The first book in his award-winning ” Rabbit” series, John Updike`s ” Rabbit, Run” contains an afterword by the author in ” Penguin Modern Classics”. It`s 1959 & Harry ` Rabbit` Angstrom, one time high school sports superstar, is going nowhere. At twenty-six he is trapped in a second-rate existence
- stuck with a fragile, alcoholic wife, a house full of overflowing ashtrays & discarded glasses, a young son & a futile job. With no way to fix things, he resolves to flee from his family & his home in Pennsylvania, beginning a thous&-mile journey that he hopes will free him from his mediocre life. Because, as he knows only too well, `after you`ve been first-rate at something, no matter what, it kind of takes the kick out of being second-rate`. John Updike (1932-2009) was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Harvard College in 1954, & spent a year at Oxford, Engl&, at the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art. From 1955 to 1957 he was a member of staff at ” The New Yorker”. Updike was the author of twenty-one novels as well as numerous collections of short stories, poems & criticism, & is one of only three authors to win more than one Pulitzer Prize. His most famous works are the Harry ` Rabbit` Angstrom series, all of which are published in ” Penguin Modern Classics”: ” Rabbit, Run” (1960), ” Rabbit Redux” (1971), ” Rabbit is Rich” (1981) & ” Rabbit at Rest” (1990). If you enjoyed ” Rabbit, Run”, you might like Don De Lillo`s ” Americana”, also available in ” Penguin Modern Classics”. ” It is sexy, in bad taste, violent & basically cynical. & good luck to it”. (Angus Wilson, ” Observer”). ” That special polish, that brilliance; Updike is among the best”. (Malcolm Bradbury). ” Brilliant & poignant... By his compassion, clarity of insight, & crystal-bright rose, [ Updike] makes Rabbit`s sorrow his & our own”. (” Washington Post”).
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` Rabbit`s Bad Habits is a breath of fresh air in children`s fiction, a laugh-out-loud story of rabbit & wolf & bear, of avalanches & snowmen. The sort of story that makes you want to send your children to bed early, so you can read it to them.` Neil Gaiman From novelist & playwright Julian Gough, & the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, Jim Field, comes a laugh-out-loud funny story of a rabbit & bear who discover that things are always better when they`re shared with a friend.. . Bear wakes up early from hibernation. If she can`t sleep, then at least she can make a snowman. Rabbit has never made a snowman, but he definitely wants to make one that`s better than Bear`s. But with an avalanche & a hungry wolf heading his way, Rabbit soon realises that it might be nice to have a friend on your side. Especially when it comes to building snowmen.. .A tale of friendship, gravity, & just a little bit of poo. ...

Just after 10.00 on the night of February 7th 2004, Ellen Mac Arthur crossed an imaginary line in the sea off Brittany to become the fastest person ever to sail solo round the world. Before that moment, the record was held by a Frenchman, Francis Joyon. He'd slashed over 20 days off the previous record & many thought his extraordinary new benchmark would stand for 10 years or more. Most experts thought that the record would be beyond Mac Arthur. But in a superhuman effort that forced her to dig deeper than ever before, she proved the doubters wrong. Her effort captured the world's imagination & the scenes that greeted her return to Falmouth were euphoric. She had become, some claimed, the finest sailor her country had every produced. Drawing on logs, emails, sound & video diaries, this beautifully designed, fully illustrated book captures the drama, excitement, danger, joy & tears of a truly extraordinary achievement
- in Ellen's own words. Ellen Macarthur was described in the Observer as 'the first true heroine of the 21st Century'. She's been named Sailor of the Year twice, crowned World Champion, named Sunday Times Person of the Year 2001 & was runner up in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Ellen is from Whatstandwell in Derbyshire & lives in Cowes.
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Race for the South Pole brings together, for the first time, the expedition diaries of Captain Robert Falcon Scott & Roald Amundsen – the two men who “raced” over the Antarctic wastes in 1910. Roland Huntford weaves the narrative of events together from the protagonists’ accounts of their fate as it unfolded before them. Also included in the book, which has been published to coincide with the centenary of the so-called race, are diary entries from one of Amundsen’s expedition colleagues, Olav Bjaal&, here translated into English for the first time. To a certain extent, what emerges is a deconstructed account of what happened out on the ice & within the men who did battle with it, eachother & themselves. ...

Race to Dakar sees Charley Boorman taking part in, what is possibly, the greatest biker’s challenge ever
- the Dakar Rally. Beginning
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Matthew Henson was simply an ordinary man. That was, until Commander Robert E. Peary entered his life, & offered him a chance at true adventure. Henson would become navigator, craftsman, translator, & right-hand man on a treacherous journey to the North Pole. Defying the odds & the many prejudices that faced him to become a true pioneer. This is his incredible & often untold story. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+ ...

Race to the Pole by James Cracknell & Ben Fogle is the story of a very British adventure: the first race to the South Pole since Scott & Amundsen, 100 years ago. New Year`s Day, 2009. Somewhere on the bottom of the world, six teams of adventurers & explorers have gathered to race one another, on foot, to the South Pole. It is the first time that anyone has undertaken such a race in almost a hundred years; the first time since the great Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, beat Captain Scott to the same goal in 1911. The stakes are high, as double-Olympic Gold-winning medallist James Cracknell & TV presenter & adventurer Ben Fogle must contend with hidden crevasses, frostbite & the favourites to win: a team of teak-hard former soldiers from Norway, trained in Arctic warfare. Temperatures as low as -45°C lie in store for the teams as they attempt to ski across 800 kilometres of unforgiving, icy wilderness, pulling behind them sledges laden with equipment, tents & food. Race to the Pole is a rip-roaring `boy`s own` adventure packed with excitement, humour & even a few tears. But with just a few months to learn to cross-country ski before the start, & with national pride at stake, can Ben & James re-write history & beat the Norwegians? ...

Race Training with Jim Saltonstall is for all those who wish to improve their personal performance within the most challenging sport in the world. It is aimed at racers at all levels of the sport, from club right through to international level. It aims to improve every aspect of a racer`s personal performance from the most important
- self-preparation
- to boat preparation, boat handling, boat tuning, race strategy, starting, tactics, racing rules, compass work & meteorology. The book is aimed at all classes: dinghies, keelboats, catamarans & windsurfers as well as coaches at all levels, providing training programmes & exercises. Jim Saltonstall`s method of coaching & race training is acclaimed worldwide. This book is certain to be welcomed by his devotees as well as newcomers to the sport of racing. ” If there is one person responsible for the success of the current

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Meet Deep Dakron, the racing sailor's Everyman. Also meet the famous Scratchen Sniff, a race tactics genius, Zig Zag Brooke, the wily old pro, & a whole host of other characters all willing to offer their advice & experience to Deep Dakron & through him to the reader. ...

Is who we are really only skin deep? In this searing, remonstrative book, Toni Morrison unravels race through the stories of those debased & dehumanised because of it. A young black girl longing for the blue eyes of white baby dolls spirals into inferiority & confusion. A friendship falls apart over a disputed memory. An ex-slave is haunted by a lonely, rebukeful ghost, bent on bringing their past home. Strange & unexpected, yet always stirring, Morrison`s writing on race sinks us deep into the heart & mind of our troubled humanity.

Includes:: selections from the books Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Beloved by Toni Morrison. VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. Also in the Vintage Minis series: Sisters by Louisa May Alcott; Love by Jeanette Winterson; Babies by Anne Enright; &, Language by Xiaolu Guo.

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