Absolute Press

In 1845, British explorer Sir John Franklin set out on a voyage to find the North-West Passage - the sea route linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. The expedition was expected to complete its mission within three years and return home in triumph but the two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, and the 129 men aboard them disappeared in the Arctic. The last Europeans to see them alive were the crews of tw...

The Strange Death of Europe is a highly personal account of a continent and culture caught in the act of suicide. Declining birth-rates, mass immigration and cultivated self-distrust and self-hatred have come together to make Europeans unable to argue for themselves and incapable of resisting their own comprehensive change as a society. This book is not only an analysis of demographic and political realitie...

Cape Horn's fearsome reputation and the price it has extracted from those who venture there derives from a lethal contrivance of geography that unleashes the most powerful natural dynamic forces on the earth's surface. Reaching deep into the Southern Ocean, the Cape intrudes into the flow of the water and weather patterns at the bottom of the world and funnels them into a maritime superhighway a mere 500 mi...

Day Skipper for Sail and Power is a major reference book for anyone following the RYA Day Skipper course. Brought thoroughly up-to-date with new developments and covering all the theory and practical aspects of the RYA Day Skipper Certificate with full colour photography, helpful diagrams and worked examples, it is also a clear and comprehensive manual for anyone intending to make coastal passages in a smal...

During their university holidays in the late 1880s, S.K. Baker and three of his University College friends clad in stripy blazers and boaters spent time sailing and camping on the River Wye. Baker, a keen artist and diarist, recorded their travels in watercolour in two small leather bound books. The result is an entirely charming, funny account along the lines of the legendary Three Men in a Boat with which...

A delightful celebration of cycling from renowned cartoonist and multiple-bike owner Dave Walker. With over 100 full-page cartoons that give an affectionate take on cycling in all its different forms, featuring cartoons about road cycling, mountain biking and bike ownership, via sportives and commuting - celebrating the simple pleasure of getting from A to B on two wheels.

An acknowledged classic of narrative nature-writing, Donald Watson's The Hen Harrier was the culmination of a lifetime's study of this beautiful upland bird. A gentle, warm and wonderfully written book, The Hen Harrier stems from an age of 'amateur' conservation, from the pen of a man who cared deeply about birds and their habitats, especially of the Scottish borders where he conducted much of his research ...

The Giro d'Italia is the cooler, tougher brother of the Tour de France. First staged in 1909, and only pausing for two World Wars, its hundredth edition takes place in 2017. Inspired by L'Auto's improved circulation figures after establishing France's Grand Tour, the Gazzetta dello Sport saw an opportunity to outdo its rival paper, the Corriere della Sera, by organising its own race.

It is said that in India a festival is celebrated every day of the year. In this gastronomic celebration of India's festival cuisine, head chef of London's acclaimed Cinnamon Club, Vivek Singh brings his unique touch to traditional festival recipes and gives his insight into the significance of food from a country with a history of such diverse religions and cultures.

Written by a sailing Olympian, this has been the most-trusted reference for racing sailors around the world for over 45 years and has sold 320,000 copies in the English language alone. The unique approach devised by Paul Elvstrom offers bird's-eye views and detailed explanations of how the rules are applied to racing situations, with each cross-referenced to the relevant case studies provided by World Saili...

We've all got one. A secret, special place. Hidden. Enclosed. A little greener and more fertile than the world outside. Here the birds are slightly more exotic, slightly more confiding, the grass greener and the fruit sweeter. To know such a place, to love such a place, is part of being human.

Prized for its texture, flavour and versatility, risotto has been part of the Italian diet since the eighth century and is one of Italy's most famous dishes. This revised and updated edition of Valentina Harris' seminal work shows you how to prepare, cook and serve this iconic dish using ingredients from the humble tomato to the much sought-after truffle. With a fully updated introduction and some brand new...

Visitors to South-East Asia are usually astonished at the profusion of marine life that exists in this biodiversity hot-spot. Reef Fishes of South-East Asia is a comprehensive and easy-to-follow guide to this rich diversity. Covering the waters off the coasts of Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, this compact book, illustrated with vibrant colour photogra...

This stylish and inspiring book contains all the information campers need to make the most of the wonderful waterside locations throughout the UK and Ireland. Covering all kinds of camping (caravan, campsite and wild), the book starts by showing how to plan your trip, what gear to take and how to get stuck into all the fantastic water-based activities on offer, such as sailing, kayaking, angling, surfing an...

Mars, the red planet, is ingrained in our culture, from David Bowie's extra-terrestrial spiders to Captain Scarlet to War of the Worlds. It has inspired hundreds of authors, scientists and science-fiction writers - but why? What is it about this particular planet that makes it so intriguing? Ancient mythologies defined Mars as a violent harbinger of war, star-gazers puzzled over its peculiar motion, and ast...

The Brown Hare is an animal we all know but rather rarely see, even though it is quite common, active by day and lives in the wide open spaces of classic lowland countryside. It can make itself almost invisible, lying still in its form until it takes off suddenly, fleeing at astounding, breakneck pace. Those lucky enough to see a hare in a moment of stillness, may see in its staring golden eyes a strangenes...

This is a book with no practical purpose whatsoever. As any fan of Dave's would probably guess, a book by him won't make you a better sailor, and it won't provide any instruction on boat maintenance. But it will entertain - his light but observational writings tap the rich well of all those things that sailors know but few dare admit. The Impractical Boat Owner is a collection of Dave's columns for Practica...

Owls are charismatic and exceptionally well-loved characters in British wildlife, and have always held a special place in our folklore and legends. Their nocturnal habits mean few of us have been lucky enough to see them up close. In RSPB Spotlight: Owls Marianne Taylor introduces readers to every aspect of their lives including their physiology, biology and behaviour, as well as their history, and future i...

Karin Bojs grew up in a small, broken family. At her mother's funeral she felt this more keenly than ever. As a science journalist she was eager to learn more about herself, her family and the interconnectedness of society. After all, we're all related. And in a sense, we are all family. My European Family tells the story of Europe and its people through its genetic legacy, from the first wave of immigratio...

Agatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder method, with the poison itself often being a central part of the novel. Her choice of deadly substances was far from random - the characteristics of each often provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer.