Two Rivers Press – The Bell Bookshop

Giant Crabs and Spiders

Emma — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Kant and marmalade, a solemn talk with a lift, an existential struggle with something from IKEA, an absurdist discussion of meaning in poetry, or a disquisition on the nature of windows: Robin Thomas is a poet of high imagination, always looking for the unusual angle and finding it over and over in this, his latest collection.

Giant Crabs and Spiders ranges across philosophy, painting, music, literature, politics, history, science, and what it’s like to be alive. The poet explores knowledge, ethics, meaning, mortality, and writes of loss and grief. Bubbling away through these intense, sometimes quirky, always compassionate poems is a joy in language, its musical resources and endless possibilities.

Secrets of Trees

Emma — Thu, 29 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Immerse yourself in a landscape at once familiar yet new, as Pamela Taylor reveals the secrets of trees through her exquisitely detailed and accurately observed pen-and-ink drawings. As an ardent admirer of ancient and veteran trees she draws them as characters with backstories reflecting their struggle for life and their individuality. Her close observation while drawing has led her to discover more about the botany and ecology of the species, as well as the history of individual trees. She accompanies each of her subjects with advice on how to overcome artistic challenges such as managing perspective, portraying delicate details, and taking time to observe.

The Weather on the Moon

Emma — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Turning Manet on his head, entering the thoughts of a post prandial lion, viewing and buying a ‘snorting’ Hot Rod, imagining life on a modern-day Titanic, wondering what happens to the story after a book is finished or what a sonnet written by a modern day Shakespeare might look like, The Weather on the Moon ranges across art, music, philosophy, literature and poetry, politics, history, science and the natural world to encounter what it’s like to be alive.

Bubbling away throughout this intense, sometimes humorous, sometimes quirky, always compassionate poetry is a joy in language, its possibilities, and music. As Graham Hardie writes, his work ‘fuses many elements into one short space: pathos; wit; dexterous use of simile and metaphor; a heightened imagination; an ability to make poetry from the commonplace.’

Pennies On My Eyes Poems By Wilfred Owen

Emma — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

"Pennies on my Eyes ... is a centennial collection of Wilfred Owen's poetry illustrated by Reading-based artists."--Back cover.

Reading Abbey and the Abbey Quarter

Emma — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Reading’s Abbey, founded in 1121 by King Henry I of England, was huge and wealthy. Throughout its 400-year life the royal Abbey was visited regularly by Kings and Queens, hosted Parliaments and royal weddings and was a famous destination for medieval pilgrims. But Henry VIII ordered its dissolution in 1539 and although the monastic buildings were used for a time as a royal palace, the stone proved useful for, among other things, shoring up the defences of the town during the Civil War. By the 18th century, one of the most impressive Abbeys in England had been reduced to a picturesque ruin.

· Discover how the Abbey and its associated buildings were originally laid out on a promontory between the Thames and Kennet.

· Read features on monastic life, royal burials, and Abbot Hugh Cook Faringdon who was executed.

· Find out about the famous 19th century architects who rejuvenated the Abbey Quarter.

· Learn about the technicalities of the 21st century conservation work.

· Walk the Abbey Quarter using the guide and map to discover the hidden gems history has left behind and find out where some of the Abbey stone has ended up.

This book connects you directly with the past, inspires you to be part of a future that values the Abbey’s legacy, and demonstrates just how important a landmark we still have at the centre of modern Reading.