"Synthesizing all known research on this remarkable animal, "Diamonds in the Marsh" is the first full-scale natural history of the diamondback terrapin. Focusing on the northern diamondback, Barbara Brennessel examines its evolution, physiology, adaptations, behavior, growth patterns, life span, genetic diversity, land use, reproduction, and early years"--
This early work by Richard Marsh was originally published in 1898 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. A cautionary tale of Cyril Paxton - a gambler who has lost his last bet. Accidentally finding himself with of a quarter million pounds worth of stolen diamonds, the story quickly leads to his involvement with Scotland Yard's finest. Richard Bernard Heldmann - better-known by his pseudonym, Richard Marsh - was born in England in 1857. A best-selling and prolific author of the late 19th century and the Edwardian period, Marsh is best known now for his supernatural thriller novel The Beetle, which was published the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). Richard Marsh was a versatile writer of ghost stories, horror novels, and romances, as well as thrilling mysteries like The Datchet Diamonds - which is considered to be one of the earliest modern detective novels.
A fascinating look at the diamond-backed terrapin—an important, iconic, and imperiled American reptile. The diamond-backed terrapin is not only a uniquely evolved and beautiful turtle, it also has a long history as a vital American food source. Once so numerous that people reportedly grew tired of eating them, diamond-backed terrapins are greatly reduced in numbers today and have become an icon of salt marsh conservation. Considerably diminished in some areas and struggling to survive, this distinctive brackish water turtle is the focus of intense conservation efforts. In Ecology and Conservation of the Diamond-backed Terrapin, leading terrapin researcher Willem M. Roosenburg and experienced science editor Victor S. Kennedy have brought together a group of expert scientists to summarize our current understanding of terrapin biology, physiology, behavior, and conservation efforts. Over the course of 19 comprehensive chapters, contributors • review the latest information on this charismatic species • provide a detailed summary of the terrapin's natural history • explain the threats to terrapin population stability throughout their range • examine ongoing conservation efforts to ensure the reptile's survival • present convincing arguments for the value of the diamond-backed terrapin as an estuarine indicator organism • use the terrapin as a model for studying the consequences of exploitation and environmental degradation on long-lived species This exceptional book provides pivotal information for estuarine and turtle biologists, terrapin enthusiasts, natural historians, educators, conservationists, resource managers, and students. Ecology and Conservation of the Diamond-backed Terrapin is the definitive volume on this important American reptile. Contributors: Benjamin K. Atkinson, Harold W. Avery, Patrick J. Baker, Ralph E.J. Boerner, Russell L. Burke, Joseph A. Butler, Randolph M. Chambers, Paul E. Converse, Brian A. Crawford, Rusty D. Day, Dana J. Ehret, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Kathryn M. Greene, Leigh Anne Harden, Andrew S. Harrison, Kristen M. Hart, George L. Heinrich, Dawn K. Holliday, Victor S. Kennedy, Shawn R. Kuchta, Lori A. Lester, Jeffrey E. Lovich, John C. Maerz, David Owens, Allen R. Place, Taylor Roberge, Willem M. Roosenburg, Richard A. Seigel, Amanda Southwood Williard, Edward A. Standora, Anton D. Tucker, Diane C. Tulipani, Timothy J. Walsh, Thane Wibbels, Will Williams, Roger C. Wood
Meet Piotr, Minnie, Andrew, Flora and Sylvie – true friends and even better mystery-solvers! Hollywood sensation, Betty Massino, has come to star in the theatre down the road and Piotr and his friends Andrew and Minnie couldn't be more excited! But when the famous actress's hugely expensive diamond necklace goes missing, Piotr's dad, a security guard at the theatre, is a prime suspect. Soon, Piotr faces the very real threat of being sent 'home' to Poland. With the help of Sylvie and her twin sister Flora, can Piotr, Andrew and Minnie solve the crime or will they lose Piotr forever? The first in a fantastic new series filled with friendship, adventure and mystery! Perfect for fans of Lauren St John, this is THE new mystery adventure series by Waterstones Book Prize shortlisted author Elen Caldecott.
There’s a fine line between the living and the dead, and Marshall is determined to cross it in this gut-wrenching debut novel. Ever since the car accident that killed his identical twin brother, Marshall Windsor has been consumed with guilt and crippled by the secrets of that fateful night. He has only one chance to make amends and set things right. He must find a thin space—a mythical point where the barrier between this world and the next is thin enough for a person to step through to the other side. But when a new girl moves into the neighborhood, into the exact same house Marsh is sure holds a thin space, she may be the key—or the unraveling of all his secrets. As they get closer to finding a thin space—and closer to each other—March must decide once and for all how far he’s willing to go to right the wrongs of the living…and the dead.
A novel written in reverse relates the story of an aging prisoner who is released only to be rescued from an assault by a curator, who works at a museum exhibiting "the marshes, " a conflict-torn wilderness where the former prisoner committed his crime.
'Packed with fun, fantasy and the sort of adventure guaranteed to have sticky little fingers hungrily turning the pages' The Mail on Sunday 'The Royal Rabbits is sweet, funny and beautifully illustrated' The Times Little Shylo Tawny-Tail and the Royal Rabbits of London are back! The adventure continues in this charming series from bestselling authors Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore and illustrator Kate Hindley, that proves even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero. Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible - by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet noise and a slice of mad courage! The biggest, most beautiful diamond in the whole world has been stolen from Buckingham Palace! Nobody knows how a sneaky thief managed to take the Siberian Diamond from right under the Queen's nose - but Shylo and the brave Royal Rabbits of London will do whatever it takes to solve the case and return the jewel to its rightful place. Then they discover that Russia's secret-agent minks are in London, could they have something to do with the theft? But nothing is quite what it seems, and the Royal Rabbits soon realise they are going to need a help from an old friend to solve this mystery...
From the author of Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive is a visionary study of the mysterious downfall of past civilizations. Now in a revised edition with a new afterword, Jared Diamond's Collapse uncovers the secret behind why some societies flourish, while others founder - and what this means for our future. What happened to the people who made the forlorn long-abandoned statues of Easter Island? What happened to the architects of the crumbling Maya pyramids? Will we go the same way, our skyscrapers one day standing derelict and overgrown like the temples at Angkor Wat? Bringing together new evidence from a startling range of sources and piecing together the myriad influences, from climate to culture, that make societies self-destruct, Jared Diamond's Collapse also shows how - unlike our ancestors - we can benefit from our knowledge of the past and learn to be survivors. 'A grand sweep from a master storyteller of the human race' - Daily Mail 'Riveting, superb, terrifying' - Observer 'Gripping ... the book fulfils its huge ambition, and Diamond is the only man who could have written it' - Economis 'This book shines like all Diamond's work' - Sunday Times
