A major & controversial new biography of one of the most compelling & contradictory figures in modern British life. Born Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, to most of us he is just ` Boris`
- the only politician of the age to be regarded in such familiar, even affectionate terms. Uniquely, he combines comedy with erudition, gimlet-eyed focus with jokey self-deprecation, & is a loving family man with a roving eye. He is also a hugely ambitious figure with seemingly no huge ambitions to pursue
- other than, perhaps, power itself. In this revealing biography, written from the vantage point of a once close colleague, Sonia Purnell examines how a shy, young boy from a broken home became our only box-office politician
- & most unlikely sex god; how the Etonian product fond of Latin tags became a Man of the People
- & why he wanted to be; how the gaffe-prone buffoon charmed Londonders to win the largest personal mandate Britain has ever seen; & how the Johnson family built our biggest
- & blondest
- media & political dynasty. The first forensic account of a remarkable rise to fame & power, Just Boris unravels this most compelling of political enigmas & asks whether the Mayor who dreams of crossing the Thames to Downing Street has what it takes to be Prime Minister.





...

My name is Adam Butters. I live on planet Earth, I like eating spaghetti hoops & I`ve decided I`m going to be a SUPERHERO. Everyone loves superheroes, they solve problems & make people happy, & that`s good because my mum needs cheering up. Also, I`ve found out that before I was adopted my real mum called me ACE. So now I`ve just got to prove to the world that`s what I am. One mission at a time... Hilarious, heart-warming & heart-breaking in equal measure, this is a story about the power in all of us to be extraordinary. ...

Authored by none other than the former US Children`s Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis, this collection of animal-focused jokes & riddles will keep kids reading, rhyming, & laughing like a hyena. The Just Joking series has wowed the kid crowd, & now ” Just Joking: Animal Riddles”delivers 150 hilarious & puzzling riddles all about animals, guaranteed to tickle the funny bone of kids everywhere!” ...

Button has had a busy day playing with his older sisters & now it`s time for Mummy & Daddy to put him to bed. Just as they pad quietly away, Button remembers the fallen log he clambered over during the afternoon. It looked a bit like a big bear asleep in the grass & now Button is worried that the tree-bear might lumber into his dreams & turn them into scary ones. He calls out & Daddy comes back to comfort Button. Daddy always knows what to do in these situations-he tells Button the lovely, familiar story of the day he was born. Daddy remembers fondly all the happy details of the day that Button came into the world & these always do just the trick in helping Button to forget about anything that might be making him anxious at bedtime. The illustrations from Layn Marlow are beautiful-Button is the most adorable chocolate-brown bear cub you are ever likely to meet-and the softness of the illustrations perfectly captures the mood of this gentle bedtime story. ...

This is a non-fiction Christmas bestseller. ” Just My Type” is not just a font book, but a book of stories. It is: about how Helvetica & Comic Sans took over the world; about why Barack Obama opted for Gotham, while Amy Winehouse found her soul in 30s Art Deco; about the great originators of type, from Baskerville to Zapf, or people like Neville Brody who threw out the rulebook, or Margaret Calvert, who invented the motorway signs that are used from Watford Gap to Abu Dhabi; about the pivotal moment when fonts left the world of Letraset & were loaded onto computers...and typefaces became something we realised we all have an opinion about. As the ” Sunday Times” review put it, the book is ”a kind of Eats, Shoots & Leaves for letters, revealing the extent to which fonts are not only shaped by but also define the world in which we live”. ...

” Just Ride” is the single best book for any newly passionate or well-established bike rider. It simplifies bike riding to the essentials, plus plenty of fun, smart stuff. As the author of this manifesto on the best way to ride, Grant Petersen takes no prisoners. His wise words will muffle the noisy show-offs who tout unnecessary extras & his declarative statements will negate the damaging advice that tells you to ride in a way that`s just bad for you. New riders will get off on the right pedal & experienced riders will be able to think clearly again with advice from an expert. ...

The King finds the perfect soft, red cloth to make the Princess a cloak for Christmas. Once the cloak is made, the leftover cloth is put outside where, in turn, it is found by someone & made into a different present. Each gift gets smaller & smaller as the leftover cloth diminishes
- but it's still just right
- until the last teeny bit of cloth is used to make a scarf for the smallest mouse to keep him warm from the winter chill. Rhythmical writing & vibrant & energetic pictures bring to life this lovely story with a perfect Christmas message that giving to your loved ones is just as much fun as receiving.

...

Dog has everything he needs in his big blue suitcase
- it`s the perfect fit for all the little treasures he has collected along
...

From Orlando Figes, international bestselling author of ”A People`s Tragedy”, ” Just Send Me Word” is the moving true story of two young Russians whose love survived Stalin`s Gulag. Lev & Svetlana, kept apart for fourteen years by the Second World War & the Gulag, stayed true to each other & exchanged thousands of secret letters as Lev battled to survive in Stalin`s camps. Using this remarkable cache of smuggled correspondence, Orlando Figes tells the tale of two incredible people who, swept along in the very worst of times, kept their devotion alive. Orlando Figes was granted exclusive access to the thousands of letters between Lev & Sveta that form the foundation of Just Send Me Word, & he was able to interview the couple in person, then in their nineties. These real-time & largely uncensored letters form the largest cache of Gulag letters ever found. Reviews: ” One is overcome with admiration for the kindness, bravery & generosity of people in terrible peril... It is impossible to read without shedding tears”. (Simon Sebag Montefiore, ” Financial Times”). ” This powerful narrative by a distinguished historian will take its place not just in history but in literature”. (Robert Massie). ” Electrifying, passionate, devoted, despairing, exhilarating...a tale of hope, resilience, grit & love”. (” The Times”). ” Moving...a remarkable discovery”. (Max Hastings, ” Sunday Times”). ” The gulag story lacks individuals for us to sympathise with: a Primo Levi, an Anne Frank or even an Oskar Schindler. ” Just Send Me Word” may well be the book to change that”. (Oliver Bullough, ” Independent”). ” Immensely touching...a heartening gem of a book”. (Anna Reid, ” Literary Review”). ” The remarkable true story of a love affair between two Soviet citizens...as much a literary challenge as a historical one: the book can be read as a non-fiction novel”. (” Telegraph”). ” Remarkable... Figes, selecting & then interpreting this mass of letters, makes them tell two kinds of story. The first is a uniquely detailed narrative of the gulag, of the callous, slatternly universe which consumed millions of lives... The second is about two people determined not to lose each other”. (Neal Ascherson, ” Guardian”). ”A quiet, moving & memorable account of life in a totalitarian state.. . The book often reads like a novel...captivating”. (” Evening Standard”).” Orlando Figes has wrought something beautiful from dark times”. (Ian Thomson, ” Observer”). ”A heart-rending record of extraordinary human endurance”. (” Kirkus Reviews”). ”A remarkable tale of love & devotion during the worst years of the USSR... Figes` fine narrative pacing enhances this moving, memorable story”. (” Publishers Weekly”). About the author: Orlando Figes is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the author of ” Peasant Russia”, ” Civil War”, ”A People`s Tragedy”, ” Natasha`s Dance”, ” The Whisperers” & ” Crimea”. He lives in Cambridge & London. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. ...

From Orlando Figes, international bestselling author of A People's Tragedy, Just Send Me Word is the moving true story of two young Russians whose love survived Stalin's Gulag. Lev & Svetlana, kept apart for fourteen years by the Second World War & the Gulag, stayed true to each other & exchanged thousands of secret letters as Lev battled to survive in Stalin's camps. Using this remarkable cache of smuggled correspondence, Orlando Figes tells the tale of two incredible people who, swept along in the very worst of times, kept their devotion alive. Orlando Figes was granted exclusive access to the thousands of letters between Lev & Sveta that form the foundation of Just Send Me Word, & he was able to interview the couple in person, then in their nineties. These real-time & largely uncensored letters form the largest cache of Gulag letters ever found. Reviews: One is overcome with admiration for the kindness, bravery & generosity of people in terrible peril... It is impossible to read without shedding tears. (Simon Sebag Montefiore, Financial Times). This powerful narrative by a distinguished historian will take its place not just in history but in literature. (Robert Massie). Electrifying, passionate, devoted, despairing, exhilarating.. .a tale of hope, resilience, grit & love. (The Times). Moving.. .a remarkable discovery. (Max Hastings, Sunday Times). The gulag story lacks individuals for us to sympathise with: a Primo Levi, an Anne Frank or even an Oskar Schindler. Just Send Me Word may well be the book to change that. (Oliver Bullough, Independent). Immensely touching.. .[a] heartening gem of a book. (Anna Reid, Literary Review). The remarkable true story of a love affair between two Soviet citizens.. .as much a literary challenge as a historical one: the book can be read as a non-fiction novel. (Telegraph). Remarkable... Figes, selecting & then interpreting this mass of letters, makes them tell two kinds of story. The first is a uniquely detailed narrative of the gulag, of the callous, slatternly universe which consumed millions of lives... The second is about two people determined not to lose each other. (Neal Ascherson, Guardian). A quiet, moving & memorable account of life in a totalitarian state... The book often reads like a novel.. .captivating. (Evening Standard). Orlando Figes has wrought something beautiful from dark times. (Ian Thomson, Observer). A heart-rending record of extraordinary human endurance. (Kirkus Reviews). [A] remarkable tale of love & devotion during the worst years of the USSR.. .[ Figes'] fine narrative pacing enhances this moving, memorable story. (Publishers Weekly). About the author: Orlando Figes is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the author of Peasant Russia, Civil War, A People's Tragedy, Natasha's Dance, The Whisperers & Crimea. He lives in Cambridge & London. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. ...