Do you love Agatha Christie mystery novels, but skip over any unfamiliar references? Then you're missing out! Read Christie's books as if you were her 1920s contemporary by exploring the background of:Quaint English customsPoirot's French expressionsQuirky British slangPost-World War I lifestylesAnd much moreYears of research by history buff and Christie fan Kate Gingold has been collected in this glossary covering the fi...

The compelling, witty and remarkably honest autobiography from beloved star of Just a Minute, QI, Have I Got News For You and Celebrity GoggleboxTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Hilarious, ribald, eye-popping, unforgettable, will make you laugh out loud' DAILY MAIL'Warm, witty, charming. A moving and very affectionate family history. An enthusiast for life' THE TIM...

From the author of Confessions of a Bookseller, a cankerous and darkly funny field guide to bookstore customers.It does take all kinds and through the misanthropic eyes of a very grumpy bookseller, we see them all. There's the Expert (with subspecies from the Bore to the Helpful Person), the Young Family (ranging from the Exhausted to the Aspirational), Occultists (from Conspiracy Theorist to Craft Woman).Then there's the Loiterer (including...

"A book about wool and sheep, the making of Scotland, England and farming, textile manufacture, folklore and, crucially, the essential craft of knitting." —Janice Galloway, author of JellyfishOver the course of a year, Esther Rutter—who grew up on a sheep farm in Suffolk, and learned to spin, weave and knit as a child—travels the length of the British Isles, to tell the story of wool's long history here.She unearths fascinating histories of communi...

Mark Forsyth - author of the Sunday Times Number One bestseller The Etymologicon - reveals in this essay, specially commissioned for Independent Booksellers Week, the most valuable thing about a really good bookshop.Along the way he considers the wisdom of Donald Rumsfeld, naughty French photographs, why Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy would never have met online, and why only a bookshop can give you that precious thing - what you never knew you were...

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This insightful title explores children’s relationship with and understanding of architecture and its impact on their world.Children are rarely introduced properly to architecture, but there are in fact few subjects more important—because the quality of the architecture that surrounds us has such an impact on our mood and sense of well-being.The bitter truth is that in modern times we’ve built a world that’s far too often ugly or charmless—and we’ve done so...

"Anyone aiming for timeless elegance, rather than temporary chic, will benefit from Storey's authoritative, but readable book." — EsquireEverything you ever wanted to know about men's clothing—and so much more—from the exact hour Nelson lost his right eye to the type of palm needed for a Panama hat, what Cary Grant's tailor had to do to his shoulders—and those all-important questions of what to where, when and why, including when to wear a bow tie ...

A wickedly funny tour of the British Isles. This book has already sold out in both first and second editions of its paperback - now available on Kindle.Based on the old First World War saying: Nickers Off Ready When I Come Home, this is the Cheekiest Tour of Britain - EVER !!Here is a tiny selection of the hundreds of positive feedbacks from customers who bought the paperback - these are all genuine (including the spellings!)- once i picked up could not put back dow...

A chance encounter leads to an appreciation of the spontaneous and passing friendship of strangers in this evocative short story from one of New Zealand's finest writers. David Wilson takes a trip around Europe after the death of his wife. With limited funds, he accepts the offer from a stranger to stay in his apartment in Arles. For David it is a chance to put himself on hold and live as someone else. Brilliantly tracking David's shifting sense of himself, this story capt...

The Loving Stitch is an engaging history of a subject never before explored but familiar to many New Zealanders. Heather Nicholson's knowledge of knitting and spinning is formidable but she also knows how to tell a good story and has a keen sense of humor. The Loving Stitch presents a chronological account of antipodean knitting, which is also a history of the domestic lives of women, of their resourcefulness, their talent and sociability. She follows the growth of patter...

Includes many delightful contemporary photographs, and detailed instructions and charts show how to knit a Cornish guernsey incorporating one of 30 local patterns