Stanley Matthews taught us the way football should be played". (Pele). "I couldn't believe he was just a man. He was the best player in the world". (Bobby Charlton). " He told me that he used to play for just twenty pounds a week. Today he would be worth all the money in the Bank of England". (Gianfranco Zola). Stanley Matthews is one of the most famous footballers ever to play the beautiful game. Nicknamed ' The Wizard of Dribble' for his deadly skills he made fools of defenders around the world. He played 84 matches for England in a career that spanned an extraordinary 33 years & such was his popularity that attendance for his club teams Stoke City & Blackpool more than doubled when he played. He was a global superstar decades before Beckham Ronaldo or Messi yet what do we really know about this legendary man? This first full & objective biography looks beyond the public face of the 'first gentleman of soccer' to explore a life not without controversy. This was a player who clashed with his managers who felt undervalued in the age of the maximum wage
- leading to a charge of blackmarketeering
- & who was criticised for his showmanship & perceived lack of team spirit. There were private dramas too
- an unhappy first marriage that produced two beloved children & a second to the love of his life a Czech with a dark secret even Matthews never knew & which acclaimed biographer Jon Henderson reveals for the first time. Recreating the magic on the pitch & analyzing the key moments that made Matthews great this is a meticulously researched story of a national hero & a fascinating insight into English football in the 20th century."


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If you know what you want I'll get it for you. If you don't know what you want I'll do it for you. Todd Rundgren. Few record producers possess the musical facility to back up such a bold promise but in over forty-plus years behind the glass Todd Rundgren has willed himself into becoming a not only a rock guitar virtuoso an accomplished lead vocalist & a serviceable drummer vocal arranger & keyboard player but also a master of perhaps his greatest instrument of all the recording studio. Throughout his career Rundgren has ping-ponged between the worlds of producer & recording artist with varying degrees of critical & commercial success. After learning his craft as a songwriter & arranger with Nazz Rundgren gained attention for engineering recordings by The B&. His reputation was cemented by a string of noteworthy productions beginning in 1971 with Sparks & continuing with classic albums for Grand Funk The New York Dolls Badfinger Hall & Oates Meat Loaf Patti Smith Group Psychedelic Furs & XTC. All of this alongside his own solo albums
- such as Something/ Anything" "A Wizard A True Star" & " Hermit Of Mink Hollow"
- on which he played & sang virtually everything & a series of albums by his band Utopia. Researched & written with the participation & cooperation of Rundgren himself " Todd Rundgren: Sounds Of The Studio" is a fascinating & authoritative trip through the land of flickering red lights inhabited by a studio wizard
- & true star
- who has rarely enjoyed a proper victory lap along the many trails that he has blazed. It draws upon exclusive new interviews with Robbie Robertson Patti Smith XTC Sparks Daryl Hall & John Oates Meat Loaf Jim Steinman Cheap Trick Grand Funk The Psychedelic Furs The Tubes Steve Hillage all members of Rundgren's legendary band Utopia & many other key Rundgren associates."



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Ben Holiday the High Lord of Landover is back in his rightful place. The evil wizard Meeks has finally been dealt with & all seems well with the world. But even in a Magic Kingdom peace never lasts long. It was all Questor Thews fault really
- whether the inept Court Wizard would like to admit it or not. His bumbling attempt to return Abernathy from the body of a dog to his original human form resulted in the Court Scribe being transported to Earth to be replaced by a multi-coloured bottle. Furthermore Abernathy was wearing the High Lords medallion at the time without which Bens powers are drastically reduced. Ben & Willow set out to find Abernathy which means following him to Earth. Which means leaving Questor in charge. & thats when things start to go horribly wrong...
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Seph Mc Cauley has spent the past three years getting kicked out of one exclusive private school after another. & its not his attitude thats the problem: its the trail of magical accidents
- lately disasters
- that follow in his wake. Seph is a wizard orphaned & untrained & his powers are escalating out of control. Worse as the magical accidents that plague him grow in intensity Seph makes a discovery: the stories hes been told about his parents life & death are fabrications. The people he most trusted have been lying to him. After causing a tragic fire at an after-hours party Seph is sent to the Havens a secluded boys school on the coast of Maine. Gregory Leicester the headmaster promises to train Seph in magic & initiate him into his mysterious order of wizards. Maybe here he will find a community he can trust? But Sephs enthusiasm dampens when he learns that the training comes at a steep cost. Who can he trust when everyone around him is keeping secrets? & where can he turn when he finds himself at the centre of a war he may well not survive?

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The first book of Earthsea" is a tale of wizards dragons & terrifying shadows. The island of Gont is a land famous for wizards. Of these some say the greatest
- & surely the greatest voyager
- is the man called Sparrowhawk. As a reckless awkward boy he discovered the great power that was in him
- with terrifying consequences. Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his means Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast in his l&. Only he can destroy it & the quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea."


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This is a new edition of this popular Young Reading" title re-issued with a hardback cover & the audio CD inserted into a wallet inside the back cover making the book & CD easy to store together. Join Dorothy Scarecrow Tinman & Lion in their amazing journey to meet the wonderful Wizard of Oz. " The Young Reading" series is developed with experts at Roehampton University to help young readers grow in confidence & ability. The packaging also allows potential purchasers to view the inside of the book." ...

Read It Yourself" is a learning to read series of classic traditional stories with four levels of difficulty to suit the stage your child is at with reading. Written in a simple way for young readers they will build their confidence in learning to read as they progress through each level. Familiar fairytales & exciting stories will amuse children & encourage them to progress further with this series & become confident readers. Each book in " The Read It Yourself With Ladybird Series" is carefully structured to include many everyday words that are vital for first reading/beginner readers. They also contain clear beautiful pictures for extra support & interest. Extra puzzle questions at the end of each book further help with comprehension. This " Read It Yourself" version of " The Wizard of Oz" is a level 4 title & so suitable for children who are eager to read longer stories independently. The story is full & exciting with a richer & more varied vocabulary. Trust Ladybird to help your child learn to read & become a confident reader." ...

Each volume in the Collectors Library" series has a specially commissioned Afterword brief biography of the author & a further reading list. The Afterword for this edition of is by Ned Halley. This is the story of Dorothy & her little dog Toto who are carried away from Kansas by a cyclone & transported to the wonderful world of Oz. She meets three companions
- the Scarecrow the Tin Woodman & the Cowardly Lion
- & the three journey to the Emerald City of Oz to ask the Wizard of Oz to give them their hearts desires which in Dorothys case is to return home to Kansas. On their way to Oz & while fulfilling the tasks that the surprising Wizard asks of them they encounter witches winged monkeys the Deadly Desert fighting trees & magic shoes."

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Toto I have a feeling were not in Kansas anymore... When a tornado crashes through Kansas city Dorothy & her dog Toto are whisked far away over the rainbow to a strange land called Oz. How will they ever get home? & what is at the end of the yellow brick road? Plucky Dorothy & Toto embark on a magical adventure to search for the Wizard of Oz & along the way encounter the Tin Woodman the Scarecrow & the Cowardly Lion. This much loved tale has enchanted generations of children & adults alike. ...

This is a wonderful gift book. The complete & unabridged hugely popular story. Rediscover this classic American tale brought to life through more than seventy stunning paintings by award-winning illustrator Robert Ingpen. Come with Dorothy & her friends as she sets off on an amazing adventure through the curious land of Oz. ...