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The 15th anniversary edition of a brilliant, action-packed and gripping novel of Charles Darwin's voyage on the Beagle - longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. New introduction from Daisy Goodwin. 'A master storyteller' Sunday Times In 1831 Charles Darwin set off in HMS Beagle under the command of Captain Robert Fitzroy on a voyage that would change the world. This is the story of a deep friendship between two men, and the twin obsessions that tear them apart, leading one to triumph, and the other to disaster. 'An outstandingly good first novel. A page-turning action-adventure combined with subtle intellectual arguments. The meticulous research enriches this fascinating tale' Sunday Telegraph
Diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in his teenage years, Harry Thompson looks back with wit and humour at the ups and downs of family and romantic relationships, school, work and mental health, as well as his teenage struggle with drugs and alcohol. By embracing neurodiversity and emphasising that autistic people are not flawed human beings, Thompson demonstrates that some merely need to take the "scenic route" in order to flourish and reach their full potential. The memoir brings to life Harry's past experiences and feelings, from his torrid time at school to the peaceful and meaningful moments when he is alone with a book, writing or creating YouTube videos. Eloquent and insightful, The PDA Paradox will bring readers to shock, laughter and tears through its overwhelming honesty. It is a turbulent memoir, but it ends with hope and a positive outlook to the future.
'Completely brilliant' Ian Hislop It seemed a simple enough idea at the outset: to assemble a team of eleven men to play cricket on each of the seven continents of the globe. Except - hold on a minute - that's not a simple idea at all. And when you throw in incompetent airline officials, amorous Argentine Colonels' wives, cunning Bajan drug dealers, gay Australian waiters, overzealous American anti-terrorist police, idiot Welshmen dressed as Santa Claus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and whole armies of pitch-invading Antarctic penguins, you quickly arrive at a whole lot more than you bargained for. Harry Thompson's hilarious book tells the story of one of those great idiotic enterprises that only an Englishman could have dreamed up, and only a bunch of Englishmen could possibly have wished to carry out.
There are those who say - and Peter Cook himself was among them - that most of his humour was autobiographical. Others - and Peter Cook himself was among them -contend that this simply isn't the case. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in the middle. Peter Cook made President Kennedy wait in line to see him and visited Elizabeth Taylor in her dressing room. He befriended tramps and fundraised for CND. He was capable of extraordinary kindnesses and occasional cruelties. He helped define comedy and satire for a generation, but ended his life a recluse. Harry Thompson has produced the first ever comprehensive biography of this influential and fascinating subject who came up with some of the funniest sketches and greatest jokes of all time.
The little black-and-white cartoon figure of Tintin first appeared in Belgium in 1929 in a Catholic newspaper where his creator, Herg?©, worked. Harry Thompson looks at the story of Herg?©, of Tintin and his origins, and beyond to when President de Gaulle could call Tintin 'his only rival'.
HARRY 20 ON THE HIGH ROCK In the year 2060, a hundred miles above the Earth orbits the High Rock - a maximum security prison crammed with 10,000 of the most vicious criminals from the world below. Falsely accused of betraying his government, Harry Thompson is given a twenty year sentence on the Rock, but amongst thuggish guards controlled by Warden Worldwise and psychotic inmates like Big Red One, the chances of staying alive for that long are looking pretty slim!
Based on the BBC2 comedy news quiz of the same name, this book incorporates the show's familiar ingredients - satirical swipes, silly-season stories, missing words, caption competitions and odd-ones-out. Additional features include a day in the life of a Tub of Lard, and in-depth analysis of Angus Deayton's suits, Paul Merton's wife, and Ian Hislop's remarkable consistency in losing the quiz.
It's all very well—but you, and I, and most of us who are healthy in mind and blithe of spirit, love to give rein to our fun and fancy, and to mingle fun with our fancy and fancy with our fun. The little Fairy-people are the favourite children of Fancy, and were born into this serious world ages and ages ago to help brighten it, and make it more graceful and dainty and prettily romantic than it was. They found the Folk-lore people already here—grave, learned people whose learning was all topsy-turvy, for it dealt with toads, and storms, and diseases, and what strange things would happen if you mixed them up together, and how the devil would flee if you did something with a herb, and how ...
“I'm in My Early Forties. There are Days When I Don't Remember the Names of My Wife and Four Kids . . .” “So powerful. This book might just change the way you think about sport forever” ─Sir Clive Woodward, English rugby union footballer and coach Winner of the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year Award 2023 England won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. At the heart of this triumph was Steve Thompson, a formidable presence in England's front row, navigating the intense battles of the scrum. However, the euphoria of victory came at a staggering cost and today, Steve Thompson has no recollection of that momentous final. To him, watching the tape of that match is like peering into the life of...
Collection of essays by over 20 contributors addressing Midwest vs Great Plains identities