Whether you're looking for the restroom in The Rijksmuseum, free beer at the Heineken Brewery, information at The Prostitution Information Centre, yellow corduroy flares at the Waterlooplein market, a canal bike to cruise the waterways, a primer on Dutch cheese, or where to dial for BBC World Service broadcasts—look no further. Amsterdam: The Rough Guide can help you fulfill these and thousands of other needs.

There are many reasons to visit Amsterdam, not the least of which could be its breath-of-fresh-air qualities compared to the rush of other cities. As the authors explain, "With its tree-lined canals, cobbled streets, tinkling bicycle bells and stately architecture, Amsterdam is a world away from the traffic and noise of other European city centres—clean, modern and quiet, while still retaining a perfectly preserved 400-year-old centre."

The Rough Guide's maps include sights, bars, hotels, restaurants, clubs, and public transport routes. They're easy to read and well-marked and are accompanied by choice-provoking tidbits about places to stay and nearby eateries and drinkeries: "Well-worn but clean rooms awaiting imminent renovation, friendly and helpful staff," "Small, homely and serving delicious pancakes," "Tiny place that looks and feels like an African mud hut, except for the hip-hop beats. Grass specialists."

The Rough Guide to Crete is the established leader in its field, now in its 7th edition. From the great palace of Knossos to the atmospheric monastery of Arkadhi, get a real sense of regions highlights with the full-colour section. Comprehensive and detailed reviews of the best places to eat, drink and stay to suit every budget. And to escape the crowds there are insider tips on where to find Crete’s most unspoilt beaches and best hikes- including the spectacular Samarian and Imbros gorges. The guide also takes a detailed look at the island’s extraordinary history, wealth of culture and wildlife, and comes complete with maps and plans for every area.

The Rough Guide to Crete is like having a local friend plan your trip!

The Rough Guide to Japan is the award-winning guidebook to this fascinating country. This new edition is published in Rough Guide''s colourful design, with 24 pages of colour photos and two-colour throughout. The introduction features the authors pick of the ''Things Not to Miss'', from skiing in Nagano to slurping noodles in the neon-dazzling nightlife of Shinjuku. The entire country is covered in detail with accounts of all the sights, from Tokyo’s uber-hip hotels to the picturesque villages of Central Honshu and the pristine beaches of Okinawa. There is practical advice on getting around the country by train, and tips on hiking, skiing and diving. The final chapter, Contexts, gives in-depth features on all things Japanese, from temple architecture to pop culture and the environment.

Designed to be tough and immensely practical the Rough Guide Maps provide travel information, and the city's sights, monuments and attractions. The maps show every shop, restaurant, bar and hotel in the Rough Guide travel guide to the city together with their opening times and, in many cases, phone numbers. Each map covers the main area of the city on one side and an enlarged city centre map on the reverse.

A former "shoprat" in a Michigan auto plant offers a gritty account of life in the world of manufacturing, on and off the assembly line. Reprint. NYT. PW.

Jim Schmidt is a master of the spin. As White House Press secretary, his job is to cajole, sweet-talk, and otherwise persuade the nation's most powerful journalists to play a story the way the White House wants it played. Bill Schmidt, Jim's younger brother, is equally skillful, but in a different realm. He is the charismatic captain of the USS Winston Churchill, and he leads an able but rambunctious crew with a penchant for causing well-publicized "liberty incidents" around the Mediterranean.

When the United States learns of a Libyan plot to drop a planeload of chemical weapons on the Israeli Knesset, the brothers — thousands of miles apart — unexpectedly find themselves working together to defuse the plan. Their first step is to set "Circle William," a Navy phrase meaning to prepare for chemical, germ, or nuclear attack. How the brothers counter the Libyan threat and how they spin the story make Circle William as much a story of international terrorism as it is a contemporary political thriller.

Drawing from his more than two decades in the U.S. Navy, his work inside the Pentagon and from his tenure as an assistant White House press secretary, Bill Harlow combines the insider's detail of Primary Colors with the technical expertise of The Hunt for Red October. Authentic and chilling as any news event, Circle William is an impressive debut by a writer with an intimate knowledge of the workings of Washington, the military, and international terrorism.

Ever wondered what Peking duck tastes like on its home turf? Always wanted to climb the Great Wall? Or perhaps you'd like something a little more obscure. A ride around town in Madame Mao's old Red Flag stretch limousine, perhaps? Whatever tickles you, one thing's for sure: Beijing is one impressive city. This up-to-the-minute guidebook uncovers all the marvellous secrets - and makes sure you have a great time.

Pull-out Sheet Map in Chinese and English

Beijing Resident Author - over 500 places visited and reviewed; dozens of new bars and restaurants added

Language Help - all places listed in Chinese and English for easy navigation

Ancient Beijing Explored in walking and cycling tours throughout the hutong

Olympics Coverage shows off the city's remarkable transformation

In late summer of 1562, with handsome Lord Robert Dudley by her side, Elizabeth Tudor leads her retinue to London s Royal College of Physicians — to demand its help in the raging battle against disease and pestilence. But the stalwart queen is shaken when a frighteningly lifelike effigy of herself ravaged by pox turns up in her royal coach.

Elizabeth s fear that the counterfeit corpse is a harbinger of tragedy comes to fruition when ever more terrifying transgressions penetrate the very heart of her royal precincts. With the help of her Privy Plot Council , Elizabeth resolves to unmask a murderer who wears a false face and is beset by the vilest humours of the soul. But when she herself falls ill, an entire realm is caught in the grip of a treasonous conspiracy...as the indomitable young monarch fights for her life, her realm, and her rightful crown.

The vibrant pageant of Elizabethan England comes vividly alive in Karen Harper's fifth novel in her acclaimed Elizabeth I mystery series. In the gardens of Hampton Court, Elizabeth proudly shows a famed visitor her huge maze. But the intricate labyrinth soon becomes a scene of horror as Elizabeth herself is attacked and the visitor is murdered within its leafy dead ends. Undaunted, the queen sets a trap to snare a ghostly murderer before he or she strikes again...

It is May 1560. As sinister storm clouds gather overhead, twenty-six-year-old Queen Elizabeth dispatches William Cecil, her most trusted adviser, to Scotland for crucial negotiations. Handsome, ambitious Lord Robert Dudley is at her side. But their leisurely midsummer idyll is cut short when the court s master lutenist plunges to his death from a parapet beneath the queen s window. The loyal retainers of Elizabeth s privy council do not accept the official verdict of accidental death. Their fears are borne out when another tragedy rocks the realm, and points the way to a conspiracy to bring down Elizabeth and seize the throne. As ill winds of treachery swirl around the court, and suspicion falls on those within Elizabeth s intimate circle, a vengeful enemy slips from the shadows...a traitorous usurper who would be sovereign.

With The Twylight Tower, Karen Harper brings a legendary era to life, drawing us into an intoxicating world of majesty and mayhem, political intrigue and adventure...where danger is everywhere...and where a young queen journeys to greatness in the long shadow of her bloodstained past.

All along the Mediterranean coast, the Roman empire’s richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas, enjoying the last days of summer. The world’s largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum, and Pompeii.

But the carefree lifestyle and gorgeous weather belie an impending cataclysm, and only one man is worried. The young engineer Marcus Attilius Primus has just taken charge of the Aqua Augusta, the enormous aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter of a million people in nine towns around the Bay of Naples. His predecessor has disappeared. Springs are failing for the first time in generations. And now there is a crisis on the Augusta’s sixty-mile main line—somewhere to the north of Pompeii, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.

Attilius—decent, practical, and incorruptible—promises Pliny, the famous scholar who commands the navy, that he can repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry. His plan is to travel to Pompeii and put together an expedition, then head out to the place where he believes the fault lies. But Pompeii proves to be a corrupt and violent town, and Attilius soon discovers that there are powerful forces at work—both natural and man-made—threatening to destroy him.

With his trademark elegance and intelligence, Robert Harris, bestselling author of Archangel and Fatherland, re-creates a world on the brink of disaster.

Sidney Harris is America's foremost science cartoonist. He has been praised by luminaries such as Linus Pauling and Isaac Asimov, as well as countless others throughout the world, for his ability to find humour in what is traditionally regarded as a somewhat dry subject. Harris does for science what Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) does for business: his unique perspective illustrates the scientific and technological environments in such a funny way that everyone can enjoy it. This edition of "Einstein Simplified" has been updated and revised with new cartoons.