An “entertaining” historical investigation into the scavengers who have profited off the spoils of maritime disasters (The Washington Post). Even today, Britain’s coastline remains a dangerous place. It is an island soaked by four separate seas, with shifting sand banks to the east, veiled reefs to the west, powerful currents above, and the world’s busiest shipping channel below. The country’s offshore waters are strewn with shipwrecks—and for villagers scratching out an existence along Britain’s shores, those wrecks have been more than simply an act of God; in many cases, they have been the difference between living well and just getting by. Though Daphne du Maurier and Poldark have made Cornwall famous as Britain’s most notorious region for wrecking, many other coastal communities regarded the “sea’s bounty” as a way of providing themselves with everything from grapefruits to grand pianos. Some plunderers were held to be so skilled that they could strip a ship from stem to stern before the Coast Guard had even left port. Some were rumored to lure ships onto the rocks with false lights, and some simply waited for winter gales to do their work. This book uncovers tales of ships and shipwreck victims—from shoreline orgies so Dionysian that few participants survived the morning to humble homes fitted with silver candelabra, from coastlines rigged like stage sets to villages where everyone owns identical tennis shoes. Spanning three hundred years of history, The Wreckers examines the myths, realities, and superstitions of shipwrecks and uncovers the darker side of life on Britain’s shores. “Bathurst, who won a Somerset Maugham Award for The Lighthouse Stevensons, offers a spellbinding tale of seafaring men, their ships and the ocean that cares for neither.” —Publishers Weekly “A fascinating, haunting account of pillagers, plunderers, and pirates.” —John Burnett, author of Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas

Discusses the complex laws and practices relating to wreck law, that is the right to salvage goods washed up on the shore, examines how Cornish people made use of this "harvest of the sea" and explores how myths about Cornish wrecking have developed.

John Spencer fears he is a sole survivor of a shipwreck along Cornwall's rocky coast but discovers his father is still alive. Can John rescue his father from the murderous wreckers who are holding his Dad prisoner.

An Indie Next List Selection Keri Smith, creator of the mega-bestselling Wreck This Journal, now brings her imagination and inspiration to children with this picture book that explores the very active experience of reading. What if there were a book that changed every time you read it? Actually, every book does this. We are all part of the books we read, because our individual reactions, ideas, and emotions make the book whole, and these things are changing all the time. Keri Smith has helped millions of people free their creativity and find their own voice with her interactive books, and now she brings that sensibility to children and to the act of reading. This picture book is an invitation to honor your own vision and to welcome imperfection. Kids will discover that reading can engage all five senses, and that what they themselves bring to a book is an important contribution. (And of course they'll be invited to do a bit of harmless "wrecking"!)

‘Compelling’ Sunday Times A powerful debut exploring the dark side of Cornwall – the wrecking and the drowned sailors – where poverty drove villagers to dark deeds...

For centuries the seas around Scotland were notorious for shipwrecks. Mariners' only aids were skill, luck, and single coal-fire light on the east coast, which was usually extinguished by rain. In 1786 the Northern Lighthouse Trust was established, with Robert Stevenson appointed as chief engineer a few years later. In this engrossing book, Bella Bathhurst reveals that the Stevensons not only supervised the construction of the lighthouses under often desperate conditions but also perfected a design of precisely chiseled interlocking granite blocks that would withstand the enormous waves that batter these stone pillars. The same Stevensons also developed the lamps and lenses of the lights themselves, which "sent a gleam across the wave" and prevented countless ships from being lost at sea. While it is the writing of Robert Louis Stevenson that brought fame to the family name, this mesmerizing account shows how his extraordinary ancestors changed the shape of the Scotland coast against incredible odds and with remarkable technical ingenuity.

"Read Fake President….This book can help us replace Trump with truth." —Gloria Steinem "Terrific new book. Fake President informs as it entertains." --Laurence Tribe​ An incisive & witty look at the cost of lies on American lives Wrecking America is most up-to-date look at Trump's anything-goes "Fascism 2.0" presidency and campaign. It reveals how Trump's daily "twistifications" (a Jefferson coinage) are killing tens of thousands of Americans and millions of American jobs, polluting the air and public debate, selling out his country for personal gain...and trying to "Make the Confederacy Great Again," as he preoccupies himself with golfing, seething, and tweeting. By four-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader and bestselling author Mark Green, Wrecking America organizes Trump's lies and lawbreaking issue-by-issue—focusing on Covid-19 and racial protests. This scathing, witty, accessible paperback is the last up-to-date book on "the Lyin' King" keyed to General Election voters and post-election America. This November will test our 231-year experiment in self-governance like no time since 1860 and 1932. Will it be re-election or realignment? A Fascism for the few or Democracy for all? The wrecking ball of American Brownshirts or a new progressive backlash and era?

“Not gonna lie, this is probably the coolest journal you’ll ever see. . . . Wreck This Journal is here to inspire you.” —Buzzfeed A spectacular coloring and painting edition of the incredible journal that started it all, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the 10-million-copy international bestseller Perhaps you're a seasoned Wreck-er, having made your way through one or more copies of Wreck This Journal. Or maybe you're new to the phenomenon (little do you know, this experience might just change your life). Whatever the case, you've found the perfect book to destroy... Welcome to an all new-edition of Wreck This Journal, now in spectacular full color! Inside, you'll find prompts for painting, shredding, transforming, and unleashing your creativity. With a mix of new, altered, and favorite prompts, Wreck This Journal: Now in Color invites you to wreck with color: mixing colors to make mud, letting chance dictate your color choice, weaving with brightly colored strips of paper, and more. What colors will you use to you wreck your journal? “A conceptual artist and author luring kids into questioning the world and appreciating every smell, texture and mystery in it.” —TIME Magazine “Keri Smith may well be the self-help guru this DIY generation deserves.” —The Believer

Presents pictures of and commentary on cakes with mistakes, organized into such categories as literal LOLs, beyond bizarre, and wedding wrecks.