Ian Stafford has tried his hand at most sports. & what's more, for his two previous books In Your Dreams & Playground ...

For thousands of years we have been enthralled by tales of Troy & its heroes. Achilles & Hector, Paris & the famed beauty Helen remain some of the most enduring figures in art & literature. But did these titanic characters really walk the earth? Was there ever an actual siege of Troy? In this extensively revised edition, historian Michael Wood takes account of the latest dramatic developments in the search for Troy. His wide-ranging study of the complex archaeological, literary & historical records has been brought up-to-date. Detailing the rediscovery in Moscow of the so-called jewels of Helen & the re-excavation of the site of Troy begun in 1988, which continues to yield new evidence about the historical city, In Search of the Trojan War takes a fresh look at some of the most excited discoveries in archaeology. A dazzling & exhaustive analysis. Washington Post This beautifully illustrated book vividly evokes themes that are central to our civilizations quest for its past. The New York Times Book Review ...

For thousands of years we have been enthralled by tales of Troy & its heroes. Achilles & Hector, Paris & the famed beauty Helen remain some of the most enduring figures in art & literature. But did these titanic characters really walk the earth? Was there ever an actual siege of Troy? In this new, extensively revised edition Michael Wood takes account of the latest dramatic developments in the search for Troy. A new preface, a new final chapter & an addendum to the bibliography bring his wide-ranging study of the complex, archaeological, literary & historical records up to date. Detailing the rediscovery in Moscow of the so-called jewels of Helen & the re-excavation of the site of Troy begun in 1988, which continues to yield new evidence about the historical city, this superbly illustrated book takes a fresh look at some of the most exciting discoveries in archaeology. ...

Tom Callahan has written the seminal book on golfing great Tiger Woods. Woods who has gone out of his way to protect his privacy, has never allowed himself to get close enough to a writer to be properly examined on the page. & as a consequence, his fans know relatively little about him except what's divulged in quick tournament interviews or the scarce information passed out on occasion by one of his handlers. Callahan, commonly regarded as one of the best international all-round sportswriters, has followed Tiger around the world of golf for over seven years, enjoying a certain access to the man & his parents Earl & Kutilda Woods. His relationship with the family deepened whe he undertook a remarkable journey to Vietnam to learn the fate of the South Vietnamese soldier who was Earl Woods' best friend during the war
- & his son's namesake. Tiger is a 20-year old when the book opens & 27 when it closes. During those years Callahan covered Woods at all the majors, including the Masters, the US Open, the British Open, culminating in Tiger's heart-stopping race to make history by clinching the string of Majors, affectionately nicknamed the Tiger Slam. As the pulse of the world of gold was measured by the curve of his swing, Tiger made everyone skip a beat as he attempted to win the Grand Slam a year later.
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On the 29th of October 1908, a party of four men, led by Ernest Shackleton, set out to be the first to reach the South Pole. Three months later, their mission was in ruins & they faced certain death if they carried on. Just 97 miles from the South Pole, Shackleton turned back.

One hundred years on, in October 2008, a team that included descendants of that original party, led by Henry Worsley, set out from Shackleton

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This is the account of Thubron's 15, 000-mile journey through an astonishing country
- one twelfth of the land surface of the
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Few rugby players have matched the achievements of Welshman Mervyn Davies, the shrewd, gutsy number eight with the heart of a lion. In what was a remarkable but short-lived career, he won two Grand Slams, three Triple Crowns, earned 38 consecutive Wales caps, was captain of his national team, & played in two victorious Lions' tours. From the tail end of the 1960s through the first half of the glorious 70s period, ' Merv the Swerve'
- with that mop of black hair & trademark headband
- cut an iconic figure in the world's great rugby arenas. Teammates & opponents respected him, fans loved him, & he was a natural leader of men both on & off the field. Then, in March 1976, everything changed. Mervyn was leading Swansea in a semi-final cup clash when he suffered a massive brain haemorrhage. He began that fateful Sunday preparing for just another high-profile game but ended it fighting for his life. Wales, & the watching sporting world, could do nothing but wait & hope. & just when the odds seemed stacked irreversibly against him, Mervyn did what he had always done: he beat them. Mervyn's life story is one of what was, what might have been & what is. From locker-room tales to the loneliness of rehabilitation, Mervyn's account is funny, moving & honest. He writes about his many highs & lows, about losing rugby but regaining his life & shares his thoughts on the days he spent in shadow & in strength.

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Few rugby players have matched the achievements of Welshman Mervyn Davies, the shrewd, gutsy number 8 with the heart of a lion. In what was a remarkable career, he won two Grand Slams, three Triple Crowns, earned thirty-eight consecutive Wales caps, was captain of his national team & played in two victorious Lions tours.

From the tail end of the 1960s through the first half of the glorious '70s period, ' Merv the Swerve'
- with that mop of black hair & trademark headband
- cut an iconic figure in the world's great rugby arenas. Teammates & opponents respected him, fans loved him & he was a natural leader of men both on & off the field. Then, in March 1976, everything changed. Mervyn was leading Swansea in a semi-final cup clash when he suffered a massive brain haemorrhage. He began that fateful Sunday preparing for just another high-profile game but ended it fighting for his life. Wales, & the watching sporting world, could do nothing but wait & hope. & just when the odds seemed stacked irreversibly against him, Mervyn did what he had always done: he beat them.

Mervyn's life story is one of what was, what might have been & what is. From locker-room tales to the loneliness of rehabilitation, Mervyn's account is funny, moving & honest. He writes about his many highs & lows, about losing rugby but regaining his life, & shares his thoughts on the days he spent in shadow & in strength.





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Brougham is the stateliest of stately homes, but for Lady Artemis Deverill it proves a lonely, loveless place. Eleanor Milligan, born in downtown Boston, knows only poverty & a continuing battle against bullying brothers & a sadistic father.

From the moment Artemis & Ellie meet on a liner sailing to Irel&, they are destined to become friends. & when Eleanor

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