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[[Category:Reference|*]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Laurence Browne1394159544|title= The Many Faces of CoincidenceRecycling for Dummies|author=Sarah Winkler|rating= 3.5|genre= Popular ScienceLifestyle|summary= Browne does not mislead with this choice ''Recycling one ton of plastic can save up to 16.3 barrels of oil.'' ''Recycling one ton of title; he does without paper can save 17 trees from being cut down.'' If you send an apple core to landfill, it will take between 6 months and 2 years to decompose. A glass bottle will take up to 1 million years. As a just-post-WWII baby, I faced a doubt explore dilemma: reducing, reusing and recycling is part of my DNA. NEVER throw away anything that might ''possibly'' come in handy now or in the many faces future. NEVER buy anything if you can cobble together something that would serve the purpose. Almost everything can be used one more time and any purchase must pass the test of 'Is this absolutely essential?' On the other hand, I suspected I was guilty of coincidencewishcycling: assuming that something must be recyclable (toothpaste tubes - I'm looking at you) and dropping it in the kerbside bin.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845409159</amazonuk> Yes, I could go searching on the internet - and get conflicting advice - but what I needed was a recycling bible.s
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Simon Jenkins1913750353|title=BritainBritannica's 100 Best Railway StationsWord of the Day|author=Patrick Kelly, Renee Kelly and Sue Macy
|rating=5
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=''Britannica's Word of the Day'' has a sub-title: ''366 Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus'' which probably tells you all that you need to know about this brilliant book. It starts on January 1st with ''Razzmatazz'', tells you how to pronounce it (''raz-muh-TAZ''), gives you a definition and then includes the word in a sentence so that you know how it should be used. You also get an engaging and frequently amusing illustration too. I don't think I've ever encountered a word which uses the letter Z four times before!
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=suppl_stafl
|title=Supply Chain 20/20: A Clear View on the Local Multiplier Effect for Book Lovers
|author=Kim Staflund
|rating=4.5
|genre=Reference
|summary=In So, you've finished writing your book and you think the hard work is all done? You're convinced that all you need to do now is get it published and the mid twentieth century money will start rolling in? Wrong and wrong again. You presumably wrote the railway was something which harked book because you wanted to - and you had a talent for delivering the written word. You knew your subject back to front. Now you're going to have to get to grips with the Victorian age with trains being supplanted by cars and planesbook supply chain, which even parts of the publishing industry believe to be wrong but steam was being replaced by oil, even then it's too difficult to change and in no one wants to be the twenty-first century oil is giving way to electricitytry. ItThen, when you 's cleaner'finally'' have a copy of the book in your hands, more environmentally friendly and the stations which weyou'd all rushed through as quickly as possible, keen re going to have to work out how to escape their grime, were restored and became places sell it - because it ''is'' going to be admired, possibly even lingered in. Simon Jenkins has chosen his hundred best railway stationsdown to you.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>024197898X</amazonuk>
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 {{newreviewFrontpage|author= Marianne TaylorFrederic Gros|title= Owls: A Guide to Every SpeciesPhilosophy of Walking|rating= 5|genre= ReferencePolitics and Society|summary=I feel like confess I picked this one up from the library in my pre-lockdown forage of random stuff. Now I have to go out an buy my own copy so that I can turn down the pages I have marked and return to its varying wisdom when I am being watchedneed to. Some books draw you in slowly. A huge pair of piercing orange eyes are staring right at This one had mein the first two pages, locking me into their gazewherein Gros explains why ''walking is not a sport''. In contrast with the hardness |isbn=1781688370}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1788037812|title=The Fraternity of the deepEstranged: The Fight for Homosexual Rights in England, 1891-amber eyes1908|author=Brian Anderson|rating=5|genre=Biography|summary=Originally passed in 1885, soft grey feathers fan out into the surrounding arealaw that had made homosexual relations a crime remained in place for 82 years. But during this time, intricaterestrictions on same-sex relationships did not go unchallenged. Between 1891 and 1908, detailed three books on the nature of homosexuality appeared. They were written by two homosexual men: Edward Carpenter and beautifulJohn Addington Symonds, as well as the heterosexual Havelock Ellis. An enigma; harsh Exploring the margins of society and gentle at studying homosexuality was common on the same timeEuropean Continent, but barely talked about in the owl is beckoning UK, so the reader publications of these men were hugely significant – contributing to turn the pages scientific understanding of homosexuality, and beginning the struggle for recognition and take a closer look inside..equality, leading to the milestone legalisation of same-sex relationships in 1967.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1912242052|title=O Joy for me!|author=Keir Davidson|rating=3|genre=Art|amazonuksummary=<amazonuk>178240404X</amazonuk>'' Oh Joy for me!'' gives Coleridge credit for being ''the first person to walk the mountains alone, not because he had to for work, as a miner, quarryman, shepherd or pack-horse driver, but because he wanted to for pleasure and adventure. His rapturous encounters with their natural beauty, and its literary consequences, changed our view of the world''.
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=John Van der Kiste1072549271|title=Electric Light OrchestraThe Simple Act of Self-Publishing With Amazon: Song A Simple Step by SongStep Guide|author=Georgianne Landy-Kordis
|rating=4.5
|genre=ReferenceBusiness and Finance|summary=My memories of pop music in I frequently meet authors who are struggling to be published by the early sixties revolve around guitars and drumstraditional houses, sometimes but when I suggest self-publishing they explain that they don't have the piano big bucks required to go down that road with only occasional excursions into strings and brassAuthor Solutions or Matador or their like. Pop music rarely stands still I then ask if they've considered Kindle and it wasnthe answer is, inevitably, that they wouldn't long before the basic instruments were seens as constraints and The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys began know where to experiment, start. I can empathise with other groups following where they ledthat. Amongst these groups was The Move Despite having used a computer for about thirty years, running most of my life ''and their lead guitarist and songwriter'' a website online, Roy WoodI'm still nervous when it comes to starting something new. Wood wanted I like someone to develop hold my hand as I go through it for the groupfirst time. That was why I was very interested when 's sound by adding more instruments but was prevented from achieving what he wanted by cost limitations and because the rest 'The Simple Act of the group didnSelf Publishing With Amazon''t really share his enthusiasmcame across my desk...|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781556008</amazonuk>
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Dave Angell|title= Tri-ang Collectables|rating= 3.5|genre=Reference|summary= A guide to the trains produced by the Tri-ang company from its inception until the company became Hornby. A very personal guide to the collecting of model trains.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1445664577</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author= Naoki Higashida and David MitchellHigashida_Fall
|title=Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight: A Young Man's Voice From the Silence of Autism
|author=Naoki Higashida and David Mitchell|rating= 5|genre= ReferenceHome and Family|summary=Naoki Higashida was only 13 years old when he wrote the international best-seller ''The Reason I Jump.'' . The book was popular because it gave a rare glimpse into the workings of the autistic mind, as told from the unique perspective of a teenager with non-verbal autism. Naoki communicates by using an alphabet grid, or by tracing letters on the palm of a transcriber. Despite this slow and laborious method of writing, he has published several books in his native Japan, and manages to give public presentations to raise awareness of his condition. ''Fall Down 7 Times Get up 8'' reintroduces us to Naoki as a young adult in his 20s and explains how his perspectives on life have changed since writing his first book.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444799088</amazonuk>
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Mark Chase, Maarten Christenhusz and Tom MirendaJenkins_100|title=The Book of Orchids: A life-size guide to six hundred species from around the worldBritain's 100 Best Railway Stations|author=Simon Jenkins
|rating=5
|genre=ReferenceArt|summary=One in seven flowering plants on earth is an orchid: there are 26In the mid-twentieth century,000 species in 749 genera. They flourish in remarkable habitats such as deserts the railway was something which harked back to the Victorian age with trains being supplanted by cars and the Arctic circleplanes, but steam was being replaced by oil, even then and in fact all areas but the most inhospitabletwenty-first-century oil is giving way to electricity. ThereIt's a wide range of colourscleaner, shapes more environmentally friendly and scents: theythe stations which we're dramaticd all rushed through as quickly as possible, delicate and ingenious in the ways that they've developed not just keen to survive but to thrive. Tom Mirenda describes them as ''masters of manipulation'' and ''famous for lying escape their grime, were restored and cheating their way became places to their many evolutionary successes''be admired, yet his love of the is as obvious as his respect for the insight they give us into the processes which shaped our worldpossibly even lingered in. He hopes that understanding how that Simon Jenkins has come about will inspire us to conserve what we havechosen his hundred best railway stations.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782404031</amazonuk>
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Martin EdwardsTaylor_Owls|title=The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books (British Library Crime Classics)Owls: A Guide to Every Species|author=Marianne Taylor
|rating=5
|genre=ReferenceAnimals and Wildlife|summary=It's easy to be confused by the various 'ages' I feel like I am being watched. A huge pair of crime writing: if you've an interest in piercing orange eyes are staring right at me, locking me into their gaze. In contrast with the genre you'll almost certainly have heard hardness of the Golden Age of Crimedeep-amber eyes, generally acknowledged as being soft grey feathers fan out into the period between the first surrounding area, intricate, detailed and second world warsbeautiful. 'Classic Crime' on An enigma; harsh and gentle at the same time, the owl is beckoning the other hand extends reader to turn the time frame at either end pages and covers books published take a closer look inside...}}{{Frontpage|isbn=JVDK_ELO|title=Electric Light Orchestra: Song by Song|author=John Van der Kiste|rating=4.5|genre=Entertainment|summary=My memories of pop music in the first half of early sixties revolve around guitars and drums, sometimes the twentieth centurypiano with only occasional excursions into strings and brass. Throughout my adult life therePop music rarely stands still and it wasn's been just one genre of books which has fascinated met long before the basic instruments were seen as constraints and The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and that's crimeThe Beach Boys began to experiment, so I could hardly resist the chance of reading ''with other groups following where they led. Amongst these groups was The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books'' particularly as the authorMove and their lead guitarist and songwriter, Martin Edwards is an accomplished author within Roy Wood. Wood wanted to develop the crime genre 'group's sound by adding more instruments but was prevented from achieving what he wanted by cost limitations andbecause the rest of the group didn'' an acknowledged expert on the subjectt really share his enthusiasm.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0712356967</amazonuk>
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=DKHendrix_PBHell|title=ChildrenPaperbacks from Hell: A History of Horror Fiction from the 's Illustrated Thesaurus70s and '80s|author=Grady Hendrix
|rating=4.5
|genre=Children's Non-FictionHorror|summary=One of the most valuable literary skills which children can learn is how to use reference Demonic possession, murderous babies, man-eating moths… for these books. As a child every question which I began with ''how do you spell...?'' would be answered with ''EXACTLY as it says in the dictionary''. This , no plot was finetoo ludicrous, but the family's Collins Little Gem Dictionary didn't encourage explorationno cover art too appalling, no evil too despicable. Now horror author Grady Hendrix risks his soul and his sanity (not least because to mention the font was small and difficult to read. Fortunately those times have now changed and reference book for children are now much more inviting. Not every book comes with a set of instructions but itreader's worth studying !) to relate the ''How to...'' sectiontrue, not least because similar systems are used untold story of a fascinating and often forgotten era in other reference bookspublishing.|amazonuk=Read the synapse-shattering story summaries!<amazonukbr>0241286972See the horrific hand-painted cover imagery!</amazonukbr>And learn the true-life tales of the writers, artists, and publishers who gleefully violated every literary law but one – never be boring.
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Dorling KindersleyBrowne_Many|title=First Science EncyclopediaThe Many Faces of Coincidence|author=Laurence Browne|rating=3.5|genre=Children's Non-FictionPopular Science|summary=I wasn't introduced to 'science' until I was eleven and went on to senior school: I wasn't alone in Browne does not mislead with this, but it really was too late. Thankfully, times have changed and children at primary school are getting to grips with plants and animals, atoms and molecules and even outer space from choice of title; he does without a very young age. What's needed is a good, basic reference book which will introduce all the subjects and give a good grounding. It needs to be something which would sit proudly in doubt explore the classroom library and comfortably on a child's bookshelf. The ''First Science Encyclopedia'' would do both wellmany faces of coincidence.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>024118875X</amazonuk>
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Deirdre Osborne (Editor)1903385679|title=The Cambridge Companion to British Black and Asian Literature (1945–2010)100 Best Novels in Translation|author=Boyd Tonkin|rating=3.5
|genre=Reference
|summary=This literary companion offers fifteen essays addressing the contribution of black Consider, if you will, translated fiction. Some say it's impossible – that if a book was so good in one tongue it could never survive being put into another. Samuel Beckett must have laboured over ever syllable and Asian authors to the British literary canon since 1945. It covers not just fiction''Breath'', but also poetryhe could translate his own works, plays and performance worksother equally complex pieces can cross borders. It sits 's a market that has actually doubled in sales volume between 2000 and 2016 (thanks, ''Millennium Trilogy''). Novels, in particular, in translation, are – as the introduction here so smartly puts it – ''a kind privileged means of joyful cuckoo in the nestpassing border posts, a sort of universal passport issued by that Utopian state, interrupting the usual narratives Republic of literary waves Letters''. We here at the 'Bag regularly try and movements give equal credit to the translator, without whom we wouldn't be reading what we have in Britain our hands. But all that take little notice said, do we really need one of any perspective those list books about the subject? I got given a book the other than the dominant white - year detailing 1001 places to go to before I die, and posh! - direction of travelI might even then have missed out a zero. Itwould take as long as a fortnight's a disparateholiday to wade through, varied collection of essays, covering spoken word performance poetry, black British urban fiction, LGBTQ writingand even though this is not as long as your typical Bolano housebrick, liberationist writing and much more. I was really happy to see childrenit's authors such as Malorie Blackman, Jamila Gavin and Catherine Johnson discussed and respectednot a short thing.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1316504808</amazonuk>Should it take our time?
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Dr Sunil C GebalanageFry_Mythos|title=Beginner's Project Management HandbookMythos: Art A Retelling of Project Deliverythe Myths of Ancient Greece|author=Stephen Fry|rating=45
|genre=Reference
|summary=In The Greek Myths are, arguably, the last fifteen years I've project managed the construction of an office greatest stories ever told. So old and the extension of influential they cast a buildingshadow over western tales and traditions, yet remain relatable and readable millennia later. On both occasions I looked for a resource which would give me Here comedian, actor, television presenter, actor and author Stephen Fry brings his considerable talent to these special stories and recreates them with a framework within which to proceedwit, but warmth and humanity that brings them into the modern age whilst I could find several volumes which dealt with individual parts of still giving the project I couldn't find any literature which put it all together. An additional problem was honour and respect that what literature there was out there was written with specific professionals in mind such ancient and didn't accommodate the generalist. It was with relief for those following me that I discovered ''Beginner's Project Management Handbook: Art of Project Delivery''influential stories deserve.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1524665568</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=DKMahnke_Lore|title=What's Where on Earth? Atlas: The World as You've Never Seen It Beforeof Lore, Volume 1: Monstrous Creatures|author=Aaron Mahnke
|rating=4.5
|genre=Reference
|summary=I dread to think how old the atlas we used when I was a child wasEvery country, but at least we had oneevery town, and I didn't need to go to school or every village has a folktale – a library to check up story passed down through generations that often focuses on whatever bit of trivia I was seekingthe dark and unexplained. INo matter how the modern world moves on, there'm so old s a lot still a part of things about it now would be most redundanteveryone that is vulnerable to a good tale. From ghosts to werewolves, but if you choose to risk your arm by way of wendigos and buy an atlas for elves, author Aaron Mahnke delivers the family shelves that reader legends from all generations will benefit fromover the world, as opposed to relying on electronic and updateable sources whilst examining how they've become part of informationour collective imaginations, then this is still striking fear into the one to havehearts of many of us today.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0241228379</amazonuk>
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{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Helen HollickFowler_Forgotten|title= Pirates: Truth and Tale|rating= 4|genre= History|summary=The eighteenth century lived in terror of the tramps of the seas – pirates. Pirates have fascinated people ever since. It was a harsh life for those who went 'on the account', constantly overshadowed by the threat of death – through violence, illness, shipwreck, or the hangman's noose. The lure of gold, the excitement of the chase and the freedom that life aboard a pirate ship offered were judged by some to be worth the risk. Helen Hollick explores both the fiction and fact of the Golden Age of piracy, and there are some surprises in store for those who think they know their Barbary Corsair from their boucanier. Everyone has heard of Captain Morgan, but who recognises the name of the aristocratic Frenchman Daniel Montbars? He killed so many Spaniards he was known as 'The Exterminator'. The fictional world Book of pirates, represented in novels and movies, is different from reality. What draws readers and viewers to these notorious hyenas of the high seas? What are the facts behind the fantasy?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1445652153</amazonuk>}}{{newreviewForgotten Authors|author= D J Taylor|title= The Prose Factory|rating= 5|genre= Reference|summary= D J Taylor's exploration of writing, reading, publishing and critical reviews spans a century of literary history, discussing everything from Eliot-era modernists and Georgian traditionalists, to the impact of politics, creative writing degrees, reviewers and critics. It is a deep and thorough exploration of the multi-complex influences on English literary life over the past century and the way these have shaped readers' preferences and reading habits. But don't be put off by thinking that this is a dusty, encyclopaedic tome – it is a large book at around 500 pages – but it is accessible and thoroughly readable. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099556073</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=John Van der Kiste|title=A Beatles Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Beatles but Were Afraid to AskChristopher Fowler
|rating=5
|genre=Reference
|summary=You might have thought that just about everything which could be said about the Beatles had been said and certainly there's been no shortage of books about what went wrong, what happened to the money and even what went right. But what I've never seen before is a Absence doesn'miscellanyt make the heart grow fonder' - all those little facts which are so hard to track down and this is where historian John Van der Kiste comes into his own: he's a man with an eye for detail and the ability to bring everything together into a very readable whole. Itmakes people think you's a wonderful collection of the small factsre dead.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781555826</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Paul Jarvis|title=British Airways Colouring Book|rating=4|genre=Crafts|summary=Over the past couple of years weThere've seen a lot of colouring books: flowerss truth in that statement, patterns, fantasy creatures, characters and settings from television shows, films and books and lots moreyou know, but I canthere't recollect that we've ever before had one which featured s a conundrum when it''company''s applied to authors. Mind you, British Airways, Shakespeare is rather special; iconic and rather more long lasting than most passing celebrities. It has ''heritage'' and ''tradition''. The ''British Airways Colouring Book'' dead: Dickens is based on exclusive postersdead, photographs and artwork from the companybut we haven's archives and the 46 images allow the reader to recreate these as t buried what they wish. There's a bonus toove written: that lives on the facing page of each image there's a potted historyuntil... I passed the book to someone with an interest when? Is it until fashion decrees that they should be no more? Or is it, as in BA and he found the book interesting and informative ''without'' even thinking case of doing any colouring.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>144566612X</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author= Simon Rogers|title= Infographics: Technology|rating= 5|genre= Reference|summary=As parents, we can often be bombarded with questions as our some children start to discover the world. These questions soon become increasingly complex, especially with the latest technological advances. How do computers work? What's inside a smartphoneauthors that they are on life support through licensing deals and astute marketing? How can earth communicate with spacecraftChristopher Fowler has unearthed (exhumed? Thankfully we now ) ninety-nine authors who were once hugely popular, but whose works have a handydisappeared, illustrated guide to help us: ''Infographics: Technology''sometimes quite literally.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783704489</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Felicity Trotman (editor)Angell_Triang|title=Winter: A Book for the SeasonTri-ang Collectables|author=Dave Angell
|rating=3.5
|genre=AnthologiesReference|summary=This seasonal anthology contains a nice mixture of poetry, nature and travel pieces, and excerpts A guide to the trains produced by the Tri-ang company from longer works of fiction. Felicity Trotman, a freelance editor and member of the English Civil War Society, has arranged its inception until the material into three sections: 'The Old Year', 'Christmas, Sacred and Secular', and 'The New Year'company became Hornby. This creates an appropriate sense of chronological progression, and also serves A very personal guide to make Christmas the heart collecting of the bookmodel trains. Black-and-white illustrations – maps, photographs and engravings – are interspersed throughout, and each author gets a short paragraph of biography and background.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1445664747</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Caroline TaggartChase_Orchids|title= Misadventures in The Book of Orchids: A life-size guide to six hundred species from around the English Languageworld|author=Mark Chase, Maarten Christenhusz and Tom Mirenda|rating= 3.5|genre= Reference|summary=Misadventures One in the English Language styles itself as seven flowering plants on earth is an examination of the confusing bits of grammarorchid: there are 26, vocabulary 000 species in 749 genera. They flourish in remarkable habitats such as deserts and punctuationthe Arctic circle, with some indication of which rules matter and which can be broken without dire consequencesin fact, though itall areas but the most inhospitable. There's actually broader than this description makes it sound. It has chapters ona wide range of colours, shapes and scents: words and phrases borrowed from other languagesthey're dramatic, new usage delicate and changes ingenious in the ways that they've developed not just to survive but to thrive. Tom Mirenda describes them as ''masters of meaning, common grammar manipulation'' and ''famous for lying and punctuation pitfallscheating their way to their many evolutionary successes'', confusing spellings, dreadful jargon, and using unnecessary words yet his love of them is as obvious as his respect for the insight they give us into the processes which shaped our world. He hopes that understanding how that don't add anything has come about will inspire us to your sentence except lengthconserve what we have.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782436472</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Dave Haslett and Geoff NelderEdwards_Story|title= How To Win Short The Story Competitionsof Classic Crime in 100 Books (British Library Crime Classics)|author=Martin Edwards|rating= 3.5|genre= Reference|summary= This guide It's easy to what is for many writers be confused by the various 'ages' of crime writing: if you have an interest in the genre you'll almost certainly have heard of the Golden Age of Crime, generally acknowledged as being the period between the first step and second world wars. 'Classic Crime' on their path to glory (or not) is only available as a Kindle download or as a PDF direct from the publisherother hand extends the time frame at either end and covers books published in the first half of the twentieth century. Throughout my adult life, there's website. It been just one genre of books which has fascinated me, and that's crime, so I could hardly resist the chance of reading ''The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books'' particularly as the author, Martin Edwards is not issued in print format. Given an accomplished author within the low price crime genre and an acknowledged expert on Amazon, it feels like a worthwhile investment for anyone interested in taking this route to enhance their writing profilethe subject.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>B0083YRFI0</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Alexandra Coghlan|title= Carols from King's: The Stories of our Favourite Carols from King's College|rating= 4.5|genre= Reference|summary=The exquisite sound of a lone chorister singing ''Once in Royal David's City'' amid the chapel of King's College, Cambridge, marks the start of the Christmas festivities for millions of people round the globe. Broadcast at 3pm on Chrismas Eve, ''A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols'' provides a precious moment of tranquility amongst the bustle of the festive season. Here author Alexandra Coghlan takes the reader on a journey through the fascinating history of carols, from the very first - sung by the angels to the shepherds at Bethlehem - to anecdotes from contemporary King's choristers, and shows them how carols have evolved from pagan songs to become one of our nation's most sacred treasures. Accompanied by lyrics and music and compiled in conjunction with Radio 4 and King's College Chapel, ''Carols from King's'' is the official companion for fans of Christmas and carols alike. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1785940945</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author= Dave Haslett and Kate Haslett|title= The Date-A-Base Book 2017|rating= 4|genre= Reference|summary=So here's a question for you: how do you go about reviewing a list - especially a list that runs to 3,800 entries and 544 pages? No, I'm not sure either, but I'm going to give it a go.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>B01C4TZ4FA</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|authorisbn= Nev SchulmanDK_Childrens|title= In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age|rating= 4|genre= Reference|summary= Nev (itChildren's pronounced Neev) is a man who knows about the darker side of online dating. Known for his documentary ''Catfish'' – a film which showed an online flirtation going sour, Nev then began making a tv show of the same name, travelling America to offer advice to those in online relationships, and possibly being catfished (which means being lured into a relationship by someone adopting a fictional online persona). Now the go-to expert in online relationships for millenials, a generation who have never known a world without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other online places where interactions can form. Here, he takes his investigation to the page – exploring relationships in the era of social media, delving deeply into the complexities of dating in a digital age, and continuing the dialogue his show has begun about how we interact with each other online – as well as sharing insights from his own story. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1473608066</amazonuk>}}{{newreviewIllustrated Thesaurus|author= Neil R A Bell, Trevor N Bond, Kate Clarke and M W Oldridge|title=The A-Z of Victorian Crime DK
|rating=4.5
|genre=True Crime
|summary= Victorian crime has never ceased to cast its spell. Is it because such terrible goings-on took place sufficiently long ago that they do not disgust us in the same way as equally dreadful events from, say, the last few days of which we read from today's papers or online coverage? Whatever the reason, there is an endless fascination with murders and other major transgressions of the law from the era of gas lamps and swirling fog – true Victorian melodrama, misbehaviour and horror from real life writ large. It is amply catered for in this title, the joint work of four authors.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1445647869</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author= Alexandra Harris
|title= Weatherland: Writers and artists under English skies
|rating= 4.5
|genre= Reference
|summary=The story of English culture over a thousand years can be told as the story of changing ideas about the weather. A sweeping panorama, ''Weatherland'' explores how writers and artists, looking up at the same skies and walking in the brisk air, have felt very different things. A journey through centuries and cultures, Harris walks the reader through misty moor and foggy fen, lays with them on bright sunlit beaches, treks with them to stormy summits, and introduces them to a fascinating cast of writers, artists and cultural figures along the way.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0500292655</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Hugh Jefferies
|title=Great Britain Concise Catalogue 2016
|rating=5
|genre=Reference
|summary=ItOne of the most valuable literary skills which children can learn is how to use reference books. As a child every question which I began with 's difficult to believe that it's the 30th anniversary of the first publication of how do you spell...?''Great Britain Concisewould be answered with '', but this is EXACTLY as it says in the thirty-first edition, with just under 500 pages and over three and a half thousand illustrationsdictionary''. It feels almost painful to look back to the days when the choice This was between fine, but the family's Collins Little Gem Dictionary didn'Collect British Stamps'' series which never pretended (or pretends) t encourage exploration, not least because the font was small and difficult to be read. Fortunately, those times have now changed and reference book for children are now much more than inviting. Not every book comes with a checklist (set of instructions but got many people off to a sound start - myself included) and it's worth studying the specialised series, which is beyond the purse of many amateur collectors. ''Great Britain ConciseHow to...'' sits comfortably between the two extremes with an affordable cover pricesection, not least because similar systems are used in other reference books.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0852599722</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author= Robert Kershaw
|title= 24 Hours at the Somme
|rating= 5
|genre= Reference
|summary=''They came past one by one...walking lumps of clay, with torn clothing, hollow cheeks and sunken eyes...There was a dreadful weariness, but a wildness burning in their fevered eyes, showing what this appalling hand to hand fighting had cost them. Utterly unforgivable for me...''
So goes the description of the men, the ''ghosts,'' at the end of the first day of the Somme. July 1 2016 will mark 100 years since this most bloody of battles took place. It was supposed Move on to be the optimistic 'Big Push' that would end the Great War, but by sunset of the first day the British casualties numbered 57,470. The battle would rage until November that year, with the total number of casualties on all sides exceeding one million.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0753555476</amazonuk>}}[[Newest Science Fiction Reviews]]