Books published by Empire Publications Ltd

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN ARTIST quite like Chris Sievey or his ''fantastic'' comedic alter ego, Frank Sidebottom. Whether pushing for chart action while fronting his former band The Freshies or allowing the bombastic Sidebottom to wreak anarchy and chaos on television, radio or with the Oh Blimey Big Band, Sievey''s mischievous muse seemed to obey no boundaries. Yet it was only after Chris''s untimely demise in 2010 that the extent of his infl uence became fully apparent. The emergence of Jon Ronson''s fi lm, ''Frank'', Steve Sullivan''s exhaustive documentary ''Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story'' and the bizarre erection of the Frank Sidebottom statue in his native Timperley last October - before 2,000 devotees - all combined to make this the most extraordinary stories of recent decades. In this unorthodox biography, legendary journalist Mick Middles draws on his thirty year friendship with Sievey to gain further insight this most charismatic of artists. Family members, fellow musicians, fans and acquaintances help trace Chris''s career from Timperley to Hollywood.

As heroin addict Shaun Cook lies comatose in hospital following a suicide attempt, his family come to terms with his life and their part in his downfall. At turns funny and heart-breaking, Karen Woods'' fourth novel sees her return to familiar territory to craft an indictment of modern society that will make you laugh and cry.

Trapped in a loveless marriage Victoria soon discovers her husband's late nights at the office are excuses to engage in sado-masochistic sex. Bewildered, she falls in with a lesbian overseas property developer who comes up with a big plan to make them both very rich. . . Karen Woods' third novel deals is sexy, saucy and very, very naughty.

For any normal individual, a round the world trip of a lifetime would mean abandoning all thoughts of everyday life and embracing a jetset lifestyle. Not so David Blatt. While his long-suffering wife Helene embarked upon a 90,000 mile global odyssey with thoughts of ticking-off as many of the world''s wonders as possible, David felt the magnetic pull of the other love of his life, Manchester United, and the prospect of a whole year without watching Eric''s Disciples on Earth. As David proves in "The Red Eye", it is now possible to watch the world''s most famous club from almost any part of the globe, with the honourable exception of the Galapagos Islands. From India to Brazil via most points in between, he catches The Reds on dodgy internet streams, at the back of beachside cafes, in restaurants, Aussie pubs and overcrowded hostel reception areas, while Helene plans the next day''s breathtaking trip to the likes of the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu. What emerges is a sharply humorous and insightful account of a trip across four continents with the protagonists often at odds over the purpose of the day: Magnificent Utopia or Manchester United...No contest!

With evil Gordon locked up in Strangeways for 5 years, the characters from Karen Woods' debut novel 'Broken Youth' come to terms with life without him. Misty, now married to Dominic, gives birth to Gordon's child, Charlotte. Her former best friend Francesca also gives birth to one of Gordon's children, Rico, while staying with Gordon's heroin addicted brother Tom. Meanwhile, as the clock ticks down on his sentence, Gordon broods on the injustice of his situation and plots sweet revenge on those on the outside.

In the past 100 years Old Trafford has hosted World Cup and European Championship matches, FA Cup Finals and a Champions League Final and has witnessed countless United wins, draws and defeats. Yet it endures, above all, as a monument to the vision of the club's founder and first patron John Henry Davies. Recognising football's exponential growth in the 1900s and the need to safely house vast numbers of supporters, Davies recognised that the champions of England and 1909 FA Cup winners needed a more spacious home than tatty old Bank Street, in Clayton, a ground with few facilities and a capacity of less than 25,000. A brewer by trade, the chairman found a spare plot of land in Old Trafford and, bolstered by the club's success, appointed famed football stand architect Archibald Leitch to construct a 100,000 capacity stadium on the site. Built in 1909 and officially opened in February 1910 for the league visit of Liverpool, Old Trafford was instantly acclaimed by one reporter as "the most handsomest [sic], the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen. As a football ground it is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed." Unfortunately the stadium arrived at just the wrong time for the club as United were about to begin a 37 year trophy-free run, the longest in the club's history. Consequently, United's average attendance before the war rarely topped the 30,000 mark, in a ground with a capacity of over 70,000. The luckless stadium suffered further blows on the nights of the 8th and 11th March 1941 when it was bombed during The Blitz. And so for four seasons after the war United were forced to play their 'home' fixtures at Maine Road. Now in its second 'life' Old Trafford was no longer alone as a large capacity stadium, yet United's resurgence under Matt Busby filled it more often than not. The arrival of floodlights and European football heralded a new chapter: the stadium is widely regarded as at its best on such occasions and from the first game against the immortals of Real Madrid in 1957 the ground hosted continental opposition and became renowned across Europe. In the sixties the ground had a new cantilever stand added to the west in preparation for the 1966 World Cup Finals and, later, more seats were added at the Scoreboard End and behind the Stretford End. However these improvements were as nothing compared to the dramatic changes brought about in the wake of the Taylor Report. The birth of the Premier League and United's domestic dominance helped transform the ground - first into an all-seater stadium, then steady season-by-season growth saw it swell to hold over 75,000. For a period during the protracted construction of Wembley, the ground even became the national stadium hosting twelve England matches. In 'Old Trafford' Iain McCartney updates his original 1996 book. Featuring the original site plans, never-seen-before pictures of the ground's construction, development and, of course, the great matches hosted there. Almost alone now among the grounds built during the first football boom in the early 20th century, Old Trafford has become an essential part of the English football landscape to the extent that it is inconceivable that any future World Cup bid would not feature it prominently. A century on, it is still 'an honour to Manchester', and the north's prime football arena.