By the time he was ten years old Billy Brown was running a successful little business on the black market: whatever you needed from bricks & firewood to dress material or machetes Billy Brown could get it
- or knew a man who could. & for the right price he would deliver it direct to your door in an old carriage pram. With energy & insight Billy Brown paints a vivid & lively picture of Britain emerging from the ruins of the war the hunger for opportunity the growing pace of modernisation & the pride & optimism that held communities together. Londoners were intent on getting themselves back on their feet & it provided the perfect opportunity for a boy with ambition & a lively imagination. Born in Brixton south London in 1942 Billy Brown was a lovable scamp with a nose for mischief. Left to his own devices while both his parents went out to work if there was trouble to be had Billy would be in the thick of it. Ignoring the shaking of fists from his neighbours his mother's scoldings & the regular thwack of the cane on his bottom at school Billy wheeled & dealed charmed Woolies' Girls planned coronation celebrations ran circles around circus performers & persuaded villains to work on his terms.
...

Ages 12 years & over. When Billys father mysteriously disappears & his mother responds by becoming more & more reclusive Billy maintains hope that his fathers absence is not by choice -- despite the rumours & taunts of his classmates who believe otherwise. Twelve days before Christmas Billy acquires a magical tree with a dozen ornaments each of which holds a clue to finding his father. In order to do so however Billy must solve one puzzle each day so he enlists the help of his best friend Katherine not realising that in doing so he has placed them both in grave danger. The forces of evil that have captured Billys father are revealed to be manifest in the landscape of their very own small hometown outside of Oxford England as well as in some of its seemingly benign inhabitants. A beautifully woven narrative with rich compelling characters this novel is sure to strike a chord with any fan of fantasy literature. ...

The inside story of the one of the most successful British st&-up comedians as told by the person best qualified to reveal all about the man behind the comic his wife of over 20 years
- Pamela Stephenson. Once in a lifetime there strides upon the stage someone who can truly be called a legend. Such a person is the inimitable timeless genius who is Billy Connolly. His effortlessly wicked whimsy has entranced enthralled
- & split the sides of
- thousands upon thousands of adoring audiences. & when he isnt doing that...hes turning in award-winning performances on film & television. Hes the man who needs no introduction & yet he is the ultimate enigma. From a troubled & desperately poor childhood in the docklands of Glasgow he is now the intimate of household names the world over. How did this happen who is the real Billy Connolly? Only one person can answer that question: his wife Pamela Stephenson. Pamelas writing combines the very personal with a frank objectivity that makes for a compelling moving & hugely entertaining biography. This is the real Billy Connolly. This genre-defining book is now re-released for a new generation of comedy fans with a stunning package & a new Foreword from the author. Pamelas vision of Billy is as true now as it ever was
- as groundbreaking as moving & as laugh-out-loud funny
- & here she brings the book fully into its context as one of the most influential biographies ever written.




...

The best-loved comedian in Britain hits the most famous highway in the world on an unforgettable journey. Billy Connolly music-lover biker & scourge of the beige & bland the world over has dreamed about taking a trip on the legendary Route 66 since he first heard Chuck Berry belting out one of the greatest rock n roll records of all time. & now hes finally had the chance to do it heading out on his custom-made trike in search of the real America that can still be found beyond the nations freeways. Travelling every one of its 2 278 miles from the skyscrapers of Chicago to Santa Monica Pier in California Billys journey takes him past many of the essential icons of the United States: the Gateway Arch in St Louis Monument Valley & the Grand Canyon & the funky neon-lit gas stations & diners that once lined the route. But it also gives him the chance to get to know the people who call it home from Mervin the Amish carpenter to fellow banjo enthusiast & obsessive instrument collector Rob to Angel one of the many people determined to keep the spirit of the Mother Road alive. Funny touching & inspiring in equal measure the tales he gathers on the way tell the story of modern America. & they might inspire a few people to get on their bikes as well. With his unrivalled instinct for a good story & the gregariousness that has made him our most engaging national treasure Billy Connolly is the ultimate guide to the ultimate road trip. ...

The best-loved comedian in Britain heads off on the most famous highway in the world on an unforgettable journey. Having always dreamed about taking a trip on the legendary Route 66 Billy Connolly is finally heading off on the ride of a lifetime. Travelling all 2 488 miles of this epic road known as The Main Street of America the Big Yin will share the experiences of the countless travellers who have taken the journey before him. The tales hell gather on the way from the skyscrapers of Chicago through the Wild West badlands of Oklahoma & Texas & on to the beaches of the Pacific coast will tell the story of modern America. & they might just inspire a few readers to get on their bikes as well. With his unrivalled instinct for a good story & the affability that has endeared him to millions of fans Billy is the ultimate companion for the ultimate road trip. ...

Penguin Decades bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published some were bestsellers some were considered scandalous & others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time & helped define their generation while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling. Keith Waterhouses Billy Liar" was published in 1959 & captures brilliantly the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small town. It tells the story of Billy Fisher a Yorkshire teenager unable to stop lying
- especially to his three girlfriends. Trapped by his boring job & working-class parents Billy finds that his only happiness lies in grand plans for his future & fantastical day-dreams of the fictional country Ambrosia."
...

Nineteen-year-old Billy Lynn is home from war. Back in Texas he has become a national celebrity. A Fox News crew filmed Billy & the rest of Bravo squad defeating Iraqi insurgents in a ferocious firefight. Now Billy is a decorated soldier & Bravos three minutes of extreme bravery under fire are a You Tube sensation. Seizing on this PR gift The Bush administration has sent the surviving members of Bravo on a nationwide Victory Tour to reassure the homel&. Today during the final hours of the tour they arrive at Texas Stadium guests of honour in a nationally broadcast Thanksgiving Day game. The story follows Billy & his fellow Bravos through a climactic afternoon as they mix with the rich & powerful endure the politics & affections of their fellow citizens aspire to sex & marriage with the famous Cowboys cheerleaders share centre stage with Destinys Child & attempt to close a movie deal. They will learn hard truths about love & death family & friendship duty & honour. Tomorrow they must go back to war. Tender & full of humanity this is a wickedly funny powerfully contemporary novel about a young man the citizens who sent him to war the family he left behind & the era that let it happen. In Billy Lynn Ben Fountain has created a new American hero for our times. ...

Nineteen-year-old Billy Lynn is home from war. Back in Texas he has become a national celebrity. A Fox News crew filmed Billy & the rest of Bravo squad defeating Iraqi insurgents in a ferocious firefight. Now Billy is a decorated soldier & Bravos three minutes of extreme bravery under fire are a You Tube sensation. Seizing on this PR gift The Bush administration has sent the surviving members of Bravo on a nationwide Victory Tour to reassure the homel&. Today during the final hours of the tour they arrive at Texas Stadium guests of honour in a nationally broadcast Thanks giving Day game. The story follows Billy & his fellow Bravos through a climactic afternoon as they mix with the rich & powerful endure the politics & affections of their fellow citizens aspire to sex & marriage with the famous Cowboys cheerleaders share centre stage with Destinys Child & attempt to close a movie deal. They will learn hard truths about love & death family & friendship duty & honour. Tomorrow they must go back to war. Tender & full of humanity this is a wickedly funny powerfully contemporary novel about a young man the citizens who sent him to war the family he left behind & the era that let it happen. In Billy Lynn" Ben Fountain has created a new American hero for our times." ...

Billy Monk worked as a bouncer in the notorious Catacombs club in the dock area of Cape Town South Africa during the 1960s. He originally began taking pictures in the club with the intention of selling the photographs to the customers
- the people he was photographing. His aim was not to make a social statement but his money-making scheme quickly turned into something else as he increasingly captured the raw energy of the club its decadence & tragedy its humanity & joy. As someone who shared the experiences of those club-goers he was trusted by them & was able to convey their world & their experience with great energy & honesty. As David Goldblatt has written These are photographs by an insider of insiders for insiders. If inhibitions were lowered by the seemingly vast quantities of brandy & Coke that were imbibed trust nevertheless is powerfully evident. Not simply in the raucous tweaking of bared breasts or the more guarded but evident togetherness of two bearded men as well as the open flouting of peculiarly South African sanctions such as prohibitions on interracial sex. It is also present in the quiet composure of many of the portraits. People seemed to welcome & even bask in Monks attentions." Monk stopped photographing at the club in 1969. Ten years later his contact sheets & negatives were discovered & in 1982 the work was exhibited at the Market Gallery in Johannesburg. Monk could not make the opening & two weeks later en route to seeing the show he became involved in an argument. A fight broke out Monk was fatally shot in the chest & never saw his exhibition."
...

This is the story of the Bellerophon a ship of the line known to her crew as the Billy Ruffian. Under fourteen captains she played a conspicuous part in three of the most famous of all sea battles: the battle of the Glorious First of June (1794) the opening action against Revolutionary France; the battle of the Nile (1798) which halted Napoleons eastern expansion from Cairo; & the battle of Trafalgar (1805) which established British naval supremacy for 100 years & during which her captain was shot dead with a musket ball an hour before Nelson was mortally wounded. But her crowning glory came six weeks after the Battle of Waterloo when the Napoleon trapped in La Rochelle surrendered to the captain of the ship that had dogged his steps for more than twenty years. ...