with Bok captain John  Smit for a week before a game for the Barbarians. McCaw was spot on. The deep urge  the Boks feel to help South Africans endure hardships by winning rugby games is at the  heart of how in 2023 they defended the World Cup title they had won in 2019.

That 2019 win for Siya Kolisi's team was unexpected and the players were thrilled to see  what the win meant for a country that suffers more than most. Kolisi's men have said  they went to France with greater pressure on them compared to Japan four years before. This time they knew millions of their countrymen were counting on them to bring home  the Webb Ellis Cup. There was expectation of happy times and that gave the players a  strong responsibility to deliver. That sense of duty explains why the Boks, on three  weekends in a row, finished on the right side of one-point victories over the best teams  in the world.

To win one game by one point could be luck, but to do it three times in a row is not.  France coach Fabian Galthié said after his team had lost to South Africa in the quarter- finals: "One point can be nothing but also everything.* Never were truer words said  because when it truly mattered, the Boks dug deep and found a way to get over the line  with their noses in front. Again and again and again. When the final whistle sounded to  spark mass celebrations in South Africa, SuperSport commentator Matthew Pearce  encapsulated the moment perfectly.

He roared:

IT'S OVER!
THE SPRINGBOKS GO BACK-TO-BACK, THEY GO BOK TO BOK!
THEY ARE THE FIRST TO FOUR!

This book tells you how the Springboks did it, with Mike Greenaway's analysis and the words of the players and coaches perfectly complemented by the images of Steve Haag and other photographers.

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must track down a nuclear torpedo before it unleashes World War III in this electrifying new instalment of the bestselling series.

When Juan Cabrillo fails to capture the leader of Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel and loses an Oregon crew member, he wants revenge. But the explosion he narrowly escaped was merely the latest from a decades-old machine of war.

Cabrillo's Corporation may have finally met its match in The Pipeline-a criminal syndicate with a torpedo so deadly it could level entire cities. With millions of innocent civilians under threat, the Oregon's crew must unravel a tangle of drug-smuggling routes and international conspiracies spanning from the Aegean Sea to the Indian Ocean, and find the weapon before its countdown hits zero.

Jane Smith is running out of time . . .

Her repeat client, Rob Jacobson, is the unluckiest of the unlucky. No sooner is he accused of killing a family of three in the Hamptons than a second family is gunned down.

He says he's being set up – again. Despite the odds, Jane believes him.

Now she must mount the most complex investigation of her career. But she’s facing her own battle too. A terminal medical condition.

The defence may never rest.

Authoritative and informative, Southern African Moths & Their Caterpillars provides a comprehensive overview of the moth fauna of the region.

Featuring more than 1,500 of the 11,000 species occurring here, the guide focuses on those that are most abundant, of economical or ecological importance, conspicuous or unusual.

This essential guide offers:

• Authoritative text richly supported with photographs of both adult moth and larva
• Clear ID pointers plus information on biology, habitat and distribution
• An informative introduction covering evolution, life cycle, diversity and ecological importance of moths

What does it take to be an effective leader in today’s business world?

Mike Teke, the CEO of Seriti and well-known entrepreneur, has more experience than most as a leader. His opinion is heeded and followed by many. In The Future of Leadership is Collegiality, Mike shares some of his insights on leadership and the approaches that have made him successful. Indeed, it is a book that belongs on the desks of every existing and aspiring entrepreneur, CEO and manager.

Mike believes that ‘young leaders emulate and mimic experienced leaders – whether the habits they are copying are right or not so right. This happens because young leaders search for ways and means to be recognised, advance in their careers, or be seen as impressive leaders.’

He discusses concepts such as collegiality, fraternisation, ingratiation and self-respect, and illustrates his ideas with examples of South African and world leaders. On his own journey towards becoming a powerful leader, it was inculcated in him that one had to be ‘tough and ruthless’ in their approach to leading. However, times have moved on and the game has changed!

To be effective and deliver consistently in business, Mike has realised that collegiality is the way of the future. ‘There is no need to scream at others, bang tables or use foul language!’ He believes that collegiality works everywhere – as long as one is willing to lead effectively.

For over thirty-five years, Colin Drury’s Management and Cost Accounting has successfully blended theory and practice. Established as the leading text in the field, it helps students learn the key concepts and processes of management and cost accounting.

Now in its twelfth edition, the text retains its trademark clear and accessible style, covering everything students need to know for their management accounting career and professional exams. Every chapter includes an “Employability Skills” question, review problems from accounting examination bodies and recent real-world examples of well-known international organizations such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple.

This edition includes new chapters on data analytics and environmental management accounting as well as expanded coverage of strategic performance and cost management, value creation and quality management. Drawing on his extensive experience, Mike Tayles continues to comprehensively revise Colin Drury's text.

In this white-knuckle action movie, airline pilot Brodie Torrance saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island - only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning.

When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels on the island, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare, an accused murderer who was being transported on the plane by the FBI.

In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare’s help, and will learn there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye.

Understanding the customer, identifying opportunities and threats in the market and integrating the elements of marketing in a suitable and winning combination are all paramount to the survival of organisations in the 21st century. Essentials of Marketing explains the fundamental aspects of marketing alike. It is a must-have resource for those responsible for keeping their organisations abreast with the latest developments in the marketing environment.

"Around South Africa in Eighteen Days" documents the author's journey to the country s most scenic and photogenic areas.

The book is divided into eighteen sections, each one representing a day in a different area. The beautiful photographs and witty captions make for pleasant reading and for contemplating your own trip to far-flung regions.

The book may also inspire readers to move away from their coffee tables and couches and make the eighteen-day trip themselves, as it gives practical advice on the route and the photographic equipment that is needed to make this journey a successful photographic expedition

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must battle an army of genetically engineered mercenaries to stop a hypersonic missile attack in this explosive new adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

When Cabrillo is hired to extract an undercover operative in Kenya, he finds himself on the trail of a deadly international plot. A Saudi prince seeks to unleash a deadly assault on U.S. forces, sparking a new war in the Middle East and ultimately destroying Israel.

Cabrillo’s crew have met their most fearsome adversaries yet: a force of bio-hacked soldiers endowed with extreme strength and stamina and an unquenchable appetite for violence. The Oregon team must journey from the Amazon rainforest to an abandoned monastery in Eritrea before a final showdown in the mountains of Yemen, using every shred of courage and cunning they can muster to disable the ship-killer missile before the Arabian Sea becomes a mass grave.

It is widely recognised that sales and marketing are the two business functions that contribute directly to the bottom line of any organisation.

Marketing is more than a sequence of steps or a strategic process; it is also a mindset that leads to good business philosophy. The marketing mindset focuses wholeheartedly on customers and the satisfaction of customers’ needs while aiming to influence the entire organisation to strive towards customer satisfaction. Sales, on the other hand, is that business function that ultimately closes the deal and brings the customer and the business together. Without sales, the customer would never achieve need satisfaction and the organisation would never meet its objectives. The ultimate goal of meeting the customer’s needs brings these two seemingly different fields together.

Fundamentals of Sales and Marketing serves to provide a fundamental understanding of both sales and marketing by equipping the reader with theoretical knowledge and practical examples that are applicable to a South African context.

Drawing from the combined experiences of Mike Peng and Klaus Meyer, International Business provides a comprehensive insight into contemporary business practices.

Covering recent global developments and current issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, the social and environmental impact of globalization and progress in responsible business practices, as well as the historical context of international business, this fourth edition highlights the complex nature of global business.

The world is driven by ambition, dreams, expectations, wishes and desires. We all believe we are the obvious choice to be selected, noted, identified, appointed or anointed. We may think and believe we are the obvious choice in many areas of our lives, but the reality is that this is not the case.

When your boss informs you that you are not getting that role you assumed was in the bag (and you’d already informed your family and friends that it was yours – and had even bought the attire to go with it), you ask: what happened? What happened when you were bypassed for the lead role in a project? You believed in your potential and you believed that everyone in your organisation and circle saw you as the main person, the leader or the ‘go-to person’, and yet you were bypassed and someone else in your team was selected. You were the obvious choice, weren’t you? Think of the assignment you prepared, the one you believed was the perfect presentation and would earn you a distinction, and then you flunked it. Where did you go wrong?

Mike Teke’s book is about showing you that you can be the obvious choice, in business or in life, but that being the obvious choice does not simply fall from any tree. Without focus, diligence and a strong work ethic you are unlikely to succeed, no matter how much you think you’re entitled to. The Obvious Choice debunks myths and prevailing negative mindsets. And, most usefully, it provides guidelines and lessons to prepare you for the journey to leadership greatness, to become the obvious choice in whatever setting or endeavour the universe presents

A much-anticipated biography—twenty years in the making—of the entertainer who redefined late-night television and reshaped American culture.

In 2002, Bill Zehme landed one of the most coveted assignments for a magazine writer: an interview with Johnny Carson—the only one he’d granted since retiring from hosting The Tonight Show a decade earlier. Zehme was tapped for the Esquire feature story thanks to his years of legendary celebrity profiles, and the resulting piece portrayed Carson as more human being than showbiz legend. Shortly after Carson’s death in 2005 and urged on by many of those closest to Carson, Zehme signed a contract to do an expansive biography. He toiled on the book for nearly a decade—interviewing dozens of Carson’s colleagues and friends and filling up a storage locker with his voluminous research—before a cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatments halted his progress. When he died in 2023 his obituaries mentioned the Carson book, with New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman calling it “one of the great unfinished biographies.”

Yet the hundreds of pages Zehme managed to complete are astounding both for the caliber of their writing and how they illuminate one of the most inscrutable figures in entertainment history: A man who brought so much joy and laughter to so many millions but was himself exceedingly shy and private. Zehme traces Carson’s rise from a magic-obsessed Nebraska boy to a Navy ensign in World War II to a burgeoning radio and TV personality to, eventually, host of The Tonight Show—which he transformed, along with the entirety of American popular culture, over the next three decades. Without Carson, there would be no late-night television as we know it. On a much more intimate level, Zehme also captures the turmoil and anguish that accompanied the success: four marriages, troubles with alcohol, and the devastating loss of a child.

In one passage, Zehme notes that when asked by an interviewer in the mid-80s for the secret to his success, Carson replied simply, “Be yourself and tell the truth.” Completed with help from journalist and Zehme’s former research assistant Mike Thomas, Carson the Magnificent offers just that: an honest assessment of who Johnny Carson really was.

A bestseller for 21 years, Mike Lundy’s Best Walks in the Cape Peninsula remains one of the most popular books on hiking in Cape Town.

Each of the 30 day walks in this classic collection has been carefully chosen because of a particular point of interest, be it a waterfall, grotto, yellowwood grove, shipwreck or spectacular viewpoint. The routes range from challenging climbs to the top of Table Mountain to leisurely strolls among the fynbos or along city beaches, and will appeal to hikers of all levels of experience – whether aspiring ramblers or diehard adventurers.

A simple grading system, information on the average hiking time, notes on the availability of water and practical advice on mountain safety and weather conditions ensure that the hiker is given a clear idea of what to expect. Every walk is accompanied by an accurate map and an easy-to-follow route description, spiced with historical snippets and nature notes.

For this eighth edition, all route descriptions and maps have been brought up to date, the design and typography have been given a fresh, modern look and photographs and illustrations add lively interest. With so many spectacular walks to choose from in the Cape Peninsula, Mike Lundy’s Best Walks in the Cape Peninsula is the ultimate authority on the best and quickest escape from the rat race – even if only for a day.

In Brandalism, the follow-up to his bestselling, award-winning debut book The Best Dick, Mike Sharman delves into the (start)ups and downs associated with brand building and the need for business to dismantle, and vandalise its perceived, public-facing, persona.

The future of PR and influence, when – or if – to launch a new business as opposed to a division, raising capital, the impact of presentations, start-up school fees, and emphasis on a manifesto rather than purpose, are the aspects Mike obsesses over in this insightful read, wrapped in his trademark, comedic, copy.

Mike Sharman, the co-founder of the creative, digital agency Retroviral that has made more brands ‘go viral’, globally, than any other agency in Africa, uses his unique storytelling proposition to provide insight into 12 years of building a business from scratch, while elevating his clients to emotional, (commercial) cult status.

Life is short. Play naked!

SIMPLE GAMEPLAY: Based on Happy Families and Go Fish, this card game is quick and easy to learn for all the family, meaning instant screen-free fun! BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED: With rich and colourful illustrations and a high-quality box and cards, this is a game to cherish forever LEARN AS YOU PLAY: The accompanying booklet has information about all the birds in the game from nature writer Mike Unwin UNIQUE GIFT: The perfect present for bird watchers and nature lovers IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE RSPB: The RSPB is the UK's largest nature-conservation charity, protecting habitats, saving species and helping to end the climate and nature emergency. By buying this product you are helping to fund the RSPB's conservation work. Think you know your birds? Think again! Did you know that Kingfishers and Kookaburras are cousins and that Roadrunners and Cuckoos are related? ? Based on Happy Families and Go Fish, in Bird Families the aim is to collect as many sets of birds as you can. As you rush to collect four finches, four parrots or four woodpeckers before your opponents, marvel at the diversity of bird shapes, sizes and colours from around the world. This beautiful and educational game comes with a booklet describing all the species featured. It's fun for all the family and is sure to delight players of all ages. The Orion Publishing Group Ltd will donate a minimum of £5,000 to RSPB Sales Ltd, which gives all its distributable profits through Gift Aid to the RSPB, in connection with the Bird Vision and Bird Families products which carry the RSPB trade marks.

Show students how to make progress towards Cambridge Lower Secondary and IGCSE success with these skills-focused resources. Series edited by Julia Burchell and Mike Gould, this book supports the Cambridge Secondary 1 curriculum at Stage 9 and offers a range of practice exercises to consolidate and extend students' learning. Skills-building practice activities support students' learning Matches the structure, content and themes of the Stage 7 Student Book Helps prepare students for assessment by consolidating key aspects of language, grammar and vocabulary Saves time with a range of fun and engaging activities that can be used in class or as homework Provides support as part of a set of resources for the Cambridge Lower Secondary English curriculum framework from 2018

Decades of research clearly shows what works in schools, yet a huge gap persists between those instructional best practices and what is widely taught—and not taught—in classrooms today. In Results Now 2.0, Mike Schmoker expands on his bestselling book and offers a broader, deeper analysis of the entire K–12 education system and how it can improve. He describes a systemic buffer of policies, pedagogy, and initiatives that prevents everyone—teachers, students, and parents—from understanding our collective failure to align instruction with evidence of what works. We need to bridge the gap between proven practice and common practice. By focusing on the fundamental elements of curriculum, literacy, and effective instruction, Schmoker offers hope for the future. He describes schools that have successfully used evidence and strategic practice to remove the buffer, and he shows how schools can improve—quickly. This book is a call for both educators and the public to demand transparency and fidelity to the most effective actions that transform our schools and help us see results now.