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artbooks

Glyndebourne Paintings 2011-2016
Julian Sutherland Beatson

9781527206465
Based in Sussex, Julian paints the landscape, coastline and urban areas in a style often described as 'contemporary realism'. He studied illustration and printmaking at the Eastbourne College of Art for 4 years (under the tuition of printmaker Robert Tavener) before embarking on a career in graphic design and illustration. Since 2004, when he had 2 paintings purchased by the House of Lords to complement an existing collection of period travel paintings, he has been painting and exhibiting in the UK and throughout Europe. He has been accepted 3 times to exhibit work in the Royal Academy Summer exhibition. In 2009 Julian worked on a project entitled ‘Sussex 365, A Year in the Life’ which comprised 365 Sussex paintings. He was invited to show this work during the 2010 Glyndebourne Tour and then returned the following year, creating a a painting every day throughout the Glyndebourne season which were then exhibited in the Stalls Gallery . He has returned each summer since then, continuing the ‘daily painting’ tradition and this book features a number of his favourite paintings made during that time.
Published: Jan 2016
Paperback: 124pages
Price: £12.50
ISBN: 978-1-911175-03-2
Julian says “The opportunity to work at Glyndebourne over recent years has been both a pleasure and a privilege. There is always change and development to observe as preparations for the Festival season gather pace, both in the rehearsal rooms, backstage areas and in the grounds. I love to see the new plantings each spring and to feel the buzz of anticipation as the first performances draw near. This is mirrored by the burgeoning of the natural environment as the weeks pass, culminating in splendid maturity towards the end of August as the triumphant final performances conclude the season in Glyndebourne’s magnificent auditorium. The opportunity to experience the rhythms of this iconic place and to be welcomed into the life of such a creative and highly esteemed cultural institution has made producing these paintings a joyful and fulfilling experience. This book contains some of my favourite paintings made here between 2011 and 2016. I hope you enjoy the collection”.

Visit the Artist's website

Front Page, history

The Impact Of World War One on the Smestow Vale Villages
David Taylor

9781911175742 Perhaps the most popular strand of the local history of War World One concerns those who died in the war, looking at their lives and war experience, particularly the action in which they died or the unit they served in. Another strand considers the Home Front, particularly in the towns and cities or in locations where a notable activity took place, such as Zeppelin Raids or explosives manufacture. However, there is a third strand, equally important but little investigated, and that is the impact of the war on rural communities. This booklet looks at one such community, on the edge of the Black Country but clearly rural in character, the villages of South Staffordshire centred on what is now known as Smestow Vale.
Published: Aug 2017
Extent: 64 pages
Paperback: £5.00
ISBN: 9-781911-175742
£5.00 (+ £2 postage)
Number of copies:
These villages have their own tale to tell of what happened between 1914 and 1918. There were the absences and deaths of many young, and not so young, men. But also there were air raid precautions, lack of public transport, increasing food production for local towns and themselves, new housing requirements and many other irritations and difficulties caused by the war. Followed by the celebrations at the Armistice and the signing of the Peace Treaties, and then the commemorations for those who would never return. The Impact of World War One on the Smestow Vale Villages looks at these villages to find out what we can discern after 100 years of what life was like in the countryside during The Great War.
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Front Page, history

The Shrewsbury Drapers Company
Nigel Hinton

9781911175803 A history of the Shrewsbury Drapers Company from the Middle Ages until the present day with special attention to the new Drapers' Almshouses. The Shrewsbury Drapers' Company looks at the effect of the Company on the town and on its development, the various charitable guilds and trusts connected with it and finally at the long struggle to create new almshouses for elderly citizens of the town and the successful conclusion to the project.
Published: Sept 2017
Extent: 250 pages
Paperback: £17.50
Hardback: £25.00
ISBN: 9-781911-175506
Paperback: £17.50
(+ £2 postage)
Number of copies:

Hardback: £25.00
(+ £2 postage)
Number of copies:
Nigel is a chartered accountant with a passion for local history and cloud technology, he was master of the Shrewsbury Drapers Company in 2011/12.
He is married to Bridget they have three daughters and four grandchildren. Nigel`s other publications include Historical Hostelries with David Trumper, Silhouette, the story of the Little X, and a book for children, Baa Baa Blodwyn
Reader Reviews...
Front Page, nonfiction

Consciousness Matters – An Enquiry into the Origin of Consciousness
Oliver Leech

9781911175827 Consciousness Matters addresses the age-old problem of the relationship between consciousness and the material world. In the course of exploring some of the history of this major philosophical subject it looks at a range of materialist responses, such as mind-brain identity theory, behaviourism, functionalism and supervenience, as explanations for consciousness.
Set against these positions is the view, first, that consciousness is neither material nor reducible to material and, second, that consciousness is a prerequisite for our knowledge of the material world. If the latter view is the case, the terms of the debate are shifted fundamentally.
The theories of idealism and dualism of the material and the conscious are considered.
Published: Sept 2017
Paperback: 154 pages
Price: £6.90
ISBN: 9-781911-175827

£6.90 (+ £2 postage)
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In contrast to the dualism made famous by Descartes, according to which there is two-way causal interaction, the long-neglected theory of occasionalism is introduced and explained with reference to two significant philosophers associated with it. A case is made for a revival of occasionalism that takes into account a more modern perspective. The book ends with an acknowledgement that it has only scratched the surface of this vast and very challenging topic.
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Front Page, travel

A grown-up gap-year spent in New Zealand
Godfrey Wilkinson

9781911175766 “Oh Bugger it! Why don’t we just go and live there?” Next morning we left our home behind and set off on the first leg of our great antipodean adventure.This is the story of a ‘grown-up gap-year’ spent in New Zealand. A melting-pot of recollections, reflections and abundant digressions, it is, by turns, tangentially informative, subjectively insightful and forthrightly irreverent. The author recounts, with frequent characteristically acerbic asides, the trials and tribulations, highs, lows and flat spots of stepping ‘outside the box’ and thirty years back in time, into a new life on the other side of the world. Along the way, he touches upon a diversity of nebulously related topics, amongst which teaching, long-distance walking, bureaucracy and drinking beer are recurrent themes. Anyone who has ever harboured a desire to seek out distant horizons will relate to the inherent urge to ‘up and go’ encapsulated in this account. Anyone who has never felt such wanderlust may find themselves re-evaluating their perspectives. Reading this book is unlikely to change your life but it just might change the way you think about it.  
Published: July 2017
Paperback: 278 pages
Price: £10.50
ISBN: 9-781911-175766

£10.50 (+ £2 postage)
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Available from Amazon
Godfrey Wilkinson grew up in Lichfield, Staffordshire in the English Midlands: a city with a proud cultural heritage and an established tradition of landlocked introspection.In his mid-50s, after some 30-odd years as a Secondary School teacher (with occasional forays into the real world of Business and Commerce), he decided to get off the grid and realise a long-held ambition to experience the New Zealand dream. His occasional newsletters prompted friends to say, “You should write a book about it.” So he did. He currently lives with his wife, Jayne, and their New Zealand sheepdog, above a taverna overlooking the harbour of a small Greek fishing village.
Reader Reviews...

Malcolm Cowburn
Beyond drudgery: there is life after teaching

The title of the book is in Māori (‘Whā Kaupeka’) and then repeated in English (‘Four seasons in New Zealand’). Some chapter titles are in English and others in Māori indicating the emphasis of each section, I briefly offer the translation of the Māori words (with thanks to maoridictionary.co.nz): Pae Tawhiti (cast far away), Ngahuru (Autumn), Hōtoke (Winter), Kōanga (Spring) and Raumati (Summer). The attention to, and respect for Māori culture is one of the many strengths of this book.

In part personal memoir, drinking diary, nature journal, walker's log, cultural commentary and social polemic, this book is entertaining, informative and thought provoking. The author and his wife, both experienced teachers jaundiced with teaching policy and practice in the UK, decided to emigrate to New Zealand. The book is, in part an account of their experience. It captures, with humour, the frustrations of dealing with bureaucracies managing emi/immigration, house sale and purchase and employment in two countries at opposite ends of the globe. The acerbic eye of the author looks back in anger on the KPI driven world of English education managed by acquiescent careerists, and initially enthuses about the simple candour of staff-pupil relationships on the other side of the world. It is also an account of a long-distance walk undertaken by the author with two friends and his dog. The Cleveland Way is a 110 mile walk in North Yorkshire, England. The book is unified by the way it encounters the natural, cultural and historical worlds of both locations; these are well researched and expressed in an easy and accessible manner. The text is liberally punctuated with 'drinks breaks’ which the author manages with eloquent ease, savouring the new and relishing the familiar. The pains of emigration are not ignored, sadness and sorrow are economically yet powerfully expressed. Family ties and memories of England recur regularly throughout: humorously, for example, in the author’s early naturalist experiments that disturbed the, rhythms of family life, and poignantly in the references to his father. The book ends as it began with a refusal to accept life-numbing work conditions and a quest for adventure. The strength of this book is its clarity, and full-on engagement with the complexities and challenges of living fulsomely in the moment.  
nonfiction

Secrets of the Human Brain
Robert Pullen

534175 Dr Bob Pullen shines a spotlight on the human brain, which is so central to what we humans are. He explains how our brains are made up of nerve cells or neurons, which behave rather like batteries producing a small voltage which becomes the language of the nervous system, a bit like Morse code. Our neurons can also behave like computer-chips processing electronic data. He looks at the brains of other animals and explains how different parts of the human brain perform different tasks, some areas performing movement, others giving us our five senses. He describes the fascinating ways our brains can create visual illusions, how we produce language and speech, how we feel pain and what happens when we sleep and dream. The book also touches on the nature of consciousness itself.
Published:May 2017
Paperback:122 pages
Price:£7.00
ISBN:9-781911-175650
Available from Amazon
£7.00 (+ £2 postage)
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The book looks at the physical division of the brain into left and right cerebral hemispheres and describes how these differ between men and women. And what happens when the brain goes wrong; how can it be examined? A damaged brain can cause difficulties, illness and disorder. Remarkable modern methods of examination such as measuring brain waves and magnetic resonance imaging are simply and clearly explained. The brain is more than a normal organ. It governs how we think and makes us self-aware. Bob Pullen considers the mind, life and death, as well as our place in the universe.
Reader Reviews...

fiction

The Horses Know
Lynn Mann

9781911175278 The human race has all but destroyed itself and those who remain know that they must avoid repeating the mistakes of their ancestors. Life is a struggle but just when it seems as though all may be lost, the horses intervene. Through the bonds that develop between humans and their horses, people learn what the horses know, ensuring the advancement of humanity. And the horses wait for the person who will be able to help them in return ...
Published:June 2016
Paperback:396 pages
Price:£10.00
ISBN:9-781911-175278
Available from Amazon
Lynn Mann is a writer with a long-standing involvement with horses. During her school years, she spent as much time riding and being with horses as she could. She took a break from horses to study for her biology degree and then on leaving university, realised her dream of having her own horse for the first time. She worked on show-jumping, racing and dressage yards before starting a business as a saddle consultant and riding instructor, which involved working both in the UK and abroad.
Other books in the series by Lynn Mann...
Book 1: The Horses Rejoice
Reader Reviews...

Horse Magazine
This book was inspired by a special horse called Pie, a rescue adopted by author Lynn. It has a futuristic setting, where the world has all but destroyed itself. The heroine is Amarilla, whose family want her to develop a useful 'Skill' which will set her in good stead for the future. However, the youngster has other ideas and longs to be one of the 'Horse-Bonded' - someone that is spiritually drawn to a special equine. The bonded then dedicate their life to each other. But will Amarilla find a horse to have a special connection with? This is an enchanting story of preparing for an unknown future and developing a bond with a horse. Plus, 20 percent of royalties will be donated to The Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies, which rescued and rehabilitated Pie before Lynn rehomed her.

Paul Salmon - Fantastic book
Absolutely loved this book, a real eye opener and page turner, kept me engaged and hooked until the end.
Highly recommended read ******

Susan Wilkinson - A novel for the horse lover and the sci-fi enthusiast
In Amarilla we find our new heroine with much to offer. Hopefully a sequel will follow.
I found the book quite inspirational and heartwarming and was a page turner.
The relationship between the horses and the characters was something that the horse enthusiast would recognise.

MJ - Brilliant
This was a great read, very creative and thought provoking.
It was a clear and well thought through story and opened my eyes to a different way of thinking about how important the bond between humans and horses is and can be.
A book aimed at adults and children.
I will be looking out for the sequel and can't wait!

Bridget Jones - Surprised
I would have said that apart from the equine theme this would not have been to my taste at all but I found it totally engrossing and strangely plausible. I could relate to many of the characters and horses and although I wanted to reach the conclusion of the story I was left wanting more. I look forward to more from this author.

Beki - Amazing. Please read this book
Wow! Amazing. Please read this book.
I so hope there will be a sequel?

Amazon Customer - Wonderful story
This fictional story is written in a very creative and beautifully imaginative manner. We know many parts hit on the truth.
It is thought provoking and funny and some parts brought me to tears. Whether we have a horse, or just know they are magnificent and graceful beings the story lifts up our vibration and I am looking forward to reading Lynn's next novel.

Childrens

The Hampton’s Curse
S.M. Williams

9781911175636 How much more suspicious can you get when everyone is lying to you? Kara Hampton, a fourteen-year-old girl, is suddenly whisked away to her aunt's household. Confused? Yes. Kara is unaware of the new world she is about to encounter. The strangeness of her cousins and the frightful presence of a creature who is on the prowl have most certainly got the better of Kara. With curious mysteries to unveil, the girl finds many unusual threads to her fate, which turns into an unruly turmoil. Finding her body changing, and new senses arousing, Kara is bewildered with shock as she's suddenly dragged into conflict with another pack of ancestral spirits. As she's dragged into a supernatural adventure, Kara gradually realises what her family's paradox is, and what she is about to become... Allow yourself to enter a world of doubt, dispute and excitement with Kara Hampton, as she reveals the long-kept secret of her family.
Published: July 2017
Paperback: 234 pages
Price: £8.99
ISBN: 9-781911-175636
Available from Amazon
Generally, creating something unreal is what I enjoy most and imagination is my main influence. I’m more of a fantasy-type person in terms of books. Although I like to write day to day, normal life stories, I tend to weigh more over to the wacky, supernatural stories, and you can say that’s what inspired me to write this book as one of my first. Hopefully it portrays a phantasmagorical yet a humorous tale to teenagers, as I wrote this when I was 13/14, so this is mainly aimed at the younger generation who can relate to the language in the book. I really do hope you enjoy this book as much as I loved writing it! S.M.Williams
Reader Reviews...