Poems to celebrate the winter season.

A wonderful bedside companion for a frosty winter’s evening, with poems to immerse yourself in the season. From William Shakespeare to John Keats to Katherine Mansfield, the finest poets that ever put pen to paper describe this beautiful and sometimes terrible season.

With one entry for every day through winter, from 1st December until 28th or 29th February, this is the ideal book to take you through the darker months and find joy and comfort in nature.

In December ‘Gaunt in gloom’ begins James Joyce’s ‘Nightpiece’. In January, there’s a ‘certain slant of light for Emily Dickinson, while ‘the dull dead wind is out of tune’ for Oscar Wilde. And in February, the last month of meteorological winter, William Morris muses ‘From this chill thaw to dream of blossomed May’.

This beautiful and collectable anthology of poems derives from the popular A Poem for Every Night of the Year and also features wintry poems by Alice Oswald, Edward Lear, Emily Brontë, William Wordsworth, Ted Hughes and many more.

Renowned botanical artist and professional gardener, Carolyn Jenkins combines her love of art and gardening to create stunning compositions (often very different from traditional botanical painting) with vibrant colours that leap from the page.

The first part of this book – Botanical: Grow – explores time well-spent in the garden and covers much of the traditional details of botanical painting, from observation to capturing light, colour and texture. The second part – Contemporary: Paint – explores how Carolyn works with photography, using the computer to help with crop and composition, achieving maximum impact and creating luminous paintings that shine from the page. Her stunning illustrations are full of vibrant colour, and her larger-than-life artworks have gained an enthusiastic following on Instagram.

This practical guide contains all the techniques and practice you need to create beautiful botanical art, plus step-by-step photography, crop, composition and photoshop demonstrations, to bring luminous colours, textures and impact to your own work.

Following on from the enduring success of one of the most important chess books ever written, Bobby Fischer: My 60 Memorable Games, and the recently released Magnus Carlsen: 50 Memorable Games, celebrated chess writer Andrew Soltis delivers a book on Fabiano Caruana, the Grandmaster set to rival current world champion Magnus Carlsen. 

This book details Caruana’s remarkable rise from chess prodigy to one of the best chess player in the world, exploring how he acquired the skills of 21st-century grandmaster chess over such a short period of time. This book dives into how he wins by analysing 60 of the games that made him who he is, describing the intricacies behind his and his opponent’s strategies, the tactical justification of moves and the psychological battle in each one.

A delicious literary anthology all about food. With extracts from over 200 authors, it embraces fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and even a smattering of recipes, with one piquant extract for every night of the year.

This absorbing book is a literary feast for every food lover. Within these pages, you’ll discover a wealth of foodie extracts from around the world and throughout the centuries, from Christmas feasts in Tudor times to Nigella Lawson on how much cheese to buy for a dinner party. In addition to renowned food writers such as Elizabeth David, Madhur Jaffrey and Anthony Bourdain, it includes literary greats like Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Maya Angelou, and some intriguing curiosities such as the surreal recipes in 1932’s Futurist Cookbook. And, of course, Mrs Beeton makes an appearance. Also on the menu are:

• Tantalizing gingerbread in Jane Austen’s Emma.

• The joys of Caribbean cooking in Sam Selvon’s The Housing Lark.

• Ingenious wartime solutions in MFK Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf and much, much more.

Keep this delectable book by your bedside and savour a whole world of delicious food writing every night of the year – and it also makes the perfect gift for the foodie in your life!

A fascinating journey into the secret life of insects, with QR codes linked to videos that bring every creature to life.

Just as birds have yearly rhythms, so do bees, beetles, butterflies and other insects. Wildlife experts Dominic Couzens and Gail Ashton discover 52 minibeasts from around the world.

They tell the story of what is happening week-by-week in the insect world, in our own backyards, window boxes and in hidden corners of our homes. From the daily grind of the house spider building a new web each morning, to the vast appetites of ladybirds, which can devour hundreds of aphids a day, and the glory of the Stag beetle’s maiden flight. We delve into the world of the lethal Sydney funnelweb spider in Australian gardens, the migratory mission of the Monarch butterfly in America and the life of the backdoor scorpions in South Africa. In among the seasonal behaviour, the authors have woven history and folklore.

These brilliant stories are complemented by wonderful illustrations by Lesley Buckingham that bring out the beauty of the entomological world. A QR code for each entry takes you to a video file to further explore the habits of these intriguing creatures. Revealing the true wonder of our insect neighbours, this book will appeal to all nature lovers.

Richly illustrated stories of fascinating insects from across the globe in 366 daily entries. 

In this beautifully produced collection, nature experts Gail Ashton and Dominic Couzens tell the stories of hundreds of insects with information about behaviour, migration and protection mechanisms, as well as their involvement in folklore, history, literature and more. Learn the scientific name for each bug and why they are important while reading what both poets and scientists have recorded about them over the years. 

Discover the story of the gnat, whose wings beat at 1000 times a second, the glowworm, who has captured the power of light, and the sacred scarab beetle, worshipped in Egypt thousands of years ago.

Illustrated with stunning photographs and works of art, showcasing the colours, textures and strange and unique features of these fascinating creatures, this collection is a celebration of insects and their special place in our ecosystems and culture.

Dogs are one of the most popular pets in the world, and no breed is as universally loved as the Labrador. A beautifully illustrated guide to Labradors, forming part of a new series and packed with tips and tricks to keep your furry friend happy.

There are many things to consider when you become a dog owner. How often do I need to walk them? How much training will they need? What is poisonous to my pet? Am I overfeeding them? This playful and informative book takes a fresh look at the world of Labradors and explains everything you need to know about this lovable breed while celebrating their spirited personalities. Breed character, reasons to own a Labrador and likes and dislikes are covered along with information on training, grooming, diet and health.

Illustrated by Meredith Jensen and featuring adorable photographs of pets, dog lovers will adore this playful celebration of Labradors.

A beautifully illustrated guide to whippets, forming part of a new series and packed with tips and tricks to keep your furry friends happy.

There are many things to consider when you become a dog owner. How often should I walk them? How much training will they need? What is poisonous to my pet? Should I trust those doe eyes? This playful and informative book takes a fresh look at the wonderful world of whippets and explains everything you need to know about this energetic breed while celebrating their gentle personalities. Breed character, reasons to own a whippet and likes and dislikes are covered along with advice on training, grooming, diet and health.

Illustrated by Meredith Jensen and packed with adorable photographs of beloved pets, dog lovers will adore this playful celebration of whippets.

A wonderful portable edition of Millie Marotta’s Woodland Wild, from the Sunday Times and international bestseller artist.

Lose yourself in the calming world of woodland wildlife, from peaceful pine groves to a steamy tropical forest, with over 80 amazing illustrations to colour in a smaller format. Discover intriguing creatures, from foxes, fireflies and fallow deer to lemurs, leaf frogs and ladybugs. Millie’s much-loved intricate drawing style will be irresistible for those who love to colour. Meander through a world of towering trees, leafy canopies, exquisite blossoms and underground burrows to meet a huge array of animals that make the woods their home. 

Featuring species from across the globe, this is a celebration of the world’s forests and woods, guaranteeing hours of relaxation and colouring fun, especially while on the go, and perfect to pop in a travel bag. 

A wonderful portable edition of Millie Marotta’s Secrets of the Sea, from the Sunday Times and international bestseller artist.

Millie Marotta is a hugely popular illustrator and her idiosyncratic drawings of the world’s wonderful creatures have enthralled millions over the years. This pocket colouring book features over 80 wonderful illustrations in a smaller format to add colour to. Discover the wondrous wildlife from the Arctic waters to the balmy Australian coast. Swim with dolphins, narwhals and manatees. Grab your pens and pencils and bring to life jellyfish, seahorses and polar bears. 

This an essential book for colouring fans who love her pattern illustration style, which allows for the most creative of colouring. On this beautiful journey around the seas of the world, indulge your creativity, discover some fascinating creatures, and enjoy the perfect mindful activity while on the go or to pop in your travel bag. 

An exploration of gardens through the ages and across the globe in 366 daily entries, from the ancient hanging gardens of Babylon to a vegetable plot on the International Space Station.

In this fascinating and beautifully illustrated collection, garden writer Ruth Chivers presents a garden for every day of the year. It’s a sumptuous journey through garden history, design, horticulture, literary inspiration, folklore and poetry.

From Sissinghurst to Versailles, from the medieval poem ‘The Romance of the Rose’ to the latest horticultural details of a rewilded garden, from imaginary gardens in literature to the real gardens that inspired Van Gogh and Orwell, here are absorbing garden stories for the whole year.

Botanical paintings sit next to historic plans and the very best garden photography. The entries are annotated with intriguing facts and inspiring ideas, telling the stories of gardens past, present and even future.

A true celebration of gardens, A Garden A Day is a beautiful and essential book for any gardener that brings home the wonder of these spaces to all of us.

A beautifully designed celebration of the 40th birthday of the Barbican Arts Centre, in the heart of the City of London. It is the largest multi-arts centre in Europe, encompassing an art gallery, theatres, concert halls, cinemas and a much-loved conservatory, and regular collaborators include the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Compiled by Nicholas Kenyon, the Barbican Centre’s Managing Director 2007–2021, this is an in-depth exploration of the centre, drawing on the vast array of material available in its archives, much of which has never been seen before. It includes plans and photographs from the centre’s design and construction, original signage and branding, and brochures and programmes. All this is accompanied by a wealth of photographs of the huge range of performances and exhibitions that have taken place over the years, from early RSC performances to the popular Rain Room installation of 2012 to today’s impressive programme of events put together in conjunction with schools and the local community. The book’s authoritative and evocative text includes:

• Foreword by Fiona Shaw
• Introduction by Sir Nicholas Kenyon
• Cultural historian Robert Hewison on how the centre came into being
• Architectural historian Elain Harwood on its architecture
• Music critic Fiona Maddocks on music
• Writer and theatre critic Lyn Gardner on theatre
• Editor and creative director Tony Chambers on visual art
• Author and film critic Sukhdev Sandhu on film

With listings of Barbican events from 1982 to the present day, and snippets of oral history from some of the many people associated with the centre over the years, this sumptuous book is an invaluable companion to one of the world’s most important cultural spaces.