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May 2012 is the seventieth anniversary of the first publication of Enid Blyton's Famous Five - read about it in this issue

Star Wars Ultimate Visual Guide

The most comprehensive guide to the Star Wars universe ever published - absolutely everything you always wanted to know about the most popular science fiction series ever...

Editor's choice for May:

Star Wars Ultimate Visual Guide

Dorling Kindersley HB

Take a journey through the Star Wars entire universe in The Ultimate Visual Guide, from thousands of years before Episode I to three decades after Episode VI and right up to the present day. Fascinating features, rare behind-the-scenes photos and pre-production drawings cover all six films in one epic guide. Meet the characters, explore profiles of the Jedi, Sith, Rebels, and aliens. Revisit the movie storylines, then go beyond to the continued Star Wars adventures in comics, TV specials, and novels. Explore Star Wars today with 56 new pages of facts: from fan conventions and 35 years of merchandise, from toys and video games to poster art and the Clone Wars series. Star Wars The Ultimate Visual Guide reveals the full story of the Star Wars saga in amazing detail. It's an out-of-this-world addition to any fan's collection with the most up to date information for this 35th Anniversary year. And don't forget, there's a galaxy-full of DK Star Wars books to collect.

This handsome volume has been published by DK before, but this is a much-revised book with added pages. The illustrations are from the various platforms on which George Lucas's masterpiece exists: the movies, the novels, the platform games, the comics and graphic novels (yes, there is a difference!), and the author uses each platform to illustrate a character or a place in the timeline, which is brilliantly explained visually in the opening pages. If you're someone who reads the books as well as watches the films, then this book will enable you to slot the books into the relevant timeframe. It's a magnificent collection of information, with background information on Lucas and all of the main characters and battles. More like an encyclopedia, really, although it does follow the timeline strictly, and it works perfectly. Sumptuously photographed and printed.

Gerry Badger: Marilyn by Magnum

Prestel HB

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of Marilyn's death; this beautiful book is an elegant pictorial celebration of the beloved celebrity by the Magnum photographers who immortalised her... It's been half a century since we lost Marilyn Monroe, but her presence in popular culture has never faded - due in part to the incredible abundance of photographs that were taken of her. Many of those pictures were taken by members of the Magnum photographic cooperative, and appear in this stunning collection that expresses every aspect of Marilyn's multifaceted persona. Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, Eve Arnold, Inge Morath, Philippe Halsman, Bruce Davidson, Dennis Stock, Bob Henriques, Erich Hartmann and others capture Marilyn on and off the set. The images range from glamorous portraits to candid scenes of delicate intimacy. Marilyn is pictured filming movies such as Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; also included in the book are Elliot Erwitt's renowned shots of Marilyn wrangling horses on the set of The Misfits, her last film. In richly toned black and white as well as lustrous colour, these photographs reveal Marilyn's uncanny ease in front of the camera. Whether acting or exercising, putting on make-up or gracefully posing, Marilyn was a photographer's dream. This celebration of her life will be a treasured keepsake for her millions of fans.

Before Diana, there was Marilyn Monroe - she was surely the most photographed of all the Hollywood stars, and probably the most famous woman in the world before Diana came along. This collection of photos of one of the most beautiful women the world has ever produced is second to none. It's a sheer pleasure to be able to turn the pages and see what makes MM so special.

Jason Hawkes: Britain from Above Month by Month

Dorling Kindersley HB

A unique and beautiful look at Britain from the skies. See Britain in a whole new light with Britain From Above Month by Month, a stunning visual portrait of the British Isles throughout the year from renowned aerial photographer Jason Hawkes. Explore every corner of Britain from majestic mountain landscapes and haunting medieval ruins to magnificent feats of engineering and dramatic coastlines and see how familiar scenes, famous events and iconic monuments take on a whole new life when viewed from a different angle. Look down at the Angel of the North from a new perspective, take in the glittering London skyline from on high and see a patchwork of festival tents as you've never seen them before. Britain From Above Month by Month is a true celebration of Britain in all its glory, a beautiful gift and a fascinating addition to any bookshelf.

My only criticism of this book is that there is no place index, so you can't look up where you live and see if a photo by Hawkes is included in this magnificent collection. Other than that, it is superb, truly superb. The quality of the photos is, as always, of a standard that sets DK apart from most other publishers, and one can't imagine this book being published by anyone else. Superb.

Step by Step Cakes

Dorling Kindersley HB

Step-by-Step Cakes is the perfect book to have to hand when you're mastering the art of cake baking. Over 130 recipes are made easy with simple instructions and photography helping you every step of the way. Master the art of sponges, cheesecakes, tarts and meringue cakes with 35 classic cake recipes plus exciting variations for when you're feeling more adventurous. Excellent value, Step-by-Step Cakes will help you bake all the world's favourite cake recipes every time. All content previously published in Step-by-Step Baking.

Nobody does it better. With home baking and cooking in general never off the telly, it's comforting to know that DK have the matter in hand of guiding us through the business of how to make cakes. A fantastic collection of easy-to-follow, sumptuous cake recipes with full and simple instructions, beautifully illustrated and photographed. There isn't much else to say about a book that is, frankly, perfect.

Complete Atlas of the World

Dorling Kindersley HB

See Earth in ten times more detail than ever before. From Antarctica to Zambia, discover the Earth continent by continent with the Complete Atlas of the World. Cross the globe from your armchair with 330 maps including 100 city plans showing the world's political and physical geography in the clearest way possible. Landscapes are brought to life through detailed terrain models and colour schemes giving you an unparalleled overview of our planet. Plus, the easy-to-use index of 100,000 place names helps you find what you're looking for fast. The Complete Atlas of the World is one atlas that every family bookshelf needs.

Gordon Thorburn: Holidays in Victorian England

Pen and Sword PB

Margaret B. was an ordinary middle-class English girl of the late Victorian era, not wealthy but comfortable. Father was a Church of England cleric and, later, she would marry another. Meanwhile, the family took holidays and made trips around England, not venturing abroad, and these are the pictures from those happy days, all sunny ones. Soon there would be charabancs, deckchairs and electric light. For Margaret B., at the seaside there were bathing machines, and modesty forbade being seen out of the water in anything other than full dress, including hat. In the country, holidaymakers were a rarity. The railways could take you almost anywhere, but it was only the middle classes who went. So there were no crowds, and many of our pictures show tourist hotspots before they were hot, before there was any such thing as a car park. The text provides local knowledge and background to the photographs and is an enjoyable read in itself, but the real pleasure is in seeing Brighton, Margate, Scarborough, Broadstairs, Clovelly, Ilfracombe, Minehead and other such places before it all happened. See Exmoor, the White Peak and Somerset when the loudest noise was the click of the camera shutter. The nostalgia is almost unbearable.

A fascinating collection of holiday snaps from a time when photography was still in its infancy. This well-travelled family clearly enjoyed their explorations of the British countryside and seaside, and the result is a brilliant slice of social history. Everyone loves looking at old photographs, and many of those contained in this wonderful book are serious rivals for the Francis Frith collection. Brilliant.

Larry D Rosen: iDisorder

Macmillan HB

iDisorder: changes to your brain's ability to process information and your ability to relate to the world due to your daily use of media and technology resulting in signs and symptoms of psychological disorders - such as stress, sleeplessness, and a compulsive need to check in with all of your technology. Based on decades of research and expertise in the "psychology of technology," Dr. Larry Rosen offers clear, down-to-earth explanations for why many of us are suffering from an "iDisorder." Rosen offers solid, proven strategies to help us overcome the iDisorder we all feel in our lives while still making use of all that technology offers. Our world is not going to change, and technology will continue to penetrate society even deeper leaving us little chance to react to the seemingly daily additions to our lives. Rosen teaches us how to stay human in an increasingly technological world.

Pat Ware: Sherman Tank Owners' Workshop Manual

Haynes HB

The US-designed and built Sherman was the most prolific Allied tank of the Second World War and was operated by the armies of the USA, Canada, Britain, the Soviet Union and France. Ease of production, mechanical reliability and durability in use characterised the Sherman, of which more than 49,000 were built. Acclaimed author Pat Ware tells the Sherman story from the differing viewpoints of its wartime crews and maintainers, and of modern-day restorers.

As with all of the Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual special series, this is not simply a manual to refer to if your Sherman tank should break down - I would imagine such a manual to run to thousands of pages - but more a social history of the origins and uses to which the iconic tank has been put to. Exceptionally well written and photographed. I don't know if it's possible to actually own a Sherman tank, but it's fun to learn about them in the magical way that Haynes does so well. Outstanding.

Peter Goodwin: HMS Victory Owners' Workshop Manual

Haynes HB

HMS Victory is probably the most famous surviving historic warship in the world today. She was flagship to Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, when he was killed on her quarter deck by a sniper's bullet in Britain's hour of victory. Maritime historian and former HMS Victory Keeper and Curator Peter Goodwin tells the story of Nelson's flagship, giving fascinating insights into how she was built, her anatomy and weaponry, and how a ship of the line in the Georgian navy was sailed, fought and maintained.

See my comments above on the Sherman tank owner's workshop manual. Of course, there is only one HMS Victory, and this isn't a workshop manual, though it does take you on a guided tour of the ship - almost as good as actually being there in person, because the quality of the photos is so very high. Another historical winner from Haynes!

Brian Parks: The Punchbowl Companion

Girls Gone By Publishing PB

The Punchbowl Companion by Brian Parks was in preparation when we first started to publish Monica Edwards’ books in 2005, but it seemed sensible to start with The Romney Marsh Companion (only a few copies left) and then Brian wrote the Monica Edwards Biography. But now The Punchbowl Farm Companion is ready. Here you will find details of all the Punchbowl Farm books, their characters, the location and much more. Brian’s original text has been edited by Tig Thomas who edited his first two books. It is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the books, whether you are just starting or have been a fan for years. Illustrated with wonderful black and white photographs.

Everything you need to know about Monica Edwards's wonderful series of children's novels, with character studies, maps, plans, facts and figures. Parks is a natural writer, and this is a beautiful, comprehensive, and very readable book. The illustrations, too, are first-rate. Quite superb.

Julian Baggini & Antonia Macaro: The Shrink and the Sage

Icon Books PB

Based on their Financial Times Weekend column, philosopher Julian Baggini and his psychotherapist partner Antonia Macaro offer intriguing answers to life's questions. Can infidelity be good for you? What does it mean to stay true to yourself? Must we fulfil our potential? Self-help with a distinctly cerebral edge, the shrink and the sage - aka Julian Baggini and Antonia Macaro - have been dispensing advice through their FT column since October 2010. Combining practical advice on personal dilemmas with meditations on the meaning of concepts like free will, spirituality and independence, this book - their first together - expands on these columns and adds much more. Through questions of existential unease, metaphysical trauma and - for instance - how much we should care about our appearance, intellectual agony uncle and aunt team Baggini and Macaro begin to piece together the answer that we'd all like to hear: what is the good life, and how we can live it?

I don't suppose there are that many readers of the Financial Times Weekend edition, and if there are, how many buy the paper to read homespun philosophy? Icon Books have taken this excellent team's articles and packaged them in a way that will reach a far wider audience. All aspects of modern life and the dilemmas faced by 21st century people are discussed - well, maybe not all, but a fair few, and the result is a really readable book with some sensible and practical advice for modern problems. Excellent.

Emma Woolf: An Apple a Day - A Memoir of Love and Recivery from Anorexia

Summersdale PB

"I haven't tasted chocolate for over ten years and now I'm walking down the street unwrapping a Kit Kat. Remember when Kate Moss said, 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'? She's wrong: chocolate does."

At the age of 32, after ten years of hiding from the truth, Emma Woolf finally decided it was time to face the biggest challenge of her life. Addicted to hunger, exercise and control, she was juggling a full-blown eating disorder with a successful career, functioning on an apple a day. Having met the man of her dreams (and wanting a future and a baby together), she embarked on the hardest struggle of all: to beat anorexia. It was time to start eating again, to regain her fertility and her curves, to throw out the size-zero clothes and face her food fears. And, as if that wasn’t enough pressure, Emma took the decision to write about her progress in a weekly column for The Times. Honest, hard hitting and yet romantic, An Apple a Day is a manifesto for the modern generation to stop starving and start living. This compelling, life-affirming true story is essential reading for anyone affected by eating disorders (whether as a sufferer or carer), anyone interested in health and social issues – and for medical and health professionals.

It's something we read about in the newspapers every day (well, I don't actually, I won't give newspapers the time of day, but I am aware of the problem and people in my nuclear family have had it, though not on a serious scale), and it's always better to read about a person's experiences and how they tackled the problem and overcame it than to read about it dispassionately in a medical text book or one of those dreadful medical website explanations that go on endlessly and don't really offer any advice other than to seek help from your GP. If you live in North Norfolk it could take weeks to get past the receptionist and actually get to see a GP, and this will only get worse as the NHS gradually unfolds into a private healthcare service thanks to the ConDems! This is a wonderful, clear, concise record of what actually happened to Emma Woolf, and it beats medical texts into a cocked hat. Brilliant.