Today, the human race faces a new problem. Thanks to information technology, vast asymmetries of knowledge and power have opened up. Through the screens of our smart devices, corporations and governments know what we're doing, what we're thinking, can predict our next moves and influence our behaviour. We, meanwhile, don't even have the right to know that any of this is going on. As Paul Mason argues in this pyrotechnic new book, all this is intimately connected to the urgent economic, political and moral crises we are living through now. Clear Bright Future explores how, during the preceding decades, the free-market system reduced us to two-dimensional consumers. Underlying the dominance of these forces, Mason contends, is the idea that human values no longer have foundation - an idea that, as we allow the all-pervasive presence of machines in our lives, we are tacitly coming to accept. And, if these forces are not stopped, we will relive something even worse than the 1930s. But there is another way. We have the power to imagine and design a better system, at the heart of which is a radical reassertion of our common humanity. All this, Mason asserts, starts with a simple, fundamental choice. Will we accept the machine control of human beings, or will we resist it?

A passionate defence of humanity and a work of radical optimism from the international bestselling author of Postcapitalism How do we preserve what makes us human in an age of uncertainty? Are we now just consumers shaped by market forces? A sequence of DNA? A collection of base instincts? Or will we soon be supplanted by algorithms and A.I. anyway? In Clear Bright Future, Paul Mason calls for a radical, impassioned defence of the human being, our universal rights and freedoms and our power to change the world around us. Ranging from economics to Big Data, from neuroscience to the culture wars, he draws from his on-the-ground reporting from mass protests in Istanbul to riots in Washington, as well as his own childhood in an English mining community, to show how the notion of humanity has become eroded as never before. In this book Paul Mason argues that we are still capable - through language, innovation and co-operation - of shaping our future. He offers a vision of humans as more than puppets, customers or cogs in a machine. This work of radical optimism asks: Do you want to be controlled? Or do you want something better?

'The most important book about our economy and society to be published in my lifetime' Irvine Welsh From Paul Mason, the award-winning Channel 4 presenter, Postcapitalism is a guide to our era of seismic economic change, and how we can build a more equal society. Over the past two centuries or so, capitalism has undergone continual change - economic cycles that lurch from boom to bust - and has always emerged transformed and strengthened. Surveying this turbulent history, Paul Mason wonders whether today we are on the brink of a change so big, so profound, that this time capitalism itself, the immensely complex system by which entire societies function, has reached its limits and is changing into something wholly new. At the heart of this change is information technology: a revolution that, as Mason shows, has the potential to reshape utterly our familiar notions of work, production and value; and to destroy an economy based on markets and private ownership - in fact, he contends, it is already doing so. In this groundbreaking, Sunday Times top ten book, Mason shows how, from the ashes of the recent financial crisis, we have the chance to create a more socially just and sustainable global economy.

Paul Mason's father was a policeman. He was also a member of a sadistic paedophile ring. He would keep Paul locked up and naked in a tiny cupboard under the stairs of their home before sexually abusing him. This cycle of abuse continued for several years and also affected his brother. The cupboard became a horrific prison where fear and terror filled his every moment. The Cupboard Under the Stairs is a story of abuse at the mercy of adults whom Paul should have been able to trust. There followed a life almost destroyed by their actions. It is the harrowing story of one man's fight for justice and an end to the horrific memories that still haunt him daily.

A funny, ghostly tale, packed with adventure and a sprinkling of history (including a starring role for the ghost of the Duke of Wellington). With hilarious illustrations from Mike Phillips, this warm-hearted story is the perfect way to help build children's reading confidence. There's something unusual about Stella and Tom's friends - they're all a little bit dead! The Duke of Wellington and the other ghosts in the castle are feeling homesick and so a ghostly road trip is the only cure. Can Stella and Tom get their friends home without the interfering ghost catcher, Stoneyheart, catching up with them? Funny, exciting or a little bit spooky, Black Cats are fast-paced stories with short chapters and illustrations throughout: perfect stepping stones to reading confidence.

Horses come in all shapes and sizes, from giant draft horses down to tiny ponies. Join your equine guide for a trip through his family album. You'll meet all sorts of interesting breeds along the way, and find out a few family secrets as well!

This pack contains six of each of the following titles: The Misadventures of Charles Darwin, The Show Must Go On!, How to Change the World, Mayan Mystery, Generation Energy, Thomas Heatherwick: Designer. TreeTops inFact\~is a non-fiction series that aims to engage children in reading for pleasure as powerfully as fiction does. The variety of topics means there are books to interest every child in this compelling series.\~The series is written by top children's authors and subject experts. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Welcome to the weird world of animal wee! Find out which animals are the fastest at peeing, which animals don't actually pee and how animal wee can save the planet! Impress friends with "would you wee-lieve it?" wacky animal wee facts and discover the fascinating science behind animal wee, with Paul Mason's highly accessible and entertaining text. The Poo that Animals Do illustrator Tony De Saulles combines his trademark humorous artwork with fun, factual photographs to create a bladder-busting encyclopedia of animal wee. Perfect for any curious reader but ideally pitched for 7+

Iraq offers complete coverage of this fascinating country, including sections on history, geography, wildlife, infrastructure and government, and culture. It also includes a detailed fact file, maps and charts, and a traceable flag.

From Surfing to the Secret Life of Rats, Extreme Science will excite and inspire 8-11 year olds. High-interest topics grab the reader and introduce some key science concepts in an accessible and innovative way. The action-packed pages are designed to motivate struggling and reluctant readers, and a reading age of 7 makes the content super-accessible. Extreme titles are ideal for supporting creative classroom teaching and for spicing up topic libraries.

Each World Sport book reveals an ideal location for learning a particular technique essential for mastering the sport, from trimming a surfboard along a wave in Windansea, California, to sailing the Whitsundays, Australia. Opening with perfect beginner locations and techniques, the complexity develops, leading readers through to expert-only locations and techniques, building an understanding of technique and equipment as they go.

Project X Origins is a ground-breaking guided reading programme for the whole school. Action-packed stories, fascinating non-fiction and comprehensive guided reading support meet the needs of children at every stage of their reading development. Each book contains inside cover notes that highlight challenge words, prompt questions and a range of follow-up activities to support children in their reading. Project X Origins guided reading notes offer step-by-step teaching support for each book with guidance about phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, spelling, grammar, punctuation and writing. Each set of notes has in-built assessment and is fully correlated to all UK curricula. This pack contains 1 set of guided reading notes and 5 reading books, 1 of each of: A Dangerous Game, Time Trip, Fight for the Future - Ant vs the Collector, After Tomorrow, Space Holidays and other freaky futures

A washed up TV reporter stumbles onto a corruption scandal in Western China. Pursued through the desert by a psychotic spin-doctor and a world-weary cop, he discovers the real China: illegal metal mines, a fashion-crazed gang of girl bikers, a whole commune of Tiananmen Square survivors and the up-market sleaze-joints of Beijing. En route, he clashes with a stellar cast of people-traffickers, prostitutes and TV execs. But then the unquiet dead begin to intervene: ghosts from his own past and the past of Chinese Communism; the 'spirits that hover three feet above our heads' of Chinese folklore. Rare Earth is a story about love, journalism, ghosts, metallurgy, vintage militaria and large motorcycles set in the badlands of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. It is about the west's inability to understand the East; one man's epic journey across a dying landscape, where 'thousands of pairs of eyes peer beyond grimy windowpanes into the moonless sky, looking for something better.'

Monkey and his friends, Zu and Sandy, lived in the Emperor's Cloud Palace. But they played all sorts of tricks on people, so, as a punishment, the Jade Emperor sent them down to Earth. They can only return if they prove that they can use their magical powers for good. Adventure is never far away! In Demon Attack, the friends are called to investigate when a headteacher is acting strangely. There are some very creepy goings-on behind the scenes. Will they uncover what is happening and defeat the mysterious villain? Bloomsbury High Low books encourage and support reading practice by providing gripping, age-appropriate stories for struggling and reluctant readers, those with dyslexia, or those with English as an additional language. Printed on tinted paper and with a dyslexia friendly font,Skate Monkey is aimed at readers aged 8+ and has a manageable length (72 pages)and reading age (7+). The Skate Monkey stories can be read in any order. Produced in association with reading experts at CatchUp, a charity which aims to address underachievement caused by literacy and numeracy difficulties. Book band: Lime

Monkey and his friends, Zu and Sandy, lived in the Emperor's Cloud Palace. But they played all sorts of tricks on people, so, as a punishment, the Jade Emperor sent them down to Earth. They can only return if they prove that they can use their magical powers for good. Adventure is never far away! Kidnap sees the friends caught up in a frightening plot to capture a girl. Using their magic powers and some friends at the zoo, will they defeat the evil villains? Bloomsbury High Low books encourage and support reading practice by providing gripping, age-appropriate stories for struggling and reluctant readers, those with dyslexia, or those with English as an additional language. Printed on tinted paper and with a dyslexia friendly font, Skate Monkey is aimed at readers aged 8+ and has a manageable length (72 pages) and reading age (7+). The Skate Monkey stories can be read in any order. Produced in association with reading experts at CatchUp, a charity which aims to address underachievement caused by literacy and numeracy difficulties. Book band: Lime

Monkey and his friends, Zu and Sandy, lived in the Emperor's Cloud Palace. But they played all sorts of tricks on people, so, as a punishment, the Jade Emperor sent them down to Earth. They can only return if they prove that they can use their magical powers for good. Adventure is never far away! In The Cursed Village, something is very wrong in Weston. People are living in fear of the half-zombies, half-vampires that are roaming the streets. Can the friends save the village from the monsters? Bloomsbury High Low books encourage and support reading practice by providing gripping, age-appropriate stories for struggling and reluctant readers, those with dyslexia, or those with English as an additional language. Printed on tinted paper and with a dyslexia friendly font, Skate Monkey is aimed at readers aged 8+ and has a manageable length (72 pages) and reading age (7+). This collection of stories can be read in any order. Produced in association with reading experts at CatchUp, a charity which aims to address underachievement caused by literacy and numeracy difficulties.

Monkey and his friends, Zu and Sandy, lived in the Emperor's Cloud Palace. But they played all sorts of tricks on people, so, as a punishment, the Jade Emperor sent them down to Earth. They can only return if they prove that they can use their magical powers for good. Adventure is never far away! In Fear Mountain, beastly cries, giant footprints and mysterious events at a funfair are causing trouble every night. Can the friends find out what is going on, and save the day? Bloomsbury High Low books encourage and support reading practice by providing gripping, age-appropriate stories for struggling and reluctant readers, those with dyslexia, or those with English as an additional language. Printed on tinted paper and with a dyslexia friendly font, Skate Monkey is aimed at readers aged 8+ and has a manageable length (72 pages) and reading age (7+). This collection of stories can be read in any order. Produced in association with reading experts at CatchUp, a charity which aims to address underachievement caused by literacy and numeracy difficulties. Book band: Lime Ideal for ages: 8 + Reading age: 7+

Project X CODE Extra introduces more exciting adventure stories and stimulating non-fiction texts into the Project X CODE series. This pack contains 3 of each of the following titles: The Feast, The Jousting Handbook, T-rex Trouble, Dino Detectives. In line with the phonic, vocabulary and comprehension progression in Project X CODE, these books are ideal for additional practice outside of the core intervention sessions, for introducing children to non-fiction texts, and for children who simply want to read more of the CODE adventure!

See the world from a whole new angle! This innovative series, illustrated with amazing isometric artwork, reveals the technology, science and engineering behind our world's infrastructure. Discover how fossil fuels generate electricity, what reusables are and what goes on inside a nuclear power station.

This pack contains one of each of the following titles: The Misadventures of Charles Darwin, The Show Must Go On!, How to Change the World, Mayan Mystery, Generation Energy, Thomas Heatherwick: Designer. TreeTops inFact is a non-fiction series that aims to engage children in reading for pleasure as powerfully as fiction does. The variety of topics means there are books to interest every child in this compelling series. The series is written by top children's authors and subject experts. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.