Since Henry James there have been many impressions of an American abroad and we have become used to seeing the world 'under western eyes'. But what about seeing the world from a very different perspective - not from the standpoint of an affluent westerner, or even an anglicised foreigner like Conrad, but through the eyes of an Iranian who has not had the privilege of taking freedom for granted. Iran itself comes under close scrutiny as the author tries to come to terms with daily life in a country where freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and freedom to wear the clothing of one's choice does not exist. Imagine, for instance, visiting a tourist town for a holiday break and being picked up by the police because you are not a local, and then inadvertently finding yourself with a rope around your neck in a public execution? The book is a real page-turner as one follows the author's frequent bids for freedom, finding himself repeatedly in a prison cell, punting across a turbulent river to enter Greece without a visa, finding temporary solace and comfort in the arms of a young prostitute in Bulgaria, suffering the indignity of being treated as a slave by the high-minded bosses in Japan, and running away from the regular police raids in Cyprus. But not all is doom and gloom - by no means, for apart from the author's downright honesty, sharing and confiding his innermost thoughts, there is his irresistible humour that never fails to see the funny side in the events and the people that he describes. With its unique perspective of what it is like to be down and out, and sometimes affluent too, in Iran and the countries the author visits, this book provides an unforgettable experience.

With an introduction by Neil Gaiman Before television and radio, before penny paperbacks and mass literacy, people would gather on porches, on the steps outside their homes, and tell stories. The storytellers knew their craft and bewitched listeners would sit and listen long into the night as moths flitted around overhead. The Moth is a non-profit group that is trying to recapture this lost art, helping storytellers - old hands and novices alike - hone their stories before playing to packed crowds at sold-out live events. The very best of these stories are collected here: whether it's Bill Clinton's hell-raising press secretary or a leading geneticist with a family secret; a doctor whisked away by nuns to Mother Teresa's bedside or a film director saving her father's Chinatown store from money-grabbing developers; the Sultan of Brunei's concubine or a friend of Hemingway's who accidentally talks himself into a role as a substitute bullfighter, these eccentric, pitch-perfect stories - all, amazingly, true - range from the poignant to the downright hilarious.

50 extraordinary new stories from The Moth.

Before television and radio, people would gather on porches, on the steps outside their homes, and tell stories. Their bewitched listeners would sit and listen long into the night as moths flitted around overhead. Storytelling phenomenon The Moth recaptures this lost each week in cities across America, Britain, Australia and beyond, playing to packed crowds at sold-out live events.

Occasional Magic is a selection of 50 of the finest Moth stories from recent shows, from storytellers who found the courage to face their deepest fears. The stories feature voices familiar and new. Alongside Neil Gaiman, Adam Gopnik, Andrew Solomon, Rosanne Cash, and Cristina Lamb, there are stories from around the world describing moments of strength, passion, courage and humour - and when a little magic happened.

In finest Moth tradition, Occasional Magic encourages us all to be more open, vulnerable and alive.

Wisdom's Way is a collection of true stories from ancient China. Filled with palace intrigue, ambitious warlords, greedy swindlers, and justice-seeking wise men, each story evokes the legendary wisdom of the Far East. These delightful tales offer both historical lessons and insight into human relationships, from the grand maneuvering of emperors to a pair of tradesmen arguing over an old coat.

LEAD TITLE PUBLISHING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE UK THE LANDMARK, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BOOK HAILED BY ARIEL DORFMAN AND EDUARDO GALEANO, PUBLISHED TO COINCIDE WITH THE FIRST ARGENTINE WAR CRIMES TRIALS. News hook: Trials of high-level military officials, including the subject of this book, began in July 2004 in Spain. New introduction by the judge who declared the Argentine impunity laws null and void; the new epilogue is by the author Torrid aftermath of hardcover publication: The New York Times reported on its front page that the Argentine Navy captain whose story is at the heart of this book had had his face slashed by four attackers and was warned to stop speaking with journalists about military crimes - violent retribution for his breaking of the military's code of silence about the atrocities. Author's reputation: Verbitsky is Argentina's leading investigative journalist. He won a major award from the Latin American Studies Association when this book was first published in America in 1996. Author visit at the beginning of August for publicity and promotion. Argentine military's code of silence, stunning his compatriots and the world by openly confessing his participation in the hideous practice of pushing live political dissidents out of airplanes during Argentina's dirty war. Available for the first time in the UK, with a new introduction by Judge Gabriel Cavallo on the upcoming military trials and a new epilogue by the author, Confessions of an Argentine Dirty Warrior includes the complete text of Scilingo's confession in the form of interviews given to Argentina's best-known investigative journalist, Horacio Verbitsky. The afterword by Juan Mendez, General Consel of Human Rights Watch, puts Adolfo Scilingo confession of atrocities committed during the 'dirty war' into a historical and international context.

Peter Hook, as co-founder of Joy Division and New Order, has been shaping the course of popular music for thirty years. He provided the propulsive bass guitar melodies of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and the bestselling 12-inch single ever, 'Blue Monday' among many other songs. As co-owner of Manchester's Hacienda club, Hook propelled the rise of acid house in the late 1980s, then suffered through its violent fall in the 1990s as gangs, drugs, greed and a hostile police force destroyed everything he and his friends had created. This is his memory of that era and 'it's far sadder, funnier, scarier and stranger' than anyone has imagined. As young and naive musicians, the members of New Order were thrilled when their record label Factory opened a club. Yet as their career escalated, they toured the world and had top ten hits, their royalties were being ploughed into the Hacienda and they were only being paid GBP20 per week. Peter Hook looked back at that exciting and hilarious time to write HACIENDA. All the main characters appear - Tony Wilson, Barney, Shaun Ryder - and Hook tells it like it was - a rollercoaster of success, money, confusion and true faith.

How many times have you seen a woman artist solely referred to as the wife, girlfriend, muse, or 'mistress' of a man in the public eye? Throughout history, the achievements of women working across artistic disciplines - from visual artists to writers to filmmakers - have been largely undervalued, with the title of 'genius' reserved mainly for men. More than a Muse unpacks the complex romantic relationships that left women overshadowed, anonymous or underestimated in their work. Katie McCabe shines a light on the stories of talents like photographer Dora Maar, pioneering film editor and Hitchcock-collaborator Alma Reville, jazz pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong and many more. Exploring a broad scope of art movements and moments from Surrealism to early British silent film, Katie reexamines the contributions of women that have too often been ignored. More than a Muse views our history through the lens of artistic partnership, and positions women solidly in the foreground.

Walapai (Hualapai), a language of the Yuman group (Hokan stock), is spoken in Northern Arizona. The volume contains texts of various genres - mythical tales, stories from everyday life, oral histories - which were collected by the author in the late '50s and early '60s. As in the case of Winter's earlier publications, the texts are presented in a morphologically analyzed form and are provided with full translations.

We've all heard the phrase 'the moment when my life changed forever'. Some of us can even pinpoint it in our own lives; the birth of a child, the acceptance letter to a degree programme, the decision to make a momentous change. The Turning Point is an anthology of personal accounts, showcasing the extraordinary and unexpected moments that have completely altered everyday lives. Each of the 40 stories in this book offers a rare glimpse into the turning point of the writer's life. Hand-picked as the most extraordinary entries received in an international writing competition, they are eclectic, diverse and entirely immersive. From stray bullets in Los Angeles to falling in love in the Australian countryside, you will find much to enjoy and think about. This is the perfect book to read in snapshots, or to dive into and not resurface until you've read every fascinating account. Beautifully presented, it makes an ideal addition to your coffee table, or gift for a loved one. With sections on Love, Changes, Momentous Decisions, Tragedy, Vivid and Learning Moments, every reader is sure to find stories which relate and inspire. Pick up The Turning Point today and find out about the moment when love came along in a note under a windscreen wiper, when the death of a new friend inspired a teenager to live life to its fullest, and more, in this captivating insight into the human condition.

In Through Her Eyes Australian women correspondents tell their own stories from the frontline - covering the breaking news, the issues and the events that are changing the world. They tell of Russian tanks and Ukrainian mothers fleeing with their children, vicious Afghan warlords, anti-government rebels in Central Africa, terrorist attacks in the United States, and the chaos faced by ordinary people caught up in disasters and political upheaval. While a woman strapping on a reporters' flak jacket is now a common sight, there was a time when they were locked out of the big stories because of their gender. Unlike their male counterparts, they needed single-minded determination to score a plum assignment or win a posting to a foreign bureau. Through Her Eyes tells of the exhilaration that comes with a big story but also the dangers, the risks, the struggle and the big issues women still face, from vicious media trolling to threats of sexual violence. Through Her Eyes includes well-known women correspondents for major media organisations inside and outside Australia including the ABC, BBC, SBS, CNN, The Associated Press of America, UPI, Reuters, The Times of London, Al Jazeera, China Global Television Network, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and the Australian Financial Review.

The book contains eleven dramatic and often horrifying stories, each describing the life of a different prisoner in the camps and prisons of communist Albania. The prisoners adapt, endure, and generally survive, all in different ways. They may conform, rebel, construct alternative realities of the imagination, cultivate hope, cling to memories of lost love, or devise increasingly strange and surreal strategies of resistance. The characters in different stories are linked to one another, and in their human relationships create a total picture of a secret and terrifying world. In the prisoners' back stories, the anecdotes they tell, and their political discussions, the book also reaches out beyond the walls and barbed wire to give the reader a panoramic picture of life in totalitarian Albania.

If faced with the terrifying realization that you had no choice but to amputate your own leg with a pocketknife in order to survive, would you be able to do it?
Extreme Outdoor Adventures explores twenty gripping, true-life stories such as these, of heroic men and women who were forced to muster the psychological and physical strength necessary to cheat death while left helpless in the wilderness in the most extreme of situations.
Stories include a deadly hand-to-claw cougar fight, a plane crash in the Alaska wilderness, an alligator trapping episode gone bad, epic battles with hypothermia, a wild boar attack, daring wilderness rescues, and many more terrifying adventure tales.
Extreme Outdoor Adventures brings to life the adrenaline-pumping scenarios these survivors endured and reveals how each was victorious in the fight to live.

'An incredibly personal story ... sad, but unbelievably funny' - Claudia Winkleman, BBC Radio 2 Arts Show 'This memoir is gasp-out-loud, offensively funny, touching and a sure thing for anyone who likes David Sedaris - but with more Mormons' - Red At twenty-five, Dan left his 'spoiled white asshole' life in Los Angeles to look after his dying parents in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother, who had already been battling cancer on and off for close to 15 years, had taken a turn for the worse. His father, a devoted marathon runner and adored parent, had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease which was quickly eroding his body. Dan's four siblings were already home, caring for their parents and resenting Dan for not doing the same. Home is Burning tells the story of Dan's year at home in Salt Lake City, as he reunites with his eclectic family -the only non-Mormon family of seven in the entire town - all of them trying their best to be there for the father who had always been there for them.

A collection of 20 pieces by people in prison and on probation, covering the theme of 'hope'. Explores aspects of prisons, the criminal justice system, and rehabilitation.

JOIN SAS LEGEND PHIL CAMPION AS HE SHARES HIS DEEPLY PERSONAL LIFE STORY, WARTS AND ALL In WHO DARES WINS Big Phil Campion reveals his chequered past, from terrible abuse suffered in a string of kids' homes to psychological abuse suffered at a top public school. Phil guides you through his soldiering career, from the so called "green army" to the brutal trial of SAS selection and all that followed. This includes years spent providing private military services across war-torn and risk-laden Africa; in between he was body-guarded the likes of Led Zep, Oasis, Kasabian, Dizzy Rascal and Pro Green. Phil takes you on his gripping, behind-the-scenes adventure acting as a roving reporter for Sky TV in Syria and Northern Iraq, more often than not under fire. Brave, riveting and truly revelatory, WHO DARES WINS is packed full of jaw-dropping stories to quicken the blood, while also telling of the psychological toll a life in conflict took on the author. 'One of the best first-hand accounts of life in combat ever written' Andy McNab on Born Fearless

Come on a journey of erotic discovery where young guys seek out old gentlemen! It is well known that to most gay men, a shapely, youthful body is the ultimate turn-on. But a few young guys, sometimes even married ones, are erotically attracted to old men, because of their age. Joseph Itiel (author of Escort Tales; A Consumer's Guide to Male Hustlers; and Sex Workers as Virtual Boyfriends), now in his early seventies, has discovered such young fellows. In Dirty Young Men and Other Gay Stories, he relates his experiences with them in intimate detail. Dirty Young Men and Other Gay Stories is packed full of true younger-loves-older stories from all walks of life and from different countries. From the author: It took me until my middle fifties to become a sex object. Before reaching this age, nobody had ever been infatuated with my looks or physique. I hadn't been selected out of a crowd just because someone thought I would be a good lay. Wouldn't it be nice, I kept hoping, if for once I would fulfill somebody's sexual fantasies, and be picked for just this reason? Well, at the age of fifty-five, my daydreams started to become a reality. Finally, I became a sex object, a 'man toy,' to cute guys much younger than myself. Dirty Young Men and Other Gay Stories is packed full of erotic true stories from the author's real life experience. Here is a sample of what you'll find: Master of the Dildothe fulfillment of a young man's desire for penetration by a man old enough to be his father, notwithstanding his young (female) sweetheart Bligh's Bountythe adventures of an older man in San Francisco's first gay go-go bar The Hypnotic Suggestionan older straight man seeks to discover his true identity by exploring, through hypnosis, a fleeting gay moment in his past An Affair in the Galilee Mountainsa bittersweet love affair between a professor and a younger, uneducated local man The Dominatrixthe author befriends (and beds) a much younger man who, it turns out, makes his living as a cross-dressing dominatrix, administering beatings to straight men for money Teaching a Man to Fishthe author teaches two attractive young men the art of escorting From Galilee to Lisbon to San Francisco, Joseph Itiel's Dirty Young Men and Other Gay Stories will take you on an erotic journey that you won't soon forget!

SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE COLLECTOR'S EDITION to mark the 800th anniversary of William Marshal's death. A 'Director's Cut' of Elizabeth Chadwick's bestselling and best-loved novel. 'An author who makes history come gloriously alive' The Times 'Stunning' Barbara Erskine ***Elizabeth's new novel TEMPLAR SILKS is OUT NOW in hardback, ebook and audio, and available to pre-order in paperback.*** ************************************ Normandy, 1167 A penniless young knight with few prospects, William Marshal is plucked from obscurity when he saves the life of Henry II's formidable queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. In gratitude, she appoints him tutor to the heir to the throne. However, being a royal favourite brings its share of conflict and envy as well as fame and reward. William's influence over the volatile, fickle Prince Henry and his young wife is resented by less favoured courtiers who set about engineering his downfall. In a captivating blend of fact and fiction, Elizabeth Chadwick resurrects one of England's greatest forgotten heroes. Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick 'Enjoyable and sensuous' Daily Mail 'Stunning grasp of historical details... Her characters are beguiling and the story is intriguing and very enjoyable' Barbara Erskine 'Meticulous research and strong storytelling' Woman & Home 'A sumptuous ride' Daily Telegraph

In a world torn by hatred, injustice, and war, is there an answer to humanity s quest for the good? Here is the true story of one man for whom this question was personal. Josef Ben-Eliezer was born in Germany to a Jewish family under the shadow of the Nazis. As a child he witnessed Hitler s assault on Poland and then was forced into exile in Siberia, barely escaping with his life from starvation and disease as he made his way across southern Asia and finally arrived in the land of Israel. Faced with the horror of the Holocaust, Josef was determined to fight for the independence of his new homeland. But the inhumanity of war continued to pursue him, along with the question: Why can t men and women live together in peace? This is a fascinating account of survival against all odds, but it is more than that: the story of one man s search for the answers to the ultimate questions that, one way or another, face us all."

ERIN BROCKOVICH meets SILENT SPRING in this astounding true story of a lawyer who spent two decades building a case against one of the world's largest chemical companies, uncovering a shocking history of environmental pollution and heartless cover-up. The story that inspired the motion picture from Participant Media/Focus Features, starring Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Bill Pullman and Tim Robbins, directed by Todd Haynes. In 1998, Robert Bilott was a 33-year-old Cincinnati lawyer on the verge of making partner when his career and life took an unforeseen turn. He was taken by surprise when he received a call from a man named Earl Tennant, a farmer from West Virginia with a slight connection to Robert's family. Earl was convinced the creek on his property, where his cattle grazed, was being poisoned by run-off from a neighbouring factory landfill. His cattle were dying in hideous ways, and he hadn't even been able to get a water sample tested by local agencies, politicians or vets. As soon as they heard the name DuPont - the area's largest employer - he felt they were reluctant to investigate further. Once Robert saw the thick, foamy water that bubbled into the creek, the gruesome effects it seemed to have on livestock, and the disturbing frequency of cancer and lung problems in the surrounding area, he was persuaded to fight against the type of corporation his firm routinely represented. With all the cards stacked against him, Rob happened upon a stray reference in a random memo to a chemical called PFOA - a substance he'd never heard of that is used in the manufacture of Teflon. From that one reference, he ultimately gained access to 110,000 pages of DuPont documents, some of them fifty years old, that reveal decades of medical studies proving the harmful - more often than not fatal - effects of PFOA in animals and humans. And yet PFOA sludge had still been dumped into rivers and landfill, endangering many lives. The case of one farmer soon spawns a class-action suit and the shocking realisation that virtually every person on the planet has been exposed to PFOA and carries the chemical in his or her blood. This is the unforgettable story of the lawyer who worked tirelessly for twenty years to get justice for all those who had suffered because of this chemical.

This book tells the compelling story of a Christian noblewoman named Tamta in the thirteenth century. Born to an Armenian family at the court of queen Tamar of Georgia, she was ransomed in marriage to nephews of Saladin after her father was captured during a siege. She was later raped and then married by the Khwarazmshah and held hostage by the Mongols, before being made an independent ruler under them in eastern Anatolia. Her tale stretches from the Mediterranean to Mongolia and reveals the extraordinary connections across continents and cultures that one woman could experience. Without a voice of her own, surviving monuments - monasteries and mosques, caravanserais and palaces - build up a picture of Tamta's world and the roles women played in it. The book explores how women's identities changed between different courts, with shifting languages, religions and cultures, and between their roles as daughters, wives, mothers and widows.

'If ever a dog's story is guaranteed to touch hearts, then Maggie's is.' Your Dog Magazine 'This story will leave you smiling.' Best Magazine Beaten, tortured and shot 17 times, Maggie the little street dog should have given up on the world. But the world didn't give up on her. With the help of her human friends, Maggie begins her long road to recovery and starts to spread joy everywhere she goes. This is the inspirational true story of a little dog who learned to be loved just as she is.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Charming' - The Sunday Times 'Delicious' - Daily Mail 'Wonderful' - Stephen Fry 'Delightful' - Delia Smith 'Brilliant' - Claudia Winkleman 'Joyous' - Caitlin Moran 'Entertaining' - Observer 'Funny' - Ken Follett 'Glorious' - Daily Express 'Touching' - Robert Peston Appetite is a memoir with a twist: each chapter is a recipe that tells a story. Ed Balls was just three weeks old when he tried his first meal in 1967: pureed roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. From that moment on he was hooked on food. Taught to cook by his mother, Ed's now passing her wisdom on to his own kids as they start to fly the nest. Reflecting on his life in recipes, Ed takes us from his grandma's shepherd's pie to his first trip to a restaurant in the 1970s (and ordering an orange juice as a starter); from the inner workings of Westminster to the pressures of parenting. This is a collection of the meals he loves most, and the memories they bring back. The world may have changed since 1967, but the best recipes last a lifetime. Appetite is a celebration of love, family, and really good food.