Richard Happer – författare

Ghost towns, empty streets, crumbling ruins and lost empires this book reveals these and other deserted places. Many places featured were once populated and now sit unoccupied, modern day ruins, sitting in decay.Stories, facts and photographs of 60 beautiful and eerie abandoned places from throughout the world. Time has stopped and nature is taking resident in these places mainly due to natural disasters, war or economic reasons.Places include:• Severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Six Flags Jazzland has been abandoned since. Several of the rides still stand, a testimony to the resilience of New Orleans.• Shicheng in China has been under water for 53 years since the Xin'an River Hydro Plant flooded the area. The city was founded 1,300 years ago.• Chernobyl was totally abandoned after the nearby nuclear disaster in 1986. Due to radiation, it has been left untouched ever since the incident and will be for many thousands of years into the future. Nature now rules the city in what resembles an apocalyptic movie.• Poveglia is an island in the Venetian Lagoon which under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte became a dumping ground for plague victims and later an asylum for the mentally ill.• Plymouth was the capital of the island of Montserrat. The town was overwhelmed by volcanic eruptions starting in 1995 and was abandoned.• St Kilda a remote Scottish Island may have been permanently inhabited for at least two millennia, the population probably never exceeding 180. The entire population was evacuated in 1930.

365 Reasons To Be Proud To Be Scottish is a year-long scenic route of jollyness taking in the quirky events, inventions, traditions, people, places and characters that make Scotland a country worth celebrating every day of the year.Has there ever been a more eccentric, creative, inventive and passionate race than the Scottish? We don't think so and 365 Reasons To Be Proud To Be Scottish proves it brilliantly. In the book you'll find a historical year's worth of the discoveries, delights and derring-do that make Scotland a place to love and cherish, a place of wonder and a country that attracts 13 million people through its doors each year. From the hallowed halls of St Andrews University – the first in Scotland (and, in 2013, celebrating its 600th birthday!) – to the glorious slopes of Edinburgh’s streets; from the magical monster myths of loch landscapes to the ancient highland whisky makers; from inventors Alexander Graham Bell to brave knights such as William Wallace – Scotland is amazing, every single day of the year.

p>It’s a well-observed fact that human beings (well, men) can be a grumpy old bunch, always choosing to see that infamous metaphorical glass as constantly half empty rather than half full. Where’s the fun in that? 365 Reasons To Be Cheerful is, well, it’s exactly that. It’s a whole year’s worth of funny and unique events that happened on each and every day – a wild, weird and wonderful journey through the year highlighting the moments that changed the world for the better as well as the delightful, irreverant stories that will simply make you smile. 365 Reasons To Be Cheerful is designed specifically to look on the bright side of life every day of the year – the perfect pint-sized pick-me-up in these sobering, sombre times.

365 Reasons To Be Proud To Be British is a year-long scenic route of jollyness taking in the quirky events, inventions, traditions, people, places and characters that make Great Britain a nation worth celebrating every day of the year. Because it is great.Come on, admit it, has there ever been a more inventive, adventurous, creative and eccentric race than the British? We don't think so and 365 Reasons To Be Proud To Be British proves it brilliantly. In the book you'll find a historical year's worth of the discoveries, delights and derring-do that make Britain a place to love and cherish, a place of wonder and an island that attracts 27 million people through its doors. From the Cornish beaches to the glorious Welsh mountains; from the square-eyed joys of BBC telly to the incredible 'Knowledge' of the London cabbie; from our peerless pop music royalty to the globally renowned remedial powers of the perfect cuppa – Britain rules, every single day of the year.

However well our boys do in the 2014 World Cup, we can be sure that English pride will be riding higher than ever. So it's time to celebrate our Englishness! Take a year-long stroll around the joys of English inventiveness, eccentricity and fighting spirit with this fascinating collection of stories, anecdotes and fun.Within these pages you'll find tales of innovative discoveries, historical victories and iconic sporting successes, one for every day of the year, all of which will make any Englishman or woman beam with pride. It's the perfect gift for English people everywhere.

London – one of the world's most exciting cities. Teeming with life, bursting with history, it houses over 8 million people, and has thousands of stories to tell.365 Reasons to be Proud to be a Londoner is a quirky, fun exploration of the people and events that make London so special, with an entry for every day of the year. From the building of London's frankly awe-inspiring sewer system to the founding of the iconic Abbey Road recording studios, from the diary of Samuel Pepys to the invention of the World Wide Web, this fascinating book provides 365 compelling reasons why every Londoner should be proud of their wonderful city. Maybe it's because you're a Londoner…that you'll love this book!Word count: 30,000Related titles:365 Reasons to be Cheerful (9781906032968)365 Reasons to be Proud to be British (9781907554391)365 Reasons to be Proud to be English (9781909396715)365 Reasons to be Proud to be Irish (9781909396401)365 Reasons to be Proud to be Scottish (9781907554872)365 Reasons to Look on the Bright Side (9781907554681)

365 Reasons To Be Proud To Be Irish is a year-long scenic route of jolliness taking in the quirky events, inventions, traditions, people, places and characters that make Ireland a country worth celebrating every day of the year.Within this humorously illustrated and entertaining book you'll find a historical year's worth of the discoveries, delights and derring-do that make Ireland a place to love and cherish, a place of wonder and a country that attracts 6 million people through its doors each year. From the beautiful streets of Dublin’s city centre to the craggy scrapes of Galway; from the magical myths of Dearg Due (the Irish vampire!) to the legendary pint-pullers at Guinness; from scientists Francis Beaufort to ejection-seat inventor James Martin (plus many more!), Ireland is outstanding in every way, every single day of the year.

It’s a well-observed fact that human beings (well, men) can be a grumpy old bunch, always choosing to see that infamous metaphorical glass as constantly half empty rather than half full. Where’s the fun in that? 365 Reasons To Be Cheerful is, well, it’s exactly that. It’s a whole year’s worth of funny and unique events that happened on each and every day – a wild, weird and wonderful journey through the year highlighting the moments that changed the world for the better as well as the delightful, irreverant stories that will simply make you smile. 365 Reasons To Be Cheerful is designed specifically to look on the bright side of life every day of the year – the perfect pint-sized pick-me-up in these sobering, sombre times.