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A A Gill

Andrew Swanston read law at Cambridge, but was inspired to write by his lifelong interest in early modern history. His Thomas Hill novels – The King’s Spy, The King’s Exile and The King’s Return – are set against the backdrops of the English Civil War, Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the early Restoration respectively. He is also the author of Waterloo: The Bravest Man and Beautiful Star and Other Stories. His first historical thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth I – Incendium (published in paperback as The Incendium Plot) – introduced readers to the academic, lawyer and intelligencer Dr Christopher Radcliff, whose adventures continue in Chaos. Andrew Swanston lives in Surrey.

A D Swanston

A E Langsford

A G Hopkins

A. J. BAIME is the New York Times best-selling author of The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War and Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Both books are in development for major motion pictures. Baime is a longtime regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Popular Science, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Granite Bay, California. Visit him at facebook.com/ajbaime and trumanbook.com.

A J Baime

A J Jacobs

A J P Taylor

Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian, specialising in the fifteenth century and in particular the Wars of the Roses. A leading authority in the field, he is profesor emeritus of Teesside University. His books include North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses, Richard III and the Princes in theTower, Imagining Robin Hood: the Late Medieval Stories in Historical Context and Warwick the kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame.

A J Pollard

A J Rochester

A K Benjamin is a clinical neuropsychologist and the author of Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds.

A K Benjamin

A. L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten besteller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King. Into the Valley of Death is her third novel.

A L Berridge

Alison Gaylin's first job was as a reporter for a celebrity tabloid, which sparked a lifelong interest in writing about people committing despicable acts. More than a decade later, she wrote and published her Edgar-nominated first novel, HIDE YOUR EYES. 
 
She's since published nine more books, including the USA Today and international bestselling Brenna Spector suspense series, which has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Thriller awards and won the Shamus award. 
 
She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, cat and dog.

A L Gaylin

A Maxwell-Hyslop

A McArthur

A P Wavell

A.S. Webb is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of Chaos, the first instalment of The Dark Pantheon Trilogy. She is inspired by stories rooted in history and mythology, that push the boundaries of imagination and urge us to reflect on what it means to be human.

A S Webb

A. A. Dhand is the author of six previous novels, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His DI Harry Virdee novels are currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. He was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired all his novels. For more information about A. A. Dhand and his books, follow him on X @aadhand, and on Instagram @aa_dhand.

A. A. Dhand

A. A. Gill

A. A. Milne

A. Anatoli

A. B. Poranek grew up sharing her time between Ontario, Canada and rural Poland, and eventually completed a veterinary degree at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. A lover of mythology and history, she enjoys exploring both in her writing. Her debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still, an instant New York Times bestseller, is an ode to Poland's folktales, while A Treachery of Swans transports readers to a world inspired by 17th century France.

A. B. Poranek

A. Bradley

Professor A. C. Grayling is Principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy, history, science and current affairs. For several years he wrote columns for the Guardian newspaper and The Times and was the chairman of the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

A. C. Grayling

A.D. Miller is the author of Snowdrops, The Earl of Petticoat Lane and The Faithful Couple. Snowdrops was a bestseller and was shortlisted for many prizes including the Man Booker and the CWA Gold Dagger. It was translated into 25 languages. As Moscow Correspondent of The Economist A.D. Miller has travelled across the former Soviet Union and covered the Orange Revolution in Ukraine; he is now the magazine’s Culture Editor based in London. 
 
admillerbooks.com

A. D. Miller

A. E. Ellis

A. E. W. Mason

A. Humphreys

A. Igoni Barrett was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1979 and lives in Lagos. He is a winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition, the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His short story collection, Love is Power, or Something Like That, was published in 2013. In 2014 he was named on the Africa39 list of sub-Saharan African writers under 40. Blackass is his first novel.

A. Igoni Barrett

The short life of A.J.A. Symons (1900-41) was described by his biographer as an intricate and largely harmless confidence trick. His many interests included the collection of musical boxes and rare books as well as the study and practice of forgery; they left him time to edit an anthology of Edwardian verse and compose studies of H.M. Stanley and other notable figures. He is remembered for The Quest for Corvo, one of the most remarkable biographies ever written, and for co-founding the Wine and Food Society.

A. J. A. Symons

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Neal Martin

The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide 1870–2024 covers, in depth, over 150 years of vintages and is totally unique in its cultural scope. 
 
For wine lovers and collectors this is the new indispensable guide, updated throughout and including 2021–2024 vintages. This handbook not only explains what happened in a particular season, but provides wider historical and social context. Every single year is accompanied by one event or milestone, one song or musical composition and one film that encapsulates the spirit of the time as well as the world into which the vintage was born. 
 
Wine writer Neal Martin offers a personal, witty take on the traditional wine handbook, with notes on not just the growing seasons, harvests and wines themselves, but cultural phenomena ranging from Sherlock Holmes through Casablanca to Harry Styles. Innovative, inspired and addictively dip-in-able, The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide is an essential addition to your bookshelf as well as your cellar.

The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide

From 1870 to 2024

Dominic Frisby

The Secret History of Gold tells the epic tale of the world’s oldest, and most treasured, currency. From its origins in the formation of the solar system to its pivotal role in both ancient myth and modern finance, Dominic Frisby explores, with wit and brevity, how gold has defined the entire course of human civilisation. 
 
Gold has inspired men to do the most brilliant – and terrible – things. The most stolen metal in history, it has lured explorers, conquerors and thieves. It has sparked wars, it has built empires, it has empowered leaders – from Alexander the Great to Adolf Hitler – good and bad. As nations today such as China and Russia mine and hoard gold at record rates, Frisby examines its enduring significance in the digital age and its potential to influence global peace and power. 
 
This is the untold story of gold: its past, its present and its future.

The Secret History of Gold

Myth, Money, Politics and Power

Each of the 90 postcards in this box represents a unique collaboration between art director, designer, editor and author, with input from colleagues in sales and in marketing. In every case the aim was to produce a design which connects with a reader, which stands out on the shelves and – more recently – online and is true both to the spirit of the book and the author’s intentions. That so many of these covers were designed in the last century and still speak so strongly is a tribute to the vitality of this collaboration. 
 
The box represents the work of a sequence of talented and inspirational art directors and their teams, from Jan Tschichold in 1947 to Richard Bravery today, including Germano Facetti, Alan Aldridge, David Pelham and John Hamilton. Each of them combined their individual talents with the design trends and aesthetics of their eras, drawing increasingly on the energy and creativity of the wider culture and counter-culture, and altering the balance of brand and book. 
 
All these 90 covers are drawn from the archives of the Penguin General division – a tight-knit group of imprints comprising Viking, Hamish Hamilton, Fig Tree, Sandycove and Penguin Life, each of whom publish in paperback under the Penguin banner. We have chosen these 90 book designs collaboratively and we hope you will find a postcard within for every mood and every occasion.

Penguin 90th Anniversary Postcards

Junichiro Tanizaki

Were it not for shadows there would be no beauty. 
 
Nothing evokes the calm and nuance of the traditional Japanese aesthetic more profoundly than this book. Tanizaki’s eye ranges over architecture, jade, food, even toilets, examining the design and feel of the intimate places we inhabit. His acute sense of the use of space in buildings, his poetic descriptions of lacquerware under candlelight and his appreciation for natural materials suggest the possibility of a simpler, more beautiful life – one in which the softness of shadows is shielded from the dazzling light of modernity. 
 
‘Tanazaki suggests an attitude of appreciation and mindfulness, especially mindfulness of beauty, as central to life lived well’ AC Grayling, Guardian 
 
‘That it is a work of art can never be in doubt’ New Statesman 
 
'Elegant...a delight to read' Independent on Sunday

In Praise of Shadows

Vintage Design Edition

Nicole England

Art in Residence is a stunning exploration of how life and soul is brought into beautifully designed spaces through the cherished objects, sculptures and seminal artworks of their owners. 
 
From a New York City loft and a Californian hideaway to an historic central London home and a beach house in Sydney, photographer Nicole England documents the incredible art collections that make a truly evocative home.

Art in Residence

Collected Objects and the Architectural Homes They Live In

Helen Molesworth

'A gem of a book' - Tracy Borman 
 
When Helen Molesworth joined the gem and jewellery industry she began her own love affair with one of humanity's oldest and richest fascinations. For as long as people have known about gemstones they have treasured them. Born of violent geological events and the chance meetings of minerals, their stories are an extraordinary journey through time, and are significant to the human narrative in as many ways as they boast sparkling facets. 
 
Selecting ten of nature's most dazzling jewels, Helen Molesworth makes journeys across the world to trace stones from their discovery to the moment a glimmering cut and polished masterpiece is traded, and then fought over, adorns emperors and kings, falls out of favour, and then raises eye-watering sums in another age. Touching on history and politics, archaeology and engineering, geography and geology, chemistry and physics, psychology and romance, fine art and high finance, her book is rich with great stories and has something for everyone.

Precious

The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time

Will Kirk

The art of caring for the things you love ... 
 
Caring for the items you love around the home is easier - and more rewarding - than you think. In his first book, The Repair Shop's resident woodworking expert Will Kirk takes you on a tour of the basics of wood care and restoration, from first steps and quick fixes around the home to getting stuck into larger projects over a weekend. 
 
Whether you are fixing something you have had for years or upcycling something new, Restore shows you how simple and joyful woodworking can be, from fixing knicks and stains and making small repairs, to everyday hacks you can use to help care for your furniture. 
 
Restore teaches us how to save pieces of furniture from the scrap heap and appreciate the craftsmanship behind the objects we use every day. Encouraging us all to slow down and appreciate the beauty of woodcraft through easy, accessible projects - which anyone can start working on at home! 
 
 
Bestseller in nielsen bookscan week 202429

Restore

Frida Ramstedt

How do you choose dining chairs that are still comfortable at the end of a long meal? A sofa you can sink into without sagging? A bed that doesn't leave your neck and back aching? 
 
Award-winning blogger and bestselling author of The Interior Design Handbook Frida Ramstedt is back with practical tips and insider secrets from the world of furniture design. In The Furnishing Handbook, she shares insights and advice on what to look out for to ensure the furniture we buy doesn&rsquo;t just look good but is also well-made, long-lasting and, most importantly, comfortable to use every day. 
 
Looking beyond the latest furniture trends and styles, Frida equips readers with everything they need to understand what works best when choosing furniture and why. With chapters on chairs, tables, sofas and more, The Furnishing Handbook is an indispensable guide for anyone investing in new pieces for their home.

The Furnishing Handbook

Oliver Darkshire

Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) to interview for their bookselling apprenticeship, a decision which has bedevilled him ever since. He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram). 
 
For while Sotheran's might be a treasure trove of literary delights, it sings a siren song to eccentrics. There are not only colleagues whose tastes in rare items range from the inspired to the mildly dangerous, but also zealous collectors seeking knowledge, curios, or simply someone with whom to hold a four hour conversation about books bound in human skin. By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the world's oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.

Once Upon a Tome

The misadventures of a rare bookseller

Drew Pritchard

'Over the years I've had some incredible finds, but the one that excites me the most is the next one.' 
 
Drew Pritchard set himself up as a dealer when he was a teenager, rooting around in scrapyards, working out of a shed and getting about in a ropy old Transit. Now he's a leading figure in the antiques trade with an international online business, and he's hugely popular presenter of hit TV show Salvage Hunters. But he's still as driven by the thrill of the find as he was forty years ago. 
 
In this engaging and informative narrative, clearly structured into practical themes, Drew reveals what it takes to start with nothing but an obsession and a dream. He shows you how to create the opportunities, establish a network, get the best out of auctions and fairs, spot the fakes, develop your eye, build a reputation, buy and sell and yes, make a profit. 
 
Whether you are a professional dealer or an amateur enthusiast, and whatever your budget, Drew's on a mission to show you how to enrich your life with beautiful things, that have their own unique story and that bring you joy. And then how to part with them for cash!

How Not to Be an Antiques Dealer

Everything I've learnt, that nobody told me

The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide 1870&ndash;2020 breaks new ground in wine publishing, being the first volume to cover in depth 150 years of vintages and totally unique in its cultural scope. For wine lovers and collectors this is the indispensable guide, not only for finding out what happened in a particular season, but providing wider historical and social context. Every single year is accompanied by one event or milestone, one song or musical composition and one film that encapsulates the spirit of the time as well as the world into which the vintage was born. Wine writer Neal Martin offers a personal, witty take on the traditional wine handbook, with notes on not just the growing seasons, harvests and wines themselves, but cultural phenomena ranging from Sherlock Holmes through Casablanca to Beyonc&eacute;. Innovative, inspired and addictively dip-in-able, The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide is an essential addition to your bookshelf as well as your cellar.

150 Years from 1870 to 2020

Ronnie Archer-Morgan

Janet Gleeson

'Ronnie has overcome a heart-breaking start in life to achieve great success and no one deserves it more. What a dude, what a life!' - Fiona Bruce 
 
'Brilliant...a mercurial memoir of a meritorious life.' - Lemn Sissay 
 
For decades, Ronnie Archer-Morgan has brought to life the fascinating, often surprising backstories behind our most cherished heirlooms and household objects on the Antiques Roadshow. Now, he tells his own unlikely story. 
 
 Born in the fifties to a Sierra Leonean mother battling mental health problems, Ronnie spent his childhood in and out of care. After difficult beginnings, marked by abuse, racism and brushes with both criminals and the police, he got into music, managing to get DJ gigs and, later, worked as a celebrity hairdresser for Vidal Sassoon and Smile in the height of seventies London. A flair for spotting antiques led him to start his own Knightsbridge gallery, ultimately becoming one of the most respected figures in the industry, culminating in a regular spot as an expert on the nation's Sunday favourite, Antiques Roadshow. 
 
 Told with rich warmth, this is an extraordinary journey from deprivation and abuse to adventure and success against the odds - with stories of the incredible objects which shaped the way. 
 
'A surprising story, like many of the objects he appraises on the Antiques Roadshow' - Kate Adie, broadcaster and bestselling author 
 
'A fascinating, rollercoaster read, very well told.' - Times

Would It Surprise You To Know…?

Karen Farrington

Bargain Hunt is a British institution, entertaining audiences for over 20 years, and encouraging us to look for diamonds in the rough at antique fairs and shops across the country. A Bargain Hunt is more than just a quest for cash, though - from traveller's trunks and tea caddies to walking canes, coins and quirky costumes, each of the items chosen has their own story to tell, forming a small part of our collective social history. 
 
The Bargain Hunt Spotter's Guide to Antiques is packed with essential information from the Bargain Hunt experts on identifying quality across a range of antiques. From makers' marks and tell-tale historical styles to details in foils and finials, this will be your one-stop guide to making good choices on your own bargain hunt - while also delving into the fascinating stories behind many of our favourite antiques. 
 
With a foreword from Natasha Raskin Sharp, as well as tips, advice, and stories throughout from each of the show's experts (including 'league tables' of best and worst finds), this is the essential companion to all your future Bargain Hunts!

Bargain Hunt: The Spotter's Guide to Antiques

We all have treasures hidden away in the attic, well-loved and well-worn belongings that have been passed down from generation to generation. They may be damaged or no longer working, but we can't bear to part with them. The expert craftspeople of hit BBC series The Repair Shop are dedicated to restoring and conserving these heirlooms. They know that the true worth of these possessions doesn't lie in their monetary value, but in the memories they hold and the stories they tell. 
 
In this fascinating book, you'll step inside The Repair Shop's Workshop of Dreams to explore some of the most moving family stories from the hit BBC series. From a glamorous sequinned dress that belonged to a popular travelling circus performer to a pump organ that was brought from Jamaica by a member of the Windrush generation, each family item is brought vividly to life - and lovingly restored by the team of Repair Shop experts who also contribute to these expanded stories. With a foreword by Jay Blades, Tales from the Workshop of Dreams is a heartfelt love letter to our collective past, and a fascinating slice of social history. 
 
This book features items fixed by Repair Shop experts Steve Fletcher, Will Kirk, Lucia Scalisi, Suzie Fletcher, Kirsten Ramsay, Dominic Chinea, Brenton West, Tim Gunn, Sara Dennis, Chris Shaw, Matt Nickels, Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell. With great care and attention to detail, the Repair Shop team resurrect priceless pieces of family history and breathe new life into the stories they hold.

The Repair Shop: Tales from the Workshop of Dreams

Sunday Times bestseller 
 
'When I see something old, that I think is beautiful, special, valuable, it's not about the money. It's about being in another time and place.' 
 
Star of TV's Salvage Hunters, Drew Pritchard will go to the greatest lengths for the best deals. He discovered the casts Lord Elgin made of his infamous marbles in a school garage, and broke the bank to buy the tool box Malcolm Campbell used when he set the water speed record in 1934. He made a million. Lost it. And made it again. 
 
The face of the compulsively fascinating business of finding and restoring lost treasures, visionary Drew takes us up and down the country, into garages, factories, schools and pubs, digging out incredible items from that 'other time and place'. Then by lovingly restoring them, he brings our history back to life. 
 
A flat cap among silver spoons and old school ties, our favourite no-bullshit expert may be a one-off, but his story makes us all dream of that obscure piece of antiquity gathering dust in the garden shed...

Man with a Van

My Story

Haruki Murakami

The international literary icon opens his eclectic closet and shares photos of his extensive unique personal T-shirt collection, accompanied by essays that reveal a side of the writer rarely seen by the public. 
 
Haruki Murakami's books have galvanized millions around the world. Many of his fans know about his 10,000-vinyl-record collection, and his obsession with running, but few have heard about a more intimate, and perhaps more unique, passion: his T-shirt-collecting habit. 
 
In Murakami T, the famously reclusive novelist shows us his T-shirts - including gems found in bookshops, charity shops and record stores - from those featuring whisky, animals, cars and superheroes, to souvenirs of marathons and a Beach Boys concert in Honolulu, to the shirt that inspired the beloved short story 'Tony Takitani'. Accompanied by short, frank essays that have been translated into English for the first time, these photographs reveal much about Murakami's multifaceted and wonderfully eccentric persona. 
 
'The world's most popular cult novelist' Guardian

Murakami T

The T-Shirts I Love

Donald Walker

For ladies leading sedentary lives, Donald Walker has just the pep talk you need. 
 
If you haven't yet discovered the vast array of benefits that arise from physical exertion, then let Walker be your guide. As well as helping to prolong life and improve its happiness, active exercises can help you to achieve a beauty of form, elegant air and graceful manners. 
 
Through a combination of ladylike exercises such as dancing and dumb-bells, you can become the envy of all ladies. 
 
Tips include: 
- The posture and deportment that will enhance beauty 
- The correct manner of curtsy and what to do with one's hands when in company 
- Dangerous activities to avoid, from badminton to billiards 
 
Lavishly illustrated throughout, this guide has been brought back to life so that modern ladies can exercise the Victorian way.

Walker's Exercises for Ladies

Hatchimals

This complete guide to the Hatchimals Colleggtibles features every single little Hatchimal out there. Fans of the collectible toys can find out more about each of the characters, learn about their magical world, and keep track of their collection with the comprehensive collector's list. 
 
Also includes exclusive collector cards!

Hatchimals: The Official Colleggtor's Guide

Nicholas Foulkes

A beautifully illustrated and packaged study of the cigar - its history, its production and its joys - from world-renowned expert Nicholas Foulkes and written in conjunction with Davidoff, the world's leading cigar importer. A fascinating gift for anyone wanting to be educated and entertained... 
 
'I would recommend it for every cigar-smoker's stocking this Christmas' -- The Field 
'Entertained, informed and kept me interested throughout' -- ***** Reader review 
'Amazingly entertaining' -- ***** Reader review 
'Encyclopaedic, scholarly, elegant, fun' -- ***** Reader review 
'A superb book' -- ***** Reader review 
 
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"The most futile and disastrous day seems well spent when it is reviewed through the blue, fragrant smoke of a Cigar." Evelyn Waugh 
 
 Exploring not just the extraordinary story of tobacco and cigars but also a history that has been instrumental in the foundations of societies and cultures, Cigars will take you on an astonishing journey through landscapes, scents and an incredible roll call of the great, the good and the not-so good. The cigar has provided solace and a chance for worldly contemplation to generations of thinkers, businessmen, writers, entrepreneurs and connoisseurs. 
 
 In this elegiac offering to the pinnacles of hand-rolled tobacco, world-renowned expert Nicholas Foulkes guides you through the myths, legends, nuances and delicious realities of the smoke-savouring universe, serving as an introduction for the novice and a reference for the connoisseur. 
A stunning, fully-illustrated gift package, perfect for anyone wishing to be educated and entertained... 
 
 "A cigar ought not to be smoked solely with the mouth, but with the hand, the eyes, and with the spirit." Zino Davidoff

Cigars: A Guide

a fantastically sumptuous journey through the history, craft and enjoyment of cigars

The definitive history of the world-renowned watchmakers, Patek Philippe. 
 
Founded in Geneva in 1839, and to this day a family-owned company, Patek Philippe makes what are widely regarded as the world’s finest mechanical watches. Among them, the most valuable watch ever made: the famous 1933 pocket watch known as the “Graves” supercomplication, which sold at auction in 2014 for US$23,934,00. A cult among collectors, Patek Philippe and its timepieces have been treasured by kings and princes, rock stars, and sportsmen. Notable customers of the storied Swiss watchmaker include Queen Victoria, and her great-great-granddaughter HM Queen Elizabeth II. 
 
Drawing exclusively on interviews with the company’s owners and with staff and watchmakers past and present, as well as on hitherto unseen documents from the company’s archives, Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography, celebrates the history of a unique company. Nicholas Foulkes traces the Patek Philippe history from founder Antoine Norbert de Patek’s early life in Poland as a young cavalry officer fighting in a doomed uprising. He recounts Patek’s exile, his life in Geneva, his meeting with gifted watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe, and the 1932 purchase of the company by the Stern family who, over four generations, have turned it into the legend that it is today. 
 
“I am very pleased to see the history of my family’s company come to life in this excellent volume. This is the first time that the Patek Philippe archive has been accessed and brought to life in a factual and definitive work. Nicholas Foulkes has perfectly recreated the atmosphere and details of our 175-year journey.” - Philippe Stern, Honorary President of Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe

Kit Caless

A brilliantly quirky and affectionate look at a British institution: Wetherspoon Pubs and their incredible carpets. 
 
 If you’ve ever been in a Wetherspoon's (and who hasn't), you’ve probably looked down and noticed the brilliantly-hued carpet beneath your feet. But that carpet isn’t just for disguising spilt drinks… Each Wetherspoon has a carpet that is unique and bespoke, with a design inspired by the history of the building, its locale or the name of the pub. 
 
Thanks to the hit blog 'Wetherspoon's Carpets' – which posed the important question 'are any two Wetherspoon carpets the same?’ – these tapestried hymns to British boozers have become a cultural sensation. Now, Kit Caless has travelled the length and breadth of the UK, from Berkshire to Renfrewshire, Bradford to Bridgend, to photograph over 70 splendid carpets from Wetherspoons and meet some of the pubs' regulars. Each entry appears in all its glorious colour, along with Caless's witty and informative text on the inspiration for each carpet's design, the history of the pub and key facts about the branch and its regulars. 
 
Will your Spoons be there?

Spoon's Carpets

An Appreciation

Guy Atkins

For more than a decade, Guy Atkins has collected postcards sent by the Edwardians. In this incredible treasury of 100 cards, he shares the very best from his collection. From the tantalising, to the hilarious, to the downright shocking, this compendium shines a light on an extraordinary phenomenon of communication. 
 
At half the price of sending a letter, and with same-day delivery in urban areas, Britain became obsessed with the postcard between 1902 and 1914. By the outbreak of the First World War, the Post Office was delivering close to a billion cards a year. In fact, the speedy delivery meant Edwardian postcards were the text messages of their day! 
 
Come Home at Once presents an intriguing piece of social history. In it, Guy explains just what made the postcard such an Edwardian sensation, what it really meant to tilt your stamp and how same-day delivery made Edwardian postcards completely different from the postcards we know today.

Come Home at Once

Paul Atterbury

To mark the centenary of the start of World War I, the Antiques Roadshow team filmed a series of specials at the Somme, where the public brought in their family's war memorabilia and photographs. These 'antiques' weren't financially valuable, or in some cases even very beautiful, but the stories that came attached to these momentoes were priceless. 
 
Antiques Roadshow: World War I in 100 Family Treasures takes 100 of the most fascinating and moving stories and shows how they fit in to the wider history that was occuring around them. From Rifleman Frank Edwards, who led the 'big push' in September 1915 kicking a football in front of the troops (and survived to tell the tale) to the formidable Catherine Murray Roy, one of the first 50 nurses to be sent to the front lines in France. The story behind each object paints an intimate portrait of a long-lost relative, and quotes from the modern-day participants in the roadshow provide a moving link between the families then and now. 
 
Fully illustrated, and featuring all the stories from the show, this is a truly unique way of telling the story of those ordinary lives that were, by the onset of war in 1914, thrown into the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Antiques Roadshow: World War I in 100 Family Treasures

David Dickinson

David Dickinson is a household name, the king of the catchphrase, undisputed darling of daytime TV and a rising star. He's a respected antiques expert and exudes a taste for the finer things in life. But the road to his success has not been as smooth as his patter and he's learnt a lot at the school of hard knocks. David was first introduced to showbiz when he travelled the world as the manager of his international cabaret star wife, Lorne. After building himself a reputation as an antiques dealer to the rich and famous with an eye for treasures, a chance meeting with a TV exec at a barbecue began David's journey to primetime TV on Bargain Hunt, and in his autobiography David shares some of his experiences of sudden celebrity and reveals many of the highs and lows which have coloured his life so far.

David Dickinson The Duke - What A Bobby Dazzler

R M Bennett

The invincible reputation of specialist military units such as the USA's Delta Force, Israel's IDP, and of course, Britian's SAS has grown steadily in recent years. Thanks to a number of successful campaigns and anti-terror operations, from London's Iranian Embassy siege in 1980 to the second Gulf War, in which they played a crucial role, it's now assumed that special forces are ideal for our world of small, localised conflicts - and especially George W Bush's war on terror. 
Elite Forces: The World's Most Formidable Secret Armies: 
- Contains over 500 compelling entries that cut through myth and secrecy. 
- Details the history, selection and training procedures and orders of battle of every major elite fighting force in the world today. 
- Is packed with hair-raising examples of individual heroism, endurance and courage in adversity. 
- Is fully up to date and includes recent coalition operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
- Takes an objective look at what happens when things go wrong, as they did most famously during the Gulf War of 1991 and in America's intervention in Somalia in 1993. 
- Explores the hidden links between elite forces and governments, intelligence organisations and business, and their controversial lack of accountability. 
- Examines how new technologies have come to the aid of the elite soldier. 
This is the first book of its kind to examine all aspects of the overlap between elite forces and the hidden worlds of intelligence and counter-terrorism, and takes an objective look at the secret, controversial role of special forces and 'Freelancers' in covert, deadly operations around the world. Elite Forces is a compelling, revealing - and occasionally shocking - read, and an authoritive and easy-to-use reference resource.

Elite Forces

Ben Mackworth-Praed

The Book of Kells is the richest and most copiously illustrated book of in the Celto-Saxon style that still survives. However, despite its rarity and fame, there is little that is known about it. Reproducing over sixty of the wonderful images from the book itself, this guide describes the hidden meanings behind the illustrations and opens our eyes to the history behind them. Picking out the most interesting, beautiful and unique images from the 339 vellum leaves that comprise the book as a whole, it gives an illuminating insight into the manuscript and its creation. 
 
This book will appeal to everyone from the hundreds of thousands of people visiting the Book of Kells at Trinity College Dublin every year, to those interested in history, art, ancient artefacts or the gospels and anyone with a passion for beautiful objects.

The Book of Kells

Barry Davies

The riveting true stories of the men of Britain's Special Forces revealing what it's really like being a member of one of the world's most elite military regiments. 
 
The SAS has played a vital role in innumerable military operations since World War II. Along the way the daring and bravery of it's men has produced incredible stories of courage and devotion to duty. Heroes of the SAS is packed with thrilling accounts of the events and men involved in some of the most dramatic incidents in the division's history, from covert operations to major campaigns. It shares numerous gripping tales of outstanding bravery and reveals just what it takes to make it as an SAS soldier.

Heroes Of The SAS

True Stories Of The British Army's Elite Special Forces Regiment

Alistair McAlpine

Cathy Giangrande

The at-a-glance layout of this guide allows collectors to plan their next trip to the United States or Europe around their collecting passion, providing them with the necessary information to find collections on, or related to their enthusiasm.

The Essential Guide To Collectibles

Margaret Macdonald-Taylor

Lucilla Watson

THE ANTIQUE COLLECTOR'S GUIDES are designed to help collectors in many fields with the basic problems of identifying an object, placing it in the context of its origin and likely date and thereby forming a reasonable judgement of its comparative value. 
 
A Dictionary of Marks, with its comprehensive coverage of metalwork and ceramics and selective coverage of furniture and tapestry, is an essential reference book for collectors. It is also useful to anyone with an interest in the way in which makers identified their work. There are sections on British and American metalwork, from silver and gold to pewter, with a selection of English, Scottish, Irish and American metalworkers and their marks. Coverage of ceramics includes the marks of most major English and European factories, and sections on Chinese and Japanese marks. In the field of furniture and tapestry, a selection of English, French and Flemish marks is given. The guide is organised for quick and easy reference, with clear illustrations.

A Dictionary Of Marks

The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky. Discover the 1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami.

1Q84

365 Days of Art

A BBC Christmas

A Black Book Thriller

A Box Full of Murders

A Cal Leandros Novel

A Christmas Mystery

The intelligent and capable police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice.

A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

A DC Smith / Kings Lake Investigation Series

A Daisy Story

Chronicling the lives of over three hundred characters, unrivalled for its scope and humour, this is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

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