- Table View
- List View
Born to be Mild: Adventures for the Anxious
by Rob TempleA handful of years ago I moved with my wife to a house on a quiet street in a quiet town and lay quietly in a room for a long time. I used to love an adventure, and I had jobs on magazines (remember magazines?) which provided the opportunity for plenty of them, but when I hit my thirties I started to become increasingly afraid of the world, until I was too frightened to even go outside at all. And I had no need to go outside: I'd somehow wangled it so my job was mostly tweeting, which meant no colleagues, no bosses, no office, no alarm clock, no deadlines . . . just me, my phone and my social media feeds. Doesn't sound too healthy, does it? It wasn't. Everything went bad.Rob Temple runs a social-media empire from the comfort of his sofa. Living the dream! But what happens when a lack of colleagues, bosses and alarm clocks means that your sofa, and the four walls of your very quiet living room, become your whole world? In this tender and life-affirming memoir, Rob explores what it will take for him to become a little less Bear (Pooh) and a little bit more Bear (Grylls), and how mild-mannered, anxious rule-followers can get their own share of (gentle) adventure from time to time.
Born to Climb: From rock climbing pioneers to Olympic athletes
by Zofia ReychClimbing is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports – exciting, addictive and, arguably, much more fun than going to the gym. In 2021 it made its long-awaited Olympic debut, but its journey to Tokyo has been anything but traditional. And the traditionalists would argue that it’s not even a sport at all …In Born to Climb, anthropologist and climber Zofia Reych shares with us the fascinating cultural history of rock and competition climbing. Zofia offers a fresh perspective on some of the pivotal moments and outstanding individuals of the sport, from eighteenth-century exploratory forays on rock, via the rise of climbing legends such as Emilio Comici, Wolfgang Güllich and Lynn Hill, to the limelight of the Olympic arena for the stars of today – Janja Garnbret, Adam Ondra, Shauna Coxsey and more.But Born to Climb is much more than a celebration of the sport’s famous people and places: it is an examination of modern sporting participation and culture, interwoven with the author’s own climbing journey. While the writing is engaging and often funny, Zofia is not afraid to broach sensitive and often overlooked topics, including gender divide, capitalism and the tension between aesthetic and athletic approaches to climbing, in what is a must-read for all climbers.
Born To Fight
by Mark HuntA powerful story of sadness, hope, pride, honour and triumph from the real-life Rocky!Raw, confronting and honest, UFC champion Mark Hunt's inspiring autobiography shows it is possible to defy the odds and carve a better life. Born into a Mormon Samoan family, Hunt details his harrowing early life, his troubled teen years, and his angry youth with no apparent future.After being plucked from an Auckland street fight and dropped into his first kickboxing bout, Mark went on to achieve unprecedented success in Australian and New Zealand combat sports. In an ongoing career that has spanned the globe, Mark Hunt has been in some of the UFC, Pride and K-1's most memorable battles. But in some ways those fights pale in comparison to that which he has overcome out of the ring and cage.As fearless with his opinions as he is in the Octagon, Mark pulls no punches in revealing the highs and lows of his extraordinary life.
Born To Fight: The bestselling story of UFC champion Mark Hunt, the real life Rocky
by Mark Hunt Ben Mckelvey‘There's more than a few instances in this biography of UFC cult favourite Mark Hunt that make you shake your head in can't-make-this-stuff-up disbelief’ - Inside SportA powerful story of sadness, hope, pride, honour and triumph from the real-life Rocky!Raw, confronting and honest, UFC champion Mark Hunt's inspiring autobiography shows it is possible to defy the odds and carve a better life. Born into a Mormon Samoan family, Hunt details his harrowing early life, his troubled teen years, and his angry youth with no apparent future.After being plucked from an Auckland street fight and dropped into his first kickboxing bout, Mark went on to achieve unprecedented success in Australian and New Zealand combat sports. In an ongoing career that has spanned the globe, Mark Hunt has been in some of the UFC, Pride and K-1's most memorable battles. But in some ways those fights pale in comparison to that which he has overcome out of the ring and cage.As fearless with his opinions as he is in the Octagon, Mark pulls no punches in revealing the highs and lows of his extraordinary life.
Born to Ride: The Autobiography of Stephen Roche (Yellow Jersey Cycling Classics Ser.)
by Stephen RocheIn 1987, Irish cycling legend Stephen Roche had an extraordinary year – the year to end all years.June 1987: Winner of the Giro d’Italia July 1987: Secured the yellow jersey at the Tour De FranceSeptember 1987: Victory at the World Cycling Championships in AustriaBy winning the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and world championships in the same season, Stephen Roche defied all odds to win cycling’s ‘triple crown’.Born to Ride, his first full autobiography, takes this extraordinary year as the starting point to explore the rest of his life. He doesn't hold back as he examines the many ups and downs of his time on and off the bike, scrutinising victories, defeats, rivals, serious injury, doping allegations and agonising family breakdown. Beneath the charm and rare natural talent, Roche finally reveals himself as a smiling assassin - a master strategist who lives to attack. ‘One of the most riveting sporting biographies I've read’ Herald
Born to Score: The Autobiography
by Dwight YorkeDwight Yorke has been one of the most successful and prolific goalscorers in the Premier League's history over the past decade. He was known first at Aston Villa and then Manchester United for his permanent smile, smoothness and flair - and for making headlines both on and off the pitch. He was a key member of Manchester United's treble-winning 1999 season and formed a deadly strike parterships with Andy Cole. His subsequent clubs have been Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland.Yorke came to be seen as the epitome of a young, successful, rich lifestyle, and he makes no apology for doing what a lot of young, single men would have done with sporting prowess, adulation and money. But it was his relationship with Katie Price (Jordan) among others which propelled him onto the gossip pages. He's the father of their son Harvey, and he talks for the first time about the hurt of being branded a bad dad who didn't care.Having never spoken out before, Dwight, nearing retirement, wants to tell his side, and from the heart. It's the story of a boy who followed his football dreams from Tobago's white beaches to England's lush stadia and who, having been given a miraculous second chance to live aged two, risked losing everything he held dear. This is his fascinating story.
Born Under a Union Flag: Rangers, the Union and Scottish Independence
by Alan Bissett Alasdair McKillopA book about the relationship of a football club to a political decision? On one level this is madness. But in Scotland it makes perfect sense. What do Rangers mean to Scotland and what does Scotland mean to Rangers? What do Rangers mean to Britain and what does Britain mean to Rangers? How does the club and the game interact with the world around it? Questioning how British and Scottish identities fit into supporting Rangers, Born Under the Union Flag provides the first solid exploration of the relationship between sport and national identity. Well-known and informed contributors from both sides of the independence debate, including Harry Reid, Iain Duff, and Will McLeish, all lend their disparate viewpoints this book, showing just how nuanced - and difficult - the discussion really is. A must-read for anyone interested in Rangers, the history of Scottish football, or the independence debate. Like a great football match, when the final whistle is blown, the players will shake hands and move on. If they have any sense, the winners will be magnanimous in victory; the losers will rue the day but accept the result nonetheless. I guess the one thing neither side wants is a draw and a replay. But that's up to the voters.
Bo's Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership
by Bo Schembechler John BaconThe legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler provides his timeless lessons on leadership and values in this classic leadership book that was finished just days before his untimely death in November 2006.There are very few coaches held higher esteem than Bo Schembechler. As coach of the University of Michigan football team, he won 13 Big Ten titles and finished as the winningest coach in their storied history. But beyond the wins and losses, Bo is best remembered for the remarkable impact he had on his players and fans alike.In BO'S LASTING LESSONS, the coach draws on his years of experience, using first-person anecdotes to deliver timeless lessons on leadership, motivation and responsibility. His distinctive gruff voice leaps from the page. With pithy language, Bo explains that true leadership requires the compassion to actively listen to your people, and then to have the courage to do what is right every time. A big believer in peer pressure and in always making his players accountable for their actions, Schembechler has coached athletes who went on to become professional football players, doctors, lawyers and CEOs.
The Boss: The Life and Times of Horseracing Legend Gordon W. Richards
by John BuddenThe sudden death of Gordon W. Richards in late September 1998 brought a premature end to a legendary training career which had seen him rise from obscurity to national fame as master of his profession. Consigned to racing's scrap-heap with a broken back at the age of 29, he scraped a living as a livery stable proprietor and horse-dealer in a remote part of Northumberland until, five years later, he `discovered' Playlord and a new dawn broke. Rugged, demanding, often outspoken, sometimes ruthless but never lacking in humour, Gordon made relentless progress through the training ranks. `The Boss', as he was widely known, liked to run his stable his own way. Horses, not humans, headed the pecking order, as many famous riders and owners discovered to their cost. Few escaped unscathed, but in over 30 years he employed only six stable jockeys, and two of these, Ron Barry and Jonjo O'Neill, gained championship honours. The Boss charts the successes of the man who twice saddled more than a hundred winners in a single season and who scooped the pool in the Aintree Grand National on two occasions. This enthralling biography, written with full co-operation of Richards himself, provides a compelling insight into the forces that drove him to become one of the most respected trainers in the world.
The Boston Globe Story of the Red Sox: More Than a Century of Championships, Challenges, and Characters
by The Boston Globe Chad FinnExperience the illustrious and passionate history of the Boston Red Sox, one of the most storied franchises in baseball, as it happened through the articles, features, and lens of their hometown and national news outlet, The Boston Globe. The Boston Red Sox are the most winning baseball team in the 21st century with four World Series titles, and they're not slowing down any time soon. Two of the most prominent organizations in Boston, The Boston Globe and the Boston Red Sox, combine to share a tour de force history of the heralded baseball franchise from the very beginning in 1901, when they were known as the Boston Americans. The Boston Globe Story of the Red Sox includes more than 300 articles chronicling the team's rich history as told through the best sports writing and coverage from the beloved Globe reporters, led by veteran sports columnist and an EPPY Award finalist Chad Finn. Relive some of the biggest moments in franchise history, such as their first baseball title ever in 1901, Carlton Fisk's wave home run in 1975, David Ortiz's postseason heroics, and the most dominant Red Sox team ever in 2018. With a foreword from beloved former Sox pitcher and broadcaster, Dennis Eckersley, and Illustrated throughout with hundreds of photographs through every era, and updated through 2022, this beautiful archive celebrates two beloved organizations, and shares the hometown story of one of the world's most popular baseball teams.
Bosun’s Bag: A Treasury of Practical Wisdom for the Traditional Boater
by Tom CunliffeAn illustrated treasury of expert tips on maintenance, navigation and seamanship from the internationally renowned Tom Cunliffe.The bosun's world is a colourful mix of time-honoured techniques, living history and a knowledge of materials beyond the run of common experience. It's the bosun's bag of tools, and the skills that go with them, that forms the core of traditional seafaring. This book is a treasure trove of Tom Cunliffe's priceless practical advice that'll be invaluable to sailors of traditional craft and delight those who love the character, grace and history of these unique boats. Illustrated with Tom's popular salty yarns and exquisite paintings by acclaimed marine artist Martyn Mackrill, this book brings together a lifetime's worth of hands-on knowledge with sections covering sails, rigging and working the ship. From avoiding seized bolts and stowing the main, to drying out and the wonders of beeswax, this collection is packed full of age-old seafaring wisdom.Find out how a real vessel works, how to expand your sailing ability and how you can all live better for it. Dip into this bag now. Whatever you're sailing, you will find something to enrich your passion.
Bosun’s Bag: A Treasury of Practical Wisdom for the Traditional Boater
by Tom CunliffeAn illustrated treasury of expert tips on maintenance, navigation and seamanship from the internationally renowned Tom Cunliffe.The bosun's world is a colourful mix of time-honoured techniques, living history and a knowledge of materials beyond the run of common experience. It's the bosun's bag of tools, and the skills that go with them, that forms the core of traditional seafaring. This book is a treasure trove of Tom Cunliffe's priceless practical advice that'll be invaluable to sailors of traditional craft and delight those who love the character, grace and history of these unique boats. Illustrated with Tom's popular salty yarns and exquisite paintings by acclaimed marine artist Martyn Mackrill, this book brings together a lifetime's worth of hands-on knowledge with sections covering sails, rigging and working the ship. From avoiding seized bolts and stowing the main, to drying out and the wonders of beeswax, this collection is packed full of age-old seafaring wisdom.Find out how a real vessel works, how to expand your sailing ability and how you can all live better for it. Dip into this bag now. Whatever you're sailing, you will find something to enrich your passion.
Both Sides: The International Bestseller
by Nicklas Bendtner Rune Skyum-Nielsen'Bendtner is wired differently from the rest of us.' -The Guardian'Explosive.' - The MirrorKnown as 'Lord Bendtner' to his fans and haters alike, Nicklas Bendtner has been lauded for his football skills at super clubs like Arsenal and Juventus. But his career was haunted by his rocky behaviour and tendency to self-sabotage.Very much a fable of the modern game, Bendtner talks with disarming honesty about the darker side of football and his own difficult fall from grace; about what it's like to have so much promise that you lose touch with reality altogether. It's is about growing up in a working class neighbourhood and what happens when you give a troubled, overconfident teen millions to spend. It's about fighting to reach the top in the worlds' toughest league but having no respect for hierarchy. It's about friendship, rivalry, and the constant quest for an adrenaline kick. It's about money - having too much of it - and an industry that has lost sight of what really matters. A modern footballing fable, it's a story of decline, temper, talent, great football and ultimately the tragedy of unfulfilled potential.Not since the days of Paul McGrath's Back From The Brink have we seen such honesty on the page of a footballer's memoir. Fans of Paul Merson, George Best and Tony Adam's autobiographies will also find pure fascination here in a story that has gripped international readers...
Botham: My Autobiography (Sporting Heroes Ser.)
by Ian BothamOriginally published in 2000 and now available as an ebook. The bestselling autobiography of cricketing legend Ian Botham, includes his first-hand insight into the 1999/2000 winter tour to South Africa.
The Botham Report
by Ian BothamFirst published in 1997 and now available as an ebook. Controversial, hard-hitting, and thought provoking. In The Botham Report, the man who for nearly two decades thrilled cricket fans all over the world, gives his forthright answer to the question: “What is wrong with English cricket?”
Botham's Book of the Ashes: A Lifetime Love Affair with Cricket's Greatest Rivalry
by Sir Ian BothamSir Ian Botham and the Ashes are as closely intertwined as willow and leather or Merv Hughes and his moustache. You simply cannot think of one without the other. In this book, Sir Ian takes you on a ride through a lifetime's relationship with cricket's oldest and most treasured prize, revealing just how it has shaped his life and how he has helped to turn it into the contest it is today.From the moment he first watched the likes of Ken Barrington stride to the wicket in jaw-jutting defiance to the day he flayed Australia's bowling attack around Headingley as if playing with his mates in the park, and then onwards to his role in commentating on what was arguably the finest series of the lot, in 2005, Sir Ian has a rich and varied connection with the Ashes, and he tells all here.The Ashes is a series that has provided incredible highs and heartbreaking lows for English and Australian fans alike over the past 35 years. Sir Ian has often been at the centre of the roller-coaster ride. Whether it is his account of his days as England's dogsbody in 1977 in Melbourne or the story of his refusal to let Bob Willis bowl downwind until he was angry enough to skittle the Aussies in 1981, all is revealed in depth in Botham's Book of the Ashes.
Botham’s Century: My 100 Great Cricketing Characters
by Ian BothamOne hundred colourful portraits of the cricketing characters whom Ian Botham has come across in his eventful career and who have influenced the game for good in his time: from top players, umpires and coaches to pop stars, writers and philanthropists.
Bothy: In Search of Simple Shelter
by null Kat HillLONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE ‘The bothy embrace is addictive’ ADAM NICOLSON 'Will have you reaching for your boots’ CAL FLYN The door to the bothy is always unlocked, you just need to step inside. You will find them in the mountains. You will find them in the wilderness. A bothy is a remote hut you can’t reserve, with no electricity, mod-cons or running water. And it’s here you’ll find Kat Hill – kettle on, feet up and pen out. Leading us on a gorgeous and erudite journey around the UK, Kat reveals the history of these wild mountain shelters and the people who visit them. With a historian’s insight and a rambler’s imagination, she lends fresh consideration to the concepts of nature, wilderness and escape. All the while, Kat weaves together her story of heartbreak and new purpose with those of her fellow wanderers, past and present. Writing with warmth, wit and infectious wanderlust, Kat moves from a hut in an active military training area in the far-north of Scotland to a fairy-tale cottage in Wales. Along her travels, she explores the conflict between our desire to preserve isolated beauty and the urge to share it with others – embodied by the humble bothy. Bothy is a stirring, beautiful book for anyone who longs to run away to the wilds.
The Bottle-Top King
by Jonathan KebbeRESPECT. That's what Lewis wants from his classmates. Nicknamed USELESS LEWIS or LOO BRUSH, he's fed up with his stammer, fed up that he can't pluck up the nerve to join the drama club - and fed up that the only football he gets to play is pretend matches with his collection of bottle-tops at home.Then Lewis' gangly mate Zulfi puts together a team for a five-a-side charity tournament. And he wants LEWIS to play! Can the bottle-top king burst out of his shell and show everyone the hero inside?A fresh, deliciously humourous story from a downtrodden pipsqueak who knows deep down he's a genius!
The Bottom Corner: A Season with the Dreamers of Non-League Football
by Nige Tassell‘Not since The Football Man has a book so captured the passion of the game. The Bottom Corner is a wonderful journey through life in the lower reaches of the football pyramid. A fascinating tale of a very different world of football from that of the overpaid stars of the television age’ Barry DaviesIn these days of oligarch owners, superstar managers and players on sky-high wages, the tide is turning towards the lower reaches of the pyramid as fans search for football with a soul. Plucky underdogs or perennial underachievers, your local non-league team offers hope, drama or at least a Saturday afternoon ritual that's been going for decades. Nige Tassell spends a season in the non-league world. He meets the raffle-ticket seller who wants her ashes scattered in the centre-circle. The envelope salesman who discovered a future England international. The ex-pros still playing with undiluted passion on Sunday mornings. He spends time at clubs looking for promotion to the Football League, clubs just aiming to get eleven players on a pitch every week, and everything in between. One thing unites them: they all inhabit the heartland of the beautiful game.
Bouch: Through my eyes
by Mark Boucher Neil ManthorpWhen Mark Boucher played one of his first games of cricket for South Africa, a senior player took him aside and bluntly told him he was the worst wicketkeeper ever to play in the national side. Over a decade later, when Bouch finally retired with a plethora of records under his belt and to huge acclaim from the public, he took grim satisfaction in relating this piece of history. Through my Eyes is the story of a man with remarkable sporting prowess. Born into a sports-mad family in East London, he excelled in squash, tennis and rugby before choosing cricket as his preferred sport. His extraordinary achievements on the field are well known - he was voted SA player of the year in 1998, 2000 and 2006. What is not so well known, and makes up much of this book, are the behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes. Stories of staring down the barrel of defeat and of celebrating victory; of developing strong bonds with teammates Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and others that go way beyond mere friendship. What emerges is the image of a man who always fought for the underdog, whose never-say-die attitude inspires those around him. Bouch's career was brought to a dramatic end on a cricket pitch in England when the bail of a stump punctured his left eye. But, in his own words, 'I lost sight but gained vision.' True to his character of gritty determination, Bouch has rededicated his life to a new cause, that of the environment and particularly the critically endangered rhino.
Boulting's Velosaurus: A Linguistic Tour de France
by Ned BoultingFind yourself confused, nodding along when a rouleur relates how le biscuit was effrité (crumbled)? How today they’re feeling Angers (past caring)? Fear no more, for Boulting's Velosaurus will illuminate, enlighten and, frankly, mislead. In his Velosaurus, ITV Tour de France commentator and cycling writer Ned Boulting provides the ultimate lexicon of nonsense terminology surrounding the esteemed Tour de France. Featuring essential vocabulary like Alpe (an Alp), panache (riding with doomed flamboyance, conscious of the need to renew one’s contract), moutarde (any race that ends, begins or passes through the city of Dijon) and maillot (a jumper, obviously), Boulting’s Velosaurus is the ideal companion to all things peloton for linguistically-challenged fans of non-automotive two-wheeled sport.'Deserves to be on any Tour de France fan’s shelf.' Cycle
Bounce: The Myth Of Talent And The Power Of Practice
by Matthew SyedFrom the author of You Are Awesome: Find Your Confidence and Dare to be Brilliant at (Almost) Anything Essential reading for an astounding summer of sport; If you’ve ever wondered what makes a champion, Bounce has the answer. This edition does not include illustrations.
Bouncing Back
by Scott OstlerPerfect for fans of Mike Lupica and Tim Green, Bouncing Back brings readers onto the wheelchair basketball court in a story brimming with heart, humor, and thrilling sports action.Back in his old basketball league, Carlos Cooper owned the court, sprinting and jumping and lighting up the scoreboard as opponents (and teammates) watched in awe. Now thirteen-year-old "Cooper the Hooper" is out of his league, new to life in a wheelchair, and struggling to pull his weight with his wheelchair basketball team, the Rollin' Rats.Just when Carlos starts to get the hang of the game, the city shuts down the Rollin' Rats' gym. Without the gym, the team can't practice, and if they can't practice, they might as well kiss their state tournament dreams goodbye. Carlos will need to fully embrace his new friends, and his new role in the sport he loves, in order to truly become part of the team--and help save their season.
Bourdieu, Language and Linguistics
by Michael James GrenfellPierre Bourdieu is regarded as one of the foremost social philosophers of the twentieth century. His output included extensive studies of education, culture, art and language. He went beyond being a sociologist to being regarded in the same 'public intellectual' role as Sartre, de Beauvoir and Foucault. Issues surrounding language permeate Bourdieu's entire oeuvre. Although he did undertake empirical studies on language in a range of contexts, very little of this was published. This book redresses this balance; it sets out what Bourdieu has to say about language and why, and exemplifies this approach through a series of empirical language studies. This book will appeal to researchers across the world in fields such as sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, anthropology but is of especial interest to language and linguistics scholars.