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Yet Being Someone Other
By Sir Laurens Van Der Post. 1982
Yet Being Someone Other is the most revealing book that Laurens van der Post wrote about his extraordinary and eventful…
life, and the most far-reaching; it is a distillation of the experiences that have moved him at the deepest level of the imagination and made him the exceptional person and writer he was.Wordwatching: Breaking into the Dictionary: It's His Word Against Theirs
By Alex Horne. 2010
Alex Horne loves words. He loves them so much, in fact, that he's decided to invent his own ... and…
get them into the dictionary. But, as Alex discovers, gaining entry into the official lexicon takes more than just a gentle word in the ear of the editor. Evidence is required - Alex needs proof that his words are being spoken by more people than just him and his mum. He needs what the dictionary authorities call a 'corpus' of examples, hard data showing that his new words are in widespread and long-term usage. So a corpus he resolves to create, no matter what obstacles he might meet on the way. This is the epic and ridiculous story of one man's struggle to break into the dictionary. From covert word-dropping on Countdown to wilfully misinforming schoolchildren, Alex tries it all in his quest for dictionary-based immortality. Does he succeed? Are you already using one of Alex's words without realising it? You won't regret spending your hard-earned honk on this hugely entertaining book.The Wolf Pit
By Will Cohu. 2012
In 1966 Will Cohu's grandparents moved to Bramble Carr, a remote cottage on the Yorkshire moors. The summers and winters…
he spent there were full of freedom and light; only after childhood ended was he aware of the price the adults had paid for life in this most romantic of settings.Navigating family tensions and the trials of growing up, Will describes the close-knit community of North Yorkshire and his family's place within it: the shepherd probing the head-high snowdrifts for his flock; the pub landlord obsessed with military uniforms; the village doctor lost in his love for the purple moorland; Will's glamorous RAF parents; and, at the centre of the story, his beloved but enigmatic grandparents.The Wolf Pit is an enquiring love letter from Will Cohu to his family, and to a changing rural England that is passionate, frightening and funny.Paddle Against the Flow: Lessons on Life from Doers, Creators, and Cultural Rebels
By Huck Magazine. 2015
Nas on language, Cat Power on looking inward, Spike Jonze on loving what you do, and Kim Gordon on feeling…
the flow. These are just a few of the indie stars and surprising insights collected in this gorgeous book by Huck magazine. Since launching in 2006, Huck has been at the vanguard of London's thriving independent publishing scene and has grown into an internationally distributed bi-monthly, with editions available on newsstands in 20 countries worldwide. Bringing together the best insights from over 60 of the most inspiring people Huck has spoken to over the years—along with exclusive photography and art that has come to embody Huck's distinct aesthetic—this book presents a diverse range of truths, creative wisdom, and life lessons from those who paddle against the flow.The Wit and Wisdom of London
By J. B. Edwards. 1997
London has been one of the world's great cities for over 2,000 years and has produced countless scholars, artists, rogues…
and wits, each of whom left their mark on the metropolis by their words or deeds. The Wit and Wisdom of London brings together their best and most memorable quotations, a treasury of the cleverest, the wittiest, and the bawdiest sayings of the city's greatest residents. From the Romans to Amy Winehouse, via Doctor Johnson and Dickens, and from the aristocrats of Westminster to the paupers of the East End, The Wit and Wisdom of London captures the essence of London, in the words of its people.'It is not the walls that make the city, but the people who live within them. The walls of London may be battered, but the spirit of the Londoner stands resolute and undismayed.'George VI'Nothing is certain in London but expense.'William Shenstone'The man who can dominate a London dinner table can dominate the world.'Oscar WildeWise Women: Wit and Wisdom from Some of the World’s Most Extraordinary Women
By Carole McKenzie. 2013
'A woman is like a teabag - only when in hot water do you realise how strong she is' -…
Nancy ReaganWomen are never at a loss to express themselves, and smart women will have something to say for every occasion.Wise Women is a hilarious, ribald and revealing collection of observations and inspirational quotations reflecting the wit and intelligence of women across the ages. Those quoted range from Dorothy Parker to Joan Rivers, Mae West to Joan Collins, Queen Victoria to Princess Diana, Joanna Lumley to Pamela Stephenson, Beyoncé to Adele, and Cheryl Cole to Lady Gaga.The famous and infamous of theatre, film, politics, philosophy and literature are featured, waxing lyrical on numerous topics from affairs, ageing, men and motherhood to sex, work and what women want!Wilfred Owen
By Jon Stallworthy. 1959
Of all the poets of the First World War, Wilfred Owen most fires the imagination today – this is the…
comprehensive literary biography of the greatest WW1 poetWilfred Owen tragically died in battle just a few days before the Armistice. Now, during the centenary year of his death, this biography honours Owen’s brief yet remarkable life, and the enduring legacy he left. Stallworthy covers his life from the childhood spent in the backstreets of Shrewsbury to the appalling final months in the trenches. More than a simple account of his life, it is also a poet's enquiry into the workings of a poet's mind. This revised edition contains the beautiful illustrations of the original edition, including the drawings by Owen and facsimile manuscripts of his greatest poems, as well as a new preface by the author.‘One of the finest biographies of our time.’ Graham Greene‘An outstanding book, a worthy memorial to its subject.’ Kingsley Amis ‘As lovingly detailed as the records of Owen's short life permit, but it is always fascinatingly readable, in fact engrossing.’ Sunday Telegraph'A wonderfully useful book, told with wit and wisdom' - Adam Kay, best-selling author of THIS IS GOING TO HURT"Get…
up or you'll miss the best part of the day!" "You treat this place like a hotel." "Can you just put that phone down for one minute?!"After years of reliable performance, has something recently gone wrong with your parents? Do you find yourself stressed out, arguing about the most ridiculous things? Is it like you're processing the same world with entirely different brains?Do you and your parents want to fix things?There are hundreds of books for them about how to deal with you.Now, for the first time, doctor of brains and international bestselling author, Dean Burnett has written a book for YOU to understand just what on earth is going on. Like, just WHY are your parents:- Obsessed with tidiness- Not letting you get enough sleep- Just generally not getting anything that's important to you! But don't worry. These are very normal parent malfunctions, and by understanding the science behind where they're coming from, you'll know exactly how to troubleshoot conflict when it occurs (and even fix it before it does).You'll never be able to remove arguments completely. But imagine what you'd be capable of if you weren't wasting all that time and energy arguing about tidying your room.Why Spacemen Can't Burp...
By Mitchell Symons. 2013
The latest collection of terrific trivia from the bestselling author of WHY EATING BOGEYS IS GOOD FOR YOU and double…
Blue Peter Best Book with Facts Award winner.The answers to these incredible questions will boggle your brain!Can rocks have snot?Why do doughnuts have holes in the middle?Could a human child ever be raised by animals?What have hyenas got to laugh about?And why is it impossible to belch after blast-off?!Why Don't You Smell When You're Sleeping?
By Mitchell Symons. 2014
Did you know...that a 'zyzzyx' is a type of wasp?that the chances of being injured by a toilet seat at…
some point in your life are reckoned to be one in 6.500?that the collective noun for giraffes is the very apt a 'tower of giraffes'and that snail races start with the words 'ready, steady, SLOW!'Amaze your mates and fascinate your family with these brilliant facts, and more!Who Wants to be a Millionaire - The Quiz Book
By Sony Pictures Television UK Rights Ltd. 2018
Have you got what it takes? Sharpen your mind with Who Wants to be a Millionaire - The Quiz Book…
and see if you would win the £1,000,000 jackpotAnd remember, no cheating . . .__________Sir Seretse Khama was the first president of which country?A: BotswanaB: TanzaniaC: GhanaD: Zambia...For £1,000,000, what is your final answer?__________Only five people on UK screens have ever answered their way to the top and taken home the full cash prize.The question is, could you become a winner?Whether you're confident quizzer or trivial about trivia, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire - The Quiz Book is perfect for a solo test of knowledge or the ultimate at-home quiz with family and friends.Complete with all four life-lines and over 1,000 brand new questions, and written by brains behind the classic show, you can recreate Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from your home. Now there's only one question that really matters . . .Do you have what it takes?Vedi: Continents of Exile: 3 (Penguin Modern Classics)
By Ved Mehta. 1981
Book 3 in Ved Mehta's Continents of Exile series. Nearly 50 years in the making, Continents of Exile is one…
of the great works of twentieth-century autobiography: the epic chronicle of an Indian family in the twentieth century. From 1930s India to 1950s Oxford and literary New York in the 1960s-80s, this is the story of the post-colonial twentieth century, as uniquely experienced and vividly recounted by Ved Mehta.Ved continues the story of Ved Mehta's two earlier memoirs, Daddyji, a biographical portrait of his father, and Mamaji, an exploration of his mother and her history. The focus here turns toward Mehta's childhood, his education in an Indian orphanage for the blind, and the general experience of blind people in India.What's in a Surname?: A Journey from Abercrombie to Zwicker
By David McKie. 2013
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERSurnames are much more than convenient identity tags; they are windows into our families’ pasts. Some suggest…
ancestral trades (Butcher, Smith, Roper) or physical appearance (Long, Brown, Thynne). Some provide clues to where we come from (McDonald, Evans, Patel). And some – Rymer, Brocklebank, Stolbof – offer a hint of something just a little more exotic or esoteric.All are grist to the mill for David McKie who, in What’s in a Surname?, sets off on a journey around Britain to find out how such appellations have evolved and what they tell us about ourselves. En route he looks at the surname’s tentative beginnings in medieval times, and the myriad routes by which particular names became established. He considers some curious byways: the rise and fall of the multi-barrel surname and the Victorian reinvention of ‘embarrassing’ surnames among them. He considers whether fortune favours those whose surnames come at the beginning of the alphabet. And he celebrates the remarkable and the quirky, from the fearsome Ridley (the cry of which once struck terror in the hearts of their neighbours) to the legend-encrusted Tichborne, whose most famous holders were destined to suffer misfortune and controversy. Elegiac and amusing by turns, he offers a wonderfully entertaining wander along the footpaths of the nation’s history and culture, celebrating not just the Smiths and Joneses of these islands but the Chaceporcs and Swetinbeddes, too.The Virgin Book of Baby Names
By Emily Wood. 2009
The Virgin Book of Baby Names takes as its starting point the fact that choosing a name for your baby…
should be fun. Rather than a dry list of every name under the sun, Emily Wood has organised names into interesting themed categories - from literature to pop music, biblical to astrological names, celebrity baby names to names to avoid! With names for every day of the year, as well as a comprehensive A-Z of girls' and boys' names, The Virgin Book of Baby Names is an enjoyable alternative to the traditional baby names book.Usefully Useless: Everything you'd Never Learn at School (But May Like to Know)
By Mark Hanks. 2011
Usefully Useless is a gloriously diverse volume dedicated to the most engrossing trivia in the world. Guaranteed to excite the…
curiosity and amuse, its pages are filled with the sort of remarkable information you would never learn, but will be overjoyed to discover. Each fact is irresistibly fun and fascinating - the essence of anecdote and dinner-party conversation that is essential in the adult world - and, above all, usefully useless. Guaranteed to improve your mind, Usefully Useless contains a wealth of miscellany on a vast range of topics, including Literature, Geography, Food, Science, the Natural World, Sport and Politics - from the export of frogs' legs to the longest Monopoly game completed in the bath. Usefully Useless provides answers to such eternal questions as:What was Margaret Thatcher's favourite sitcom?Which British league football team's name has no letters that one could colour in with a pen?How many calories do you consume when you lick a stamp?What was the original colour of Coca-Cola?Which key do toilets flush in?Find out these answers and many, many more in Usefully Useless, the essential guide to the facts you never thought you'd need to know.The Virgin Guide to British Universities 2012
By Piers Dudgeon. 2011
The Virgin 2012 Guide to British Universities is the only university guide to offer a uniquely students' eye view of…
what it's like to study at a particular university. As well as hard facts and practical information on every UK university - such as official ratings for teaching, statistics on where graduates end up and employment prospects by subject - the guide is also packed with useful information such as what the social scene is like, how much living costs are likely to be and what the student profile at a particular university is really like. With a comprehensive entry on every UK university, The Virgin Guide to British Universities contains all the information and advice potential undergraduates will need to choose the best university for them.The Virgin Banker
By Jayne-Anne Gadhia. 2017
Jayne-Anne Gadhia, the straight-talking CEO of Virgin Money, looks back at the events that have influenced, shaped and inspired her…
to become one of the most powerful women in banking.With anecdotes from her life before becoming a banker, including beating the bullies and experiencing racism as part of a mixed race marriage, through to building a business from scratch, working at RBS under Fred Goodwin just before the financial crash, and steering Virgin Money to become a listed business, breaking boundaries along the way, professionally and personally.Jayne-Anne shines a light on issues surrounding the role of women in banking and the alpha-male dinosaurs that dominate the industry. She draws on the relationships and deals that have shaped her career so far, including her personal experience with mental health issues, which has helped her attitude and approach to both her business and personal life. This is not a conventional biography, nor a ‘how to do it’ business book. It is a candid, fresh and fascinating insight into being a woman in business, the financial crisis and the way in which business can be conducted as a force for good.Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide
By Matt Allwright. 2020
'Matt Allwright is my idol. As a comic I'm supposed to say something funny about this book, but actually it's…
legit useful, helpful advice, written compassionately and clearly. I can absolutely see this becoming my consumer bible. Wonderful stuff!' - JOE LYCETT'Every scam, rogue trader or poor excuse for shoddy service...Watchdog's seen them all. And leading the troops is the consumer superhero who has faced and fought every dodgepot going. Our Matt always has your back, whether he's wearing his cape or not.' - STEPH MCGOVERN'Finally! A book that puts all the info in one place AND makes it funny. Matt is the best at this - making difficult stuff easy to swallow so that we can fight our own corners when he isn't there to fight them for us.' - GABY ROSLINKeep your money in your pocket.In Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide, Matt Allwright will help you to help yourself amid the minefield of modern consumer rights and fraudsters, offering practical advice on how to sidestep pitfalls in all areas of life. Each chapter is built around relatable hurdles we all face - renting a flat, buying a car, securing our online data, booking a dream holiday and much more.Packed with useful tips, myth busters and case studies, Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide will leave you feeling empowered and save you some pennies along the way.Up at Oxford: Continents of Exile: 7 (Penguin Modern Classics)
By Ved Mehta. 1993
Book 2 in Ved Mehta's Continents of Exile series. Nearly 50 years in the making, Continents of Exile is one…
of the great works of twentieth-century autobiography: the epic chronicle of an Indian family in the twentieth century. From 1930s India to 1950s Oxford and literary New York in the 1960s-80s, this is the story of the post-colonial twentieth century, as uniquely experienced and vividly recounted by Ved Mehta.After studying in the United States, Mehta - blind since childhood - achieves his dream of enrolling at the University of Oxford: a place that has consumed his imagination ever since he was a small boy growing up under the British Raj. In Up at Oxford, Mehta recalls the nuances of his conversations, the range of his youthful emotions, and the sounds, smells, and tastes of university life. Along the way he draws memorable portraits of, among others, novelists, poets, scholars, and peers.Unruly Times: Wordsworth and Coleridge in Their Time
By A S Byatt. 1970
Unruly Times is a superlative portrait of the relationship between Wordsworth and Coleridge, and a fascinating exploration of the Romantic…
Movement and the dramatic events that shaped it. With a novelist's insight and eye for detail, A. S. Byatt brings alive this tumultuous period and shows a deep understanding of the effects upon the minds of Wordsworth, Coleridge and their contemporaries - de Quincey, Lamb, Hazlitt, Byron and Keats.