Theres nothing much left to feel good about these days if youre British but one of the few things where we all agree that were still a world leader is our defining sense of humour. Thematically covering every subject imaginable from God to dogs this collection will be the seminal gathering of our national wit & a picture of who we are as a nation
- a monument to our monumental silliness. An Englishman even if he is alone forms an orderly queue of one. This work

Includes:: George Mikes Jane Austen Pam Ayres Alan Bennett Jeffrey Bernard John Betjeman Jo Brand Craig Brown Winston Churchill Alan Clark Jeremy Clarkson Billy Connolly Peter Cook Tommy Cooper Noel Coward Quentin Crisp Les Dawson Stephen Fry A.A. Gill Stella Gibbons W.S. Gilbert Joyce Grenfell Tony Hancock Harry Hill Jerome K. Jerome Boris Johnson Samuel Johnson Maureen Lipman Spike Milligan Nancy Mitford Frank Muir Eric Morecambe Joe Orton David Renwick Brian Sewell William Shakespeare George Bernard Shaw Edith Sitwell Frank Skinner Arthur Smith Sue Townsend Peter Ustinov Queen Victoria Oscar Wilde Kenneth Williams P.G. Wodehouse & Victoria Wood.


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Great Britain can be accused of many things; a proliferation of queuing a fondness of the demon drink; but its not without more than its fair share of important historical & modern people. Great Britons: A Very Peculiar History looks at a myriad brillliant Britons & their influence on the world. The book features a short potted history of each person detailing their acheivements personalities & lifestyles in a quirky & memorable way. From kings & queens pirates & politicians actors & directors to sportsmen explorers scientists & inventors Great Britons: A Very Peculiar History celebrates the men & women who have shaped Great Britain & made it what it is today. ...

A spectacular visual tour of the worlds greatest buildings Great Buildings" takes you to an amazing tour of 50 of the worlds architectural masterpieces from the Houses of Parliament to the Sydney Opera House. Discover how to "read" a building identify key characteristics of architecture & get underneath the bricks & mortar with stunning 3-D cutaways. Come face-to-face with some of the greatest architects to have lived & find out how the styles techniques & materials they used helped create these iconic buildings. " Great Buildings" is an excellent introduction to architecture as well as being a great read for the connoisseur
- it really is like being taken on a personal tour by a knowledgeable guide."
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THE NEW QUESTION Ten years after the worldwide bestseller Good to Great Jim Collins returns with another groundbreaking work this time to ask: Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty even chaos & others do not? Based on nine years of research buttressed by rigorous analysis & infused with engaging stories Collins & his colleague Morten Hansen enumerate the principles for building a truly great enterprise in unpredictable tumultuous & fast-moving times. THE NEW STUDY Great by Choice distinguishes itself from Collins's prior work by its focus not just on performance but also on the type of unstable environments faced by leaders today. With a team of more than twenty researchers Collins & Hansen studied companies that rose to greatness
- beating their industry indexes by a minimum of ten times over fifteen years
- in environments characterized by big forces & rapid shifts that leaders could not predict or control. The research team then contrasted these 10X companies" to a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to achieve greatness in similarly extreme environments. THE NEW FINDINGS The study results were full of provocative surprises. Such as: * The best leaders were not more risk taking more visionary & more creative than the comparisons; they were more disciplined more empirical & more paranoid. * Innovation by itself turns out not to be the trump card in a chaotic & uncertain world; more important is the ability to scale innovation to blend creativity with discipline. * Following the belief that leading in a "fast world" always requires "fast decisions" & "fast action" is a good way to get killed. * The great companies changed less in reaction to a radically changing world than the comparison companies. The authors challenge conventional wisdom with thought-provoking sticky & supremely practical concepts. They include 10 Xers; the 20 Mile March; Fire Bullets then Cannonballs; Leading above the Death Line; Zoom Out Then Zoom In; & the SMa C Recipe. Finally in the last chapter Collins & Hansen present their most provocative & original analysis: defining quantifying & studying the role of luck. The great companies & the leaders who built them were not luckier than the comparisons but they did get a higher Return on Luck. This book is classic Collins: contrarian data driven & uplifting. He & Hansen show convincingly that even in a chaotic & uncertain world greatness happens by choice not by chance."

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The New Cat keeps bringing dead things into the house as presents for Tom. When he brings in the head of the vicars very expensive Koi Carp & the Vicar makes Mum pay GBP200 for a replacement Annas Dad is so cross he locks the New Cat out of the cat-flap. Tom argues for the Cat to be let back in but the flap is left shut overnight & when Dad finally concedes the New Cat has disappeared altogether. Anna Suzanne & Tom are convinced he has been kidnapped
- but who is responsible? A new investigation begins...
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Charles Dickens was regarded as a pillar of respectability in Victorian Britain but in 1858 this image was nearly shattered. With the break-up of his marriage that year rumours about a scandalous relationship he may have conducted with young actress Ellen Nelly" Ternan flourished. For the remaining twelve years of his life Dickens struggled to quash the gossip. After his death surviving family members did the same. But when the authors last living son died in 1934 there was no one to discourage rampant speculation. Dramatic revelations seemed to come from every corner
- over Nellies role as Dickens mistress the financial help he gave her their clandestine meetings their coded messages & even his fathering of an illegitimate child with her. This book presents the most complete account of the scandal & ensuing coverup ever published. Drawing on the authors letters & other archival sources not previously available Dickens scholar Michael Slater investigates what Dickens did or may have done then traces the way the scandal was elaborated over succeeding generations. Slater shows how various writers concocted outlandish yet plausible theories while newspapers & book publishers vied for sensational revelations. With its tale of intrigue & a cast of well-known figures from Thackeray & Shaw to Orwell & Edmund Wilson this engaging book will delight not only Dickens fans but also readers who appreciate tales of mystery cover-up & clever detection."
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Statins are the so-called wonder drugs widely prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels & claim to offer unparalleled protection against heart disease. Believed to be completely safe & capable of preventing a whole series of other conditions they are the most profitable drug in the history of medicine. In this groundbreaking book GP Malcolm Kendrick exposes the truth behind the hype revealing: high cholesterol levels dont cause heart disease; a high-fat diet
- saturated or otherwise
- does not affect blood cholesterol levels; & the protection provided by statins is so small as to be not worth bothering about for most men & all women. Statins have many more side affects than has been admitted & their advocates should be treated with scepticism due to their links with the drugs manufacturers. Kendrick lambastes a powerful pharmaceutical industry & unquestioning medical profession who he claims perpetuate the madcap concepts of good & bad cholesterol & cholesterol levels to convince millions of people to spend billions of pounds on statins thus creating an atmosphere of stress & anxiety
- the real cause of fatal heart disease. With clarity & wit The Great Cholesterol Con" debunks our assumptions on what constitutes a healthy lifestyle & diet. It is the invaluable guide for anyone who thought there was a miracle cure for heart disease an appeal to common sense & a controversial & fascinating breakthrough that will set dynamite under the whole area."


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Twenty-five churches in Cumbria Lancashire Greater Manchester & Merseyside are here featured in a series of captivating photographic portraits by Matthew Byrne. The selection has been made on the basis of architectural distinction beauty quality of sculpture carving or stained glass historical interest or dramatic setting. The churches include remote medieval chapels grand Victorian churches & modern city-centre landmarks in Manchester & Liverpool. Matthew Byrnes text displays a deep understanding & affection for church architecture & his atmospheric photography captures the spirit of these unique buildings as architectural heritage as historic monuments & as places of Christian devotion. ...

This collection of short ghost stories

Includes:: some of the best-known classics in the genre as well as some

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When you buy this book the publisher will donate at least GBP2 to Comic Relief to help make a difference all over the world. Why not go one step further & HOST YOUR OWN BAKE SALE to see how much more money you could raise? As the celeb bakers on The Great Comic Relief Bake Off prove you don't have to be a pro to have a go at baking. The 13 recipes in this book are easy to make so get your friends & family involved & have some fun. There are also helpful tips for hosting a bake sale as well as more info on how you can make a difference. ...