Dougie Poynter has been obsessed with dinosaurs ever since visiting the Natural History Museum when he was about three. He is passionate about the natural world and a keen conservationist, working with charities such as WWF and Greenpeace to get harmful products banned and to clean up the planet. 
 
Dougie wrote songs together with Tom Fletcher for years in bands McFly and McBusted; they now write their bestselling Dinosaur that Pooped books in the same way that they write their song lyrics. The books have sold over a million copies!

Dougie Poynter

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

Spike Milligan

In this last of Spike's hilarious reinterpretations of the classic works of litarature, all the familiar faces of Robert Louis Stevenson's original version appear: Squire Trelawney, Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver. But they are joined by Groucho Marx - and Long John's parrot plays a starring role. This rip-roaring adventure of the hunt for buried treasure unravels faster than Ben Gunn's pants, with plenty of laughs along the way. Rude and irreverent as ever, Spike's rendering of this classic tale is as chock-full of gems as Cap'n Flint's treasure chest.

Treasure Island According To Spike Milligan

Andy Dougan

40 years ago a group of eleven young men stood in the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon and faced a crowd of 77,000 and the mighty Inter Milan. They were the first British team ever to reach the final of the European Cup. Indeed it was the first time their club had even played in the European Cup. And yet they faced one of the richest teams, with a fearsome reputation and an unbeaten defensive strategy. But these men would go on to make football history... 
 
Told by a life-long fan, The Lisbon Lions follows the fortunes of eleven men born within 20 miles of Glasgow who had come to play for a football team struggling in the League. Reinventing the team with his positive playing strategies, manager Jock Stein guided Celtic to victory in the Scottish championships and eventually to the European Cup itself. Andy Dougan takes us on the thrilling journey with Celtic as, round by round, the team's passion, inventiveness, and above all style brings them to the biggest game in their club's history. The story remains as romantic, inspiring and stirring as ever.

Celtic: The Lisbon Lions

A Celebration of the European Cup Campaign 1967

Eric Sykes

Sparks and Miller, two reluctant Desert Rats, were trying desperately to have a quiet war, but despite all of their efforts, they somehow manage to become front-page heroes. No matter what they do they come up smelling of roses.

Smelling Of Roses

Mefo Phillips

The lure of a long-distance ride leads Mefo Phillips to team up with her sister Susie and their spotted Appaloosa horses Leo, a flirt with a passion for Mars Bars, and affectionate, gluttonous Apollo, for a pilgrimage down the medievil Way of St.James from Canterbury to Spain. The lure of a map of European glof courses entices Mefo's husband Peter to follow them in a rackety old horsebox... 
Slowed by thunderstorms, vertigo, worn-out horseshoes and a variety of eccentric farmers, it's boiling midsummer by the time they reach the Castilian plains after a meander across lush springtime France. With 1,700 miles, four mountain ranges, and encounters with galloping goats, nude pilgrims, rampant donkeys and a fountain of red wine behind them , horses and humans are inseparable by the time they reach Santiago and the suddenly daunting prospect of a trundle in the horsebox back to England and a normal life.

Horseshoes And Holy Water

Tom Watkins

LONGLISTED FOR THE PENDERYN MUSIC PRIZE 2017 
 
The coke-fuelled mania behind pop’s greatest successes 
 
 
Tom Watkins is the famously entertaining pop Svengali with killer commercial instincts and prodigious talent for design. He propelled the Pet Shop Boys, Bros and East 17, among others, to global stardom, all whilst maintaining a savage hedonistic lifestyle and a stellar art collection. His fingerprints are all over British pop, and he’s decided the time has come for a tell-all autobiography about the business behind the stars that shaped your life in the 80s and 90s. 
 
Follow Tom’s journey from his humble boyhood in post-war South-East London, to his teenage misdeeds and the birth of Rock and Roll; his days as a design student under the tutelage of Terence Conran and Rodney Fitch, to the excesses of the 80s and 90s where he became one of the original boy band innovators – the driving force behind the pop icons plastered on the walls of teenage girls’ bedrooms. 
 
Funny, unstoppable and outspoken, a razor-sharp and greatly respected businessman, marketing visionary, designer and art collector, Tom takes us through his extraordinary and colourful life into the inner-circle of 80s pop-culture. From hobnobbing with Bruce Sprinsteen to bust-ups with Bros, Tom has seen it all. 
 
Expect a gripping, gossipy, meticulously researched memoir of the drug-addled 80s and 90s, layered on top of an insightful and intelligent portrait of a recent but very different age, from the singular perspective of a man who played a huge role in defining the era and paved the way for industry moguls like Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.

Let's Make Lots of Money

My Life as the Biggest Man in Pop

Secrets of a Rich, Fat, Gay, Lucky Bastard

Charlotte Moerman

After a decade of climbing the career ladder collecting business cards, box files and an assortment of baffling acronyms, Charlotte Moerman leaps off into the great unknown of motherhood. 
 
She gamely enters into her new life and soon can't imagine a world before Pampers wipes. But without appraisals or targets to guide her along the way, Charlotte also realises there's an awful lot to learn. Scratching her head over egg-and-soldiers etiquette, the appeal of paper pants, and her instinctive new urge to rock shopping trolleys whether or not there's a passenger on board, Charlotte also surrenders any last hope of achieving household minimalism, what with submarines in the bath, marbles underfoot and a villainous nappy bin that would give Doctor Who a run for his money. 
 
Instructions Not Included follows the joy and the pain of becoming mum to three small boys, from juggling multiple demands and accepting going to the loo as a group activity, to finding 300 ways to describe being knackered. Charlotte's days in paid work soon seem distant. So, frequently, does her Dutch husband. Armed with a sharp wit, an encyclopaedic knowledge of children's literature and a nit comb, Charlotte allows women to celebrate their own uncertainty as she guides them through her experiences of the potential minefield that is motherhood.

Instructions Not Included

One Mum, Three Boys and a Very Steep Learning Curve

Guy Martin

The million-copy selling truck fitter returns 
 
***Featured on Channel 4*** 
 
'I can't stop biting off more than I can chew. Maybe I'm wearing everything out, but I believe the body is a fantastic thing and it will repair itself and I'll go again. If it's running too rich, I don't stop what I'm doing, just weaken the mixture and carry on.' 
 
Since we last heard from him, Guy Martin has restored a 1983 Williams F1 car then raced Jenson Button in it; helped to build a First World War tank; ridden with Putin's favourite biker gang the Night Wolves; competed on the classic endurance circuit; stood on top of one of Chernobyl's nuclear reactors and taken part in his last ever Isle of Man TT. 
 
Then there's the stuff he really can't wait to get out of bed for: 12-hour shifts for a local haulage firm and tatie farming in his new John Deere tractor. 
 
Besides all this, he's saved his local pub from closure and become a dad. 
 
But let him tell you his own stories, in his own words: 
 
'You're getting it from the horse's mouth. No filter. I hope you enjoy it.'

We Need to Weaken the Mixture

Andrew Collins

'Love me or hate me. It's a great read’ - Billy Bragg 
 
 He was a punk. He was a soldier. He was a flag-waver for the Labour Party and the miners. He is Billy Bragg, passionate protest folk singer and tireless promoter of political and humanitarian causes around the world. 
 
 His life encapsulates so much about his generation: born in the late ’50s, passions forged by punk, politics shaped by Thatcherism, career inspired by engagement, hope provided by the end of the Cold War and ideology galvanised by what he sees as a ‘post-ideological’ twenty-first century. He adapts to survive: serious about compassion and accountability, he likes a laugh too, and has never forgotten where he comes from. 
 
Still Suitable for Miners is the official Billy Bragg story, tracing his life, family and career at close range from Barking to the present day. This 20th anniversary edition has been updated to include the rise of Corbyn, the unfolding of Brexit, Billy’s reclamation of skiffle and his overtures into Americana.

Billy Bragg

Still Suitable for Miners

Cicely Berry

Voice and the Actor is the first classic work by Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespear Company and world-famous voice teacher. Encapsulating her renowned method of teaching voice production, the exercises in this straightforward, no-nonsense guide will develop relaxation, breathing and muscular control - without which no actor or speaker can achieve their full potential. 
 
Illustrated with passages used in Cicely Berry's own teaching, Voice and the Actor is the essential first step towards speaking a text with truth and meaning. Inspiring and practical, her words will be a revelation for beginner and professional alike.

Voice And The Actor

Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is world-famous for her voice teaching. The Actor and the Text is her classic book, distilled from years of working with actors of the highest calibre.

The Actor And The Text

Charles Bukowski

YOU CAN TAKE THE MAN OUT OF THE GUTTER, BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE GUTTER OUT OF THE MAN 
 
Low life writer and alcoholic Henry Chinaski was born to survive. Now, at the age of fifty, he is living the life of a rock star, running three hundred hangovers a year and a sex life that would cripple Casanova. Women is a riotous and uncompromisingly vivid account of life on the edge.

Women

Alex Horne

Alex Horne loves words. He loves them so much, in fact, that he's decided to invent his own ... and get them into the dictionary. But, as Alex discovers, gaining entry into the official lexicon takes more than just a gentle word in the ear of the editor. Evidence is required - Alex needs proof that his words are being spoken by more people than just him and his mum. He needs what the dictionary authorities call a 'corpus' of examples, hard data showing that his new words are in widespread and long-term usage. So a corpus he resolves to create, no matter what obstacles he might meet on the way. This is the epic and ridiculous story of one man's struggle to break into the dictionary. 
From covert word-dropping on Countdown to wilfully misinforming schoolchildren, Alex tries it all in his quest for dictionary-based immortality. Does he succeed? Are you already using one of Alex's words without realising it? You won't regret spending your hard-earned honk on this hugely entertaining book.

Wordwatching

Breaking into the Dictionary: It's His Word Against Theirs

Sarah Hyndman

Discover the incredible power of fonts - how they influence your decisions, alter your perceptions, stir your emotions and change how you understand the world. Graphic designer Sarah Hyndman shares her infectious enthusiasm for fonts in this visually inspiring, beautifully designed, immersive and interactive study, including quizzes, tests and case-studies. 
 
'A fascinating insight into how type can influence our feelings, our senses, and even our taste' -- Professor Charles Spence, University of Oxford 
'Most books about fonts are written for designers - Sarah brings the power of fonts to everyone' -- Patrick Burgoyne, Editor of Creative Review 
'This book is an inspiration' -- ***** Reader review 
'Ground-breaking' -- ***** Reader review 
'Beautiful and fun! A fantastic read' -- ***** Reader review 
'Love this book! Couldn't put it down and read it from cover to cover' -- ***** Reader review 
'A really interesting and insightful book' -- ***** Reader review 
********************************************************************************************************* 
We all constantly interact with type in almost every aspect of our lives. But how do fonts affect what we read and influence the choices we make? 
 
This book opens up the science and the art behind how fonts influence you. It explains why certain fonts or styles evoke particular experiences and associations. Fonts have different personalities that can create trust, mistrust, give you confidence, make things seem easier to do or make a product taste better. They're hidden in plain sight, they trigger memories, associations and multisensory experiences in your imagination. 
 
* Fonts can alter the meanings of words right before your very eyes. 
* See what personalities fonts have, and what they reveal about YOUR personality. 
* Explore how you respond to fonts emotionally and can make fonts work for your message. 
* Be amazed that a font has the power to alter the taste of your food. 
 
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in typography and graphic design professionally but also a fascinating insight for anyone interested in giving words impact or anyone wanting to know more about how type can be used to influence us.

Why Fonts Matter

a multisensory analysis of typography and its influence from graphic designer and academic Sarah Hyndman

Dave Courtney

Dave Courtney - the original behind Vinnie Jones's character in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - tells all in his no-holds-barred bestselling autobiography. 
 
From the streets of southeast London to bare-knuckle fights; from the funeral of Ronnie Kray to drug-deals turned sour in Holland - Dave Courtney's story is like no one else's.

Stop The Ride, I Want To Get Off

The Autobiography of Dave Courtney

Hunter Davies

'I am fascinated by people turning their daft dreams into a reality. How did they do it and why?' 
 
Driven by his own passion for collecting Hunter Davies has packed his notepad and set off in search of Britain's maddest museums. As he explores these hidden gems he soon discovers that they are everywhere and that they celebrate just about everything, from lawnmowers in Southport to pencils in Keswick. 
 
But as Hunter travels up and down the country he comes to realise that it isn't only the collections that are fascinating, it's also the people who have put them together. Whether they're a man who loves his Heinz so much he's changed his name to Captain Beany or a kleptomaniac Vintage Radio buff, these eccentric collectors are Britain's finest and could live in no other country in the world. 
 
Once you discover these museums and get to know their curators, Great Britain won't look quite the same again...

Behind the Scenes at the Museum of Baked Beans

My Search for Britain's Maddest Museums

John Warburton

The Mondays were the band who had it all. Credited with a range of achievements, from creating Madchester and introducing indie kids to dance music to bringing ecstasy to Britain, they were the rock 'n' roll story that beggared belief. In Shaun they had an inspired gutter poet; in his sidekick Bez they had a cultural icon. 
 
Hallelujah is the story of how this hapless group of ruffians, thieves, thugs and dealers, prompted by boredom, drugs and a visit from the taxman, got their act back together after six long years and played a sell-out world tour. Along the way a man was set on fire, an orgy was staged, someone nearly drowned and every single band member got lost in Europe. There were guns, writs, jellyfish, fights, copious amounts of class As - and a skull on a stick. 
 
Former Daily Sport journalist John Warburton, Shaun's friend and confident, went along for the ride. He includes contributions from others who've witnessed the madness first hand, including Jo Whiley, Chris Moyles, Steve Lamacq and Fatboy Slim.

Hallelujah!

The extraordinary story of Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays

Nicholas Knights

WARNING: This book contains laugh-out-loud jokes about fake tans, vajazzles and all fings Essex 
 
Forget the Rolex or the flash car, what you really need in your life to make your friends well jel is The Essex Joke Book. It’s packed full of bling-tastic banter, racy rib-ticklers and gob-smackingly good gags all about Essex Girls and Boys, their tans and tribulations, conquests and cock-ups, and more. 
 
How can you tell an Essex Girl has been using her iPad? 
There’s Tipp-Ex on the screen. 
 
What do you call the skeleton of an Essex Boy in a wardrobe? 
Last year’s hide-and-seek champion. 
 
What goes blonde, brunette, blonde, brunette? 
An Essex Girl doing naked cartwheels. 
 
An Essex Girl gets a job as a teacher. She notices a boy in the field standing alone, while all the other kids are running around having fun. She takes pity on him and decides to speak to him. ‘You can go and play with the other kids, you know,’ she says. 
‘It’s best I stay here,’ he says. 
‘Why?’ asks the Essex Girl. 
The boy says: ‘Because I’m the f**king goalkeeper.’

The Essex Joke Book

Grant Stoddard

Grant Stoddard left Britain for the States with the clothes on his back, a fascination with all things American, and a burning hope for something bigger. But with no steady job, no money, and no girlfriend, the starry-eyed young Englishman's excitement was shrinking fast. 
Then fate in the guise of an X-rated online contest intervened. Winning first prize -- sexual intercourse with an infamous married sex columnist -- changed everything. With a shot of much needed confidence, the sensitive lad emerged as the mascot of Nerve.com, a gonzo sex columnist who would begrudgingly try any and every lurid thing his co-workers devised. From offering himself up as man-bait at a notoriously hard-core gay bar to attending an elite orgy with a blue-blooded date, Stoddard went where few men dare and lived to tell the tale. 
With a self-deprecating style and wonderful appreciation of the absurd, Working Stiff is a unique coming-of-age story from a very funny and irreverent new writer.

Working Stiff

The Misadventures of an Accidental Sexpert

Liz Kaye

OMG. It's Chuck Bass and Nate Archibald from Gossip Girl in one book. 
 
We're all mad about the boys, but is it Ed Westwick's bad-guy allure that ticks your box, or Chace Crawford's pretty-boy looks? Or - naughty - both? Well, to help you decide, Gossip Boys, the unauthorised double biography of Chace and Ed, charts the lives of these hot young things, who are best friends both on the show and in real life. Brit-born Westwick has the edgy cool of his character, having fronted the indie band The Filthy Youth, and appearing in cult films such as Son of Rambow and Children of Men. Crawford meanwhile is the ultimate all-American idol, signed by the first talent agent who interviewed him and being named 'Summer's Hottest Bachelor' by People and winning the Teen Choice Award for 'Male Hottie'. 
 
The huge success of Gossip Girl has seen these actors become two of the biggest pin-ups around, and favourites of magazines like Grazia and teen TV programming such as T4. 
 
Now you can learn all about the boys: their early days, their flames old and new, their careers and the bromance that has made them scorching stars.

Gossip Boys

The double unauthorised biography of Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford

Brian Jay Jones

For the first time ever—a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth-century’s most innovative creative artists: the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson. 
 
He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters he created: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were only part of his remarkable story. 
 
This extraordinary biography--written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family--covers the full arc of Henson’s all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in Washington D.C., New York, and London, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Jim Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives--including never-before-seen interviews, business documents, and Henson’s private letters--Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson’s contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson’s non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth—as well as fascinating misfires like Henson’s dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub or of staging an elaborate, all-puppet Broadway show. 
 
An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose deal making prowess won him a reputation as “the new Walt Disney,” and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson’s intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing; his love of fast cars, high-stakes gambling, and expensive art; and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life—a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well-founded. 
 
An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture—and continues to beguile audiences worldwide.

Jim Henson

The Biography

Alex Horne is not a birdwatcher. But his dad is, so with the prospect of fatherhood looming on his own horizon, Alex decided there was no better time to really get to know both his father and his father's favourite hobby. So he challenged his dad to a Big Year: from 1 January to 31 December they would each try to spot as many birds as possible; the one who spied the most species would be the victor. Along the way Alex would find out what makes his dad tick, pick up a bit of fatherly wisdom and perhaps even 'get into' birdwatching himself. 
 
Join Alex as he journeys from Barnes to Bahrain in this charming tale of obsession, manliness, fathers and sons, and the highly amusing twists and turns of a year-long bird race.

Birdwatchingwatching

One Year, Two Men, Three Rules, Ten Thousand Birds

Murphy is Irish and poor. Even by the standards of the poorest of the poor in Ireland, Murphy is poor. 
Set sometime between the first and second World Wars, somewhere in Ireland and sometimes everywhere else besides - at one point Murphy is kidnapped by Irish aliens who take him in a spaceship to see St Patrick choose his National Lottery numbers - Murphy's story serves only to prove that the luck of the Irish is not bestowed upon all the sons of the nation. 
Unable to hold down his job on a building site he turns to robbery but is discovered trapped inside a suit of armour, almost drowns when he falls down a wishing well and catches a particularly revolting form of bronchitis whilst on religious retreat in a particularly revolting form of monastery.As you would expect, The Murphy is rude, irreverent and hugely funny. Classic, timeless Milligan.

The Murphy

Richard Topping

Have you ever wanted to be a lumberjack? Had trouble with a dead parrot? Or gone for a silly walk? 
 
Combining outrageous humour, unbridled creativity and surreal animation, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Eric Idle entertained millions and inspired generations of future comedians. Including all Monty Python material ever produced, from the Flying Circus to the Life of Brian to Spamalot! with biographies, programme guides and a filmography, this is a must-have plethora of Pythonism and a fitting tribute to comedic pioneers.

Monty Python

From the Flying Circus to Spamalot

Eddie Izzard

David Quantick

Eddie Izzard - action transvestite, boy racer and male tomboy - spent the 1990s conquering Britain. As the decade ended, he looked further afield. "Dressed To Kill", his stand-up tour, saw him transport his high heels and off-the-shoulder numbers to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, taking a natural comedian's delight in the differences separating the two sides of the Pond. In this book, he reflects on his birth in Yemen and his childhood in Northern Ireland, Wales and London, and muses on animals, male tomboys, street theatre, sex, crime, God, "The Great Escape", Bible stories starring Sean Connery and James Mason, and cats who dig for oil. He also reflects on the trials and tribulations of being an cross-dressing, surrealist comedian intent on making it in America.

Dress To Kill

Francesco Cirillo

Available in bookshops for the first time, the internationally acclaimed time management system that has been used by millions, written by Francesco Cirillo, creator of the Pomodoro Technique. 
 
We all face the same problem: we’re constantly busy but we never seem to get anything done. We know we should focus on the task in hand, but it feels impossible with so many distractions and demands on our time. 
 
We all need The Pomodoro Technique. This deceptively simple tool, now being used by more than 2 million people around the world, helps us regain control and achieve our goals. It transforms both work and home life by splitting days into 25-minute ‘pomodoros’, which focus our minds and make us far more productive. 
 
Drawing on more than two decades of refinement and thinking, this powerful little book will teach you how to . . . 
-Work with time 
-Eliminate burnout 
-Manage distractions 
-Create a better work/life balance 
. . . all using only a pen, some paper and a timer. 
 
Start now – and join the Pomorodo revolution. 
 
Fully updated edition with exclusive material on teamwork – to make you and your team more dynamic than ever.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Life-Changing Time-Management System

Douglas Preston

Mario Spezi

The Monster of Florence, which was shortlisted for the prestigious CWA Gold Dagger Award for Non Fiction in 2010, is a true account of brutal serial murder in idyllic Florence. After settling in Italy in 2000, Douglas Preston discovered that the olive grove in front of his family's new home had been the scene of one of the most infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial killer who had never been found and was known only as the Monster of Florence. Preston, intrigued, met Italian journalist Mario Spezi, who had followed the case since the first murders in 1974, to learn more. 
 
This is the true story of their search for - and identification of - the man they believe committed the crimes, and their chilling interview with him. It's also the story of how Preston and Spezi themselves became embroiled in the case. Like one of Preston's bestselling thrillers, The Monster of Florence tells a gripping and harrowing story of murder, mutilation, suspicion and ruined lives - and at the centre of it, two brave writers trying to uncover the truth at all costs. This latest edition includes an explosive afterword about the much-publicised murder of a British student, Meredith Kercher, and its connection to the monster case.

The Monster of Florence

Richard Witts

Nico was revered as ‘the most beautiful creature who ever lived’. She was Andy Warhol’s femme fatale and the High Preistess of Weird, yet few knew her real name or her wretched origins. When she called herself ‘a Nazi anarchist junkie’, they thought she was joking. 
 
Bob Dylan wrote a song about her, Jim Morrison a poem, Jean Baudrillard an essay, Andy Warhol a film, Ernest Hemingway a story – yet she fought against the idolatry of men to assert her independence as a composer of dissident songs. 
 
Nico’s contribution as an artist (17 films and 7 LPs) was smothered by gossip of her alleged affairs with men and women, whether Jimi Hendrix or Jeanne Moreau, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones or Coco Chanel. 
She drifted through society like a phantom. Each era celebrated a different Nico – the top covergirl of the Fifties, the Siren of the Sixties (as The Times acclaimed her), the Moon Goddess of the Seventies, and the High Priestess of Punk when rock stars like Siouxsie Sioux and Pattie Smith acknowledged her pre-eminence. Ironically, they did so at the lowest point in her life. For behind the Garbo-esque veneer lived a lonely woman trying to stand autonomous in a fast-changing world, seeking to survive her heroin addiction and to cope with her tormented mother and her troubled son, his existence denied by his film-star father. 
 
In this pioneer biography, which Nico asked the author to write shortly before her outlandish death in 1988, Richard Witts uncovers the reasons for her subterfuge, and examines the facts surrounding her encounters with terrorist Andreas Baader, the Black Panthers, and the Society for Cutting Up Men. Exclusive contributions from artists such as Jackson Browne, Iggy Pop, Viva, John Cale, David Bailey, Siouxsie Sioux – and many others including her relatives, friends and enemies – make this the definitive biography of an icon who was not only a testament to an era but hitherto unrecognised influence on popular music and style.

Nico: Life And Lies Of An Icon

Next was break me to harness. First, a stiff heavy collar on my neck. Then there was a bridle with great side-pieces called blinkers against my eyes. Then there was a small saddle strap that went under my tail: that was the crapper. I hated it, it stopped me having a crap. I never felt more like kicking so I kicked him in the goolies and they swelled up like melons. He had to put the harness on me while balancing his balls with one hand and could only move very slowly. In time I got used to everything (and he got used to swollen balls) and I could do my work as well as my mother. I used to wash up after dinner. Yes, I was a very good horse.

Black Beauty According to Spike Milligan

What would happen if someone were charged with a modern-day quest to find the Holy Grail? 
What mysteries would they uncover? 
Where might their journey lead them and would they find the true Grail? 
The Holy Grail - the cup of the Last Supper used to collect the Holy blood of Jesus - has a darker side than the one we know from medievil romance. Andrew Collins, one of the foremost alternative history writers in Britain today, discovers extaordinary new evidence about the true origins of this sacred vessel, unveiling a 2000-year-old secret teaching passed down from the time of Christ concerning the dual role played in the foundation of the Christian Church by Mary Magdalene and John the Evangelist. These forbidden teachings were suppressed by the Church of Rome, yet they managed to survive as part of an underground stream of knowledge kept alive by the Cathar heretics of the French Languedoc, the Knights Templar, Renaissance painters and modern occultists such as Aleister Crowley. 
This gripping personal quest into the cryptic and shadowy world of arcane societies and esotoric knowledge takes the reader on a journey of visions and mystery before culminating in a dramatic conclusion. Herein lies the colourful and passionate story of strange Gnostic sects and the dark side of Catholic history. Twenty-First Century Grail kicks the Grail legend into modern era and redefines it's boundaries for a new generation.

Twenty-First Century Grail

The Quest for a Legend

82ASK

A fascinating and witty compilation of the most interesting and outrageous questions received and answered by 82ASK, the UK's premier text-answering service. 
 
Find the answers to questions you never could have dreamed of, like: 
• Why is it so rare to see white dog poo these days? 
• What is the largest animal you can knock out with one punch? and 
• Which town in England has the dirtiest birds? 
 
This hilarious collection is a miscellany of the obscure, bizarre and downright ridiculous in which you'll discover facts and figures that you never knew existed and surveys that no-one would believe had been 
conducted.

Do Sheep Shrink in the Rain?

500 Most Outrageous Questions Ever Asked and Their Answers

biblio.categories.code

biblio.publicationStatus

biblio.brand

biblio.workEditions.format

biblio.ageRange

biblio.series.seriesName

biblio.imprint.description

biblio.type

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

Search Results

Wings

Classic Football Shirts

Frankenstein

An image of several space books for kids on a dark purple background with rocket, planet and star doodles around them

Children's reading lists

11 out-of-this-world space books for kids

Christmas gifts for 2025: Books for under 5s

An image of a selection of Puffin books surrounding pinka nd white typography on top of a green and spotty background

The best new Puffin books of 2023

An image of a selection of spooky children's books on a dark purple background with an orange shape which features a zig-zag pattern

Showing results for: ‘Dougie Poynter’

Filters

Category

Age

Publication Date

Format

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter