Bøger udgivet af ICON BOOKS

Mindfulness is the popular practice that helps you to appreciate your life, and to live with more joy and less stress. By bringing mindfulness into everyday actions - by listening to your body, becoming more aware of what's happening in the present moment and letting go of negativity - you can reduce stress and anxiety, focus better at work, find your own source of calm and discover genuine contentment. Mindfulness introduces you to new techniques with straightforward advice, case studies and lots of practical exercises for newcomers to get their teeth into right away. It also gives a sense of the depth of mindfulness practice for those who wish to take it further.

Is your inbox overloaded? Feel like your email is controlling your life?You need the ninja way of email management!In this short ebook, an edited extract from Graham Allcott's acclaimed How to be a Productivity Ninja, you'll learn the simple skills to get your inbox down to zero - and keep it there, day after day. Following Allcott's straightforward advice, anyone - from a student to a Chief Executive - can keep on top of their messages and feel in command, calm and up to date. You'll learn to be ruthless, to separate thinking from doing, and how to make your email inbox work for you - and not the other way around!

Actor, producer and director Ben Crystal revisits his acclaimed book on Shakespeare for the 400th anniversary of his death, updating and adding three new chapters. Shakespeare on Toast knocks the stuffing from the staid old myth of the Bard, revealing the man and his plays for what they really are: modern, thrilling, uplifting drama. The bright words and colourful characters of the greatest hack writer are brought brilliantly to life, sweeping cobwebs from the Bard - his language, his life, his world, his sounds, his craft. Crystal reveals man and work as relevant, accessible and alive - and, astonishingly, finds Shakespeare's own voice amid the poetry. Whether you're studying Shakespeare for the first time or you've never set foot near one of his plays but have always wanted to, this book smashes down the walls that have been built up around this untouchable literary figure. Told in five fascinating Acts, this is quick, easy and good for you. Just like beans on toast.

Throughout the history of rugby union, a select few players have stood out above the rest. Bringing together 50 of the finest, this book reveals the fearless scrum-halves, tricky wingers, explosive centres and powerful props that have lit up the game, celebrating their achievements and controversially ranking them in order of greatness. Is the might of Jonah Lomu preferred to the vision of David Campese? Who was more influential, Jonny or Johnno? Which hemisphere has produced the most superstars? And most importantly, who will be named the greatest player of all time? Passionately argued, provocative, and sure to trigger lively debate, this book is a must-read for rugby fans everywhere. Published in time for the Six Nations 2016 and fully updated following the 2015 Rugby World Cup, hosted in England.

In Science for Life acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg cuts through the vested interests and confusing contradictory statements that litter the media and the internet, to give a clear picture of what science is telling us right now about changing our lives for the better. Discover the much-advertised antioxidants that aren't good for you, the truth about fat and sugar and why one of the healthiest foods contains carcinogens and 21 E-numbers. Find out what does and what doesn't enhance brainpower - from the failure of playing Mozart to babies to the surprising abilities of caffeine and nicotine. Understand the tools that advertisers use to persuade us and how to turn the psychological pressure back on them. From the shortcomings of the five second rule to the truth about phone masts and nuclear power, kept up-to-date on a partnering website, Science for Life is your guide to surviving and thriving in the modern world.

Writers' relationships with their surroundings are seldom straightforward. While some, like Jane Austen and Thomas Mann, wrote novels set where they were staying (Lyme Regis and Venice respectively), Victor Hugo penned Les Miserables in an attic in Guernsey and Noel Coward wrote that most English of plays, Blithe Spirit, in the Welsh holiday village of Portmeirion.Award-winning BBC drama producer Adrian Mourby follows his literary heroes around the world, exploring 50 places where great works of literature first saw the light of day. At each destination - from the Bronts' Yorkshire Moors to the New York of Truman Capote, Christopher Isherwood's Berlin to the now-legendary Edinburgh caf where J.K. Rowling plotted Harry Potter's first adventures - Mourby explains what the writer was doing there and describes what the visitor can find today of that great moment in literature.Rooms of One's Own takes you on a literary journey from the British Isles to Paris, Berlin, New Orleans, New York and Bangkok and unearths the real-life places behind our best-loved works of literature.

From the co-author of the brilliant How to Sound Cultured, a wry and incisive guide to the people and ideas that have defined cool.

A hilarious, furious and profoundly useful short guide to the most maddening punctuation in English.

The hilarious, poignant and sometimes bizarre stories of an extraordinary vet in rural FranceSylvain Balteau works as a village vet in the Pyrenees. Equally at home with a sick hamster as with a pregnant Charolais cow, he is permanently on call, immersed in the daily dramas of animals and their people. Since 2007 he has kept a blog, revealing the hidden side of a vet's work and the rich variety of French rural life. As well as caring for the usual puppies and elderly cats, he tries to save a man's pet piglet and patches up hunting dogs after the annual wild boar hunt. Then he can be found carrying a newborn calf into a remote farmhouse to warm up by the fire, or pleading with a farmer's wife on the verge of a heart attack who insists that the vet see her sick cow first Through his work with their animals, Sylvain gains a privileged insight into the people who live with them. In this profound and unsentimental book, he discovers that, in order to love animals, you can't help but love people as well.

Mark Forsyth's bestselling day in the life of unusual, beautiful and forgotten English words, in paperback for the first time

The essential miscellany for all Bronte fans.

Journeying along London's waterways on a canal boat called Pike, Helen Babbs puts down roots for two weeks at a time before moving on. From Walthamstow Marsh in the east to Uxbridge in the west, she explores the landscape in all its guises: marshland, wasteland, city centre and suburb.From deep winter to late autumn, Babbs explores the people, politics, history and wildlife of the canals and rivers, to reveal an intimate and unusual portrait of London - and of life.

Award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar reveals the greatest wonders of the world and the insider secrets on how to see them at their awe-inspiring best.

The mind-bending quiz book that every science geek needs in their Christmas stocking

Positive Psychology will help you to look on the bright side and to find your place in the world around you. With expert encouragement and guidance, you will set out your own positive psychology project to discover your strengths, overcome negative attitudes, focus on what gives you purpose, and take control of your life choices. From savouring positive emotions to building better relationships and developing resilience, you will gain the tools to boost your mental and physical well-being and to find fulfilment in everyday life. This is the perfect concise start to making your life better.

Peter Pugh presents his selection of - not the best, fastest, most successful or richest - but the 50 most influential British men and women of the modern world - for good or ill. Pugh discusses and ranks the influence of scientists and inventors such as Francis Crick, John Logie Baird and Alan Turing; lawmakers and leaders like prime ministers Attlee, Churchill and Thatcher; entrepreneurs including James Dyson, Mary Quant and Terence Conran; and cultural icons like J.K. Rowling, who, in the words of Lisa Simpson no less, 'turned a generation of kids onto reading'. One of the most influential Britons in Pugh's book achieved influence by saying nothing for over 60 years, and the top three places are held by an economist, a scientist and a civil servant In what amounts to a whistle-stop tour through recent British history, this undoubtedly contentious and wholly enjoyable book will spark countless debates across our sceptred isle.

Among the military leaders of the Second World War, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz remains a deeply enigmatic figure. As chief of the German submarine fleet he earned Allied respect as a formidable enemy. But after he succeeded Hitler - to whom he was unquestioningly loyal - as head of the Third Reich, his name became associated with all that was most hated in the Nazi regime. Yet Doenitz deserves credit for ending the war quickly while trying to save his compatriots in the East - his Dunkirk-style operation across the Baltic rescued up to 2 million troops and civilian refugees. Historian Barry Turner argues that while Doenitz can never be dissociated from the evil done under the Third Reich, his contribution to the war must be acknowledged in its entirety in order to properly understand the conflict. An even-handed portrait of Nazi Germany's last leader and a compellingly readable account of the culmination of the war in Europe, Karl Doenitz and the Last Days of the Third Reich gives a fascinating new perspective on a complex man at the heart of this crucial period in history.

A rollercoaster new history for the 50th anniversary of the `Summer of Love', from a music business veteran who was actually there.

Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) involves a range of psychological techniques that help you to 'reprogram' your brain - replacing the negative attitudes that hold you back with positive thought patterns that will enable you to be more effective, confident and successful. In just under 20 simple steps, Neil Shah shows you how to use NLP to develop new habits of behaviour and thought that will help you succeed in all areas of life, from influencing others and understanding how they influence you, to achieving your goals, to managing stress.

Luis Suarez is one of the most brilliant and controversial players in world football. Signed by Barcelona in 2014 despite a lengthy ban for biting an opponent, he quickly became a central figure in their sensational treble-winning campaign, setting the seal on it with the decisive goal in the Champions League final. However, a history of violent on-pitch incidents has left supporters wondering whether the maverick centre forward can ever completely conquer his demons. This updated biography, featuring exclusive interviews with those who have known and worked with him, offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the life and career of one of football's most enigmatic stars.

Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of our time: a magician with uncanny ability to beat defenders, find space and score goals. At the peak of his powers during Barcelona's 2015 treble win - a decade on from his first Spanish title - the four-time Ballon d'Or winner has again eclipsed his rivals and proved emphatically that he has no intention of surrendering his crown just yet. Messi is Luca Caioli's classic portrait of modern football's star turn, now fully updated to include all the action from 2014/15. Featuring exclusive testimony from those who know him best, including coaches, teammates and even Messi himself, it offers an unrivalled behind-the-scenes look at the life of a football superstar.

Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, founded in 1916 to tackle the great killer disease of tuberculosis, is famous for carrying out the UK's first heart transplant operation in 1979. It followed this up not only with many other heart transplants but also with the UK's first heart and lung operation in 1984 and the world's first heart, lung and liver transplant in 1986. With unique access to Papworth's archives, historian Peter Pugh here tells the story of this ground-breaking hospital for the first time. Alongside the background to that first UK heart transplant - and the ethical controversies that surrounded it - Pugh explores the opposition to heart operations in general, Papworth's difficulties dealing with NHS authorities especially over funding, and the discussions for over 50 years as to whether the hospital should move alongside Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. As an insight into the history of medicine and surgery in the UK, as well as a story literally of life and death, The Heart of the Matter will be compelling reading.

From Plato to Virginia Woolf, Structuralism to Practical Criticism, Introducing Literary Criticism charts the history and development of literary criticism into a rich and complex discipline. Tackling disputes over the value and meaning of literature, and exploring theoretical and practical approaches, this unique illustrated guide will help readers of all levels to get more out of their reading.

Spanning ten historic years, from the discovery of nuclear fission in 1939 to 'Joe-1', the first Soviet atomic bomb test in August 1949, Atomic is the first fully realised popular account of the race between Nazi Germany, Britain, America and the Soviet Union to build atomic weapons. Rich in personality, action, confrontation and deception, Jim Baggott's book tells an epic story of science and technology at the very limits of human understanding.

From the ever-curious mind that brought you the bestselling Do You Think You're Clever? comes a brand-new trip to the far reaches of the intellectual universe, courtesy of even more notoriously provocative Oxbridge interview questions. How would you poison someone without the police finding out? (Medicine, Cambridge)What makes a strong woman? (Theology, Oxford)Instead of politicians, why don't we let the managers of IKEA run the country? (Social and Political Sciences, Cambridge)How do you organise a successful revolution? (History, Oxford)Whether you're interested in going to Oxbridge or just want to give your brain a workout, join polymath John Farndon on another exhilarating journey through the twists and turns of thought, and explore just what it means to be genuinely clever - rather than just smart.

A brilliant new Notebook accompanying the Introducing Graphic Guide series

You probably know, or think you know, quite a bit about what happened in the 20th century - chances are, if you're reading this, you lived through at least some of it - and you may have referenced the Cuban Missile Crisis, the double helix, or the Wall Street Crash in conversation. But even for people who were there, it was the fastest-moving hundred years in history, so refresh your memory with these pacey profiles on everything from Sputnik to Stonewall. Twentieth Century presents a unique approach to modern history, condensing 100 years of innovation and art, politics and conflict, triumph and disaster, into 50 graphic snapshots that offer an instant appreciation of the way the world revolves and evolves. Consider which events define a period of history and why. From the Red Army to Black Monday, from Woodstock to the World Wide Web, this is the fastest way to travel in time.

Adapt or die: it's nature's most famous imperative. But how does evolution actually happen? It's too slow to see, but it's going on all around you, all the time. Even if you're on top of the key terms - variation? Natural selection? Parent-offspring conflict? - you still need some context to put them in. From populations to speciation and polymorphism to evolutionary psychology, here's the one-stop source for all you need to know. Evolution unlocks the laboratory of life, dissecting it into the 50 most significant topics that provide the missing links to understand the natural world's four-billion-year ancestry and the process of natural selection in which species either adapt in myriad ways - mutation, ingenuity, and intelligence - to meet the challenges of a changing environment, or die. Unravel the development of living organisms, at micro and macro level - from genes to geniuses.

Lionel Messi is a mesmerising talent who has continued to astound the world of football ever since assuming his role at the heart of a star-studded Barcelona side in 2004. Overcoming a career-threatening growth hormone deficiency, he has won almost everything there is to win, including an unprecedented four FIFA Ballons d'Or. Luca Caioli draws on numerous exclusive testimonies to tell Messi's story, including his parents and extended family, his coaches, those who have played alongside him and even Messi himself. Messi is a revealing portrait of football's most unassuming superstar, updated to include the dramatic 2013/14 season and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in which his match-winning performances finally began to win over his harshest critics - his fellow countrymen.