12 Midday Sunday 13 October 2024During this walk the Chairman and Academic Director of the Thomas Hardy Society, Mark Damon Chutter, will guide you through Dorchester and Fordington to explore the world of architect, writer and poet Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), the  Dorset dialect poet and philologist, William Barnes (1801–1886), and the LGBT pioneer Sylvia Townsend ... Wessex Writers – A Literary Walk

In the words of the late Gillian Ayres, this is a book about “what can be done with painting.” Drawing on decades of conversations with practicing painters, acclaimed author Martin Gayford offers intimate insight into the practice, meaning, and potential of this timeless medium.As a way of making images, pigment applied to any surface from ... Martin Gayford – How Painting Happens (and why it matters)

An introduction to the wondrous world of clouds, by the internationally bestselling founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society and a prize-winning children's book author and illustrator.Have you ever watched a cloud being born?Clouds come in all manner of shapes and sizes, from low-lying Stratus to high-flying Cirrus via roll clouds, banner clouds and tornados. This ... Gavin Pretor-Pinney – Cloud Spotting For Beginners

A History of How we Walk From Here to ThereA journey across Britain’s millennia-old network of pathways, revealing key moments throughout our history.Hundreds of thousands of miles of paths reach into, and connect, communities across England and Wales. By 2026, 10,000 miles of undiscovered footpaths around Britain stand to be lost. Jack Cornish has dedicated ... Jack Cornish – The Lost Paths

Those who understand how AI thinks are about to win big. Leading British AI entrepreneur Nigel Toon explains why it’s so exciting and how it can be controlled.How AI Thinks shows us how we can harness the electrifying intelligence of machines. Unlike other books on AI which often scare us, through storytelling that shows us ... Nigel Toon – How AI Thinks

A Doctor’s Stories of Intensive CareDr Jim Down brings us to the very heart of the intensive care unit – the section of the hospital where the sickest patients are brought to be cared for until their condition improves. With honesty, humility and a streak of dark humour, Dr Down describes the quietly heroic work ... Jim Down – Life in the Balance

The compelling first biography of Wilfred ‘Biffy’ Dunderdale – a ruthless and effective spymaster whose career spanned the Russian Revolution to the Cold War and beyond. A Suspicion of Spies ... Tim Spicer – A Suspicion of Spies

How the contest between the US and China will shape our centuryAn urgent and essential assessment of the global contest between the US and China, and how looking to history ... Sir Robin Niblett – The New Cold War

A vivid, inventive, spellbinding virtuoso portrait of a woman, a family and a city that are as everlasting as their glass by a master of her craft.Venice, 1486. Across the ... Tracy Chevalier – The Glassmaker

Drawing on writers, storytellers and poets through the centuries, botanical illustrator Christina Hart-Davies examines the long history of herbal remedies, how plants have been used for healing and the beliefs ... Christina Hart Davies and Vanessa Berridge – A Herbal Year and Garden Heaven

Anne Somerset masterfully traces Victoria’s political evolution, from headstrong teenager to seasoned octogenarian. This book demonstrates her passionate involvement in state affairs, and casts fresh light on her relationships with ... Anne Somerset – Queen Victoria and her Prime Ministers