Biography

'I wish I had been brave enough to come out earlier in my tenure as CEO of BP. I regret it to this day. I know that if I had done (read more)

'I wish I had been brave enough to come out earlier in my tenure as CEO of BP. I regret it to this day. I know that if I had done so I would have made more of an impact for other gay men and women.

With The Glass Closet, I hope to give some of them the courage to make an impact of their own.' Whether you're lesbian, gay, transgender or straight, John Browne's message is simple and clear, it's better for you and it's better for business when you bring your authentic self to work. Drawing on his personal experiences and the experience of other gay and lesbian business leaders, and by investigating the research and the social contexts, The Glass Closet strives to give courage and inspire the LGBT community that despite the risks involved, self-disclosure is best for employees and for the businesses that support them. Every CEO, every HR Manager, every team leader - anyone who is responsible for the culture and success of their business should read The Glass Closet.

And for anyone fearful or lacking the confidence to bring their true self into work every day, this book was written for you. (hide)

The bestselling follow-up to Humble Pie, now in paperback. When he was struggling to get his first restaurant in the black, Gordon (read more)

The bestselling follow-up to Humble Pie, now in paperback. When he was struggling to get his first restaurant in the black, Gordon Ramsay never imagined he'd be famous for a TV show about how to run profitable eateries, or that he'd be head of a business empire. But he is and he did.

Here's how. "In the beginning there was nothing. Not a sausage - penniless, broke, fucking nothing - and although, at a certain age, that didn't matter hugely, there came a time when hand-me-downs, cast-offs and football boots of odd sizes all pointed to a problem that seemed to have afflicted me, my mum, my sisters, Ronnie and the whole lot of us. (hide)

From much-loved documentary maker Louis Theroux comes a funny, heartfelt and entertaining account of his life and weird times in (read more)

From much-loved documentary maker Louis Theroux comes a funny, heartfelt and entertaining account of his life and weird times in TV. In 1994 fledgling journalist Louis Theroux was given a one-off gig on Michael Moore's TV Nation, presenting a segment on apocalyptic religious sects. Gawky, socially awkward and totally unqualified, his first reaction to this exciting opportunity was panic.

But he'd always been drawn to off-beat characters, so maybe his enthusiasm would carry the day. Or, you know, maybe it wouldn't . . (hide)

Graeme Souness is a Glasgow Rangers icon, and a Liverpool legend in the same bracket as Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Jamie (read more)

Graeme Souness is a Glasgow Rangers icon, and a Liverpool legend in the same bracket as Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. He has racked up getting on for fifty years in and around the world of professional football. The game has been his life, and his enduring passion.

Souness has written a perceptive and opinionated autobiography. It chronicles one of the most successful and colourful careers in the history of British football. But it also provides an intriguing assessment of the game which has dominated his existence, drawing extensively on his incredibly rich and varied experiences as a player, manager and pundit. (hide)

In a cricket career spanning nearly 30 years, Chris Adams has enjoyed some unforgettable moments. He played for England, enduring (read more)

In a cricket career spanning nearly 30 years, Chris Adams has enjoyed some unforgettable moments. He played for England, enduring a brutal Test debut against South Africa in 1999, and was the greatest captain in the history of Sussex, turning them from perennial underachievers into the most successful county of the 2000s. Within two years of becoming a coach, he had made Surrey trophy winners again.

There have been some difficult times, too. The internecine warfare at his first county, Derbyshire, which led to his departure; frustrating experiences with the England hierarchy; and the struggle to control the work-hard-play-hard culture in the Surrey dressing room, which ultimately ended in tragedy. Throughout his life in cricket 'Grizzly' has always tried to remain true to his convictions. (hide)

Wherever she went, in public or in private, she was shadowed by her Scotland Yard personal protection officer, Inspector Ken Wharfe, (read more)

Wherever she went, in public or in private, she was shadowed by her Scotland Yard personal protection officer, Inspector Ken Wharfe, whose job it was it keep her safe, even to the extent of sacrificing his own life, if necessary. In public Diana was feted wherever she went, greeted by adoring crowds and fawned over by the media. In private she craved anonymity, and it was Ken Wharfe's brief to protect her and keep her away from prying eyes.

The SAS-trained officer from the Yard's elite Special Operations 14, Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department, was with the Princess every step of the way. As she dazzled among Washington society or walked the sand of exclusive Caribbean beaches he watched over her. In the foothills of the Himalayas, the heat and dust of India and the heart of Africa, he was always just a heartbeat away. (hide)

In the summer of 2006, Colour-Sargeant Kailash Limbu's platoon was sent to relieve and occupy a police compound in the town of Now (read more)

In the summer of 2006, Colour-Sargeant Kailash Limbu's platoon was sent to relieve and occupy a police compound in the town of Now Zad in Helmand. He was told to prepare for a forty-eight hour operation. In the end, he and his men were under siege for thirty-one days - one of the longest such sieges in the whole of the Afghan campaign.

Kailash Limbu recalls the terrifying and exciting details of those thirty-one days - in which they killed an estimated one hundred Taliban fighters - and intersperses them with the story of his own life as a villager from the Himalayas. He grew up in a place without roads or electricity and didn't see a car until he was fifteen. Kailash's descriptions of Gurkha training and rituals - including how to use the lethal Kukri knife - are eye-opening and fascinating.

Pub Date:05/05/2016 (hide)

'It was the start of the third lap of the 2010 Senior TT, the last race of the fortnight. The last chance to get a TT win for another (read more)

'It was the start of the third lap of the 2010 Senior TT, the last race of the fortnight. The last chance to get a TT win for another year, and I was pushing hard. Ballagarey.

The kind of corner that makes me continue road racing. A proper man's corner. You go through the right-hander at something like 170mph, leant right over, eyes fixed as far down the road as I can see.

But this time something happened. This time the front end tucked .' Guy Martin, international road-racing legend, maverick star of the Isle of Man TT, truck mechanic and TV presenter, lives on the edge, addicted to speed, thoroughly exhilarated by danger. In this book we'll get inside his head as he stares death in the face, and risks his life in search of the next high. (hide)

'I was never going to sleep in and take it easy, there were worms to catch.' In August 2015 Guy Martin crashed out of the lead of (read more)

'I was never going to sleep in and take it easy, there were worms to catch.' In August 2015 Guy Martin crashed out of the lead of an Ulster Grand Prix superbike race held on the world's fastest racetrack. He had invasive surgery to bolt his broken spine and hand back together, and within days he decided he needed some time away from road racing. But he wasn't about to take it easy...In his brand new book, discover how Britain's favourite daredevil fills his time when road racing is taken out of the equation.

He set about breaking records on the world's biggest Wall of Death; cycling 2,745 miles across the length of the United States (while sleeping rough); attempting to be the fastest person ever on two wheels and travelling to Latvia to investigate his family's roots. There's some thrilling racing too, including wild Harley choppers on dirt and turbo-charged Transit vans through the Nevada desert. And there's the day job to get back to in North Lincolnshire - the truck yard and the butty van. (hide)

'The maddest 12 months of my life. The journey starts with an oddball race up an American mountain and ends with me checking myself (read more)

'The maddest 12 months of my life. The journey starts with an oddball race up an American mountain and ends with me checking myself out of hospital with a broken back. Again...' As Guy Martin's grandfather Voldemars frequently reminded him,'When you dead, you dead.' So, before it's all over, Guy Martin is making the most of the time he's got.

In this past year alone, Guy has raced the Isle of Man TT and finished on the podium; bike trekked through India; competed in solo 24-hour bicycles races; flown a stunt plane; broken a go-kart speed record down a French mountain and dusted himself off after a dramatic crash at the Dunrod 150 Superbike race. And he's done all this around his day job as a truck mechanic. But let Guy tell you about it himself: "This book starts in a Transit, ends in a Transit, and in between I've raced a few pushbikes, raced a few motorbikes and got a fair few stories to tell you." (Spot on).

Pub Date:05/05/2016 (hide)