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  Birdhouses of the World

  Anne Schmauss

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  View a stunning collection of beautiful birdhouses, plus design specifications and tips to buy your own and what your future feathered tenants will need. 
   
  Birds love houses as much as humans do. Well, not all birds—mainly the cavity nesters, which are just as comfortable inside a “house” hanging from a branch or mounted on a pole in someone’s backyard as they are inside the trunk of a tree. 
   
  In Birdhouses of the World, author Anne Schmauss offers readers a collection of beautiful, whimsical, fantastical, stop-you-in-your-tracks-amazing birdhouses created by designers and bird lovers around the world. Schmauss starts off with a brief history of human-made birdhouses, then moved right into descriptions and photos of more than forty birdhouses found in the United States, Canada, England, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Japan. Most important in her selection is the wow factor. These birdhouses are spectacular in their creativity, ingenuity, and sheer originality. With styles ranging from sleek and modern to elaborate Victorian to hobbit style, they’re as varied as human houses and illustrate the variety of designs found throughout the world. Also included are specifications for each birdhouse, a nesting chart listing the most common cavity nesters in North America and their birdhouse needs, and a guide to what to look for when buying a good birdhouse. 
   
  Birdhouses of the World offers a captivating look at the creativity that can result when a functional structure is infused with a love birds. 
   
  Praise for Birdhouses of the World 
   
  “[Author Anne] Schmauss searched the world to showcase the “coolest” birdhouses and tell their stories. And what birdhouses she has found.” —Los Angeles Times 
   
  “A fascinating, “stop-you-in-your-tracks” tour of birdhouses crafted by designers and bird enthusiasts all around the world.” —Mother Nature Network 
   
  “To judge from the imaginative birdhouses in Birdhouses of the World, some birds are inhabiting stylish architecture of the sort most of us can only dream about.” —The Santa Fe New Mexican

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  How to Backpack Europe on a Budget

  HowExpert, Kacey Andreacola

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  Have you dreamed about backpacking through Europe but feel like you don’t have the money? In this book, you will learn tips and trick about how to backpack in Europe without breaking the bank. From hostels to restaurants to packing your bag, there are ways to save money and experience all the wonders of a continent that has a deep and rich history. Don’t put off your dream. Make it a reality by doing some research and being responsible with your money. The experiences and memories will make all the prep-work worth it. If you want to go to Europe, this book will help you plan and budget your way through the trip of a lifetime! 
  About the Expert 
  Kacey Andreacola graduated from the University of Arizona with an English degree after getting married the previous weekend. She and her husband then spent 4 months backpacking Europe as the first step in fulfilling their dream of adventure. They loosely planned out their trip but made plenty of adjustments as they learned along the way. 
  Kacey and her husband moved from Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA where she now writes, edits and works at a non-profit that ships medical supplies overseas. She loves reading, blogging (sundaycereal.wordpress.com), drinking coffee, planning new adventures and enjoying the natural beauty all around her. 
  HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.

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  Building a Timeless House in an...

  Brent Hull

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  The author of Traditional American Rooms examines the evolution of home construction, making a case against mass-produced homes. 
   
  HISTORY®’s Lone Star Restoration star, Brent Hull is a master craftsman, and hands-on preservationist. Hull—a Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalist for architectural non-fiction—challenges us to consider the impact our decisions will have when building a house. What do our homes say about us? What stories are they telling? Are they declarations of integrity, beauty, and heritage? Or do they suggest we have lost our sense of value, craft, and harmony? 
   
  Nationally recognized as an authority on historic design, architecturally correct moldings, and millwork, Hull is uniquely qualified to speak to the craft of building and art of design. In an age of “instant”‘ homes, how do we build something timeless that weaves a tale of character, values, history, and heart? The decisions we make for our homes are not inconsequential. What we build defines us. In fact, the contrast between the way we build today and how structures used to be built has become only more vivid. What happened to craft? What happened to the art of building? Our values and what we believe about life have changed as well. We have come to see houses as a tradable commodity. We live in a time that is obsessed with “what’s next?” We need to be careful of fooling ourselves into thinking that a bottom-line mentality is the best way to approach building a home. Now is the time to examine ourselves, our motives, and our hearts. 
   
  Praise for Building a Timeless House in an Instant Age 
   
  “Part call to action, part exploration of technique, the result is a persuasive and enjoyable reminder that our homes are reflections of ourselves . . . . A pleasing, educational look at traditional home construction.” —Kirkus Reviews

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  All the Art That's Fit to Print...

  Jerelle Kraus

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  From the New York Times’s former Op-Ed art director, the true story of the world’s first Op-Ed page, a public platform that prefigured the blogosphere.    Jerelle Kraus, whose thirteen-year tenure as Op-Ed art director far exceeds that of any other art director or editor, unveils a riveting account of working at the Times. Her insider anecdotes include the reasons why artist Saul Steinberg hated the Times, why editor Howell Raines stopped the presses to kill a feature by Doonesbury’s Garry Trudeau, and why reporter Syd Schanburg—whose story was told in the movie The Killing Fields—stated that he would travel anywhere to see Kissinger hanged, as well as Kraus’s tale of surviving two and a half hours alone with the dethroned outlaw, Richard Nixon.  All the Art features a satiric portrayal of John McCain, a classic cartoon of Barack Obama by Jules Feiffer, and a drawing of Hillary Clinton and Obama by Barry Blitt. But when Frank Rich wrote a column discussing Hillary Clinton exclusively, the Times refused to allow Blitt to portray her. Nearly any notion is palatable in prose, yet editors perceive pictures as a far greater threat. Confucius underestimated the number of words an image is worth; the thousand-fold power of a picture is also its curse . . .  Features 142 artists from thirty nations and five continents, and 324 pictures—gleaned from a total of 30,000—that stir our cultural-political pot.  “To discover what really goes on inside the belly of the media beast, read this book.” —Bill Maher  “In this overflowing treasure chest of ideas, politics and cultural critiques, Kraus proves that “art is dangerous” and sometimes necessarily so.” —Publishers Weekly

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  Great Western King Class 4-6-0s...

  David Maidment

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  An in-depth look at the British railway company’s celebrated class of steam locomotives, with more than three hundred photos. 
   
  Built by Collett in 1927 after pressure to restore the Great Western Railway’s pre-eminence in motive power and cope with increasing postwar traffic to Devon and Cornwall holiday resorts, the thirty Kings were the final development of the Churchward Stars and the 1923 Castles and remained on top-link main line duty until their final replacement by the ‘Western’ class 52 diesel hydraulics in 1962.  
   
  This book includes an insight into the thinking of some of Collett’s senior staff at the end of the 1930s and the eventual transformation in the latter years with redraughting and double chimneys. As well as describing their design and construction, the book comprehensively covers their operation and performance, backed up by many recorded logs on all main GW/WR routes over which they were permitted. The author had close experience of the class when working at Old Oak Common between 1957 and 1962, and includes a chapter of his experiences with them, including many footplate trips (as a management trainee, he was greeted with glee by firemen who would hand him the shovel). The book also includes over 300 photographs, one hundred of them in color.

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  Loom Knitting - 35 quick and...

  Lucy Hopping

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  Transform your home and make unique gifts using a loom! Here are 35 colourful and quick loom knitting projects – using Lucy Hopping's helpful instructions you will soon be whipping up creative gifts and vibrant home decorations in no time.
  Start with Colourful Gifts and make a cute pineapple keyring, a twisted headband and stylish French-knitted necklaces that would make lovely gifts. Once you feel a bit more confident, move onto Bags & Cases and try making a unique backpack with bright pompoms, an expanding shopper and a handy tablet case. In For Kids there are exciting things to make and give, including the sweet finger puppets, a knitted doll and kitten socks. Finally, in Home Accessories there are fun ideas that will liven up your décor – whip up a patchwork pillow, a trendy pouffe, lampshades and much more.
  There is something for everyone and the projects include ideas for variations so you can match your decorations to your home and personalise your gifts.

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