Atlantic The Encyclopaedia of Everything Else. The Ultimate A-Z of Bizarre Information Hartston William

This is not a book of facts; it’s a book of ‘facts’. Should you finish it believing we became the planet’s dominant species because predators found us too smelly to eat; or that the living bloodline of Christ is a family of Japanese garlic farmers – well, that’s on you • Why are we here? Do ghosts exist? Did life on Earth begin after a badly tidied-up picnic? Was it just an iceberg that sank the Titanic? Are authors stealing their plotlines from the future? Will we ever talk to animals? And why, when you’re in the shower, does the shower curtain always billow in towards you? • We don’t know the answers to any of these questions. But don’t worry, no matter what questions you have, you can bet on the fact that there is someone (or something) out there, investigating it on your behalf

The Prince, a political treatise by the Florentine public servant and political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli, is widely regarded as the most important exploration of politics - and in particular the politics of power - ever written • In Garments of Court and Palace, Philip Bobbitt, a preeminent and original interpreter of modern statecraft, presents a vivid portrait of Machiavelli's Italy and demonstrates how The Prince articulates a new idea of government that emerged during the Renaissance. Bobbitt argues that when The Prince is read alongside the Discourses, modern readers can see clearly how Machiavelli prophesied the end of the feudal era and the birth of a recognizably modern polity. As this book shows, publication of The Prince in 1532 represents nothing less than a revolutionary moment in our understanding of the place of the law and war in the creation and maintenance of the modern state

Scruton argues that the tragedies and disasters of the history of the European continent have been the consequences of a false optimism and the fallacies that derive from it. In place of these fallacies, Scruton mounts a passionate defence of both civil society and freedom. He shows that the true legacy of European civilisation is not the false idealisms that have almost destroyed it – in the shapes of Nazism, fascism and communism – but the culture of forgiveness and irony which we must now protect from those whom it offends. The Uses of Pessimism is a passionate plea for reason and responsibility, written at a time of profound change

New islands are being built at an unprecedented rate whether for tourism or territorial ambition, while many islands are disappearing or fragmenting because of rising sea levels. It is a strange planetary spectacle, creating an ever-changing map which even Google Earth struggles to keep pace with • In The Age of Islands, explorer and geographer Alastair Bonnett takes the reader on a compelling and thought-provoking tour of the world’s newest, most fragile and beautiful islands and reveals what, he argues, is one of the great dramas of our time • From a ‘crannog’, an ancient artificial island in a Scottish loch, to the militarized artificial islands China is building in the South China Sea; from the disappearing islands that remain the home of native Central Americans to the ritzy new islands of Dubai; from Hong Kong and the Isles of Scilly to islands far away and near: all have urgent stories to tell

We’re three decades into a global experiment: what happens when the major nations of the world weaken their control on the size and power of corporate giants and allow unrestricted expansion? • In The Curse of Bigness, Tim Wu exposes the threats monopolies pose to economic stability and social freedom around the world. Aided by the globalization of commerce and finance, in recent years we have seen takeovers galore that make a mockery of the ideals of competition and economic freedom. Such is the ‘curse of bigness’: stifled entrepreneurship, stalled productivity, dominant tech giants like Facebook and Google, and fewer choices for consumers • Urgent and persuasive, this bold manifesto argues that we need to rediscover the anti-monopoly traditions that brought great peace and prosperity in the past

Charles Dickens was a superb public performer, a great orator and one of the most famous of the Eminent Victorians. Slight of build, with a frenzied, hyper-energetic personality, Dickens looked much older than his fifty-eight years when he died. Although he specified an unpretentious funeral, it was inevitable that crowds flocked to his open grave in Westminster Abbey. Experiencing the worst and best of life during the Victorian Age, Dickens was not merely the conduit through whom some of the most beloved characters in literature came into the world. He was one of them • Filled with twists, pathos and unusual characters, The Mystery of Charles Dickens looks back from the legendary writer’s death to recall the key events in his life. In doing so, A

Man has always been fascinated by Equus caballus, recasting horse power into many forms: a hunk of meat, an industrial and agricultural machine, a luxury good, a cherished dancer, a comrade in arms and a symbol of a mythical past. From the wild tarpans sought by the Nazis to jade-laden treasure steeds in Ancient China, broken-down nags recycled into sausages and furniture stuffing, stallions that face fighting bulls and brewery horses that charmed the founder of the Sikh Empire, The Age of the Horse knits the history of the horse into that of humans, through revolution, war, social change and uneasy peace. It also uncovers new roles for the horse in the twenty-first century as a tool in the fight against climate change and as a therapist for soldiers damaged in unwinnable conflicts

Christopher Hitchens goes straight for the jugular in The Trial of Henry Kissinger. Under his fearsome gaze, the former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor is accused of being a war criminal whose reckless actions and heinous disregard for international law have led to torture, kidnapping, and murder • This book is a polemical masterpiece by a man who, for forty years, was the Angloshpere’s preeminent man of letters. In The Trial of Henry Kissinger, Hitchens’ verve, style and firebrand wit are on show at the height of their potency

Discover why outsiders from Trump to Corbyn are succeeding like never before – and what this means for you • In recent years, voters have deserted the political centre like never before. Whether it’s Trump, Brexit, Le Pen, or Corbyn, outsiders and populists are flourishing on the far left and far right • Celebrated political commentator Steve Richards explores factors from globalization and fake news to rising immigration and stagnant wages. Richards argues that the reasons for the success of the outsider also sows the seeds of their eventual demise. If they do gain power, they inevitably become insiders themselves – and fail to live up to their extravagant promises • This landmark book examines the rapidly shifting global political landscape of the last decade, and is essential reading for anyone who has been bothered by Brexit, troubled by Trump or confused by Corbyn

Britain’s foremost astrobiologist offers an accessible and game-changing account of why life is like it is • The puzzles of life astound and confuse us like no other mystery. But in this revolutionary new book, Charles Cockell reveals how nature is far more understandable and predictable than we think. Refining Darwin’s theory of natural selection, Cockell puts forward a remarkable and elegant account of why evolution has taken the paths it has. From animals to atoms, he shows that is it not biology, but physics, which is the true touchstone for understanding life in all its extraordinary forms

Семья Большого Билли Бреннана тяжело переживает утрату, его брак фиктивный, и еда - единственное, что помогает ему выжить. В своем сплоченном городке Билли не может избежать дурной славы. Но когда Билли решает справиться с двумя тяготящими его вещами - своим горем и своим телом, - он берет на себя гораздо больше, чем просто личную попытку выздоровления • "Его вес" - незабываемый, проникновенный роман Этель Рохан о потерях и искуплении, и о том, чего можно достичь, когда обычный герой находит в себе мужество попытаться улучшить свой мир • Книга на английском языке • How do you carry on, when you lose someone you love? • Big Billy Brennan's family is reeling from loss, his marriage is a partnership in name alone, and eating is the only thing getting him through