River Run Deep
by Rachael Treasure

After a terrible argument with her father over their family property, Rebecca throws her kit into the back of her ute and heads north with her sheepdogs. A job as a trainee farmhand takes her into the rowdy world of country dances, Bundy rum and boys. When she at last settles down to a bit of study at agricultural college, her life is turned upside down by the very handsome, but very drunken party animal, Charlie Lewis.

Will she choose a life of wheat farming on vast open plains with Charlie? Or will she return to the mountains to fight for the land and the river that runs through her soul?

It's only when tragedy shatters her world that Rebecca finds a strength and courage she never knew she had, in this action-packed novel of adventure, dreams, heartbreak and love.

A big-hearted romance from the Australian Outback, River Run Deep catapulted Rachael Treasure onto the bestseller list when published in Australia. Reminiscent of Nora Roberts's Montana Sky, this is epic storytelling that will appeal to women of all ages.

A Handbook on Good Manners for Children: De Civilitate Morum Puerilium Libellus
by Erasmus

When did you last tell your children to put their hand over their mouth when they yawn? When did you last suggest that when they are introduced to someone they should shake hands firmly and look them in the eye? Do you suggest that they should wait until everyone is served before they eat rather than hoover up the best bit for themselves? Do you demand that your young daughter dress decorously lest she elicit outraged looks? Do you think that the children of today have disgraceful manners? Unlike, of course, when you were young ... Well, that's certainly what Erasmus of Rotterdam thought in 1530 when he published De Civilitate Morum Puerilium: A Handbook on Good Manners for Children. He felt that learning good manners was crucial to a child’s upbringing, and that the uncouth and ill-disciplined behaviour around him demanded a new kind of book. After all, as William of Wykeham memorably said in the 1350s, ‘Manners maketh man’.

A Handbook on Good Manners for Children is considered to be the first treatise in Western Europe on the moral and practical education of children. It was a massive bestseller – indeed the biggest-selling book of the sixteenth century – going into 130 editions over 300 years and being translated into 22 languages within ten years of its publication. In it, Erasmus concerns himself with matters such as how to dress, how to behave at table, how to converse with one's elders and contemporaries, how to address the opposite sex and much else.

For example:

Table Manners

‘It’s just as rude to lick greasy fingers as it is to wipe them on your clothing, Use a cloth or napkin instead.'

'Some people, no sooner than they’ve sat down, immediately stick their hands into the dishes of food. This is the manner of wolves.'

'Making a raucous noise or shrieking intentionally when you sneeze, or showing off by carrying on sneezing on purpose, is very ill-mannered.'

'To fidget around in your seat, and to settle first on one buttock and then the next, gives the impression that you are repeatedly farting, or trying to fart.’

The advice is as relevant today as it was 500 years ago.

Lyttelton's Britain: A User's Guide to the British Isles as heard on BBC Radio's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue
by Iain Pattinson

The I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue team of Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, in the company of their esteemed chairman Humphrey Lyttelton, have been recording their BBC radio show around the UK for longer than any of them can remember … that’s about a week – or twenty minutes in the case of Barry Cryer. At each venue Humph would present a short history of the location, written by Iain Pattinson, to the mutual delight of the audience, the team and their delightful scorer Samantha (who somehow always found time for a rewarding poke around the area’s backstreets).

We are privileged to present, in gazetteer form, the very best of Humph’s local histories form Radio 4’s multi award-winning ‘antidote to panel games’. As accurate as Wikipedia and as comprehensive as Reader’s Digest, this unique guide tells you everything you never knew you wouldn’t ever need to know about the background and inhabitants of Britain’s most prominent towns and cities. The intelligent reader will waste no time in adding it to their collection.

Bristol
It was from Bristol in 1497 that John Cabot set off to find a new route to the Spice Islands by sailing north-west. He instead discovered a strange, hostile world which he named ‘Newfoundland’, until the natives explained that they actually called it ‘Swansea’.

Nottingham
It’s well documented in official records that the city’s original name was ‘Snottingham’ or ‘home of Snotts’, but when the Normans came, they couldn’t pronounce the initial letter ‘S’, so decreed the town be called ‘Nottingham’or the ‘home of Notts’. It’s easy to understand why this change was resisted so fiercely by the people of Scunthorpe.

Hull
During Tudor times, Hull’s customs levies on Humber shipping resulted in a feud with neighbouring Beverly. Eventually, the nuns at Beverly Convent rose in revolt and laid siege to Hull. This worried Henry VIII, who sent a heavily armed force immediately he heard the town was being terrorised by the Beverly Sisters.

Birmingham
Famous Brummies include the political thinker Joseph Chamberlain, whose sons Austin and Neville also left their marks. Austin lent his name to the popular car manufactured nearby: the Chamberlain Allegro GLX, while one-time mayor Neville Chamberlain did so much to help ensure the restructuring of the city centre when he failed to prevent World War II.

Brighton
A settlement is first recorded in Brighton as long as ago as 3000 BC, when Celtic Druids practised their ancient worship of oaks, mistletoe and virgins, and indeed, oaks
and mistletoe are still plentiful in Brighton.

Belfast
Belfast boasts a rich and diverse history and the city has managed to survive troubled times with an air of optimism, recently being awarded status as ‘European City of Commerce’ for its services to the balaclava industry.

Guildford
It’s not every Surrey commuter town that can boast not only a bustling Bohemian Latin Quarter but also a Moorish citadel surrounded by a warren of dark sinister streets that provided film locations for Truffaut, Fassbinder and Bergman, and neither can Guildford.

Sample Pages:
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In Fact
by Prospect

Culled from the celebrated 'In Fact' column in Prospect magazine, here are thousands of ‘did-you-knows’ that will make you think

• The IRS has a computer devoted to Bill Gates’ Tax Return.
• An estimated 7,000 Americans die each year as a result of doctors’ bad handwriting.
• One in every 3,400 Americans is an Elvis impersonator.
• More than half of the London Underground network is overground.
• Peanuts are used as an ingredient in dynamite.

This is a book that will not just amuse and astound, but will make you see the world very differently. From the political to the crude to the downright ridiculous In Fact is an eclectic collection of little-known jaw droppers from around the world. Collected by the people who brought you the renowned In Fact column in Prospect magazine.

Visit the In Fact webite – www.infact.org.uk to find out more.

For Love and Courage: The Letters of Lieutenant Colonel E.W Hermon from the Western Front 1914-17
by Anne Nason

A moving and unique legacy of one soldier’s love and courage and a fascinating insight into life on the frontline during the First World War

Lt Colonel E.W. Hermon died in a hail of bullets on the 9th April 1917, the first day of the Battle of Arras, leading his men of the 24th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers into the attack. Like hundreds of thousands of others in the Great War, he gave his life for his King and country. He was shot through the heart, one bullet slicing through the papers in his top pocket, including the four-leaf clover his wife had given him for good luck. His final words to his Adjutant were 'Go on!' before he sank to his knees and died almost instantaneously.

He was carried from the battlefield by his faithful soldier servant, Buxton, and now lies buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Roclincourt, three miles from Arras.

This could have been the end of the story but he left a testament of his life and ideals in a unique and hitherto unknown and unpublished collection of long and detailed letters he wrote to his darling wife and his children, 'the Chugs'. Now, nearly a century after his death, he speaks to us of a past, less cynical life, where selflessness, honour, duty and courage were admired above all else. His own courage was officially recognised as he was mentioned in despatches three times and posthumously awarded the D.S.O.

The letters have been transcribed and edited by Hermon's granddaughter Anne Nason with the guidance and historical advice of James Holland, the distinguished historian and writer.

A Season of Leaves
by Catherine Law

The story of a love that survived the turmoil of war, and endured the passing of time

September 1992: for over forty years Rose Pepper has kept her own counsel about the story of her past, wanting the truth to stay hidden from her two daughters. But the discovery of some unopened letters threatens to betray all her secrets.

January 1943: evacuated to work as a landgirl in Cornwall during the Seond World War, she falls in love with a young Czech soldier, stationed at the local US army base - both of them trying to forget that Rose is already engaged to a cold and controlling friend of her family, who will not let her go.

In the chaotic aftermath of the war, Rose and her lover flee to Prague, only to face a greater danger. The Communists are taking over and it is every man and woman for themselves in a city riddled with informers.

Grumpy Old Rock Star: and Other Wondrous Stories
by Rick Wakeman

Grumpy Old Rock Star is a collection of quite unbelievable stories and anecdotes from Rick Wakeman’s amazing life. From his early days playing pianos with one key, to drinking port and brandy in pint glasses and having heart attacks in his mid-twenties; from touring the world as a rock legend while smuggling KGB uniforms out of Iron Curtain Russia, to bringing home the earth from around Che Guevara’s body to keep in his shed; from the truth behind the curry-on-stage episode, to why Rupert the Bear, Snow White and the inflatable dinosaurs should all be avoided.

Curl up by the fire with a Grumpy Old Rock Star and your nearest and dearest. We defy you not to want to read it aloud and laugh.

Gym and Slimline
by Emma Burstall

A swanky new gym has opened in leafy south-west London. Four women bond over push ups and Pilates and, in the process, become firm friends.

Percy likes sorting out other people’s problems, but her own life is a shambles, with a terrible secret addiction. Can she kick it and win back the love of her husband?

Patrice, wealthy but damaged, wants another baby, but husband Jonty isn’t interested in sex. Is it her imagination, or is he getting too close to the husband of one of her new friends?

Carmen is living dangerously, determined to get pregnant by her cold, treacherous boyfriend. She doesn’t see what is under her nose until it’s nearly too late.

Suzanne adores her sexy second husband but is she neglecting him for her job? And has she realised what is happening to her teenage daughter?

New best friends. Their friendship is about to be tested to the limit.

Author website link: http://emmaburstall.com/

Paying For It
by Tony Black

Gus Drury once had a high-flying career as a journalist and a wife he adored. But now he is living on the edge, a drink away form Edinburgh’s down-and-outs, drifting from bar to bar, trying not to sign divorce papers. But the road takes an unexpected turn when a friend ask him to investigate the brutal torture and killing of his son, and Gus becomes embroiled in a much bigger story of political corruption and illegal people-trafficking. Seedy doss-houses, bleak wastelands and sudden violence contrast with the cobbled streets and cool bistros of fashionable Edinburgh, as the puzzle unravels to a truly shocking ending.

Tony Black’s blistering debut crime thriller about a hack-journalist turned investigator draws the reader into the hallucinatory world of Edinburgh’s lost and dispossessed. A perfect book for those who revel in the dark humour of Irvine Welsh and the gritty underbelly Ian Rankin’s Edinburgh.

The Deceived
by Brett Battles

What you don’t know can get you killed . . .

Jonathan Quinn is a professional 'cleaner'. Disposes of bodies and ties up loose ends. Doesn't get his hands dirty, doesn’t ask questions.

But when Quinn is hired to vanish all traces of Steven Markoff, a rare friend in his line of work, all that has to change.

Determined to avenge Markoff, Quinn embarks on a trail that snakes from the corridors of power in Washington to the bustling streets of Singapore, along with his quick-witted apprentice Nate, and the brilliant, beautiful Orlando.

Events quickly spiral dangerously out of control. And as the pace quickens, the bullets get closer. And to trust is to be deceived . . .

How Could He Do It?
by Emma Charles

‘In many ways we were an ordinary family: mum, dad, two kids, three dogs, one rabbit, two guinea pigs. I stayed at home, studying with the Open University, and dad worked, and the kids went to private schools. We lived in a rather nice semi in a rather nice area of Edinburgh, with a rather nice Volvo in the drive, and took rather nice holidays wearing rather nice clothes. I loved Daniel deeply and I thought – no, I was sure – he loved me deeply too. And we both loved our kids deeply (I thought). And that was as it should be. We had it made.

I never for a moment dreamt that my family was all that extraordinary – until that day when Tamsin broke down and told me that her father, my loving husband, had been sexually abusing her.’

In the Bath: Conquering the Channel in a Piece of Plumbing
by Tim FitzHigham

In The Bath: Conquering the Channel in a Piece of Plumbing is a celebration of the epic absurd, an attempt to explain just how out of hand things can become from a very simple starting point. The book follows the author’s death-defying 200-mile journey in his antique Thomas Crapper bath – not just across the Channel, but around Kent – right up to the tremendous reception and huge media attention which awaited him under Tower Bridge. Tim met the Queen, and his bath now resides in the National Maritime Museum of Great Britain.

‘‘It is a very, very brave man who takes to the wild seas in a copper bath with only a rubber duck for support . . . this is a very difficult challenge, so well done for not only setting a record but for keeping the art of British eccentricity well and truly alive.’ Sir Ranulph Fiennes 

Watch the trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=lku7tsvrxSw

Hellraisers: The Life and Inebriated Times of Burton, Harris, O’Toole and Reed
by Robert Sellers

“God put me on earth to raise sheer hell.” Richard Burton

The tale of the greatest thespian boozers ever to have staggered off a stage or set written by one of the pre-eminent comedians and biographers of our day, Hellraisers charts the decades of boozing, brawling and braggadocio of these unrepentant theatrical gods.

Almost as famous for their after-hours antics as they were for their ability on stage and screen, Burton, Harris, O’Toole and Reed were unapologetically outrageous. The endless succession of binges, parties and orgies, broken marriages, drugs, riots and wanton sexual conquests has become the stuff of legend. They got away with it because of their extraordinary acting talent and because the public loved them. They were truly the last of a breed, the last of the movie hellraisers.

The Forgotten Legion
by Ben Kane

Against overwhelming odds, the tattered remnants of a once-huge Roman army fight for their lives at the very edge of the known world. Among them are three men whose friendship has been forged in the bloody crucible of a hopeless war and the bitter knowledge that they are bound forever in servitude to the Republic.

Tarquinius is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome, but doomed to fight for the Republic in the Forgotten Legion.

Brennus is a Gaul; the Romans killed his entire family. He rises to become one of the most famous and feared gladiators of his day – and mentor to the boy slave, Romulus, who dreams night and day ofescape and revenge.

Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery after their mother is raped by a drunken nobleman. At thirteen years old they are sold: Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome.

The story begins in a Rome torn apart by corruption, violence and political enmities, but ends far away, where Romulus, Brennus and Tarquinius find themselves fighting against the Parthians and impossible odds.

The Cleaner
by Brett Battles

Meet Jonathan Quinn: a freelance operative with a take-no-prisoners style and the heart of a loner. His job? Professional 'cleaner'. Nothing too violent, just disposing of bodies, doing a little cleanup if necessary. But in Brett Battles's thrilling debut novel, Quinn's latest assignment will change everything, igniting a harrowing journey of violence, betrayal and revenge.

The job seemed simple enough: investigating a suspicious case of arson. But when a dead body turns up where it doesn't belong - and Quinn's handlers at 'the Office' turn strangely silent - he knows he's in over his head. With only a handful of clues, Quinn scrambles for cover, struggling to find out why someone wants him dead - and if it is linked to a larger attempt to wipe out the Office.

A Point of View
by Lisa Jardine

Provocative and inspirational, Lisa Jardine is one of our pre-eminent thinkers. A leading academic, Lisa is a polymath who embraces both the arts and the sciences with equal passion and has that rare gift of being able to make her subject and her thinking accessible to a mainstream audience. A Point of View is a collection of the hugely popular and critically-acclaimed talks that Lisa has given on Radio 4 in ‘A Point of View’ on Sunday mornings, replacing Alistair Cooke’s ‘Letter From America’.

Drawings by Nick Wadley.

Great Speeches of the 20th Century
by Guardian News and Media Ltd

What has happened to the 'art' of speech-writing and speech making? Where are the men and women whose words set the heart racing with passion, turn battles, inspire populations to extraordinary endeavour: 'Ask not what your country can do for you.' 'We shall fight on the beaches.' 'I have a dream.' 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.'

Quote these words today and they still have the power to stop us in our tracks.

This is a book that should be required reading, a book that should be on every bookshelf in the country.

Here are fourteen key speeches of the 20th century introduced by prominent figures ranging from F.W. de Klerk and Mikhail Gorbachev to Antony Beevor and Gordon Brown.