Profile Books
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*** THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE APPEAL *** It''s time to solve the murder of the century... Steven Smith has just been released from prison, and he is finally free to investigate a mystery that has haunted him since childhood. Forty years ago, he found a copy of a famous children''s book, full of strange markings and annotations. He took it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, who became convinced it was the key to solving a puzzle. That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford''s novels. Then Miss Isles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven''s memory won''t allow him to remember what happened. Was she deluded? Did she sense her own imminent death? Was she right about the code? And is it still in use today? Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Isles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn''t just a writer of forgotten children''s stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn''t the only one trying to solve it...
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Drawn from 3,000 years of the history of power, this is the definitive guide to help readers achieve for themselves what Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, Louis XIV and Machiavelli learnt the hard way. Law 1: Never outshine the master Law 2: Never put too much trust in friends; learn how to use enemies Law 3: Conceal your intentions Law 4: Always say less than necessary. The text is bold and elegant, laid out in black and red throughout and replete with fables and unique word sculptures. The 48 laws are illustrated through the tactics, triumphs and failures of great figures from the past who have wielded - or been victimised by - power.
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HOW TO DEAL WITH IDIOTS - (AND STOP BEING ONE YOURSELF)
Maxime Rovere
- Profile books
- 12 Août 2021
- 9781788167130
Idiocy is all around us: whether it''s the uncle spouting conspiracy theories, the colleagues who repeat your point but louder, or the commuters who still can''t count two metres, our lives are beset by idiots. But what is the answer to this perpetual scourge? Maxime Rovere is a philosopher who has dedicated his life to studying the ways we interact, and the Early Enlightenment. Here he turns his attention to the murkiest of intellectual corners. With warmth, wit and wisdom, he illuminates a new understanding of idiots, one which examines our relations to others and our own ego, offers tools and strategies to dismantle the most desperate of idiotic situations, and even reveals how to stop being the idiots ourselves (because we''re always someone else''s idiot). Expertly translated by David Bellos, this is an erudite, enjoyable and much-needed solution to a most familiar vexation.
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Liberalism - the comparatively mild-mannered sibling to the more ardent camps of nationalism and socialism - has never been so divisive as today. From the failed Cameron-Clegg Coalition to Putin''s populism and the Trump administration, it has both thrived and failed under identity politics, authoritarianism, and a weakened free press the world over. Since its birth following the post Reformation wars, liberalism has come under attack by conservatives and progressives alike, and today is dismissed as an ''obsolete doctrine.'' In this brilliant and concise exposition, Francis Fukuyama sets out the cases for and against its classical premises: observing the rule of law, independence of judges, means over ends, and most of all, tolerance. Pithy, to the point, and ever pertinent, this is political dissection at its very best.
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WE ALL HAVE STORIES WE NEVER TELL... Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his new wife, Hannah: protect her . Hannah knows exactly who Owen needs her to protect - his sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. And who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. As her increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, his boss is arrested for fraud and the police start questioning her, Hannah realises that her husband isn''t who he said he was. And that Bailey might hold the key to discovering Owen''s true identity, and why he disappeared. Together they set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen''s past, they soon realise that their lives will never be the same again...
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HOW WORDS GET GOOD - THE STORY OF MAKING A BOOK
Rebecca Lee
- Profile books
- 17 Mars 2022
- 9781788166379
Once upon a time, a writer had an idea. They wrote it down. But what happened next? Join Rebecca Lee, professional word-improver, as she embarks on the fascinating journey to find out how a book gets from author''s brain to finished copy. She''ll learn the dark arts of ghostwriters, uncover the hidden beauty of typesetting and find out which words end up in books (and why). And along the way, her quest will be punctuated by a litany of little-known considerations that make a big impact: ellipses, indexes, hyphens, esoteric grammar and juicy errata slips. Whoops. From foot-and-note disease to the town of Index, Missouri - turn the page to discover how books get made and words get good. Or, at least, better.
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THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS
Janice Hallett
- Profile books
- 19 Janvier 2023
- 9781800810433
Everyone knows about the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing that her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared into the care system. Now, author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the true-crime scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby''s trail. As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they''d ever imagined. This story is far from over...
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Shaun Bythell owns The Bookshop, Wigtown - Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving. In these wry and hilarious diaries, Shaun provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff.
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Which sort of seducer could you be: *Siren? *Rake? *Cold Coquette? *Star? *Comedian? *Charismatic? or *Saint? This book will show you which. 'Charm, persuasion, the ability to create illusions: these are some of the many dazzling gifts of the Seducer, the compelling figure who is able to manipulate, mislead and give pleasure all at once. When raised to the level of art, seduction, an indirect and subtle form of power, has toppled empires, won elections and enslaved great minds. In this beautiful, sensually designed book, Greene unearths the two sides of seduction: the characters and the process. Discover who you, or your pursuer, most resembles. Learn, too, the pitfalls of the anti-Seducer. In part II, immerse yourself in the twenty-four manoeuvres and strategies of the seductive process, the ritual by which a seducer gains mastery over their target. Understand how to 'Choose the Right Victim', 'Appear to Be an Object of Desire' and 'Confuse Desire and Reality'. In addition, Greene provides instruction on how to identify victims by type. Each fascinating character and each cunning tactic demonstrates a fundamental truth about who we are, and the targets we've become - or hope to win over. The Art of Seduction is an indispensable primer on the essence of one of history's greatest weapons and the ultimate power trip.
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REMAINDERS OF THE DAY - MORE DIARIES FROM THE BOOKSHOP, WIGTOWN
Shaun Bythell
- Profile books
- 1 Septembre 2022
- 9781800812420
The Bookshop in Wigtown is a bookworm''s idyll - with thousands of books across nearly a mile of shelves, a real log fire, and Captain, the bookshop cat. You''d think after twenty years, owner Shaun Bythell would be used to the customers by now. Don''t get him wrong - there are some good ones among the antiquarian porn-hunters, die-hard Arthurians, people who confuse bookshops for libraries and the toddlers just looking for a nice cosy corner in which to wee. He''s sure there are. There must be some good ones, right? Filled with the pernickety warmth and humour that has touched readers around the world, stuffed with literary treasures, hidden gems and incunabula, Remainders of the Day is Shaun Bythell''s latest entry in his bestselling diary series.
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THE DIGITAL SILK ROAD - CHINA''S QUEST TO WIRE THE WORLD AND WIN THE FUTURE
Jonathan E Hillman
- Profile books
- 14 Octobre 2021
- 9781788169585
Its vast infrastructure projects now extend from the ocean floor to outer space, and from Africa''s megacities into rural America. China is wiring the world, and, in doing so, rewriting the global order. As things stand, the rest of the world still has a choice. But the battle for tomorrow will require America and its allies to take daring risks in uncertain political terrain. Unchecked, China will reshape global flows of data to reflect its interests. It will develop an unrivalled understanding of market movements, the deliberations of foreign competitors, and the lives of countless individuals enmeshed in its systems. Networks create large winners, and this is one contest that democracies can''t afford to lose. Taking readers on a global tour of these emerging battlefields, Jonathan Hillman reveals what China''s digital footprint looks like on the ground, and explores the dangers of a world in which all routers lead to Beijing.
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RUSSIA - MYTHS AND REALITIES - THE HISTORY OF A COUNTRY WITH AN UNPREDICTABLE PAST
Rodric Braithwaite
- Profile books
- 25 Août 2022
- 9781800811881
Russia is the largest country in the world, with the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Over a thousand years this multifaceted nation of shifting borders has been known as Rus, Muscovy, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. Thirty years ago it was reinvented as the Russian Federation. Russia is not an enigma, but its past is violent, tragic, sometimes glorious, and certainly complicated.. Like the rest of us, the Russians constantly rewrite their history. They too omit episodes of national disgrace in favour of patriotic anecdotes, sometimes more rooted in myth than reality. Expert and former ambassador Rodric Braithwaite unpicks fact from fiction to discover what lies at the root of the Russian story.
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THE GET THINGS DONE BOOK - 41 TOOLS TO START, STICK WITH AND FINISH THINGS
Mikaël Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler
- Profile books
- 2 Février 2023
- 9781800814646
Every day we begin new projects, or try to find pleasure in the ones we''re working on - above all, we hope one day we''ll finish them! But in a disjointed, distracting world it''s often hard to find the motivation and focus necessary. This compact book brings together 41 of the best productivity models. From world-famous techniques to the best-kept secrets of the professionals, this book is full of big ideas that actually work - distilled to their essence. You''ll find out how to achieve deep work, compartmentalise tasks and identify your priorities - as well as how to build confidence, find your circle of competence and even learn to work with difficult people. Stylish and compact, this little book is a powerful asset. Whether you need to pull off a new project, assess what you''ve achieved so far, or even just understand your own working habits, this unique book has all the tools you need.
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"Do you have a list of your books, or do I just have to stare at them?" Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland. With more than a mile of shelving, real log fires in the shop and the sea lapping nearby, the shop should be an idyll for bookworms. Unfortunately, Shaun also has to contend with bizarre requests from people who don't understand what a shop is, home invasions during the Wigtown Book Festival and Granny, his neurotic Italian assistant who likes digging for river mud to make poultices. The Diary of a Bookseller (soon to be a major TV series) introduced us to the joys and frustrations of life lived in books. Sardonic and sympathetic in equal measure, Confessions of a Bookseller will reunite readers with the characters they've come to know and love.
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WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS BOOK AWARD 2019 Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves. We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people's masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defence.
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How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything
Mike Berners-Lee
- Profile books
- 7 Mai 2020
- 9781788163811
How Bad Are Bananas? was a groundbreaking book when first published in 2009, when most of us were hearing the phrase 'carbon footprint' for the first time. Mike Berners-Lee set out to inform us what was important (aviation, heating, swimming pools) and what made very little difference (bananas, naturally packaged, are good!). This new edition updates all the figures (from data centres to hosting a World Cup) and introduces many areas that have become a regular part of modern life - Twitter, the Cloud, Bitcoin, electric bikes and cars, even space tourism. Berners-Lee runs a considered eye over each area and gives us the figures to manage and reduce our own carbon footprint, as well as to lobby our companies, businesses and government. His findings, presented in clear and even entertaining prose, are often surprising. And they are essential if we are to address climate change.
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THE DAILY LAWS - 366 MEDITATIONS ON POWER, SEDUCTION, MASTERY, STRATEGY HUMAN NATURE
Robert Greene
- Profile books
- 7 Octobre 2021
- 9781788168540
Over the last 22 years, Robert Greene has provided insights into every aspect of being human whether that be getting what you want, understanding others'' motivations, mastering your impulses, and recognizing strengths and weaknesses. The Daily Robert Greene distills that wisdom into daily entries. Each entry delivers refined and concise wisdom from one of his books, in an easy to digest lesson that will only take a few minutes to read, as well as a Commandment -- a prescription or prompt for the reader to follow. Not only is the Daily Robert Greene the perfect entry point for those new to Greene''s penetrating insight, but it will also help the many Greene fans throughout the world understanding and internalizing the many lessons that fill his books. It is a guide to a lifetime of reading and re-reading about power, seduction, strategy, psychology and human nature.
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*** FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET , A BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK *** ________________________________________ You can''t escape the desert. You can''t escape Sundial. Rob fears for her daughters. For Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. For Annie, because she fears what Callie might do to her. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her of the family she left behind. She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice. Callie is afraid of her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely. To tell her secrets about her past that both disturb and excite her. And Callie is beginning to wonder if only one of them will leave Sundial alive... From the bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street comes a stunning thriller exploring the toxicity of the mother-daughter bond, and the power of the past to twist the present.
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Whether it's the Protestant work ethic, or the capitalist need for productivity, most of us in the English-speaking world believe that in order to achieve anything worthwhile, we must first expend huge amounts of effort. In fact, just the opposite is true. In The French Art of Not Trying Too Hard, Ollivier Pourriol shows how the best results in life, love, work, art and even sports come not from working harder, but from letting go. This is not a new idea in France: since Montaigne, philosophers have suggested that a certain je ne sais quoi is the key to a more creative, fulfilling and productive existence. We can see it in their laissez faire parenting, their chic style, their haute cuisine and enviable home cooking - the French barely seem to be trying, yet the results are world famous. Drawing lessons from French legends like Descartes, Stendhal and Francoise Sagan, Rodin and Zidane, Cyrano de Bergerac and Coco Chanel, Ollivier Pourriol explores how to be efficient a la francaise , and how to effortlessly reap the rewards.
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Join Matthew Cobb on a journey through centuries of wild philosophical speculations, inspired mechanical insights and blood-curdling experiments, all aimed at fathoming the mysteries of the most complex object in the known universe: the three-pound organ between your ears. Along the way you'll meet some of the greatest scientists in history and you'll see how even our mistaken ideas about how the brain works have transformed the world. Investigate whether our frontal lobes might be antennae picking up signals from another plane. Find out why, no matter how we try to squash the pseudoscience of phrenology, it keeps popping up elsewhere. Discover the great unsolved questions about how the brain what it does. And make a tour of the horizon over which the next great breakthrough might be about to appear.
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SPEAKING AND BEING - HOW LANGUAGE SHAPES OUR LIVES
Kubra Gumusay
- Profile books
- 5 Mai 2022
- 9781788168496
Language opens up our world, and in the same instant, limits it. What does it mean to exist in a language that was never meant for you to speak? Why are we missing certain words? How can we talk about our communal problems without fuelling them? What does it actually mean to speak freely? As a writer and activist fighting for equality, Kubra Gumusay has been thinking about these questions for many years. In this book she explores how language shapes our thinking and determines our politics. She shows how people become invisible as individuals when they are always seen as part of a group, and the way those in the minority often have to expend energy cleaning up the messy thinking of others. But she also points to how we might shape conversations to allow for greater ambiguity and individuality, how arguments might happen in a space of learning and vulnerability without sacrificing principles - how we might all be able to speak freely.
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Khristen is a teenager who, her mother believes, was marked by greatness as a baby when she died for a moment, then came back to life. After Khristen''s boarding school for gifted teens closes its doors, and her mother disappears, she ranges across the dead landscape and finds a ''resort'' on the shores of a mysterious, putrid lake the elderly residents there call ''Big Girl''. In a rotting honeycomb of rooms, these old ones plot actions to punish corporations and people they consider culpable in the destruction of the final scraps of nature''s beauty. Rivetingly strange and delivered with Williams''s searing, deadpan wit, Harrow is a tale of paradise lost and the reasons to try and recover something of it.
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NINE QUARTERS OF JERUSALEM - A NEW BIOGRAPHY OF THE OLD CITY
Matthew Teller
- Profile books
- 17 Mars 2022
- 9781788169189
In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Beyond the crush and frenzy of a few tourist sites, the Old City within its medieval walls remains largely unknown to visitors, its people ignored and its stories untold. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging from past to present, highlighting stories and personalities across faiths and outlooks, it evokes the city''s depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller''s highly original book evokes a sense of place through Jerusalem''s diverse quarters and populations - its Palestinian and Jewish communities, of course, but also its African and Indian voices, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac communities, its downtrodden Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of the city''s holiness and the ideas - often startlingly secular - that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.
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