Find the Winning Move contains hundreds of chess positions in which the reader must find the right way to deliver a winner in one, two or more moves. International Master Gary Lane uses his teaching skill and experience to present a fun but educational puzzle book that helps players develop recognition of tactical combinations. Over 400 puzzles are presented to allow players of all levels – from novices upwards – to improve their game. Hours of enjoyment and entertainment are to be gained from trying to solve these puzzles and you’ll end up a better chess player at the end of it.

David Curtis is one of the most successful and loved artists in the UK. His books are bestsellers and in his latest publication he talks about the secrets of producing paintings with impact. Although his work is not showy, they are powerful and are much-sought after. His secrets for painting with impact are the sensitive consideration of balance and contrast in tone, colour, handling qualities and compositional elements.
Whether you’re working on location with a limited palette or in the studio with all the time and materials at your disposal, the author talks you through the ways to capture the essence of a subject matter and the mood or sense of the place, and always with a something that will grab the viewer.
The key elements are covered: Selection – what to paint and if necessary how to simplify or dramatise those elements; Mood – creating a strong sense of mood through choice of medium, colour and painting technique; Colour – choosing the right colours to suit the intentions of the painting.
The book discusses a range of inspiring locations, from marine subjects, beaches and harbours to city scenes, trees and the light of the Mediterranean.

David Curtis is one of the most successful and celebrated artists working in the UK today. His books are bestsellers and in his latest book he discusses and demonstrates his approach to painting outside on location. He paints on site whenever possible as he finds that working directly from the subject gives his work a sense of immediacy, dynamism, light and drama.

Many artists are interested in painting outside but lack the confidence to successfully work in this way. Here David shows how to develop the necessary skills. He looks at every aspect, from preliminary planning to appropriate painting techniques and, above all, how to capture the essence of the scene in front of you. He includes location sketching as well as advice on essential equipment to take with you.

With practical advice and inspirational paintings covering a wide variety of subjects, Painting on Location will prove valuable to all those who wish to paint outdoors, whether to make finished paintings in their own right on location, or to use the experience and information gathered as a basis for further work in the studio.

Stunning watercolour title new in paperback.
Leading watercolourist reveals the secrets behind his atmospheric, light-filled paintings. Watercolour is ideal for capturing the transient effects of light and, with compact and lightweight materials, is the perfect medium for plein-air painting. Leading watercolour painter David Curtis is a strong advocate of working on site, observing and capturing changing conditions and effects. In this beautifully illustrated book, he explains in detail his two main methods for working on location – for quick, loose studies and for more controlled and detailed paintings. He also shows how to collect reference material on the spot and develop this into resolved paintings back at the studio.
He provides helpful instruction on interpreting light effects, with strong guidance on choosing materials, exploring techniques, composition, tone and colour and associated topics. This invaluable advice is complemented by a wealth of sketches, finished works and step-by-step demonstration paintings to illustrate different points and inspire further ideas. Reference Light and Mood in Watercolour hardback (9780713489552)

• Leading watercolourist reveals the secrets behind his light-filled paintings
• How to work en plein air to capture the transient effects of light
• How to collect reference material on location but paint in the studio
• Bestselling title new in paperback

One of the attractions of painting outdoors is the challenge of capturing the spirit of a place – changing light, weather and transient conditions demand particular painting skills if they are to be interpreted effectively.

Leading painter David Curtis works on location, in all weathers, observing and capturing the subtle effects of light and mood. Oil paint is as good for painting on site as it is for large-scale painting in the studio; it is remarkably responsive; can be applied in many different ways; and it allows time to assess and modify work in progress.

In this fascinating book, David Curtis shows how he achieves such expressive and original results using drawings, paintings and stage-by-stage examples. He gives detailed explanations of his two main working methods – for plein-air paintings and for studio compositions – as well as plenty of helpful guidance and advice on choosing materials, exploring techniques, selecting ideas, composition, colour and tone and associated topics. Drawing skills and interpreting the qualities of light are other key issues that he deals with, while his wonderfully evocative landscapes, coastal scenes, interiors and figure compositions provide much inspiration.

Let’s Outside is the ideal book to take out and about with children aged 3 to 7.

It is packed with original and simple outdoor activities, nature facts and woodland skills that can be used in all weather and will appeal to both boys and girls. Armed with this book, you can wrap up and go outside and find something to do whether you’re near the countryside or just a park or garden.

The book includes: Nature Rules (the best way to enjoy but also care for nature while outside); What you’ll need in your outdoors pack to take with you; Nature Makes (20 activities using things from your pack and the natural world around you), Games (10 fun outdoor games, for parents and children, which can be played in small and large groups, promoting turn-taking, attention and listening, imagination, role play, social interaction and nature knowledge); Out and Abouts (nature trails for each of the four seasons, watching out for four different flora and fauna; Skills (5 easily achievable skills for parents and children to learn together).

Original and simple activities include making ‘Enchanted Wings’ from a flexible willow stick and embellishing with feathers, leaves and flowers, making a stick friend, staging your own acorn Olympics and learn easy rhymes to help remember how to recognize oaks, rowans and maple trees.

Each activity is written with imaginative language that appeals to children and help fire up their own role playing and sense of fun. A great book to encourage young children to switch off the TV and go outside.

The great Mikhail Botvinnik, world champion said: ‘The foundation of chess is exchanging/’ Knowing when and what to exchange or trade in chess is essential to improve your game, and this is the only book to help you do that.

In chess an exchange or trade of chessmen is a series of closely related moves, typically sequential, in which the two players capture each other’s pieces. All chess pieces may be exchanged or captured in an exchange – apart from the king which however can capture an opponent’s piece. Either the player of the white or the black pieces may make the first capture of the other player’s piece in an exchange, followed by the other player capturing a piece of the first player, often referred to as a recapture. These maneouvres happen throughout chess, but understanding when and how to do this to your best advantage can improve your game significantly.

Written by the hugely popular chess writer, Andrew Soltis, My Kingdom for a Horse tells you whether you should exchange your bishop for a knight, which pair of bishops you should exchange, when you should keep rooks on the board and when should you refuse to trade anything.

This unique book will provide the answers on an important and integral part of chess strategy.

Lucy Willis is a well-known and successful watercolourist, renowned for her atmospheric paintings full of sunlight and shade. In her third book, Sunlight and Shadows in Watercolour, Lucy Willis shares her professional tips and expertise on painting inspirational landscapes and interiors full of light.

There are several step-by-step demonstration paintings on how to achieve the different effects of light – bright sunlight, shadows, dappled light and night-time scenes. In addition, Lucy shows how to paint from photographs, how to mix colour, and stresses the importance of tone in creating a successful composition.

The themes and subjects covered are Landscape, Water, Gardens, Architecture, Interiors, Still Life, Portraits and the importance of keeping a sketchbook.

Lucy Willis encourages all watercolourists, whatever their level, to exploit the versatile effects of watercolour and produce exciting, atmospheric work of their own.

Watercolour is the ideal medium for painting flowers due to its wonderful translucency and in his new book, The Magic of Watercolour Flowers, Paul Riley shows readers how to paint colourful, vibrant flower paintings. He explains how to achieve exciting special effects in your flower compositions by using certain textural techniques, such as soft edges, and different light sources to make the most out of watercolour’s natural translucency and create mood for your paintings.

Paul Riley encourages readers to be more adventurous in their paintings by adding figures and still life objects to their compositions, which can lend character and personality to a painting. There are many step-by-step paintings and useful tips and techniques throughout with chapters on flower markets, flowers in the garden, flowers in the landscape and a fascinating section showing how to combine imaginative decorated still life objects with flowers. In addition, Paul Riley shows how to use collage to create exciting and unexpected compositions.

Capturing the beauty of flowers in watercolour has been the aim of painters for centuries and in this book, Paul Riley, inspires and encourages readers to take their watercolour flower paintings a step further, to make the most of the medium’s natural versatility.

In a detailed exploration of the hazardous ‘Special Attack’ weapons and forces of World War II, Suicide Squads examines the role of explosive motorboats, midget submarines, human torpedoes and kamikaze aircraft. In addition to weapon development, Richard O’Neil describes the actions themselves including Pearl Harbour, the raid on Sydney Harbour and special forces mission at Guadalcanal, Midway and Okinawa. The bravery of the men from all sides who went to war in suicidal or near-suicidal weapons cannot be overestimated. The story of these special attack forces remains a testimony to ingenuity, desperation and courage.

The Vietnam War was the bloodiest and one of the most fascinating conflicts in the history of warfare. It began with America pouring massive military aid upon the South Vietnamese in an attempt to thwart a Communist takeover, and culminated in the "peace with honour" withdrawal by the Nixon administration. This authoritative account accurately details every aspect of the Vietnam War and provides an overall view of the impact which it continues to have to this day.

An outstanding assessment of the military power unleashed by Hitler, Warfare and the Third Reich is a notable contribution both to military history and to the understanding of the events during, and the outcome of, World War II. Written with great authoroty, it examines and discusses the growth, development and deployment of the German armed forces and considers Hitler’s generals and their vital roles in the rise and ultimate decline of the Third Reich.