In its heyday in the mid to late 1980s, Smash Hits enjoyed a circulation of more than one million passionate readers. The Best of Smash Hits is for all those readers: a glorious, full-color celebration of all the best bits, and even better—some of the worst. Packed with such fascinating pop cultural documentation as the legendary Morrissey and Pete Burns joint interview, a minute-by-minute account of Live Aid, fashion tips from Max Headroom, and memories from those who worked on the publication, this is a must for any 1980s music fans. This collection is the definitive salute to the magazine that once asked David Bowie, "You're not very good at acting, are you?"

The Best of Smash Hits: The 80s

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Little, Brown Book Group

Strachan: My Life in Football

GORDON STRACHAN

Biographies & Memoirs

Race to Dakar

In January 2006, 230 people raced in trucks, cars, and motorbikes from Lisbon to Dakar in the 28th annual Dakar rally, the most challenging race in existence. After his celebrated trip round the world with Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman was keen for another challenge, and racing in the Dakar had always been his dream. Supported by Australian champion biker Simon Pavey and experienced British biker Matt Hall, Charley attempted what many professional bikers have failed to do: successfully compete in the Dakar rally. His account details his extraordinary adventures as well as those of his fellow bikers, and also explores the history of this most dramatic and romantic of races. From Portugal through Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Senegal, it also provides a unique look at the countries hosting the rally.

Engineering & Transportation

Boorman, Charley

Automotive

Dogs have always played an integral part in Vogue magazine, either as companions to some of the world’s most stylish women or as icons in their own right. Testifying to this enduring relationship in its lavishly illustrated pages, this collection features photos by Horst, Beaton, Steichen, Parkinson, Bailey, Weber, Testino, and many others. The famous and fabulous appear in portraits with their equally fabulous pets—the Mitford Sisters, Lady Diana Cooper, Elizabeth Arden, Andy Warhol, Britt Ekland, Cindy Crawford, Jodie Kidd, Yves Saint Laurent, and Tom Ford are all devotees of canine culture. In all shapes and sizes, dogs are most definitely at the heart of the 20th-century’s style bible. With wonderful photos, illustrations, and extracts spanning the history of Vogue, this is a must for dog and fashion lovers everywhere.

Dogs in Vogue: A Century of Canine Chic

Watt, Judith

For King and Country: Voices from the First World War

Far more than an anthology, this gripping collection of writings tells the story of World War I from the perspective of those who endured its horrors both home and abroad. From the men who served in Europe come accounts of fear, tedium, horror, and occasional joy, while those on the home front describe the pain of waiting for news of their loved ones. Along with selections from letters, diary entries, and memoirs, famous songs sung in the trenches as well as poems from soldiers and noted authors alike are also included. Together these documents create a seamless and movingly immediate narrative of one of the century’s most infamous conflicts.

History

MacArthur, Brian

Military

For Alex James, music had always been a door to a more exciting lifea way to travel, meet new people, and, hopefully, pick up girls. But as bass player of Blurone of the most successful British bands of all timehis journey was more exciting and extreme than he could ever have predicted. Success catapulted him from a slug-infested squat in Camberwell to a world of private jets and world-class restaurants. As "the second drunkest member of the world’s drunkest band" Alex James's life was always chaotic, but he retained a boundless enthusiasm and curiosity at odds with his hedonistic lifestyle. From nights in the Groucho with Damien Hirst, to dancing to Sister Sledge with Björk, to being bitten on the nose by the lead singer of Iron Maiden, he offers a fascinating and hilarious insight into the world of celebrity. At its heart, however, this is the picaresque tale of one man’s search to find meaning and happiness in an increasingly surreal world. Pleasingly unrepentant but nonetheless a reformed man, Alex James is the perfect chronicler of his generationwitty, frank and brimming with joie de vivre. A Bit of a Blur is as charming, funny, and deliciously disreputable as its author.

Bit of a Blur: The Autobiography

James, Alex

Arts & Literature

Inventive, glamorous, gorgeoussince the beginning Vogue has set the platinum standard for fashion magazines the world over and has become an icon in its own right. Vogue’s covers sum up the superlative visual ideals of the whole magazine. For the first time, this book brings together in one volume nearly a century of covers both illustrated and photographic. Over 200 stunning images have been selected from an archive of more than 1,500. What sets Vogue’s covers apart is that each is so bold, so beautiful, and so emphatically different. They mark the course of history, chart changing fashions and ideas of beauty, and hold up a mirror to the cultural and social revolutions of the 20th century. Since 1916 Vogue’s covers have celebrated the most striking women of our age, captured by the century's leading photographers, the greatest artists, and the most inventive fashion. Brilliant, captivating, and full of life, this is the face of the world’s most influential magazine and the original style bible.

Vogue Covers: On Fashion's Front Page

Now in its fourth edition, the bestselling A to Z of Everything is a uniquely comprehensive publication. With subjects from Abbreviations to the Zodiac, many of the book’s sections stand up as reference works in their own rightthe section on music encompasses more information than many specialist titles; the section on cinema includes all films of general interest as well as the first and last films of a multitude of stars; history includes a detailed chronology of world events; and the section on geography is the place to find a fully comprehensive list of world capitals, even those of uninhabited Pacific islands. The section on famous people, including their pseudonyms and even their middle names, is second to none in its thoroughness. In this new edition, the original topics have been brought up to date, added to, and elaborated upon. This monumental work of reference is a must-have title for settling trivial pursuits and significant argumentsa pleasure to dip into and a cornucopia of fact.

A to Z of Almost Everything: A Compendium of General Knowledge (A to Z series)

Humor & Entertainment

Montague, Trevor

Puzzles & Games

Ten years in the making, this A-Z of credulity-twanging facts and stories includes definitive explanations of everyday phrases such as "keep your shape" and "low center of gravity", a complete guide to becoming a terrace wit, how Alex Stepney broke his jaw by shouting, why the old-fashioned British center-half is like a red squirrel, and hundreds of other fantastic tales from what Pele once memorably dubbed "My bloody job." This collection addresses key hitherto ignored aspects of this game, for example the relationship with country music and its long tradition of football-related songs. Johnny Cash dubbed himself "The Man in Black" in homage to his idol, referee Arthur Ellis, and "I Walk the Line" is arguably the greatest song ever written about the life of an assistant referee.

Dribble!: The Unbelievable Encyclopaedia of Football

Literature & Fiction

Pearson, Harry

Literary

The Mind Gym: Bk. 3

Mind Gym

Self-Help

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Little, Brown Book Group publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Little, Brown Book Group