Showing results by narrator "Richard Aspel" in All Categories

Can't swim, can't dive, can't sail (I get seasick in the bath). Can't draw, can't tell left from right, can't play happy families, can't talk to girls. But whoopee, I'm a demon at ping-pong... Jessie Flood: a boy trying to figure out what he likes and where he fits in and how he feels about girls—or one particular girl. Just like any other teenage boy really.

Chatsworth is no ordinary duck. He can: read an encyclopedia at a single glance, eat toast faster than you can butter it, save Mr. Piccoli's pet shop from financial ruin without ruffling a feather, and solve mysterious crimes in the blink of an eye. And he's a whiz at making friends, too. Chatsworth, a duck for our times!

Rad de La'rel is a street urchin who yearns to be a guide to adventurers in the rift caves of Quentaris. But before he can claim his birthright, he must escape the Thieves' Guild and the notorious Vindon Nibhelline with the help of his friend Tulcia. Only then will he be proclaimed the greatest guide since his ancestor, the legendary Nathine de La'rel.

Jonathan Ford, childless at 43, moves restlessly through other people's lives. From Australia to Europe he pursues a series of ill-fated relationships with the vulnerable and the insecure. In turn he is pursued by his past, whose echoes he finds all around him: in Danielle, a young French poet condemned to perpetual childhood; in the ageing Violet, wickedly irreverent even as she struggles through her days alone in a council flat; in the flawed genius of the painter Malcolm Richardson; in many lives, ordinary and extraordinary, that he changes in the profoundest ways.

It has been remarked that if the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn’t. Commencing with a brief history of neuroscience, from the ancient practice of drilling holes in the head to relieve headaches to the latest results from MRI and CT scans, this accessible guide sets out to explore exactly what we do know about the brain. Including the most up-to-date research on the cerebral processes, this entertaining introduction assumes no previous scientific knowledge.

Does free speech have limits? Can torture be justified? Who is really in charge of your rights? Every day we are confronted with news of foreign governments who refuse to acknowledge liberties that we in the Western world take for granted. But civil liberties are nearly always under threat, no matter where you live. Tom Head traverses the globe in order to provide a clear introduction to what civil liberties are and why they're worth defending.

Yukin and his mate, Yulen, flee their campsite when Akcarum slave-traders attack. Unable to escape the Akcarum hunter birds, they are caught and transported to Quentaris. On their journey through the rift caves Yukin discovers a power that taps into the senses of insects and animals. But can it save them in time?

Brian Hanna doesn't hate the Catholics. Even though, in the eyes of the Loyalists, he's got good reason - having been left disabled since infancy by the IRA bomb that killed his parents. What he does hate is the mindless bigotry that justifies the bloodshed on both sides, and the way that men of violence manipulate people to further their cause. But can Brian break free from the beat of the drums?

When Greg stumbles across the beautiful ruins of Graveney Hall, he becomes intrigued by the story behind its destruction. He and his friend Faith are drawn into a quest to discover the fate of Graveney's last heir - Edmund, a young soldier who disappeared under mysterious circumstances during the First World War. But Greg soon finds that his investigations have a disturbing effect.

Andrew Kinnear has dreamt of becoming a ship's engineer and traveling the world. But as his apprenticeship at Dalrossan Dockyard begins, he quickly realizes there is much more to his dream that he's bargained for. There are unwritten rules in his new workplace that he will break at his peril, a fearsome pecking order, and strange rites of initiation.

The father of modern philosophy, Descartes is still one of the most widely discussed philosophers today. Putting rationalism above all else, he sought to base all knowledge of the world on a single idea: "I think, therefore I am." This introduction expertly summarises his thoughts on the dualism of mind and body, his proofs for God’s existence, and his responses to scepticism. Explaining how his life informed his philosophy, Bracken demonstrates the philosopher’s enduring significance.

Vast, diverse, dynamic, and turbulent, the true nature of Africa is often obscured by its poverty-stricken image. In this controversial and gripping guide, Tom Young cuts through the emotional hype to critically analyse the continent’s political history and the factors behind its dismal economic performance. Maintaining that colonial influences are often overplayed, Young argues that much blame must lie with African governments themselves and that Western aid can often cause as much harm as good.

The Middle East is notoriously complex and difficult. This compact book on the topic by the University of Oxford's leading expert does not shirk the challenge. Organised thematically, and dealing with all the pivotal issues in the region, from oil and religion to gender and conflict, this comprehensive primer is both easy-to-read and full of insight. Stuffed with historical background, real-life examples, profiles of key figures from Nasser to Gadaffi, and even popular jokes from the area, The Middle East: A Beginner’s Guide will captivate tourists, students, and the interested general reader alike.