Luthando Dyasop’s memoir starts with an account of his young life as a black artist in apartheid South Africa. He eventually joins uMkhonto we Sizwe, the banned ANC’s military wing.

Soon he falls out of favour with the powers that be and is sent to the Quatro detention centre. After years of torture, he is eventually released, when he begins his battle for vindication.

Out of Quatro is a story not only about Dyasop’s extraordinary life, but also about a tumultuous time in ANC history.

Who would have guessed in the 1960s that Michael Parker, a typical young Army officer, would turn into one of the most remarkable showmen of his generation? Michael Parker's creativity and originality - all too often achieved in the face of stifling bureaucracy - along with an ability to organise down to the last detail - meant he was in continuous demand to mastermind all kinds of events such as most of the British royal jubilees and birthday celebrations for The Queen, the Queen Mother. Other events included London's G7 conference, royal weddings in countries such as Jordan, victory commemorations, charity events and some of the world's largest military tattoos - Berlin, Edinburgh and the London Tournament. He records his triumphs and disasters and the inside story of some spectacular c**k-ups - although to the spectators and television audiences all might have seemed fine. The pundits thought The Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 would be a non-event - "Who would come?" they said. But Michael Parker had no doubt that he could lay on a show that was worthy of the Queen - and of Great Britain. He was right and proved the critics wrong - 2 million people flocked down the Mall to Buckingham Palace to enjoy the celebrations he had helped organise. Some 25 years earlier his complex plans for the Queen's 1977 Silver Jubilee bonfires definitely did not go to plan - much to the Queen's amusement - and as for those fireworks in Hyde Park to celebrate Prince Charles and Diana's wedding - that's another story ...as is the escaping python at the Berlin Tattoo.

Winner of the 2010 Non-Fiction National Book Award Patti Smith's definitive memoir: an evocative, honest and moving coming-of-age story of her extraordinary relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe 'Sharp, elegiac and finely crafted' Sunday Times 'Terrifically evocative ... The most spellbinding and diverting portrait of funky-but-chic New York in the late '60s and '70s that any alumnus has committed to print' New York Times 'Render, harrowing, often hilarious' Vogue In 1967, a chance meeting between two young people led to a romance and a lifelong friendship that would carry each to international success never dreamed of. The backdrop is Brooklyn, Chelsea Hotel, Max's Kansas City, Scribner's Bookstore, Coney Island, Warhol's Factory and the whole city resplendent. Among their friends, literary lights, musicians and artists such as Harry Smith, Bobby Neuwirth, Allen Ginsberg, Sandy Daley, Sam Shepherd, William Burroughs, etc. It was a heightened time politically and culturally; the art and music worlds exploding and colliding. In the midst of all this two kids made a pact to always care for one another. Scrappy, romantic, committed to making art, they prodded and provided each other with faith and confidence during the hungry years--the days of cous-cous and lettuce soup. Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. Beautifully written, this is a profound portrait of two young artists, often hungry, sated only by art and experience. And an unforgettable portrait of New York, her rich and poor, hustlers and hellions, those who made it and those whose memory lingers near.

There is no denying that the last couple of years have been tough for all of us. Life has changed drastically due to the Covid 19 pandemic, and this includes rock icons. Suzi Quatro has never had a regular job. Being a rock and roll musician is what she has been doing her whole life. Then suddenly, everything changed, and instead of constantly being on tour, she found herself at home. Suzi is never one to sit around idling her time and the pandemic produced an album that has done very well indeed. It has also produced her third hardcover coffee table book, sharing her thoughts as the days and the weeks passed. Full to the brim with private photographs in colour, Suzi lets us in to her life in this window of time when the world changed. Her thoughts about the state of life as she sees it is meant as an inspiration to us all. "The third in my series of illustrated coffee table books, 1 year in lockdown,1 year on this roller coaster called life, 1 year where you can go through every single emotion you have in 5 minutes. Sometimes you smile, sometimes you cry, many times you just hit the wall. I faithfully did my instagram posts every morning sharing my feelings and tribulations, trying to lift people's spirits. It helps to share. It helps to know you're not alone. Enjoy my moods! ( I blame being a Gemini!!) Suzi Quatro"

The Ultimate Action Hero. For twenty years one man has dominated action cinema worldwide. He is adored by more fans than Stallone, Schwartzenegger or Willis and yet until recently was virtually ignored by America and the UK. All that has changed now. Welcome to the world of Jackie Chan, martial artist, comedian and stuntman. Most people associate Jackie Chan with the recent smash hit films Rush Hour and Rumble in the Bronx but there is a lot more of him to see. Jackie learnt his trade from the harsh world of Peking Opera School and began to appear in films as a child. He slowly progressed from minor roles to becoming a head stuntman and eventually lead actor in a number of kung fu movies in the 1970s. It was only when he began to direct his own films that the real Jackie Chan film was born. If you have never seen a Jackie Chan film before, you are in for one wild ride. They are a unique blend of visual comedy, incredible stunts and electrifying fights. What makes them so special is that Jackie performs all of his own stunts, no matter how crazy, no matter how dangerous. And they are dangerous. In the course of his career Jackie has broken nearly every bone in his body and come within a hair's breadth of death...No one will insure him. In this book we'll be taking a look at the world's most popular action hero - See! Jackie skateboard through rush hour traffic. Against the flow... See! Jackie fall from a tall building. Handcuffed... See! Jackie drive through a town. Literally through the town... See! Jackie run down the side of a building. While it is falling down... See! Jackie leap from the top of a car park.. Onto a balcony across the road... You'll laugh. You'll gasp. You'll wince. You've never seen anyone like Jackie Chan.