Richard Branson's life is an adventure, from record-breaking balloon flights to courtroom battles with British Airways. This autobiography of the founder of the Virgin empire, offers an insight into the private and public world of this larger-than-life entrepreneur.
"Brilliant. . . . [Brodie's] scholarship is wide and searching, and her understanding of Burton and his wife both deep and wide. She writes with clarity and zest. The result is a first class biography of an exceptional man."--J. H. Plumb, New York Times Book Review
Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. He knows he can't be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her family's infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. She's the type of girl you don't notice until the second—or third—look, but there's something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows she's the one. Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can't quite believe it's all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can't help thinking that he's hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes.
The eighteenth century essayist, dramatist, journalist and politician Sir Richard Steele is best known today as the principal author of the periodicals ‘The Tatler’ and ‘The Spectator’. One of the most compelling figures of his time, Steele adopted a prose technique characterised by its easy, rapid, humorous and sincere style. His publications represented a new approach to journalism, offering cultivated essays on contemporary manners, establishing a pattern that would influence the course of English literature. This eBook presents Steele’s complete works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Steele’s life and works * Concise introductions to the major texts * All the major tracts, with individual contents tables * Features rare essays appearing for the first time in digital publishing * Images of how the texts were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * The complete plays and poetry, with superior formatting * Includes the complete run of both ‘The Tatler’ and ‘The Spectator’ * Features two biographies – discover Steele’s literary life * Ordering of texts into chronological order and genres CONTENTS: The Prose The Christian Hero (1701) The Spectator Club (1711) The Englishman’s Thanks to the Duke of Marlborough (1712) The Importance of Dunkirk Consider’d (1713) The Crisis (1714) Mr. Steele’s Apology for Himself and His Writings (1714) The Englishman: Being the Close of the Paper So-Called No. 57 (1714) An Account of the Fish-Pool (1718) The Crisis of Property (1720) A Nation a Family (1720) Isaac Bickerstaff: Physician and Astrologer (1887) Miscellaneous Tracts The Dramatic Works The Funeral (1701) The Lying Lover (1703) The Tender Husband (1705) The Conscious Lovers (1723) The School of Action (1725) The Gentleman (1809) Prologues to Plays by Other Writers The Poem The Procession (1695) The Journalism The Tatler (1709-1711) The Spectator (1711-1712) The Biographies Richard Steele (1894) by G. A. Aitken Sir Richard Steele (1900) by Henry Austin Dobson
One of the world's most famous business leaders (and a well-known avian fanatic) explores the pioneers of flight. Bestselling author and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has always been obsessed with the skies. To promote a new Virgin Airlines route, he became the first man to water ski behind a blimp. His Virgin Galactic venture will soon offer ordinary people the opportunity to experience spaceflight aboard the first commercial spaceliner, SpaceShipTwo. In Reach for the Skies, Branson examines the history of aviation over the last two hundred years, putting the spotlight on trailblazers such as: *Tony Jannus, who made the first ever commercial flight over Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1914. *Leo Valentin, the "bird man" who jumped from 9,000 feet wearing a pair of wooden wings in the 1950s. *Steve Fossett, who broke 130 world records in planes, balloons, and airships. The pioneers of flight-not just the world-famous Wright Brothers, but also lesser known visionaries and dreamers-made it possible for any of us with the desire and the commitment to reach for the skies ourselves.
For the last 50 years, drug prohibition laws have put the market for illegal drugs into the hands of organised criminals. Now, it’s time to take control. Ending the failed war on drugs will reduce drug-related violence, tackle organised crime, end the needless criminalisation of millions, and will halt the drain on government funds and resources. In this book, global opinion-leaders on the frontline of the drug debate describe their experiences and perspectives on what needs to be done. Highlighting the pitfalls behind drug policy to-date and bringing to light new policies and approaches, which make a clear case for galvanizing governments to end the war on drugs – once and for all.
The rapid rise in Russia's power over the course of the last ten years has been matched by a stunning lack of international diplomacy on the part of its president, Vladimir Putin. One consequence of this, when combined with Europe's rapidly shifting geopolitics, is that the West is on a possible path toward nuclear war. Former deputy commander of NATO General Sir Richard Shirreff speaks out about this very real peril in this call to arms, a novel that is a barely disguised version of the truth. In chilling prose, it warns allied powers and the world at large that we risk catastrophic nuclear conflict if we fail to contain Russia's increasingly hostile actions. In a detailed plotline that draws upon Shirreff's years of experience in tactical military strategy, Shirreff lays out the most probable course of action Russia will take to expand its influence, predicting that it will begin with an invasion of the Baltic states. And with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump recently declaring that he might not come to the aid of these NATO member nations were he to become president, the threat of an all-consuming global conflict is clearer than ever. This critical, chilling fictional look at our current geopolitical landscape, written by a top NATO commander, is both timely and necessary-a must-read for any fan of realistic military thrillers as well as all concerned citizens.
Richard Branson was the publisher of a small alternative music magazine in London in the early 1970s when he founded Virgin Records with his partner Simon Draper. Together they recruited and developed new talent in the UK's burgeoning music scene, signing and producing bands such as The Sex Pistols. They also recognized the importance of world music, releasing records by John Lee Hooker, Peter Tosh, and many other blues and reggae artists. Eventually Virgin would grow to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny Kravitz, The Smashing Pumpkins, and more on their hit list. Virgin: A History of Virgin Music was written in part by the late great 20th-century literary icon Terry Southern, with candid commentaries throughout by Branson, Draper and Virgin/EMI CEO Ken Berry on the Virgin artists and the evolution of the record label. Featuring hundreds of rare publicity photos, album covers, candid snapshots and quotes, this is a hectic ride through Virgin's hallowed past and a cool archive of a unique period in 20th-century music history.