True stories / true accounts of events Books

740 products


  • Tweak

    Simon & Schuster Ltd Tweak

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR FILM, STARRING STEVE CARELL AND BAFTA AND GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATED TIMOTHEE CHALAMET ‘It was like being in a car with the gas pedal slammed down to the floor and nothing to do but hold on and pretend to have some semblance of control. But control was something I'd lost a long time ago.’Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age 11. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put his life together whenever he needed to. It took a violent relapse one summer to convince him otherwise. In a voice that is raw and honest, Nic spares no detail in telling us the compelling true story of his relapse and the road to recovery. He paints an extraordinary picture for us of a person at odds with hTrade Review'Extremely well written...detailed and visceral.' * Daily Telegraph magazine *'Both takes on this story are riveting, brilliantly written, thoughtful, searingly honest and equally essential. They should be mandatory reading for every teenager and every parent of one.' * Daily Mail *'Raw, powerful, and honest.' * The Bookseller *'Full of jaw-tightening and occasionally grisly scenes of shooting up, deals gone bad, guns and sex, Sheff's story takes off like a shot in the arm with a terse, honest, and spontaneous narrative.' * Kirkus Reviews *'The trajectory of drug addiction is nothing new, but Sheff's lucid, simple prose makes the heartbreaking journey seem fresh.' * San Francisco Chronicle *'A raw and sad account, vivid in its depiction of the pleasures and tunnel vision of addiction and the challenges of sobriety.' * Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books *'Nic Sheff’s wrenching tale is told with electrifying honesty and insight.' -- Armistead Maupin'Difficult to read and impossible to put down.' * Chicago Tribune *'An unflinching chronicle of life as an addict.' * U.S. News & World Report *'The harrowing story of a decade of youthful drug abuse.' * The Seattle Post-Intelligencer *'Riveting.' * Playboy *'Sheff details his downward spiral, and the reader feels his desperation...' * VOYA *'Graphic and detailed memoir [that] painfully depicts the author’s addiction to methamphetamines and his tortuous, tentative journey to health.' * School Library Journal *'You begin to understand how love can miss its mark and spiral toward tragedy.' * Reading Room *'Searingly honest.' * Booklist *

    15 in stock

    £8.54

  • The Penguin Lessons

    Penguin Books Ltd The Penguin Lessons

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisSOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM, THIS IS THE TRUE STORY OF THE UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN A FLIGHTLTESS BIRD AND A TEACHER OUT OF HIS DEPTH . . . ''I can''t remember the last time I read a book that made me smile so continuously'' 5***** Reader Review ''How could a penguin transform so many lives? Read it and see. You''ll not regret it'' 5***** Reader Review ''Delightful, uplifting, enjoyable, fun and beautifully written'' 5***** Reader Review _______ Tom Michell is in his roaring twenties: single, free-spirited and seeking adventure. He has a plane ticket to South America, a teaching position in a prestigious Argentine boarding school, and endless summer holidays. What he doesn''t need is a pet. What he really doesn''t need is a pet penguin. But while on holiday in Uruguay he spots a penguin struggling in an oil slick and knows he has to help. And then the penguin refuses to leave his side . . . ClearlyTrade ReviewA much-beloved tale about a much-beloved bird ... heartwarmingly eccentric.... It's bound to be a hit * Guardian *Entrancing ... the writing is a delight, the story itself so touching that I didn't want it to end. I really loved this book -- Michael Bond, creator of Paddington BearFantastic, fantastic - I have been glued to The Penguin Lessons ... it's so good. A magical story -- Dj Nihal * BBC Radio 2 Fact Not Fiction Bookclub *His tone suits the material perfectly ... you believe every word ... No fool, this penguin. No fools these publishers, who have unleashed such a delightful and charming book just in time for Christmas * Daily Mail *An uplifting true story about author Tom Michell's years as a teacher in Argentina and the penguin he adopted as a pet * Good Housekeeping *Warm and unique ... it's hard not to wish you were there ... a lovely story about a remarkable trip to the other side of the world and a gorgeous friendship between one man and his penguin * The Bookseller *While Michell devotes much of his time to heartwarming penguin antics, he also recalls the less idyllic elements of his time in Argentina, including runaway inflation and a military coup. Michell's crisp, intelligent voice is equally at home chatting about motorcycling through the Argentine countryside and hiding a penguin for the duration of a bus trip. His classic dry British wit provides the perfect counterbalance to the inherent sweetness of the penguin's remarkable devotion. Animal lovers and travel fans alike will find Michell's adventures bright and charming * Shelf Awareness *Lively and endearing ... In clever, entertaining vignettes accompanied by simple yet engaging illustrations, Michell ... interweaves introspection, travel tales, and penguin facts in a charming story that also reveals the charismatic nature of this gregarious and increasingly endangered species * Publishers Weekly *One of the most touching tales we've read all year * Heat ***** *Packed full of funny, heart-warming anecdotes and peppered with interesting details of the political and economic picture of Argentina, this would make a perfect Christmas stocking filler * Irish Examiner *Tom Michell seems like the sort of fellow you'd like to have dinner with sometime. He would no doubt regale you with fascinating tales of life in Argentina during the 1970s: living with high inflation and the collapse of the Perónist government, hiking in the high Andes, wandering the snowy, pine-covered wilderness of Tierra del Fuego. Oh, and he might tell you a little bit about a Magellanic penguin he used to know * Washington Post *A crazy, witty, enchanting story * Woman & Home *

    15 in stock

    £10.44

  • Skunk Works

    Little, Brown Book Group Skunk Works

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe former head of Lockheed''s SKUNK WORKS reveals the amazing story of the secret aircraft that changed the course of history - from the U-2 to the Stealth Fighter. A must-read for anyone interested in aviation, advanced technologies, Cold War history, and thrilling true stories.SKUNK WORKS is the true story, told for the first time, of America''s most secret and successful aerospace operation. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation''s brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the story of Lockheed''s legendary Skunk Works is a high-stakes drama of Cold War confrontations and Gulf War air combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement against fantastic odds.SKUNK WORKS is dramatic and immediate. Direct from the cockpits of these astonishing aircraft - U-2 spy-plane, SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Stealth Fighter. It is a tribute to genius in the unrelenting contest for mastery of the skies.Trade ReviewDynamite - the true story of one of America's crown jewels! * Tom Clancy *

    15 in stock

    £10.44

  • Exposure

    Simon & Schuster Ltd Exposure

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisERIN BROCKOVICH meets SILENT SPRING in this astounding true story of a lawyer who spent two decades building a case against one of the world’s largest chemical companies, uncovering a shocking history of environmental pollution and heartless cover-up. The story that inspired the motion picture from Participant Media/Focus Features, starring Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Bill Pullman and Tim Robbins, directed by Todd Haynes. In 1998, Robert Bilott was a 33-year-old Cincinnati lawyer on the verge of making partner when his career and life took an unforeseen turn. He was taken by surprise when he received a call from a man named Earl Tennant, a farmer from West Virginia with a slight connection to Robert’s family. Earl was convinced the creek on his property, where his cattle grazed, was being poisoned by run-off from a neighbouring factory landfill. His cattle were dying in hideous ways, and he hadn&r

    Out of stock

    £9.49

  • FRAMED

    Hodder & Stoughton FRAMED

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn the aftermath of terrible crimes, the public demand immediate justice. Police and prosecutors rush to quickly close the case. But in Framed, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey unpick the reality. Ten wrongful conviction cases. Twenty-one innocent people. Ten stories with a truth more shocking than fiction.Joe Bryan suffered the unbearable tragedy of his wife''s murder, only to be tried and found guilty of the crime himself - despite being 120 miles away at the time it was committed. Clarence Brandley spent nine years on Death Row, coming to within six days of execution, before new evidence cleared him of all charges. And in the case of the Norfolk Four, police and prosecutors continued to arrest innocent people until not one but four men were behind bars.Impeccably researched and told with page-turning conviction, in Framed, these cases are finally laid bare. John Grisham, the master of the legal thriller, teams up with Jim McCloskey, the founder

    3 in stock

    £18.75

  • The Byerley Turk: The True Story of the First

    Merlin Unwin Books The Byerley Turk: The True Story of the First

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisPresents the story of The Byerley Turk, one of the original thoroughbred horses from which racing stock descend. This book describes the story of the horse and his owner, Captain Byerley.

    15 in stock

    £19.00

  • The Tiger

    Hodder & Stoughton The Tiger

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe gripping true story of the hunt for a man-eating tiger across the forbidding landscape of Russia's Far East....Trade ReviewAn adventure so heart-thumping, it can feel like a spy thriller.An unbelievable tale, expertly told, with a few paragraphs that I would give my eye teeth to have written.Like its majestic and terrifying subject, John Vaillant's book moves with subtlety and grace, commands a vast terrain - and has the power to shake the observer's soul . . . What unfolds, in a richly layered story that partners cunning with sublimity, is a tragedy in several acts and with multiple dimensions . . . The Tiger also counts as a supreme example of true-crime writing driven by wide-angle empathy and compassion. Some readers may choose to shelve it, not among cosy wildlife yarns, but with Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *A tale with memorable characters, a beautifully described setting and moments of startling drama . . . Vaillant's research is matched by the elegance of his writing . . . Vaillant is able to empathise so fully with both human and animal protagonists that it is hard to believe he wasn't there . . . This is a remarkable story, exceptionally well told -- Tim Souster * Financial Times *This masterful account of the terror, death and grief caused by a man-eating Amur tiger in Russia in 1997 is as mesmerising, rangy and relentless as the creature in question. * Sunday Telegraph *Extraordinary . . . a brilliantly told tale of man and nature -- Tim Flannery * New York Review of Books *Few writers have taken such pains to understand their monsters, and few depict them in such arresting prose. * New York Times Book Review *Compelling . . . a superb book - hyper-intelligent, wonderfully well-written, with a great cast, both human and animal, and at its heart, the amazing and truly chilling story of one tiger's winter campaign of murderous revenge -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *The structure of Vaillant's nonfiction hunting tale echoes that of Moby Dick, alternating a gripping chase narrative -- the search, in the late 1990s, for a man-eating Amur tiger in the Primorye region, on Russia's far eastern border -- with dense explanations of the culture and ecology surrounding the chase. * New York Times *This is an altogether different kind of manhunt story . . . . The pursuit culminates in a breathtaking stand-off of man versus cat in a forest clearing - a denouement every bit as explosive and surprising as the raid in Abbottabad earlier this week. -- Hampton Sides * Wall Street Journal *Riveting * Washington Post *By all means read Vaillant's magnificent book about the animal: The Tiger offers readers a shiver-inducing portrait of a predator that has been revered - and feared - like no other animal. * San Francisco Chronicle *Brad Pitt has bought the movie rights to The Tiger, but with all due respect to Mr. Pitt, there's no way the movie will match Mr. Vaillant's book. * Washington Times *An affectionate account * TLS *The Tiger is the sort of book I very much like and rarely find. Humans are hard-wired to fear tigers, so this book will attract intense interest. -- Annie Proulx, Puliter Prize-winning author of THE SHIPPING NEWSThe Tiger takes us on a journey to the raw edge of civilization, to a world of vengeful cats and venal men, a world that, in Vaillant's brilliant telling, is simultaneously haunting and enchanting. -- Hampton Sides, author of GHOST SOLDIERSThis book must be read by everybody who is interested in the conservation of wildlife. It takes you to the Russian wilderness to meet face-to-face with the Siberian tiger. -- Temple Grandin, author of ANIMALS IN TRANSLATIONAn absolutely superb book. -- George Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society & PantheraA masterpiece * Outside *Brilliant * US Library Journal *An instant classic * Calgary Herald *Astoundingly gripping * Toronto Star *Read this fine, true book in the warmth, beside the flicker of firelight. Read it and be afraid. Be very afraid. -- Simon Winchester * Globe and Mail *Breathtakingly exciting * Vancouver Sun *A hair-raising tale in which conservation, madness and even murder collide. * Montreal Gazette *Fascinating and compelling plot * Ottawa Citizen *Not so incidentally, if ever a nonfiction author has used the techniques of fiction any better to recount a real-life narrative, it is difficult to imagine who that author would be. * Seattle Times *Part natural history, part Russian history and part thriller; it tells a gripping and gory story of what it's like to stalk - and be stalked by - the largest species of cat still walking the Earth. * National Public Radio (USA) *John Vaillant is a literary shaman. * Quill & Quire *Enthralling * Christian Science Monitor *An extraordinary account of a tracker on the trail of a Siberian man-eating tiger in 1997. Along the way we get a load of tiger facts and a beautiful portrait of a forbidding region. It is a stunning, lovely, lovely book. * Bookseller *Writing in a vigorous, evocative style . . . Vaillant paints a haunting portrait of man's vexed relationship with nature. * Publishers Weekly *An adventure so heart-thumping, it can feel like a spy thriller.An unbelievable tale, expertly told, with a few paragraphs that I would give my eye teeth to have written.Enriched by sparkling sidetracks into nature and history, this enthralling true-crime narrative takes us on a snowbound search not only for a beast but for a motive. Like its superb quarry, Vaillant's book moves with grace and stealth, covers a vast terrain and shakes the observer's soul * Independent *The structure of Vaillant's nonfiction hunting tale echoes that of Moby Dick, alternating a gripping chase narrative -- the search, in the late 1990s, for a man-eating Amur tiger in the Primorye region, on Russia's far eastern border -- with dense explanations of the culture and ecology surrounding the chase. * New York Times *This masterful account of the terror, death and grief caused by a man-eating Amur tiger in Russia in 1997 is as mesmerising, rangy and relentless as the creature in question. * Sunday Telegraph *This is an altogether different kind of manhunt story . . . . The pursuit culminates in a breathtaking stand-off of man versus cat in a forest clearing - a denouement every bit as explosive and surprising as the raid in Abbottabad earlier this week. * Wall Street Journal *Extraordinary . . . a brilliantly told tale of man and nature * New York Review of Books *The Tiger also counts as a supreme example of true-crime writing driven by wide-angle empathy and compassion. Some readers may choose to shelve it, not among cosy wildlife yarns, but with Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. * Independent *A remarkable story, exceptionally well told. * Financial Times *Few writers have taken such pains to understand their monsters, and few depict them in such arresting prose. * New York Times Book Review *A superb book -- hyper-intelligent, wonderfully well-written, with a great cast, both human and animal, and at its heart, the amazing and truly chilling story of one tiger's winter campaign of murderous revenge. * Daily Mail *Riveting * Washington Post *By all means read Vaillant's magnificent book about the animal: The Tiger offers readers a shiver-inducing portrait of a predator that has been revered - and feared - like no other animal. * San Francisco Chronicle *Brad Pitt has bought the movie rights to The Tiger, but with all due respect to Mr. Pitt, there's no way the movie will match Mr. Vaillant's book. * Washington Times *An affectionate account * TLS *The Tiger is the sort of book I very much like and rarely find. Humans are hard-wired to fear tigers, so this book will attract intense interest.The Tiger takes us on a journey to the raw edge of civilization, to a world of vengeful cats and venal men, a world that, in Vaillant's brilliant telling, is simultaneously haunting and enchanting.This book must be read by everybody who is interested in the conservation of wildlife. It takes you to the Russian wilderness to meet face-to-face with the Siberian tiger.An absolutely superb book.A masterpiece * Outside *Brilliant * US Library Journal *An instant classic * Calgary Herald *Astoundingly gripping * Toronto Star *Read this fine, true book in the warmth, beside the flicker of firelight. Read it and be afraid. Be very afraid. * Globe and Mail *Breathtakingly exciting * Vancouver Sun *A hair-raising tale in which conservation, madness and even murder collide. * Montreal Gazette *Fascinating and compelling plot * Ottawa Citizen *Not so incidentally, if ever a nonfiction author has used the techniques of fiction any better to recount a real-life narrative, it is difficult to imagine who that author would be. * Seattle Times *Part natural history, part Russian history and part thriller; it tells a gripping and gory story of what it's like to stalk - and be stalked by - the largest species of cat still walking the Earth. * National Public Radio (USA) *John Vaillant is a literary shaman. * Quill & Quire *Enthralling * Christian Science Monitor *An extraordinary account of a tracker on the trail of a Siberian man-eating tiger in 1997. Along the way we get a load of tiger facts and a beautiful portrait of a forbidding region. It is a stunning, lovely, lovely book. * Bookseller *Writing in a vigorous, evocative style . . . Vaillant paints a haunting portrait of man's vexed relationship with nature. * Publishers Weekly *

    10 in stock

    £10.44

  • The Secret Life

    Faber & Faber The Secret Life

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of Caledonian Road and Mayflies In The Secret Life: Three True Stories, Andrew O'Hagan issues three bulletins from the porous border between cyberspace and the real world'.Ghosting' introduces us to the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, whose autobiography the author agrees to ghostwrite, with unforgettable consequences.The Invention of Ronald Pinn' finds O'Hagan using the identity of a deceased young man to construct an entirely new one online, leading him on a journey into the deep web's darkest realms.The Satoshi Affair' chronicles the strange case of Craig Wright, the Australian web developer who may or may not be the mysterious inventor of Bitcoin, and who may or may not be willing, or even able, to reveal the truth.

    7 in stock

    £9.49

  • A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of

    Pan Macmillan A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA beautifully illustrated selection of stories about the lighthouses and their guardians found in some of the most remote places on earth.A Financial Times Travel Book of the Year 2023'Illuminating' - The ObserverThere is something beautiful and wild in the impossible architecture of lighthouses. They have been the homes and workplaces of men and women whose romantic guardianship has saved countless lives from cruel seas. Yet while that way of life fades away, as the lights go out and the buildings crumble, we still have their stories.From a blind lighthouse keeper tending a light in the Arctic Circle, to an intrepid young girl saving ships from wreck at the foot of her father's lighthouse, and the plight of the lighthouse crew cut off from society for forty days, this is a glorious book full of illuminating stories that will transport the reader to the world's most isolated and inspiring lighthouses.With over thirty tales that explore the depths to which we can sink and the heights to which we can soar as human beings, and accompanied by beautiful illustrations, nautical charts, maps, architectural plans and curious facts, A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World is as full of wonder as the far flung lighthouses themselves.Translated from Spanish by Daniel HahnTrade ReviewOne of those books that seems made for gifting, it is a beautifully illustrated guide to some of the globe’s remotest spots with stories and vignettes from lighthouses that are, in themselves, miracles of construction and perseverance and monuments to the fundamental goodness of human beings. * The New European *

    1 in stock

    £17.00

  • Waco

    Simon & Schuster Waco

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £10.44

  • Chasing Daylight How My Forthcoming Death

    McGraw-Hill Education - Europe Chasing Daylight How My Forthcoming Death

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERChasing Daylight is the honest, touching, and ultimately inspirational memoir of former KPMG CEO Eugene O'Kelley, completed in the three-and-a-half months between his diagnosis with brain cancer and his death in September 2005. Its haunting yet extraordinarily hopeful voice reminds us to embrace the fragile, fleeting moments of our lives-the brief time we have with our family, our friends, and even ourselves. This paperback edition features a new foreword by his wife, Corinne O'Kelley and a readers' group guide and questions.âœVoicing universal truths . . . shared . . . simply and clearly.â-Janet Malin, New York TimesâœWords to live by.â-Kerry Hannon, USA TodayâœOne of the most unexpected and touching books you're likely to read this year.â-Edward Nawotka, Bloomberg NewsâœAn honest, thought-provoking memoir . . . O'Kelly has many lessons to teach us on how to live.â-Steve PowersTable of ContentsForeword: A GiftThe Bottom LineThe Business of Dying is HardThe TransitionThe Good GoodbyeAfterword: Chasing Daylight

    15 in stock

    £13.49

  • Daddys Little Princess

    HarperCollins Publishers Daddys Little Princess

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe latest title from the internationally bestselling author and foster carer Cathy Glass.Beth is a sweet-natured child who appears to have been well looked after. But it isn't long before Cathy begins to have concerns that the relationship between Beth and her father is not as it should be.Little Beth, aged 7, has been brought up by her father Derek after her mother left when she was a toddler. When Derek is suddenly admitted to hospital with psychiatric problems Beth is taken into care and arrives at Cathy's.Beth and her father clearly love each other very much and Derek spoils his daughter, treating her like a princess, but there is something bothering Cathy, something she can't quite put her finger on.Meanwhile Cathy's husband is working away a lot and coming home less at weekends. Then, suddenly, everything changes. Events take a dramatic turn for both Beth and Cathy and her family; as Cathy strives to pick up the pieces all their lives are changed forever.

    10 in stock

    £8.99

  • Killing Rage

    Granta Books Killing Rage

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis is an account of how an angry young man can cross the line that divides theoretical support for violence from a state of 'killing rage', in which the murder of neighbour becomes thinkable. Over 3000 people have died in Northern Ireland since 1969, and most of them have died at the hands of their neighbours. The intimacy of the Ulster conflict, what it means to carry out a political murder when in all probability the victim is personally known, or lives in a nearby street, is described accurately by an honest participant. The book does not attempt to soften the impact of the events it describes through euphemism or rhetoric. It is a truthful picture of the brutality and waste caused by the IRA's unwinnable campaign, and of its human consequences. It is also a self-portrait of the despair and disintegration, the hardening to conscience and grief, that accompany political violence.Trade ReviewEamon Collins's book is the most devastating account we have of what actually went on within the IRA during its years of 'armed struggle'. Collins revealed the banality, the ignorance and psychotic inhumanity of the little men pumped up into village Napoleons by the Troubles -- Fintan O’Toole * The Independent on Sunday *The most convincing honest book ever written about the IRA -- Jim Cusack * The Irish Times *A moving, even thrilling book... I would recommend it very strongly indeed * Daily Telegraph *

    15 in stock

    £10.44

  • The Lockerbie Bombing: The Search for Justice

    Biteback Publishing The Lockerbie Bombing: The Search for Justice

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisOn 21 December 1988, Pan Am flight 103 departed London Heathrow for New York. Shortly after take-off, a bomb detonated, killing all aboard and devastating the small Scottish town of Lockerbie below. Only one man has ever been convicted of the crime: Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, though few believe that he acted alone.In 2009, a request was made by Libya for al-Megrahi's release from prison on compassionate grounds after he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The decision to grant or deny that request fell squarely and exclusively on the shoulders of one man: Kenny MacAskill, Scotland's Justice Secretary from 2007 to 2014.Detailing the build-up to the atrocity and the carnage left in its wake, MacAskill narrates the international investigation that followed and the diplomatic intrigue that saw a Scottish court convened in the Netherlands. He describes the controversial release of al-Megrahi, explains the international dimensions involved and lays bare the commercial and security interests that ran in the background throughout the investigation and trial. Finally, he answers how and why it happened - and who was really responsible for the worst terrorist attack to have occurred on British soil before or since.Trade Review"Kenny MacAskill was a hero of principle surrounding the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi - the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, who was then dying of cancer. Now he has written a gripping and revealing account of the bombing, telling the whole story with honesty and compassion, as well as a forensic attention to detail. Essential reading for anyone with unanswered questions about the worst terrorist attack ever to be perpetrated in Britain." - Clive Stafford Smith; "This book details the duplicity of UK and US governments who condemned the release while negotiating commercial deals with the Gaddafi regime. It tells of the pressures on the judicial system of Scotland from the global controversy and a Justice Secretary's search for justice. It ends with the most credible explanation yet published of who was really responsible for the downing of Pan Am flight 103. A must-read book by the man in the eye of the storm." - Alex Salmond

    15 in stock

    £17.00

  • War Dog Heroes

    Octopus Publishing Group War Dog Heroes

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom Sergeant Stubby to Antis the radar dog, meet the heroic hounds who put their lives on the line in this inspiring compendium of real-life war dog storiesWe all know that a dog is a human''s best friend, but they are even more than that. The truth is that these courageous canines have been a lifeline for us during some of the toughest times in history. In fact, we might not be where we are today without them.Filled with inspirational tales, this book is a moving tribute to the noble war dogs who supported their human comrades throughout the world''s most challenging conflicts. Whether serving as sentries, messengers or trackers, the dogs within these stories all share three things in common: bravery, intelligence and unwavering loyalty. Many of their efforts were rewarded with medals and titles at the time, but it is their legacies that will live on forever in our hearts. So, dive in to discover just how special, unique and essential to us our four-legged friends really are.

    15 in stock

    £8.99

  • A 1950s Housewife

    The History Press Ltd A 1950s Housewife

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisBeing a housewife in the 1950s was quite a different experience to today. A 1950s Housewife collects heart-warming personal anecdotes from women who embarked on married life during this fascinating post-war period, providing a trip down memory lane for any wife or child of the 1950s.

    15 in stock

    £11.69

  • The Great Post Office Scandal: The fight to

    Bath Publishing Ltd The Great Post Office Scandal: The fight to

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Great Post Office Scandal is the extraordinary story behind the recent ITV drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office. This gripping page-turner recounts how thousands of subpostmasters were accused of theft and false accounting on the back of evidence from Horizon, the flawed computer system designed by Fujitsu, and how a group of them, led by Alan Bates, took their fight to the High Court. Their eventual victory in court vindicated their claims about the defects of the software and exposed the heavy handed attempts by the Post Office to suppress them. The book also chronicles how successive senior managers, business leaders, lawyers, civil servants and Government ministers, at best failed to expose the injustice or, even worse, sought to cover it up, resulting in one of the largest miscarriages of justice in UK history. The author, Nick Wallis, is a journalist and broadcaster who has been reporting on the scandal for over ten years and who acted as script consultant on Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the ITV drama that brought the affair into the national consciousness. As the public inquiry reaches its climax, and senior figures such as Paula Vennells come to be questioned, The Great Post Office Scandal reveals the full scale of what happened and will leave you enraged at how so many of our trusted institutions allowed the saga to go on for nearly a quarter of a century, shattering the lives of thousands of innocent people.Trade Review"An extraordinary journalistic expose of a huge miscarriage of justice." Ian Hislop, Editor, Private Eye; "The definitive account of the scandal - from the journalist who pursued every twist and turn." Mishal Husain, Broadcaster; "Beautifully written. Full of heart rending detail, clarity and insight." Patrick Spence, Creative Director, ITV Studios; "Nick has come to understand the ultimately destructive management culture which pervaded the Post Office from the top down." Tom Hedges, former Subpostmaster; "A tale brilliantly told by Nick Wallis, who has dedicated years of work to establishing what happened, why it happened and calling those responsible to account. I urge you to read it." Rev Richard Coles, Presenter; "Nick's narrative has the power of a great thriller as he lays bare the lies and deceit that has ruined so many lives." Dame Joan Bakewell, Journalist; "we can expect to see copies of The Great Post Office Scandal within easy reach of every lawyer and reporter at the hearing." Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Commentator; "the story of a long-running scandal told with empathy and compassion while deftly explaining the complex, technical issues." Sam Tobin, The Law Society Gazette; "Nick Wallis has written what feels like the most important book I have ever read." Paul Gilbert, LBC Wise Counsel; "One of the books of the century." Lord Arbuthnot; "If there is one new book that everyone involved in running any kind of complicated organisation and everyone in politics should read, it is The Great Post Office Scandal by Nick Wallis" Stephen Bush, the i newspaper

    2 in stock

    £13.29

  • Paradise Road Raving Upon Thames

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    15 in stock

    £14.25

  • Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger

    HarperCollins Publishers Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe autobiography – the dangerous life and wild times – of Sonny Barger, the legendary leader of the Hell’s Angels. Sonny Barger is the Hell’s Angel of all Hell’s Angels, the motorcycle club that has been the scourge of America for over forty years. Sonny was their de facto leader for much of that time, the man who Hunter S. Thompson immortalised in his 1965 classic Hells Angels, noting ‘Barger is nothing short of Winston Churchill when it comes to leading people’. He’s been called an American legend and he’s feared and revered by people on both sides of the law. From the club’s formation in the 1940s to the height of their notoriety twenty years later, from Sonny’s first-hand account of what really happened with the Rolling Stones at Altamont to his periods of imprisonment, from his fights with rival gangs and the police to his own battle with cancer, ‘Hell’s Angel’ sets the record straight. Sonny Barger has ridden with the Angels for forty years, obeying no law but that of the HAMC. For the first time, this is his own – and their own – story.

    2 in stock

    £9.49

  • The Galloping Sausage and Other Train Curiosities

    The History Press Ltd The Galloping Sausage and Other Train Curiosities

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis book captures over 150 entertaining snippets, stories, and strange and unusual facts from an ample supply of railway curiosities.

    15 in stock

    £13.49

  • Londongrad From Russia with CashThe Inside Story

    HarperCollins Publishers Londongrad From Russia with CashThe Inside Story

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe amazing true story of how London became home to the Russian super-rich. A dazzling tale of incredible wealth, ferocious disputes, beautiful women, private jets, mega-yachts, the world's best footballers and chauffeur-driven Range Rovers with tinted windows.A group of buccaneering Russian oligarchs made colossal fortunes after the collapse of communism and many of them came to London to enjoy their new-found wealth. Londongrad tells for the first time the true story of their journeys from Moscow and St Petersburg to mansions in Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Surrey and takes you into a shimmering world of audacious multi-billion pound deals, outrageous spending and rancorous feuds.But while London''s flashiest restaurants echoed to Russian laughter and Bond Street shop-owners totted up their profits, darker events also played themselves out. The killing of ex-KGB man Alexander Litvinenko in London to the death in a helicopter crash he all but predicted of Stephen Curtis, the lawyerTrade Review‘A magnificently emetic account of the lifestyles of the Russki oligarchs…’ Rod Liddle, Sunday Times ‘Meticulously researched…a racy and intriguing read’ Daily Express “an important and fascinating story… gripping” - Sam Leith, the Daily Mail “A gripping chronicle of the decadence, danger and sheer power that defined a phenomenon… thoroughly researched… a compelling read” - Jeremy Hazlehurst, City AM “a racy and alarming investigation” - the Economist

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • Factory Girls

    Pan Macmillan Factory Girls

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisLeslie T. Chang is a graduate of Harvard University and was a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal in Beijing. She is married to Peter Hessler, who also writes about China. She lives in Colorado.

    5 in stock

    £11.69

  • Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster

    Pan Macmillan Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe fire was visible from seventy miles away and the heat generated was so intense that a helicopter could only circle the rig at a perimeter of one mile. On the surface of the sea, a converted fishing trawler inched as close as possible, but the paint on the vessel’s hull blistered and burnt. In the water surrounding the inferno, men’s heads could be seen bobbing like apples as their yellow hard hats melted with the heat.On 6 July 1988 a series of explosions ripped through the Piper Alpha oil platform, 110 miles north-east of Aberdeen in the North Sea. Ablaze with 226 men on board, the searing temperatures caused the platform to collapse in just two hours. Only sixty-one would survive by leaping over 100 feet into the water below.Newly updated for the thirtieth year since the tragedy, Fire in the Night by journalist Stephen McGinty tells in gripping detail the devastating story of that summer evening. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the official inquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of what remains the worst offshore oil-rig disaster to date.Trade ReviewFire in the Night is rare and riveting, among the classics of Scottish reporting. -- Andrew O’HaganGenuinely gripping reading...[McGinty] has an eye for the illuminating detail, both human and technical * The Scotsman *The stories of how survivors escaped from 'the inferno' of the rig are truly heart-stopping * The Herald (Glasgow) *

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • Running with the Firm

    Ebury Publishing Running with the Firm

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisOf course I''m a f**king hooligan, you pr**k. I am a hooligan...there I''ve said it...I''m a hooligan. And, do you know why? Because that''s my f**king job. In 1995, a film called I.D., about an ambitious young copper who was sent undercover to track down the generals of a football hooligan gang, achieved cult status for its sheer brutality and unsettling insight into the dark and often bloody side of the so-called beautiful game.The film was so shocking it was hard to believe the mindless events that took place could ever happen in the real world. Well, believe it now... Almost twenty years on, the man behind the film has explosively revealed that the script was largely a true story. That man, James Bannon, was the ambitious young copper. The football club was Millwall F.C., and the gang that he infiltrated was The Bushwackers, among the most brutal and fearless in English football. In Running with the Firm, Bannon shares his intense and dangerous journey into the underworld of football hooliganism where sickening levels of violence prevail over anything else. He introduces you to the hardest thugs from football?s most notorious gangs, tells all about the secret and almost comical police operations that were meant to bring them down, and, how once you?re on the inside, getting out from the mob proves to be the biggest mission of all. A disturbing but compelling read, this is the book that proves fact really is stranger than fiction.Trade ReviewA must-read for fans -- Natasha Harding * The Sun *Brutal and searingly honest * Sunday Express *An entertaining and interesting first-hand account of a key point in British football history * FootyMatters.com *An amazing account of football hooliganism in its height and a brilliant read * sportsvibe.co.uk *Rather interesting book -- Libby Purves * BBC Radio 4, Midweek *

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Chasing Daylight. How My Forthcoming Death

    McGraw-Hill Education - Europe Chasing Daylight. How My Forthcoming Death

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERChasing Daylight is the honest, touching, and ultimately inspirational memoir of former KPMG CEO Eugene O'Kelly, completed in the three and a half months between his diagnosis with brain cancer and his death in September 2005. Itâs haunting yet extraordinarily hopeful voice reminds us to embrace the fragile, fleeting moments of our lives: the brief time we have with our family, our friends, and even ourselves. Glimpse the strategies Gene embraced to accept and live the final stages of his life with vibrancy and calm - and what his preparations for death taught him about life.This paperback edition features a new foreword by his wife, Corinne O'Kelly and a readers' group guide and questions âœA moving memoirâ The TimesâœChallenging and thought-provokingâ The Financial Timesâœ[A] well-written and moving book.â The Economist.com"Voicing universal truths not often found in business or how-to tracts...[O'Kelly] madTable of ContentsA Gift The Bottom Line The Business of Dying Is Hard The Best Death Possible The Good Good-bye Transition .Chasing Daylight By Corinne O’Kelly Afterword By Corinne O’Kelly . A Reader’s GuideQuestions for Discussion A Conversation with Corinne O’Kelly

    2 in stock

    £11.69

  • Undercover Jihadi Bride Inside Islamic States

    HarperCollins Publishers Undercover Jihadi Bride Inside Islamic States

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisPreviously published as ‘In the Skin of a Jihadist’ Twenty-year-old ‘Mélodie’, a recent convert to Islam, meets the leader of an ISIS brigade on Facebook. In 48 hours he has ‘fallen in love’ with her, calls her every hour, urges her to marry him, join him in Syria in a life of paradise – and join his jihad.Trade Review‘A brave journalist … she has paid a high price for this exceptionally courageous book’ Sunday Express, ☆☆☆☆☆ ‘Reads like a thriller’ Paris Match ‘As enlightening as it is disturbing’ Lire

    Out of stock

    £8.99

  • I Dared to Call Him Father  The Miraculous Story

    Baker Publishing Group I Dared to Call Him Father The Miraculous Story

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisA first-person account of a wealthy Muslim woman in Pakistan who, through a succession of supernatural events, came to know God as her Father.

    15 in stock

    £11.39

  • Fall and Rise The Story of 911

    HarperCollins Publishers Fall and Rise The Story of 911

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe farewell calls from the planes the mounting terror of air traffic control the mothers who knew they were witnessing their loved ones perish From an author who's spent 5 years reconstructing its horror, never has the story been told with such devastating, human force' Daily MailThis is a 9/11 book like no other. Masterfully weaving together multiple strands of the events in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Fall and Rise is a mesmerising, minute-by-minute account of that terrible day.In the days and months after 9/11, Mitchell Zuckoff, then a reporter for the Boston Globe, wrote about the attacks, the victims, and their families. After further years of meticulous reporting, Zuckoff has filled Fall and Rise with voices of the lost and the saved. The result is an utterly gripping book, filled with intimate stories of people most affected by the events of that sunny Tuesday in September: an out-of-work actor stuck in an elevator i

    15 in stock

    £11.69

  • Nobody Loves Me

    Orion Publishing Co Nobody Loves Me

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis''Wow! I did not want this book to end. This story was unlike any other'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review''Very gripping and powerful read... makes you see what can be going on behind closed doors'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review''I''m very, very bad. I don''t deserve to have nice things. Nobody loves me.''Three young siblings arrive at Maggie''s door after being taken into care. Teachers of eight-year-old Bobby spotted distinct hand-shaped bruises on his arm and his dad and stepmother are uncooperative and hostile to Social Services. While they investigate, Bobby, as well as Melodie and Poppy, are looked after in Maggie''s home.As the children settle in, a thought won''t let Maggie go. While Melodie and Poppy are clean, well-fed and immaculately dressed, Bobby is pale, severely underweight and extremely quiet. What looks like a case of neglect is actually something m

    3 in stock

    £8.99

  • Please Dont Take My Baby

    HarperCollins Publishers Please Dont Take My Baby

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisI'm going to love my baby and give her lots of attention,' Jade said. I'll show my mum she's wrong.'Jade, 17, is pregnant, homeless and alone when she's brought to live with Cathy. Jade is desperate to keep her baby, but little more than a child herself, she struggles with the responsibilities her daughter brings.Cathy is worried as soon as Jade arrives: she's never looked after a pregnant teenager before, but none of the mother and baby carers is free, and seventeen years old, seven months pregnant and homeless Jade is in a desperate situation.But Jade doesn't want to listen or advice and although her daughter is born safely it isn't long before Jade's in trouble with the police.Cathy knows that Jade loves her daughter with all her heart, but will she be able to get through to Jade in time to make her realise just how much she might lose?

    Out of stock

    £9.49

  • The Spy Who Loved

    Pan Macmillan The Spy Who Loved

    5 in stock

    Book Synopsis'Compulsively readable . . . thrilling' – Sunday Telegraph'Brings alive a glamorous, swashbuckling heroine' – Sunday TimesIn June 1952, a woman was murdered by an obsessive colleague in a hotel in South Kensington. Her name was Christine Granville – Churchill's favourite spy. That she died young was perhaps unsurprising. That she had survived the Second World War was remarkable.The daughter of a feckless Polish aristocrat and his wealthy Jewish wife, Christine fled to Britain on the outbreak of war and persuaded MI6 to make her their first female recruit. She took on mission after mission, skiing into occupied Poland, serving in Egypt and later parachuting into occupied France.Her quick wit, courage and determination won her release from arrest more than once, and she saved the lives of several fellow officers, including one of her many lovers just hours before he was due to be eTrade ReviewA stunning biographical achievement -- Alison Weir, lison Weir, New York Times bestselling author of Innocent Traitor and The Lady ElizabethClare Mulley tells her story with a bravura that matches Christine's charismatic character * Saga *A fine account of Christine Granville's extraordinary war, told with skill and care . . . Mulley succeeds in making her human . . . inspiring * Literary Review *Compulsively readable . . . Clare Mulley has done a dogged piece of detective work piecing together Christine's ultimately tragic life. Understandably obsessed by her charismatic subject, she has written a thrilling book and paid due homage to a difficult woman who seized life with both hands * Daily Telegraph *A breath-taking story, told with panache and sympathy for an extraordinary heroine. Mulley vividly brings to life not only a resourceful and unusual woman but in doing so helps us understand what makes an ordinary person act with superhuman courage in times of adversity. The Spy Who Loved is required reading for anyone interested in understanding what makes an ordinary person act with superhuman courage in times of adversity. This is a gripping read -- Anne Sebba, New York Times bestselling author of That WomanNot only was Christine Granville Britain's first woman agent in World War II but carried out some of the most daring missions ever conceived. Her biographer Clare Mulley has provided a vivid account of her activities yet maintains a balanced assessment of the results. Careful research has created sustained tension, vitality and immediacy which are truly page-turning -- Gordon Thomas, bestselling author of The Pope's Jews and Gideon's SpiesI enjoyed and admired The Spy Who Loved . . . A really gripping account of the remarkable Christine Granville -- Simon Mawer, bestselling author of Trapeze and The Glass RoomAn astonishing story, brilliantly told. If a Hollywood movie isn't made about Christine Granville's remarkable life, I'd be amazed -- Charles Cumming, award-winning author of A Foreign CountryImpressively researched, and absolutely fascinating. Christine Granville is one of those women you can't help wishing you'd met in real life -- Jojo Moyes, award-winning author of Me Before YouCompulsively readable . . . Clare Mulley has done a dogged piece of detective work piecing together Christine's ultimately tragic life... She has written a thrilling book, and paid overdue homage to a difficult woman who seized life with both hands * The Sunday Telegraph *Mulley writes well . . . This is both a compelling read and a testimony to the work of a dedicated opponent of Nazism. I highly recommend it * BBC History Magazine *Spellbinding saga of espionage and adventure * Vogue.com *Admirable and overdue -- Ben Macintyre, The New York Times Book ReviewOustanding . . . While a few books about Christine have emerged in the intervening decades, only now, with the publication of Clare Mulley's scrupulously researched and expertly rendered biography, do we have a multi-dimensional, uncensored, impartial portrait of the legendary spy – said to be Churchill's favorite – whose forty-four-year existence was filled with more eye-popping adventures than we'd find plausible in any novel or movie * The Daily Beast *Well-written and thoroughly researched . . . One British functionary described [Granville's] dispatches from the field as 'good reading.' The same can be said of Ms. Mulley's biography of this extraordinary woman * Wall Street Journal *Excellent . . . A romping adventure of international espionage, grand plots and sex, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance . . . [a] well-researched portrayal, a fascinating and riveting account of an exceptional spy's exceptional life . . . An exemplary feminist biography, which, without ever slipping into didacticism, takes its subject, her desires and her choices seriously * Haaretz *A dazzling tale * Maclean's *Mulley gives a remarkable, charismatic woman her due in this tantalizing biography -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)Compulsively readable . . . Clare Mulley has done a dogged piece of detective work piecing together Christine's ultimately tragic life . . . She has written a thrilling book, and paid overdue homage to a difficult woman who seized life with both hands -- The Sunday Telegraph (UK)Brings alive a glamorous, swashbuckling heroine -- The Sunday Times (UK)Engrossing biography details the high-voltage life of one of Britain's most remarkable female spies . . . Fascinating -- Mail on Sunday (UK)

    5 in stock

    £10.44

  • Emergency (2nd Edition): Crisis On The Flight

    The Crowood Press Ltd Emergency (2nd Edition): Crisis On The Flight

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisEmergency is a collection of true stories about events where disaster seems imminent. Yet each situation is concluded without loss of life thanks to the skill of the pilots and their crews, whose bravery and resourcefulness have earned them well deserved commendations.

    15 in stock

    £12.34

  • The Exorcist Files

    Hodder & Stoughton The Exorcist Files

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisFather Carlos Martins fights the devil daily. Demon possession is his speciality. Freedom is his goal. The Exorcist Files is about how the devil gets in - and how to get him out again.One of the most in-demand exorcists in the Roman Catholic Church, Father Carlos Martins has been called to the most disturbing and vicious cases of possession worldwide. He has witnessed levitation, paranormal violence, foaming at the mouth - everything you''ve seen from the most terrifying horror movies, but in real life.His book, The Exorcist Files, tells ten of his most compelling tales of possession, from the fire-fighter whose pact with the devil aged eight gave him supernatural strength in exchange for possession, who sprouted fangs during his encounter with the priest, to the witch who lures unsuspecting lonely men to become her exhausted sex-slaves. And uniquely, it reveals the prayers, rituals and secret techniques Martins

    1 in stock

    £16.00

  • Urban Legends: Strange Tales and Unsolved

    Octopus Publishing Group Urban Legends: Strange Tales and Unsolved

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisDID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE KIDS WHO FOUND A FERRARI BURIED IN THEIR GARDEN? WHAT ABOUT THE MAN WHO SUED SATAN? DO YOU KNOW THE LEGEND OF THE BUNNY MAN? Strange happenings, unsolved mysteries and seemingly supernatural events have gripped and shocked us for centuries, passed from person to person in whispers in classrooms, tales around the campfire and idle gossip among friends. Whether they’re based on a grain of truth or a complete flight of fancy, the myths, legends and weird tales contained within this book will take you on a fascinating journey to the outer limits of plausibility, and dare you to believe the unbelievable.

    15 in stock

    £8.54

  • Not Just the Wife of the General Manager: Life in

    Hardie Grant Books Not Just the Wife of the General Manager: Life in

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisNot Just the Wife of the General Manager is a rollicking memoir of one woman’s life on outback cattle stations, and an homage to the many unsung women like her. It was the 1980s and Sally Warriner was in her early 20s when she returned from a backpacking sojourn and hitchhiked to Australia’s far north. But instead of moving back to Canberra as planned, she stayed. After marrying a cattle station manager, Sally lived and worked with him on various stations until she was 50, injecting herself into the lives of the characters who inhabited these isolated places.With wit and sass, Sally tells the story of how she was so much more than just a wife of a station manager (despite what the blokes of the top end thought). Among other things, she was a nurse (dealing with local accidents, assisting the Flying Doctor service and making emergency 400 km round trips through the outback with sick children), a mother (bringing up several children, not all her own), a travel agent, a social secretary, a host and an organiser (including of Kerry Packer’s New Year’s Eve parties). This is a story about adventure, resilience, the unexpected journeys we need to go on to find ourselves, and having the courage to do something for yourself. In Sally's words: 'Life’s like that, fellas. You may spend a lifetime trying to find yourself but, at the end of the day, it’s there all along.'Trade Review'Shining a light on the unique and often bonkers world of the Australian cattle station, this is an engrossing, funny and poignant memoir about one woman's resilience and positivity...' – Hugh Bonneville, actor and star of Downtown Abbey 'A bold and honest writer with a ton of cheek and charm. And a story as refreshing as a plunge into an outback waterhole.' – Robert Drewe, author. 'It's all about Australia – the Kimberley and the Territory... But the real focus is on the people... Sally is a natural storyteller. – Kerry Lonergan, former producer of ABC's Landline 'A riveting and personal memoir filled with poignancy, love and humour...' – Susan Bradley OAM JP CMC '...unputdownable. A strong woman’s memoir full of hilarious, sometimes frightening, anecdotes . It provides an insight into a life most of us will never experience, or could even imagine. I highly recommend it.' – Colleen Ryan, former editor of Australian Financial Review 'A story for suburban Australians-of a life fully lived (to date) with a wicked sense of humour and insights into a life about which most people have no experience. A great read.' – Peter Dowding, former Premier of Western Australia ‘a fitting homage to the unsung women of the Aussie outback, and a cracking read, too!’ – Take 5

    Out of stock

    £17.09

  • The Golden Spruce

    Cornerstone The Golden Spruce

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisTHE AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, FROM THE AUTHOR OF FIRE WEATHER, WINNER OF THE 2023 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NONFICTIONWINNER OF A WINDHAM-CAMPBELL PRIZE 2014''Absolutely spellbinding'' New York Times''Will change how many people think about nature'' Sebastian Junger______________________________________JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF NORTH AMERICA''S LAST GREAT FOREST.On a bleak winter night in 1997, a British Columbia timber scout named Grant Hadwin committed an act of shocking violence: he destroyed the legendary Golden Spruce of the Queen Charlotte Islands. With its rich colours, towering height and luminous needles, the tree was a scientific marvel, beloved by the local Haida people who believed it sacred.The Golden Spruce tells the story of the sadness which pushed Hadwin to such a desperate act of destruction - a bizarre environmental protest which acts as a metapTrade ReviewIn rich, painterly prose, [Vaillant] evokes the lush natural world where the golden spruce took root and thrived, the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest. . . . Vaillant is absolutely spellbinding when conjuring up the world of the golden spruce. His descriptions of the Queen Charlotte Islands, with their misty, murky light and hushed, cathedral-like forests, are haunting, and he does full justice to the noble, towering trees. . . . The chapters on logging, painstakingly researched, make high drama out of the grueling, highly dangerous job of bringing down some of the biggest trees on earth. * New York Times *Writing in a vigorous, evocative style, Vaillant portrays the Pacific Northwest as a region of conflict and violence, from the battles between Europeans and Indians over the 18th-century sea otter trade to the hard-bitten, macho milieu of the logging camps, where grisly death is an occupational hazard. It is also, in his telling, a land of virtually infinite natural resources overmatched by an even greater human rapaciousness. . . . Vaillant paints a haunting portrait of man's vexed relationship with nature. * Publishers Weekly *John Vaillant has written a work that will change how many people think about nature. -- Sebastian Junger'A haunting tale of a good man driven mad by environmental devastation.... [Grant Hadwin's] appalling tree surgery is as vividly wrought as one of Patrick O'Brian's shipboard amputations.' * Los Angeles Times *'This tragic tale goes right to the heart of the conflicts among loggers, native rights activists, and environmentalists, and induces us to more deeply consider the consequences of our habits of destruction.' * Booklist *

    5 in stock

    £10.44

  • The Moth: Occasional Magic: 50 True Stories of

    Profile Books Ltd The Moth: Occasional Magic: 50 True Stories of

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisBefore television and radio, people would gather on porches, on the steps outside their homes, and tell stories. Their bewitched listeners would sit and listen long into the night as moths flitted around overhead. Storytelling phenomenon The Moth recaptures this lost each week in cities across America, Britain, Australia and beyond, playing to packed crowds at sold-out live events. Occasional Magic is a selection of 50 of the finest Moth stories from recent shows, from storytellers who found the courage to face their deepest fears. The stories feature voices familiar and new. Alongside Neil Gaiman, Adam Gopnik, Andrew Solomon, Rosanne Cash, and Cristina Lamb, there are stories from around the world describing moments of strength, passion, courage and humour - and when a little magic happened. In finest Moth tradition, Occasional Magic encourages us all to be more open, vulnerable and alive.Trade ReviewPraise for The Moth: 'Brilliant and quietly addictive' * Guardian *Beautifully simple, authentic, a little bit therapeutic and utterly addictive. It is a joyful reminder of the power of the story and the need for story-telling. * Sunday Times *The stories remain very much in the voices of those who spoke them and thus retain the vulnerability and rawness inherent in the situation of one person, alone at the mic, telling a room full of strangers something personal. * Observer *

    15 in stock

    £11.69

  • Children of Las Vegas: True stories about growing

    Unbound Children of Las Vegas: True stories about growing

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisOver forty million people a year travel to Vegas, more than to Mecca. It is a global celebrity, an improbable oasis, a place offering bank-breaking fortunes and instant gratification, 24/7, with no moral debits. Award-winning writer Timothy O’Grady lived in Vegas for two years. He finally began to understand it when he talked to people who had grown up there, the children of the card dealers and cocktail shakers, the jugglers and the dancers – young people who had been bearing witness to this strange city all their lives. One had her student loans and credit card limits stolen by her father. Another fled a sequence of exploiters until she found herself living in the storm drains under the casinos. There is the boy whose father entered him into a drinking contest when he was eight, the casino owner’s son, the erudite contortionist turned stripper. Each tells their own tale.In Children of Las Vegas, O’Grady renews his partnership with renowned photographer Steve Pyke. Through short essays, Pyke’s portraits and ten witness testimonies, he pierces the city’s glittering façade to reveal the darker reality that lies beneath.Trade Review'These are brave, honest, articulate stories, the children wise beyond their years . . . A modern fairy tale' Martina Evans, Irish Times

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • The Secret History of the Rape Kit

    Random House USA Inc The Secret History of the Rape Kit

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisMarty Goddard dreamed up a new crime-solving tool?a kit that could help rape survivors fight for justice. This thrilling investigation tells the story of the troubled, heroic woman who kicked off a feminist revolution in forensics, and then vanished into obscurity.Astonishing . . . Marty Goddard takes her rightful place as a visionary thanks to Kennedy?s relentless investigation.??Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible BruisesThe Secret History of the Rape Kit is stunning: part thriller, part feminist reclamation, part personal journey, fully a page-turner. How did we not know about Marty Goddard??Peggy Orenstein author of Girls & Sex and Boys & SexIn 1972, Martha Marty Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline, counseling girls who had been molested by their fathers, their teachers, their uncles. Soon, Marty was on a mission to answer a question: Why were so many sexual predators getting away with these crimes? By the end of the decade, she had launched a campaign pushing hospitals and police departments to collect evidence of sexual assault and treat survivors with dignity. She designed a new kind of forensics tool?the rape kit?and new practices around evidence collection that spread across the country. Yet even as Marty fought for women''s rights, she allowed a man to take credit for her work. When journalist Pagan Kennedy went looking for this forgotten pioneer, she discovered that even Marty Goddard''s closest friends had lost track of her. As Pagan followed a trail of clues to solve the mystery of Marty, she also delved into the problematic history of forensics in America. The Secret History of the Rape Kit chronicles one journalist''s mission to understand a crucial innovation in forensics and the woman who championed it. As Pagan Kennedy hunts for answers, she reflects on her own experiences with sexual assault and her own desire for justice.

    1 in stock

    £13.59

  • Goldie: The amazing story of Alfred Goldie

    National Motor Museum Publishing Goldie: The amazing story of Alfred Goldie

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisDessau, Germany, 1939. A 49-year-old veteran of the Great War hobbles over to his sleek, green racing car, hands his walking stick to his mechanic and awkwardly pulls his damaged leg into the bowels of the machine. His hosts, the glamorous young drivers of the Nazi state-sponsored Silver Arrows team, share bemused grins as he rolls up his sleeves, dons an old-fashioned leather racing cap and pulls down his goggles. A few minutes later, to the astonishment of the Germans, the mostly selffunded car flashes past at over 200mph, setting a host of new international records. Goldie moves from the brutality of an Edwardian public school, through the jungles of Ceylon and into the blood-soaked trenches of the Somme. The book follows Goldie Gardner as he emerges into the post-war world, trying to make sense of what has happened, finding friendship and love, and searching for a way to prove himself. Motor racing and record breaking seem to offer a solution, but what follows is a story of obsession that establishes him as one of the most extraordinary record breakers of all time but leads to heartbreak, betrayal and eventually taking one risk too many.

    2 in stock

    £18.00

  • Tough Women Adventure Stories: Stories of Grit,

    Octopus Publishing Group Tough Women Adventure Stories: Stories of Grit,

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisIt's time we celebrated women in adventureWhat does "toughness" mean to you? Perhaps it's being physically fit and mentally resilient. Perhaps it's doing something no one else has done before. Perhaps it's breaking down boundaries and proving what you can do, in spite of the naysayers. Perhaps it's travelling alone, immersing yourself in new cultures and meeting new people. Perhaps it's running ultramarathons in the blistering heat and beating the competition. Perhaps it's conquering your fears.The badass adventurers in this collection are all fearless, intelligent, compassionate and curious about the world - and they all happen to be female. From endurance obstacle races to arctic expeditions, from mountain climbing to wingsuit flying, from horse trekking to swimming the English Channel, they have set the bar high for what women are capable of. Let yourself be inspired by their stories of grit, courage, determination, triumph and heartbreak - you never know, it might lead to something incredible!

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • A Private War

    Simon & Schuster Ltd A Private War

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisNow a major motion picture - starring Rosamund Pike, Stanley Tucci and Jamie Dornan.The book that inspired the film A Private War, based on acclaimed journalist Marie Brenner’s centrepiece profile of Sunday Times Foreign Affairs correspondent Marie Colvin from this extraordinary collection. In February 2012, Marie Colvin illegally crossed into Syria on the back of a motorcycle. A veteran war correspondent known for her fearlessness, outspokenness and signature eye patch, she was defying a government decree preventing journalists from entering the country. Accompanied by French photographer Remi Ochlik, she was determined to report on the Syrian Civil War, adding to a long list of conflicts she had covered including Egypt, Chechnya, Kosovo and Libya. She had witnessed grenade attacks, saved more than one thousand women and children in an East Timor war zone when she refused to stop reporting until they were e

    3 in stock

    £8.54

  • Ultimate Evil: The Search for the Sons of Sam

    Quirk Books Ultimate Evil: The Search for the Sons of Sam

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe true-crime cult classic that inspired the Netflix docuseries The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness and a companion podcast, The Ultimate Evil follows journalist Maury Terry s decades-long investigation into the terrifying truth behind the Son of Sam murders. On August 10, 1977, the NYPD arrested David Berkowitz for the Son of Sam murders that had terrorized New York City for over a year. Berkowitz confessed to shooting sixteen people and killing six with a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver, and the case was officially closed. Journalist Maury Terry was suspicious of Berkowitz s confession. Spurred by conflicting witness descriptions of the killer and clues overlooked in the investigation, Terry was convinced Berkowitz didn t act alone. Meticulously gathering evidence for a decade, he released his findings in the first edition of The Ultimate Evil. Based upon the evidence he had uncovered, Terry theorized that the Son of Sam attacks were masterminded by a Yonkers-based cult that was responsible for other ritual murders across the country. After Terry s death in 2015, documentary filmmaker Josh Zeman (Cropsey, The Killing Season, Murder Mountain) was given access to Terry s files, which form the basis of his docuseries with Netflix and a companion podcast. Taken together with The Ultimate Evil, which includes a new introduction by Zeman, these works reveal the stunning intersections of power, wealth, privilege, and evil in America from the Summer of Sam until today.Trade Review“If the details of the Son of Sam case have always left you wondering if there was more to it, then Terry’s in-depth book will satisfy your curiosity. The Ultimate Evil is a true-crime classic that details one of the most notorious serial killings of all time, connecting the dots to a larger conspiracy.”—Geeks of Doom“This book isn’t just about Son of Sam...It’s about an author who drove himself into the ground trying to make sense of some of the most brutal crimes in American history. Is what he found true? That’s for you to ponder. But I will tell you, I wasn’t able to put this book down—and neither will you.”—Billy Jensen, author of Chase Darkness with Me

    5 in stock

    £14.44

  • A Family Secret My Shocking True Story of

    HarperCollins Publishers A Family Secret My Shocking True Story of

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisEach time my mother laid a finger on me it was another step into the jaws of hell. Her abuse, more so than any other, destroyed me. It was the ultimate betrayal.'Abused from the age of eight by her older brother and then her step-father, Maureen Wood quickly became numb to the constant suffering. But Maureen's world crumbled when her own mother started to abuse her tooA Family Secret is the harrowing true story of how one little girl survived sickening abuse by the people who should have loved her most, and how an innocent baby finally saved her.

    4 in stock

    £9.49

  • Where Has Mummy Gone A young girl and a mother

    HarperCollins Publishers Where Has Mummy Gone A young girl and a mother

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe true story of Melody, aged 8, the last of five siblings to be taken from her drug dependent single mother and brought into care.When Cathy is told about Melody's terrible childhood, she is sure she's heard it all before. But it isn't long before she feels there is more going on than she or the social services are aware of. Although Melody is angry at having to leave her mother, as many children coming into care are, she also worries about her obsessively far more than is usual. Amanda, Melody's mother, is also angry and takes it out on Cathy at contact, which again is something Cathy has experienced before. Yet there is a lost and vulnerable look about Amanda, and Cathy starts to see why Melody worries about her and feels she needs looking after.When Amanda misses contact, it is assumed she has forgotten, but nothing could have been further from the truth

    2 in stock

    £9.49

  • River Monsters

    Orion Publishing Co River Monsters

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisA tale of obsession and very big fish from Jeremy Wade, the presenter of ITV''s RIVER MONSTERS.Over ten feet long, it weighs in at nearly a quarter of a ton. Covering its back are armoured plates made of bone. Five hundred stiletto-sharp teeth line its long crocodilian jaws. It''s a prehistoric beast of staggering proportions; a fearsome creature from the time of the dinosaurs.But the Alligator Gar, an air-breathing survivor from the Cretaceous period is still with us today, patrolling inland rivers, hunting in murky waters shared by human communities.And for Jeremy Wade, described as the ''greatest angling explorer of his generation'', the Gar and other outlandish freshwater predators have been an obsession for all his adult life. With names like Arapaima, Snakehead, Goonch, Goliath Tigerfish and Electric Eel, many of them have acquired an almost mythical status.In a quest that has taken him from the Amazon to the Congo, and from North AmericaTrade ReviewThe fishing fanatic's Downton Abbey... a terrific book * THE LADY *A serious angler with a genuinely pioneering streak, his written accompaniment to the series, now in paperback, is well crafted and, although the species are exotic, the tales of chasing elusive specimins will resonate with all anglers. * ANGLING TIMES *A reflective character with a hint of angst about him, he has a travel writer's eye and a philosopher's mind to go with his scientific background. * TROUT FISHERMAN *

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • My Rescue Dog Rescued Me: Amazing True Stories of

    Octopus Publishing Group My Rescue Dog Rescued Me: Amazing True Stories of

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisMeet the inspirational dogs who went from being rescued to becoming rescuer, in these incredible true stories. You’ll read all about… Toby, the golden retriever who performed the Heimlich manoeuvre to save his owner’s life Liam, the Lhaso Apso–Poodle mix who helped his owner battle an eating disorder Hercules, the St Bernard who saved his owners from burglars on the first day he moved in Alfie, the terrier who gave a bullied girl a new lease of life … as well as many other canine heroes who came to their owner’s aid – whether it was saving them from physical threats, or helping them to recover from mental illness, PTSD and bereavement. These remarkable dogs all repaid the love and appreciation that their owners displayed in rescuing them. Let these uplifting stories warm your heart, and show you that adopted dogs truly are man’s best friend.

    5 in stock

    £8.54

  • London's Strangest Tales: Extraordinary but true

    HarperCollins Publishers London's Strangest Tales: Extraordinary but true

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA quirky collection of stories from London's stranger side, featuring a tiny prison cell in Trafalgar Square, a train disguised as a ship, and a church that's completely the wrong way round. London’s Strangest Tales takes a walk on London’s weirder side with an absorbing collection of curious tales from one of the world’s greatest cities. This fascinating book is packed with amazing things you didn’t know about Britain’s capital, like the fact that it’s still forbidden to run, carry an umbrella or whistle in the Burlington Arcade, and the fat lamppost at the corner of Trafalgar Square that is secretly a tiny prison cell. And did you know that the entrance to Buckingham Palace you see from the Mall is actually the back door and not the front? The stories within these pages are bizarre, fascinating, hilarious and, most importantly, true. Revised, redesigned and updated for a new generation of London-lovers, this book is a brilliant alternative guide to the city, whether you’re a visitor, a daily commuter or one of its 8 million inhabitants. Word count: 45,000

    Out of stock

    £9.49

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