Aled Jones was a choirboy with a remarkable voice, whose prodigious talent propelled him to international stardom. Before he was sixteen, he had already sold more than six million records & had become a fixture on television & radio. He has worked alongside such greats as Leonard Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Neville Marriner, Howard Blake, & Mike Oldfield. Some of the high points of his early career include performances at the Hollywood Bowl & the wedding of Bob Geldof & Paula Yates, as well as singing privately for the Prince & Princess of Wales. Best known as a boy soprano for his hit " Walking in the Air, Aled tells the full story of this phenomenal record & the effect it had on his life. Always refreshingly honest & self-effacing, Aled reveals how he faced up to life after his voice had broken & how he carved out a new career for himself on stage, record, television, & radio. His story begins with his idyllic childhood on the Welsh island of Anglesey & his years as a chorister at Bangor Cathedral, during which his family provided wonderful support & encouragement as he rose to fame. He tells of his studies at the Royal Academy of Music & the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School & delves behind the scene of some of Britain's best-know institutions, such as Songs of Praise, BBC Wales & Classic FM. Aled reveals the truth about the man behind the music in this frank, heartwarming & funny account of his life. ...

The perfect gift for Christmas, this book

Includes:: all your favourite carols brought vividly to life

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The perfect gift for Christmas, this book

Includes:: all your favourite carols brought vividly to life with

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This book provides a history of the alehouse between the years 1550 & 1700, the period during which it first assumed its long celebrated role as the key site for public recreation in the villages & market towns of Engl&. In the face of considerable animosity from Church & State, the patrons of alehouses, who were drawn from a wide cross section of village society, fought for & won a central place in their communities for an institution that they cherished as a vital facilitator of what they termed good fellowship. For them, sharing a drink in the alehouse was fundamental to the formation of social bonds, to the expression of their identity, & to the definition of communities, allegiances & friendships. Bringing together social & cultural history approaches, this book draws on a wide range of source material
- from legal records & diary evidence to printed drinking songs
- to investigate battles over alehouse licensing & the regulation of drinking; the political views & allegiances that ordinary men & women expressed from the alebench; the meanings & values that drinking rituals & practices held for contemporaries; & the social networks & collective identities expressed through the choice of drinking companions. Focusing on an institution & a social practice at the heart of everyday life in early modern Engl&, this book allows us to see some of the ways in which ordinary men & women responded to historical processes such as religious change & state formation, & just as importantly reveals how they shaped their own communities & collective identities. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in the social, cultural & political worlds of the ordinary men & women of seventeenth-century Engl&.BR> MARK HAILWOOD is Associate Research Fellow in History at the University of Exeter.

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This definitive biography of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), the most notorious & controversial spiritual figure of the 20th century, brings together a life of world-shaking 'magick', sexual & psychological experimentation at the outer limits, world-record-beating mountaineering & startling prophetic power
- as well as poetry, adventure, espionage, wisdom, excess, & intellectual brilliance. The book reveals the man behind the appalling reputation, demolishing a century of scandalmongering that persuaded the world that Crowley was a black magician, a traitor & a sexual wastrel, addicted to drugs & antisocial posing, rather than the mind-blowing truth that Crowley was a genius as significant as Jung, Freud or Einstein. Churton has enjoyed the full co-operation of the world's Crowley scholars to ensure the accuracy & plausibility of his riveting narrative. The author has also been in contact with Crowley's grandson, who has vouchsafed rare, previously untold accounts of family relationships. The result is an intimate portrait that has never before been shown, & one that has great emotional impact. The book contains the first ever complete investigation of Crowley's astonishing family background
- including facts he concealed in his lifetime for fear of social prejudice. Tobias Churton also gives us a detailed account of Crowley's work as a British spy during World War I in Berlin during the early 1930s & during World War II. This information has not been available to any previous biographer.

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Two years ago in Miami, Abigail Leighton spent one unforgettable night with irresistible, enigmatic Alejandro Varga. But malicious lies broke them apart, & Abby left determined to forget about Alejandro forever. Now Abby is back & forced to face her Latin lover once more. To her surprise, passion between them flares as strongly as ever. But Alejandro hasnt forgotten the past, & hes intent on revenge by seduction... ...

Alek Wek grew up in the Sudan in the midst of the vicious civil war. Now, at age 28, she is one of the most sought-after supermodels in the world, & has single-handedly changed the traditional concept of what is beautiful in the West. As model, refugee activist & businesswoman she is an inspiration
- & this remarkable real-life story sheds light on her journey from Dinka clan roots in war-torn Sudan to a new beginnings in Brooklyn. Born the seventh of nine siblings, on her escape to London at the age of fourteen she had already lived through violence, genocide & forced migration in her homel&. Alek Wek's poignant, powerful memoir gives an unforgettable insight into her rise to fame as a supermodel with a conscience, who balances cover shoots for glossy magazines (she was named Model of The Decade by i-D magazine) with political activism (working with Doctors Without Borders & the U.S. Committee for Refugees Advisory Council) & a dedication to refocus the world's attention on those she left behind in the Sudan.
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When Aleksandr discovers that the stinky half metal, half mongoose scoundrel that is evil Doctor Robogoose has captured his beloved Princess Maiya, he has to don his Turbo-Charged Flying Cape & swoop to the rescue. Will he be successful? Will he save the girl & see the wind make patterns in her soft fur..? ...

' Welcome readers of all sizes! I think you are opening this very special book with feeling of great excitement. It has everything you could want in a story: Suspense! Action! Huge Braveness! & very importantly a hero of great handsomeness!' When Aleksandr discovers that the stinky half metal, half mongoose scoundrel that is evil Doctor Robogoose has captured his beloved Princess Maiya, he has to don his Turbo-Charged Flying Cape & swoop to the rescue. Will he be successful? Will he save the girl & see the wind make patterns in her soft fur..? Also available: " Bogdan & the Big Race", Maiya in the Beautiful Ballet, Sergei's Space Adventure, Vassily the King of Rock, Yakov Saves Christmas. ...

Bradt's Alentejo is the first full guide to the raw, beguiling heartland of southern Portugal. Dividing the Alentejo into three distinct sections, with detailed maps & itineraries suitable for all seasons, this guide offers by far the fullest & most complete coverage of the Alentejo region available. Aimed primarily at independent travellers & holidaymakers of all ages & on all budgets, it caters for nature lovers & hikers, history & archaeology enthusiasts, & anyone interested in discovering one of the least explored regions of western Europe. Regional food & wine specialities are also covered, along with details of the Alentejo's extraordinary range of accommodation, which is intricately bound with the region's history, from historic castles, palaces & monasteries converted into hotels & pousadas, to farm stays on cork-growing estates & budget pensoes & albergarias (inns). ...