Travel [Portrait format] – serie

Robust, romantic and imposing, castles capture our imagination when we were children and continue to hold interest throughout our lives. From Europe to Haiti, from India to Japan, Castles of the World explores forts, strongholds, towers and citadels from the ancient world up to the 20th century. Entries range from well-known examples such as Corfe Castle in England, the crusader stronghold of Krak des Chevaliers in Syria and the romantic palace of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, to lesser-known curiosities such as the Genoese Fortress in the Crimea, Rudkhan Castle in Iran and Morro Castle in Havana. Arranged chronologically, each entry includes a striking colour photograph and expert text briefly telling the story of the castle’s history. Built, rebuilt and expanded many times, castles often don’t just tell us about one period in history, but about many different times. They offer us layers of history – and sometimes mystery, too. With 200 outstanding colour photographs, Castles of the World is a beautiful examination of worlds gone by.

Our beautiful planet is in danger: the warning signs are there, year after year – from vast forest fires across Australia to coral bleaching in the Pacific and the rapid break up of polar ice and the consequent rise in sea levels, threatening low-lying coastal communities everywhere. Arranged by continent, Endangered Places introduces the reader to many of the most stunning natural locations from the around the world that are currently under threat. Learn about the magnificent Bornean rainforest, home to threatened species such as orangutans, probiscis monkeys and the Sumatran rhinoceros; marvel at the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, stretching 2,300 kilometres along Australia’s east coast and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps; explore the Aral Sea, formerly the fourth largest lake in the world and today less than 10 per cent of it’s original size after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects; and understand the process of desertification, which has led to the huge expansion of the Sahara Desert and the dramatic shrinkage of Lake Chad. Illustrated with more than 180 photographs of more than 100 threatened locations, Endangered Places celebrates the beauty of our planet while reminding us of how easily this can be lost through human behaviour and climate change.

In 150 striking images, Italy celebrates perhaps the most beautiful country in the world. From the natural beauty of lakes such as Como or Garda to the vineyards in Tuscany to the many beaches, from the pretty seaside towns of the Cinque Terre to the glory of Venice’s canals and palaces, from the magnificence of classical antiquity in Rome to the Arab-Norman architecture of Palermo to Renaissance Florence, there is just so much to feast on in Italy. But apart from the famous highlights, the book also features lesser known sides to the country, be it pretty, unexplored corners and examples of everyday life, or the abandoned cave towns of Puglia and the 16th century star-shaped town of Palmanova. Presented with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Italy is a stunning collection of images.

Ireland holds a special place in people’s hearts – even for many who haven’t been there. To some the appeal is its natural beauty, to others it’s the history; to some it’s Ireland’s lasting folk tradition, to others it even seems to be a mystical place. Ireland: The Emerald Isle presents 150 outstanding photographs celebrating the island’s most evocative and beautiful places, whether in nature or man-made, from the miles of near empty beaches to the Mourne Mountains in County Down, from the pretty fishing towns of County Cork to Dublin’s elegant Georgian streets. Featuring images from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the book ranges widely across landscapes and history, from rugged cliffs and rolling hills to mysterious stone circles, magnificent cathedrals and ruined abbeys; and from medieval forts and castles to grand Victorian follies and villages abandoned during the Potato Famine. While some images such as the striking basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway may be familiar, others you may know only from Game of Thrones and the Star Wars films but never realized that they, too, were in Ireland. Presented with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Ireland: The Emerald Isle is a stunning collection of images celebrating the island’s natural beauty, culture and history.

Illustrated with spectacular photographs, Spain showcases the jewel of southwestern Europe. From the stunning architecture of Gaudi in Barcelona in the north of the country, to the national parks of Alpujarras and Donana in Andalucia in the south, there are hundreds of miles of sights to explore with every chapter. Explore the Roman influences on the Iberian Peninsula and the vestiges of early Islamic rule in Córdoba. Spain also features everyday lifestyles of the people of the country including markets, food and fabulous flamenco dancing. Leaving the mainland behind, there is plenty more to see on the Canary Islands of Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura and Balearic Islands of Majorca, Ibiza and Minorca to name just a few. Arranged by region, the book explores Spanish tradition and contemporary culture alike from medieval times to the present day. Presented in a portrait format and with expert captions explaining the fascinating stories behind each setting, Spain is a brilliant collection of images.

From the psychedelic salt mines of Yekaterinburg in Siberia to the rugged, green-tinted Copper Canyon in the Sierra Madre in Mexico, Hidden Places roams across the globe in search of hidden treasures and secret places off the beaten track. Explore the Silfra Deep Trench in Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet to create a remarkable rift and freshwater dive site; experience the weirdest of woodland walks through the Crooked Forest in Pomerania, Poland, where a grove of 400 pines are uniformly curved; marvel at the colourful, gold-plated temple of Doi Suthep in northern Thailand; or visit the world’s highest sand dune, Grande Dune du Pilat, on the Bordeaux coast. Each location is accompanied by a caption explaining the geography and history of the place. Illustrated with 180 colour photographs, Hidden Places ranges from the sparse landscape of the Arctic Circle to the rich rainforests of the Amazon basin. Read this book and discover the special, hidden places that will come to define your bucket list – many of which are much closer to home than you think.

A hotspot in the North Atlantic, Iceland is one of the world’s most unusual countries. It is Europe’s second largest island but its most sparsely populated country. Sitting astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, linking the North Atlantic plate with the Eurasian plate, it is closer to Greenland than Europe. It lies just south of the Arctic Circle, but, warmed by Gulf Stream waters, has a temperate climate. It has fiery volcanoes and freezing glaciers, striking black sand beaches and hot geysers – the word geyser itself comes from Icelandic. And a geologically young landmass, Iceland is still taking shape: a volcanic eruption in 1963 caused the formation of the new island of Surtsey. Iceland is a fascinating exploration of this most beautiful island. From volcanoes and lava flows to geysers and geothermal pools, from bird life to whale-watching, from national parks, verdant valleys to inland tundra, and from how waterfalls are used for hydro-electric power to Reykjavik’s city life, the book is packed with 200 spectacular colour photographs. Presented with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Iceland is a stunning collection of images celebrating the world’s most curious island.

Did you know that Oslo is the only capital city in Europe where you can go cross-country skiing? Just take your skis on the metro to the suburbs and ski off from the platform across the frozen, snowy landscape. Stretching so far from north to south, and from west to east – the country reaches further east than St Petersburg – Norway has a larger number of different habitats than almost any other European country. It has Scandinavia’s most spectacular fjords, steep mountains, pretty fishing villages, beautiful beaches – and continental Europe’s largest glacier. From remote settlements within the Arctic Circle to Oslo’s lively city life, from the northern lights to white nights when the sun never sets, from sculpture gardens to immense bridges linking the country’s many islands, Norway is a fascinating exploration of this increasingly popular tourist destination. With captions explaining the story behind each entry, Norway is a stunning collection of images celebrating this striking country.

From coastal to alpine, tropical to temperate, coniferous to deciduous, forest trees not only support the wildlife that lives under their canopies, but humankind, too. We could not survive without the cooling effect that trees have on the planet. Yet for thousands of years, we have logged forest trees and tapped their resin, we have hunted and foraged among them, found sources of medicine in their leaves and bark, and created sacred groves under their canopies. In some places we have cleared so much land that it is possible the trees will never grow back. Habitats have been lost as global temperatures have continued to rise. But, despite the environmental damage, there is hope, too. Some areas of abandoned farmland have been reclaimed by trees. And if we look to the Mayan ruins in Mexico, we see how forests can bury even a society’s grandest buildings. Given the opportunity, forests won’t just outlive us, but our civilisations, too. In this book, Kieron Connolly surveys forests from all around the globe, from deforestation in the Amazon to the reforestation of Californian redwoods, from England’s New Forest to Germany’s Black Forest, telling the stories of humankind’s ancient links to the trees and the flora and fauna found among them. Ranging from ecology to history, from the ravaged to the rewilded, and featuring more than 230 striking photographs, Forests is a fascinating exploration of woodland life around the world.

Nestling more than 1000km (600 miles) from the South American coast among the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Galapagos are famous as the source of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, following his historic visit to the archipelago aboard HMS Beagle in 1835. Today, these 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’. Located at the confluence of three ocean currents, the Galápagos are a melting pot of diverse marine species. Local volcanic activity is testament to the process that originally formed these islands. Combined with the extreme isolation of the archipelago, this has led to the development of some rare and unusual animals, such as the land iguana, blue-footed booby and the many types of finch, which are featured – along with the penguins, sea lions and Galapagos hawks – in vivid detail in this book. Arranged in chapters that include geology, sea life, fauna and flora, Galapagos Islands is an evocative exploration of this remarkable ecosystem and the life that has developed there – from the volcanic peaks of Cerro Azul and Wolf Volcano to the famous giant tortoise, flightless cormorant and waved albatross.

Where in the world do passenger planes land on the beach each day? Where might you search for the world’s most famous underwater monster? Where would you find a capital city with more listed buildings than anywhere else in the world? Yes, in Scotland of course. The airport runway on the island of Barra is, simply, the beach. People still flock to Loch Ness in the hope of seeing the Loch Ness Monster. And Edinburgh has more listed buildings than any other capital city. Scotland is a fascinating exploration of the most beautiful country of the British Isles. From the pretty Georgian streets of Edinburgh’s New Town to the Victorian grandeur and Art Deco delights of Glasgow, from the remote islands in the Hebrides to the bustle of the Edinburgh Festival, from Europe’s oldest tree (a 3,000-year old twisted yew) to the majesty of Glenfinnan viaduct – made even more famous by the Harry Potter films – the book is packed with 200 spectacular colour photographs. Presented with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Scotland is a stunning collection of images celebrating this beautiful country.