Autobiography: science, technology and medicine Books

376 products


  • The Cost of Trust

    HarperCollins Publishers The Cost of Trust

    a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

    £17.00

  • This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior

    Pan Macmillan This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisA Major BBC Series Starring Ben Whishaw. The multi-million copy bestseller and Book of the Year at The National Book Awards.‘Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen FryWelcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward.Sunday Times Number One Bestseller for over eight months and winner of a record FOUR National Book Awards: Book of the Year, Non-Fiction Book of the Year, New Writer of the Year and Zoe Ball Book Club Book of the Year.This edition includes extra diary entries and an afterword by the author.Trade ReviewI’d prescribe this book to anyone and everyone. It's laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreakingly sad and gives you the lowdown on what it’s like to be holding it together while serving on the front line of our beloved but beleaguered NHS. It’s wonderful -- Jonathan RossPainfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable. -- Stephen FrySo clinically funny and politically important for supporters of the NHS that it should be given out on prescription * Guardian *Finally a true picture of the harrowing, hilarious and ultimately chaotic life of the junior doctor in all its gory glory, dark comedy and unavoidable sadness. A blisteringly funny account shot through with harrowing detail, many pertinent truths and the humanity we all hope doctors conceal behind their unflappable exteriors -- Jo BrandAs hilarious as it is heartbreaking – and it IS heartbreaking (also hilarious) -- Charlie BrookerBlisteringly funny, politically enraging and often heartbreaking . . . hilarious . . . brimming not just with humour but with humanity . . . This should be a wake-up call to all who value the NHS -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express *A funny, excoriatingly revealing, beautiful book -- Dawn FrenchHorrifyingly hilarious and hilariously horrifying -- Danny WallaceA ferociously funny book -- Mark WatsonSuperb -- Pam AyresAs a hypochondriac I was worried about reading Adam Kay’s book. Luckily it’s incredibly funny – so funny, in fact, that it gave me a hernia from laughing -- Joe LycettBy turns witty, gruesome, alarming, and touching. Always illuminating and searingly honest -- Jonathan DimblebyBrilliant -- Mark HaddonTable of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction Chapter - 1: House Officer Chapter - 2: Senior House Officer Post 1 Chapter - 3: Senior House Officer Post 2 Chapter - 4: Senior House Officer Post 3 Chapter - 5: Registrar Post 1 Chapter - 6: Registrar Post 2 Chapter - 7: Registrar Post 3 Chapter - 8: Registrar Post 4 Chapter - 9: Senior Registrar Chapter - 10: Aftermath Section - ii: An Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Health Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements

    20 in stock

    £9.49

  • On the Future of Species

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC On the Future of Species

    a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

    £21.25

  • Brief Answers to the Big Questions

    John Murray Press Brief Answers to the Big Questions

    Book SynopsisTHE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER''A beautiful little book by a brilliant mind'' DAILY TELEGRAPH''Effortlessly instructive, absorbing, up to the minute and - where it matters - witty'' GUARDIANThe world-famous cosmologist and #1 bestselling author of A Brief History of Time leaves us with his final thoughts on the universe''s biggest questions in this brilliant posthumous work.Is there a God?How did it all begin?Can we predict the future?What is inside a black hole?Is there other intelligent life in the universe?Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?How do we shape the future?Will we survive on Earth?Should we colonise space?Is time travel possible?Throughout his extraordinary career, Stephen Hawking expanded our understanding of the universe and unravelled some of its greatest mysteries. But even as his theoretical work on black holes, imaginary timTrade ReviewA beautiful book from a brilliant mind * Daily Telegraph *Almost everything in Brief Answers is effortlessly instructive, absorbing, up to the minute and - where it matters - witty * Guardian *The best, most mind-bending sort of physics: black holes, time travel, the origins of the universe * The Times *It is that ultra-distinctive voice (modest, profound, sometimes very funny) that knits this book together * Sunday Times *

    £10.44

  • A Flawed Physicians Tale

    Brown Dog Books A Flawed Physicians Tale

    Book SynopsisThis book offers a comprehensive exploration of sexual well-being, sexual medicine, sexual dysfunction, and sexual infections. Drawing from his extensive experience, the author provides in-depth insights into the diagnosis, treatment, and management of various sexual health issues.

    £13.49

  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

    HarperCollins Publishers The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

    Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURED DIRECTED BY AND STARRING CHIWETEL EJIOFOR AVAILABLE ON NETFLIXWhen William Kamkwamba was just 14 years old, his family told him that he must leave school and come home to work on the farm they could no longer afford his fees. This is his story of how he found a way to make a difference, how he bought light to his family and village, and hope to his nation.Malawi is a country battling AIDS, drought and famine, and in 2002, a season of floods, followed by the most severe famine in fifty years, brought it to its knees. Like the majority of the population, William''s family were farmers. They were totally reliant on the maize crop. By the end of 2001, after many lean and difficult years, there was no more crop. They were running out of food had nothing to sell and had months until they would be able to harvest their crop again.Forced to leave school at 14 years old, with no hope of raising the funds to go again, William resorted to borrowing books from the sTrade Review‘THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is the inspiring story of a young man in Africa who used the only resources available to him to build a windmill and elevate the lives and spirits of those in his community. William Kamkwamba's achievements with wind energy should serve as a model of what one person, with an inspired idea, can do to tackle the crisis we face. His book tells a moving and exciting story.’Al Gore, former Vice President and Nobel Laureate ‘A moving, touching, important story. One more reminder of…how powerful the human spirit can be.’Seth Godin, author ‘One of the best books I have ever read.’Mark Frauenfelder, boingboing.net “William is one of the bright young stars of the future and serves as an inspiration for other young people who want to know what they can do to help.” Bishop Desmond Tutu

    £9.49

  • Breakthrough Babies: An IVF pioneer's tale of

    Practical Inspiration Publishing Breakthrough Babies: An IVF pioneer's tale of

    Book SynopsisAn account from the frontline of fertility treatment, giving a unique insight into not only the medical and scientific advances involved but the human cost and rewards behind this life-changing technology.Simon Fishel worked with Robert Edwards during his pioneering early IVF research and was part of the team in the world’s first IVF clinic, with all the trials and tribulations that involved at the time, including a writ for murder! As the science developed over the decades so did his career, as he sought to do more for patients and taught the new technologies to doctors all over the world. He came up against regulatory and establishment barriers, including fighting a 3-year legal case in the High Court of Justice and a death threat from a doctor if he refused to work with him. The clinic he founded has grown into the largest IVF group in the UK, developing exciting new procedures, and he has helped establish clinics throughout the world, even being invited to introduce IVF to China.Trade Review"I've enjoyed many medical memoirs, and have read quite a few about the miracle of birth-but these were midwife memoirs. This one starts way before actual births and tells of the growth of IVF treatment. It was a fascinating read. Simon Fishel originally worked with Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe, pioneers in IVF treatment. He later set up an IVF unit in a hospital in Nottingham. You hear of so many couples having IVF treatment now-relatives, friends; so it was interesting to go back to its infancy. There were amazing advances made-whilst at the same time they suffered much opposition to what they were doing. This book is not just about miracle babies, there would be many hurdles and surprising events I didn't envisage too. The book contains photos and news clippings." Julie Haigh"A remarkable and open account of the early years of IVF." Mrs A * Amazon.co.uk *Table of ContentsList of Figures Foreword Special Note 1. Nobody Said It Would Be Easy 2. Bourn Hall: The World’s First IVF Clinic 1980–1985 3. Beginnings 1953–1980 4. Nottingham to Rome and Back 1985–1991 5. The Nurture Years 1991–1997 6. Bankruptcy Looms 1997–2001 7. CARE: The Battle for Miracles Continues 1997–Present 8. The DNA of IVF 9. The Legacy of IVF About the Author . Acknowledgements

    £12.74

  • The Drunken Forest

    Pan Macmillan The Drunken Forest

    a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

    £10.44

  • Quacks

    Cranthorpe Millner Publishers Quacks

    Book SynopsisShining a light on the eccentricities of junior doctors in the NHS, Quacks is filled with stories that will make you laugh and gasp in equal measure.

    £9.49

  • Dr. Quin, Medicine Man

    Biteback Publishing Dr. Quin, Medicine Man

    Book SynopsisSurgeons cut, but physicians... what do physicians actually do? And is it true that other doctors really call them 'the magicians'? John Quin worked for thirty-three years as a physician for the NHS in both Scotland and England, specialising in endocrinology. He was told the subject was easy because 'hormones - well, they just go up and down'. This, it turned out, was something of an over-simplification. Days on the wards were uproariously funny one minute, infinitely tragic the next. From tackling fraudulent medical students to trying and failing to induce hypoglycaemia in Glaswegian alcoholics (all in the name of research), Dr Quin, Medicine Man is packed with vividly told tales of the joy and reward of getting the diagnosis right, the disaster of getting it wrong. Chasing Chekhov's two rabbits of medicine and writing, meanwhile, Quin sought solace in literature, art and music, applying the lessons of Bulgakov's country doctor to 1980s Glasgow, where none of the patients seemed to have a full complement of fingers, and to 21st-century Brighton, dealing with the consequences of a decade of austerity measures. Darkly amusing and with a keen eye for the absurd, this sharply observed memoir is not only an acute insight into the farcical frustrations and tensions of working in a chronically underfunded system but also a timely reminder of the humanity of the NHS staff who care for us.Trade Review"Refreshing and eloquent" - Libby Purves, The Times “Quin’s acute powers of observation vividly convey the hinterland of the modern general hospital. Quite sweary, this is a medical memoir for the Trainspotting generation.” - The Tablet

    £15.00

  • The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium

    Pan Macmillan The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium

    a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

    £10.44

  • Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain

    Orion Publishing Co Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain

    Book Synopsis'A SUPERB ACHIEVEMENT' IAN MCEWAN* * * * *What is it like to be a brain surgeon?How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands, to cut through the stuff that creates thought, feeling and reason?How do you live with the consequences when it all goes wrong?DO NO HARM offers an unforgettable insight into the highs and lows of a life dedicated to operating on the human brain, in all its exquisite complexity. With astonishing candour and compassion, Henry Marsh reveals the exhilarating drama of surgery, the chaos and confusion of a busy modern hospital, and above all the need for hope when faced with life's most agonising decisions.* * * * *Winner:PEN Ackerley Prize South Bank Sky Arts Award for LiteratureShortlisted:Costa Biography AwardDuff Cooper PrizeWellcome Book PrizeGuardian First Book AwardSlightly Foxed Best First Biography PrizeLonglisted:Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-FictionTrade ReviewNeurosurgery has met its Boswell in Henry Marsh. Painfully honest about the mistakes that can 'wreck' a brain, exquisitely attuned to the tense and transient bond between doctor and patient, and hilariously impatient of hospital management, Marsh draws us deep into medicine's most difficult art and lifts our spirits. It's a superb achievement * Ian McEwan *An enthralling read . . . a testimony of wonder . . . Marsh's style is admirably clear, concise and precise . . There is no forcing of a narrative arc or a happy ending, just the quotidian frustrations, sorrows, regrets and successes of neurosurgical life -- Gavin Francis * GUARDIAN *An elegant series of meditations at the closing of a long career. Many of the stories are moving enough to raise tears, but at the heart this is a book about wisdom and experience -- Nicholas Blincoe * DAILY TELEGRAPH *[Do No Harm] simply tells the stories, with great tenderness, insight and self-doubt . . . Why haven't more surgeons written books, especially of this prosaic beauty? Well, thank God for Henry Marsh . . . What a bloody, splendid book: commas optional -- Euan Ferguson * OBSERVER *Incredibly absorbing . . . an astonishingly candid insight -- Bill BrysonRiveting . . . extraordinarily intimate, compassionate and sometimes frightening . . . [Marsh] writes with uncommon power and frankness * NEW YORK TIMES *Offers an astonishing glimpse into this stressful career. This is a wonderful book, passionate and frank. If Marsh is even a tenth as good a neurosurgeon as he is a writer, I'd let him open my skull any time -- Leyla Sanai * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Henry Marsh . . . sets a new standard for telling it like it is . . . His love for brain surgery and his patients shines through, but the specialty - shrouded in secrecy and mystique when he entered it - has now firmly had the rug pulled out from under it. We should thank Henry Marsh for that -- Phil Hammond * THE TIMES *When a book opens like this: "I often have to cut into the brain and it is something I hate doing" - you can't let it go, you have to read on, don't you? . . . I trust completely the skills of those who practise [brain surgery], and tend to forget the human element, which is failures, misunderstandings, mistakes, luck and bad luck . . . Do No Harm by Henry Marsh reveals all of this, in the midst of life-threatening situations, and that's one reason to read it; true honesty in an unexpected place -- Karl Ove Knausgard * FINANCIAL TIMES *As gripping and engrossing as the best medical drama, only with the added piquancy of being entirely true, this compelling account of what it's really like to be a brain surgeon will have you on the edge of your sunlounger -- Sandra Parsons * DAILY MAIL *A mesmerising, at times painful journey through a neurosurgeon's extraordinary career. As delicate as he can be brutal, Marsh's account of himself is always honest and moving. Human frailty at its strongest -- Jessie Burton, author of THE MINIATURISTA strikingly honest and humane account of what it means to hold the power of life and death in your hands . . . elegant, edifying and necessary -- Erica Wagner * NEW STATESMAN 'Books of the Year' *Marsh has written a book about a love affair, and one cannot help feeling similarly smitten . . . 'Elegant, delicate, dangerous and full of profound meaning'. All four of those epithets might describe this book -- Ed Caesar * THE SUNDAY TIMES *A fascinating look inside the head of a man whose job it is to fiddle around in ours. He acknowledges that surgeons are arrogant, that they play God, but that they are also afflicted by despair, sorrow and doubt. He is scathing on NHS bureaucracy and his picture of doctors doing their best but basically flailing in the dark made me respect the profession more -- Nick Curtis * EVENING STANDARD *

    £9.49

  • Undoctored

    Orion Publishing Co Undoctored

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - NOW INCLUDING BRAND NEW MATERIALTHIS IS GOING TO HURT was the bestselling non-fiction book of the century - a frank, funny and furious look at the brutal realities of life in the NHS.But it was only part of Adam Kay''s story. With his stethoscope now hung up, Adam shares more suture-splitting anecdotes from both on and off the wards. From the hilarious to the profoundly moving, from the first days of medical school to life after the NHS, UNDOCTORED is an astonishing portrait of an extraordinary life, from one of Britain''s finest - and funniest - storytellers.Trade ReviewBrilliant - even better than This is Going to Hurt * Jacqueline Wilson *Very funny, very moving - Adam Kay has done it again, the talented c***. PS sorry for swearing in this quote * Charlie Brooker *Adam Kay is at the top of his game here. Even his footnotes are funnier than most comedians' best gags. But there is darkness here, too, and he handles it so well I had to lay the book aside until my heart was ready for the rest. * Ian Rankin *Every bit as funny as the first one, every bit as powerful, surprising and unflinching * David Whitehouse *I don't think anyone has made me laugh so much about the human body as Adam Kay, while simultaneously bestowing the gift of impotent rage at the state of the NHS * Reverend Richard Coles *Spectacularly brilliant * Cathy Rentzenbrink *A gaspingly honest, hilarious and heartbreaking book from one of Britain's funniest writers * Grace Dent *The anecdotes are hilarious, the personal life fascinating, the insights into our health service compelling. * Daily Mail *Extraordinary... super-readable, funny and disturbing. * Observer *Equally frank and funny as its predecessor. * I-News *Hilarious... such is (Adam Kay's) craft and candour that you find yourself simultaneously guffawing and welling up. * Mail on Sunday *A funny, truthful and fascinating memoir. * Stylist *Richly comic. Kay's writing is a constant pleasure. * Daily Express *Piercingly funny... breathtakingly sad. * Tanya Gold, Daily Telegraph *Fantastic. Everything you could want in a book. * Liz Jones's Diary Podcast *The reason Adam Kay sells millions of books is not because he used to be a doctor, it's because he writes so well. Undoctored is another triumph; funny and moving and thoughtful. * Dr Phil Hammond *Thank you, Adam Kay [...] for your courage, candour, wit (and filth, of course) in your brilliant new memoir. Undoctored really is fantastic. * Rachel Clarke, author of Dear Life *Extraordinary... combining laugh-out-loud material with serious questions. - The Sunday Times

    2 in stock

    £8.99

  • My Life As A Yorkshire Vet

    Reach plc My Life As A Yorkshire Vet

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom watching TV show The Yorkshire Vet with his gran, to being one of its most popular stars, Matt Jackson-Smith is forging an exciting life and career on and off screen. Matt's first book takes the reader beyond the TV series and behind the scenes into Matt's wonderful animal world.

    20 in stock

    £17.00

  • Odd Girl Out: An Autistic Woman in a Neurotypical

    Pan Macmillan Odd Girl Out: An Autistic Woman in a Neurotypical

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhat do you do when you wake up in your mid-forties and realize you've been living a lie your whole life? Do you tell? Or do you keep it to yourself?Laura James found out that she was autistic as an adult, after she had forged a career for herself, married twice and raised four children. This book tracks the year of Laura's life after she receives a definitive diagnosis from her doctor, as she learns that 'different' doesn't need to mean 'less' and how there is a place for all of us, and it's never too late to find it.Laura draws on her professional and personal experiences and reflects on her life in the light of her diagnosis, which for her explains some of her differences; why, as a child, she felt happier spinning in circles than standing still and why she has always found it difficult to work in places with a lot of ambient noise.Although this is a personal story, the book has a wider focus too, exploring reasons for the lower rate of diagnosed autism in women and a wide range of topics including eating disorders and autism, marriage and motherhood.Odd Girl Out gives a timely account from a woman negotiating the autistic spectrum, from a poignant and personal perspective.Trade ReviewThere are so many myths about what it means to be autistic and Laura tells her story beautifully and truthfully. You will live every moment with her, feel her pain and want to right the wrongs. Some books make a big difference, this is one of them. It should be read by everyone -- Natasha Harding, the SunA moving, lucid account of feeling different and ‘other’, Odd Girl Out is an invaluable insight that allows you to see the world through autistic eyes -- Get the GlossAn important, touching and incredibly honest book with a wry sense of humour, which challenges the preconceived ideas people have about autistic life -- Rachael Lucas, author of Sealed With a Kiss and The State of GraceLaura James has dug deep into her 'differentness' and emerged with a book of breathtaking honesty, humour and insight. Odd Girl Out is a brilliant antidote to all the cliches and misinformation surrounding autism -- Stephen Sackur, journalist and presenter of BBC HARDtalk

    7 in stock

    £10.44

  • This is Going to Hurt: Now a major BBC

    Pan Macmillan This is Going to Hurt: Now a major BBC

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisNow a major BAFTA nominated BBC comedy-drama starring BAFTA and Emmy award-winning actor Ben Whishaw. The multi-million copy bestseller now with an exclusive preface by the author.Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward.‘Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen FrySunday Times Number One Bestseller for over a year and winner of a record FOUR National Book Awards: Book of the Year, Non-Fiction Book of the Year, New Writer of the Year and Zoe Ball Book Club Book of the Year.The BBC series was Winner of Best Longform Drama at the The Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards and Best Drama at the Broadcast Awards. Critics' Choice Awards nominee for 'Best Limited Series' and 'Best Actor'.Trade ReviewI’d prescribe this book to anyone and everyone. It's laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreakingly sad and gives you the lowdown on what it’s like to be holding it together while serving on the front line of our beloved but beleaguered NHS. It’s wonderful -- Jonathan RossSo clinically funny and politically important for supporters of the NHS that it should be given out on prescription * Guardian *Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable. -- Stephen FryFinally a true picture of the harrowing, hilarious and ultimately chaotic life of the junior doctor in all its gory glory, dark comedy and unavoidable sadness. A blisteringly funny account shot through with harrowing detail, many pertinent truths and the humanity we all hope doctors conceal behind their unflappable exteriors -- Jo BrandAs hilarious as it is heartbreaking – and it IS heartbreaking (also hilarious) -- Charlie BrookerBlisteringly funny, politically enraging and often heartbreaking . . . hilarious . . . brimming not just with humour but with humanity . . . This should be a wake-up call to all who value the NHS -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express *A funny, excoriatingly revealing, beautiful book -- Dawn FrenchHorrifyingly hilarious and hilariously horrifying -- Danny WallaceA ferociously funny book -- Mark WatsonSuperb -- Pam AyresAs a hypochondriac I was worried about reading Adam Kay’s book. Luckily it’s incredibly funny – so funny, in fact, that it gave me a hernia from laughing -- Joe LycettBy turns witty, gruesome, alarming, and touching. Always illuminating and searingly honest -- Jonathan DimblebyBrilliant -- Mark HaddonTable of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction Chapter - 1: House Officer Chapter - 2: Senior House Officer Post 1 Chapter - 3: Senior House Officer Post 2 Chapter - 4: Senior House Officer Post 3 Chapter - 5: Registrar Post 1 Chapter - 6: Registrar Post 2 Chapter - 7: Registrar Post 3 Chapter - 8: Registrar Post 4 Chapter - 9: Senior Registrar Chapter - 10: Aftermath Section - ii: An Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Health Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements

    10 in stock

    £9.49

  • Dear Life A Doctors Story of Love Loss and

    Little, Brown Book Group Dear Life A Doctors Story of Love Loss and

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD''So very important'' NIGELLA LAWSON''Brilliantly alive'' SUNDAY TIMES''A truly wonderful book. Read it'' HENRY MARSH''Shows us the very best of human nature'' ADAM KAY''Her words are brimful of love, grace and kindness'' GUARDIANAs a specialist in palliative medicine, Dr Rachel Clarke chooses to inhabit a place many people would find too tragic to contemplate. Every day, she tries to bring care and comfort to those reaching the end of their lives and to help make dying more bearable. Rachel''s training was put to the test in 2017 when her beloved GP father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She learned that nothing - even the best palliative care - can sugar-coat the pain of losing someone you love. And yet, she argues, in a hospice there is more of what matters in lifeTrade ReviewThis is a wonderful book. Rachel takes the worst life can throw at us and shows us the beauty in itWhat a remarkable book this is; tender, funny, brave, heartfelt, radiant with love and life. It sings with joy and kindnessA truly wonderful book. Read itA truly beautiful book about death and life and the price of love. Told by a doctor, with compassion and wisdom. I cried, but they were warm, comforting tears. It made me think about stuff I fear in a new and better wayMoving, thought-provoking and so very important. I'm immeasurably grateful to have read it, and it will stay with me. In death, we learn about lifeA touching and profound meditation on what it means to be human . . . it is a remarkable book * Guardian *Dear Life names the tension between love and risk that gives life its sweetness. It takes readers to the edge of life in supportive, wise companyHeart-wrenchingly tender * Observer *She writes with a tender, lyrical beauty * Sunday Times *Her words are brimful of love, grace and kindness * Guardian *A magnificent, tender book * Independent *Moving . . . an honest account from the front line of death * The Times *An enthralling and deeply affecting book . . . It is [the] blend of the personal and professional that makes Dear Life so special * Express *Honest, clear-sighted and immensely wise, Clarke's book is laced with loss, yet raises a jubilant toast to life * Literary Review *A heartbreaking, exhilarating read * Guardian *Arguably the most remarkable book of the year * The i *An NHS doctor interweaves heartwarming stories of palliative care for patients in a hospice with memories of her beloved GP father * Guardian *Rachel Clarke weaves together an account of her training as a doctor who came to specialise in palliative care, the stories of her patients, and her father's death in Dear Life. I read it while coming to terms with the death of a family friend, and found it full of honesty and tender wisdom about life and the process of dying. It managed the brilliant and paradoxical feat of helping you love life a little more and fear death a little less -- Matt Haig * Guardian *This astonishing book by Dr Clarke will make you re-evaluate your own life and priorities. This is a deeply moving read * Woman & Home *Compassionate, heartfelt and deeply life-affirming * Mirror *

    5 in stock

    £10.44

  • The DivingBell and the Butterfly

    HarperCollins Publishers The DivingBell and the Butterfly

    7 in stock

    Book Synopsis One of the most remarkable memoirs ever written. The diary of Jean-Dominique Bauby who, with his left eyelid (the only surviving muscle after a massive stroke) dictated a remarkable book about his experiences locked inside his body. A masterpiece and a bestseller in France.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

    7 in stock

    £8.54

  • Alive

    Vintage Publishing Alive

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisGabriel Weston was born in 1970. She studied English at Edinburgh University before attending medical school in London and becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2003. Her Sunday Times bestselling debut, Direct Red, was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and won the PEN-Ackerley Award for Autobiography, while her novel Dirty Work won the McKitterick Prize. The presenter of several BBC TV series, including Trust Me I'm a Doctor and Incredible Medicine: Dr Weston's Casebook, she currently works as a part-time surgeon and lives in London with her husband and children.

    15 in stock

    £17.00

  • Lion

    Penguin Books Ltd Lion

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisNOMINATED FOR SIX OSCARS, INCLUDING BEST PICTURE, SUPPORTING ACTOR AND SUPPORTING ACTRESS . . . Aged just five, Saroo Brierley lost all contact with his family in India, after waiting at a train station for his brother who never returned. Discover the inspiring, true story behind the film, Lion. This is the heart breaking and original tale of the lost little boy who found his way home twenty-five years later. ----------------------------------- As a five-year old in India, I got lost on a train. Twenty-five years later, I crossed the world to find my way back home. Five-year-old Saroo lived in a poor village in India, in a one-room hut with his mother and three siblings... until the day he boarded a train alone and got lost. For twenty-five years. This is the story of what happened to Saroo in those twenty-five years. How he ended up on the streets of Calcutta. And survived. How he then ended up in

    3 in stock

    £10.44

  • Feather Trails

    Chelsea Green Publishing Co Feather Trails

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis is a book for the aspiring field biologist in your life'New ScientistThe story of one woman's remarkable work with a trio of charismatic, endangered bird speciesand her discoveries about the devastating threats that imperil them.InFeather Trails, wildlife biologist and birder Sophie A. H. Osborn reveals how the harmful environmental choices we've madeincluding pesticide use, the introduction of invasive species, lead poisoning, and habitat destructionhave decimated Peregrine Falcons, Hawaiian Crows, and California Condors.In the Rocky Mountains, the cloud forests of Hawai'i, and the Grand Canyon, Sophie and her colleagues work day-to-day to try to reintroduce these birds to the wild, even when it seems that the odds are steeply stacked against their survival.With humor and suspense,Feather Trailsintroduces us to the fascinating behaviors and unique personalities of Sophie's avian charges an

    15 in stock

    £21.25

  • Unnatural Causes

    Penguin Books Ltd Unnatural Causes

    Book SynopsisTHE TRUE CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR AND SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER ''One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down'' The Times, BOOKS OF THE YEAR __________ Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd. He solves the mysteries of unexplained or sudden death. He has performed over 23,000 autopsies, including some of the most high-profile cases of recent times; the Hungerford Massacre, the Princess Diana inquiry, and 9/11. He has faced serial killers, natural disaster, ''perfect murders'' and freak accidents. His evidence has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent, and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads. Yet all this has come at a huge personal cost. Unnatural Causes tells the story of not only the cases and bodies that have haunted him the most, but also how to live aTrade ReviewUnnatural Causes gives a sense of the toll that dealing with so many dead bodies takes. It's a very human book that looks at the cases he has been involved with, from the Hungerford massacre to the murder of Stephen Lawrence * The Times (Books of the Year, 2018) *An unputdownable record of an extraordinary life * 100 sizzling summer books, Daily Mail *One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down * The Times *Fabulous . . . The UK's top pathologist investigating high-profile deaths such as that of Diana, Princess of Wales * The Sunday Post *Puts the reader at his elbow as he wields the scalpel * Guardian *Insightful, candid and compassionate * Observer *Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing * Richard and Judy, Daily Express *Heart-wrenchingly honest * Professor Sue Black, author of All That Remains *Darkly fascinating * Daily Mirror *A deeply mesmerising memoir of forensic pathology. Human and fascinating * Nigella Lawson *Partly an autobiography, but also a love letter to pathology. It's dignified and graceful and painfully honest about the human and emotional cost of so much time with the dead. Insightful, moving and mesmerising * Marylebone Journal *This book holds within its pages the story of a life told with honesty, and this is partly why it is such a pleasure to read. A fascinating autobiography. Unputdownable. * Live Ribble Valley *A unique insight into a remarkable profession * The Times *His experiences, from morgue to court, are sometimes gruesome, always gripping * Sunday Mirror *The true crime book of the year; a thoughtful, revealing, chilling and bizarre record of an extraordinary life and profession * Visit Norwich *He recounts experiences in a gripping memoir that melds the personal and professional * The People *Must Read * Daily Mail *A brilliantly written and compelling account of a medical detective who has worked on many appalling crimes and human tragedies * Woman's Weekly *Must read * Daily Mail *Medical science books are rarely as gripping as Unnatural Causes. It's grimly fascinating, and I suspect I'll read it at least twice. * Evening Standard *

    £10.44

  • Unheard

    Orion Publishing Co Unheard

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisHave you ever felt unheard by your doctor? Been frustrated that they haven''t understood your symptoms, that they have neglected your concerns?When Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan was admitted to hospital as a patient she didn''t receive the pain medication that she told them she needed, despite her being a senior doctor. It was in that moment she understood that something was deeply wrong with our healthcare system. Doctors aren''t listening, and it is making us ill.In Unheard, Dr Dhairyawan takes us on a journey through history to show how not listening to patients has been ingrained in medicine from its inception. Western medicine has been built on the assumption that power should always lie with the doctor, and that patients should be powerless to decisions made about their body if it is done to make them well. This, alongside the prejudices of society, has led to dramatic gaps in medical knowledge because for centuries people have not been heard.

    2 in stock

    £18.70

  • The Criminal Mind

    Penguin Books Ltd The Criminal Mind

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisOne question binds the cases of Dr Duncan Harding, Britain's top forensic psychiatrist: Why?Growing up in a violent home, Harding became a doctor to be good and kind. His journey brought him to psychopaths, to the limits of his compassion and to the darkest corners of his own troubled past.

    15 in stock

    £10.44

  • An Unquiet Mind

    Pan Macmillan An Unquiet Mind

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisKay Redfield Jamison is Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as well as Honorary Professor of English at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is the author of An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness, Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, Manic-Depressive Illness (with F. Goodwin) and Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide. She is the recipient of numerous national and international scientific awards, was distinguished lecturer at Harvard University in 2002 and the Litchfield lecturer at the University of Oxford in 2003. She is a John P. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow.

    7 in stock

    £10.44

  • Let It Go My Extraordinary Story  From Refugee to

    Penguin Books Ltd Let It Go My Extraordinary Story From Refugee to

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisA moving memoir from a woman who made a fortune in a man''s world and then gave it all away...soon to be turned into a filmIn 1962, Stephanie ''Steve'' Shirley created a software company when the concept of software barely existed. Freelance Programmers employed women to work on complex projects such as Concorde''s black box recorder from the comfort of their own home. Shirley empowered a generation of women in technology, giving them unheard of freedom to choose their own hours and manage their own workloads. The business thrived and Shirley gradually transferred ownership to her staff, creating 70 millionaires in the process.Let It Go explores Shirley''s trail blazing career as an entrepreneur but it also charts her incredible personal story - her dramatic arrival in England as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee during World War Two and the tragic loss of her only child who suffered severely from Autism.Today, Dame StephanTrade ReviewThe word 'inspiring' is greatly overused, but Stephanie Shirley's story is one of those rare cases in which it truly applies. This book is an extraordinary tale of creativity and resilience, and of the power of well-targeted philanthropy to transform the world -- Oliver Burkeman * Guardian *There is an entire business course in this book: about the dangers of profitless growth, the difficulties of succession planning, and the problems of managing clever people. But more important, this engrossing story of an extraordinary life is filled with lessons in what it means to be human -- Michael Skapinker * Financial Times *An inspiring memoir by a great entrepreneur who charted her life to do well while doing good -- Ronald Cohen * Chair of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment *Steve Shirley's autobiography is nothing short of inspiring. She is a role model for young women worldwide in her spirit, determinism, humour, and generosity -- Simon Baron-Cohen * Professor at Cambridge University *

    3 in stock

    £10.44

  • Pan Macmillan The Lord God Made Them All

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisJames Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, beginning with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.Trade ReviewI grew up reading James Herriot's books and I'm delighted that thirty years on, they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then -- Kate HumbleHerriot’s enchanting tales of life in the Dales are deservedly classics. Full of extraordinary characters, animal and human, the books never fail to delight -- Amanda Owen, bestselling author of The Yorkshire ShepherdessThe attraction of Herriot’s ever popular memoirs of a country vet . . . is their alternating highs and lows, humour and pathos, and gripping anecdotes about delivering lambs, grumpy farmers, hypochondriac pet-owners, stroppy cows and blunt Yorkshire characters. And, of course, there’s a powerful nostalgia element in these stories about our green and pleasant land in the day before the ravages of ribbon development * Daily Mail *

    4 in stock

    £10.44

  • From Here to Eternity

    Orion Publishing Co From Here to Eternity

    Book SynopsisAs a practising mortician, Caitlin Doughty has long been fascinated by our pervasive terror of dead bodies. In From Here to Eternity she sets out in search of cultures unburdened by such fears. With curiosity and morbid humour, Doughty introduces us to inspiring death-care innovators, participates in powerful death practices almost entirely unknown in the West and explores new spaces for mourning - including a futuristic glowing-Buddha columbarium in Japan, a candlelit Mexican cemetery, and America''s only open-air pyre. In doing so she expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with ''dignity'' and reveals unexpected possibilities for our own death rituals.Trade ReviewEach chapter covers a culture with a highly distinctive and apparently ghastly approach to their dearly departed . . . Think Bill Bryson doing an underworld special. This humane book gently provokes you to wonder: what exactly is your ideal funeral? * THE TIMES *Caitlin Doughty, joyful member of the death-positive movement, describes what happens to our mortal remains with relish . . . Jaunty, boisterous and unsentimental, Doughty believes that we in the West have made death and its aftermath into a corporate, perfunctory affair, in which the meaning of an ending is denied. Her mission is to 'reclaim public understanding of dying' and to bring individuality and joy back into our dealings with the dead -- Nicci Gerard * OBSERVER *Compelling . . . Doughty's writing will give you the giggles as well as send a chill down your spine * GUARDIAN *From Here To Eternity is fascinating, thought-provoking and - who would have guessed? - sometimes funny. Put it on your bucket list -- Neil Armstrong * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Doughty's lively (and charmingly illustrated) cascade of anecdotes about how various cultures handle death spells out how contemporary Western fastidiousness about dead bodies is by no means universally shared. We are introduced to a variety of startling practices . . . and pervading the book is Doughty's ferocious critique of the industrialisation of death and burial that is standard in the United States and spreading rapidly elsewhere. Doughty invites us to look at and contemplate alternatives . . . we have choices beyond the conventional; we can think about how we want our dead bodies to be treated as part of a natural physical cycle -- Rowan Williams * NEW STATESMAN *Doughty is fun, with an eye for the bizarre and the absurd. She hits the road in quest of cultures untroubled by the western taboos surrounding mortality -- Robert McCrum * SPECTATOR *Doughty is a relentlessly curious and chipper tour guide to the underworld . . . a likable, witty companion. It is a difficult high-wire act: to make death interesting and funny enough that we'll drop our fears and read, without losing sight of the gravity of the topic. I couldn't help thinking that her dispatches from the dark side were doing us all a kindness * NEW YORK TIMES *From Here to Eternity is Doughty's tour of the death ways of other peoples, from Bolivia to Barcelona . . . [she] chronicles each of these practices with tenderheartedness, a technician's fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief * THE NEW YORKER *Doughty finds the humanity in other cultures' relationship with death that seems to be lacking in ours * VICE *From Indonesia to Mexico and all points in between, Doughty talks to a wide array of professionals, handling the topic with curiosity, frankness and no small amount of humour -- Doug Johnstone * THE BIG ISSUE *Both sensitive and light, and thoroughly researched, written by an author who genuinely wanted to learn from, not fetishise, other customs * GUARDIAN *Really fascinating -- Alice Waters * NEW YORK TIMES *In her jocular but reverential tone . . . Doughty doesn't offer a simple morbid travelogue; instead, she digs into diverse death experiences with deep veneration and examines ties to socioeconomic, status, female identity and religion * BOOKLIST *A study in cultures, places and profound moments - and with a necessary slice of morbid humour too * WANDERLUST *Moving and inspiring * BELFAST TELEGRAPH *Written with great humour and respect, this book will undoubtedly educate, entertain, and leave you dying to learn more * GEOGRAPHICAL *Far from morbid, but moving * WOMAN'S WAY *[Doughty's] fascinating tour of rituals contains liturgies that readers will surely observe as rare, macabre, unbelievable, ancient, and precious - sometimes simultaneously * KIRKUS *

    £8.09

  • War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line

    Pan Macmillan War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisA powerful and intensely moving memoir by an NHS surgeon who volunteered in war zones, operating under the most extreme circumstances.‘Brave, compassionate and inspiring – it left me in floods of tears’ – Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to HurtFor more than twenty-five years, David Nott has taken unpaid leave from his job as a general and vascular surgeon with the NHS to volunteer in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones. From Sarajevo under siege in 1993, to clandestine hospitals in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, he has carried out life-saving operations and field surgery in the most challenging conditions, and with none of the resources of a major London teaching hospital. The conflicts he has worked in form a chronology of twenty-first-century combat: Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Darfur, Congo, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Gaza and Syria. But he has also volunteered in areas blighted by natural disasters, such as the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal. Driven both by compassion and passion, the desire to help others and the thrill of extreme personal danger, he is now widely acknowledged to be the most experienced trauma surgeon in the world. But as time went on, David Nott began to realize that flying into a catastrophe – whether war or natural disaster – was not enough. Doctors on the ground needed to learn how to treat the appalling injuries that war inflicts upon its victims. Since 2015, the foundation he set up with his wife, Elly, has disseminated the knowledge he has gained, training other doctors in the art of saving lives threatened by bombs and bullets.War Doctor is his extraordinary story.'One of the most brutally vivid evocations of modern warfare that you will read . . . superb, unforgettable, simply written and painfully clear' – Sunday TimesTrade ReviewDavid Nott is brave, compassionate and inspiring - War Doctor is all of those things and more: a wonderful book that has left me in floods of tears. He needs a knighthood and his book needs to be in every house. -- Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to HurtIncredible non-fiction filled with so much humanity. You will never forget these stories. -- Joanna Cannon, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things About ElsieSo powerful and honest. Extraordinary. -- Elizabeth Buchan, author of The New Mrs Clifton and I Can't Begin to Tell YouOne of the most brutally vivid evocations of modern warfare that you will read . . . superb, unforgettable, simply written and painfully clear . . . You are constantly amazed that men such as Nott can witness the extraordinary cruelties of the human race, so many and so foul, yet keep going. Be warned: this is a powerful but often traumatic read. * Sunday Times *A triumph: a love letter to surgery, and to helping others in extremis. Reading it is much like being taken apart and put together again in a fascinating way. It reveals a fascinating man whose life is a lesson in what good you can do with privilege . . . I spent the entire time wishing that David Nott would become our prime minister . . . This book is neither tidy, nor easy, yet it is so important. War Doctor is a reminder that we are all in this together, and that ordinary people can do extraordinary things -- Christie Watson * Daily Telegraph *Riveting . . . Nott is no ordinary doctor, as this dramatic telling of his extraordinary life makes clear -- Ian Birrell * The Times *As a surgeon myself, I can only look on what he has achieved with complete awe, overwhelmed by his heroism and compassion as much as by the world’s cruelty -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm * New Statesman *His stories of courage and compassion in the face of seemingly certain death are breathtaking . . . If a film about his life isn't already in development, someone's missing a trick -- Fiona Sturges * The Guardian *A devastating account of two decades volunteering his services to some of the world's most dangerous places -- Helen Brown * Daily Mail *A stand out memoir by a vascular surgeon in the NHS who volunteered for more than twenty years in war zones. * Daily Record *Extraordinary * Independent *Not only a vivid, stirring and shocking account of the two months each year that the London-based consultant NHS surgeon has spent saving lives in warzones and disasters . . . It's also a love story. It's the tale of a man driven to seek out extreme situations and trying to repair the horrible damage that men inflict on other men, women and children. -- Nick Curtis * Radio Times *An unflinching, powerful and deeply compassionate story about pockets of humanity found in the midst of terrible atrocities. -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express *This is a book of extraordinary honesty . . . enlightening, sobering, compelling. It is a marvellous read, and education in itself -- Pat Ashworth * Church Times *Nott remains an important witness to the haunting human price of that modern triad: geopolitical instability, poor governance and ever more powerful weaponry * Nature *An unflinching, unrelenting memoir . . . [David] has saved thousands of people across the world, but he is not one to make a big deal of it. There was no ego to find with a man who has been dubbed in the press as “surgery’s Indiana Jones”. -- Chris Pyke * South Wales Evening Post *Table of ContentsSection - i: Preface Chapter - 1: The Bomb Factory Chapter - 2: Two Epiphanies Chapter - 3: Welcome to Sarajevo Chapter - 4: Damage Control Chapter - 5: Under African Skies Chapter - 6: Flying In Chapter - 7: Trauma School Chapter - 8: Return to Syria Chapter - 9: Sniper City Chapter - 10: Lifeline Chapter - 11: The Razor's Edge Chapter - 12: Physician, Heal Thyself Chapter - 13: Escape from Aleppo Section - ii: Afterword by Eleanor Nott Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements

    3 in stock

    £10.44

  • The Man Who Couldnt Stop

    Pan Macmillan The Man Who Couldnt Stop

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisA Sunday Times BestsellerHave you ever had a strange urge to jump from a tall building, or steer your car into oncoming traffic? You are not alone. In this captivating fusion of science, history and personal memoir, writer David Adam explores the weird thoughts that exist within every mind, and how they drive millions of us towards obsessions and compulsions.'One of the best and most readable studies of a mental illness to have emerged in recent years . . . an honest and open and, yes, maybe life-changing work' - Matt Haig, Observer Told with fierce clarity, humour and urgent lyricism, this extraordinary book is both the haunting story of a personal nightmare, and a fascinating doorway into the darkest corners of our minds.David has suffered from obsessive compulsive disoder (OCD) for twenty years, and The Man Who Couldn't Stop is his unflinchingly honest attempt to understand the condition and his experiTrade ReviewClear-sighted and eminently accessible ... a fundamentally important book that will bring a breath of fresh understanding to sufferers - as well as mental-health professionals, and family and friends of anyone who exhibits symptoms of OCD. I urge anyone to buy it. It will make you think again * Sunday Times *A fascinating study of the living nightmare that is obsessive compulsive disorder ... one of the best and most readable studies of a mental illness to have emerged in recent years ... an honest and open and, yes, maybe life-changing work -- Matt Haig * Observer *Combines a scientific account of OCD from ancient times to the most recent research with passages of tenderly written memoir * Telegraph *The Man Who Couldn't Stop is quite simply book of the year, on living with OCD: just buy it now -- Adam RutherfordSuperb... A brave and helpful contribution to deepening our understanding of the intricate complexities of mental ill-health * The Times *Adam recounts his journey with humour and detachment * Literary Review *[An] engaging, exhaustively researched neuro memoir, a blend of brain science and personal history * Evening Standard *This blew me away. Stunning -- Ian Sample * Guardian *An insider's tour of the OCD brain, providing insight into the cultural and scientific evolution of how we view and treat a disorder that affects up to 3% of people worldwide * Nature *A captivating first-person account of how a blizzard of unwanted thoughts can become a personal nightmare. At times shocking, at times tragic, at times unbelievably funny, it is a wonderful read * Focus *A lucid, humane ­- only intermittently autobiographical - science book ... offers a clear history through riveting case studies and the work of key figures * Metro *David Adam, a successful writer, is also a sufferer of obsessive compulsive disorder ... He covers the history of OCD, the treatments that have been tried without success, and his experience of cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT, which was greatly helpful. A well-written, thorough account * Independent *Well-researched, witty, honest and irreverent, Adam's account proves as irresistible as his subject * Kirkus Reviews *

    7 in stock

    £10.44

  • Furiously Happy

    Pan Macmillan Furiously Happy

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisFor fans of David Sedaris, Tina Fey and Caitlin Moran comes Furiously Happy from Jenny Lawson, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Let's Pretend This Never Happened.In Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny Lawson regaled readers with uproarious stories of her bizarre childhood. In Furiously Happy she explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea. And terrible ideas are what Jenny does best.As Jenny says: 'You can't experience pain without also experiencing the baffling and ridiculous moments of being fiercely, unapologetically, intensely and (above all) furiously happy.' It's a philosophy that has - quite literally - saved her life.Jenny's first book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, was ostensibly about family, but deep down it was about celebrating your own we

    3 in stock

    £10.44

  • One Medicine

    Simon & Schuster Ltd One Medicine

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisHas an animal saved your life? Studying Arctic birds helped resuscitate those suffering from hypothermia. An ECG on the 150kg heart of a humpback whale has extended the lives of patients with heart failure.  Understanding giraffes' long necks has led to improved asthma treatment.  Learning how animals survive and thrive has led to life-saving advances for human health. But we still have a long way to go. Intensive care doctor Matt Morgan looks at why animals can be the key to understanding how our bodies work - and how to fix them when they go wrong. 

    4 in stock

    £10.44

  • And Finally: A Neurosurgeon’s Reflections on Life

    Vintage Publishing And Finally: A Neurosurgeon’s Reflections on Life

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the No.1 bestselling author of Do No Harm, an entrancing and uplifting meditation on the gift of life.‘A book to treasure and reread’ Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human BeingAs a retired brain surgeon, Henry Marsh thought he understood illness, but even he was unprepared for the impact of his diagnosis of advanced cancer.In And Finally, he navigates the bewildering transition from doctor to patient. As the days pass, his mind turns to his career, to the people and places he has known, and to creative projects still to be completed.Yet he is also more entranced than ever by the mysteries of science and nature, by his love for his family, and – most of all – by what it is to be alive.* A Daily Telegraph, The Times and Financial Times Book of the Year *‘Magnificent’ Rachel Clarke‘Vividly wry and honest’ The Times‘I admire this book enormously’ Philip Pullman‘Enthralling’ GuardianTrade ReviewHenry Marsh may have retired from medicine but let's hope he keeps producing books as good as this one, which enthral as well as teach. * Observer *[And Finally] is unexpectedly fun, and the author is pretty much irresistibly likeable... diagnoses and remissions are described with wonderful candour... [and Marsh's] discussion of end-of-life care and assisted dying is the best essay I have read on the subject. * Guardian *[Marsh is] deeply reflective, the result is a bit like sitting in the pub with the smartest person you know. * Spectator *Beautifully written... A thoughtful journey into his experience as a doctor-turned-patient, enlivened with a wonderful black humour and a gimlet eye for comforting nonsense... One couldn't wish for a better guide. -- Steven Poole * Daily Telegraph, 5 stars *His dignified introspection is a joy. -- Clare Chambers, author of SMALL PLEASURES

    5 in stock

    £10.44

  • Breaking Through

    Random House Breaking Through

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisKatalin Karikó is a biochemist and winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Her pioneering research was the foundation of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and paves the way for a host of treatments for cancer, HIV, malaria and other life-threatening diseases. Now an honorary professor at many universities, she has been awarded over a hundred prizes, had two children's books have been written about her and a minor planet named after her. She and her husband Béla are the parents of two-time Olympic rowing champion Susan Francia.

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • Still Life with Bones A forensic quest for

    Headline Publishing Group Still Life with Bones A forensic quest for

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisONE OF THE NEW YORKER''S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 SO FARCHOSEN BY FINANCIAL TIMES'' READERS'' FOR BEST BOOKS OF 2023A NEW YORK TIMES BOOKS EDITOR'' S CHOICEHas the makings of a classic. -The TLSChilling and vital. . . sensitive and thought-provoking. - The TimesExhumation can divide brothers and restore fathers, open old wounds and open the possibility of regeneration-of building something new with the pile of broken mirrors that is loss and mourning.In this haunting and poetic account, anthropologist Alexa Hagerty joins forensic teams and families of the missing as they search for the hundreds of thousands victims of genocidal violence unleashed by authoritarian governments in Latin America.In Guatemala and Argentina, she learns to see the dead body with a forensic eye. She examines bones for evidence of torture and cause of death - hands bound by rope, cuts from machetes

    2 in stock

    £12.34

  • Below the Edge of Darkness

    Little, Brown Book Group Below the Edge of Darkness

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA pioneering marine biologist takes us down into the deep ocean in this ''thrilling blend of hard science and high adventure'' (New York Times)LONGLISTED FOR THE SNHN NATURAL HISTORY BOOK PRIZEEdith Widder grew up determined to become a marine biologist. But after complications from a surgery during college caused her to go temporarily blind, she became fascinated by light as well as the power of optimism. Below the Edge of Darkness explores the depths of the planet''s oceans as Widder seeks to understand bioluminescence, one of the most important and widely used forms of communication in nature. In the process, she reveals hidden worlds and a dazzling menagerie of behaviours and animals. Alongside Widder, we experience life-and-death equipment malfunctions and witness breakthroughs in technology and understanding, all of it set against a growing awareness of the deteriorating health of our largest and least understood ecosyTrade ReviewA thrilling blend of hard science and high adventure * New York Times Book Review *A vivid account of ocean life... Stylish, eloquent -- Robin McKie * Guardian Book of the Day *Edie's story is one of hardscrabble optimism, two-fisted exploration and groundbreaking research. As I've said many times, I'd have wrapped my submersible, the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, in bacon if it would have lured the elusive giant squid from the depths. In Below the Edge of Darkness, Edie tells you how she did it -- James CameronTo shed light on a subject is what any scientific book should do. To go into it in depth without losing the reader is a harder task. Edith Widder's subject is light itself - the manufacture of light by strange and eerie denizens of the deep sea - and her scintillating style is worthy of it. This is a book to delight the general reader while simultaneously informing the professional: a book of marvels, marvellously written -- Richard DawkinsMy experience of exploring the deep ocean and its alien life with Edie Widder was fabulous. She enthrals us with many such stories in her book. I recommend it * Ray Dalio *Personal and page-turning, adventurous and awe-inspiring, Below the Edge of Darkness sparkles with the thrill of exploration and glows with an urgent plea for the future of our precious seas. Comparisons to Jacques Cousteau spring to mind, as Edith Widder shares the profound journey of her life -one as unique and important as the unexplored realms of our very own planet -- Juli Berwald, author of Spineless: the Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a BackboneLuminous - the topic, the heroic journey, and the author herself. Dive in with Edith Widder, trail-blazing scientist and explorer, as she reveals the galaxy of light and life in the universe below the surface of the sea, out-shining sceptical male colleagues with dignity, grace and a robust sense of humour -- Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer in Residence; Founder, Mission Blue, Oceanographer

    1 in stock

    £9.99

  • Limitless: The Autobiography: The bestselling

    Cornerstone Limitless: The Autobiography: The bestselling

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe inspirational autobiography of Britain’s beloved astronaut Tim Peake, the #1 bestselling author of Hello, is this Planet Earth? and Ask an AstronautAs heard on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs__________________'What surprised me was how entirely serene I felt. I was weightless, no forces exerting themselves on my body. To my left was the Space Station. Below me, gradually going into shadow, was the Earth. And over my right shoulder was the universe.'In fascinating and personal detail, and drawing on exclusive diaries and audio recordings from his mission, astronaut Tim Peake takes readers closer than ever before to experience what life in space is really like: the sights, the smells, the fear, the sacrifice, the exhilaration and the deep and abiding wonder of the view.Warm, inspiring and often funny, Tim also charts his surprising road to becoming an astronaut, from a shy and unassuming boy from Chichester who had a passion for flight, to a young British Army officer, Apache helicopter pilot, flight instructor and test pilot who served around the world. Tim's extensive eighteen-year career in the Army included the command of a platoon of soldiers in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, deployment in Bosnia, and operations in Afghanistan.Full of life lessons for readers of all ages, Limitless is the story of how ordinary can become extraordinary.__________________'For someone who has literally been out of this world Tim's an incredibly down to earth guy and I think you'll be amazed at some of the things he has done ... it's so inspiring to know that even going into space didn't change him as much as being a parent did.' JOE WICKS'Tim is one of our nation's good guys - and his story is a testament to his courage, kindness and a never-give-up spirit.' BEAR GRYLLS'Full of courage, camaraderie and daring escapades, this reads like a Boys' Own adventure' MIRROR'A fantastic book' PIERS MORGAN'Fasten your seatbelt for an exhilarating read ... His accounts of blasting into orbit at 25 times the speed of sound and floating, weightless, around the space station are enthralling.' EXPRESSBestseller in the UK, Sunday Times, October 2020Trade ReviewHis accounts of blasting into orbit at 25 times the speed of sound and floating, weightless, around the space station are enthralling. Fasten your seatbelt for an exhilarating read. * Daily Express *It's awesome! -- Jason FoxFor someone who has literally been out of this world Tim's an incredibly down to earth guy and I think you'll be amazed at some of the things he has done ... it's so inspiring to know that even going into space didn't change him as much as being a parent did. -- Joe WicksTim is one of our nation's good guys - and his story is a testament to his courage, kindness and a never give up spirit. -- Bear GryllsWarm, entertaining and sprinkled with a touch of stardust, this book is definitely a must-read for anybody who's dreamed of the stars. To infinity and beyond! -- Roaring Bookworm (blog)

    3 in stock

    £10.44

  • Traces: The memoir of a forensic scientist and

    Bonnier Books Ltd Traces: The memoir of a forensic scientist and

    5 in stock

    Book Synopsis'ASTONISHING AND ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING' - LYNDA LA PLANTE'Engrossing, emotionally honest and forensically fascinating' - Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural CausesEVERY BODY LEAVES A MARKIn Traces, Professor Patricia Wiltshire will take you on a journey through the fascinating edgeland where nature and crime are intertwined. She'll take you searching for bodies of loved ones - through woodlands and plantations, along hedgerows and field-edges, from ditches to living rooms - solving time since death and how remains were disposed of. She will show you how pollen from a jacket led to a confession and how two pairs of trainers, a car and a garden fork led to the location of a murdered girl. She will give you glimpses of her own history: her loves, her losses, and the narrow little valley in Wales where she first woke up to the wonders of the natural world.From flowers, fungi, tree trunks to walking boots, carpets and corpses' hair, Traces is a fascinating and unique book on life, death, and one's indelible link with nature.Trade ReviewAstonishing ... absolutely fascinating. * Lynda La Plante *One of those extraordinary books that will appeal to almost everyone. * The Washington Post *There is so much excellent crime, crime scene and laboratory detail in this engrossing book, but also warmth and emotion, which combined with Pat's immense forensic academic work, meant that I found Traces very difficult indeed to put down. It's truly forensically fascinating (even for someone in the field!) while also being emotionally honest and challenging at times. Pat is really to be congratulated for an excellent and engrossing book. * Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes *Traces is proof that real-life can be more startling than fiction. The insights into the natural world are every bit as absorbing as the behind-the-scenes details of forensic investigation, while Patricia Wiltshire's own story is as remarkable as any of the cases she's worked on. Poignant, frank and utterly fascinating. * Simon Beckett *This is a fascinating combination of a moving and human personal story with a real insight into the value of a lesser known area of forensic science. In telling her story Pat makes little of her remarkable academic achievements and her contribution to the Criminal Justice System. An inspiring and interesting read. * Dr Ann Priston, OBE, FCSFS *

    5 in stock

    £9.49

  • Unheard

    Orion Publishing Co Unheard

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE BREAD & ROSES AWARDHave you ever felt unheard by your doctor? Been frustrated that they haven''t understood your symptoms, that they have neglected your concerns?When Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan was admitted to hospital as a patient she didn''t receive the pain medication that she told them she needed, despite her being a senior doctor. It was in that moment she understood that something was deeply wrong with our healthcare system. Doctors aren''t listening, and it is making us ill.In Unheard, Dr Dhairyawan takes us on a journey through history to show how not listening to patients has been ingrained in medicine from its inception. Western medicine has been built on the assumption that power should always lie with the doctor, and that patients should be powerless to decisions made about their body if it is done to make them well. This, alongside the prejudices of society, has led to dramatic gaps in medical knowledge because for centuries people have not been heard.Dr Dhairyawan offers a way to reshape our health system for a future where active and engaged listening is the new frontier in a timely, shocking and engaging exposé of the medical world.

    2 in stock

    £10.44

  • Vital Organs

    Headline Publishing Group Vital Organs

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis...a bracing adventure, and one where our ancestors are not reduced to characters of myth and legend, but real people of flesh and blood. It is through this most intimate dissection that the past is brought so vividly to life - The TelegraphIt''s an incisive book (pun intended) that will leave you with a newfound appreciation of the vessel that carries you through life - Irish IndependentThe remarkable stories of the world''s most famous body parts.Louis XIV''s rear end inspired the British National Anthem.Queen Victoria''s armpit led to the development of antiseptics.Robert Jenkin''s ear started a war.All too often, historical figures feel distant and abstract; more myth and legend than real flesh and blood. These stories of bodies and its parts remind us that history''s most-loved, and most-hated, were real breathing creatures who inhabited organs and limbs just like us - until they''re cut off that

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • Admissions

    Orion Publishing Co Admissions

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis''Sensational'' SUNDAY TIMES NO. BESTSELLER''Extraordinary...both exhilarating and alarming...fascinating'' DAILY MAIL''Wonderful...a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit'' FINANCIAL TIMESHenry Marsh has spent four decades operating on the human brain. In this searing and provocative memoir following his retirement from the NHS, he reflects on the experiences that have shaped his career and life, gaining a deeper understanding of what matters to us all in the end.Trade ReviewSensational...Marsh is curmudgeonly, unflinching, clinical, competitive, often contemptuous and consistently curious. In Admissions he scrubs up just as well the second time around and continues to revel in his joyous candour * THE SUNDAY TIMES *Superb...a eulogy to surgery and a study of living. I didn't want this book to end. Henry Marsh is part of a growing canon of superb modern medical writers...whose storytelling and prose are transportative...His timing is also impeccable...His sentences, too, feel like works of the finest craftmanship, made with the love that goes into both his woodwork and surgery -- Jessamy Calkin * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Marsh is, given his profession, a surprisingly emotional man, likably so. His account of his younger self that threads through this compulsive book is a Bildungsroman in itself. He is also a fine writer and storyteller, and a nuanced observer -- Tim Adams * OBSERVER *The maverick is back, even more blunt and irascible, with tales of thrilling, high-wire operations at medicine's unconquered frontier, woven through with personal memoir...Marsh in full spate is quite magnificent...a master of tar-black, deadpan humour -- Melanie Reid * THE TIMES *Disarmingly frank storytelling. [Marsh] is, in spite of himself, hugely likeable...his reflections on death and dying equal those in Atul Gawande's excellent Being Mortal * ECONOMIST *Epigramatically balanced and almost brutally candid...Admissions offers a reprise of many of [Do No Harm's] virtues, from the elegance of the writing to the undiminished sense of wonder at the complexity of the brain -- Tom Sutcliffe * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Admissions is a humbling read, in which neurosurgeon Henry Marsh shares fascinating facts learnt during his 40-year career as a brain surgeon. He has a deep humanity that resonates throughout * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *Transgressive, wry and confessional, sporadically joyful and occasionally doleful. It is in many ways a more revealing work than Do No Harm, and the revelations it offers are a good deal more personal...Marsh skilfully articulates the subtleties and frustrations of neurosurgery - but there is a deeper examination of death, and an angrier exposition of the shameful betrayal of the NHS by successive generations of politicians...honesty is abundantly apparent here - a quality as rare and commendable in elite surgeons as one suspects it is in memoirists...elegaic but consistently entertaining -- Gavin Francis * GUARDIAN *An enthralling book, unputdownable...it is an exhilarating, even thrilling read, a glimpse into a world we hope we may never have to enter * THE ARTS DESK *Fascinating...Marsh paints a vivid picture of the pressures imposed on a surgeon who is quite literally at the cutting edge of modern medicine -- William Hartston * DAILY EXPRESS *[Marsh] is wise and insightful about the balance and confidence, truth and uncertainty faced by doctors...his insights about life, death and professional purpose are irresistible -- Hannah Beckerman * SUNDAY EXPRESS *I particularly relished his descriptions of the anatomy of the brain itself, as well as his can-do accounts of freeing cancerous masses from their baroque architecture - but I enjoyed (if this is the correct word) still more his willingness to delve as fearlessly into his own, troubled being ... accounts of highly undoctorly behaviour that nonetheless confirms Marsh as the man I would most like to have prying open my skull. Perhaps most disarming of all is Marsh's frankness about his own fears of growing older and dying ... should be distributed to every care home in Britain -- Will Self * NEW STATESMAN *A truly extraordinary account. Henry Marsh's honesty and simple pragmatism underpin an amazing life of tantalising curiosity and contact with the most complex organ in the known universe. I often wonder about the physical structure of my own brain, about the bits that work and the bits that don't. I wonder at the minutiae, those microscopic fronds, the fragile fabric of jelly that defines me, and here is a man who has seen it, tweaked it, repaired it and yet still doesn't know it. It is tempting to try and find a magic in the mystery, but in fact this is a celebration of the magnificence of the brain -- Chris PackhamExtraordinary...both exhilarating and alarming...harrowing but fascinating...It is a privilege to dance with [Marsh] through these engrossing, revealing pages -- Libby Purves * DAILY MAIL *Emerging from his own brusque acceptance of the inevitability of suffering and death is a deep compassion for his patients and their families. It is fascinating to have [the brain] dissected, and with such psychological and clinical penetration, by someone for whom it is horribly untheoretical and immediate -- Jane O'Grady * LITERARY REVIEW *With charm and black humour ... [Marsh] claims that "handling the brain tells you nothing about life - other than to be dismayed by its fragility", yet few memoirs have more sagacity. Admissions forces the reader to confront death, why we fear it and why we cling on -- Rosamund Urwin * INDEPENDENT i paper *Wonderful...eloquent...a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit -- Adrian Woolfson * FINANCIAL TIMES *Marsh is now almost as celebrated a writer as he is a brain surgeon. This, a sequel to his best-selling memoir Do No Harm, is a frank and provocative meditation on failures in living and dying as he approaches the end of his career in medicine * MAIL ON SUNDAY Summer Books *Henry Marsh's Do No Harm was an award-winning and revelatory look at the daily dilemmas of being a neurosurgeon. This follow-up is a humorous, irascible and opinionated look at his early life, his long career in the NHS and his retirement. Candid and curmudgeonly -- Robbie Millen * THE TIMES Summer Books *[Marsh] is clearly a brilliant neurosurgeon, and a wonderful writer -- Helen Thomson * NEW SCIENTIST *This thoughtful account charting retirement and surgical work in Nepal and Ukraine brims with insights - not only on the fraught nexus of scalpel and brain, but on the complexities of ageing and the pleasures of beekeeping, tree-planting and carpentry -- Barbara Kiser * NATURE *Marsh's second book is a fine undertaking... More reflective than Do No Harm... Admissions is an attempt to place in context the professional life of that first book. He is, at times, disarmingly honest... There are deeply moving moments... On end-of-life care and euthanasia, Marsh is measured and convincing -- George Berridge * TLS *Marsh's commitment to truth-telling makes this a genuinely humbling as well as fascinating read. And, like Do No Harm, it leaves a deep and permanent impression -- Stephanie Cross * THE LADY *The eloquent author of Do No Harm pulls no punches in this moving memoir, in which he reflects candidly on his life, experiences in medicine at home and in impoverished countries, the prospect of retirement ... and death * HUMAN GIVENS JOURNAL *His descriptions of his work there [in Nepal and Ukraine] demonstrate again his gift with both scalpel and pen ... disarmingly self-effacing and honest * WASHINGTON POST *It feels like a privilege to spend time with Marsh, an exemplary person with lambent emotions whose fearsome skills and hidden fears are a reminder of how exultant, sad, ardent, and swift life really is -- Joshua Rothman * New Yorker *In this unflinchingly honest memoir, retired neurosurgeon Henry Marsh seamlessly intertwines his life experiences and surgical career. He reflects on both what he has learned by probing the brain, and our limited knowledge of mind, from emotions to consciousness -- Mary Craig * NATURE *Despite the human suffering, it is all heroic, strangely uplifting stuff -- Arifa Akbar * THE OBSERVER *Another superb book on brain surgery by Henry Marsh who has psnt his professional life cutting people's heads open...The prose sparkles with wit and intelligence -- William Leith * EVENING STANDARD *[Marsh] interleaves visceral details of brain surgery with childhood memories and moments of impeccably timed comedy * DAILY TELEGRAPH *

    3 in stock

    £9.49

  • A Matter of Life and Death: Courage, compassion

    John Blake Publishing Ltd A Matter of Life and Death: Courage, compassion

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisIt was a low-level panic at first, but very quickly there were big changes taking place. Day by day, wards were being cleared to make way for Covid-positive patients. Things were getting worse by the day. For the first time in my nursing career, I felt scared.As a palliative care nurse, it is Kelly Critcher's job to look death in the eye - to save a patient while the fight can still be won, and confront life's end with grace and kindness when it can't. In early 2020, everything changed for nurses on the NHS front line. Working on Covid wards and the High Dependency Unit, Kelly spent the height of the coronavirus crisis at Northwick Park hospital - perhaps the UK hospital most deeply ravaged by the illness.She, and many others like her, battled tirelessly in a critical care unit pushed to breaking point, delivering the bad news and fighting the good fight, day-in, day-out, throughout the gravest test our health service has faced since its inception.Kelly's story weaves together her raw, emotional diaries from the COVID frontline with a broader reflection on the truths about a life spent caught between battling for her patients' lives and helping them face down death with courage and compassion. Bringing together the enormity of the last twelve months - and the scars it will leave - this is a book for our times.

    5 in stock

    £8.54

  • Not Much Of An Engineer:- An Autobiography

    The Crowood Press Ltd Not Much Of An Engineer:- An Autobiography

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisStanley Hooker joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1949 and tugged a rather reluctant company into the jet age, determined to give real competition to Rolls-Royce. So successful was he that in 1966 Rolls-Royce decided the best thing to do was to spend £63.6 million and buy its rival. By this time there was scarcely a single modern British aero-engine for which Hooker had not been responsible.

    10 in stock

    £14.24

  • Pan Macmillan The Skeleton Cupboard

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Skeleton Cupboard is Professor Tanya Byron's account of her years of training to be a clinical psychologist. As a trainee, she found herself in some of the toughest placements in her career. Through the eyes of her naive and inexperienced, Tanya shares remarkable stories inspired by the people she had the privilege to treat. Gripping and poignant, this book reveals the frightening and challenging induction faced by all mental health staff and highlights their incredible commitment to their patients.Teeming with daring humour and heart-rending stories, The Skeleton Cupboard is a testament to the extraordinary strength of ordinary people pitted against life's challenges.Trade ReviewMoving and thought-provoking * Sunday Times *A compelling book that will challenge and comfort all who have strived to make the journey from chaos to clarity * Psychologies *Quite simply, I love this book for its candour, wisdom and courage. Mistakes are our greatest lessons and other people, wherever we find them, our greatest teachers. As Tanya Byron describes so eloquently, life is about connection. There is nothing else. -- Sally BramptonFascinating composite case studies of some of the vulnerable patients [Tanya Byron] encountered at a stage when she 'was often just one chapter ahead of them' * Metro *Like the best of psychological cases studies, such as Freud's, these read like compelling, crafted fiction ... powerful, vivid and moving * Sydney Morning Herald *This book is a moving and extremely engaging account of Dr Byron's early days, training as a clinical psychologist. As well as offering profound insights into the human condition it moves with the pace of a thriller. Dr Byron is a great story teller and she has an extraordinary story to tell * Dr Michael Mosley *Honest and insightful ... This thoroughly compelling book does much to combat the stigma that is still, sadly, attached to mental illness * The Lady *Soul searching and straight talking * Jewish Chronicle *

    1 in stock

    £10.44

  • Always On

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Always On

    5 in stock

    Book Synopsis''Delightfully insightful and intensely readable [...] There is an energy and drama to Rory's writing which nonetheless leaves space for us, the reader, to make up our minds'' Stephen FryThe inside story of how tech became personal and pernicious, from the BBC''s technology correspondent.We live at a time when billions have access to unbelievably powerful technology. The most extraordinary tool that has been invented in the last century, the smartphone, is forcing radical changes in the way we live and work - and unlike previous technologies it is in the hands of just about everyone. Coupled with the rise of social media, this has ushered in a new era of deeply personal technology, where individuals now have the ability to work, create and communicate on their own terms, rather than wait for permission from giant corporations or governments. At least that is the optimistic view.This book takes readers on an entertaining ride through this turbulent era, as Trade ReviewA refreshingly skeptical outsider’s view of Silicon Valley and its titans. * Wall Street Journal *This delightfully insightful and intensely readable history combines the personal with the objective. From Jobs to Musk, from Facebook to fake news, from Snapchat to bitcoin by way of Raspberries, Blackberries and Apples there is an energy and drama to Rory’s writing which nonetheless leaves space for us, the reader, to make up our minds. -- Stephen FryCellan-Jones weaves together the broad story of the smartphone era with the personal element. By showing how technology has touched – and altered – him for good and bad he shows how it has affected us all. -- Jimmy Wales, founder of WikipediaWho better to tell us this story than the arch technology storyteller himself? From the first smartphone to test and trace, Rory has seen it all and interviewed everyone. Putting it all together makes for a fascinating and beautifully written story of our times -- Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science, University of SouthamptonMr Cellan-Jones…takes a refreshingly sceptical outsider’s view of Silicon Valley and its titans…The book shines when Mr Cellan-Jones combines these journalistic war stories with personal reflections. * Wall Street Journal *Table of ContentsPrologue PART I: REVOLUTIONARY TIMES 1 'We're Going to Make Some History Here Today' 2 The Smartphone Revolution 3 Facepack: The Rise of Social Media 4 Raspberry Pi: Can Britain Build a Computer? 5 The End of the Human Race 6 Elon Musk and the Triumph of Tech PART II: THINGS FALL APART 7 The Woes of the Web 8 Always On 9 Spinners, Hacks and Hype 10 Crypto Craziness PART III: TECH IN A GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS 11 The Pandemic Arrives 12 The App That Could Tame COVID 13 Fake News, 5G and the Virus Epilogue Acknowledgements Index

    5 in stock

    £17.09

  • Life on Air

    Ebury Publishing Life on Air

    Book SynopsisSir David Attenborough is Britain's best-known natural history film-maker. His career as a naturalist and broadcaster has spanned nearly six decades, and in this volume of memoirs Sir David tells stories of the people and animals he has met and the places he has visited. His first job - after Cambridge University and two years in the Royal Navy - was at a London publishing house. Then in 1952 he joined the BBC as a trainee producer, and it was while working on the Zoo Quest series (1954-64) that he had his first opportunity to undertake expeditions to remote parts of the globe, to capture intimate footage of rare wildlife in its natural habitat. He was Controller of BBC2 (1965-68), during which time he introduced colour television to Britain, then Director of Programmes for the BBC (1969-1972). However, in 1973 he abandoned administration altogether to return to documentary-making and writing, and has established himself as the world's leading Natural History programme maker with several landmark BBC series, including Life on Earth (1979), The Living Planet (1984), The Trials of Life (1990), The Private Life of Plants (1995), Life of Birds (1998), The Blue Planet (2001), Life of Mammals (2002), Planet Earth (2006) and Life in Cold Blood (2008). Sir David is an Honorary Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Royal Society and was knighted in 1985. He is also Britain's most respected, trusted and lauded natural history broadcaster and writer, championing conservation and standing at the forefront of issues concerning the planet's declining species. A lot has changed since his first television documentary, and in this updated edition of Life on Air Sir David tells us of his experiences of filming in the 21st century.Trade ReviewIt's almost impossible to believe that all these things happened to one man... but David Attenborough wears his achievements lightly and there are as many laughs here as there are animals. -- Michael PalinWhat shines through most of all is his enthusiasm - as undimmed now as when he started out. * Sunday Telegraph *An enthralling autobiography from one of the linchpins of television. His life has been fascinating. Attenborough is a master story-teller, and his book is crammed with anecdotes. * Good Book Guide *Life on Air, David Attenborough's professional autobiography, tells the entertaining story of how he turned us all into armchair experts in natural history. -- Douglas Palmer * New Scientist *[An] engaging and often amusing text. * Choice *

    £9.99

  • One Step Sideways Three Steps Forward

    Princeton University Press One Step Sideways Three Steps Forward

    5 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    5 in stock

    £22.50

  • All in Good Time Reflections of a Watchmaker

    Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd All in Good Time Reflections of a Watchmaker

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe remarkable story of George Daniels, the master craftsman who was born into poverty but raised himself to become the greatest watchmaker of the twentieth century.George Daniels (1926-2011) stands alone in modern times as the inventor of the revolutionary co-axial escapement, the first substantial advance in portable mechanical timekeeping over the lever escapement, which has dominated ever since its invention in 1759. Daniels''s love of mechanics embraced not only the minute, however - he was also a passionate collector and driver of historic motorcars.This revised and expanded edition of his autobiography also contains a new section that illustrates and discusses over thirty of the pocket and wrist-watches Daniels himself made over the years.Witness here the triumph of intelligence, ingenuity, matchless skill and singularity of purpose over the most unpromising of beginnings.Trade ReviewIt is a fascinating read about a truly fascinating man, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in horology, or even the tale of rags to riches through hard work and dedication. * Great British Watch Company *This is incredibly interesting to read through, and there are a great multitude of photographs in the book of various timepieces and diagrams of horological components. [...] I found George Daniels’ autobiography to be a truly engaging read and a wonderful insight into the mind of one of the greatest watchmakers of all time, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in horology. * Watch Affinity *Table of ContentsIntroduction Publisher’s Note Foreword 1. All in Good Time 2. Introduction to Watches 3. A Change of Careers 4. Watches Versus Bentleys 5. Introduction to Breguet 6. The First Daniels Watch 7. Developing the Co-axial Escapement 8. Not Too Technical 9. Alfa and Omega 10. Wheels Postscript Working with George Afterword Complete Watch and Clock Production

    5 in stock

    £29.75

© 2026 Book Curl

    • American Express
    • Apple Pay
    • Diners Club
    • Discover
    • Google Pay
    • Maestro
    • Mastercard
    • PayPal
    • Shop Pay
    • Union Pay
    • Visa

    Login

    Forgot your password?

    Don't have an account yet?
    Create account