Sixty years ago, Dick Dekker immigrated from one of the smallest countries in Europe to the second-largest country in the world- Canada. Dreaming of Canada's wilderness, he risked his life to find wolves and spent half a century watching eagles and falcons for which his native Holland had become too small to support. The ancient maxim that nature is red in tooth and claw, attributed to Shakespeare, is still true today. But rather than just concentrating on the predators, Dekker's focus is also on the prey species, how deer, ducks, and sandpipers manage to cope with their peril. Hiking and camping in Jasper National Park, he was first to describe that the return of wolves had led to the restoration of the ecological balance between vegetation, grazing elk, and wolves, with beneficial side effects for the intertwined lives of beavers and other wildlife. His insights became the inspiration for what has since become known as a trophic cascade in Yellowstone. Dekker's detailed studies of the hunting tactics of Peregrine Falcons on ocean coasts and inland lakes are unprecedented. He has recorded more prey captures by wild falcons than anyone else in the published literature. His discoveries and unique observations are narrated in simple yet evocative prose the reader can identify with.

What turns owls into airborne ninjas? Which creature has the highest pounce rate? Which dinosaur scared the pants off the mighty T-rex? Glenn Murphy, author of Why is Snot Green? and How Loud Can You Burp? leads us through the wide world of all things toothed, clawed and fearsome in this brilliantly informative book about creatures that hunt to survive. Packed with amazing photographs, illustrations, information and jokes about all things sharp, toothy and ferocious – from lions and bears to dinosaurs and wolverines, Predators: The Whole Tooth and Claw Story contains absolutely no boring bits! Discover more funny science with Evolution: The Whole Life on Earth Story.

Beauty is more than skin deep. 'The natural world is awash with colour, but we are only seeing half the story. If we could see things as animals do, our world would become unimaginably brighter. Now, thanks to new science and technology, we can at last open our eyes.' - Sir David Attenborough In nature, colour is more than a source of beauty; it's a form of vital communication. Depending on the situation, colour says different things - it can be an expression of power or seduction, warning or deceit - and it can even, occasionally, save your life. Accompanying a major new BBC series with David Attenborough, Life in Colour explores the fascinating story of how colour works in the natural world. From the 'trichromatic' vision of Silver Leaf Langurs, which allows them to see orange and red against forest foliage - the colours not only of ripe fruit, but of their young - to African Mandrills who use their colouration to do battle, Professor Martin Stevens reveals a complex system of messaging visible only to those who know the code. Based on the latest scientific research in the field, and illustrated with stunning photography throughout, Life in Colour reveals a world previously unknown to us.

As a color, black comes in no other shades: it is a single hue with no variation, one half of a dichotomy. But what it symbolizes envelops the entire spectrum of meaning—good and bad. The Story of Black travels back to the biblical and classical eras to explore the ambiguous relationship the world’s cultures have had with this sometimes accursed color, examining how black has been used as a tool and a metaphor in a plethora of startling ways. John Harvey delves into the color’s problematic association with race, observing how white Europeans exploited the negative associations people had with the color to enslave millions of black Africans. He then looks at the many figurative meanings of black—for instance, the Greek word melancholia, or black bile, which defines our dark moods, and the ancient Egyptians’ use of black as the color of death, which led to it becoming the standard hue for funereal garb and the clothing of priests, churches, and cults. Considering the innate austerity and gravity of black, Harvey reveals how it also became the color of choice for the robes of merchants, lawyers, and monarchs before gaining popularity with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century dandies and with Goths and other subcultures today. Finally, he looks at how artists and designers have applied the color to their work, from the earliest cave paintings to Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Rothko. Asking how a single color can at once embody death, evil, and glamour, The Story of Black unearths the secret behind black’s continuing power to compel and divide us.

This is a collection of fourteen short stories by Paramita Satpathy. These stories are full of characters that conceal their true persona under a veneer of a false confidence who are then are driven to seek a state of euphoria, releasing these dormant passions in unguarded moments. We have characters like Maya, whose life seems to upend the moment spots appear on her body. On the other hand, for her best friend Veena, life seems to be most sorted. Everyone seems to pity Maya, and she longs to be included, to belong. Yet as the years progress, it is Maya who has created a stable life for herself, while Veena is left wondering where she went wrong in life. There is also Babula, the orphan, who has to bear with whatever abuse Bata Sahu throws at him, in order to survive, and his struggle to break free from it. Prachi, the bride-to-be, who discovers her fiancé’s true animalistic nature; and Ranjita, the new bride who becomes the ultimate pay-off for her in-laws’ greed. For some protagonists, it’s the societal shackles they need to break out from; for others it is their own closest relations that compel them to take a bold step towards self-realization.

The Story of Life & the Environment – an African perspective is about the fragile miracle of life. It’s a celebration of the Earth’s rich and wonderful diversity – the species, populations, communities and ecosystems that surround us – and of nature’s resilience. It unpacks the three major ecosystems: fresh water, the ocean and the land, and the teeming life each supports on and around Africa. It discusses evolution and the ever-branching tree of life; how systems work, how populations expand and contract, and how all the elements of life interact. And it tells the story of how humans originated in Africa, and how we have evolved to become modern people. The book sounds a warning about our human impact on the planet, which is fostering rapid climate change, as well as massive over-consumption and depletion of resources. The book is also about responsible planning and management of our environment and natural resources to redress damage and ensure sustainability. This is the story of life and the environment in Africa.

Are you about to embark on a journey, maybe by air, bus, or my favourite, the Railways? If so, pause a while and carry this book along with you. Even as you journey forth to your destination, these stories will become your travel companion, traversing with you across both real and imagined territories. This is after all why this book is fittingly titled, A Journey Through Stories. Here you will find a bouquet of micro-short stories, 50 of them that cover a wide genre of stories, such as science fiction, essay, autobiography, mythology, humour, travelogue, and plain fantasy. It is influenced by literary lovers of the short and concise prose such as R K Narayan, O Henry, Asimov, Moravia, Guy de Maupassant, and Somerset Maugham. Written in a lucid, crisp, yet simple and accessible style, this book is a quick and engaging read, leaving you yearning to hasten from the landscape of one story to the next. For who knows, dear reader, what the next story around the bend is all about.

This is the story of Levi Belfield who has just been found guilty of the murder of Milly Dowler, the 13 year-old school girl who was abducted on her way home from school in Surrey on March 21, 2002, and subsequently murdered. Her body was discovered on September 18, 2002. Prior to this trial Levi Belfield had already been convicted, in 2008, of murdering two young women in west London, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, and the attempted abduction of a third.

Life Story is a tale of survival, laying bare the extraordinary journey animals must make to achieve life's goal – to continue their bloodline. Whether learning new skills, finding a mate or protecting their young, everything they do is a way of meeting a particular challenge to that goal. Extreme circumstances can lead to extreme solutions. Discover how sharks help albatross chicks learn to fly, or why some chimps solve survival problems by making spears. Learn about the extraordinary construction skills of fish and the seduction arts of birds. Witness the devotion of mothers, the gang life of juveniles and the shocking tactics some animals use to eliminate their rivals. Packed with stunning photographs and spectacular stills from the landmark BBC series, Life Story is an unforgettable portrait of the natural world’s most dramatic moments.