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Ever since 1907, when a flickering film about birds enthralled a cinema audience, we've been fascinated by watching the natural world on film. For 100 years wildlife films have taken us to places and shown us things we would never be able to see the excitement, the strangeness, the danger of the wild. Today, our interest in the wonders of the natural world is stronger than ever.Accompanying the lavish BBC two-hour special, 100 Years of Wildlife dives into the archives to find the 100 wildlife moments that best celebrate the glories and the eccentricities of this astonishingly popular and enduring culture. Discover the history of the wildlife moving image: the first heady days when an ant juggling a matchbox was big box office; the charismatic and sometimes controversial celebrity presenters; the astonishing behaviour of animals and plants; the boggling oddities of nature; the animals now extinct that poignantly only exist on film.Explore 100 years of revelation from the black-and-white silent footage that started it all to the almost magical photography techniques seen today in programmes like Planet Earth. From famous faces of wildlife TV to extraordinary animal (and plant) behaviour, natural history filming has changed the way we look at and think about our world. It's all here so weird, you couldn't make it up; so wonderful, you wouldn't want to miss it.

No nation feels quite as passionately about its gardens as the British and no institution embodies this passion more than The Royal Horticultural Society. Famous for the beauty of gardens like Wisley, Rosemoor and Harlow Carr and the splendour of shows like Chelsea and Hampton Court, it is a quintessentially British institution. Yet the RHS is about so much more than this and now, in a fascinating book to accompany a major BBC2 series, garden-lovers everywhere are given unique access to this august institution. In Plant People we will meet and follow the people for whom gardening is everything be they RHS experts, amateur enthusiasts, the new in-take of horticultural trainees or competitors at the shows. In a journey that takes us through the gardening year, Carolyn Fry introduces the reader to an exotic and colourful world full of passionate people and wonderful plants. It is a world that is steeped in horticultural history and tradition and yet in the 21st century is entering a new and exciting period of change and development. Lavishly illustrated with beautiful photographs, this book paints a vivid portrait of the RHS - the home of gardening excellence and obsession.

This companion to the successful BBC1 Big Cat Diary series, goes beyond the day-to-day footage to explore the bigger picture of the lives of Lions in Africa. Having lived in the Mara for 30 years, Jonathan and Angie Scott are widely respected experts on all of Africa's three big cats.Big Cat Diary: Lion is the first in a series of three books designed to complement the BBC TV series, and provides a complete picture of the lives of the Lions that live in the Masai Mara and beyond. As well as a detailed examination of biology and behaviour, the book provides an historical perspective of the Lion families featured in the series. The book offers a detailed examination of lion behaviour - the way lions are organised socially, how they develop from birth to young adult, how the males take over a pride and how the lone females survive without a pride. And with less than 30,000 lions in Africa, the question of how to conserve the world's big cat population is an urgent one. How can we ensure they can maintain breeding populations, space to hunt and sufficient prey to survive? With its stunning photography and fascinating, first-hand accounts from someone who has devoted their lives to these wonderful creatures, Big Cat Diary: Lion is a must-have for big cat fans everywhere.

A tie-in to the TV series, offering practical advice to beginners wanting to learn more about wildlife. Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife is a practical beginner's guide to enjoying the wildlife of Britain. Organised into a calendar of months, Bill tells you the best places to visit, how to catch a glimpse of our best-loved species, and things you can do for each month of the year. For example, in May, you could visit some wild flower meadows which are in their prime, see a nightingale, and experience the dawn chorus. Written in Bill's endearingly frank and witty style, this is an inspiring and refreshingly straightforward approach to watching wildlife. There are suggestions for places to visit within reach of wherever you live in Britain, and advice on watching wildlife with children. With stories of Bill's experiences in the field, it offers you and your family the know-how to start out with confidence. Bill Oddie sets out to demystify wildlife watching, giving advice on basic equipment and field craft, as well as explaining how to make the most of your encounters with animals. To guide you successfully through some of the finest wildlife experiences, there are top tips, advice for things to take with you that you might never have considered, and helpful addresses and websites for some of the activities less close to home. And in case you really get bitten by the bug, there is information on taking the next step, with hints on getting more advanced equipment, which conservation trusts to join, and wildlife holidays to make the most of your new-found skills.

Today, astonishing surgical breakthroughs are making face transplants, limb transplants and a host of other previously undreamed of operations possible. But getting here has not been a simple story of selfless men working tirelessly in the pursuit of medical advancement. Instead its a bloodstained tale of blunders, arrogance, mishap and murder. In trying to keep us alive, surgeons have all too often killed us off, and life-saving solutions have often come from the most surprising places. Accompanying a BBC series, Blood and Guts is an incredible story of stolen corpses, medical fraud, lobotomized patients and every now and then courageous advances that have saved the lives of millions around the world. You may think twice before going under the knife

Accompanying a major BBC1 series presented by Alan Titchmarsh, British Isles: A Natural History is a fascinating journey through the natural history of Britain from its birth to the present day. Written in Alan's uniquely readable style, the book chronicles the different periods in Britain's evolution, exploring everything from the geology and geography to the flora and fauna that make up the diverse landscapes of the British Isles. It also includes a gazetteer section detailing where you can explore for yourself Britain's natural treasures. Beautifully illustrated with 180 colour photographs, it will appeal to natural history enthusiasts and everyone who cares about the country they live in. The book contains the latest research gathered in the making of this new landmark series from the BBC's NHU in Bristol. Click here to view pages of the book

Accompanying the BBC series, Coast is not only a superbly illustrated celebration of Britain's coastal areas but a practical guide to all that they have to offer. The first part of the book is divided into the 12 coastal regions as featured in the programme, with lavish photography, maps and evocative essays. The second part is a region-by-region reference of places, people, activities, natural history, historic events and fascinating facts - all clearly laid out to help you plan your own trip. Whether destined for the coffee table, your reference library or the car, Coast takes you there with charm and style.

Viewed from the air, even the most familiar landscapes take on a startling new life. The countryside becomes a pattern; the coast becomes an edge. Humanity recedes and the land itself takes centre stage. From small harbours to expansive bridges, towering cliffs to seaside resorts - "Coast from the Air" gives an incredible new perspective on our green and pleasant land, and how beautiful and fragile that land can be. In 20 chapters - each one focusing on a specific coastal region of the British Isles - over 200 outstanding aerial photographs portray the beauty and diversity of our coastline. From the Dingle to The Wash; from the mild seaside towns of England's south coast to the storm-lashed fishing villages of the Outer Hebrides, "Coast from the Air" is a true visual feast.

The first book of Coast took us on a sweeping clockwise tour of Britain's marine borderlands, where one type of distinctive landscape gives way to the next. In this companion volume we criss-cross the UK and Ireland, looking at our relationship with different regions of our coast. Each chapter looks at a certain stretch of coastline, how areas within that stretch are related, and what that says about our land, our history and our way of life. For example, Chalk to Chalk takes us from Dover to the Isle of Wight and even across the channel, where the substance of the land itself has shaped how we live there. Holyhead to Liverpool mark the boundaries of The Inventive Coast, a hotbed of maritime innovation and industrial progress. Our military history is explored in The Explosive Coast, which takes us from Carlisle to Arran. We learn how the coast created one of the world's greatest cities, London, along The Capital Coast, and The Emerald Coast is a celebration of Ireland's dramatic eastern edge. Many other varied themes and regions are explored in this fascinating guide to our coast. Fully illustrated with glorious photgraphs, there's much to discover where the UK and Ireland meet the sea.PLEASE NOTE: UNFORTUNATELY THIS TITLE IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE AS IT IS CURRENTLY BEING RE-PRINTED BY THE PUBLISHER. ALL ORDERS WILL BE RECORDED AND DESPATCHED AS SOON AS STOCK ARRIVES. WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY CAUSE.

Accompanying BBC2s BAFTA award-winning television series, Coast: The Walks will inspire you to explore the best that the coastline of the British Isles has to offer. With more than 50 fantastic walks around Great Britain and Ireland, this practical guidebook features a variety of town and rural routes that are designed to suit both experienced walkers and those who fancy nothing more taxing than an afternoon stroll. Whether you crave the rugged beauty of Antrim and Skye, the seaside fun of Brighton and Great Yarmouth, the majestic cliffs of the Cornish and Pembrokeshire peninsulas, or the history of our great coastal cities, such as Aberdeen, Belfast, Dublin, Hull, Liverpool and Plymouth, Coast: The Walks includes all these places, and many more besides. As well as offering invaluable advice that will enable you to plan your day out, and tried-and-tested instructions to guide you on your way, the book helpfully highlights points of interest along the route: historic sites and buildings, topographical features, and wildlife to watch out for as you go each illustrated with a colour photograph. Equally at home in the car or on the bookshelf, Coast: The Walks will encourage you to get out there and make the most of our wonderfully diverse and endlessly fascinating 10,000 miles of coastline.

Reptiles and amphibians ruled the world for nearly 200 million years and today there are still over 12,500 of them. Some are huge, the deadliest creatures on earth. Some are tiny, among the strangest to be found anywhere. Together, they not only outnumber mammals or birds but in their colourful variety and extraordinary behaviour, they far surpass them. So where did these ancient creatures come from? How have they transformed themselves into the bizarre and beautiful forms that are alive today? And what's the secret of their epic success? In "Life in Cold Blood", David traces the story of their evolution and overturns the myth that these creatures are just primitive killers to reveal them for what they truly are.

Winner of 2003 People's Choice' Book Awards for best General Knowledge titleDavid Attenborough introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on Earth. From the smallest - the two-inch pygmy shrew - to the largest, the blue whale; from the slowest - the sloth - to the swiftest, the cheetah; from the least attractive - the naked mole rat - to the most irresistible, a human baby. Published to accompany David Attenborough's landmark ten-part BBC1 series Life of Mammals is the story of 4,000 species; species that have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on Earth. The Pioneers - small creatures the size of mice lived alongside the dinosaurs: then took advantage of their demise to colonise the planet The Insect Eaters - mammals, like armadillos, bats and anteaters, make meals of the most abundant creature on Earth The Root Raiders and Seed Stealers - tool-using mammals like chipmunks and porcupines thrive on the food reserves store in roots and seeds The Leaf Eaters - grass and leaves are abundant but largely indigestible: some mammals have evolved to crack this problem The Hunters - speed, endurance and manoeuvrability are essentials of the hunters; why do some mammals hunt in packs, while others hunt alone The Omnivores - many mammals are able to adapt their diets according to season, or have learned to hibernate through the winter when food is sparse The Return to the Water - ocean mammals can take advantage of huge food stocks; how do seals, dolphins and whales breathe air yet swim to great depths The Tree-Dwellers - creatures such as flying squirrels and colugos travel by gliding high among the tree-tops: but sloths hardly move at all The Grasping Hands - only one group of mammals, the primates, have hands to grasp branches and pluck their food; but life for them requires sharp senses and quick intelligence The Ultimate Lords - 5 million years ago a group of primates left the trees and became ground-living nomads; by growing crops and domesticating animals they transformed the natural worl

In Earth: Power of the Planet, renowned science writers Iain Stewart and John Lynch use ground-breaking imagery and the latest scientific discoveries to explain how our unique and remarkable planet functions. After four and a half billion years the Earth is approaching old age a perfect time to look back on an extraordinary life.Each chapter will examine one of the Earths most powerful forces meteor impacts, plate tectonics, the ocean, the atmosphere and ice and explore their central role in keeping the Earth alive. These are the forces that drive our planet, the powers that shape the Earth and affect its destiny. Spectacular graphics will present the familiar in a striking new light and will allow us to go back in time to discover the critical events in the Earths past. This lavishly illustrated book will tell the epic story of the birth, life and future end of our amazing planet.

Following on from the success of the first collection of "Light on the Earth", here are featured 12 of the world's top wildlife photographers and portfolios of their own favourite photographs. Each a winner of the prestigious Natural History Museum Wildlife of the Year competition, the featured photographers are: Jim Brandenburg, Laurie Campbell, Tui de Roy, Olivier Grunewald, Jan-Peter Lahall, Frans Lanting, Thomas Mangelsen, Vincent Munier, Klaus Nigge, Anup Shah, Kevin Schafer and Christian Ziegler. What distinguishes the work of these photographers is not just the result of their skill, patience, determination and deep understanding of their subjects. It is also their ability to reflect both the essence of the animals or plants they are photographing and the feeling of 'being there' - the beauty of the moment. These portfolios comprise remarkable scenes of animal behaviour, breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable portraits of fascinating wild creatures. Throughout, the emphasis is on beauty, colour and form. Each picture is accompanied by a caption revealing the story and the artistry behind its creation. This book will appeal to anyone with a love of the natural world and and appreciation of beauty and art. It is truly the best of the best - a collection that will make you gasp.

The Ganges River (Gang Ma or Great Mother) is the holiest river in the world. Rising from the pure glacial meltwaters of the Himalayas, it flows down onto India's Northern Plain, then heads eastwards into the swamplands of Bangladesh, finally discharging a 500-km (310-mile) tongue of red silt into the Bay of Bengal. As well as filling wells and irrigating crops to sustain the cities and villages along its banks, it is the spiritual life-blood for India's primary religion, Hinduism. Bathing in the Ganges remains the lifelong ambition of many of India's believing masses, who consider the river to be a living goddess. People gather daily at her banks to murmur prayers, baptise children, wash vibrant coloured saris, drink her waters or simply die believing such acts help absolve sins and lead the way to Nirvana. Ganges reveals the source of the river high in the Himalayas the youngest mountain range in the world and follows its route as it sharply incises the mountains on its journey south-east. Along the way we discover the Hindu story of the river's creation, and how it supports the myriad forms of life that thrive on its banks. With stunning, evocative images by photographer Jon Nicholson, Ganges is a true visual feast as teeming with life and colour as the mighty river itself.

Johnny Kingdom is the English countryside made flesh. He has lived his whole life on Exmoor, from his childhood catching moles to sell their skins, to his early wild days of adventure as a poacher, to today, when the demands of wildlife photography make extraordinary patience rather more useful than the ability to run fast...He embodies a way of life that may soon be gone for ever. His life story, accompanied by BBC2's landmark documentary series, is highly entertaining and completely enchanting. In "Johnny Kingdom - A Wild Life on Exmoor", we see how integral the both the landscape and the creatures of Exmoor have been to Johnny's often hair-raising life story. The beauty of Exmoor, captured in lavish colour photographs in this book, forms a stunning backdrop to his story. Johnny lives in the same area near Exmoor as his father and his father before him. Married to his childhood sweetheart, he took on his father's official job as the local gravedigger (and his unofficial living as a poacher) before a horrific accident made him change his lifestyle and seek solace in the less physically demanding work of wild-life photography. Johnny's book is full of hilarious and captivating stories of his escapades, from how he spent the night in a jail cell with a red deer, to how he persuaded the local badger population to run along a mini assault course, turning wheels and tilting up and down on see-saws. Johnny is a wonderfully charismatic raconteur. His television series and this amazing book are already conferring on him the title of national treasure.

When a farmer on Exmoor found a frightened and badly injured red deer calf hanging by the leg from a barbed wire fence, he knew there was only one man he could call. Johnny Kingdom took Bambi home and became her surrogate mother, nursing her through the night after the dangerous operation to amputate her now infected limb. Against the odds, Bambi survived and, as she grew bigger, became a part of Johnny's family, taking over his garden and developing a taste for custard creams (and Johnny's wife's roses). But it wasn't just Johnny and his family who loved Bambi - friends, neighbours and even complete strangers would occasionally drop by with tasty treats they thought she might enjoy.But the doe in his back garden was by no means Johnny's only contact with the red deer of Exmoor. Over the years he followed the wild herds over moor and farmland as the seasons changed, filming every detail of their lives and trying to understand what Bambi was missing out on. Millions of viewers fell in love with Bambi during Johnny's BBC television series and accompanying book, but now he tells her full story. Sometimes poignant and sometimes hilarious, this is both the tale of all of Exmoor's wild deer and the story of how one very special animal came to live a very different life.

David Attenborough reveals a secret universe - it is teeming with life and is all around us, yet we never see it. It is the world of the very small, and it is a world of sex, drugs and violence. Here David shows us not just bugs, beetles and creepy-crawlies, but scorpions and centipedes, mites and mantids, spiders and dragonflies. And not just life in the undergrowth, but the dramatic battles between predator and prey that are happening in the corner of your living room and in your larder. See magnificent spectacles: swarming antler moths; millions of desert locusts; a mountain of locusts. For every pound of humans on Earth, there are 300 pounds of insects.

You won't find a better collection of nature photographs - the best from 20 years of the prestigious international Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition - representing most of the world's top photographers. There are more than 170 photographs in this lavish, large-format book, covering all natural subjects, with an emphasis on beauty - colour and form as well as unforgettable scenes of both animal behaviour and landscape - grouped in the following chapters: Illuminations, Portraits, Moments, Formations, Reflections and Connections. Each picture is accompanied by amemorable and informative caption, and each chapter has an introduction by a famous photographer or personality, from Yann Arthus-Bertrand to Frans Lanting and Chris Packham. An index of photographic details will be also be provided.

What lies below the frozen Arctic ice-sheets? Or in the black holes under the Caribbean Sea?The oceans are Earth's single most important feature. They shape our climate, our culture, our future. Yet we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about Earth's watery depths. Professional diver and explorer Paul Rose reveals an astonishing hidden world of lost cities, forgotten shipwrecks, underwater caves and submerged volcanoes. he also looks at the inhabitants of the ocean habitat, from great white sharks to the myriad exotic, but rarely seen, life forms that thrive in the extreme conditions miles beneath the surface. Cutting-edge techniques will reveal the ocean as it's never been seen before. Beautifully illustrated with more than 150 colour photographs. Includes the Mediterranean, the Sea of Cortez, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the southern Ocean and the Arctic Sea. Accompanies landmark BBC series.

A lavish, breathtaking look at the Earth as never seen before, from the producer and author of the phenomenal Blue Planet. Prepare yourself for a spectacular tour of the world's many habitats, each possessing its own unique mood. From the claustrophobic darkness of the Deep Ocean to the big skies of the Open Plains; the merciless, ever-expanding Deserts to the diminishing Jungles, teeming with violent life. The thread that binds them all is water - the precious element that has carved our world and makes all life possible - and only three percent of which on the entire Earth is fresh. Within each habitat, we take a journey of exploration. We find the hidden life - the animals who have yet to be extensively filmed, either through the inaccessibility of their habitat or their own elusive behaviour. Mass migration spectacles, blind cave fish, bioluminescent corals and rarely-seen large mountain cats, all beautifully captured by the world's best nature photographers.With a foreword by Sir David Attenborough, Planet Earth is the ultimate portrait of our planet, and the perfect companion piece to a truly landmark television event.

Planet Earth is the most spectacular look at our planet that has ever been broadcast. It has made millions of viewers aware of the breathtaking beauty and variety of life on our planet, and just as importantly how fragile that life can be. The premise of Planet Earth The Future is to identify environmental and conservation issues that surround some of the sequences in Planet Earth, and put these issues to leading commentators, including NGO's, politicians and religious leaders James Leape (WWF International), Jeffrey McNeely (World Conservation Union), and the Archbishop of Canterbury to name but a few of the 35 contributors. We are living in destructive times, and our responsibility for the planets stewardship is something none of us can afford to ignore. Comprised of transcripts from the series interviews, thoughtfully edited and abbreviated, this compelling and insightful book serves as a timely reminder of what needs to be done and what can be done to keep Planet Earth alive.

The best stories are the true ones, and there can be few BBC series that have generated as many gripping tales as Planet Earth. With producers and camerapeople travelling to every continent and almost every corner of the world, from the highest mountains to the lowest depths, their adventures have been many and unforgettable. Using every kind of craft and technological wizardry imaginable, from helicopters and submersibles, to satellites and remote cameras, they have also witnessed remarkable things. And what makes so much of the series special are the unique aerial perspectives from which they have filmed so many of the animals. This book tells the dramatic tales of their encounters, discoveries and many trials and tribulations. Also revealed are the ingenious means by which some of the unique sequences in the series have been made. Memorable sequences filmed in the wild include wild camels in the snow in the Gobi desert, a giant (truly giant) salamander hunting at night, desert lions capturing an oryx, golden snub-nosed monkeys playing high in the mountains of China, a giant panda in a cave tending her tiny newborn and a snow leopard chasing its prey down a sheer rock face. Used for the first time in any book are special photographs taken from high-definition film footage, which will bring the tales to life.

This book brings together a very special collection of pictures. Planet Earth is now regarded as the ultimate wildlife TV series, and its magic lies in its photography. Featuring the very best of Planet Earth images - from breathtaking aerials to unique, intimate portraits - Planet Earth: The Photographs is full of surprises, spectacle and a sense of awe. It is also, to quote David Attenborough, "an eloquent rallying call to all of us who care for the Earth's welfare to redouble our efforts to protect those wonders that still survive."Accompanying the images are thought-provoking captions by Planet Earth series producer Alastair Fothergill, along with quotes from the good and great of the wildlife and conservation world. Together they reveal the wonders of life on earth today and remind us that, without action, within the next few years, the world itself may never look the same again. "There is something about the wonder of nature, nature in its infinite variety and mystery, that touches people in their very souls."

Combining stunning images with ways you can help to save it for future generations and introduced by Sir David Attenborough. Saving Planet Earth is the BBC's follow-up to the multi-award winning, international bestseller Planet Earth.Inside it shows what is happening to the fantastic animals and plants you saw in Planet Earth, why they are threatened and, perhaps most importantly, what you can do to prevent their destruction. Each chapter will look at one of the major reasons that is causing the disappearance of the earth's natural beauty (fishing, deforestation, pollution etc) and will look at the major ways that they can be stopped.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, this landmark book brings together the words of Sir Patrick Moore and the favourite images of space photography expert HJP Arnold.Space: The First Fifty Years chronicles the amazing advances and discoveries made during the momentous last half century, including the first manned spaceflight and first man in orbit; the first unmanned landing on the moon; the first craft to leave the Earth's orbit; the manned moon landings; the advent of the Space Shuttle; the first probes to Mars, Venus, and then the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, to the first encounter with a comet. All written with Patrick Moores trademark clarity, simplicity, passion, and authority, and illustrated with the finest space photography, capturing the drama, scale, majesty, and minutiae of the Universe. Also includes a countdown of the 50 Greatest Ever Space Images as chosen by the late space photography expert HJP Arnold, to whom this book stands as a tribute.

Meet Charles Rangeley-Wilson. He's one of Britain's best-kept secrets - angler, conservationist, traveller. He's also one of our finest fishing writers. Now, join him on the trip of a lifetime, on a journey that will make the familiar new, and the strange familiar. Published to accompany the new BBC TV series, "The Accidental Angler" takes us from London suburbs to Bhutan, Icelandic moonscapes to the Seychelles - in fact, anywhere a fishing rod leads. In the "Accidental Angler", you'll battle titanic monsters on a tropical atoll and make-believe sharks on the mushy-peas-and-gravy Wash. You'll chase inscrutable grayling through back gardens in Provence, or phantom sea trout in downtown Southampton. And, you'll dance in Brazilian carnivals and find secret rivers hidden beneath the streets. This is because fishing can take you to the heart of the landscape in a way few other forms of travel can match. A fishing rod will break the ice with locals, guides, farmers, shopkeepers, taxi drivers and bar-flies. Whether in the world's most outlandish and awe-inspiring places or just at the end of your road, fishing will introduce you to crabby weather and crabbier locals, moon-phases, rip-tides, floods, droughts, remarkable tales, and of course fantastic slippery beasts.

From the creators of Walking with Dinosaurs comes this stunning visual encyclopedia of prehistoric animals. The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life is a 'who's who' of the prehistoric world - from primitive amphibians and giant armoured fish, to predatory dinosaurs and sabre-toothed cats. Tracing the amazing story of the evolution of life on Earth, the book features over 100 of the largest, weirdest and scariest animals that ever existed. Here, for the first time, we meet some of the truly bizarre creatures that thrived hundreds of millions of years before the dinosaurs roamed the Earth: for example, Pterygotus, a three-metre long sea scorpion, and Hyneria, a two-tonne killer fish that was capable of 'walking' on land. Many of these magnificent creatures have never been visualized before. Moving through the dinosaur era, the book recreates these awesome super-beasts and vividly depicts the landscapes in which they lived and died. All the favourites are here - from Tyrannosaurus and Diplodocus to Iguanodon and Velociraptor. With the dying out of the dinosaurs we are introduced to a whole new cast of characters, no less fascinating - the weird and wonderful mammals that are the ancestors of modern humans. What did these animals eat? How did they raise their young? How did they survive attack? The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life is packed full of the latest scientific evidence on each animal's biology, lifestyle and behaviour, and highlights key facts on size, diet and distribution. Illustrated with impressive digital imagery and remarkable fossil finds, this comprehensive field guide brings alive the creatures of the past in a breathtakingly realistic way.

Fossils provide us with a tantalizing glimpse of Britain's prehistoric past and hold the key to unlocking the secrets of life's history and evolution. Since the appearance of primitive organisms in Britain more than a billion years ago, oceans, deserts, swamps and vast mountains have come and gone in our corner of western Europe; forests of long-extinct trees, flowers and grasses have covered the land, and dinosaurs and other strange creatures have roamed across it. How do we know?The evidence is all around us - in the rocks and fossils that lie beneath the landscape. In this highly informative and practical book, which accompanies the BBC series, presenter Hermione Cockburn and renowned palaeontologist Douglas Palmer take an in-depth look at the most exciting fossil stories from around the country. When and why were dinosaur fossils first discovered in Britain? How was the biggest fish ever to have swum in the sea unearthed near Peterborough? What do modern medical techniques have to offer fossil hunters? Packed with colour photographs and illustrations, "Fossils Detectives" is full of surprising facts and features.And for those who want to try their hand at some fossil detecting of their own, the book includes an extensive regional gazetteer of fossil-hunting sites and places to visit, and guidance on identifying your fossil finds. Get ready for some time travel around Britain, with the Fossil Detectives!

Following on from British Isles: A Natural History, The Nature of Britain is another landmark primetime series brought to us by the formidable Natural History Unit. In each programme Alan turns wildlife detective, taking us on a journey of discovery through 8 different British natural habitats and their unique flora and fauna, week by week piecing together the jigsaw the makes up our homeland. Tying in with the series, The Nature of Britain is an inspirational, practical and definitive guide to British wildlife. Written by Alan, the book offers the reader a closer look at the animals and plants of Britains landscape, following the structure of the series with chapters ranging from Mountains, Lakes, Forests and Seashores to Urban Landscapes. The Nature of Britain paints a beautiful contemporary portrait of Britains wildlife, and features fascinating essays on each habitat, followed by identification guides to the species that can be found in each one. It will be visually stunning, illustrated with over 800 breathtaking images.

Trees are the oldest living inhabitants of the planet. From the magnificent oak to the beautiful willow they have all played a part in shaping the landscape we live in today. The book coincides with a major 8-part BBC2 series presented by Tony Kirkham and Jon Hammerton, two of the charismatic stars of A Year At Kew, as they set out across the nation uncovering the history and ancient myths behind our nation's trees. Camping beneath them, dating them, climbing them, they will live and breathe trees for the entire series. A compelling combination of fact and myth, The Trees That Made Britain will follow the format of the series, giving an in-depth portrait of our greatest and best-loved trees, from ancient natives to exotic newcomers. In addition to the 8 trees featured in the series it will include portraits of all other native UK varieties. Illustrated with stunning photographs throughout, the book will be a celebration of the beauty and wonder of the Earth's largest and oldest living structures and a perfect inspirational companion for nature-lovers and history enthusiasts of all ages.PLEASE NOTE: UNFORTUNATELY THIS TITLE IS TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK WITH SUPPLIER. ORDERS WILL BE RECORDED AND DESPATCHED AS SOON AS STOCK ARRIVES. WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY CAUSE.

Now, that we have arrived in the future, and we're not wearing silver space suits to work or eating pills instead of food, we can look back with some amusement on Tomorrow's World. Illustrated throughout and structured by theme, this book will recall the best of TW's occasional successes and frequent failures. Kieran Prenderville was demonstrating cds as early as 1981, but more true to TW form was 'Hissing Sid', a snooker-playing robotic arm which, when challenged by Prenderville on the baize, combined the temperament of Rod Hull's emu with the ineptitude of Clouseau.We were promised miracle chopping boards, but they never made it to retail, and giant, Prisoner-like bubbles inside which commuters could traipse across the Thames haven't arrived to solve inner-city congestion. We're still waiting for holographic videophones, cybernautic sheep-shearing devices and flying cars, too. With profiles of the main presenters dropped in throughout, critiquing their presenting skills, sartorial statements and science credentials, this trip back to the future has the irresistible pull of nostalgia, but is also a glorious celebration of a very British tradition in Heath Robinson-esque solutions to life's little problems.

Like Coast, the book is a celebration of the British landscape, specifically the Lake District, and it tells the remarkable story of Alfred Wainwright who in 1952 decided to hand draw a series of guides to the fells of Lakeland. For the next 13 years he spent every weekend walking, and every weekday evening drawing and writing - completing one page per night. The result was Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. Although initially self published they have now sold over a million copies and are still popular and much loved today. He went on to present a series of TV shows on the BBC about walking in the Lake District that made him even better known. Like Fred Dibnah he was an unlikely celebrity, he preferred his own company and thought walking in the countryside should be a solitary rather than group pursuit. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth and this TV series and book are sure to introduce him to a new generation of lovers of the countryside. Features some of Wainwright's favourite walks and is lavishly illustrated including a large number of aerial shots of Lakeland.

This is the story of how a cocktail of extraordinary traits were combined to create us, human beings. Fusing epic science with the drama of individual lives, it is the tale of everyone on the planet today. The story starts in east Africa where apes first walked on two legs. Four million years later, half a dozen different species of human populated Africa but eventually Homo erectus was to dominate this world and be the first ape-man to colonize elsewhere. This book follows the changing lives of each species, ending with our last rival, the physically powerful Neanderthals, and suggesting that it was through pure good fortune that Homo sapiens survivied to rule the world. Our story is told as continuous narrative with feature boxes explaining the evolutionary science and the archeological finds, and easy-to-use fact boxes on each of the species.

In our minds the Caribbean is the embodiment of paradise crystal blue waters, magical coral reefs and lush tropical forests. Yet behind its tranquil beauty, the Caribbean conceals many dark and mysterious secrets. Its volcanic nature both destructive and creative, powerful hurricanes and tidal waves, and its rich cultural past have all left their marks, carved into the character of the individual islands. Beautiful photography brings the islands to life in this book; fluorescent hummingbirds buzz past, scarlet ibis fill the sky, fearsome Cuban crocodiles patrol the waters and 70,000 flamingos dance in an unrivalled wildlife spectacle. The Caribbean is a place we may feel we know, but even today it is still a place of exploration and discover, with new locations and stories to explore.

This is a collectable book for all lovers of wildlife and world-class photography. It is a new collection of stunning wildlife photographs, introduced by British photograher and presenter Chris Packham, that will represent the best images taken by top nature photographers round the world and submitted to the BG Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2001 competition. More than 120 unforgettable pictures, covering natural subjects from plants to endangered animals and underwater life to landscapes, will display the beauty of the natural world. Selected from more than 19,000 entries, representing at least 60 countries, these images will comprise the winning and commended pictures from the world's largest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition.

The 13th portfolio from the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is a collectable book for all lovers of wildlife and fans of world-class photography. This new collection of stunning wildlife photographs represents the best images taken by top nature photographers around the world that have been submitted to the 2003 BG WPOY competition. Featuring more than 100 unforgettable pictures, covering natural subjects from plants to endangered animals and underwater life to landscapes, that display the beauty of the natural world. Selected from more than 19,000 entries, representing at least 60 countries, these images will comprise the winning and commended pictures from the world's largest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition. Behind-the-scenes information for each picture is given in a short caption, which includes photographic details. The full collection of photographs will be available in June 2003.

Flowing over 6275 km (3900 miles) from one end of China to the other, the Yangtze is vast, varied, and mysterious, like China itself. It rises in the highlands of Tibet, where glaciers drip and ooze to create a network of icy channels that join to form what the Chinese call simply Chang Jiang, the Long River. From here it snakes and cascades its way through some of the world's most spectacular scenery - precipitous mountains, narrow gorges, and lush lowlands of eastern China, made fertile by the mud spread by the river's frequent flooding. Yangtze follows the river on this fascinating and varied course. As it does so it explores many aspects of the river that have intrigued Chinese and westerners alike. It looks at the river's unique wildlife, from the dazzling colours of rhododendrons and camellias on its banks to the endangered creatures, such as the baiji river dolphin, that dwell in or on the banks of its waters. It describes the teeming human activity along the river - the fishing, farming, and trade that make it a lifeline and a livelihood for millions. And it looks at the river's role in some of the turning points in Chinese history, such as the wars of the Three Kingdoms Period, the culture of the Tang dynasty, the Taiping Rebellion, and the Long March of Mao and his communist allies. Finally, Yangtze looks at the changes and challenges affecting the river today. For the Yangtze stands at a turning point. The world's biggest civil engineering project, the construction of the Three Gorges dam across the river, is nearing completion. China's government hopes that the enormous dam will control the river's floods, open up further reaches to big ships, and generate hydro-electricity. Opponents of the scheme point to the damage to the environment, the human costs, and the enormous risks involved. Beautifully illustrated with outstanding photographs and specially created maps, Yangtze pictures the river at a crucial time in its long and absorbing history.