{"title":"Porto Press Ltd","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781849950374","title":"The Darkness Below","description":"From the best-selling author of four classic UK diving books, comes The Darkness Below - a collection of absorbing adventures gained from a lifetime in diving. As one of the UK's leading Technical Divers, Rod takes the reader on a spellbinding and gripping journey, from first beginnings as a novice scuba diver. Told in intimate detail with a beguiling sense of self-deprecating humour, he recounts epic dives on some of the most fabulous shipwrecks around the world. Terrifying first explorations of virgin shipwrecks far offshore, lost in time and enshrouded in darkness in the silent depths, cram the pages. A daring expedition into the heart of the feared Corryvreckan whirlpool, the third largest in the world, an open sea encounter with Orca killer whales and an agonizing attack of the bends keep the reader engrossed. The palpable gloom, despair and human tragedy of the wrecks is never far away - the cold and darkness of the depths almost resonating with the cries of those who have perished. The fear of entrapment inside a wreck is grippingly described and becomes almost claustrophobic to the reader unfamiliar with the perils of wreck penetration, when snagged nets sometimes billow unseen above the unwary diver. However, there are rewards when survivors from wrecks are keen to speak to someone who has seen and touched their ship that had been lost long ago. This is an unmissable book for all divers and anyone interested in maritime history.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308016382325,"sku":"9781849950374","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849950374_070d72a7-c53c-4074-899b-4a2e4f877280.jpg?v=1786029178"},{"product_id":"9781849951289","title":"Object \u0026 Pattern Recognition In Remote Sensing","description":"This book highlights the different theoretical and application-oriented aspects and potential solutions to the subject of automated remote sensing data analysis.\nFully automated interpretation and understanding of remotely sensed data by a computer has been a challenge for decades, and many approaches have been developed over the years. The field is specialized and dynamic and also interdisciplinary and multilayered. Significant advances in knowledge-based image understanding, machine learning and artificial intelligence have led to it being the focus of much research in recent years.\nWritten by an international team of experts, the book deals with both concepts and applications and focuses on elucidating the complementarity of different lines of research rather than providing the complete set of scientific approaches. Both classical knowledge-based as well as modern machine learning-oriented concepts are described.\nPart A provides insight into the basic theories and concepts of feature extraction, image understanding and the respective assessment strategies as well as into geometric, radiometric and sensor-related fundamentals of remote sensing technology. Part B focuses on various scientific and practical applications of remote sensing data analysis. These range from the automatic detailed reconstruction of complex 3D environments to visual tracking of objects in image sequences as well as monitoring natural and anthropogenic long-term processes on a regional scale. Part C covers recent trends in automatic analysis of remote sensing data.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308018217333,"sku":"9781849951289","price":90.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849951289_ef33e08a-a2d4-4399-b754-0a79d77b3bd0.jpg?v=1786029181"},{"product_id":"9781849952651","title":"Scottish Lighthouse Pioneers","description":"In the 19th century, the Stevenson engineers pioneered marvellous lighthouses around the coasts of Scotland - lighthouses which inspire with their architectural elegance, and speak of compassion for sailors and fishermen risking their lives in these notoriously dangerous waters. But what was it actually like to be a Scottish lighthouse engineer, and how did the professional activities interact with social and economic conditions in Scotland at the time? How did the Northern Lighthouse Board's Engineer (almost invariably a Stevenson) cope with weeks aboard a small lighthouse vessel, travelling around the rugged Scottish coastline on dangerous tours of inspection and interacting with local people in some of the remotest regions of Europe?The author reveals the fascinating story of the Stevensons as family members as well as engineers - brilliant yet fallible, tough yet vulnerable, with private lives that are little known, even to lighthouse enthusiasts.It sets their work in a historical and social context, drawing heavily on eye-witness accounts by two of Scotland's most celebrated literary sons: Walter Scott, internationally famous poet and member of the Edinburgh establishment; and Robert Louis Stevenson, young family member and disenchanted engineering apprentice desperate to become an author. The reader is taken to the Orkney and Shetland Islands with descriptions of the chain of Stevenson lighthouses that illuminate a vital shipping route between the North Sea, Baltic, and North Atlantic. Finally we travel to Muckle Flugga, the northernmost outpost of the British Isles and last link in the chain, a vicious rock on which David and Thomas Stevenson dared to build their 'impossible lighthouse'.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308018479477,"sku":"9781849952651","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849952651_6c2b5722-6344-4f72-9ce1-4b0fcb64e085.jpg?v=1786029188"},{"product_id":"9781849953252","title":"Diving for Treasure","description":"This book recounts the efforts over many years to dive wrecks that contained treasure in one form or another. The often prolonged and sometimes dangerous expeditions tell of dives to many ships that were wrecked while carrying tons of gold or other valuables. Many of the wrecks came to lie at great depths which demanded considerable diving expertise using rebreathers which allowed longer dives to be performed.\n \nThe authors are both diving experts and in addition to the accounts and historical pictures they have added their own photography to convey to the reader the challenges of the dives undertaken. The technical demands were considerable, from adjusting the camera housing to accommodate the depth to diving at particular times of the year because many of the wrecks were situated in areas of high seas and extreme currents. Many of these wrecks have been the subject of concerted efforts from salvage teams but success could never be assumed.\n \nIt took several years to visit and photograph the wrecks mentioned in the book which provides a fascinating account of the vessels and their treasure, and the challenges of diving in what can be a dangerous environment. Each entry provides details and a brief history of the vessel and the means of its demise, enhanced by a modern diving account with photographs. As such the book will be of great interest to all divers whether active or armchair, and to anyone with an interest in maritime\/military history.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308018577781,"sku":"9781849953252","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953252_514f4239-b801-415d-874b-4ce5f48ad64e.jpg?v=1786029190"},{"product_id":"9781849953702","title":"Diplomatic Protocol","description":"\u003ci\u003eDiplomatic Protocol\u003c\/i\u003e explores the etiquette of diplomacy, without which all efforts to negotiate would flounder. In a world of instant communications, and the growing informality and influence of social media, the rules of diplomatic exchange have never been more important.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  This book provides examples both modern and old, from taking up a post for the first time to departing a mission, where diplomatic protocol has been successful and where diplomacy has failed. Without a clear understanding of the practicalities of diplomatic protocol no aspiring ambassador can hope to succeed. With the benefit of first-hand international experience working with the diplomatic, political, military and business communities, the author offers a unique perspective on the challenges facing a troubled world and as a university lecturer, public and external examiner in diplomatic studies, she brings a current interpretation of a subject which is increasingly recognised as being essential in international affairs. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  From NATO HQ in Brussels and the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, from the United Nations to many of the royal palaces of the world, Rosalie Rivett is able to reflect from a privileged position on the past, present and future direction of diplomacy. Diplomatic protocol may be well-established but its interpretation and correct application in a rapidly-changing and complex political environment could not be more relevant.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308018741621,"sku":"9781849953702","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953702_3b7ac940-4b69-4037-bc7b-839fef35eceb.jpg?v=1786029195"},{"product_id":"9781849953634","title":"Literature of the Gaelic Landscape","description":"Literature of the Gaelic Landscape is a richly insightful exploration of the deep connections between Scotland’s landscapes, Gaelic language and literary tradition. Examining how mountains, glens, islands, coastlines and rural communities have shaped Gaelic poetry, storytelling and cultural identity, the book reveals the powerful relationship between place and imagination in Scottish history.\nBlending literary criticism, cultural history and landscape studies, the book offers readers a fresh understanding of how the Gaelic world has been represented through centuries of song, oral tradition and written literature. It also highlights the importance of landscape in preserving memory, heritage and identity within Gaelic-speaking communities.\nIdeal for readers interested in Scottish literature, Gaelic culture, Highland history, landscape writing and Celtic studies, Literature of the Gaelic Landscape is both an accessible introduction and an important contribution to the understanding of Scotland’s cultural and literary heritage.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308018774389,"sku":"9781849953634","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953634_47bef678-202b-4f66-bf53-8c424c217451.jpg?v=1786029195"},{"product_id":"9781849954570","title":"A Vulture Landscape","description":"A Vulture Landscape is more than just a book about vultures, in the same way that these majestic flyers are more than just birds. Vultures are a crucial part of many of the world's ecosystems, and without these specialist environmental cleansers the ecosystems wouldn't work properly. A calendar year in the lives of these gargantuan raptors is explored as they live, breed, feed and fly with effortless ease across the skies of the vulture landscape that is Extremadura in central Spain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are four species of vulture in Europe, and a fifth that is becoming more of a regular visitor as its own global population plummets. The serious conservation issues faced on a day-to-day basis by these species, and their relatives spread across the globe, are explored, issues that in many cases threaten their very survival. However, this book is a celebration of the vulture and the landscape in which it reigns. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing the latest science, his keen eye and his passion for the birds themselves, the author takes the reader on a journey, introducing readers to the vultures, their lives and their landscape. Along the way, much of the other wonderful wildlife of the vulture landscape, from exotic Bee-eaters and bewitching Montagu's Harriers to rutting Red Stags, are included. Ian explains how watching vultures is not only addictive, but that it can often lead to vulture gazing, surely the most relaxing form of bird watching there is!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith his fine descriptions, readers can enter the world of the vulture, get to know these brilliant birds, learn how they control diseases, why some species have bald necks and how they have mastered the art of flying without expending any energy. The author has spent several years living permanently in Extremadura and now splits his time between his native county of Devon and his beloved vulture landscape, where he leads bird tours introducing people to the birds and the area he clearly loves.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308018807157,"sku":"9781849954570","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954570_b841fdf6-f088-4da4-8129-138b649e749b.jpg?v=1786029204"},{"product_id":"9781849953283","title":"Ploughing a New Furrow","description":"Farmland wildlife has been decimated by intensive crop growing using pesticides, grubbing up hedges, ploughing heathland and draining marshes, etc. With too many sheep grazing our moors, hills and mountains, a range of upland plants, invertebrates and birds has been diminished and the land converted to closely-grazed turf, perfect for heavy rain to cause catastrophic downstream floods. Once common farmland birds have declined by 54% since 1970 with farmland invertebrates declining by 40% in a few decades. Since the 1930s a staggering 97% of our once flower-rich meadows has been lost.\n \nPloughing a New Furrow examines these stark figures and in the context of Brexit considers the unprecedented opportunity for wildlife once again to be nurtured by Britain’s farmers alongside food production, reversing the enormous plant and animal losses our farmland has suffered.\n \nWith its financial largesse, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has encouraged farmers to destroy huge areas of wildlife habitat in Britain’s lowlands and seriously damage large tracts of our uplands, depleting Britain’s farmed land of much of its wildlife. With responsibility for farm policy to be transferred back to the UK, these enormous losses could be reversed and Britain’s farms made wildlife-rich once more.\n \nThis book is based to a significant extent on conversations with farmers and on the achievements and experiences of some farmers who have made good use of agri-environment payments to reinstate lost habitats and manage their remaining wildlife more sensitively. The author sets out the case for removing or capping subsidies, supporting organic and other more sustainable forms of agriculture and the conservation of soils and the rich life forms they hold. He proposes a set of policy changes and other measures that should be adopted by the Government post-Brexit to make the 70% of our land that farming occupies rich in wildlife again.  Literally food for thought!","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308019069301,"sku":"9781849953283","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953283_c43bd68b-a54b-4633-b936-531a68ffe29d.jpg?v=1786029191"},{"product_id":"9781849954969","title":"Shipwrecks of the Dover Straits","description":"The Dover Straits is the resting place for many wrecks and this book reveals the stories behind a selection of these unfortunate vessels. This highly pictorial account shows the wrecks and the numerous artefacts found. The gallery of photographs for each wreck is accompanied by a brief summary of the history of the vessel and the actual dive, providing an insight into diving in these challenging waters and also the excitement of discovering age-old artefacts.\nThe book unearths some amazing stories and shows the objects in situ or recovered for purposes of identification all declared to the receiver of wrecks many in remarkable condition. There are many hundreds of wrecks in these waters that form a perfect site for wreck divers and this book describes just a fraction of what may be found.\nThis new book will be a valuable and enticing introduction for all divers wishing to explore the huge number of wrecks to be found in the Dover Straits as well as a useful point of reference.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308019560821,"sku":"9781849954969","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954969_67e2dbce-4f44-4425-8ccd-3826e8544559.jpg?v=1786029219"},{"product_id":"9781849954594","title":"On Foot in the African Bush","description":"Safari guide Jeff Williams has brought together a treasure-trove of stories of dramatic events that occurred whilst guides were leading parties through the bush on foot. Often these were recounted during evenings sitting around a campfire with friends and guide colleagues, swapping yarns and sharing their experiences. Frequently guests were there listening enthralled, shocked and amused in equal measure and sometimes the telling of the tale evoked vivid images.\nA walking trail in the bush is the ultimate adventure for a visitor to wild Africa and it is the skill and experience of their guides that allow them to do this safely. These walks highlight the essence of the bush – the sights, sounds, and scents that still embody the Africa of the past. Nevertheless, there are occasions when, in spite of the guide’s best efforts, unplanned confrontations with potentially dangerous animals occur. Usually these end comfortably with only an adrenaline rush for guests to carry home or publish on social media. But occasionally things become much more dramatic.\nThe reader will hear of potentially perilous situations involving encounters with charging lions, angry elephants, cantankerous buffalos, curious rhinos and, worst of all, the animals’ and humans’ greatest enemy, poachers. There is the bushman guide who walked over 20km through the night with an inexperienced young girl, successfully handling an attack by a hyena, avoiding elephants and finding shelter and sustenance. Another very young guide used a hugely unorthodox and personally dangerous technique to rescue a guest literally from the jaws of death. Talking to a large elephant to dissuade him from harming a walking party? Yes, that’s here too.\nSadly, the real African bush is shrinking in size and is under serious threat from the increasingly populated and developing modern world. Some may be able to visit these precious remnants in person but this book provides a window into the specialized field of walking safaris for the armchair reader, the seasoned world traveller and even a stimulating reminder for those who have done it before. Whether you are an armchair explorer or an old Africa Hand there is drama, excitement and even laughter: they are all here.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308019626357,"sku":"9781849954594","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954594_81d9974a-8d1c-497f-9129-c97c62f123f0.jpg?v=1786029206"},{"product_id":"9781849954976","title":"At the Very End of the Road","description":"At the very end of the road is a six-bar metal gate. It is chained and padlocked and marks the exact line where the tarmac stops. Beyond that is a track, twelve pasture and hay fields, and an area of saltmarsh, bounded on one side by a river and on the other by vast tidal mudflats. Deep in the west of England, this is a place sculpted by the wind and painted by the tides. It is a place full of wildlife. This immersive and carefully crafted book of place explores the impact of season and tides and weather upon this land at the edge through a series of literary pictures crafted through lyrical imaginative language. The author attempts what few, if any, have tried to do, namely to render meticulous observations of the intimate details of wildlife and landscape to depict a place as faithfully and transparently as possible. \nThis is a bold book, one that tries to capture the elusive soul of a place; a daring examination of both what makes a place and how it is remade daily through the interactions between landscape and observer. It is also radical for its approach challenges the current orthodoxy of nature writing that in order to supply a connection between author, subject, and reader, some sort of narrative framework of human emotion is required to provide it with a rationale. So, although the prose is subjective, the book is framed in such a way as to remove the author’s presence almost completely. There is no story save that of the eternal change of the seasons, no narrative connection, no focus on a single species, no discussion or allusion to the environmental issues of our age, no characters. Indeed, there is barely any mention of people at all. Although it rarely tries to explain or educate, it simply places observations at centre stage. Yet in trying to unearth what it is precisely that constructs our relationship with place, the author has, paradoxically, produced one of the most deeply personal and unusual nature books.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308019954037,"sku":"9781849954976","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954976_16935316-6d61-48cf-a2fa-d17f6b9c1f7d.jpg?v=1786029219"},{"product_id":"9781849954914","title":"The Life and Works of Glasgow Architects","description":"This is the first full biography of two of Scotland’s most eminent Architects, James Miller and John James Burnet.\nBorn just three years apart into very different circumstances, their careers and lives became intertwined as they competed for work and eventually the role of Scotland’s leading architect. Born in 1857 and 1860 respectively, one inherited and the other established successful practices in Glasgow at the zenith of that city’s wealth in the late 19th century.\nJohn James Burnet produced many of the city’s finest buildings. These include The Athenaeum on Buchanan Street; Charing Cross Mansions; numerous city-centre commercial buildings such as Waterloo Chambers and Atlantic Chambers and the Townhouses on University Avenue. After moving to London, his work included the extension of the British Museum, The Daily Telegraph Building on Fleet Street and Adelaide House by London Bridge.\nJames Miller is Scotland’s most prolific architect. His most high-profile designs include: The Empire Exhibition of 1901, Glasgow Central Station, Wemyss Bay Station, Turnberry Hotel, Gleneagles Hotel, the interiors of the SS Lusitania and SS Aquitania, Hampden Park, Forteviot Model Village, and the Institution of Civil Engineers in Westminster. Despite his extraordinary output and his considerable architectural contribution to Scotland’s heritage, he has received relatively little acclaim, until now.\nThis is a fascinating double biography, the story of Burnet and Miller’s parallel lives and work, set against the background of the booming Empire’s ‘Second City’.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020150645,"sku":"9781849954914","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954914_fdb224bf-76b6-43f4-ad3e-0e78d841638b.jpg?v=1786029215"},{"product_id":"9781849955348","title":"The Wonder of Africa’s Natural History","description":"This book opens up a wonderland of natural history for all ages to enjoy, and will spark interest in the intricate web of Africa's natural history, one that is bursting with exuberance, a great variety of life. It covers a vast range of topics that are often neglected, and reveals untold mysteries hidden in this remarkable continent. It is written in a readable and clear style that allows the reader to gain an appreciation of its continent-wide approach, which is based upon half a century or more of knowledge. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDelving into the intricate fossil history found in Africa, \u003ci\u003eThe Wonder of Africa's Natural History\u003c\/i\u003e describes some of the largest dinosaurs that walked this earth and extraordinary giant mammals of the Pleistocene, to the largest mammal that still survives to this day. It also encompasses the tiny mites that reside inside animals' ears and the remarkable maggot that finds a home in the sole of the elephant's foot. This book discusses creatures great and small.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe remarkable variety of animals described explores their colours, behaviours, displays of weapons and the meanings behind the differences. The book explains the animals' everyday lives, co-habitations, and how the large carnivores live alongside their prey. The reader is transported into their world from birth, through growing up to their social interactions. Fantastic migrations showing the exuberance of life are described from butterflies to wildebeest and elephants and the once huge increases in number of the springbok in South Africa. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Wonder of Africa's Natural History\u003c\/i\u003e unfolds a great diversity of life from swamp to forest, rivers and lakes, each with their particular creatures. It shows how an antelope or the bizarre naked mole rat can survive in arid environments. It transports us across the vast panorama of the beautiful plains of Africa, revealing how they are exploited and how the real battles in Nature are fought among the small species, the myriad of insect forms.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe co-evolution of the whole community is an astonishingly amazing tangled web of life, having its origin over 300 million years ago. This book is a natural history to be enjoyed by all.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020511093,"sku":"9781849955348","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955348_eb25deb1-69fd-4728-aa9b-4d11445d25a5.jpg?v=1786029231"},{"product_id":"9781849955669","title":"Art \u0026 Nature in the Outer Hebrides","description":"The Outer Hebrides is an island archipelago on the remotest north-western periphery of a bigger island archipelago, itself part of Europe’s Atlantic coastline. And what is Atlantic Europe if not the north-western tip of the vast land mass of Eurasia? Here is an unrivalled sense of place, on the edge, the periphery, the brink.\nBruce Kendrick has been visiting these islands, regularly, since 1970. Art \u0026amp; Nature in the Outer Hebrides combines his highly commendable nature writing with fascinating stories of folk he has met over the years who create wonderful art and crafts in these remote islands. How do these artists, be they painters, potters, photographers, or poets, interpret their world of nature, their culture, their heritage, here in the wilds of the north-east Atlantic Ocean?\nLike many worthwhile things in life, making art is not without its challenges. There will be setbacks on any lifelong journey but there will be triumphs too. If there is one trait these Hebridean-based artists do have in common it is their single-minded determination and persistence to create art, in all its many guises, from out of the deep well of their own imagination and their inescapable world of nature’s beauty and inspiration.\nBruce is also an accomplished nature photographer and his supporting images of both art and nature in these islands only add to the book’s appeal.\nSo come along and enjoy Bruce’s fine narrative style as he travels from Lewis in the north to Vatersay in the south where nature prevails and art flourishes.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020674933,"sku":"9781849955669","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955669_e2c70fb4-1470-4b0a-89b4-0af64aeac68e.jpg?v=1786029242"},{"product_id":"9781849954990","title":"Understanding Metocean","description":"This unique and innovative book provides guidelines, procedures and information for the offshore renewables and oil \u0026amp; gas sectors with regard to the requirements for metocean at each stage of the life cycle of a project.  \nIt also provides details about metocean processes and activities that ensure these requirements are addressed. It therefore presents a better understanding of what metocean is all about and how optimum use of data and information can benefit offshore development activities.\nReference is made to appropriate standards as and when applicable and it will therefore complement existing standards. Written by an expert with many years practical experience, the book provides information about the development of metocean, the rationale behind it and the key data and procedures that should be utilised and followed to enable more profitable offshore operations.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020707701,"sku":"9781849954990","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954990_c70464b1-154f-4ea8-98e6-94614687f72e.jpg?v=1789395673"},{"product_id":"9781849955881","title":"A Natural History of Sea Serpents","description":"A Natural History of Sea Serpents, re-examines the cold-case enigma of sea serpents and monsters described by impeccable witnesses over three centuries. These reports have sometimes intrigued and puzzled the most eminent scientists of their times, yet often became the butt of popular derision.\nNaturalist Adrian Shine, best known for his fifty years examining Loch Ness as a 'sympathetic sceptic', reveals how the loch actually held the key to the greater mystery. He exonerates the integrity of most witnesses, often remarks upon the accuracy of their observations yet offers bold and radical interpretations of what they have seen. The book digs deep into the roots of the legend and shows how expectations 'evolved' from those 'serpents' to prehistoric 'monsters' during the nineteenth century. The book cites over a hundred reports and contains as many illustrations as evidence for its conclusions. His findings, stemming from knowledge of ships, the sea and the true monsters living there, cover the entire spectrum of reports, giving new insight, for example, into the famous HMS Daedalus episode of 1848, the description of a very unusual creature seen by two zoologists in 1904 and the serpent seen by hundreds off the coast of New England in 1817. Nothing daunted, he investigates reports of huge serpents seen battling whales and creatures which defy our understanding of vertebrate anatomy by bending both sideways and up and down, whilst under fire by the French Navy.\nThis book will certainly generate debate within the cryptozoology movement, yet also challenges the theories of the preeminent sceptical writer on the subject, Dr. Robert France, who has proposed whales and other creatures entangled in pre-plastic era fishing gear as the cause of most sea serpent encounters. Nevertheless, the author shares this ethnobiological perspective and ends with a strong conservation message.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020773237,"sku":"9781849955881","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955881_afdc2c2d-e224-4d35-b2f5-dd8571b92590.jpg?v=1786029257"},{"product_id":"9781849955553","title":"The British Beach Guide","description":"From all around the coast, from the remote wildness of Cullykhan in Aberdeenshire to the bustling working harbour at St Ives in Cornwall, from the vast empty sands of North Norfolk to Anthony Gormley’s iron men at Crosby beach on Merseyside, the author has asked individuals what the beach means to them.\nHe noticed that people are generally happier on the beach and wanted to find out why. Thus began an engrossing venture. Collecting responses, he was surprised on two counts. Firstly, that people were very open and forthcoming; they had never met and none of the interviews were pre-arranged, yet the answers came thick and fast. Secondly, the range of answers was as diverse as the moods of the sea. He discovered that the beach inspires creativity and connections with nature and can be a place of reflection, work or activities and, above all else, the beach has an uplifting effect.\nThese reflections and opinions are the basis of this guide which features 130 of Britain’s beaches, a cross-section of a larger journey. For each beach, there is a summary, including the author’s own impressions, and the answers from people encountered on that beach with photos.  As well as being a showcase for the fine words of those who have so generously shared their answers, this is a celebration of us as an island people and an acclamation of the beach itself, this unique place where the land, sky and sea meet.\nThe beach interviews showcase its profound effect on people, whether enhancing creativity, decision- making and energy levels, being restorative and settling, as part of a routine or a reference point through generations, perhaps representing freedom, an escape or just fun.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020806005,"sku":"9781849955553","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955553_63b6aa82-69a2-4027-89b5-2749397d3329.jpg?v=1786029240"},{"product_id":"9781849955874","title":"Wild Galloway","description":"Wild Galloway by Ian Carter is a richly illustrated natural history and wildlife photography book celebrating the diverse landscapes, habitats, and biodiversity of Galloway in south-west Scotland. Blending personal reflection with expert naturalist insight, the book explores one of Britain’s most unspoilt wild places, from ancient woodland and heather-clad hills to coastal merse, mudflats and the dramatic Solway Firth.\nBased on a lifetime of experience as a naturalist and conservationist, Carter offers an immersive account of living in a remote Scottish glen where wildlife thrives just beyond the doorstep. Readers encounter red squirrels at the window, pine martens in the woods, golden eagles overhead, and otters and brown trout in the burn, revealing the richness of Scottish wildlife in its natural habitat.\nWild Galloway highlights the ecological importance of wild places and the deep connections formed between people and nature in low-population rural landscapes. The glen itself reflects the wider biodiversity of Galloway, featuring moorland, bog, ancient ash and hazel woodland, and coastal ecosystems that support red grouse, seabirds, waders, and migratory species.\nPerfect for readers interested in Scottish wildlife, nature writing, birdwatching, conservation, walking, and environmental heritage, Wild Galloway is both a personal memoir and a stunning portrait of Scotland’s natural world, showcasing the enduring value of wilderness and biodiversity conservation in the UK.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020871541,"sku":"9781849955874","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955874_85bc8ee4-5b6b-4d13-8f42-899d939c088c.jpg?v=1786029257"},{"product_id":"9781849956031","title":"The Dido Papers","description":"After two years at the Britannia Naval College at Dartmouth, Bryan Godfrey Faussett joined his first ship, HMS Dido in June 1879. From the day he joined her he wrote long letters home to his family and friends. The Dido went to West Africa, South and East Africa and the letters recount his experiences as a young man of 15 from when he first joined. Remarkably, he made copies of all the letters that he wrote home and these copies provide a very rare glimpse of the life of a young midshipman in the Royal Navy of the mid-Victorian era. The letters cover the period from June 1879 until April 1881. He experiences not only the life of a young midshipman, learning the ways of a naval warship, but also visiting many places in West Africa which very few, if any, of his contemporaries at home would have any knowledge of whatsoever. His letters are fluent and well-written and it is easy to forget that they are written by a 15-year-old boy. His descriptions of West Africa, his visits ashore and the remarkable experiences that occur, including the death of the Dido’s captain and his funeral only a few hours later in a west African graveyard, and a meeting of local kings and chieftains in a conference on board Dido in order to resolve disputes, are but two of the remarkable experiences that he undergoes and records. Dido also spends time on the East coast of Africa, anchored off Durban at the time of the first Boer war and his descriptions of that conflict, in which some of the crew of the Dido were sent to fight, are fascinating. In his Foreword, Rear Admiral John Lang says ‘Even a casual glance at this collection of letters is a joy. It is an extraordinary record of a cadet and midshipman in the Victorian Navy and opens a window of life in an era when the passage of time is marked by the receipt and dispatch of periodic letters to and from home’.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308020969845,"sku":"9781849956031","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849956031_bf6f3c9e-ae82-461a-a84b-6b24aeb4b4e8.jpg?v=1786029269"},{"product_id":"9781849953993","title":"Archie's Lights","description":"Born at a clifftop lighthouse in 1910, Archie’s life was spent in the world of Scottish lighthouses – he was one of the third generation of his family in the service of the Northern Lighthouse Board.\nArchie’s stories have gripped listeners of all ages and have now been compiled by Anne MacEachern. Written in Archie’s words, this account portrays the man and reveals a past way of life. From peacetime through war, dealing with goats, shipwrecked sailors or German spies, the story brings vividly to life the challenges of living and working at a lighthouse, including raising a young family at such an isolated and potentially dangerous place.\nMany characters appear at various lights, each with their own personality and often annoying habits. Short-term transfers took place in and just after World War 2 when communications and transport were particularly difficult. There were hardships and rewards, and a mystery to solve: the well-known disappearance of three keepers at the Flannan Isles in 1900.\nThe men had to be – and were – remarkably resourceful and courageous, although not all could stand the isolation and dangers at offshore pillar rock lights, especially in wartime. The sea ruled their lives – creating idyllic periods on sunny, calm days but being uncontrollably destructive for much of the time.\nLike his colleagues, Archie upheld to the best of his ability the ideal of their Service, ‘For the Safety of All’, but in his younger days he was not afraid to speak up and press, with others, for better conditions. His service as a full-time keeper continued in part-time capacities, extended over a period of 67 years.\nThrough this man’s keen eye, the reader will meet people, birds, animals and situations from a lifetime of service; a revealing glimpse into this close-knit world. There is also humour, often that dry Highland humour, which adds spice to the telling; in Archie’s case a fondness for wild places and dried figs helped.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308066484597,"sku":"9781849953993","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953993_319613d5-9fd3-4f49-b46f-04dc7258dda7.jpg?v=1786029198"},{"product_id":"9781849954037","title":"Walking Scotland's Lost Railways","description":"Scotland still has hundreds of miles of ‘dismantled railways’, the term used by Ordnance Survey, and the track beds give scope for many walks. Some track beds have been ‘saved’ as Tarmacadam walkway\/cycleway routes while others have become well-trodden local walks. The remainder range from good, to overgrown, to well-nigh impassable in walking quality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book provides a handy guide to trackbed walks with detailed information and maps. It is enhanced by numerous black and white old railway photographs, recalling those past days, and by coloured photographs that reflect the post-Beeching changes. The integral hand-crafted maps identify the old railway lines and the sites of stations, most of which are now unrecognisable. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe ‘Railway Age’ is summarised and describes the change from 18th century wagon ways and horse traction to the arrival of steam locomotives c.1830. Although walkers may be unaware of the tangled history of the development of the railway system during the Victorian era, many will have heard of, or experienced, the drastic 1960s cuts of the Beeching axe. However, in more recent times Scotland has experienced a railway revival – principally in the Greater Glasgow area but with new stations and station re-openings elsewhere. Many railway enthusiasts cling to the hope that more lines will be reinstated. Meanwhile, those walks offer a fascinating and varied selection of routes that can fill an afternoon, a day or a long weekend – an ideal opportunity to get walking!","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308066550133,"sku":"9781849954037","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954037_55789dbc-140d-429a-8ced-523e9787de56.jpg?v=1786029199"},{"product_id":"9781849951234","title":"Running Wild","description":"Mike Tomkies is back doing what he does best - observing our rarest and most dramatic wildlife, unsuspected and from close quarters, and writing about it with the kind of intimate detail that has earned high acclaim from critics and conservationists. Within days of arriving back from five years of studying bears, wolves and lynxes in Spain, he is up a wild cliff in Cornwall watching three peregrine falcon chicks from hatching to flying stage. We can follow his astounding adventures over the next ten years as he obsessively searches all through Britain for that elusive 'small wild paradise' so many of us would also like to find. He lives in, but finally loses, no less than six new homes in that time and the complications and reasons why are both hilarious and sad. Even more fascinating is his continual obsessive quest to get up close and personal with nesting goshawks, buzzards and ospreys, as well as mammals like fishing otters, a fox family and he even feeds wild badgers by hand. At one remote farmhouse in the Borders, he learns how to handle a bulldozer, digs out his own 70-yard lake and stocks it with trout. Over three years there he raises ten barn owl chicks and establishes three breeding pairs in areas where they had long been absent. It was the most successful barn owl release at the time. There are many amusing anecdotes such as when he dreaded taking some of Prince Harry's classmates to 'otter bay' and then saw far more otters than when he had gone there on his own! Transcending all are his new studies and descriptions of hunting and nesting golden eagles, during which he passed his 3,050th hour in one of his home-made 'invisible' hides, and a huge female allowed him to bring much-needed meat to her chicks in their eyrie. The book ends with triumphant filming of the magnificent white-tailed sea eagles on Mull, hunting and sailing into their high nest with prey and feeding their chicks. Mike also achieved valuable publicity for the pioneering public sea eagle hide project on Mull.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308066582901,"sku":"9781849951234","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849951234_4d0230e6-ea4f-4646-bfa6-daec02ca25b2.jpg?v=1786029180"},{"product_id":"9781849954549","title":"Subsea Rock Installation and Rock Placement","description":"Based upon the author’s wide experience in a broad range of projects, this invaluable book sets the scene and places rock installation in the context of the offshore industry today.\nThis is an industry where health, safety and environmental considerations are factored into a project with the same level of professionalism as regulatory compliance and good design. Full information is therefore provided about planning, preparation, execution and reporting of a rock installation project.  \nKey information in included on rock types, the nature of the seabed and the relationship between the quarry and the receiving vessel, which together form a system of turning a terrestrial geological formation into a rock berm offshore. Rock installation vessels, their characteristics, equipment and capabilities are also examined.  \nThis book is based upon personal experience offshore in a series of rock installation projects over the last 16 years. It covers the oil and gas sector, coastal engineering, power and telecom cable projects and draws on practice in the UK, Norwegian and Danish Exclusive Economic Zones where much rock installation takes place. The range in scale is significant, from large oil field developments to more specialised projects such as the preparation of sites from which a jackup rig can safely operate.   \nThis book is a useful enabler for project staff and new client representatives offshore to have a productive rock installation experience from the initial discussions with a contractor to the final results and verification.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308067303797,"sku":"9781849954549","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954549_69753c20-125b-4073-97da-2964908cd171.jpg?v=1786034240"},{"product_id":"9781849954723","title":"A Journey in Landscape Restoration","description":"Carrifran Wildwood was the brainchild of local people who mourned the lack of natural habitats and decided to act. When Borders Forest Trust was founded the Wildwood became the Trust’s first large land-based project, and after 20 years of work it has become an inspirational example of ecological restoration. Removal of sheep and goats and planting 700,000 trees launched the return of native woodland and moorland, transforming degraded hill land into something akin to its pristine, vibrant, carbon-absorbing state, teeming with plants, animals and fungi, alive with birdsong and the sound of the wind in the trees.\nThe 40 contributors vividly describe all the challenges of carrying forward bold initiatives requiring close cooperation with local communities as well as funders, authorities, landowners and partners. A core part of the book is devoted to how nature asserts itself when given a chance. It includes ‘before and after’ surveys, describes vegetation changes – some of them unpredicted – following removal of sheep, cattle and feral goats; unique documentation of the dramatic changes in bird populations during the 20-year transformation of Carrifran valley from denuded land to a restored mosaic of woodland and moorland habitats; discussion of the gradual development of a diverse range of invertebrate animals; and descriptions of the rich communities of fungi and mosses, many of them newly-recorded in the area.\nThe book concludes with discussion of the role of restoration ecology in addressing the biodiversity crisis and climate change. This is the extraordinary story of how a group of motivated people can revive nature at a landscape scale.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308067336565,"sku":"9781849954723","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954723_067595f6-aeff-4cce-9159-1a8991f9fcb4.jpg?v=1786034241"},{"product_id":"9781849954341","title":"Flight from Afghanistan","description":"In clear and utterly compelling English, this moving memoir tells the story of the agony, and the ecstasy, of one refugee – and of every refugee.A must read for anyone interested in the triumph of Afghanistan's spirit over its seemingly endless suffering. Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, British Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2007–2010 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlight From Afghanistan is a harrowing account of what drives a man to flee his home country in fear of his life, the trauma of refugee camps and the dangers he faces even when he reaches the sanctuary of the West. Afghans are the second largest refugee group in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen confronted by certain death at the point of a gun, Tella Omeri, an uneducated boy from a peasant family knew he had no alternative but to put his life in the hands of ruthless human traffickers, living on his wits and instincts. His 11-year flight, which began as a six-year- old child, is a story combining brutality with courage, hopelessness with resilience.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author asks for no pity, but in his short story he seeks to explain the motivation behind his decisions and paints a radically different picture of life in a troubled region, challenging world leaders and domestic warring factions to find a solution to the endless conflict.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile thousands of refugees flee conflict and danger every day, Flight from Afghanistan shines a powerful light on what it actually means to undertake such a journey, and gives a voice to the often forgotten silent victims of the long-running wars in the author's home country.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTella Omeri now lives in the UK as a British citizen with his wife and children.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308067402101,"sku":"9781849954341","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954341_a64aa6f7-9e26-4971-b858-8dcd80b77b6b.jpg?v=1786029200"},{"product_id":"9781849954402","title":"The British Lighthouse Trail","description":"The British Lighthouse Trail by Sarah Kerr is a comprehensive illustrated guide to more than 600 lighthouses across Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.\nCombining maritime history, architectural insight, colour photography and practical visitor information, the book explains where Britain’s lighthouses are located, how they developed and why they remain important. Its journey around the coast stretches from Muckle Flugga in Shetland, Britain’s most northerly lighthouse, to La Corbière in Jersey.\nSarah Kerr traces the evolution of lighthouse technology from early warning fires and coal beacons to electric lights and automated navigation systems. She also explores the work of celebrated lighthouse engineers, including Scotland’s Stevenson family, whose designs transformed maritime safety around Britain’s coast.\nWritten for coastal travellers, lighthouse enthusiasts, photographers and readers interested in maritime, engineering and architectural history, this accessible guide helps readers discover both celebrated landmarks and lesser-known lights. Richly illustrated throughout, The British Lighthouse Trail is an authoritative guide to the history, design and locations of the lighthouses that have protected generations of seafarers.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308067500405,"sku":"9781849954402","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954402_f87eca41-805a-4266-8f5a-0635f8e4b25a.jpg?v=1786029202"},{"product_id":"9781849954938","title":"A Passion for Snowdrops","description":"Snowdrops are known as the ‘harbingers of spring’ at a time when there is little else in flower in the garden to brighten the dull winter months. No-one should be without these dainty white gems which can symbolize innocence, purity and hope. The author describes all known snowdrop species, the cultivation of garden-worthy varieties and their naming as well as their history in early European and English literature. He includes the earliest reference to the English word ‘Snowe Dropps’ in 1615, preceding the previous earliest reference to ‘Snow drops’ in 1633.\nFor novice gardeners and those who have never grown snowdrops before he describes how to grow just a few reliable varieties, with advice on buying, planting, dividing, looking after snowdrops, labelling, diseases and companion plants. He also dispels the myth that snowdrops are difficult and don’t survive well in gardens, giving advice on all aspects of snowdrop culture. For galanthophiles varieties are recommended to extend their collection. This advice is based on personal experience from growing over 100 different cultivars in his town garden in Oxford.\nThe sequence of flowering of different snowdrop varieties from October to March is described, including the autumn-flowering Queen Olga’s snowdrop. This diary format of their emergence will help gardeners learn how there can be snowdrops flowering for six months of the year. The book is illustrated with a stunning selection of close-up images of different varieties of snowdrops to help aid identification of these dainty flowers.\nIncluded in the chapter on snowdrop art are many historical images from the earliest-known snowdrop woodcut in Dodoens’ European Herbal, 1568 to more recent 19th century images. No other author on snowdrops has attempted such an extensive description of snowdrop art over the centuries, including advice from Jacquie Hibbert on how to paint snowdrops, or has described the evolution of this art form for snowdrops.\nThe book concludes with a useful index of all 22 recognized species and over 100 varieties with reference to international collections.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308069073269,"sku":"9781849954938","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954938_5ea50719-b567-444c-bcb7-89d04d291166.jpg?v=1786029217"},{"product_id":"9781849954952","title":"An Eye for Birds","description":"As a ten-year-old, the author contracted TB and was sent to an isolated sanatorium, deep in the Cheshire countryside. There he was bedridden for six months. On fine days, nurses would push the young patients, in their beds, out onto a large veranda and it was there that his love of birdwatching developed. \nOn leaving hospital, he shared his passion with three schoolmates and over the next five years this small band of birders explored wildlife locations on and nearby the Wirral. Their travels and love of nature was epitomised when, aged 16, they spent part of their summer on Bardsey, a remote island off North Wales as part of a small, professional team of naturalists.  As a young birdwatcher, the author is fascinated when he observed nature first-hand and began to grasp the basics of the science of evolution.\nThis is a ‘rites of passage’ story of one lad’s journey through those early formative teenage years during 1957 to 1962 when birdwatching sat easily in his life alongside football, girls, radical politics and rock bands.  Each chapter traces the boy’s expanding world of nature and then, in later life, he reflects on those times. A passion for nature has stayed with him throughout his life and as an adult, he explores the way views are formed and become a base reference framework to work out his personal ethics and morality. On revisiting all his old haunts each visit triggers further questions, reflections and musings. How does nature manage, over all those years, to continue to inspire and stimulate him?  What does it mean to be part of nature? How does nature manage to heal?\nAn Eye for Birds is a series of reflections of an individual, trained in the sciences, revisiting his teenage wildlife haunts and looking back to those times with mature perspective and sentiment that add their own colours to the story","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308069106037,"sku":"9781849954952","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954952_6404e79d-de20-403a-983b-6049c43cbfe2.jpg?v=1786029218"},{"product_id":"9781849954822","title":"A Scottish Blockade Runner in the American Civil War","description":"Born in 1828 near Kelso in the Scottish Borders, Wyllie went to sea as an apprentice seaman in 1852 and quickly rose through the ranks. By 1862 he had gained his masters certificate in Liverpool, and there he took command of his first vessel, the Bonita. He sailed for Nassau, then a booming port involved in running contraband through the Union blockade of the Confederate States, at that time fighting in the American Civil War. Sailors from Britain rushed to man these vessels as great fortunes could be made if a successful run was made into a Confederate port. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the return journey, two agents of the State of North Carolina, Thomas Crossan and John White, were travelling to Britain on the orders of Governor Zebulon Vance to purchase ships to run the blockade. This set Wyllie's career as a blockade runner on course. White and Crossan arranged the purchase of the Clyde-built paddle steamer Lord Clyde and, just five months after docking in Liverpool as commander of the Bonita, Wyllie took command of the Lord Clyde, renamed the Ad-Vance. He was aboard from the start of the vessel's new career until her capture in September 1864. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwo more commands of blockade runners followed; he was captured again and then evaded the American authorities through an ingenious, and at sometimes unbelievable, escape to Scotland. After the war Wyllie continued at sea for another two years before returning to Scotland to settle as a farmer. The role that Wyllie played during the Civil War is explored in depth and reveals that he was a constant face, and force, in the crew of the steamer with his actions and abilities being greatly appreciated by both crew and owners alike.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe most comprehwensive history of the\u003ci\u003e Ad-Vance\u003c\/i\u003e is provided, from the day she left Glasgow until her capture off the Carolina coast. Many fascinating contemporary passenger diaries, personal recollections from crew, letters and telegrams between Wyllie and Governor Vance, official records of the war and newspaper reports are included.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308069335413,"sku":"9781849954822","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954822_3df2296f-73fd-478f-93b8-0b82b5c4ae6f.jpg?v=1786029210"},{"product_id":"9781849955010","title":"The Magnetism of Antarctica","description":"This under-documented expedition was a pivotal moment in the annals of polar exploration and was the starting point, in historical terms, of revealing the great unknown continent of Antarctica. It was the first time in nearly 70 years since Captain James Cook had circumnavigated Antarctica, that a Royal Naval voyage of discovery had ventured so far South. They set a new ‘furthest south’ record in the process beating the one set up by James Weddell in a whaling ship in 1823.\nThe expedition set sail from Greenwich in 1839. It consisted of two wooden sailing ships commanded by Captain James Clark Ross and Commander Francis Crozier. The ships were manned exclusively by Royal Naval personnel and each ship had a complement of 64 men and officers. Their primary task was of a scientific nature to study the Earth’s magnetic field and build up a set of results that could provide a greater understanding of the effects of magnetism on compasses and their use in navigating the world’s oceans. This voyage had a set of planned targets and all were accomplished. In the process a vast amount of scientific information was collected.  \nMany exotic places were visited during the voyage amongst them Madeira, St. Helena, Cape Town, Kerguelen Island, New Zealand, Australia and the Falkland Islands but the pinnacle was the discovery of the Ross Sea, the Ross Ice Shelf and the mighty volcanoes of Erebus and Terror (named after the two ships). The crews experienced the dangers of navigating in ice-strewn waters and narrowly escaping being crushed by icebergs. Illness was kept at bay although several lives were lost due to accidents.\nIt would be another 60 years before the scenes of their greatest discoveries were visited again and then the Golden Age of Discovery was ushered in with the likes of Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308069400949,"sku":"9781849955010","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955010_71c3125b-9f73-4327-890c-1f498087fb65.jpg?v=1786029222"},{"product_id":"9781849955393","title":"Footsteps in the Snow","description":"Footsteps in the Snow recounts a life shaped and dominated by Antarctica, a multi-facetted account of a life dedicated to Antarctic science, policy and governance. It is also the story of growth from callow youth to Antarctic professional in the most challenging of environments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoining the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) straight from university in 1966 meant two years as a scientist at an isolated British research station with all the challenges of wintering in the hostile environment half a century ago. After just two years he became one of the youngest men to be made a base commander, and as Sir Vivian Fuchs (then Director of BAS) recounts ';proved himself one of the best we ever had under the most testing conditions'. The story recounts the many challenges of those testing conditions, while developing scientific ideas and accomplishing engineering feats with his team and on occasion looking death in the face and surviving. There were new developments in building research stations on the ice shelf, and the discovery of the ozone hole that gripped the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen followed the transition from research scientist to policy maker and diplomat when he became Deputy Director of BAS and advisor to the British delegation at the Antarctic Treaty. Tragedy struck at a base resulting in the author leading the first ever British midwinter flight into Antarctica. Since retiral, the author has become a polar historian ';of repute', and his efforts have been directed to writing and being a guide for Antarctic tourism. This book allows the reader to feel the wonder, awe, excitement and passion for Antarctica which drove John Dudeney throughout his career, and which is as fresh today as it was on first encounter half a century ago.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308070383989,"sku":"9781849955393","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955393_0cc00cc2-66d6-4b8f-9f67-07ac98206a4c.jpg?v=1786029232"},{"product_id":"9781849955331","title":"The Futile Pursuit of Power","description":"Italian history is not widely read but the period under Mussolini's shadow is both interesting and relevant to understanding the wheeling and dealings of the 1930s and into WWII. Through sheer nepotism Galeazzo Ciano married Mussolini's daughter and became Italy's Foreign Secretary, the youngest in Europe and at first scorned at home and abroad. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are many salacious stories of their open marriage and promiscuity, but the focus is Ciano's political life as a man regarded as second only to Mussolini. Through his diary and diplomatic papers, access is gained to the European diplomatic squabbles of the 1930s. The study of Ciano provides insights into Hitler and his leading henchmen, especially Ribbentrop and Gring, as well as the Spanish dictator Franco. Most importantly the figure of Mussolini is exposed in both his professional and somewhat dubious private life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book explores the question of the Italian Fascist attitudes towards the Jewish population, the Vatican, and the monarchy. The Nazis at first courted him but soon realised he saw them for what they were, and he proved incapable of containing either his criticisms or the growing threat against him. Ciano finally turned against Mussolini only to find after his master's downfall that he had left himself encircled by personal enemies. His flight to Germany initiated his descent into personal chaos, leading to his trial and execution in Italy seemingly supported by his father-in-law. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps the strangest twist in the personal story is the way his wife Edda turned to support him after years of an open and promiscuous marriage. There was considerable German and international interest in his diaries and diplomatic papers because of their revealing insights. He has been described as egotistical and arrogant, clever, perceptive, corrupt and a man with potential. Many despised him, but historically he was an interesting personality who above all left historians with some incisive observations of the critical years of 1935 to 1942.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308070482293,"sku":"9781849955331","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955331_07ed9ef4-0f31-4d27-8c85-2f7194e9c748.jpg?v=1786029229"},{"product_id":"9781849955850","title":"The Other Landscape","description":"Neil M Gunn, one of Scotland’s most distinguished 20th century authors, wrote over a period of 30 years, starting in 1926 and ending in 1956 with his so-called spiritual autobiography The Atom of Delight. Two years before this he wrote his last novel, The Other Landscape, the setting being the east coast of Scotland’s most northerly mainland county. This provides the perfect backdrop – a fishing hotel and its English residents, the local ghillies who served them, and a solitary white house near the cliffs in which the occupant, a man from the South, lives alone.\nAdd to this the Major, a retired military officer-cum-diplomat, who quickly shows himself to be an insensitive and overbearing man, disdainful of his fellows and aggressive towards those who challenge his views or show any form of disrespect towards him. His paternalistic behaviour towards the local community masks a contempt for it. Life in the hotel is lightened on a more mundane level by two incidents, both directly relating to the Major – a false alarm over a drowning incident and a fire in his bedroom, both of which end happily, but with a damaging loss of face for the Major and much amusement for the guests and staff at the hotel.\nJuxtaposed with the sporting life at the hotel, and in a subtle way connected to it, is the fate of the solitary and bereaved occupant of the white house. The shadow of death, both present and past, hangs over the house and blends with the palette of second sight and the strong phenomenon of ‘recurrence’, when patterns of events inexplicably repeat themselves. The reader is thus invited to consider the realities of life and death and the inherent tragedies that are contained within them, but in the end is presented with a glimpse of hope and renewal.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308071498101,"sku":"9781849955850","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955850_3e939d53-50a4-48da-9e27-2ff06584bb6f.jpg?v=1786029256"},{"product_id":"9781849955737","title":"Pulling Together","description":"Ship masters and officers may not seem like pioneers of trade unionism. However, this history of their unique union, Nautilus International, shows how they have been pitched into the forefront of a long struggle for decent jobs, fair pay and conditions, employment rights, and health and safety – all in an international industry marked by savage and cut-throat competition.\nThis book traces the evolution of today’s trans-boundary organisation from its roots in the Victorian-era expansion of the merchant fleet and the moves to raise the status and professionalism of its seafarers. It tells how successive unions have sought to overcome such seemingly perennial problems as piracy, criminalisation, substandard ships, excessive working hours and the threat of being replaced by low-cost crews – not to mention the battle against government indifference and public ignorance of an industry that is essential for an island nation.\nFrom the formation, in 1857, of the Mercantile Marine Service Association (MMSA) – the foundation stone in the building of today’s union – the book explains the remarkable ways in which the union has adapted and developed to meet the changing and complex challenges faced by members. From the provision of specialist welfare services and a global network of legal support to its leading role in the development of the international ‘bill of rights’ for seafarers, the union and its forerunners have been at the cutting edge of cradle- to-grave support for members.\nPulling Together also describes the way in which the union has helped to produce trail-blazing systems of structure and organisation to represent members against the backdrop of a volatile ‘boom and bust’ industry, often in the face of intense shipowner hostility. Helping to build national negotiating machinery in one of the most open markets of all industries, the union and its predecessors have worked across borders to create a united response to the global challenges they face.\nWith the shipping industry now entering its fourth industrial revolution, this book shows how Nautilus can draw from more than 160 years of history to continue the fight for a fair future for its members.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308071596405,"sku":"9781849955737","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955737_0b97ab4b-3e65-46f9-b3b2-f89fc295c403.jpg?v=1786029246"},{"product_id":"9781870325684","title":"A High and Lonely Place","description":"This is the work of a man who has known and loved the Scottish Cairngorms for more than 30 years. Jim Crumley marries a poet's instincts to an uncompromising passion for the Cairngorm's arctic character, and for those wildlife tribes which thrive there. He marks nature's rhythms with thoughtful observations of bird and beast, flower and landscape. In the process he strives for a purer empathy with the wilds, seeks out the nourishing bond of man and landscape. Ultimately, the book asserts that the Cairngorms are nature's place. Crumley proposes a radical solution to safeguard the mountains from a threatening array of forces ranged against them. In his conclusion he invokes what Seton Gordon called \"the spirit of the high and lonely places\".","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308201783669,"sku":"9781870325684","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781870325684_4da31a1c-c8d9-4a98-baf4-a2db76aec48d.jpg?v=1786029470"},{"product_id":"9781870325899","title":"Second Sight","description":"A novel set in a Highland shooting lodge, where the focus is a hunt in a remote deer forest; but this is no ordinary thriller. A shooting lodge party of wealthy English people, a team of Highland stalkers, a legendary stag to be hunted and a background of glen and corrie, shrouded from time to time by impenetrable mist. A marvellous blend of ever-changing landscape - be it light and shadow, swift transitiions from light to half light, mist, rain, tones and flowing lines - contribute to the dramatic essence of the novel. Culture and personality clashes and mystery, which portent much deeper clashes between spiritual and material values, provide a vastly enjoyable read.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308203880821,"sku":"9781870325899","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781870325899_9acd86d5-eb25-4e54-a585-d532e76c626c.jpg?v=1786029471"},{"product_id":"9781849954792","title":"Introduction to Pointcloudmetry","description":"This book provides vital knowledge about the fundamentals, idiosyncrasies and unparalleled potential of point cloud technology and is an indispensable aid to acquiring competent knowledge on the processing steps necessary for converting raw data into high quality 3D geo-information.\nThere is an enormous need to map cities, rivers, coasts, roads, industrial installations and infrastructure in general, and also vulnerable areas in full three dimensions. It has to be done accurately and in detail. The main technologies for detailed 3D mapping are based on imaging devices (photogrammetry) and Lidar sensors (laser scanning). These geodata acquisition technologies routinely acquire point clouds of billions of points and have matured rapidly since the mid-1990s. They have become key geodata sources for 3D city modelling, creation of digital twins and smart cities, and inspection of roads, railways, and natural features. Many GIS analysts extensively use point clouds in the form of digital elevation models.\nPointcloudmetry is the specialized branch of geomatics that encompasses the acquisition and processing of point clouds captured by Lidar devices as well as point clouds derived from photogrammetric images.  The technology allows accurate and detailed geo-information about earth-related objects, including the bare earth surface, to be obtained. This book covers the entire chain from the principles of geo-referencing and the basics of electromagnetic energy up to the generation of 2.5D and 3D geoinformation.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308448330101,"sku":"9781849954792","price":95.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954792_cbeb3ba3-27d4-4043-a195-d6dc029a4047.jpg?v=1786029209"},{"product_id":"9781849954877","title":"Birding in an Age of Extinctions","description":"This is a book about what it’s like being a birder in an age of natural decline. It is part autobiographical – tales of spell-binding birding encounters that left indelible memories – and it is part reflective. The travellers’ tales of birding adventures are about places and events that were variously entertaining, amusing, captivating, inspiring, exciting and awesome, literally. They also feature the amazing, eccentric, dedicated, inspiring people in the birding community. Travels to Madagascar, Cambodia, India and many other places are recalled. There is birding in the Himalayas, in the Australian outback, on the Southern Oceans and in hotel gardens and city parks and there are tales of the ‘big listers’, ‘big-lensers’, professional guides, and local conservation workers who try to keep their habitats safe for us. There are lots of images to accompany these stories.\nMartin’s experiences in becoming a birder late in life revealed some strange behaviour which he soon learnt to take for granted as a member of the birding community. Why tear off chasing the next tick when we were having such a good time in the forest we were already exploring? Why was seeing a rare parrot in a cage less significant than seeing a ‘wild’ one that was being hand-fed in a nature reserve? Why was he visiting all those rubbish tips and sewerage farms in search of birds when birding excursions to a forest or a natural wetland were so much more pleasing?\nThere are chapters about all of these puzzles and oddities, and more – their origins and, in some cases, how they shape our behaviour in somewhat perverse ways – on ‘authentic’ birding, the origins and importance of the life list, on rarities and trophy birds, and why the idea of a ‘species’ is elusive yet so important. All these tales and reflections are shaped by birding during an extinction crisis and the growing biodiversity crisis. As he observed trashed habitats and vanishing bird populations during his travels, Martin’s growing dismay and alarm about these issues coloured everything. So he came to ponder what birders are doing in response, whether it is for good or harm.\nThere is the paradox of ‘extinction birding’ – it is not difficult today to see some vanishingly rare birds, because they are hanging on in reserved, fenced spaces, kept alive by artifices such as captive breeding. Because our visits to these places provide funds, we are also among these species’ last hopes for survival. Is this the best we can do? More self-reflection among all birders is necessary. Faced with the growing crisis, we can all do better.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308448395637,"sku":"9781849954877","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954877_65e3f63c-5d0b-44cb-9332-7ddf39ab8f11.jpg?v=1786029211"},{"product_id":"9781849953894","title":"Britain and the Bomb","description":"This is a very British story from more than 50 years ago. It is a story of remarkable technological ambition from a different country than is seen today. It was an era in which the country adjusted to decolonisation and a dangerous nuclear arms race close to home.  The maturing Cold War engineers of the British aviation industry sought to outdo the nationally-celebrated and frankly propagandised achievements of their fathers’ generation. Meanwhile, black and white post-war austerity was being replaced by the colour and rhythms of the swinging sixties. For everyone, engineers or otherwise, the country was changing fast.\n \nBritain and the Bomb tells one of the great British stories from the Cold War – the transition of the nuclear deterrent from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Navy. The author draws upon insights from the laboratories, the military, popular culture and from politicians to make sense of a complex time and to challenge some widely-held perceptions that Britain in the 1960s lost her technical ambition and ability. Rather than industrial chaos and short-termist leadership, there is instead a story of shrewd, but pragmatic, moves in the chess game that was the Cold War. The author looks at how Britain saw the role of nuclear weapons, providing insights for the decisions that now lie ahead for Britain in the twenty-first century.\nThe story pivots around a single day in April 1965. The recently-established Labour government very publicly cancelled the much-vaunted TSR2 nuclear strike bomber, causing dismay among aviation enthusiasts. The passing decades have done little to diminish the controversy and a pervasive sense of nostalgic melancholy about a lost Britain. What really happened to the TSR2 and more importantly what happened in the years that followed? By taking a wider view, the merit of the 1965 decision is apparent, providing better understanding of the even bolder and more ambitious decisions that were needed into the 1970s. Those bold actions were once highly secret and are still not widely-known or understood. While Britain very publicly cancelled her strike bomber ambitions she very secretly pursued a different nuclear weapons project: the ‘Chevaline’ upgrade of the submarine-based nuclear deterrent. That engineering success deserves to be remembered.\nThis is a fascinating book that takes us back to a time of British boffins, supersonic test pilots, mods, rockers and Cold War spies.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308448428405,"sku":"9781849953894","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953894_ee6356fa-27f0-460d-9aaa-fa751529867d.jpg?v=1786029197"},{"product_id":"9781849951586","title":"Underwater Potholer","description":"' - a unique insight into contemporary exploration. Let the entertainment begin - ' Extract from the introduction by Martyn Farr Duncan's curiosity has got him into a lot of tight spots - quite literally! As a teenager, Duncan really wanted to be an astronaut but took to the exploration of inner space instead. Only a dozen men might have stood on the moon but Duncan has squeezed into many places that no one has ever been before, and some places that no one is ever likely to go again (probably for a very good reason). These memoirs recount the author's misadventures during his thirty-year involvement with caving and cave diving beginning with student antics in the caves of the Mendip Hills to a hair raising escape from deep beneath an English stately home. Along the way we are treated to a rollercoaster of emotions - from the joys of discovering new caves to the sadness of losing close friends. Duncan tells his tales without holding back, often making light of quite serious situations: cave-ins, serious illness and an embarrassing incident with a tick.There are tears and laughter, often at the same time: who else would perform an animal impression with a suspected metatarsal fracture? We dive beneath Welsh valleys, Yorkshire Dales and the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are shark attacks, unexploded bombs and secret nuclear research facilities. Technical concepts and jargon are explained clearly and concisely so the reader can follow Duncan into the depths. These stories are a treat for anyone interested in exploration, above or below ground, over or underwater. People often tell Duncan that he must be 'mad' to go cave diving - read this and judge for yourself -","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308448592245,"sku":"9781849951586","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849951586_15fc8f60-2f1e-48d3-bc90-4f7eca4ea982.jpg?v=1786029185"},{"product_id":"9781849955751","title":"Dictionary of Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships from 1905","description":"Royal Fleet Auxiliaries are distinctive in the maritime world – civilian-crewed Merchant Navy ships owned by the Crown working under naval orders. This Dictionary showcases both the famous and the often overlooked ships that have supported the Royal Navy during its prominence in the twentieth century.\nThis comprehensively researched reference work presents a detailed guide to vessels, that in both peace and wartime were essential in the wide field of British maritime history – those that did battle in the Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean and Pacific Oceans and for the Falklands. This is a record of those ships along with details of marine and war losses from the traditional tankers taken up from commercial trade to the ships of today that are designed for the sophisticated and critical role of sea-going logistics support.\nThe author is a recognised authority on the history and ships of the RFA. The Dictionary features some 430 RFA ships and 53 classes from the tanker Petroleum and hospital ship Maine of 1905 to the multi-role assets Proteus and Stirling Castle of 2023. Additionally there is information on 22 projected RFA vessels and equipment including the cancelled hospital ship whose material resources were diverted to aid construction of the Royal Yacht and the nuclear-powered replenishment tanker that remained on the drawing board.\nComprehensively researched from official records, the ships are technically detailed from the Admiralty’s policy and planning through to their engineering, aviation decks and defensive armament. Where appropriate there is a summary of service and for the historical researcher each entry provides a list of the sources used by the author. The easy-to-read detail is supported by an abundance of photographs and drawings. Uniquely there is an appendix of 67 entries detailing those miscellaneous ships that are commonly but erroneously classed as RFAs.\nThis authoritative work fills an important gap in shipping literature with no previous publication on these ships coming close to including the level of detail provided.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308450689397,"sku":"9781849955751","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955751_24ab7308-6f6d-4a83-8716-203f86a3dae5.jpg?v=1786029248"},{"product_id":"9781849954891","title":"The Dunbars of Ackergill and Hempriggs","description":"The Dunbars of Ackergill and Hempriggs emerged in the late 1600s as one of the largest landowners in Caithness. As such they played a major part in the history of the county, a role revealed in the family papers with their wide variety of documents, including personal letters and legal missives.\n Readers will learn about the Dunbars selling Caithness grain in the Lowlands, coping with the effects of the last Jacobite rising, handling disputes with their neighbours, arranging elections, dealing with debt – and that is just in the 18th century. During the Napoleonic wars the Dunbars recruited a fencible regiment called the Caithness Legion that saw action in Ireland. At the same time the British Fisheries Society acquired land from the family and began to develop Pulteneytown as a major herring fishing port. An agricultural revolution swept over the estates, leading to the enclosing of fields, disputes over common land, evictions and refurbishment of farms.\n In the mid-19th century, when the family home at Ackergill Tower was refashioned by the architect David Bryce, the Dunbars adopted the lifestyle of the Victorian country gentry as well as finding careers in the Empire. With family trees, photographs, maps and documents, the book presents an absorbing, intriguing and, at times, amusing account of the social and economic life of the Dunbars over more than three hundred years, using unique messages from the past, never before made public.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308450787701,"sku":"9781849954891","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954891_3e76f787-ed02-4487-bb22-dc0e2c897d5e.jpg?v=1786029213"},{"product_id":"9781849955775","title":"Across the Edge","description":"Across the Edge: Pushing the Limits across Oceans and\n Continents journeys into a fascinating and often untouched world, “of\n unexplored mountain ranges, ice caps, and ocean solitude.” Engineer, photographer and explorer Peter Clutterbuck has travelled through 105 countries and ventured into some of the most remote and unforgiving places on Earth. He has sailed single-handed across the Pacific, climbed previously unclimbed mountains in the Arctic and Antarctic, crossed Arabia’s Empty Quarter and dived in the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean.In Across the Edge, Peter recounts the dangers, discoveries and moments of extraordinary beauty that defined these expeditions. He is rolled in a  Land Rover in the Arabian desert, is dismasted in the North Atlantic, encounters an earthquake while climbing an erupting volcano at night and battles a ferocious Antarctic blizzard. Throughout, he pushes both technology and human endurance to their limits.Illustrated with Peter’s striking photography, this is also a celebration of the world’s remaining wildernesses: immense glaciers, limitless seas of sand, deep-blue oceans and crystal-clear, star-filled skies. His experiences reveal both the raw power of the natural world and its increasing fragility—and make a compelling case for protecting it for future generations.Leave behind traffic, technology and the relentless pressures of modern life, and journey across the edge into places where nature still rules and time seems to stand still.This book will appeal to:Those who enjoy books by explorers such as Ranulph Fiennes, Chris Bonington and Robin Knox-Johnston.\n Readers of adventure, exploration and expedition memoirs\n Armchair travellers interested in remote parts of the world\n Sailors, mountaineers, divers and outdoor enthusiasts\n Readers interested in human endurance and survival in extreme conditions\n Admirers of wilderness and travel photography\n Environmental and conservation-minded readers\n \n\n\"A fantastic read, I found this book exciting, interesting and inspiring.  \nPeter is a man with many more than 9 lives. The sheer variety of Peter's experiences, of locations, and modes of transport mean there's something of interest for everyone in this book, whether they are an adventurer themselves or not - including in the desert, the Arctic and Antarctic, Africa, on mountains and on the oceans, using motorbikes, and sailing boats.  Peter recollects his adventures and mishaps with passion and humour and his easy-to-read style made for a compelling read. \nI would recommend this book.” Helen Lipscombe","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308454261109,"sku":"9781849955775","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955775_c5329fb5-a145-4a85-9687-f14dc77c3dcc.jpg?v=1786029249"},{"product_id":"9781849955812","title":"Kabul: Final Call","description":"On 15 August 2021, the world watched in horror as Kabul fell to the Taliban, almost exactly 20 years after western-backed Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban government in the aftermath of the 9\/11 attacks. During those 20 years the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies tried to build a modern democratic society in Afghanistan, alongside fighting a counter-insurgency war and eradicating al-Qaeda terrorism. The campaign cost the lives of 457 British soldiers, 2402 United States soldiers, and countless Afghan soldiers and civilians. For years Afghanistan was at the top of the UK’s defence and foreign policy priorities. The UK spent tens of billions of pounds on the military campaign and on aid. The United States spent trillions of dollars.\nHow did all this come to nothing, in just a few short weeks?\nThis book tells the shocking and troubling inside story of the last days of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Told by the last British Ambassador to Afghanistan, it offers a no-holds-barred insight into the looming collapse of Afghanistan as western military forces pulled out. It catalogues the political intrigues among the Afghan elite and the indifference of western politicians for whom Afghanistan was a no-win quagmire. It describes the horror of the chaotic evacuation from Kabul. And it pays tribute to the quiet heroism of the British soldiers and civilians on the ground, who brought over 15,000 vulnerable Afghans to safety, against impossible odds, in under two weeks.\nAfghanistan is no longer top of the news. But the people of Afghanistan continue to pay the price of failure – particularly Afghan women and girls. So too do the families of the soldiers – Afghan as well as British and American –  who gave their lives, and those whose bodies and minds were broken by the war. This book offers an unblinking assessment of the causes, the meaning and the human cost of the disaster in Afghanistan.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308454457717,"sku":"9781849955812","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955812_1ee0f3e8-b319-4826-9acb-1922e734b152.jpg?v=1786029252"},{"product_id":"9781849955966","title":"The Girl Who Killed A Nation","description":"The Girl who Killed a Nation is a fast-paced tale that is deeply reflective, readable and down to earth, and will draw in lovers of travel, history, and personal memoir.  It is a true African story that will change readers’ perceptions.\nHow did a teenage girl cause the death of 40,000 of her own people in 1856 – and why do some compare her to an African Joan of Arc or Greta Thunberg? Was she a black liberation leader, a malicious liar or the disruptor of a conservative patriarchal society?\nJoin Treive Nicholas on a moving physical and spiritual journey from the Wild Coast of South Africa to a highly symbolic grave in Cambridgeshire, England as he searches for the infamous teenage prophetess Nongqawuse – leader of the popular mass movement known as the Great Cattle Killing (1856–57). \nFate is his constant companion, gently leading him to the rivers, woods and pastures where mercurial spirits, kings, prophets, witch doctors and colonial leaders played out this visceral African story in the cauldron of nine wars, settler invasion and cruel natural disasters. The ripples of this almost unbelievable tragedy are still felt today.\nOn the grassy hills of the Eastern Cape, Treive concludes the South African leg of his pilgrimage, holding an open-air court at the grave of the revered amaXhosa ruler, King Hintsa. The verdict on his death? Bloody regicide, at the hands of Sir Harry Smith, the Hero of Aliwal and darling of Victorian society.\nAfter recovering from four tropical diseases, and much to Treive’s great surprise, the journey does not end there. Instead, it all comes uncomfortably closer to home. Much closer.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308454490485,"sku":"9781849955966","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955966_7f963353-ede1-44f3-95f2-9c739aa522dd.jpg?v=1786029262"},{"product_id":"9781849953429","title":"The Arctic","description":"This stunningly beautiful and informative book celebrates the Arctic, one of the last great wildernesses on the planet; a place where animals have survived for thousands of years protected only by fur and feathers. Humans also survive in the Arctic, but only those who have adjusted to the climate over millennia and who clad themselves in the skins of the animals they hunt. The Arctic can be harsh, but it is also stunningly beautiful – days during which the sun glints on ice, nights illuminated by the ethereal dancing light of the aurora and with a glimpse of some of the most remarkable animals on the planet.\nMany travel to the Arctic to see the animals, the land mammals, the whales and seals, and the birds. However, the Arctic also has an absorbing human history. The origins of the Inuit in North America, and the array of Eurasian northern peoples, from the Sami of Scandinavia to the Yuppik hunters from Asia’s Bering Sea coast, are still debated, while the discovery, just a year or so ago, of the second ship of Franklin’s doomed expedition to find the North-West Passage has reopened the arguments over exactly what did happen to more than 100 Royal Navy seamen.\nThis fascinating, magnificent area is now under severe threat. Global warming is causing the sea ice to shrink, in both area and volume. This allows easier access to its probable resources and, ironically, this access merely adds to the threats to the area and its wildlife. Due to feedback mechanisms, the Arctic warms about twice as fast as the Earth. The area therefore acts in the way that canaries once acted in coal mines, giving an early warning of danger: melting sea ice not only threatens the local wildlife but indicates the threat to the Earth as a whole.\nThis is a truly remarkable book encompassing the diverse facets of this magnificent area and its vital importance as an indicator of the planet’s health.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308493353333,"sku":"9781849953429","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953429_a37bb7ef-a8a1-4595-ad8f-8b740b9ce3cb.jpg?v=1786029192"},{"product_id":"9781849953306","title":"Understanding Animal Behaviour","description":"This accessible introduction to animal behaviour provides an authoritative yet reader-friendly guide for the interested naturalist. It presents current knowledge about the way animals behave and will enable the reader to derive more pleasure from their observations of animals by gaining a deeper understanding of their behaviour. The concepts are presented in an easily appreciated way with which everyone can associate.In the first part of the book, the author explores how animals behave by considering the physical processes involved in the way animals perceive their environment and what determines how they respond to it. This is followed by the 'why' of animal behaviour in which the author examines many topics under the overall issue of expressing behaviour, and the evolutionary forces that have shaped - and continue to shape - the detailed form of more complex behaviours. Therefore questions such as why animals forage in the way they do and how that foraging pattern may be refined to optimal efficiency; why animals adopt a particular reproductive strategy and breeding behaviour and why some animals live as solitary individuals, while others live in groups and so on. The book is copiously illustrated throughout in support and interpretation of the text. While the pictures enhance understanding of the written text, the text also showcases the exquisite illustrations of wildlife artist Catherine Putman.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308493386101,"sku":"9781849953306","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953306_850a23c0-428d-495a-b0cd-c594009e9a20.jpg?v=1786029191"},{"product_id":"9781849953559","title":"Shorebirds in Action","description":"Shorebirds, or waders, are a large group of small to medium-sized birds that occur worldwide, in a wide range of predominantly coastal or wetland habitats. Some species are largely sedentary whilst others are amongst the world’s most migratory bird species, travelling thousands of kilometres in a few days.\nIn addition to describing physical behavioural traits such as feeding, breeding, migration, and particular physiological adaptations, Shorebirds in Action also covers territorial behaviour both when feeding and breeding. There is detailed discussion of the range of species and their different lifestyles together with feeding strategies, flocking, roosting and the avoidance of predators. The seasonal features of shorebirds’ lives are included, such as the various plumages that they have when breeding, or not breeding, together with the intervening periods of moult, during which the birds change from one plumage to the next.\nShorebirds in Action is in two parts – firstly basic behavioural information and then a photographic section that explains the specific behaviour being illustrated for that particular shorebird at the time the photo was taken.  In addition the book can be read as a general text, split into chapters that provide the basic behavioural information and also by reference to the extended photograph captions which explain the details of the particular behaviour shown.\nThe book contains excellent photographs of about 180 shorebird species – over three-quarters of the world’s total – and therefore provides a general reference for the identification of shorebird species and the recognition of their various plumages. It will be relevant to readers worldwide, including Europe, North America and Australasia. This comprehensive work can be read as a general text and also the photographs can be enjoyed separately in their own right. Detailed references to source material are provided.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308494729589,"sku":"9781849953559","price":21.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849953559_f1a7d5e7-32df-445e-82c9-e3708dc404a0.jpg?v=1786029193"},{"product_id":"9781849954433","title":"They Once Were Shipbuilders","description":"Leith Built Ships Volume 1: They Once Were Shipbuilders by R.O. Neish is the first volume in a comprehensive maritime history series exploring Scotland’s rich shipbuilding heritage. This detailed account traces the development of Leith shipyards from the mid-19th century to the end of the First World War, highlighting the port’s vital role in British and global maritime history.\nFocusing on Scottish maritime history and industrial heritage, the book documents the evolution of shipbuilding technology in Leith—from traditional wooden hulls and iron construction to advanced steel ship design. It examines the vessels built in Leith shipyards, their worldwide voyages, and their involvement in trade, exploration, and wartime service, revealing the global reach of Leith-built ships.\nThe book also brings to life the people behind the industry, including skilled shipyard workers, engineers, and craftsmen whose expertise helped establish Leith as one of Scotland’s most important shipbuilding centres. Their contributions are placed within the broader social and economic history of the port, once Scotland’s principal maritime gateway.\nWith a shipbuilding tradition spanning over 660 years, Leith played a pioneering role in Britain’s maritime development — building vessels centuries before the rise of the Clyde shipyards. These ships served in major conflicts, supported global trade routes and shaped countless lives at sea.\nIdeal for readers interested in Scottish shipbuilding history, maritime archaeology, and industrial heritage, this volume begins an authoritative series celebrating Leith’s enduring legacy as a world-class shipbuilding port.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308494762357,"sku":"9781849954433","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849954433_c94d181d-4ca5-42bd-abbc-e539a86bbd04.jpg?v=1786029202"},{"product_id":"9781849955324","title":"The Fabulous Flotilla","description":"The ‘Fabulous Flotilla', called the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in colonial Burma, was the largest privately-owned fleet of ships in the world. It was an entirely Scottish enterprise with nearly all its investors, management and ship's officers drawn from Scotland. Over 1,200 ships were ordered mainly from Clyde yards and each year carried the majority of the population of Burma on its river network without loss of life. The paddle steamers were amongst the largest in the world, innovative in design and technology, and very beautiful. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe flotilla began as a naval task force in the 1820s, was commandeered in five wars, and was to end its life with the British evacuation of Burma in 1942, the greatest evacuation in British military history. Fascinating personalities emerge from Strachan's descriptions of Irrawaddy commanders and the flotilla's key players. The ships evolved over a hundred years into riverine versions of ocean liners with plush cabins, restaurants, shops and even post offices on board. The largest class of ships carried 5,000 passengers including royalty, celebrities of the day and famous writers like Somerset Maugham along with early tourists and big game hunters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the second part of the book, the author who himself has spent much of his life running ships on the rivers of Burma, takes us on a journey 1,000 miles upriver to explore the different regions of the country often highlighting Scottish connections. The river is the thread through which Burma's often tragic history, yet rich and glorious Buddhist culture, flows and only on a river journey can the country be understood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRenamed Myanmar in 1997, Burma is Scotland's ‘lost colony' and the Scottish connection is little remembered today due to Burma's half a century of post-war isolation. In its 1920s heyday Burma had the highest concentration of Scots anywhere in the world, outside of Scotland, with the exception of Canada. Scots were everywhere in Burma, running everything, and even their Burmese servants spoke in ‘broad' Scots.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With the ‘opening up' of Burma in the early 21st century the Irrawaddy watershed, where about 50 million people live in a primitive rural economy, is under threat. Deforestation on a vast scale has resulted in the silting up of once navigable channels. China, with its ‘belt and road' system that is a euphemism to a recolonisation of the country, plans to build one of the world's largest dams in the river's headwaters that would devastate the country's agriculture and fisheries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Fabulous Flotilla provides a revealing record of this remarkable era in Burma's history and past Scottish endeavour – a jewel of a story that may soon be lost.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308494860661,"sku":"9781849955324","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781849955324_42ea95e9-c966-4316-9435-d6ba0f231be3.jpg?v=1786029229"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/publisher-porto-press-ltd.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}