'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...

Explore more than forty forsaken urban destinations around the world in a "highly entertaining read . . . for history buffs, mystery fanatics and travel junkies alike" (GoNomad).Cities are mortal, but the traces they leave behind tell a fascinating story. In Atlas of Lost Cities, an accomplished travel writer reveals the rise and fall of notable places, each pithy portrait illuminated by a vintage map that puts armchair explorers right in the scene. Wander ...

In this vivid and captivating journey through the colors of an artist’s palette, Victoria Finlay takes us on an enthralling adventure around the world and through the ages, illuminating how the colors we choose to value have determined the history of culture itself.How did the most precious color blue travel all the way from remote lapis mines in Afghanistan to Michelangelo’s brush? What is the connection between brown paint and ancient Egyptian mummies? Why did Robin Hood wear Lin...

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...

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...

The British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Much of it still sits in museums, galleries and private collections today, accompanied by calm labels and polite plaques. The reality, however, is far messier.The British Museum alone holds eight million objects, many taken in ways that were anything but legitimate. When award-winning journalist and author Marc Fennell encounters one such item—a mechanical tiger that mauls a British soldier when you turn the handle—he asks the obvious questi...

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.