{"title":"Books by Nick Middleton","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780199564309","title":"Deserts","description":"Deserts make up a third of the planet's land surface, but if you picture a desert, what comes to mind? A wasteland? A drought? A place devoid of all life forms?Deserts are remarkable places. Typified by drought and extremes of temperature, they can be harsh and hostile; but many deserts are also spectacularly beautiful, and on occasion teem with life. Nick Middleton explores how each desert is unique: through fantastic life forms, extraordinary scenery, and ingenious human adaptations. He demonstrates a desert's immense natural beauty, its rich biodiversity, and uncovers a long history of successful human occupation. This Very Short Introduction tells you everything you ever wanted to know about these extraordinary places and captures their importance in the working of our planet.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56227748053365,"sku":"9780199564309","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780199564309_04741d3c-a6cf-4c8d-bb2c-930185801d85.jpg?v=1786012252"},{"product_id":"9781032497037","title":"The Global Casino","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Global Casino\u003c\/i\u003e is an introduction to environmental issues which deals both with the workings of the physical environment and the political, economic and social frameworks in which the issues occur. Using examples from all over the world, the book highlights the underlying causes behind environmental problems, the human actions which have made them issues and the hopes for solutions. It is a book about the human impact on the environment and the ways in which the natural environment impacts human society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe seventh edition has been fully revised and updated throughout, with new case studies, figures and online resources comprising a complete lecture course for tutors and multiple-choice questions for students. New concepts and topics covered for the first time in this edition include the blue economy, marine heatwaves, Africa’s Great Green Wall, rewilding, net-zero commitments, nature-based solutions, emerging contaminants in global rivers, green infrastructure in sustainable cities, initiatives promoting zero-emission vehicles, and zoonotic diseases (including the COVID-19 pandemic). New case studies include gender impact assessment of big dams in Laos and Vietnam, reducing food loss and waste, liming sugar maple trees in North America to counteract soil acidification and soil erosion and poverty in Rwanda. Eighteen chapters on key issues follow three initial chapters which outline the background contexts of the physical and human environments and the concept of sustainable development. Each chapter provides historical context for key issues, outlines why they have arisen and highlights areas of controversy and uncertainty to appraise how issues can be resolved both technically and in political and economic frameworks. Each chapter also contains an updated critical guide to further reading—most of them open access—and websites, talks and podcasts, as well as discussion points and essay questions. The text can be read in its entirety or individual chapters adopted as standalone reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book is an essential resource for students of the environment, geography, development studies and earth sciences. It provides comprehensive and inspirational coverage of all the major global environmental issues of the day in a style that is clear, concise and critical.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296016642421,"sku":"9781032497037","price":53.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781032497037_da86fcad-7f3f-4dfe-94f0-5e8d18c81ab8.jpg?v=1786016938"},{"product_id":"9781904095873","title":"Bloody Baron","description":"It is 1921, and post-revolutionary Russia is being torn apart by civil war. Out of the wreckage rises a crazy, eagle-eyed Baron, who plans to conquer the largest empire the world has ever known... When he fails to get his hands on Russia, the Bloody Baron, Baron von Ungern-Sternberg, sets his sights on Mongolia... Ages 10+.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308971176309,"sku":"9781904095873","price":4.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781904095873_214489b2-bd7f-41ba-9184-41276960806e.jpg?v=1786029438"},{"product_id":"9780199588671","title":"Rivers","description":"Rivers have played an extraordinarily important role in creating the world in which we live. They create landscapes and provide water to people, plants and animals, nourishing both town and country. The flow of rivers has enthused poets and painters, explorers and pilgrims. Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, it can bear trade and sediment, culture and conflict. A river may inspire or it may terrify. This Very Short Introduction is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. Nick Middleton covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography to mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism. Worshipped and revered, respected and feared, rivers reflect both the natural and social history of our planet. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56311621288309,"sku":"9780199588671","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780199588671_06b2a517-c01b-426c-89d1-6849e8ca67cd.jpg?v=1786012398"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-nick-middleton.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}