Virgin Publishing

Gaunty's Best of British: It's Called Great Britain, Not Rubbish Britain

Jon Gaunt, 2009

»Gaunty's Best of British» is one man's cheerful look at what's right — and what's wrong — with his country, and a brilliantly entertaining guide to how Britain can be Great again. Jon Gaunt embarks on a tour of the best bits of this green and pleasant land, celebrating all things British. His forthright tribute is an aptly eclectic collection, covering everything from cricket, foxhunting and the FA Cup, to great inventions like the Spitfire, the Mini and the miniskirt, and our unofficial national cuisine of fish and chips washed down with a cup of tea or a pint of real ale. Whether you live in Coventry or Cambridge, Liverpool or London, now is the time to join Gaunty and start shouting about this fantastic country and what makes it so Great. Подробнее

Football Dynamo: Modern Russia and the People's Game

Marc Bennetts, 2009

In 1991, the collapse of the USSR seemed to signal the death of the Russian football industry, as the money, the players and the fans left. But now the oligarchs who profited from the post-Soviet turmoil are supporting the nation's football clubs and their dreams of glory, resulting in unprecedented success. Along this journey into the heart of Russian football, Marc Bennetts meets the managers, oligarchs, players, pundits and fans that define the Russian Premier league, now the fastest-growing and most intriguing football league in the world. From Andrei Arshavin and the national team's adventures at Euro 2008 to the symbolism of a club from war-torn Chechnya lifting the Russian FA Cup, «Football Dynamo» uncovers shocking revelations about corruption, hooliganism and racism, but also the true beauty of the game and the country. Подробнее

I Am America (And So Can You!)

Stephen Colbert, 2009

Stephen Colbert was «The Daily Show's» longest-running and most memorable correspondent. His right-wing, super-patriotic persona, his insight and general rightness led to «The Colbert Report», a half-hour TV platform for his views on the issues of the day and, more importantly, why everyone else's views are just plain wrong.»I Am America (And So Can You!)» features Stephen's most deeply held knee-jerk beliefs on everything from The Family to Race and Immigration and provides the ultimate satirical guide to the glorious marvel that is American Life. He bravely takes on the forces aligned to destroy America — whether they be terrorists, environmentalists, or brand-name breakfast cereals — and tackles difficult issues like religion, sexuality, and nature ('I've never trusted the sea. What's it hiding under there?'). With hilarious illustrations and charts ('Things That Are Trying to Turn Me Gay', 'Sports to Ignore' and many more) and a complete transcript of Colbert's infamous speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner, this is a brilliant read as well as a very clever commentary on America today. Подробнее

Factotum

Charles Bukowski, 2009

Henry Chinaski, an outcast, a loner and a hopeless drunk, drifts around America from one dead-end job to another, from one woman to another and from one bottle to the next. Uncompromising, gritty, hilarious and confessional in turn, his downward spiral is peppered with black humour. «Factotum» follows Charles Bukowski's bestselling «Post Office», his highly autobiographical first novel. Bukowski's Beat Generation writing reflects his slum upbringing, his succession of menial jobs and his experience of low life urban America. He died in 1994 and is widely acknowledged as one of the most distinctive writers of the last fifty years. Neeli Cherkovski was a close friend of Bukowski and is the author of «Hank: The Life of Charles Bukowski» (Random House, 1991). Подробнее

Pulp: A Novel

Charles Bukowski, 2009

Charles Bukowski’s brilliant, fantastical pastiche of a detective story. Packed with wit, invention and Bukowski’s trademark lowlife adventures, it is the final novel of one of the most enjoyable and influential cult writers of the last century. Nicky Belane, private detective and career alcoholic, is a troubled man. He is plagued not just by broads, booze, lack of cash and a raging ego, but also by the surreal jobs he’s been hired to do. Not only has been hired to track down French classical author Celine – who’s meant to be dead – but he’s also supposed to find the elusive Red Sparrow – which may or may not be real. Подробнее

Charles Bukowski

Barry Miles, 2009

'Fear makes me a writer, fear and a lack of confidence'. Charles Bukowski chronicled the seedy underside of the city in which he spent most of his life, Los Angeles. His heroes were the panhandlers and hustlers, the drunks and the hookers, his beat the racetracks and strip joints and his inspiration a series of dead-end jobs in warehouses, offices and factories. It was in the evenings that he would put on a classical record, open a beer and begin to type...Brought up by a violent father, Bukowski suffered childhood beatings before developing horrific acne and withdrawing into a moody adolescence.Much of his young life epitomised the style of the Beat generation — riding Greyhound buses, bumming around and drinking himself into a stupor. During his lifetime he published more than forty-five books of poetry and prose, including the novels «Post Office», «Factotum», «Women and Pulp». His novels sold millions of copies worldwide in dozens of languages. In this definitive biography Barry Miles, celebrated author of «Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats», turns his attention to the exploits of this hard-drinking, belligerent wild man of literature. Подробнее

Kitchen Table Lingo

The English Project, 2008

With a foreword by Melvyn Bragg, an afterword by David Crystal, and contributions from Philip Pullman, Meera Syal and Benjamin Zephaniah, all life is here. Become part of the Kitchen Table Lingo community and write your words in now. 'Seen the bloke with the bedooftey bum?' 'More testiculating on «Newsnight»...' Does it sometimes seem like your family speaks its own language? Families up and down the UK have their own special vocabularies. Discover tinsellitis sufferers in Tunbridge Wells, elephant users in Edinburgh and chobblers in Cardiff. Whether it's a slip of the tongue that becomes a permanent part of the family vernacular or a word invented when all others fail, «Kitchen Table Lingo» is part of what makes our language so rich and creative.This collection of hundreds of words from English speakers around the world — complete with space and an invitation to add your own — is a wonderfully entertaining celebration of the spoken word and the people who take pleasure in it. After all, what other language has fifty-seven words for the TV remote control? Подробнее

The Return of Economic Naturalist: How Economics Helps Make Sense of Your World

Robert H. Frank, 2009

»The Economic Naturalist» is back with a whole batch of intriguing new questions and answers, drawn from his «New York Times» columns, that reveal how we really behave when confronted with economic choices. Do tax cuts for business owners really stimulate employment? Why shouldn't we just leave everything to the market? And why do we all save so little? Discover the answers to these and many more questions. With his trademark plain-speaking wit and insight, Robert Frank shows through dozens of examples how our personal choices about everything from paying for food and housing to large-scale policy decisions about taxation and the regulation of markets all boil down to the same simple economic principles, often resulting in the same wasteful mistakes. He shows that while our desires may be boundless, the resources necessary to satisfy them remain limited and argues that choices are always best made pragmatically — by carefully weighing the costs and benefits of competing options. This is a fascinating, entertaining and revealing collection full of insights that have more bearing than ever on our bank balances and our personal happiness. Подробнее

Notes of a Dirty Old Man

Charles Bukowski, 2008

Beginning in 1967, Bukowski wrote the column «Notes of A Dirty Old Man» for the underground newspaper «Open City». Perennially drunk, broke and in search of a woman, Bukowski takes on the guise of a wise fool as he ventures through America's seedy lowlife. Peopled by Kerouac, Burroughs and other much less salubrious characters, his exploits provoke humour and despair, whilst highlighting the inherent beauty and futility of life. Подробнее

A Novel

Andy Warhol, 2009

In the late 1960s, Andy Warhol, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, set out to turn an ordinary book into a piece of pop art. He said that he wanted to create a 'bad' novel 'because doing something the wrong way always opens doors'. The result was this astonishing account of the famously influential group of artists, superstars, addicts and freaks who made up the world of Warhol's Factory. A: A Novel was created from audiotapes recorded in and around the Factory between August 1965 and May 1967 and transcribed verbatim, complete with typos and missing words. It begins with the fabulous Warhol superstar Ondine popping pills and follows its characters as they converse with inspired, speed-driven wit and cut swathes through the clubs, coffee shops, hospitals and whorehouses of 1960s Manhattan. This is a unique conceptual project — part novel, part artwork — and is the perfect literary manifestation of Andy Warhol's pop art sensibility. Подробнее

Post Office

Charles Bukowski, 2009

Henry Chinaski is a lowlife loser with a hand-to-mouth existence. His menial post office day job supports a life of beer, one-night stands and racetracks. Lurid, uncompromising and hilarious, «Post Office» is a landmark in American literature. The new edition is augmented with an anecdotal introduction by the modern Welsh cult-literary author, Niall Griffiths — a writer who was working in a British post office when he first read Bukowski's «Post Office». Подробнее

Screw it, Let's Do it: Lessons in Life and Business

Sir Richard Branson, 2007

Throughout my life I have achieved many remarkable things. Now, I will share with you my ideas and the secrets of my success, but not simply because I hope they'll help you achieve your individual goals. Today, we are increasingly aware of the effects of our actions on the environment, and I strongly believe that we each have a responsibility, as individuals and organisations, to do no harm. I will draw on Gaia Capitalism to explain why we need to take stock of how we may be damaging the environment, and why it is up to big companies like Virgin to lead the way in a more holistic approach to business. In Screw It, Let's Do It, I'll be looking forwards to the future. A lot has changed since I founded Virgin in 1968, and I'll explain how I intend to take my business and my ideas to the next level and the new and exciting areas — such as launching Virgin Fuels — into which Virgin is currently moving. But I have also brought together all the important lessons, good advice and inspirational adages that have helped me along the road to success. Ironically, I have never been one to do things by the book, but I have been inspired and influenced by many remarkable people. I hope that you too might find a little inspiration between these pages. Подробнее

Tales of Ordinary Madness

Charles Bukowski, 2008

Inspired by DH Lawrence, Chekhov and Hemingway, Bukowski's writing is passionate, extreme and has attracted a cult following, while his life was as weird and wild as the tales he wrote. This collection of short stories gives an insight into the dark, dangerous lowlife of Los Angeles that Bukowski inhabited. From prostitutes to classical music, Bukowski ingeniously mixes high and low culture in his 'tales of ordinary madness'. These are angry yet tender, humorous and haunting portrayals of life in the underbelly of Los Angeles. Подробнее

Women

Charles Bukowski, 2009

Low life writer and alcoholic Henry Chinaski was born to survive. Now, at the age of fifty, he is living the life of a rock star, running three hundred hangovers a year and a sex life that would cripple Casanova. Women is a riotous and uncompromisingly vivid account of life on the edge. Подробнее

The Economic Naturalist: Why Economics Explains Almost Everything

Robert H. Frank, 2008

Have you ever wondered why there is a light in your fridge but not in your freezer? Or why 24-hour shops bother having locks on their doors? Or why soft drink cans are cylindrical, but milk cartons are square? The answer is simple: economics. For years, economist Robert Frank has been encouraging his students to ask questions about the conundrums and strange occurrences they encounter in everyday life and to try to explain them using economics. Now he shares the most intriguing — and bizarre — questions and the economic principles that answer them to reveal why many of the most puzzling parts of everyday life actually make perfect (economic) sense. Подробнее

Googled: The End of the World as We Know It

Ken Auletta, 2011

There are companies that create waves and those that ride or are drowned by them. This is a ride on the Google wave, and the fullest account of how it formed and crashed into traditional media businesses. With unprecedented access to Google's founders and executives, as well as to those in media who are struggling to keep their heads above water, Ken Auletta reveals how the industry is being disrupted and redefined. Auletta goes inside Google's closed-door meetings, introducing Google's notoriously private founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as those who work with — and against — them. In Googled, the reader discovers the 'secret sauce' of the company's success and why the worlds of 'new' and 'old' media often communicate as if residents of different planets. It may send chills down traditionalists' spines, but it's a crucial roadmap to the future of media business: the Google story may well be the canary in the coal mine. Googled is candid, objective and authoritative. Crucially, it's not just a history or reportage: it's ahead of the curve and unlike any other Google books, which tend to have been near-histories, somewhat starstruck, now out of date or which fail to look at the full synthesis of business and technology. Подробнее

Reach for the Skies: Ballooning, Birdmen and Blasting into Space

Sir Richard Branson, 2011

As far back as stories go, pioneers have reached for the skies. In the last two hundred years, they have mastered the air and made the modern world possible. Today they are bringing outer space within our reach. They're inventors and toymakers, amateurs and adventurers, visionaries, dreamers and, yes, crackpots. Some have called them irresponsible, even dangerous. But I have met many of them. I have worked with them, and funded them, and flown with them. I admire them, and trust them, and I think they and their kind are our future. Подробнее

The World without Us

Alan Weisman, 2008

Looks to areas of the world that are unoccupied and speaks to experts in fields ranging from nuclear physics to archaeology. This book reveals how the natural world would react to our disappearance and wrestles with some of the key concerns of our time to offer a glimpse of the legacy of our existence on the planet. Подробнее

Business Stripped Bare

Richard Branson, 2009

From its creation as a mail-order record company to the literal launch of Virgin Galactic, today Virgin is one of the premier 'way-of-life' brands in the world, trusted and enjoyed by many millions of people. In «Business Stripped Bare», Sir Richard Branson shares the inside track on his life in business and reveals the incredible truth about his most risky, brilliant and audacious deals. In this work, discover why Virgin tried to take on one of the world's biggest superbrands, how Virgin Mobile USA holds the record as the fastest company in history to generate revenues of over one billion dollars (faster than Microsoft, Google and Amazon) and how Richard is the only person in the world to have built eight billion-dollar companies from scratch in eight different sectors. What qualities does Richard look for in the people he hires? How does he manage a crisis? Who are the entrepreneurs he most admires? Find out the true story behind Virgin Blue's success in Australia, what really happened when Virgin bid for Northern Rock and why Richard believes all businesses must work with governments to tackle climate change and invest in the future of our planet. Combining invaluable advice with the remarkable and candid inside stories of Virgin's greatest achievements, as well as some of its setbacks, «Business Stripped Bare» is a dynamic, inspirational and truly original guide to success in business and in life. Whether you are an executive, an entrepreneur or are just starting out, Richard strips business down to show how you can succeed and make a difference. Подробнее

Googled: The End of the World as We Know It

Ken Auletta, 2011

Googled is candid and authoritative — based on extensive research including in-house at Google HQ — and doesn't flinch from outlining the negatives related to the Google worldview, as well as charting the extraordinary vision and business acumen that brought us the phenomenon of the uber search engine. And crucially, it's not just a history or reportage: it's forward-looking. This book is ahead of the curve, unlike any Google books that have gone before — which tend to have been near-histories, somewhat starstruck, now out of date, or don't look at the full synthesis of business and technology. With unprecedented access to Google's founders and executives, as well as to those in media who are struggling to keep their heads above water, Auletta reveals how the industry is being disrupted and redefined. It's already being hailed as the definitive work on Google. On one level Auletta uses Google as a stand-in for the digital revolution as a whole — and goes inside Google's closed-door meetings, introducing Google's notoriously private founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as those who work with — and against — them. Apart from the fullest account ever told of Google's rise, the reader discovers the 'secret sauce' of Google's success, and shows how and why the worlds of 'new' and 'old' media often communicate as if residents of different planets. It may send chills down traditionalists' spines, but it's a crucial roadmap to how media business may be done going forward. For the Google story may well be the canary in the coal mine. Подробнее

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