Autobiography: adventurers and explorers Books

Book SynopsisInstant #1 New York Times Bestseller Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Woodward tells the revelatory, behind-the-scenes story of three warsUkraine, the Middle East and the struggle for the American Presidency. War is an intimate and sweeping account of one of the most tumultuous periods in presidential politics and American history. We see President Joe Biden and his top advisers in tense conversations with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. We also see Donald Trump, conducting a shadow presidency and seeking to regain political power. With unrivaled, inside-the-room reporting, Woodward shows President Biden's approach to managing the war in Ukraine, the most significant land war in Europe since World War II, and his tortured path to contain the bloody Middle East conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. Woodward

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling follow-up to Humble Pie, now in paperback. When he was struggling to get his first restaurant in the black, Gordon Ramsay never imagined he''d be famous for a TV show about how to run profitable eateries, or that he''d be head of a business empire. But he is and he did. Here''s how.In the beginning there was nothing.Not a sausage penniless, broke, fucking nothing and although, at a certain age, that didn't matter hugely, there came a time when hand-me-downs, cast-offs and football boots of odd sizes all pointed to a problem that seemed to have afflicted me, my mum, my sisters, Ronnie and the whole lot of us. It was as though we had been dealt the all-time dysfunctional' poker hand.I wish I could say that, from this point on, the penny dropped and I decided to do something about it, but it wasn't like that. It would take years before the lessons of life, business and money began to click into place before, as they say, I had a pot to piss in.This is the story of how those lessons were learned.This is Gordon Ramsay at his raw, rugged best. PLAYING WITH FIRE is the amazing story of Gordon's journey from sous-chef to superstar. In his no-holds-barred style, Gordon shares his passion for risk and adventure and his hard-won success secrets.Trade Review'A truly inspiring read that makes you realise if you want something enough, it's there for the taking.' The Sun Praise for Humble Pie: ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Humble Pie – so exuberantly angry boastful, cliche-ridden, expletive-laden and touchingly sincere that I can’t believe that a single sentence has been written by anyone but the failed footballer, great cook, telly star and businessman himself. He’s the genuine bollocks, as he’s so fond of saying, and this is the tale of his personal class struggle.’ – The Observer 'Inspirational stuff.' Heat ‘I cannot recommend strongly enough that every BII member reads it… The book is an inspiration. Anybody running any kind of business will benefit from reading this.’ BII Business magazine

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Book SynopsisThe sensational sequel to Papillon'.Banco' continues the adventures of Henri Charriere - nicknamed Papillon - in Venezuela, where he has finally won his freedom after thirteen years of escape and imprisonment. Despite his resolve to become an honest man, Charriere is soon involved in hair-raiding exploits with goldminers, gamblers, bank-robbers and revolutionaries - robbing and being robbed, his lust for life as strong as ever. He also runs night clubs in Caracas until an earthquake ruins him in 1967 - when he decides to write the book that brings his international fame.

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Book SynopsisFrom somewhere out in the vast whiteness of the blizzard we hear a cry for help. Instinctively the three of us turn and head across the mountainside. We find two men and a woman, huddled together in the snow, unable to descend the steep icy slope between them and safety.The woman asks if we are experienced in conditions like this. My friends and I have tackled a few winter hills in the Lake District and bumbled up easy rock climbs, but we have never been in a full Scottish winter snowstorm. I laugh and assure her that this is nothing to mountaineers like us.Soon our hills will be empty and one day the last hillwalker will disappear over the horizon. In the 21st century we are losing our connection with the wild, a connection that may never be regained.The Last Hillwalker by bestselling author John D. Burns is a personal story of falling in and out of love with the hills. More than that, it is about rediscovering a deeply felt need in all of us to connect with wild places.Trade ReviewCaptures the essence of what it means to love mountains and love being in mountains. -- Chris Townsend * The Great Outdoors Magazine *Table of Contents1 Psycho Killer2 American Pie3 Horizontal Everest4 Three Men in a Tent5 The Hidden World6 Winter in Langdale7 The White Giant8 North and South9 Dangerous Days10 Meeting the Reaper11 Death by Armchair12 The Bothy Hunter13 The Last HillwalkerPostscriptThe Journey Continues

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Book SynopsisThe engrossing account of one of World War II's legendary figures. A member of the legendary Band of Brothers, Ed Shames was involved in some of the most important battles of World War II. His incredible combat record includes parachuting into Normandy on D-Day, and service during Operation Market Garden, at Bastogne and in Germany itself. Shames' own words and recollections fuel a searing account that gives a soldier's glimpse into the ferocity of the fighting on the ground and the close fellowship that developed between the men in Easy Company. The first member of the 101st Airborne Division to enter Dachau concentration camp, just days after its liberation, Shames ended the war in the bombed out shell of Hitler's Eagles Nest, surrounded by his comrades in arms.Written by the author of the critically acclaimed Tonight We Die As Men, this is the phenomenal story of a remarkable young lieutenant during World War II, from training at Toccoa, Georgia right through Table of ContentsForeword by James C. Roberts /Introduction /Acknowledgments /1. "Take the A train" /2. "Beyond golden fields" /3. "The other side of tomorrow" /4. "The river runs red" /5. "Five seconds to forget" /6. "Bullets from the sun" /7. "Dead men's shoes" /8. "The bucket list" /9. "And the rain drank champagne" /10. "Faith and justice" /11. "Northwind" /12. "Ruhr Pocket" /13. "Last stand" /14. "Ameritocracy" /Epilogue by Ed Shames /Bibliography /Glossary /Index

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Book SynopsisWhen Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unravelling, relocates to Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at a county hospital. There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from a drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security, in the sport they love and in each other. But when the dark beast that is David''s addiction emerges once again, almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened. Compassionate and moving, The Tennis Player is an unforgettable, illuminating story of how men live and how they survive.Trade ReviewVerghese is a fine writer, lyrical and controlled, and he captures the attachment between two men - its motives, its allure - with both precision and charm... Wise and compassionate * New York Times Book Review *A brave and heart-baring story * Time *Heartbreaking... Indelible and haunting... An elegy to friendship found and an ode to a good friend lost * Boston Globe *

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Book SynopsisLocked-in syndrome: paralysed from head to toe, the patient, his mind intact, is imprisoned inside his own body, unable to speak or move. In my case, blinking my left eyelid is my only means of communication.'In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French Elle' and the father of two young children, suffered a massive stroke and found himself paralysed and speechless, but entirely conscious, trapped by what doctors call locked-in syndrome'. Using his only functioning muscle his left eyelid he began dictating this remarkable story, painstakingly spelling it out letter by letter.His book offers a haunting, harrowing look inside the cruel prison of locked-in syndrome, but it is also a triumph of the human spirit. The acclaimed 2007 film adaptation, directed by Julian Schnabel, won Best Director at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d'Or.Trade Review‘The most remarkable memoir of our time.’ Cynthia Ozick ‘Read this book and fall back in love with life.’ Edmund White ‘A staggering piece of work. It represents an almost inconceivable act of generosity, the gift of the mind and the spirit for which writing was designed.’ A. L. Kennedy ‘One of the great books of the century.’ Financial Times ‘Everyone in the country should own at least one copy.’ Guardian ‘We listen, because what he has to say goes to the core of what it means to be human.’ Robert McCrum, Observer ‘The most extraordinary book of the year.’ Daily Telegraph 'Life-enhancing and devastating in equal measure – everyone should read it.' Gloss magazine

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Book SynopsisJohn Healy''s The Grass Arena describes with unflinching honesty his experiences of addiction, his escape through learning to play chess in prison, and his ongoing search for peace of mind. This Penguin Classics edition includes an afterword by Colin MacCabe.In his searing autobiography Healy describes his fifteen years living rough in London without state aid, when begging carried an automatic three-year prison sentence and vagrant alcoholics prowled the parks and streets in search of drink or prey. When not united in their common aim of acquiring alcohol, winos sometimes murdered one another over prostitutes or a bottle, or the begging of money. Few modern writers have managed to match Healy''s power to refine from the brutal destructive condition of the chronic alcoholic a story so compelling it is beyond comparison.John Healy (b. 1943) was born into an impoverished, Irish immigrant family, in the slums of Kentish Town, North London. Out of school by 14, pr

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.Unless I am allowed to tell the story of my life in my own way, I cannot tell it at allMary Seacole traveller, nurse, businesswoman and radical for her time defied a prejudiced British government to care for soldiers wounded during the Crimean War.This ground breaking account, written by Seacole in 1857, brings to life her incredible journey from Jamaica to Central America and England, and then on to modern-day Ukraine, where she acted as nurse to injured soldiers while running her business, the ''British Hotel''. A witness to key battles, she gives vivid accounts of how she coped with disease, bombardment and other adversities during the Crimean War.In this extraordinary autobiography, Seacole shows how she navigated her way through racial injustice, poverty and ignorance to become the first woman of colour in Britain to publish her memoirs. It is a testament to her enduring legacy.

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Book SynopsisChristmas 1975 and Queen?s Bohemian Rhapsody is riding high in the charts. In a residential street just outside Cardiff a loud knocking breaks the stillness of the evening. When Rob Parsons, a young lawyer, opens his door, he finds a homeless man standing before him, clutching a bag of belongings and a frozen chicken. Rob and his wife Dianne invite Ronnie Lockwood into their home, cook his chicken and offer him shelter for the night. What happens next is an astonishing story of human kindness, self-learning, incredible pain, unbelievable hope and the sheer power of love to change a life.A Knock at the Door is the true story of this homeless man who entered the home of a young couple, became a dustman and lived as part of their family for over forty-five years until his death. But this is not just Ronnie?s story ? it is also that of the young couple and their children. Outwardly their lives were worlds apart ? as Ronnie emptied rubbish bins, the lawyer flew on Concorde. And yet the two men discovered they had similar struggles, and the day came when at the lowest moment of their lives the couple turned to the homeless man for help. But there were remarkable turnarounds for both Rob and Ronnie. Ronnie, spent much of his spare time volunteering, including in a homeless centre and ended up having a 1.6 million well-being centre named after him. Rob left the law practice and he and Dianne began a charity that touches the lives of millions of people. You will never have read a story like this before, but at its heart is a simple message: whether we are a lawyer or a dustman ? tomorrow doesn?t always have to be like yesterday.

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Book SynopsisA stonemason''s story of the building of Britain: part archaeological history, part deeply personal insight into an ancient craft. In his thirty-year career, stonemason Andrew Ziminski has worked on many of our greatest monuments. From Neolithic monoliths to Roman baths and temples, from the tower of Salisbury Cathedral to the engine houses, mills and aqueducts of the Industrial Revolution and beyond, The Stonemason is his very personal history of how Britain was built - from the inside out. Stone by different stone, culture by different culture, Andrew Ziminski (with his faithful whippet in tow) takes us on an unforgettable journey by river, road and sea through our countryside showing how the making of Britain''s buildings offers an unexpected and new version of our island story.''My school history lessons were focused around flat pages of facts, events and royal personalities, but for me it was the material aspects of the past, the tangible remnaTrade ReviewThe author is a beguiling companion to the very bones of the Wessex landscape . . . I hope he has plenty left from his notebooks for another volume * Sunday Telegraph *In attempting to reconnect us to this continuous narrative of English history and architecture, Ziminski is undertaking something more profound than the charm of this delightful book first suggests. Delicate as the threads that tie us to the past can seem, thanks to work like Ziminski's, both as mason and as author, we can hope they will remain unbroken * Daily Telegraph *Andrew Ziminski is the man who rebuilt the West Country. For 30 years, this skilled stonemason has renovated some of Britain's greatest buildings . . . The author skilfully explains the history of these stones and - this is what makes his book so entertaining - relates them to jobs he has done . . . Ziminski is one of those lucky souls with rural X-ray spectacles. He looks at the countryside and sees a series of historical slides going back over several millennia . . . Ziminski has a wonderful way of describing the look and feel of stone . . . What a magician! * The Spectator *The author's eagerness to experience the past physically sets him apart from drier academic historians . . . Ziminski's writing is vividly evocative and craftsmanlike . . . it's a fascinating book and a wise one * Daily Mail *Like nurses, masons must know in detail about the lives of the buildings they care for. This intimate knowledge has given Andrew Ziminski unique insights into some of England's oldest and most beautiful structures. But this book is as much about people as mortar and stone. It's a conversation with the past, from which I learnt so much. My book of the year! * Francis Pryor, Time Team archaeologist and author of THE MAKING OF THE BRITISH LANDSCAPE *Thoughtful, observant and well-informed, as much at ease with words and emotions as with the stone he works with * History Today *A wonderful behind-the-scenes history, where time works on a different scale and stone is a living, breathing entity . . . by a master craftsman whose expertise connects him to the generations that came before him * BBC Countryfile Magazine *There are few reading pleasures that compare with a passionate expert describing their work, and Ziminski stands proudly in this field . . . Remarkable . . . Ziminski weaves together architecture, craft, landscape, archaeology and natural history, all the time keeping a sharp eye on modern everyday life around him * Literary Review *Most of us won't be jetting off to foreign adventures in the next few weeks, so there has probably never been a better time to discover or rediscover this magical land * The Times *This is a compelling book: part travel journal - paddling along misty streams in the South-West by canoe - part builder's manual - you learn about formwork and lateral thrust - and part hymn to the art of sustaining stone structures over centuries . . . it is rooted in the making of England and is a magical read * Evening Standard *[A] surrogate travel book, part memoir, part history, in which Andrew Ziminski describes his career as an itinerant craftsman. Refreshingly, he too recognizes how Eastern skills and styles arrived in Europe * Times Literary Supplement *In this delightful book about the places he's worked (from Wells Cathedral to Bath's Roman ruins) [Ziminski] reconnects us to our past * Daily Telegraph *Lyrical as much as it is factual and quickly grips the reader * The Langport Leveller *Enthralling . . . Along with riveting personal insights into this ancient craft, he immerses us in the past lives of the long-forgotten everyday craftspeople whose legacy is the buildings we so treasure today * Bookseller *

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Book Synopsis'A glimpse into the exotic, mysterious, tinged-with-eroticism world of the almost mythical geisha' Val Hennessy, Daily Mail'[An] eloquent and innovative memoir' The TimesThe extraordinary, bestselling memoir from Japan's foremost geisha.'I can identify the exact moment when things began to change. It was a cold winter afternoon. I had just turned three.' Emerging shyly from her hiding place, Mineko encounters Madam Oima, the formidable proprietress of a prolific geisha house in Gion. Madam Oima is mesmerised by the child's black hair and black eyes: she has found her successor. And so Mineko is gently, but firmly, prised away from her parents to embark on an extraordinary profession, of which she will become the best. But even if you are exquisitely beautiful and the darling of the okiya, the life of a geisha is one of gruelling demands. And Mineko must first conten

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Book SynopsisA raw, intensely personal memoir of spiritual exploration from one of the world's great commentators on religion.After seven years in a convent, which she left, dismayed by its restrictions, an experience recounted in Through the Narrow Gate', Karen Armstrong struggled to establish herself in a new way of life, and became entrapped in a downward spiral, haunted by despair, anorexia and suicidal feelings.Despite her departure from the convent she remained within the Catholic Church until the God she believed in ''died on me'', and she entered a wild and Godless period of crazy parties and numerous lovers'. Her attempts to reach happiness and carve out a career failed repeatedly, in spectacular fashion. She began writing her bestseller A History of God' in a spirit of scepticism, but through studying other religious traditions she found a very different kind of faith which drew from Christianity, Judaism and Islam and, eventually, spiritual and personal calm.In her own words, her story iTrade Review‘An exceptionally impressive autobiography…Karen Armstrong’s account of her spiralling journey provokes thought and inspires respect.’Daily Telegraph ‘The book deserves many readers…Karen Armstrong must be a woman of iron to have survived, made a career and a life.’ Hilary Mantel ‘Admirably lucid…she gives a more exact and vivid account of the pleasures of writing than any I have seen.’ Sunday Times ‘Unputdownable – absorbing, moving.’ Daily Mail ‘A subtle and funny memoir.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Armstrong manages to put into words something that most of us cannot express.’ New Statesman

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Book SynopsisA powerful memoir by an inspirational Holocaust suvivor.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThe devastating and powerful memoir from a French publisher who was abused by a famous writer from the age of thirteenDazzling' New York TimesA gut-punch of a memoir with prose that cuts like a knife' Kate Elizabeth Russell, author of My Dark VanessaThirty years ago, Vanessa Springora was the teenage muse of one of France's most celebrated writers, a footnote in the narrative of an influential man. At the end of 2019, as women around the world began to speak out, Springora, now in her forties and the director of one of France's leading publishing houses, decided to reclaim her own story.Consent recalls her stolen adolescence. Devastating in its honesty, Springora's painstaking memoir lays bare the cultural attitudes and circumstances that made it possible for a fourteen-year-old girl to become involved with a fifty-year-old man.Trade Review‘A Molotov cocktail flung at the face of the French establishment, a work of dazzling, highly controlled fury. A triumph’ New York Times ‘A memoir of lost adolescence … elegant, focused, fluidly translated’ Guardian ‘Rapier-sharp, written with restraint, elegance and brevity – and beautifully translated’ The Times ‘A gut-punch of a memoir with prose that cuts like a knife. Springora never loses sight of the teenage girl at the centre of her story even as she lays bare a culture’s hypocrisies and failures. Painful and powerful, Consent reads like a reckoning’ Kate Elizabeth Russell, author of My Dark Vanessa ‘Incisive and brave, Consent examines how society often fails to protect young women in the most dangerous of ways’ Louise O’Neill ‘[Vanessa Springova’s] account makes one of the strongest points yet in the French #MeToo debate’ Los Angeles Review of Books ‘Fierce and controlled … a searing indictment of an overly permissive era that has triggered a national reckoning in France’ Daily Mail ‘Her sentences gleam like metal; each chapter snaps shut with the clean brutality of a latch’ The New Yorker ‘[Consent] has something steely in its heart, and it departs from the typical American memoir of childhood abuse in exhilarating ways’ Slate

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Book SynopsisA moving and inspirational memoir about true love, the darkness of grief—and learning how to find your way back into the light.A work of staggering grace.—Women''s HealthThe ultimate book about what it is to be human.—Stacey HealeRaw, brave, deeply moving and powerful.—Angela ScanlonFrom the moment Lotte first met Ben, she knew they were meant to be together. And for a few years, their life was truly idyllic: flourishing careers, adored friends, and travel to every corner of the planet.But when Ben was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Lotte was catapulted into the uncharted landscape of cancer medicine, becoming his caregiver overnight. With the world around them in lockdown, they refused to give up the fight for his survival, travelling from London to Mexico in hope of a cure at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.When Ben lost his life, many miles from home, Lotte found herself askin

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Book SynopsisThe Blind Woodsman is an inspiring and motivational autobiography about a man who finds true joy after struggling with depression, drug addiction, anxiety, financial despair and a failed suicide attempt at the age of 16. John Furniss, more famously known today as The Blind Woodsman, along with his wife, inspiration and fellow artist Anni share their amazing story with the mission to help others. Despite being blind, John is now a highly skilled woodworker creating incredible pieces of art in complete darkness. Chapter one starts with how John and Anni met preceded by John sharing his experiences as a young teen and challenges along the way. Be inspired by the amazing images of John''s work and many inspirational messages that will make you laugh and smile along the way. A story that will give hope and inspiration to those dealing with depression, addiction and the many anxiety driven stresses in our lives.

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary true story of a West African girlâs upbringing in North Korea.Trade Review'A fascinating glimpse into life in North Korea’ New Statesman‘Monica's is an evocative memoir of a remarkable childhood followed by a decades-long search around the globe for her identity and the truth about her father. But beyond that, it is a stunning treatise on politics, power and culture' Florence Olajide, bestselling author of Coconut'A fascinating account of a woman’s quest for autonomy, and her bravery and determination to find the truth. It’s an investigative story to understand her true father, a powerful but controversial figure, the real man behind his many personas. A woman who was raised between countries, in search of her true home' Lily Dunn, author of Sins of My Father‘A testament to the power of survival, and the strength it takes to interrogate the world you're born into, Black Girl from Pyongyang is a beautiful and startling coming of age story’ Ali Millar, author of The Last Days‘Monica Macias challenges readers in her remarkable memoir to interrogate the modalities of truth in our modern world, to closely examine and dismantle what we think we know and what the powers that be would have us believe. Hers is a weighty inheritance, one that she explores with grace, compassion, and enormous courage’ Ly Tran, author of House of Sticks‘With intimate knowledge through some of the world’s least-known places, Monica Macias leads us on an extraordinary journey. Her perspective as an African, Asian and European woman is absolutely singular as she searches for home, for her history and for her own identity. Her story is told with clear-eyed honesty and self-reflection, as she seeks to better understand herself, the circumstances of her birth and upbringing, and the world she travels around so bravely. You have never read a book like Black Girl From Pyongyang, and you won’t soon forget it’ Marcia de Sanctis, author of A Hard Place to Leave'Black Girl from Pyongyang tells a heart-warming story of conflicting emotions. A delight to read' Dr J. E. Hoare, Centre of Korean Studies, SOAS

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Book SynopsisFrom Taraji P. Henson, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe winner, and star of the award-winning film Hidden Figures and the 2023 film The Color Purple, comes an inspiring and funny memoir—“a bona fide hit” (Essence)—about family, friends, the hustle required to make it in Hollywood, and the joy of living your own truth.With a sensibility that recalls her beloved screen characters, including Katherine, the NASA mathematician, Yvette, Queenie, Shug, and the iconic Cookie from Empire, Taraji P. Henson writes of her family, the one she was born into and the one she created. She shares stories of her father, a Vietnam vet who was bowed but never broken by life’s challenges, and of her mother who survived violence both at home and on DC’s volatile streets. Here, too, she opens up about her experiences as a single mother, a journey some saw as a burden but which she saw as a gift. Around the Way GirlTrade Review“An engaging read. As much a manual on acting as it is a memoir. . . [with] plenty of inspiration for readers.” * Library Journal *"Taraji P. Henson, a Golden Globe winner and an Academy and Emmy Award nominee, shares her rocky road to fame in a bona fide hit memoir." * Essence Magazine *"Henson's memoir is an inspiring account of overcoming adversity and a quest for self-discovery, written with vitality and enthusiasm” * Shelf Awareness *"Taraji P. Henson rips the facade off stardom and reveals a woman committed to her family and craft." * Essence Magazine, Best Books of 2016 *

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Book SynopsisChristie, Hanratty, The Krays murderers haunt the mind. We read about them in the press with horrified curiosity and, if we're lucky, this is as close as we get. But Home Office Pathologise Keith Simpson spent forty years in the very midst of murder. This is his autobiography.The late Professor Keith Simpson became the first Professor of Forensic Medicine at London University and lectured on the subject to other doctors, lawyers, police officers and magistrates at home and all over the world. He pioneered forensic dentistry, and for the first time identified a suspected murderer by teeth marks left on the victim's body. He was responsible for the first successful battered baby' prosecution in England, and perhaps one of his greatest contributions has been to save the lives of countless babies by disseminating information on the syndrome and getting it recognized and controlled.This is the bestselling autobiography of the man who was always at the scene of the crime. In describing his celebrated investigations he spares his readers none of the chilling details: the whip-marks, the maggots, the skeletal remains, which proved the innocence of so many men and womenand sent so many more to the gallows.Trade Review‘Gruesome, indeed, but fascinating too’Evening Standard ‘Fascinating and gripping’Sunday Express

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Book SynopsisFounding member of Megadeth and former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine tells a never-before-heard story of the lifetime he has spent in rock n' roll. But this extraordinary tale, riddled with his own personal ups and downs, is also the inside account of two of the most influential heavy metal bands in the world.Here, for the first time ever, Dave Mustaine tells the tale of two of the biggest metal bands in history; a story yet to be told from the inside. Metallica, the pioneers of the thrash metal genre, rocketed to international fame in the 1980s, selling over 90 million records worldwide, making it the most successful band of its kind ever. Megadeth, the second most successful thrash metal band ever, have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, including six consecutive platinum albums.Despite their enormous success together, Dave and Metallica have bad blood by the bucket-load. In April of 1983, due in part to alcoholism and in part to personality clashes with founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, Dave was unceremoniously fired from the band, dumped at a Greyhound bus station in Rochester, NY with a single ticket back to LA. How did such an abrupt end come about? How did he pick himself back up, recover his dignity, and go on to send another band into the dizzying heights of rock stardom? The time has come to set the record straight.From the early, crazy days of Metallica to his split with the band, and to his glorious reign with Megadeth, Dave has seen and experienced life's extremities. This startlingly candid, refreshingly in-your-face memoir tells it all.Trade Review'Tales of the heavy metal high life' Record Collector

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of The Dutch House, Commonwealth and Bel Canto, Winner of The Women's Prize for Fiction and the Pen/Faulkner Award.When Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy met in college they began a friendship that would define their lives. Lucy Grealy lost part of her jaw to childhood cancer, and a large part of her life to chemotherapy and endless reconstructive surgeries. Stoic but vulnerable, damaged by bullying but fascinated by fame, Lucy had an incandescent personality that illuminated those around her.In this tender, brutal book, Ann Patchett describes Lucy's life and her own platonic love for her. Truth & Beauty is the story of the part of their lives that they shared the camaraderie and comedy, the tribulations and tragedy of true friendship. A portrait of unwavering commitment through success, failure, despair and drugs, this is what it means to be part of two lives that are intertwined.Trade Review'A luminously detailed book…Truth & Beauty, Patchett's account of her relationship with Grealy, is not a story of commonplace camaraderie. Theirs is a love story, a first-love story, an account of devotion so intense that it compares to conventional friendship as closely as double cream does to Dream Topping' Observer ‘An inspired duet…riveting’ Joyce Carol Oates ‘An extraordinary, painful, but ultimately celebratory memoir’ Red ‘A loving, clear-sighted portrayal’ Elle ‘Equal parts catharsis and work of art, Ann Patchett’s beautifully executed book is sincerely inscribed with Lucy’s inordinate value as a friend’ TLS

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Book Synopsis''This small book contains multitudes'' Marina Warner''For those who have suffered for and in love, this may prove to be one of the most useful books they will ever read'' Nicholas Lezard, GuardianAn extraordinary, uncompromising and consoling celebration of a life - through childhood, faith, family, love, friendship, pain and loss - written as its author was facing her own mortalityGillian Rose was a star academic, acclaimed as one of the most dazzling and original thinkers of her time. Told that she had incurable cancer, she found a new way to explore the world and herself. Tender, heartbreakingly honest and written with moments of surprising humour, Love''s Work is the exhilarating result.In this short, unforgettable memoir, Rose looks back on her childhood, from the young dyslexic girl, torn between father and stepfather, to the adolescent confronting her Jewish inheritance. As an adult, Gillian Rose proves herself a passio

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Book SynopsisThe bold memoir from a diagnosed sociopath. Shocking but funny, Confessions of a Sociopath is a fascinating insight into the mind of a self-confessed predator.'Gripping and important . . . quite the memorable roller coaster ride' – Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath TestM. E. Thomas is a high-functioning non-criminal sociopath. She is charismatic, ambitious and successful. You would be charmed by her if you met her, might even be seduced by her. You would not realize that she is studying you to find your flaws, that she is ruthlessly manipulative, has no empathy and does not feel guilt or remorse. But she does like people – she likes to touch them, mould them and ruin them. She could be your friend or your boss. She could be you . . .Now she writes with breathtaking honesty about her life. She also draws on the latest research to explain why at least one in twenty-five of us are sociopaths – and shows why that&Trade ReviewGripping and important . . . revelatory . . . quite the memorable roller coaster ride -- Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test * New York Times Book Review *Fascinating . . . That the author is female somehow makes Confessions of a Sociopath all the more chilling * Boston Globe *

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Book SynopsisHere is a survivor''s vivid account of the greatest maritime disaster in history. The information contained in Gracie''s account is available from no other source. He provides details of those final moments, including names of passengers pulled from the ocean and of those men who, in a panic, jumped into lifeboats as they were being lowered, causing injury and further danger to life. Walter Lord, author of ''A Night to Remember'', comments that Gracie''s book - written shortly before he died from the exposure he suffered on the night - is invaluable for chasing down who went in what boat, and calls Gracie an indefatigable detective.

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Book Synopsis'Beautifully written, acutely observed This is a wonderful memoir of an exotic childhood and a striking portrait of one of the world's most beguiling countries. A gem of a book.' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITHTrade Review'The nearest thing you will get to Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals in Africa and it is just as enchanting' Giles Foden, Conde Nast Traveller 'Beautifully written and lovingly told, Scott's book has the makings to be Out of Africa meets Running with Scissors' New York Times Book Review 'A fabulous read, rollicking, good-humoured and intensely sane' Alexandra Fuller 'Scott does more than simply record her African adventures. She tackles the difficult issue of race, revealing a shift in white attitudes across the generations [and] remind[s] us that southern Africa has many different histories' Independent

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Book SynopsisJoin the real Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines as they compete in the Round Britain race. .Woodward's warm, wry account of learning to fly will lift hearts everywhere. BBC2 documentary based on the book 30 January 2012.Antony Woodward wasn't interested in flying, he was interested in his image. So in his world of socialising and serial womanising, a microlight plane sounded like the ideal sex aid. So why once he discovers that he has no ability as a pilot, it costs a fortune and its maddening unreliability loses him the one girl he really wants does he get more and more hooked?As he monitors the changes to the others in the syndicate; as he learns that there is a literal down-side to cheating in flying exams, shunning responsibility and pretending to know stuff you don't, the question keeps on surfacing. Why? As the misadventures mount accidents, tussles with Tornadoes, arrest by the RAF he keeps thinking he's worked it out. But it isn't until The Crash, in which he nearlyTrade Review‘Inspirational…one of the best books ever written about flying.’ PILOT, May 2011 ‘What Nick Hornby did for football, Antony Woodward has done for flying … Wonderful.’ OBSERVER ‘Hugely engaging … refreshingly amateur and low-tech … a true love affair, albeit with clouds and air.’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ‘Hilarious … chock-full of incident, heartache, historical detail and near-death-experience, in as entertaining a non-fiction narrative as I have read … Woodward has a gift for storytelling and comic timing and his acute awareness of the absurdities of maleness make this an impossible book not to like. INDEPENDENT 'A must-read for all pilots, everywhere, ever. But would I get in a plane with this nutter? F***, no.' (Captain) ALEX JAMES, BLUR 'Nick Hornby meets Jeremy Clarkson in a cockpit. Acutely funny', MARIELLA FROSTRUP 'Woodward's a truly terrible aviator - but his enthusiasm makes even the most timid flier want to take to the skies.' FHM ‘A genuine original–smartly written, eccentric, funny, engaging, with just the right combination of anorak and anarchy…The flying sequences are fabulous, the historic ghosts of Bomber command are strangely moving, and the whole book stays wonderfully airborne throughout. It reminds me of the early lunatic Redmond O’Hanlon, and a bit of Roger Deakin’s weird, soul-searching, swim-across-England book “Waterlog”.’ RICHARD HOLMES 'Lunatic… written so engagingly as to ensnare even those who know nothing about flying.' TIM BINYON, EVENING STANDARD 'Propellerhead is one of the best aviation books of the lot, and it has almost universal appeal…Take it from me, anyone who has even an incipient trace of flying in their blood will want to read Propellerhead.' PHILIP WHITEMAN, GENERAL AVIATION 'This eccentric, charming and poignant book is full of gems…sublime.' COUNTRY LIFE

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Book SynopsisA funny, tender, utterly beguiling story about a woman's search for happinessTrade ReviewIf Eat Pray Love has become a bible for women wanting to initiate change in their lives, then Gilbert is their patron saint * Sunday Times *A defining work of memoir * Sunday Telegraph *Everyone who reads it has a new best friend * The Times *If you read one book, this should be it * Sun *Life changing * Daily Express *Gilbert’s prose is fueled by a mix of intelligence, wit and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible * The New York Times Book Review *An engaging, intelligent, and highly entertaining memoir * Time *A meditation on love in its many forms - love of food, language, humanity, God, and most meaningful for Gilbert, love of self * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisA personal look at the UK's involvement in the Iraq war.Trade ReviewBeautifully written, highly evocative . . . a joy to read. -- John SimpsonA marvellous book . . . a devastating narrative. -- Simon JenkinsAbsolutely absorbing. -- Ken LoachStrikes gut and brain at once. -- James MeekWonderfully observed, wise, evocative. * Observer *The best book by far to come out of the Iraq mess. * Sunday Herald *

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Book SynopsisThis major best-selling memoir of a poverty-stricken childhood in Liverpool is one of the most harrowing but uplifting books you will ever read.When Helen Forrester's father went bankrupt in 1930 she and her six siblings were forced into utmost poverty and slum surroundings in Depression-ridden Liverpool. The running of the household and the care of the younger children all fell on twelve-year-old Helen. With very little food or help from her feckless parents, Helen led a life of unrelenting drudgery and hardship.Writing about her experiences later in life, Helen Forrester shed light on an almost forgotten part of life in Britain. , Forrester's memoir of these grim days is as heart-warming as it is shocking.Trade Review‘It was the biography that I would have written if my parents had not been given benefits, if they’d had to rely on parish hand outs … [I] want to press this book into your hands and go, “You must read this”.’ Caitlin Moran ‘Remarkable that from so bleak and unloving a background came a writer of such affectionate understanding and unsettling honesty’ Sunday Telegraph ‘What makes this writer’s self-told tale so memorable?… An absolute recall, a genius for the unforgettable detail, the rare chance of subject’The Good Book Guide 'Should be long and widely read as an extraordinary human story and social document' Observer

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Book SynopsisA retired career anorexic' examines herself and her, and our, culture in a masterpiece of confessional literature.At the age of four Marya Hornbacher looked in a mirror and decided she was fat. At nine, she was bulimic. At twelve, she was anorexic. By the time she was eighteen, she'd been hospitalized five times, once in the loony bin. Her doctors and her parents had given up on her; they were watching her die. But Marya decided to live. Four years on, now 22, here is her harrowing tale, powerfully told in a virtuoso mix of memoir, cultural criticism and psychological examination.Here is the amazingly articulate fury of a clever woman made stupid by her culture, who threw away her teenage years in a continuous cycle of bingeing and vomiting or just plain starvation.The first book to explore, from the inside, the intimate relationship between eating disorders and 1990s culture's historically unprecedented obsession with body, diet and gender; not a testimony to a miracle cure, but the s

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Book SynopsisSeducer, gambler, necromancer, swindler, swashbuckler, poet, self-made gentleman, bon vivant, Giacomo Casanova was not only the most notorious lover of the Western world, but a supreme story teller. He lived a life stranger than most fictions, and the tale of his own adventures is his most compelling story, and one that remained unfinished at the time of his death. This new selection contains all the highlights of Casanova's life: his youth in Venice as a precocious ecclesiastic; his dabbling in the occult; his imprisonment and thrilling escape; and his amorous conquests, ranging from noblewomen to nuns.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Gilberto PizzamiglioNote on the TextTranslators' NoteTHE STORY OF MY LIFEFamily history. My first memory. Journey to Padua.PrefaceIIIMy grandmother boards me at the home of Doctor Gozzi. My first acquaintance with love.IIIBettina believed to be mad. Father Mancia. The pox. I leave Padua.IVThe patriarch of Venice confers the minor orders on me. Getting to know Senator Malipiero, Teresa Imer, Father Tosello's niece, Signora Orio, Nanetta, Marta, and La Cavamacchie. I become a preacher. My adventure at Pasiano with Lucia.VMy brief but highly eventful visit to Ancona. Cecilia, Marina, Bellino. The Greek slave girl from the lazaretto. Bellino revealed.VIBellino Unmasked. His StoryVIIComic encounter at Orsara. Journey to Corfu. Sojourn in Constantinople. Bonneval. My return to Corfu.VIIII became a true good-for-nothing. A great stroke of luck raises me from destitution to the rank of wealthy gentleman.IXMy apprenticeship in Paris. Portraits. Oddities. A thousand things.XMy blunders in the French language, my successes, my many acquaintances. Louis XV. My brother arrives in Paris.XIMy sojourn in Vienna. Joseph II. My departure for Venice.XIIFirst meeting with M. M. Letter from C. C. Second meeting with the nun in my superb casino in Venice. I am happy.XIIIContinuation of the preceding chapter. Visit to the convent and conversation with M. M. Her letter to me and my answer. Rendezvous at the casino in Murano, witnessed by her lover.XIVUnder the lead roof. The earthquake. XVSoradaci's betrayal. The means I used to overwhelm him. Father Balbi succeeds in his task. I leave my cell. Count Asquini's untimely remarks. The moment of departure.XVIMy escape from the prison. I nearly lose my life on the roof. I leave the Ducal Palace, take ship and reach the mainland. Father Balbi exposes me to danger. The ruse by which I separate from him for the moment.XVIIVoltaire, my discussions with the great man. Ariosto. The duke of Villars. The syndic and his three lovely ladies. Debate at Voltaire's house.XVIIICardinal Passionei. The pope. Mariuccia. My arrival in Naples.XIXI reach Marseilles. Mme. D'Urfé. My niece is well received by Mme. Audibert. I get rid of my brother and Passano. Regeneration. Mme. d'Urfé departs. Marcolina's constancy.XXMy arrival in London. Mrs. Cornelys. I am presented at Court. I rent a furnished house. I meet many people. The customs of the English.XXILord Keith. Appointment with the king of Prussia in the garden of Sans Souci. My conversation with the monarch. La Denis. The Pomeranian cadets.XXIII meet the czarina. My conversations with the great Sovereign. La Valville. I leave Zaira. My departure from St. Petersburg and arrival in Warsaw. Princes Adam Czartoryski and Sulkowski. The king of Poland, Stanislaus Poniatowski, called Stanislaus Augustus I. Theatrical intrigues. Branicki.XXIIIMy duel with Branicki.XXIVMy departure from Paris. My journey to Madrid. The count of Aranda. The prince of La Catolica. The duke of Losada. Mengs. A ball. La Pichona. Doña Ignacia.XXVMy courtship of Doña Ignacia, the gentleman-cobbler's daughter. My imprisonment at Buen Retiro and my triumph. I am recommended to the Venetian ambassador by a State Inquisitor of the Republic.Notes

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Book SynopsisThe second part of the bestselling novelist's autobiography about his time in the Gurkhas during the second world war

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Book SynopsisSheryl Sandberg is Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. Prior to Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google. She previously served as Chief of Staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton.Trade ReviewA landmark manifesto * New York Times *Lively, entertaining, urgent, and yes, even courageous … Lean In is both a radical read and incredibly accessible … While it’s obvious that women have much to gain from reading Sandberg’s book, so do men – perhaps even more so * Guardian *A brave book to write … direct, funny and critical * The Economist *The business manual of the year * The Times *Any woman should welcome Lean In as a guide to cracking the glass ceiling * Independent *

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Book SynopsisA harrowing and inspiring true story of a young boy''s abusive childhood, from international bestseller Dave Pelzer, the final memoir in his bestselling trilogy.''Truly touching, and emotionally shocking. A marvel'' Best*****''I don''t blame others for my problems. I stand on my own. And one day, you''ll see, I''m going to make something of myself.'' These words were eighteen-year-old Dave Pelzer''s declaration of independence to his mother - a woman who had abused him with shocking brutality. But even years after he was rescued, his life remained a continual struggle. Dave felt rootless and awkward, an outcast haunted by memories of his years as the bruised, cowering ''It'' locked in his mother''s basement. Dave''s dramatic reunion with his dying father and a shocking confrontation with his mother led to his ultimate calling: as mentor to others struggling with personal hardships. From a difficult marriag

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