Download or read book Underground Overground written by Andrew Martin and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2012-04-26 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is the Victoria Line so hot? What is an Electrical Multiple Unit? Is it really possible to ride from King's Cross to King's Cross on the Circle line? The London Underground is the oldest, most sprawling and illogical metropolitan transport system in the world, the result of a series of botch-jobs and improvisations.Yet it transports over one billion passengers every year - and this figure is rising. It is iconic, recognised the world over, and loved and despised by Londoners in equal measure. Blending reportage, humour and personal encounters, Andrew Martin embarks on a wonderfully engaging social history of London's underground railway system (which despite its name, is in fact fifty-five per cent overground). Underground, Overground is a highly enjoyable, witty and informative history of everything you need to know about the Tube.

Download or read book Night Trains written by Andrew Martin and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2017-02-09 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Night trains have long fascinated us with the possibilities of their private sleeping compartments, gilded dining cars, champagne bars and wealthy travellers. Authors from Agatha Christie to Graham Greene have used night trains to tell tales of romance, intrigue and decadence against a rolling background of dramatic landscapes. The reality could often be as thrilling: early British travellers on the Orient Express were advised to carry a revolver (as well as a teapot). In Night Trains, Andrew Martin attempts to relive the golden age of the great European sleeper trains by using their modern-day equivalents. This is no simple matter. The night trains have fallen on hard times, and the services are disappearing one by one. But if the Orient Express experience can only be recreated by taking three separate sleepers, the intriguing characters and exotic atmospheres have survived. Whether the backdrop is 3am at a Turkish customs post, the sun rising over the Riviera, or the constant twilight of a Norwegian summer night, Martin rediscovers the pleasures of a continent connected by rail. By tracing the history of the sleeper trains, he reveals much of the recent history of Europe itself. The original sleepers helped break down national barriers and unify the continent. Martin uncovers modern instances of European unity - and otherwise - as he traverses the continent during 'interesting times', with Brexit looming. Against this tumultuous backdrop, he experiences his own smaller dramas, as he fails to find crucial connecting stations, ponders the mystery of the compartment dog, and becomes embroiled in his very own night train whodunit.

Download or read book The Somme Stations written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2011-03-03 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the first day of the Somme enlisted railwayman Jim Stringer lies trapped in a shell hole, smoking cigarette after cigarette under the bullets and the blazing sun. He calculates his chances of survival - even before they departed for France, a member of Jim's unit had been found dead. During the stand-off that follows, Jim and his comrades must operate by night the vitally important trains carrying munitions to the Front, through a ghostly landscape of shattered trees where high explosive and shrapnel shells rain down. Close co-operation and trust are vital. Yet proof piles up of an enemy within, and as a ferocious military policeman pursues his investigation into the original killing, the finger of accusation begins to point towards Jim himself . . .

Download or read book How to Get Things Really Flat written by Andrew Martin and published by The Experiment. This book was released on 2009-09-15 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes actual instructions! “You might not think that a book about cleaning could be funny but this made me laugh out loud” (The Financial Times). For many reasons, men often neglect housekeeping chores—even when they share the house with other humans who wish they could get some help in that department. How to Get Things Really Flat combines witty observations, true tales of family life, useful information that takes the mystery out of such phenomena as dishwashers and vacuums, and answers to timeless questions including: When dusting, where does the dust go? What is the worst thing that can happen while ironing? Is housework therapeutic? How can I impress people with bicarbonate of soda? Aren’t men supposed to be dirty? And more! “A delightfully amusing tale about the joys and tribulations of doing housework that also serves as a very good primer on how to actually do housework . . . His main target audience is men. But women, I think, will also find Martin’s observations funny and many of his tips helpful . . . And if, after laughing your way through Martin’s text, you’re still not into doing housework, he has a tip for that, too: Hire a cleaner.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Martin’s lighthearted but quite handy guide looks at the reasons why men don’t help out around the house as much as they ought to and proposes what can be done about that . . . After reading this offbeat and thoroughly delightful guide to housework, it’s hard to imagine anyone not wanting to give this stuff a try. Martin does what your mother never could: he makes doing chores seem fun, exciting, and rewarding.” —Booklist

Download or read book THE DEPRIVED written by RON S KING and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-05-12 with total page 609 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This story begins in the County of Cork in Ireland in the 1850s, at the time of potato famine. Life was hard and austere, with many of Ireland's young seeking to emigrate abroad, to escape starvation and to find work in the 'Promised' lands of America and Australia, though many also sought work in England, in Liverpool and London. This book describes the life and times of Michael O'Brien and his family, his wife Mary and his two children, Sam and Beth. It tells of Michael's need to leave his home and travel to London with his family in the hope of finding work in London. The only job he finds is as a 'Hole-Man', working in the open 'Cesspits', in diabolical conditions. The book goes on to follow the lives of Mary and then onto the daughter, Beth and finally to the son, Sam.

Download or read book The Bobby Dazzlers written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2001 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you were looking to hire a crack team of criminals to undertake a tricky and delicate burglary, the Bobby Dazzlers would be your worst nightmare. There's Walter Bowler, a violent bike thief looking to move on to better (or preferably worse) things. There's the dope dealer and family man, Bill. There's a cockney half wit called Dean Martin (who must nevertheless be treated with respect because of his ultra-hard cousin, Neville). And then there's the youngest of the four, a light-fingered youth with a morbid fear of trains. When they're asked to steal four strange-looking chairs from a museum in the North York Moors, something - everything - is bound to go pear-shaped. The Bobby Dazzlers follows their stumbling progress in a funny, macabre thriller about jealousy, drugs, media-friendly Yorkshiremen, salmon fishing, modernist chair design and gruesome death (both accidental and pre-meditated), all set against a backdrop of beautiful Georgian architecture and some of England's finest countryside.

Download or read book That which Hath Wings written by Richard Dehan and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 1918 with total page 666 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In January, 1914, Francis Athelstan Sherbrand, Viscount Norwater, only son of that fine old warrior, General the Right Honourable Roger Sherbrand, V.C., K.C.B., first Earl of Mitchelborough, married Margot Mountjohn, otherwise known as "Kittums," and found that she was wonderfully innocent-for a girl who knew so much. It was a genuine love-match, Franky being a comparatively poor Guardsman, with only two thousand a year in addition to his pay as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Bearskins Plain, and Margot a mere Cinderella in comparison with heiresses of the American canned-provision and cereal kind. It had seemed to Franky, standing with patent-leathered feet at the Rubicon dividing bachelorhood from Benedictism, that all his wooing had been done at Margot's Club. True, he had actually proposed to Margot at the Royal Naval and Military Tournament of the previous June, and Margot, hysterical with sheer ecstasy, as the horses gravely played at push-ball, had pinched his arm and gasped out: "Yes, but don't take my mind off the game just now; these dear beasts are so heavenly! ..."

Download or read book That Which Hath Wings written by Richard Dehan and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2021-05-19 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: That Which Hath Wings' is a gripping World War I fiction by Irish author Clotilde Graves who wrote under the pseudonym of Richard Dehan. The intriguing characters, absorbing storyline and war themes made this one of the most celebrated works of its time.

Download or read book Reading Across the Pacific written by Robert Dixon and published by Sydney University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reading Across the Pacific is a study of literary and cultural engagement between the United States and Australia from a contemporary interdisciplinary perspective. The book examines the relations of the two countries, shifting the emphasis from the broad cultural patterns that are often compared, to the specific networks, interactions, and crossings that have characterised Australian literature in the United States and American literature in Australia. In the 21st century, both American and Australian literatures are experiencing new challenges to the very different paradigms of literary history and criticism each inherited from the 20th century. In response to these challenges, scholars of both literatures are seizing the opportunity to reassess and reconfigure the conceptual geography of national literary spaces as they are reformed by vectors that evade or exceed them, including the transnational, the local and the global. The essays in Reading Across the Pacific are divided into five sections: 'National literatures and transnationalism', 'Poetry and poetics', 'Literature and popular culture', 'The Cold War', and 'Publishing history and transpacific print cultures'.

Download or read book Death on a Branch Line written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2009-04-02 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is the summer of 1911 and as Britain is gripped by paranoia about German spies and secret preparations for war, railway detective Jim Stringer decides to set out for a much-needed holiday. But before he can leave he finds himself escorting a young aristocrat, Hugh Lambert, who is on his way to be executed for the murder of his father. When Hugh warns that a second murder is imminent in his isolated village, Jim sees a chance to kill two birds with one stone. And so, as he visits the village with his wife Lydia on the pretext of holidaying, Jim finds he has one weekend in which to stop another murder and unravel a conspiracy of international dimensions . . . 'Enough historical details and rural oddbods for a BBC serial, a baffling plot and - most importantly - good writing.' Scotland on Sunday 'Fascinating . . . Altogether an entertaining read.' Crimesquad.com 'An eccentric and engaging novel.' Sunday Times 'The period detail is wonderful . . . The story builds up a good head of steam early on and rattles along nicely to a satisfying conclusion.' Guardian

Download or read book The Liverpool English Dictionary written by Tony Crowley and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-30 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From ‘Abbadabba’ to ‘Z-Cars’, this remarkable dictionary records the rich vocabulary that has evolved over the past century and a half, as part of the complex, stratified, multi-faceted and changing culture of Liverpool. The roots/routes, meanings and histories of the words of Liverpool are presented in a concise, clear and accessible format.

Download or read book Summer at the Highland Coral Beach written by Kiley Dunbar and published by Hera books Ltd. This book was released on 2020-03-27 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Sweet, funny, and emotional...the perfect escape.’ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reader Review Escape to the Highland Coral Beach and let the sunshine warm your heart... Beatrice Halliday needs a holiday. Booking a trip to the Highlands on a whim, Beatrice hopes learning Gaelic in a beautiful Scottish coastal village will be just the change her life needs. But Port Willow Bay isn’t exactly as the website promised... Instead of learning a new language, she’s booked in to learn the ancient skill of willow weaving, her hotel room is Princess and the Pea themed (with a stack of mattresses for her bed!) and her tutor is Atholl Fergusson, grumpy - but utterly gorgeous - landlord of the hotel where Beatrice is staying. Worse still, she’s the only one booked on the course, meaning lots of time spent up close with Atholl (and his mesmerising blue eyes). But as Beatrice finds herself falling in love with Port Willow Bay and its people, and as she discovers the kind heart beneath Atholl’s stony exterior, can she really leave? Escape to the beautiful Scottish Highlands with this utterly romantic, feelgood book; one visit to Port Willow Bay and you’ll want to come back! Fans of Sarah Morgan, Carole Matthews and Holly Martin will be captivated. Readers are loving Summer at the Highland Coral Beach!: ‘Kiley Dunbar is a wonderful author! She knows how to spin a tale in a way that'll break your heart but make you stay for the happily-ever-after.’ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reader Review ‘I absolutely adored this book. The characters were so real that it sucked you in and made you feel a part of the story. You didn't want it to end!’ Reader Review ‘This a great and cosy escapism romance, focusing on hope, growth and a whole lot of healing. I really hope this isn't the end for these characters because I completely fell in love with them!’ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reader Review ‘A great setting for the book - makes me want to go on holiday there too!’ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reader Review ‘A sweet and great story, and one I had a hard time putting down. Highly recommend this one.’ Reader Review ‘This was a beautifully written book...made you want to visit the places described...I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone’ Reader Review ‘The characters were wonderfully quirky and the setting was gorgeous... Sweet, funny, and emotional, Summer at the Highland Coral Beach was the perfect escape.’ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reader Review Praise for Kiley Dunbar: ‘I would easily give this book hundreds of stars’ Little Miss Book Lover 87 ‘this book was just sheer gorgeousness from the first page to the last, and I loved every moment...A really special book, and an author to watch for the future’ Being Anne ‘What an adorable, emotional, and beautiful read!!...This is certainly one of my favourite holiday reads and a book that will stick with me’ Diary of a Book Fiend ‘I just adored this book...This is a perfect book to chase away the winter blues and make you dream of love in the summertime. I cannot recommend it highly enough.’ A Little Book Problem ‘This was one of those books that you smiled reading from the very first page. It is such a feel-good rom-com’ Kelly’s Book Space ‘A heart-warming and uplifting romantic read about love lost and found, second chances and new beginnings...will leave you with a great big smile on your face.’ Bookish Jottings ‘a glittering feast of love and happiness that I simply couldn't put down... I urge you all to add this stunning book to your TBR pile immediately.’ Stacy Is Reading

Download or read book Punch written by Mark Lemon and published by . This book was released on 1925 with total page 868 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Last Train to Scarborough written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2009-03-05 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting new adventure for Jim Stringer, Andrew Martin's celebrated 'Steam Detective'. It is March 1914, and Jim Stringer is uneasy about his next assignment. It's not so much the prospect of a Scarborough lodging house in the gloomy off-season that bothers him, or even the fact that the last railwayman to stay in the house has disappeared without trace. It's more that his governor, Chief Inspector Saul Weatherhill, seems to be deliberately holding back details of the case - and that he's been sent to Scarborough with a trigger-happy assistant. The lodging house is called Paradise, but, as Jim discovers, it's hardly that in reality. It is, however, home to the seductive and beautiful Amanda Rickerby, a woman evidently capable of derailing Jim's marriage - and a good deal more besides. As a storm brews in Scarborough, it becomes increasingly unlikely that Jim will ever ride the train back to York. 'Crime dispatched with a Dickensian relish . . . Delectable stuff.' Daily Express '[Andrew Martin] is an original voice and the historical novels are the best I have read this century.' Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe

Download or read book The Lost Luggage Porter written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2009-04-02 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Unerringly sharp and pioneeringly original, it locks the reader in from start to finish.' Andrew Barrow, SpectatorWinter, 1906. It's Jim Stringer's first day as an official railway detective, but he's not a happy man.As the rain falls incessantly on the city's ancient streets, the local paper carries a story highly unusual by York standards: two brothers have been shot to death. Soon Jim enters the orbit of a dangerous, disturbed villain - and discovers that the two murders are barely the start of his plans . . .'A cracking good thriller.' Independent on Sunday'Crime narratives dispatched with a Dickensian relish . . . Delectable stuff.' Daily Express'Has the charm of Alexander McCall Smith's simple-is-good philosophising and its addictive quality.' Metro

Download or read book The Necropolis Railway written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2009-04-02 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ' A brilliant murder mystery set in Edwardian London about a railway line that runs only to a massive cemetery.' Daily Mirror When railwayman Jim Stringer moves to the garish and tawdry London of 1903, he finds his duties are confined to a mysterious graveyard line. The men he works alongside have formed an instant loathing for him - and his predecessor has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Can Jim work out what is going on before he too is travelling on a one-way coffin ticket aboard the Necropolis Railway? 'Guaranteed to make the flesh creep and the skin crawl, a masterful novel about a mad, clanking, fog-bound world.' Simon Winchester 'A murderous conspiracy of a plot graced with style, wit and the sharp, true taste of a time gone by ... So beautifully nuanced and so effortlessly pleasurable to read that you almost want to keep it a personal secret.' Independent on Sunday

Download or read book The Leaden Heart written by Chris Nickson and published by Severn House Publishers Ltd. This book was released on 2019-05-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When an old friend asks Superintendent Tom Harper for help, he finds himself drawn into a deadly web of intimidation, corruption and misery on the streets of Leeds. Leeds, England. July, 1899. The hot summer has been fairly quiet for Detective Superintendent Tom Harper and his squad, until a daring burglary occurs at an expensive Leeds address. Then his friend and former colleague, Inspector Billy Reed, asks for his help. Billy’s brother, Charlie, a shopkeeper, has committed suicide. Going through Charlie’s papers, Billy discovers crippling rent rises demanded by his new landlord. Could these have driven him to his death? As Harper investigates, he uncovers a web of intimidation and corruption that leads back to the mysterious North Leeds Company. Who is pulling the strings behind the scenes and bringing a new kind of misery and violence to the people of Leeds? Harper is determined to unmask the culprits, but how much blood will be shed as he tries?