Saving Planet Earth: What Is Destroying the Earth and What You Can Do to Help by Tony Juniper

Saving Planet Earth: What Is Destroying the Earth and What You Can Do to Help by Tony Juniper lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Collins, 2007, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Colour Photographs; Illustrated endpapers and blanks;

From the cover: Saving Planet Earth brings together the animals and people of the TV series, with the facts and figures of how the human race is changing planet earth.

For every species that is endangered, or habitat that is being destroyed, there is a cause. In Saving Planet Earth Tony Juniper, one of the UKs leading environmentalists explains how all these specific causes can easily be explained in three ways: Living earth, Warming world and Plundered planet.

In taking this simple approach to conservation it immediately becomes clear what is wrong and how you can start to do something to reverse the accelerating destruction of planet earth.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Matching Pictorial boards. 256 pages. Index. Bibliography. 10″ x 7¾”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

The Critical Eye by Guido Ballo

The Critical Eye by Guido Ballo lands on the shelves of my shop.

Heinemann, 1969, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Colour Photographs; Black & White Plates; Colour Drawings;

From the cover: Everyone, however uninformed, feels qualified to give their opinion of a work of art: I could do better than that myself, Its a masterpiece, That isnt art”; but how can one be sure that ones own idiosyncrasies of taste and character are not obstructing ones judgement, that one isnt using easy catch-phrases or being influenced by what is fashionable, that it isnt lack of knowledge which prevents one from really appreciating certain works of art ? If the yardstick is simply personal preference, how is it that Impressionism and Byzantine mosaics could not be appreciated in their time; that painters of such stature as Giotto, Titian and Raphael could be so disprized at some epochs ? And why is modern art so incomprehensible to the general public?

To answer such questions properly it is necessary to understand not only the historical context of art, and the limitations and discoveries of each age, but also to school ones own eye to the purely critical. One must recognize the roles of rhythm, form, movement and proportion in great art, admit to the psychological factors which can interfere with appreciation.

With the help of this clear and beautifully illustrated book Guido Ballo sets out to do just this to lay aside the prejudices and ill-thought-out preconceptions which prevent us from viewing works of art with a truly critical eye. He takes us from the earliest days of art right up to the most confusing time of all, the present day, and his book is a very necessary and important one, written for the general reader but invaluable also to art students.

Good+ in Good+ Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper. Spine squared. Leans slightly. Edges of the text block lightly tanned. Text complete, clean and tight.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 291 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9″ x 6″.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

The Birth of Europe: Colliding Continents and the Destiny of Nations by Michael Alford Andrews

The Birth of Europe: Colliding Continents and the Destiny of Nations by Michael Alford Andrews lands on the shelves of my shop.

British Broadcasting Corporation [B.B.C. BBC], 1991, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Colour Plates; Black & White Plates; Maps;

From the cover: The Birth of Europe is the epic tale of the formation and development of Europe and European civilization. From the moment when the continents split to the present quest to save the continent from ecological disaster this book traces the story of its continual change.

Geology preceded history the movements of rocks, the changing of climates and the fertility of soils have all had their impact on mankind. Settlements, agriculture, mining, trade, even wars have all been shaped by the presence or absence of metals, minerals or soil. Without the silver mines of Laurion, Thermistocles could not have saved the Greeks, and Western civilization, from the Persians. Hitler could not have had his Blitzkrieg without Swedish iron-ore to build his Panzer tanks and a supply of petroleum.

Geology is not about static rocks rocks move, sometimes violently and over vast distances. Stones which were once a part of Africa are now on top of the Matterhorn. Today, Africa continues to push into Europe. The Alps are rising and Vesuvius ticks like a time-bomb.

The geological foundations of Europe have influenced the fate of peoples, industries and nations, explaining why the Vikings sailed to Sicily, why Paris starved on the eve of the French Revolution and why the Industrial Revolution started in England. From the first use of materials to the discovery of uranium the history of Europe has been the legacy of its geology.

This fascinating book is lavishly illustrated with stunning colour photography which brings to life important moments of Europes development through thousands and millions of years. The history of Europe has been told many times but The Birth of Europe tells it from a new standpoint, that of human interaction with the environment, drawing new and exciting conclusions about the extraordinary success and hope for the future of this remarkable continent. To understand Europe you need to read The Birth of Europe.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Small dings to the top of the upper panel. Leans slightly. Text complete, clean and tight.

Grey boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 288 pages. Index. Bibliography. 11″ x 8¾”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!