Fifth in the Kennel Club Classics breed series, The Whippet, written by renowned Whippet breeder, judge and historian Bo Bengtson, is the bible on the Whippet, one of the world's most popular and beloved purebred dogs. This book's detailed chapters on everything from the history of the breed to the breed's accomplishments in dog shows around world to the Whippet's participation in racing and coursing events make it the most important and beautiful book ever published on the Whippet. With hundreds of vintage and modern photographs, this book is a must-have for every whippet owner.
If these dogs could talk...here’s precisely what Eva, the Brittany spaniel, Bruno, the golden retriever, and Agnes, the genetically diverse rescue dog, would say. Photographer David Leswick flawlessly captures the fun, quirky, clever, curious, and witty personalities of his family’s three canine companions in this collection of heartwarming photography—along with the hilarious dogalogue that comes along with it. The perfect doggie treat for the eyes, heart, and sense of humour of any animal lover, Dogversations is a laugh-out-loud hysterical glimpse at how this canine crew tries to make heads or tails out of their daily lives with the human family that loves them.
Bo Bengtson is regarded today as the foremost international authority on dog shows past and present, and his definitive volume Best in Show: The World of Show Dogs and Dog Shows has become an "instant classic," hailed by critics around the world as the most important book ever written about the sport of dogs. Richard G. Beauchamp, a revered judge and author, praises Best in Show: "At long last a factual and meticulously researched history of the purebred dog scene. It's an everything-you-ever-wanted-to know book about the fascinating world of show dogs;" Best in Show spans the history of dog shows from its beginnings in England to the present-day, highlighting the most important dogs, shows, judges, handlers, breeders, and more in 656 pages overflowing with over 700 full-color and historical black-and-white images.Bengtson is at once a student of dog-show history, an accomplished scholar, a highly regarded international judge, a breeder of champions, and, as Kerrin Winter-Churchill surmises, "the greatest living dog writer of our times." His ultimate achievement, the award-winning Best in Show begins with a history of the dog sport, "How Dog Shows Began," a chapter that talks about the development of pure breeds, the beginnings of the dog fancy, and the first dog shows. To understand the essence of dog shows, it's critical to understand what show judges are looking for, a topic that Bengtson covers in the chapter "The Breed Standards." "Without breed standards, dog shows could not exist. It would be impossible to conduct any meaningful comparison of dogs without universally accepted descriptions of each breed;. At their best, the standards;give a vivid, colorful word picture of the image each breed represents, in motion and standing, when alert and at rest." With illustrations from early and modern breed standards, this chapter discusses the evolution of the standards and addresses the variations in certain breed standards from country to country.The third chapter is devoted to dog shows and highlights the most important shows in Britain and the United States. A detailed discussion of England's most famous dog show, Crufts, begins with the origins of the show and traces its development through the 21st century. (A complete roster of the winners of Crufts is presented in the appendix of the book.) America's most highly regarded show, the Westminster Kennel Club is discussed, accompanied by many photographs of the show and its Best in Show winners. (Roster of WKC winners can also be found in the appendix.) Bengtson also discusses other premiere shows in the U.S. including Santa Barbara, Morris & Essex, AKC/Eukanuba as well as the Fdration Cynologique Internationale's annual event, the World Dog Show. The following chapter discusses specialty shows (shows for one breed or one group), addressing the importance and purpose of specialty shows as well as some of the anomalies of certain breed events. The chapter also highlights some top winners as well as America's most famous group specialty show, the Montgomery County Kennel Club's terrier classic.Separate chapters are dedicated to the judges, breeders, and handlers who have made their mark on the sport of purebred dogs. International in scope, each chapter highlights the most accomplished individuals in the sport, summarizing their accomplishments and their special areas of expertise. The chapters also explain what's required to become a professional in the sport. The historical photographs in these chapters do a splendid job of spotlighting the careers of some of the pillars of the sport, including Anne Rogers Clark, Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, Anna H. Whitney, Alva Rosenberg, Louis Murr, Anna Katherine Nicholas, Percy Roberts, Robert and Jane Forsyth as well as many contemporary greats such as Peter Green, Maxine Beam, Corky Vroom, Patricia Craige-Trotter, Jimmy Moses, David Fitzpatrick, Sylvia Hammarström, Roger Rechler, Julia Gasow, and dozens of others.The author devotes individual chapters to the greatest dogs from Britain, the United States of America, and the international scene. It is in these insightful, detailed chapters that the interplay of breeders, handlers, and dogs takes focus and the complex picture of the purebred dog scene is exposed. From studying thousands of show records and breed books and from his five decades' experience in the sport, Bengtson is able to put the sport of dog showing into perspective. He highlights important kennels, breeders, and leading dogs in each country and manages to weave all of these individual threads into an elaborate quilt that depicts the history of the sport. Each chapter chronologically presents the dogs and breeds that had the greatest impact on the show world. In the chapter "The Best of Britain," the author traces the nation's history beginning with early Best in Show winners, the emergence of the Collie and Fox Terrier as leading breeds, how other terrier breeds came to the fore in the 1920s, as well as Cocker Spaniels, Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds, and Irish Setters. In post-war Britain, the focus shifts to Chow Chows and Poodles and then to Toy breeds, like the Pekingese, Pomeranian, and Yorkshire Terrier. The depth and breadth of each chapter, accomplished through insightful, detailed information and exhilarating photography, must be experienced to be truly appreciated.The chapter "Tops in America" is a detailed 150-page chapter;a book in itself;retells the stories of America's most beloved and accomplished show dogs. Readers will feel bolstered by the amount of information and great photography on offer here, as they meet such iconic greats as the Boxer Ch. Bang Away of Sirrah Crest, arguably the most famous show dog in history and the first to win 100 Best in Show awards; Ch. Warren Remedy, the Wire Fox Terrier whose claim to fame is three consecutive Best in Show victories at the Westminster Kennel Club; the Afghan Hound Ch. Tryst of Grandeur; the German Shepherds Ch. Covy-Tucker Hill's Manhattan and Ch. Altana's Mystique, two top-winning dogs that each won over 200 Bests in Show; the famous English Setter Ch. Rock Fall's Colonel, Bang Away's rival and also the winner of 100 Best in Shows; plus the many great winners of the Westminster Kennel Club and other important shows.The author walks the reader through the decades in America, highlighting the breeds that made the greatest impact in the show rings, from the German Shepherds and Sealyham Terriers of the 1920s, the Wire and Smooth Fox Terriers of 1920s and 1930s, the English Setters and Cocker Spaniels of the 1940s and 1950s, to the Boxers, Doberman Pinschers, Pointers, and Poodles that later dominated the scene. Afghan Hound, English Springer Spaniel, and German Shepherd greats of the modern age are also featured in photography and great detail.The international chapter "On Top Around the World" offers a perspective on the greatest show dogs of Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Asia. An archivist and journalist for the international dog scene, Bengtson, himself a Swedish import to the United States, has remained extremely well informed for decades, and he remains uniquely qualified to present the kind of global overview on offer in this chapter.
Selected as one of The Oprah Daily's Best Books of 2022From Booker-prizewinner Douglas Stuart an extraordinary, page-turning second novel, a vivid portrayal of working-class life and a highly suspenseful story of the dangerous first love of two young men: Mungo and James.Born under different stars, Protestant Mungo and Catholic James live in the hyper-masculine and violently sectarian world of Glasgow's housing estates. They should be sworn enemies if they're to be seen as men at all, and yet they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize racing birds. As they find themselves falling in love, they dream of escaping the grey city, and Mungo works especially hard to hide his true self from all those around him, especially from his elder brother Hamish, a local gang leader with a brutal reputation to uphold.But the threat of discovery is constant and the punishment unspeakable. When Mungo's mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in Western Scotland with two strange men whose drunken banter belies murky pasts, he will need to summon all his inner strength and courage to get back to a place of safety, a place where he and James might still have a future.Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism and giving full voice to people rarely acknowledged in literary fiction, Douglas Stuart's Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the push and pull of family, the violence faced by so many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA INTERNATIONAL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023PRAISE FOR YOUNG MUNGO'I wasn't sure Young Mungo could live up to Shuggie Bain, but it surpasses it. Deeply harrowing but gently infused with hope & love. And so exquisitely written. It's a joy to watch, in real time, as Douglas Stuart takes his place as one of the greats of Scottish literature.' Nicola Sturgeon'Few novels are as gutsy and gut-wrenching as Young Mungo in its depiction of a teenage boy who finds love amid family dysfunction, community conflict and the truly terrible predations of adults. Vividly realised and emotionally intense, this scorching novel is an urgent addition to the new canon of unsung stories.' Bernardine Evaristo'I can honestly say that the second novel from the author of Shuggie Bain... surpassed my (high) expectations. Stuart makes you care deeply about all of his characters but none more than Mungo, Mo-Maw's beloved, "the softest, sweetest boy she had ever known".' - Bookseller, 'Fiction Book of the Month''Prepare your hearts, for Douglas Stuart is back... Another beautiful and moving book' -Observer'Again this author creates characters so vivid, dilemmas so heart-rending, and dialogue so brilliant that the whole thing sucks you in like a vacuum cleaner... Romantic, terrifying, brutal, tender, and, in the end, sneakily hopeful. What a writer.' - Kirkus Reviews'There are wonderful stories in publishing, but the story of Douglas Stuart is pure magic... With Young Mungo... more magic is all but guaranteed... The book is a literary wonder and a suspenseful page-turner.' - Publishers' Weekly
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Transform your life using the Bullet Journal Method, the revolutionary organisational system and worldwide phenomenon. The Bullet Journal Method will undoubtedly transform your life, in more ways than you can imagine' Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning In his long-awaited first book, Ryder Carroll, the creator of the enormously popular Bullet Journal organisational system, explains how to use his method to: * TRACK YOUR PAST: using nothing more than a pen and paper, create a clear, comprehensive, and organised record of your thoughts and goals. * ORDER YOUR PRESENT: find daily calm by prioritising and minimising your workload and tackling your to-do list in a more mindful and productive way. * PLAN YOUR FUTURE: establish and appraise your short-term and long-term goals, plan more complex projects simply and effectively, and live your life with meaning and purpose. Like many of us, Ryder Carroll tried everything to get organised - countless apps, systems, planners, you name it. Nothing really worked. Then he invented his own simple system that required only pen and paper, which he found both effective and calming. He shared his method with a few friends, and before long he had a worldwide viral movement. The system combines elements of a wishlist, a to-do list, and a diary. It helps you identify what matters and set goals accordingly. By breaking long-term goals into small actionable steps, users map out an approachable path towards continual improvement, allowing them to stay focused despite the crush of incoming demands. But this is much more than a time management book. It's also a manifesto for what Ryder calls "intentional living": making sure that your beliefs and actions align. Even if you already use a Bullet Journal, this book gives you new exercises to become more calm and focused, new insights on how to prioritise well, and a new awareness of the power of analogue tools in a digital world. *** This book has been printed with three different colour designs, black, Nordic blue and emerald. We are unable to accept requests for a specific cover. The different covers will be assigned to orders at random. ***
WINNER OF THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale. What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to? Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, Kate Atkinson finds warmth even in lifeâe(tm)s bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here she is at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF ESSENCE’S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS In this iconic memoir of his early days, Barack Obama “guides us straight to the intersection of the most serious questions of identity, class, and race” (The Washington Post Book World). “Quite extraordinary.”—Toni Morrison In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance. Praise for Dreams from My Father “Beautifully crafted . . . moving and candid . . . This book belongs on the shelf beside works like James McBride’s The Color of Water and Gregory Howard Williams’s Life on the Color Line as a tale of living astride America’s racial categories.”—Scott Turow “Provocative . . . Persuasively describes the phenomenon of belonging to two different worlds, and thus belonging to neither.”—The New York Times Book Review “Obama’s writing is incisive yet forgiving. This is a book worth savoring.”—Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here “One of the most powerful books of self-discovery I’ve ever read, all the more so for its illuminating insights into the problems not only of race, class, and color, but of culture and ethnicity. It is also beautifully written, skillfully layered, and paced like a good novel.”—Charlayne Hunter-Gault, author of In My Place “Dreams from My Father is an exquisite, sensitive study of this wonderful young author’s journey into adulthood, his search for community and his place in it, his quest for an understanding of his roots, and his discovery of the poetry of human life. Perceptive and wise, this book will tell you something about yourself whether you are black or white.”—Marian Wright Edelman
John Cheever was one of the foremost chroniclers of post-war America, a peerless writer who on his death in 1982 left not only some of the best short stories of the twentieth century and a number of highly acclaimed novels, but also a private journal that runs to an astonishing four million words. Cheever’s was a soul in conflictm who hid his troubles - alcoholism, secret bisexuality - behind the screen of genial life in suburbia, but as John Updike came to remark: ‘Only he saw in its cocktail parties and swimming pools the shimmer of dissolving dreams . . .’ Blake Bailey, writing with unprecedented access to the journal and other sources, has brought characteristic eloquence and sensitivity to his interpretation of Cheever’s life and work. This is a luminous biography that reveals – behind the disguises with which he faced the world – a troubled but strangely lovable man, and a writer of timeless fiction. ‘Stunningly detailed . . . Even more eloquent and resourceful than Bailey’s celebrated biography of Richard Yates, A Tragic Honesty . . . Bailey’s interweaving of Cheever’s fiction with his experience is a tour de force’ New York Times Book Review
Presents historical background on ski mountaineering, which is climbing a mountain on skis and then skiing down the slopes, and offers tips on climbing and skiing specific mountains.
