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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Dan Howell

Phil Lester

Dan Howell and Phil Lester, avoiders of human contact and direct sunlight, actually went outside. Travelling around the world on tour, they have collected hundreds of exclusive, intimate and funny photos, as well as revealing and captivating side notes, to show the behind-the-scenes story of their adventure.

Dan and Phil Go Outside

Hello reader! 
 
In this book is a world. A world created by two awkward guys who share their lives on the internet! 
 
We are Dan and Phil and we invite you on a journey inside our minds! From the stories of our actual births, to exploring Phil’s teenage diary and all the reasons why Dan’s a fail. Learn how to draw the perfect cat whiskers, get advice on how to make YouTube videos and discover which of our dining chairs represents you emotionally. With everything from what we text each other, to the time we met One Direction and what really happened in Vegas... 
 
This is The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire!

The Amazing Book is Not on Fire

The World of Dan and Phil

Deepak Chopra

Why Is God Laughing? tells the story of successful comedian Mickey Fellows and his friend Francisco as they explore how to overcome fear, egotism and addiction (which are the three major obstacles to joy) and become more optimistic. The final chapter highlights how to conquer these obstacles in our own lives and open the door to real joy and happiness. It spells out the lessons that Mickey's story tells us: ten reasons to be optimistic, even in a challenging world. 
 
Rich with humour and practical advice, Why Is God Laughing? shows us there is always a reason to be grateful, that every possibility holds the promise of abundance, and that obstacles are simply opportunities in disguise.

Why Is God Laughing?

One man's journey to joy and spiritual optimism

Tim Collins

Are You A Geek? is the ultimate humour book. It will appeal to the inner geek in all of us. 
 
Listing 1,000 things people do that qualify them as geeks, the truths shared about obsessive behavious will be recognised by all with a pang of guilt and strike a chord with a wide audience in these nerdy times. Grading geek behaviour with a one to five point scale depending on their severity, readers can add up their scores, find out how much of a geek they are, and fill out one of the five certificates at the back of the book. 
 
Are you a Geek? Read the book and find out...

Are You A Geek?

Leland Carlson

Neil collects bricks, Kevin is a roundabout enthusiast, John runs the Apostrophe Protection Society and Keith’s actual job is watching paint dry. They are members of the Dull Men’s Club and are passionate about the everyday, unglamorous things in life. They are dull and proud and urge the good ordinary men of the nation to join them now. Whether you have a thing for pylons or rhubarb, reclaim and celebrate the ordinary. Includes Free Honorary Membership. 
 
Predictable * Reliable * Safe

Dull Men of Great Britain

Celebrating the Ordinary (Dull Men's Club)

Patricia Williams

That’s how things go in the ‘hood: It’s a never ending cycle of trouble, and once it grabs you, it won’t let go. 
 
Patricia started life on the lowest rung of society: poor, black, and female. With an alcoholic for a mother and four siblings, she was raised on a steady diet of welfare, food stamps and cigarette smoke. By the age of 15 she had two children, and by the age of 16 she was dealing drugs to support her young family. Growing up in a family that had been stuck in the ghetto for generations, it seemed impossible Patricia would ever escape. 
 
But when she was shot be a rival drug dealer in front her own children, Patricia made the life-changing decision to turn it all around. With a combination of grit, stubbornness, anger and love – and the kindness of others – she fought to break the cycle of poverty for the next generation. Now a stand-up comedian performing as Ms. Pat, she lives the maxim that the best healing comes through humour.

Rabbit: A Memoir

Danny Wallace

The Lives Less Ordinary series brings you the most exciting, adventurous and entertaining true-life writing that is out there, for men who are time-poor but want the best. Lives Less Ordinary drops you into extreme first-hand accounts of human experience, whether that's the adrenaline-pumping heights of professional sport, the brutality of the modern battlefield, the casual violence of the criminal world, the mind-blowing frontiers of science, or the excesses of rock 'n' roll, high finance and Hollywood. Lives Less Ordinary also brings you some of the finest comic voices around, on every subject from toilet etiquette to Paul Gascoigne. 
 
Danny Wallace is a modern man. And that can be a very tricky thing to be these days. By rather cleverly doing the opposite of what should actually be done, let Danny show you how to catch your own fish for dinner, be a social maverick, and rise up against everyone who lets you down. And find out what 'I had a Nando's' really means. 
 
This digital bite has been extracted from Danny Wallace's brilliant book Awkward Situations for Men.

How to Be a Modern Man

Lives Less Ordinary

Tony Bleetman

Note to customers: This book is also available under the title "You Can't Park There!: The Highs and Lows of an Air Ambulance Doctor". 
 
 'People get into this work for "the juice", meaning the adrenaline rush, but they don't tell you about the other juices - the mud, blood, snot and grot.' 
 
 Confessions of an Air Ambulance Doctor is the first ever behind-the-scenes account of life onboard an air ambulance. The first of its kind to carry doctors and surgeons who can take the hospital to the patient. Drug addicts, lorry crashes, open-heart surgery, stab wounds, headless chickens, mating llamas, and strip routines – it’s all in a day’s work for emergency doctor Tony Bleetman and his team. 
 
 Whether they are landing in the middle of the M1 or at a maximum security jail, Tony and his crew Helimed 999 are the first on the scene in the most critical of emergencies. 
 
 This gripping read will make you laugh, cry and marvel at the wonders of life (and death) in equal measure.

Confessions of an Air Ambulance Doctor

Esther Rantzen

Be bolder as you grow older, and make sure you float above any challenges that threaten to overwhelm you. 
 
Multi-award-winning broadcaster, founder of Childline and The Silver Line, campaigner, mother, grandmother and joyous trailblazer of our times, Dame Esther Rantzen dazzles in the glory of getting older and ever bolder. 
 
And now in this energising A-Z, she time-travels through her most signi?cant memories, from meeting Princess Diana to creating a national outrage with a mischievous short ?lm about a driving dog, and re?ects with candour and humour on the life lessons she's learned, revealing the hints, hacks and personal philosophies that have been her secrets to surviving almost everything. 
 
We may not all achieve what Dame Esther has, but here we can soak up her wisdom, laugh with her, learn from her, embrace the passing years and march boldly on.

Older and Bolder

My A-Z of surviving almost everything

Sue Nelson & Richard Hollingham

The Lives Less Ordinary series brings you the most exciting, adventurous and entertaining true-life writing that is out there, for men who are time-poor but want the best. Lives Less Ordinary drops you into extreme first-hand accounts of human experience, whether that's the adrenaline-pumping heights of professional sport, the brutality of the modern battlefield, the casual violence of the criminal world, the mind-blowing frontiers of science, or the excesses of rock 'n' roll, high finance and Hollywood. Lives Less Ordinary also brings you some of the finest comic voices around, on every subject from toilet etiquette to Paul Gascoigne. 
 
Everyone wants to live forever, right? Well award-winning science journalists Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson explain how the latest cutting-edge science might mean your fantasy is closer to being true than you might believe. From advances in medicine, cryogenics and ways of preserving your consciousness, they explain all the mind-blowing options with a mix of insight and dry humour. 
 
This digital bite has been extracted from Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham's fascinating book How to Clone the Perfect Blonde.

How to Live Forever

Edward Conlon

The Lives Less Ordinary series brings you the most exciting, adventurous and entertaining true-life writing that is out there, for men who are time-poor but want the best. Lives Less Ordinary drops you into extreme first-hand accounts of human experience, whether that's the adrenaline-pumping heights of professional sport, the brutality of the modern battlefield, the casual violence of the criminal world, the mind-blowing frontiers of science, or the excesses of rock 'n' roll, high finance and Hollywood. Lives Less Ordinary also brings you some of the finest comic voices around, on every subject from toilet etiquette to Paul Gascoigne. 
 
NYPD cop, Ed Conlon is quite simply the most stunningly authentic voice to ever tell what it is really like out there on the mean streets pursuing crime. His writing has been hailed as masterful and epic, and here he lets us know what is involved in the endless fight against the drug dealers. From grooming crackhead informants to adrenaline-fuelled chases, this is the true story of a New York drugs cop. 
 
This digital bite has been extracted from Edward Conlon's stunning book Blue Blood.

How to Be an NYPD Drugs Cop

Don Greene

We've all been there: that make-it-or-break-it moment of our careers - on the brink of a deal, poised at the starting gate, under the spotlight waiting to speak or perform in front of our peers.  At this point, where everything seems to be on the line, most of us experience one overriding reaction - fear - and this fear can have negative physical, mental and emotional consequences on how well we do our job. Don Greene, sports psychologist and stress coach to top executives and entertainers, has spent decades studying fear and its effect on performance.  In this groundbreaking book, Dr Greene shares the proven techniques he has used with Olympic athletes, Grand Prix drivers, the New World Symphony and Merrill Lynch traders to help them perform their best under pressure. Fight Your Fear and Win begins with a self-assessment performance survey that will allow you to pinpoint your own reactions to stress: how you handle distractions, how you are affected by nervousness, your mental outlook, your response to fear and your ability to bounce back from failure.

Fight Your Fear And Win

7 Skills for performing your best under pressure

Sogyal Rinpoche

Over 3 million copies sold 
 
‘I couldn’t give this book a higher recommendation’ BILLY CONNOLLY 
 
This acclaimed spiritual masterpiece is widely regarded as one of the most complete and authoritative presentations of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings ever written. 
 
A manual for life and death and a magnificent source of sacred inspiration from the heart of the Tibetan tradition, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying provides a lucid and inspiring introduction to the practice of meditation, the nature of mind, karma and rebirth, compassionate love and care for the dying, and the trials and rewards of the spiritual path. 
 
Buddhist meditation master and international teacher Sogyal Rinpoche brings together the ancient wisdom of Tibet with modern research on death and dying and the nature of the universe. With unprecedented scope, this book clarifies the majestic vision of life and death that underlies the classic sacred text The Tibetan Book of the Dead. 
 
Sogyal Rinpoche presents simple yet powerful practices from the heart of the Tibetan tradition that anyone, whatever their religion or background, can do to transform their lives, prepare for death and help the dying.

The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying

A Spiritual Classic from One of the Foremost Interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism to the West

Miles Corwin

The Lives Less Ordinary series brings you the most exciting, adventurous and entertaining true-life writing that is out there, for men who are time-poor but want the best. Lives Less Ordinary drops you into extreme first-hand accounts of human experience, whether that's the adrenaline-pumping heights of professional sport, the brutality of the modern battlefield, the casual violence of the criminal world, the mind-blowing frontiers of science, or the excesses of rock 'n' roll, high finance and Hollywood. Lives Less Ordinary also brings you some of the finest comic voices around, on every subject from toilet etiquette to Paul Gascoigne. 
 
Detectives Pete Razanskas and Marcella Winn are the real-life McNulty and Bunk from The Wire. The first: a 22-year LAPD veteran. The second: a rookie from the hood. Jump in a car with them and find out just how you catch a South-Central gangland killer from a cold start through a trail of witnesses, victims and killers. The real thing is more shocking and enthralling than any TV recreation. 
 
This digital bite has been extracted from Miles Corwin's gripping book The Killing Season.

How to Hunt an LA Gangland Killer

Kate Lock

When Kate Lock first met Tim Franklin she was a naive undergraduate, and he was a charismatic mature student. One night in the pub he casually revealed that he was a 'lifer'. A domestic dispute had taken a tragic turn, an accidental death, he said. It was the start of an explosive relationship which began in passionate union and ended in emotional cruelty. But it was only when Kate tried to leave him that she discovered how potentially dangerous he really was. And only when he died, leaving her a legacy of murder to investigate, did she understand the Machiavellian deception of the man and the pathological pattern of his love. Dangerous Love is a stunning memoir of a true romance that became a living nightmare, and ended with the discovery of a Christie-style murder that rocked the North.

Dangerous Love

A Gripping Memoir of Romance and Murder

Damien Lewis and Paul Grahame

The Lives Less Ordinary series brings you the most exciting, adventurous and entertaining true-life writing that is out there, for men who are time-poor but want the best. Lives Less Ordinary drops you into extreme first-hand accounts of human experience, whether that's the adrenaline-pumping heights of professional sport, the brutality of the modern battlefield, the casual violence of the criminal world, the mind-blowing frontiers of science, or the excesses of rock 'n' roll, high finance and Hollywood. Lives Less Ordinary also brings you some of the finest comic voices around, on every subject from toilet etiquette to Paul Gascoigne. 
 
'The CO had given me the word: whatever it took, I had to get our injured lads out. I'd ordered the F15s on an attack run right over our heads. If I'd got it wrong we were dead...'Paul 'Bommer' Grahame is one of the British Army's most deadlyJTACs - the man who, with high-tech precision, calls in the airborne attacks from on the ground in the heart of the battle. This is his brutal, explosive account of walking into a close combat Taliban attack in Helmand and his attempts to get his fellow squaddies out alive. 
 
This digital bite has been extracted from Paul Grahame and Damien Lewis's adrenaline-fuelled book Fire Strike 7/9.

How to Escape a Taliban Ambush

Ruth Reichl

Fast,  funny, always near the knuckle.The best kind of food writing - it makes you hungry'  Elizabeth Luard'While all good food writers are humorous.few are so riotously, effortlessly entertaining as Ruth Reichl..[She] is also witty, fair-minded, brave, and a wonderful writer'  New York Times Review of Books At an early age, Ruth Reichl discovered that 'food could be a way of making sense of the world. If you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were.'  Her deliciously crafted memoir, Tender at the Bone, is the story of a life determined, enhanced, and defined in equal measure by a passion for food, unforgettable people and the love of tales well told.  Beginning with Reichl's mother, the notorious food poisoner known as the Queen of the Mold, Reichl introduces us to the fascinating characters who shaped her world and her tastes, from the gourmand Monsieur du Croix, who served Reichl her first soufflé, to those at her politically correct table in Berkeley who championed the organic food revolution in the 1970s.  Spiced with Reichl's infectious humour and sprinkled with her favourite recipes, Tender at the Bone is a witty and compelling chronicle of a culinary sensualist's coming-of-age.

Tender At The Bone

Richard Askwith

The idea of the village - unspoilt, unpretentious, unchanging and growing almost organically out of the landscape - is one of the most potent in the English imagination. Writers, artists and ordinary people have waxed lyrical on the theme for centuries, while today millions have left the cities in search of the rural idyll. 
 
Yet the village is plainly dying. The unchanging rhythms of village life, as experienced with little variations by generations, have vanished. But not without trace ... they exist in living memory. In the voices of men and women for whom the old ways were life-shaping realities. 
 
Richard Askwith, an award-winning writer and journalist, describes a journey in search of the quintessential English village, through dales and suburbs, down ancient lanes and estates. He captures the voices of poachers and gamekeepers, farmers and hunters, nurses and postmen, teachers and craftsmen, and demonstrates that, while the landscape more changed than we thought, the past is never so simple as we imagine.

The Lost Village

In Search of a Forgotten Rural England

Betsy Bell

This student cookbook stands out from all the others on the market. It doesn't feature baked beans, and it's packed with truly mouthwatering, easy, nutritious recipes. Betsy Bell wrote this book for her children and their friends when they were heading to university. She realised that they all knew little (or nothing) about culinary survival, but that their sophisticated tastes went beyond the standard macaroni cheese and beans on toast recipes that feature in other student cookbooks. So Hard Up and Hungry includes recipes that students will want to make; that are tempting enough to keep them away from the nearest pizza outlet or chip shop. It includes Spaghetti with Fennel and Smoked Bacon, Spinach Frittata, Cod with Olives and Sweet Peppers, Southwestern Burgers, Italian Rice and Beans and sweet treats (including American pancakes and Vodka Jelly). Betsy doesn't forget the basics either: the ultimate Bacon Butty, Boiled Eggs and Baked Potatoes all feature too. The book is also packed with advice on how to store and shop for food inexpensively (including alternatives to supermarkets, and the pros and cons of online shopping). Illustrated throughout with hip black and white photographs and wiro bound, this is the ultimate cookbook for students and anyone who wants to cook fantastic food on a budget.

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