Horses is an A-Z companion to perhaps the most loved of all domesticated animals. The book's entries include a wealth of unexpected, fascinating and serendipitous information, from horse-slang phrases to horses in British pub signs, and from the horse in advertising to the horse as a food item. Themes such as the horse in warfare and the horse in folklore abound.These features add up to a richly satisfying accumulation of information about the horse's role in human culture...

‘For seventy years now Desert Island Discs has managed that rare feat – to be both enduring and relevant. By casting away the biggest names of the day in science, business, politics, showbiz, sport and the arts, it presents a cross-sectional snapshot of the times in which we live. As the decades have passed, the programme has kept pace; never frozen in time yet always, somehow, comfortingly the same.’ Kirsty YoungBBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs celebrates its se...

In Praise of Famous Horses is an A-Z companion to perhaps the most loved of all domesticated animals. From D.H. Lawrence's horse Aaron, whose hide was posthumously made into a duffel-bag, to Zippy Chippy, fabled American loser, all the horses featured in this book have their very own claim to fame. Some - among them Bucephalas, Red Rum, Champion the Wonder Horse and Rocinante - are permanent residents in the equine pantheon. Others - such as Rossa Prince, who managed to lose a wal...

‘For seventy years now Desert Island Discs has managed that rare feat – to be both enduring and relevant. By casting away the biggest names of the day in science, business, politics, showbiz, sport and the arts, it presents a cross-sectional snapshot of the times in which we live. As the decades have passed, the programme has kept pace; never frozen in time yet always, somehow, comfortingly the same.’ Kirsty YoungBBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs celebrates its se...

The first hilarious volume of comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter Danny Baker's memoir, and now the inspiration for the major BBC series CRADLE TO GRAVE, starring Peter Kay.'And what was our life like in this noisy, dangerous and polluted industrial pock-mark wedged into one of the capital's toughest neighbourhoods? It was, of course, utterly magnificent and I'd give anything to climb inside it again for just one day.'...

From Blackadder to Call the Midwife, from the Cadbury's Caramel Rabbit to Harry Potter, Miriam Margolyes is the outspoken great aunt (after two sherries) we all wish we had -- this is (at last) her extraordinary life story and it's well worth the wait.'There is no one on earth quite so wonderful' STEPHEN FRYAward-winning actor, creator of a myriad of memorable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, M...

WINNER OF THE 2022 BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR: NON-FICTIONThe funny, frank and full autobiography of the nation's favourite comedian.'It's the first time I've done this. Other people have written about me - or for me - but this time it's just my own life in my own words'In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy ...

There's so much more to Ray's on-screen tough-guy image, and his path to the top has been anything but plain sailing. He was every inch the rebel in his youth and was even a London schoolboy boxing champion; but he always had an affinity for acting. Deciding to pursue his dream through drama school, he soon found himself an outsider and was expelled. But he managed to blag his way into an audition for what would prove to be his big break -- his cocky, aggressive boxer's gait making him per...

Roy Hudd's career began in the 1950s and since then he has worked with most of the major stars of the last forty years. His career as an entertainer began as a Butlin's "Redcoat" with Cliff Richard, and since then he has worked with such greats as Tommy Cooper, Tony Hancock, Larry Grayson and Morecambe and Wise, and has become one of Britain's best-loved entertainers. "A Fart in a Colander" brings together some wonderful stories from his life, and sparkles with the fun and laughter Roy has...

The Sunday Times BestsellerAll Michael Parkinson really wanted to do was play cricket for Yorkshire and England. However, he soon realised that to be paid to watch films, football and cricket would be the best way to spend life, and he became a journalist.Television beckoned and for three decades Parkinson interviewed the movers and shakers of the late twentieth century, making his television programme the must-see event of the week. In singing wit...

This is Bob Monkhouse's classic autobiography. One of Britain's most enduring and famous comedians tells us in his own inimitable style the fascinating and often hilarious story of his life. From disclosures of very painful personal tragedies to extraordinary and outrageously funny anecdotes about the stars he knew, his confessions are blisteringly honest, touching - and often shocking. Crying With Laughter combines heartache with hilarity, sexy showbiz revelations with genuinely ...

A unique memoir by Sir Michael Parkinson, reflecting on 100 of the most legendary encounters by the man who has met everyone who is someone.Sir Michael Parkinson occupies a unique place in the public consciousness. For many he is the chronicler of a generation. Through his onscreen work and his intelligent, thought provking journalism, he has introduced millions of people to the major names of sport of showbiz over the past five decades. In Parky's People, Parkinso...