"Kociejowski draws on all these aspects of his life in these engaging, idiosyncratic personal essays ... [that] proffer the reader equal measures of autobiography, insight and quirky charm." —Michael Dirda, The Washington Post In the game of bocce, no matter how intensely you study the world's surface, there is always a chance an unseen pebble will knock your ball in an unexpected direction. In these essays, poet, antiquarian bookseller, and celebrated travel writer Marius Kociejowski chronicles serendipitous encounters with authors, manuscripts, and eccentrics, in which “the curious workings of fate” and “art's unbidden swerve” intervene to shift the course of fortune. Carried by keen wit, aphoristic prose, and a rich sense of characterization, and featuring chance meetings and comic misadventures with such figures as Bruce Chatwin, Zbigniew Herbert, and Javier Marías, The Pebble Chance is a sumptuous offering of belles lettres exploring the incandescent moments when skill and providence collide.

At fifteen years old, Abigail Costa might not know much, but there are three things she's absolutely certain of: Her grandmother, Nonna, is a superhero and she wants to be just like her one day. The world is round and she wants to see absolutely every inch of it. And she and Elliot Peterson will be best friends for life. After over a decade of getting up to no good together and spending every possible moment in one another's company, it seems impossible that anything could ever change. Enter: the new girl. With perfect blonde hair and a body to die for, she's everything Abbi never realised she wanted to be. And as she starts to notice that something isn't right with Nonna, she finds that some of her certainties aren't quite so certain anymore, and loneliness forces her to dig deep for a strength she never knew she had.

The third and final book in the Galactic Empire series, the spectacular precursor to the classic Foundation series, by one of history’s most influential writers of science fiction, Isaac Asimov After years of bitter struggle, Trantor had at last completed its work—its Galactic Empire ruled all 200 million planets of the Galaxy . . . all but one. On a backward planet called Earth were those who nurtured bitter dreams of a mythical, half-remembered past when the planet was humanity’s only home. The other worlds despised it or merely patronized it—until a man from the past miraculously stepped through a time fault that spanned a millennium, living proof of Earth’s most preposterous claims. Joseph Schwartz was a happily retired Chicago tailor circa 1949. Trapped in an incredible future he could barely comprehend, the unlikely time traveler would soon become a pawn in a desperate conspiracy to bring down the Empire in a twist of agony and death—a mad plan to restore Earth’s tarnished glory by ending human life on every other world.

Join lovable little penguin Pebble as he sneaks away from an important family visit! Will Pebble realize that it's much more fun to be with his family than on his own? Children will love to spot Pebble, with his heart-shaped tummy, in each scene!

Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble and unthinkingly wishes himself a rock when frightened by a lion. Although safe from the lion, Sylvester cannot hold the pebble to wish himself into a donkey again. Caldecott Medal winner. Full-color illustrations.

Quantitative and Statistical Approaches to Geography: A Practical Manual is a practical introduction to some quantitative and statistical techniques of use to geographers and related scientists. This book is composed of 15 chapters, each begins with an outline of the purpose and necessary mechanics of a technique or group of techniques and is concluded with exercises and the particular approach adopted. These exercises aim to enhance student's ability to use the techniques as part of the process by which sound judgments are made according to scientific standards while tackling complex problems. After a brief introduction to the principles of quantitative and statistical geography, this book goes on dealing with the topics of measures of central tendency; probability statements and maps; the problem of time-dependence, time-series analysis, non-normality, and data transformations; and the elements of sampling methodology. Other chapters cover the confidence intervals and estimation from samples, statistical hypothesis testing, analysis of contingency tests, and non-parametric tests for independent and dependent samples. The final chapters consider the evaluation of correlation coefficients, regression prediction, and choice and limitations of statistical techniques. This book is of value to undergraduate geography students.

Describes the concept of needs and wants and making choices between the two.

This is a book about the simple pleasure of pebble spotting. Clarence Ellis is a charming, knowledgeable and witty guide to everything you didn't know there was to know about pebbles. He ruminates on what a pebble actually is, before showing us how they are formed, advising on the best pebble-spotting grounds in the UK, helping to identify individual stones, and giving tips on the necessary kit. You'll know your chert from your schist, your onyx from your agate, and will be on your guard for artificial intruders before you know it. Understanding the humble pebble makes a trip to the beach, lake-side or river bank simply that little bit more fascinating.

What If Your Biggest Challenges, Struggles, and Heartbreaks Were Actually Preparing You for Your Greatest Transformation... and Contribution to the World? Can your most difficult moments be the ones that shed the greatest light in your life? These courageous visionaries say YES! Join bestselling authors Lisa Nichols, SARK, Christine Kloser, and many other Transformational Authors from around the world as they share their own touching, amazing, and deeply inspiring true stories of their trials, triumphs, and ultimate transformations. In this third wave of Pebbles in the Pond, you'll connect with a diverse group of messengers whose stories are unique, yet whose messages have a common thread of inspiration, hope, healing, transformation, and new possibilities. As they share their straight-from-the-heart experiences, they invite you to discover how to transform your own challenges into the greatest gifts and blessings in your life. You'll also discover how one transformed life can cause ripples of good that expand out into the world - just like a "pebble in the pond." Our hope is that you'll also be inspired to discover what your pebble is so you can create a wave of positive change too! As you'll discover on these pages, it doesn't matter where you came from or what you've been through... you are loved and you do make a difference!