At the age of forty-seven Mary King won a Team Bronze at the Beijing Olympics. In the two ' Cavaliers'
- ' Call Again Cavalier'
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Agatha Christies most absorbing mystery -- her own autobiography with new exclusive CD containing newly discovered priceless recordings from more than 40 years ago of Agatha dictating excerpts about her life as a writer. Over the three decades since her death on 12 January 1976 many of Agatha Christies readers & reviewers have maintained that her most compelling book is probably still her least well-known. Her candid Autobiography written mainly in the 1960s modestly ignores the fact that Agatha had become the best-selling novelist in history & concentrates on her fascinating private life. From early childhood at the end of the 19th century through two marriages & two World Wars & her experiences both as a writer & on archaeological expeditions with her second husband Max Mallowan Agatha shares the details of her varied & sometimes complex life with real passion & openness. Then in 2008 Agatha Christies grandson made a remarkable discovery. While clearing out her old house in preparation for its opening to the public Greenway in Devon a box of old tape reels was found to contain the recordings of Agatha dictating her Autobiography for her typist. These remarkable recordings are not only an amazingly rare example of Agathas voice but they also partly explain the engaging nature of her Autobiography
- for they reveal the normally reclusive Agatha telling her own story in a lively spontaneous & often conspiratorial way whose passion in talking about her life is captured in the printed Autobiography. Now this new edition comes complete with a CD of highlights from these priceless tapes giving Agatha Christies millions of fans the opportunity to hear the Queen of Crimes story in her own words & rediscover her remarkable full story in this special edition of her book which is newly introduced by Mathew Prichard the grandson who discovered the tapes.
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The enormous respect & affection of the British public for Betty Boothroyd has its roots in a strong belief in what she stands for: fair play an unshakeable sense of honour & a passionate belief in the sovereignty of Parliament. Her convictions she has said are set in Yorkshire granite. Born into a working class family in Dewsbury in 1929 there was little money but Betty grew up in a home that radiated love & warmth. Betty popular & a talented dancer who went on eventually to become one of the celebrated Tiller Girls
- the full story of which she tells here for the first time. But by the age of 25 Bettys dreams of taking the West End by storm had crashed
- & her fathers ambition of seeing her settled with a nice safe job had been abandoned. Undaunted she won a national speaking award stood for election to the local council & became a full-time worker for the Labour Party. Nothing would ever part Betty Boothroyd from politics again. In 1953 Betty began work at the House of Commons for Barbara Castle & Geoffrey de Freitas. She speaks candidly about the devastation of losing two by-elections & the time she spent in America campaigning for JFK. Back in Britain Betty landed a top job with millionaire Labour Minister Lord Harry Walston & the Yorkshire girl became part of the inner circle of the socialist elite including Hugh Gaitskell & Roy Jenkins. She describes the elation she felt on becoming an MP at last in 1973 the huge debt she owes her mother for her support & the full story behind her role in the struggle to save the Labour Party from the hard left. Betty Boothroyds long political career reached its apogee in 1992 when she was appointed the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons with overwhelming support from both sides of the House. Her term of office coincided with John Majors attempts to defend his slim majority. Detailing many of the true stories behind the headlines she writes of the sleaze scandals that beset the Major government her feelings when Labour won their landslide election in 1997 & her strongly held views on the role of Parliament. Finally she tells why she decided to retire her plans for the future &
- in retrospect
- what she feels about her decision to put public service above marriage.



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A new-look printing of Agatha Christies most absorbing mystery to mark the 25th anniversary of her death. Agatha Christie died on 12 January 1976 having become the best-selling novelist in history. Her autobiography published in 1977 a year after her death tells of her fascinating private life from early childhood through two marriages & two World Wars & her experiences both as a writer & on archaeological expeditions with her second husband Max Mallowan. Not only does the book reveal the true genius of her legendary success but the story is vividly told & as captivating as one of her novels. ...

Young Johnnie Walker was obsessed with music & loved to share that passion. So it wasn't long after he'd started DJing in dance halls & pubs around his Solihull home that he got his big break: he talked his way into a slot with newly founded private station Radio England
- & launched his incredible career. Here he tells of forty years at the heart of British broadcasting stints that involved working on the legendary Radio Caroline BBC Radio 1 & BBC Radio 2; of the stars & musicians he's met & worked with; of how he won the hearts of his listeners & of his devotion to pioneering new music. Johnnie also speaks candidly about the personal challenges he's faced: divorce exile & his very public struggles with drug addiction & cancer. His life has been inspiring &
- above all
- entertaining. His autobiography is no different.


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Sayo Masuda's story is an extraordinary portrait of rural life in japan & an illuminating contrast to the fictionalised lives of glamorous geishas. At the age of sis Masuda's poverty-stricken family sent her to work as a nursemaid. At the age of twelve she was indentured to a geisha house. In Autobiography of a Geisha Masuda chronicles a harsh world in which young women faced the realities of sex for sale & were deprived of their freedom & identity. She also tells of her life after leaving the geisha house painting a vivid panorama of the grinding poverty of rural life in wartime Japan. Many years later Masuda decides to tell her story. Although she could barely read or write she was determine to tell the truth about life as a geisha & explode the myths surrounding their secret world. Remarkably frank & incredibly moving this is the record of one woman's survival on the margins of Japanese society. ...

An adorable paperback edition of a popular hardback by bestselling humorist Rohan Candappa. Its an extraordinary world out there & The One Year Old is here to share his revelatory journey through babyhood. From full & frank explanations as to why he sometime blows snot bubbles through his nose (because he can) to the mystery of the stalker (if someone had just explained to him about mirrors). From the frustrating stupidity of his parents (Hairy & Smooth) to delights of running around naked on the kitchen table its a truly enlightening & delightfully funny read. To every parent whos ever wearily wiped food from the floor & said Is this your idea of a game?
- beware. The One Year Old is about to reveal just how much hes been playing with you.
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A text first published in 1950 in which the authors story is interwoven with reflections on the religious & scientific foundations of both eastern & western culture & with accounts of his meetings with spiritual leaders such as Gandhi Babaji Therese Neumann & Rabindranath Tagore. ...

This is the story of England's most famous & notorious king. The facts of Henry VIII's life & reign were more astonishing poignant & outlandish than the plot twists of most fiction. Henry's character was complex: he was a charismatic ardent -- & brash -- young lover who married six times; a scholar with a deep love of poetry & music; an energetic hunter who loved the outdoors; a monarch whose lack of a male heir haunted him incessantly; & a ruthless leader who would stop at nothing to achieve his desires. His monumental decision to split from Rome & the Catholic Church was one that would forever shape the religious & political landscape of Britain. Combining magnificent storytelling with an extraordinary grasp of the pleasures & perils of power Margaret George delivers a vivid portrait of Henry VIII & Tudor England & the powerhouse of players on its stage: Thomas Cromwell Cardinal Wolsey Thomas More & Anne Boleyn. It is also a narrative told from an original perspective: Margaret George writes from the King's point of view injecting irreverent comments from Will Somers -- Henry's jester & confidant. ...

This memoir was recently discovered & appears to have been written in the 1920s by someone who asserts that he was Jack the Ripper. This person is James Carnac this memoir written shortly before his death is an account of his entire life including a few short months in 1888 when he became the murderer known to posterity as Jack the Ripper. This book introduces a new suspect for the infamous murders in Whitechapel in 1888. There is information in this book that does not appear to be derived from contemporary newspapers or any other publications & the descriptions of Tottenham in the 1870s the visits to performances of Jekyll & Hyde the intricate geography of Whitechapel in 1888 are written with pin-point accuracy. There is also a credible motive given for James becoming the murderer Jack & also a reason for the end of the murders. Given the fact that the author also appear to have knowledge about aspects of the case not in the public arena at the time it could be that this actually is the Autobiography of Jack the Ripper". Ultimately it is up to the reader to decide if they believe the mystery has been solved at last but even if they end up deciding the account to be a work of fiction it would still be one of the very earliest imaginings of the Ripper case written in the early years of the twentieth century a fascinating piece of period writing & a worthy addition to the Ripper canon. Whatever side they come down on there is no question that this book will be a source of much debate." ...