Britains best-loved MP & bestselling diarist returns with his hilarious account of a New Labour backbencher. On the backbenches but still in the thick of it Decline & Fall runs from Chris Mullins sacking as a minister by Tony (The Man) Blair in 2005 to the fall of New Labour in May 2010. Here is politics as it really is: entertaining encounters with constituents & conspirators tantalising glimpses behind the scenes at the courts of Blair & Brown all set against the background of the global financial crisis & the great expenses meltdown. Every bit as funny & insightful as his first volume A View From The Foothills" these new diaries provide a snapshot of life in the Westminster village. Preparing to step down after twenty-three years as an MP Mullin wryly observes they say failed politicians make the best diarists in which case I am in with a chance." ...

Sent down from Oxford in outrageous circumstances Paul Pennyfeather is oddly surprised to find himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at Llanabba Castle. His colleagues are an assortment of misfits rascals & fools including Prendy (plagued by doubts) & Captain Grimes who is always in the soup (or just plain drunk). Then Sports Day arrives & with it the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde floating on a scented breeze. As the farce unfolds & the young run riot no one is safe least of all Paul. ...

No empire has been larger or more diverse than the British Empire. At its apogee in the 1930s 42 million Britons governed 500 million foreign subjects. Britannia ruled the waves & a quarter of the earths surface was painted red on the map. Where Britains writ did not run directly its influence sustained by matchless industrial & commercial sinews was often paramount. Yet no empire (except the Russian) disappeared more swiftly. Within a generation this mighty structure sank almost without trace leaving behind a scatter of sea-girt dependencies & a ghost of empire the British Commonwealth of nations. Equally it can be claimed that Britain bequeathed its former colonies economic foundations a cultural legacy a sporting spirit a legal code & a language more ubiquitous than Latin ever was. In a book of unparalleled scholarship Piers Brendon presents the story of the decline & eclipse of British might the major historical event in the closing stages of the second millennium. Full of vivid particulars brief lives telling anecdotes comic episodes symbolic moments & illustrative vignettes The Decline & Fall of the British Empire" evokes remote places as well as distant times. From the war for American independence the end of the Raj the scram out of Africa & the unfinished business of the Falklands & Hong Kong to the new informal empire of the United States this is a comprehensive & engaging account." ...

This is a brand new technical guide which provides a comprehensive overview of the principles underlying decompression theory. Mark Powell has written a book that for the first time allows the average diver to fully understand the principles behind this fascinating aspect of diving. This book bridges the gap between introductory books & source scientific information. What I wanted was an intermediate overview that went into more detail but wasnt written for academics or researchers. When I became a technical diving instructor I started teaching other people about decompression theory.I tried to give an overview of decompression theory at this intermediate level to give my students a better understanding of what was happening during decompression dives. This was always very popular amongst divers who like me had always wanted to understand more about the concepts & models underlying decompression theory. I was always being asked if I could recommend a good book which covered this area but as before there was no such text available. Over time I started giving out notes for the decompression theory portion of my courses & these notes started building. Initially they were just a few pages but the notes became more & more comprehensive & started to cover more & more areas. Eventually they grew into this book. Winner Eurotek 2010
- Publication of Significance Award
...

Updated with 3 new songs this is the intimate first-person chronicle of the life & work of Jay-Z born Shawn Carter in Brooklyn's notorious Marcy Projects now known to many as the greatest rapper alive. Told through lyrics images & personal narrative Decoded" shares the story of Jay-Z's life through the 10 codes that define him giving an unparalleled insight into his background influences & the artistic process that shapes his work. Each chapter features a highly personal narrative section followed by a visually captivating selection of his most famous & provocative lyrics underlining the chapter's themes along with Jay-Z's own 'decoding' of each lyric uncovering the wordplay & stories behind the song. This is a brilliant insight into the art & poetry of hip-hop as well as the life of one of the genre's greatest artists." ...

You meet someone. You fall in love. If all goes well that person falls in love with you & you live happily ever after. Yet is finding love really that straightforward? Andrew Trees draws from the latest studies in economics neuro-chemistry game theory evolutionary psychology & other fields to take on a topic we all think we understand
- how we fall in love
- & turn it on its head. Discover why: certain perfume fragrances make you appear slimmer; human testicle size is an indicator of our promiscuous past; & you need to date twelve people to find Mr or Mrs Right
- & the mathematical theory behind it. Page turning thought provoking & sparkling with wit Decoding Love" offers surprising new insights into the nature of attraction as well as an intimate look at the strange intersection of romance & the modern world of dating."


...

In 1900 a group of sponge divers blown off course in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck dating from around 70 BC. Lying unnoticed for months amongst their hard-won haul was what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock which turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this Antikythera mechanism puzzled academics but now more than 2000 years after the device was lost at sea scientists have pieced together its intricate workings. In Decoding the Heavens" Jo Marchant tells for the first time the story of the 100-year quest to understand this ancient computer. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters
- ranging from Archimedes to Jacques Cousteau
- & explores the deep roots of modern technology not only in Ancient Greece the Islamic world & medieval Europe."

...

Whether you are designing a brand new home or simply updating one rooms interior Decorate is teeming with clever creative & quirky advice from the worlds best designers & architects. The likes of Jonathan Adler Kelly Hoppen Amy Neunsinger Rita Konig Amy Butler & Abigail Ahern reveal essential tools of the trade from where to put your furniture to how to dress a room with your own individual style. The book is a gorgeous source of essential expert guidance featuring both quick fixes for small budgets & indulgent ideas for more ambitious projects. The text is divided into sections each punctuated with top tips pearls of decorating wisdom & divine designer secrets: Space Matters has a blank-canvas approach showing you how best to assess a space & work out its specific decorating needs. A section on Setting Your Style profiles a huge range of different interior aesthetics from Natural & Fleamarket Style to Modern Glamour & Eclectic. Room By Room concentrates on each room of the house & tells you what you need to know to transform any area. Finally Attention to Detail reveals the smaller elements that can utterly transform a space without affecting the architecture or structure of a building. These final touches include hanging pictures arranging flowers cushions & lights. Decorates vast selection of styles boasting contributions from the industrys top designers makes it an essential book for anyone looking to transform their homes interior. ...

After the phenomenal success of Decorate Holly Becker offers a very personal approach to decorating advice in the Decorate Workshop. Taking the same friendly & approachable tone that has made her decor 8 blog so popular Holly draws her inspiration from beautiful homes in locations around the world including London Paris New York & Amsterdam to guide the reader through their own decorating projects. Filled with inspirational photographs & words of wisdom from Holly herself the Decorate Workshop is an invaluable guide to finding & filtering design information & the wealth of shopping choices that can engulf a novice decorator. Holly shows readers how to be inspired & stay inspired how to define & refine their own style how to tackle a project practically with the use of professional-style moodboards & ultimately how to apply all that new-found knowledge to their own homes. In Planning Holly takes you through the basics of starting out whether you are beginning from scratch with a new home adapting an existing room or looking for a small-scale makeover. In Decorating she explores a wealth of aesthetic choices from neutral palettes to exploring colour texture & pattern through to introducing personal touches such as artwork books collections & flowers. Furnishing your Home gets more specific with ideas for curating every room from buying a great table for your dining room to the best textiles to dress the bed. Part essential reference part jotter for notes lists & reminders the Decorate Workshop will be a covetable purchase for Holly's legions of fans. ...

Sugarcraft expert Frances Mc Naughton has created twenty different designs for decorating cup cakes & twenty fun alternatives. There are easy recipes for the cakes themselves & simple instructions for creating the decorations using readily available ingredients. Full of fun & inspiration this book will show you how to make cup cakes for all occasions. Features include: twenty designs & twenty alternatives; cup cake & icing recipes included; readily available ingredients; & cup cakes for all occasions. ...