Mike Beckett – författare

Winter 1984/5 – the future for the Cambridge–King’s Lynn ‘Fen Line’ looked bleak. British Rail had singled long track sections. There had been closure talk.Yet, following a vigorous three year political and technical campaign, government approval for its electrification was granted in February 1989. Construction work was drawn out and suffered setbacks, so it wasn’t until August 1992 that electric trains finally started operating on the 41-mile-long line. At first passengers were fairly thin on the ground, but as the years progressed growth (fuelled by commuting into Cambridge and, to a lesser extent, London) meant trains gradually became very overcrowded. Extensive works to upgrade the line to take longer trains have now come on stream. As well as a new Cambridge North, there are well-developed plans for other new stations.Concentrating mainly north of Cambridge, this book illustrates the trains that run from Kings Cross and Liverpool Street to Ely and King’s Lynn via Cambridge, many of the types and liveries seen, and the extensive infrastructure works that have taken place over the last thirty-or-so years.Mike Beckett was a strategic planner at King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council at the time of the electrification campaign. With a personal as well as professional interest in transport, he maintains a photographic record of the line’s many changes and has drawn on his collection to produce this book.

Inorganic chemistry is a core part of the chemistry curricula, though it is often felt to be a huge range of disparate facts that have little underlying organization or reasoning. The periodic table was developed in the latter part of the 19th century, providing an organizing structure which began to explain the underlying principles of inorganic chemistryThe Periodic Table at a Glance provides a concise overview of the main principles and reactions of inorganic chemistry, carefully structured around the periodic table, for students studying chemistry and related courses at undergraduate level. Based on the highly successful and student friendly “at a glance” approach, the information is presented in integrated, self contained double page spreads of text and illustrative material, to facilitate the rapid assimilation, understanding and recall of critical concepts, facts and definitions. Students wanting a comprehensive and accessible overview of inorganic chemistry will find this book an ideal source of the information they require. In addition, the structured presentation will provide an invaluable aid to revision for students preparing for examinations.