A set containing three essential, graphic novel-style Introducing Graphic Guides (Marxism, Capitalism and Romanticism) on the politics that has helped shape the world.
'A kind of epic poem, one that moves in circular fashion from passionate denunciation to intense autobiographical reflection … should be required reading for every MP, peer, councillor, civil servant and commentator. The fury and sense of powerlessness that so many people feel at government policy beam out of every page.' The Guardian
‘It is not enough to read Harry’s record of the struggles and hopes of a generation – we have to re-assert his principles of common ownership and the welfare state. If Harry can do it, we should too!’ Ken Loach, Director of I, Daniel Blake
‘As one of the last remaining survivors of the Great Depression and the Second World War, I will not go gently into that good night. I want to tell you what the world looks like through my eyes, so that you can help change it…’
In November 2013, 91-year-old Yorkshireman, RAF veteran and ex-carpet salesman Harry Leslie Smith’s Guardian article – ‘This year, I will wear a poppy for the last time’ – was shared over 80,000 times on Facebook and started a huge debate about the state of society.
Now he brings his unique perspective to bear on NHS cutbacks, benefits policy, political corruption, food poverty, the cost of education – and much more.
From the deprivation of 1930s Barnsley and the terror of war to the creation of our welfare state, Harry has experienced how a great civilisation can rise from the rubble. But at the end of his life, he fears how easily it is being eroded.
Harry’s Last Stand is a lyrical, searing modern invective that shows what the past can teach us, and how the future is ours for the taking.
'Smith's unwavering will to turn things around makes for inspirational reading.' Big Issue North
'[With] sheer emotional power … Harry Leslie Smith reminds us what society without good public services actually looks and feels like.' New Statesman
How did Roger Lane-Smith build up the world’s largest law firm within 30 years, starting from a tiny office in a Manchester side-street? This compelling autobiography will tell you. Told with candour and great humour, this is the story of one lawyer’s determined quest for the biggest and the best – and shows exactly how it was done.
Equally at home with Hollywood celebrities such as Aaron Spelling, David Soul and Joan Collins as with captains of industry and commerce, Roger Lane-Smith really has ‘seen it all’. The story of his life is about much more than the law – he has been close to some of the key moments of the last 30 years, from the legal shenanigans of the icons of popular culture to the deals he has made at the cutting edge of high finance.
Everyone with an interest in the law will find this book a treasure trove of information and gossip, and it will appeal equally to anyone keen to see how a successful business can be built through hard work and astute risk-taking.
Roger Lane-Smith was born in 1945 at Adlington Hall in Cheshire, England.
He qualified as a lawyer in 1969 and in 1977 started his own single-partner law firm in Manchester, intent on creating from scratch the world’s largest law firm. Thirty-three years later he achieved this ambition with the firm of DLA Piper, now the world’s largest with in excess of 4,500 fee-earners across 87 offices in 32 countries with revenues of £1.5bn.
Roger has been married for 45 years to Pamela and they live in Cheshire and in Provence. They have two adult children, Zoë and Jonathan, and a grandson, Logan. Roger’s passions outside the law include golf, shooting and fine wine.|
'Kudos should go to Mr Forsyth … Clearly a man who knows his onions.' Daily Telegraph
'Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our murky history.' Evening Standard
In one gifty box set for the very first time, the hardback editions of Mark Forsyth’s three witty and erudite books on the wonders of the English language.
In The Elements of Eloquence Mark Forsyth explores writing style and rhetoric, divulging tricks used by the Ancient Greeks to Katy Perry, demonstrating that certain phrases – like 'Bond, James Bond' – are effective because it's not what you say, but how you say it. The Horologicon is an unusual book on weird words for familiar situations, from ante-jentacular to snudge, arranged according to the hour of the day when you really need them. And the Sunday Times Number One bestseller, The Etymologicon, is a book on the strange connections between words, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.
Who first thought of atoms? How much can you learn about archaeology from an oil lamp? Who came up with the theory of the ‘wandering womb’?
Oxford Classicist Jane Hood delves into the history, culture, literature, mythology and philosophy of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, using her expert eye to unearth unexpected gems, glittering fragments and quotable nuggets from a lost world.
From ancient cosmetics to the earliest known computer, from the deciphering of ancient languages to the amazing things the Romans did with concrete, this is the essential miscellany for all curious minds, whether you learned the Classics at school or not.
Half a century on from his Wembley hat-trick, England World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst risks controversy as he narrows down football’s finest to a select 50.
Which of his 1966 teammates have earned their place among the all-time greats? Would he have had Franz Beckenbauer in his XI ahead of Bobby Moore? What are his memories of playing against Pelé and Eusébio? And which England stars of later generations would Sir Geoff have loved to play alongside?
With first-hand tales of former teammates and rivals, along with tributes to those he’s admired from the terraces, Geoff Hurst’s Greats is essential reading for football fans of all ages.
Sir Geoff Hurst MBE is the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final – for England in their historic 4–2 victory over West Germany at Wembley in 1966.
Having shown an early flair for cricket – playing a first-class match for Essex against Lancashire in 1962 – Hurst opted for a career in football, and with West Ham United he scored 248 goals in 499 first team appearances. There he won the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup 1965. He was selected by Alf Ramsey to lead England’s attack between 1966 and 1972 – the longest run of any forward under Ramsey, scoring 24 goals in that time.
From the ever-curious mind that brought you the bestselling Do You Think You’re Clever? comes a brand-new trip to the far reaches of the intellectual universe, courtesy of even more notoriously provocative Oxbridge interview questions.
How would you poison someone without the police finding out? (Medicine, Cambridge)
What makes a strong woman? (Theology, Oxford)
Instead of politicians, why don’t we let the managers of IKEA run the country? (Social and Political Sciences, Cambridge)
How do you organise a successful revolution? (History, Oxford)
Whether you’re interested in going to Oxbridge or just want to give your brain a workout, join polymath John Farndon on another exhilarating journey through the twists and turns of thought, and explore just what it means to be genuinely clever – rather than just smart.
John Farndon is the author of numerous bestsellers on science, ideas and the natural environment, as well as being a playwright, composer and poet.
He has been shortlisted a record five times for the Royal Society Junior Science Book Prize. Do You Think You’re Clever? was shortlisted for the Society of Authors Education Award. Canada’s Globe and Mail named his Atlas of Oceans as a 2011 top ten science book. He is currently writing The Omnipaedia for Square Peg.
The Science Magpie is Simon Flynn’s bestselling collection of enthralling facts, stories, poems and more from science’s history, from the Large Hadron Collider rap to the sins of Isaac Newton.
With Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum as your guide, go in search of stolen masterpieces, explore the first museums, learn the secrets of the forgers and brush up on your auction technique with The Antiques Magpie.
And with acclaimed nature writer Daniel Allen, join naturalists, novelists and poets as they explore the most isolated parts of the planet and discover which plants can be used to predict the weather in The Nature Magpie.
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.
From the mythical artefacts of the ancient world to saucy seaside postcards, The Antiques Magpie explores the wonderful world of antiques and collectables.
With Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum as your guide, go in search of stolen masterpieces, explore the first museums, learn the secrets of the forgers and brush up on your auction technique.
Meet the garden gnome insured for £1 million, track down Napoleon’s toothbrush, find out how to spot a corpse in a Victorian photograph – and much more.
As Country Life said, the book is not only 'a very useful overall guide for collectors … and a source of unlikely information, but a laugh a page. A perfect present for virtually everyone.'
In the 1970s Kevin Threlfall built up the chain of Lo-Cost discount stores from a single grocery stall on Cannock market.
Having sold out to RCA of America he then went on to build an empire of 1,215 shops in just 25 years from a single cigarette kiosk on Wolverhampton market.
Trading as Supercigs, Dillons, Preedy, One-Stop and Day & Nite, T&S Stores plc became the largest specialised convenience store group in Britain, eventually selling out to Tesco in 2002 for £530 million.
But it was not all plain sailing, as among other challenges he survived having his appendix removed without anaesthetic. Then on 23 April 2014, before completing this book, he dropped down dead for 40 minutes on the golf course and was saved only by the actions of his quick-thinking golf partners.
This is the remarkable story of his life, in which passion, hard work, good timing and luck all played a part in bringing together a fascinating tale that is a real page-turner of a book.
From the BBC Antiques Roadshow specialist and author who brought you The Antiques Magpie comes the first annual almanac keeping you bang up to date with the vibrant, pacey and often amusingly idiosyncratic global art and antiques market.
Find out:
* How much the wedding ring of Lee Harvey Oswald sold for
* What the world’s most expensive printed book cost per word
* Which First World War artefacts have enthused collectors amid the centenary commemorations
…and much more
Written with Marc’s trademark blend of knowledge, enthusiasm, irreverence and wit, Allum’s Antiques Almanac 2015 provides a unique insight into a boundless world fuelled by history, avarice and passion, making it a must-read for the inherent collector in all of us.
Marc Allum is a freelance art and antiques writer, broadcaster, consultant and lecturer based in Wiltshire. He has been
a miscellaneous specialist on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow since 1998. He writes regularly for magazines, has contributed
to numerous books and is the author of The Antiques Magpie (Icon, 2013).
'You are the music / While the music lasts' T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets
Do babies remember music from the womb? Can classical music increase your child’s IQ? Is music good for productivity? Can it aid recovery from illness and injury? And what is going on in your brain when Ultravox’s ‘Vienna’, Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht or Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Bonkers’ transports you back to teenage years?
In a brilliant new work that will delight music lovers of every persuasion, music psychologist Victoria Williamson examines our relationship with music across the whole of a lifetime.
Along the way she reveals the amazing ways in which music can physically reshape our brains, explores how ‘smart music listening’ can improve cognitive performance, and considers the perennial puzzle of what causes ‘earworms’.
Requiring no specialist musical or scientific knowledge, this upbeat, eye-opening book reveals as never before the extent of the universal language of music that lives deep inside us all.
With a clear and conversational style, Williamson shares anecdotes as a springboard to discussing a range of experimental evidence for such intriguing uses. The reader gains considerable insight into how music can modulate emotional experiences.
You Are the Music demonstrates how much the music within us matters. Remaining practical and thoughtful throughout, Williamson incisively places music in a biological context.
Barcelona has long been regarded as a home of beautiful football. In July 2014, already boasting Lionel Messi and Neymar, Barça added Luis Suárez to complete a forward line that was undeniably special, even by their own high standards.
They had taken greatly differing paths from South America to the starting line-up at the Nou Camp. Messi joined Barcelona aged just thirteen, Neymar served a spectacular apprenticeship in Brazil and Suárez enjoyed spells with Ajax and Liverpool – three prestigious educations with an emphasis on attractive play.
Through exclusive testimonies from friends, families, managers and teammates, acclaimed football writer Luca Caioli documents their individual journeys and examines the phenomenal success of Barça’s ‘MSN’ years to date, including the 2015/16 league and cup double.
'A hugely enjoyable romp through the pleasures and pitfalls of setting up home in a foreign land.'- Guardian
Given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: Denmark, land of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries, was the happiest place on earth.
Keen to know their secrets, Helen gave herself a year to uncover the formula for Danish happiness.
From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD and taxes, The Year of Living Danishly records a funny, poignant journey, showing us what the Danes get right, what they get wrong, and how we might all live a little more Danishly ourselves.
Russell's husband takes a contract with Lego and they are catapulted into rural Jutland, in Denmark.
Russell, who is a fast living journalist in London, is at first overwhelmed with the silence, the people, the sheer differences of living in a very foreign country.
She then discovers that Danish people have the highest-rated happiness scores in the world… what's their secret? Why are they so damn happy?
I'll let you know, it's a lot to do with something called "Hygge".
In the age of information overload, traditional time management techniques simply don’t cut it when it comes to overflowing inboxes, ever-expanding to-do lists and endless, pointless meetings. Thankfully there is a better way: The Way of the Productivity Ninja.
Using techniques including Ruthlessness, Mindfulness, Zen-like Calm and Stealth & Camouflage you will get your inbox down to zero, make the most of your attention, beat procrastination and learn to work smarter, not harder.
Written by one of the UK’s foremost productivity experts, How to be a Productivity Ninja is a fun, accessible and practical guide to staying cool, calm and collected, getting more done, and learning to love your work again.
In Science for Life acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg cuts through the vested interests and confusing contradictory statements that litter the media and the internet, to give a clear picture of what science is telling us right now about changing our lives for the better.
Discover the much-advertised antioxidants that aren’t good for you, the truth about fat and sugar and why one of the healthiest foods contains carcinogens and 21 E-numbers. Find out what does and what doesn’t enhance brainpower – from the failure of playing Mozart to babies to the surprising abilities of caffeine and nicotine. Understand the tools that advertisers use to persuade us and how to turn the psychological pressure back on them.
From the shortcomings of the five second rule to the truth about phone masts and nuclear power, kept up-to-date on a partnering website, Science for Life is your guide to surviving and thriving in the modern world.
This is the story of light and the people who were determined to unlock the secrets of one of the greatest puzzles of the Universe.
Acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg recounts how civilisations from the Ancient Egyptians to the Mayans understood light spiritually, and looks at the first scientific grapplings with light by the ancient Chinese sage Mo Ti, the Greek philosopher Empedocles, Arab genius Alhazen and others.
Clegg also explores the contribution of artists such as Brunellschi, Leonardo de Vinci and Durer to our understanding of light and examines the great revolutionaries of light theory including Galileo, Descartes, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday and Albert Einstein.
In this new edition of one of his best-loved books, Clegg finally discusses the work of scientists such as Maxwell, Edison and Gould that led to light-driven inventions from the camera to the laser, CDs and optical computers and explains the mind-bending advances of quantum physics.
MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU by matching your spending and investments to your values
CONTROL YOUR SPENDING BEHAVIOUR by gathering and tracking financial information efficiently
SIMPLIFY YOUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT by learning to use the right tools effectively
REALIZE YOUR SAVINGS GOALS by understanding what you want to and can achieve
Introducing Personal Finance, by economics expert Michael Taillard, teaches you everything you need to know about managing your financial life. It’s crammed full of practical advice on how to save, earn and get the most out of your money.
'A great read and a fascinating insight into performance.' Sir Clive Woodward
We all want to discover our hidden talents and make an impact with them. But how? Rasmus Ankersen, an ex-footballer and performance specialist, quit his job and for six intense months lived with the world's best athletes in an attempt to answer this question.
Why have the best middle distance runners grown up in the same Ethiopian village? Why are the leading female golfers from South Korea? How did one athletic club in Kingston, Jamaica, succeed in producing so many world-class sprinters?
Ankersen presents his surprising conclusions in seven lessons on how anyone – or any business, organisation or team – can defy the many misconceptions of high performance and learn to build their own gold mine of real talent.
