Andrew Vine – författare

Vast and brilliant white, P&O's flagship the SS Canberra was a final salute to a bygone era of opulence even as she embarked on her maiden voyage, For a decade she carried passengers between Britain and Australia, a 90-day voyage of pampering and decadence. But in March 1982, Britain went to war to defend the Falkland Islands and the SS Canberra found herself, surreally, requisitioned as a troop ship to carry the Marines and Paratroops into battle.Against all odds she surived, playing a vital role as a hospital ship, At the end of the war she arrived back in Southampton to a heroes welcome, where she became fondly known as the Great White Whale.This is the extraordinary and, as yet, untold story of how the crew of a luxury ocean liner:  waiters, cooks, nurses and cleaners, found themselves suddenly thrust onto the front line. A Very Strange Way to Go to War is a candid and captivating story, drawing from first hand accounts and previously unpublished archives, of the heroic courage of ordinary British men and women in the face of great adversity, at the outpost of empire.

The Yorkshire coastline is the second most visited tourist destination in England - and here is a walking guide to its entire length?From Redcar all the way south to Bridlington, and then on along Spurn Point on the Humber, is magnificent clifftop and seaside walking. The route takes in scenic holiday hotspots like Whitby, Scarborough, Filey and Robin Hood's Bay, magnificent seabird cliffs at Bempton and Flamborough, not to mention steam railways, Winifred Holtby's South Riding and the home of Dracula. Now Andrew Vine, an experienced walker and distinguished Yorkshire journalist, has written the definitive walking guide, full of colour photos, and the whole route covered with OS large-scale maps. It is an essential purchase for the serious walker and the afternoon stroller alike.

Quite simply, Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running comedy programme in the world. It premiered 37 years ago, in 1973, and, after 31 series it finally came to an end last year – even though all its original protagonists – Compo, Foggy, even Nora Batty – are now dead.Remarkably, for a series of such longevity and international appeal, it is all about elderly people, has little action or plot, and is set and filmed in and around the small Yorkshire town of Holmfirth.Now, Andrew Vine, the deputy editor of Yorkshire’ s daily newspaper, has written the definitive history of this television phenomenon. It covers the show’ s inauspicious beginnings, with low ratings, its endless reinvention as participants like Bill Owen, Michael Bates, Brian Wilde and Kathy Staff retired or died, the appearance of a string of guest stars from John Cleese and Norman Wisdom to Thora Hird and Russ Abbott (both of whom soon found themselves fixtures in the cast), and the ingenious plot contrivances as the protagonists became too old and frail to attempt any of the slapstick stunts with runaway prams – indeed any outdoor action.Holmfirth is now a year-round tourist attraction, and endless repeats and new DVD box sets will ensure a readership for this book for years to come.