Backlist > International Non Fiction

"Recreational Kayaking: The Ultimate Guide" is the 10th of an award winning series of books and DVDs by world renowned kayak instructor, Ken Whiting. Whether your interest in kayaking stems from the desire to get outside and exercise, spend time with your friends and family, or explore the endless waterways that surround you, this easy-to-read guide makes paddling fun and safe for both new and experienced paddlers looking to broaden their horizons. In this work, you'll learn about: how to choose the right equipment; the essential s... read more

The 2nd Edition of "Kayak Fishing: The Ultimate Guide" follows up on the best-selling success of the original with a completely updated look at the sport, which includes 50 per cent more content, stunning new photography, and segments from the 20 most influential pros. It helps you learn about: the necessary equipment; the fundamentals of kayak fishing; the essential strokes and paddling techniques; bait and lure fishing from a kayak; fly fishing from a kayak; fighting and landing fish from a kayak; freshwater kayak fishing; saltwa... read more

Written in 1643 by the preeminent samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi, this classic text is presented in full in a new translation and is accompanied by numerous comments and drawings that originate from the period of the samurai. The book is divided in accordance with the elements that compose the world: The Book of the Earth, The Book of Water, The Book of Fire, The Book of the Wind, and The Book of the Void. Together they reflect the bushido spirit—the worldview of the wise samuraiâ€... read more

This is the golden age of bullfighting. In the last 60 years, the number of bullfights (corridas) held in Spain has increased almost ninefold, peaking in 2007. Great bullfighting names have the status of football stars, with heroes including Cayetano, José Tomás, Enrique Ponce and Morante de la Puebla, their styles ranging from the flamboyant and breath-takingly reckless to calm domination and technical mastery. Many English-speaking tourists on holiday witness this most ancient and colourful of spectacles, but few understand wh... read more

Offering a rarely seen female perspective on gang life, this raw and powerful memoir tells not only of one woman's struggle to survive the streets but also of her ascent to the top ranks of the new Mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs were members of her own. At age 5 Sonia Rodriguez's stepfather began to abuse her; at 10 she was molested by her uncle and beaten by her mother when she told on him; and by 13 her home had become a hangout for the Latin Kings and Queens who were friends with her older sister. T... read more

This riveting sequel to "My Bloody Life" traces Reymundo Sanchez's struggle to create a "normal" life outside the Latin Kings, one of the nation's most notorious street gangs, and to move beyond his past. Sanchez illustrates how the Latin King motto "once a king, always a king" rings true and details the difficulty and danger of leaving that life behind. Filled with heart-pounding scenes of his backslide into drugs, sex, and violence, Once a King, Always a King recounts how Sanchez wound up behind bars and provides an engrossing fi... read more

Looking for an escape from childhood abuse, Reymundo Sanchez turned away from school and baseball to drugs, alcohol, and then sex, and was left to fend for himself before age 14. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in America, became his refuge and his world, but its violence cost him friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly his life. This is a raw and powerful odyssey through the ranks of the new mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs are members of your own gang, who in one ... read more

Originally published in 1963, this book includes personal testimonies regarding the author and his art from James Y Lee, the legendary Ed Parker, and jujutsu icon Wally Jay. Through hand-drawn diagrams and captioned photo sequences, Lee's text comes to life as he demonstrates a variety of training exercises and fighting techniques. Topics include basic gung fu stances, waist training, leg training, and the theory of yin and yang.

Showcasing his favourite and most effective finishing moves, world-renowned jiu-jitsu champion Royler Gracie shares the submission techniques that have helped him win fights for more than three decades. Sections of the book break down each submission procedure, presenting important details on how to put devastating combinations together in order to make practitioners more polished competitors. Personal advice on physical and mental training, combined with a deeper understanding of a match's end game, enables readers to elevate thei... read more

No publicity, no media. We move in silently, do our job, and melt away into the background. If you have the stamina, the willpower and the guts, we'll welcome you with open arms and you one of us. And if you haven't, then it's been very nice knowing you. Eighteen years in the SAS saw Pete Winner, codenamed Soldier 'I', survive the savage battle of Mirbat, parachute into the icy depths of the South Atlantic at the height of the Falklands War, and storm the Iranian Embassy during the most famous hostage crisis in the modern world. ... read more

Aimed at those looking for a concise introduction to the popular game, this handbook is ideal for beginning golfers. Emphasising the fun side of the sport in both learning and playing, this reference covers getting started, equipment tips, and official rules, and concludes with a firsthand account of learning the game, a historical overview, and a glossary of terms. Illustrating the basics of the sport with a striking array of photographs, this updated edition evaluates the ins and outs of golfing with flair.

For little more than 100 years the Arctic and Antarctic have inspired some of the greatest stories ever told. The exploits of Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and many, many others have inspired and awed millions of people over the years. Ice Tracks brings together for the first time the accounts of eighteen of our greatest present day Polar explorers — Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Robert Swan, Rosie Stancer and Ann Daniels, Matty McNair and Dr Viktor Boyarsky — English, Russian, Swedish, Canadian — they all share a love of the extreme. Th... read more

His name is synonymous with "genius", but these essays by the renowned physicist and scholar are accessible to any reader. In addition to outlining the core of relativity theory in everyday language, Albert Einstein presents fascinating discussions of other scientific fields to which he made significant contributions. The Nobel Laureate also profiles some of history's most influential physicists, upon whose studies his own work was based. Assembled during Einstein's lifetime from his speeches and essays, this book marks the first p... read more

Widely acknowledged as the most brilliant talker of his age, Wilde once explained to Andre Gide, "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works". This fine collection of nearly 400 quotes, organised by catefory, contains quotations from both his works and his conversation, including gems from his personal life with which even devotees may be unfamiliar. The result is a splendid introduction to Wilde's mind and personality, embodied in a feast of the English language's most brilliant and perceptive witticisms.

Renowned as a novelist, journalist, and humorist, Mark Twain is not only one of the most widely read and admired American writers, he is also among the most quoted. Wit and repartee permeate his work. This volume gathers together hundreds of Twain's most memorable quips and comments on life, love, history, culture, travel, and a diversity of other topics that occupied his thoughts over 50 years of writing and lecturing.

Offering a look into the life of one of the greatest Mississippi bluesmen, this book presents a biography of the late Skip James. It draws on conversations with James himself, and paints a dark and unforgettable portrait of a man untroubled by his own murderous inclinations, and a man who achieved one moment of transcendent greatness in his life.

Born next-door to a pub in 1940, Frank Priestley went on to spend a life steeped in brewing, drinking and the enjoyment of beer. From a young apprentice, he worked his way up to become a master brewer at the famous Castle Eden brewery. Frank shares with the reader his fascination for the way brewing is done, and he weaves in anecdotes about his diverse colleagues, his skilled working life and the unique beers that the individual breweries produced. His tale covers the years from 1959 to 1979 and he left when the traditional brewi... read more

Rap music from New York and Los Angeles once ruled the charts, but nowadays the southern sound thoroughly dominates the radio, "Billboard," and MTV. Coastal artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and Ice-T call southern rap "garbage," but they're probably just jealous, as artists like Lil Wayne and T.I. still move millions of copies, and OutKast has the bestselling rap album of all time.In "Dirty South," author Ben Westhoff investigates the southern rap phenomenon, watching rappers "make it rain" in a Houston strip club and partying with ... read more

Bob Dylan turns 70 in May 2011. The man himself may pay it little heed - 'age don't carry weight', he sings in a recent song - but a lot of other people will mark the occasion. One place that's sure to see some parties is New York City, where 50 winters ago a scruffy kid called Bobby Zimmerman blew into town. During the subsequent decade or two, New York returned the favour, inspiring, provoking, and liberating the kid to become what he could not have become anywhere else. As detailed in this book, Dylan created sounds and words th... read more