Steve Roud was Local Studies Librarian for the London Borough of Croydon and served as Honorary Librarian of the Folklore Society for over fifteen years. He has been researching British folklore for over thirty years and is the joint author of the Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore, plus other books on traditional drama and folk song, and the Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland, which won the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award in 2004. His publications include London Lore (2008) and The Lore of the Playground (2010). He also compiles the Folk Song Index and the Broadside Index, two internationally acclaimed computer databases of traditional folk and popular song. He lives in Sussex.

Steve Roud

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Martin Clunes

Martin Clunes has always been a soft touch when it comes to animals, and has filled his life with them both on screen and off. 
 
But Martin got more than he bargained for when it came to John and Murray - two mischievous, uncontrollable Jack Russell puppies, who quickly took over his life and home with their own rambunctious plans - and nevertheless captured his heart. 
 
Here he tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of training and taming - and ultimately of the unbreakable bonds between a man and his dogs.

Training John and Murray

Will Schwalbe

By the time Will Schwalbe was a junior at college, he had already met everyone he cared to know. He also knew exactly whom he wanted to avoid: the jocks. The jocks wore backwards baseball caps and moved in packs, filling boisterous tables in the dining hall, and on the whole seemed to Will another species, one he might encounter only at his own peril. 
 
All this dramatically changed when he collided with Chris Maxey, known to just about everyone as Maxey. Maxey was physically imposing, loud, a star wrestler-and under the strangely liberating circumstances of a little-known secret society at Yale, the two forged a bond that has remained a mainstay of their lives for forty years and counting. 
 
We Should Not be Friends tracks an extraordinary friendship over decades of challenge and change. Will Schwalbe's marvellous new work is a testament to the miracle of human connection and to all we have to gain when we let go of first impressions and see one another for who we truly are.

We Should Not Be Friends

The Story of An Unlikely Friendship

Jeremy Clarkson

Uncooperative animals, underperforming crops, and rather less than best-laid plans pursued with unbridled enthusiasm - Clarkson’s farm is the gift that keeps on giving. And this time there's one rather devil-may-care farm animal who's really getting Jeremy's goat . . . 
Pull on your wellies, grab your flat cap, (and a pint from our hero's pub), and join him for this latest escapade into the sublimely ridiculous. 
What could possibly go wrong this time?

Diddly Squat: The G.O.A.T.

Chris McCausland

From a life in comedy to the Glitterball Trophy – Chris McCausland Tells All. The perfect feel-good gift for fans of comedy and Strictly alike.'The thing about Chris is that he's funnier than everybody else' RICHARD OSMAN 
-- 
Already one of the country's best loved comedians, Chris McCausland's participation on Strictly was a phenomenon. But how did the boy from Liverpool end up winning the hearts of the nation? 
 
This is his remarkable story, of a twenty-five-year journey through sight loss to blindness. Of the highs, the lows and the downright hilarious along the way. 
 
From being a lowlife conker dealer, and running his very own bootlegging empire (kind of) . . . to almost becoming a spy for MI5 (really) . . . 
 
And of how he dared himself to try stand-up comedy, and ended up being brilliant on all your favourite TV shows. 
 
Before, of course, he surprised himself, as well as everybody else, when he tried dancing on live TV in front of millions. 
 
Warm, honest, insightful and laugh-out-loud funny, this is the most likeable, cheering and uplifting book of the year!

Keep Laughing

Stephen Fry

By the time he was fifteen, Stephen Fry owned more than forty ties. Inherited initially from a grandfather, matters turned more serious when he could afford to buy them brand spanking new. 
 
Stephen's collection now numbers well into the hundreds. And each tie - whether floral, fluorescent, football themed; striped or spotty, outrageous or simply debonair - tells a story. A tale of the garment itself - the shops, makers and designers - as well as of Stephen, his reasons for choosing it, whether an occasion or just a whim. 
 
Inspired by Stephen's hugely popular Instagram posts, this book will feature beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations and photographs to celebrate his expansive collection of man's greatest asset: the Tie, in all its sophisticated glory.

Fry's Ties

Discover the life and ties of Stephen Fry

Andy Wilman

Top Gear turned gloomy Sunday nights into celebratory Friday nights. It made household names of presenters Clarkson, Hammond and May, their unique chemistry and buddy movie antics proving irresistible to a global audience, earning them the Guinness World Record for the world's most popular factual TV show. Then, a short while later, it was gone. How did a thoroughly sensible little consumer advice programme on cars become a global phenomenon? How did it all go wrong? And how did they rise from the ashes as The Grand Tour? One man has all the answers - co-creator, and Jeremy’s oldest friend, Andy Wilman.

Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure

Top Gear, Grand Tour, Clarkson and Me

Brad Tolinski

Chris Gill

With his shag haircut and white Stratocaster guitar Jeff Beck was an icon. Yet somehow, he maintained the ineffable low-profile cool of a cult hero - gliding through six decades of musical trends with nary a lapse in taste. 
In his illustrious career Beck won eight Grammy Awards, was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recorded with some of the most important rock, jazz and soul musicians of all time, including Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, Morrissey and Kate Bush. 
Here, we shed new light on the elusive rock genius.

Blow by Blow

Laurence Falconer

Top of the Morgen! charts the adventures of Laurence Falconer, a craic-loving Dubliner, as he tries to get to grips with a new life in Germany. In his hilarious, heart-warming and self-deprecating style, Laurence explores and celebrates the similarities between the Irish and the Germans (smashing pints) and some of the vast cultural differences (pretty much everything else). 
 
From attempts at raucous busking in a quaint and quiet German village to the conversational pitfalls that come about when ‘grand’ is your answer to most questions, Laurence hilariously details the blunders and escapades that thrive in the bewildering cultural gap between the Irish and the Germans. An insightful and funny love letter to two very different cultures, Top of the Morgen! is a fascinating and riotous memoir of finding love and humour in a home very far from home.

Top of the Morgen!

The Misadventures of an Irishman in Germany

Clarkson’s farm is the gift that keeps on giving, and now our hero has decided to bring his misunderstood entrepreneurial flair to bear on a new venture: a pub. Let the doors open on The Farmer’s Dog. 
 
All British produce, Hawkstone beer on tap, a private bar for farmers and a vintage tractor hanging from the ceiling. The perfect country pub. But as the Cotwolds’ newest publican quickly discovers, there’s a lot more to landlording than pulling pints. 
 
Just as well, then, that he still has Lisa, Kaleb, Cheerful Charlie and Gerald to help him through...

Diddly Squat: The Farmer's Dog

Timothy West

After first meeting over sixty years ago while filming a costume drama for the BBC, Prunella Scales and Timothy West have enjoyed a partnership like no other; from appearing together in hit sitcoms to bringing up two children, they have chalked up an almost endless list of professional triumphs. 
 
In this book, Tim traces their united steps through life professionally and personally, and covers the highs and lows of caring for Pru since her dementia diagnosis, twenty years ago. As with all things in life, she and Tim have tackled it together, often with a glass of wine in hand and almost always with a smile.

Pru and Me

The Amazing Marriage of Prunella Scales and Timothy West

Rak-Su

In December 2017, 7.5 million viewers watched as Ashley, Jamaal, Myles and Mustafa shot to stardom as the first ever male-group to win the X-Factor. The soulful boys from Watford captured the imagination of the nation with their eclectic sound and talent for song writing. All four of their original songs to feature on the show topped the iTunes chart, and continued to chart in the top 10, at the same time, during the live performances. The winner's song, Dimelo, was the first in X-Factor history to be written and composed by the finalists, and they are the only contestants to have consistently won the public vote during the live shows. 
 
Rak-Su are now performing at sold-out arenas, have toured with global sensation's Little Mix in front of 300,000 fans, recorded their first album, and continue to make music and have fun! Join Rak-Su on their journey from ordinary North-West London lads, to victors of one of the World's biggest talent shows, and beyond . . . because this is just the start of the incredible Rak-Su journey. 
 
Full of exclusive, never-before-seen photos, intimate stories, behind-the-scenes gossip and individual accounts from each of the boys. This is their first and ONLY official memoir, and a must-have for all the dedicated Rak-Pack!

Our Journey

Rak Su’s Official Autobiography. The X Factor Winners

Mrs Hinch

Cleaning isn't just necessary; it can be incredibly therapeutic, too. A domestic guru who makes household chores fun, Mrs Hinch reveals how to get your home sparkling with her top cleaning hacks and the best cleaning products, most of which are available for no more than £1 on the high street. Whilst her pals Minkeh the Sponge, Dave the Duster and her loyal and trusty steed, Sharon the Shark have captured an audience of 1 million, Mrs Hinch addresses something much more profound and shows that cleaning is a brilliant way to taper anxiety and manage your mental health. She has captivated a legion of followers by reminding us of our deep-rooted desire for a calm and orderly space in an increasingly chaotic world. 
 
Including daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal cleaning plans and a list of must-have products, Mrs Hinch will guide you effortlessly room by room to a cleaner house and a calmer you.

Hinch Yourself Happy

All The Best Cleaning Tips To Shine Your Sink And Soothe Your Soul

Mark Smith

Sunday evenings wouldn't be the same without Mark Smith on Antiques Roadshow. 
 
Seeing beyond military memorabilia to the human stories at their heart has made him a national treasure. 
 
Mark’s fascination was fostered by his WWII veteran father, who shared stories of flying special operations for the RAF. But Smith Snr was also haunted by the loss of his best friend, Harry, on a secret mission over the Indian Ocean. 
 
From the pages of his father’s unpublished wartime memoir, to a pilgrimage to a Chennai cemetery, Mark takes us on his most personal journey, bringing closure to his father’s story.

Medal Man

Raynor Winn

After a turbulent year, Raynor Winn embarks on the Coast to Coast Walk in winter, unexpectedly alone. Despite 45 years of walking together, setbacks in her husband, Moth's, health have led him to see his decline as inevitable, which Raynor refuses to accept. Feeling trapped, she is drawn north, like a migratory bird, seeking the peace and hope that walking brings her. Navigating harsh weather and tangled emotions, Raynor reflects on the mountains they've climbed. Her journey becomes a meditation on our connection to the land and its power to help us remember, rebuild, and reclaim what is lost.

On Winter Hill

(Raynor Winn, 4)

Titch Cormack

War came to North Africa in June 1940. But it was over a year before a newly-formed SAS went into action. Until then, the fight belonged to an elite, top secret band of brothers called the Long Range Desert Group. 
 
They were Britain’s first special forces. 
 
Born out of a pre-war club of explorers, eccentrics and mavericks, the LRDG operated alone behind enemy lines, performing astonishing feats of navigation, endurance and survival, and paved the way for the SAS. 
 
Drawing on his own decade’s service with UK Special Forces, Titch Cormack brings to life the action-packed but little-known story of Britain’s original rogue heroes.

SAS 101

Lucy Shepherd

What does it really take to become an explorer?To travel beyond maps and certainty.To face fear . . . and keep going.To step away from comfort and convenience - and rely on instinct, teamwork and resilience when there’s no clear way forward.Inspired by the extraordinary journeys of previous generations, Lucy Shepherd set out to find out.Into the Wild charts the making of an explorer, culminating in a world-first expedition into one of the most remote and unforgiving environments on Earth - the Amazon rainforest.Leading a small all-Indigenous Amerindian team of explorers across Guyana’s faraway Kanuku Mountains, Lucy travelled through dense jungle and treacherous rivers, enduring hunger, injury and illness along the way. The rainforest was alive with constant threat: bushmaster snakes, jaguars, caiman alligators, fire ants and flesh-burrowing parasites. Fifty days after being dropped into the wilderness, the team finally reached their destination.By turns thrilling, warm and inspiring, this is the story of a childhood dream made real. And a passionate reminder that our world’s wild places still matter, not just for what they reveal about the planet, but for what they reveal about us.

Into the Wild

Susannah Constantine

Susannah Constantine, our loved style guru and one half of the outrageously popular television programme, What Not to Wear, spent her youth entangled in glitz and glamour. Susannah's very first memoir is filled to the brim with scandalous stories, jaw-dropping royal relationships and star-studded encounters from pop stars to the fashion greats. But beneath it all is a woman who is still getting to know herself, even after falling in love at first sight, presenting one of the most monumental television programmes ever and having Princess Margaret as a second mother figure. 
 
Uncertain of her future, unsure of how to cope with her own mother's tragic battle with bipolar disorder, and becoming a mother herself, Susannah is on a journey of discovery and her memoir tells you her greatest loves and lessons, bound together with disarming honesty and beguiling humour.

Ready For Absolutely Nothing

‘If you like Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner, you’ll like this’ The Times

Life in Lists is packed full of brand new lists to make organising your life the simplest it's ever been. Alongside Mrs Hinch's favourite Hinch Lists, new Monthly and Seasonal Hinch Lists will be all you need to help you plan ahead, whether it's sorting out your big spring clean, organising your dream holiday celebration or just getting ready for a new week. Life in Lists also includes sections on self-care, gratitude and goal setting, to help readers take time to focus on themselves, reflect back on all the amazing things in life, as well as plan for the future.

Mrs Hinch: Life in Lists

Gyles Brandreth

This is both a book about Winnie-the-Pooh - his genesis, his life across a hundred years, the essence of Pooh’s special philosophy and the reasons for his worldwide popularity - and the intimate biography of three generations of an unusual, fascinating and troubled family who knew fame and fortune, for many years despising both, but ultimately finding a profound reason to be grateful for the millions Pooh brought them.

Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear

A Biography of A. A. Milne and Winnie-the-Pooh

Linda Robson

From growing up in a Catholic household in Islington to appearing on British television screens in Birds of a Feather, Linda Robson's life has been a rollercoaster. 
 
Sharing her ups and downs on Loose Women, Linda has offered her audiences a glimpse into her life, but how did she become the beloved television figure we see today? 
 
Linda's memoir recounts the twists and turns of Linda's journey into the spotlight and five decades spent acting on television, her relationships on and off screen, as well as the struggles she's faced. It will take you from laughter to tears as you discover how she became the Linda Robson we love today.

Truth Be Told

Tales from a Baggy Mouth

Phillip Schofield

For a long time, I felt that I couldn't write this book. More recently, there was a very painful consideration - I knew where it would eventually have to go. I've decided only the truth can set me free; it has taken a long time to become clear, but now is the right time to share it. 
 
 I look back with nostalgic delight on my life, introduce you to my remarkable family, take you behind the scenes of some of my television homes over the years, and hopefully show that life, it seems, is what you make it.

Life's What You Make It

Guy Pratt

Guy Pratt knows rock. 
 
As bass player forthe likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Page and Bryan Ferry (not to mention Sophie Ellis-Bextor's classic 'Murder on the Dance Floor'), his playing is renowned. But Guy also has a talent for putting his foot in it - and for telling the tale afterwards. 
 
Laced with his trademark charm, enthusiasm, behind-the-scenes access, it-couldn’t-happen-to-a-bassist anecdotes and self-deprecating humour, the new book will bring Guy’s musical adventure working alongside some of the biggest names in music up to date for fans of first book and legions of new fans introduced to him through the hit Rockonteurs podcast he hosts with Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp.

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