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73177 BIRDS: Mini Archive with DVD by Fiorella Congedo


Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1789) was one of the greatest French naturalists and a master of copper engraving. His extraordinarily ambitious work, the 36-volume Histoire Naturelle, Generale et Particulière, was intended to showcase the world’s three kingdoms - animal, vegetable and mineral. Beginning the project in 1749, by the time of his death 40 years later the 36 published quarto volumes only covered the minerals, quadrupeds and birds of the world. This book showcases 350 of the best of his coloured engravings of the world’s birds, creatures which he soon realised were far more numerous than he had ever expected and would take several lifetimes to fully catalogue. So those he did illustrate were a representative selection of types, all rendered exquisitely. The vibrant hues of their feathers, the tiniest variations in lengths of wings, tails and legs, the wide-eyed expressions and alert stances, as if ready to flee an attacker or catch their prey, all these are hallmarks of Leclerc’s style and quite stunning to regard. In addition we have Leclerc’s original text plus a DVD containing the images. 288pp softback. £14.99 NOW £6.50


73328 WILD LAND: Images of Nature from the Cairngorms


by Peter Cairns and Mark Hamblin The Cairngorms of east-central Scotland is Britain’s largest National Park and is home to a huge variety of wildlife. Because of its northerly location and relatively low impact from human activity, there are many species to be found here that are rarely seen further south such as golden eagle, osprey, red deer, red squirrel, pine marten, mountain hare, wild cat and otters. Photographers Peter Cairns and Mark Hamblin have spent many years exploring and capturing the most stunning images of this unique part of Britain, depicting not only the wild animals, trees and habitats of the park but also its geography. They take a look at the animals, now extinct, that once roamed the Grampians, such as bear, wolf, elk, beaver, wild boar, bison and lynx, and through this reflect on the future of Scottish wildlife and how important it is to nurture this fragile land. British nature photography at its best. 152pp, landscape softback, 12"×9", colour. £16.99 NOW £5


73635 ARTHUR RANSOME AND CAPTAIN


FLINT’S TRUNK by Christina Hardyment This is the revised softback edition of this classic much- loved account of a voyage in search of Arthur Ransome, published over 20 years after the 1984 original and including a great deal more research plus new drawings and previously unpublished photos. The author remarks how the popularity of Ransome’s books, particularly the Swallows and Amazons series set in the Lake District and East Anglia, has continued to grow and grow. Are the people real? Are the places true? Following in their footsteps and sailing in their wakes, she resolves almost all the questions. She spends much time with the Altounyan family, who contributed their names and much more to the Swallows, and tracks down the boats on both sides of the country which Ransome incorporated into the stories. 130 photos and drawings plus maps, 252pp. £12.99 NOW £5


73726 DRAWN FROM PARADISE by David Attenborough and Errol Fuller


Rare archival art, here is the natural history, art, and discovery of the Birds of Paradise, the birds that truly live up to their name. They stand out from other birds not only because of the exquisite appearance,


but also because of the sheer extravagance of variety, colour and form. More than 40 distinct species are currently recognised. The tiny King Bird of Paradise for instance has an exquisite red plumage, metallic green breast band and peculiar curled ends to the tail feathers. Here too are axe-shaped feather fans and lace-like plumes, of the recognised 16 genera, 11 featured in detail here because they are the most visually spectacular and have more interesting histories. The book showcases these extravagant beauties, the people associated with the discovery, and visual representation of these birds, hybrids, the meaning of dances, the Rifle Birds, the Sicklebills, here are the King and his cousins in all their splendour. With portraits of how the plumage has been used in fashion such as the feathers on the headgear of the Queen of Spain, nearly every page is devoted to a full page detail or entire image of these magnificent birds by famous watercolourists, engravers, works in acrylic and oil, from many of the mid-1800s famous hand-coloured lithographs and prints from American and European ornithologists’ collections and rare books. With satin bookmark, apologies for remainder mark. Heavyweight 254 page tome. $45 NOW £19


73059 HISTORY OF ORNITHOLOGY by Valérie Chansigaud


As this charming book reveals, ornithology is an ancient science. Starting with the very first steps in the study of birds, through the Middle Ages and then the blossoming of science, scientific expeditions and publishing during the Renaissance, and on to the founding work of John Ray and Francis Willoughby in the 17th century, this informative and artistically pleasing volume traces the rise of the Golden Age of ornithology in the 19th century and on into the present day. 239 pages, 250 photos, artworks and diagrams in colour and b/w. Timeline of ornithological events. £17.99 NOW £4.50


72190 ILLUSTRATED WISE WORDS AND


COUNTRY WAYS by Ruth Binney Does eating cheese actually gives you nightmares? Does eating crusts of bread really makes your hair grow? Here is a unique compilation of accumulated sayings, mottos and adages, from gardening and kitchen tips to traditional health and beauty tricks. For more than half a century, the author has been collecting old proverbs and remedies. 256 softback pages, illus. £7.99 NOW £3


Superstitions & Myths


73509 ORANGES AND LEMONS: Rhymes from Past


Times by Karen Dolby For many children, the memory of chanting “Incy Wincy Spider” with their mum, dad, nanny or favourite TV programme must be among their most cherished early impressions. In spite of the revolution in the way people communicate over the past 20 years, nursery rhymes remain a favourite traditional way of


entertaining a child. This collection of over 120 rhymes and jingles blends the old and the new and gives interesting information about the history of the rhymes. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” was the first recording Thomas Edison made on his phonograph. It is to be hoped that “Three Blind Mice” was not originally intended for children as it encourages cruelty: it was first published in 1609 in a book of “pleasant roundelays”. Some rhymes are thought to include covert historical references, for instance “Little Boy Blue” (Cardinal Wolsey) or “Georgie Porgie” for which there are several candidates, some of them royal. It has been suggested that “Little Miss Muffet” is Mary Queen of Scots, but without evidence this is probably wishful thinking. “Solomon Grundy” was invented to teach children the days of the week, and whole books have been written about the origin of “The House that Jack built”. 192pp, line drawings. £9.99 NOW £5


73508 ONE FOR SORROW: A


Book of Old-Fashioned Lore by Chloe Rhodes Proverbial expressions are in constant use: we crowd into the kitchen on the principle that “many hands make light work” (according to the Renaissance scholar Erasmus), regardless of the fact that “too many cooks spoil the broth” (origin unknown) and that “a watched pot never boils” (first recorded by the Victorian novelist


Elizabeth Gaskell, but likely to be much older). Either way, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. Some proverbial sayings have well-known origins such as the Bible (mankind cannot live by bread alone, or serve two masters), and another well-known phrase advising people not to look a gift horse in the mouth comes from a Bible commentary by St. Jerome around 400 A.D. Even older is the saying “When the cat’s away, the mice will play”, found in ancient Rome and popularised in English by the Elizabethan dramatist Thomas Heywood, who used it to refer to adulterous relationships, a meaning which has continued in modern times. Lesser known proverbs include “Mistress is the Master, parsley grows the faster”, a medieval saying implying that a


72172 COUNTRY LIVES REMEMBERED


by Brian Martin and Ruth Binney Here is an evocative look at the lives of 12 English countrymen spanning the period from Edwardian England right through to today. Readers come to experience the working and home lives of Ernest Sharp the thatcher to George Ranger the farrier and from John Furzey the beekeeper to Bill Thomson the hurdle maker. Through these stories, they can learn about rural traditions, and how these can best be celebrated and preserved for future generations. 207 pages, illus. £9.99 NOW £3


72353 MONKEYS: A Captivating Look at These Fascinating Animals by Steve Parker


This investigation of the non-human primates is a joy to read and look at. The 13 families, divided broadly into apes, monkeys and lemurs, so endearing and compelling, but not only do they look like us, their social organisation and behaviour often mirrors our own too. Examines primate behaviour, including food and feeding, social life and courtship, breeding and care of young and conservation. Over 100 species are currently on the brink of extinction. The quality and quantity of illustration is astounding. 96pp, colour, 9"×11". £12.99 NOW £5


72490 WILD FRANCE: The Animals, Plants and Landscapes by Bob Gibbons


From a mass of alpine grasshoppers in a sheltered hollow almost 3,000 metres up in the Vanoise National Park, to a gathering of male Escher’s Blue butterflies on a damp stone in the Pyrenees, and further on to Pollarded Ash trees bordering a duckweed-filled ditch in Marais Poitevin, these photos are astounding. The camera soars through the lowland flowery meadows, grasslands and heathland, the peculiarly French garrigue and maquis, along the coastal areas of salt marshes, mudflats and craggy cliffs. Here are the mammals, birdlife, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrate life of France, plus the conservation work being done. 176 pages 24cm x 31cm, 260 magnificent colour photos, maps. £29.99 NOW £7


72772 ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF


ANIMAL LIFE by Charlotte Uhlenbroek et al Boasting literally thousands of colour photos, here in thrilling close-up are the amazing secrets of wild animals in dramatic detail, all combined with an authoritative text provided by 15 internationally renowned experts. Divided into three sections, the first takes us through a billion years of animal history, evolution, classification and groupings. The second, Animal Anatomy, looks at how animals’ bodies enable them to maintain shape, move around and sense and react to their surroundings. We see how an animal’s behaviour encompasses every aspect of its life - living space, hunting and feeding, defence, sex and reproduction, birth and development, animal society, communication and intelligence. Spectacular photography. 512pp, 8½”×10¼”. £19.99 NOW £8


NEW AGE AND OCCULT


There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.


- William Shakespeare, Hamlet


73877 DEAD ROAM THE EARTH: True Stories of the Paranormal from Around the World by Alasdair Wickham From Incubi in Sumatra to exorcism in Sudan to spirits in our own back yard, the author explores the uncanny similarity of supernatural encounters in every corner of the globe. He provides chilling encounters of real-life ghost


sightings, haunted places, poltergeists, possessions, Mothmen, demons, witchcraft, ritualistic killings and more in the realm of the unexplained. How could it be that so many people in so many places are just imagining things? A wealth of testimonials from witnesses plus later scientific attempts to make sense of the paranormal using electronic equipment. The devil is in the detail! 296pp in paperback. Apologies for remainder mark. $15 NOW £6


73998 UFOS: Myths,


Conspiracies and Realities by John B. Alexander What was really in Hanger 18? Did a UFO land at Holloman Air Force Base? What happened at Roswell? What is Majestic 12? What is the Aviary? What does the government know about UFOs and what has happened with disclosure in other countries? The book includes a never-before-told firsthand account


by a government insider of his experience on the cutting edge of UFO exploration. While still on active duty in the US Army during the 1980s, Colonel John B. Alexander created an interagency group to explore the controversial topic with participants from the armed forces, the CIA, NSA, DIA and the aerospace industry. All members held Top Secret clearance and what they discovered was not at all what was expected. Packed with top-grade information and fascinating anecdotes. 306pp in 2011 US first edition.


$25.99 NOW £6


71353 CANNABIS COOKBOOK: Get Baked! by Tim Pilcher


High in polyunsaturated oils and essential fatty acids and the wonder oil GLA known to protect against arthritis,


woman is a witch, since parsley was used in spells. A fascinating collection of the new and the old, with detailed information about the origins of sayings. 192pp, line drawings. £9.99 NOW £5


73493 BLACK CATS AND


EVIL EYES by Chloe Roberts Spilling salt was bad luck in the ancient world, and the belief that Judas spilled the salt at the Last Supper cemented the superstition. The curse of breaking a mirror, popularised by Tennyson in “The Lady of Shalott”, is also of ancient origin because primitive peoples believed that the mirror image was your soul. Black cats feature in many mythologies: Freya, the


Norse goddess of fertility, drove a chariot pulled by black cats, and in Great Britain it has always been a sign of good luck. Animals to whom superstations cling include owls, robins, swallows and spiders; Pliny used spiders’ webs for healing fractures and cuts when mixed with oil and vinegar, though one suspects that the web may not have been the active ingredient. 192pp, line drawings, bibliography. £9.99 NOW £5


73513 WHEN THE EARTH WAS FLAT: All the Bits of


Science We Got Wrong by Graeme Donald


The evidence of our senses tells us that the sun goes round the earth, and history is full of mistaken beliefs that people cling to with great tenacity, although the situation is not always clear cut: in 1492, when Columbus


circumnavigated the earth, most people already knew that it was


spherical. The idea of “flat earthers” was a 19th century joke perpetrated by the humorist Washington Irving, and it passed into folklore. Another fiction which people started to believe was true was the “Angel of Mons”, a ghostly World War I apparition described in a fictional story by Arthur Machen. A widely held misconception of the later 20th century is a belief in subliminal messaging, where people are brainwashed by words flashed on to a screen too fast for the conscious mind to register. Experiments in which people were subjected to just that process have proved conclusively that it does not work. Another myth is that glass can be shattered by hitting a certain note, and this book reveals the truth behind Ella Fitzgerald apparently (but not really) achieving this vocal feat on screen. A whole list of dubious medical procedures testify to the public’s unquestioning faith in doctors, from Queen Victoria’s opium dependency to Pan-Am’s courtesy packs of Benzedrine in the 1950s. 192pp, line drawings. £9.99 NOW £4


New Age and Occult 23


hemp seeds and oil lend themselves to hundreds of tempting recipes. Delicious recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies, Moroccan Majoun made of dried fruit, spices, honey and nuts, Fudge, Ice Cream, Falafels, Curry, Naughty Cheese Nuggets and Really Wild Mushroom Sauté for meals that are both unforgettable and hard to recall. 128pp softback, colour photos. £9.99 NOW £2


73534 THE SYMBOL DETECTIVE: How to Decipher Mystical Motifs and Know Where to Find Them by Tony Allan


Symbols, as readers will know, are a hidden language working by a subtle process of allusion. The first part addresses the different types, broken down by their sources - say, in abstract patterns and shapes or in the natural world. Many of the individual emblems are cross-referenced in the book’s second part, which examines their use. This is the section to consult to find out, for instance, why the ancient Egyptians viewed the humble dung beetle as a solar symbol, or to learn about the Gnostic origins of the incantation ‘abracadabra’. An additional section gives details of fraternal societies and secretive cults, such as those of the Cathars, Rosicrucians and Freemasons. 160 pages, 250 illus. £9.99 NOW £4.75


23895 WORDSWORTH DICTIONARY OF DREAMS


by Gustavus Hindman Miller Miller’s Dictionary of Dreams first appeared in 1909, ten years after Sigmund Freud’s pioneering work The Interpretation of Dreams, and is therefore an historical work on dream analysis first published at the time of a quantum leap in human consciousness. 10,000 entries cover Bananas to Cauliflowers, Garbage to Gravy, Measles to


Mustard, and Virgins to Zebras. The text is supplemented with a 40 page Preface and there is a 17 page Index. 300pp. Paperback. ONLY £4


73548 COMPLETE BOOK OF DEVILS AND


DEMONS by Dr Leonard R. N. Ashley This shudder-inducing book will answer all your questions and introduce you to the malevolent forces associated with many world religions. Throughout the centuries, humans have tried to define and combat evil - from demons, fallen angels and monsters of folklore to devil worship and satanic pacts. Peep cautiously within this detailed book to learn about zombies and the undead who prey on the living, voodoo and ritual magic, the princes of hell, possession and exorcism, selling your soul to the devil, and the difference between those demons who should be courted for power, and those who carry deadly diseases. 279 paperback pages, ancient woodcuts.


£10.99 NOW £5.75


53193 BELL IN THE FOG AND OTHER STORIES


by Gertrude Atherton Gertrude Atherton was born in San Francisco in 1857, and died in 1948. She eloped at the age of 19, took up writing against her husband’s wishes, and after his death became a protegee of Ambrose Bierce, whose influence can be seen here in those stories, ‘The Dead and the Countess’, ‘Death and the Woman’ and ‘The Striding Place’, which


have an overtly supernatural element. Elsewhere, ‘The Greatest Good of the Greatest Number’, ‘The Tragedy of a Snob’ and ‘A Monarch of a Small Survey’ the psychological takes precedence over the supernatural. And in ‘The Bell in the Fog’ (reminiscent of ‘The Turn of the Screw’, and dedicated to Henry James) the supernatural and psychological combine to brilliant effect: an angelic child bears a striking resemblance to an old portrait. 173 page paperback. ONLY £3


53199 BISHOP OF HELL & OTHER STORIES by Marjorie Bowen


Marjorie Bowen (1885-1952) spent the early part of her working life providing for a demanding and ungrateful family. In their use of dreams, ancient anecdote, and ruined or dilapidated buildings (‘Florence Flannery’, ‘The Fair Hair of Ambrosine’) they are at times in the finest tradition of The Castle of Otranto and the Gothic revival which had chilled the blood of the British public 150 years earlier. But her stories are more subtle in their construction, and often use simple materials (‘The Crown Derby Plate’, Elsie’s Lonely Afternoon’), interweaving their terror and mystery with the commonplace of everyday life. Full of sinister force. 189 page paperback. ONLY £3


55439 TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER by Dennis Wheatley


Why did the solitary girl leave her rented house on the French Riviera only for short walks at night? Why was she so frightened? Why did animals shrink away from her? The girl herself didn’t know, and was certainly not aware of the terrible appointment which had been made for her long ago and was now drawing close. Molly Fountain, the tough-minded Englishwoman living next door, was determined to find the answer. She sent for a wartime secret service colleague to come and help. What they discovered was horrifying beyond anything they could have imagined. Dennis Wheatley returned in this book to his black magic theme. 336pp, paperback. ONLY £3


71175 THE LURKING FEAR: Collected Short


Stories - Volume Four by H. P. Lovecraft Only the expansive imagination of H. P. Lovecraft could conceive the delicious and spine-tingling horrors you will find within the pages of this unique collection. In addition to such classics as ‘The Picture in the House’, ‘The Music of Erich Zann’ and ‘The Rats in the Walls’, this volume contains some fascinating rarities: examples of Lovecraft’s earliest weird fiction and material unpublished


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