True stories / true accounts of events Books

Book SynopsisFortuitous or not, By Many a Happy Accident is an account of aife of unplanned happenings that took M. Hamid Ansari away from his preferred fancy for academia to professional diplomacy and then be co-opted in publicife and catapulted to the second highest office in theand for two consecutive terms. None of his predecessors, except Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, had experienced this honour. Besides chairing the Rajya Sabha and shedding interestingight on some of its functional aspects, Ansari used the vice presidency as a formidable pulpit to express himself candidly on a range of issues at different times in India''s changing politicalandscape. Their overarching theme was the need for modern India to re-commit itself to the constitutional principles of justice,iberty, equality and fraternity, to the values of a composite culture, and for correctives in polity relating to identity, security and empowerment of the weaker segments of our society.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFashionable city girl becomes rural doctor, giving up dreams for village practice. Memoir details her transformative journey treating physical and psychological issues of patients. Shows impact of globalization on India, with mix of horror and hope in village life.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Most Incredible Olympic Stories maps down the phenomenal journey of this marvellous event through time immemorial from its genesis to its glory days with the lore of myth, magic, and gallantry in every turn of its long walked path, where dirty politics went hand in hand with fair play, the universal the fraternity was welcomed in the backdrop of genocide, a strong woman often denounced of having male genitalia, fair skin dared to disobey White norms, the dark horse failed to surprise and the unpredictable often surprised. Read in 15 languages, Luciano has already unearthed numerous stories of sports that have crossed many skies, unveiling the myths behind them. This time he curates the oldest sporting tale a tale that becomes the narrative of modern civilization.

Read more less

Book SynopsisInside the world of the Jaish-e-Mohammed from the Parliament attack to the Pulwama bombingIn February 2019 one of the worst terror attacks on India takes place in Pulwama in Kashmir. Forty Indian soldiers are dead. But when the NIA probes the bombing they hit one dead end after another. Who were the actual masterminds of this audacious strike? It seemed impossible to find out. In this thrilling and deeply reported book, the award-winning author and journalist Rahul Pandita tells the story of how a team of extraordinary NIA sleuths cracks the case one jigsaw piece at a time. Against all odds, they manage to connect the dots between a seemingly routine troublemaker put in preventive detention at the time of the abrogation of Article 370, a mobile phone full of lustful messages recovered after an encounter that killed a terrorist and the Pulwama attack itself. The sinister roots of the strike, they would discover, are several decades deep and can be traced to one man Masood Azhar and the empire of terror he created in Kashmir. In this book we enter the terrifying world of radical Islamists and secret militant operations, of intelligence agencies and elite counter-terrorism units. With never-before-published details about the Pulwama case, the resultant Balakot strike and the arcane world of terror groups, this is one of the most significant works on Kashmir and terrorism in recent times.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisGustav and Alma Mahler in New York City in 1907: He had been invited to lead the Metropolitan opera; his glamorous wife accompanied him to the New World. Nineteen years his junior, Alma was Gustav's constant companion, occasional soulmate, sometimes his muse, always his caretaker: a woman otherwise restless and unfulfilled. Her husband's life was intensely interior, sporadically alert to others' needs and desires. His energy and idealism were aroused by new surroundings, but fitfully. He remained a chronic outsider, with Alma bearing much of the brunt amid their turbulent New York surroundings. A stunning debut novel from renowned cultural historian Joseph Horowitz.Trade ReviewPraise for The Marriage: "Horowitz is a master of passionate scholarship. His deep historical knowledge blends with his narrative imagination to bring to life the very air his characters breathed." --Antonio Munoz Molina, winner of the Jerusalem Prize; "Joe Horowitz's The Marriage portrays Mahler with more power and poignancy than anyone else ever has." --JoAnn Falletta, music director, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; "Where biographers and other musicologists have struggled, Joseph Horowitz succeeds brilliantly in revealing the inner Gustav Mahler in this powerful and moving novel." --Richard Aldous, author of Tunes of Glory: The Life of Malcolm Sargent; "If we want to get closer to the "truth" of Mahler and his music, if we hope to improve our understanding of the person and his creations, we need to acknowledge the role our imagination must play in the learning process. In the case of Mahler, the essential facts have long been known. What we need now are fresh attempts to conceive what further truths they might contain. Joseph Horowitz's brilliant novel reveals much to us about who Mahler was, what he accomplished, and how he related to his world. Readers will be as eager to study it as they would any biography, and they can expect to learn as much."-- Charles Yuma's, Professor of Musicology, Penn State University; "Persuasive and fair. It is refreshing to see this chapter of Gustav Mahler's biography from an American perspective, written by someone not automatically biased in favor of Europe." --Karol Berger, author of Beyond Reason: Wagner contra Nietzsche; Osqood Hooker Professor in Fine Arts, Stanford University

Read more less

Book SynopsisGetting Into Guinness is the hilarious true story of record breaking attempts, how record obsession has become a global phenomenon, the weird and wonderful characters that set records and the history of the Guinness Book of World Records.Trade Review'A funny and revealing look at the reference classic of everyone's childhood. I read it straight through in exactly 5 hours and 21 minutes, with hourly rest breaks. While balancing a milk bottle on my head. And riding a unicycle.' Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs 'Larry Olmsted is a gifted storyteller who captures the heart and soul of the wonderful, wacky world of Guinness records. As a two-time record holder himself, he paints a vivid and hilarious picture of the silliness and absurdity of the global quest for fame. Brimming with unforgettable characters and delicious stories, you'll want to devour this book as fast as record holder Tom Waes can consume an entire pizza…19.91 seconds!' Ben Sherwood, author of The Man Who Ate the 747 'Getting into Guinness is a full-throttle joyride through the bizarre world behind the records. These people are delightfully misguided, and Olmsted is one of them. But his obsession is his greatest advantage as a storyteller: he goes off the deep end and takes us with him.' Michael Roberts, Executive Editor, Outside magazine 'This book records the minute-by-minute physical agony of Olmsted's own feats while setting records of its own-funniest, quirkiest, most interesting and most practical guide to what is arguably the world's best known book, after the Bible. From Olmsted's many astonishing accounts of record seekers there emerges something both touching and profound-the desire of ordinary men and women to escape the humdrum, to show their stuff, to be noticed and remembered.' Tom Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Man Who Kept the Secrets

Read more less

Book SynopsisOn a Saturday morning in May 1980, Melanie Bowen, a pretty fifteen year old, ran down the stairs of her parents’ home in Port Talbot, grabbed her leather jacket and crash helmet, yelled a goodbye, and then walked out of the front door into the sunshine for what was to be the last time in her life. Never Say Die is the true story of what followed…

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe harrowing true story of a travelling Irish family bonded by love, broken apart by life, and then betrayed by their carers in a cruel convent in Ireland.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOur pets are our family. They love us, comfort us and make us laugh – so it’s no wonder that letting them go is so hard. But amazing and inspirational true stories from Jacky Newcomb show that we will be reunited with them again.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the #1 international bestselling author of The Revenant – the book that inspired the award-winning movie – comes the remarkable true story of the worst mining disaster in American history.Trade Review‘Compelling if horrifying account of the fire and the trapped men is the heart of this yarn, its soul is Punke’s historical contextualization’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Read more less

Book SynopsisNominated for the 2017 Hillman Prize and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights AwardWith this Dickensian tale from America?s heartland, New York Timeswriter and columnist Dan Barry tells the harrowing yet uplifting story of the exploitation and abuse of a resilient group of men with intellectual disability, and the heroic efforts of those who helped them to find justice and reclaim their lives.In the tiny Iowa farm town of Atalissa, dozens of men, all with intellectual disability and all from Texas, lived in an old schoolhouse. Before dawn each morning, they were bussed to a nearby processing plant, where they eviscerated turkeys in return for food, lodging, and $65 a month. They lived in near servitude for more than thirty years, enduring increasing neglect, exploitation, and physical and emotional abuse?until state social workers, local journalists, and one tenacious labor lawyer helped these men achieve freedom.Drawing on exhaustive interviews, Dan Barry dives deeply into the lives of the men, recording their memories of suffering, loneliness and fleeting joy, as well as the undying hope they maintained despite their traumatic circumstances. Barry explores how a small Iowa town remained oblivious to the plight of these men, analyzes the many causes for such profound and chronic negligence, and lays out the impact of the men?s dramatic court case, which has spurred advocates?including President Obama?to push for just pay and improved working conditions for people living with disabilities.A luminous work of social justice, told with compassion and compelling detail,The Boys in the Bunkhouseis more than just inspired storytelling. It is a clarion call for a vigilance that ensures inclusion and dignity for all.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRobert Baer was known inside the CIA as perhaps the best operative working the Middle East. Over several decades he served everywhere from Iraq to New Delhi and racked up such an impressive list of accomplishments that he was eventually awarded the Career Intelligence Medal.  But if his career was everything a spy might aspire to, his personal life was a brutal illustration of everything a spy is asked to sacrifice. Bob had few enduring non-work friendships, only contacts and acquaintances. His prolonged absences destroyed his marriage, and he felt intense guilt at spending so little time with his children. Sworn to secrecy and constantly driven by ulterior motives, he was a man apart wherever he went. Dayna Williamson thought of herself as just an ordinary California girl -- admittedly one born into a comfortable lifestyle.  But she was always looking to get closer to the edge.  When she joined the CIA, she was initially tasked with Agency background checks

Read more less

Book SynopsisA memoir that chronicles the exploits of a flamboyant Jewish family, from its bold arrival in cosmopolitan Alexandria to its defeated exodus three generations later.Trade Review"It Is Mr. Aciman's great achievement that he has re-created a world gone forever now, and given us an ironical and affectionate portrait of those who were exiled from it." The New York Times Book Review"

Read more less

Book SynopsisTo celebrate the 200th anniversary of the mutiny on the Bounty, this is a reissue of Nordhoff's and Hall's classic Bounty Trilogy in one volume. It is a story of drunkenness, betrayal, murder and vengeance - a saga that will be remembered as long as men sail the sea.

Read more less

Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The dramatic and inspiring story of a man and his horse, an unlikely duo whose rise to stardom in the sport of show jumping captivated the nation   Harry de Leyer first saw the horse he would name Snowman on a truck bound for the slaughterhouse. The recent Dutch immigrant recognized the spark in the eye of the beaten-up nag and bought him for eighty dollars. On Harry’s modest farm on Long Island, he ultimately taught Snowman how to fly. Here is the dramatic and inspiring rise to stardom of an unlikely duo. One show at a time, against extraordinary odds and some of the most expensive thoroughbreds alive, the pair climbed to the very top of the sport of show jumping. Their story captured the heart of Cold War–era America—a story of unstoppable hope, inconceivable dreams, and the chance to have it all. They were the longest of all longshots—and their win was the stuff of legend.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Wry and droll, fascinating and funny, by bringing us Alexander''s nether parts this novel gives momentous matters unforgettable life'' - Ross Leckie''Witty, ironic ... and achieves a deeply felt authenticity'' - NEW YORK TIMESWhen his father dies, and he is reduced at a stroke from prosperity to penury, Euxenus decides to leave Athens and seek his fortune elsewhere. As a philosopher and intellectual of some note, he has no difficulty getting a job as tutor to a young prince in the wealthy but utterly provincial court of King Philip of Macedon. The young prince is called Alexander, and the rest is history. Or is it? Alexander conquered Greece, Egypt and the Persian Empire in the course of eight years, amassing a huge army along the way, and leaving behind him the foundations of countless new cities named after him. He proclaimed himself a deity, and died at the age of 33. In ALEXANDER AT THE WORLD''S END, Tom Holt tells thTrade ReviewWitty, ironic ... and achieves a deeply felt authenticity * NEW YORK TIMES *A fascinating, gripping, moving story * THE TIMES *Wry and droll, fascinating and funny, by bringing us Alexander's nether parts this novel gives momentous matters unforgettable life * ROSS LECKIE *Read The Walled Orchard, so you can tell your descendants, "I was there when the historical novel started holding its head up with the rest of literature" * The Washington Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBIG DEAL is the mesmerising story of a year spent by bestselling biographer Anthony Holden in the tough world of the professional poker player. He spent days and nights in the poker paradise of Las Vegas, in Malta and Morocco, even shipboard, mingling with the legendary greats, sharpening his game, perfecting his repartee, and learning a great deal about himself in the process.Poker, Holden would insist, is not gambling. Like chess it is a paradigm of life at its most intense, a gladiatorial contest that brings out the best as well as the worst in people. Its heroes, its eccentrics and is comedians stalk the pages of this remarkable book, along with all the hair-raising, nail-biting excitement of the games themselves.A classic of the genre, BIG DEAL is here reissued with a new introduction by the author.Trade ReviewA very good book and an important addition to the literature of gambling * David Mamet *A remarkable odyssey - part Damon Runyon, part Dostoevsky * VANITY FAIR *The best book about poker I've ever read * Walter Matthau *BIG DEAL is the classic book on big stakes poker. Praised from high and low, all players love this book, and all those wannabes, dreaming of raking in that monster pot, will eat it up * IRISH TIMES *

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book tells the true inside story of the romance between 16 year old Teddie, and Sid Vicious, on the 1977 Sex Pistols Scandinavian Tour.Trade ReviewAn good read. Something a little bit different Once I started reading this book I couldn't stop. There is just something so touching about Teddie's account of young teenage love. Makes you remember what it was like to be that age and falling in love in the way only a teenage girl can! Then of course there is the fact that the young lad she falls in love with is Sid Vicious. It's refreshing to read such a different account of this well known character and I found the book very well written and also very funny in places. It really left me thinking and I will be going back to read again sometime soon.Table of ContentsTable of Contents Chapter 1 TEDDIE 7 Chapter 2 SUMMER 1977 15 Chapter 3 AND SO THEY CAME - 33 Chapter 4 DINNER AND A CONCERT 78 Chapter 5 THE HAWK CLUB AFTER-PARTY 114 Chapter 6 THE HOTEL AFTER-PARTY 128 Chapter 7 SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL 161 Chapter 8 REVELATIONS 174 Chapter 9 FRIDAY THE DAY OFF 196 Chapter 10 THE LAST EVENING IN TRONDHEIM 225 Chapter 11 THE LAST GOODBYE 260 Chapter 12 DESPERATION 269 Chapter 13 NEW YORK 292

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn account of the bestselling author''s first year at Harvard law school

Read more less

Book SynopsisA deeply moving memoir from one of the last children to be taken in by the Foundling Hospital, London.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisMany women become Horse Crazy as girls and never lose their admiration for the beauty and dignity and the wisdom and whimsicality of these remarkable creatures. Here, fifty women offer their stories of the path of equine wisdom and the benefits of a good relationship with a loving horse, from improved confidence (and yes, even firmer thighs) to reconnecting with the world after a period of grief. Includes such stories as: A wheelchair-bound woman overcomes her physical limitations, not only learning to ride but to compete - and win! - in dressage Pregnant for the first time, a mother to be watches a brood mare deliver a colt and gains the confidence to face the arrival of her own child A stresses out executive learns that a bored cow pony can teach her a thing or two One lovelorn woman finds she can learn a lot about men from watching horses

Read more less

Book SynopsisSellafield Stories is the largest Oral History Project conducted in the UK. It was started by Jenni Lister, of Cumbria Record Office & Local Studies Library, and was funded by the BNFL.Through the personal life stories of 30 people who lived, worked and built the complex SELLAFIELDS STORIES tells the true story of the Sellafields Nuclear Plant that has been at the heart of the Nation's story for the last 60 years. First set up in the aftermath of World War II to develop Britain's nuclear weapons, it was not until 1957 that it was given over to nuclear power, kick starting a revolution in post war energy. Since then it has been the site of protests, controversy and debate. Today it is still the country's biggest single industrial site employing 13,500 people.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1943, following the Armistice in Italy, many Prisoners of War were released by their guards but found themselves fugitives in a country over-run by the Germans. One such prisoner was known in Italy as Luigi. Realising that the Allies were not yet in his part of the country, he decided to walk from Padua in the north to reach the front-line in the south. During the course of his arduous journey through the backwaters of Italy he was hidden and given sanctuary by two Italian farming families. In 1949 he took his fiancée to meet them. Sadly, having survived the war he died in 1959 leaving his Italian friends unaware of his tragic death.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIan Shipley has now been traditionally hand-digging graves for 40 years. He was taught to dig the old-fashioned way and four decades on, averaging 114 graves per year, Ian can still be found habitually toiling away in one of any number of locations across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. In Tales of a Gravedigger, the author's first book, he recalls true tales from his early years whilst working at Newark's London Road Cemetery in Nottinghamshire. It is a light-hearted and occasionally amusing look into the life of a gravedigger. From coffins getting stuck to stomach-churning exhumations. From unexpected cave-ins to practical jokes and various other ghostly goings-on. It's an interesting glimpse into a profession that most of us know very little about. Ian has always believed that a grave should be hand-dug. It's more personal that way. For years he has declined to use mechanical digging, preferring instead to keep alive the old ways. In Newark-on-Trent and throughout the surrounding villages of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, Ian will possibly be the last of the traditional gravediggers.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Newark Cemetery 1 Chapter 2 In at the Deep End 8 Chapter 3 The Knowledge 10 Chapter 4 Initiation 14 Chapter 5 Moonlighting 16 Chapter 6 Phantom Digs 20 Chapter 7 The Notorious Mr X 22 Chapter 8 Machine Digging 24 Chapter 9 Class C's 27 Chapter 10 A Practical Joke 30 Chapter 11 Restless Spirit 31 Chapter 12 When the Coffin Gets Stuck 34 Chapter 13 The Old Gravedigger's Cottage 37 Chapter 14 There's Always One 39 Chapter 15 A Strange Occurrence 42 Chapter 16 Three Nuns 45 Chapter 17 Collapsed Graves 47 Chapter 18 Sikorski Goes Home 51 Chapter 19 A Lucky Escape for All 55 Chapter 20 Ignoring the Obvious 58 Chapter 21 The Man who was Buried Twice 61 Chapter 22 Exhumation 62 Chapter 23 Unmarked Graves 66 Chapter 24 We Do the Work; They Take the Credit 68 Chapter 25 Stumped 72 Chapter 26 Blood, Sweat and Toil 74 Chapter 27 Ashes? What Ashes? 78 Chapter 28 Can You Dig Us Another? 80 Chapter 29 An Unpleasant Smell 83 Chapter 30 All's Well That Ends Well 85 Chapter 31 Artic Conditions on New Year's Eve 88 Chapter 32 Peace of Mind 91 Chapter 33 Easily Spooked 94 Chapter 34 Strange People 97 Chapter 35 Cemetery Wildlife 99

Read more less