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Showing 13601 - 13620 of 13814 items
By Tony Benn. 2007
When Tony Benn left Parliament after 51 years he quoted his wife Caroline's remark that now he would have 'more…
time for politics'. And so this has proved: in the first seven years of this century he has helped reinvigorate national debate through public meetings, mass campaigns and appearances in the media, passionately bringing moral and political issues to wide audiences. And throughout, as ever, he has been keeping his diaries.Commenting on the demise of the New Labour project from the re-election of Tony Blair in 2001 to the ultimate foreign policy disasters of Afghanistan and Iraq, he gives other prescient accounts of the government's by-passing of Cabinet, parliament and the party, of the 'war on terror', the debate about Islam, globalisation and the changes in British society. Although he is no longer in power or in parliament, Tony Benn remains a figure of enormous respect whose direct views, honestly expressed, have often awakened the national conscience. His latest Diaries, human and challenging in turn, are an enthralling read.By Richard Topping. 2007
Have you ever wanted to be a lumberjack? Had trouble with a dead parrot? Or gone for a silly walk?Combining…
outrageous humour, unbridled creativity and surreal animation, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Eric Idle entertained millions and inspired generations of future comedians. Including all Monty Python material ever produced, from the Flying Circus to the Life of Brian to Spamalot! with biographies, programme guides and a filmography, this is a must-have plethora of Pythonism and a fitting tribute to comedic pioneers.By Spike Milligan. 1976
VOLUME THREE OF SPIKE MILLIGAN'S LEGENDARY MEMOIRS IS A HILARIOUS, SUBVERSIVE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF WW2'The most irreverent, hilarious book about…
the war that I have ever read' Sunday Express 'Brilliant verbal pyrotechnics, throwaway lines and marvelous anecdotes' Daily Mail ______________ 'It's all over, Von Arnheim has surrendered and he's very angry.' 'This could mean war . . .' The third volume of Spike Milligan's laugh-a-line account of life as a gunner in World War Two resumes on the eve of victory in North Africa. Now Britain's looniest war hero must combat some of the direst threats a soldier has ever faced - boredom ('Christ, I just thought of Catford'), moving camp ('It's a sort of Brighton with camels'), moving camp again ('We're already somewhere else'), a visit to Carthage ('It's terrible, it's like Catford') and a perilous encounter with the gloriously endowed Mademoiselle Villion ('"Help! massage," I said weakly').Against the odds, they survive and are sent at last to Italy to be killed...______________ 'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry 'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard 'Manifestly a genius, a comic surrealist genius and had no equal' Terry Wogan 'A totally original comedy writer' Michael Palin 'Close in stature to Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear in his command of the profound art of nonsense' GuardianGenghis Khan is one of history's immortals: a leader of genius, driven by an inspiring vision for peaceful world rule.…
Believing he was divinely protected, Genghis united warring clans to create a nation and then an empire that ran across much of Asia.Under his grandson, Kublai Khan, the vision evolved into a more complex religious ideology, justifying further expansion. Kublai doubled the empire's size until, in the late 13th century, he and the rest of Genghis’s ‘Golden Family’ controlled one fifth of the inhabited world. Along the way, he conquered all China, gave the nation the borders it has today, and then, finally, discovered the limits to growth.Genghis's dream of world rule turned out to be a fantasy. And yet, in terms of the sheer scale of the conquests, never has a vision and the character of one man had such an effect on the world.Charting the evolution of this vision, John Man provides a unique account of the Mongol Empire, from young Genghis to old Kublai, from a rejected teenager to the world’s most powerful emperor.By Richard Horne. 2013
Tired of the dull daily commute to the office, the tedious traipse to and from the school gates? Fed up…
with the seemingly endless shades of grey that decorate the canvas of modern life? Then the time has come to open your eyes!For in the midst of those soulless sceneries and vacant vistas there lies a wealth of fascinating detail. Look up! Look carefully all around! Where once there was monotony, now there is intrigue in abundance; sights and sounds sure to delight and amuse, amaze and entertain, to brighten each and every day - for once you spot, you can’t stop.The Modern Day Spotter’s Guide brings together the fun and frustrating, the maddening and the mundane, the good, the bad and the ugly to offer you a list of unlikely things to spot on your daily trudge through life. So be sure to keep your eyes peeled: for whether it be a cat with a moustache, a hopelessly lost tourist, a pigeon with one foot, an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction or the face of Jesus in your soup, the world is waiting to be spotted. See things a little differently. And, remember, life is in the details – don’t let them pass you by.By Angelica Goodden. 2005
A word was coined to describe the condition of people stricken with a new kind of fever when the Swiss-born…
artist Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807) came to London in 1766. 'The whole world', it was said, 'is Angelicamad.' One of the most successful women artists in history - a painter who possessed what her friend Goethe called an 'unbelievable' and 'massive' talent - Kauffman became the toast of Georgian England, captivating society with her portraits, mythological scenes and decorative compositions. She knew and painted poets, novelists and playwrights, collaborating with them and illustrating their work; her designs adorned the houses of the Grand Tourists she had met and painted in Italy; actors, statesmen, philosophers, kings and queen sat to her; and she was the force that launched a thousand engravings. Despite rumours of relationships with other artists (including Sir Joshua Reynolds), and an apparently bigamous and annulled first marriage to a pseudo Count, Kauffman was adopted by royalty in England and abroad as a model of social and artistic decorum. A profoundly learned artist, but one who is loved, above all, for her tender adaptations from classical antiquity and sentimental literature; a commercially successful celebrity yet also a founding member of The Royal Academy of arts; the virginal creator of sexually ambivalent beings who was one of the hardest-headed businesswomen of her age, Kauffman's life and work is full of apparent contradictions explored in this first biography in over 80 years.By Rhonda Yearn. 2020
Shag yourself zen.Release all stress with 60 calmer-sutra sexercises and meditations.With easy-to-follow instructional diagrams, and memorable mantras, this book will…
show you how to achieve inner peace, the fun way. Redirect your energy, master the power of intention. Inhale. Exhale, Cooooooohm.By Spike Milligan. 2012
Spike Milligan's legendary war memoirs are a hilarious and subversive first-hand account of the Second World War, as well as…
a fascinating portrait of the formative years of this towering comic genius, most famous as writer and star of The Goon Show. They have sold over 4.5 million copies.With his lightning-quick wit, unbridled creativity and his ear for the absurd, Milligan revolutionised British comedy, leaving a legacy of influence that stretches from Monty Python's Flying Circus to the work of self-confessed acolytes such as Eddie Izzard and Stephen Fry today.Throughout his life, Milligan wrote prolifically - scripts, poetry, fiction, as well as several volumes of memoir, in which he took an entirely idiosyncratic approach to the truth. In this ground-breaking work, Norma Farnes, his long-time manager, companion, counsellor and confidante, gathers together the loose threads, reads between the lines and draws on the full breadth of his writing to present his life in his own words: an autobiography - of sorts.From his childhood in India, through his early career as a jazz musician and sketch-show entertainer, his spells in North Africa and Italy with the Royal Artillery, to that fateful first broadcast of The Goon Show and beyond into the annals of comedy history, this is the autobiography Milligan never wrote.By Dr James Mackay. 1996
The most charismatic figure to emerge during the struggles for the independence of Ireland was undoubtedly Michael Collins. This remarkable…
biography, which draws on much hitherto unpublished material, charts the dramatic rise of the country boy who became head of the Free State and the commander-in-chief of the army.It's the most hilarious time of the year...Packed full of festive pop-culture quizzes, Christmas trivia to fascinate and holly jolly…
games to play - as well as colouring and dot-to-dot pages to distract, and cracking cracker jokes to make you chuckle (and groan).The perfect Christmas companion for work Christmas parties, entertaining friends and family, entertaining kids (including kids), when you're too full to move, there's nothing on the TV, it's too wet for a walk and the pub isn't open yet.A book everyone will love, actually...Former British Army soldier Shaun Pinner's extraordinary first-hand account of the war in Ukraine.--------During nine years in the British Army,…
Shaun Pinner deployed on operations around the world, and trained in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. He never imagined that he would be one day draw deep on that training as a prisoner of the Russians ...But when Pinner fell in love with and married a Ukrainian woman, the couple made their home in Mariupol. Missing the camaraderie and purpose he'd relished in the Royal Anglian Regiment he joined his adopted country's military as a sniper instructor.Four years later, the section he led was on the frontline when Vladimir Putin's forces launched their invasion.Outnumbered and outgunned in the fiercest fighting seen in Europe since the end of the Second World War, Pinner's troops staged a fighting retreat back to Mariupol to join the remarkable, defiant last stand that captured the world's imagination. At the height of the battle, Pinner's wife urged him to 'Live. Fight. Survive.'He fought on. Until, ordered by President Zelensky to save themselves, his platoon made a break for it. The enemy was waiting. Pinner was captured.Over the months the followed, the former British soldier required every ounce of strength, resolve, ingenuity and dark humour to see him and his fellow prisoners of war through the savage mental and physical toll meted out by his ruthless captors. But he refused to be broken.Live. Fight. Survive. is the breathtaking story of a soldier fighting for his home and family: an unforgettable account of superhuman courage, resistance and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds. And a stirring testament to the power of the human spirit.By Luke Barclay. 2008
The toilet - it's small, functional and using it usually involves staring at a door. But for the water closet…
connoisseur, there are a handful of places where the loo is an area of outstanding beauty.From such fascinating locations as the summit loo on Mount Sinai and Maharajas' thrones in India to safari loos in Zambia and ultra-modern, multi-functional facilities in Japan, this is a collection of the most uplifting vistas from the latrines of the world.Answering the call of nature will take you from the functional to the sublime with the help of this, the ultimate good loo guide.By John Scally. 2017
As former England striker and television pundit Jimmy Greaves famously said, football is 'a funny old game'. In A Load…
of Balls: Football's Funny Side, John Scally confirms the truth of his statement by providing a potpourri of double entendres, timeless quips and amusing anecdotes from the tongues of football's elite. Hundreds of silly stories and priceless nuggets have been sourced to recreate the unique excitement, drama and unpredictability of football in the words of the sport's practitioners. The result is a wry, quirky and sometimes outlandish catalogue of comic creations. For lovers of the absurd, outrageous and totally bizarre, this selection of stories and quotes will amuse and delight. Packed with priceless gaffes from the likes of David Beckham ('My parents have been there for me since I was about seven'), Bobby Robson ('We didn't underestimate them; they were just a lot better than we thought') and Paul Gascoigne ('I've never made any predictions about anything and I never will'), this hilarious collection is guaranteed to tickle the funny bone of even the most casual sports fan.By Richard Hoggart. 1988
Richard Hoggart's book, The Uses of Literary, established his reputation as a uniquely sensitive and observant chronicler of English working-class…
life. In this vivid first volume of autobiography he describes his origins in that milieu. Orphaned at an early age, Hoggart grew up in a working-class district of Leeds, in an intimate world of terraced back-to-backs, visits from the local Board of Guardians, clothing checks and potted-meat sandwiches. With affectionate insight he recreates the family circle - a loving grandmother, one domineering and on gentle aunt, and a bibulous, melancholy uncle - and recalls his early schooling, the friends he made and the mentors he admired. Hard-working and articulate, Hoggart did well enough at grammar school to go on to Leeds University. This volume ends as, having earned a higher degree and travelled in Nazi Germany, he prepares to leave Yorkshire, via the Army, for the world beyond. Wry, compassionate, exact, A Local Habitation is a classic recreation of working-class England between the wars.By Michael McIntyre. 2010
Discover the real Michael McIntyre through his remarkable and hilarious journey to comedy stardom in his first official autobiography'This book…
showed me the REAL Michael McIntyre' 5***** READER REVIEW'It made me laugh, cry, laugh, laugh and laugh some more' 5***** READER REVIEW'Simply is a must read . . . His story is fascinating' 5***** READER REVIEW'To anyone who loves Michael McIntyre - you will not be disappointed!' 5***** READER REVIEWTHE NO. 1 BESTSELLER_______Michael McIntyre is Britain's biggest comedy star. But how did he get there? Michael reveals all in his remarkably honest and hilarious autobiography, Life and Laughing.From his showbiz roots to his appalling attempts to attract the opposite sex, his fish-out-of-water move from public to state school, and his astonishing journey from selling just one ticket at the Edinburgh Festival to selling half a million tickets on tour.Filled with riveting anecdotes and poignant lessons, Life and Laughing is the unmissable story of Britain's biggest comedian's rise to stardom.Above all, it's very, very funny.By Tony Benn. 2010
As a diarist I have chronicled the time through which I have lived in meticulous detail: but all that is…
history. What matters now is the future for those who will live through it.The past is the past but there may be lessons to be learned which could help the next generation to avoid mistakes their parents and grandparents made.Certainly at my age I have learned an enormous amount from the study of history - not so much from the political leaders of the time but from those who struggled for justice and explained the world in a way that shows the continuity of history and has inspired me to do my work.Normality for any individual is what the world is like on the day they are born. The normality of the young is wholly different from the normality of their grandparents.It is the disentangling of the real questions from the day to day business of politics that may make sense for those who take up the task as they will do.Every generation has to fight the same battles as their ancestors had to fight, again and again, for there is no final victory and no final defeat. Two flames have burned from the beginning of time - the flame of anger against injustice and the flame of hope. If this book serves its purpose it will fan both flames.By Al Murray. 2015
In Let's re-Great Britain, Al Murray's Pub Landlord sets out his party's vision for the country, and explains how politics…
actually works.Citizens of Hope & Glory! It's time to bring common sense to the House of Commons.Parliament is a nest of slippery, poisonous vipers and only a bonkers, mental idiot would try to make sense of it. Yet in Let's re-Great Britain, Al Murray, the Pub Landlord, presents his guide to British politics and a vision for a Greater Britain.In it you'll learn and appreciate The Guv's views and policies on:- The jobless: Fix youth unemployment with a pyramid scheme (literally, build some pyramids)- Economics: Cut the deficit by borrowing more, growing a beard and leaving the country- Criminal Justice: Bring back hanging if only for the sake of the rope industry- Immigration: Electrify the English ChannelA plain, common-sense vision of an impossibly complicated (and, frankly, dull) subject, this will almost certainly be one day hailed as the new founding text of the nation - a Magna Carta 2.0 from the Landlord of Hope and Glory.By Dave Rear. 2012
Refreshes the parts other history books can’t reach...A bit ropy on the Renaissance?In the dark about the Enlightenment?Or, in fact,…
do you need a revision course on the entire history of the world and want to read a witty, irreverent, definitely not boring romp through everything that has ever happened on planet earth – from 15 billion years BC to the present day? Good.A Less Boring History of the World tells you everything you need to know from the Big Bang to Barack Obama, taking in the Byzantines, the Black Death, Bin Laden and the fall of bankers along the way, all boiled down to bite size chunks so that you can finally piece together all the different bits of history - and see how on earth we ended up in the mess we are today. A Less Boring History refreshes your memory and broadens your mind. And, if that’s not enough, it will also make you laugh. A lot.By John Man. 2009
Genghis Khan is history's greatest conqueror. As a teenager he was an outcast fleeing enemies on a mountain in northern…
Mongolia, an exile, a nobody. Yet it took only twenty years for Genghis to build the largest land empire in history - four times the size of Alexander's, twice the size of Rome's.How did he do it? What lessons does his life reveal about the nature of leadership? What is 'greatness' in leadership? What traits did Genghis possess exactly? Were they unique, or might some apply in other times and other places - even here and today?In Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan, John Man re-examines the life of Genghis Khan to discover the qualities, characteristics and strategies that made him the great leader that he was. The answers are sometimes surprising. Genghis was far from just the tyrant that history records, but rather a leader of exceptional vision and modernity. And many of the secrets of his success are as valuable and applicable in today's competitive business world as they were in rallying the Mongol hordes.By Various. 2011
Well, it just gets worse and worse doesn't it? Collapsing banks, collapsing countries, massive government cuts, rising debt, inflation and…
the possibility of a double dip. It's amid all this uncertainty that the already embattled modern woman needs the best advice she can get about how to be as cool and calm in life as possible. Keep Calm for Ladies offers the same pearls of life wisdom, inspirational quotes, proverbs and mantras as Keep Calm and Carry On but with women at their wits' end in mind. An emergency pocket survival bible for today's plucky female.'Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got' Janis Joplin'A man would prefer to come home to an unmade bed and a happy woman than to a neatly made bed and an angry woman' Marlene Dietrich'Remember, blood is not only much thicker than water, it's much more difficult to get out of the carpet' Phyllis Diller'In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman' Margaret Thatcher'Never eat more than you can lift' Miss Piggy