by Oliver Sacks, ISBN:9780330513999, R195.00
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Due November 2010
Review
“An absorbing attempt to unravel the complexities of the human mind.” –Kirkus --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Showing posts with label Non-Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Non-Fiction. Show all posts
Friday, August 27, 2010
Minds Eye, The
by Oliver Sacks, ISBN:9780330513999, R195.00
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Due November 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Every man in this village is a liar - An education in War
by Megan Stack, ISBN:9781408808795, R245.00
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A few weeks after the planes crashed into the World Trade Centre on 9/11, journalist Megan K. Stack, a twenty-five-year-old national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times , was thrust into Afghanistan and Pakistan, dodging gunmen and prodding warlords for information. From there, she travelled to war-ravaged Iraq and Lebanon and to other countries scarred by violence, including Israel, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, witnessing the changes that swept the Muslim world and labouring to tell its stories. Every Man in This Village Is a Liar is Megan Stack's riveting account of what she saw in the combat zones and beyond. She relates her initial wild excitement and her slow disillusionment as the cost of violence outweighs the elusive promise of freedom and democracy. She reports from under bombardment in Lebanon; records the raw pain of suicide bombings in Israel and Iraq; and, one by one, marks the deaths and disappearances of those she interviews. Beautiful, savage and unsettling, Every Man in This Village Is a Liar is a memoir about the wars of the twenty-first century that readers will long remember.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Zimbabwe - Years of hope and despair
by Philip Barclay, ISBN:9781408805664, R190.00
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Philip Barclay lived and worked as a diplomat and blogger in Zimbabwe during 2006-2009 - one of the few permitted Western observers of events on the ground. In this electrifying first-hand account we witness the key events that marked the decline of this once prosperous and stable nation. In early 2007, The Movement for Democratic Change (led by Morgan Tsvangiari) held large rallies, leaving Tsvangiari severely beaten and activists killed and arrested. Philip Barclay attended the trials of the MDC activists while campaigns for the next election were beginning to take shape, even though both parties were divided. Although it looked certain that President Robert Mugabe would win the next election in March 2008, given that he controlled all state media, as Philip travelled around the country there was a sense of hope and excitement at the prospect of change. On polling day it became immediately obvious that the MDC had won. The following months saw a widespread outbreak of violence; reports came in of rape, murder and mass evictions as the military and party militia's assaulted and intimidated the supporters of the MDC. Mugabe was not ready to stand down. Philip witnessed a bomb site where activists were burned alive and interviewed rape victims and members of illegal refugee camps. Philip himself was stopped and threatened by a ZANU-PF militia. By July 2008 the country had fallen apart. Hyperinflation ensued, utilities failed and the worst Cholera epidemic in recent world history hit a starving population. A unity agreement was eventually signed in early 2009, but is this really a new dawn for Zimbabwe? Concise, fluent, imaginative and authoritative, Zimbabwe gets to the terrifying core of a country systematically destroyed by its own government, and asks important questions about what the future may hold.
At Home
by Bill Bryson, ISBN:9780385608275, R330.00
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In At Home , Bill Bryson applies the same irrepressible curiosity, irresistible wit, stylish prose and masterful storytelling that made A Short History of Nearly Everything one of the most lauded books of the last decade, and delivers one of the most entertaining and illuminating books ever written about the history of the way we live. Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote a lot more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business - eating, sleeping and merely endeavouring to get more comfortable. And that most of the key discoveries for humankind can be found in the very fabric of the houses in which we live. This inspired him to start a journey around his own house, an old rectory in Norfolk, wandering from room to room considering how the ordinary things in life came to be. Along the way he did a prodigious amount of research on the history of anything and everything, from architecture to electricity, from food preservation to epidemics, from the spice trade to the Eiffel Tower, from crinolines to toilets; and on the brilliant, creative and often eccentric minds behind them. And he discovered that, although there may seem to be nothing as unremarkable as our domestic lives, there is a huge amount of history, interest and excitement - and even a little danger - lurking in the corners of every home.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Ship - 5,000 years of maritime adventure
by Brian Lavery, ISBN:9781405353366, R300.00
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This book reveals 5,000 years of maritime adventure in a new compact format. From the earliest dugout canoes and the boats of the Ancient Egyptians to the most technologically advanced battleships and cruise-liners, this is the ultimate guide to every aspect of the ship, and those who have sailed them. Find out all about the endeavours of the great explorers as they mapped the globe and discovered new worlds, you'll learn the impact ships have had on trade and industry and find out all the key historical conflicts in which ships played a vital role. Plus, take a look at seafaring for pleasure and trace fishing through the ages. Every conceivable type of sea-going vessel is featured, from caravels and galleons, warships and yachts to clippers and cruise-liners. Produced in association with the National Maritime Museum.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Bullet Proof
by Matt Croucher, ISBN:9780099543084, R104.00
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It's Afghanistan, February 2008: in an out-of-control, dangerous country torn apart by war, littered with Taliban guerrilla forces and thousands of miles from home, Lance Corporal Matt Croucher, a Royal Marine with 40 Commando, accidentally activates a grenade whilst on a covert patrol behind enemy lines. With only a split second to react, Croucher's instincts kick in and he throws himself beside the grenade, reasoning that saving the lives of his three comrades was worth the likelihood of losing his own. Miraculously, and against all the odds, Croucher survived, and mere hours later was taking part in a gun battle against local insurgent fighters, demonstrating a raw, unique courage and devotion to military duty that would later see him awarded the George Cross - a distinction bestowed only on those who perform acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger. Croucher's George Cross would make him famous around the world. But his story is much more than just one heroic act in isolation. His is a life of bullets, blood and loyalty, and of lives saved and lives taken. From a young marine aged 19, when he was one of the first 200 Allied soldiers to invade Iraq back in 2003 as part of an elite force of British Marines and US Special Forces, through to his second tour of duty in 2004, when he suffered a fractured skull following a roadside bomb attack, only to return to action just a week later, and then being thrust into hellish Afghanistan, Croucher has seen vicious fighting, intense gun battles, roadside ambushes, and witnessed the death and injury of close colleagues on an almost daily basis. This is his incredible story: a searing, vivid, non-stop account of one man's heroism and courage under fire, in the most gruelling combat environment since the Second World War.
Rocks and Minerals of Southern Africa
by Bruce Cairncross, ISBN:9781770074439, R100.00
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This handy pocket guide presents a selection of the most fascinating and important rock and mineral species found in southern Africa. Each entry includes photographs, a description, uses, and detailed occurrence information. Physical characteristics of each mineral are summarized in tinted panels, and handy icons show other important information. The rock section discusses how the three main rock types form. PG Rocks & Minerals of Southern Africa will be invaluable both to amateur geologists and budding collectors.
About the Author - Bruce Cairncross
Professor Bruce Cairncross is chairman of the geology department at the Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg. He has an inherent interest in Southern African mineralogy and geology, and his research efforts are aimed at documenting important geological sites and promoting the preservation of the region's mineralogical heritage. He is the author of four books, The Minerals of South Africa, The ...[more about Bruce Cairncross]
Hope for Animals and their world
by Jane Goodall, ISBN:9781848311343
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Editorial Review - Publishers Weekly vol. 256 iss. 22 p. 39 (c) 06/01/2009
With the resurgence of red wolves and California condors, there is good news on the species front, as chronicled in this collection of success stories by renowned chimp researcher Goodall. Section one recounts the revival of six mammal and bird species, including Mongolian miniature horses and Australian wallabies, that became extinct in the wild but are being reintroduced to their natural habitat through captive breeding. Section two describes efforts to bring species back from near extinction, among them Brazil’s golden lion tamarin and the North American whooping crane. Section three details continuing efforts to preserve 11 species, including the giant pandas of China, whose bamboo diet is disappearing, and the Asian vultures of India, whose “disastrous population drop”—from a reported 87 million birds to 27 breeding pairs in 2006—has led to a dramatic rise in disease incubated by putrefying cattle carcasses once scavenged by the carrion-loving birds. Goodall is no Pollyanna about species reclamation—she acknowledges that there have been more losses than gains—but these accounts of conservation success are inspirational. (Sept. 2)
Take a seat
by Dominic Gill, ISBN:9781845965853, R195.00
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When Dominic Gill set out from Alaska on his bicycle, it was to be no ordinary ride. His goal was to reach Ushuaia, the southernmost city in South America, and he was starting off far from confident and with barely enough food to last a week. But Dominic had a secret weapon: the spare seat. His bicycle was a tandem and he would invite strangers to join him on his long journey. Over 26 months, Dominic covered 18,449 miles down the west coast of the Americas, passed through 15 countries, was looked after by countless strangers, crashed into a banana truck and was attacked by a man with a rusty machete. But Dominic's journey wasn't just an endurance challenge full of derring-do. While sharing his bicycle with 270 strangers who wanted to help him on his way, Dominic discovered a world that differed dramatically from the scare stories and the sensationalist press reports that had shaped his preconceptions about life in the Americas. What started as a physically demanding road trip turned into the inspirational adventure of a lifetime.
Achieving the impossible
by Lewis Gordon Pugh, ISBN:9781868423408, R195.00
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An inspiring and thrilling memoir of adventure and achievement from an internationally recognised endurance swimmer and ambassador for environmental awareness. In July 2007, Lewis Gordon Pugh became the first person to swim at the North Pole, in temperatures that would kill a normal person, primarily to raise awareness of climate change. Nicknamed 'the human polar bear' for his ability to raise his body's core temperature at will, he has pioneered swims in the world's most hostile waters, redefining what it is possible to achieve in terms of endurance. A maritime lawyer and former member of the SAS, Lewis tells his fantastic story here for the first time. Chapters cover his childhood, growing up with his 'hero' Surgeon Rear Admiral father, his early life in South Africa, his training in the army's elite corps, his inspiration and, of course, plenty of action/adventure stories, chronicling his many nail-biting endurance swims. He also shares his secrets on how to achieve the seemingly impossible. With practical lessons taken from his own life, Lewis explains how recognising one's passions and taking calculated risks is essential for anyone looking to fulfill their goals. The book will also cover his next and most dangerous expedition yet in May 2010. His story is inspiring, entertaining and thrilling in equal measure, and its 38-year-old author is a much needed role model for our times.
Unplayable
by Robert Lusetich, ISBN:9780857200426, R195.00
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A chronicle of one of the most important years in Tiger Woods's legendary career, now recast in light of the infamous sex scandal. Since his professional debut in 1996, Tiger Woods has reigned as the world's greatest living golfer, having singlehandledly increased the popularity of the game and become one of the most recognized faces in the world. Unplayable is thedefinitive, comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at how the 2009 season unfolded for Woods, both personally and professionally. The book offers a richly compelling narrative of Tiger's victories and defeats, all while conveying the untold story of the bitter rivalries and ongoing tensions among top players, and explains how Woods managed to lead a double-life while dominating in one of the world's most competitive sports. Standing apart from all of the other reporting on the scandal to date, Unplayable gives much needed insight into how one of the world's most reclusive celebrities maintained a public persona at odds with his private life.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Bridge - The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
by David Remnick, ISBN:9780330519984, R227.00
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The editor of the New Yorker and bestselling author of King of the World turns his attention to Barack Obama and a defining moment in American history. 'I'm here because somebody marched. I'm here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of giants. I thank the Moses generation; but we've got to remember, now, that Joshua still had a job to do...There are still battles that need to be fought; some rivers that need to be crossed...The previous generation, the Moses generation, pointed the way. They took us 90 per cent of the way there. We still got that 10 per cent in order to cross over to the other side. So the question, I guess, that I have today is what's called of us in this Joshua generation? What do we do in order to fulfill that legacy; to fulfill the obligations and the debt that we owe to those who allowed us to be here today?' - [From Obama's speech in Selma, Alabama in March of 2007]. This book, Remnick's first full length work of non-fiction since the bestselling King of the World , will tell the story of race in the history of America through the prism of the country's first mixed-race president; a man elected against the odds, symbol of hope for many, inheritor of a nation in the throes of a catastrophic crisis of identity.
Paul and Me
by A.E.Hotchner, ISBN:9781847377845, R205.00
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Author and playwright Hotchner (Papa Hemingway) met Paul Newman in 1955, when the unknown actor took over for James Dean in Hotchner's first teleplay, beginning a friendship that lasted until the legendary actor's 2008 death. Chronicling that friendship, Hotchner presents a meandering collection of stories about their times and projects, including the successful business they started together. Vignettes feature the two fishing, traveling, and developing the Newman's Own brand, spreading the familiar news of Newman's nice-guy reputation, rigorous preparation for specific roles, penchant for practical jokes, philanthropic efforts, political involvement and disdain for rules. Though there's no question that the relationship between them ran deep-one passage finds Newman confiding his guilt over the drug-related death of his son, Scott-the author places himself in the middle of every story, resorts to frequent namedropping, and quotes extensively from private conversations that took place decades ago, giving the proceedings a queasy current of self-regard that could rub fans the wrong way.
Pleasures of the damned
ISBN:9781847675491, R270.00
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Celebrating the full range of Bukowski's extraordinary sensibility and his uncompromising linguistic brilliance, these poems cover a lifetime of experience, from his renegade early work to never-before collected poems penned during the final days before his death. Selected by John Martin, Bukowski's long-time editor and the publisher of the legendary Black Sparrow Press, The Pleasures of the Damned is an astonishing poetic treasure trove, essential reading for both long-time fans and those just discovering this unique and important American voice.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Miller's Antiques Handbook and Price Guide 2010-2011
Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 201-2011
by Judith Miller, ISBN:9781845335151, R420.00, Order Now
Full description for Miller's Antiques Handbook and Price Guide 2010-2011
- Every year more than 8,000 items are photographed to make "Miller's Antiques Price Guide" the most comprehensive and informative price guide on the market. Whether you're buying or selling, a dealer, collector or auctioneer, this is the book you need to help you keep track of the international market. Whenever you're buying or selling always take Judith with you.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Learning for Development
Title: Learning for Development
Author: Hazel Johnson & Gordon Wilson
Description
The organizational and institutional embedding of new learning is one of the biggest challenges for development. This book in the Development Matters series takes a learning approach to development, focusing the learning that takes place through development action – be it intentional and structured, or the outcome of different forms of engagement.
Learning for Development also demonstrates how important a critical awareness of the social dynamics of learning is for individuals and their organizations, and for building coherent policy and action. Through a number of case-studies and a wealth of interdisciplinary research, Learning for Development proposes a more flexible model of development action which aims to ensure that projects address the specific needs of, improves dialogue between, local groups and individuals
About the Author
Hazel Johnson is Professor of Development Policy at the Open University, UK. Gordon Wilson is Senior Lecturer in Technology and Development, also at the Open University, UK.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Concepts and approaches
3. Contestation and learning between multiple stakeholders
4. Learning through difference and mutuality in North-South partnerships
5. Formal learning and individual and organizational change
6. Learning and not learning through the use of ICTs
7. Conclusions
Published By: Zed Books
198mm x 129mm/HC / ISBN 978-1-8481-3198-9/ R202/ August 2009
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The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
True Blood Box Set
Charlaine Harris, ISBN: 9780575095380, R595.00, Order Now
Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in a little bar in Bon Temps, a small town deep in Louisiana. She's funny and pretty and well-mannered, but she doesn't have that many close friends - mind you, that's not so surprising when you consider how few people can appreciate her abilities as a mind-reader. It's not a quality that has the guys beating down her door - well, unless they're vampires or werewolves or the like ...but they're not just supernatural freaks, some of them are friends, even family ...The box contains: Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, Definitely Dead, All Together Dead, From Dead to Worse.
Oprah:A Biography (import)
by K.Kelley, ISBN: 9780307394866, R315.00, publication April 2010, Order Now
To preorder the cheaper edition that is due in May, please click here
The first comprehensive biography of one of the most admired public figures of our time, by the most widely read biographer of our era. Anyone who is a fan of Oprah Winfrey or who has followed her extraordinary life and career will be fascinated by this exhaustively researched book.
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing to Surprise Anyone, This review is from: Oprah: A Biography (Hardcover) I have just finished reading the book and it was pretty much what I thought it would be. No new surprises and actually nothing really offensive in it that Oprah should worry about. She is human and has made mistakes and you simply do not get to where she is today without stepping on a few toes. There is no one who doesn't have things in their past that they either omit or embellish on as time goes by. The book is not a bad read but nothing less or nothing more. |
Oprah:A Biography
Oprah: A Biography
by K.Kelley, ISBN: 9781868423255, R225.00, publication May2010, Order Now
The first comprehensive biography of one of the most admired public figures of our time, by the most widely read biographer of our era. Anyone who is a fan of Oprah Winfrey or who has followed her extraordinary life and career will be fascinated by this exhaustively researched book.
Below review from www.amazon.co.uk - note this is the review for ISBN:9780307394866
by K.Kelley, ISBN: 9781868423255, R225.00, publication May2010, Order Now
The first comprehensive biography of one of the most admired public figures of our time, by the most widely read biographer of our era. Anyone who is a fan of Oprah Winfrey or who has followed her extraordinary life and career will be fascinated by this exhaustively researched book.
Below review from www.amazon.co.uk - note this is the review for ISBN:9780307394866
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing to Surprise Anyone, This review is from: Oprah: A Biography (Hardcover) I have just finished reading the book and it was pretty much what I thought it would be. No new surprises and actually nothing really offensive in it that Oprah should worry about. She is human and has made mistakes and you simply do not get to where she is today without stepping on a few toes. There is no one who doesn't have things in their past that they either omit or embellish on as time goes by. The book is not a bad read but nothing less or nothing more. |
Islands in a forgotten sea
Islands in a forgotten sea - A history of the Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion and Madagascarby T.V.Bulpin, ISBN:9781869193324, R225.00, Order Now
(quoted from http://www.proteaboekhuis.com)
The Sea of Zanj has been a place of myth and mystery since time immemorial, and its islands have captured countless imaginations. Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues, the Seychelles and Madagascar – T.V. Bulpin recounts their stories and histories; stories of strange animals and exotic places, of pirates and runaway slaves, of forgotten kingdoms and deadly welcomes.
Much has changed in the islands since Islands in a forgotten sea first appeared in the 1950s, and the author has left an invaluable account of an enchanting and often brutal world far removed from the air-conditioned resorts and package tours so familiar to tourists today.
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