Caught in the no man's land between being a key figure in Downing Street & the relative anonymity of the world outside politics, Alastair Campbell finds himself being torn in several directions. Having succeeded Tony Blair as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown wants Campbell at his side. Campbell resists, flooding his reservoir of guilt as a general election looms & Brown's indecision & fluctuating moods suggest the Labour administration is seriously threatened by the Tory `posh boy', David Cameron. Soon Campbell is earning not only praise but big money from motivational speaking & writing novels which darkly reflect the personal mood swings that continue to concern to both him & his family. Serious journalism across platforms old & new puts him back in the public eye & together with live appearances & a love of sport
- his enduring love affair with Burnley Football Club still smoulders
- sees him board a celebrity merry-go-round that often leaves him far from his comfort zone. With politics constantly tugging his sleeve, he eventually returns to the front line to marshal a party in disarray. The intensity of the months leading up to 6 May 2010 is as dramatic as any screenplay, with Campbell chronicling Brown's struggle to win over a disillusioned nation & then his dignified departure from the main stage. For Campbell, another chapter closes. So what next?

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H&-selected by Alastair Humpreys, read about the incredible journeys undertaken by twenty of the most heroic & impressive explorers who ever lived, including Ibn Battuta (14th-century explorer); Apsley Cherry-Garrard (a member of Scott's Antarctic expedition); Michael Collins (Apollo Moon mission astronaut) & Nellie Bly (who travelled round the world in less than 80 days). A wide-spread selection of explorers from young to old, male to female & with a range of abilities, these explorers crossed l&, sea & sky in the name of adventure & may just inspire readers aged 7+ to do the same. Alastair Humphreys was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012 for his work on the concept of microadventures. ...

Edinburgh Weavers was one of the most important textile companies of the twentieth century. Alastair Morton, visionary art director of the company, commissioned a remarkable series of textiles from leading British artists, including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth & Elisabeth Frink, as well artist-designers, such as Marion Dorn, Ashley Havinden & Lucienne Day. Morton was also a gifted artist, textile designer & weaver in his own right. This long overdue study traces his wide-ranging career & records the history of Edinburgh Weavers & the glorious textiles it produced. Drawing on the V&A's extensive archive this impressive book features over 300 images of artists' textiles unparalleled in quality & scope & is an invaluable resource. ...

Edinburgh Weavers was one of the most important textile companies of the twentieth century. Alastair Morton, visionary art director of the company, commissioned a remarkable series of textiles from leading British artists, including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth & Elisabeth Frink, as well artist-designers, such as Marion Dorn, Ashley Havinden & Lucienne Day. Morton was also a gifted artist, textile designer & weaver in his own right. This long overdue study traces his wide-ranging career & records the history of Edinburgh Weavers & the glorious textiles it produced. Drawing on the V&A's extensive archive this impressive book features over 300 images of artists' textiles unparalleled in quality & scope & is an invaluable resource. ...

Alastair sim was an energetic character both on & off the screen. His idiosyncratic style of acting in films such as ' The Belles of St Trinian's' endeared him to a cinema-going audience desperate to escape the day-to-day dreariness of an invasive, bureaucratic post-war Britain. In private, he was a curiously contradictory character, prejudiced & yet tolerant, thoughtful but sometimes inconsiderate. to examine the life of this extraordinary man, this biography contains original contributions from around thirty actors & actresses, including Sir Ian Mc Kellen & Ronnie Corbett. It is supported by extensive research, including interviews with the playright Christopher Fry, the television producer John Howard Davies & actors who appeared on stage with Alastair as far back as the 1940s. This book also explore Alastair's life outside of films, including his marriage to Naomi Sim (whom he first met when she was twelve), his career as an elocution teacher, his extensive work on stage (including his theatrical endeavours with James Bridie), his championship of youth & his stalwart refusal to sign autographs. ...

In 1916 German aerial domination, once held sway by rotary-engined Fokker & Pfalz E-type wing-warping monoplanes, had been lost to the more nimble French Nieuports & British DH 2s which not only out-flew the German fighters but were present in greater numbers. Born-from-experience calls from German fighter pilots requested that, rather than compete with the maneuverability of these adversaries, new single-engine machines should be equipped with higher horsepower engines & armed with two rather than the then-standard single machine gun. The Robert Thelen-led Albatros design bureau set to work on what became the Albatros D.I & D.II & by April 1916, they had developed a sleek yet rugged machine that featured the usual Albatros semi-monocoque wooden construction & employed a 160hp Mercedes D.III engine with power enough to equip the aeroplane with two forward-firing machine guns. In all, 500 D.IIIs & 840 D.III (OAW)s were produced & saw heavy service throughout 1917. ...

Albatross looks at the place of these iconic birds in a wide variety of human cultures, from early responses by north Atlantic mariners to modern encounters, examining in detail the role the bird plays in the lives of different peoples & societies. The albatross's remarkable ease in the air & its huge wingspan strikes all those who observe them, & the huge journeys they undertake across the oceans inspires awe. The bird has been celebrated through proverbs, folk stories, art, & ceremony. For many, the bird's cultural significance is still determined by Coleridge's ' The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. People have engaged with the bird over the last two centuries, from those who sought to exploit them to those who devoted their lives to them. Writers, artists & documentary makers have all focused on the albatross & its place in the human imagination has been demonstrated throughout history. The book concludes with a consideration of the bird's changing significance in the modern world, as well as threats to its continued existence & its prospects for the future. ...

Three tales of wit & wonder from the children's classic author of ' The Phantom Tollbooth'. Unlikely hero Alberic is on a seemingly endless search for wisdom. He learns much along the way but will his journey ever satisfy him? In the second tale, a boy is drawn to a mysterious painting of a princess far away who's left bereft of her kingdom. Can he be the knight in shining armour & win back her lands? & then meet the richest monarch in the world! & the poorest, as they discover the true worth of wealth. Fascinating fables from a classic storyteller overflowing with humour & wit. ...

Albert: Prince Consort to Queen Victoria, social & cultural visionary in his own right, was born in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld but defined the culture & direction of 19th century Britain
- a superpower at the zenith of its influence
- more than any other British royal or politician. This title tells the life story of Albert.

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Albert: Prince Consort to Queen Victoria, social & cultural visionary in his own right, was born in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld but defined the culture & direction of 19th century Britain
- a superpower at the zenith of its influence
- more than any other British royal or politician. Although he pleaded with his wife that no monument to his memory should be left (a plea that was to go unheeded by his grieving widow) the role he played in shaping Victorian culture stands today as indisputable proof of the enduring legacy of a man who spent just two decades of his short life in Engl&. Though overshadowed in history by his adoring wife, & at times even mocked by her subjects, it was arguably Albert that gave form & substance to the Victorian Age. From the outset, he strove to win 'the respect, the love & the confidence of the Queen & of the nation', pursuing an extraordinary social & cultural crusade that has become his greatest legacy. From the Great Exhibition & the construction of many of London's great museums to his social campaigns against slavery & the Corn Laws, Albert's achievements were truly remarkable
- in fact, very few have made such a permanent mark on British society. This is the life story of Albert of Saxe-Coburg: Prince Consort & beloved husband of Queen Victoria
- & one of the most influential figures of modern Europe.



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