- Table View
- List View
3 Commando Brigade: Helmand Assault
by Ewen Southby-Tailyour'The 3 Commando Brigade's six month deployment in Helmand Province was among the finest pieces of soldiering I have come across' General Sir Richard Dannett, Chief of General StaffIn October 2006, the Royal Marine Commandos took up their six month tour of duty in war-torn Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan - the toughest and hottest war zone on earth. After the tactical retreat of their predecessors, the Paras, the Marines knew they would have to take a different approach to have any chance of success. So they took the war to the enemy. Roving and aggressive, the Commandos forced the insurgent Taliban on to the back foot. As a result, they were involved in daily fire fights of an intensity not encountered by British troops since North Korea.3 Commando Brigade is a thrilling first-hand account of that dogged, heroic pursuit of the Taliban by the ordinary Marines, sailors and soldiers responsible. It is a story of valour, fortitude, supreme physical and mental fitness, and unrivalled professionalism under the most testing of circumstances. The account explodes from the first page with Operation Glacier, a graphic, no-holds-barred account of a Commando attack on a key Taliban base south of Garmsir - a battle that ends with the dramatic recovery of a Corporal's body from alongside the fort by Apache helicopters. From this opening salvo the action never lets up, offering a startlingly honest account of the war in Afghanistan as told by the junior officers, corporals and marines on the ground.
3 Commando: Helmand Assault
by Ewen Southby-TailyourWhen the Royal Marines Commandos returned to a chaotic Helmand in the winter of 2008, they realised that to stand any chance of success they would need to pursue an increasingly determined Taliban harder than ever before. This time they were going to hunt them down from the air. With the support of Chinooks, Apaches, Lynx, Sea Kings and Harriers, the Commandos became a deadly mobile unit, able to swoop at a moments notice into the most hostile territory.From huge operations like the gruelling Red Dagger, when 3 Commando Brigade fought in Somme-like mud to successfully clear the area around the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gar, of encroaching enemy forces, to the daily acts of unsupported, close-quarters 360-degree combat and the breath-taking, rapid helicopter night assaults behind enemy lines - this was kind of battle that brought Commando qualities to the fore. As with the Sunday Times bestselling 3 Commando Brigade, ex-Marine Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Southby-Tailyour brings unparalleled access to the troops, a soldier's understanding of the conflict and a visceral sense of the combat experience. This is the real war in Afghanistan as told to him by a hand-picked band of young fellow marines as they encounter the daily rigours of life on the ground in the world's most intense war zone.
3,096 Days: The True Story Of My Abduction, Eight Years Of Enslavement, And Escape
by Natascha KampuschOn 2 March 1998 ten-year-old Natascha Kampusch was snatched off the street by a stranger and bundled into a white van. Hours later she found herself in a dark cellar, wrapped in a blanket. When she emerged eight years later, her childhood had gone.In 3,096 Days Natascha tells her incredible story for the first time: her difficult childhood, what exactly happened on the day of her abduction, her imprisonment in a five-square-metre dungeon, and the mental and physical abuse she suffered from her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil.3,096 Days is ultimately a story about the triumph of the human spirit. It describes how, in a situation of almost unbearable hopelessness, she slowly learned how to manipulate her captor. And how, against inconceivable odds, she managed to escape unbroken.
3: The Quest to Break the Four Minute Mile
by John Bryant"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the result of event nine, the one mile: first, #41, Roger Bannister ... with a time which will be a new English Native, British National, All-Comers, European, British Empire and World Record. The time was three..."As the announcer spoke those fateful words, the crowd roared, and the century-long quest to run 'the world's greatest race' was finally at an end.For decades, amateur athletes like the American Lon Myers, a stick-thin hypochondriac who was sick before and after every race, yet still held every US record from 50 yards to the mile, and Joe Binks, an English journalist who only trained once per week, dominated the field. Paavo Nurmi, the 'Phantom Finn', won nine Olympic gold medals and set so many world records that statisticians still argue over the total, but even he couldn't breach the magic four-minute mark.As competition intensified, the Swede Gunder 'the Wonder' Haegg ran the mile in 4:01.4 - but it took the legendary Roger Bannister and his two co-runners to finally accomplish 'the most significant sporting achievement of the twentieth century'. It took a wholesale reimagining of running itself, as each generation built on the discoveries and secrets of the last, until the fateful day finally arrived, and an impossible dream became reality:6 May 1954. Roger Bannister. 3:59.4.
2Stoned
by Andrew Loog OldhamIn 1963, in a south London hotel, Andrew Loog Oldham discovered an unknown rhythm and blues band called the Rolling Stones and became their manager and producer; by 1967 they had achieved worldwide celebrity, been arrested in a notorious drugs raid and split with the manager that made them. 2Stoned is the remarkable record of these years, when Oldham's radical strategies transformed them into the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band That Ever Drew Breath. In his first book, Stoned, Oldham recorded his early years and the meeting with the Stones that changed all their fates; 2Stoned is the story of what followed.
2SAS: Bill Stirling and the forgotten special forces unit of World War II
by Gavin MortimerDrawing on recently declassified files and interviews with veterans, this is a fascinating history of Bill Stirling and 2SAS – pioneering founders of modern special forces. David Stirling is the name synonymous with the wartime SAS, but the real brains behind the operation was in fact Bill Stirling, David's eldest brother. Bill was described in the SAS War Diary as a 'man from the shadows'; it was an apt description for, unlike his attention seeking brother, Bill shunned the spotlight. Now for the first time the truth – and the triumph – of 2SAS is revealed. Having originally joined the SOE in March 1940, Bill Stirling sailed for Cairo in 1941 and there had the idea for a small special forces unit to be led by his mercurial brother. But despite some success, David allowed the legendary 1SAS to drift under his leadership. Following his capture, Bill re-directed 2SAS, under his personal command, to the strategy he had originally envisaged: parachuting behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. Fully illustrated with rare and previously unpublished photographs, this compelling history details how 2SAS fought with ingenuity and aggression, from Italy and then into France before heading through Holland into Germany. The unit was capable of attacking by parachute, jeep or landing craft, establishing a template for future special forces' operations. Their feats have been overshadowed by the many books that have focused on David and 1SAS. 2SAS corrects this oversight, revealing that the real innovator was Bill Stirling – the true pioneer of Who Dares Wins.
2SAS: Bill Stirling and the forgotten special forces unit of World War II
by Gavin MortimerDrawing on recently declassified files and interviews with veterans, this is a fascinating history of Bill Stirling and 2SAS – pioneering founders of modern special forces. David Stirling is the name synonymous with the wartime SAS, but the real brains behind the operation was in fact Bill Stirling, David's eldest brother. Bill was described in the SAS War Diary as a 'man from the shadows'; it was an apt description for, unlike his attention seeking brother, Bill shunned the spotlight. Now for the first time the truth – and the triumph – of 2SAS is revealed. Having originally joined the SOE in March 1940, Bill Stirling sailed for Cairo in 1941 and there had the idea for a small special forces unit to be led by his mercurial brother. But despite some success, David allowed the legendary 1SAS to drift under his leadership. Following his capture, Bill re-directed 2SAS, under his personal command, to the strategy he had originally envisaged: parachuting behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. Fully illustrated with rare and previously unpublished photographs, this compelling history details how 2SAS fought with ingenuity and aggression, from Italy and then into France before heading through Holland into Germany. The unit was capable of attacking by parachute, jeep or landing craft, establishing a template for future special forces' operations. Their feats have been overshadowed by the many books that have focused on David and 1SAS. 2SAS corrects this oversight, revealing that the real innovator was Bill Stirling – the true pioneer of Who Dares Wins.
29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life
by Cami WalkerAfter a devastating MS diagnosis, one woman shares her inspirational journey in gratitude and generosity--in this New York Times bestseller.At age thirty-five, Cami Walker was burdened by an intensified struggle with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological disease that left her debilitated and depressed. Then she received an uncommon "prescription" from South African healer Mbali Creazzo: Give away 29 gifts in 29 days.29 Gifts is the insightful story of the author's life change as she embraces and reflects on the naturally reciprocal process of giving. Many of Walker's gifts were simple--a phone call, spare change, a Kleenex. Yet the acts were transformative. By Day 29, not only had Walker's health and happiness improved, but she had also created a worldwide giving movement. 29 Gifts shows how a simple, daily practice of altruism can dramatically alter your outlook on the world.
27: Robert Johnson (The 27 Club Series #7)
by Chris SalewiczRobert Johnson was, according to Eric Clapton, "the most important blues singer that ever lived." An itinerant street musician, with a weakness for whisky and women, his is a life of pure legend - the man who sold his soul for the devil, and thereby invented modern music.Precious little is known about his 27 years, or the circumstances of his death, and even the site of his grave is contested. In this mini-biography, acclaimed music critic Chris Salewicz investigates the truth behind the myth, evoking an incisive profile of an enigmatic figure who, with just 29 songs, changed popular music for ever.27: Robert Johnson is the final part of a series of short music ebooks. Other titles in the series include 27: Brian Jones, 27: Jimi Hendrix, 27: Janis Joplin, 27: Jim Morrison, 27: Kurt Cobain and 27: Amy Winehouse.
27: Kurt Cobain (The 27 Club Series #2)
by Chris SalewiczKurt Cobain, Nirvana frontman, died aged just 27. In this insightful mini-biography, respected music critic Chris Salewicz examines Cobain's journey from sensitive loner to generational icon. Salewicz scrutinizes Cobain's tormented inner life, his tempestuous relationship with Courtney Love, and the importance of his cultural legacy.27: Kurt Cobain is the second in a series of exclusive music ebooks, an ambitious project examining the perils of genius, celebrity and excess. Other titles in the series include 27: Amy Winehouse, 27: Jimi Hendrix, 27: Jim Morrison and 27: Janis Joplin.
27: Jimi Hendrix (The 27 Club Series #4)
by Chris SalewiczJames Marshall 'Jimi' Hendrix is the most famous and perhaps the most innovative guitarist in music history. He died aged 27.In this thought-provoking mini-biography, acclaimed author Chris Salewicz attends not just to Hendrix's virtuoso skill, but also to his enigmatic and unpredictable character. He explores Hendrix's status as psychedelic talisman and fashion icon, detailing the attitude and style that informed his legend.27: Jimi Hendrix paints an intimate portrait of a man struggling with fame and substance abuse while mesmerizing the world. 27: Jimi Hendrix is the fourth in a series of exclusive music ebooks, an ambitious project examining the perils of genius, celebrity and excess. Other titles in the series include 27: Amy Winehouse, 27: Kurt Cobain, 27: Brian Jones, and 27: Jim Morrison.
27: Jim Morrison (The 27 Club Series #6)
by Chris SalewiczJim Morrison, musician, singer and poet was found dead, the victim of a suspected heroin overdose, in a Paris apartment bathtub in 1971. He was 27.Morrison was a talented, charismatic, wild-tempered cultural cipher. He struggled to cope with his exalted status and his death, officially from heart failure, remains shrouded in mystery.In 27: Jim Morrison, acclaimed music critic Chris Salewicz pays homage to Morrison as a rock icon, whilst acknowledging the dark side of this conflicted character. It is the sixth title in a series of exclusive music ebooks, an ambitious project examining the perils of genius, celebrity and excess. Other titles in the series include 27: Amy Winehouse, 27: Kurt Cobain, 27: Jimi Hendrix and 27: Janis Joplin.
27: Janis Joplin (The 27 Club Series #5)
by Chris SalewiczJanis Joplin, singer-songwriter, counterculture icon, the Queen of rock and roll, died aged just 27. During a short four-year career, blighted by alcoholism and drug abuse, she changed the face of music, carving out opportunities for a generation of female talent. Her powerful, raw vocals touched fans of folk music, blues and soul alike, with recordings such as 'Me and Bobby McGee', 'To Love Somebody' and 'Mercedes Benz' widely recognized as classics of their era.In 27: Janis Joplin acclaimed author Chris Salewicz examines Joplin's troubled and unconventional existence, and explains her profound musical influence. This is the fifth in a series of exclusive music ebooks, an ambitious project examining the perils of genius, celebrity and excess. Other titles in the series include 27: Amy Winehouse, 27: Kurt Cobain, 27: Brian Jones, and 27: Jimi Hendrix.
27: Brian Jones (The 27 Club Series #3)
by Chris SalewiczBrian Jones, multi-instrumentalist, visionary and the 'golden boy of the '60s', was, at the age of 27, the first rock casualty of his generation.A strange, somewhat impenetrable character, Brian Jones was a founding member and guiding spirit of The Rolling Stones. Adored and misunderstood in equal measure, Jones was perhaps the most creatively ambitious cultural force of his time, an artist whose commitment to the experimental and exotic remains profoundly influential.Always unconventional, Jones's voracious appetite for life's extremes led to unparalleled debauchery, drug and alcohol fuelled paranoia, and ultimately personal ruin.27: Brian Jones is the third in a series of exclusive music ebooks, an ambitious project examining the perils of genius, celebrity and excess. Other titles in the series include 27: Amy Winehouse, 27: Jimi Hendrix, 27: Jim Morrison and 27: Kurt Cobain.
27: Amy Winehouse (The 27 Club Series #1)
by Chris SalewiczIn 27: Amy Winehouse, the first in a series of exclusive ebooks, acclaimed music writer Chris Salewicz celebrates the life of one of the most talented performers of recent times. In an intimate mini-biography, he explores Amy's artistic influences and inspirations, her ability to capture the imagination and her appetite for self-destruction. Salewicz provides a startling portrayal of the perils of genius and the true cost of fame. Must the ferociously good die young?
23 Years in The Irish Guards
by Philip Anthony McDonnellHaving signed on the dotted line to be an Irish guardsman not fully understanding all that Queen and country, and other territories stuff, that after six weeks on my own help only by others, I slept beside in the gutter since leaving Ireland to see the world. Finding no work, food and shelter I was on my knees and making this last day as a homeless orphan in Liverpool to ask at the port about working my passage home to Dublin when I saw a window display asking for men to join the Irish guards that foxed my mind as to who or what Irish guards are. It was recruiter Sgt George Smylie Liverpool office kind offer of a cup of tea and biscuit and warm manner that close the deal making my dream to see the world happen.
21st-Century Yokel: Cats Of The River (Tom Cox's Country Yokel Posters Ser.)
by Tom Cox21st-Century Yokel explores the way we can be tied inescapably to landscape, whether we like it or not, often through our family and our past. It’s not quite a nature book, not quite a humour book, not quite a family memoir, not quite folklore, not quite social history, not quite a collection of essays, but a bit of all six.It contains owls, badgers, ponies, beavers, otters, bats, bees, scarecrows, dogs, ghosts, Tom’s loud and excitable dad and, yes, even a few cats. It’s full of Devon’s local folklore – the ancient kind, and the everyday kind – and provincial places and small things. But what emerges from this focus on the small are themes that are broader and bigger and more definitive.The book’s language is colloquial and easy and its eleven chapters are discursive and wide-ranging, rambling even. The feel of the book has a lot in common with the country walks Tom Cox was on when he composed much of it: it’s bewitched by fresh air, intrepid in minor ways, haunted by weather and old stories and the spooky edges of the outdoors, restless, sometimes foolish, and prone to a few detours... but it always reaches its intended destination.The book is illustrated with Tom’s own landscape photographs and linocuts by his mother.
21 Years Gone: The Autobiography
by Jack OsbourneBy the time Jack was fifteen he was addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs, was hanging out with rock stars in LA and living a life that any teenager would aspire to. And then The Osbournes turned him into a global celebrity. But as much as Jack enjoyed his fame, underneath it all he was still an awkward teenager, using his sense of humour as a shield. And with fame and money came a greater access to drugs - his addictions took a firmer hold on him and his behaviour was soon out of control. In 21 Years Gone Jack writes with brutal frankness about his descent into addiction and the low point he reached when Sharon was diagnosed with cancer. Scared that his mum might die, Jack retreated further into his alcoholic shell, hating who he was, hating what he did. Every night he would get into bed and pray for God to take his life. When Sharon realised what was happening she told Jack he had to go to rehab - and slowly he turned his life around. Discovering a passion for extreme sports, he went from overweight and unfit to the lean young man he is today - courtesy of such adventures as running with the bulls in Pamplona, fighting a Thai martial arts expert known only as 'The Man' and scaling El Capitan, one of the world's toughest climbs. By turns funny, disarmingly honest and moving, 21 Years Gone is the amazing story of young man who has confronted his demons and defeated them.
21 Miles
by Jessica HepburnAfter a decade of trying to become a mother – eleven rounds of unsuccessful IVF, multiple miscarriages and a pregnancy which proved almost fatal – Jessica Hepburn knew it was time to do something different.So she decided to swim the twenty-one miles across the English Channel – no easy feat, especially for someone with an aversion to exercise who couldn't swim very well. As the punishing training commenced, Jessica learned you need to put on weight to stave off the cold. This then led to another idea: what if she wrote to a collection of inspiring women, asking if they would meet and eat with her to answer the question: does motherhood make you happy?The response was overwhelming. From baronesses and professors to award-winners and record-breakers, amazing women from different walks of life – some mothers, some not – all with compelling truths to tell about female fulfilment and the meaning of motherhood. On 2 September 2015, Jessica set out from Dover beach in the dark, taking the words that each of the women had given to sea in her bid to answer the question.
The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram: A compelling story of courage and endurance in the Second World War
by David M. Guss'Endlessly fascinating. Cram's story sizzles with adventure.' Giles Milton, Sunday TimesA genuinely new Second World War story, The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram is a riveting account of the wartime exploits of Alastair Cram, brilliantly told by the American author, David Guss. Cram was taken prisoner in North Africa in November 1941, which began a long odyssey through twelve different POW camps, three Gestapo prisons and one asylum. He became a serial escapee – fleeing his captors no fewer than twenty-one times, including his final, and finally successful, escape from a POW column in April 1945. Perhaps the most dramatic of his attempts was from Gavi, the ‘Italian Colditz’. Gavi was a maximum-security prison near Genoa for the pericolosi, the ‘most dangerous’ inmates because of their perpetual hunger to escape. It was here that Alastair met David Stirling, the legendary founder of the SAS, and cooked up the plan for what would become the ‘Cistern Tunnel’ escape, one of the most audacious but hitherto little-known mass escape attempts of the entire war. A story of courage in the face of extraordinary odds, it is a testament to one man's dogged determination never to give up.
21: How Six Students Took Vegas for Millions
by Ben MezrichReal-life all too rarely offers stories that are quite as satisfying as fiction. Bringing Down the House is one of the exceptions. Cheating in casinos is illegal; card-counting - making a record of what cards have so far been dealt to enable the player to make some prediction of what cards remain in the deck - is not. But casinos understandably dislike the practice and make every effort to keep card-counters out of their premises. Bringing Down the House tells the true story of the most successful scam ever, in which teams of brilliant young mathematicians and physicists won millions of dollars from the casinos of Las Vegas, being drawn in the process into the high-life of drugs, high-spending and sex. Bringing Down the House is as readable and as fascinating as Liar's Poker or Barbarians At the Gate, an insight into a closed, excessive and utterly corrupt world.
20th Century-Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio (Turner Classic Movies)
by Scott EymanFrom New York Times bestselling author Scott Eyman, this is the story one of the most influential studios in film history, from its glory days under the leadership of legendary movie mogul Darryl F. Zanuck up to its 2019 buyout by Disney.March 20, 2019 marked the end of an era -- Disney took ownership of the movie empire that was Fox. For almost a century before that historic date, Twentieth Century-Fox was one of the preeminent producers of films, stars, and filmmakers. Its unique identity in the industry and place in movie history is unparalleled -- and one of the greatest stories to come out of Hollywood. One man, a legendary producer named Darryl F. Zanuck, is the heart of the story. This narrative tells the complete tale of Zanuck and the films, stars, intrigue, and innovations of the iconic studio that was.
20,000 Miles: The Cambridge Indo-african Expedition
by Christopher FenwickIf in 2017, a group of young men had decided to emulate this odyssey, they would probably only have managed a part of the journey. Conflict and bureaucracy would have barred their entry to many of the countries they tried to cross. However, in 1960, three young Cambridge graduates bought themselves an Austin A40 and set off on a marathon trip via Colombo to attend a friend s wedding in Cape Town. They took the long way there. Christopher Fenwick, along with his friends Robin Gaunt and John Maclay, set off across continents on the motoring adventure of their lives through Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Their staple diet was Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie, usually eaten at the roadside. They even meet old schoolfriends along the way in Iran and had tea with Mr. Nehru, the Indian Prime Minister, with his daughter Indira Gandhi and grandson Rajiv who were to follow in his footsteps. Their loyal saloon car suffered the ravages of potholed roads and mountains but friendly mechanics always came to their rescue, while the men soon became quite adept themselves at repairing and cannibalising the vehicle as it suffered various breakdowns en route. Eventually they made it to Ceylon from where they embarked for the last leg of their trip by boat via the Yemen, flying from there to Ethiopia and onwards through Africa to raise a glass of champagne in Cape Town.
1D - The One Direction Story: An Unauthorized Biography
by Danny WhiteThe biography of the hugely successful British band One Direction, who shot to fame after taking the seventh series of The X-Factor by storm. 1D: The One Direction Story explores the backgrounds, early lives and motivations of Niall, Liam, Zayn, Harry and Louis from obscurity all the way to international stardom. Covering how the boys coped with the exposure of The X-Factor, their new celebrity status and the experiences around hugely successful, chart-topping singles, a BRIT award and a number one album in America, this is the definitive book for all One Direction fans.