It's festival time in Athens, and Philocles is looking forward to the holiday. Visitors are coming from across the Hellenic world for eight days of sporting competitions, musical contests and sacred rites to honour Athena, the city's patron goddess. Thousands will flock to the Pnyx to be enthralled by a three-day performance of Homer's Iliad, an entertainment unique to the Great Panathenaia. Taking part is the highest honour and greatest challenge for an epic poet. Then one of the poets is...

In this fascinating book, beer expert Mark Dredge dives into the history of lager, from how it was first brewed to what role was played by German monks and kings in the creation of the drink we know so well today. From the importance of 500-year-old purity laws to a scrupulously researched exploration of modern beer gardens (it's a hard life), Mark has delved deep into the story of the world's favourite beer.From 16th Century Bavaria to the recent popularity of specialist craft lag...

Did you know:· that drinking a glass of red wine and eating olives after sunbathing can reduce lasting skin damage?· that your choice of deodorant can affect your long-term health?· that some houseplants are more effective in removing air toxins than others?In How to Live, Professor Robert Thomas, one of Britain's leading oncologists and an expert in integrating nutritional and lifesty...

Bloomsbury presents Spinosaur Tales by David Hone & Mark Witton, read by Gavin OsbornThe spinosaurs – the dinosaur group that includes the largest land predator of all time, the awe-inspiring Spinosaurus – star in this cutting-edge review.The giant sail-backed carnivorous dinosaur Spinosaurus is one of the most famous of all dinosaurs; a staple of documentaries, books and video games, and the beast that bested the mighty Tyran...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERArsenal are Premier League champions. Revolution is the inside story of how they got there.When Mikel Arteta took over in December 2019, Arsenal were drifting – disconnected from their identity, short on belief and stuck outside the elite. What followed was not an overnight revival, but a bold, often brutal rebuild.From FA Cup glory and fan unrest to ruthless calls, tactical innovation and the rise of a b...

Are you where you want to be financially?We all aspire to have more money, but our reality is quite different. We want to be financially secure, but we're still struggling to get there.Pat Mesiti uncovers the age-old secret about financial pathways: some lead to riches, others lead to ruin. Which pathway are you on? Discover the directions that will position you on the right pathway--towards a financially free destination.You can do something about your financial future. You can reduce you...

Fans of Jojo Moyes and Marian Keyes will love THE SONGS OF US by Emma Cooper, a charming, funny and heartbreaking novel of love, loss and what it means to be a family.If Melody hadn't run out of de-icer that day, she would never have slipped and banged her head. She wouldn't be left with a condition that makes her sing when she's nervous. And she definitely wouldn't have belted out the Arctic Monkeys' 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' in assembly at her son's...

***THE RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB 2017 BESTSELLER***'The publishing sensation of the year: a compelling, uplifting and heart-rending debut novel'Mail on SundayThe number one Amazon bestseller A Boy Made of Blocks is a moving, funny and heartwarming story of family and love inspired by the author's own experiences with his son, the perfect latest obsession for fans of The Rosie Project, David Nicholl...

""Chan and Ridley write with an urgency...that inspires gripping depictions of what viruses are, how infectious-disease laboratories work and wonderfully lucid descriptions of bats. . . . They powerfully recount how dangerous pathogens can both leak from a lab and emerge in nature."" (New York Times Book Review)Understanding how Covid-19 started is crucial for the future of humankind. Viral is the most incisive and authoritative book about...

Understanding how Covid-19 started is more important than we know for the future of humankind.Determining whether the virus came from nature or from a lab will help us to safeguard against the next pandemic.This disease will forever punctuate modern history. It has led to the deaths of millions, sickened hundreds of millions and affected the lives of almost every person on the planet. We now know that Covid is here to stay.Genetic e...

‘Popular history at its very best, thought-provoking and accessible. Underpinned by serious research, and written with panache, it summons up a vanished world’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPHThis is an astonishing new account of Alexander the Great – one of the most important figures of the ancient world, whose earlier years have until now been a mystery.Alexander the Great’s story often reads like fiction: son to a snake-loving mother and a battle-scarred father...

An inspiring, rags-to-riches guide to achieving success in life and business by the founder of Myprotein®.How did a working-class 23-year-old, who left school with almost no qualifications, launch a business with just a £500 overdraft and turn it into more than £350 million? In Bootstrap Your Life, Oliver Cookson shares how he was able to build Europe's number one online brand using nothing more than his own limited resources and the right mindset....