Maria Rybakova’s Gnedich captures the reader’s attention in its first stanzas with a striking allusion to Homeric Greece: “The rage that killed so many/the wretched rage of Achilles/who knew that he would perish/ that he would perish young. This is a novel-in-verse about the first Russian translator of the Iliad, the romantic poet and librarian Nikolai Gnedich (1784-1833). Since Gnedich spent almost his entire life translating Homer’s epic poem, Maria Rybakova has chosen verse as the most appropriate stylistic means in recreating his life. To the English-speaking world, this genre of poetic biography is best exemplified by Ruth Padel’s Darwin – A Life in Poems. Like the Iliad itself, the novel consists of twelve Songs or Cantos, and covers the life of Gnedich from his childhood to his death. It depicts the lives of Gnedich and his best friend, the poet Batyushkov, who is slowly losing his sanity, and incorporates motifs from their poetry, from Homer’s epics, and from Greek mythology, as well as magnificent images of imperial Russia and the Homeric world. The space of the novel covers snowy Russian villages, aristocratic St. Petersburg salons, magnificent Italian landscapes, and the austere Greece of Homer’s heroes. Rybakova conjures a fittingly romantic vision of the dramatic lives of Gnedich and his best friend. A major part of the novel is the moving correspondence between the two poets. Philosophical reflections on the fate of the individual are intertwined with poignant stanzas devoted to the great but unhappy love to the tragic actress Ekaterina Semyonova that consumed Gnedich. The novel culminates in Batyushkov’s final breakdown in the lunatic asylum and Gnedich’s ruminations on Russia’s tragic future fate. The poetic language of Gnedich is refined: it combines the clarity of Rybakova’s syllabic verses and the sophistication of her metaphors with distinct, novelistic depictions of certain landscapes, people, and their interactions. The novel is spectacularly designed: Rybakova’s style resembles a movie projection with stop-cards at the key moments in Gnedich’s life, his long conversations with his friend, and particular striking sceneries. It creates a novelistic effect on the tale about Gnedich’s life, spanning over twenty years. The narrative is often interrupted by streams of consciousness and reminiscence by its main heroes. At the same time, it continues the traditions of Russian classic literature with its attention to detail and the psychology of the characters. A significant part of the novel is dedicated to the description of Gnedich’s friendship with Konstantin Batyushkov, a talented poet of the Pushkin epoch. Gnedich, disfigured by a childhood disease, was a librarian at the Imperial Library in St. Petersburg and became famous through his translation of the Illiad. Batyushkov, an officer of the Russian Imperial court who participated in military campaigns, as well as one of the best poets of the beginning of the 19th century, went through deep crisis and mental illness. The friendship between the two becomes one of the themes within the novel. Rybakova builds the novel-in-verse’s plot around Gnedich’s translation of the Illiad into Russian. The narrative progresses from the adult Gnedich’s recollection of his childhood in a small country estate in Ukraine in the first Song, his illness and discovery of the magnificent Greek epic about the siege of the Troy that changed his life forever, to the completion of his work on his translation as a final victory over his life’s circumstances. The titanic work on the translation continued for almost twenty-two years (1807-29).

“It would be hard to imagine Russian poetry in the last half century without Lydia Grigorieva,” writes eminent Russian poet and critic Konstantin Kedrov. Grigorieva is a uniquely individual voice, bucking the trends of modernist poetry to create her own distinctive and beguiling body of poetry. Her work draws on her own remarkable life to create startlingly arresting images and metaphors, full of beauty and power, from her series that emerged from her Arctic childhood, to the troubles that beset Ukraine. Her range of influences is wide, and Beethoven, Freud, Sylvia Plath and Byron all appear in her poems as well as more familiar Russian images. At the heart of Grigorieva’s poetry is what she calls its ‘musicality’ – her firm belief in the power of rhyme and rhythm in creating a poetic experience. In this first major collection of her work in English, English poet John Farndon, working with Grigorieva and co-translator Olga Nakston, has recreated this musicality in English so that English readers might experience for the first time what makes her work so revered in her Russian homeland. Translated by John Farndon with Olga Nakston. Maxim Hodak - Максим Ходак (Publisher), Max Mendor - Макс Мендор (Director), Ksenia Papazova (Managing Editor).

A book of poetry on various themes. Springtime I shall wait for you springtimeWhen winter has passed awayRosebuds will be dancing in the nightBeneath the Milky Way Lovers kissing and holding handsWaltzing a brisk and lively danceUnderneath the crescent moon that shownAs Orpheus sings a joyful song Mockingbirds will send forth merry soundsAwakening nature's dreary brownChildren playing games while folksLaugh and tell their silly jokes

Paul Dirac?(1902–1984) was a brilliant mathematician and a 1933 Nobel laureate whose work ranks alongside that of Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton. Although not as well known as his famous contemporaries Werner Heisenberg and Richard Feynman, his influence on the course of physics was immense. His landmark book,?The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, introduced that new science to the world and his “Dirac equation” was the first theory to reconcile special relativity and quantum mechanics. Dirac held the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a position also occupied by such luminaries as Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking. Yet, during his 40-year career as a professor, he had only a few doctoral students due to his peculiar personality, which bordered on the bizarre. Taciturn and introverted, with virtually no social skills, he once turned down a knighthood because he didn’t want to be addressed by his first name. Einstein described him as “balancing on the dizzying path between genius and madness.” In?Simply Dirac, author?Helge Kragh?blends the scientific and the personal and invites the reader to get to know both Dirac the quantum genius and Dirac the social misfit. Featuring cameo appearances by some of the greatest scientists of the 20th century and highlighting the dramatic changes that occurred in the field of physics during Dirac’s lifetime, this fascinating biography is an invaluable introduction to a truly singular man.

Emily Dickinson Complete Works World's Best Collection This is the world’s best Emily Dickinson collection, including the most complete set of Dickinson’s works available plus many free bonus materials. Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. She lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life, thought of as an eccentric by the locals, known as the ‘Woman in White’ for a penchant for wearing white. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence. She was a prolific private poet, her poems are unique with short lines, using slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Many of her unforgettable poems deal with themes of life, love, death and immortality. The ‘Must-Have’ Complete Collection In this irresistible collection you get a full set of Emily Dickinson’s work, totaling more than 1000 poems. Plus a comprehensive biography so you can experience the life of the woman behind the words. Works Included: Life Of Emily Dickinson - Written specially for this collection. The Poetical Works?Including among many, many others: “Because I could not stop for Death” “A Bird came down the Walk” “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” “I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died” “There is a pain — so utter —” “I taste a liquor never brewed” “I like to see it lap the Miles” “Hope”?is the thing with feathers The heart asks pleasure first The rainbow never tells me The White Heat There is another sky You cannot put a Fire out Get This Collection Right Now This is the best Dickinson collection you can get, so get it now and start enjoying and delving into Dickinson’s thought-provoking world like never before!

John Clare Complete Works World's Best Collection This is the world's best Jonh Clare collection, including the most complete set of Clare's works available plus many free bonus materials. John Clare John Clare was an English poet, the son of a farm laborer, who came to be known for his celebratory representations of the English countryside and his lamentation of its disruption. He was known as the 'Peasant Poet' and "the greatest laboring-class poet that England has ever produced.” He is also remarkable for writing many of his poems while in a mental asylum The ‘Must-Have' Complete Collection In this irresistible collection you get a full set of Clare's work, All his poems, All ballads, All songs, All Prose and Non-Fiction Works, plus a full length biography. With extra Free Bonus material. Works Included:Asylum and Other Spurious Poems?Including among others: I'll Dream Upon The Days To Come The Shepherd's Daughter To Liberty Love Lives Beyond The Tomb The Vanities Of Life The Wanton Chloe—A Pastoral The Gipsy's Song The Shepherds Calendar Prose Fragments?Including among others: A Confession Of Faith Essay On Popularity Old Songs And Ballads?Including among others: Adieu To My False Love Forever O Silly Love! O Cunning Love! Nobody Cometh To Woo The Banks Of Ivory Your Free Special Bonuses Life And Remains Of John Clare - The "Northamptonshire Peasant Poet” -?a biography of Clare's intriguing and sometimes tragic life Life And Letters Of John Clare?- letters and fragments written by Clare, giving an interesting look into Clare the man. Historical Context and Literary Context Notes?- Detailed explanations of the Regency Era and Romanticism, written specially for this collection Get This Collection Right Now This is the best John Clare collection you can get, so get it now and start enjoying and being inspired by his world like never before!

Wilfred Owen Complete Works World's Best Collection This is the world’s best Wilfred Owen collection, including the most complete set of Owen’s works available plus many free bonus materials. Wilfred Owen Wilfred Owen Mc was an English poet and soldier, and one of the leading poets of the World War One, with his shocking, thought provoking, realistic war poetry The ‘Must-Have’ Complete Collection In this irresistible collection you get a full set of Wilfred Owen’s work, including All his poems, both complete and incomplete, plus a Bonus biography that included extracts from Owen’s letters to his mother and friends. Works Included: Life Of Wilfred Owen -? Written specially for this collection. Poems Of Wilfred Owen?Including among others: Apologia pro Poemate Meo Parable of the Old Men and the Young Anthem for Doomed Youth Dulce et Decorum est The Sentry Smile, Smile, Smile The End A Terre (being the philosophy of many soldiers) Cramped in that Funnelled Hole (To a Friend) With an Identity Disc Get This Collection Right Now This is the best Wilfred Owen collection you can get, so get it now and start enjoying and being inspired by his world like never before.

Oscar Wilde Complete Works World's Best Collection This is the world’s best Oscar Wilde collection, including the most complete set of Wilde’s works available plus many free bonus materials. Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day, known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill. Themes in his writings include decadence, duplicity, beauty and biting satire. Wilde is also known for his famous arrest and imprisonment, for the crime (at that time) of homosexuality.During his last year in prison, he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in 1905), a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials, forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. Wilde’s life and work remain some of the most popular subjects in English literature and the themes of his work echo as strongly today as they did in his own time The ‘Must-Have’ Complete Collection In this irresistible collection you get a full set of Wilde’s work, with more than 140 works - All plays, All poetry, All books, All fiction, All short work, and his own autobiography. With two full length biographies, one written by Wilde’s lover. Plus extra Free Bonus material. Works Included: Plays, Including: Vera (The Nihilists) Ideal Husband Importance Of Being Earnest Salome? Books Picture Of Dorian Gray De Profundis Children’s Fiction Wilde’s fairy tales and children’s fiction are surprising, heart wrenching, full of humor, for the young, old and all literature lovers. Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime And Other Stories Happy Prince And Other Tales House Of Pomegranates Poetry More than 100 beautiful poems that demand reading and rereading. Included is ‘the Ballad of Reading Gaol’ about Wilde’s time in prison and the award winning ‘Ravenna’ Shorter Works Wilde was a keen observer, and his short work includes his views on life and society that are still relevant to today’s world. The shorter works include: Some Remarks Upon The Importance Of Doing Nothing Truth Of Masks Soul Of Man Books About Wilde Both biographies cover Wilde’s entire life, imprisonment and career. Oscar Wilde, His Life And Confessions - Written by close friend and editor, Frank Harris. Oscar Wilde And Myself - The famous book by Wilde’s lover, Alfred Douglas, giving a more personal view. Your Free Special Bonuses Art And Morality - A Defence Of Dorian Gray?- Controversial, Dorian Gray was much discussed in the press. Here is the ‘story’ of the controversy told through press articles and Wilde’s letters in response. Critic In Pall Mall and Reviews?- Wilde’s sharp reviews Historical Context and Literary Context Notes?- Detailed explanations of the Victorian Era and Victorian Literature, written specially for this collection. Get This Collection Right Now This is the best Oscar Wilde collection you can get, so get it now and start enjoying and being inspired by the words inside like never before!

The latest title from the internationally bestselling author and foster carer Cathy Glass. Beth is a sweet-natured child who appears to have been well looked after. But it isn’t long before Cathy begins to have concerns that the relationship between Beth and her father is not as it should be. Little Beth, aged 7, has been brought up by her father Derek after her mother left when she was a toddler. When Derek is suddenly admitted to hospital with psychiatric problems Beth is taken into care and arrives at Cathy’s. Beth and her father clearly love each other very much and Derek spoils his daughter, treating her like a princess, but there is something bothering Cathy, something she can’t quite put her finger on. Meanwhile Cathy’s husband is working away a lot and coming home less at weekends. Then, suddenly, everything changes. Events take a dramatic turn for both Beth and Cathy and her family; as Cathy strives to pick up the pieces all their lives are changed forever.

The autobiography of the fastest man of all time and a superstar whose talent and charisma have made him one of the most famous people on the planet. Whether you know Athletics or not, and even whether you know sport or not, chances are you know Usain Bolt. The fastest man on the planet, not just now but ever, Usain has won the hearts of people everywhere with his mind-blowing performances and his infectious charisma – uniting supporters around the world. In this, his full autobiography, Usain tells his story in his own words: from humble beginnings in Jamaica, to international stardom at Beijing and on to the new heights of superstardom he has reached since lighting up London 2012. Full of the charm and charisma that has made him the most popular sporting figure of our time and a universal celebrity, this is a book that Usain’s millions of fans will love.

Focusing on the art of self-portraiture, this effortlessly engaging exploration of the lives of artists sheds fascinating light on some of the most extraordinary portraits in art history. Self-portraits catch your eye. They seem to do it deliberately. Walk into any art gallery and they draw attention to themselves. Come across them in the world’s museums and you get a strange shock of recognition, rather like glimpsing your own reflection. For in picturing themselves artists reveal something far deeper than their own physical looks: the truth about how they hope to be viewed by the world, and how they wish to see themselves. In this beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book, Laura Cumming, art critic of the Observer, investigates the drama of the self-portrait, from Durer, Rembrandt and Velazquez to Munch, Picasso, Warhol and the present day. She considers how and why self-portraits look as they do and what they reveal about the artist’s innermost sense of self – as well as the curious ways in which they may imitate our behaviour in real life. Drawing on art, literature, history, philosophy and biography to examine the creative process in an entirely fresh way, Cumming offers a riveting insight into the intimate truths and elaborate fictions of self-portraiture and the lives of those who practise it. A work of remarkable depth, scope and power, this is a book for anyone who has ever wondered about the strange dichotomy between the innermost self and the self we choose to present for posterity – our face to the world.

A new memoir from Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Cathy Glass. Eight-year-old Aimee was on the child protection register at birth. Her five older siblings were taken into care many years ago. So no one can understand why she was left at home to suffer for so long. It seems Aimee was forgotten. The social services are looking for a very experienced foster carer to look after Aimee and, when she reads the referral, Cathy understands why. Despite her reservations, Cathy agrees to Aimee on – there is something about her that reminds Cathy of Jodie (the subject of ‘Damaged’ and the most disturbed child Cathy has cared for), and reading the report instantly tugs at her heart strings. When she arrives, Aimee is angry. And she has every right to be. She has spent the first eight years of her life living with her drug-dependent mother in a flat that the social worker described as ‘not fit for human habitation’. Aimee is so grateful as she snuggles into her bed at Cathy’s house on the first night that it brings Cathy to tears. Aimee’s aggressive mother is constantly causing trouble at contact, and makes sweeping allegations against Cathy and her family in front of her daughter as well. It is a trying time for Cathy, and it makes it difficult for Aimee to settle. But as Aimee begins to trust Cathy, she starts to open up. And the more Cathy learns about Aimee’s life before she came into care, the more horrified she becomes. It’s clear that Aimee should have been rescued much sooner and as her journey seems to be coming to a happy end, Cathy can’t help but reflect on all the other ‘forgotten children’ that are still suffering…

John Jacobs is one of golf's all-time great teachers, a true legend of the game who has passed on his words of wisdom to thousands of amateurs as well as to some of the world's greatest players over the last 50 years. Now, for the first time ever, the pick of his collective wisdom has been brought together in one seminal volume. When the likes of Butch Harmon and David Leadbetter heap praise on your methods and credit you with having helped shape the way they learnt their craft and how they applied those teachings, you know that you must be one of the most important and influential figures in the world of golf. Not only a great teacher, John Jacobs was also good enough to play in the Ryder Cup and beat the best in the game. Those who witnessed his memorable victory over Grand Slam winner Gary Player in the final of the South African Matchplay Championship knew they were in the presence of someone special – a talent that was able to use all his experience as a top-level player and move seamlessly into the world of golf teaching. 50 Years of Golfing Wisdom features all the lessons and advice that made Jacobs the original, and many say still the ultimate, golfing guru. Every department of the game receives the Jacobs treatment – from the fundamentals of grip and swing, to problem solving and curing your bad shots, to instruction on hitting every shot from the longest drive to the shortest putt, including everything in between. Simple, easy to understand, effective advice on how to maximize your potential and play your best golf – this may just be the only golf instruction book you'll ever need.

‘We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, “I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive …”’ Hunter S. Thompson is roaring down the desert highway to Las Vegas with his attorney, the Samoan, to find the dark side of the American Dream. Armed with a drug arsenal of stupendous proportions, the duo engage in a surreal succession of chemically enhanced confrontations with casino operators, police officers and assorted Middle Americans. This stylish reissue of Hunter S. Thompson’s iconic masterpiece, a controversial bestseller when it appeared in 1971, features the brilliant Ralph Steadman illustrations of the original. It brings to a new generation the hallucinatory humour and nightmare terror of Hunter S. Thompson’s musings on the collapse of the American Dream.

From one of America's iconic writers, a portrait of a marriage and a life – in good times and bad – that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child. A stunning book of electric honesty and passion. Several days before Christmas 2003, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their only daughter, Quintana, fall ill. At first they thought it was flu, then pneumonia, then complete sceptic shock. She was put into an induced coma and placed on life support. Days later – the night before New Year’s Eve –the Dunnes were just sitting down to dinner after visiting the hospital when John suffered a massive and fatal coronary. In a second, this close, symbiotic partnership of 40 years was over. Four weeks later, their daughter pulled through. Two months after that, arriving at LA airport, she collapsed and underwent six hours of brain surgery at UCLA Medical Centre to relieve a massive hematoma. This powerful book is Didion’s ‘attempt to make sense of the weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness … about marriage and children and memory … about the shallowness of sanity, about life itself’. The result is an exploration of an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage, and a life, in good times and bad.

Neglected by her careless parents, Marianne turned to her neighbour, the one person that she thought she could trust…. Eight year old Marianne, the eldest of five children, was neglected by her slovenly mother and her violent alcoholic father. Uncared for and unkempt she was rejected at school by her peers and scarcely tolerated by her teachers. Only one person gave her the affection she craved; a neighbour who seeing the vulnerable child knew she was easy prey for his perverted desires. ‘Little Lady’ he called her over the few months he groomed her. Less than twelve months later she was caught in a trap of fear - if she talked she would be punished. With no one to turn to she kept ‘their secret’. At thirteen she fell pregnant. Still too frightened to speak out she refused to tell the social workers who the father was. Without family support the teenager gave birth to a daughter in the unmarried mother's home. Six weeks later the baby she had already grown to love was taken away for adoption. Marianne returned home, but the neighbour's abuse continued and a year later she was pregnant again. This time her father literally tried to beat the baby out of her but she failed to miscarry. Scared for her life and that of her baby's she ran away from home carrying only a plastic bag stuffed with her few possessions. Marianne who still missed her first child desperately struggled to keep her second daughter. Two months after the birth she realized that for the baby's sake she would have to hand her over for adoption. Helpless is Marianne’s heartbreaking story as told the bestselling author of Don’t Tell Mummy.

The living embodiment of The Beatles and a musical juggernaut without parallel, Paul McCartney is undoubtedly the patriarch of pop. In this authoritative biography, acclaimed author and journalist Howard Sounes creates the most accurate and extensive profile of McCartney ever built, leaving no stone unturned, and no shadow unexplored. He is the torch-bearer of the Beatles – the greatest band in pop – and one of the most closely studied stars in show business. But surprises and secrets still linger in the life of Sir Paul McCartney. In FAB, his full story is told for the first time. Acclaimed author Howard Sounes spent more than two years investigating every aspect of Sir Paul’s life and work, including interviewing over 200 people. The result is the richest and more comprehensive biography of McCartney ever written. Uniquely, FAB pays equal attention to the story of Paul McCartney both in the Beatles and post-Beatles, creating a unique narrative spanning the arc of the artist’s life. FAB culminates in the sensational human story of Sir Paul’s calamitous marriage to Heather Mills, which is fully revealed for the first time. Sounes proves a judicious critic of the music of an iconic star while also delivering a superb psychological portrait of the man.

A true-life sporting memoir of one of the best batsman in the game who stunned the cricket world when he prematurely ended his own England career. Trescothick’s brave and soul-baring account of his mental frailties opens the way to a better understanding of the unique pressures experienced by modern-day professional sportsmen. At 29, Marcus Trescothick was widely regarded as one of the batting greats. With more than 5,000 Test runs to his name and a 2005 Ashes hero, some were predicting this gentle West Country cricket nut might even surpass Graham Gooch's record to become England's highest ever Test run scorer. But the next time Trescothick hit the headlines it was for reasons no one but a handful of close friends and colleagues could have foreseen. On Saturday 25 February 2006, four days before leading England into the first Test against India in place of the injured captain Vaughan, Trescothick was out for 32 in the second innings of the final warm-up match. As he walked from the field he fought to calm the emotional storm that was raging inside him, at least to hide it from prying eyes. In the dressing room he broke down in tears, overwhelmed by a blur of anguish, uncertainty and sadness he had been keeping at bay for longer than he knew. Within hours England's best batsman was on the next flight home. His departure was kept secret until after close of play when coach Duncan Fletcher told the stunned media his acting captain had quit the tour for 'personal, family reasons.' Until now, the full, extraordinary story of what happened that day and why, of what preceded his breakdown has never been told. He reveals for the first time that he almost flew home from the 2004 tour to South Africa – of what caused it and of what followed – his comeback to the England side and a second crushing breakdown nine months later that left him unable to continue the 2006-07 Ashes tour down under. Coming Back to Me will replace the myths and rumours with the truth as Trescothick talks with engaging openness and enthusiasm about his rise to the top of international cricket; and describes with equal frankness his tortured descent into private despair.

On a Saturday morning in May 1980, Melanie Bowen, a pretty fifteen year old, ran down the stairs of her parents’ home in Port Talbot, grabbed her leather jacket and crash helmet, yelled a goodbye, and then walked out of the front door into the sunshine for what was to be the last time in her life. Never Say Die is the true story of what followed… Since the motorcycle crash that left her paralysed from the chest down, Melanie's life has been one of extremes. On the down side, she has endured 5 horrific months of despair and indignity in rehabilitation, undergone a colostomy at 23, been in another serious car crash, suffered syringomyelia and the terrifying prospect of full quadriplegia, been diagnosed with breast cancer and broken several bones. On the plus side, however, she's won medals in athletics for Wales, been humbled and inspired by Falklands veterans at RAF Chessington, raised thousands for charity, become a major disability poster girl in America, dabbled with the film world and been screen tested for a movie, met the Queen, and set up her own rehabilitation charity, whose patrons include the acclaimed actor Michael Sheen, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and former Welsh Rugby captain, Gwyn Jones. She has also, against all the odds, found lasting happiness, having fallen in love with and married the surgeon who 25 years earlier told her she would never walk again.

Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hell. But this is his bestselling real story… Humble Pie tells the full story of how he became the world’s most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother’s heroin addiction and his failed first career as a footballer: all of these things have made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today. Gordon talks frankly about: ? his tough childhood: his father’s alcoholism and violence and the effects on his relationships with his mother and siblings, ? his first career as a footballer: how the whole family moved to Scotland when he was signed by Glasgow Rangers at the age of fifteen, and how he coped when his career was over due to injury just three years later, ? his brother’s heroin addiction. ? Gordon’s early career: learning his trade in Paris and London; how his career developed from there: his time in Paris under Albert Roux and his seven Michelin-starred restaurants. ? Kitchen life: Gordon spills the beans about life behind the kitchen door, and how a restaurant kitchen is run in Anthony Bourdain-style. ? How he copes with the impact of fame on himself and his family: his television career, the rapacious tabloids, and his own drive for success.

The former Prime Minister examines the history of one of the great loves of his life. Throughout John Major’s life, one of the constant factors has been his deep love of cricket. In this sumptuously illustrated book he delves deep into the game’s history, tracing its development from its rustic beginnings to the international sport we know today. Along the way he examines – and at times demolishes – many cherished myths. Among the subjects to which he pays particular attention are the changing social role of cricket, developments in the rules, the emergence of the professional player, the game’s spread throughout the British Empire and the part it has played in cementing international relations. John Major’s history of cricket reflects not only his lifelong passion for the game, but the depth of his research among a wealth of hitherto neglected but fascinating sources. It is a significant addition to the already rich literature of the greatest game of all.