A brand new edition of this beautiful gift book celebrating 50 of our favourite pet dogs. Each entry is lovingly illustrated in Hannah Dale’s inimitable, quirky style. 

The only thing better than dogs? More dogs! Updated in an exciting larger format, This new edition of A Dog’s Life ensures a closer look at the world’s best friend.

This beautiful gift book features over 50 dogs painted by Hannah Dale in her uniquely quirky, characterful style. From the faithful Labrador and the bouncy Cocker Spaniel to the loveable Old English Sheepdog and French Bulldog, all our favourite dog breeds are delightfully brought to life by this award-winning artist.

Each portrait is accompanied by insightful and entertaining text from Hannah, who is a trained zoologist as well as an artist. A wonderful reference and beautiful gift book for all dog lovers.

Strategies and examples for beating a superior opponent in chess.

Chess history is littered with David vs Goliath chess struggles where the weaker player has prevailed. Chess masters, even international grandmasters, can be defeated by young, improving players who use the right techniques and proper attitude.

In David vs Goliath Chess, renowned chess writer Andrew Soltis takes you through 50 annotated games that show how weaker players have scored stunning upsets by overcoming a superior opponent’s greater knowledge and experience.

He gives tips on everything from the best psychological mindset to take on a strong player, to studying your opponents past games, identifying weaknesses and identifying chess strategies he or she won’t expect.

A great chess improver book that will benefit any regular chess player, including club players, giving the reader confidence to take on anyone at chess.

The book takes the reader through all the major steps of fashion portfolio creation. It features the main components of the design process from the identification of inspiration sources and fashion trends research to conceptualization of a complete fashion collection. The topics covered include mood/fabric boards development, creation of original and innovative textiles as well as fashion silhouettes and garment details development through extensive research, quick design sketching, fabric manipulation, and draping experimentation. Great original designs and illustrations by the author as well as design sketch samples by established designers are provided throughout. There are samples of sketchbooks from professional and emerging fashion artists. The book provides some insight from established fashion and accessories designers on the highlights and challenges of the creative process. It is a great professional reference for techniques in the portfolio development. A beautiful but practical book that provides useful techniques and helps the reader get inside the mind of the designer.

A fascinating and humorous read that debunks the surprising myths about the world we always believed. 
The latest addition to the popular Everything You Know series, this book will blow apart your beliefs in the world’s physical and social landscape, leaving you staggered by astounding facts about our planet’s geography, nature, countries and cities. Indulge your curiosity and you’ll find a plethora of myths, legends and misquotes that have shaped the way we view the world today. Convinced the world is round? Think again! It’s actually flatter at the poles. Have the Sahara down as the world’s biggest desert? It’s actually Antarctica.
Brimming with facts about the world, how it works and the way we live in it, this illuminating book will guide you through the minefield of misinformation to set the record straight on everything from the location of Mexico to the correct way of measuring earthquakes. Discovering untruths about people and places, geography and the environment, Everything You Know About Planet Earth Is Wrong provides a hugely entertaining insight into the world we live in.

Discover the professional way to colour in with this masterclass from leading artists and art teachers.

The colouring-in craze has left many people looking for more interesting creative work that simple colouring in does not satisfy. Masterclass in Colour offers readers ways to take their colouring to a new level and even start on the road to watercolour work. Award-winning artists and tutors, Meriel Thurstan and Rosie Martin, explain simple colour theory in an easy-to-understand language. They will talk you through which colours look good together; demonstrate how colours can vibrate together or make each other more muted. They explain the materials of coloured pencils, water-soluble coloured pencils and fibre pens (felt tips) and how to mix colours together in all three media.

The book is arranged by colour, with sections on red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, pink and finally greys and browns, including a brief description of each and examples of what you can add to it to make secondary colours. There are demonstrations to show how to master shadows, texture and pattern, highlights and even water droplets. Each page of techniques and demonstration is followed by a companion page for you to practice the technique and do your own experimenting. There are also full-page drawings throughout the book to colour in, as well as advice on what to do if you want to turn one of the drawings into a beautiful watercolour painting.

The long-awaited reissue of the autobiography of Peter Rice, one of the main structural engineers behind the Sydney Opera House, the Pompidou Centre, the Menil Collection and Lloyd’s of London.

‘I am an engineer. Often people will call me an ‘architect engineer’ as a compliment. It is meant to signify a quality of engineer who is more imaginative and design-orientated than a normal engineer… To call an engineer an ‘architect engineer’ because he comes up with unusual or original solutions is essentially to misunderstand the role of the engineer in society.’

An Engineer Imagines is a rare look into the professional creativity and philosophy of Peter Rice, who was widely acclaimed as the greatest structural engineer of his generation. He was a man who, in Renzo Piano’s words, could design structures ‘like a pianist who can play with his eyes shut’. Working with many of the world’s greatest architects on buildings that became icons of contemporary architecture, he brought a uniquely poetic feeling to his work.

Joining Ove Arup & Partners in 1956, Rice had heard that ‘it was a place where an oddball could fit in.’ Taking on Arup’s theory of Total Design to heart, Rice writes about the role of the engineer in society, and how he himself applied his creativity to various projects. He admits he became an engineer by accident, tentatively feeling his way through a career without a natural instinct. But as he takes you through each of his projects, one-by-one, you can trace his development from graduate to veteran.

Written in clear and poetic language, Rice’s autobiography is perfect for those who want to better understand postwar buildings, our concrete environment, or are budding students of engineering and architecture.

A reissue of the winner of the Best British Book and Book of the Year Awards.

Join Clare Balding and Jane Eastoe on some terrific cycle rides around Britain, whether it’s a week-long cycling holiday or an afternoon ride with the family, the book has a cycle ride for everyone.

Free-wheeling on and off road – along obscure lanes, bridleways and disused railway lines – Britain by Bike reveals a fresh perspective on our country. Revel in beautiful breathtaking and exhilarating cycle routes and scenery in the six regions of Britain and find out the unusual ways to enjoy these islands, whether it’s going to green man festivals, learning local customs or resting up at remote campsites or posh yurts!

Share in Clare Balding’s practical and cycle-related challenge and learn how to make the most of pedal power with guidance on reading a map, puncture repair, bad weather and tricky terrain.

Discover Britain by Bike.

A back-to-basics guide on coding for absolute beginners, whether adults or children – no prior experience required!

Coding is set to change the way we work and the skills we will need in the future. For those who know nothing about coding, getting to grips with the basics is daunting. Too many of the beginner books launch straight into programming techniques but what is really needed is an understanding of the key concepts of coding. Programming then becomes much easier to grasp. This accessible, fun book goes right back to the very basics, teaching central concepts such as loops, data types, pseudocode and calculations without having to learn a single line of code! Using a set of dice, a deck of cards or a pack of dominoes to enjoy fun and straightforward exercises, you will practise key skills such as critical thinking, creativity, logic and problem-solving and begin to think like a coder without even turning on your computer.

Once you are equipped with this basic toolkit, Think Like a Coder discusses the basic programmes that are available for beginners, keeping a focus on simple activities that draw analogies with the outside world to make learning easy and fun. Suitable for absolute beginners, adults and children.

Designed to be a thorough yet lighthearted introduction for the complete beginner, Think Like a Coder is an essential addition to any keen programmer’s bookshelf.

The new book by the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom.
Enter Millie’s wonderful world of treetop treasures and discover the birds nesting and flying high up in the treetops, and the myriad creatures found among the branches.
The enchanting illustrations to colour in range from birds such Major Mitchell’s cockatoo and rose robins, to the magnolia warbler, silver-eared mesia and whiskered treeswift. As well as the beautiful birds of the world, Millie’s intricate designs show the more unusual creatures residing in the treetops, such as the Amazonian milk frog, the sugar glider or the tree-kangaroo.
Millie’s inimitable style is treasured by thousands around the world and in this new, exciting book there are all sorts of creatures and fauna waiting to be coloured in, from tiny insects to winged beasts and scaled reptiles to buds and blossoms. The world’s rainforests, woodlands and thickets are teeming with life and this book guarantees hours of relaxation and colouring fun.

Choosing how to behave in unfamiliar situations is one of the many minefields with which modern life abounds. In this amusing yet practical guide to modern manners, Her Ladyship offers invaluable advice on every aspect of etiquette, both royal and everyday. With guidance on basic good manners in a range of situations, whether at home, at work or abroad, as well as advice on what to wear when, eating out and dating, you will never again worry about awkward or embarrassing encounters.

If you’ve ever wondered how to meet and greet the Queen and other royals, how to correctly address party invitations or about elegant ways of sitting down, standing up and getting in and out of cars, this guide is for you.

Great Britain has a long tradition of spectacular seasonal events, parties, pomp and ceremony. But times have moved on since the days of formal manners and dress codes and with many exclusive events now accessible to everyone, it can be tricky to know where to go, what to wear and how to act. Luckily, Her Ladyship is on hand to guide you though the social minefield of the British Season.
This practical guide will take you on a tour of all the best events, including Chelsea Flower Show, Glyndebourne Festival, Lord’s Test Cricket, The Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley Royal Regatta, Glorious Goodwood, Cowes Week and many more. Her Ladyship is always on hand to explain what happens where, giving invaluable advice on dress codes and traditional customs along the way. Insider’s tips on getting tickets and what not to miss at each event make this the must-have companion of the Season.

A real gentleman knows that it is essential to be well-groomed, and while a bit of moisturizer will help, it is not enough. Our Butler’s guide is the ultimate source of information for looking pukka.
It need not take long either, and this short guide cuts to the chase: skin care, including the best shaving techniques, hair care, from the mop on your head to nasal hair trimming, style guide (with tips on what to wear for what occasion), and taking care of your clothes and shoes.
This simple valet guide will get you dressed to perfection to impress the ladies and the gents.