Welcome to my downside up life! My name is Ariana and I have something called Pathological Demand Avoidance which is a form of autism. Most people just think I'm naughty and misbehaved, but I want to show you why that's not true by telling you about what my life is like from inside my head. Come join me in understanding why I feel like I have to be in control all the time and why it's just not as simple as doing as I am told.

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.

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

'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.

The little black-and-white cartoon figure of 'Tintin' first appeared in Belgium in 1929 in a Catholic newspaper where his creator, Herge, worked. Harry Thompson looks at the story of Herge, of 'Tintin' and his origins, and beyond to when President de Gaulle could call 'Tintin' 'his only rival'.

A witty guide to idiomatic French written in 1927 by a remarkable author identified for decades only as 'H-T-R-'. -- 'H-T-R- doesn't just want you to parrot French phrases. The essential of fluent speech is to think as the French do. As he says, it won't do just to formulate in English what you want to say and then utter a translation. Those who have reached a good level in French (or, indeed, any language) will recognize the hurdle of idiomaticity - the native speakers always have a way of saying things which is different from your correct but painfully generated French.'[ - Elsevier SYSTEM MAGAZINE (2010), Robert Vanderplank, Director, Language Centre, University of Oxford]. -- Example: [1] 'What did he die of?' 'Nobody knows. But then nobody knew what he lived on, either.' [1] "De quoi est-il mort ? -- On ne sait pas. D'ailleurs on ne savait non plus de quoi il vivait." -- Or (to illustrate a use of the subjunctive): [53] 'One moment, Monsieur - I can't see you. I'm in my chemise.' 'Take your time, my dear, I'll wait till you take it off.' [53] "Un instant, Monsieur - je ne peux pas vous recevoir. Je suis en chemise. -- Prenez tout votre temps, chere amie, j'attendrai que vous l'ayez retire." -- New extended edition, with new biographies (including 28 photos) of the author, Harry Thompson Russell, and of the illustrator, Eric Fraser. Contains all of the original 1927 drawings, plus many new drawings by Fraser, who was one of the leading illustrators of the 20th Century. Equally suitable for French or English speakers -- 'Ces ouvrages ont le merite de servir egalement a l'usage des francophones et des anglophones.'