Neil MacGregor was Director of the National Gallery, London from 1987 to 2002 and of the British Museum from 2002 to 2015, and Chair of the Steering Committee of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin from 2015 to 2018. His previous books include A History of the World in 100 Objects, Shakespeare's Restless World and Germany: Memories of a Nation, all available in Penguin and now between them translated into more than a dozen languages. In 2010, he was made a member of the Order of Merit, the UK's highest civil honour. In 2015 he was awarded the Goethe Medal and the German National Prize. In 2018 the radio series Living with the Gods received the Sandford Saint Martin Award for Religious Broadcasting.

Neil MacGregor

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Freddie Spencer

Feel is the story of how a small-time boy from humble beginnings in Louisiana rose to the pantheon of greats, to win the 500cc and 250cc GP Championship in the same year – an historic achievement over three decades ago which has never been repeated. 
 
Growing up at the time of the assassination of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Freddie judged by feel, not by colour. Blind to prejudice and discrimination, he formed dynamic connections with people and events, but only years later during his racing afterlife could Freddie come to understand the true power of the things he learned. 
 
Spencer is an articulate and compassionate guide as he describes the thrill and horror of racing in an era when death was a perennial threat. He recalls in pin-sharp detail the frenetic high-octane racing duels with the ‘King’ Kenny Roberts, but also describes a parallel internal journey as he struggled to make sense of it all. 
 
Driven by a search for the personal fulfilment that comes through finding your purpose, Freddie’s story is a universal one. In its message of hope, Feel transcends its genre to offer a story for everyone. Part thriller, part philosophical self-exploration, it is a remarkably insightful account of what it is like to have it all, but wonder why. 
 
“For the first time I will talk about the traumas of my childhood, the contrast between the leaf fire burns, the mistrust and discomfort and the peace and purpose I felt when riding my bike. I didn’t tell my parents about something that happened to me. Why? I felt ashamed, but when I rode I felt connected to everything and the pain in my hand and heart would go away. It gave me the feeling of hope”.

Feel

My Story

Guy Martin

Guy Martin, lorry mechanic, motorcycle racing legend and favourite of the Isle of Man TT, lives for the buzz he feels racing his bike round terrifying bends at 200mph. Nothing, he claims, can match it. Or can it? Guy is about to find out … 
 
 Guy faces four dangerous and thrilling speed record challenges, pushing the boundaries of speed, and his body, to determine just how fast one man can go. 
 
 Together with the best of British engineering and design, scientific research, ground breaking technology and a Gold-medal-winning athlete or two, Guy attempts to pedal a bicycle over 100mph by using the slipstream of an articulated lorry; build the world’s fastest human-powered aircraft; hydroplane a modified motocross bike across a two kilometre lake and become the fastest man on a toboggan. 
 
 Tying in with the Channel 4 television series, Speed offers the inside track – the feats of engineering, the science behind the speed, the history of the challenges and Guy’s adrenaline fuelled, jaw-dropping attempts to break the records. 
 
 How do you create an aeroplane frame that’s super light but safe enough to crash? 
 What should you fill your bicycle tyres with if common air will explode under the heat of 100mph speeds? And why is the shape of a peregrine falcon the ideal model for a toboggan? 
 
 Exploring aerodynamics, surface tension, friction, gravity and ground effect, Guy discovers how and why things go really fast.

Speed

How to Make Things Go Really Fast

Mike Lee

London bid leader and British Olympic hero Sebastian Coe, Tony Blair and David Beckham all played a part in winning the most competitive race for the Games in Olympic history. But it was far from plain sailing and the campaign was a rollercoaster ride of emotions: full of drama, controversy and tears from the moment businesswoman Barbara Cassani was given the task of launching the bid in 2003, to the fateful day in Singapore when her successor, Lord Coe, and the rest of the world was told London had won. 
Mike Lee was at the heart of this intriguing journey through the entangled world of International Olympic Committee politics, international sport, British politics and the media as he travelled the world with Coe and other team members to present London's bid.

The Race for the 2012 Olympics

Rick Glanvill

Ian Wright is one of the English game's great football heroes. He is an England international and the leading marksman and trophy-winner for Arsenal. Yet he also regularly collects yellow cards, and is rarely out of the headlines. 
 
From humble beginnings to the heights of international stardom, this is the story of the rise of a boy from South London who has as many enemies as he has friends; of a role model who never forgot his roots; of a superstar, hungry for success, but almost denied the chance to play professional football by blatant discrimination and his own hot-headedness.

The Wright Stuff

Robert Jones

Huw Richards

Rugby has held a central role in Welsh life over the past century. In the words of historian Gareth Williams, the game has been 'a pre-eminent expressionof Welsh consciousness, a signifier of Welsh nationhood'. Less than 25 years ago touring teams from the southern hemisphere knew that their hardest games would be in Wales; the Welsh national team was consistently the strongest in Britain. Thats all changed. Wales is now one of the game's also-rans. With only one Home Championship in the past 20 years and little success in the World Cup, Welsh rugby - despite some consolidation under Graham Henry - is badly in need of fresh thinking and ideas. Who better to provide them than the man who was widely regarded as one of the best scrum halves of his era, yet whose playing career coincided with that period of Welsh decline? In this thought-provoking and frequently controversial book, Welsh rugby icon Robert Jones provides a sharply realistic assassment of the Welsh game from the roots to the national stadium, drawing heavily on lessons learned and observations made during his own illustrious career. Raising the Dragon is a persona manifesto for change from a player whose commitment to Wales never wavered.

Raising The Dragon

A Clarion Call To Welsh Rugby

Rudy Duran

More and more parents are taking their children out onto the golf course, yet few of them are effective teachers or coaches. With this book, Tiger Woods' childhood golf instructor, Rudy Duran, instructs parents on how to nurture confidence and enthusiasm in young players. Golf can be a frustrating and complex game, and beginners, especially children and young adults, can easily become disheartened and overwhelmed. Children are naturally optimistic, which makes them terrific learners. Duran discusses how parents can preserve and foster their child's positive outlook, and keep out the negative qualities that end up plaguing so many golfers. Duran cultivates players' enthusiasm by making lessons fun, and basic. With anecdotes and step-by-step techniques, he offers a formula for parents who are struggling to find the balance between encouraging and instructing their children in the world of golf.

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