From humble folk instrument to American icon, the story of the guitar is told in this "exceptionally well-written" memoir by the NPR commentator ( Guitar Player).In this blend of personal memoir and cultural history, National Public Radio commentator Tim Brookes narrates the long and winding history of the guitar in the United States as he recounts his own quest to build the perfect instrument.Pairing up with a master artisan from the Green Mountai...

A global exploration of the many writing systems that are on the verge of vanishing, and the stories and cultures they carry with them.If something is important, we write it down. Yet 85% of the world's writing systems are on the verge of vanishing - not granted official status, not taught in schools, discouraged and dismissed.When a culture is forced to abandon its traditional script, everything it has written for hundreds of years - sacred texts, poems, p...

Do words fail you? Never again, once you've become the proud owner of The Complete Uxbridge English Dictionary.Every word has a meaning, but over the years those meanings change. Dip into these helpfully illustrated pages and you'll find many of the words you use every day without ever realising that their up-to-date definition is something entirely different.Words like 'bunny' (rather like a bun), or 'cherish' (rather like a chair), 'Cardiology' (the study of knit...

How did a small, humble folk instrument become an American icon? How did the guitar come to represent freedom, the open road, protest and rebellion, the blues, youth, lost love, and sexuality? In this intensely personal memoir and informative history, Tim Brookes recounts his quest to build the perfect guitar. Pairing up with a master artisan from the Green Mountains of Vermont, Brookes sees how a rare piece of cherry wood is hued, sawn, dovetailed, and worked with rasps and files. As his ...

Four hilarious episodes from the cult BBC Radio comedyStep into the world of Radio Prune, described by Barry Took as "a kaleidoscope of funny voices, catch phrases, and innuendo, revolving at breakneck speed and with a complete disregard for logic", the sketch comedy I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again ran for 8 successful years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a devoted youth following. Live tapings of the show enjoyed very lively audiences, a tradition tha...

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to attend a live recording of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, the antidote to panel games, now is your chance to discover how much fun they are! These two extended editions of the programme, from 1995 and 1996, offer an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes, in the company of players Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Willie Rushton and Jeremy Hardy.Hear Humph and the team setting up before and after a recording, catch the jokes...

Inspired nonsense and pointless revelry – it’s time for another helping of the antidote to panel games, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. In this ninth collection, the gang return for further moments of mayhem, puns and one-liners; not forgetting a healthy dose of innuendo and double entendre. Regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden – and special guests Jack Dee, Jeremy Hardy and Tony Hawks – are given silly things to do by chairman Humphrey Lyttelton. So join Humph an...

More hilarity from the show that sticks a red rose in its teeth, sweeps the listener into a lurid table-top flamenco and then gets out a pair of bongos for a rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’. Chairman Humphrey Lyttelton, and regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden, are back with another dose of inspired ad-libbing. Joining them are guests Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Fred MacAulay and Stephen Fry. Hear them having their wicked way with old favourites such as ‘Mornington Cresce...

Four more episodes from the show that holds a mirror up to nature and then proceeds to give it a rather embarrassing haircut. Here it is at last, by overwhelming popular demand - Everyman's Guide to 'Mornington Crescent', the full and unexpurgated history of the most addictive addition to Britain's cultural heritage. The mystery of this great and baffling game is finally solved with the help of Henry VIII, Claire Rayner, Shakespeare and Beryl Bainbridge. The unflappable Humphrey Lyttelton ...

To celebrate thirty years of the extremely popular BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game, this release brings together two special editions - I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue Anniversary Special and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Desert Island - alongside the first ever edition of the programme, originally broadcast on 11 April 1972. Whilst the anniversary special features the regular team of Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Humphrey Lyttelton plus guest Stephen Fry, I'm So...

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is the authentic antidote to panel games; a hardy perennial which continues to blossom with puns, one-liners and general hilarity year after year. In this seventh collection of episodes, the gang are back once again for four doses of mayhem and inspired ad-libs. Chairman Humphrey Lyttelton takes charge of proceedings as regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden are joined by special guests Jeremy Hardy, Phill Jupitus, Andy Hamilton and Sa...

Four hilarious episodes from the show that grabs listeners by the waist, swirls them round in time to a Strauss waltz, and then trips over the banana skin of convention. Laugh yourself silly with some of the most mind-stretching games ever to grace a quiz show: 'Cheddar Gorge', 'Gargle Gargle', 'Bedtime Stories', 'Good News Bad News', 'Tag Wrestling' and - not to be forgotten - 'Mornington Crescent'. The unflappable Humphrey Lyttelton presides over panelists Tim Brooke-Taylor, Willie Rusht...