Great Victorian Railway Journeys: How Modern Britain was Built by Victorian Steam Power
The perfect companion to Bradshaw’s guide book. Showcasing in colour all that is great about Bradshaw’s guide.Great British Railway Journeys has been a hugely successful TV programme, which is now into its third series on BBC2. Much as Michael Palin built up a dedicated fan base for travel around the globe, so Michael Portillo has done likewise for lovers of trains in his explorations the length and breadth of the United Kingdom from the window of a train seat.Both charming and insightful, Michael again uses Bradshaw’s guides, and now undertakes five unique journeys that were constructed by the Victorians from 1830-1900. Across 25 episodes he delves into this fascinating and colourful period of our history, and show how the modern British landscape was created from this Victorian legacy. From Windsor to Weymouth, Great Yarmouth to London, Oxford to Milford Haven, Berwick to Barrow, and finally Dublin to Belfast – Michael will go back in time to showcase areas of outstanding Victorian engineering and design across Queen Victoria’s dominions. Key parts of the programme and tie-in book will showcase how the world's very first fixed-track train in Merthyr Tydfil operated; how the world's first electric train service ran in Southend to its famous pier; and he also celebrates the wide variety of lines that opened up trade and mobility to the Victorian classes.Travelling on a variety of existing, and in some cases restored, Victorian train lines, he meets their passionate supporters who lovingly work on them, and also looks at the modern landscape to tell the story of how each area was shaped by their Victorian forebears. Lavishly produced, this will once again be a 'must have' purchase for all train lovers, as well as those who simply want to find out their heritage and what is now available to view and travel upon in the 21st century to transport them back in time.
Gordon’s Great Escape Southeast Asia: 100 of my favourite Southeast Asian recipes
On the second leg of his Great Escapes series, Gordon Ramsay sets out to discover the flavours of Asia, on a remarkable journey that leads him through Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam. 100 new recipes are inspired by the tastes and experiences he encounters along the way.In this book to accompany the TV series, stunning photography and Gordon's inspirational travel stories combine to depict a richly-textured portrait of a continent. With breathtaking landscapes as his backdrop, Gordon is welcomed into local communities and shown the age-old traditions and secrets that underpin their native dishes. He meets characters with fascinating lives, shares delicious meals in beautiful surroundings, and is invited to take part in the customs and rituals of the land – venturing into paddy fields to observe the rice worship, accompanying huntsmen on their quest for frogs and honey, navigating the inky night-time ocean for moonlit fishing, and cooking up a feast in a colossal Malay temple.Gordon has devised over 100 new recipes to showcase the very essence of these cultures and cuisines. There are unique tastes and styles from across the region, with a wealth of enticing ingredients: from tangy limes and the earthy scent of sesame oil, to floral jasmine and lush green banana leaves. Don't let unfamiliar recipe names put you off – Tom Yam Goong Nam Khon is a divine hot and sour prawn soup, Ngah Poh Kai Fan a slow-cooked clay-pot chicken and Karipap the Malay answer to a Cornish pastie.And there are recipes that even wary cooks will recognise – Chicken Satay, Pad Thai, Red and Green Curries – though look closer and each recipe has something extra, an authenticity that comes from taking the time to understand the origins of the dish. Gordon proves that the real thing is easy to replicate at home, whether its a single spice that makes all the difference, marinating a cut of meat for 12 unhurried hours, or being brave enough to try a key new ingredient such as kaffir lime leaves or lemongrass (readily available in supermarkets but often overlooked).Let Gordon open your eyes with his vivid portrayal of a magnificent continent, and enjoy some of the very greatest Asian dishes in your own kitchen.
Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape: 100 of my favourite Indian recipes
In his Channel 4 series TV chef Gordon Ramsay embarks on a culinary journey around India, discovering the breadth and depth of cooking of the country. His cookbook is packed with the best recipes from his travels, showing you how to cook authentic dishes that are bursting with flavour.Three-star chef Gordon Ramsay's favourite food is one that he shares with a lot of Britain – curry. But, until now, he's never been to India to see how the real thing is cooked. Accompanied by a Channel 4 film crew, Gordon takes the culinary trip of a lifetime to discover real Indian cuisine and share this collection of over 100 of his favourite Indian dishes.As you'd expect from a Michelin-starred chef, Gordon brings his eye for perfection and ability to judge flavours perfectly to his exploration of Indian food and shows us how to cook authentic, mouth-watering dishes from all over this huge and varied country. He visits Kerala deep in the South of India to bring us spicy, coconut-based curries and travels to colourful Rajasthan to learn about the creamy, flavourful dishes of the North. Along the way Gordon experiences the hugely different flavours and spices from the different regions and absorbs local cooking styles and traditions.Throughout his culinary journey, Gordon selects the best of the vast array of Indian spices, now readily available in British supermarkets. He shows us how to use these authentically to produce a beautifully flavoured Indian dish. Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape includes over 100 recipes in the following sections: Everyday, Entertaining, Quick Lunches and Healthy Dishes.Once Gordon shows you how easy it is to put together authentic Indian dishes, you'll never look back.
Good Morning Nantwich: Adventures in Breakfast Radio
What possesses a right-minded comedian to quit the day job for life as a breakfast radio DJ?The opening DJ on the Beeb’s new alternative radio channel, 6Music, Phill Jupitus was a maverick on the flat landscape of inane commercial breakfast radio. Disregarding the prescriptive chart-led schedule and showing no fear in the face of BBC management, this ex-performance poet’s personal crusade against the bland, the predictable and the smug self-satisfaction ensured that he never had any trouble practising what he preached.Not one to pull punches, Phill recounts with acerbic wit, honesty and more affection than he would care to admit, his encounters with petulant band members, tedious showbusiness jargon, colossal salaries and four-letter firewalls.Inviting world-weary media cynics and radio enthusiasts to sit back and revel in a heady dose of painful banter ensuing from the absent interview technique, The Clash, the perils of idols as on-air guests, Black Umfolosi and The Coasters, Nantwich remorselessly dissects the limply beating heart of breakfast radio and reconstructs it one playlist, anecdote and transcript at a time.
Give Me the Child: the most gripping psychological thriller of the year
‘Dark, clever, terrifying’Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train*The Top Ten Bestseller*‘Gripping and moving’ Erin Kelly‘You won’t want to eat, sleep or blink’ Tammy CohenImagine your doorbell rings in the middle of the night.You open the door to the police.With them is your husband’s eleven-year-old love child. A daughter you never knew he had.Her mother has been found dead in their south London flat.She has nowhere else to go.WOULD YOU TAKE HER IN?Compulsive, dark and devastating, Give Me the Child is a uniquely skilful thriller with an unforgettable twist.
Giordano Bruno Thriller Series Books 1-3: Heresy, Prophecy, Sacrilege
Perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom and The Name of the Rose, three Sunday Times bestselling historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno, heretic, philosopher and spy.HERESY: Oxford, 1583. A place of learning, and of murderous schemes. The Queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, recruits Giordano Bruno, a radical thinker fleeing the Inquisition, to expose a Catholic conspiracy at Oxford University. When a series of brutal murders ruptures close-knit college life, Bruno realizes that the Tudor throne itself is at stake…PROPHECY: London, 1583. As Mary Stuart’s supporters scheme to usurp the rightful monarch, a young maid of honour is murdered in Queen Elizabeth’s court, occult symbols carved into her flesh. When maverick agent Giordano Bruno is instructed to infiltrate the plotters, he must use all his cunning to secure evidence against them before his true identity is exposed…SACRILEGE: Canterbury, 1584. Heretic-turned-spy Giordano Bruno travels to Canterbury to clear the name of the woman he once loved. But when a series of mysterious crimes strike the city, a far bigger puzzle emerges. Bruno’s investigation leads him deep into the shadows of the Cathedral, and to the heart of a sinister and powerful conspiracy…
Get Her Off the Pitch!: How Sport Took Over My Life
From the bestselling author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, a hilarious new book from Lynne Truss about her strange journey through the world of sport and sports journalism.Get Her Off the Pitch! is the story of one woman's foray into the very masculine and rather baffling world of sport. Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, spent four years as an unlikely sports writer for The Times. It was a job that took her around the world (via the most difficult journeys and least glamorous hotels) and introduced her to some of the greatest living sportsmen (and many argumentative men with clipboards).During her time at the newspaper she faced disdain from fellow sports writers; undertook last-minute, pre-fight research into 'The Rumble in the Jungle' (Muhammad Ali won, surprisingly); tried unsuccessfully to interpret bizarre commentary and memorize results statistics; wept at football matches and discovered a lasting love for golf. She was even nominated for Sports Writer of the Year.Get Her Off the Pitch! is the hilarious, perceptive and at times moving account of those four strange years. It is perfect for those for whom sport is a matter of life and death, for those who have no idea what all the fuss is about – and for everyone in between.
Georgie and Elsa: Jorge Luis Borges and His Wife: The Untold Story
A biography of Borges, by his translator.Jorge Luis Borges, known as Georgie to his friends, married Elsa Astete Millán in 1967. Borges was sixty-eight years old at the time of the wedding; Elsa, a widow,with a son in his twenties, was eleven years younger.It proved to be a tempestuous and eventful marriage that would leave an indelible mark on the remainder of Borges’ life, but their relationship has been largely glossed over by previous biographers. This is because the one person who knew all the details has refused to speak about it.Until now.Norman Thomas di Giovanni worked with Borges in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in Buenos Aires from late 1967 to 1972 and thereafter sporadically until Borges’s death in 1986. During their first period together di Giovanni spent more time with the couple than did almost anyone else. He was privy to the private side of their relationship and to its sudden decline. It was di Giovanni who helped the demoralized Borges by organizing and arranging his divorce and at the same time rescuing his library and smuggling him out of Buenos Aires to avoid the wrath of Elsa and her lawyers.The book is based on the author’s extensive collection of original material in the form of diaries, notebooks, letters, manuscripts, and photographs, most of which has never before been seen. It provides a unique insight into one of the few true geniuses of literature.
Geoff Boycott: A Cricketing Hero
Few modern British sportsmen have fascinated the public more than Geoff Boycott. In this first comprehensive and balanced account of Boycott’s life – fully updated to include his battle against cancer – award-winning author Leo McKinstry lifts the lid on one of cricket’s great enigmatic characters.A record-breaking Test cricketer and acerbic commentator, Geoff Boycott has never been far away from controversy during his long career in the game.Based on meticulous research and interviews with a host of players, Test captains, officials, broadcasters, friends and enemies, this definitive biography cuts through the Boycott myth to expose the truth about this charismatic, single-minded and often exasperating personality.What was Boycott like as a schoolboy? How did his England cricket colleagues such as Graham Gooch, Dennis Amiss and Brian Close feel about him as a person? Why was he so unpopular in his early career for Yorkshire? And what is the real truth about the relationships that soured his private world?From his upbringing as a miner’s son in a Yorkshire village, through highlights like his hundredth century at Headingley against Australia, to the low points such as the damaging court case in France, this warts-and-all account of his life makes for captivating reading.
Geekspeak: Why Life + Mathematics = Happiness
The quirky offspring of ‘QI’ and ‘Freakonomics’, ‘Geekspeak’ melds ingenious statistical analysis with edifying trivia to explain away some curious facts of life.Curiosity is our human birthright, and destiny. As a species we are to prone to think, ruminate, reflect, cogitate, deliberate and philosophise. We do all these things, and why? To explain away the world around us, to find solace in knowledge, to answer all those seeming unanswerables: why are we here? Is there a God? Is there life after death? How many slaves on treadmills does it take to power my kettle?Yes, forget the Bible, ‘Geekspeak’ is the new oracle for 21st century living. Graham Tattersall, a confirmed and superior geek, has rescued maths from the prison of the classroom, imbued it with fresh new life, and put it to use in novel and unexpected ways. His ingenious, deceptively simple formula melds statistical analysis with personal experience and enlightening trivia to explain away some curious and oft-pondered mysteries of the world: how big is your vocabulary, how heavy is your house, do the dead outnumber the living, how powerful is a fly, how fast is a fart.With its recipe of sophisticated mathematical techniques, witty anecdotes and startling amount of learning, ‘Geekspeak’ is an essential tool for impressing friends, sounding intelligent and better understanding the fascinating world in which we live. Maths has a new champion, and the Geeks a new King.