BILL BRYSON presents a fascinating exploration of THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. This highly entertaining BBC Radio 4 series is written and presented by Bill Bryson and based on his bestselling book, Mother Tongue. In it he romps through the history of Britain to reveal how English became such an infuriatingly complex - but ultimately world-b...

The team from I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue present their own unique take on Lewis Carroll's most famous work, casting their reluctant chairman - the late Humphrey Lyttelton - in the title role, with support from Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Sandi Toksvig, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Rob Brydon, Jeremy Hardy and Jacke Dee, with Colin...

Do you know someone who is incensed by compulsory tipping? Who is infuriated if kept on hold for more than a minute? Who is positively apoplectic if someone answers their phone during dinner? If so, you've probably encountered the phenomenon of the grumpy old man. Following their first massively successful BBC1 series, this autumn will see the grum...

Stephen Fry hosts four programmes on the joys of the English language - as heard on BBC Radio 4. Current Puns Why does our language groan with the weight of puns? What exactly is a pun? And who, or what, is the Thief of Bad Gags? Metaphor The English language is chock-full of maritime metaphors: cock up, taken aback, chip on your shoulder and show...

Part of the 'Family Doctor' series and published in association with The British Medical Association, this is a valuable resource for anyone who suffers from anxiety. It is also helpful for those studying or for people who may be in contact with someone who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. Chapters include: causes, symptoms, theories and typ...

Simon Barnes is one of Britain's leading bird writers and humorists. His weekly column in 'The Times', his essays for the RSPB magazine and his two books on bad bird-watching have made him one of the characters of the bird world. Here he reads his own illuminating introductions to the fifty main birds of Britain, supported by the distinguishing bir...

Controversial and compelling, this audiobook reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. Truman Capote's comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved. At the centre of his study are the amo...

The Apollo moon programme has been called the last optimistic act of the twentieth century. Over a strange three-year period between 1969 and 1972, twelve men made the longest and most eccentric of all journeys and all were indelibly marked by it. In this audiobook, Andrew Smith sets out to find and interview the remaining moonwalkers in order to l...

Victoria's irreverent pilgrimage takes her to key places around the world that also share her namesake, from Fort Victoria in Ghana, to Victoria, Nova Scotia, and finishing at Zambia's Victoria Falls. Victoria's adventure is fuelled by her fascination with the Queen Victoria - both her public and private persona. She explores how Victoria felt abou...

Until the early 1990s, when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, travelling behind the iron curtain was never easy. In undertaking his new journey through Eastern Europe, breathing in its rich history and exquisite sights, and talking to its diverse peoples, Palin fills what has been a void in his own experience and that of very many others. This au...

At midnight on 15 August 1947, India left the British Empire. This defining moment of world history had been brought about by a handful of people: Jawaharlal Nehru, the fiery Indian prime minister, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the new nation of Pakistan, Mohandas Gandhi, the mystical figure who enthralled a nation, and Louis and Edwina Mountbatte...

At the age of 19 Laurie Lee had left home, walked to London and then travelled on foot through Spain. Here he describes a return journey to Spain in which he crossed the Pyrenees during the time of the Spanish Civil War. This audiobook is on the Edexcel reading list for GCSE.

In this audiobook Dawkins argues for the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm it has inflicted on society. He suggests that while Europe is becoming increasingly securalised, the rise of religious fundamentalism, whether in the Middle East or Middle America, is dangerously dividing opinion around the world - and all from belief in a...

In the autumn of 1988 Michael Palin set out to circumnavigate the world, following the route taken by Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier. He had to make the journey in 80 days - accompanied by a BBC film crew - using only forms of transport that would have been available to Fogg. Their voyage took them from the opulence of the Orient Express to the ste...

This is John Grisham's first work of non-fiction. In the major league draft of 1971, the first player chosen from Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A's, he left his hometown of Ada and went to pursue his dreams of big league glory. Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits. He began to sho...

Alain de Botton asks: What makes a house truly beautiful? Why are many new houses so ugly? Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas and pictures - and can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved? Will minimalism make us happier than ornaments? To answer these questions and many more, de Botton looks at buildings across the world, from m...

In the United Kingdom, over 110,000 people have a stroke for the first time each year. This audiobook, published in association with the British Medical Association, is a clear and accessible way to understand strokes. Part of the Family Doctor series.

Part of the Family Doctor series. This audiobook will help you to understand the causes, symptoms and treatments of these common eye conditions.

Part of the Family Doctor series. This audiobook aims to give an understanding of Parkinson's disease, presented in a clear and accessible way. It is suitable for study and helpful to those who know anyone with Parkinson's disease or has it themselves.

Part of the Family Doctor series. This audiobook will help listeners to understand stress and gives tips and advice on how to cope with it.

In this work Darwin challenged many of the most deeply held beliefs of the Western World, and therefore it is high on any serious list of the most important and influential books ever written. This audiobook has been abridged to remove those chapters that are now known to be wrong, notably those concerned with genetics.