Absolute Press

What if the world's population were represented by a village of just 100 people? How many speak a Chinese dialect? How many cannot read or write? And how many chickens would this village have? This beautifully illustrated and unique book, revised and updated for 2018 onwards, explains facts about the world's population in a simple, non-political and fascinating way. It presents the whole world as a village ...

Seventy per cent of the earth's surface is covered by water. This vast aquatic realm is inhabited by a multitude of strange creatures and reigning supreme among them are the fish.

The Sunday Times number one bestseller 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.

From Tudor oyster pedlars and Victorian pie and mash shops, to the supper clubs and street food scene flourishing today, Britain's capital has always been a tantalising draw for those who live to eat.

Japan is home to a spectacular and diverse range of birds, and this up-to-date text covers the identification, voice, habitat, behaviour and range of all the species and subspecies found across the beautiful and fascinating Japanese archipelago. The authoritative text is accompanied by superb full-colour plates painted by an expert artist and covers all major plumage variations. Birds of Japan will ensure t...

Much loved... but about to be lost? The hedgehog was voted Britain's favourite animal in 2013, yet numbers in the British countryside have halved this century. Generations of children have been captivated by Beatrix Potter's The tale of Mrs Tiggy-winkle and Romans feted hedgehogs as weather prophets, yet many cultures routinely consume hedgehog meat for medicinal uses as varied as alleviating arthritis and ...

Dare to Tri is the amazing story of TV presenter Louise Minchin's journey from the BBC Breakfast sofa to representing Great Britain at the World Triathlon Championships. This is a warmly written and wonderfully honest adventure-through-sport that will both entertain and inspire.

The RSPB Spotlight series introduces a selection of iconic UK wildlife to the general reader. This latest title focuses upon the swallow and the swift, two well known birds that, although unrelated, are often combined and, indeed, confused in the popular imagination. Traditional heralds of the European summer, swallows and swifts have many things in common. Both feed on aerial insects and are thus similarly...

Maud Berridge (1845-1907) was the wife of a Master Mariner, and she travelled with him on at least five occasions (1869, 1880, 1882, 1883, 1886), sailing to Melbourne with emigrants and cargo. The first occasion was 1869 just after they were married, when Henry was Captain of the Walmer Castle, and they returned via New Zealand instead of travelling east and around Cape Horn.

For any seafarer, splicing rope is an essential skill. But the traditional 3-strand rope is fast disappearing. So how do you splice braided rope? This is the definitive pocket-sized guide to all rope splicing techniques. Most of the techniques are quite easy to master - and also fun to do. See why splices are better - and stronger - than knots or shackles for joining or shortening rope, and follow the step-...

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.

Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa remains the definitive work on this subject and is the only comprehensive guide to the extensive and diverse reptile fauna of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. The second edition has been revised and updated to account for several significant discoveries made since the publication of the first book.

This is a compact, easy-to-use bird identification guide for any birdwatcher visiting Jamaica and the islands of the West Indies. It provides comprehensive coverage of 252 species of birds that inhabit the islands of the West Indies, with detailed descriptions and a colour photograph for each species. Includes thumbnail family silhouettes, a regional distribution map, up-to-date tips on the best birding loc...

This text is a compact, easy-to-use bird identification guide suitable for any birdwatcher visiting the Indonesian islands of Java, Sumatra and Bali. The book features descriptions of 236 species, thumbnail silhouettes for ease of use, up-to-date tips and information on bird biology and behaviour.

Humans are mammals. Most of us appreciate that at some level. But what does it mean for us to have more in common with a horse and an elephant than we do with a parrot, snake or frog?

"Saltmarshes are often remote, inhospitable places, neither land nor sea, as hard to pin down as they are to navigate. In this saline odyssey, Clive Chatters has explored his favourite creeks, pools and mudflats to bring us an absorbing celebration of the ecology, biology, geology and history of this scarce and mysterious habitat. There are Tadpole Shrimps, and rare sedges, waders and Wild Celery - even inl...