This is a biography about the British motor industrys most influential & controversial engineer Sir Alec Issignois. Wood exposes a behind-the-scenes impression of the personal & corporate struggles within the declining British car industry a complex process in which Issigonis played a famous role. THE COLLAPSE in 2005 of MG Rover marked the end of Britains indigenous motor industry as a volume car manufacturer. Yet back in the 1960s its Longbridge-based British Motor Corporation predecessor dominated the market with the iconic Mini & stylish 1100. Both were the work together with the legendary Morris Minor of Sir Alec Issigonis CBE FRS the British motor industrys most influential & controversial engineer. In this full-length biography published to commemorate the centenary of its subjects birth which falls in 2006 award-winning motoring historian Jonathan Wood chronicles the rise & fall of Issigonis born in Turkey of Greek/ Bavarian parentage who arrived in Britain as a near-penniless refugee & became the most powerful automobile engineer in the l&. His ingenious & effective designs had a deep lasting influence on the evolution of the motor car & on the wider history of industrial design & he deserves to be ranked with the other giants of the field like Ferdinand Porsche in Germany & Dante Giacosa in Italy. Woods candid & meticulously researched account which exposes Sir Alecs public & private faces & is the product of some 30 years of research is complemented by interviews conducted with many of Issigonis former colleagues & friends including: Ronald Barker John Cooper Jack Daniels Christopher Dowson Paddy Hopkirk Spen King Dr Alex Moulton Dr Bernd Pischetsrieder Lord Snowdon & Stuart Turner. The finished volume is a balanced view of a remarkable immensely talented man with a behind-the-scenes impression of the personal & corporate struggles within the declining British car industry a complex process in which Issigonis played a famous role. ...

The new novel by the author of The Alchemist. Aleph marks a return to Paulo Coelho's beginnings. In a frank & surprising personal story one of the world's most beloved authors embarks on a remarkable & transformative journey of self-discovery. Facing a grave crisis of faith & seeking a path of spiritual renewal & growth Paulo decides to start over: to travel to experiment to reconnect with people & the world. On this journey through Europe Africa & Asia he will again meet Hilal-the woman he loved 500 years before-an encounter that will initiate a mystical voyage through time & space through past & present in search of himself. Aleph is an encounter with our fears & our sins; a search for love & forgiveness & the courage to confront the inevitable challenges of life. ...

Alesha Dixon has one of the most incredible stories of any star yet she remains an enigma. Behind the fabulous smile & signature laugh is a private woman whose childhood was blighted by domestic violence poverty & a lack of confidence. As a beautiful young woman she has struggled to overcome professional failure & the devastating effect of her husbands infidelity. The UKs leading celebrity biographer Sean Smith has travelled to her home town to uncover the truth about her upbringing her unconditional love for her mother her loyalty to her extended family her feud with her elder brother & her unsettled relationship with her Jamaican father who left home for good when she was four. He discovers a sensitive & secretive woman who managed to keep her long-term relationship with a member of one of the countrys best-known boy bands hidden from public scrutiny. For the first time that love affair can now be revealed. He examines the circumstances that led to the break-up of her marriage to rapper MC Harvey & the effect that unhappy time has had on her life. Alesha describes a roller-coaster career that began when she was discovered at a dance class in Central London. She achieved huge early success with Mis-Teeq who had seven consecutive top ten hits before their record label went bust. Her subsequent solo career stalled when she was dropped by Polydor before her debut album was even released but she turned things around with a spectacular victory on Strictly Come Dancing. Sean Smith lays bare her subsequent TV career including the row over her appointment as a judge on the programme as well as her triumphant switch to Britains Got Talent in 2012. Alesha is the dramatic & uplifting account of her journey from a humble start in life & how she overcame all obstacles in her way to become an inspiration to women everywhere. ...

Alex doesn't mean to cause trouble. He didn't mean to cover his dad with pink yoghurt or drop the goldfish in the bath. He just couldn't help it! Alex's mum & dad ask him to keep out of trouble just for one day.. .so the sideways skateboard isn't SUCH a bad idea is it? From football to go karting & real heroes & aliens Books for Boys are packed with high action adventure & humour ideal for turning reluctant boy readers into lifelong bookworms. Ideal for fans of HARRY & THE DINOSAURS who are ready to move on to chapter books. ...

Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington DC Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife Maria in front of him. Alex's need for vengeance was placed on hold as he faced another huge challenge-raising his children without their mother. Years later Alex is making a bold move in his life. He has left the FBI & set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama Damon Jannie & little Alex finally feels like it's in order. He even has a chance at a new love. Then Cross's former partner John Sampson calls in a favor. Now Cross must go on the hunt for the most cunning psychotic killer he has ever faced...and it pushes him dangerously close to the breaking point. ...

From his grandmother Alex Cross has heard the story of his great-uncle Abraham & his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel hes written
- a novel called Trial. As a lawyer in early-twentieth-century Washington DC Ben Corbett represents the toughest cases. Fighting against oppression & racism he risks his family & his life in the process. When President Theodore Roosevelt asks Ben to return to his hometown to investigate rumours of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there he cannot refuse. Arriving in Eudora Mississippi Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross & his beautiful daughter Moody. Ben enlists their help & the two Crosses introduce him to the hidden side of the idyllic Southern town. Lynchings have become commonplace & residents of the towns black quarter live in constant fear. Ben aims to break the reign of terror
- but the truth of who is really behind it could break his heart. Written in the fearless voice of Detective Alex Cross " Alex Crosss Trial" is a gripping story of murder love & above all bravery."

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While you wait for the next exciting installment in the Alex Cross series" "I Alex Cross" (published November 2009 by Century) get your hands on a new book written by Alex Cross himself! Ben Corbett is a brilliant young lawyer in early-twentieth-century Washington DC. Yet he is a disappointment to his wife & father who believe he wastes his talents by doing poorly-paid & thankless work helping the poor & downtrodden. One day out of the blue he receives a private invitation to the White House. President Theodore Roosevelt has personally selected Ben to help him investigate rumours of lynchings & a re-emergence of the outlawed Ku Klux Klan in Bens own hometown of Eudora Mississippi. Ben accepts the mission handed to him & is given the name of a man in Eudora who will help him in this covert operation
- the mans name is Abraham Cross great-uncle of Alex. As Ben delves into the murky depths of racial hatred that hide beneath the surface of this seemingly sleepy Southern town people become suspicious of what he is trying to do & make it very clear to Ben what he is risking if he continues. Ben must decide if he is willing to lose old friends his family maybe even his life for the cause he believes in. In his quest to bring about justice for the tortured & tormented black community of Eudora Ben will have to take on the biggest most difficult & most dangerous trial of his life. But can one man fight an entire town an entire state that is stuck in the past & willing to go to any lengths to halt change & the coming of a future that they desperately fear?"
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This is an essential guide to the exciting missions of teenage spy Alex Rider featuring blueprints data files foldout posters & more. Resembling an MI6 secret dossier these classified documents reveal the inside story of British Intelligences secret weapon: 14-year-old Alex Rider. Packed with information about every aspect of his missions to date The Mission Files" is an unbeatable guide to the teen super-spys adventures. It

Includes:: five full-size double-sided posters & two booklets containing everything you need to know about codes & spycraft."

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The world of maths can seem mind-boggling irrelevant & let's face it boring. This groundbreaking book reclaims maths from the geeks. Mathematical ideas underpin just about everything in our lives: from the surprising geometry of the 50p piece to how probability can help you win in any casino. In search of weird & wonderful mathematical phenomena Alex Bellos travels across the globe & meets the world's fastest mental calculators in Germany & a startlingly numerate chimpanzee in Japan. Packed with fascinating eye-opening anecdotes Alex's Adventures in Numberland" is an exhilarating cocktail of history reportage & mathematical proofs that will leave you awestruck." ...

Alexanders epic quest continues into the heart of Asia & on towards the mystery of India. The Macedonian Army march ever onward in search of glory crushing resistance at every turn. The culture & beauty of Babylon is quickly ravaged & the Palace of Persepolis burnt to ashes & cinder. An empire is destroyed & a new & bloody era begins. But there are other things on Alexanders mind. An ambitious project to unite the peoples of the empire under one homeland begins to obsess him. There are rebellions & bloodshed but the curious beauty of Queen Roxanna gives Alexander the strength to fulfil his destiny... This is a truly compelling romantic & exciting book & a fitting conclusion to the bestselling Alexander trilogy. ...