Hugo Vickers has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Royal Family & has had a fascination with the story of the Duchess of Windsor since he was a young man. There have been a number of books about this doomed couple but this book brings a new perspective on the story by focussing on the later years of exile. While Vickers has his own theories about the Abdication itself & he makes it very clear that Mrs Simpson did not lure the King from the throne the drama of this narrative comes from the criminal exploitation of an old sick woman after the death of her husb&. She was ruthlessly exploited by a French lawyer called Suzanne Blum. Some members of the Royal Family like Mountbatten & the Queen Mother dont emerge with much credit either. Hugo Vickers relates a tragic story which has lost none of its resonance over the years since the Duchess died in 1986. ...

In this brilliant work Amanda Vickery unlocks the homes of Georgian England to examine the lives of the people who dwelt there. Writing with her customary wit & verve she introduces us to men & women from all walks of life: gentlewoman Anne Dormer in her stately Oxfordshire mansion; bachelor clerk & future novelist Anthony Trollope in his dreary London lodgings; genteel spinsters keeping up appearances in two rooms with yellow wallpaper; servants with only a locking box to call their own. Vickery makes ingenious use of upholsterers ledgers burglary trials & other unusual sources to reveal the roles of house & home in economic survival social success & political representation during the long 18th century. Through the spread of formal visiting the proliferation of affordable ornamental furnishings the commercial celebration of feminine artistry at home & the currency of the language of taste even modest homes turned into arenas of social campaign & exhibition. ...

With three Military Crosses three Croix de guerre a Legion d'honneur & a papal knighthood for his heroics during the Second World War Sir Tommy Macpherson is the most decorated living soldier of the British Army. Yet for 65 years the Highlander's story has remained untold. Few know how aged 21 he persuaded 23 000 SS soldiers of the feared Das Reich tank column to surrender or how Tommy almost single-handedly stopped Tito's Yugoslavia annexing the whole of north-east Italy. Twice captured he escaped both times marching through hundreds of miles of German-held territory to get home. Still a schoolboy when war broke out Tommy quickly matured into a legendary commando & his remarkable story features a dizzyingly diverse cast of characters including Winston Churchill Field Marshal Montgomery & Charles de Gaulle. ...

Annawadi is a slum at the edge of Mumbai Airport in the shadow of shining new luxury hotels. Its residents are garbage recyclers ...

Annawadi is a slum at the edge of Mumbai Airport in the shadow of shining new luxury hotels. Its residents are garbage recyclers ...

Englands back-to-back Ashes victories coupled with winning the 2010 World Twenty 20 might give the impression that all is well in English cricket. But behind the headlines is another story: that of a county game struggling to cope with unprecedented levels of debt a decline in membership & attendances & the demands on players & spectators of an unsustainable fixture schedule. As a member of the ECBs Board of Directors admitted English cricket is at something of a crossroads. In this new book Graeme Wright a former editor of Wisden Cricketers Almanack & author of Betrayal: The Struggle for Crickets Soul takes to the road to speak to those at the coalface of English county cricket. What he discovers there is not just a sport in crisis but 18 complex organisations coming to terms with the reality of an ever-changing commercial world. & yet perhaps surprisingly he finds himself buoyed by a feeling of optimism. As the counties reposition their roles not just in cricket but also within their local communities there is something new & hopeful on the horizon. As Wright explores the world behind the boundary he finds himself taking an affectionate
- though not uncritical
- look at England itself as well as the best-loved game at its heart.

...

From the war-ravaged streets of Sarajevo where turning up for training involved dodging snipers bullets to the crumbling splendour of Budapests Bozsik Stadium where the likes of Puskas & Kocsis masterminded the fall of England the landscape of Eastern Europe has changed immeasurably since the fall of communism. Jonathan Wilson has travelled extensively behind the old Iron Curtain viewing life beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall through the lens of football. Where once the state-controlled teams of the Eastern bloc passed their way with crisp efficiency
- a sort of communist version of total football
- to considerable success on the European & international stages today the beautiful game in the East has been opened up to the free market & throughout the region a sense of chaos pervades. The threat of totalitarian interference no longer remains; but in its place mafia control is generally accompanied with a crippling lack of funds. In BEHIND THE CURTAIN Jonathan Wilson goes in search of the spirit of Hungarys Golden Squad of the early fifties charts the disintegration of the footballing superpower that was the former Yugoslavia follows a sorry tale of corruption mismanagement & Armenian cognac through the Caucasuses reopens the case of Russias greatest footballer Eduard Streltsov & talks to Jan Tomaszewski about an autumn night at Wembley in 1973...

...

Behind the Dolphin Smile" is the heart-felt true story of an animal lover who dedicated his life to studying & training dolphins but in the process discovered that he ultimately needed to set them free. Ric OBarry shares his journey with dolphins & other sea mammals in this captivating autobiographical look back at his years as a dolphin trainer for aquatic theme parks movies & television. Also included is a preface relaying a first-hand account of his adventures filming the 2010 Academy Award-winning documentary " The Cove " which covertly uncovered Japans inhumane dolphin-hunting practices. OBarry a successful animal trainer who had had everything--money flashy cars pretty women--came to realize that dolphins were easy to train not because of his great talent but because they possessed great intelligence & that keeping them in captivity was cruel & morally wrong. OBarry now dedicates his life to stopping the exploitation of these exceptional mammals by retraining them to return to their natural habitats." ...

(Book). In this prime collection of first-hand interviews 37 of the worlds top record producers share their creative secrets & hit-making techniques from the practical to the artistic. George Martin reveals the technical & musical challenges of working with The Beatles while Phil Ramone producer for such artists as Billy Joel discusses studio wall treatments. Offering real-world advice on everything from mics to mixing to coaching a nervous singer producers interviewed include Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin) Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) Alan Parsons (Pink Floyd) & more. ...

This beautifully illustrated easy-to-follow guide shows the different ways our food is produced & how this shapes the nature of th British countryside. It will help you recognise the crops farm animals & wildlife on the other side of the hedge. A must-have handbook for anyone walking or driving through the countryside. ...