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RICHARD OSBORNE: HERBERT VON KARAJAN ~ A LIFE IN MUSIC (PIMLICO PB)The death of the Austrian conductor Herbert Von Karajan in 1989 was lamented in the Daily Telegraph as the passing of an individual phenomenon. One of the century's most talented and celebrated conductors, he was a controversial and compelling figure, demanding the highest artistic performances from those he worked with, and producing some of the most intense interpretations of Mahler and Beethoven ever recorded. His biographer Richard Osbourne knew him personally, and here, in this comprehensive and brilliantly written book, draws on many interviews and conversations, as well as archive material never previously examined, to reveal the very private man behind the public image. Karajan's difficult temperament and his association with the Nazi party make him an intriguing subject for biography, yet Osbourne takes his account further by placing Karajan's career against the shifting cultural and political backdrop of Europe during his lifetime. The result is a book that swings effortlessly between the personal and the historical--a superb portrait of the modern master of orchestra and a valuable illumination of the society that produced him. Synopsis: 'A monumental work of scholarship, of integrity, of sympathy born of respect and humanity. A woven tapestry, rather than a mere listing of events and accomplishments, it reveals itself quietly and objectively, leaving the reader to judge a man whose personality was inseparable from the history of the age and his own background. ' Yehudi Menuhin. To write about Karajan (1908-1989) is like writing about Callas - he was a megastar. Born in Austria, he had particular contacts with Salzburg and Vienna, and his career included controversial musical directorships in Ulm and Aachen. He was the mastermind behind the greatest European orchestra of his age: the Berlin Philharmonic. He worked with the finest artists of his time and pioneered the huge international business of recordings. ' The conductor's conductor', his career spanned a century. From the Publisher: The definitive biography of the charismatic conductor, whose talent and personality brought fame, wealth and notoriety throughout the world. A truly extraordinary book. Richard Osborne's biography is readable, and that's what makes it special. It's a story, more than just a biography, and brings such a wealth of information about Karajan that it simply fuels a need to listen to the recordings (and there are plenty of them - probably more than of any other conductor, alive or dead). Osborne's passion for his subject is transparent; his research is meticulous, his observations are lucid and compelling. The poignant way in which he describes Karajan's final hours is a real tear-jerker, almost worthy of a screenplay, but retaining the sense of dignity that is Osborne's trademark. I love this book, and I'm overjoyed that Pimlico saw fit to republish it to coincide with HvK's centenary. If you shop around, you can still get the magnificent hardback version for a song. I'm always wary of huge paperbacks - they tend to be a little fragile. The binding on this one is adequate, but I'm still happier with the hardback version. One of the best biographies it has been my privilege to read. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

TOMMY SMITH: ANFIELD IRON (Bantam Press HB) Footballing legend Tommy Smith played with Liverpool for eighteen years from 1960 to 1978. During this time he won almost every honour club football has to offer, 4 First Division Championship medals, 2 FA Cup winners medals, 2 European Cups, 2 UEFA Cups, 1 European Super Cup and 5 Charity Shields. He captained Liverpool for a number of seasons and played under both Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, widely regarded as two of the greatest managers British football has ever produced. In that time he was forged into one of football's original hard men, Shankly once said, 'Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried.'A uniquely tough but thoroughly fair player (in spite of his fame for the most punishing of tackles), he was sent off only once and booked only twice, on all three occasions for dissent. In this fascinating autobiography, Tommy gives us the inside story of a whole host of footballing legends - Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Ron Yeats, Kevin Keegan, Matt Busby, Brian Clough, George Best, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Moore, Denis Law and Pele, as told by one of their own. A nostalgic view of a golden age of English football, this is a window on the glory days of Liverpool. It is also the story of the time before the game was all about the money and Tommy has a lot to say about football today, so he's not changed. As Bob Paisley once said, 'Tommy doesn't tackle opponents so much as break them down for resale as scrap.'

A M CLEVELY: THE ALLOTMENT SEASONAL PLANNER & COOKBOOK (COLLINS HB) and THE ALLOTMENT BOOK (Collins PB) This beautifully illustrated follow-up to Andi Clevely's bestseller, The Allotment Book, celebrates the joys of both growing and cooking your own produce. Perfect for the complete beginner or the experienced allotmenteer, The Allotment Book: Seasonal Planner and Cookbook will ensure your crops thrive and your table is laden all year round. Allotment gardening is in the grip of a renaissance, with over 300,000 allotments in the UK and a new breed of allotment enthusiast, whose typical characteristic is that they are not typical. With more young professionals on allotments than ever before, as well families and even groups of friends embracing the vibrancy of allotment culture, people are mucking in to cultivate their own crops. This is the perfect book for those with a passion for the outdoors and a taste for food warm from the sun. Andi Clevely helps you to assess your plot and decide what to grow. Once your plot is up and running, he guides you through the year season by season, reminding you of essential tasks, preparing you for extreme weather, and teaching techniques such as composting and crop rotation.Each section celebrates a particular crop and offers plenty of opportunity for using your produce with tempting recipes as well as ideas for storing and preserving. These two books give you everything you could possibly need to help you run your own allotment. Beautifully illustrated and written. First class. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

"Beatrix Potter"'s books are adored by millions, but they were just one aspect of an extraordinary life. This captivating biography brings us the passionate, unconventional woman behind the beloved stories: a gifted artist and shrewd businesswoman; a pioneering scientific researcher; a powerful landowner who conserved acres of Lakeland countryside; a daughter who defied her parents with her first tragically short engagement and who, finally was given a second chance of love and happiness. Linda Lear's award-winning biography met with great critical acclaim when it was first published in hardback last year, praised for being the most complete and authoritative account of this fascinating life. Lear tells a compelling story of a lonely childhood, a tragic romance and eventual happiness, and describes how Potter broke through the limitations imposed by her family and the age in which she lived to become not just a phenomenal artist and storyteller, but a respected scientist, a successful entrepreneur and a ground-braking ecologist. It's the illustrations that are the revelation - I had no idea Beatrix Potter was such a talented artist. This is a riveting biography, one of those that's a joy to read, of a writer whose work is loved by millions. Spellbinding. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JURGEN OTTEN: HERBERT VON KARAJAN ~ A LIFE IN PICTURES (HB) Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), arguably the greatest and most flamboyant conductor and musical director of his time, remains today one of the giants of twentieth century classical music. His contribution to the medium, his legacy, and his celebrity status are unchallenged."Herbert Von Karajan: A Life In Pictures", with its insightful and entertaining text, and more than 150 full-colour and black and white photographs, is the ultimate homage to one of classical music's most charismatic, extravagant, and brilliant personalities. It is published to coincide with 'Karajan 2008, a worldwide celebration of Karajan's centenary. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ALBERT JACKSON & DAVID DAY: COLLINS COMPLETE  WIRING AND LIGHTING (Collins HB) The definitive, easy-to-follow guide to guarantee your electrical home improvements are as safe as they are successful. This fully updated, brand-new edition is packed with user-friendly photographs and offers the most up-to-date information about the latest regulations, tools, products and techniques. With Part P of the Building Regulations now governing electrical work in the home, this accessible guide shows how to work with the regs, and provides at-a-glance info on what DIY work can be done and what needs to be notified to the local authority. Whether you need to change a socket, wire up a home office or put in security lighting, Collins Complete Wiring and Lighting is the indispensable tool to help you get the job done as cost-effectively and as safely as possible. Contents include: / Emergency repairs / Fuses, sockets and plugs / Cables and circuits / Wiring / Energy-efficient lighting / Identifying faults and maintenance / Safety tips / Tools for the job. Owning a book like this doesn't mean you shouldn't consult a qualified electrician, but there are many jobs you can do yourself about the house, and this book explains it all with expert diagrams and text that will give you the confidence to do it yourself. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ALBERT JACKSON & DAVID DAY: COLLINS COMPLETE PLUMBING AND HEATING (Collins HB) The definitive, easy-to-follow guide to plumbing and heating repairs in your home. An extension of the international bestselling Collins Complete DIY Manual, this brand-new edition is packed with user-friendly photos and is fully updated with the latest information about tools, products and regulations. Whether repairing a leaking tap or installing a new shower, Collins Complete Plumbing and Heating is the indispensable tool to help you get the job done well -- and keep costs to a minimum. Contents include: / Emergency repairs / Taps, sinks and kitchen appliances / Toilets, baths and showers / Boilers and radiators / Identifying faults and maintenance / Safety tips / Tools for the job. See my comments above - again there are loads of plumbing jobs you can tackle yourself, and this series is the best available. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ED GLINERT: LONDON'S DEAD (COLLINS HB) Ed Glinert unearths some of the capital's most gruesome stories as he brings together this compendium of facts about London's dead. From famous and infamous people to unsung heroes and victims, well-known resting places to undignified graves, and a fascinating variety of sticky ends. 'During the Gordon Riots of 1780 the London mob stormed Langdale's Distillery in Holborn. As the raw spirit caught fire, a pillar of flame reached up to the sky, hot gin ran down the road and locals began to gorge themselves, screaming from the internal burns and keeling over dead drunk, or simply dead.' London's Dead unearths some of the capital's most gruesome and intriguing stories: from the serene order of the capital's finest Victorian graveyards to the most horrific crimes committed in its ancient streets. Here are the deaths of politicians and comedians, royals and spies, peasants and highwaymen. There are tragic deaths, accidental deaths, hoax deaths, pre-planned deaths, death while dancing, death from laughing. There is death by hanging, death by knifing, death by drinking, death by drowning, death by disease, death by explosion, death by poisoning, death by strangulation.Ed Glinert explores the city's many and varied final resting places: cemeteries, graveyards, churchyards -- and less official burial sites, from holes in the ground to concrete flyovers -- giving us the full story of London and its dead. Ed Glinert was born in Dalston, London. He is the author of The London Compendium, Literary London and East End Chronicles, as well as editing the Sherlock Holmes stories and the complete works of Gilbert and Sullivan for Penguin Classics. Ed leads a variety of walks for a major London walking tours company. Glinert takes us on a fascinating tour of cemetries and graveyards, and tells some fascinating yarns about the famous and infamous dead people of London.  Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ROBERT KERSHAW: TANK MEN (Hodder HB) The First World War saw the birth of the modern tank, the fighting machine that has fascinated generations and become an icon in its own right. And yet their crews are often overlooked. In fact their contribution to the wars was immeasurable, and their lives were often extraordinary. The history of the tankwas a race to improve the technology of these metal leviathans, and the results weren't always to the benefit of the crews -- daily they risked death and injury not only at the hands of the enemy but also from their own tank. Now for the first time Robert Kershaw brings to life the grime, the grease and the fury of a pitched tank battle, as well as the camaraderie and the fascinating detail of everyday life living and fighting in these fearsome machines. Drawing on newly researched eyewitness accounts of the hidden stories behind crucial battles of the twentieth century, TANK MEN is vivid history at its very best. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

RICHARD SURMAN: SECRET CHURCHES (Collins HB) A glimpse at some of Britain and Ireland's most intriguing churches, each harbouring architectural, historical or artistic secrets. Beautifully presented, Richard Surman's tour includes photographs of every church and an illustrated glossary. Can be used as a gift, reference or field guide. The churches of the Britain and Ireland are a unique showcase of craftsmanship and offer an intriguing glimpse into Christianity down the centuries. Some are celebrated landmarks, others are well-hidden, but every church harbours its own stories and secrets. The secrets of these churches span the centuries -- from the sixth century Irish monastery of Clonmacnoise in Offaly, to the 1960s Jean Cocteau murals at London's Notre Dame de France. Other churches form part of an historic landscape, such as the remote Romney Marsh churches or St Cwyfan's, perched on its rocky islet on the coast of Anglesey. Some churches give up their secrets on first acquaintance, others keep their secrets close, like the fifteenth century carvings of Rosslyn Chapel.All have their stories to tell, from the remote hut-like chapel on Orkney decorated with elaborate frescos by Italian POWs, to the seaside church in Whitby whose roof was made by local shipwrights. Featuring over 250 churches from around the British Isles, with colour photographs of every church as well as maps showing their location and an illustrated glossary, Secret Churches is an invaluable reference guide and a captivating read. Not sure what it is about churches that fascinates people, believers and non-believers alike - it must be the tremendous amount of work that went into building them. This is a treasure-trove of information, beautifully printed, a volume to keep. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ROBERT FISK: THE AGE OF THE WARRIOR (Fourth Estate PB) A selection of Robert Fisk's finest 'Comment' pieces from the Saturday 'Independent'. Robert Fisk has amassed a devoted readership over the years, with his insightful, witty and always outspoken articles on international politics and mankind's war-torn recent history. He is best known for his writing about the Middle East, its wars, dictators and international relations, but these 'Comment' articles cover an array of topics, from his soldier grandfather to handwriting to the titanic - and of course President Bush, terrorism and Iraq. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ISABEL ALLENDE: THE SUM OF OUR DAYS (Fourth Estate HB) A brilliant memoir from the celebrated Chilean novelist on friends, family and life in California, her adopted home. Isabel Allende has sold more than 50 million copies of her books worldwide. The most beloved and successful of her books, 'The House of the Spirits', was based on her Chilean childhood, and other autobiographical works include the deeply moving 'Paula' -- a family history written at the bedside of her daughter while she lay in a coma -- and the fascinating 'My Invented Country', which explored the events of her native Chile where she lived until Pinochet's military coup. Now, in 'The Sum of the Days', we have Isabel describe in an exceptionally vivid, human and deeply personal way her life in California where she has lived for more than 25 years. The first page picks up from where Paula ends -- her daughter never did wake up from her coma and died in 1992 -- when Allende recounts spreading Paula's ashes in her favourite part of the woods by their home. It is fair to say that Isabel has never recovered from losing her daughter but has managed to survive by keeping her husband, son, grandchildren as well as close friends -- kindred spirits -- central to her life.The book is particularly illuminating and revealing about her working life -- she must begin every new book she writes on January 8th or else abandon it for a year. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

PATRICK MAGUIRE: MY FATHER'S WATCH (Fourth Estate HB) The intensely moving memoir of Patrick Maguire, one of the 'Maguire Seven' wrongly imprisoned as a teenager for making bombs for the IRA. On the night of October 5 1974, an IRA unit left bombs in two Guildford pubs: five people were killed. On the night of December 3 1974, on the strength of fabricated testimony extracted under duress from Paul Hill and Gerard Conlon (whom the police mistakenly believed had planted the Guildford bombs), Anne and Paddy Maguire, two of their four children, Vincent and Patrick, plus other family members and friends, a total of seven in all, were arrested at their home in West London. On 22 October 1975 the Guildford Four were wrongfully convicted of bombing the two pubs in Guildford. On the 4 March 1976 the Maguire Seven, as they had become known, were found guilty of possession of the nitro-glycerine used in those bombings. On 19 October 1989 the verdicts on the Guildford Four were quashed. On 26 June 1991 the convictions against the Maguire Seven of handling explosives were quashed and just over a year later, Sir John May, after producing a report on the Maguire Seven case, described it as the worst miscarriage of justice he had ever seen.Behind these dates lie human stories -- 'My Father's Watch' tells that of Patrick, who was the youngest of the accused, at fourteen years old. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JOHN GUY: A DAUGHTER'S LOVE: MARGARET ROPER AND THOMAS MORE (Fourth Estate HB) This book will break open a secret. It is a gripping tale of love, loyalty and domestic happiness that came to be overwhelmed by the forces of ambition, deceit and treachery, from the award-winning author of 'My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots'. The life of Sir Thomas More is familiar to many. His opposition to Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn, his arrest for treason in 1534, his virtuoso defence at his trial, and his execution in 1535 (and subsequent martyrdom) make up one of the most famous stories in British history. While More's place in history is secure, Margaret, his daughter, has been almost forgotten. She was airbrushed out of the story, even though she played a leading role in this very public drama. During More's imprisonment in the Tower of London, Margaret became his sole intermediary with the outside world. She visited frequently, and the pair wrote long and loving letters to one another. Margaret also smuggled more inflammatory letters in and out of the Tower during these visits, and it is through these that we see a dramatic new portrait of Sir Thomas More emerge.In this enlightening new book, John Guy returns to original sources that have been ignored by generations of historians, and re-writes a story that we think we already know. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JIM RIORDAN: COMRADE JIM: THE MAN WHO PLAYED FOR SPARTAK (Fourth Estate HB) The true and remarkable story of the English double agent who ended up playing for Spartak Moscow. Like many working class children growing up in the war, the young Jim Riordan would fantasise his way out of his devastated surroundings with dreams of Wembley and FA Cup glory for his local team, Portsmouth FC. Spartak Moscow, the team he would end up playing for, wasn't even on his radar. Taught Russian and trained as a spy in the same institution that nurtured the likes of Alan Bennett and Michael Frayn, he was posted to Berlin as part of his National Service to listen in on Soviet military communiques. But, unbeknownst to his seniors, he began mixing with Russian servicemen, mostly through informal kick-abouts, and the passion of these idealistic young men would cultivate his interest in Russian culture, and especially communism, until it blossomed into a full grown love affair. From the shambolic outfit that was the British Communist Party in the 50s, to Cold War Moscow at its coldest, to his friendship with the Cambridge Five and meetings with Brezhnev and Gregarin, and his eventual debut in front of 50,000 Spartak fans at the Lenin stadium.Comrade Jim is the remarkable true story of the only Englishman to have played -- and survived -- Russian league football, told with grace, humour and lashings of vodka. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

RICHARD FORTEY: DRY STORE ROOM No. 1: THE SECRET LIFE OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM( Fourth Estate HB) 'Dry Store Room No. 1' is an intimate biography of the Natural History Museum, celebrating the eccentric personalities who have peopled it and capturing the wonders of scientific endeavour, academic rigour and imagination. 'This book is a kind of museum of the mind. It is my own collection, a personal archive, designed to explain what goes on behind the polished doors in the Natural History Museum. The lustre of a museum does not depend only on the artefacts or objects it contains -- the people who work out of sight are what keeps a museum alive!I want to bring those invisible people into the sunlight.' Behind the public facade of any great museum there lies a secret domain: one of unseen galleries, locked doors, priceless specimens and hidden lives. Through the stories of the numerous eccentric individuals whose long careers have left their mark on the study of evolutionary science, Richard Fortey, former senior paleaontologist at London's Natural History Museum, celebrates the pioneering work of the Museum from its inception to the present day.He delves into the feuds, affairs, scandals and skulduggery that have punctuated its long history, and formed a backdrop to extraordinary scientific endeavour. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

BORIS JOHNSON: THE BRITISH (Fourth Estate HB) The question of what it means to be British now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is a vitally important one. Boris Johnson has travelled throughout the United Kingdom, listening and talking, and here sets out his answers: what are the values of this new Britain and how does its society differ from the one there was before? The question of what it means to be British now is an increasingly pressing one. What are the values of this new Britain? How does its society differ from others, and from the one that was there before? It is vitally important that there is an intelligent, lively and informed debate on the subject. Boris Johnson, author, journalist, Member of Parliament, set out to find some answers. Travelling throughout the United Kingdom, he listened to and talked to a wide circle of people, read in and around the subject, and here describes his journey of discovery and sets out his conclusions. Everyone agrees that it is important to have a common sense of identity but it is difficult to find an agreed profile of what this is. The Citizenship ceremony for new citizens presents some background but Boris Johnson has his own clear views.In talking to people young and old, from every part of the British Isles, from those long settled to more recent arrivals, of every class, race and creed, he builds up a picture of precisely what it means to be British. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JOHN MAJOR: MORE THAN A GAME: THE STORY OF CRICKET'S EARLY YEARS (Harper Perennial PB) The former Prime Minister examines the history of one of the great loves of his life. Throughout John Major's life, one of the constant factors has been his deep love of cricket. In this sumptuously illustrated book he delves deep into the game's history, tracing its development from its rustic beginnings to the international sport we know today. Along the way he examines -- and at times demolishes -- many cherished myths. Among the subjects to which he pays particular attention are the changing social role of cricket, developments in the rules, the emergence of the professional player, the game's spread throughout the British Empire and the part it has played in cementing international relations. John Major's history of cricket reflects not only his lifelong passion for the game, but the depth of his research among a wealth of hitherto neglected but fascinating sources. It is a significant addition to the already rich literature of the greatest game of all. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

LUCY LUM: THE THORN OF LION CITY (Harper Perennial PB) An intense and emotive memoir of one girl's difficult family upbringing in a Singaporean Chinese family during the Second World War. Lucy Lum was the third of seven children, born in Singapore in 1933 into a Chinese immigrant family ruled with an iron hand by Popo, her fearsome and superstitious grandmother. Popo is a firm believer in the old ways, in stomach-churning herbalist remedies, in the dubious fortune-telling of mystics, and in mischievous little girls like Lucy knowing their place, and is forever keen to dispense her own wicked brand of justice, much to the despair of her adopted family. Yet the suffering does not end at home. This is Singapore in the forties, a former British colony now living under the spectre of the invading Japanese -- the hungry worms crawling down from the north as Lucy knows them -- and fear floods the streets outside the family home.Lucy's father, a kind-hearted and talented linguist, finds himself being used by the occupiers as a translator, and brings back terrifying stories of his merciless employers, family friends blown apart inside their rickety shelters, dead bodies heaped on top of one another by the roadside, that he confides to his daughter under the heavy teak table in the dining room. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

DAN CRUICKSHANK: ADVENTURES IN ARCHITECTURE (ORION HB) Dan Cruickshank tells the story of architecture in all its diversity, looking at 40 buildings that have impressed, astonished or delighted us or changed our perception of the world. Dan takes us to the buildings he believes have changed the world, revealing how in truly great buildings function, material and purpose connect to all other parts of life - showing how architecture is the richest and most compelx of man's artistic endeavours. Do his chosen buildings live up to expectation, or does he find disappointment and lost ideals? Architecture is an art, a science and a craft. But buildings also have to fulfil a function, cater for human use, withstand the forces of nature, and be built to a budget. Dan considers all these aspects as he looks at places, some well known, many less so, as varied as the Catherine Palace in St Petersburg, the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan, the Hanging Temple in Shanxi in China, Astana in Kazakhstan, Brasilia, Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, the Lupanare Brothels in Pompeii, and the building of an igloo, man's earliest exercise in the creation of shelter, in Greenland. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JULIE ANDREWS: HOME (ORION HB) The heroine of MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC tells her life story from the music halls of London to Broadway stardom. Over the years Julie Andrews has been much interviewed in the press and on television, but she has never before revealed the true story of her childhood and upbringing. In HOME she vividly recreates the years before the movies. An idyllic early childhood in Surrey was cut short when her parents divorced and her mother remarried. The family moved to London, and there are vivid scenes of life during the Blitz. Her mother went into musical theatre with her stepfather, who encouraged Julie to have singing lessons which led to the discovery that her voice had phenomenal range and strength for someone her age. Before long she was appearing on stage with her parents. She soon realised how much she enjoyed looking out into the black auditorium with the spotlights on her. By the time she was a teenager, she was supporting her whole family with her singing performing. A London Palladium pantomime led to a leading role in THE BOYFRIEND on Broadway at 19. Parts in MY FAIR LADY opposite Rex Harrison and CAMELOT with Richard Burton soon followed, and there are wonderful anecdotes about the actors and actresses of her day. But this is far more than a collection of show stories (it's not until the last page of the book that Julie gets the call from Disney for MARY POPPINS), HOME is an honest, touching and revealing memoir of the early life of a true icon. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JULIA FOX: JANE BOLEYN (ORION PB) Jane Rochford was sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn and Lady of the Bedchamber to Katherine Howard, whom she followed to the scaffold in 1542. Hers is a life of extraordinary drama as a witness to and participant in the greatest events of Henry's reign. She arrived at court as a teenager when Katherine of Aragon was queen. Even before Henry's marriage to Anne, her own marriage to George Boleyn brought her into the closest royal circles - and there she remained through the unfolding spectacle and tragedy of Henry's succession of marriages. She survived the trauma of Anne and George's executions and despite briefly being banned from Court managed to regain her place there to attend on Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves. Her supposed part in both Anne Boleyn's and Katherine Howard's downfall has led to her being reviled through centuries. In this fascinating biography Julia Fox repudiates the idea of the infamous Lady Rochford and Jane emerges as a rather modern woman forced by brutal circumstance to fend for herself in a politically lethal world. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

NICOLA TYRER: SISTERS IN ARMS (ORION HB) The amazing experiences of the Queen Alexandra nurses in the Second World War form one of the greatest adventure stories of modern times, and -- incredibly -- remain largely untold. Thousands of middle-class girls, barely out of school, were plucked from sheltered backgrounds, subjected to training regimes unimaginable tough by today's standards, and sent forth to share the harsh conditions of the fighting services. They had to deal with the most appalling suffering, yet most found reserves of inner strength that carried them through episodes of unrelieved horror. Over 400 nurses died, torpedoed in hospital ships, bombed in field hospitals or murdered in Japanese prison camps. Dozens won medals for gallantry. From the beaches of Dunkirk, to Singapore and D-Day, they saw it all. Whether tending burned pilots from the Battle of Britain or improvising medical treatment in Japanese death camps, their dedication was second to none. This is their story. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

DAVE FARROW: BIRD SONGS AND CALLS (CARLTON HB) It has always been notoriously difficult to identify birds by their call or song and complicated and baffling sonograms don't give much help. Yet bird sounds are a critical aspect of accurate identification, with many species camouflaged, skulking or flying overhead against the sun making simple visual identification almost impossible at times. In woodland, for example, the majority of encounters with birds are by sound alone. Furthermore, some species are secretive by nature, and their call or song can be the only way of locating and accurately identifying them!This book is a major breakthrough in that it not only describes bird sound in a simple and understandable way, but also includes two accompanying bird song and call CDs, providing all the detail you need in order to confidently identify 200 different species over a wide variety of habitats.Each species is fully illustrated - showing details such as sexual variance and flight - by Brin Edwards, an award-winning artist with a distinctive and contemporary style. All birds are described with full identification detail and have examples of habitat and distribution as well as those all-important calls and song. Written with both beginners and the more experience birder in mind, this major new title really is the only field guide you will ever need. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

DES MACHALE: SPARKLING WIT (PRION HB) "Sparkling Wit" is the third volume in Des MacHale's best-selling "Wit" series, the finest collection of humorous remarks ever published. In this magnificent compendium of short, sharp quips, the wonderful Des MacHale - lifetime collector of funny remarks and devastating repartee - has organized his material by theme: from medicine and doctors to media and films, sports, politics, love and marriage, sex, food, education and many other subjects. As well as brilliant quotes from classic humorists such as Oscar Wilde and Woody Allen, we have Noel Coward, Winston Churchill, Lenny Bruce, Rita Rudner, Groucho Marx, W.C. Fields, Spike Milligan and hundreds more. On marriage: "I was married by a judge, but should have asked for a jury." - Groucho Marx. On places: "I went to Naples to see Vesuvius and do you know what? The bloody fools had let it go out." - Spike Milligan. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

CLIVE BATTY: THE LITTLE BOOK OF ENGLAND (CARLTON HB) "The Little Book of England" is a neat collection of words of wit and wisdom by and about the England football team's players, managers and officials past and present. Fully revised and updated to include all the pithy comments from England's fraught Euro 2008 qualifying campaign under Steve McClaren, the book will contain over 160 Lionhearted football quotes. Each quotation will be dated and attributed to its source and, where appropriate, entries will be accompanied by explanatory asides and/or supporting statistics. The sayings will appear in no particular order, but where connections and themes emerge these will be taken into account. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

GRAHAM MCCOLL: THE LITTLE BOOK OF SCOTLAND (CARLTON HB) "The Little Book of Scotland" is a gallus collection of words of wit and wisdom by and about the Scotland football team's players, managers and officials from the Wembley Wizards to Alex McLeish's Euro 2008 campaigners. The book will contain over 150 brave-hearted football quotes. Each quotation will be dated and attributed to its source and, where appropriate, entries will be accompanied by explanatory asides and/or supporting statistics. The sayings will appear in no particular order, but where connections and themes emerge these will be taken into account.Altogether now...Stand up, if you hate England. Stand up, if you hate England. Stand up, if you hate England. Stand up...[repeat to conclude with triumphal chants of "Scotland!"]. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JOHN WHITE: THE ENGLAND FOOTBALL MISCELLANY (CARLTON HB) There is something for every football supporter in "The England Football Miscellany." The England team has a long and storied history, but this book is neither a work of reference, nor a compendium of lists, nor a collection of biographies, nor a compilation of trivia. In fact, it is a gloriously quirky mixture of all these things and much more besides. Within these pages, the reader will learn hundreds of fascinating facts about the national team on a wide range of topics, from Wembley Way to Soho Square, to the famous managers, outstanding players and big match encounters. Fully revised and updated to include David Beckham's comeback to international football, the opening of the new Wembley Stadium and all the key events of England's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, "The England Football Miscellany" will bring hours of reading pleasure to every England football fan. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

TANYA BYRON: YOUR TODDLER MONTH BY MONTH (DORLING KINDERSLEY) House of Tiny Tearaways, Dr Tanya Bryon’s loving and child-centred approach gives you the know-how to understand your toddler’s needs and adapt your parenting style accordingly to each stage of development. From toilet training to the ‘terrible twos’, enjoying play to preparing for nursery school, with invaluable advice on tantrums, routines and establishing boundaries, Dr Tanya Bryon tells you everything you need to know, month by month, to raise a happy confident child. Find out what works best for you and your child – and turn your ‘terrible two’ into a little angel. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

MARCUS WAREING: ONE PERFECT INGREDIENT ~ THREE WAYS TO COOK IT (DORLING KINDERSLEY) Marcus Wareing guides you through 150 recipes to make tasty, enticing, imaginative food from the kind of basic ingredients to be found in any kitchen. Transform a beef joint into barbecued Rib Eye with Port Wine Shallots or a Pot-Roasted Silverside following simple step-by-step recipes. Take a good helping of cheddar and make Cheese Straws, Ham and Pickle Pasties or a mouth-watering Frittata with Spinach; or turn a humble banana into baked Pudding, a luxurious Caramel Bavarois or Caramelised Bananas. With recipes for creating whole meals or just a satisfying snack. One Perfect Ingredient... is one ideal cookbook. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

PTOLEMY DEAN: BRITAIN'S BUILDINGS, PLACES AND SPACES (DORLING KINDERSLEY) From Churches and Cathedrals to Music Halls and Country Houses explore Britain with Ptolemy Dean, presenter of BBC2’s Restoration. Take a look around Britain’s best buildings and explore our unique relationship with our surroundings through expert insight from Ptolemy and his personal illustrations. With a foreword from architecture expert and author of England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins. Ptolemy's watercolours are a joy to look at. A glorious book, with delights and surprises. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

EARTH MATTERS (DK) A DK Made with Care book is created using the best ethical and environmental practices possible. Our back cover shows you how we have made this book differently and gives the book's environmental footprint. We have taken great care to source local printers, FSC paper (Forest Stewardship Council) and to use only non-hazardous vegetable inks. Plus we only use printers who look after their workers. Introduce your child to our planet in all its glory with inspiring forward by eco adventurer David de Rothschild. From the deepest oceans to fiery deserts,  tropical jungles to icy mountains, it lets you explore and get close to the places or ‘biomes’ that make our world so special. Read it together and you’ll find out how life on Earth began, and see the effect humankind has had on the natural world. Amazing photographs taken from space show how the Earth is changing, and what each of us can do to help preserve its fragile wonder. From recycling our bottles to making space for nature, there are tips, ideas, and website links on all the practical, positive things your child can do to help ensure our Earth stays amazing for a very long time to come. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

GROW ORGANIC (DK) A DK Made with Care book is created using the best ethical and environmental practices possible. Our back cover shows you how we have made this book differently and gives the book's environmental footprint. We have taken great care to source local printers, FSC paper (Forest Stewardship Council) and to use only non-hazardous vegetable inks. Plus we only use printers who look after their workers. From storing winter vegetables to making your own compost, discover how to plan, design and maintain your own organic garden with this comprehensive guide. Pick up tips on a range of organic practises: from advice on how to grow delicious fruit and vegetables, to a troubleshooting section for common plant problems. Covers just about every size of garden with suggestions on how to make just a 4ft square plot productive. Whether you're a novice or an experienced gardener – get outside and discover how to have a beautiful garden while respecting the needs of the environment. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

GREEN BABYCARE (DK) A DK Made with Care book is created using the best ethical and environmental practices possible. Our back cover shows you how we have made this book differently and gives the book's environmental footprint. We have taken great care to source local printers, FSC paper (Forest Stewardship Council) and to use only non-hazardous vegetable inks. Plus we only use printers who look after their workers. Millions of nappies are thrown away every day and much of baby care is far from environmentally friendly; find out how you can make a difference by choosing greener lifestyle choices for you and your family. Discover how to feed, clothe, clean, entertain and transport your baby in a greener way. Pick up practical step-by-step advice on using alternatives to chemical products; from how to change a reusable nappy to making a lotion for nappy rash. "Green action boxes" feature practical solutions to suit your lifestyle: from recycling toys (light green) to using washable nappies (deeper green). For parents who want to make a difference to the environment and protect their baby’s future planet. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

MAKE IT! (DK) A DK Made with Care book is created using the best ethical and environmental practices possible. Our back cover shows you how we have made this book differently and gives the book's environmental footprint. We have taken great care to source local printers, FSC paper (Forest Stewardship Council) and to use only non-hazardous vegetable inks. Plus we only use printers who look after their workers. Think about all the stuff we throw away every day, like plastic drink bottles and metal cans, magazines and even clothes; get your child to use it instead with activity expert Jane Bull. There’s no need for fancy materials; 365 crafty step-by-step projects will have your child turning humble household rubbish into amazing treasures you’ll want to keep. Watch them create jewellery from paper, flower pots from plastic bottles and shoulder bags from old jeans. Packed with facts on earth’s natural resources and tips on recycling too. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

EAT YOURSELF SMART (DK) The chef charged with feeding some of the best brains in the world at Google Headquarters, shows you how to cook and eat to power your mind. If you’re living in the fast lane and want to eat well, Charlie Ayers, the man who fed Google, has the answers. Google founders, Larry and Sergei took on Charlie in the early years. His brief: to cook food that would fire the Googlers with energy and not leave them slumped over their keyboards after lunch. "Charlie's Cafe" became legendary, and those who ate there were the envy of Silicon Valley. Here, Charlie reveals how he fed Google, and how you too can eat like them.  Learn how to go organic, go raw and go fermented, pick up time-saving tips on what to keep in your store cupboard, fridge and freezer and cook up over 90 fantastic recipes from around the world and "food-on-run" ideas for the working day. Eat to succeed with ideas and recipes from the chef who fed Google. With the emphasis on cooking at home back on the agenda, this is a timely publication with plenty of great ideas and suggestions, beautifully printed and presented. An absolute delight. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

KNIFE SKILLS (DK) Perfect your knife skills with a trio of Michelin starred chefs and learn to carve, chop, slice, dice, fillet and bone to perfection. A trio of Michelin starred chefs – Marcus Wareing, Charlie Trotter and Shaun Hill – show with clear step-by-steps how to choose your tools, sharpen your talents and master knife skills. Find out which knives to use for particular tasks and how to keep your utensils in peak condition.  Discover how to cut to perfection: from carving a roast and boning a bird, to opening oysters and filleting fish.  Plus, learn the best way to prepare your fruit and veg, from trimming, peeling and paring to stoning and much more. Say goodbye to badly carved beef and expensive courses: Knife Skills is the hands-on manual that’ll soon have you wielding a cook’s knife like a pro. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

FRANK WARREN: THE SECRET LIVES OF MEN AND WOMEN  (Orion PB) Postsecret.com founder Frank Warren is back with an irresistible addition to his hugely popular PostSecret series. For The Secret Lives of Men and Women, Warren has selected a never-before-seen collection of postcards bearing the explosive confessions and captivating revelations of men and women everywhere. Created using photographs, collages, illustrations, and more, the handmade cards offer a compelling dialogue on some of today's most provocative topics from marriage and infidelity, to parenting, office politics, repressed fantasies, and even abortion; daring us to consider how well we really know our friends, family, even ourselves. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

FRANCES REILLY: SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN (Orion HB) Clutching her eight-week-old sister in her arms, Frances Reilly was abandoned by her mother outside the gates of The Poor Sisters of Nazareth Convent. It was 1956 and Frances was 2 years old. Little did the toddler know, as her mother's car disappeared into the cold Christmas morning, that this was to be the beginning of a terrible new life. For the next 13 years Frances experienced institutionalised cruelty. Beaten, raped and molested, Frances suffered horrifically under the care of her new guardians. The nuns stripped her of everything - her best friend, her innocence, even her name - but they could not suppress her spirit and her never-ending hope of a better life. Written with great honesty and integrity, this moving account of childhood suffering is a tragic yet inspiring story. Through it all - the physical, sexual and emotional abuse - Frances refused to be broken. Her resolution to survive the tortures of her every-day life, and defy the evil that stole her childhood, makes her emotive memoir an inspiration to all and an uplifting read. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ANDREW LONGMORE: KIEREN FALLON (Orion HB) Kieren Fallon is the most successful Flat jockey of the modern era. Yet controversy is never far away, whether it is attempting to pull a rival jockey from his horse in mid-race or checking in to a rehab clinic because of drink problems. Yet even this was as nothing compared to when he was charged with conspiracy to defraud in July 2006, a charge he strenuously denied. But there is a different side to Fallon, a man who never got on a race horse until he was almost eighteen and yet quickly he developed a natural rapport with his horses that makes them respond to him like no other jockey. Six times he has been Champion Jockey, and a seventh title was taken from his grasp when he had an horrific, career-threatening fall in June 2000. He has won thirteen Classics, including the Derby three times, and is now based in Ireland at Ballydoyle with Aidan O'Brien. Award-winning sports writer Andrew Longmore has talked to those who know Fallon best, and assesses what drives him to his fearsome competitive streak. Like his fellow countryman Roy Keane, Fallon combines supreme ability with a brooding dark side that makes him a hugely captivating and fascinating character. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JANEY LEE GRACE: IMPERFECTLY NATURAL HOME (Orion PB) If you are far from perfect but would like to make some changes that could make your home natural, sustainable, healthy and eco-friendly for you and your family, this book is a must. Described as the modern-day Mrs Beeton, author and broadcaster Janey Lee Grace reveals her best kept secrets and advises on how the ordinary person can make their home 'imperfectly natural' while still juggling modern-day living. Moving from room to room, IMPERFECTLY NATURAL HOME covers every aspect of our daily lives, from cleaning without synthetic chemicals to growing your own superfoods, from decorating using non-toxic paints to making your own ethical shoes. Janey admits she is imperfect like the rest of us but she guides the reader through the minefield of modern dilemmas and overwhelming choices to solutions that promote health and thrift and leave no eco-footprints. IMPERFECTLY NATURAL HOME is a book no household should be without. It offers practical advice, energy saving tips and realistic environmentally friendly goals so we can all make a difference.  Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

LES DENNIS: MUST THE SHOW GO ON? (Orion HB) When the newspapers revealed to Les Dennis and the rest of the world that his younger wife Amanda Holden was having an affair with Neil Morrissey, he found it hard to cope with the huge media instrusion on top of the breakdown of his marriage. So when he was shown in the Celebrity Big Brother house talking to the chickens, the press began to fear for his sanity. His little joke to alleviate the boredom was spun against him. But then he appeared on Extras, courageously parodying the perception of him as a lost soul of celebritydom, and his career once again took off. Les Dennis's marvellous memoir takes us back to his childhood days growing up in Liverpool, where he went to the same school John Lennon had attended, through his early days on the comedy circuit as a teenager, before he moved on to theatre and fame on television, most notably his sixteen years as host of Family Fortunes. Packed with hilarious anecdotes from his showbiz life, the book also reveals the pressures our entertainers face - something he discovered all too well when he had to perform straight after Tommy Cooper had collapsed on stage.Les Dennis might be a very familiar face on our TV screens, but until now no one has really known his full and extraordinary story.  Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

DAVE PELZER: MOVING FORWARD (Orion HB) Moving Forward is for anyone wanting to move forward and change their life, no matter what their past may have held. Dave Pelzer, author of the internationally bestselling memoirs A Child Called It, The Lost Boy and A Man Called Dave, teaches readers how to harness the strength of surviving past negative experiences and use that empowerment to live their lives according to their own values. Drawing on personal history as well as his experience helping others through his work speaking to private, public and military groups, his crisis hotline and his personal connections, Dave blends his gift for memoir-style storytelling with solid, actionable advice. Moving Forward is a book designed to show people how to lift themselves up, written by a man who has personally walked the path from horrific trauma, through healing, to a successful life. Now he is in a position to show others the way with his trademark wisdom, support and tough love.  Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

GUY PRATT: MY BASS AND OTHER ANIMALS (Orion PB) Guy Pratt came of age just as playing bass became cool, with the likes of Paul Simonon and Bruce Foxton. Having dallied with Funkapolitan, Pratt suddenly found himself on Top of the Pops and supporting David Bowie with smooth Australian outfit Icehouse. At a ludicrously young age Guy Pratt became a sought after bass player to the stars, finding himself crawling from studio to bar, from hotel to stadium portacabin with Robert Palmer, Womack & Womack, Bernard Edwards, Bryan Ferry and David Crosby, etc. The eighties were in their prime, and with a number of Crolla-suited appearances in windswept videos behind him, he was invited to join Pink Floyd for a series of stadium of extravaganzas to make Bono & co look fairly modest. Pratt has recorded with Madonna, and spent time in the studio with Michael Jackson. He was in The Smiths for a week, has travelled through customs in a wheelchair after a flight with Jimmy Page, and has lived to tell all. MY BASS AND OTHER ANIMALS emerges from the successful stand-up tour of the same name. It charts his journey from a Mod band in Southend to playing with Roxy Music at Live 8.  Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

DAVID COULTHARD: IT IS WHAT IT IS (Orion PB) rom his quiet beginnings in rural Scotland to his multi-millionaire lifestyle in Monte Carlo, where he owns one of the most luxurious hotels in the principality, David Coulthard's life story is an extraordinary one. He got his breakthrough into Formula One in the tragic circumstances of Ayrton Senna's death in 1994, and quickly established himself as one of the best drivers on the circuit. From 1996-2004, he drove for McLaren, one of the leading teams throughout the entire period, before moving to Red Bull for 2005-07. Taking the reader from his early days when he first became hooked on racing karts at the age of eleven to the high-speed world of Formula One, Coulthard has written one of the most honest and powerful sports autobiographies of recent years. He talks frankly about his ups and downs at McLaren and also about the reputation he gained for his playboy lifestyle. Throughout it all he seeks to answer the questions about himself that anyone might ask, and so to reveal what it is that really drives him on. His struggle to understand himself makes for a remarkable memoir. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JUDITH MACKRELL: LYDIA A LIFE OF LYDIA LOPOKOVA (Weidenfeld HB) Born in 1891 in St Petersburg, Lydia Lopokova lived a long and remarkable life. Just five feet tall and a natural comedian, her vivacious personality and the sheer force of her charm propelled her to the top of Diaghilev's Ballet Russes. Through a combination of luck, determination and talent, Lydia became a star in Paris, a vaudeville favourite in America, the toast of Britain and then, most unexpectedly, she married the world-renowned economist, and formerly homosexual, John Maynard Keynes. Lydia's story is an extraordinary one, linking ballet and the Bloomsbury group, war, revolution and the economic policies of the super-powers. She was the Russian ballerina who flitted intriguingly through the lives of so many remarkable individuals, including Nijinsky, Picasso, Stravinsky and Virginia Woolf. Above all, she was an immensely captivating, eccentric and irreverent personality: a bolter, a true bohemian and, eventually, an utterly devoted wife. Judith Mackrell brings Lopokova gloriously to life, and claims Lydia's place as a major character - not only in the history of ballet, but also in the history of the Twentieth Century. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ROMAINE LOWERY: THE CLUTTER CLINIC (Weidenfeld HB) THE CLUTTER CLINIC offers room by room guidance on how to reorganise your home and 'love the home you are in' again. Strong before and after visuals together with Romaine's easily achievable suggestions will make a seemingly overwhelming task become simple. Includes lots of useful tips and shortcuts to ditching clutter and choosing the right storage solutions. There is an extensive shopping directory of retailers, mail order companies and websites who sell everything you need to get organised from great storage solutions to dual purpose furniture by new young designer makers. 'Soon the room is transformed beneath her magical touch. So much so, I almost weep with gratitude. Verdict: brilliant. I wish I had done it years ago.' Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

REVIEL NETZ: THE ARCHIMEDES CODEX (Phoenix PB) Drawings and writings by Archimedes, previously thought to have been destroyed, have been uncovered beneath the pages of a 13th-century monk's prayer book. These hidden texts, slowly being retrieved and deciphered by scientists, show that Archimedes' thinking (2,200 years ago) was even ahead of Isaac Newton in the 17th century. Archimedes discovered the value of Pi, he developed the theory of specific gravity and made steps towards the development of calculus. Everything we know about him comes from three manuscripts, two of which have disappeared. The third, currently in the Walters Art Museum, is a palimpsest - the text has been scraped off, the book taken apart and its parchment re-used, in this case as a prayer book. William Noel, the project director, and Reviel Netz, a historian of ancient mathematics, tell the enthralling story of the survival of that prayer book from 1229 to the present, and examine the process of recovering the invaluable text underneath as well as investigating into why that text is so important.  Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

ADRIAN GREAVES: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Phoenix PB) T.E. Lawrence is one of the most enigmatic characters in British history. At the outbreak of the First World War he was working as an archaeologist in the Middle East. He had no military training at all, and a strong distrust of politicians and senior officers alike. And yet he succeeded in a task where all these people had failed: not only did he unite the Arab nation - a nation at perpetual war with itself - but he also led them to victory against the Ottoman Empire. How he managed to achieve these incredible feats has fascinated and confounded historians ever since. The myths that have grown up around this remarkable man have been enhanced by the untruths Lawrence himself propagated. He was never captured and tortured by the Turks as he claimed, neither was he the first to target Ottoman troops by dynamiting their trains. And yet the truth is every bit as compelling as the fiction. He was far more ruthless than he portrayed himself, and the battles he fought were every bit as barbarous as those fought by his Ottoman enemies.He was also strangely determined not to take credit for his achievements: when offered the VC at Buckingham Palace he refused it, leaving the king holding the box. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

BUSTER’S SECRET DIARIES (Phoenix PB) Buster has written these diaries himself - whenever he could remember where he hid the manuscript in his garden. In it he lays bear the truth of how The Man has held Buster back, pretending to protect fur and feathers. Buster's last book was an instant bestseller and, outrageously, The Man took all the credit. To add insult to injury, there were no extra biscuits. Worse, The Man forced Buster to eat low-fat ones, while he himself continued to eat lots of chocolate ginger nuts. Despite The Man's best efforts, Buster still gets into lots of scrapes, and, although his sight and hearing are failing somewhat, he still wants to 'go courting' - especially in springtime. Buster remains unaware of what happened that day at the vet's, and no one will explain it to him, but they continue to allude to something. On a visit to Ireland a gentleman tapped his nose and said to The Man, 'You can't fool me. I've worked it out. You wrote the book.' Buster was so upset by this vile calumny that he wanted to give the gentleman a good nip. Then he remembered the words of someone called Robert Kennedy who The Man goes on about: 'Don't get angry. Get even.' And he has. And this time it's personal. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

JIM BLACK: JINKY THE BIOGRAPHY OF JIMMY JOHNSTONE (Sphere PB) The son of a coal miner, Jimmy Johnstone was born in 1944 in Lanarkshire. Signed by Celtic in 1963, his dazzling dribbling skills earned him the nickname Jinky. He made 515 appearances for Celtic, scoring 129 goals in the process, won 23 caps for Scotland and in 2002 was voted Celtic's greatest ever player by the club's supporters. His ability to outwit defenders, particularly English ones, endeared him to football followers everywhere - even Rangers fans - and he was a vital part of the team that won nine consecutive Scottish league titles between 1965 and 1974. But the undisputed highlight of his career came in Portugal on 25th May 1967 when the team that became known as the Lisbon Lions came from a goal behind to defeat Inter-Milan 2-1 to become the first British club to win the European Cup. Jinky was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2001, after which he became a tireless campaigner for stem cell research to find a cure for the disease. He died in March 2006. One of the greatest footballing legends of all time, Jimmy Johnstone is a "name" like George Best, Bobby Moore, Dennis Law. A superb tribute to a great player and a fascinating man. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

Gateway is published by Paul Edmund Norman on the first day of each month. Hosting is by Flying Porcupine at www.flyingporcupine.com - and web design by Gateway. Submitting to Gateway: Basically, all you need do is e-mail it along and I'll consider it - it can be any length, if it's very long I'll serialise it, if it's medium-length I'll put it in as a novella, if it's a short story or a feature article it will go in as it comes. Payment is zero, I'm afraid, as I don't make any money from Gateway, I do it all for fun! For Advertising rates in Gateway please contact me at paulenorman@yahoo.co.uk Should you be kind enough to want to send me books to review, please contact me by e-mail and I will gladly forward you my home address. Meanwhile, here's how to contact me: paulenorman@yahoo.co.uk

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