BBC books From Venice to Istanbul Stein Rick

"My family’s favourite TV chef (he’s done more to teach my children to cook than I have)... [he] has a knack for pulling together the dishes that best sum up countries and regions." Diana Henry, The 20 best cookbooks to buy this autumn • OFM Food Personality of the Year 2017 • Rick Stein brings his unrivalled enthusiasm and trusted expertise to the fresh, flavourful food of Mexico and California. No one better captures the food essence of a country and brings the best recipes into our kitchens like Rick • Starting in San Francisco and Baja California, and working his way down to the southernmost tip of Mexico, Rick Stein cooks, eats and experiences Mexican food at its very best and most diverse • Whether it's the farmers’ markets of California, full of sourdough bread, new season garlic and a profusion of citrus fruit; the prawns, snapper and tuna of the Pacific or the glorious street food and colourful markets of Mexico with their avocados, chillies, tomatillos, cheese and corn, this is a part of the world packed with natural, healthy and satisfying ingredients

Whenever I hear the word curry, I'm filled with a longing for spicy hot food with the fragrance of cumin, cloves and cinnamon. I see deep red colours from lots of Kashmiri chillis, tinged with a suggestion of yellow from turmeric. I think of the tandoor oven, and slightly scorched naan shining with ghee and garlic.When Indians talk of their food, they talk about their life. To understand this country, you need to understand curry • What makes a good curry? Sensual spicy aromas or thick, creamy sauces? Rich, dark dals or crispy fried street snacks? Rick journeys through India to find the answer, searching this colourful, chaotic nation in search of the truths behind our love affair with its food • Chefs, home cooks and street vendors hold the key to unlocking the secrets of these complex and diverse flavours - and Rick's travels take him to the heart of both their long-held traditions and most modern techniques

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries, BBC One Daytime has commissioned a new 10-part drama series for January 2013 to bring the priest-turned-detective back to life. BBC Books will be publishing a new edition of the original and complete short stories to tie-in to transmission • Set in the early-twentieth century, Father Brown's world is quintessentially English; crime scenes await in country houses, rural parish churches and quaint gardens as well as foggy London streets and shadowy railway stations. Father Brown may be a kindly cleric, but his bumbling nature disguises a detective mind to rival Sherlock Holmes • The character of Father Brown, brought to life by Mark Williams, is based on a real parish priest and the idea that priests, through hearing Confession, know the worst of human nature more than anyone, including the police

We all have treasures hidden away in the attic, well-loved and well-worn belongings that have been passed down from generation to generation. They may be damaged or no longer working, but we can't bear to part with them. The expert craftspeople of hit BBC series The Repair Shop are dedicated to restoring and conserving these heirlooms. They know that the true worth of these possessions doesn't lie in their monetary value, but in the memories they hold and the stories they tell • In this fascinating book, you'll step inside The Repair Shop's Workshop of Dreams to explore some of the most moving family stories from the hit BBC series. From a glamorous sequinned dress that belonged to a popular travelling circus performer to a pump organ that was brought from Jamaica by a member of the Windrush generation, each family item is brought vividly to life - and lovingly restored by the team of Repair Shop experts who also contribute to these expanded stories

Dr Jacob Bronowksi's The Ascent of Man traces the development of human society through our understanding of science • First published in 1973 to accompany the groundbreaking BBC television series, it is considered one of the first works of 'popular science', illuminating the historical and social context of scientific development for a generation of readers. In his highly accessible style, Dr Bronowski discusses human invention from the flint tool to geometry, agriculture to genetics, and from alchemy to the theory of relativity, showing how they all are expressions of our ability to understand and control nature • In this new paperback edition, The Ascent of Man inspires, influences and informs as profoundly as ever

Where there is love, there is hope • Accompanying a 6-part series on BBC One from the makers of War and Peace, and starring Dominic West, Lily Collins, David Oyelowo and Olivia Coleman, this edition of Les Miserables also has a foreword from screenwriter Andrew Davies (War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice) • Les Miserables is Victor Hugo's classic tale of injustice, heroism and love following the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. Those attempts are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, this is a novel on an epic scale, moving from the Battle of Waterloo to the the June rebellion of 1832

Rediscover the lost Doctor Who adventure by Douglas Adams • Intergalactic war? That’s just not cricket … or is it? • The Doctor promised Romana the end of the universe, so she’s less than impressed when what she gets is a cricket match. But then the award ceremony is interrupted by eleven figures in white uniforms and peaked skull helmets, wielding bat-shaped weapons that fire lethal bolts of light into the screaming crowd. The Krikkitmen are back • Millions of years ago, the people of Krikkit learned they were not alone in the universe, and promptly launched a xenophobic crusade to wipe out all other life-forms. After a long and bloody conflict, the Time Lords imprisoned Krikkit within an envelope of Slow Time, a prison that could only be opened with the Wicket Gate key, a device that resembles – to human eyes, at least – an oversized set of cricket stumps… • From Earth to Gallifrey, from Bethselamin to Devalin, from Krikkit to Mareeve II to the far edge of infinity, the Doctor and Romana are tugged into a pan-galactic conga with fate as they rush to stop the Krikkitmen gaining all five pieces of the key

‘Even though they’re gone from the world, they’re never gone from me.’ • The Doctor is many things – curious, funny, brave, protective of her friends...and a shameless namedropper. While she and her companions battled aliens and travelled across the universe, the Doctor hinted at a host of previous, untold adventures with the great and the good: we discovered she got her sunglasses from Pythagoras (or was it Audrey Hepburn?); lent a mobile phone to Elvis; had an encounter with Amelia Earhart where she discovered that a pencil-thick spider web can stop a plane; had a 'wet weekend' with Harry Houdini, learning how to escape from chains underwater; and more • In this collection of new stories, Star Tales takes you on a rip-roaring ride through history, from 500BC to the swinging 60s, going deeper into the Doctor's notorious name-dropping and revealing the truth behind these anecdotes

To accompany the major BBC Two series, Rick Stein’s Long Weekends is a mouthwatering collection of over 100 recipes from ten European cities. Rick’s recipes are designed to cater for all your weekend meals. For a quick Friday night supper Icelandic breaded lamb chops will do the trick, and Huevos a la Flamenca makes a tasty Saturday brunch. Viennese Tafelspitz is perfect for Sunday lunch, and of course no weekend would be complete without Portuguese custard tarts or Berliner Doughnuts for an afternoon treat • Accompanied by beautiful photography of the food and locations, and complemented by his personal memories and travel tips for each city, Rick will inspire you to re-create the magic of a long weekend in your own home

Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey is an ambitious journey, avoiding the beaten track and tourist hot-spots, in search of the authentic food of Southeast Asia. In this accompanying book to the major BBC series, Rick shares his favourite recipes and some well-known classic dishes inspired by the fragrant ingredients and recipes he sampled from local chefs, family-run restaurants, street vendors and market stalls • In Cambodia, Rick learns how to make a national dish Samlor kako, a stir-fried pork and vegetable soup flavoured with an array of spices; in Vietnam he is shown the best recipe for Pho Bo, a Vietnamese beef noodle soup; and in Thailand, Rick tries Geng Leuong Sai Gung Lai Sai Bua, a yellow curry made with prawns and lotus shoots that you won't find outside the country

Rick Stein’s lifelong passion for cooking fish and shellfish has formed the foundation of his award-winning restaurants and taken him around the world, discovering innovative new recipes, exciting ingredients and the best preparation techniques • In this completely revised, updated and re-designed edition – including brand new recipes – of his classic Seafood, Rick offers comprehensive and inspirational how-to's for choosing, cooking and enjoying fish, shellfish and more • It includes a step-by-step guide to over 60 essential techniques to prepare all types of seafood: from poaching and salting fish to cleaning mussels and cooking lobster. Based on the methods taught at his Padstow seafood school, every step of Rick’s advice is illustrated with full-colour photographs for perfect results

BBC’s The Repair Shop is a place where Britain’s most skilled and caring craftspeople rescue and resurrect items that owners thought were beyond saving. Their shared love of craft has helped hundreds of people recover and relive cherished memories, and inspired millions to rediscover their own prized possessions. The skill required to properly restore those items may be beyond most of us, but there are small things we can all do to care for the items we love the most. How do you replenish the stuffing in your child’s beloved, tatty teddy bear, for instance? Or remove a water mark left on your wooden table? What’s the best way to prevent your leather from cracking? • Direct from the Repair Shop's 'Workshop of Dreams', this ‘make do and mend’ guide collects advice and stories from each of the show’s experts, to help you understand and care for those aging treasures and heirlooms around your house or gathering dust in the garage