by Simon Levay
Second Opinion
In Second Opinion Theodore Dalrymple lays bare a secret, brutal world hidden to most of us.
Drug addicts and desperate drunks, battered wives and suicidal burglars, elderly Alzheimer's sufferers and teenage stabbing victims. They all pass through his surgery.
It’s the tragic world of ‘Baby P’ and Shannon Matthews – a place where the merest perceived insult leads to murder, where jealous men beat and strangle their women and where ‘anyone will do anything for ten bags of brown’.
In unflinchingly honest prose, shot through with insight, feeling and bleak humour, Dalrymple exposes the unseen horror of our modern slums as never before.
Our Culture, What’s Left Of It
A searing and elegantly-composed indictiment of what he sees as the betrayal of the poor by an intellectual elite, led to Dalrymple being called ‘the new Orwell’ by American critics.
Dalrymple writes about subjects as diverse as the legalisation of drugs, the death of Princess Diana and Marxism.
Not With A Bang But A Whimper
A beautifully-written and thought-provoking collection of essays on social, political and literary issues as diverse as the Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand controversy, violent crime on Britain's streets, the effects of the welfare state, modern architecture and the respective merits of Shakespeare and Dr. Johnson.
Dalrymple uses examples from his long career as a prison doctor and his travels to every corner of the globe to illustrate his central view - that Britain is in the throes of social, cultural and political decline.
Praise for Theodore Dalrymple:
‘Dalrymple’s clarity of thought, precision of expression and constant, terrible disappointment give his dispatches from the frontline a tone and a quality entirely their own… their rarity makes you sit up and take notice’
Marcus Berkmann, The Spectator
‘Dalrymple is a modern master’
Steven Poole, The Guardian
'I promise you'll enjoy his books'
Daniel Hannan, Daily Telegraph
IN FOREIGN FIELDS:
Heroes of Iraq and Afghanistan in their own words,
by Dan Collins.
IF YOU ONLY read one book about our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, read this one.
A searing, jolting, action-packed series of 25 amazing tales of courage, by medal-winning soldiers, Royal Marines and RAF men in their own words.
These are the bravest of the brave, a collection of modest, honest, proud Brits who showed true grit when it mattered most.
Sgt Chris Broome CGC saved the life of Pte Johnson Beharry VC and others, and led his bayonet-wielding men in charges on heavily-defended enemy positions.
Sgt Terry Bryan CGC and his multiple were ambushed and fought a running battle through the streets of Basra for 45 minutes, pursued by hundreds of insurgents. They kicked their way into a house and held a mob of 200 at bay for three hours... until they were rescued by a QRF including Cpl Terry Thomson CGC. The QRF lost a man of their own and battled their way through to Bryan and his men with amazing bravery.
CSgt Matt Tomlinson CGC RM and Cpl Shaun Jardine CGC ran straight towards men with machine guns, ignoring a hail of fire to kill their attackers.
Pte Michelle Norris MC climbed up onto the top of a Warrior armoured vehicle, in the middle of a huge firefight, to save the life of her sergeant. Around 60 rounds were fired at her, some clipping her webbing or hitting the vehicle two inches from her body. (She remains the only woman to win the Military Cross.)
LCoH Andrew Radford CGC ran 70 metres through the Taliban's rocket propelled grenades and machine gun fire to rescue a terribly injured mate...then ran all the way back with him on his shoulders.
Lt Tim Illingworth CGC charged Taliban positions on his own, after the Afghan army men with him were killed or fled.
Flt Lt Matt Carter MC jumped out of a flying helicopter, at night, straight into a firefight with the Taliban, because his comrades were in trouble.
Lt Hugo Farmer CGC led his men through ferocious Taliban fire to recover the body of Cpl Bryan Budd VC.
This list goes on and on... astonishing stories by amazing people, of whom Britain should be tremendously proud.
These enthralling and captivating stories shine new light on our fighting men and women.
'Enthralling, awe-inspiring, untold stories'
The Daily Mail
'Excellent... simply unputdownable. Buy this book.'
The Sun
'Modesty and courage go hand-in-hand... an outstanding read.'
Soldier Magazine
'The book everyone's talking about'
News of the World
'Astonishing feats of bravery'
Independent on Sunday
'A book that was crying out to be written'
Defence Focus
'A remarkable book... an uplifting read'
Pennant
SO THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT GREAT BRITAIN
by Steve Pope
In this quirky new book, Steve Pope reveals the stories behind some of the world's most remarkable inventions and discoveries - and all of them are British.
Presented in an easy to read A-Z format, So That's Why They Call It Great Britain is quite simply crammed full of fascinating facts.
For example, did you know we gave the world chocolate bars, fizzy drinks, the flushing loo, computers and the iPod ?
We also came up with the cash machine, safari parks, the collapsible umbrella, the light bulb and text messaging.
Of course there were more serious inventions too like ibuprofen, anaesthetics, innoculations and antibiotics. We unlocked the DNA code, produced the world's first test tube baby and invented ultrasound.
Trains, planes and automobiles revolutionised the way we travel and our advancements with computer technology gave everyone the world wide web.
Not bad for a country which covers less than half of one per cent of the earth’s land mass.
Our agricultural and industrial revolutions changed the way the world ate and worked, our legal and political system has been copied across the globe, our explorers discovered new lands and our language is spoken everywhere.
Most of the world’s major sports originated here and the television set that they are watched on was also invented by a Brit.
And we lead the world in one other thing: self-deprecation. This book shows – without boasting, and with tons of humour, unknown facts and weird stories – just why our country is called GREAT Britain
.
PICKING UP THE BRASS
The 80s! The Army! The Madness
by Eddy Nugent
It's 1985, The Smiths are in the charts and Maggie Thatcher is in No10. Eddy Nugent's in Manchester, he's 16 and he's slowly going out of his mind with boredom. So what does he do? He joins the British Army.
Overnight, he leaves the relative sanity of civvie street and falls headlong into the lunatic parallel universe of basic training: a life of press ups, boot polish and drill.
Gradually, he finds his feet and settles down to life as a soldier. There's still plenty of press ups, boot polish and drill to occupy him, but he finds time for beer, girls and other bad behaviour.
Andy McNab he isn't.
Picking Up The Brass is a hilarious, riotous and FHM-approved look at life as a young recruit.
About the author:
'Eddy Nugent' is the nom de plume of two soldiers, Ian Deacon and Charlie Bell. Closely based on their own experiences, it's a must-read for anyone who has served, anyone who is planning to join up or anyone who's ever thought, 'Surely not every soldier in the Army is trained to kill people with a toothpick?'
'Hilarious'
The Big Issue
Laugh Out Loud Funny
Soldier Magazine
EDDY NUGENT AND THE MAP OF AFRICA
by Eddy Nugent
''For the first time in my young military career, those recruitment posters showing lads windsurfing and r
elaxing on the beach swam into my mind s eye without a trace of irony.''
Young soldier Eddy Nugent can't believe his luck. It's 1991, and he's been posted to tropical Belize - where he works seven hours a week and spends the rest of his time drinking, swimming in the Caribbean and getting to know the local ladies.
It's all a far cry from the rainy Manchester streets where he grew up. But it can't last, and before long Eddy is catapulted over to Germany, where the British Army and a few battered Land Rovers are all that stands between the mighty Soviet Union and world domination...
The hilarious sequel to Picking Up The Brass.
WATCHING MEN BURN
A Soldier’s Story
by Tony McNally
Gunner Tony McNally had a vital job in the Falklands - as a Rapier missile operator, his job was to protect the British ships and men from air attack by the fearless and desperate Argentinian pilots. His war went well - until June 8, 1982. McNally and his Rapier system were dug in on the hillside overlooking Bluff Cove, guarding the Sir Galahad troop ship as it sat waiting to offload hundreds of soldiers. Suddenly, enemy fighter-bombers screamed into the bay... and McNally's system failed. He watched, helpless, as bombs rained down on the defenceless ship.
Fifty men of the Welsh Guards lost their lives and many others - famously including Simon Weston - were horribly burned. McNally's life changed in that moment.
He left the army after the war and - though he re-enlisted and even volunteered for two tours of Northern Ireland - he was riddled by guilt and plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of that awful day.
Watching Men Burn is his gripping, moving and funny story of army life and the dreadful reality of warfare and its effects on the survivors.
With a foreword by Simon Weston.
CURSE OF THE Al DULAIMI HOTEL…
And Other Half-truths From Baghdad
by Colin Freeman
Colin Freeman is a tabloid hack, wasting his life hanging around outside the houses of minor celebrities. His job is soul-destroying and his personal life isn't much better. So he jacks it all in and goes to Iraq - as Britain's most amateur war correspondent. Against the odds, Freeman finds his feet and reveals a slice of Iraq unlike any other (getting shot in the backside along the way) and delivers a hilarious and insightful travelogue from the edges of modern journalism.