John O' Farrell author of The Man Who Forgot His Wife An Utterly Impartial History of Britain & Things Can Only Get Better turns his comedic genius to the problem of capitalism encapsulated in a Tube train full of passengers stuck underground
- part of a series of twelve books tied to the twelve lines of the London Underground as Tfl celebrates 150 years of the Tube with Penguin. It is also available in a boxset. Authors include the masterly John Lanchester the children of Kids Company comic John O' Farrell & social geographer Danny Dorling. Ranging from the polemical to the fantastical the personal to the societal they offer something for every taste. All experience the city as a cultural phenomenon & notice its nature & its people. Read individually they're delightful small reads pulled together they offer a particular portrait of a global city". (Evening Standard). " Exquisitely diverse". (The Times). " Eclectic & broad-minded.. .beautifully designed". (Tom Cox Observer). "A fascinating collection with a wide range of styles & themes. The design qualities are excellent as you might expect from Penguin with a consistent look & feel while allowing distinctive covers for each book. This is a very pleasing set of books". (A Common Reader blog). " The contrasts & transitions between books are as stirring as the books themselves.. .A multidimensional literary jigsaw". (Londonist). "A series of short sharp city-based vignettes
- some personal some political & some pictorial.. .each inimitable author finds that our city is complicated but ultimately connected full of wit & just the right amount of grit". (Fabric Magazine). "A collection of beautiful books". (Grazia). [ Praise for John O' Farrell]: " Comic genius". (Mirror). "A consistently humorous writer". (Mail on Sunday). John O' Farrell is the bestselling author of four novels including The Man Who Forgot His Wife. He has also written comic non-fiction such as An Utterly Impartial History of Britain the political memoir Things Can Only Get Better & three collections of his popular Guardian column."

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The epic plains & arid deserts of Central Asia have witnessed some of the greatest migrations as well as many of the most transformative developments in the history of civilization. Christoph Baumer's ambitious four-volume treatment of the region charts the 3000-year drama of Scythians & Sarmatians; Soviets & transcontinental Silk Roads; trade routes & the transmission of ideas across the steppes; & the breathless & brutal conquests of Alexander the Great & Chinghiz Khan. Masterfully interweaving the stories of individuals & peoples the author's engaging prose is richly augmented throughout by colour photographs taken on his own travels. For all the complexity of the history Dr Baumer a noted authority on Central Asia never loses sight of the sweeping grandeur of its overall setting. Volume 1 focuses on the geography of the area now occupied by present-day Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan northern Afghanistan western & central Mongolia & parts of southern Russia & northern China. Discussing the changing climates of the Palaeolithic Mesolithic Neolithic & Bronze Ages the author explores subjects as diverse as glacial retreat; the invention of the wheel; the legendary Cimmerians & Amazons; Hellenism & Zoroastrianism; & the Oxus Treasure. Future volumes will explore the later historical periods of the region. ...

Diarmaid Mac Cullochs epic acclaimed history A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years" follows the story of Christianity around the globe from ancient Palestine to contemporary China. How did an obscure personality cult come to be the worlds biggest religion with a third of humanity its followers? This book now the most comprehensive & up to date single volume work in English describes not only the main facts ideas & personalities of Christian history its organization & spirituality but how it has changed politics sex & human society. Taking in wars empires reformers apostles sects churches & crusaders Diarmaid Mac Culloch shows how Christianity has brought humanity to the most terrible acts of cruelty
- & inspired its most sublime accomplishments. "A stunning tour de force". (Simon Sebag Montefiore " Sunday Telegraph" Books of the Year). "A landmark in its field astonishing in its range compulsively readable full of insight... It will have few if any rivals in the English language". (Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury " Guardian"). "A prodigious thrilling masterclass of a history book". (John Cornwell " Financial Times"). " Essential reading for those enthralled by Christianity & for those enraged by it". (Melvyn Bragg " Observer" Books of the Year). " Magnificent.. .a sumptuous portrait alive with detail & generous in judgement". (Richard Holloway " The Times"). Diarmaid Mac Culloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. His " Thomas Cranmer" won the Whitbread Biography Prize the James Tait Black Prize & the Duff Cooper Prize. He is the author most recently of " Reformation: Europes House Divided 1490-1700" which won the Wolfson Prize for History & the British Academy Prize."
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Cosmetics have been used to increase attraction since Ancient times whilst Compacts have been a symbol of love for generations but especially since the 1920s. In this fascinating book vintage accessories expert Madeleine Marsh discusses just what makes compacts so desirable & reveals their hidden secrets from cameras to cigarettes. Madeleine shows what to buy & where what to spot when buying & how to make the most of your compacts vintage cosmetics or beauty accessories. ...

This innovative new book presents the vast historical sweep of engineering innovation & technological change to describe & illustrate engineering design & what conditions events cultural climates & personalities have brought it to its present state. Matthew Wells covers topics based on an examination of paradigm shifts the contribution of individuals important structures & influential disasters to show approaches to the modern concept of structure. By demonstrating the historical context of engineering Wells has created a guide to design like no other inspirational for both students & practitioners. ...

In this magnificent guide to Englands cuisine the inimitable Clarissa Dickson Wright takes us from a medieval feast to a modern-day farmers market visiting the Tudor working mans table & a Georgian kitchen along the way. Peppered with surprises & seasoned with wit A History of England Food" is a classic for any food lover." ...

Mervyn Cooke provides a comprehensive & lively introduction to the major trends in film scoring from the silent era to the present day focussing not only on dominant Hollywood practices but also offering an international perspective by including case studies of the national cinemas of the UK France India Italy Japan & the early Soviet Union. The book balances wide-ranging overviews of film genres modes of production & critical reception with detailed non-technical descriptions of the interaction between image track & soundtrack in representative individual films. In addition to the central focus on narrative cinema separate sections are also devoted to music in documentary & animated films film musicals & the uses of popular & classical music in the cinema. The author analyses the varying technological & aesthetic issues that have shaped the history of film music & concludes with an account of the modern film composers working practices. ...

The ingredients cooks techniques & tools that have shaped our love of food. We all love to eat & most of us have a favourite ingredient or dish. In todays world we can get the food we want when we want it but how many of us really know where our much-loved recipes come from who invented them & how they were originally cooked? In this book William Sitwell culinary expert on BBC2s A Question of Taste & editor of Waitrose Kitchen magazine takes us on a colourful whirlwind journey as he explores the fascinating history of cuisine. This book is a celebration of the great dishes techniques & above all brilliant cooks who have over the centuries created the culinary landscape we now enjoy. Any lover of fine food who has ever wondered about the origins of the methods & recipes we now take for granted will find A History of Food in 100 Recipes required reading. As well as shining a light on foods glorious past there are contributions from a glittering array of stars of British cuisine including Marco Pierre White Delia Smith Heston Blumenthal Nigella Lawson & Jamie Oliver. In an incisive & humorous narrative Sitwell enters an Egyptian tomb to reveal the earliest recipe for bread & discovers the greatest party planner of the Middle Ages. He uncovers the extraordinary & poetic roots of the roast dinner & tells the heart-rending story of the forgotten genius who invented the pressure cooker. & much much more. ...

The remarkable stories of 100 football artefacts that have shaped the game as we know it. What does a grapefruit have in common with a pair of GBP500 sunglasses? They've both played a pivotal role in football history. Following on from Neil Mac Gregor's groundbreaking The History of the World in 100 Objects Bill Mann provides a quirky & unique take on the beautiful game told through its defining objects. A History of Football in 100 Objects begins on the momentous day in October 1863 when several men in frock coats formed the Football Association. Ever since the sport has continually evolved
- & created new ways to thrill & infuriate its billions of followers along the way. If you've ever wanted to know when footballers started to feign injury why an old sock helped Pele become a global legend or how a draper's letter changed football you'll find the answer in this fascinating history of invention ingenuity indiscipline
- & sometimes inebriation. From the inaugural red card to the ubiquitous mock Tudor mansion each of the objects selected gives us an intimate glimpse of an unexpected truth behind footie mythology
- & together they relate the larger history of the world's biggest & most-loved sport.


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The idea of a single divine being
- God Yahweh Allah
- has existed for over 4 000 years. But the history of God is also the

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