The Collins Discovery World Atlas is published in association with America's preeminent authority, the Smithsonian Institution.
Collins world atlases present a dynamic view of today's world, bringing it to life through innovative maps, stunning images, and thou-sands of geographical facts and stats. They offer an exciting perspective on how the world is made up, how it looks, and how it works. 
The new Discovery atlas allows us to explore the world, providing a fascinating picture of how it looks today and an insight into the key global issues. Detailed, highly accurate maps cover the world in the distinctive Collins style. Thematic pages provide detailed information on, and interpretations of, major geo themes and global issues including AIDS, the drug trade, the world economy, population, telecommunications, and environmental change. Information on all the world's states and territories, and statistics on key socioeconomic indicators, complete the picture. Internet links to the most appropriate Web sites provide the opportunity to discover more.
This atlas is ideal for home and office reference, travel planning, school and college study, and for gaining new insight into how the world looks today.

Collins Discovery World Atlas

Reference

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Atlases & Maps

Smithsonian

On December 17, 1903, the World changed forever. The first powered flight by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, ushered in the era of powered flight which has transformed and shaped all aspects of modern life.
To mark the centenary of this momentous event, Aviators presents a photographic history of aviation, from the failed attempts of flying machines at the end of the 19th century, such as Lilienthal’s glider, through the Wright brothers and on to the pioneers who spread aviation throughout the world: Louis Blériot's first flight across the Channel in 1909, the first transatlantic crossing in 1919 by John Alcock and Whitten Brown and Amy Johnson's first flight to Australia in 1930. The book examines the rise of the first passenger airlines in the 1920s, too, and chronicles the beginnings of the jet era in the 1940s. The rise of great commercial airliners such as the Jumbo Jet, Concorde and the Airbus are also highlighted to give a comprehensive and absorbing account of the century of powered flight.

Aviators: A Photographic History of Flight

History

Taylor, Michael J.H.

Military

A practical introduction to botanical illustration covers a range of key aspects, from exotic and garden flowers and plants to fruits and vegetables, sharing step-by-step demonstrations by leading artists and teachers.

The Art of Botanical Painting

Arts & Photography

Stevens, Margaret

Society of Botanical Artists

Painting

With woodworking fast becoming one of the most popular pastimes in the country, The Collins Complete Woodworker, from the editors of Woodworker's Journal, is the perfect introduction for anyone wanting to get better acquainted with this rewarding hobby. Written in an easy-to-understand style and accompanied by hundreds of full-color photographs and illustrations, this encyclopedic reference covers tools and techniques in 16 lively chapters. 
The chapters on woodworking equipment range from simple hand tools to stationary powered machinery (and just about everything in between) and explain not only how different tools work but their roles in the shop, with a special emphasis on safety. Separate chapters are devoted to specific types of woodworking such as carving, woodturning, and veneering, while other chapters provide in-depth coverage of the materials of woodworking, from hardwood to hardware. There are even special sections offering projects to challenge your growing skills, tips on shop resources, and a glossary of woodworking terminology.
Whether you have already discovered the lure of the wood shop or are just getting started, The Collins Complete Woodworker is the reference you've been looking for.
For more than three decades, Woodworker's Journal (woodworkersjournal.com) has chronicled the development of new woodworking tools, techniques, and materials. The magazine's team of editors works closely with one of the largest pools of talented writers in the woodworking field today to inform, inspire, and motivate readers to continue developing their skills. Well-known and widely published authors such as Michael Dresdner, Ian Kirby, Frank Klausz, Bill Hylton, Chris Marshall, Sandor Nagyszalanczy, and Scott Phillips have helped to make Woodworker's Journal America's leading woodworking authority.
Published six times a year, Woodworker's Journal tests and reviews new tools and equipment, explains key shop techniques, and offers a broad range of projects for woodworkers of all skill levels. Woodworker's Journal provides the knowledge and inspiration readers have come to rely on to hone their skills.

The Collins Complete Woodworker: A Detailed Guide to Design, Techniques, and Tools for the Beginner and Expert

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

The Editors Of Woodworker's Journal

Crafts & Hobbies

Washington's Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge

Evaluates Valley Forge as a point of departure to discuss the larger context of the Revolutionary War, linking the winter stay of the Continental Army during 1777 and 1778 to such key events as the negotiations with the French, the British occupation of Philadelphia, and the maneuvering of the Continental Congress.

FLEMING, THOMAS

Americas

To a collector, there is no joy parallel to finding that elusive home-run ball, or a jersey worn by a legendary player. Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World's Finest Private Collections celebrates the abiding passion for our national pastime, as witnessed by the dedication of the sport's most devoted collectors.
The first book of its kind, Smithsonian Baseball features revealing stories and lavish photography highlighting 21 of the best private collections of baseball memorabilia in existence. From a rare copy of the first written rules of the game (1848) to Mark McGwire's record-shattering home-run ball (1998), these impressive collections span baseball's entire history. Some of the game's most historically significant artifacts are part of these private collections, yet most have never before been seen by the public. Marvel at the memorabilia as you read about the historical background of the objects and get to know each collector's passions and motivations. Some of the collections are all-encompassing; others focus on a specific era or type of memorabilia -- game-used bats, for example, or folk art, or celluloid pin-back buttons. One collection features only relics and memorabilia from the grand old ballparks of the past; another comprises items from overseas exhibition tours of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of the most valuable vintage photographs and advertising displays as well as the most sought-after baseball cards are in these collections, including the famous T206 Honus Wagner, the highest professionally graded set of 1915 Cracker Jacks, and a gem-mint condition 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. A father-daughter collecting duo has an impressive collection of World Series scorecards and programs, dating back to the inaugural series in 1903.
The book also includes seven "tips" essays. The hobby's leading experts offer advice on collecting and authenticating artifacts, and show how to build and organize your own impressive 19th-century memorabilia or baseball card collection. Weigh the benefits of having a general collection versus a very narrow one. Find out how to store and display your collectibles. Learn to distinguish between an original first-generation photograph versus a wire photo, a vintage jersey worn at home games as opposed to one worn on the road, a player's game-used bat and one made for retail sale -- and much, much more. It's the perfect gift for any baseball fan, young or old, a baseball collectible in its own right.

Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World's Finest Private Collections

Wong, Stephen

Photography & Video

Illustrated with unique and rare photographs from The Times (London) archives, War: A Photo History is a lucid and brutally honest depiction of war. The introduction of cameras to the front lines dramatically altered the way we view war. This narrative fleshes out the original dynamic between what occurred on the ground and what was seen and perceived back home -- the significance of which cannot be overstated for societies that are now very used to images of war in the media.
Many of the images in War: A Photo History have not had widespread exposure, and this gathering of unseen and relatively unknown viewpoints will be valuable to the historian and photographer alike.

War: A Photo History

Anderson, Duncan

What makes a good explorer? Adaptability, ambition, stamina, self-belief, doggedness, curiosity, optimism, authority, hardiness -- and fund-raising ability. 
A powerful punch of self-help, how-to, popular history, and humor. In this celebration of the glory days of exploration, Mick Conefrey takes a new look at the larger-than-life tales of many famous American and European adventurers. He pulls practical advice from their original diaries and logs stories of endurance and survival, such as Thor Heyerdahl's crossing of the Pacific in a raft and Robert Peary's heroic North Pole adventure. All expeditions are essentially projects that have to be managed. Teams have to be selected, equipped, and motivated. Goals have to be set and crises have to be overcome. For example -- some believed that it was always important to include in an expedition someone whom everyone else disliked because it would give focus to their complaints and help them bond. The book is chuck full of useful information, such as what to do if you are attacked by an anaconda--you wait until it is has swallowed you up to your knees and then you reach down and cut its head off. The instructions are very clear about not panicking in this situation.
In addition to the wonderful characters and stories you will find many lessons on how to be an explorer and what it takes to set sail without a clear path home.

The Adventurer's Handbook: Life Lessons from History's Great Explorers

Conefrey, Mick

Experience the thrill of flying some of the world's most important airplanes and spacecraft. Best Of The National Air And Space Museum provides unprecedented access to the most popular museum in the world. 
 The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum hosts more than 9 million visitors a year, and the newly opened Dulles Center –three football fields long and ten stories high – is a phenomenon in its own right: in the first week it was opened, some 250,000 people came through the doors.
 Best Of The National Air And Space Museum features the best of both museums, from the Challenger space shuttle and the Wright flyer to the Spirit of St. Louis and the stealth bomber. Bob Van der Linden, curator of aeronautics, has selected the most historically important, popular, and just plain impressive aircraft and spacecraft from the collections of both museums to be captured in the book's beautiful full color layouts. Each layout includes intriguing facts of the item's design, use, mission, specifications, and dimensions. It's like your own guided tour!

Best of the National Air and Space Museum

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

The Long Pursuit: Abraham Lincoln's Thirty-Year Struggle with Stephen Douglas for the Heart and Soul of America

In this compelling narrative, renowned historian Roy Morris, Jr., expertly offers a new angle on two of America's most towering politicians and the intense personal rivalry that transformed both them and the nation they sought to lead in the dark days leading up to the Civil War.
For the better part of two decades, Stephen Douglas was the most famous and controversial politician in the United States, a veritable "steam engine in britches." Abraham Lincoln was merely Douglas's most persistent rival within their adopted home state of Illinois, known mainly for his droll sense of humor, bad jokes, and slightly nutty wife.
But from the time they first set foot in the Prairie State in the early 1830s, Lincoln and Douglas were fated to be political competitors. The Long Pursuit tells the dramatic story of how these two radically different individuals rose to the top rung of American politics, and how their personal rivalry shaped and altered the future of the nation during its most convulsive era. Indeed, had it not been for Douglas, who served as Lincoln's personal goad, pace horse, and measuring stick, there would have been no Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, no Lincoln presidency in 1860, and perhaps no Civil War six months later. For both men—and for the nation itself—the stakes were that high.
Not merely a detailed political study, The Long Pursuit is also a compelling look at the personal side of politics on the rough-and-tumble western frontier. It shows us a more human Lincoln, a bare-knuckles politician who was not above trading on his wildly inaccurate image as a humble "rail-splitter," when he was, in fact, one of the nation's most successful railroad attorneys. And as the first extensive biographical study of Stephen Douglas in more than three decades, the book presents a long-overdue reassessment of one of the nineteenth century's more compelling and ultimately tragic figures, the one-time "Little Giant" of American politics.

Biographies & Memoirs

Morris Jr., Roy

Historical

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