'I loved this book. What a joy to read a craftsman so clearly in love with his craft' SIMON JENKINS**'A wonderful read' DOUGALD O'REILLY'Literary prize juries need look no further for a worthy winner' MAX HASTINGS'In a world of AI, steel and concrete, books like this have never felt more important' DAILY MAILDiscover ancient stone wonders and architectural preservation secrets in th...

'I loved this book. What a joy to read a craftsman so clearly in love with his craft' SIMON JENKINS**'A wonderful read' DOUGALD O'REILLY'Literary prize juries need look no further for a worthy winner' MAX HASTINGS'In a world of AI, steel and concrete, books like this have never felt more important' DAILY MAILDiscover ancient stone wonders and architectural preservation secrets in th...

'Pure pleasure'Independent'A rich read'Evening Standard'A delight'Sunday TelegraphTHE REMARKABLE STORY OF VICTORIA FINLAY'S QUEST TO UNCOVER THE MANY SECRETS HIDDEN INSIDE THE PAINTBOX.On her travels she visited remote Central American villages where women still wear skirts dyed with the purple tears of sea snails; learned how George Washington...

A journey to forty-five unexpected destinations near and far, with quirky histories, beautiful maps, and evocative photography: "First-class armchair travel." — South China Morning PostA New Statesman Best Book of the YearTake an armchair voyage to places both infamous and unknown that have, often by chance or by haphazard means, been destinations of discovery that shaped our world. Set foot on the aptly named Just Enough Room Isla...

When ex-headmistress Anne Mustoe gave up her job, bought a bike and took to the road, she couldn't even mend a puncture. 12,000 miles and 15 months later, she was home.Her epic solo journey took her around the world, through Europe, India, the Far East and the United States. From Thessaloniki to Uttar Pradesh, from Chumphon to Singapore, she faced downpours, blizzards and blistering deserts, political turmoil and amorous waiters - alternated with great kindness from strangers along...

The morning of August 24, AD 79, seemed like any other in the Roman city of Pompeii. So no one was prepared when the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupted, spouting ash that buried the city and its inhabitants. The disaster left thousands dead, and Pompeii was no more than a memory for almost 1,700 years. In 1748, explorers rediscovered the port city with intact buildings and beautiful mosaics. This easy-to-read account is gripping and includes photos of the ruins.

A thrilling journey through 100,000 years of art, from the first artworks ever made to art’s central role in culture today“This lively volume is ideal for the precocious high-schooler, the lazy collegian . . . and any adult who wishes for greater mastery of the subject. . . . Mullins leav[es] readers with an expansive, no-regrets appreciation of art and the human story.”—Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal“A fresh take o...

In the bestselling Olive series by writer and actress Carol Drinkwater, author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER'She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside' BELLA'Her writing captures the true spirit of the people and places she visits' THE TIMES'A thrilling tale tracing the journey of olive cultivation' THE LADYTHE OLIVE TREE charts Carol Drinkwater's colourful and often dangerous journey in se...

Imagine you woke up one morning to find everything created by engineers had disappeared. What would you see?No cars, no houses; no phones, bridges or roads. No tunnels under tidal rivers, no soaring skyscrapers. The impact that engineering has had on the human experience is undeniable, but it is also often invisible.In BUILT, structural engineer Roma Agrawal takes a unique look at how construction has evolved from the mud huts of our ancestors to skyscrapers of steel that r...

**A crash course in designing and constructing buildingsToo often, textbooks turn the noteworthy details of architecture into tedious discourse that would put even Frank Gehry to sleep.** Architecture 101 cuts out the boring explanations, and instead provides a hands-on lesson that keeps you engaged as you explore the world's greatest structures.Featuring only the most important facts, building styles, and architects, you'll enjoy uncovering the remarkable world of...

Chapter from Blue Guide Greece the Aegean Islands: what to see, where to stay and eat, history, archaeology, art, culture, leisure. With superb, award-winning maps.Written and edited by a team of three experts: historian, art historian and archaeologist, two of whom lead cultural tours in Greece."Blue Guides still hold the cultural high ground" Sunday Times.

**A SOURCE FOR MARCO POLO, A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES**Marco Polo's journey from Venice, through Europe and most of Asia, to the court of Kublai Khan in China is one of the most audacious in history. His account of his experiences, known simply as The Travels, uncovered an entirely new world of emperors and concubines, great buildings - 'stately pleasure domes' in Coleridge's dreaming - huge armies and imperial riches. His book shaped the West's un...