John Christopher – författare

A thought experiment in future-shock survivalism' Robert MacFarlane'Gripping ... of all science fiction's apocalypses, this is one of the most haunting' Financial TimesWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ROBERT MACFARLANEA post-apocalyptic vision of the world pushed to the brink by famine, John Christopher's science fiction masterpiece The Death of Grass includes an introduction by Robert MacFarlane in Penguin Modern Classics.At first the virus wiping out grass and crops is of little concern to John Custance. It has decimated Asia, causing mass starvation and riots, but Europe is safe and a counter-virus is expected any day. Except, it turns out, the governments have been lying to their people. When the deadly disease hits Britain, society starts to descend into barbarism. As John and his family try to make it across country to the safety of his brother's farm in a hidden valley, their humanity is tested to its very limits. A chilling psychological thriller and one of the greatest post-apocalyptic novels ever written, The Death of Grass shows people struggling to hold on to their identities as the familiar world disintegrates - and the terrible price they must pay for surviving.John Christopher (1922-2012) was the pen name of Samuel Youd, a prolific writer of science fiction. His novels were popular during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably The Death Of Grass (1956), The World in Winter (1962), and Wrinkle in the Skin (1965), all works depicting ordinary people struggling in the midst of apocalyptic catastrophes. In 1966 he started writing science-fiction for adolescents; The Tripods trilogy, the Prince in Waiting trilogy (also known as the Sword of the Spirits trilogy) and The Lotus Caves are still widely read today.Ifyou enjoyed The Death of Grass, you might like John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.

Nobody knows how long it has been since the Tripods came. Nobody remembers life on Earth before they enslaved it. Humans live in scattered farms and villages, kept quiet and obedient by the mind-controlling Caps implanted when they reach their teens. Will Parker's time is fast approaching - but a chance encounter with a madman convinces him that it may still be possible to resist the alien masters. So begins an epic tale of survival and defiance - and Will's journey to the White Mountains.

Perfect for use in and out of class the Oxford Bookworms Library gives you:- Students can choose from over 270 books, across a wide range of genres – from crime, fantasy and thrillers, to classics, plays and non-fiction. There’s something for everyone!- Bookworms are written to a carefully designed language syllabus, judged to beby David R. Hill (ELT journal review). The reliable grading and variety of books available means students practise and improve their English by reading at a comfortable level, with books that really interest them.-for every book makes it easy to use readers with your class, test your students’ knowledge, and check their comprehension. For more ways of using Bookworms in and out of class watch thestep-by-step video tips with downloadable worksheets.

The moral of this story, set in the 21st century, is that freedom has to be won and kept by the young. It won the "Guardian" Prize for Children's Literature.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel changed the world as we know it. He was responsible for building the Great Western Railway main line, introducing regular steamship travel across the Atlantic, building the first tunnel under a major river, and constructing docks, harbours and bridges that enabled Britain to expand and grow as the powerhouse of the world. Without his foresight and imagination, it is possible that nineteenth-century Britain might have been very different. There have been many books written about the man himself, but this book concentrates upon the structures, buildings and legacy of Brunel, introducing the reader to this great engineer and embarking upon a tour around Britain that reveals the many locations with a Brunel connection.

'I hope these new mechanic meteors will prove only playthings ... and not be converted into new engines of destruction to the human race.' - Horace Walpole, 1785Walpole's words were prophetic; within only eleven years the balloon had proved its worth at war and Joseph Montgolfier, even before a balloon had left the ground, had seen a potential use for his new invention in attacking the English at Gibraltar. The first 'air force' was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte. The American Civil, Franco-Prussian and First World Wars saw extensive use of balloons but it was during the Second World War that the balloon saw more new and imaginative uses.Barrage balloons helped prevent incursions by enemy aircraft and new, ingenious uses were found for balloons, including dropping bombs (as used by the Japanese against the USA), destroying enemy aircraft, espionage and other clandestine operations.

The archetypal Routemaster is arguably the most recognised vehicle in the world, as witnessed at the recent Beijing Olympic handover ceremony. Buses have been operating on London's streets since 1829, originally with horse-drawn omnibuses, and the London Omnibus Company was founded in 1855 to regulate the various services. The first motorised buses made an appearance in 1902 with the LGOC beginning to manufacture the buses itself two years later. For six decades London went its own way with specially designed buses. More recent innovations such as the 'bendy' bus have not been popular, but today practicality of pushchair and wheelchair access has consigned the Routemaster to a nostalgic, but much-loved, position. With full-colour photographs, this book comprehensively tells the story behind London's famous red buses.

Even before the Apollo astronauts had stepped on to the surface of the Moon, NASA's engineers were drawing up plans for a reusable space vehicle to replace the expendable and expensive rockets. The answer was STS – the Space Transportation System – a 'space plane' to be known as the Space Shuttle. First flown in 1981, the Shuttle is the most complicated flying machine ever devised. It has been the stalwart of NASA's continued manned spaceflight programme for almost thirty years, with well over 100 successful missions including the construction and provision of the International Space Station. This success has come at a high price with the loss of eleven astronauts in the Challenger and Columbia disasters, forever burned into the memories of the watching world. With NASA due to retire its ageing fleet in 2010, this book tells the fascinating story of the Space Shuttle from its inception to the shape of things to come and through triumph and disaster.

By the time of its introduction into front-line service in July 1944 many Germans thought the Me 262 was capable of turning the tide of the Second World War. Accelerating to speeds well over 500mph, it was faster than any Allied fighter operating in the European theatre. Officially designated as the Schwalbe, or Swallow, its pilots soon renamed the Me 262 as the Sturmvogel. While the war was still going Hitler’s way the Me262 was not considered a high-priority project by German High Command, until May 1943 when the celebrated Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland flew the Me 262 and was so impressed by its performance that he advocated immediate mass production. Several types of the Me 262 were deployed – fighter bomber, interceptor and an unarmed reconnaissance version - but although over 1,400 Me 262s were constructed less than 300 saw combat. Even so, the Stormbird signalled the beginning of the end for piston-engined combat aircraft, and with the fall of the Third Reich the Allies were quick to seize the surviving Me 262s and their design directly influenced the development of jet fighters after the war. Packed with little-known facts and figures and featuring lists of preserved examples, this is both a fascinating and accessible read.

The SS Great Britain Story is a concise account of one of the most famous steamships ever built. The great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel embraced the latest innovations, including an iron hull and a screw-propeller, to create an ocean liner that was decades ahead of its time. Launched by Prince Albert in 1843, the SS Great Britain was nearly lost three years later when she ran aground in Dundrum Bay, Ireland. Fortunately she weathered the winter storms and went on to enjoy a long and chequered career. She spent many years transporting emigrants to Australia, served as a cargo vessel, and almost ended her days stranded on the Falkland Islands. Following an incredible rescue mission in the 1970s, fully documented here, she was returned to dry-dock in Bristol, where she was originally built, and is now the centrepiece of a fascinating and ongoing restoration project.

Constructed from the wood of over 6,000 trees HMS Victory was designed as a ‘first-rate ship’, packing a formidable punch with over 100 guns arranged over three decks. Immortalised as Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar, after bringing Nelson’s body back to England the Victory sailed out on a number of expeditions until her retirement in 1812. In a wonderfully entertaining narrative, and packed with fun facts, figures and over 100 colour photographs, author John Christopher recounts the story of this celebrated warship right up to its restoration project and current role as the centrepiece of Portsmouth’s historic docks. Author John Christopher is a life-long transport enthusiast and a balloon pilot. He has previously written The Hunter Story and Balloons at War for The History Press.

John Christopher takes a fresh look at 100 years of Britain's most iconic car company, Aston Martin. From the origins of the Aston Martin marque, through the gadget-laden stars of numerous James Bond films, to the prestigious super-cars that continue to be market leaders throughout the world. Aston Martin was nearly called Bamford Martin, as founders Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford were already selling cars together, but in the end the company was named after the Aston Hill speed hill-climb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire. Their first car was produced in 1915 but war and financial troubles often tempered progress and the company went through various changes in ownership on its way to becoming the global icon it is today. Following the typical Story book format, this sleekest of cars is celebrated with a wealth of colour photographs, facts and statistics.

Once described as the 'worst tank that ever won the war', the Sherman tank was never going to be the equal of the German heavies in a direct tank-on-tank confrontation. It was never meant to be. What is was, though, was reliable, maneuverable and built in such prodigious quantities that it became ubiquitous. Sheer weight of numbers and interchangeability of parts was what made the Medium Tank M4, as the Sherman was officially designated, a war winner. Built in the States in car factories, railway works and new bespoke factories, the Sherman came in many variants, and was converted for other uses by the Allied forces. The Brits gave it a bigger gun, made 'funnies' that could wade ditches, build bridges, even float in the sea and clear minefields. The Sherman lasted in service into Korea with the Americans and many were sold overseas to Israel, Uganda, India, Paraguay, Argentina and Mexico, with the last coming out of service in 1989 in Chile. John Christopher tells the story of the M4 Sherman, using both new and archive images to show the most famous tank in the world in all its guises and variants.

ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL is famous for the engineering wonders he left behind - from the SS Great Britain to the delights of Paddington and Temple Meads stations, but much of what he designed has been lost. From the ships Great Western and Great Eastern to the majestic water towers of Crystal Palace, the Hungerford Bridge and the South Devon atmospheric railway, many of Brunel's achievements have been lost to rebuilding, fire, neglect and scrapping. What survives of some of these structures tends to be photographic or in print form, with little extant to remind us of some of Brunel's greatness. John Christopher, author of Isambard Kingdom Brunel Through Time, takes us on a tour of the lost works of Brunel, telling the story with treasures that have been lost to us, and illustrating just why Brunel can truly be crowned as Britain's most famous engineer.

LONDON needed rebuilding after the great fire of 1666. Eighty-eight churches had been destroyed and a grand plan to rebuild them was started by Sir Christopher Wren. In the end, he designed fifty-one new churches and the splendour that is St Paul's Cathedral. Of the fifty-one churches, many have been lost, either to a combination of Victorian indifference, fire, subsidence or German bombs. Twelve Wren City churches survive in their original form, while many of the remaining churches have been rebuilt or substantially altered. Wren left an amazing legacy and John Christopher takes us on a tour of the churches, showing them as built and showing us a comparison scene of today.

Bournemouth Through Time is a wonderful collection of old and new photographs of Bournemouth. The older images are printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph, which illustrates the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years. The photographs illustrate shops, schools, garages, churches, houses and street scenes.As you browse through the photographs, you will notice the increase in the number of vehicles on the roads and the number of residents, how shops and other businesses have evolved and the changes and developments in modes of transportation and the architecture of the area.

Intended for the British Army as a contract for a small, Jeep-like, air-portable vehicle, the Mini Moke was a failure at this role and found its success as a fun, sunshine toy, equally at home on the beach as in the mountains. Over 50,000 were made and many still survive. Its most famous role was in the cult TV series The Prisoner. The Moke was manufactured in Britain and later in Australia and Portugal. With Mini running gear, the Moke is a practical and fun vehicle for the summer and this explains why so many survive to the present day. John Christopher tells the story of the Moke and the varieties from development to preservation.

Brunel and London. It might not seem an obvious association, but John Christopher puts the case that it was London, not Bristol, that was the most important centre of Brunel's activities. It was here that he lived, worked and died. The city is dotted with examples of his works, some obvious and some less so, from the subaquatic Thames Tunnel between Wapping to Rotherhithe where he cut his engineering teeth and was almost killed in a sudden deluge, to the Hungerford suspension bridge between Charing Cross and the South Bank - mostly forgotten but parts of it still exist - the two stations at Paddington with the Great Western Railway main line running to the west and, of course, his final steamship, the vast Great Eastern which was built at Millwall and marked the end of his career and his life. Less familiar are Brunel's connections with the Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and the two towers he built when it was relocated to Sydenham in south London. John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Brunel, takes us on a tour of London, examining the relationship between city and engineer. This is the latest in a series of books which are about rediscovering Brunel's works in your area.

Cornwall marks the extreme south-western extent of Brunel’s kingdom and the county is surprisingly rich in his works. The Royal Albert Bridge, which crosses the River Tamar, connected the broad gauge network with the Cornwall and West Cornwall railways – both engineered by Brunel – to take the trains coming from Paddington all the way to Penzance via a series of over sixty spectacular timber viaducts. The original viaducts have gone now, either modified or replaced over the years, but in many cases the masonry piers remain like rows of monolithic sentinels. As a result there is much to reward the Brunel hunter, including the branch line to Falmouth and many surviving examples of his railway stations. There are other connections, literally. His Great Eastern steamship was the first vessel to successfully lay a telegraphic cable to connect Europe and the USA – a story told at the historic Porthcurno Telegraph Museum near Land’s End. John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Brunel, takes us on a tour of Cornwall, exploring his works in the county. This is the latest in a series of books which are about rediscovering Brunel’s works in your area.

Bristol and Brunel, the two are inseparable. What would the Avon Gorge be without the slender lines of the suspension bridge? The Floating Harbour without the iron-hulled Great Britain back in the dry dock where she was built, or the magnificent Great Western Railway without its Temple Meads station? Quite clearly that most celebrated of Victorian engineers, Isambard Kingdom Brunel - the 'Little Giant' in the stove-pipe hat - has contributed more iconic landmarks to the cityscape than anyone else. And in return Bristolians like to claim Brunel as their own, an 'adopted son' of the city, although it wasn't always an easy relationship. Brunel never lived in Bristol, but the city is home to the richest concentration of his surviving works to be found anywhere; not just the big stuff but also the less well known works including a number of 'other' bridges and at least three railways. John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Brunel, takes us on a tour of Bristol, examining the relationship between city and engineer, and exploring his works. This is the latest in a series of books which are all about rediscovering the Brunel on your doorstep.

1943 saw the Allies on the offensive, with victories in North Africa followed by the invasion of Sicily and landings in Italy establishing a foothold on mainland Europe, while on the Eastern Front the Red Army was making gains, and in the Pacific the Japanese-held islands were falling.The change in the Allies’ fortunes had begun the previous year and now they were building on those successes, paving the way for the major return to Europe with D-Day planned for 1944. The 8th Army’s successes in the Tunisian campaign pushed the German Afrika Korps out of North Africa. This was followed by the invasion of Sicily in May and landings on the toe of Italy in September, resulting in the ousting of Benito Mussolini. Other Allied successes came in the Pacific with the taking of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, together with British and Chinese advances in Burma, putting the Japanese onto the defensive. The conflict in Russia saw the key tank battle at Kursk and the subsequent retaking of some German-held territory. Other events included the Dambuster raids, an attack on the Ploesti oil refineries and the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto.John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1943 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the rapidly changing nature of the conflict.

Originally published in 1935 - the year of the GWR's centenary - Track Topics is the ultimate railway book for 'boys of all ages'. Packed with the sort of fascinating detail covering the building and maintenance of the railway not found elsewhere, it is faithfully reproduced in its entirety in this special facsimile edition. Illustrated with over 200 photographs and diagrams, it includes a new introduction by Brunel expert John Christopher plus a supplement section to bring the topics bang up to date. 'The most interesting of all the GWR books ...Track Topics is packed with precious nuggets of useful and insightful information, much of it from a time when the railway was making the difficult transition from its Victorian origins to the fast-changing needs of the twentieth century.'

Famed for his railway hand-books - recently rediscovered through Michael Portillo's television series on the great railway journeys - George Bradshaw also produced this Hand Book to London, which was originally published in 1862. Presented as a series of walks within central London, as well as a trip along the Thames by steamer and a visit to the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, it provides a unique perspective on the city as it was 150 years ago. This new edition presents Bradshaw's Hand Book to London in a highly readable form, accompanied by a wealth of contemporary images to bring the text to life. It is packed with fascinating information and armed with this guide, which includes contemporary maps, the modern explorer can retrace Bradshaw's steps to discover the Victorian world amid today's busy city.

It was the most famous express train in the world. Hauled by the GWR's powerful Castle Class the Cheltenham Flyer established new records for a scheduled service, covering the Swindon to Paddington run at a blistering average speed of 81.6 mph. Originally published by the GWR in 1934 this book not only celebrates the Flyer's iconic status but also explores the workings of a steam locomotive and the day-to-day practicalities of running the railway. More than just a nostalgic railway book for 'boys of all ages', GWR Cheltenham Flyer is packed with the sort of fascinating detail not found elsewhere and is faithfully reproduced in its entirety in this special facsimile edition. Illustrated with over 200 photographs and diagrams, it includes a new introduction plus supplement section to bring the topics bang up to date. GWR Cheltenham Flyer is the companion volume to GWR Track Topics, also published by Amberley.

Bradshaw’s Guide of 1863 was the staple book to what’s what and where’s where for the mid-Victorians and it gives the modern reader a unique insight into the world of the nineteenth-century railway travellers. Built primarily to serve industry and the mail packets to Ireland, the railways of Wales would go on to open up the Principality to tourism for the first time. They also brought communities closer together and many journeys that once took days to complete could now be undertaken in hours. This illustrated guide records the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the various routes.John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon take us on Brunel’s broad gauge lines in South Wales, before joining the central and northern railways, using contemporary Victorian and Edwardian photographs and postcards to illustrate the scenes that the readers of Bradshaw’s Guide to the Railways would have experienced. This volume covers the South Wales Railway, the Great Western Railway, the Cambrian lines and the Chester & Holyhead Railway as well as the many branch lines.