Collection: Large Print Adult Non Fiction Paperback

To any self-respecting sewing fan, Esme Young needs no introduction. The diminutive judge of 'The Great British Sewing Bee' has a sharp eye for a wonky seam, and an even sharper eye for a good necklace. Her life, in many ways, is the story of post-war Britain. Born in 1949, she spent her childhoo...

Berserk: out of control with anger or excitement; wild or frenzied. Berserkers: an elite Norse fighting corp who, apparently off their tits on hallucinogenic drugs, fought with a particular fury and senseless abandon still present in many Scandinavian heavy metal groups. Ade Edmondson smashed ont...

Welcome to the East End. Life in Cockney London was tough in the post-war years. The government's broken promises had led to a chronic housing shortage, rampant crime and families living in squalor. But one thing prevailed - the unbeatable spirit of the East End, a tight-knit community who pulled...

In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their Nazi captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth. ...

Brought face to face with the author of his obituary and his own inevitable mortality, Edward Stourton is prompted to reflect on the life he has led and the events that have shaped him. Ed was born into a life of privilege: the son of expat parents in colonial Nigeria, he was sent back to Britain...

What do three murderers, Karl Marx's daughter and a vegetarian vicar have in common? They all helped create the 'Oxford English Dictionary'. The 'Oxford English Dictionary' has long been associated with elite institutions and Victorian men; its longest-serving editor, James Murray, devoted 36 yea...

In 1838, a young woman was given a diary on her wedding day. Collecting snippets of fabric from a range of garments she carefully annotated each one, creating a unique record of her life and times. Her name was Mrs Anne Sykes. Nearly two hundred years later, the diary fell into the hands of Kate ...

Dusty Springfield was one of our greatest pop singers. From 60s hits like 'I Only Want To Be With You', 'Son of a Preacher Man' and 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' to her 80s collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys and beyond, she was a musical pioneer and the very essence of authentic white sou...

In the 18th century, as smallpox swept Europe, the first rumours emerged of an effective treatment: a mysterious method called inoculation. But a key problem remained: convincing people to accept the preventative remedy, the forerunner of vaccination. Arguments raged over risks and benefits, and ...

For over four decades, Cameron McNeish has chronicled Scotland's majestic landscapes and the outdoor communities who inhabit them. While much has changed, especially in terms of conservation and access, the hills themselves remain little altered, as do the reasons people visit them. In this colle...