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  1. Non-Fiction
  2. Contemporary Non-Fiction

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  • Non-Fiction
    • Classic Non-Fiction
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Non-Fiction > Contemporary Non-Fiction

Large 9781784708283

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

$28.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction | Reading Level: good

Sapiens showed us where we came from. Homo Deus looked to the future. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century explores the present. How can we protect ourselves from nuclear war, ecological cataclysms and technological disruptions? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news or the threat of terrorism? What should we teach our children? Yuval Noah Harari takes us on a thrilling journey through today's most urgent issues. The golden thread running through his exhilarating new book is the challenge of maintaining our collective and individual focus in the face of constant and disorienting change. Are we still capable of understanding the world we have created? ...Show more

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Large 9781909313569

50 Knots You Need to Know: Learn 50 Knots for Sailing, Climbing, Camping, and More by Marty Allen

$22.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

Attention all nerds, put down that laptop and pick up this brilliant guide to tying 50 must-know knots. If you're unaware of the difference between a Cow Hitch and a Marlinspike Hoop or a Running Bowline and a Square Lashing, all will be revealed in "Knot Nerds." Packed with step-by-step instructions, d iscover how to tie knots to get you through any situation, whether it's nautical knots for sailing adventures or shanks and hitches for camping or climbing weekends. You will learn simple knot-making techniques that can be used for all your nerdly pursuits. And once you've graduated from the easy stuff you can move on to the more serious examples, such as a make-shift rope halter to you can use to tame a wild beast or strong knots for securing and tying things together. Also included are a couple of pieces of rope, so you can start tying knows right away. But be warned, it's VERY addictive ...Show more

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Large 9781851244454

A Barrel of Monkeys: A Compendium of Collective Nouns for Animals by Samuel Fanous

$36.95 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

What should we call the wild animals we spot from our windows? A surfeit of skunks? A dray of squirrels? A patient watch of wildlife enthusiasts might even catch sight of a skulk of foxes or a scavenging sloth of bears. The practice of inventing collective nouns for animals is an ancient pastime which d erives from medieval hunts, but the list has been augmented in every age--and it remains an entertaining pastime today.A Barrel of Monkeys brings together more than one hundred collective nouns for animals, from a bloat of hippopotamuses to a caravan of camels, a tower of giraffes, and a leap of leopards. The rivalry between male rhinoceroses becomes especially apt when the rowdy ungulates are characterized as a crash of rhinos. An ambush of tigers is an apt characterization of the skillful hunters that silently stalk their prey. A blend of wordplay, puns, and alliteration, some of the terms collected here are now commonplace, like a pride of lions. Others aren't heard much these days, but many--like a dazzle of zebras or a prickle of porcupines--richly deserve a comeback. With charming illustrations by the eighteenth-century artist and naturalist Thomas Bewick, A Barrel of Monkeys is the perfect follow-up to A Conspiracy of Ravens, the Bodleian Library's book of bird words. Not even a crash of rhinos can stop readers from smiling at this second collection. ...Show more

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Large 9781611854565

A Cry From The Far Middle by P. J. O'Rourke

$33.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

P.J. O'Rourke says we've worked ourselves into a state of anger and perplexity, and it's no surprise because perplexed and angry is what America has always been all about. This uproarious look at the current state of the United States includes essays like 'The New Puritanism - and Welcome to It,' about the upside of being 'woke' (and unable to get back to sleep); 'Sympathy vs. Empathy,' which considers whether it's better to have an idea of how people feel or to bust their skulls to get inside their heads; 'A Brief Digression on the Additional Hell of the Internet of Things' because your juicer is sending fake news to your FitBit about what's in your refrigerator; and many more. A couple of extra perks include a quiz to determine where you stand on the spectrum of 'Coastals vs. Heartlanders' and a 'An Inauguration Speech I'd Like To Hear:' ask not what your country can do for you. Ask me how I can get the hell out of here. Featuring extensive coverage from the 2020 campaign trail, this is P.J. at his acerbic best.   ...Show more

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Large 9781786492814

A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of J. B. S. Haldane by Samanth Subramanian

$45.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

The bold and brilliant biography of maverick British scientist J.B.S. Haldane, one of the twentieth-century's greatest thinkers, by an award-wining author.

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Large jacket  4

A House in the Mountains - The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism by Caroline Moorehead

$30.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

'Moorehead paints a wonderfully vivid and moving portrait of the women of the Italian Resistance' MAX HASTINGS, SUNDAY TIMES The extraordinary story of the courageous women who spearheaded the Italian Resistance during the Second World War In the late summer of 1943, in the midst of German occupation, t he Italian Resistance was born. Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca were four young women who signed up. Living in the mountains surrounding Turin their contribution was invaluable. They carried messages and weapons, provided safe houses and took prisoners. As thousands of Italians rose up, they fought to liberate their country. With its corruption, greed and anti-Semitism, the fall of Fascist Italy was unrelentingly violent, but for the partisan women it was also a time of camaraderie and equality, pride and optimism. Through the stories of these four exceptional women, the resolve, tenacity and, above all, courage of the Italian Resistance is laid bare. A Spectator Book of the Year ...Show more

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Large 1

A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough

$45.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

See the world. Then make it better. 'I am 93. I've had an extraordinary life. It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us , barely noticeable from day to day - the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake - and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited.' All we need is the will do so.     ...Show more

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Large 9780349009841

A Seat at the Table - Women on the Frontline of Music by Amy Raphael

$27.99 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

'Fascinating and illuminating' STYLIST 'Perceptive and candid' IRISH TIMES 'Wide-ranging, deep-dive, soul-baring interviews, full of candid, intimate, spiky meditations on inspiration, artistry, sexuality, race, love, self-doubt, abuse, defiance and everything in between' OBSERVER 'Variously optimistic, troubling, joyful, illuminating, fierce and thoughtful' GUARDIAN Writer and critic Amy Raphael has interviewed some of the world's most iconic musicians, including Courtney Love, Patti Smith, Bj rk, Kurt Cobain and Elton John. In 1995 she wrote the critically-acclaimed Never Mind the Bollocks: Women Rewrite Rock, which included a foreword by Debbie Harry. More than two decades on, the music business has changed, but the way women are regarded has not. In this new book, A Seat at the Table, Raphael interviews eighteen women who work in the music industry about learning to speak out, #MeToo, social media, queer politics and the subtleness of everyday misogyny. Featuring interviews with: CHRISTINE & THE QUEENS, IBEYI, KATE TEMPEST, ALISON MOYET, NADINE SHAH, JESSICA CURRY, MAGGIE ROGERS, EMMY THE GREAT, DREAM WIFE, NATALIE MERCHANT, LAUREN MAYBERRY, POPPY AJUDHA, KALIE SHORR, TRACEY THORN, MITSKI, CATHERINE MARKS, GEORGIA, CLARA AMFO ...Show more

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Large jacket  4

Antibiotic Resistance (BWB Text) by Siouxsie Wiles

$14.99 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction | Series: BWB Texts | Reading Level: Very Good

In ten years' time, will antibiotics still work? Have we let bacteria get the upper hand in the evolutionary arms race?In the 1920s the discovery of the antibiotic penicillin started a golden age of medicine. However, experts warn that the end of that age may be just a decade away. In this BWB Text, mic robiologist Siouxsie Wiles explores the looming crisis of antibiotic resistance and its threat to New Zealand. Wiles concludes that New Zealand must do more to protect the public from a future without antibiotics. ...Show more

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Nophoto

At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries by Estelle Ellis, Caroline Seebohm and Christopher Simon Sykes

$120.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction | Reading Level: very good

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Large 9781848876613

Attlee and Churchill: Allies in War, Adversaries in Peace by Leo McKinstry

$27.99 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

Throughout history there has never been a connection like that between Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, leaders of their respective parties for a total of 35 years. Brought together in the epoch-making circumstances of World War II, they forged a partnership that transcended party lines, before goi ng on to face each other in two of Britain's most important and influential general elections. Based on extensive research and archival material, this book provides a host of new insights. From the bizarre coincidence that they shared a governess, to their explosive wartime clashes over domestic policy and reconstruction; and from Britain's post-war nuclear weapons program, which Attlee kept hidden from Churchill and his own Labor Party, to the private correspondence between the two men in later life, which demonstrates their friendliness despite all the political antagonism, Leo McKinstry tells the intertwined story of these two political titans. This gripping narrative provides a fresh perspective on two of the most compelling leaders of the mid-20th century while also bringing to life this vibrant, traumatic and inspiring era of modern British history. ...Show more

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Large 9781472962881

Bad News: Why We Fall for Fake News by Rob Brotherton

$33.00 NZD

Category: Contemporary Non-Fiction

From the bestselling author of Suspicious Minds There was a time when the news came once a day, in the morning newspaper. A time when the only way to see what was happening around the world was to catch the latest newsreel at the movies. Times have changed. Now we're inundated. The news is no longer con fined to a radio in the living room, or to a nightly half-hour timeslot on the television. Pundits pontificate on news networks 24 hours a day. We carry the news with us, getting instant alerts about events around the globe. Yet despite this unprecedented abundance of information, it seems increasingly difficult to know what's true and what's not. In Bad News, Rob Brotherton delves into the psychology of news, reviewing how the latest research can help navigate this supposedly post-truth world. Which buzzwords describe psychological reality, and which are empty sound bites? How much of this news is unprecedented, and how much is business as usual? Are we doomed to fall for fake news, or is fake news ... fake news? There has been considerable psychological research into the fundamental questions underlying this phenomenon. How do we form our beliefs, and why do we end up believing things that are wrong? How much information can we possibly process, and what is the internet doing to our attention spans? Ultimately this book answers one of the greatest questions of the age- how can we all be smarter consumers of news? ...Show more

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