A perennially popular collection of colour cartoon illustrations with accompanying texts on the endearing oddities of our British life & character. Drawing on their many years' experience of teaching English as a Foreign Language the authors also offer the wider world a tongue-in-cheek guide on how to get around in English & at the same time make sense of our 'funny ways'. It's a gentle brand of satire & although there's the occasional barbed arrow for bland food fashion disasters or dubious standards of hygiene the tone of The How To Be British Collection" is more nostalgic than scornful & the pet-loving royal-watching tea drinking characters that populate its pages are viewed with wry affection. Cartoons like " How to be Polite" & " How to Complain" have been reproduced in publications all over the world perhaps because they put a finger on that peculiar tentativeness that foreigners find so puzzling (and so funny) about us. In order to be British or at any rate to pass unnoticed in British society the visitor must learn not to 'make a fuss'. A fuss is something that the true Brit cannot st&. It is nearly as bad as a 'scene' & in the same category as 'drawing attention to yourself'. In the first frame of How To Be Polite a man -- presumably an uninitiated foreign visitor -- has fallen into a river. He's clearly in trouble & is shouting HELP! -- at the top of his voice judging by the speech bubble. An English gentleman is walking his dog along the river bank. There's a lifebelt prominently displayed beside them but the gent & his dog are walking away from the emergency with disapproving expressions. In the next frame the man in the river has changed his strategy & is calling out: " Excuse me Sir. I'm terribly sorry to bother you but I wonder if you would mind helping me a moment as long as it's no trouble of course...". & this time naturally the English gent is rushing to his aid throwing the lifebelt into the water. Even the dog is smiling. Much of the material in The " How to be British Collection" is about how cultural differences can prove a minefield for the unwary. To that extent its appeal
- in an age where so many of us travel & even set up home overseas
- is universal. Every visitor to Britain comes knowing that our favourite conversational gambit is the weather. But how many can successfully do it at 1) Elementary 2) Intermediate & 3) Advanced levels? The book's enduring popularity comes from the recognition factor -- how exposed we can be once we stray away from the comfort zone of our own native language. A hapless visitor phrase book in hand stops to ask an old lady in the street for directions. He looks pleased with himself for phrasing the question so nicely but then is utterly at a loss to understand her long rambling minutely detailed reply. We've all been there. To help the poor innocent abroad around these cultural & linguistic booby-traps the book

Includes:: on most pages collectible Expressions to learn & (of course) Expressions to avoid. Thus under the entry for Real English which negotiates the difficult area of colloquial speech including "idioms slang & even the occasional taboo word as used by flesh & blood native speakers" we find -- Expressions to learn:"'E nicked it off of a lorry & now the coppers 'ave done 'im for it." Expressions to avoid: " That's not correct English Mrs. Jones -- it says so here in my grammar book"."



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The Dalai Lamas message in this book is as renowned as he is himself: that compassion is essential for individuals & for the world. This is very much his subject for when we think of His Holiness we immediately think of the compassion he embodies & to which he has devoted his entire life. He suggests we pay close attention to the way we respond to everyone & to everything around us & explains how caring for others can be a profound source of happiness on an individual level which can then be extended outward in wider & wider circles. From here he goes on to describe basic mistakes (such as hatred towards others) that lead us into personal turmoil & interpersonal disruption. Then he asks us to examine the nature of consciousness so we understand how the transformation of our attitude is possible. Finally in typically practical fashion he suggests how we can implement compassion in our daily lives & go on to live with greater care & concern for all beings. ...

How can you be cool at work or in bed or in a bar or in a restaurant? What is cool when it comes to dating? Calling? Not calling? Standing in their garden with a placard & a megaphone? Coolness is a dark art & takes years of practice. But help is at h&. How To Be Cool is your trusty handbook for ineffable coolness in every eventuality. Award-winning comedian Will Smith is your guide through a world where a nifty quip a signature drink & an outright lie about how much you like Italian arthouse movies can make you feel like Johnny Depp rather than John Mc Cririck. Glaring social ineptitude will happily be a thing of the past. ...

Have you ever wondered why you bother to go to work? Why so much of consumer culture is crap? Whether there might be a better freer happier way to live our lives? If so this book is for you. Following up his cult bestseller How To Be Idle" Tom Hodgkinson takes us on an inspirational journey towards true freedom & happiness. Read " How To Be Free" & learn how to throw off the shackles of anxiety bureaucracy debt governments housework moaning pain poverty ugliness war & waste & much else besides." ...

How to be Good" is a dark & funny take on charity & what it means to live with someone good from bestselling author of " About a Boy" & " High Fidelity" Nick Hornby. "I am in a car park in Leeds when I tell my husband I dont want to be married to him any more..." (London GP). Katie Carr always thought she was a good person. With her husband David making a living as The Angriest Man in Holloway she figured she could put up with anything. Until that is David meets DJ Goodnews & becomes a good person too. A far-too-good person who starts committing crimes of charity like taking in the homeless & giving their kids toys away. Suddenly Katies feeling very bad about herself & thinking that if charity begins at home then maybe its time to move..." Pins you in your armchair ad wont let go..." How to be Good?" How to be bloody marvellous more like". (" Mail on Sunday"). " It does exactly what it says on the cover. Hornbys prose is artful & effortless his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut". (" Independent"). " The writing is so funny & the set-pieces so brilliant... Hornbys best book since Fever Pitch". (Lynn Truss " The Times"). Nick Hornby has captivated readers & achieved widespread critical acclaim for his comic well-observed novels " About a Boy" "A Long Way Down" " Juliet Naked" " Slam" & " High Fidelity". His three works of non-fiction "31 Songs" (shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award) " Fever Pitch" (winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award) & " The Complete Polysyllabic Spree" are also available from Penguin." ...

We all have the capacity to be happy. There may be occasions in your life where this seems a challenging concept however there are some very definite things that you can do to make sure that you are happy more often than not. After all happy people get sick less often they have more energy are more creative sustain more positive relationships & are more fun to be around. With the help of Liggy Webb you can create your own personal happiness toolkit! How to be Happy will help you feel more self-empowered & in control of any situation helping you progress in your work & personal life. You will learn how to: * Build your self-confidence to make the best of who you are * Be open to learning new things to become more effective & creative * Develop an attitude of gratitude to appreciate life more * Encourage & sustain positive relationships * Build your resilience & emotional strength to cope with stress & manage change * Foster a healthy attitude & get fit for life You can make the decision right now to be happier if you really want to be. Life is what you make it
- so learn how to be happy effective & energetic
- & watch how it inspires those around you.

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Making Slough Happy" is made by award-winning independent production company Optomen with prime-time programming on BBC2 transmitting in November 2005. One of the boldest social experiments ever undertaken this unique television event brings happiness experts from all fields & gives them just four months to make the town of Slough happy. A fact: Although genes & upbringing influence about 50% of our happiness circumstances (income living environment) only affects 10%. The remaining 40% is accounted for by our outlook on life something we all have the power to change for the better. A simple happiness exercise: keep a diary & once a week write in it things for which you are thankful over the past week. Thats it. This is a simple but highly effective technique
- people who did it over 6 weeks reported a significant increase in their sense of happiness & satisfaction. Published against the series " How to be Happy" combines the very latest research with advice & exercises from the experts to give you the truth about happiness & practical ways to increase your own happiness"a."
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As Oscar Wilde said doing nothing is hard work. The Protestant work ethic has most of us in its thrall & the idlers of this world have the odds stacked against them. But here at last is a book that can help. From Tom Hodgkinson editor of the Idler comes HOW TO BE IDLE an antidote to the work-obsessed culture which puts so many obstacles between ourselves & our dreams. Hodgkinson presents us with a laid-back argument for a new contract between routine & chaos an argument for experiencing life to the full & living in the moment. Ranging across a host of issues that may affect the modern idler sleep the world of work pleasure & hedonism relationships bohemian living revolution he draws on the writings of such well-known apologists for idleness as Dr Johnson Oscar Wilde Robert Louis Stevenson & Nietzsche. His message is clear: take control of your life & reclaim your right to be idle. ...

A beloved icon who put the haute in couture & found success as an actress a mother & a humanitarian Audrey Hepburn was an expert in the art of being a woman. The waifish star & muse of Givenchy was quite the sage as well turning out insightful"es on topics of concern to women the world over: careers love lives motherhood relationships & ageing gracefully among others. Writer Melissa Hellstern has spent five years collecting some of the late icons most remarkable words in this beautifully designed & produced book filled with rare photos behind-the-scenes stories & insights from the friends who knew Hepburn well. Enduring the challenges of womanhood -- miscarriages divorce & the balancing act of career & family -- Audrey Hepburn exuded dignity & humility through her successes & failures & women of all ages will find inspiration among these pages. More philosophy than biography How to be Lovely revisits the many interviews Audrey gave over the years allowing us to hear her voice directly. How to be Lovely uncovers the real Audrey in her own words. Audrey Hepburn perfected the art of gracious living & is an enduring relevant & inspiring role model for women today. She found her way into the hearts of millions who grew up wanting to be just like her. A Los Angeles Times bestseller the book is supported by www.howtobelovely.com. * More philosophy than biography Hepburn perfected the art of gracious living *

Includes:: rare photos of the Rat Packs Princess * Hepburn is an enduring -- & commercial -- icon * The real Audrey -- in her own words

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This is the perfect fun gift-book for newlyweds written & illustrated by Martin Baxendale best-selling author of Your New Baby
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