For over a century, the Comrades Marathon has captivated a nation. It’s an annual South African ritual, a day of inspiration and extraordinary achievement. Written in an accessible, anecdotal style, this book tells the absorbing story of a humble start in 1921, when only a handful of runners finished, to its current status as the world’s greatest ultra-marathon.

It bears witness to the complexity of South African society and over a hundred years of change in a fascinating story that begins with the early heroes, Arthur Newton in the 1920s, Hardy Ballington in the 1930s and Wally Hayward in the 1950s, to official permission for women and people of colour to run in the 1970s, to nine-times winner Bruce Fordyce in the 1980s, democratic South Africa in the 1990s, the domination of the Russians in the early 2000s, and the ascent of black runners in the 2010s. And then came a worldwide pandemic and for only the second time in its history, the Comrades Marathon was cancelled.

In 2022, participants once again lined up on the Old Main Road for the first time in two years to run the ultimate human race, this book tells the tale of the world’s largest ultra-marathon: its glories, its passions, its triumphs and tragedies.

'A writer of comic genius - he has something of Roald Dahl's magic, but more heart' - Sunday Telegraph ‘Maybe you don’t believe me. Maybe you don’t believe in magic. I bet you will by the time you’ve heard what happened to us.’ Cousins Middy and Nathan love magic. The on-stage, cape-swirling, bunny-out-of-a-hat kind. For Middy, it’s all about patience and practice. She uses magic skills to help her out of tricky situations. Nathan is a show-off and a total danger magnet, he is drawn to the sensation, spectacle and audience. So when the famous Blackpool Tower dramatically vanishes the night of the Grand Lights Switch-On, showman Nathan announces live on TV that they will magic it back home. With a stick of rock, a spangly cape, and a bit of misdirection, they end up lost in Las Vegas, home to the grand master of illusion, Perplexion, ‘Legend of Magic’. Full of tricks, twists and deceptions, the delightful Nathan and Middy will keep you guessing until the very end. Praise for Noah's Gold: 'Sparkly, witty, enticing storytelling . . . It's perfect' Hilary McKay

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Laika and her fellow street dogs are being trained up for the greatest adventure in history - a trip to the moon! But Laika can't wait to see the stars - so she hatches a plan with her friends to get her there all on her own . . . Join Laika and friends in The Great Rocket Robbery by Carnegie Medal-winning author Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illustrated by Steven Lenton - final destination: adventure!

The author traces his Campbell ancestors through at least seven generations to Perth in central Scotland. Details on children and grandchildren are included when known. The author also includes interesting facts about the times and places where they lived as well as weaving their life stories into local history when he believes it will add value. Details on living persons is limited or excluded. Much of the information was passed down within the author's family and is based on original sources that have not been made available in published works other than the author's earlier publication ""Cottrell-Brashear Family Linage"" which contained some Campbell history. The author includes copies of family documents as well as family photographs. Sources are extensively documented as footnotes at the bottom of each page. Timeline and ancestor charts are also provided. An ""all name"" index lists page numbers for each individual.

The author traces his Lashbrook ancestors back seven generations and his Taylor ancestors back through eight generations. William Lashbrooke, the author's 5th Great-grandfather who was born on 17 October 1717 in Meeth in Devon, England immigrated to the U.S. from Devonshire in 1738 as a bonded passenger/criminal on a ship named "Forward." Isaac Taylor, the author's 6th Great-grandfather who was born on 8 October 1710 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland around 1741. Details on children and grandchildren are included when known. The author also includes facts about the times and places where they lived as well as weaving their life stories into local history when he believes it will add value. Details on living persons is limited or intentionally excluded. Extensive references are included as footnotes and an "all name" index lists each person along with page numbers where they are found.

Frank Cottrell Boyce's Millions is the tale of a not-so-great train robbery.

Two brothers, Damian and Anthony, are unwittingly caught up in a train robbery during Britain's countdown to joining the Euro. Suddenly finding themselves with a vast amount of cash, the boys have just one glorious, appalling dilemma – how to spend it in the few days before it becomes worthless. Torn between the vices of buying a million pizzas and the virtues of ending world poverty, the boys soon discover that being rich is a mug's game. For not only is the clock ticking – the bungling bank robbers are closing in too.

Pizzas or World Peace – what would you choose?

This edition features fantastic cover artwork from the incredible Steven Lenton.

Private bankers have been defined as owner-managers of their bank, irrespective of their type of activity, which could be in any field of banking, sometimes in conjunction with another one, especially commerce in the earlier periods. Analysing the experiences of European private bankers from the early modern period to the early twenty-first century, this book starts by examining the slow emergence of specialist private bankers, largely from amongst those who provided commercial credit. This initial consideration culminates in a focus upon the roles that they played, both during the onset of the continent's industrialization, and in orchestrating the finances of the emerging world economy. Its second theme is private banking's waning importance with the rise of joint-stock competitors, which became increasingly apparent in Britain during the mid-nineteenth century, and elsewhere within Europe some decades later. Lastly, attention is paid to the decline of private bankers in the twentieth century -a protracted and uneven decline, combined with the persistence and even the enduring success of some segments of the profession. It concludes with the revival of private banking in the late twentieth century as a response to the development of a new market - the management of personal wealth.

'Brilliantly entertaining & thought provoking . . . I am in total awe.' David Walliams 'Proper, sparkly, witty, enticing storytelling . . . It's perfect.' Hilary McKay Packed with mystery, adventure and laughs, Noah's Gold is the exciting novel from the bestselling, multi-award-winning author of Millions and Cosmic, Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Fully illustrated in black and white throughout by Steven Lenton, this is perfect for readers of 9+. Being the smallest doesn't stop you having the biggest ideas. Eleven-year old Noah sneaks along on his big sister's geography field trip. Everything goes wrong! Six kids are marooned on an uninhabited island. Their teacher has vanished. They're hungry. Their phones don't work and Noah has broken the internet. There's no way of contacting home . . . Disaster! Until Noah discovers a treasure map and the gang goes in search of gold. 'A writer of comic genius - he has something of Roald Dahl's magic, but more heart' - Sunday Telegraph 'Joyous writing. Wonderful characters. Authentic humour. Heart & soul. So Much Fun. And, oh, the dialogue! Just love it! Pure class' Jenny Pearson, author of The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates

It's one giant leap for all boy-kind in Frank Cottrell Boyce's out-of-this-world story: Cosmic.

Liam is too big for his boots. And his football strip. And his school blazer. But being super-sized height-wise has its advantages: he's the only eleven-year-old to ever ride the G-force-defying Cosmic rollercoaster – or to be offered the chance to drive a Porsche. Long-legged Liam makes a giant leap for boy-kind by competing with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Sometimes being big isn't all about being a grown-up.

This edition of Cosmic includes bonus material and discussion questions from Frank Cottrell Boyce and features fantastic cover artwork from Steven Lenton.

This volume celebrates the significant resurgence of interest in the anthropology of music and dance in recent decades. Traversing a range of fascinating topics,from the reassessment of historical figures such as Katherine Dunham and John Blacking, to the contemporary salience of sonic conflict between Islamic Uyghur and the Han Chinese, the essays within Music, Dance, Anthropology make a strong argument for the continued importance of the work of ethnomusicologists and ethnochoreologists, and of their ongoing recourse to anthropological theories and practices. Case studies are offered from areas as diverse as Central Africa,Ireland, Greece, Uganda and Central Asia, and illuminate core anthropological concepts such as the nature of embodied knowledge, the role of citizenship, ritual practices, and the construction of individual and group identities via a range of ethnographic methodologies. These include the consideration of soundscapes, the use of ethnographic filmmaking, and a reflection on the importance of close cultural engagement over many years. Taken together these contributions show the study of music and dance practices to be essential to any rounded study of social activity, in whatever context it is found. For as this volume consistently demonstrates, the performance of music and dance is always about more than just the performance of music and dance. Contributors: John Baily; Peter Cooke; Ann R. David; Catherine E. Foley; Andree Grau; Rachel Harris; Maria Koutsouba; Jerome Lewis; Barley Norton; Carole Pegg; Martin Stokes.