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Paused in Cosmic Reflection is the definitive story of The Chemical Brothers. Told in the voices of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, with contributions from friends and collaborators, it is fully illustrated with 30 years of mind-bending visuals. Published 26th October 2023 - Order Now. -
The essential guide to mental health from the bestselling author of The School of Life A Therapeutic Journey follows the arc from mental crisis and collapse to convalescence and recovery. Written with kindness, knowledge and sympathy, it is both a practical guide and a source of consolation and companionship in what might be some of our loneliest, most anguished moments. Alain de Botton explores how we can cope with a variety of forms of mental pain and illness, from the mild to the severe. It considers how and why we might become ill; how we can explain things to friends, family and colleagues; how we can find our ways towards recovery; and how we can build resilience, so as to live wisely alongside our difficulties. At heart this is a book about redemption - about regaining the thread of our lives, rediscovering meaning, and finding our way back to connection, warmth and joy. 'Alain de Botton is a brave and highly intelligent writer' Observer 'One of our most consistently illuminating writers on contemporary culture' John Gray, New Statesman -
The late Michael Viney was an Irish Times contributor, broadcaster, film-maker and natural-history author. In 1977 he abandoned a busy and successful media career in Dublin for 'Another Life' with his wife, Ethna, in Thallabawn, Co Mayo. His chronicles of that life became classics of Irish journalism. Foreword by Michael Longley. Published 10th October 2023 - Order Now. -
The official tie-in to the third instalment in the legendary Planet Earth franchise. Few places on Earth remain untouched by humans, creating challenges for the wildlife we share it with. We have entered a new age, and we must look at the splendour of the natural world through a different lens. From the depths of our oceans, to scorching deserts and the darkest jungles, Planet Earth III features spectacular places and surprising animal behaviours from all corners of our world. And for the first time, a human element is introduced to each landscape, highlighting how, in the age of the Anthropocene, today's planet has been forever changed by humanity and that wildlife now faces new challenges in our crowded, modern world. Featuring over 250 beautiful full-colour photographs, Planet Earth III reveals the wonders and trials of life on an increasingly fragile planet, bringing you closer than ever before to our world's most intriguing species, unseen landscapes and natural phenomena. Published 19th October 2023 - Order Now. -
Today there are 20 million species on our planet. Yet what we see is just a snapshot in time. 99% of Earth's inhabitants are lost to our deep past. The story of what happened to these lineages - their rise and their fall - is truly remarkable. Accompanying the ground-breaking series, Life on Our Planet tells the story of life's epic battle to conquer and survive on planet Earth, showing in a new light what's been lost to us, and how life's future is now being written by us. From ancient ocean worlds and plant life's first forays onto land, to the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and the devastation of the last Ice Age, this is a sweeping view of evolution, through five extinctions and, with the arrival of humans on earth, the beginning of the sixth... With over 200 photos and images from the groundbreaking Netflix series, Life on Our Planet is an unforgettable journey to our ancient past, containing powerful lessons to learn about our future. Published 19th October 2023 - Order Now. -
One of the world's greatest scientists of human behaviour shows that free will does not exist - and challenges us to rethink the very notion of choice, identity, responsibility, justice, morality and how we live together. Behind every thought, action and experience there lies a chain of biological and environmental causes, stretching back from the moment a neuron fires to the dawn of our species and beyond. Nowhere in this infinite sequence is there a place where free will could play a role. Without free will, it makes no more sense to punish people for antisocial behaviour than it does to scold a car for breaking down. It is no one's fault they are poor or overweight or unsuccessful, nor do people deserve praise for their talent or hard work; 'grit' is a myth. This mechanistic view of human behaviour challenges our most powerful instincts, but history suggests that we have already made great strides toward it: where once we saw demonic possession or cowardice, for example, now we diagnose illness or trauma and offer help. Determined confronts us with our true nature: who and what we are is biology and nothing more. Disturbing and liberating in equal measure, it explores the far-reaching implications for society of accepting this reality. Monumentally difficult as it may be, the reward will be a far more just and humane world. Published 19th October 2023 - Order Now. -
An urgent follow-up to bestseller How Democracies Die, by two world-leading experts on democracyIn this incisive and razor-sharp analysis of one of the most important issues facing us today, leading Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt draw on their combined expertise of over 40 years to examine how dictators come to power, and how they help to foster a poisonous culture of polarisation, fear and suspicion that persists even after their time in power is over. Using contemporary examples including the Capitol riots and voter suppression in the US, as well as global examples from history including post-1945 Germany and Brazil and Chile during the '60s and '70s, the authors dissect conservative resistance to pluralism and modern threats to multiracial democracy (including the unwillingness of political parties to adapt to modern times, and a growing disregard for constitutional norms and free and fair elections) while imploring readers to stand up in its defence. Focusing on the forthcoming American election as an essential case study, Saving Democracy offers us imperative tools for implementing urgent democratic reform, brilliantly illuminating how we can respond to the political battles ahead. -
Two leading authorities - a bestselling historian and the outstanding battlefield commander and strategist of our time - collaborate on a landmark examination of war since 1945. Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past, and anticipate in the future, in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world. In this deep and incisive study, General David Petraeus, the former CIA director who commanded the US-led coalitions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the prize-winning historian Andrew Roberts, explore over seventy years of conflict, drawing significant lessons and insights from their fresh analysis of the past. Petraeus and Roberts show how often critical mistakes have been repeated time and again, and explore the challenge, for statesmen and generals alike, of learning to adapt to various new weapon systems, theories and strategies. Among the conflicts examined are the Arab - Israeli wars, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the two Gulf wars, the Balkan wars in the former Yugoslavia, and both the Soviet and Coalition wars in Afghanistan, as well as guerrilla conflicts in Africa and South America. Conflict culminates with a bracing look at Putin's disastrous invasion of Ukraine, yet another case study in the tragic results that occur when leaders refuse to learn from history, and an assessment of the nature of future warfare. Filled with sharp insight and the wisdom of experience, Conflict is not only a critical assessment of our recent past, but also an essential primer of modern warfare that provides crucial knowledge for waging battle today as well as for understanding what the decades ahead will bring. 'This collaboration between a famous general and a distinguished author is a marriage made in heaven. The book's narrative is seamless, sustained by comparative judgements, and calculated to challenge the professional and enlighten the generalist' PROFESSOR SIR HEW STRACHAN, Chichele Professor of History of War. 'Not since Clausewitz' On War has a book provided so much insight into the nature of warfare. Deeply researched, brilliantly constructed and thoroughly entertaining, Conflict gets to the heart of why some nations win and others lose during war. It is a book that will shape the thinking of policy makers and military strategists for generations to come' ADMIRAL WILLIAM H. MCRAVEN, US Navy ( Ret .); former Commander of US Special Operations Command. Published 17th October 2023 - Order Now. -
Make room Herodotus, stand down Bede, pipe down Pepys . . . There s a new history book in town. From the chart-topping podcast The Rest is History, a whistle-stop tour through the past from Alexander the Great to Tolkien, the Wars of the Roses to Watergate. The nation s favourite historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook take on the most curious moments in history, answering the questions we didn't even think to ask: - Did the Trojan War actually happen? - What was the most disastrous party in history? - Was Richard Nixon more like Caligula or Claudius? - How did a hair appointment almost blow Churchill's cover? - Why did the Nazis believe they were descended from Atlantis? Whether it is sending historical figures to Casa Amor in a series of Love Island, ranking history's most famous eunuchs and pigeons (including Winkie, the unsung hero of the Second World War), or debating the meaning of greatness, there is nothing too big or too small for Tom and Dominic to unpick. So run your Egyptian milk bath, strap up your best Spartan sandals, and prepare for a journey down the highways and byways of the human past. Published 26th October 2023 - Order Now. -
Secrecy came naturally to John le Carre, and there were some secrets that he fought fiercely to keep. Nowhere was this more so than in his private life. Apparently content in his marriage, the novelist conducted a string of love affairs over four decades. To keep these relationships secret, he made use of tradecraft that he had learned as a spy: code names and cover stories, cut outs, safe houses and dead letter boxes. Such affairs introduced both jeopardy and excitement into what was otherwise a quiet, ordered life. Le Carre seemed to require the stimulus they provided in order to write, though this meant deceiving those closest to him. It is no coincidence that betrayal became a recurrent theme in his work. Adam Sisman's definitive biography, published in 2015, revealed much about the elusive spy-turned-novelist; yet le Carre was adamant that some subjects should remain hidden, at least during his lifetime. The Secret Life of John le Carre is the story of what was left out, and offers reflections on the difficult relationship between biographer and subject. More than that, it adds a necessary coda to the life and work of this complex, driven, restless man. The Secret Life of John le Carre reveals a hitherto-hidden perspective on the life and work of the spy-turned-author and a fascinating meditation on the complex relationship between biographer and subject. 'Now that he is dead,' Sisman writes, 'we can know him better.' 'Not merely the conclusive homage to a compulsively fascinating character, but an insightful study into the biographical process itself' Nicholas Shakespeare. Published 12th October 2023 - Order Now. -
There was more than one way to be lost, more than one way to be saved.Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where luxury hotels line pristine white sand beaches, Safiya Sinclair grew up guarding herself against an ever-present threat. Her father, a volatile reggae musician and strict believer in a militant sect of Rastafari, railed against Babylon, the corrupting influence of the immoral Western world just beyond their gate. To protect the purity of the women in their family he forbade almost everything: nowhere but home and school, no friends but this family and no future but this path.Her mother did what she could to bring joy to her children with books and poetry. But as Safiya's imagination reached beyond its restrictive borders, her burgeoning independence brought with it ever greater clashes with her father. Soon she realised that if she was to live at all, she had to find some way to leave home. But how? In seeking to understand the past of her family, Safiya Sinclair takes readers inside a world that is little understood by those outside it and offers an astonishing personal reckoning. How to Say Babylon is an unforgettable story of a young woman's determination to live life on her own terms. 'An essential memoir' JESMYN WARD 'Dazzling. Potent. Vital' TARA WESTOVER 'To read it is to believe that words can save' MARLON JAMES 'I adored this book ... Unforgettable, heartbreaking and heartwarming' ELIF SHAFAK -
Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig... Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green... Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head... These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare. For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O'Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare's plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans. Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now. Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi's love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent. 'A MAGICAL LOVE LETTER TO SHAKESPEARE' Sir Kenneth Branagh Published 26th October 2023 - Order Now. -
In Irish Kitchen Cocktails, industry pro Oisin Davis shows you how easy it is to make cocktails with Irish spirits using everyday kitchen equipment. Ireland is home to some of the best distilleries on the planet, and it's no longer just whiskey. We're also creating incredible Irish gins, poitins, vodkas, rums, liqueurs, meads, vermouths and fruit distillates. Understanding the basics of cocktails will allow you to explore these Irish spirits in delicious - and easy - ways. Do you have a spoon and a large bowl? You can stir up the perfect punch for any kind of party, like Mrs Doyle's Iced Tea. Remember that NutriBullet you bought because you wanted to go on a smoothie diet? Dust it off and you can rock out a whole heap of frozen cocktails, like a Frozen Jameson, Ginger Ale & Lime. Got a decent-sized jug and a hand blender? You can lash together amazing cocktails in minutes, including a Wicklow Wanderer. Found yourself in a cocktail emergency? Be prepared with drinks such as The Ginger Divil. Slainte! Published 5th October 2023 - Order Now. -
The best-selling collection of football facts, stats and stories is back! World Football Records 2024 is packed full of facts and stats from the world of international football. Focusing on all the major world and continental tournaments, national team records, exceptional matches and the stars who made it all possible, this exhaustively researched annual tells the stories of these key moments and some of the tales behind them. * Updated stats and facts for all recent major tournaments, awards and international teams. * The latest record-breaking achievements of more than 35 featured nations from around the world, including a sidebar with key stats, as well as updates and records for most of the other 170+ FIFA members. Great for Ages 11+ Published 12th October 2023 - Order Now. -
A music-obsessed retrospective, beginning with his childhood epiphany of rock 'n' roll in the early 1960s into an infatuation with the subversive world of 1970s punk and no wave blasting forth from New York City - where he eventually runs off to join a band in 1978. By 1981 Moore would form the legendary and notorious experimental rock group Sonic Youth, who proceeded to record and tour relentlessly for almost 30 years, always progressing, always exploring. Along the way we meet a constellation of artists and musicians who colluded and collided with Sonic Youth including Velvet Underground, Stooges, Patti Smith, Television, Sex Pistols, Clash, Nirvana, Hole, Beastie Boys, Neil Young and a cavalcade of other musical visionaries, as well as figures from the art world - Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Gerhard Richter. Simply put, Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth changed the sound of modern alternative rock music and opened the minds of a generation of artists to new possibilities within the form. This is essential reading. Published 26th October 2023 - Order Now. -
Join photographer George Munday on a tour around the eccentric, beautiful, bizarre and eye-catching follies that decorate our island. Ireland possesses a wealth of follies - picturesque buildings erected to commemorate loved ones, to enhance a view, to tell a tale from the past ... or simply on the whim of their wealthy owners. Discover the Jealous Wall at Belvedere, County Westmeath, erected by Robert Rochfort to block his brother's house from view, and Conolly's Folly in Castletown, County Kildare, built to provide work during famine. Visit Ireland's only inland lighthouse, at Lough Corrib, the delightful Shell House at Ballymaloe, County Cork, and a former ice-cream parlour in Roscommon with harp-shaped windows, among many others. Photographer George Munday's breathtaking images are accompanied by the intriguing stories behind the construction of these wonderful oddities that dot our landscape. Published 10th October 2023 - Order Now. -
This is a neglected history. Not a sweeping, definitive, exhaustive history of the world but something quieter, more intimate and particular. A single journey, picked out in 101 objects, through the fascinating, too-often-overlooked, manifold histories of women. Open up this cabinet of curiosities and you'll find objects that have been highly esteemed - even, like the Bayeux tapestry, fought over by nations - and others that are humble and domestic. Some (like a sixteenth century glass dildo) are objects of female pleasure, some (a thumbscrew) of female subjugation. There are artefacts of women celebrated by history and of women unfairly forgotten by it; examples of female rebellion and of self-revelation; objects that are inspiring, curious or (like radium-laced chocolate) just fundamentally ill-conceived. Through the variety and nuance in all these 101 objects, Annabelle Hirsch has created a new history - teeming, unexpected, witty and always illuminating. This overdue corrective reveals what a healed femur says about civilisation, what men have to fear from hat pins, and it shows that the past has always been as complicated and fascinating as the women that peopled it. Published 12th October 2023 - Order Now. -
Since the publication of the groundbreaking Bad Feminist and Hunger, Roxane Gay has continued to tackle the big issues embroiling society-state-sponsored violence and mass shootings, women's rights post-Dobbs, online disinformation, and the limits of empathy-alongside more individual matters: Can I tell my coworker her perfume makes me sneeze? Is it acceptable to schedule a daily eight a.m. meeting? In her role as a New York Times contributing opinion writer and the publication's "Work Friend" columnist, she reaches millions of readers with her wise voice and sharp insights. With an introduction in which Gay provides the connective tissues that link her groundbreaking writing, Opinions is a collection of Roxane Gay's best nonfiction pieces from the past ten years, addressing a wide range of topics-politics, the culture wars, civil rights, celebrities, and much more. Offering nuanced analysis that never shies away from difficult topics, this sharp, thought-provoking anthology will delight Gay's devotees and draw new readers to this inimitable talent. Published 10th October 2023 - Order Now.
