‘Warm, insightful . . . hilarious and at times heartbreaking! A modern-day Dickens’ Abi Morgan‘Original, funny, and heart-warming’ Lucy Searle, Homes & GardenEver wondered what really goes on behind closed doors?Over more than twenty years working as a plumber, Nick has shared thousands of mugs of tea with hundreds of fascinating people. Here he gives his plumber’s-eye view of society in a series of entertaining, amusing and outrageous beneath-the-kitchen-sink...

On 21 August 2017 millions of people across the United States witnessed "The Great American Eclipse" of the Sun. The moment it was over, people around the world were asking questions: what caused the weird shadows and colors in the build up to totality? Were those ephemeral bands of shadows gliding across the ground in the seconds before totality real or an optical illusion? Why this, what that, but above all: where and when can I see a total solar eclipse again?Eclipses: What ...

When magicians gather, strange things happen.This is the second volume of collected reports from the P. Howard Lyons Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians - sometimes known as Ring 99. This motley crew of magicians, mentalists, psychics, comedians, university students, philosophers and general dilettantes meets to achieve its goals of advancing the art of magic and perfecting esoteric techniques for the vanishment and disappearance of foodstuffs. The meetings, which ta...

Wild Seas, Wilder Cities is a ‘wild-seeded’ collection of short stories, poems, memoirs and environmental articles from 49 unique contributors, all concerned with showing the positive side of our relationship with the earth.Thanks to funding from Portsmouth Creates, this audiobook features 50 different voices from across the Portsmouth community and beyond. Our readers range from teenagers to those in their nineties, including experienced actors, writers and volunteers from the pub...

The first major biography of an American icon, comedian Bill Cosby. Based on extensive research and in-depth interviews with Cosby and more than sixty of his closest friends and associates, it is a frank, fun and fascinating account of his life and historic legacy.Far from the gentle worlds of his routines or TV shows, Cosby grew up in a Philadelphia housing project, the son of an alcoholic, largely absent father and a loving but overworked mother. With novelistic ...

Count Arthur Strong tells the story of his extraordinary journey from his humble early years as the only son of contortionist in wartime Doncaster to the dizzy heights and excesses of fame as one of the shining lights of popular entertainment.Count Arthur Strong is a show business legend, after-dinner speaker and a leading authority on Ancient Egypt, having been stationed there during his nation service. He has countless friends in the showbiz world. People like Barry Cryer, the wh...

What is Phygure®?Phygure® is a FREE community driven digital magazine that focuses on toy & figure photography.About This IssuePhygure’s maiden issue! Learn more about this community driven project, what it is, and how it aims to change the figure photography community.• Featuring 12 talented toy and figure photographers from all over the world.• Learn more about the Phygure® project.• Step by step tutorial on making vibrant figure photos....

The world was shocked by the images that emerged from Abu Ghraib, the US-controlled prison in Iraq. Lynndie England, the young female army officer shown smiling devilishly as she humiliated male prisoners, became first a scapegoat and then a victim who was "just following orders." Ignored were the more elemental questions of how women are functioning within conservative power structures of government and the military. Why do the military and the CIA use female sexuality as an interrogation...

The world of Argentine tango presents a glamorous façade of music and movement. Yet the immigrant artists whose livelihoods depend on the US tango industry receive little attention beyond their enigmatic public personas. More Than Two to Tango offers a detailed portrait of Argentine immigrants for whom tango is both an art form and a means of survival.Based on a highly visible group of performers within the almost hidden population of Argentines in the United States, M...

When the next door neighbor split from her husband she consoled herself in loud music - one song, full volume to drown out the crying of the baby, 24 hours a day. The only other person to suffer was the writer of this monologue.This is a script and can be used as an audition piece for actresses, it is a 'one person play', set in the interview room at the police station.This monologue has been written for performance. As you read, you become embroiled in the anguish of the c...

'This is the kind of book that troubles grey-suited committees of academic peers. It's too enjoyable. But that, given its subject, is just what it ought to be, and it treats that subject seriously . . . There isn't a “dull” page anywhere in the book.' – Professor Peter Thomson, Studies in Theatre and PerformanceComedy is changing: stand-up comedians routinely sell out stadia, their audience-figures swollen by panel-show appearances and much-followed Twitter feeds. Meanwhil...

If you want to make it in stand-up comedy, this book is a must-read. If you want to write comedy, this book is a must-read. If you simply enjoy comedy, this book is a must-read.Comic Insights contains fascinating, candid, insightful interviews with today’s top comedians, who discuss at length why and how they do what they do.Louie Anderson • Richard Belzer • Elayne BooslerGeorge Carlin • Ellen DeGeneres • Rich JeniJay Leno • Richard Lewis • Bill Maher