When eleven-year-old Brian Pankhurst has to stay with his grandparents hes not exactly enthusiastic. He barely knows them after all & theyre a little strange. Theyre stranger than he realises in fact. Very soon after he arrives at their ancient house Brian starts to feel that something isnt right. Why has someone sent his granddad a completely blank letter? Why dont people who go in to the local bookshop ever seem to come out again? What does his granddad mean when he says Brians father wasnt really an accountant? Then Brian wakes in the middle of the night & finds hes going to have to adjust to three things very quickly: magic is real monsters are real & he & his family are in terrible danger... ...

In this first full critical biography Jonathan Wilson draws an intimate & powerful portrait of one of England's greatest football managers Brian Clough & his right-hand man Peter Taylor. It was in the unforgiving world of post-war football where their identities & reputations were made
- a world where as Clough & Taylor's mentor Harry Storer once said ' Nobody ever says thank you.' Nonetheless Clough brought the gleam of silverware to the depressed East Midlands of the 1970s. Initial triumph at Derby was followed swiftly by a sudden departure & a traumatic 44 days at Leeds. By the end of a frazzled 1974 Clough was set up for life financially but also hardened to the realities of football. By the time he was at Forest Clough's mask was almost permanently donned: a persona based on brashness & conflict. Drink fuelled the controversies & the colourful character; it heightened the razor-sharp wit & was a salve for the highs of football that never lasted quite long enough & for the lows that inevitably followed. Wilson's account is the definitive portrait of this complex & enduring man.
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The illustrations of Brian Cook from the 1930s 1940s & 1950s have become iconic. His heightened use of colour in a flat colour poster style is much imitated but never surpassed. His jacket covers for the Batsford series of books that celebrated British life are now very collectable. This collection of his best work is a beautiful publication that should be enjoyed not only by collectors but all lovers of good design & illustration. Brian Cook describes his working processes the then-new printing process that allowed him to pioneer his characteristic bold colours & the design principles & practical methods of his craft. A stunning book for designers. ...

John Cleese Christopher Lee & Michael Parkinson share their passion for cricket with the great broadcaster Brian Johnston. During the lunch interval on the Saturday of every Test in England BBC Radio's ' Test Match Special' used to invite a well-known guest into the commentary box for a chat with Brian Johnston about themselves & their passion for cricket. Some turned out to be able cricketers but they all had stories to tell about matches they had seen & cricketers they had met. Barry Johnston
- Brian Johnston's son
- has selected five chats from the series A View from the Boundary" beginning in 1980 with the playwright Ben Travers & his vivid recollections of W.G. Grace & other characters from the golden age of cricket. He is followed by Michael Charlton the political broadcaster & former cricket commentator who covered the great Australia v West Indies tied Test in 1960 & John Cleese a lifelong Somerset supporter who tells some funny stories about ' Monty Python' & ' Fawlty Towers'. Hollywood film star Sir Christopher Lee recalls watching the legendary Jack Hobbs & Don Bradman & Sir Michael Parkinson talks about opening the batting at Barnsley with Dickie Bird & how he nearly played for Hampshire. Publisher's note: This recording was taken from part of the cassette release of "A View from the Boundary"."

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In this definitive biography of Brian Jones Laura Jackson
- the first to insist that Jones was murdered & the first to identify
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Brian ODriscoll is the explosive captain of the golden generation of Irish rugby & a renowned genius on the field. One of the top outside centres in the game ODriscoll first became captain of his country in 2003 & his phenomenal record

Includes:: consecutive triple crowns in 2006 & 2007 & perhaps most memorably in 2009 when he led Ireland to their first Grand Slam for the first time in 60 years. Voted Player of the Decade in 2010 by Rugby World magazine ODriscoll has risen to become the most celebrated player in the sport today. Fully updated to include the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour his wedding to actress Amy Huberman in 2010 the 2011 Six Nations & Lenisters thrilling victory in the Heineken Cup Brian ODriscoll
- The Biography is the ultimate book about the Prince of Irish sport.


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Brian Wilson is a musical genius. Ever since British press agent Derek Taylor launched a publicity campaign with that theme to promote the landmark LP Pet Sounds in 1966 some variation of that claim has been obligatory when discussing the significance of the Beach Boys founder & chief composer. Originally designed to liberate Wilson from his outmoded image as a purveyor of sun-&-surf teen pop so the symphonic sophistication of his music might be properly appreciated the assertion has been repeated so often in the forty-plus years since as to render it virtually meaningless. Indeed if anything the label today seems an albatross around the mans neck inasmuch as Wilsons slow-but-steady reemergence as a working musician since 1998 after three decades of mental illness & drug abuse has been freighted with expectations that he again produce something as epochal as Good Vibrations A to justify the adoration he inspires in impassioned defenders. Brian Wilson interrogates this & other paradigms that stymie critical appreciation of Wilsons work both with the Beach Boys & as a solo artist. This is the first study of Wilson to eschew chronology in favor of a topical organization that allows discussion of lyrical themes & musical motifs outside of any prejudicial presumptions about their place in the trajectory of his career. The meanings of Brian Wilsons work have tended to be determined by the well-known storyline of his rise fall & redemption.A" From abused child to seemingly unstoppable hit-maker to eccentric with a living-room sandbox to the 300-pound Orson Wells of rock A" to the heavily medicated Icarus figure with the full-time Svengali psychiatrist to his current incarnation as a fragile elder-statesman survivor Brian Wilson has quite simply lived the most celebrated bizarre life in pop music. Its sheer Shakespearean proportions have overshadowed a beauty & gentleness of spirit that is as vibrant in Farmers Daughter A" (1963) as it is in recent efforts such as Live Let Live A" (2008). While no one would disagree that Wilson peaked A" in 1966 with Pet Sounds his current CD That Old Lucky Sun (2008) finds him creating beautiful music steeped in Americana that deserves discussion on its own terms rather than as a coda to the accomplishments of his gold-record youth." ...

The Bribery Act is one of the most far-reaching & controversial pieces of legislation of recent years. It radically reforms the law & extends the liabilities & risks of businesses in particular with effects well beyond the borders of the United Kingdom. The Act sets new standards for anti-corruption law internationally. Compliance with it is of urgent interest both to domestic concerns & international companies with any presence in the UK. This new book is the first thorough analysis of the key elements of the Bribery Act & how it will apply. All the main offences are covered & considered in context. The issue of adequate procedures" for businesses to prevent bribery is explored & the most up to date government guidance is included. The civil law of bribery is also explained. This is an essential work for anyone doing business internationally including in-house lawyers compliance officers company secretaries non-executive directors & corporate & criminal lawyers in private practice." ...

From the author of the highly praised & somewhat controversial The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament" comes the much-anticipated New Testament edition. For over a decade Brendan Powell Smith creator of popular website bricktestament.com has been hard at work using LEGO[registered] to re-create scenes from the Bible. Now in one volume he has brought together over 1 000 "brick" photographs depicting the narrative story of the New Testament. From the life of Jesus
- his birth teachings & parables
- to the famous last supper scene & the crucifixion; from the fate of Judas to the life of Paul & his letters to the Ephesians; from the first book burning to the book of Revelations this is the New Testament as you've never experienced it before. Smith combines the actual text of the New Testament with his brick photographs to bring to life the teachings miracles & prophecies of the most popular book in the world. The graphic novel format makes these well-known Bible stories come to life in a fun & engaging way. & the beauty of " The Brick Bible: The New Testament" is that everyone from the devout to nonbelievers will find something breathtaking fascinating or entertaining within this impressive collection."

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While to many LEGO bricks are 'just a toy' to an ever-growing army of fans they provide a challenging & enjoyable modelling medium. These fans calling themselves 'AFOLs' or Adult Fans of LEGO have taken it upon themselves to recreate local landmarks using just the bricks that you may find at a local store. LEGO models created by adult fans however don't resemble those that many people created as a child. Created by masters of their medium these fabulously detailed models may contain thousands of pieces
- or perhaps just a handful. Either way the talented artists have an intimate knowledge of every piece & colour available. Skilfully choosing the ideal piece to recreate a well-known landmark they may create a model indistinguishable from the real thing or evoke the spirit of a building in just a few small pieces. In fact landmarks & cityscapes
- from the New York skyline to the Sagrada Familia London's St Pancras & the amazing towers of Beijing & Hong Kong
- have long been a source of inspiration for LEGO builders. In this book LEGO artist Warren Elsmore takes us on a world tour & explores more than 12 global cities & their iconic structures. Each city is examined & recreated in LEGO form. Comprising amazing artwork exploratory photographs & detailed breakdowns Brick City looks at the essence of what makes an urban landscape recognizable.


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