Biografier

At the age of sixteen, Andy Cave followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps and became a miner - one of the last recruits into a dying world. Every day he would descend 3,000 feet into Grimethorpe pit. But at weekends Andy escaped from the pithead to a very different world - testing his nerve on the cliffs and mountains around Britain.

'Only with the greatest of simplifications, for the sake of convenience, can we say Africa. In reality, except as a geographical term, Africa doesn't exist'. Ryszard Kapuscinski has been writing about the people of Africa throughout his career. In a study that avoids the official routes, palaces and big politics, he sets out to create an account of post-colonial Africa seen at once as a whole and as a location that wholly defies generalised explanations. It is both a sustained meditation on the mosaic of peoples and practises we call 'Africa', and an impassioned attempt to come to terms with humanity itself as it struggles to escape from foreign domination, from the intoxications of freedom, from war and from politics as theft.

Reginald Jones was nothing less than a genius. And his appointment to the Intelligence Section of Britain's Air Ministry in 1939 led to some of the most astonishing scientific and technological breakthroughs of the Second World War.In Most Secret War he details how Britain stealthily stole the war from under the Germans' noses by outsmarting their intelligence at every turn. He tells of the 'battle of the beams'; detecting and defeating flying bombs; using chaff to confuse radar; and many other ingenious ideas and devices.Jones was the man with the plan to save Britain and his story makes for riveting reading.

Written over a seven-year period to Charles V of Spain, Hernan Cortes's letters provide a narrative account of the conquest of Mexico from the founding of the coastal town of Veracruz until Cortes's journey to Honduras in 1525. The two introductions set the letters in context.

One small East African country embodies the battered history of the continent: patronised by colonialists, riven by civil war, confused by Cold War manoeuvring, proud, colorful, with Africa's best espresso and worst rail service. Michela Wrong brilliantly reveals the contradictions and comedy, past and present, of Eritrea.

W.B. Yeats is widely regarded as the greatest English-language poet of the twentieth century. This new critical biography seeks to tell the story of his life as it unfolded in the various contexts in which Yeats worked as an artist and as public figure.

The SUNDAY TIMES number 1 bestseller -- the extraordinary life story of the greatest footballer ever to play the game.

Wise, often funny, sometimes heartbreaking, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood tells the story of Marjane Satrapi's life in Tehran from the ages of six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution and the devastating effects of war with Iraq.

* Heroic attempt by US President Teddy Roosevelt to chart one of the largest and most dangerous tributaries of the Amazon - The River of Doubt.

Born without social instincts many people take for granted, brought up in a troubled environment and possessed with an extraordinary musical talent, Mike Oldfield was thrust into the spotlight at the tender age of nineteen. His first album Tubular Bells went on to sell fifteen million copies worldwide and catapulted him into a stardom he was ill-equipped to cope with.From growing up with an alcoholic mother, to his feelings of alienation and struggles with depression, this book takes Mike from his early years, through his staggering fame, his broken marriages, years as a recluse, his rebirth experience at a controversial Exegesis seminar and beyond. Mike Oldfield has been on a journey few of us could ever imagine, and offers a message of hope to anybody who feels they live on the edge of society.

The 25th Anniversary Edition of Keith Green's inspiring biography, revised and updated by his wife, Melody. This expanded biography contains many added stories and insights, never before published photos, extra selections from Keith's private journals, and glimpses into Melody's season of grieving and raising their two surviving children alone.

* The extraordinary true life story of songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, lead singer of the band Eels

Now the subject of a major film. Once or twice a generation, an athlete transcends his sport - at last, here's Seve Ballesteros in his own wordsThere are golfers, and there are golfers.

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist From the acclaimed, award-winning author of Alexander Hamilton: here is the essential, endlessly engrossing biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.-the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and medical centers. He was the terror of his competitors, the bogeyman of reformers, the delight of caricaturists-and an utter enigma. Drawing on unprecedented access to Rockefeller's private papers, Chernow reconstructs his subjects' troubled origins (his father was a swindler and a bigamist) and his single-minded pursuit of wealth. But he also uncovers the profound religiosity that drove him "to give all I could"; his devotion to his father; and the wry sense of humor that made him the country's most colorful codger. Titan is a magnificent biography-balanced, revelatory, elegantly written.

Presents one man's personal view of the world around us, and the universe within each of us. Containing Michael Jackson's personal writings and over one hundred photographs, drawings, and paintings from his own collection, this book is suitable for all fans of an incredible, inspiring man who died as he lived - dancing his dream.

A candid, no-holds-barred romp through forty years of drugs, sex and rock 'n roll

Now for the first time, Eric tells the story of his personal and professional journeys in this pungent, witty and painfully honest autobiography. These are the memoirs of a survivor, someone who has reached the pinnacle of success, who has had it all, but whose demons have never left him.

Michele's childhood was a nightmare. Her mother was a gifted psychic but highly unstable, unable to control the dark forces her powers unleashed or to look after Michele. When she was six her beloved father died and the last shreds of normality were gone forever. From then on Michele was at the mercy of sexual predators and her mother's violent lovers. Evil surrounded her... But Michele wasn't alone. The presence of her twin sister Lucy was constantly at her side, comforting and inspiring her. Lucy had died when the twin girls were babies. But her spirit stayed behind to watch over her little sister. Time and again, when Michele reached her darkest hour, Lucy reached out with a deep sense of love and gently guided her to safety. This is the heartbreaking, but ultimately inspirational story of a little girl, who was beaten, raped, neglected and despised, but rescued from despair by her faith in the power of love.

In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, the author began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing. This title presents his portrait.

After her husband died of cancer, 57-year-old Rosie set off to run around the world, raising money in memory of the man she loved. Followed by wolves, knocked down by a bus, confronted by bears, chased by a naked man with a gun and stranded with severe frostbite, Rosie's breathtaking 20,000-mile solo journey is as gripping as it is inspiring.Rosie's solo run around the world started out of sorrow and heartache and a wish to turn something around.Heartbroken when she lost her husband to cancer, Rosie set off from Wales with nothing but a small backpack of food and equipment, and funded by the rent from her little cottage. So began her epic 5-year journey that would take her 20,000 miles around the world, crossing Europe, Russia, Asia, Alaska, North America, Greenland, Iceland, and back into the UK.On a good day she'd run 30 miles, on a bad day she'd only manage 500 yards, digging herself out of the snow at -62 degrees C, moving her cart inches at a time. Every inch, every mile, was a triumph, a celebration of life, and 53 pairs of shoes later Rosie arrived home to jubilant crowds in Tenby, Wales.Rosie's incredible story is a mesmerizing page-turner of the run of her life. It will wake up the sleeping adventurer in you; it will inspire hope, courage and determination in you; but most of all it will convince you to live your life to the full and make every day count.

Words like boldness, adventure and risk are surely coined especially for Andy Kirkpatrick. As one of the world's accomplished mountaineers and big-wall climbers, he goes vertically where other climbers fear to tread. This autobiography provides his thirteen-day ascent of Reticent Wall on El Capitan in California - the hardest big-wall climb.

He is one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court - but from early childhood Andre Agassi hated the game.

Hellraisers, penned by the talented Robert Sellers, is a riveting book that will captivate readers from the first page. Published by Cornerstone in 2009, this book falls under a genre that's both intriguing and compelling. Sellers masterfully weaves a narrative that's as gripping as it is thought-provoking. Hellraisers is more than just a book; it's a journey into a world crafted with finesse and detail. Cornerstone, known for their diverse range of books, has truly found a gem in Hellraisers. Don't miss out on this extraordinary read.

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.

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.

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

A number 1 bestseller, this definitive biography of Michael Jackson is now completely updated to include the events leading to the untimely death of the star. J. Randy Taraborrelli is the expert on Michael Jackson, having known him since they were both teenagers and having interviewed the singer and his family many times. So much has been written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that it has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. J. Randy Taraborrelli cuts through the tabloid rumours and innuendo, the conflicting stories and lurid accusations, to reveal the real man. From his drilling as a child star through the blooming of his talent, from his ever-changing personal appearance to his marriages, from his addictions to his love for his children, we see what motivated one of the greatest performers of all time. Objective and revealing, this book combines impeccable research, brilliant story-telling and a clear-sighted understanding of the forces that shaped Michael's life and his death. 'The most authoritative book ever written about Michael Jackson' Daily Mail 'A superbly researched investigation' heat

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