After seventeen years in stand-up comedy and, by 1981, fourteen years in children’s television, Johnny’s self-created shows Think of a Number and Think Again were attracting huge audiences. Yet his roller-coaster career was anything but steady. Each success seemed to be matched by a setback, as if someone, or something, was always waiting to pull him back down.Before long, the world of engineering and big business came calling. Johnny found himself not only presen...

From an idyllic childhood in Bristol, with my gag-a-minute dad inspiring me to become a comedian, to dreadful teenage years in Bolton where education overlooked me, and all I learnt was how to be funny.My first job gave me a taste of success and confidence, followed by my real education in the RAF. Butlins gifted me an enduring smile, and in Liverpool, I worked with the less fortunate while crossing paths with future stars.Then came seventeen wonderful years of stand-up com...

TV maths star Johnny Ball presents brain-teasers from his regular slot on his daughter Zoe's Radio 2 show. Ball of Confusion is designed to twist your brain into enjoyable knots of empuzzlement, from puzzles solved in a twinkling of an eye to some that will knit your brow for hours. From how to cheat in a coin toss to why it is that some parts of a high speed train travelling at 125mph are actually going backwards, Ball of Confusion will bend your mind in places it's never been bent before...

In this book, Johnny Ball tells one of the most important stories in world history – the story of mathematics.By introducing us to the major characters and leading us through many historical twists and turns, Johnny slowly unravels the tale of how humanity built up a knowledge and understanding of shapes, numbers and patterns from ancient times, a story that leads directly to the technological wonderland we live in today. As Galileo said, 'Everything in the univers...

If you think numbers are boring, think again! Imagine the world without measurements: What time is it? Are we nearly there yet? How big do you want it? Why Pi? takes readers through a mesmerizing, historical number journey, from the ancient civilizations that used numbers as simple measurement, through the Renaissance period with the conquering of the seas and mapping of the world, the Industrial Revolution, and all the way on to Einstein's theory of relativity and discovering spa...

Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, on a curious and exceedingly interesting adventure through all the very best RED HERRINGS, COCK AND BULL STORIES and NINE-DAY WONDERS in the English language.Who was SWEET FANNY ADAMS?What's the dramatic true story behind STEALING THUNDER?Why is it CHANCING YOUR ARM when you take a risk?What do bears ha...

THE DAZZLING SECOND GHOST STORY COLLECTION FROM THE CREATORS OF THE HAUNTING SEASON, NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK.'Terrific - every bit as good as an MR James collection' ROSIE ANDREWS, author of THE LEVIATHANFeaturing new and original stories from:Bridget CollinsImogen Hermes GowarKiran Millwood HargraveAndrew Michael HurleyJess Kidd

What is psychology? When did it begin? Where did it come from? How does psychology compare with related subjects such as psychiatry and psychotherapy? To what extent is it scientific?Introducing Psychology answers all these questions and more, explaining what the subject has been in the past and what it is now. The main "schools" of thought and the sections within psychology are described, including Introspection, Biopsychology, Psychoanaly...

A brilliant whodunnit mystery perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton and Richard Osman!Murder stalks the cobbles in England’s finest Georgian town…When an accident forces Felicia Grant back to her family’s auction house in Stamford, she vows it’ll only be a flying visit. But as the gavel falls on the final lot, a hidden secret is revealed—the body of her father’s business rival, murdered during the packed sale!Soon, Felicia is swept into a mystery that has...

**SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • Two detectives: one human, one AI. And a case that will test them both.“Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling, this is the kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore.”—Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colors of the Dark, a Read with Jenna Book Club PickWinner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year**Kat Frank kno...

From one of the bestselling science fiction and fantasy authors and most beloved storytellers of all time comes a truly unmissable and beautifully illustrated collection of rediscovered short storiesINCLUDES A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN NEW SHORT STORYWith a foreword by Neil Gaiman‘A fantastic collection of short stories… A must have for Terry Pratchett fans’ ***** Reader review‘Keeps...

**STOP PRESS! The Stranger Times wins the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio Work!Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it's particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester . . .**Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because ...