This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
= Gift Idea where you see this symbol


70128 THE CHRISTCHURCH FUSEE CHAIN GANG by Sue Newman


Nowadays Christchurch is a pleasant tourist spot on the south coast, but in the past it has been a poverty- stricken community where life was tough. In the 18th century smuggling was a major industry, involving not only fishermen but also the local farmers who supplied wagons to transport the contraband to inland distribution centres. The 18th century clergyman Richard Warner described how as a schoolboy he saw several hundred men on horses accompanying a convoy of wagons loaded with spirits, while the revenue men were taking bribes to look the other way. In the 19th century the wives and daughters of the village began to earn money as fusee chain-makers for the local watch industry, and this book examines that industry in detail from its foundation by Robert Cox in the late 18th century to its decline 100 years later. 256pp, illus and photos. £16.99 NOW £5


70596 SCENES FROM A


GEORGIAN LIFE by Margaret Willes


Caricatures and cartoons occupied the place of the popular press in 18th century Britain. Nearly 150 examples have been pasted to the walls of the Caricature Room at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire,


including many by our favourites Thomas Rowlandson, James Gillray and George Cruickshank. The full heading and publishing details are given at the beginning of the text for each caricature. 48 page large softback with colour.


£4.99 NOW £2 70474 HOUSE OF WISDOM: How the Arabs


Transformed Western Civilization by Jonathan Lyons


Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Europe became a backwater, a world of subsistence farming, minimal literacy and frequent violent conflict. However, in lands from Spain to Persia, Islamic culture was in full bloom, dazzling the few Europeans who travelled to see the scientific advances coming from Baghdad, Antioch and Toledo. Known as the House of Wisdom, an army of scholars worked there at the behest of the Abbasid caliphs, painstakingly recording and cataloguing the discoveries, theories and ideas of the great Muslim thinkers, men like al-Khwarizmi, the pioneer of algebra, Avicenna, the physician and philosopher, Gaber, the chemist, and Averroes, whose writings expounded and extended Aristotle’s great works of logic. Even while their countrymen were waging bloody Crusades against Muslims, a few Christian scholars travelled east to seek out the great minds of the Arab world at immense personal risk, most famously Adelard of Bath, who in 1109 returned to England with priceless jewels of astronomical and mathematical science which would transform European scientific understanding. Lyons’ important book presents for the first time the Western debt owed to the medieval Arabs. Colour plates and a timeline. 248pp. $26 NOW £8


70542 HISTORY’S WORST PREDICTIONS: And The


People Who Made Them by Eric Chaline


Since its earliest beginnings, civilisation has had its prophets, but the only difference between our modern-day seers and their predecessors of two millennia ago, whether they cast runes or cut up a goat to see the future, or back up


their predictions with complex computerized models, is that their forecasts are no less inaccurate. Every technological innovation from the railroads to the personal computer has been derided as a flop, a fad or a pointless waste of money. Conversely, such inventions as the atomic vacuum cleaner and the robot-servant in every home have failed to materialize. Cultural commentators and critics have managed not only to slam the most successful artists of their generation but also to reject the technological age’s most influential mass media: radio, movies and TV. Organised chronologically from antiquity to modern times, this book exposes the credulity and absurdity of humanity’s prophetic utterances, while providing hours of fun. We quote from Niels Bohr, physicist: ‘Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future!’ 256 pages, colour illus and maps. ONLY £9.50


70545 LAST COMANCHE CHIEF: The Life and


Times of Quanah Parker by Bill Neeley This moving and compelling portrayal of the history of Native Americans and the American West has been approved by Quanah Parker’s grandson. Born in 1850, Quanah was the fiercest and bravest of the Comanches who fought desperately to preserve their culture. He resisted to the last, still heading a band of Quahadas after the majority of the tribe had acquiesced to resettlement on a reservation. But even the Comanches, those legendary horsemen of the plains, who had held off Spanish and Mexican expansion for two centuries, could not turn back the massive influx of people and weaponry from the east. Faced with the bitter choice between extermination or compromise, Quanah sat down at the bargaining table. He learned English and diplomacy and, struggling to bridge two very different worlds, he fought endlessly to gain a better deal for his people. 276 pages with archive photos, maps. $24.95 NOW £8.50


70595 STORM AND CONQUEST: The Clash of


the Empires in the Eastern Seas, 1809 by Stephen Taylor


In 1808 the East India Company was contracted to supply the government with Bengali saltpetre. To guard the cargo there was a navy escort, and meanwhile the French frigates and privateers which had formerly plied the Mediterranean had removed to the island of Mauritius and were preying on merchant ships in the Bay of Bengal. In the course of the next year, 15 of the East India Company’s ships came to grief and what followed was the Mauritius campaign, a fight against Napoleon Bonaparte on the other side of the world. The author tells the story of this dramatic period in English history using Admiralty and East India Company logbooks and dispatches. Two figures stand out: Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, commander of the East Indies Squadron, and the brutal captain Robert Corbet based in the Cape. Passengers aboard the East Indiamen included the lively Lady Barlow, wife of the governor of Madras. 380pp, colour plates. £20 NOW £6.50


HOBBIES


Enthusiasm is not contrary to reason. It is reason – on fire.


- Peter Marshall 70791 COMPLETE BOOK OF


INTELLIGENCE TESTS edited by Bremner, Carter, Russell, Fulton Produced by Mensa, this selection of tests not only assesses intelligence but helps to develop it. The tests in this book are visual-cognitive, numerical, logical and verbal- linguistic and each individual will be stronger in some sections than others. The introduction outlines


basic principles of critical and organised thinking, with basic precepts such as “Don’t say yes when you mean no”. 400pp, paperback. £7.99 NOW £2.50


70582 THE METALWORKER’S ART: A Pictorial


Celebration by The Boston Architectural Club Hand-wrought iron is capable of a naive charm which will probably always appeal over the impersonality of bronze to the romantic designer. William Morris, Burne-Jones and the Arts and Crafts movement fought valiantly for the tradition which is showcased in these pages contrasting the gates of the Palais de Justice with those of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges like Trinity and St John’s. Examples include a flag socket from Sienna dated 1508, grills over doors in Lucca, a baker’s sign of a wheat sheaf from Paris, many Parisian cabaret signs and a beautiful wine dealer’s sign, balconies, coins, bronze doors from cathedrals, the arc of the Temple Emmanuel New York City and heavy bronze entrance doors to banks in Chicago, Houston and New York. 115 b/w illus of ornamental designs, 112 outsize pages in softback. £14.99 NOW £4.75


70803 CODEWORDS by House of Puzzles


More than 125 great code-cracking puzzles in an exciting compendium. Codewords are a variant of crosswords where you use logic and observation to fill in the numbered grid. If you have never attempted a codeword puzzle before, you should read the How to Solve section before diving in. Hours of challenging fun for the die-hard decrypter or newcomers to this


wonderful world of codewords. 222pp in paperback. £5.99 NOW £2.50


70805 WORD PUZZLES by House of Puzzles Over 200 superb puzzles to challenge your logic and word power. Word puzzles have a long and glorious tradition in all literate societies. Some of the earliest ones found for this book date back to the ancient Greeks who were very fond of their riddles. To be found here is everything from antonym challenges and analogy through to crafty ciphers to decode. Stick with it and you may find that what was baffling suddenly becomes clear. For every level of ability. 224pp in paperback. £5.99 NOW £2.50


70818 ORIENTAL MIND


GAMES PACK by Tim Dedopulos


Xiangqui and Chaturanga can both make claims to be the original version of chess and are hundreds of years old. The traditional Japanese variant of chess, Shogi, is definitely


a later game. Chaturanga is based on the divisions of the ancient Indian army. Shogi is otherwise known as the General’s game. Hanafuda are playing cards with a generic name for a range of Japanese card games. These include Koi-Koi (Japanese rummy), Hana-Awasa (matching flowers), Hacihaci (Japanese poker), Kabu (Japanese baccarat) and Kingo (Japanese Blackjack). Beautifully illustrated 128 page large softback book, press-out cards which can be stored in the folder, a board, and another coloured fold out board. Large box with velcro fastener. £14.99 NOW £5


69166 ULTIMATE BOOK OF DRAWING: Essential Skills, Techniques and Inspiration for Artists by Barrington Barber


Barrington Barber looks at the four key areas - still life, figures, landscape and portraits - and demonstrates the specific set of skills and techniques needed for each area and for the sub-genres within it. Beginning each from first principles, in figure drawing, for example, we start with body proportions, the skeleton, musculature and other aspects of anatomy. Also looks at more complex issues such as symbolism in portraits and still lifes, imaginary landscapes, figures in action and much more. Drawings on every page, 352pp, 8¼”×11¾” in softback. £14.99 NOW £5


69237 TAKE BETTER PHOTOS WITH


YOUR PHONE by Peter de Ruiter Here a renowned travel photographer provides readers with information on how to use the camera to its full potential. Spontaneous photos of unexpected moments taken with a camera phone can be instantly modified, sent, e-mailed and printed to provide tangible, long lasting memories. Start by taking the best photos possible. He also looks at accessories, software and applications like the telephoto lens and tripods. 120pp softback, colour photos. £4.99 NOW £1.50


!


69730 LIVING LIKE INDIANS: 1,001 Projects, Games, Activities and Crafts by Allan MacFarlan


The ultimate book of the wild outdoors, with activities galore to satisfy the most intrepid adventurer. Based on MacFarlan’s personal experience among the Indian chiefs, medicine men and shamans of North America, it encourages children and adults alike to get in touch with nature and, above all, to have fun. In no time at all, you will be constructing your own tepee, fletching arrows, building fireplaces, tracking and stalking, cooking and navigating. 305 pages illus in colour, with Activity Finder.


£10.99 NOW £4.25


69799 101 THINGS YOU WISH YOU’D INVENTED... AND SOME YOU WISH NO ONE HAD by Richard


Horne and Tracey Turner Keep track of the inventions you have explored by filling in the easy- to-follow forms in this crazy and immensely fun book. However did we end up with Morse code, x-rays, language decoders, passports, the refrigerator, microscopes and


telescopes, spectacles, cutlery, the submarine, fizzy drinks, a time machine, money or mobile phones? Coloured stick-on stars. 114pp in paperback. £6.99 NOW £2


69951 IQ BOOSTERS: More Than 300 Mind- Blowing Puzzles by Steve Ryan


This chunky softback contains 300 mental workouts that range from head-scratching challenges to full-on hair- pulling bafflers, all designed to test your powers of logic, reasoning, ingenuity and wordplay. Test your powers of concentration to the limit and solve the Perfect Pyramid, or get a friend to join you in the strategic game of Tic Tac Topology. Geometracts, a visually vexing exercise, might send you cross-eyed if you stare too long, and the range of lost, hidden and missing number conundrums will satisfy the most demanding of numerical puzzle- lovers. Solutions at the end, 384pp. £8.99 NOW £2.75


HOME ENTERTAINMENT CDs / DVDs


71392 GRAHAM GREENE COLLECTION: Four DVD Box


Set by Studio Canal The Third Man, The Heart of the Matter, Brighton Rock and The Fallen Idol perfectly encapsulate the cinema of Graham Greene - tense, atmospheric and brilliantly performed. An influential film critic whose career began in the 1930s with stints at The Spectator and


Night and Day, Graham Greene’s contribution to British cinema is possibly the greatest of any writer of his generation. It is for his dark and gritty collaborations with director Carol Reed that green is best known in cinema. The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949) are undisputed masterpieces. Brighton Rock is a seedy seaside thriller which stands as one of the few genuine British film noirs. The Third Man stars Orson Welles, The Heart of the Matter stars Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough plays Pinkie in Brighton Rock and Philippe is played by Bobby Henrey in The Fallen Idol. Running time 100 minutes, 105 minutes, 89 minutes and 91 minutes respectively in original black and white. First time sold at a bargain price. ONLY £15


71246 REMEMBERING THE


SIXTIES 1964: Three CDs by Reader’s Digest A companion to 1967 here are a further 23, 22 and 23 tracks respectively showcasing some of the best talent and musicality of that


special year, 1964. The collection begins with The House of the Rising Sun and Do Wah Diddy Diddy by way of Wishin’ and Hopin’, Little Children and Shout, 5- 4-3-2-1, Hello Dolly!, Stand By Me, Gold Finger, You Really Got Me, A Country Line Special with Cyril Davies and his R&B All Stars, No Particular Place to Go, Walkin’ the Dog, On the Beach, Baby I Need Your Lovin’ and Dancing in the Street in this terrific value bargain collection. £12.99 NOW £5


71244 REMEMBERING THE SIXTIES 1967: Three CDs by Reader’s Digest


Bibliophile has handpicked 1967 and 1964 in this series of triple pack CDs simply because the song choices are so jolly good! Puppet on a String


by Sandie Shaw, Then I Kissed Her by The Beach Boys, Let’s Go to San Francisco by The Flowerpot Men, This is my Song (Petula Clarke), Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde by Georgie Fame are among the 20 tracks on the first CD alone. The First Cut is the Deepest (P. P. Arnold), Edelweiss (Vince Hill), Mellow Yellow (Donovan), Love and Beauty (The Moody Blues), Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks) are on the second CD of 20 tracks. And the third and final CD begins with Baby Now That I’ve Found You by The Foundations, I’m A Believer by The Monkees, Bernadette by The Four Tops, Itchycoo Park by The Small Faces and ends (as every good disco should) with Hi Ho Silver Lining by Jeff Beck. With booklet inside for details. Bargain price. £12.99 NOW £5


70871 THE GENERAL PROLOGUE / THE REEVE’S


TALE CD by Geoffrey Chaucer ‘A dynamic recording full of fun as well as a work of scholarship’ was how Gramophone described this rendition of two parts of The Canterbury Tales. Now on CD, it


has the addition of the Reeve’s short prologue and the enclosed booklet includes details of a total of 44 track points with standard line references. Performed and read in Middle English by Trevor Eaton, this splendid performance really brings Chaucer alive and there is delightful music to make the listener feel like the honoured guest at a medieval banquet. Bargain price. ONLY £4


69647 THE GREAT WAR CD by Pavilion Records An evocation in music and drama through the recordings made at the time. Contents include Tipperary, Keep the Home Fires Burning, We Don’t Want to Lose You, Goodbyee, Over There, Land of Hope and


Glory, Mademoiselle from Armentières, Roses of Picardy, Pack Up Your Troubles plus dramatised


Home Entertainment 19


sketches and documentary material evoking many of the feelings of the time. Total playing time 71 minutes 30 seconds. ONLY £4


71073 WRITTEN ON THE


BODY: Two CDs by Alan Bennett


Read by Alan Bennett, this is Untold Stories Part Three where he reads five more extracts from his major collection of writings, bringing together the finest and funniest from


the last ten years. It is a sideways look at Bennett’s schooldays at Leeds Modern School and a recollection of the growing pains of puberty. ‘Seeing Stars’ is a nostalgic view of the movies of the 40s seen by Bennett and his family in any one of the half dozen cinemas in their district in Leeds, including the Western, the Clifton, the Picturedrome and the Lyric. Finally, ‘Staring out of the Window’ lets us into Bennett’s creative process, which apparently consists of a good deal of, well, staring out of the window. Two CDs running time two hours 30 on BBC Audio Recordings. £12.99 NOW £5


70867 MASCULINE WOMEN


AND FEMININE MEN CD by Flapper Records


The humour that can be extracted from men and women


impersonating each other’s sexes is not a new idea, and in no field was it explored with more vigour than


the Music Hall. Here you will find some great exponents, from the ‘twee’ George Robey to the ‘camp’ Douglas Byng, embracing of course the queen of them all, the incomparable Vesta Tilley. Ella Shields, Will Evans, Tom Wootwell, Gertie Gitana, G. S. Melvin and Hetty King join this stellar cross-dressing cast. These earliest recordings may bear some original surface noise which has been reduced when transferred on to this new CD. Playing time 71 minutes. ONLY £4


70868 NOEL COWARD AND


GERTRUDE LAWRENCE CD by Pavilion Records Parisian Pierrot, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Do-Do-Do, Lover of my Dreams, Someone to Watch Over Me, Mary Make-Believe, Hear the Toast! - Hearts and


Flowers, A Room With A View, Mad About the Boy, Any Little Fish, Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?, World Weary and Let’s Say Goodbye are among the 17 tracks, total playing time 73 minutes. Transferred by the latest technology onto CD from the early recordings which may bear some surface noise. ONLY £4


70869 WHY EVER DID THEY? CD


by Rudolph Valentino,


Tallulah Bankhead et al Yes, Rudolph Valentino made two songs in 1923 and they are awful! He was among a number of Hollywood stars who made records


for publicity purposes. Some could sing, but some definitely could not. Enjoy the varied outpourings of the genuinely talented and also the disastrous English of Conrad Veidt, the record by Clifton Webb which so embarrassed HMV that they didn’t put his name on the label, and some deliciously dreadful lyrics too. Noah Beery takes One Little Drink and The Whip, Charles Boyer, Lupe Velez, Dolores Del Rio, Gloria Swanson, Joan Crawford, Estelle Brody and Victoria Hopper join in the lamentful fun. Total playing time 77 minutes 35 seconds of Hollywood stars who never really should have been at the microphone. Bargain CD restored to the best quality possible bearing in mind early recordings have some surface noise. ONLY £4


70874 TALENTED TALKERS CD by Gillie Potter, Stanley


Holloway, Jack Warner et al Monologues were popular through most of the 20th century being performed by amateur and professional entertainers at smoking concerts, music halls and concert


halls, and in the parlour when family and friends gathered around the piano. When radio took the public fancy in the 1920s, comedians with the ability to talk naturally found themselves in demand and here we present a selection of the best with their confidential chatter and musical monologues. Arthur Marshall, Max Bacon, Cyril Fletcher, Ronald Frankau, Tommy Handley, John Tilley, Bramsby Williams and Oliver Wakefield are among the fondly remembered voices, now transferred onto CD. 77 minutes playing time. ONLY £4


70875 ALL SWEET MYSTERY OF LIFE CD by Nelson Eddy


and Jeanette McDonald Indian Love Call, Rose Marie, Isn’t It Romantic?, Beyond the Blue Horizon, When I Grow Too Old to Dream, Lover Come Back to Me, The Mounties, Italian Street Song,


Señorita, Trees, One Kiss and Will You Remember? are among the 22 tracks, total playing time nearly 73 minutes. Perhaps the most popular singing pair ever to appear on the silver screen, Eddy and McDonald sold millions of records over a golden period of eight hit movies. Their huge popularity has never waned, thanks to their uniquely romantic appeal, exemplified by the immortal ‘Indian Love Call’ which opens this CD. ONLY £4


71048 PLAY AS I PLEASE: Two CDs


by Humphrey Lyttelton Band leader, cartoonist, writer, Chairman of BBC Radio Four’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, President of the Society for Italic Handwriting and doyen of jazz trumpeters,


Humph’s voice is recorded for posterity by the BBC. Here he is in conversation with June Knox Mawer, reflecting on his extraordinary life from schooldays at Eton and playing out ‘Roll Out the Barrel’ outside Buckingham Palace on VE Day, to the formation of his


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36