'An exuberant and learned celebration of British culture' Observer Britain's empire has gone. We no longer matter as we once did. And yet there is still one area in which we can legitimately claim sup
The first ever Funnybones book by the amazing Allan Ahlberg. In this, the first ever Funnybones book of all, we are introduced to the wonderful humour and fun of the much-loved series. The Funnybones
The ultimate guide to the criminal world through its slang - from insults to terms of respect, weapons to injuries, crimes to punishment 'I have spent almost 33 of the last 53 years in and out of pris
Once there was a Fox who lived in a deep, dense forest. For as long as Fox could remember, his only friend had been Star, who lit the forest paths each night. But then one night Star wasn't there, and
'This selection is a ceaseless delight ...there is a treat on almost every page' Daily Telegraph George Orwell wrote, in his words, from 'a desire to see things as they are'. This new collection of hi
Margaret Beaufort and Margaret of Anjou - two women who have fought to the bitter end to see their sons take the English throne.But with her son Edward killed in battle, and imprisoned herself, what n
This is a life told back to front. This is a man who has lied all his life. Roy is a conman living in a small English town, about to pull off his final con. He is going to meet and woo a beautiful wom
Kitty Maule wants to be 'totally unreasonable, totally unfair, very demanding, and very beautiful.' Instead, she is clever, hesitant and too patient for her own good. For years, she has been in love w
Because We Say So is Noam Chomsky's essential counter punch to American hegemony In 1962, the eminent statesman Dean Acheson enunciated a principle that has dominated global politics ever since: that
'Sofka gazes ahead, with her family's future before her . . .' Sofka Dorn, widowed matriarch of a prosperous German Jewish family living in England, rules her four children with an exacting hand. Fred
'He was not trained for freedom, that was the problem, had not been brought up for it.'At seventy-three, Herz is facing an increasingly bewildering world. He cannot see his place in it or even work ou
'Once a thing is known it can never be unknown.' By day Frances Hinton works in a medical library, by night she haunts the room of a West London mansion flat. Everything changes, however, when she is
Already a classic, this landmark account of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. The Dream of Reason takes a fresh look at the writings of the
'Dr Weiss, at forty, knew that her life had been ruined by literature.' Ruth Weiss, an academic, is beautiful, intelligent and lonely. Studying the heroines of Balzac in order to discover where her ow
'Happiness - was it right to name it without knowing it? It sounded shameless in my mouth, like when someone shows off about knowing a celebrity and just uses their first name, saying Marcello when th
Sudhir Hazareesingh's How the French Think is a warm yet incisive exploration of the French intellectual tradition, and its exceptional place in a nation's identity and lifestyle. The French: orderly
Adultery is always put in terms of thieving. Oliver Orme is a painter who has abandoned his art. His days are now haunted by loss: loss of desire; of artistic vision; of the people he has loved. And o
On 16 December, 1944, Hitler launched his last gamble in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes. He believed he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp, then force the Ca
Short, stylish and full of fresh material -- an essential new guide to Pop Art, in time for a major Tate Modern exhibition.Pop Art is the most important 20th-century art movement. A shift from the arc
John Leonard was a gifted Gaelic football goalkeeper who had the misfortune to reach his prime at the same time, and in the same county, as one of the all-time greats: Stephen Cluxton. This is an acco
A title, in which, the author deals once and for all with questions like whether it is ever okay to covet thy neighbour's oxen (it is), eating with your hands (very important indeed) and if you should
In the second half of the sixteenth century, most of the Christian states of Western Europe were on the defensive against a Muslim superpower - the Empire of the Ottoman sultans. There was violent con
The Machiavellian view of power as a coercive force is one of the deepest currents in our culture, yet new psychological research reveals this vision to be dead wrong. Influence is gained instead thro
Born Declan Patrick MacManus, Elvis Costello was raised in London and Liverpool, grandson of a trumpet player on the White Star Line and son of a jazz musician who became a successful radio dance band
Like the great Jesus Christ himself, I had a lot of shit on my mind when I hit 33 ... I had three new-born future Ireland internationals to feed, a daughter in need of psychiatric evaluation and a tee
In January of 2007, three young stoners from Miami Beach won a $300 million Department of Defense contract to supply ammunition to the Afghanistan military. Instead of fulfilling the order with high-q
"Even more fun [than The Strangler Vine]. Delicious stuff." (Financial Times). Published in hardback as The Infidel Stain. London, 1841. Mr Jeremiah Blake and Captain William Avery, recently returned
When economics meets psychology, the implications for individuals, managers and policy makers are both profound and entertaining. Coupling recent discoveries in human psychology with a practical under
Why has inequality increased in the Western world - and what can we do about it? This title argues that inequality is a choice - the cumulative result of unjust policies and misguided priorities. It e
The No. 1 New York Times bestseller on the secret to leading a good life We live in a Big Me culture: universities and businesses alike reward goal-oriented superstars and those who self-promote are m
Cherry Healey tackles the big issues facing young women today through a series of letters to her body.How much more fun could I have had if I'd just stopped worrying so much?In this book, Cherry revea
The first complete collection of Tony Harrison's work - the 2015 recipient of the David Cohen Prize for Literature.Tony Harrison published his first pamphlet of poems in 1964 and for over fifty years
Being a nanny is great. Not like a job really, just like living in someone else's life. Today before breakfast Sam had to empty the dishwasher and Will had to feed the cat. Sam: I hate emptying the di
What is economic growth? And why, historically, has it occurred in only a few places? Previous efforts to answer these questions have focused on institutions, geography, finances, and psychology. This
Based on a study in Russian and many other foreign archives, this title explains why this suicidal decision was made and explores the world of the men who made it, thereby consigning their entire clas
The soldiers receive the best service a historian can provide: their story is told in their own words - Guardian 'For some reason nothing seemed to happen to us at first; we strolled along as though w
The secrets of successful government from Michael Barber, one of the world's leading experts on carrying out lasting improvements in public life. Billions of citizens around the world are frustrated w
Michael Lewis' epic best-seller tells the outrageous story of the multi-millionaires and whizz kids who scammed the banking system in the blink of an eye - and the whistle-blowers who tried to stop th
My Family and Other Animals is the bewitching account of a rare and magical childhood on the island of Corfu by treasured British conservationist Gerald Durrell. This tv tie in edition coincides with
