Apostrophe Books Ltd – förlag

Jonathan Margolis''s biography of Uri Geller, the controversial spoon-bending and mind-reading performer, was the first to examine dispassionately whether the former Israeli paratrooper is a talented magician or something altogether more mysterious – perhaps even an authentic paranormalist.

Reviews

"Superstitious atheists will find this book toxic. Jonathan Margolis clearly spooked himself writing it and I got an attack of the creeps one night just reading it." - Evening Standard

"Uri''s ability to perform amazing feats of mental wizardry is known the world over...Uri is not a magician. He is using capabilities that we all have and can develop with exercise and practice." - Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 Astronaut and sixth man to walk on the moon

"I think Uri is a magician, but I don''t particularly believe that he is using trickery. I believe there are psychic abilities. They don''t accord with any science we have at the moment, but maybe some future science will back them up with theories." - Brian Josephson, Professor of Physics, University of Cambridge, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, 1973

"Uri bent a spoon for me. The first time he did, I thought there must be a trick. The second time I was stunned - completely, completely stunned and amazed. It just bent in my hand. I''ve never seen anything like it. It takes a lot to impress me. Uri Geller is for real and anyone who doesn''t recognise that is either deluding himself, or he is a very sad person." - David Blaine

"Geller has bent my ring in the palm of my hand without ever touching it. Personally, I have no scientific explanation for the phenomenon." - Werner Von Braun

"I came to this book a rationalist and a skeptic. Yet, open-mindedness requires me to report that Jonathan Margolis'' carefully researched, scrupulously detailed and even-handed exploration of Uri Geller''s paranormal capacities suggests some of our current scientific understandings will need radical revision in the next century." - The Jewish Chronicle

"A brilliant book - nine out of ten." - Channel 4

"A fascinating, unaided, open-minded account of a great modern puzzle." - Mail on Sunday

"An even-handed and assiduously researched work... something close to a definitive assessment." - New Statesman

A humorous look at the wild world of British advertising when it was at the pinnacle of its power, in the 1970s and 80s.

Written by an insider, it lifts the lid on the real disasters and in-fighting that took place; and reveals how to get in, how to get out and how to market.

This book was first published as Everything You Always Suspected Was True About Advertising But Were Too Legal, Decent and Honest to Ask, and has been re-released with a new chapter.

If Beverley knew what was good for her, she would steer clear of her sister Naomi, who’s just got in touch after a five-year silence. But Naomi’s self-serving plans are going to launch Beverley out of suburbia and into a whole new world of drama and desire.

Sisteria was Sue Margolis’s second novel and soon after publication was listed by The Guardian, London as a top ten paperback bestseller.

The story of Michel Thomas reads like a thriller in which adventure and heartbreak combine to produce a unique form of wisdom. Until his death in 2005, he taught languages to ghetto kids, heads of industry and movie stars in a matter of days, succeeding even with people who considered themselves hopeless linguists. To those who have been taught by him, he seemed to be a miracle worker with a magical gift for unlocking the secret powers of the mind.

This unique understanding was gained under extreme circumstances. Stateless in Vichy France at the beginning of the Second World War, he was incarcerated and starved in a concentration camp at the foot of the Pyrenees. Forced into slave labour in a coal mine in Provence, he avoided being sent to Auschwitz by hiding within the confines of a deportation camp for six weeks.

He escaped death to join the Secret Army of the Resistance. He was arrested and interrogated by Klaus Barbie, Butcher of Lyon, whom he deceived into releasing him, and was later re-arrested by the French Gestapo and tortured. He held out by entering a psychological state in which he no longer registered pain and after six hours of torture, his tormentors threw him into a cell and he survived to re-join the Resistance. After the Allies invaded France he joined the American forces, fought his way into Germany and was with the troops who liberated Dachau. He personally interrogated the camp’s hangman and oversaw his handwritten confession.

At the end of the war he became a Nazi-hunter. Working for American Counter Intelligence he posed as a Nazi himself to infiltrate and expose underground networks of SS men dedicated to the return of a Fourth Reich.

In spite of the fact that his entire family had been murdered in Auschwitz, and many close friends killed in combat, at the very end of the war he staged an elaborate gala evening in Munich which he called a Reconciliation Concert. Using German musicians, and in defiance of strict Allied non-fraternisation laws, he brought friend and foe together in the belief that there had to be a different and better future.

Author Christopher Robbins has dug deep to explore and substantiate the details of the Michel Thomas story. He has authenticated every episode through camp records, Vichy documents, Resistance papers, US Army reports and hundreds of hours of interviews with this extraordinary man. The result is one of the most inspirational stories of the 20th century.

As the destinies of three men with troubled pasts converge in a web of seemingly unconnected events, it becomes apparent that their futures are held in the hands of the terrorist leader, the Sword. But in the spiralling vortex of world "realpolitik" who are the victims and who is the aggressor?

Michael Whitehall contrasts the glamorous image of theatrical life with the mundane realities of the business, while passing on some startling trade secrets along the way.

A laconic raconteur of refreshingly unstar-struck theatrical anecdotes, Whitehall deftly sketches the social comedy of his eccentric background: growing up in suburban London in the 1950s, his schooldays at Ampleforth and his subsequent adventures as a prep schoolmaster – worthy of Evelyn Waugh himself – before becoming an actors’ agent.

Shark-Infested Waters is a charming, funny and piquant view of a world that continues to fascinate.

Praise for Shark Infested Waters:

“The funniest show-business memoir I’ve read since David Niven’s The Moon’s a Balloon.” - Nigel Havers

“One of the year’s funniest memoirs.” – Daily Express

In a huge, dark forest somewhere in the north, a round, rather simple hedgehog called Pork emerges from a pile of leaves in the night... and sets in motion this powerful - and unusual - collection of animal stories for adults.

There is mystery and terror in the great woodland, and there is love. It is a world where fear and death and the survival of the fittest are the pitiless underlying themes. Though they are loosely linked, the stories are written to be read as separate tales, usually with a single main character: an ugly, love-lost squirrel, a wantonly savage stoat, a bat, a veteran hare running before the hounds. They are suspense thrillers or romantic interludes, pure adventure narratives, even horror stories; they all draw us deep into the stern forest through the elements we share with the animals - cold and dark, rain and sun, suspicion, loyalty, the need for warmth and the safety of shelter - above all, the feeling that, even in a world where death is inevitable, there is always enough to make life worth living.

The style is clear, straightforward, often very simple, but there is passion as well as knowledge in the book. It brings the wild creates fiercely to life, in a disturbing way, with menace and unease - but vividly, in a literary debut of great imaginative strength.

"A collection of finely wrought stories. Freddi''s imagination is so special and so powerful, his writing so clean and masterly that we are left quite impressed, quite satisfied and wanting more." - San Francisco Chronicle

"Cleverly imagined and beautifully realised." - Newsday

"Manhattan is a picnic compared to the paranoia engendered in this forest. Freddi''s literary debut is wondrous in its own way, affectingly terrifying and, above all, strange." - Los Angeles Herald Examiner

In the distant mouse kingdom of Carminel, a terrible civil war has broken out.

In the distant mouse kingdom of Carminel, a terrible civil war has broken out.

Eagles'' Revenge is the thrilling second book in the best-selling Mouse Kingdom trilogy for children.

The Rat-Kind are plotting to wipe out the Mouse Kingdom of Carminel. Only Rufus, a slave, can stop them. First, though, he must find the ancient treasures of the Lord of Light and enlist the help of the legendary eagles of Carminel.

Pursued every step of the way by ruthless rat warriors, Rufus is tested to the limit. Is he brave, strong and fast enough to find the treasures before the rats get them... or will the rats get Rufus first?

A fascinating look at the future, as you''ve never seen it.

Ten years from now, will we have a tiny personal computer surgically inserted in an earlobe, capable of connecting to phone lines and the internet? Fifty years from now, will atomic-sized robots replace surgeons? A hundred years from now, instead of taking the bus, will we simply teleport to work? It all may sound like impossible science fiction, but not too long ago, so did walking on the moon. Journalist Jonathan Margolis interviews leading thinkers in such fields as genetics, medicine, neurobiology, quantum physics, robotics, computer science, and space travel to explore where we''re going, and what it will look like when - and if - we get there.

Beginning with famously flawed past visions of the future - among them H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Hawking, and Bill Gates - Margolis examines many of the strange and tempting futures that may lie in store for us. Politics, society, religion, and work are all destined for great changes. What might they be? How will they come about? Thought-provoking, amusing, and absolutely original, A Brief History of Tomorrow is a deliciously compelling look at something we all spend a lot of time contemplating: the future.

The Ruby of Carminel is the final book in the best-selling Mouse Kingdom trilogy for children.

The island of Carminel lies in peril. The Black Widow Empress Ravanola has sent her wicked stoat warriors, led by Lord Malatesta, to steal the Great Ruby and destroy the peaceful Mouse Kingdom for ever.

Only the brave Captain Roamer and his band of fearless sea-mice stand ready. But can they rescue the ruby from the clutches of the evil spider, defeat Malatesta''s mighty fleet at sea, and defend their home from the cruel invaders?

When it comes to men, beauty columnist Rebecca Fine always seems to be on the scruffy end of the mascara wand. But all that changes the morning she meets Max Stoddart, her new colleague at the Daily Vanguard. With his upscale suit, Hugh Grant hair, and obscenely sexy good looks, he’s a single woman’s dream come true. Finally, her grandmother can stop surfing the Net for eligible Jewish males. But is Max the catch of the decade - or just a major babe magnet?

Meanwhile, Rebecca’s old high school nemesis has resurfaced, a former blonde bombshell called Lipstick who is now engaged to Rebecca’s widowed dad. And it’s goodbye to articles on toe cleavage when a hot tip sweeps Rebecca to the centre of the Paris cosmetics world, where a miracle anti-wrinkle cream is about to be launched. That is, until she blows the whistle on a scandal that could set the beauty business - and the future of world peace - reeling. Will Rebecca win the recognition, not to mention the Pulitzer, she yearns for... and get the man of her dreams? Stay tuned.

Lights, Camera Jemuru – Adventures of a Film-Maker in Ethiopia is the remarkable true-life story of a high-flying adman who swapped his expense account lifestyle in London to go and teach in a back-street community film school, Gem TV, in Addis Ababa.

Bob Maddams spent ten years living and working in Ethiopia and filming took him and the Gem TV film-makers all over the country, from shanty towns and famine feeding stations to rock hewn churches and the source of the Nile.

Each encounter eroded the Live Aid Image the author had of Ethiopia when he first arrived, to reveal a country of staggering natural beauty, Biblical history, diverse ethnic groups and a culture as rich as the people are poor.

But most of all Lights, Camera, Jemuru is the uplifting story of Gem TV, the young film-makers whose films are transforming the lives of ordinary people all over Ethiopia.

Funny, sad, and moving, Lights, Camera, Jemuru colourfully portrays this most ancient of countries as it struggles to define its place in the modern world.

And for the 400 million people all over the world who watched Live Aid and wondered whatever happened to Ethiopia – it’s a fascinating answer.

The Allies are advancing on Berlin in the dying days of the Second World War, but the Russians are plotting much more than the end of the Third Reich. Operation Archangel''s aim is for Soviet troops to blast their way straight to the English Channel.

With fake Soviet tanks lined up near the German border in Czechoslovakia, two British spy pilots stumble across this elaborate charade. Wing Commander Robert Fleming and Rhodesian expatriate Piet Kruze become the front line in the effort to defuse the Russian scheme. But they must first penetrate the heart of the Nazi defences and steal the one weapon that can possibly destroy Archangel: the cream of the new generation of German jet fighter bombers.

"These are the heroes no one told you about" - Tom Clancy.

Officially the war in Laos did not exist - both North Vietnam and the USA denied they had troops there. In fact, thousands of North Vietnamese were invading the country and pouring down the Ho Chi Minh Trail on their way to the south, and the Americans were fighting a vigorous war against them from the air.

The Ravens were the pilots, all volunteers, who flew through heavy groundfire to identify targets and call in air-strikes. Their mission was so secret that they were ''sold'' their prop-driven planes for a dollar apiece so they could be struck from US Air Force records. They wore no uniform and carried no identification. Refugees from the bureaucracy of the war in Vietnam, they accepted the murderous casualty rates of what was known as the Steve Canyon Program in return for a life of unrestricted flying and fighting.

Devoted to the hill tribesmen they fought alongside, the Ravens did their job with extraordinary skill and crazy courage and with a humour that was all of its own. This is the story, brilliantly told for the first time, of these extraordinary men. Based on extensive interviews with the survivors, it is a tale of undeniable heroism, blending real-life romance, adventure and tragedy.

Anna Shapiro - a 37-year-old mother of two - is about to spend the next few weeks committing adultery for the pure joy of it - and with hilarious results. But there''s a catch. Anna still loves her husband. Fast, funny, shocking and unputdownable, Neurotica is a novel for every woman who has ever wondered how high you can fly with an airline captain.

Life lacks a certain spark for stand-up comedian and cleaner Rachel Katz whose husband left her for another man - but there are sparks a-plenty when the washing machine breaks down and a repair man called Matt arrives… and sends her life into a spin.

In this sensational debut novel set in the not-too-distant future, Robert Ford has created a universe of his own in order to brilliantly illuminate the one - and the age - we all share...

A thrilling crime novel that became a cult movie, Bellman & True sees computer engineer Hiller on the run with his 11-year-old stepson. However, they''re not fleeing the police but the East End robbery team who want information.

Hiller gives it but he''s not yet off the hook for now he''s wanted by the Guv''nor, the Peterman, the Stoppo... and the Bellman.

But it''s not the shotgun barrels staring him in the face that make Hiller go on the raid. It''s the boy.

And Hiller''s nerve lasts until, in the highly technical defences of the National General Bank, things start to go wrong.

To mark 35 years since The Serial first satirized the silliness of 1970s California, the bestselling novel is back, with new artwork, bonus features, interviews and reviews from the time, plus a new preface by author Cyra McFadden. A comic send up of the 1960s Californian lifestyle - personal growth, human life styling and living together relationships. Kate and Harvey Holroyd try to stay hip and loose through a welter of lentil loaves, natural fibres, enzymes and Zen jogging. From the author of "Rain or Shine".

Set at the very epicentre of the self-obsessed 1970s, when everyone talks (without ever saying anything) in the psychobabble of faddish self-help manuals, it’s the most sophisticated, liberated, high energy, naturally organic and hilarious adult soap opera ever!

New York Times bestseller Melissa Jo Peltier turns her attention to the brilliant, back-stabbing world of prime-time television in this wickedly funny new novel. Peltier has worked in entertainment for more than 20 years, making the darkly funny Reality Boulevard a true insider’s view of Hollywood and some of America’s biggest shows. In it, we see Oscar-winning producer Marty Maltzman and his staff out of a job – and out on the streets – when long-running docu-series Lights and Sirens is unexpectedly axed. But the Hollywood the team now faces is full of Kardashiansand Real Housewives, and they need to survive in a world where it’s very hard to tell what’s true and what isn’t – both on and off screen. Oscar and Emmy winning documentarian and veteran reality producer (Big Brother, Rescue 911) Arnold Shapiro called the novel “the best satirical look behind the scenes of reality television ever written”, adding: “It contains more truth than you would believe.” Todd Milliner, producer of Grimm and Hot in Cleveland, said: “During her 20-plus years in the business, Melissa Jo Peltier had a front-row seat, watching it all unfold. In this novel, she puts her dry wit and storytelling ability to good use, pulling back the curtain to reveal what really goes on. Entertainment writer Reel Life with Jane says: ” Her characterizations and descriptions, in particular, are original and visceral, and the book is simply a fun and engaging read.” Kirkus Reviews declares Reality Boulevard "a zinging satire."

''We took some prisoners and tied them up on the airstrip and left them out in the sun to die. Then we tied some up, put them in a DC3 and pushed them out of the door.''

This is the terrifying true story of international assassin Carlos Evertsz as he ricocheted between the high life in London, Madrid and the island paradise of the Dominican Republic – and some of the world''s most horrific jails.

It is the complete dossier of an agent licensed to kill and who doesn''t hesitate to unflinchingly state his own record of shocking atrocities. Written by the journalist who knew him best – even ending up on the assassin''s hit list a few times himself – the story is as gripping as it is unbelievable.

Also part of Evertsz''s weird world is Dr Manuel Sosa, a demonic intelligence chief with a taste for orgies, torture, blackmail, voodoo and murder. It''s a scene you will find stranger than fiction - but remember as you read, it is all true.

The definitive version of one of the greatest books ever written.

Produced from the rare 1935 edition, Apostrophe Books’ release of T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom has all the charm of the original, plus its 58 stunning pictures and maps.

Published in 1935, Seven Pillars of Wisdom tells the story of the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918 through the eyes of the soldier who would book a place in history as the great Lawrence of Arabia.

"It ranks with the greatest books ever written in the English language. As a narrative of war and adventure... it is unsurpassable" (Winston Churchill )

"Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams" (E.M. Forster)

"I am not much of a hero-worshipper but I could have followed T.E. Lawrence over the edge of the world... It seems to me as certain of immortality as anything written in English for half a century" (John Buchan)

"Seven Pillars of Wisdom is one of the major statements about the fighting experience of the First World War" (Angus Calder)

"Emotional and mythic" (Guardian)

The definitive e-book version of one of Jane Austen’s greatest works.

Produced from one of the novel''s earliest editions, Apostrophe Books’ release of Sense and Sensibility comes complete with all 43 original pictures.

Published in 1811, the classic novel tells the story of English sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who go to stay with their relations at Barton Park after their father dies. Apprehensive at first, the move opens the door to a host of colourful new characters – and romantic possibilities.

This brand-new edition features:

- Exceptional typography.

- Illustrations rarely found in other titles.

- Fully interactive table of contents.

Welcome to the definitive e-book version of Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece.

Produced from one of the novel''s earliest editions, Apostrophe Books’ release of Jane Eyre comes complete with a series of brilliant illustrations.

Published in 1847, the revolutionary novel tells the story of Jane Eyre, who endures years of abuse from her monstrous family before becoming a governess and falling for her heroic employer, Mr Rochester. Will he return her love?

This brand-new edition features:

- Exceptional typography.

- Illustrations rarely found in other titles.

- Fully interactive table of contents.

“Apostrophe’s beautifully crafted ebook classics will please fans of old and new media alike.”

- Dr Matthew Rubery, BA (Texas) PhD (Harvard), Reader in 19th-Century Literature.

How many times a week do people say ‘good luck’ to you? Probably more than a few.

We might consider ourselves much more sophisticated than the ancient civilisations that practically revolved around lucky charms, but they are still all around us. We bless sneezes, we throw spilt salt over our shoulders, keep statues of St Christopher in our cars, and often have horseshoes in our homes.

One modern building in Hong Kong even has an enormous hole in its side for good fortune. Why? Read on. Each of the 101 lucky charms listed here has a real slice of history behind it, with many symbols and traditions dating back thousands of years.

And with all those good-luck signs on your e-reader, it may even bring you some luck, too. Well fingers crossed (oh, and we’ll explain what that strange saying is all about too).

Good luck!

The definitive e-book version of A Study In Scarlet, the brilliant detective novel that first introduced the world to Sherlock Holmes.

Complete with the stunning illustrations and typographic flourishes of the 1893 publication of Arthur Conan Doyle’s story, we see Dr Watson move into Holmes’ flat at 221B Baker Street. Soon, the pair are investigating a murder at an abandoned manor, where a mysterious message has been left in blood on one wall – and we begin to see the genius of Holmes’ detective mind at work.

This beautiful, painstakingly-produced Apostrophe Books version of A Study In Scarlet includes an introduction about Sherlock Holmes by Dr Joseph Bell and original illustrations by George Hutchinson.

- The 1868 edition corrected by Dickens in 1867-68.

- Includes a preface by Dickens, plus an editor’s note.

- Contains all 12 of George Cruikshank’s original illustrations.

- Also contains 16 photographs from the Her Majesty’s Theatre performance of Oliver Twist.

- Fully-searchable table of contents.

- Exquisitely formatted and presented in e-book form.

Dickens’ exceptional second novel tells the story of orphan boy Oliver Twist, who escapes the misery of the workhouse only to fall in with a gang of London crooks, led by the legendary Fagin.

The literary masterpiece uses dark humour to shine a light on the real poverty blighting London life in the 19th century, as Dickens – himself once a child labourer – explains in the rare foreword to this Apostrophe Books edition.