Biographies

**WINNER British Sports Book Awards SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR****Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award**Gareth Thomas had it all. He was a national hero, a sporting icon. He was a leader of men, captain of Wales and the British Lions. To him, rugby was an expression of cultural identity, a sacred code. It was no mere ball game. It gave him everything, except the freedom to be himself.This is the story of a man with a secret that was slowly killing him. Something that might devastate not only his own life but the lives of his wife, family, friends and teammates. The only place where he could find any refuge from the pain and guilt of the lie he was living was on the pitch, playing the sport he loved. But all his success didn t make the strain of hiding who he really was go away. His fear that telling the truth about his sexuality would lose him everything he loved almost sent him over the edge.The deceit ended when Gareth became the world s most prominent athlete to come out as a gay man. His gesture has strengthened strangers, and given him a fresh perspective. Gareth s inspiring and moving story transcends the world of sport to tell a universal truth about feeling like an outsider, and facing up to who you really are.

In 1910 Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen set sail for Antarctica, each from his own starting point, and the epic race for the South Pole was on. December 2011 marks the centenary of the conclusion to the last great race of terrestrial discovery. This title presents each man's full account of the race to the South Pole in their own words.

Almost eighty years after her death, Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) is still one of the most influential of all English garden designers. Best known for the superb use of colour schemes in her hallmark flower borders, she combined an early training in art with self-taught horticultural skills. Early influences included William Morris, John Ruskin and William Robinson, but it is her partnership with the architect Edwin Lutyens that produced some of the most distinctive of Edwardian houses and gardens. From her house (and nursery) at Munstead Wood, Surrey, Jekyll designed over 400 gardens across Britain and Europe, and some in America where her archive of designs and drawings is now held. This book explores her life, influences on her early work in art and crafts, the transfer to Munstead Wood and working relationship with Edwin Lutyens, as well as her own writings and achievements.

'A history of modern Spain told through one of world football's most intense rivalries' Independent'Sports Book of the Year' Sunday TimesIt's Messi vs Ronaldo, it's Catalonia vs Castilla.

An original biography of Senna, based on new research and interviews, examining his status as a legend.

Presents an autobiographical portrait that touches on everything from the cultural figures that mattered the most to him as a teenager, to author's years in the late 1960s at Bard College, to an account of a recent tour he made with Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald.

In this autobiography, Quentin Crisp describes his unhappy childhood and the stresses of adolescence that led him to London. There in bedsits and cafes he found a world of brutality and comedy, of shortlived jobs and precarious relationships. All of which he faced with humour and intelligence.

These ten letters by Rainer Maria Rilke speak directly to the young, offering unguarded thoughts on such diverse subjects as creativity, solitude, self-reliance, living with uncertainty, the shallowness of irony, the uselessness of criticism, career choices, sex, love, God, and art (which is only another way of living, Rilke writes).

Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most fascinating and controversial actors working in film, and ever since his Oscar-nominated performance as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, has risen to become one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

The complete letters, dispatches and chronicles that tell the real story of Anne Boleyn.

Over thirty years since their triumphant victory at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Waterloo' in 1974, ABBA's unfailing popularity remains. From dancefloor classics like 'Dancing Queen' and 'Mamma Mia' to ballads like 'The Winner Takes It All' ABBA's musical legacy endures and their songs have been covered or sampled by many artists from U2 to Madonna. Fully illustrated throughout with unique photographs and rare memorabilia, "ABBA The Scrapbook" gives a complete history of one of the best-loved pop groups of all time: including their early days in Sweden; the relationships within the band; the excitement of Eurovision victory; the outrageous 1970s fashion and style of ABBA; "ABBA The Movie"; the eventual break-up of the group; and the legacy of ABBA including the hugely successful "Mamma Mia!" stage musical and the forthcoming film. This visual biography charts the amazing story of how ABBA conquered the world!

Nothing had prepared them for the vicious cold of the desert winter, and after a blizzard and a desperate search for food, Chris Ryan found himself the last man standing. Left on his own, Ryan narrowly escaped an Iraqi attack and set out alone, trying to reach the border through some of the most lethal country in the world.

As the great rivals raced to victory, their relationship deteriorated badly, beginning with the breaking of a gentleman's agreement, and public spats followed, culminating in Prost accusing Senna of deliberately trying to ride him off the circuit, and fearful that the Brazilian would get someone killed with his daring overtaking feats.

Mikhail Gorbachev is the man who changed everything. No longer in power, he has been forced to endure criticism from those wise after the event - most notably Boris Yeltsin, who became undisputed leader after the failed military coup that finally displaced Gorbachev from office.

The incredible true story of the death of Jimmy Hoffa, the most famous hit in Mafia history.

A powerful and moving autobiography from a gifted writer who has been compared to Joyce and Yeats. 'A book of sheer wonder. As an author he competes as an equal with the ablest of them' DAILY EXPRESS

Written with wit, brio and no small amount of bile, Luke Haines recounts how it felt to ride a wave of self-congratulatory success in a world with no taste. Funny, honest and ridiculously entertaining, Luke Haines attacks anyone within rifle range, and is more than happy to turn the gun on himself.

A biography of one of the twentieth century's greatest fashion icons, reissued to coincide with the biopic Coco avant Chanel.

Barbie is the diminutive yet arrestingly voluptuous doll unveiled at the 1959 Toy Fair. Ruth Handler is Barbie's creator: the tenth child of Polish-Jewish immigrants; a passionately competitive and creative business pioneer. This title presents the story of two women, and how together they indelibly changed American business and culture.

Most Hollywood biographies are little more than 500-page musings on the 'when-I-met...' theme, filled with famous names, love affairs and cliches of a 'meteoric rise' or 'tragic fall'. Bruce Campbell's If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor is the boisterous antidote to such convention.

Widely considered to be the most important biography of Nelson Mandela, Antony Sampson's remarkable book has been updated with an afterword by acclaimed South African journalist, John Battersby.Long after his presidency of South Africa, Nelson Mandela remained an inspirational figure to millions - both in his homeland and far beyond. He has been, without doubt, one of the most important figures in global history. His death, on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95, resonated around the world.Mandela's opposition to apartheid and his 27 year incarceration at the hands of South Africa's all-white regime are familiar to most. In this utterly compelling book, eminent biographer Anthony Sampson draws on a fifty year-long relationship to reveal the man who rocked a continent - and changed its future.With unprecedented access to the former South African president - the letters he wrote in prison, his unpublished jail autobiography, extensive conversations, and interviews with hundreds of colleagues, friends, and family - Sampson depicts the realities of Mandela's private and public life, and the tragic tension between them. Updated after Sampson's death with a new afterword by distinguished South African journalist John Battersby, this is the ultimate biography of one of the twentieth century's greatest statesmen.

The searing, visionary memoir of founding Black Panther Huey P. Newton, in a dazzling graphic package Tracing the birth of a revolutionary, Huey P. Newton's famous and oft-quoted autobiography is as much a manifesto as a portrait of the inner circle of America's Black Panther Party. From Newton's impoverished childhood on the streets of Oakland to his adolescence and struggles with the system, from his role in the Black Panthers to his solitary confinement in the Alameda County Jail, Revolutionary Suicide is unrepentant and thought-provoking in its portrayal of inspired radicalism.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

A full and detailed account of Darwin's life and discoveries, but written, designed and illustrated to look like a personal notebook or journal.

In 1998 John Wood was a rising executive at Microsoft . Then a trip to Nepal inspired him to set up schools and libraries in the developing world.

George Psychoundakis was a young shepherd boy who knew the island of Crete intimately when the Nazis invaded by air in 1941. He immediately joined the resistance and took on the crucial job of war-time runner. This book presents an account of George's activities across mountainous terrain, come blazing summer or freezing winter.

At My Mother's Knee...And Other Low Joints is an engaging book by the renowned author Paul O'Grady. Published in 2009 by Transworld Publishers Ltd, this book falls under the genre of biography. In this book, O'Grady takes us through his early life experiences, sharing intimate details and heartwarming stories about his mother and other influential figures. His writing is filled with humor, wit, and raw honesty, making it a truly compelling read. O'Grady's storytelling prowess is on full display, as he paints vivid pictures of his childhood and the people who shaped him. This book is a testament to O'Grady's gift for storytelling and his ability to make readers laugh, cry, and think. Published by Transworld Publishers Ltd, this book is a must-read for fans of O'Grady and those who love biographies filled with humor and heart.

This comprehensive new book is an essential volume for anyone who wants to learn more about this intriguing artist, and to survey their greatest works in one beautfully illustrated collection.

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'I don't believe in God, but I miss Him.' Julian Barnes' new book is, among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his philosopher brother, a meditation on mortality and the fear of death, a celebration of art, an argument with and about God, and a homage to the French writer Jules Renard.

Out of a partnership between two sadistic thugs - James Coonan and Mickey Featherstone - the gang dominated the decaying slice of New York City's West Side known as Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s and '80s.