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The 2013 Winners are In!



Daunt Books Children's Short Story Competition 2013

Northern Europe

• Scandinavia
• Great Britain
• Ireland

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  Fishing in Utopia by Andrew Brown

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  A clear, endearing portrait of Sweden and the Swedish people from the 1960s to the present day.

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  The Omnipotent Magician: Lancelot 'Capability' Brown by Jane Brown

  Price: £20.00    Add to Basket

  An enchanting account of one man’s transformation of the staid, lifeless gardens of the 17th century into the glorious English landscapes that we enjoy today. Beautiful line drawings of Brown’s lakes and follies, and anecdotes about his honest, plain-speaking character, make this biography an immersive read.

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  Seeing Further by Bill Bryson

  Price: £18.99    Add to Basket

  A glorious history of Science and the Royal Society from 1660 edited by Bill Bryson. Lavishly illustrated, it includes contributions from Richard Dawkins and Margaret Atwood, and descriptions of experiments from trying to trap a spider inside a circle of ground unicorn's horn to dissecting a live cat. A wonderful present that you may want to keep for yourself.

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  Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  Bill Bryson's often hilarious account of his travels around Great Britain. Intimately revealing about both his country and himself and one of our absolute favourites.

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  The Model Occupation by Madeleine Bunting

  Price: £12.50    Add to Basket

  The best historical account of the Nazi invasion of the Channel Islands and the reality of what was intended to be a 'model occupation'.

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  This Secret Garden by Justin Cartwright

  Price: £9.99    Add to Basket

  A lovely little hardback in which acclaimed author Justin Cartwright describes a visit to his old university town roaming through quads and squares, around buildings and museums and even joining an English tutorial.

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  She-Wolves by Helen Castor

  Price: £9.99    Add to Basket

  Prior to Queen Mary's reign in 1553, women held considerable influence in medieval England. This books explores the roles of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou; among others.

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  The Far-Farers: From Viking Iceland to Crusader Jerusalem by Victoria Clark

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  A charming account of a journey in the footsteps of Thorvald, the Viking outlawed by his Icelandic countrymen for attempting to preach the Gospel, who set off on an epic voyage to find spiritual sanctuary in Jerusalem.

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  Trautmann's Journey by Catrine Clay

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  The intriguing story of the former German soldier and member of the Hitler Youth who became an English football legend. On being captured by the allies and sent to a British POW camp, Trautmann embraced English life and became an unlikely hero when he played in the 1956 World Cup with a broken neck. A moving biography and a revealing portrait of the experiences of a generation of Germans.

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  Eclipse by Nicholas Clee

  Price: £9.99    Add to Basket

  Eclipse, the horse that won at Epsom Downs in 1769, is at the centre of this portrait of Georgian England. Its owner, a notorious gambler of immense wealth, had connections to royalty whilst living flagrantly amongst criminals.

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  The Worm Forgives the Plough by John Stewart Collis

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  A classic account of man's interaction with nature, when naive, academic urbanite John Stewart Collins is faced with the reality of working on a farm for the war effort. Contains one of our favourite pieces of nature writing, 'The Wood', now published independently as part of the Penguin English Journeys series.

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  A History of Wales by John Davies

  Price: £16.99    Add to Basket

  A more straightforward political, social and cultural history of Wales from the Ice Ages until the present day.

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  The Isles: A History by Norman Davies

  Price: £16.99    Add to Basket

  Although intimidating, it is the best single volume history of the UK. Norman Davies powers through the ages from the cave man to post-imperialism with energy and spark.

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  Walled Gardens by Annabel Davis-Goff

  Price: £12.99    Add to Basket

  A wonderful Eland edition of Annabel Davis-Goff's childhood memoir growing up in her Anglo Irish household in Southern Ireland during the 1940s and 1950s. A vivid account of the first years of independence from Britain, the countryside, her own family and their determination to preserve a way of life.

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  Waterlog by Roger Deakin

  Price: £9.99    Add to Basket

  A rare, mesmerising book about Roger Deakin's determination to swim the British Isles. Part cultural and natural history, part memoir and part travelogue, accompanied by enchanting hand drawn illustrations by David Holmes. An absolute favourite at Daunt.

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  Ask the Fellows who Cut the Hay by George Ewart Evans

  Price: £25.00    Add to Basket

  A collection of enchanting conversations with a group of older villagers in the 1950s which recall the rural customs of the past seven hundred years. Illustrated by Thomas Bewick, they recount traditions of shepherding, harvesting, bell ringing, cheese-making and local folklore.

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  George Mackay Brown: The Life by Maggie Fergusson

  Price: £9.99    Add to Basket

  A deeply insightful, exquisitely written biography which captures the essence of this masterful poet and storyteller and his life on the Orkneys. Absolutely vital reading for anyone interested in the man or the region.

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  The Music Room by William Fiennes

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  A former Sunday Times Writer of the Year, William Fiennes describes a childhood within the walls of his ancient Oxfordshire home and the experience of growing up with Richard, his brother who suffered from severe epilepsy. At once an exquisitely evocative biography and a tender, honest exploration of a difficult relationship.

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  The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language by Mark Forsyth

  Price: £12.99    Add to Basket

  A charming and erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.

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  Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  With boyish excitement, Richard Fortey describes the secret life of one of London's most extraordinary buildings, one that represents all the discoveries and passion of natural history in the Victorian age, Alfred Waterhouse's Natural History Museum. He describes the exhibits, how they were created and by whom, the different curators as well as adding a myriad of scientific facts into the mix.

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  Luck and the Irish by R. F. Foster

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  R. F. Foster, in an engaging but intellectual style, describes the turbulent years between 1970 and 2000 when even the very soul of the Irish changed dramatically. He discusses religion, gender, economics and political corruption.

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  Modern Ireland: 1600-1972 by R. F. Foster

  Price: £14.99    Add to Basket

  A clear, accessible and academic history of modern Ireland in one succinct volume.

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  Watching the English by Kate Fox

  Price: £8.99    Add to Basket

  A tongue-in-cheek yet academic study of contemporary English behaviour, including chapters on the weather, humour and rules of sex. Thoroughly entertaining and highly recommended.

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  Must You Go? by Antonia Fraser

  Price: £20.00    Add to Basket

  Written in diary form, historian Antonia Fraser tells the story of her relationship with playwright Harold Pinter up until his death last year.

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  Cromwell: Our Chief of Men by Antonia Fraser

  Price: £11.99    Add to Basket

  Relatively intimidating, this 1000-page biography intends to debunk the myths surrounding one of the most important men in English history and is the best popular biography available.