Prelude – serie

A tremendous bestseller when it was first published in 1937, The Importance of Living has been a classic for over sixty years. Intended as an antidote to the dizzying pace of the modern world, Lin Yutang's prescription is the classic distillation of ancient Chinese wisdom: revere inaction as much as action, invoke humour to maintain a healthy attitude, and never forget that there will always be plenty of fools around who are willing - indeed eager - to be busy, to make themselves useful, and to exercise power while you bask in the simple joy of existence. Now, more than six decades later, with our lives accelerated to unbelievable levels, this wise and timeless book is more pertinent than ever before. In an era when we're overwhelmed with wake-up calls, it's an entertaining innovation to savour life's beauty, its endless fascination and its slow, sure, simple pleasures.

A timely new edition featuring the brilliant work from among the most inventive minds in illustration and cartoon wizardry.Heath Robinson was one of Britain's most successful graphic artists. His work has had a huge influence on comic art in this country, but also on the image and self-image of the British.As the champion of pragmatic man, Heath Robinson presented a vision of the British as an unflappable, ingenious and slightly demented breed of inventors that persists to the present day. The British are still a nation of garage-haunting amateur engineers who will recognise the inhabitants of Heath Robinson's world, with their pot bellies and pots of tea, archaic faces and sturdily commonsensical approach to the problems of existence.How to hunt tigers by elephant, how to get an even tan, rise with the sun or put out a chimney fire, these and many more pressing questions are answered in the pages of Contraptions.With illustrations salvaged from the family archives and commentary by Heath Robinson expert, Geoffrey Beare, Contraptions is the best possible introduction to the work of one of Britain's great comic talents.

Arguably the most memorable speaker ever on the subject of love, Leo Buscaglia’s talks to earlier generations connected with millions. Remarkably, the content and messages of his talks remain as relevant today as they were when first delivered. Living, Loving and Learning is a delightful collection of Buscaglia's informative and amusing lectures, delivered worldwide between 1970 and 1981. This inspirational book is for all those eager to accept the challenge of life and to profit from the wonder of love.“An investment in life is an investment in change . . . When you are changing all the time, you’ve got to continue to keep adjusting to change, which means that you are going to be constantly facing new obstacles. That’s the joy of living. And once you are involved in the process of becoming, there is no stopping. You’re doomed! You’re gone! But what a fantastic journey!”