This volume contains everything Behan wrote in dramatic form in English. First come the three famous full-length plays: The Quare Fellow, set in an Irish prison, is "something very like a masterpiece" (John Russell Taylor); The Hostage, set in a Dublin lodging-house of doubtful repute, "shouts, sings, thunders and stamps with life . . . a masterpiece" (Harold Hobson); and Richard's Cork Leg, set largely in a graveyard, is nevertheless "a joyous celebration of life" (Michael Billington). There follow three little-known one-act plays originally written for radio and all intensely autobiographical: Moving Out, A Garden Party and The Big House. The Introduction, by Alan Simpson, who knew Behan well and first directed his work on stage, provides the essential biographical details as well as candid insights into Behan's working methods and his political allegiances. Also included in the volume is a wide-ranging bibliography. "It seems to be Ireland's function, every twenty years or so, to provide a playwright who will kick English drama from the past into the present. Brendan Behan may well fill the place vacated by Sean O'Casey."-Kenneth Tynan

Kevin McNally stars in five brand new recordings of original Hancock's Half Hour scripts by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Whilst Hancock's Half Hour was an enormously popular radio sitcom in the 1950s, many of the episodes were not retained in the BBC Sound Archive and are believed to be lost. Now, five of them have been recreated by BBC Radio 4, with Kevin McNally taking the role made famous by Tony Hancock. Among the supporting cast are Simon Grenall, Kevin Eldon and Robin Sebastian.

Tony Hancock stars with Sid James and Kenneth Williams in the legendary BBC Radio comedy series. Created by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in 1954, Hancock's Half Hour was the radio vehicle that made Tony Hancock a household name. Each week listeners would be admitted to the sometimes fantastical, sometimes mundane life of "the lad 'imself". Aided and abetted by Sid James, Andree Melly, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams, Hancock would enter into the spirit of each episode with characteristic dolefulness. This collection of 10 episodes represents the surviving archive from the third radio series, along with PDF booklets featuring episode guides, series notes, cast biographies and specially written introductions by Galton and Simpson. Also included are two radio documentaries about Tony Hancock: Stone Me, What a Life! and The Complete and Utter History of Hancock. The episodes included are The Pet Dog; The Jewel Robbery; The Bequest; The Blackboard Jungle; The Diet; Hancock's Heir; The Student Prince; The Greyhound Track; The Conjurer and The Test Match.

Extreme problems call for bold solutions, and that is exactly what is presented in The Moment of Truth. No area is spared and no ideas are too self conscious for this bi-partisan, politics aside attempt to truly solve what has become a deficit crisis; cuts to Social Security benefits, increases in the retirement age, and tax hikes to name a few. Huge slashes in discretionary spending without sparing defense and the elimination of the employer-tax exclusion for health care and the mortgage-interest deduction are among the sacrifices and compromises called for here. It begs the question of how serious Americans and their leaders are about solving the U.S. financial crisis.

"Understanding dBASE5 for Windows" is a good tutor for anyone interested in the new Windows version.

From this systematic and comprehensive book, you can learn the basics and features of dBASE as well as the advanced techniques that will make you an expert.

The book presents the basic concepts of using a database, and instructs you to build sophisticated database systems step by step. It is full of valuable tips, tricks and timesaving techniques.

This book is written for those who are not familiar with computers, computer terminology or other spreadsheets. It is designed so that the user can start to use Quattro Pro immediately without having to wade through a 700 page manual of details and technical information. The book is written in scenario style, bringing in the different elements of the program as you would normally seek to use them. The first four chapters offer a step-by-step approach, in plain English, that introduces you to Quattro Pro capabilities quickly and easily. Later chapters discuss ways to edit entries, manipulate data, and handle blocks of data elegantly and easily, as well as how to graph and print data and use them in a database.

Understanding dBASE5 for Windows is a good tutor for anyone interested in the new Windows version.

From this systematic and comprehensive book, you can learn the basics and features of dBASE as well as the advanced techniques that will make you an expert.

The book presents the basic concepts of using a database, and instructs you to build sophisticated database systems step by step. It is full of valuable tips, tricks and timesaving techniques.

Eight brand new recordings of original Hancock's Half Hour scripts Hancock's Half Hour was one of the most popular radio comedies of the 1950s, and the first modern sitcom. Over 100 episodes of the show were broadcast between 1954 and 1959, but 22 went missing from the BBC archives. Lovingly recreated by Radio 4 in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre, they can now be heard for the first time since their initial transmission. Collected here are the final eight episodes from the fourth series - including a special premiere of The Counterfeiter, which was never recorded by the original team. The episodes are: The Winter Holiday, Department Store Santa, The Diamond Ring, Prime Minister Hancock, Christmas at Aldershot, The Counterfeiter, The Christmas Eve Party and The New Year Resolutions. Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson Produced by Neil Pearson, Paul Sheehan and Hayley Sterling Music composed by Wally Stott, and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Levon Parikian Thanks to Tessa Le Bars First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 December 2018-31 December 2020 Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score re-recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, these hilarious episodes star Kevin McNally as The Lad Himself, with Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian, Susy Kane and Margaret Cabourn-Smith.

Originally published in 1961, this book provides a series of narratives illustrating the financial situation of the East Anglian gentry in the period between the dissolution of the monasteries and the civil wars. Based on extensive research of estate documents, the narratives focus on specific cases in detail, using tables and extensive notes to back up observations. Indices of places, persons and subjects are also contained at the end of the text. This is a highly readable book that will be of value to anyone with an interest in regional history, economic history and the gentry.

Alan and Mary McQueen Simpson introduce this selection from Jane Carlyle's letters with an assessment of her character, her marriage to 'my Man of Genius' Thomas Carlyle and her art of letter writing. The letters are arranged in sections corresponding to the main themes in her life. The selection begins with the strange, prolonged courtship; portraits, conscious and unconscious, of herself and her husband follow; much is about running the Chelsea house at 5 Cheyne Row, protecting Carlyle from noise, neighbours and bedbugs; a whole section is devoted to a Dickensian succession of mostly awful servants; another is about her 'outings' - including a deeply poignant account of her return to her childhood home; another deals with Carlyle's infatuation with Lady Ashburton as well as Jane's 'puddling health' and her recovery. This is a book to read right through with riveted enjoyment. It is one of the most fascinating correspondences in the English language.

The once-peaceful villages of Leyton and Leytonstone have undergone a rapid transformation since the mid-nineteenth century. Both have grown from rural communities with farms and market gardens, to become suburban towns, eventually engulfed by the vast expansion of greater London. The steady influx of newcomers and new lifestyles has developed the character of the streets and buildings of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. This book traces some of those fascinating transformations through a selection of over eighty pairs of photographs comparing old and contemporary views, painting a revealing picture of many of the changes that have taken place over the last 150 years. Each pair of photographs is accompanied by a caption containing a wealth of local information. This new title will appeal to all those who wish to know more about the history of the area, as well as evoking nostalgic memories for those who remember Leyton and Leytonstone as they used to be.