New Arrivals at Strand Book Store!

Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond

In his million-copy bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond examined how and why Western civilizations developed the technologies and immunities that allowed them to dominate much of the world. Now in this brilliant companion volume, Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Moving from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe. Environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of these societies, but other societies found solutions and persisted. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society’s apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?

Pages : 575 Hardback List Price : $29.95 (Rs.1393.00) Our Price: Rs.600.00 You Save: Rs.793 (56.92%)
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The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins

The Ancestor's Tale is a pilgrimage: a journey of four billion years. We, modern human beings, are the pilgrims, and we are travelling back in time to seek out our ancestors. Simultaneously every other living creature - animal, plant, fungus, bacterium - is setting off on its own journey with the same mission. As we travel down the path of time, we meet up with other bands of pilgrims with whom we share a common ancestor. Onwards we go, squeezing precariously through mass extinctions, meeting increasingly distant common ancestors. Eventually we pass that fundamental turning point for life on Earth, the combining of a single-celled protozoan-to-be with a bacterium to form a cell with a nucleus. The final stretch of the pilgrimage is taken together by all living things, back to the origin of life itself. This is the majestic narrative that holds together this remarkable book. Yet the chronicle of the journey is itself an envelope for the collection of tales told by the pilgrims. These tales cover the processes involved in the unfolding of life on Earth. Enormously rich and diverse, they incorporate the results of recent research which uses the study of DNA to give some startling insights into evolutionary history.

Pages : 528 Hardback List Price : £25.00 (Rs.2238.00) Our Price: Rs.695.00 You Save: Rs.1543 (68.94%)

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The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A stunning literary thriller in the tradition of Umberto Eco and Rose Tremain. Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the `cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles. To this library, a man brings his 10-year old son, Daniel, one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book and from the dusty shelves pulls The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax, and to save those he left behind. A phenomenal bestseller across Europe, The Shadow of the Wind is a dazzling exploration of obsession in literature and love, and the dark places such obsession can lead.

Pages : 403 Hardback List Price : Rs.1155.00 Our Price: Rs.500.00 You Save: Rs.655 (56.70%)

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Secrets of The Code by Dan Burstein

Millions of readers worldwide have been hooked by Dan Brown's extraordinary bestseller The Da Vinci Code and are fascinated by questions raised in the novel. Was Jesus actually married to Mary Magdalene? Did they have a child together? Was Mary one of the disciples and did she write her own gospel? Did geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton belong to secret societies that had the most compelling insider information in history? And did Leonardo convey some of these ideas in The Last Supper and other paintings?

Pages : 557 Paperback List Price : £6.99 (Rs.609.00) Our Price: Rs.200.00 You Save: Rs.409 (67.15%)

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House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time by Martin Kihn

When Martin Kihn joined a powerhouse New York consulting firm, he thought the consultants' job was simply to tell organizations how to improve themselves in exchange forhuge fees. In reality, the consultants spent precious work hours prowling for new clients, only to offer, once they snared their quarry, little or no useful information while pontificating on topics they knew nothing about. From power breakfasts heavy on the waffles and mind games to the screaming indignity of "Feedback Camp" in New Jersey, House of Lies reveals the truth about a "profession" that could threaten your job, your career, and your life... and even offers a solution or two if the suits start circling around your company.

Pages : 273 Paperback List Price : $14.00 (Rs.644.00)Our Price: Rs.325.00 You Save: Rs.319 (49.53%)

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Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan Larry

Bossidy is one of the world's most acclaimed CEOs, with a track record for delivering results that has few peers. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. The result is the book people in business need today. One with a highly practical framework for closing the gap between results promised and results delivered. After a long, stellar career with GE, Larry Bossidy became CEO of Allied Signal and transformed it into one of the world's most admired companies. Accomplishments like 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13% or more don't just happen. They result from consistent practice of the discipline of execution; understanding how to link the three core processes of any business together: people, strategy and operations. The leader's most important job - selecting and appraising people - is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs there's a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy, building block-by-building block - a strategy in synch with the realities of the marketplace, the economy and the competition. It's then linked to an operating process that converts the strategy into specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability.

Pages : 278 Hardback List Price : $27.50 (Rs.1265.00) Our Price: Rs.450.00 You Save: Rs.815 (64.42%)

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Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Best-selling author Gladwell (The Tipping Point) has a dazzling ability to find commonality in disparate fields of study. As he displays again in this entertaining and illuminating look at how we make snap judgments—about people's intentions, the authenticity of a work of art, even military strategy—he can parse for general readers the intricacies of fascinating but little-known fields. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that appear to be made in an instant – in the blink of an eye – that actually aren’t as simple as they seem.

Pages : 280 Paperback List Price : $14.00 (Rs.644.00) Our Price: Rs.300.00 You Save: Rs.344 (53.41%)

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Tomorrow's God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge by Neale Donald Walsch

Tomorrow's God contains an astonishing prediction, one that comes from an astonishing source: God. Presented as a conversation between God and Walsch, this startling, profound book is offered in two parts: Part One deals with humanity's current conception of God, and the new ideas about the Deity that will characterize God in our not-too-distant future. Part Two examines how these ideals will be put into place-and how they will impact our lives, and help us to create a newer, better world. Controversial, challenging, and illuminating, Tomorrow's God provides both spiritual and down-to-earth advice on what each of us can do to cope with the current world crises-and experience God in such a way that our experience of one another will be healed at last.

Pages : 406 Paperback List Price : $14.00 (Rs.651.00) Our Price: Rs.350.00 You Save: Rs.301 (46.23%)

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Yoga: Path to Holistic Health by B.K.S. Iyengar

In this comprehensive and highly illustrated guide B.K.S. Iyengar, the world's leading teacher of yoga, shares his unique, holistic approach. For Iyengar, yoga is more than just a form of exercise; it is a holistic experience that benefits the body, mind, and spirit. He outlines the philosophy and ideals behind this ancient practice and explains how yoga can help to counter the stresses of modern living. Designed for every level of ability, age, and physical condition, there are detailed instructions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. Clearly illustrated, step-by-step instructions explain how to perform each yoga asana, or posture, correctly, while a unique 360-degree view of the final pose shows exactly how to position each part of the body. A special section introduces his innovative use of props, enabling beginners or the less flexible to practice the classic yoga asanas more easily and effectively.

Pages: 408 Hardback List Price: $40.00 (Rs.1900.00) Our Price: Rs.850.00 You Save: Rs.1080 (64.28%)

For The Kids

The Book of Inventions: The stories behind the inventions and inventors of the modern world by Ian Harrison

The Book of inventions is an in-depth look at the objects that have advanced every area of human living. From household items to industrial masterpieces, the book reveals the genius behind the paper clip, the invention of the clock work radio and the arrival of the jet engine. Items of all shapes and sizes that we now take for granted are presented the applauded as true innovations of their time. The story of each invention unfolds in detail: from its earliest beginnings to its present form, the rivals who competed to take the idea even further; and the fascinating lives of the inventors themselves. The inventions that have made a difference sit alongside those weird and wonderful ideas that have been forgotten - who has ever use a baby-patting machine? Packed with pictures and intriguing and informative facts about the impact of the inventions, this book is a valuable and original take on items often overlooked in daily life.

Pages : 288 Hardback List Price : £20.00 (Rs.1790.00) Our Price: Rs.475.00 You Save: Rs.1315 (73.46%)

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The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

In the future, in a place called Satellite City, fourteen-year-old Cosmo Hill enters the world, unwanted by his parents. He's sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, Freight class. At Clarissa Frayne, the boys are put to work by the state, testing highly dangerous products. At the end of most days, they are covered with burns, bruises, and sores. Cosmo realizes that if he doesn't escape, he will die at this so-called orphanage. When the moment finally comes, Cosmo seizes his chance and breaks out with the the help of the Supernaturalists, a motley crew of kids who all have the same special ability as Cosmo-they can see supernatural Parasites, creatures that feed on the life force of humans. The Supernaturalists patrol the city at night, hunting the parasites in hopes of saving what is left of humanity in Satellite City. Or so they think. The Supernaturalists soon find themselves caught in a web for more complicated than they'd imagined, when they discover a horrifying secret that will force them to question everything they believe in. Eoin Colfer has created an eerie and captivating world-part Blade Runner, part futuristic Dickens-replete with nonstop action, humor, and a spellbinding cast of characters.

Pages : 267 Paperback List Price : $7.99 (Rs.368.00) Our Price: Rs.184.00 You Save: Rs.184 (50.00%)

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