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List Price: £11.99
Our Price: £5.49
Author:
James Wines
By Taschen GmbH
 Really really clever, 2004-04-20
Just the best book to relax to and get ideas from. Really like this bookbecause I want to design something one day.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £4.73
Author:
John Emsley
By OUP Oxford
Just what the Doctor ordered., 2007-02-08
I really enjoyed reading this book. It struck an excellent balance between scientific insight and salacious gossip. What a combination!
I was reading this in my hospital bed needing something demanding enough to save me from terminal boredom, but that I could pick up in short bursts. Just what the Doctor ordered.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £5.37
Author:
Patrick J. Michaels
By Cato Institute,U.S.
Excellent specialised reading, 2008-07-26
This is the ideal companion to the Lomborg "the skeptical environmentalist" book as far as ecoterrorism is concerned.
Other than the Lomborg book, this is exclusively focused on climatology issues, clearly explained from a leading climatologist. The author ruthlessly explains how the "system" works, how the climate change hype has been created and fueled and who profits from it.
It also, like Lomborg's book, lifts the veil on the so called "consensus" on the supposed terrible consequences of climate change.
Money very well spent.
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £3.08
Author:
Matilda Lee
By Gaia Books Ltd
Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover...., 2008-03-24
I bought this after buying "Green Is The New Black" by Tamsin Blanchard and thought nothing could top it and was a little put of by the cover and cheesy title, I hate everything labeled as "Chic"!
I was wrong! This book is fantastic!!
It has helped with my dissertation and has changed the way I shop, buy, design, dye fabrics etc etc! To date it is the best fashion book I have ever read, so informative, easily read, very addictive, covers everything - dates, places, names and faces! FANTASTIC!!!
I HIGHLY Recommend to all!
I wonder if Kate Fletchers "Sustainable Fashion and Textiles" book will top it?!? It arrives tomorrow so will let you know.......
List Price: £37.00
Our Price: £28.67
Author:
J. L. Chapman, M. J. Reiss
By Cambridge University Press
A great introduction to ecology, 2002-12-13
This is an excellent introduction to the subject of ecology. Easy to read without being oversimplified, it provides a detailed overview of the principles of ecology. It's main strength is the constant use of examples and case studies to illustrate the points.
It looks at the functioning of individuals and species within environments, environmental factors, interactions within ecosystems, biomes, and behavioural and genetic factors, as well as distribution and conservation.
Ecological terms are explained as they are encountered, making it easier for those new to the subject. Scientific studies are described which inform the principles described, and conflicting theories explained.
Some understanding of biology is presupposed, and the mathematical content assumes some knowledge of equations, logarithms and scientific notation: although the case studies are so well explained in the text, that the principle of each one can be understood even if the mathematics remain a mystery!There is also an emphasis on the application of ecology to conservation, and two chapters at the end concentrate specifically on conservation.
As someone new to the subject but with an interest in conservation and how ecosystems work, I found this a fascinating, informative book.
List Price: £12.99
Our Price: £5.99
Author:
Rupert Wright
By Harvill Secker
Water,water everywhere..., 2008-08-09
Take me to the source
With that engaging mixture of humour and erudition that one has come to expect from the author, Rupert Wright in his latest book covers the subject of water in all its aspects from ancient Rome to modern Manhattan.in an encyclopaedic journey through the byways of history, literature, engineering, and art relating to water.
For those who live in developed countries water is something that comes out of a tap with which we cook, wash, and slake our thirst. On the odd occasion when it is cut off, it is an inconvenience. In many parts of the world it has to be fetched from a well many kilometres away, and then it may be so impure that it can easily kill you. According to the United Nations water is the biggest killer of children in the world. Life on earth would be impossible without it and yet it receives very little attention on a day-to-day basis except when or where there is an abundance or a lack of it.
The author sets out to rectify this neglect, meeting on the way "Dr.Water", the Bishop of Barra in Brazil who went on hunger strike to save a river, and visiting the huge tunnel project to bring additional supplies of water to Manhattan, the bar in Paris where they serve nothing but water, a World Bank conference on water in Washington, and rafting down the Nile.
"Take me to the source" will surely become a cult book like "Haunts of the Black Masseur" by Charles Sprawson, so much admired by the author.
List Price: £14.95
Our Price: £14.95
Author:
Alan Brooks, Sean Adcock
By British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
Superb!, 2008-07-26
This is not only well written, well illustrated and throughly researched, it's also well-thought out as a robust ring-bound book for being dumped on the ground, covered in muck as you work.
As practical guidebooks go, it's got to be near-perfect.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £4.30
Author:
Colin Tudge
By Pari Publishing
Eat This Book!, 2008-05-08
This book is brilliant. The other review complains about the lack of solutions, but the point of this book is clear, to state the problems. The writing is sharp, the descriptions are shocking, and the conclusion leaves things finely poised between a desire to rush out and change the world, and the sad reflection that we are so far away from where we need to be.
This book is something of a summary of work to date. For more detail, see his others books, especially "So shall we reap."
List Price: £15.00
Our Price: £7.97
Author:
Thomas Homer-Dixon
By Souvenir Press Ltd
Reflecting in the fog, 2007-08-24
The key question in this book is raised in the very middle: "Why don't we face reality?" A major reason is that we are groping in a fog to learn what that reality is. Homer-Dixon likens our society to a driver careering along a country road in a dense fog. We can barely see what's ahead, but we're somehow confident that no mishap will befall us. We've gotten this far safely. As we drive, we're guided by the mantra of "endless economic growth". We have some idea where we've been, but remain uncertain about what lies ahead. Worse, we don't seem to care. Ignoring the warning signs indicating that all might not be well we continue along our course. In this excellent study of how our society is progressing and where it's likely going, the author clearly outlines the various options before us and what actions we can take to prevent serious disruptions.
The book is a call for preparation. Resilience is what our outlook and our policies should undertake to prevent disasters that we cannot handle. Having observed and reflected on these issues for several years, Homer-Dixon concludes that major difficulties lie ahead. We cannot avoid them - they're already here or loom in the near future. He lists some of the obvious ones: terrorism is now a part of life, climate change beyond our experience is already with us, and economic and social disruption causes have already been pinpointed. His model used as the basis of assessment is the Roman Empire. He cites three examples of what the Empire accomplished, the Colosseum, the road and aqueduct networks and the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek, Lebanon. All these enterprises required immense amounts of energy, yet a society without engineering schools achieved them all successfully. It worked only so long as the energy was available and applied efficiently. Our schools taught us that the Romans built their imperium on slavery, but Homer-Dixon shows that concept to be false. Oxen pulled the 256 carts of material required by the Colosseum and free peasant farmers supplied the basic energy needs. The Empire collapsed only when the energy required failed. We need to understand what can be learned from that Empire offer, and Homer-Dixon demonstrates how pertinent the lessons are today.
The author's formula for assessment is EROI - Energy Return On Investment. We've been profligate in energy use, and it's future availability is a major concern of the his. "Peak oil" has been the topic of so many books and articles, it should be old news. The author notes how the petroleum industry and those dependent on it keep up a continuous barrage of denial propaganda to discourage us from believing that evident fact. The "globalised" economy was supposed to reduce the distinction between rich and poor. Not only is it having the opposite effect, but it's increasing the consumption of energy in the process. While a number of recent books stress the threats posed by environmental change, Homer-Dixon sees that as but one element in a far larger picture. He deals with a full range of pressures building up to threaten society. He likens them to tectonic stresses likely to snap unexpectedly at any time.
Unlike some books making forecasts or offering timetables of potential catastrophe, Homer-Dixon's more circumspect. He's more concerned with demonstrating that the kinds of "growth" we've experienced cannot endure. What and when surprise setbacks occur is of less importance to him than how we adjust to them. He's not addressing a small coterie of "movers and shakers" with this work His prose style is just short of that of a story-telling narrative. He means for all of us, taxpayers, policy-makers and even academics and scientists, to participate in the development and preparation of new sets of options for survival. We will all be effected by the unfolding events. While this may seem that the author's "Down" is inevitable and final, he prefixed it with "Upside" for a reason. His opening depicts the destruction of a city - San Francisco in the 1906 earthquake and fire. The city didn't collapse and die, but recovery meant a new approach to disaster planning. We must follow that example, or our collapse will be more severe. It will be global and possibly all-consuming. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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