Search results for ""author simon""

'Witty and geekily eclectic' The TimesAn erudite and amusing exploration' Financial Times'Full of jawdropping facts' Mail on Sunday'Remarkable . . . engrossing' Sunday Times'A pleasure' Spectator'An infectiously enthusiastic history' Times Literary SupplementThe encyclopaedia once shaped our understanding of the world. Now these huge books sell for almost nothing on eBay while we derive information from our phones. What have we lost in this transition? All the Knowledge in the World tracks the story from Ancient Greece to Wikipedia, from modest single-volumes to the 11,000-volume Chinese manuscript that was too big to print. It exposes how encyclopaedias reflect our changing attitudes towards sexuality, race and technology, uncovers a fascinating part of our shared past and wonders whether the promise of complete knowledge - that most human of ambitions - will forever be beyond our grasp.

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The encyclopaedia once shaped our understanding of the world. Created by thousands of scholars and the most obsessive of editors, adults cleared their shelves in the belief that wisdom was now effortlessly accessible in their living rooms. Contributions from Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Orville Wright, Alfred Hitchcock, Marie Curie and Indira Gandhi helped millions of children with their homework. But now these huge books gather dust and sell for almost nothing on eBay, and we derive our information from the internet, apparently for free. What have we lost in this transition? And how did we tell the progress of our lives in the past? All the Knowledge in the World is a history and celebration of those who created the most ground-breaking and remarkable publishing phenomenon of any age. It tracks the story from Ancient Greece to Wikipedia, from modest single-volumes to the 11,000-volume Chinese manuscript that was too big to print. It looks at how Encyclopaedia Britannica came to dominate the industry and how an army of ingenious door-to-door salesmen sold their wares to guilt-ridden parents. It explains how encyclopaedias have reflected our changing attitudes towards sexuality, race and technology, and exposes how these ultimate bastions of trust were often riddled with errors and prejudice. With his characteristic ability to tackle the broadest of subjects in an illuminating and highly entertaining way, Simon Garfield uncovers a fascinating and important part of our past, and wonders whether the promise of complete knowledge - that most human of ambitions - will forever be beyond our grasp.

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BERLIN. JANUARY 1940. After Germany's invasion of Poland, the world is holding its breath and hoping for peace. At home, the Nazi Party's hold on power is absolute.One freezing night, an SS doctor and his wife return from an evening mingling with their fellow Nazis at the concert hall. By the time the sun rises, the doctor will be lying lifeless in a pool of blood.Was it murder or suicide? Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is told that under no circumstances should he investigate. The doctor's widow, however, is convinced her husband was the target of a hit. But why would anyone murder an apparently obscure doctor? Compelled to dig deeper, Schenke learns of the mysterious death of a child. The cases seem unconnected, but soon chilling links begin to emerge that point to a terrifying secret.Even in times of war, under a ruthless regime, there are places in hell no man should ever enter. And Schenke fears he may not return alive . . .Readers raved about BLACKOUT - Simon Scarrow's first Berlin Wartime Thriller'Taut and chilling - I was completely gripped' Anthony Horowitz'A terrific depiction of the human world within the chilling world of the Third Reich' Peter James'Mesmerising. Nail-biting. Unputdownable' Damien Lewis

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The Sunday Times bestseller - a thrilling new adventure in Simon Scarrow's acclaimed Eagles of the Empire series. Perfect for readers of Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell. READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF SIMON SCARROW'S BOOKS!'I could not put it down' ***** - AMAZON REVIEW'Awesome read . . . ' ***** - AMAZON REVIEW'A storytelling master . . . I loved this novel and can't wait for the next' ***** - AMAZON REVIEW'If you have read the previous books, you already know how good they are . . . If you have not read any of these books, then get started!' ***** - AMAZON REVIEWA.D. 57. Battle-scarred veterans of the Roman army Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro return to Rome. Thanks to the failure of their recent campaign on the eastern frontier they face a hostile reception at the imperial court. Their reputations and future are at stake. When Emperor Nero's infatuation with his mistress is exploited by political enemies, he reluctantly banishes her into exile. Cato, isolated and unwelcome in Rome, is forced to escort her to Sardinia. Arriving on the restless, simmering island with a small cadre of officers, Cato faces peril on three fronts: a fractured command, a deadly plague spreading across the province...and a violent insurgency threatening to tip the province into blood-stained chaos. IF YOU DON'T KNOW SIMON SCARROW, YOU DON'T KNOW ROME!MORE PRAISE FOR SIMON SCARROW'S NOVELS'Scarrow's [novels] rank with the best' Independent'Blood, gore, political intrigue' Daily Sport'Always a joy' The Times

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Do your students trip up over long and difficult spellings? Then look no further! How to Become a Snappy Speller is bursting full of useful tips to get your students' spelling needs up to speed! Packed full of awesome activities and hints and tips, How to Become a Snappy Speller will have your students mastering the art of spelling in no time!

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Threats to an organization's operations, such as fraud, IT disruption or poorly designed products, could result in serious losses. Understand the key components of effective operational risk management with this essential book for risk professionals and students. Fundamentals of Operational Risk Management outlines how to implement a sound operational risk management framework which is embedded in day-to-day business activities. It covers the main operational risk tools including categorisation, risk and control self-assessment and scenario analysis, and explores the importance of risk appetite and tolerance. With case studies of major operational risk events to illustrate each concept, this book demonstrates the value of ORM and how it fits with other types of risk management. There is also guidance on the regulatory treatment of operational risk and the importance of risk culture in any organization. Master the essentials and improve the practice of operational risk management with this comprehensive guide.

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WINNER: CMI Management Book of the Year 2022 SHORTLISTED: Business Book Awards 2022 - Diversity, Inclusion & Equality category Good intentions are not enough - real diversity is about change. This book explains why it's our differences and how we combine them that creates true diversity and generates innovation, fresh thinking and ultimately, success. With clarity and wit, The Power of Difference brings together the author's own experiences with the latest research to explain why inclusion is more than just being nice to people, why unconscious bias training isn't the fix we need and why listening to all individual voices, not just assuming that one viewpoint represents a group, is key. Offering insight, analysis and practical solutions, The Power of Difference is a must read for all managers, leaders and HR professionals as well as anyone looking to engage with the topic, who doesn't know where to start. Exploring how to confront bias, question assumptions and avoid generalizations, this book illustrates why diversity should be part of the overall business strategy, not separate from it. It shows how for innovation and diversity to flourish, we must create spaces that are safe for disagreement, not from disagreement. Written in an engaging yet practical style, this book courageously tackles some of the most significant issues at work today.

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From the author of The History of the World in 100 Animals, a BBC Radio Four Book of the Week, comes an inspirational new book that looks at the 100 plants that have had the greatest impact on humanity, stunningly illustrated throughout. As humans, we hold the planet in the palms of ours hands. But we still consume the energy of the sun in the form of food. The sun is available for consumption because of plants. Plants make food from the sun by the process of photosynthesis; nothing else in the world can do this. We eat plants, or we do so at second hand, by eating the eaters of plants. Plants give us food. Plants take in carbon dioxide and push out oxygen: they give us the air we breathe, direct the rain that falls and moderate the climate. Plants also give us shelter, beauty, comfort, meaning, buildings, boats, containers, musical instruments, medicines and religious symbols. We use flowers for love, we use flowers for death. The fossils of plants power our industries and our transport. Across history we have used plants to store knowledge, to kill, to fuel wars, to change our state of consciousness, to indicate our status. The first gun was a plant, we got fire from plants, we have enslaved people for the sake of plants. We humans like to see ourselves as a species that has risen above the animal kingdom, doing what we will with the world. But we couldn’t live for a day without plants. Our past is all about plants, our present is all tied up with plants; and without plants there is no future. From the mighty oak to algae, from cotton to coca here are a hundred reasons why.

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Exam Board: Edexcel Level: GCSE Subject: History First teaching: September 2016 First exams: Summer 2018 Series Editor: Angela Leonard This Student Book: covers the essential content in the new specification in an engaging way, using detailed narrative, sources, timelines, key words, helpful activities and extension material uses the 'Thinking Historically' approach and activities to help develop conceptual understanding of areas such as evidence, interpretations, causation and change, through targeted activities has 'Writing Historically' features that focus on the writing skills most important to historical success. This literacy support uses the proven Grammar for Writing approach used in many English departments includes lots of exam guidance, with practice questions, sources, sample answers and tips to support preparation for GCSE assessments. * These resources have not yet been endorsed. This information is correct as of 31st July 2015, but may be subject to change. You do not have to purchase any resources to deliver our qualification.

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A great collection of fun things to do in the world of Tintin and Snowy.

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Every letter contains a miniature story, and here are some of the greatest. From Oscar Wilde's unconventional method of using the mail to cycling enthusiast Reginald Bray's quest to post himself, Simon Garfield uncovers a host of stories that capture the enchantment of this irreplaceable art (with a supporting cast including Pliny the Younger, Ted Hughes, Virginia Woolf, Napoleon Bonaparte, Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, David Foster Wallace and the Little Red-Haired Girl). There is also a brief history of the letter-writing guide, with instructions on when and when not to send fish as a wedding gift. And as these accounts unfold, so does the tale of a compelling wartime correspondence that shows how the simplest of letters can change the course of a life.

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Unearthing London reveals the almost-forgotten ritual landscape which lies hidden beneath the streets of the modern capital. It is the city nobody knows, a vast and intricate network of hilltop shrines, tracks, sacred rivers, mounds, ditches, enclosures and manmade hills, all well over 2000 years old. This prehistoric landscape, moulded and shaped by early men and women, determined the position of landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. However, it has not been completely obliterated by the concrete and tarmac of the modern city, and Simon Webb traces the forgotten history of the capital to explore what remains of these early sites. He also examines the religious beliefs and mythology of the pre-Roman area which became London and looks at how the legends tie in with the various ancient features of the city. The book also features a guide to walking the ritual landscape today - routes that take in both twenty-first century architecture and ancient mystery. Whether a lifelong Londoner or a curious visitor, Unearthing London will reveal things you never knew about the global city.

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In Simon Armitage's work, there has always been a territory he identifies as 'a twilight zone' where poetry and song lyric converge. He has explored it through numerous enterprises - most recently with the 'ambient post-rock' band Land Yacht Regatta. Many of the lyrics collected here were written for LYR. Others are drawn from Armitage's days with the DIY indie band The Scaremongers, various film and theatre productions including Songbirds and the BAFTA-winning Feltham Sings, and other miscellaneous ventures. The volume's 'Intro' charts these projects and the blurred origins of ritualised language, while its 'Outro' offers contextualising notes and anecdotal insights.Never Good with Horses further demonstrates the rich range of Armitage's repertoire and celebrates his ear for the music of language, harnessed here for the page.

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In this, the first book to take a big-picture view of the entire post punk period, acclaimed author and music journalist Simon Reynolds recreates a time of tremendous urgency and idealism in pop music. Full of anecdote and insight, and featuring the likes of Joy Division, The Fall, Pere Ubu, PiL and Talking Heads, Rip It Up And Start Again stands as one of the most inspired and inspiring books on popular music ever written.

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Edexcel International GCSE (91) History prepares students for the new specification. These books provide comprehensive coverage of the latest Edexcel International GCSE (91) specification and are designed to supply students with the best preparation possible for the examination: written by a team of highly experienced History teachers, examiners, and authors each book provides free access to an ActiveBook, a digital version of the Student Book, which can be accessed online, anytime, anywhere supporting learning beyond the classroom chapters are mapped closely to the specification to provide comprehensive coverage learning is embedded with exercises, source materials and exam practice throughout transferable skills, needed for progression into higher education and employment, are signposted allowing students to understand, and engage with, the skills they're gaining Pearson progression tools allow quick and easy formative assessment of student progress, linked to guidance on how to p

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe New York Times-bestselling author of Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, and Together Is Better offers a bold new approach to business strategy by asking one question: are you playing the finite game or the infinite game? In The Infinite Game, Sinek applies game theory to explore how great businesses achieve long-lasting success. He finds that building long-term value and healthy, enduring growth - that playing the infinite game - is the only thing that matters to your business.

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A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter' New York TimesAn ebullient, irrepressible spirit invests this book. It is erudite and sprightly'Sunday TimesFrom the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classeshere is award-winning writer Simon Winchester's brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things no need for maths, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness?

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WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER 2022 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST — BUSINESS: GENERAL • 2022 AXIOM BUSINESS BOOK AWARD GOLD MEDALIST — LEADERSHIP "Critically important reading as our economy struggles to recover the pandemic's deleterious economic impact that is currently compounded by supply chain issues and the beginnings of an inflationary spiral." —The Midwest Book Review "Provides concrete steps leaders and employees can take to thrive in today’s marketplace, where taking a stand on something important to your customers can become a competitive differentiator."—Forbes Discover an urgent prescription for a new business paradigm—one that better serves humanity and the planet.The global coronavirus pandemic has thrown into stark relief how “business as usual” is no longer serving us. The economic, business, and environmental models of the past do not reflect our current realities. And for our economy—for us—to survive, we need nothing less than a seismic shift in the way we do business.Enter Simon Mainwaring, New York Times-bestselling author and founder and CEO of We First. A decade ago, he showed how business leaders and consumers could use social media to build a better world in We First. Now, after decades of research and field experience at the vanguard of the world’s most successful brand revolutions, he provides in Lead With We a blueprint for doing business better in today’s challenged world.By leading with “we”—putting the collective above the individual, holding the sum above the parts, and emphasizing the importance of the role that everyone plays—you can not only help solve the escalating challenges of today but also unlock extraordinary growth for your business, and abundance on our planet. Timely and compelling, this book’s message is simple: The future of profit is people’s purpose, aligned. Lead With We not only examines why we must all conduct business differently in order to grow in today’s market, but provides the how—concrete steps any reader, wherever they find themselves in the business hierarchy, can take toward success.

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‘The Rattling Cat’ is a rip-roaring tale of smuggling in the late eighteenth century on the coast of Kent. The young hero, Miles, becomes involved with colourful characters and exciting escapades in the cutthroat town of Deale. Miles Papillion has been sent to stay with his uncle, landlord of the Noah’s Ark, a hostelry with a dubious reputation. He is swiftly embroiled in the search for a smugglers’ tunnel that is guarded by a ghostly skeleton. This involves him in alarming situations: being held up in a coach by a highwayman, almost drowning while swimming from a bathing machine, escaping down the revolving sail of a windmill and leading an rescue on the Goodwin Sands. His loyalties are challenged when he befriends the local inhabitants ~ saints and sinners ~ each, in some way, connected with the ‘Wicked Trade’.

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In this comprehensive and newly-updated guide to Yorkshire brewing, renowned beer writer Simon Jenkins trawls the length and breadth of Britain’s biggest (and best) county seeking out the brewers old and new, large and small, which between them have created an astonishing beer scene. From fiercely traditional brewers producing time-honoured beers in slate Yorkshire squares, to the new-wave craft brewers embracing a dizzying variety of imported hops; from the ancient brewer hemmed in by a tight knot of cobbled streets to the brewery founded in a garden shed as a lockdown project – Simon found them all. This entertaining journey around the county lists every brewery Simon could find – more than 180 – and chronicles the resilience which these businesses showed when faced with the pandemic and the closure of the hospitality industry. We learn about some of the very best beers the county has to offer, meet lots of the brewers, and discover the extraordinary measures which many took to survive the challenges of Covid-19 and some of the best places to drink them.

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Imagine you are standing in a line. Your father is behind you, his father behind him, his father behind him, his father behind him and so on back 1000 generations.... This group of people wouldn't fill the average pop concert venue, yet the last man in the line would have lived in around 30,000BC. What would each man in the line look like? Where would he live? Who else would he be the ancestor of? Discovery of this lineage cannot be found in church records, census documents, ancient histories or hieroglyphics. This knowledge is found within your own DNA. It is encrypted into the genetic code that each of us carry. In unlocking that code, we can go on a journey through time back to the very beginning of human history. This book begins with one such line. An old Irish family (Keegan or Clann MacAodhagain) with a Celtic pedigree. In it we discover kings, shamans, sorcerers, fathers of entire nations - and the first King of the Celts. For the first time, a single family's origins is traced back to our most distant ancestors. This is the story of a DNA journey that began with looking for information on a simple stone mason, and ended up with the discovery of the first king of the Celts and a bloodline back to the start of human history. Simon Keegan (author of Pennine Dragon and The Lost Book of King Arthur) was researching his family history but he reached an obstacle that could not be negotiated through the usual Family Tree Detective methods - of tracking down census documents and marriage certificates. So instead he took a series of DNA tests and working with other Keegans around the world, he demonstrated how a family can trace its family history not just back to their clan founder about a thousand years ago, but to the very beginning of human history - and he shows how you might be able to do the same.

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Tony Judt decided to write Postwar in 1989, the year the collapse of the Soviet Union provided European history with a rare example of a clearly-signposted ‘end of an era’. It's scarcely surprising, then, that the great virtue of Judt's book is the clarity and the breadth of its account of postwar Europe. His book coalesces around one central theme: the idea that the whole of the history of this period can be explained as an unravelling of the consequences of World War II. A bold claim, but Judt’s exceptional ability to create strong, well-structured, inclusive arguments allows him to pull it off convincingly. Judt’s work is also a fine example of creative thinking, in that he excels in connecting things together in new and interesting ways. This virtue extends from his unusual ability to combine the best elements of the Anglo-American and the French historiographical traditions – the latter informing his strong interest in the importance of cultural history – to his unwillingness to allow himself to be constrained by historical category and ultimately to his linguistic abilities. Postwar is, above all, a triumph of integration, something that is only made possible by its author's flair for creating strong, persuasive arguments.

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Selwyn Francis Edge, invariably known simply as ‘SF’, was a highly significant pioneer of motoring in Britain. When, in 1902, he drove a Napier to victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup, a mighty event on public roads between Paris in France and Innsbruck in Austria, he initiated serious British endeavour in motor racing. He was deeply involved in the birth of Brooklands, setting a 24-hour solo driving record there when the circuit opened in 1907. As a towering industry figure most closely associated with Napier and AC Cars, he played an important role in the growth of car manufacture in Britain. In the words of ‘Bentley Boy’ S.C.H. ‘Sammy’ Davis, ‘His keen grey eyes, the bushy eyebrows and the hawk-like face… made him a notable figure in any assembly.’ This biography uncovers the life of an extraordinary man whose achievements deserve to be far more widely recognised.

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Scilly Birding is a humorous account of the passion, joys, highs and lows experienced by a dedicated bird enthusiast in his pursuit of an experience with rare birds on the Isles of Scilly.

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There have been many books about Birmingham's history but this one is different. It is based on the archaeological evidence from the first major excavations to be carried out in Birmingham city centre. The book is written in a lively, accessible style and contains over 100 illustrations, most in colour. It provides new evidence of Birmingham's origins and its growth as a market town and industrial centre in the medieval period. The book also offers a new perspective on the transformation of Birmingham into 'the first manufacturing town in the world' in the 18th and 19th centuries. A large part of the book is devoted to the excavation of St. Martin's Churchyard, which uncovered 857 burials - in simple graves and elaborate tombs - of the people who made the Industrial Revolution. The burials are explored in fascinating detail, together with analysis of the health of the population based on scientific study of the skeletons. New research reveals intimate details of the lives of the men and women of the town of a thousand trades. If you are interested in the history of Birmingham, this book is essential reading.

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Simon Hopkinson loves food and he knows how to cook it. The Good Cook is the result of over 40 years' experience and is based on Simon's belief that a good cook loves eating as much as cooking. How the ingredients you choose and the way you cook them will turn a good recipe into a great dish. That a cheap cut of meat cooked with care can taste as nice as a choice cut prepared by indifferent hands.Structured around Simon's passion for good ingredients (Anchovy and Aubergine, Cheese and Wine, Smoked and Salted Fish, Ham, Bacon and A Little Pig) and written with Simon's trademark perfectionism and precision, this is a cookbook that you will cherish for life.

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What was a merchant seaman's life like in the past, what experiences would he have had, what were the ships like that he sailed in, and what risks did he run? Was he shipwrecked, rewarded for bravery, or punished? And how can you find out about an ancestor who was a member of the long British maritime tradition? Simon Wills's concise and informative historical guide takes the reader and researcher through the fascinating story of Britain's merchant service, and he shows you how to trace individual men and women and gain an insight into their lives. In a series of short, information-packed chapters he explains the expansion of Britain's global maritime trade and the fleets of merchant ships that sustained it in peace and war. He describes the lives, duties and tribulations of the generations of crews who sailed in these ships, whether as ordinary seamen or as officers, stewards, engineers and a myriad of other roles. And he identifies the websites you can explore, the archives, records and books you can read, and the places you can visit in order to gain an understanding of what your seagoing ancestor did and the world he knew. Simon Wills's practical handbook will be essential reading and reference for anyone who is keen to discover for themselves the secrets of our maritime past and of the crewmembers and ships that were part of it.

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This concise guide to naval history and naval records is essential reading and reference for anyone researching the fascinating story of Britain's Navy and the men and women who served in it. Whether you are interested in the career of an individual seaman, finding out about a medal winner or just want to know more about a particular ship, campaign or operation, this book will point you in the right direction.Simon Fowler assumes the reader has little prior knowledge of the Navy and its history. His book shows you how to trace an officer, petty officer or rating from the seventeenth century up to the 1960s using records at the National Archives and elsewhere.The book also covers the specialist and auxiliary services associated with the Navy - among them the Royal Marines, the Fleet Air Arm, the naval dockyards, the WRNS and the Fleet Auxiliary. In each section he explains which records survive, where they can be found and how they can be used for research. He also recommends resources available online as well as books and memoirs.His handbook is a valuable research tool for anyone who is keen to find out about the career of an ancestor who served in the Royal Navy or was connected with it. Simon Fowler is a leading authority on military and family history and a prolific writer on these subjects. He once edited the National Archives' family history magazine Ancestors. For nearly 20 years he was an archivist at the Public Record Office (now The National Archives). As well as publishing many articles in magazines and journals, he has written several well-known books on military and family history, including: Tracing Your Army Ancestors, A Guide to Military Historyon the Internet and Tracing Your Ancestors. He is also a professional researcher - find out more at www.history-man.co.uk.

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* Don't miss 'THE CHEMISTRY OF DEATH' TV SERIES - now streaming on Paramount+ * Adapted from The Chemistry of Death and Written in Bone - starring Harry Treadaway as Dr David HunterA killer on the loose. A murder disguised as an accident . . . As a favour to a colleague, Dr David Hunter is on the remote Hebridean island of Runa to inspect a grisly discovery. He's familiar with death in all its guises but is shocked by what he finds: a body, incinerated but for the feet and a single hand.It appears to be a textbook case of spontaneous human combustion.The local police are certain it's an accidental death but to Hunter the scorched remains suggest otherwise,And as the isolated community considers the enormity of Hunter's findings, a catastrophic storm hits the island. The power goes down, communication with the outside world ceases . . .And the killing begins in earnest.

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Since the first performance of the first opera in 1600, operas have been telling stories from myth and history. This book - beginning with the Creation and ending in the present day - is a chronology of myth and history as told in opera. Over 260 paintings and photographs, most in colour, accompany the narrative. Why were particular myths and historical events important at particular times? Why were the same myths and historical events told in radically different ways? In seeking answers to these questions, this book charts how the modern West migrated from autocracy towards liberal democracy, from theocratic absolutism towards tolerant pluralism, from sexism towards gender equality. It traces growing scepticism about religiously inspired warfare and colonial empire building. Unlike anything previously published, this is a book for lovers of history and the arts, and for anyone interested in how the western world of today came into being. By exploring a bewitchingly beautiful art form, it chronicles a sequence of extraordinary transformations: the political, religious and social revolutions that created the modern West.

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Those They Called Idiots traces the little-known lives of people with learning disabilities from the communities of eighteenth-century England to the nineteenth-century asylum and care in today's society. Using evidence from civil and criminal court-rooms, joke books, slang dictionaries, novels, art and caricature, it explores the explosive intermingling of ideas about intelligence and race, while bringing into sharp focus the lives of people often seen as the most marginalized in society.

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Artists’ Corner in St Paul’s Cathedral is the final resting place for some of the greatest artists working in the United Kingdom, including Turner, Leighton and Millais. British painters of the 19th century are shoulder to shoulder with artists from America and Continental Europe who made Britain their home and helped to shape national taste. Artists’ Corner reflects a golden age of artistic production, when the visual arts were central to British cultural pride and identity, when the funerals of the cultural figures were occasions of national mourning, and their achievements were marked with monuments and enduring plaques. All of the painters and sculptors memorialised in Artists’ Corner are brought together in this guide, with references to some of their master works which chart a trajectory from history painting to the arrival of impressionism and abstraction in the 20th century.

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'A beautiful and clever book about being human' Russell BrandCOMEDY. TRAGEDY. THERAPY. Simon Amstell did his first stand-up gig at the age of thirteen. His parents had just divorced and puberty was confusing. Trying to be funny solved everything. HELP is the hilarious and heartbreaking account of Simon’s ongoing compulsion to reveal his entire self on stage. To tell the truth so it can’t hurt him any more. Loneliness, anxiety, depression – this book has it all. And more. From a complicated childhood in Essex to an Ayahuasca-led epiphany in the Amazon rainforest, this story will make you laugh, cry and then feel happier than you’ve ever been.

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'The order was brutal, its message unequivocal – kill the men, women and children of what is now Scotland and don’t shed a tear for any of them.' - The Scotsman The SpectatorSince 1975 much new archaeological evidence has come to light to illuminate the immense undertaking of Septimius Severus’ campaigns in Scotland, allowing for the first time the true story of this savage invasion to be told. In the early 3rd century Severus, the ageing Roman emperor, launched an immense ‘shock and awe’ assault on Scotland that was so savage it resulted in eighty years of peace at Rome’s most troublesome border. The book shows how his force of 50,000 troops, supported by the fleet, hacked their way through the Maeatae around the former Antonine Wall and then pressed on into Caledonian territory up to the Moray Firth. Severus was the first of the great reforming emperors of the Roman military, and his reforms are explained in the context of how he concentrated power around the imperial throne. There is also an in-depth look at the political, economic and social developments that occurred in the Province. This book will particularly appeal to those who are keen to learn more about the narrative of Rome’s military presence in Britain, and especially the great campaigns of which Severus’ assault on Scotland is the best example.

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The son of a former slave, Pertinax was the Roman Emperor who proved that no matter how lowly your birth, you could rise to the very top through hard work, grit and determination. Born in AD 126, he made a late career change from working as a grammar teacher to a position in the army. As he moved up the ranks and further along the aristocratic cursus honorum, he took on many of the most important postings in the Empire, from senior military roles in fractious Britain, the Marcomannic Wars on the Danube, to the Parthian Wars in the east. He held governorships in key provinces, and later consulships in Rome itself. When Emperor Commodus was assassinated on New Year's Eve AD 192/193, the Praetorian Guard alighted on Pertinax to become the new Emperor, expecting a pliable puppet who would favour them with great wealth. But Pertinax was nothing of the sort and when he then attempted to reform the Guard, he was assassinated. His death triggered the beginning of the Year of the Five Emperors' from which Septimius Severus, Pertinax's former mentoree, became the ultimate victor and founder of the Severan Dynasty. This previously untold story brings a fascinating and important figure out of the shadows. A self made everyman, a man of principle and ambition, a role model respected by his contemporaries who styled himself on his philosophising predecessor and sometime champion Marcus Aurelius, Pertinax's remarkable story offers a unique and panoramic insight into the late 2nd century AD Principate Empire.

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What is shame and where does it come from? How can we break free and help others held in its vice-like grip? And what is the gospel when shame is the problem? Shame, humiliation and stigma are all around us. Online shaming reminds us of the power of shame, the crisis of self-worth, the weight of judgement and the need for freedom. At the same time, people are becoming less responsive to gospel messages about guilt, morality and sin. If we want to reach those around us and bring healing to their hurts, we need to speak their language: the language of shame. This book helps Christians to introduce 'shame thinking' into their own lives and the lives of those they disciple and evangelize. Above all, it shows how God's freedom can release anyone suffering from the debilitating grip of shame. Introduction: Reputation ruined - what shame looks like 1 Identity, perception, judgement, and the horizontal nature of shame - case study from Genesis 2 Shame examined - what exactly is shame and how does it relate to guilt? Helpful emotion but also profoundly destructive 3 Who do you think you are? Shame in relation to identity: fig leaves and Instagram 4 Shame and the cross - flipping the script; putting shame to shame. How Jesus dealt with shame 5 'Disposing' of the shameful body - hiding, distancing, laughter, etc. Cultural perceptions 6 A new life. The role of the church - a brand new social community for the shamed 7 Putting our house in order before we help others: practical application 8 Reaching out to the shamed: practical application

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What were the principal causes of death in the past? Could your ancestor have been affected? How was disease investigated and treated, and what did our ancestors think about the illnesses and the accidents that might befall them? Simon Wills's fascinating survey of the diseases that had an impact on their lives seeks to answer these questions. His graphic, detailed account offers an unusual and informative view of the threats that our ancestors lived with and died of. He describes the common causes of death - cancer, cholera, dysentery, influenza, malaria, scurvy, smallpox, stroke, tuberculosis, typhus, yellow fever, venereal disease and the afflictions of old age. Alcoholism is included, as are childbirth and childhood infections, heart disease, mental illness and dementia. Accidents feature prominently - road and rail accidents, accidents at work - and death through addiction and abuse is covered as well as death through violence and war. Simon Wills's work gives a vivid picture of the hazards our ancestors faced and their understanding of them. It also reveals how life and death have changed over the centuries, how medical science has advanced so that some once-mortal illnesses are now curable while others are just as deadly now as they were then. In addition to describing causes of death and setting them in the context of the times, his book shows readers how to find and interpret patient records, death certificates and other documents in order to gain an accurate impression of how their ancestors died.

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In the latest addition to the acclaimed Pierce Hunt series, Hunt races across Europe to stop an ever-changing threat to national security before it’s too late to save his country or his friends. When the CIA calls on former Army Ranger Pierce Hunt to find a missing operative and friend, the last thing he wants to do is leave the peace of home and family behind. But there’s more to this mission than meets the eye, and Hunt knows he has no choice but to risk everything to save his friend and protect his country. Hunt’s target is Jorge Ramirez, who allegedly has information that poses a threat to the national security of the United States. As Hunt tracks Ramirez in Switzerland, he learns that someone close to his operation has betrayed the CIA. His team is attacked, and not everyone makes it out alive. Facing betrayal on an international scale, Hunt doesn’t know who to trust. The rules of engagement have changed, and the body count is rising. Will he find out the truth in time, or will this be Hunt’s final mission?

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'Move over Morse. Simon Mason Oxford crime novel breathes fresh life into the police procedural' Val McDermid'There is no one else like him' Mark Sanderson The Times/Sunday Times Crime ClubA DI RYAN WILKINS MYSTERYA SHOCKING DISAPPEARANCEA four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area,her mother only a stones-throw away.A TRIGGERING RESPONSERyan Wilkins, one of the youngest ever Detective Inspectors in the Thames Valley force, dishonourably discharged three months ago, watches his former partner DI Ray Wilkins deliver a press conference, confirming a lead.A DARK WEBRay begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Ray's investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force.Praise for the DI Ryan Wilkins Mysteries'Mason has reformulated Inspector Morse for the 2020s' The Times'Start now and avoid the rush' Guardian

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A stunning, apocalyptic standalone sequel to The Stranger.The Terrorist Guy Fowle, known as the Stranger, escapes from prison. A mysterious Russian hacker is murdered in London and his thumb cut off.At the heart of government, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is desperate to keep a secret.It's a puzzle that Jude Lyon of MI6 must solve, and quickly.If he doesn't the world will literally go up in flames.*****'Violent, authentic and alarmingly believable story about modern spying' - Sun'There's a healthy crop of younger spy writers ripening just now, and Simon Conway is among the pick of the bunch' - The Times'A superb writer, with great imagination, inventiveness and the ability to portray events with simplicity and urgency' - Michael Jecks, author of Act of Vengeance'Conway has created, with Jude Lyon, a very modern hero, and one who will run for many more stories, I hope. Basically, if you are going to read any thriller this year, make it this one' - Shots Magazine

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