Our world has been transformed beyond recognition, particularly in the twentieth century, and so were our lives and our aspirations.Throughout James May's Magnificent Machines, our Top Gear guide explores the iconic themes of the past hundred years: flight, space travel, television, mechanised war, medicine, computers, electronic music, skyscrapers, electronic espionage and much more.But he also reveals the hidden story behind why some inv...

For at least two decades now modern man has been on the brink of a crisis.Persuaded by both the post-feminist political landscape and his representation in the popular media to remodel himself as an endearingly hopeless halfwit, he now exists only as an object of pity.James and his happy band of brothers (plus a few women, but we try to edit them out) are engaged on a quest to lead maledom to a broad sunlit upland strewn with slim books of English verse and...

For 13 years, 22 series and 175 shows, Richard Porter was script editor of Top Gear, from the first faltering pilot episode in 2002 until the very last show presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in 2015.Along the way they destroyed cars, sparked diplomatic incidents, set fire to caravans, almost killed one of the presenters, and somehow transformed Top Gear from a shabby BBC Two motoring show into an Emmy-winning, record-brea...

Top Gear's James May is back with his hilarious and controversial opinions on . . . just about everything.As well as writing about his first love, cars, James has a go at political correctness, the endless rules and regulations of daily life, the internal combustion engine and traffic wardens. He discusses gastropubs, Jeremy Clarkson and other trials of modern life.His highly entertaining observations from behind the wheel will have you laughing out loud, w...

What skills does one really need to be a modern man?After being given yet another pointless 'man manual' that told him 50 ways to tie a bow tie in under 30 seconds, James May was certain there was a need for another kind of book. This book, in fact.He reckons there are nine vital things that a chap should be able to do. Not stuff you can download from the Internet, but really important things. You never know when you might need to land an A330 Airbus, or de...

More antics from the much-loved TOP GEAR presenter, and the No.1 bestselling author of ON THE EDGE."There is, I discovered, a technique to performing a low-rent, comedy motorcycle jump with a bad hip joint following a low-speed fall off a horse on to your wife's Land Rover keys..."More of the wry, honest and often hilarious chronicles of Richard Hammond - TV presenter, adventurer and general drawer of the Short Straw. Continuing where AS YOU DO left off, OR...

From humble beginnings as a 1970s motoring show, Top Gear has gone on to achieve diesel-powered world domination. After Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman successfully pitched a new format to BBC bosses, Top Gear returned to become the irreverent, funny and often controversial show we now know and love. The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, the Cool Wall and Power Laps by the mysterious Stig have all become staples of Britain's favourite Sunday evening entertainment. Recent series have been ...

The life and times of the No.1 bestselling author of ON THE EDGE.The wry, honest and often hilarious chronicles of a very brave and clever TV presenter, Arctic Explorer and general drawer of the Short Straw. As one third of the BBC's Top Gear team, Richard Hammond's year since his near-fatal accident has been full of stunts and drama. From a race to the North Pole (with skis and dog-sled) to a journey through Botswana in a car named Oliver, and a seventeen-mile run...

"A good read both to aviators in general and to the Lightning fraternity in particular" ( Royal Air Force Historical Society).According to a recent international study, the Lightning is the fifth most popular military aircraft of all time. With over twenty individual stories from former Lightning pilots, this book relates the highs and lows, the dramas and the demands of those who operated this iconic aircraft until its sharp end.Tales include the ...

Love him or loathe him, you cannot ignore him: Motoring aficionado, comic writer, TV presenter, engineering buff, journalist, author and unapologetic bon viveur, Jeremy Clarkson is one of Britain's most controversial personalities, and in this riveting and entertaining biography, frank views and hilariously candid anecdotes appear alongside the life story of the self-confessed Eurosceptic, chain-smoking petrol head. After a stint as a travelling salesman, Clarkson set up his own press agen...

A crazy collection of "odd but true" tales. Some of them deal with the paranormal, while others recount curious events from history. Some are scary, and some may make you laugh. All are good reading and full of food for thought. Volume One includes the stories: "An Odd Experience at Cape Cod"… "The Mystery of the Missing Ambassador"… "Winged Fright"… "Heroic Medicine"… "Facts & Fictions of History"… and "My Dog and the Dancing Lights"…

Gripping account by Richard Hammond of life before and after his terrifying high-speed car crash.Richard Hammond is one of our most in-demand and best-loved television presenters. In September 2006, he suffered a serious brain injury following a high-speed car crash. ON THE EDGE is his compelling account of life before and after the accident and an honest description of his recovery, full of drama and incident.An adrenalin junkie long before his association...