Michael Symmons Roberts’s fourth book of poetry, Corpus, was the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Poetry Award, and was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the Griffin International Prize. His sixth collection, Drysalter, was the winner of both the Forward Prize and the Costa Poetry Prize in 2013. He collaborated with Paul Farley on Edgelands (Cape/Vintage) and will do so again in The Deaths of the Poets (Cape, 2017). He has also worked many times with the composer James MacMillan. He has published two novels, and is Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Michael Symmons Roberts

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Michael Harris

‘An elegant, thoughtful book . . . beautifully expresses the importance and experience of liberation from the battery-hen life of constant connection and crowds.’ Daily Mail 
 
‘A compelling study of the subtle ways in which modern life and technologies have transformed our behaviour and sense of self.’ Times Literary Supplement 
 
In a world of social media and smartphones, true solitude has become increasingly hard to find. In this timely and important book, award-winning writer Michael Harris reveals why our hyper-connected society makes time alone more crucial than ever. He delves into the latest neuroscience to examine the way innovations like Google Maps and Facebook are eroding our ability to be by ourselves. He tells the stories of the remarkable people – from pioneering computer scientists to great nineteenth-century novelists – who managed to find solitude in the most unexpected of places. And he explores how solitude can bring clarity and creativity to each of our inner lives. Urgent, eloquent and beautifully argued, Solitude might just change the way you think about being alone. 
 
 
‘Speaks to a long-overdue conversation we still haven’t properly had in our society.’ Vice 
 
‘A timely, elegant provocation to daydream and wander.’ Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall 
 
‘The leading thinker about technology’s corrupting influence on our collective psyche.’ Newsweek 
 
‘A poetic, contemplative journey into the benefits of solo sojourning.’ Elle

Solitude

In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World

Michael Palin

If you've ever wondered what happened to the young fellow from Malta who bought his grandfather an altar… 
 
If you're concerned about the camper called Jack who found a huge snake in his pack… 
 
And if you suspect that an eccentric landowner called Grey spent Christmas a very strange way but aren't sure precisely what that entailed… 
 
Then a dip into Michael Palin's Sackful of Limericks will provide all the answers – and a lot of fun besides.

A Sackful of Limericks

Charles Duhigg

There's never been a better time to set new habits. This book will change your life. 
 
In The Power of Habit, award-winning journalist Charles Duhigg takes us into the thrilling and surprising world of the scientific study of habits. 
 
He examines why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. He visits laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work and where, exactly, they reside in our brains. And he uncovers how the right habits were crucial to the success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. 
 
The result is a compelling argument and an empowering discovery: the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive or even building revolutionary companies is understanding how habits work. By harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives. 
______________________________ 
 
'[An] essential manual for business and living.' Andrew Hill, Financial Times 
 
'Once you read this book, you'll never look at yourself, your organisation, or your world quite the same way.' Daniel H. Pink 
 
'This is a first-rate book - based on an impressive mass of research, written in a lively style and providing just the right balance of intellectual seriousness with practical advice on how to break our bad habits.' The Economist

The Power of Habit

Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change

John George Freeman

Wryly humorous and quintessentially British, Three Men and a Bradshaw collects the previously unpublished holiday journals of John Freeman, who travelled Britain with his brothers during the 1870s. Each year the trio would settle upon a destination, buy their tickets and set off – armed, of course, with their trusty Bradshaw's Descriptive Railway Hand-book. 
 
John's delightful records of their trips contain much that will resonate with the modern traveller, from the eccentricities of fellow passengers and locals to the tender mercies of the British climate. At the same time they offer insights into the experiences particular to a Victorian tourist, and are full of valuable local history on everywhere from Devon and Jersey to Scotland and Wales. 
 
Beautifully illustrated throughout with John’s original drawings, this is a fascinating and uniquely personal historical artefact, as well as an enchanting and frequently hilarious evocation of a distant but still wholly recognisable Britain.

Three Men and a Bradshaw

Richard Desmond

From the age of five, when he helped his deaf father negotiate advertising contracts, Richard Desmond has always had an eye for business. In The Real Deal he offers a no-holds-barred account of an extraordinary career that has taken him from cloakroom attendant at a north London club to billionaire media owner. En route he tells of his early life as a rock and roll drummer, his first steps in the world of magazine publishing as a purveyor of leisure and top-shelf titles, and finally, after decades of paying his dues building smaller brands, his arrival in the big league with the launch of OK! magazine and the acquisition of Express Newspapers, his purchase and sale of Channel 5, and his £80 million investment in the Health Lottery, combining business innovation with help for good causes. 
 
Along the way, he imparts many of the secrets of his astounding success, as well as giving his forthright opinion (and he always has one) on such diverse subjects as politicians, religion, and the similarities between being a rock and roll drummer and running a business – as well as his views on a cast of characters ranging from Alan Sugar to Victoria Beckham and from Simon Cowell to Jennifer Aniston. 
 
Often controversial, frequently revelatory, always entertaining, The Real Deal is the brilliantly frank account of a life spent at the sharp end.

The Real Deal

The Autobiography of Britain’s Most Controversial Media Mogul

Mark Mason

At 10.41am on a Tuesday morning in September, Mark Mason boards the number 1A bus at Land’s End in Cornwall. Forty-six buses and eleven days later he disembarks at John O’Groats in Scotland. Move Along Please is his account of that gruelling 1100-mile odyssey; a paint-by-bus-numbers portrait of Britain. 
 Along the way he visits everywhere from the village where the internet enters Britain to the urban sprawl of Birmingham (inspiration for the Two Towers in Lord of the Rings). He samples staples of the British diet from curry to the deep-fried Mars Bar, and uncovers countless fascinating facts about his native land – did you know, for example, that Crewe Alexandra football club is named after the wife of Edward VII, that Loch Ness could hold the water from all the lakes in England and Wales, or that there is a village which rejoices in the name Tongue End? 
 Set against the backdrop of 2000 years of history and with a full supporting cast drawn from that most unusual of species, the Great British Public, this is the unmissable story of a man rediscovering his nation in all its idiosyncratic glory.

Move Along, Please

Lucy H Spelman

Ted Y Mashima

Meet Mohan, a rhino with painfully sore feet. 
And Patch, a falcon with a broken wishbone. 
And Kachina, a bear cub with brittle bones. 
Not to mention Alfredito, a hippo suffering from a sever bout of toothache. 
 
All these animals owe their lives to the dedicated zoo and wild animal vets who employ boundless ingenuity and expertise to care for them and who, in this beguiling book, tell the stories of their most memorable cases. They describe not only the meticulous detective work that goes into making a diagnosis but also the pioneering techniques they have developed. And they talk freely and movingly about the bonds they form with their exotic patients.. 
 
Whether it's one doctor's determined effort to save a critically ill lemur, the neurosurgeon who was persuaded to operate on a paralysed kangaroo, or the vet who refused to give up on an orphaned baby beluga whale, these are acts of rescue, kindness and co-operation that will warm every animal lover's heart.

The Hippo with Toothache

Heart-warming stories of zoo and wild animals and the vets who care for them

David Lewis

When you make a decision or form an opinion, you think you know why. But you’re wrong. The truth is that most of our mental activity actually happens below the level of conscious thought. In this groundbreaking book, Dr David Lewis, director of the cutting-edge research agency Mindlab International, explores this incredible phenomenon. Delving into the mysteries of the ‘zombie brain’ that each of us possesses, he demonstrates how unconscious neurological processes underpin every aspect of our lives, from whether or not we find someone sexually attractive to how we resist (or give in to) temptation. In the process he shows how finger length is a reliable predictor of risk-taking behaviour, how seeing the logos of fast food chains can make you more impatient, and how holding a warm drink makes you find strangers more likeable. Above all, he reveals the practical applications of this emerging field of research, giving us insights into such diverse areas as child development, anti-social activities like rioting, successful dieting, and even the ways that supermarkets make us spend more. We may not be conscious of our impulses but it is clear that we can no longer afford to be ignorant of them.

Impulse

Why We Do What We Do Without Knowing Why We Do It

Lucy Adlington

Riffling through the wardrobes of years gone by, costume historian Lucy Adlington reveals the rich stories underlying the clothes we wear in this stylish tour of the most important developments in the history of fashion, from ancient times to the present day. 
 
Starting with underwear – did you know Elizabeth I owned just one pair of drawers, worn only after her death? – she moves garment by garment through Western attire, exploring both the items we still wear every day and those that have gone the way of the dodo (sugared petticoats, farthingales and spatterdashers to name but a few). 
 
Beautifully illustrated throughout, and crammed with fascinating and eminently quotable facts, Stitches in Time shows how the way we dress is inextricably bound up with considerations of aesthetics, sex, gender, class and lifestyle – and offers us the chance to truly appreciate the extraordinary qualities of these, our most ordinary possessions.

Stitches in Time

The Story of the Clothes We Wear

Steven Poole

‘Clever and entertaining.’ Sunday Times 
 
‘Elegantly written and full of surprises.’ Daily Telegraph 
 
‘Always entertaining and often eye-opening.’ Financial Times 
 
 
Old ideas that were mocked or ignored for centuries are now storming back to the cutting edge of research and informing the way we lead our lives. In Rethink, Steven Poole explains why today’s chess grandmasters, quantum physicists and psychologists are mining the last 2,000 years of history for answers to the problems of the present. He explores how long-neglected thinkers could transform our everyday lives: from improving the way boardrooms operate, to inspiring grand projects for social and political change. And above all, he shows that by rethinking discarded ideas we can each gain a better understanding of the world – and perhaps be better equipped to change it. 
 
‘A whirlwind of discovery … Among the greatest compliments you can give a book is that it helps you to see things differently.’ Guardian 
 
‘When it comes to describing a complex idea clearly, Poole is one of the best writers around.’ Sunday Times 
 
‘Fascinating … Poole confirms his standing as one of our liveliest and most thought-provoking writers on science and technology.’ Spectator

Rethink

The Surprising History of New Ideas

David Pickering

Perfect Family Quiz is an invaluable source of entertainment for the whole family. Whether you're looking for a fun way to spend a rainy day, an activity for a long car journey, or you simply want to improve your general knowledge, Perfect Family Quiz has all the questions and answers. With topics ranging from Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter, and from prime ministers to prime-time TV, this easy-to-use quiz book will provide hours of fun for everyone. 
 
The Perfect series is a range of practical guides that give clear and straightforward advice on everything from getting your first job to choosing your baby's name. Written by experienced authors offering tried-and-tested tips, each book contains all you need to get it right first time.

Perfect Family Quiz

Paul Tough

In his international bestseller How Children Succeed, Paul Tough introduced us to research showing that personal qualities like perseverance, self-control and conscientiousness play a critical role in children’s success. Now, in Helping Children Succeed, he outlines the practical steps that adults – from parents and teachers to policymakers and philanthropists – can take to improve the chances of every child, however adverse their circumstances. And he mines the latest research in psychology and neuroscience to show how creating the right environments, both at home and at school, can instil personal qualities vital for future success.

Helping Children Succeed

What Works and Why

In his international bestseller The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize-winner Charles Duhigg explained why we do what we do. Now he applies the same relentless curiosity and masterful analysis to the question: how can each of us achieve more? 
 
Drawing on the very latest findings in neuroscience, psychology and behavioural economics, he demonstrates the eight simple principles that govern productivity. He demonstrates how the most dynamic and effective people – from CEOs to film-makers to software entrepreneurs – deploy them. And he shows how you can, too. 
 
 
 
‘Charles has some wonderful advice for increasing productivity . . . the tips he highlights have most definitely played a huge part in helping me to build the Virgin brand.’ Richard Branson 
 
‘In Smarter Faster Better Duhigg finds provocative answers to a riddle of our age: how to become more productive (by two times, or even ten times) and less busy.’ Jim Collins 
 
‘There are valuable lessons in Smarter Faster Better . . . I never felt like putting it down.’ Financial Times

Smarter Faster Better

The Secrets of Being Productive

Dan Cruickshank

'The perfect guide to the hidden history of London's streets.' BBC History Magazine 
 
In Cruickshank's London, Britain's favourite architectural historian describes thirteen walks through one of the greatest cities on earth. From the mysterious Anglo-Saxon origins of Hampstead Heath, via Christopher Wren's magisterial City churches, to the industrial bustle of Victorian Bermondsey, each walk explores a crucial moment in our history - and reveals how it helped forge the modern city. Along the way, Cruickshank peppers the book with vivid photographs, sketches and maps, so you can immediately follow in his footsteps. 
 
Every street in London contains a story. This book invites you to hear them.

Cruickshank’s London: A Portrait of a City in 13 Walks

Ripley

Ripley’s has spent 100 years compiling strange-but-true facts from around the world. Now, the most extraordinary stories from the last century are brought together in a single colourful volume. 
 
Featured Believe It Or Not stories include: 
 
· The chicken that lived for months without its head 
· The man who swallowed seven swords at once 
· The jockey who died while riding his horse – but won the race anyway 
 
With spectacular photos throughout, 100 Best Believe It Or Not Stories is a must-have for any Ripley’s fan. 
 
Incredibly hard to believe. Undeniably true!

Ripley’s 100 Best Believe It or Nots

Incredibly Hard to Believe. Undeniably True!

Richard Storey

Perfect Persuasion is essential reading for anyone who wants to improve their powers of influence. Written by Richard Storey, an expert with years of experience in the field, it explains how to identify other people's motivations, gives practical advice about dealing with resistance calmly and effectively, and takes you through every skill you need to win people over to your point of view. Whether you need to influence colleagues at work or would like to make some changes in your personal life, Perfect Persuasion has everything you need to make sure you get your point across effectively. 
 
The Perfect series is a range of practical guides that give clear and straightforward advice on everything from getting your first job to choosing your baby's name. Written by experienced authors offering tried-and-tested tips each book contains all you need to get it right first time.

Perfect Persuasion

Philip Tetlock

Dan Gardner

The international bestseller 
 
'A manual for thinking clearly in an uncertain world. Read it.' Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow 
_________________________ 
What if we could improve our ability to predict the future? 
 
Everything we do involves forecasts about how the future will unfold. Whether buying a new house or changing job, designing a new product or getting married, our decisions are governed by implicit predictions of how things are likely to turn out. The problem is, we're not very good at it. 
 
In a landmark, twenty-year study, Wharton professor Philip Tetlock showed that the average expert was only slightly better at predicting the future than a layperson using random guesswork. Tetlock's latest project – an unprecedented, government-funded forecasting tournament involving over a million individual predictions – has since shown that there are, however, some people with real, demonstrable foresight. These are ordinary people, from former ballroom dancers to retired computer programmers, who have an extraordinary ability to predict the future with a degree of accuracy 60% greater than average. They are superforecasters. 
 
In Superforecasting, Tetlock and his co-author Dan Gardner offer a fascinating insight into what we can learn from this elite group. They show the methods used by these superforecasters which enable them to outperform even professional intelligence analysts with access to classified data. And they offer practical advice on how we can all use these methods for our own benefit – whether in business, in international affairs, or in everyday life. 
_________________________ 
'The techniques and habits of mind set out in this book are a gift to anyone who has to think about what the future might bring. In other words, to everyone.' Economist 
 
'A terrific piece of work that deserves to be widely read . . . Highly recommended.' Independent 
 
'The best thing I have read on predictions . . . Superforecasting is an indispensable guide to this indispensable activity.' The Times

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