Sue Sharpe Livres

Ireland is a land of dramatic contrasts. From the wild beauty of Connaught's jagged coastline to the quiet charm of the leisurely River Shannon, the Emerald Isle entrances its visitors. Many of Ireland's most scenic spots are steeped in legend. Croagh Patrick, the holy mountain with a glittering quartzite cone, was supposedly climbed by Saint Patrick. Giant's Causeway, an amazing stepping-stone formation leading into the sea, is said to be the remains of a bridge for the giants to cross from Ireland to Scotland.Fro medieval island monasteries to the Georgian elegance of Dublin's squares, Ireland enjoys a wealth of architecture. Small, stone-built cottages nestle in to hillsides and ruined castles dominate mountain tops. Irish culture also has a timeless quality. Donkeys are still used as a means of transport, peat is still cut by hand and bars double up as general stores. In stunning photographs, this book celebrates a land of untamed beauty and friendly charm--Ireland.

London is one of the most exciting and cosmopolitan cities in the world. Visitors and residents alike appreciate its rich heritage, its fine architecture and amazing diversity of cultures. London's most famous sights range from the historic Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace to the everyday, like its black cabs and red double-decker buses. The City of London, defined by the boundaries of the old city wall, is now Britain's financial heartland, where millions are traded on the stock exchange every day. Yet even here old traditions prevail. The Lord Mayor's Show is a lavish, almost medieval ceremony, and some breweries still deliver beer by horse and dray. Perhaps a city is best typified by its inhabitants. London's friendly policemen and the outrageous punks parading in the King's Road are equally famous. Although a bowler hat is now a rare sight in the City, Beefeaters in traditional red and gold garb or black-gowned barristers scurrying across the lawns at Lincoln's Inn Fields testify to the strength of London's on-going traditions. Captured in the evocative photographs of John Freeman, this book presents a unique and fascinating view of a great city.