'A fool and his words are soon parted' wrote William Shenstone in 1764; one might add that 'A wit and his words are rarely collected'. Here is the antidote: a dazzling survey of the funniest remarks, quips and observations from Ancient Rome, the Bible and Chaucer right up to The Simpsons and Little Britain. Over 5,000 of the very funniest...

Five eye-opening BBC documentaries about the hidden economic framework that surrounds our every move. Capitalism is all around us, affecting almost everything we do and impacting our daily lives in myriad ways. This comprehensive collection takes an in-depth look at this all-pervasive economic system, examining its triumphs and disasters and revealing how it puts money and markets at the centre...

Need a handbook to your architect’s business or studies? Struggling with your latest DIY project? Interested in the art of architecture? This classic work, now in its fifth edition, covers every aspect of architecture and landscape architecture. Ranging from ancient times to contemporary trends, it adopts a truly international perspective, focussing on countries and cultures such as Coptic, Tibet and...

A detailed and compelling political study of how elite forces shape mass media. Edward S Herman and Noam Chomsky investigate how an underlying elite consensus structures mainstream media. Here they skilfully dissect the way in which the marketplace and the economics of publishing significantly shape the news. This book reveals how issues are framed and topics chosen, and the double...

WINNER OF THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2021 THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2021 A SUNDAY TIMES AND TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR The dramatic, gripping story of notorious business tycoon Robert Maxwell is this year’s must-have Christmas gift for fans of true crime! 'The best biography yet of the media magnate Robert Maxwell - by...

Crossroads, turning point, impulse, inspiration, instinct, influence - call it what you will. Each and every one of us have made crucial decisions, and if we're lucky been helped with the right words at the right time. Over 50 of our most talented and courageous figures, from JK Rowling to David Beckham, have come together to give the stories behind...

From the international bestselling author of The Post-American World 'An intelligent, learned and judicious guide for a world already in the making' The New York Times Since the end of the Cold War, the world has been shaken to its core three times. 11 September 2001, the financial collapse of 2008 and - most of all - Covid-19. Each was...

Conway opens with her assessment of her life, passions, possibilities and the making of her decision to leave Canada and return to the United States to become Smith's first woman president. Settling into her new environment, she is at once struck by the beauty of the Connecticut Valley and the Olmstead-designed Smith campus - but also by the College's financial...

When Phil Ball left university with a workmanlike English degree to his name and no discernible ambitions, he wasn't entirely sure what to do next. So like many before him he thought he'd giving teaching a go. Why not? This is the comic story of one man's painfully slow metamorphosis into a teacher at an everyday comprehensive and his encounters...

'Simply Brilliant' THE SECRET BARRISTER 'Passionate and brilliantly argued' DAVID OLUSOGA 'An admirably personal guide' MARINA HYDE 'Smart, analytical, self-aware and important' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL THE INTIMATE, REVEALING NEW BOOK FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING, PRIZE-WINNING HOW TO BE RIGHT There's no point having a mind if you're not willing to change it James O'Brien has built well over a...

Brought to you by Penguin. A witty, fiercely intelligent exploration of why capitalism is rigged against women and what we can do about it. Unregulated capitalism is bad for women. Socialism, if done properly, leads to economic independence, better labour conditions, better work/family balance and, yes, even better sex. If you like the idea of such outcomes, then come along...

The New Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations contains over 8,000 quotations from 1914 to the present. As much a companion to the modern age as it is an entertaining and useful reference tool, it takes the reader on a tour of the wit and wisdom of the great and the good, from Margot Asquith to Monica Lewinsky, from George V...

Brought to you by Penguin. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, capitalism was stuck. It had no answers to a host of problems, including disease, inequality, the digital divide and, perhaps most blatantly, the environmental crisis. Taking her inspiration from the 'moonshot' programmes which successfully co-ordinated public and private sectors on a massive scale, Mariana Mazzucato calls for the...

Kings and queens, British prime ministers, American presidents, countries of Europe... We should all know these things - but like me, you're probably resigned to being the kind of person that just never will. Now Grandmaster of Memory Ed Cooke offers up his memory secrets with a fun, quick and completely unforgettable way to remember the things you thought you...

Accessing the huge selection of critical theory can be an intimidating experience. This acclaimed dictionary is an invaluable introduction to the theories and theorists in the field and will prove an authoritative resource for all students. ...