A new colour reference book that includes knots, turns, bends and hitches together with decorative knots, plaits, sennits and mats. Full explanations are given of the different types of rope and rope construction, with over 250 entries and as many step-by-step illustrations. This is a complete hands-on guide and a must for both sailor and angler, in addition to being an invaluable and handy volume for the macram practitioner as well as those being introduced to the subject.

Davina Dupree has just arrived in a luxury boarding school against her wishes, but that's the least of her problems. Could it be that the two art teachers there are hiding a shady secret? And why won't the school bullies Clarice and Cleo leave her alone? Davina turns detective....

After a fantastic start to his professional golf career with two majors in the bag, child prodigy and golf superstar Rory McIlroy suddenly hit a wall. His successes thinned out and he started to slide down the world rankings. Rory was making more headlines off the course and on the front pages of the tabloids after a legal dispute with his former management team Horizon; the constant press speculation as to whether he would represent Great Britain or Ireland in the Olympics; and his on-off relationship with Caroline Wozniacki, which led to a New Years Eve engagement in Australia and then the sudden shock split as wedding invitations were being prepared. Then, after all the traumas, came a double triumph in the summer in 2014 which Rory personally described as an unbelievable summer and the greatest golf of my life. Two more majors followed in just four weeks - The British Open and the USPGA - which put Rory in putting distance of becoming only the sixth man in history to win Golf's Grand Slam as he looks to add the illusive US Masters to his resume.

Such was prize-fighting's appeal during the 18th and 19th centuries that, at its zenith, the sport was patronised by royalty and aristocracy and, notwithstanding its illegality, its contests often attracted thousands of spectators from all walks of life. Up to Scratch covers bare knuckle fighting from early English stage bouts to boxing's transitional period between knuckles and gloves. Although concentrating mainly on a region, then just north of the metropolis, which was a favourite venue of the London prize-ring, it is essentially an anecdotal account of what was unquestionably one of England's most dramatic sporting pastimes. Included are tales of some of the great champions - Tom Johnson, Daniel Mendoza, Jem Belcher, Tom Sayers and Jem Mace - as well as many forgotten, but no less colourful, fistic heroes. Up to Scratch powerfully evokes an age when pugilism was a barbaric, corrupt and yet primarily noble activity which makes today's boxing look positively tame by comparison. During five years of extensive research through contemporary newspapers, Tony Gee has uncovered a considerable amount of hitherto unpublished material relating to the prize-ring and life around the sport. An experienced kick boxer and martial artist, Tony Gee's avid interest in boxing stems from a very early age and his fascination with prize-fighting has led to years of extensive research. He is a contributor on this subject to the New Dictionary of National Biography and is now considered one of the country's leading historians of the prize-ring. Tony Gee was born in Finchley, North London, and now lives nearby in Potters Bar.

Down Memory Lane is a must for all Spurs fans who have followed the club since the glory, glory days of the 1960s and who are reveling in the team's current success under high-profile manager Jose Mourinho and the exploits of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.
With forewords by Spurs legends Glenn Hoddle and Steve Perryman MBE, the contents have been updated to include Spurs sensational Premier League season in which they qualified for the Champions League.
Fleet Street legend Harry Harris, who has written more than 90 best-selling football books, gives a fan's eye view of life as a Spurs supporter for nearly 60 years with unique insights into the players, managers and personalities who have shaped the club's history.
Harry has wielded great influence within White Hart Lane and has advised and influenced many Spurs chairmen including Sir Alan Sugar and Irving Scholar.
The book concludes with a vote for the Greatest Spurs XI of all time with the team being selected by the likes of Hoddle, Garth Crooks, Teddy Sherringham, Gary Mabbutt, Graham Roberts, Paul 'Maxi Miller, Micky Hazard, David Howells, Paul Walsh, Gerry Armstrong, Gary Stevens, Steve Hodge, John Motson, Paul Trevellion, Richard Littlejohn and Mike Collett as well as the club historian John Fennelly.

On 10 April 1912, the luxurious ocean liner, RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage bound for New York. Just four days later whilst 400 miles south of Newfoundland she struck an iceberg and within three hours was plummeting to the bottom of the ocean. Written by Michael Swift and Marion Joyce, Titanic - The Unsinkable Ship explores the ship, its crew, its passengers and its tragically short life in fascinating detail.

Sir Cliff Richard, OBE, who celebrated his 80th birthday on October 14th 2020, is revered as one of the greatest British pop singers of all time.

In a career spanning more than 60 years he has amassed hundreds of gold and platinum discs and is the biggest singles artist of all time in the UK, while also selling nearly 300 million records around the world.

In this chronicle of his life and work, his great friend and former Radio One DJ Mike Read pays an affectionate tribute to the peter pan of pop - a true icon of the British music scene.

We talked to leading rugby journalists, we talked to ex-players, we talked to fans and we looked at the playing records of all the stand-out internationals to have played rugby for Ireland before compiling a list of the 50 greatest Irish rugby players in the sport's history.

Many players were impossible to leave out such as Rory Best, Mike Gibson, Jamie Heaslip, Jack Kyle, Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, Jonnie Sexton and Keith Wood. While Lions' legends such as Willie John McBride, Tom Kiernan, Syd Millar and Tony O'Reilly were also a shoo-in.

There is also a hefty selection of modern-day players including Keith Earls, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Rob Kearney, Conor Murray, Peter O'Mahoney and the new whizkid winger Jacob Stockdale. While there is also space for the great characters of the game, none more so than Peter 'The Claw' Clohessy, Willie Duggan and Moss Keane, who didn't win the most caps but were fans' favourites because of the spirit in which they played.

With a foreword by Ollie Campbell, the Ireland and British and Irish Lions flyhallf, each entry lists the key facts, statistics and achievements that help show why the selected players are part of the game's elite.

The Lake District was, until the 19th century, a remote, neglected and inaccessible part of England. Before the arrival of good road and rail networks and tourism it had been home to successive generations of very tough people: prehistoric peasant farmers, small Roman garrisons, Norse and Saxon settlers, monastic tenants and, after the Dissolution of the monasteries, the doughty farming families of yeomen or 'statesmen' and communities of miners and quarry workers. Each group has left its powerful imprint on the landscape and there is an exceptional legacy of prehistoric and Roman monuments, interesting medieval castles and monastic buildings and a wealth of post-medieval buildings in stone, as well as plenty of relics to attract the industrial archaeology enthusiasts. It is fitting that the Lake District should be the subject of one of the four volumes in the National Trust Histories series since the charity manages so man y properties in the region and has done so much to conserve its beauty. There are scores of books which delight in the loveliness of the Lake District but very few which tell the visitor in uncomplicated terms about the creation of the landscape. There are also very few scholars who understand this story as well as Chris Bassinger and his account will add a new dimension to the pleasure and inspiration that so many derive from this remarkable north-west corner of England.

Cornwall has its own language, culture, outlook and a powerful individuality. Its scenery is unique in Britain and to see a remotely similar countryside one must travel across the sea to another Celtic bastion, Brittany It is also a place where reality is far more fascinating and diverse than popular images suggest. Hidden coves, where smugglers and wreckers lurked, and dubious Arthurian fantasies tend to dominate the visions of outsiders or 'up-country' folk; as a result, the real Cornish landscape and history have been strangely neglected by the general public. For this National Trust history guide ( 9.99), author Jack Ravensdale has provided a colourful and authoritative account of the Cornwall which holidaymakers so often miss. He describes its evolving landscape, the people who have laboured there over the centuries, and the remarkable portfolio of monuments which is their legacy. Indeed, Cornwall's heritage of prehistoric small tombs and circles could scarcely be surpassed. If, in contrast, the Roman endowment is meagre, the region possesses some intriguing medieval castles, several quite exceptional mansions, and an astonishing collection of industrial relics. Add to these a coastline that is the equal of any, and a folklore as rich and unlikely as can be, and the true nature of Cornwall begins to emerge.

Sir Winston Churchill, voted the greatest Briton of all time, died 50 years ago on January 24th 1965. Born on November 30th 1874, he entered Parliament in 1900 and dom-inated political life for over half a century until his retirement in 1955. His leadership of the British people in the Second World War (when he was Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945) was in inspiration to them and the free world and remains a period of defining historical importance. His career would have been a significant one even had he not become Prime Minister in 1940 (as he also won the Nobel Prize for Literature) and he went on to play a major political role for another ten years after 1945 serving again as the country's premier from 1951 to 1955. Noted Churchill historian Ian S. Wood assesses his character and achievements in this 50th anniversary edition which offers a remark- able visual record of Churchill's life and times.

United legends Denis Law and Pat Crerand tell their exclusive story of the years that followed the tragedy at Munich - an outstanding decade in which United swept all before them in their quest to become the first English club to win the European Cup. Fifty years later, Law and Crerand give their personal account of what it was like to be part of one of the world's most successful clubs, recalling their friendships, the rivalries, the debuts of stars such as George Best, the traumas and the triumphs throughout one of the most successful and colourful periods in the club's history.

Davina Dupree and her best friend Arabella enjoy their day out down an old smuggling tunnel that leads from their boarding school's cellars to a nearby beach. But after returning to the school that evening they discover a crisis has occurred - someone has stolen all of Marcel the chef's expensive ingredients This means that Arabella may never be able to eat her favourite pudding, Magic Mousse, ever again Davina and Arabella resolve to solve the mystery, a decision that plunges them into a murky world of smuggling and intrigue. The question is, will they be able to rescue the ingredients in time or will the smuggler get the better of them?

Written by the late, great boxing broadcaster, Reg gutteridge, this is the inside story of Mike tyson, the most explosive and controversial World heavyweight boxing champion of all time.

This book is a celebration of Michael Jackson's amazing career. Revised and updated - contains additional information that has come to light since the tragic death of Michael Jackson, including the subsequent trial and conviction of his personal physician and an updated and expanded discography. Michael Jackson was front page news for much of his professional career, and even in death he continues to captivate, motivate and enthral.

When Jill Allen-King OBE, suddenly lost her sight at the age of 24, with little help and advice available from Social Services she had to teach herself to cope with a whole new way of living that had its own set of challenges to overcome, including looking after her daughter, Jacqueline, born soon afterwards. It wasn't until seven years later that Jill successfully completed a training course with her first guide dog and finally, after years of being virtually housebound, was able to begin rebuilding her confidence and reclaiming her independence. Drawing on her own experiences of the problems and dangers that face the blind and partially sighted, as well as those with other mobility difficulties and disabilities, Jill has devoted her life to raising awareness of the needs and rights of the disabled, particularly in regard to access to public buildings, and campaigning for these issues to be considered by householders, businesses, councils and the government. None of this would have been possible without her six guide dogs over the past 40 years: Topsy, Bunty, Brandy, Quella, Lady and her current dog, Amanda. This book, following close on the heels of Jill's autobiography, Just Jill, is a heartfelt tribute to her trusted four-legged friends, who have given her companionship, instilled her with confidence and guided her safely in both her personal life and in her incredibly important voluntary work throughout the UK. No one can fail to be inspired by Jill's perseverance and achievements or by the fantastic work that guide dogs carry out for their owners. Although now in her seventies, with new challenges for those with disabilities always on the horizon, such as electric cars, shared streets and changes to the benefits system, Jill's contributions to the fight neither cease nor cease to amaze.

A vivid and entertaining picture of the life and times of a man whose work as a comic writer is of the highest quality, including the Mapp and Lucia books, and who has a huge and rapidly growing readership.

The author's half sister Pamela was James Mason's first wife and Diana de Rosso enjoyed a close friendship with the actor throughout his life. Drawing on her own experience and interviews with those who knew him, including Alec Guinness, Margaret Lockwood, Deborah Kerr and many other actors, directors and writers, Diana de Rosso lets us into the real life of a truly great Englishman.

Today there is huge public interest in Spiritualism, the psychic world and the field of the paranormal. But as yet there is no clear and authoritative guide to its wide range of terminology. The Dictionary is a comprehensive guide to the essential terms used in all aspects of Spiritualism and other psychic fields, written in simple everyday language. From important psychics and Spiritualists, to key concepts and terms, this book is an indispensible companion to Spiritualism and beyond, also covering the fields of parapsychology and psychical research in accessible fashion. Also containing a handy reference list of Spiritualist churches and organisations worldwide.

The Grand National is the most famous horse race in the world. Officially first run in 1839 it is now watched in 140 countries on television with viewing figures of more than 500 million. Run in early April at Aintree, Liverpool, this spectacular steeplechase over 30 fearsome fences and four and a half miles has had a history filled with drama. In the first running a Captain Becher fell into the ditch which now bears his name. In 1956 the Queen Mother's Devon Loch looked set to win, ridden by future thriller writer Dick Francis in the saddle, only to belly flop, legs akimbo, yards from the line. In the 1970s, when the future of the race looked seriously in doubt, the three amazing wins by Red Rum re-engaged the public, and who can forget the emotional victory of cancer survivor Bob Champion and Aldaniti in 1981?