New Holland Publishers

People have always been fascinated by snakes, but only during the last few decades have researchers begun to reveal the secret lives of these most mysterious of animals. Rick Shine is one of the most eminent of those scientists, and his book describes the adventures and misadventures of researchers who have investigated the ecology and biology of these fantastic beasts – and sometimes, have paid with their lives. This richly-illustrated title chronicles the revolution in our understanding of snakes, the new methods that have arisen to enable those breakthroughs, and the serendipitous and often-chaotic processes by which human beings accumulate insights into other forms of life. Recent years have witnessed an incredible flowering of snake-ecology research, with a rapidly expanding diversity not only of the snake species being studied and the places where this occurs, but also of the kinds of people making those discoveries. Snakes are peculiar animals, and they attract peculiar people. This book captures the thrills and perils of a worldwide scientific leap forward, from fear and ignorance of snakes towards respect and understanding. This professional biologist’s ramble through the history of people’s attempt to understand the private lives of snakes – with lots of stories about the eccentric pioneers – will appeal to anyone with an interest in snakes and natural history.

This entertaining and informative guide explains the meanings of bird names, many of which have fascinating origins and stories behind them. The universal system of ‘scientific’ names, based largely on Greek and Latin, is used in all good bird books and assists birdwatchers around the world in figuring out exactly what they are looking at. While some of the names are fairly self-explanatory – such as Troglodytes for wren, meaning ‘cave-dweller’ – others are more mysterious – Caprimulgus for nightjar, for example, meaning ‘goat-sucker’. Covering hundreds of bird species from around the world, Birds: What’s In A Name? includes explanations of hundreds of scientific names and common names, as well as delivering a wealth of other facts and trivia relating to the species concerned. In short, it’s the most readable and entertaining book on the subject available anywhere. Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard) ‘The duck with the flat beak’. Ixobrychus minutus (Little Bittern) ‘Small reed bellower’. Strigops habroptilus (Kakapo) A bird that ‘looks like an owl, with soft feathers’. Ptilonorhynchus violaceus (Satin Bowerbird) ‘Violet bird with a feathered bill’. Tachybaptus ruficollis (Little Grebe) Literally translated, this is the ‘red-collared fast-sinker’.

This is the story of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, penned by their National Presidente, Tony Vartiainen of Australasia and is a look at how the club started through to the future. It begins with the club's inception, featuring original members from over 40 years sharing their first-hand experiences. The story progresses to the tragic day at Milperra, which resulted in the deaths of seven individuals and led to one of Australia's longest-running trials. It discusses how the members dealt with the trial and the tragic death of the President Snotty in Parklea jail. With rare photographs of the club and its members, this book details how the organisation endured its early challenges, particularly during the trials following Milperra. It illustrates their resilience as they rebuilt the club, persevering through adversity—from murdered presidents to attacks on their clubhouses. Today, they continue to fight for their right to ride together, maintaining an unbroken brotherhood founded on love, loyalty, and respect. Everything written in this book is authorised by the club and its Presidente Tony Vartiainen.

Have you ever looked closely at a flag? How was it designed? What do the colours and symbols mean? How are different flags used? Why are they important? Which country has the biggest flag in the world? Find the answers to these questions and more in Everything you need to know about Flags. From flags of medieval battlefields, to flags of organisations and sports, to national flags around the world.

A memoir about a tumultuous relationship in the late ? 60s in Sitges, the Spanish coastal town where the party never stops, the champagne flows and boundaries are pushed.When Penny encountered the adventurous bar owner Tom Corley she found herself drawn to him despite her lack of experience with men. Instantly falling for the charismatic ? man in black? , she eagerly embraced his carefree lifestyle filled with gambling, drinking, and wild escapades in Sitges, a vibrant Mediterranean party hub.Tom was a former US Marine with a shady past and his money-making schemes bumped up against the law, but that didn? t matter to Penny. He had captured her heart, leading to their hasty marriage after a chance meeting on a Spanish beach in the Mediterranean.After a spell in his hometown of Dublin, they settled back in Sitges, where they ran a succession of businesses that, boom or bust, never quite managed to keep Tom out of trouble. The unpredictability of their life together kept her hooked for a decade, during which time she had two sons, until a last dodgy deal went badly wrong, and a dark undercurrent of violence finally became too much to bear.Then, for the sake of her safety, and her

How can you bring your best and most successful self to work every day? Told in a series of conversations with Gautam, and interspersed with tales from the Buddha's life - along with real-life stories from people who've faced challenging situations in their jobs . Buddha At Work offers invaluable insight that will guide you through the challenges of the modern-day workplace.