New Releases by Nick Baker

An updated edition of the popular RSPB guide to interpreting the signs that animals leave behind.

Don''t be fooled! A swimmer doesn''t need the "whole package" to realize their ultimate swimming goal. Take Hakeem, for example. He only learned to swim at the age of 13 and lacked the skills and physical stamina to compete in any race longer than a 50, but that didn''t prevent him from earning a swimming scholarship and becoming a top sprinter in college. Why? Because he made the best of what he had, never got discouraged, or doubted himself. Sadly, many swimmers hesitate or fail to give their all believing they don''t have what it takes to succeed. But that''s a costly mistake because a strong belief in oneself (no matter the odds) and a take-charge attitude can bridge the gap between the impossible and the possible.

Bernard the Bogeyman sounds deliciously frightening but also kind of sad in his lonely stance. The reader can''t help feeling for him, nursing his wounds in his run-down shed. Once again, Nick Baker and Sadie Giraud give us a fun, skilfully rhymed, beautifully illustrated story-poem that will please both children and adults.

It is widely acknowledged that there is an urgent need to transform our housing stock to a better energy performance level. However, improving energy performance should not result in a negative impact on the health, wellbeing and the comfort of building occupants. There are many energy-neutral features that can be incorporated at small or zero cost which have a positive effect on wellbeing. This book aims to outline and discuss these aspects of building design. The issue of health and wellbeing has already entered into design advice for the workplace, where productivity and absenteeism are often used as indicators. This book concentrates on residential buildings, notably mass housing and affordable strategies, for which new, more socially and health-oriented indicators are being developed. Provides practical design guidance based on scientific evidence Explores both physical and psychological wellbeing Focuses on the home and immediate domestic environment Structured in an accessible way for architects and designers.

Angry words screamed or shouted at someone can be harmful and cause damage to a person just as much as if they''d been punched in the face. But words can be soothing, especially when sung aloud with music. Join Nick and learn how singing and music are a healing force in the world.

"You can''t achieve million-dollar goals if your self-worth is bankrupt" The world of competitive swimming is very intense, to say the least, with swimmers in search of the magic that will take them to the top. Could the secret lie in the latest swimsuit design, an innovative training technique, or a cutting-edge diet? Perhaps, but I believe an essential mental quality known as self-worth tops them all. Simply put, if you want to achieve important things in your swimming life, you must first feel important, and nothing else matters more than this. Building that feeling is the singular purpose of this book. Please take it''s message to heart as the "magic" ultimately lies within you. -Nick Baker

In A Rural Legacy Lost. Net Salmon Fishing on the River Dart in Devon: An Occupation, Way of Life and Associated Dialect in Terminal Decline? we learn about the tradition of harvesting salmon as a means of business and pastime. Beginning with a biologically appropriate explanation of salmon as a species, a rare and hardy survivor of a fish that focuses its travels and migrations for the sole purpose of reproduction, Nick Baker commences an introduction of how people have worked to follow salmon, track its life cycle, and measure the strength of its population over time. Referencing multiple governmental agencies and professional organizations, Baker reveals the challenges the salmon population faces with regard to problems posed by global warming and climate change; illustrates and organizes historical dialect and jargon; and presents how the decline of salmon fishing and loss of farming has impacted the housing and economic structure of Stoke Gabriel in Devon. This expose of salmon fishing and the changing Devon community is concluded with a list of potential issues the people face and some solutions that may help.

As our busy, technology-driven lives become more sedentary and less connected to wildlife, it is important to remember the natural, human connection we have to the wilderness. Nick Baker, naturalist and wildlife presenter, takes the reader back to our natural instincts. Journeying through the senses, his expert advice offers the practical tools to experience the wilderness on your own doorstop as well as in the wider, wilder world. From learning to observe the creatures and beasts within hands'' reach and seeing and hearing the birds and trees of our forests, to an introduction to rewilding as a concept and the importance nature has to the wider world. Nick''s vivid text mixes memoir with practical advice to entertain, inform and inspire us to get back to nature. ReWild is a beautiful and important exploration of the art of returning to nature.

A photographic celebration and investigation into the anomaly that is black and white colouration in wild animals. In this beautiful book Dr John Feltwell explores the nature of black and white in mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates as well as the remarkable albino and black forms of animals.The scientific community is still undecided on what evolutionary trick has caused some animals to develop rigid black and white colour patterns (as in pied birds) and random patterns in others (such as zebra). Our understanding of genetic mutations such as albinism and melanism is better understood but there has never yet been a book that looks at the many animals that display black and white colouration and why they do so.

RSPB The Nature Tracker''s Handbook is a complete guide to how to interpret the signs that animals leave behind. The art of nature tracking is very much like learning to read, but instead of reading words the tracker reads traces. Every animal leaves different traces as it goes about its everyday business. If you learn to read the signs left by footprints, leftover food, droppings and scrapes in the earth, you will soon be able to tell the story of an animal''s life, packed with fascinating details and hidden meanings. The RSPB Nature Tracker''s Handbook explains with extensive photography and detailed diagrams how to find and interpret the evidence that animals leave behind – from a pile of mangled feathers to a delicately nibbled mushroom. Nick Baker also demonstrates useful tracker activities, such as how to mount a discarded nymph skin and how to dissect an owl''s pellet to reveal its last meal. There''s a nature detective in all of us, so get out there and get tracking.

A complete practical introduction to observing, understanding and investigating the natural world written by an experienced and well travelled naturalist. Nick Baker''s fascination with the natural world began at an early age, inspired by Gerald and Lee Durrell''s classic book The Amateur Naturalist. Whether you want to understand what makes an insect and insect, rear a family of frogs for your garden pond, or record bird songs and calls, Nick can give you all the advice and information you need. Fact-packed and brimming with practical tips, techniques and activities, The Complete Naturalist offers a rich source of new ideas for more experienced naturalists, as well as sparking the natural curiosity of a whole new generation. From communicating with wild animals to setting up an aquarium, this is the naturalist''s guide no family bookshelf should be without. Nick is an experienced and well-travelled naturalist, and his book includes his international experiences.

We are all fascinated by, and often wary of, the tiny animals that creep and crawl in our gardens or lurk in the dark corners of our homes, but how much do we really know about insects and their relatives? Nick Baker''s Bug Book encourages our understanding of all types of bugs by providing practical information and fun activities. Learn how to determine the sex of a spider, how to look after ants in a home-made formicarium and even how to rear your own dragonflies. Packed with details on essential equipment for bug watching and collecting, informative illustrations and close-up photography, this book is essential reading for budding entomologists of all ages.

A new edition of a title written by popular television presenter and personality Nick Baker. Baker''s energetic and lively style colours this fascinating guide to Britain''s wildlife through the seasons. This richly illustrated and practical book explains what is happening in nature in each month of the year, and provides helpful advice on finding a wide variety of wildlife – often in the most unexpected places. In back gardens or city centres, on the Dorset heaths or in the Scottish Highlands, each season paints a fresh pattern on nature – there is always something new to discover for town and city dwellers or those who live by the sea or in the wilds of the countryside. If you can''t identify the old nest exposed in your bare January hedge, or you want to know where to find a badger on a warm June night then Nick Baker''s British Wildlife is the perfect book for finding out.

A practical guide for kids aged 7-11, by popular Really Wild Show presenter Nick Baker, full of exciting things to see and do pretty much everywhere.

A practical guide for kids aged 7-11, by popular Really Wild Show presenter Nick Baker, full of exciting things to see and do pretty much everywhere.

To complement the critical and objective view gleaned from the study of some sixty buildings, this design manual has been developed to provide a more synthetic approach to the principles which lie behind successful daylight design. These principles are illustrated with examples drawn from the case study buildings. The emphasis throughout has been on practical methods to improve design, rather than techniques studied for any intrinsic interest. The book provides the necessary tools to assist the designer to provide well daylit interiors, and shows that good daylight design is not a restriction on architectural expression but, on the contrary, acts as an inspiration and foundation for good architecture.

A practical guide for kids aged 7-11, by popular Really Wild Show presenter Nick Baker, full of exciting things to see and do pretty much everywhere.

This is a candid biography charting the dramatic rise and tragic fall of Justin Fashanu, Britain''s first black 1 million footballer and the first professional footballer to come out as gay."

Written by Discovery Channel''s Nick Baker, Bug Zoo shows children how to turn backyard bugs into fascinating pets and create a "zoo" of insects, spiders, worms, and other common creepy-crawlies. Projects include building an ant farm, spider house, bee box, and wormery.

Sociology.

This is the most comprehensive account of Singapore''s wild animals ever produced in one volume. Almost all terrestrial vertebrates currently occurring are described and illustrated in brilliant habitat photographs taken in Singapore: 38 mammals, 87 reptiles, 25 frogs and toads, and 30 freshwater fishes. There are additional chapters on how and where to find wildlife in Singapore, as well as checklists of all species ever recorded in the country, including those extinct, introduced, or of indeterminate status.

Have you ever wondered: What''s living in your backyard? How to create a nesting box? How to record the texture of tree bark? How to attract new wildlife into your backyard? Now you can become an expert nature explorer and learn fantastic facts to impress your friends and family! You''ll love that these hands-on books contain straightforward and safe step-by-step projects, allowing you to help your children discover the natural world. They are ideal supplements to school science projects and the perfect activities for weekends and vacations.

Have you ever wondered: How old the trees in the woods are? What creatures live inside the forest? Where to watch animals without being seen? How to whistle like a bird and track a deer? Now you can become an expert nature explorer and learn fantastic facts to impress your friends and family! You''ll love that these hands-on books contain straightforward and safe step-by-step projects, allowing you to help your children discover the natural world. They are ideal supplements to school science projects and the perfect activities for weekends and vacations.

Building on the success of the 1982 bestseller by Gerald and Lee Durrell, "The Amateur Naturalist" makes nature accessible to all ages and inspires a new generation to make the most of the world around them. 200 full-color photos & illustrations throughout.

A unique and revolutionary text which explains the principles behind the LT Method (2.1), a manual design tool developed in Cambridge by the BRE. The LT Method is a unique way of estimating the combined energy usage of lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation systems, to enable the designer to make comparisons between options at an early, strategic stage. In addition,Energy and Environment in Architecture the book deals with other environmental issues such as noise, thermal comfort and natural ventilation design. A variety of case studies provide a critique of real buildings and highlight good practice. These topics include thermal comfort, noise and natural ventilation.