People around the world have found inspiration in the story of Lance Armstrong--a world-class athlete nearly struck down by cancer, only to recover and win the Tour de France, the multiday bicycle race famous for its gruelling intensity. Armstrong is a thoroughgoing Texan jock, and the changes brought to his life by his illness are startling and powerful, but he's just not interested in wearing a hero suit. While his vocabulary is a bit on the he-man side (highest compliment to his wife:"she's a stud"), his actions will melt the most hard-bitten souls: a cancer foundation and benefit bike ride, his astonishing commitment to training that got him past countless hurdles, loyalty to the people and corporations that never gave up on him. There's serious medical detail here, which may not be for the faint of heart; from chemo to surgical procedures to his wife's in vitro fertilization, you won't be spared a single x-ray, IV drip, or unfortunate side effect. Athletes and coaches everywhere will benefit from the same extraordinary detail provided about training sessions--every aching tendon, every rainy afternoon, and every small triumph during his long recovery is here in living colour. It's Not About the Bike is the perfect title for this book about life, death, illness, family, setbacks, and triumphs, but not especially about the bike. --Jill Lightner, Amazon.com

The old man has gone 84 days without catching a fish, everything about him is old except his eyes, they are the colour of the sea. He finally catches a fish, but this is no ordinary fish, nor is his fierce and determined response.

A compact, informative and beautifully illustrated RSPB guide to 174 of the most common birds found in Britain. It features concise descriptions of each bird's main characteristics, including plumage, population, habitat, voice and confusion species. This guide features a species per page, including a colour distribution map.

Billy Beane, general manager of MLB's Oakland A's and protagonist of Michael Lewis's Moneyball had a problem: how to win in the Major Leagues with a budget that's smaller than that of nearly every other team. Conventional wisdom long held that big name, highly athletic hitters and young pitchers with rocket arms were the ticket to success. But Beane and his staff, buoyed by massive amounts of carefully interpreted statistical data, believed that wins could be had by more affordable methods such as hitters with high on-base percentage and pitchers who get lots of ground outs. Given this information and a tight budget, Beane defied tradition and his own scouting department to build winning teams of young affordable players and inexpensive cast-off veterans.

Lewis was in the room with the A's top management as they spent the summer of 2002 adding and subtracting players and he provides outstanding play-by-play. In the June player draft, Beane acquired nearly every prospect he coveted (few of whom were coveted by other teams) and at the July trading deadline he engaged in a tense battle of nerves to acquire a lefty reliever.

Besides being one of the most insider accounts ever written about baseball, Moneyball is populated with fascinating characters. We meet Jeremy Brown, an overweight college catcher who most teams project to be a 15th round draft pick (Beane takes him in the first). Sidearm pitcher Chad Bradford is plucked from the White Sox triple-A club to be a key set-up man and catcher Scott Hatteberg is rebuilt as a first baseman. But the most interesting character is Beane himself. A speedy athletic can't-miss prospect who somehow missed, Beane reinvents himself as a front-office guru, relying on players completely unlike, say, Billy Beane. Lewis, one of the top non-fiction writers of his era ( Liar's Poker , Next ), offers highly accessible explanations of baseball stats and his roadmap of Beane's economic approach makes Moneyball an appealing reading experience for business people and sports fans alike. --John Moe, Amazon.com

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, is an account of the ascent of the 21,000ft Siula Grande peak in the Peruvian Andes. Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had achieved the summit before the first disaster struck. What happened and how they dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted is the subject of this book.

To be a great conjurer, you only need to know a few tricks - but you should perform them with skill and style. So to travel the road to card magic, you must begin with the fundamental principles. This book outlines these principles and shows how to master them. It teaches you practical sleights and subtleties that lead to technical perfection.

A day-by-day account of Aron Ralston's unforgettable survival story - his terrible accident, self-amputation, rescue and recovery.

The bestselling compact guide on how to survive in the wild, in any climate, on land or at sea.

A memoir that covers Murakami's four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and settings ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him.

Over 100 different blanket squares can be knitted up to create a dozen afghans in a variety of styles. This book contains projects ranging from baby's first comfort blanket in subdued pastels, to brightly coloured motifs embellished with beads and buttons for teenagers.

Suitable for use with Final Fantasy XIII on PS3 and XBOX 360




A labor of love from our team of devoted Final Fantasy veterans, Final Fantasy XIII: The Complete Official Guide is a comprehensive, lavishly-crafted and - if we may be so bold - downright essential companion for all players who intend to enjoy the full FFXIII experience. Structured for maximum ease of use, it features everything from measured step-by-step guidance to analysis of hidden gameplay mechanics. Whether you use it as a well-thumbed reference tool, or make it a near-permanent fixture on your lap until you conquer every last challenge, this 100% complete guide will answer every question you may have - and, indeed, many you might never have thought of_ Optimum Walkthrough: While the opening hours of play may seem fairly straightforward, FFXIII grows in complexity throughout the adventure. Its later chapters provide numerous opportunities to venture off the beaten track and take on challenges separate to the main storyline. With detailed annotated maps, step-by-step guidance based on user-friendly waypoints, and expert analysis for those attempting a"perfect" playthrough, the walkthrough charts the most rewarding route through the main journey and all optional side-quests, acting as an indispensable tour guide. Essential: FFXIII features a staggeringly rich game system, with many complex mechanics and attributes governing the result of each battle and the development of both characters and equipment. All of these factors (including many hidden variables and calculations) are revealed and - more importantly - explained in an approachable yet accessible manner, with visual graphs and diagrams turning long explanations into immediate"eureka!" moments. Advanced Strategy: Major enemies and bosses can take countless attempts to conquer without advanced preparations and carefully formulated tactics, so forewarned really is forearmed