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Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty
by Karl ShawAn uproarious, eye-opening history of Europe's notorious royal houses that leaves no throne unturned and will make you glad you live in a democracy.Do you want to know which queen has the unique distinction of being the only known royal kleptomaniac? Or which empress kept her dirty underwear under lock and key? Or which czar, upon discovering his wife's infidelity, had her lover decapitated and the head, pickled in a jar, placed at her bedside?Royally dishing on hundreds of years of dubious behavior, Royal Babylon chronicles the manifold appalling antics of Europe's famous families, behavior that rivals the characters in an Aaron Spelling television series. Here, then, are the insane kings of Spain, one of whom liked to wear sixteen pairs of gloves at one time; the psychopathic Prussian soverigns who included Frederick William and his 102-inch waist; sex-fixated French rulers such as Philip Duke D'Oreleans cavorting with more than a hundred mistresses; and, of course, the delightfully drunken and debauched Russian czars - Czar Paul, for example, who to make his soldiers goose-step without bending their legs had steel plates strapped to their knees. But whether Romanov or Windsor, Habsburg or Hanover, these extravagant lifestyles, financed as they were by the royals' badgered subjects, bred the most wonderfully offbeat and disturbingly unbelievable tales - and Karl Shaw has collected them all in this hysterically funny and compulsively readable book. Royal Babylon is history, but not as they teach it in school, and it underlines in side-splitting fashion Queen Victoria's famous warning that it is unwise to look too deeply into the royal houses of Europe.
There Was a Soldier
by Angus KonstamFor hundreds of years, the Scottish soldier has been recording his experiences. From the War of the Spanish Succession until the deployment of regiments in Iraq, Scottish soldiers have written home with tales of their exploits, or had details of their experiences published in newspapers, regimental histories and books. The result is a wealth of primary information, telling the story of the Scottish soldiers who fought in Europe, America, Africa, India and the Far East. Included in the collection are letters, lyrics of songs and poems composed by the soldiers themselves, highland anecdotes, extracts from official reports, and even typescripts of interviews. This is the gritty, real-life story of the Scottish soldier, told in his own words.
The Orphan Brigade: The Kentucky Confederates Who Couldn't Go Home
by William C. DavisOn September 18, 1861, ominous sounds of battle thundering in the distance, the Kentucky legislature voted to align itself with the Union. It was a decision which tore at the heart of the state, splitting apart families and severing friendships. For the newly formed First Kentucky Brigade, it marked a four-year separation from the beloved homeland. Fiercely independent to the end, these men would fight for the cause of the South. With their first march into battle, they became outcasts from their mother state -- orphans in the raging strife of civil war. William C. Davis has written a gripping story of the rebel troops whose remarkable spirit and tenacity were heralded throughout the Confederacy. The First Kentucky Brigade was "baptized in fire and blood" at the Battle of Shiloh and went on to serve with great distinction at Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, Chickamauga, and the fight for Atlanta. In this vivid narrative, the author captures the searing drama of each battle, as well as the unbearable drudgery of the months between. We see men of all backgrounds and ranks coming to grips with the war: some of them, renowned leaders such as John C. Breckinridge; others, young soldiers learning the horror of death for the first time. Drawing from a wealth of documents, memoirs, personal letters, and journals, Davis brings to life the fascinating history of the Civil War's "Orphan Brigade."
The Sty's the Limit: When Middle Age Gets Mucky
by Simon Dawson'An amazing story of love, laughter and the challenges of living from the land ... Simon's self-sufficient rural life is an inspiration to us all' - Ben FogleFollowing a drunken misunderstanding Simon Dawson gave up his job in the city, moved to the wilds of Exmoor and became an accidental self-sufficient smallholder with an array of animals. But that was years ago now. Following up on his first book, PIGS IN CLOVER, this is the story of what happens when he suddenly realises that his life is changing all over again. He's not quite the spring chicken that he used to be: he is, horror of horrors, getting older.With a cast of best friends (some more helpful than others) including Ziggy, a panicked soon-to-be father desperate to grow up, Garth, an annoying teenager, and a rather handsome pig called The General, a plan is hatched to help each other mature (or immature). Heartfelt discoveries and hilarious endeavours ensue as they work through their age-related angsts, all with a fair dose of pigs, chickens, lambs and animal madness along the way. This is Exmoor's uplifting laugh-out-loud antidote to middle age in the mud; a place where you truly realise that the sty's the limit!
Rogue Tory: The Life and Legend of John G. Diefenbaker
by Denis SmithWinner of the Dafoe Book Prize Winner of the University of British Columbia Medal for Canadian Biography 1995 marked the 100th anniversary of that most charismatic and enigmatic public figure, the thirteenth prime minister of Canada, John George Diefenbaker. Beloved and reviled with equal passion, he was a politician possessed of a flamboyant, self-fabulizing nature that is the essential ingredient of spellbinding biography. After several runs at political office, Diefenbaker finally reached the Commons in 1940; sixteen years later he was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. In 1958, after a campaign that dazzled the voters, the Tories won the largest majority in the nation’s history: the Liberal party was shattered, its leader, Lester Pearson, humiliated by an electorate that had chosen to “follow John. ” Diefenbaker’s victory promised a long and sunny Conservative era. It was not to be: instead Dief gave the country a decade of continuous convulsion, marked by his government’s defeat in 1963 and his own forced departure from the leadership in 1967, a very public drama that divided his party and riveted the nation. When Diefenbaker died in 1979, he was given a state funeral modeled - at his own direction - on those of Churchill and Kennedy. It culminated in a transcontinental train journey and burial on the bluffs overlooking Saskatoon, alongside the archive that houses his papers - the only presidential-style library built for a Canadian prime minister. Canadians embraced the image of Dief as a morally triumphant underdog, even as they were repelled by his outrageous excesses. He revived a moribund party and gave the country a fresh sense of purpose but he was no match for the dilemmas of the Cold War of Quebec nationalism, or the subtleties of the country’s relations with the United States. This compelling biography, illuminating both legend and man and the nation he helped shape, was among the most highly praised books of the year. From the Hardcover edition.
The Invisible Soldier: Captain W.A.P. Durie, His Life and Afterlife
by Veronica CusackIn November, 1915, a shy, cosseted and rather pompous bank clerk left Canada to fight as a lieutenant on the battlefields of Europe. Despite genteel poverty, his mother had raised him to be the heir to both military greatness and aristocratic splendour. She even followed him to Europe in an attempt to manipulate his destiny. But in the awful killing ground of the Ypres Salient, and subsequently at Vimy and Passchendaele, William Arthur Peel Durie came to understand something of the man he was, instead of the man he was supposed to be. Mother was not pleased. When her son died in the trenches of France, Anna Durie could once again control his fate. Despite the dictates of Britain and the Empire stating that soldiers who fell in the Great War must rest with their comrades, she made up her mind to steal his body from its grave in the military cemetery near Lens and smuggle it home to the Toronto family plot. Veronica Cusack has unearthed a treasure trove of letters, memoirs, and war records and used them to brilliantly recreate a soldier finding himself in battle and a woman driven by her maternal obsession.
Dear Jelly: Dear Jelly: Family Letters From The First World War One Shot: Dear Jelly: Family Letter
by Sarah RidleyThe moving story of two brothers who fought in the First World War through the real letters, complete with hand-drawn cartoons, they sent to their sisters. Like so many families across the world, the Semple family were split apart by the First World War. While William and Robert were fighting the Germans in France, their younger sisters, Mabel and Jelly (Eileen), had to carry on with school back in England. To keep in touch, they wrote letters. The sisters treasured these letters, which gave snapshots of their brothers' lives as soldiers. Many of the letters included cartoon illustrations to amuse the sisters.The book presents these letters with their illustrations. After each letter the author has written a short commentary, drawing out the facts about the war that can be taken from it. Altogether the book is a powerful and moving record of one family's experience of the First World War and a moving read for readers aged nine and up.A powerful, moving record of one family's first-hand experience of the First World War. - Education Today
The Boy They Tried to Hide: The true story of a son, forgotten by society
by Shane DunphyThe Boy They Tried to Hide is the startling, true account about a troubled young boy who disappears into the woods by his house. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction ... Shane Dunphy was working as a resource teacher in a rural town when he was approached by the mother of one of his pupils, seeking help. She is worried for her troubled young son, who has been found leaving the house late at night to go deep into the woods near their home. He has spoken of meetings with a friend, Thomas, but no one else has seen him or knows who he is. As Shane tries to discover what's going on, a sexual predator he helped bring to justice years before reappears. The man is looking to settle a score, and has picked someone close to Shane as his next victim.In The Boy They Tried to Hide, Shane Dunphy revisits cases he encountered during his time as a child protection worker and journalist and, in doing so, once again discovers that leaving the past behind is harder than it seems.
Lift: An inspirational letter of love from a mother to her children
by Kelly CorriganWritten as a letter to her children, Kelly Corrigan's Lift is a tender, intimate, and robust portrait of risk and love; a touchstone for anyone who wants to live more fully. In Lift, Corrigan weaves together three true and unforgettable stories of adults willing to experience emotional hazards in exchange for the gratifications of raising children.Lift takes its name from hang gliding, a pursuit that requires flying directly into rough air, because turbulence saves a glider from 'sinking out.' For Corrigan, this wisdom becomes a metaphor for all of life's most meaningful endeavors, particularly the great flight that is parenting. Corrigan serves it up straight--how mundanely and fiercely her children have been loved, how close most lives occasionally come to disaster, and how often we fall short as mothers and fathers. Lift is for everyone who has been caught off guard by the pace and vulnerability of raising children, to remind us that our work is important and our time limited.Like Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea, Lift is a meditation on the complexities of a woman's life, and like Corrigan's memoir, The Middle Place, Lift is boisterous and generous, a book readers can't wait to share.
The Huey P. Newton Reader
by Donald Weise David Hilliard Fredrika NewtonThe first comprehensive collection of writings by the Black Panther Party founder and revolutionary icon of the black liberation era, The Huey P. Newton Reader combines now-classic texts ranging in topic from the formation of the Black Panthers, African Americans and armed self-defense, Eldridge Cleaver's controversial expulsion from the Party, FBI infiltration of civil rights groups, the Vietnam War, and the burgeoning feminist movement with never-before-published writings from the Black Panther Party archives and Newton's private collection, including articles on President Nixon, prison martyr George Jackson, Pan-Africanism, affirmative action, and the author's only written account of his political exile in Cuba in the mid-1970s. Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Angela Davis, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and Geronimo Pratt all came to international prominence through Newton's groundbreaking political activism. Additionally, Newton served as the Party's chief intellectual engine, conversing with world leaders such as Yasser Arafat, Chinese Premier Chou Enlai, and Mozambique President Samora Moises Machel among others.
The Four Deuces: A Korean War Story
by C. S. CrawfordThese memoirs are not an attempt to answer, solve, or resolve the problems arising from or about the three-year-long Korean War or the much longer stalemate that followed. This story was written to let you know how one very young, very scared marine saw his very first war and how he reacted to the killing and the mayhem of it. The stories are my view of that war, a war gone to ground in the trench lines. Dig into the stories and you may find something you were not expecting.I am well aware that my view of the Korean War has no historical importance. Still, it is my view, and I want to share it with you. I do not have a cause to plead or an ax to grind, and that alone ought to count for something. My memoirs are selective and most certainly tainted with time. My recollections are a lot like boot mines, and ought to be approached with caution. I was a grunt, a Four Deuce forward observer, assigned to duty with a marine infantry company every time the 1st Marine Regiment went back up on line. During the time I was in Korea my boondockers were firmly planted in trench-line mud. When I came home in September 1952, I was proud that I had helped in the attempt to stop Communism in Korea. I was proud of all the men I served, and served with, and I was a little bit proud of myself, too.From the Trade Paperback edition.
River in a Dry Land
by Trevor HerriotA landscape holds many stories, and in River in a Dry Land, Trevor Harriot's evocative book on Saskatchewan's Qu'Appelle Basin, the author-naturalist is determined to tell them all. In the summer of 1996, Herriot travelled the length and breadth of this 20,000-square-mile basin at the northeastern limits of North America's Great Plains. Though European settlers are new to this watershed, Herriot makes the point that this is not some place where nature was long "untouched by man" and recently ruined. Instead, he is more interested in the intricate relationship between people and the land that gives them life.
Rebel Bookseller (Second Edition): Why Indie Bookstores Represent Everything You Want to Fight for from Free Speech to Buying Local to Building Communities
by Bill Ayers Andrew Laties Ed MorrowThe revival of independent bookselling has already begun and is one of the amazing stories of our times. Bookseller Andy Laties wrote the first edition of Rebel Bookseller six years ago, hoping it would spark a movement. Now, with this second edition, Laties's book can be a rallying cry for everyone who wants to better understand how the rise of the big bookstore chains led irrevocably to their decline, and how even in the face of electronic readers from three of America's largest and most successful companies--Apple, Amazon, and Google--the movement to support locally owned independent stores, especially bookstores, is on the rise. From the mid-1980s to the present, Andy Laties has been an independent bookseller, starting out in Chicago, teaching along the way at the American Booksellers Association, and finally running the bookshop at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. His innovations were adapted by Barnes & Noble, Zany Brainy, and scores of independent stores. In Rebel Bookseller, Laties tells how he got started, how he kept going, and why he believes independent bookselling has a great future. He alternates his narrative with short anecdotes, interludes between the chapters that give his credo as a bookseller. Along the way, he explains the growth of the chains, and throws in a treasure trove of tips for anyone who is considering opening up a bookstore. Rebel Bookseller is a must read for those in the book biz, a testament to the ingeniousness of one man man's story of making a life out of his passionate commitment to books and bookselling.
The Siren Years: A Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945 (Large Print Library)
by Charles RitchieCharles Ritchie, one of Canada's most distinguished diplomats, was a born diarist, a man whose daily record of his life is so well written that it leaps from the page. In wartime England, Ritchie, as Second Secretary at the Canadian High Commission, served as private secretary to Vincent Massey, whose second-in-command was Lester B. Pearson, future prime minister of Canada. In a perfect position to observe both statecraft and the London social whirl that continued even during the war, Ritchie provides a fascinating, perceptive, and (surprisingly) humorous picture of the London Blitz - the people in the parks, the shabby streets, the heightened love affairs - and the vagaries of the British at war. There are also glimpses of the great, and portraits of noted artists and writers that he knew well.A vivid document of a period and a wonderful piece of writing, The Siren Years has become a classic.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Siete Voces
by Rita GuibertLos más grandes escritores latinoamericanos se confiesan con Rita Guibert. Profundas y emotivas entrevistas personales por Rita Guibert a Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Miguel Angel Asturias, Octavio Paz, Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez y Guillermo Cabrera Infante. El premio Nobel de literatura fue otorgado a Pablo Neruda en 1971, Miguel Angel Asturias en 1967, Octavio Paz en 1990 y a Gabriel García Márquez en 1982.
Cómoda en mi piel
by Raquel BessudoLa autobiografía de una mujer que ha roto paradigmas con su fortaleza, entrega, resistencia y pasión. En Cómoda en mi piel Raquel se muestra tal y como es: auténtica, imperfecta y en una búsqueda constante para mejorar y lograr un cambio esencial. Aunque para algunos su vida pudiera parecer perfecta, Raquel ha enfrentado pérdidas, abusos, dificultades y altibajos. En este libro nos presenta su vida a través de sus propios ojos falibles, llenos de deseo, esperanza, nostalgia y profundo aprendizaje. Escrito en cuatro partes o movimientos sinfónicos, que corresponden a cada etapa de su vida, Raquel aborda sus primeros años, la llegada de su esposo a su vida, sus años iniciales de matrimonio, lo que enfrentó al entrar a una familia nueva y cómo sobrepasó los retos más definitorios de ésta; asimismo nos cuenta de su vida como una profesional, los distintos proyectos que ha emprendido y, finalmente, la muerte de su esposo y lo que ahora significa seguir adelante sin él. Al final de cada movimiento hay una coda en la que Raquel brinda al lector reflexiones sobre los aprendizajes más importantes de cada etapa de su vida, esperando que sirvan de inspiración a quien esté dispuesto a recibirlas; que los retos que enfrentó durante su vida sean un ejemplo de resistencia y entereza y que este libro siembre una semilla que dé fortaleza para enfrentar cualquier dificultad. autobiografia de raquel bessudo, raquel birman; esposa de leon bessudo; familia dueña de jarritos; biografia de mujeres empoderadas que luchan por los derechos de las mujeres; mujer con un papel importante en la cultura del pais, mexico; mujer con una vida ejemplar; como sobrellevar la perdida de un hijo; abuso en las relaciones; si con raquel bessudo; cuidate de la camara; mexican dynasties; Vicepresidenta del Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros; [Críticas/Reseñas]
Winner: My Racing Life
by A.P. McCoyFully updated with a new chapter on A.P.'s knighthood, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement award and his new role as a TV punditWhen Tony 'A.P.' McCoy announced his retirement from racing, the shockwaves reverberated across the world of sport. With more than 4,300 winners to his name, McCoy seemed to be at the peak of his powers when he suddenly brought down the curtain on an extraordinary career.But then A.P. McCoy has always done things his way. In Winner: My Racing Life, AP reflects upon his unparalleled career, taking the reader from his humble beginnings in County Antrim to the emotional day at Sandown when horse racing bade a tearful farewell to arguably its greatest ever star. McCoy relates in forensic detail the process that led to his decision to retire, recalls some of his greatest rides, lifts the lid on his family life and looks ahead to a future no longer driven by the constant pursuit of victory. The result is a remarkable insight into the private and public life of a true winner.
Dan Carter: The Autobiography of an All Blacks Legend
by Dan CarterDan Carter's last game as an All Black culminated with him declared Man of the Match following the 2015 Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham - an unforgettable ending to the career of the greatest fly-half of all time.But along with the triumphs of his signature World Cup win, his performance against the Lions in 2005, and an unprecedented run of Bledisloe Cup successes, there was also the pain and doubt he felt during a prolonged period of injury and rehab following the 2011 World Cup.He watched that victory from the sidelines, as he had the All Blacks' defeats in two previous tournaments. Indeed, heading into the 2015 World Cup he had never finished the competition on his own terms.His autobiography tells of that redemption, and gets you up close and personal with one of the most celebrated sportsmen of our time.Threaded throughout the book is an intimate diary of his final year as a Crusader and All Black, during which he worked tirelessly to make one last run at that elusive goal: a World Cup victory achieved on the field.Dan Carter's autobiography is essential reading for all sports fans.
Reading Rilke: Reflections on the Problems of Translation (American Literature Ser.)
by William H. GassThe greatly admired essayist, novelist, and philosopher, author of Cartesian Sonata, Finding a Form, and The Tunnel, reflects on the art of translation and on Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies -- and gives us his own translation of Rilke's masterwork.After nearly a lifetime of reading Rilke in English, William Gass undertook the task of translating Rilke's writing in order to see if he could, in that way, get closer to the work he so deeply admired. With Gass's own background in philosophy, it seemed natural to begin with the Duino Elegies, the poems in which Rilke's ideas are most fully expressed and which as a group are important not only as one of the supreme poetic achievements of the West but also because of the way in which they came to be written -- in a storm of inspiration. Gass examines the genesis of the ideas that inform the Elegies and discusses previous translations. He writes, as well, about Rilke the man: his character, his relationships, his life. Finally, his extraordinary translation of the Duino Elegies offers us the experience of reading Rilke with a new and fuller understanding.
B is for Breast Cancer: From anxiety to recovery and everything in between - a beginner's guide
by Christine Hamill'The day after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was standing in the chemist with a basket in my hand, blinking back tears and thinking, "Now what does a breast cancer patient need?" All I could come up with was waterproof mascara. I put some in my basket and thought someone should write an alternative guide to breast cancer. Step one - buy waterproof mascara. You're going to need it. A few short months later, I found I was writing the guide myself. I sat in bed in between hospital appointments with my laptop, furiously, desperately trying to make sense of this alien world I had entered.'Written entirely while Christine Hamill was undergoing cancer treatment, this book is an honest and frank account of the emotional and physical impact of a cancer diagnosis. It is at turns funny, sad, angry and ultimately optimistic. Written without sentimentality, B is for Breast Cancer offers bite-size chunks of help and hope - a daily pep talk to anyone affected by the disease. It's packed full of the practical information that you really need.Read this book. It helps to know you are not alone.
Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the United States Constitution
by Denise Kiernan Joseph D'AgneseUnfold Book Jacket for a Full-Color Reproduction of the U.S. ConstitutionWith their book Signing Their Lives Away, Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese introduced readers to the 56 statesmen (and occasional scoundrels!) who signed the Declaration of Independence. Now they've turned their attention to the 39 men who met in the summer of 1787 and put their names to the U.S. Constitution. Signing Their Rights Away chronicles a moment in American history when our elected officials knew how to compromise--and put aside personal gain for the greater good of the nation. These men were just as quirky and flawed as the elected officials we have today: Hugh Williamson believed in aliens, Robert Morris went to prison, Jonathan Dayton stole $18,000 from Congress, and Thomas Mifflin was ruined by alcohol. Yet somehow these imperfect men managed to craft the world's most perfect Constitution. With 39 mini-biographies and a reversible dust jacket that unfolds into a poster of the original document, Signing Their Rights Away offers an entertaining and enlightening narrative for history buffs of all ages.From the Hardcover edition.
I Belong to No One: Abused, afraid and alone. A young girl forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for her survival.
by Gwen WilsonAbused, afraid and alone. This is the heartbreaking true story of a young woman forced to sacrifice it all to survive... *****GWEN WILSON WAS UNLOVED FROM BIRTH.Illegitimate, fatherless, her mother in and out of psychiatric hospitals, it would have been easy for anyone to despair and give up. Yet Gwen had hope. Despite it all, she was a good student, fighting hard for a scholarship and a brighter future. Then she met Colin. Someone to love who would love her back. Or so she hoped. Her relationship with Colin was the start of a living hell. Rape was just the beginning. By sixteen she was pregnant, and all alone. In an effort to save her son, Jason, from the illegitimacy and deprivation she'd grown up with, Gwen chose to marry Colin - and too quickly the nightmare of physical abuse and poverty seemed inescapable. I BELONG TO NO ONE is a story of desperate lows, the fight for survival and how one woman eventually triumphed - despite the toughest of odds.
Stung: The Incredible Obsession of Brian Molony
by Gary Stephen RossHe was one of the brightest stars at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a brilliant young banker on his way to the top. But Brian Molony had a secret obsession: he loved to gamble. The unsuspecting bank was soon fueling that obsession, as Molony helped himself to hundreds of thousands, then millions, of dollars in fraudulent loans. Despite falling deeper and deeper in the hole, Molony convinced himself he could win it all back. Before long, the mild-mannered assistant manager had become one of the biggest high-rollers the casinos had ever seen and earned himself a place in the annals of criminal history.
Seattle Vice: Strippers, Prostitution, Dirty Money, and Crooked Cops in the Emerald City
by Rick AndersonFor more than half a century, Frank Colacurcio and his crime family have been a force in the bars and backrooms of Seattle power and politics, an American crime boss reign to match those of the often-glamorized Mafia dons of New York and Chicago. Seattle Vice tells the story of the Pacific Northwest's most successful strip club owner, Frank Colacurcio, whose excessive appreciation for girls has made him both a millionaire and a convict. He notched his first major felony in his 20s, and now, at the age of 92, faces his sixth. This book is a historic snapshot of Seattle as a place of corruption and vice. And in that snapshot, Frank Colacurcio is the guy in the middle, smiling into the camera.
Tales From The Boot Camps
by Steve Claridge Ian RidleyAway from the glamour and wall-to-wall coverage of the Premiership lies the reality, for the majority of fans and players, of British football. From Claridge's early days with non-league Weymouth, to the Premiership with Leicester and back to First Division Portsmouth, TALES FROM THE BOOT CAMPS spans the lows of irregular salary payments and training sessions on dog-fouled car parks at Aldershot, and the highs of the last-minute win in a First Division play-off at Wembley, and on to the Premiership. Controversial, itinerant, but popular wherever he has played, Claridge also talks frankly about his addiction to gambling. Part biography, part autobiography, it is full of insight and dry wit, a unique portrait of British football.