Griezmann (Paperback)

The Making of France's Mini Maestro

Cyril Collot

Luca Caioli

Quick, incisive and versatile, Antoine Griezmann is the ultimate modern forward. Arriving in 2014 to join an Atlético Madrid side persistently challenging for the biggest trophies in Spanish and European football, he quickly established himself as the team’s key player and main goal threat.

A Super Cup win over city rivals Real Madrid was just the start but an inspired tilt at the Champions League the following season ended in heartbreak – as did a Euro 2016 campaign in which his performances for France saw him named player of the tournament.

In this first biography of the Atléti and France star, Madrid-based journalist Luca Caioli examines the story behind Griezmann’s rise to the top. Features exclusive interviews.

Luca Caioli is the bestselling author of Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Suarez. A renowned Italian sports journalist, he lives in Spain corresponding for SKY Italia and Corriere della Sera.

Family (eBook)

Life, Death and Football: A Year on the Frontline with a Proper Club

Michael Calvin

No one likes Millwall. They don't care. But what does it really take to be a part of this team, or a supporter? A British Sports Books Awards 2011 nominee, Michael Calvin's Family provides a unique glimpse into the soul of a real football club. Award-winning sports writer Calvin follows Millwall through an emotional promotion season. There for the first day of training, he was on the substitutes' bench at Wembley, 333 days later. He vividly portrays players and management as family men, close to their roots. In captain Paul Robinson's words : 'We're playing for the people who hate their jobs, who'd love our lives.' Forget the glitz of the Premier League – this is the beautiful game in all its raucous glory. Intimate and compelling, Calvin's unforgettable picture of lower-league English football is essential reading for anyone for whom football is far more than just a game.

Michael Calvin is currently chief sports writer with the Sunday Mirror, and has worked at the Daily Telegraph, The Times and the Mail on Sunday. He has twice been named Sports Reporter of the Year.

Ask John (eBook)

Straight-talking, common sense from the front line of management

John Timpson

John Timpson CBE is one of the UK’s most successful businessmen. He is Chairman of the eponymous high street cobblers, key cutters, engravers and watch repairers, with more than 1,300 branches throughout the UK and Ireland and a turnover of £180m.

John is hugely admired across the business world for the ‘Upside Down Management’ techniques that put the growth of the business in the hands of its employees – or of John’s colleagues, as they are called.

John’s Daily Telegraph column, ‘Ask John’, has been dispensing straight-talking, no-nonsense business advice for more than five years. This book collects and expands the very best from that column for the first time.

From why low cost will never be a real substitute for proper customer service to the etiquette of employing interns, John’s honest, common-sense business advice should be required reading for anyone running a business – whatever the size.

John Timpson CBE was born in 1943 and educated at Oundle and Nottingham University. In 1975 he became Managing Director of William Timpson Ltd, the business that had borne his family name since 1865, and he is now sole owner of the company, which has a turnover in the UK of £180m per year.

His last book, Upside Down Management (Wiley, 2010) was described by the Financial Times as ‘A practical and inspirational manual for anyone who runs a business’. Timpson and his wife Alex have been foster carers for 31 years, during which time they have fostered 90 children. He lives in Cheshire.

High Street Heroes (eBook)

The Story of British Retail in 50 People

John Timpson

WHEN BUSINESSMAN John Timpson started his retailing career in 1960, there were no supermarkets, no out-of-town shopping centres and not even a hint of internet shopping. The British high street was full of made-to-measure tailors and traditional grocers. Among the household names were Mac Fisheries, Dewhurst, John Collier and Timothy Whites & Taylors.

In this enjoyable new book, Timpson shows how successive generations of forward-thinking shopkeepers and inspirational entrepreneurs have led the major retailers through a period of rapid change – people such as Ken Morrison, Ralph Halpern, Terence Conran and Anita Roddick, without whom our high streets would have looked very different.

This unique survey – from a man who knows a few things about success in retail – paints a compelling, personal and vivid picture of how shops have changed over the last 100 years and reveals who Timpson thinks has had the biggest influence on the shape of shopping in the ‘retail revolution’ that we have witnessed since the 1970s.

John Timpson CBE is Chairman of Timpson Ltd which has a UK turnover of £180m per year. His previous book was Ask John (Icon, 2014), based on his Daily Telegraph column of the same name. Timpson and his wife Alex have been foster carers for 32 years, during which time they have fostered 90 children. He lives in Cheshire.

Under Orders (eBook)

The Diary of a Racehorse Owner’s Husband

John Timpson

When John Timpson, chairman of the eponymous high street chain, bought his wife Alex a racehorse in 2002, a friend commented that it would be ‘a marvellous way to lose money’.

Soon they were immersed in a world of trainers’ yards, Novice Hurdles and handicaps, and well on the way to proving the old adage that the best way to make a small fortune is to start with a larger one, and buy a few racehorses.

As the number of horses increased and Alex became a well-loved figure on the racing scene, John kept a diary of their experiences on and off the track. This witty book describes how racing brought something extra into their marriage – from Mondays at Ludlow to the Cheltenham Festival. It documents the wins, near misses, disappointments and occasional tragedies that make up a racing career – not to mention the friends made, the knowledge gained and the sheer thrill of it all. 

Under Orders is a joyous and humorous portrait of horseracing in Britain and a tribute to the owners whose dedication and enthusiasm make the whole thing possible.

Sales of the book will raise money for the Injured Jockeys Fund.

John Timpson CBE is Chairman of Timpson Ltd. Timpson and his wife Alex, who died in January 2016, were foster carers for 32 years, during which time they have fostered 90 children. John lives in Cheshire.

Keys to Success (eBook)

50 Secrets from a Business Maverick

John Timpson

John Timpson, Chairman of the eponymous British high street chain, knows a thing or two about running a successful business. Over many years he revolutionised how his firm worked, developing his philosophy of upside-down management, and has reaped the rewards – the Timpson group (which includes the Snappy Snaps and Max Spielmann chains).

Timpson, whose weekly Daily Telegraph column and regular media appearances have made him a well-known business commentator, here shares his secrets. Full of actionable advice, Timpson’s Top Business Tips is a step-by- step MBA for business women and men who need results now.

From encouraging flexible working, having a happy index and a great bonus scheme to the importance of checking the cash on hand every day and planning for disaster scenarios; from why you should never make decisions at meetings to the value of a mentor – even when you’re at the top – these are essential markers on your roadmap to business success, whatever business you’re in.

John Timpson CBE was born in 1943 and educated at Oundle and Nottingham University. He become the Director responsible for buying of the family footwear business William Timpson Ltd in 1970. Following the acquisition of the company by the UDS Group in 1973, he became Managing Director of retailer Swears & Wells and in 1975 was appointed Managing Director of William Timpson, his original family business. His previous books include Ask John (Icon, 2014) and High Street Heroes (Icon, 2015). He lives in Cheshire.

Trust (eBook)

From Socrates to Spin

Kieron O'Hara

This book offers a popular, gripping account of the most vital political issue of the 21st century. From Aristotle to Francis Fukuyama, Machiavelli to Naomi Klein, the "Book of Job" to Blairite newspeak and from Enron to nanotechnology, Kieron O'Hara presents a lively exploration of trust. Essential for almost all social interaction, trust holds society together and makes co-operation possible. Ubiquitous, and yet deeply misunderstood, it can take years to build up, and after one false move can disappear overnight. Polls record levels of trust in politicians, businessmen, scientists and others that are at all time lows: a crisis in trust is currently gripping Western culture.O'Hara moves easily between the great philosophers and sociologists, and the impact of this crisis in our daily lives, animating theory with in-depth case studies, helping us make sense of the daily scares in our newspapers. Is trust declining? Should we be worried? What can we do about it? "Trust" gives few easy answers in this exhilarating ride through politics, literature, philosophy and history.

Kieron O'Hara is a senior research fellow in the Intelligence, Agents and Multimedia Group at the University of Southampton. He co-wrote the script of the computer game Tomb Raider 4, and is the author of the only scholarly paper about Carry On Cabby.

The Intellectual (eBook)

Steve Fuller

Modelled on Machiavelli's notorious tract on statecraft, The Prince, Steve Fuller?s book dissects what it means to be an intellectual. What distinguishes them from philosophers, scientists, politicians or entrepreneurs? Why are they happy to be insulted as long as they are not ignored? And who is the intellectual's favourite superhero? "I devoured this in one sitting … It's packed with juicy nuggets of genuine intellectual nourishment on every page" Dylan Evans

Steve Fuller has appeared on Radio 4's Today, Radio 3's Nightwaves and Channel 4's Trial of the 21st Century. He has written for the Independent, the New Scientist and the New York Times, among others. By day, Fuller is also Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick.

Atlas of History's Greatest Military Victories (eBook)

The 50 Most Significant Moments Explored in Words and Maps

Jeremy Harwood

From Marathon in 490 BC or Hastings in 1066 to Trafalgar and Austerlitz in 1805; from Midway, Stalingrad or Leyte Gulf during the Second World War to the fall of Baghdad in 2003, this meticulously illustrated companion to great battles of the world will be essential reading for anyone fascinated by military set-pieces and strategy.

When did an Asian power first defeat a European one? How did Joan of Arc beat the British at the Siege of Orleans? Why did France lose at Dien Bien Phu in 1954? and much much more…

– Features accurate, dynamic maps showing why battles took place and their consequences
– Each battle is accompanied by diagrams, fact files and essays explaining how they were won and lost
– Includes a chronological collection of momentous battlefield clashes

Jeremy Harwood studied history at Oxford, where he won an Open Exhibition and was awarded the Sir Keith Feiling Memorial Prize as the college’s top history undergraduate of the year.

Imagine That – Travel (eBook)

The History of Travel Rewritten

Michael Sells

Would a developing nation have emerged as an economic powerhouse if Teddy Roosevelt hadn’t reignited the Panama Canal project? How close did the railroads come to eliminating the Bison and what would it have meant for trade? Could a successful maiden voyage for the Titanic have cost more lives than its failure?

The development of transport and travel has leapt forward more in the last two centuries than it had in the millennia before it. We went from horse and cart to Concorde and high-speed ‘bullet’ trains in the blink of an eye. The side-effects of a more efficient, globalised and at times dangerous transport network have been varied and numerous, creating a vastly different society.

Michael Sells is a historian educated at the University of Chester. Captivated by history from a young age, he is especially interested in Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation and 1960s and 70s football. Outside of history, his passions include dystopian novels, animal sanctuaries and lower-league football. Born in the South East of England, he now lives in Cambridge and the Imagine That titles are his first books.

Imagine That – Animals (eBook)

The History of Animals Rewritten

Michael Sells

Could greater publicity for Dolly the Sheep’s unheralded predecessors, Molly and Morag, have kick-started an era of dangerous cloning? How might a differing itinerary for Darwin’s travels have altered, halted or even further advanced our understanding of the animal kingdom? And were two monkeys really the difference between peace and the deaths of 250,000 Greeks?

In most cases we live harmoniously alongside the other members of the animals kingdom in relative harmony, or else we’ve adapted methods of protecting ourselves from their threat. However, on those occasions when man and beast have come into direct contact they have managed to impact upon and inform our world more than many of history’s greatest individuals and inventions.

Michael Sells is a historian educated at the University of Chester. Captivated by history from a young age, he is especially interested in Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation and 1960s and 70s football. Outside of history, his passions include dystopian novels, animal sanctuaries and lower-league football. Born in the South East of England, he now lives in Cambridge and the Imagine That titles are his first books.

The Ryder Cup (eBook)

A History 1927 - 2014

Henry Lord

Peter Pugh

Played every two years, originally between Great Britain and Ireland and the USA and, since 1979, between Europe and the USA, The Ryder Cup is golf’s greatest tournament.

Peter Pugh and Henry Lord present the latest edition of their Cup history, telling stories that include the world’s most successful golfers – Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Gene Sarazen, Peter Alliss, Sam Snead, Max Faulkner, Ben Hogan, Dai Rees, Lee Trevino, Tony Jacklin, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie.

With photographs including Jacklin shaking hands with Nicklaus after the American had conceded a two-and-a half-foot putt to finalise a draw in 1969, this edition is published on the eve of September 2014’s match at the beautiful Gleneagles. Europe hold the trophy after their dramatic victory at Medinah Country Club, Chicago, in 2012.

The Ryder Cup – described as ‘well-researched … a historical but entertaining account of the Cup’ by National Club Golfer – is the essential companion.

Peter Pugh was educated at Oundle and Cambridge, where he was a member of the golf team. He has written many books on golf and golf clubs as well as about 50 company histories, including The Magic of a Name, a three-volume history of Rolls-Royce.

Henry Lord is the co-author of the highly acclaimed golf course coffee-table books, all published by Icon, Creating Classics, Masters of Design and St Andrews, which includes a Foreword from the great Ryder Cup player and captain, Seve Ballesteros.

Imagine That – Fashion (eBook)

The History of Fashion Rewritten

Michael Sells

Would centuries of judicial rulings have reached different conclusions if wigs and robes had never been introduced to the courtroom? Could a different office dress code have removed the ‘glass-ceiling’ in business? Did the fashion industry fuel the football violence epidemic of the 1980’s?

Fashion is far more than mere decoration. It has sparked fierce feuds between fans of both music and sport. It has also cemented the power of some the world’s most commanding organisations. Uniform and fashion trends have carried untold power throughout modern history, altering much more than just the way we look.

Michael Sells is a historian educated at the University of Chester. Captivated by history from a young age, he is especially interested in Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation and 1960s and 70s football. Outside of history, his passions include dystopian novels, animal sanctuaries and lower-league football. Born in the South East of England, he now lives in Cambridge and the Imagine That titles are his first books.