Other Non Fiction

A captain has many responsibilities and can make or break a team. Success is always sweet, but when it all goes wrong it can be a (read more)

A captain has many responsibilities and can make or break a team. Success is always sweet, but when it all goes wrong it can be a lonely and stressful job, especially if you are quite young. So who can you go to for help? So You Want To Be Captain? is the answer.

Perfect for young sports-mad readers, it is packed with advice and tips on how to be a great captain and lead your team to success. What's more, these inspiring words come directly from some of our greatest sporting heroes, including football's Gary Linekar, runner Dame Kelly Holmes and cricket's Michael Vaughan. From the British curling team to successful Paralympians, from body language to bravery, the book is a wide-ranging, useful and entertaining meditation upon the art of captaincy. (hide)

Sorry I Humped Your Leg (Again) is a brand new batch of laugh-out-loud letters (and accompanying full-color photographs) addressed (read more)

Sorry I Humped Your Leg (Again) is a brand new batch of laugh-out-loud letters (and accompanying full-color photographs) addressed by dogs to their owners. From an impassioned plea to return from the store with the right doggie treats, to a pep talk from your self-appointed "doggie dietician," this epistolary treat offers a pooch's perspective on common canine vs. human cohabitation conundrums.

It's the perfect gift for a dog lover or anyone who appreciates hilarious insights into dog (and human) nature.

Published:13 Jul 2017 (hide)

Why is there an 'h' in ghost? William Caxton, inventor of the printing press and his Flemish employees are to blame: without a dictionary (read more)

Why is there an 'h' in ghost? William Caxton, inventor of the printing press and his Flemish employees are to blame: without a dictionary or style guide to hand in fifteenth century Bruges, the typesetters simply spelled it the way it sounded to their foreign ears, and it stuck. Seventy-five per cent of English spelling is regular but twenty-five per cent is complicated, and in Spell It Out our foremost linguistics expert David Crystal extends a helping hand to the confused and curious alike. He unearths the stories behind the rogue words that confound us, and explains why these peculiarities entered the mainstream, in an epic journey taking in sixth century monks, French and Latin upstarts, the Industrial Revolution and the internet.

By learning the history and the principles, Crystal shows how the spellings that break all the rules become easier to get right. (hide)

Explore the world outside your window. For 13 years the BBC's Springwatch and its sister programmes, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch, (read more)

Explore the world outside your window. For 13 years the BBC's Springwatch and its sister programmes, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch, have been bringing the best of Britain's wildlife into our homes.

Now Springwatch: The 2019 Almanac offers the perfect guide for anyone looking to get out and explore the wonders of nature just outside their back door. Taking you month by month through the coming year, the almanac combines compelling stories with practical guidance that will inspire anyone to start exploring. It has all the information you need to discover the natural wonders around you, from how to identify animal tracks and bird nests to the best time to witness starling murmurations and mayflies hatching. (hide)

The complete third and fourth series of the classic radio sitcom starring Harry H Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell, adapted from the (read more)

The complete third and fourth series of the classic radio sitcom starring Harry H Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell, adapted from the much-loved TV series. Steptoe and Son ran for eight series on BBC TV and even spawned two feature films. Such was the series' popularity in the mid-1960s that the cast specially recorded numerous episodes for BBC radio.

Here, collected together for the first time, are all the episodes from the third and fourth radio series, scripted and adapted for radio by Hancock's Half Hour creators Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. In these hilarious episodes, Harold breaks some sad news to Albert; introduces his fiancee to his father; meets his older half-brother and receives some unexpected news from a visitor. Plus, a group of card sharks fleece Albert; Harold and Albert argue over their lack of money; Harold's wedding day doesn't go quite to plan and Albert is worried about an offer made to Harold. (hide)

Written by expert shibori teacher Jane Callender, this beautiful, practical book is packed with both traditional and inventive stitch-resist (read more)

Written by expert shibori teacher Jane Callender, this beautiful, practical book is packed with both traditional and inventive stitch-resist techniques, a complete dyeing guide and an inspirational gallery of Jane's work. This book contains all the information a beginner will need to get started - including tips on dyeing in small spaces and a guide to all the necessary health and safety considerations - but is also packed with innovative techniques and inspiring designs that will appeal to the experienced textile artist. The book is broken into three sections.

The first shows you all the key stitch-resist techniques you need - from the basics right through to creating intricate designs - and all are clearly explained with photography and illustrations. Learn how to create a range of different shibori styles, oversew, make circles and other shapes, use grids, double needles, stencils and caps, bind fabrics, work with machine stitch, use fabric buffers and incorporate applique. (hide)

Have you ever wanted to introduce vintage into your wardrobe, but felt unsure where to start? Vintage styles have never been more (read more)

Have you ever wanted to introduce vintage into your wardrobe, but felt unsure where to start? Vintage styles have never been more popular, with everyone from major stars to teens on the street looking to indulge in retro glamour. Whether you are looking to completely overhaul your look, go for complete vintage glam, or just introduce a few key vintage pieces into your day-to-day wardrobe, this book shows you how. Packed with tips on how to find unique, one-off items that fit your budget, that will look fabulous and also retain their value, Style Me Vintage: Clothes also teaches you what to look for, when to part with your cash, and what to avoid.

Learn how to determine which era suits your shape and how to build a retro look from the base up. You'll also find tips on how to make retro styles work with modern accessories. Filled with fun, detailed photographs showing classic looks from the 1920s to the 1980s, this is essential reading for every girl who likes to dress up. (hide)

This new surveillance training book has been compiled as the ultimate guide and reference book for the surveillance operative. There (read more)

This new surveillance training book has been compiled as the ultimate guide and reference book for the surveillance operative. There is no other comparable book available in the world today in relation to covert surveillance training. This book will guide you through the process of carrying out covert surveillance whether you are on foot or by car, traveling by public transport or in a static rural or urban location.

The book also teaches the aspects of digital photography using long range lenses and incorporates a large section on Surveillance Detection by Anti and Counter Surveillance methods. "Surveillance Tradecraft" is recommended reading for the BTEC Level 3 Advanced Award and Advanced Certificate in Mobile & Foot Surveillance and is a must for anyone considering carrying out surveillance training. The manual contains over 470 pages with 500 colour photographs and graphics. (hide)

Life on Planet Earth is not weirder than we imagine. It's weirder than we are capable of imagining. And we're all in it together: (read more)

Life on Planet Earth is not weirder than we imagine. It's weirder than we are capable of imagining. And we're all in it together: humans, blue whales, rats, birds of paradise, ridiculous numbers of beetles, molluscs the size of a bus, the sexual gladiators of slugs, bdelloid rotifers who haven't had sex for millions of years and creatures called water bears: you can boil them, freeze them and fire them off into space without killing them.

We're all part of the animal kingdom, appearing in what Darwin called "endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful". In this breathtakingly audacious book, Simon Barnes has brought us all together, seeking not what separates us but what unites us. He takes us white-water rafting through the entire animal kingdom in a book that brings in deep layers of arcane knowledge, the works of Darwin and James Joyce, Barnes's own don't-try-this-at-home adventures in the wild, David Attenborough and Sherlock Holmes.

Ten Million Aliens opens your eyes to the real marvels of the planet we live on. (hide)

Have you got what it takes to be an astronaut?Part puzzle book, part guide, The Astronaut Selection Test Book: Do You Have What it (read more)

Have you got what it takes to be an astronaut?Part puzzle book, part guide, The Astronaut Selection Test Book: Do You Have What it Takes? invites readers of all ages to attempt the European Space Agency's rigorous astronaut selection and training program. The book comprises 100 real astronaut tests and training exercises for readers to try at home, and outlines the full ESA selection process for the first time. Fascinating, surprising, and ranging in difficulty from easy to fiendishly hard, the tests include visual memory and perception puzzles, concentration tests, maths and mental arithmetic problems, psychological quizzes, teamwork and leadership exercises, survival skills, physical and medical exams, foreign language aptitude tests (ESA astronauts must learn Russian) and more. (hide)