The history of the computer is entwined with that of the modern world and most famously with the life of one man, Alan Turing. How did this device, which first appeared a mere 50 years ago, come to structure and dominate our lives so totally? An enlightening mini-biography of a brilliant but troubled man.
A tale of loving, living and surviving rock music
Heart-rending letters of love gone sour from notable men and women
An illuminating portrait of France's youngest ever President and what his victory means for Europe and the world
This is a book about success and how to achieve it. While there are many books about eminent retailers, From Bags to Blenders tells the story from a different angle - from the point of view of a supplier.Gordon Black's career at Peter Black spanned over 40 years. He led a team with his brother which built a substantial business with sales of approximately million and 3,000 employees. His revealing book faces up to the difficulties of supplying retailers today, and contrasts that with the close and fruitful relationship the Blacks enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s with their main customer, Marks & Spencer.This fascinating and amusing book explains why the biggest challenge in building a successful company is the development of a culture of teamwork and passion for the business while, at the same time, avoiding arrogance and taking advice from those with experience.In Gordon's opinion, exiting a business is as big a challenge as building a business. He pinpoints the different options and the pitfalls to be avoided, and emphasises the need for first-class products: 'You can have the most modern factories and the best systems, but, without the right product, you're dead!'
Headline Britons paints a unique picture of British life in the 20th and 21st centuries by re-examining some of the country's most notable characters. Each book covers a five-year span, telling the stories of a number of people who, in that time, stood out among their contemporaries. As the General Strike of 1926 starkly illustrated, economic hardship continued to be the lodestone of the decade. An American import, the movies, revolutionised entertainment, while William Morris rapidly developed the motor car in Oxford. Peter Pugh brings these five years vividly to life through the stories of gay author Radclyffe Hall - whose seminal The Well of Loneliness also made people think again about sexual norms - John Logie Baird, whose development of the his television in these years presaged another great revolution in everyday life, and the comedian who captured many hearts, Noel Coward.
Building Self-Esteem brings you easy-to-follow techniques for improving your self-image, so you can achieve a realistic and positive view of yourself and live a happier and more successful life. A positive self-image can help you to improve your relationships and focus on what matters to you, whether that's dealing with feelings of inadequacy, exploring your creativity, or improving physical fitness. Based on psychological assessments and practical journaling exercises, Building Self-Esteem enables you to uncover your needs, preferences and concerns, and to move away from whatever is holding you back.
Nicholas Whittaker's much-loved classic recollects the long sunny days of his childhood when, notepad in hand, jam sandwiches in the duffel bag, he happily spent his time jotting down train numbers during the Indian summer of steam and the heyday of diesel. Whittaker returns to his roots in this updated edition, casting a sceptical eye over recent developments, catching up with old acquaintances and considering the toll that half a century of ridicule and a couple of decades of privatisation have wrought upon his beloved pastime. As Andrew Martin notes in his Foreword, this is 'one of the best books ever written about rail enthusiasm'. Equally it is a poetically written memoir of growing up in a more innocent age, a hymn to British eccentricity and to the virtues of observing the world around you: 'Spotters - of trains, planes, buses or birds - are a last redoubt for something rapidly vanishing from our lives: looking outward, seeing, observing. People notice things less and less these days, while watching things more and more.'Praise for the first edition:'An elegy: for the steam trains already vanishing when Whittaker's hobby began in 1964; for the short-lived diesel age which followed; for an era of near innocence.' Times Literary Supplement 'Whittaker writes with humour and considerable evocative power For anyone who will admit to having a childhood brush with this now derided hobby, Platform Souls brings it all rushing back.' Independent'Destined to become the Fever Pitch of the sidings and embankments' Publishing News
Headline Britons paints a unique picture of British life in the 20th and 21st centuries by re-examining some of the country's most notable characters. Each book covers a five-year span, telling the stories of a number of people who, in that time, stood out among their contemporaries. As the 1920s progressed and Britain tried to recover from the horrors of war, the country enjoyed a short postwar boom - seeing the development of household gadgets such as dishwashers, sterilisers and cigar lighters - but it did not last and soon unemployment grew. Peter Pugh shows in this book that despite the 'swinging twenties' being largely a myth, the decade was enlivened by mouldbreaking characters such as birth control pioneer Marie Stopes, father of the BBC John Reith, and Horatio Bottomley - perhaps the biggest business fraudster of all time.
Darwin's theory of evolution was for more than a century dogged by a major problem: the evidence proving the connections between the main groups of organisms was nowhere to be found.By the 1970s this absence of 'transitional fossils' was hotly debated; some palaeontologists wondered if these 'missing links' had been so quick that no trace of them was left. However, during the past three decades fossils of walking whales from Pakistan, feathered dinosaurs from China, fish with feet from the Arctic Circle, ape-like humans from Africa, and many more bizarre creatures that fill in crucial gaps in our understanding of evolution have all been unearthed.The first account of the hunt for evolution's 'missing links', Written in Stone shows how these discoveries have revolutionised palaeontology, and explores what its findings might mean for our place on earth.
Science began with the Greeks. Medicine, anatomy, astronomy, mathematics and cosmology were all invented in their world. Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Archimedes and Hippocrates were amongst its stars, master architects all of the modern as well as the ancient.
An in-depth survey of the evolving science of bio-enhancement: where we are now and how to deal with it.
A gastronomic journey around the world from the English breakfast to Peking Duck
On just about every continent, from Boston's strong ale to Norwegian stout, there are people brewing great beer. From English ales to Czech lager, Belgian sour to American pale ale, German Berliner Weisse to Australian Adelaide sparkling ale, the number of brewed beers is big and increasing daily. Award-winning author Tim Hampson explores beers from four continents, marvelling at how from such simple notes - malt, hops, water and yeast - a symphony of tastes and colours can be created. He discovers dark beers, light beers, sour beers, imperial stouts, beers flavoured with honey, herbs and spices, and beers that have been matured in wooden barrels that once stored some of the world's best whiskies.The world of beer is undergoing a revolution. This wide-ranging selection will give any beer fan a tour of the world through their favourite drink.
On 1 September 2015, Anthony Martial completed his transfer from Monaco to Manchester United. At just 19 years of age, the fee of GBP36m (potentially rising to GBP58m) made the France international the most expensive teenager of all time. Eyebrows were raised at the landmark fee but a goal against Liverpool in his first game helped get the supporters onside, while a number of key strikes in his debut season soon won over the critics as he became integral to Manchester United's attack. Renowned sports biographers Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot talk to coaches, teammates and even Martial himself, to provide an unrivalled behind-the-scenes look at the life of the teenage superstar.
Razor-sharp advice on dating, love, sex, drugs and life in general, from mysterious author The Coquette.
Acclaimed historian Barry Turner presents a new history of the Cold War's defining episode.
Is your inbox overloaded? Feel like your email is controlling your life?You need the ninja way of email management!In this short ebook, an edited extract from Graham Allcott's acclaimed How to be a Productivity Ninja, you'll learn the simple skills to get your inbox down to zero - and keep it there, day after day. Following Allcott's straightforward advice, anyone - from a student to a Chief Executive - can keep on top of their messages and feel in command, calm and up to date. You'll learn to be ruthless, to separate thinking from doing, and how to make your email inbox work for you - and not the other way around!
Actor, producer and director Ben Crystal revisits his acclaimed book on Shakespeare for the 400th anniversary of his death, updating and adding three new chapters. Shakespeare on Toast knocks the stuffing from the staid old myth of the Bard, revealing the man and his plays for what they really are: modern, thrilling, uplifting drama. The bright words and colourful characters of the greatest hack writer are brought brilliantly to life, sweeping cobwebs from the Bard - his language, his life, his world, his sounds, his craft. Crystal reveals man and work as relevant, accessible and alive - and, astonishingly, finds Shakespeare's own voice amid the poetry. Whether you're studying Shakespeare for the first time or you've never set foot near one of his plays but have always wanted to, this book smashes down the walls that have been built up around this untouchable literary figure. Told in five fascinating Acts, this is quick, easy and good for you. Just like beans on toast.
Throughout the history of rugby union, a select few players have stood out above the rest. Bringing together 50 of the finest, this book reveals the fearless scrum-halves, tricky wingers, explosive centres and powerful props that have lit up the game, celebrating their achievements and controversially ranking them in order of greatness. Is the might of Jonah Lomu preferred to the vision of David Campese? Who was more influential, Jonny or Johnno? Which hemisphere has produced the most superstars? And most importantly, who will be named the greatest player of all time? Passionately argued, provocative, and sure to trigger lively debate, this book is a must-read for rugby fans everywhere. Published in time for the Six Nations 2016 and fully updated following the 2015 Rugby World Cup, hosted in England.
A hilarious, furious and profoundly useful short guide to the most maddening punctuation in English.
Mark Forsyth's bestselling day in the life of unusual, beautiful and forgotten English words, in paperback for the first time
The essential miscellany for all Bronte fans.
Journeying along London's waterways on a canal boat called Pike, Helen Babbs puts down roots for two weeks at a time before moving on. From Walthamstow Marsh in the east to Uxbridge in the west, she explores the landscape in all its guises: marshland, wasteland, city centre and suburb.From deep winter to late autumn, Babbs explores the people, politics, history and wildlife of the canals and rivers, to reveal an intimate and unusual portrait of London - and of life.
The mind-bending quiz book that every science geek needs in their Christmas stocking
Peter Pugh presents his selection of - not the best, fastest, most successful or richest - but the 50 most influential British men and women of the modern world - for good or ill. Pugh discusses and ranks the influence of scientists and inventors such as Francis Crick, John Logie Baird and Alan Turing; lawmakers and leaders like prime ministers Attlee, Churchill and Thatcher; entrepreneurs including James Dyson, Mary Quant and Terence Conran; and cultural icons like J.K. Rowling, who, in the words of Lisa Simpson no less, 'turned a generation of kids onto reading'. One of the most influential Britons in Pugh's book achieved influence by saying nothing for over 60 years, and the top three places are held by an economist, a scientist and a civil servant In what amounts to a whistle-stop tour through recent British history, this undoubtedly contentious and wholly enjoyable book will spark countless debates across our sceptred isle.
Among the military leaders of the Second World War, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz remains a deeply enigmatic figure. As chief of the German submarine fleet he earned Allied respect as a formidable enemy. But after he succeeded Hitler - to whom he was unquestioningly loyal - as head of the Third Reich, his name became associated with all that was most hated in the Nazi regime. Yet Doenitz deserves credit for ending the war quickly while trying to save his compatriots in the East - his Dunkirk-style operation across the Baltic rescued up to 2 million troops and civilian refugees. Historian Barry Turner argues that while Doenitz can never be dissociated from the evil done under the Third Reich, his contribution to the war must be acknowledged in its entirety in order to properly understand the conflict. An even-handed portrait of Nazi Germany's last leader and a compellingly readable account of the culmination of the war in Europe, Karl Doenitz and the Last Days of the Third Reich gives a fascinating new perspective on a complex man at the heart of this crucial period in history.
A rollercoaster new history for the 50th anniversary of the `Summer of Love', from a music business veteran who was actually there.
Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) involves a range of psychological techniques that help you to 'reprogram' your brain - replacing the negative attitudes that hold you back with positive thought patterns that will enable you to be more effective, confident and successful. In just under 20 simple steps, Neil Shah shows you how to use NLP to develop new habits of behaviour and thought that will help you succeed in all areas of life, from influencing others and understanding how they influence you, to achieving your goals, to managing stress.
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