Paul Richardson

In this vivid and humorous journey, Richardson takes us past the cliches of paella and gazpacho to tell the real story of Spain's mouth-watering food, from the typical coastal cuisine to the shepherd cooking of the interior and the chic 'urban' food of Madrid and Barcelona. Along the way he gets caught up in a fish auction and the annual pig slaughter, spends a day at El Bulli restaurant and makes a never-ending stream of new friends.

El auge y el debate permanente que se está viviendo en la gastronomía española hacen particularmente oportuna la publicación de un libro que combina el rigor y el conocimiento profundo de los temas que aborda con la amenidad expositiva y el encanto de una prosa de gran soltura, lo que le permite llegar tanto al lector especializado y al profesional como al interesado en la materia. El prologo de Jose Mari Arzak es un gancho comercial mas a un libro delicioso.

Alex Spellman works for British intelligence. He blames himself for a covert operation that went wrong in northern Spain. He is now getting headaches and blackouts and doesnt know why. Deanna Darby is sent from the CIA to gauge whether Spellman is a threat to national security on both sides of the Atlantic.Vasili Dragunov has hatched a plan to get him back in favour at the Kremlin. It involves him gathering information to buy back his position of power.Alex is chased from Spain to the US and back to his home turf in London while trying to ascertain who is after him and why, all the while being plagued by blackouts and memory loss. The remaining members of his team are being targeted and it is up to him and Deanna to ensure that national secrets are not lost to his pursuers.

The story of the real good life of an off-grid existence in rural SpainPaul Richardson fled the city to live on the land in a rough-and-tumble village on the edge of Europe. Immersing himself in the culture of his remote Spanish community, he learned the traditional arts of animal husbandry and vegetable growing, wine-making and home distilling, and made bread from the rye he sowed on the stone-walled terraces of his twelve-acre farm.In prose that shimmers with wit and sensuality, the author charts his personal route-map along a road less travelled - from urban pressures to rural tranquility, and from insecurity to fulfilment. Along the way he pays tribute to the influences that have shaped his progress - from The Good Life to Henry David Thoreau, from the 1970s pioneers to self-sufficiency to his farming neighbours in the far-flung region of Extremadura.In Richardsons hands, off-grid living both becomes an act of rebellion and a heartening proof that a simpler, better life is possible, if only we can remove ourselves from the ethos in which conspicuous consumption is a duty and success/failure the wheel on which society turns.Hidden Valley is a glorious narrative of one mans journey towards self-reliance. Original and thought-provoking, it is also hugely entertaining.

Is geography really destiny?Our maps may no longer be stalked by dragons and monsters, but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the centre of the world. Or that border walls are the solution to migration. Or that Russia is predestined to threaten its neighbours.In his punchy and authoritative new book, Paul Richardson challenges recent popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that how the world is represented often isnt how it really is - that the map is not the territory.Along the way we visit some remarkable places: Icelands Thingvellir National Park, where you can swim between two continents, and Bir Tawil in North Africa, one of the worlds only territories not claimed by any country. We follow the first train that ran across Eurasia between Yiwu in east China and Barking in east London, and scale the US-Mexico border wall to find out why such fortifications dont work.Written with verve and full of quotable facts, Myths of Geography is a book that will turn your world upside down.

In Sixteenth Century Europe, as countries extend their global reach, an Anglo-Dutch Allegiance sets out to undermine and bring down the Spanish Empire When a wealthy Genoese banker and his vivacious wife employ a new tutor, they are under constant surveillance. And not without reason, the Head of Spanish Security is suspicious of the newly appointed tutor. It is also no coincidence the banker is enlisted to carry out business for the King of Spain. Through erotically themed Masquerade Balls the Allegiances cause is advanced. These risque events provide opportunities for covert action and allow young spies to gather valuable intelligence. With the Genoese banker engrossed in the power of his position, secrets are revealed and treasures are uncovered. But the Allegiances cause is not the only one being pursued. In a series of twists and counter moves, Masquerade Gold leads the reader through the evolving struggles of a complex Europe.

Captain Calder Velden, a ruthless seafaring servant of the Secret Dutch Allegiance, had been summoned to serve his state in territories unknown.1586 AD his beloved homelands were under Spanish Rule, there seemed to be no answers on how the resistance could end the tyranny. Backed by incredible wealth, King Phillip II of Spain had established a World Power hell bent on conquering all known territories.The Dutch Allegiance knew the Spanish had discovered an untapped source of wealth in the territories of Nueva Guinea. It was time to send their cut-snake captain to disrupt and cripple the southern supply of gold to the Spanish Treasury.Calder was in command of the new stealth ship, The Kharon, specifically made for the mission. Christened after the mythical ferry boat of the underworld, she was to pursue, raid and pillage enemy merchant ships along the trade route south of Bantam and leave no survivors!However the unpredictable cloak and dagger mission itself could not have foreseen the Captain and Crew being entangled in mass murder, hoards of treasure, discovery of new lands and revenge that would span the best part of twenty years.Everyone knows you must be responsible for your actions; but when you mix gold fever, pride, revenge and the open seas then perhaps you may be forgiven for forgetting your responsibilities.In the case of The Kharon and her crews greed, wealth may just play second fiddle to survival.A tale entwined around historical events!