The acclaimed history of the birth and growth of Britain’s most famous luxury brand.
Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, founded in 1916 to tackle the great killer disease of tuberculosis, is famous for carrying out the UK’s first heart transplant operation in 1979. It followed this up not only with many other heart transplants but also with the UK’s first heart and lung operation in 1984 and the world’s first heart, lung and liver transplant in 1986.
With unique access to Papworth’s archives, historian Peter Pugh here tells the story of this ground-breaking hospital for the first time. Alongside the background to that first UK heart transplant – and the ethical controversies that surrounded it – Pugh explores the opposition to heart operations in general, Papworth's difficulties dealing with NHS authorities especially over funding, and the discussions for over 50 years as to whether the hospital should move alongside Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge.
As an insight into the history of medicine and surgery in the UK, as well as a story literally of life and death, The Heart of the Matter will be compelling reading.
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.
The 20th century gave us two great theories of physics: the general theory of relativity, which describes the behaviour of things on a very large scale, including the entire Universe; and quantum theory, which describes the behaviour of things on a very small scale, the sub-atomic world. The refusal of the Universe to reveal an equation that combines these two great ideas has caused some people to doubt our whole understanding of physics.
In this landmark new book, popular science master John Gribbin tells the dramatic story of the quest that has led us to discover the true age of the Universe (13.8 billion years) and the stars (just a little bit younger). This discovery, Gribbin argues, is one of humankind’s greatest achievements and shows us that physics is on the right track to finding the ‘Theory of Everything’.
13.8 provides an eye-opening look at this cutting-edge area of modern cosmology and physics, and tells the compelling story of what modern science has achieved – and what it can still achieve.
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.
How are birds linked to house prices?
How can a gardener improve the
flavour of their vegetables?
Do wildflowers really thrive in poor soil?
In this collection of articles from The Telegraph, biologist and gardening columnist Ken Thompson takes a scientific look at some of the greater – and lesser – questions faced by gardeners everywhere in a bid to sort the genuine wisdom from the hokum.
What is the ideal temperature for a compost heap? What do bees do that improves strawberries? Why are gardeners in literature always such dummies? This is an expert’s gardening miscellany, aimed at making you not necessarily a better gardener, but probably a far more thoughtful one.
Why did Uuq become Fl?
Why is the sky blue? Why is the sky black?
What is spaghettification?
There’s a problem with the typical quiz. It always features far too much sport, 1980s pop and celebrity gossip – and not nearly enough science.
How Many Moons Does the Earth Have? is the ultimate solution. Test your knowledge to the limit with a sizzling collection of brain-stretching, science-based questions in two eight-round quizzes.
Turn the page to get the answer immediately – and as each answer page explores the subject in more depth, this the only quiz that’s just as entertaining to read from beginning to end as it is to play competitively.
Where was the Big Bang? What links the elephant Tusko and Timothy Leary? What is the significance of 6EQUJ5? Science explainer extraordinaire Brian Clegg tells all…
'Damn, all my cheating secrets revealed. In book form' Stephen Fry
Which philosopher had the maddest hairstyle? Which novelist drank 50 cups of black coffee every day? What on earth did Simone de Beauvoir see in Jean-Paul Sartre?
How to Sound Cultured offers a wry and yet profoundly useful look inside the mirrored palaces of high culture. Covering such inscrutable characters as Heidegger, Montaigne, Kahlo and Lévi-Strauss (apparently not just a designer of jeans), inscrutable polymaths Thomas W. Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh – the author of the acclaimed How to Sound Clever – have done the hard work of sorting the cultural wheat from the chaff.
Read this book and you’ll never again mistake Rimbaud for Rambo or Georg Lukacs for George Lucas, you’ll know precisely when to drop Foucault’s name into a conversation and how to pronounce ‘Borgesian’, and you’ll learn many more essential pointers for the intellectual life.
Hubert van den Bergh is the author of How to Sound Clever (Bloomsbury, 2010). He has written for The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian and appeared on Vanessa Feltz’s BBC Radio 2 show.
Thomas W. Hodgkinson is the author of the novel Memoirs of a Stalker (Silvertail, 2015). He writes regularly for The Spectator and the Daily Mail, and is a contributing editor at The Week.
Why did Uuq become Fl?
Why is the sky blue? Why is the sky black?
What is spaghettification?
There’s a problem with the typical quiz. It always features far too much sport, 1980s pop and celebrity gossip – and not nearly enough science.
How Many Moons Does the Earth Have? is the ultimate solution. Test your knowledge to the limit with a sizzling collection of brain-stretching, science-based questions in two eight-round quizzes.
Turn the page to get the answer immediately – and as each answer page explores the subject in more depth, this the only quiz that’s just as entertaining to read from beginning to end as it is to play competitively.
Where was the Big Bang? What links the elephant Tusko and Timothy Leary? What is the significance of 6EQUJ5? Science explainer extraordinaire Brian Clegg tells all…
From BBC Antiques Roadshow specialist and author Marc Allum comes the second instalment of his annual almanac, revealing the current news, tall tales and tasty titbits from the year in art, antiques and collectables:
What do London Bridge and a £40,000 corkscrew have in common?
Which famous pop star depicted by Andy Warhol realised £51.6 million at a recent auction?
How much did Oliver Cromwell’s coffin plate sell for, and what happened to his famous wart?
Which Hollywood film led to the recovery of a Hungarian avant garde masterpiece?
What would a collector pay for the real Batmobile?
Why did a tiny portrait of Mozart – only four centimetres high – sell for £218,500?
Answers to these and many other fascinating questions make this the essential guide this autumn for all ardent fans of art, antiques and collectables.
* NOW WITH A NEW CHAPTER *
'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.
In this new edition, six years on Helen reveals how her life and family have changed, and explores how Denmark, too – or. her understanding of it – has shifted. It's a messy and flawed place, she concludes – but can still be a model for a better way of living.
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 2009 Real Madrid paid £80m, a then record fee, to sign a ready-made superstar in an effort to keep pace with a Barcelona side that had won it all. In doing so, they sparked a rivalry like no other; Messi vs Ronaldo.
The seasons that have followed have been truly spectacular, the battle for supremacy increasing in profile and intensity all the while. Their styles, personalities and footballing allegiances continue to divide opinion, but their dominance of the record books has now put one claim beyond debate – this is football's greatest ever head-to-head.
Acclaimed football writer Luca Caioli draws on invaluable testimonies from those closest to the two stars, with exclusive insights from friends, families, teammates and managers, to tell the inside story of this fascinating rivalry.
Actor, producer and director Ben Crystal revisits his acclaimed book on Shakespeare for the 400th anniversary of his death, updating and adding three new chapters.
Shakespeare on Toast knocks the stuffing from the staid old myth of the Bard, revealing the man and his plays for what they really are: modern, thrilling, uplifting drama.
The bright words and colourful characters of the greatest hack writer are brought brilliantly to life, sweeping cobwebs from the Bard – his language, his life, his world, his sounds, his craft. Crystal reveals man and work as relevant, accessible and alive – and, astonishingly, finds Shakespeare’s own voice amid the poetry.
Whether you’re studying Shakespeare for the first time or you’ve never set foot near one of his plays but have always wanted to, this book smashes down the walls that have been built up around this untouchable literary figure.
Told in five fascinating Acts, this is quick, easy and good for you. Just like beans on toast.
This should be required reading for actors, anyone doing English Literature at school or
university, and the girls who spoiled the performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor I went
to at the Globe this summer by whispering to each other that they couldn't understand a
word. Highly recommended.
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.
Mindfulness is the popular practice that helps you to appreciate your life, and to live with more joy and less stress.
By bringing mindfulness into everyday actions – by listening to your body, becoming more aware of what’s happening in the present moment and letting go of negativity – you can reduce stress and anxiety, focus better at work, find your own source of calm and discover genuine contentment.
Mindfulness introduces you to new techniques with straightforward advice, case studies and lots of practical exercises for newcomers to get their teeth into right away. It also gives a sense of the depth of mindfulness practice for those who wish to take it further.
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.
Graham Allcott is a productivity trainer, social entrepreneur and founder of Think Productive. Think Productive run public workshops throughout the UK and also run in-house workshops for staff at a diverse range of organizations, including the Cabinet Office (UK government), The National Trust, eBay, Heineken, BT, GlaxoSmithKline and the University of Bristol.
Prior to founding Think Productive, Graham’s career has been primarily focused on social action. He ran community volunteering projects for the University of Birmingham before becoming Chief Executive of the charity Student Volunteering England, and has since worked on a number of social enterprise and charity projects. Graham lives in Brighton, UK.
Is your inbox overloaded? Feel like your email is controlling your life?
You need the ninja way of email management!
In this short ebook, an edited extract from Graham Allcott’s acclaimed How to be a Productivity Ninja, you’ll learn the simple skills to get your inbox down to zero – and keep it there, day after day.
Following Allcott’s straightforward advice, anyone – from a student to a Chief Executive – can keep on top of their messages and feel in command, calm and up to date. You’ll learn to be ruthless, to separate thinking from doing, and how to make your email inbox work for you – and not the other way around!
Throughout the history of rugby union, a select few players have stood out above the rest.
Bringing together 50 of the finest, this book reveals the fearless scrum-halves, tricky wingers, explosive centres and powerful props that have lit up the game, celebrating their achievements and controversially ranking them in order of greatness.
Is the might of Jonah Lomu preferred to the vision of David Campese? Who was more influential, Jonny or Johnno? Which hemisphere has produced the most superstars? And most importantly, who will be named the greatest player of all time?
Passionately argued, provocative, and sure to trigger lively debate, this book is a must-read for rugby fans everywhere.
Published in time for the Six Nations 2016 and fully updated following the 2015 Rugby World Cup, hosted in England.
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR MOTHER'S DAY!
Look at the front cover of any parenting book and what do you see? Glowing mothers-to-be, or pristine, beautifully-behaved children.
But the reality is, your pregnancy might be a sweaty, moody rollercoaster, and your children will almost certainly spend the first few years of their lives covered in food, tears and worse. And the experience is no less magical for it.
In this no-holds-barred collection of essays, prominent women authors, journalists and TV personalities explore the truth about becoming mothers. Covering topics from labour to the breastapo, twins to IVF, weaning to post-birth sex, and with writers including Cathy Kelly, Adele Parks, Kathy Lette and Lucy Porter (and many more), Things I Wish I’d Known is a reassuring, moving and often hilarious collection that will speak to mothers – and mothers-to-be – everywhere.
'A work of engaging pop philosophy and accessible social science [and] a boisterous dissection of the forces jellifying our minds' Sunday Times
Includes brand new material covering the US election and Brexit
Every day, many people will try to change your mind, but they won’t reason with you. Instead, you’ll be nudged, anchored, incentivised and manipulated in barely noticeable ways. It’s a profound shift in the way we interact with one another.
Philosopher James Garvey explores the hidden story of persuasion and the men and women in the business of changing our minds. From the covert PR used to start the first Gulf War to the neuromarketing of products to appeal to our unconscious minds, he reveals the dark arts practised by professional persuaders.
How did we end up with a world where beliefs are mass-produced by lobbyists and PR firms? Could Google or Facebook swing elections? Are new kinds of persuasion making us less likely to live happy, decent lives in an open, peaceful world?
Is it too late, or can we learn to listen to reason again? The Persuaders is a call to think again about how we think now.
