This edition of Michael Wood's groundbreaking first book explores the fascinating & mysterious centuries between the Romans & the Norman Conquest of 1066. In Search of the Dark Ages vividly conjures up some of the most famous names in British history, such as Queen Boadicea, leader of a terrible war of resistance against the Romans, & King Arthur, the 'once & future king', for whose riddle Wood proposes a new & surprising solution. Here too, warts & all, are the Saxon, Viking & Norman kings who laid the political foundations of England
- Offa of Mercia, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, & William the Conqueror, whose victory at Hastings in 1066 marked the end of Anglo-Saxon Engl&. Reflecting recent historical, textual & archaeological research, this revised edition of Michael Wood's classic book overturns preconceptions of the Dark Ages as a shadowy & brutal era, showing them to be a richly exciting & formative period in the history of Britain. ' With In Search of the Dark Ages, Michael Wood wrote the book for history on TV.' The Times ' Michael Wood is the maker of some of the best TV documentaries ever made on history & archaeology.' Times Literary Supplement
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Ever wondered how accurate Casualty, Holby City or E.R really are? Dr Nick Edwards is here to enlighten us on what it is really like to be working in Accident & Emergency!

With shocking honesty, Dr Nick Edwards lifts the lid on governmental targets that lead to poor patient care, the level of alcohol-related injuries that bring service to a standstill & how bloody hard it is to look after people.

But it isnt all miserable news & events... Edwards shares some very funny & bizarre accidents, foreign bodies inserted in unusual places & other peculiar things going on!

Delve directly In Stitches for some frequently alarming, often hilarious & sometimes deeply moving drama.

A truly unforgettable read.

Product Information:
• ISBN: 9781905548705
• Author: Dr Nick Edwards
• Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 294
• Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 2cm

















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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. 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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A haven for many Western writers in the twentieth century, Tangier drew the likes of Paul Bowles, Jean Genet & Tennessee Williams. Each was befriended by Mohamed Choukri. This book offers insights into these three cult figures of twentieth-century literature. ...

Weaves the history of this island with stories featuring a cast of characters from Errol Flynn to the King of Icel&, a village full of Chat wins &, a family of Shakespeare's. What makes this more than a personal quest is Shakespeare's discovery that, despite the nineteen century purges, the Tasmanian Aborigines were not, entirely wiped out. ...

This lushly romantic & historically fascinating story is filled with lavish details of Regency customs & social events including Elizabeth's presentation to the Prince Regent, Georgiana's debut at the exclusive Almack's Assembly, & the Darcys' travels through the dramatic Peak District of Derbyshire. ...

Winter 1919. Two months after the Armistice that ended the Great War, & life in London's East End is slowly returning to normal. But for 25-year-old Birdie Connor the battle is only just beginning. Frank, Birdie's older brother, has been sent to prison for deserting his army post whilst fighting in Belgium, & the shame heaped on the Connor family by their neighbours is unrelenting. Wilfred, Birdie's widowed father, has disowned Frank & vows that he will never set eyes on his son again, but Birdie cannot believe that her brother is guilty So when Frank escapes from prison & comes to find Birdie in secret, she promises to help him & is determined to prove his innocence. But little does she realise that she is exposing herself to danger as Frank gets himself deeper & deeper into trouble with the so-called friends he met in prison. Helped by the Connors' lodger, the handsome Harry Chambers, will Birdie be able to find the proof that Frank needs in time to reconcile him to their frail father before it is too late? & can she build a future to keep herself & her younger brother, Patrick, safe? ...

Details: Winter 1919. Two months after the Armistice that ended the Great War, & life in London's East End is slowly
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Between 543 & 538 million years ago, something remarkable happened. After hundreds of millions of years of gradual & painstaking evolution, suddenly the process exploded into life. For the first time animals evolved hard external parts. For the first time there was evidence of active predation, with both hunters abd hunted rapidly developing both armaments & defences. This is a stunning exploration of the cause of the ' Big Bang' of evolution: the development of the eye & the birth of predation. ...

A golden thread links diverse equine & human characters in Irish racing, past & present: generations of families in which racing is truly in the blood ? or one-off fanatics who acquire it in their veins. Not only trainers & jockeys but also owners, breeders & the unsung heroes who care for their equine stars are portrayed here, as well as commentators & bookmakers, without whom the industry would be no more than a sideshow, instead of one of Irelands greatest global products. ...