Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Banged Up! - Doing Time in...

  David Leslie

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  The wartime double agent with a transmitter in his cell to contact suffragettes; the doctor hanged as he smiled to the farewells of lovers on the scaffold; the con who defied a gangland godfather and escaped the bromide in the prison tea; aristocrats and arsonists...The screws who guard Britain's prisons have seen them all. Stir! is the story of six of the country's most notorious jails - Durham, Wandsworth, Pentonville, Wormwood Scrubs, Dartmoor and Holloway - and of the men and women who entered their gates, sometimes stood on their scaffolds and occasionally vanished before their time. The book looks at early punishments, life on hell ships transporting convicts to far-off continents, the growth of prison populations, inmates sentenced to waste away on treadmills, the underworld giant who was birched, children starved and beaten for stealing, and even women forced to eat. Also investigated are the lives and thoughts of scores of inmates, from Oscar Wilde to Oswald Mosley; from Dr Crippen to Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged; from underworld legend Frankie Fraser to a Rolling Stone; and even the man who shot Martin Luther King, Jr.Just like Ronnie Barker's Porridge series, there are laughs too, as we uncover the man who measured bathwater, the prisoners punished for not wearing a collar and tie, the jail bookie who paid out in bread, and the unlucky brewers. The mix is all there in Stir!

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  Great Train Robber The: My...

  Chris Pickard

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  What is it that fascinates so many people about Ronnie Biggs and makes him a household name sixty years on from the crime that made his name? Is it the man or the myth that makes Ron a latter-day Robin Hood, and the odd man out who is best remembered from a gang of sixteen who held up a mail train in August 1963?This book covers Ron's entire life including the Great Train Robbery, his conviction and subsequent escape from HMP Wandsworth. Ron tells how he managed to outrun and outthink the posse of law enforcement officers and the media that chased him around the world as one of its most wanted men. From his time in Australia, to his discovery and arrest in Brazil in 1974, it is all included here. It covers the two attempts to kidnap him, and his son Mike's rise to stardom.For the first time Ron tells exactly what has happened to him since the early 1990s to today, including his strokes, his attempted suicide, the death of his partner and friends, the extradition attempts, the Rio carnival tribute, his decision to come back to the UK, and his much publicised return in 2001 after 13,068 days on the run. It also covers his death in 2013 and the legacy he leaves behind.This is not only Ronald Biggs' autobiography; it is also the most complete biography of one of the most famous names in British life of the last 50 years. A brand new 10,000-word timeline covers not only the life and times of Ronald Biggs, but includes the most detailed timeline and facts ever published about the events surrounding the Great Train Robbery itself.This book will stand the test of time as the most complete telling of the life and times of the man who is Ronald Arthur Biggs, and his part in the Great Train Robbery.

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  Bella Caledonia - An Anthology...

  Mike Small

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  In October 2007, writers Mike Small and Kevin Williamson launched Bella Caledonia at the Radical Book Fair in Edinburgh. Since then, Bella has consistently explored ideas of self-determination and offered Scotland's most robust and insightful political commentary.
  In the run up to Scottish independence referendum, international interest grew and Bella Caledonia had more than 500,000 unique users a month, with a peak of one million in August ― and since then has been given multiple awards recognising it as one of the top 10 political blogs in the UK.
  This anthology, curated by Mike Small, is a flavour of Bella's output over these 14 years ― the editor's pick.
  Bella is aligned to no political party and sees herself as the bastard child of parent publications too good for this world; from Calgacus to Red Herring, from Harpies & Quines to the Black Dwarf.
  Under Mike's editorship, Bella has developed a 'Fifth Estate' as a way of disrupting the passive relationship of old media, creating something more active and appropriate for the 21st century ― it's about concentration of ownership, and bringing together radical coverage with cultural analysis. Hence the plethora of wide-ranging voices in this anthology, each representing outlier viewpoints in contemporary society ― novelists, poets, bloggers and journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and the social media.
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  "Bella Caledonia has been a flagship for progressive thought in Scotland, providing a platform for informed and creative writing, advocating a progressive and independent nation fit for the future."
  Stuart Cosgrove
  "Bella has been to be a constant thorn in the side of the powerful voices who would prefer that conventional wisdom went unchallenged, that awkward questions went unasked, and bold solutions went unheard."
  Peter Geoehgan
  * The Contributors:
  Andy Wightman • Alan Bissett • Brian Quail • George Rosie • Kathleen Jamie • Peter Arnott • Scott Hames • Laura Easton Lewis • Meaghan Delahunt • AL Kennedy • Alistair Davidson • Alastair McIntosh • Katie Gallogly-Swan • Max Macleod • Caitlin Logan • Irvine Welsh • Paul Tritschler • Chloé Farand • Abi Lightbody • Pat Kane • Adam Ramsay • Rory Scothorne • Alison Phipps • Jamie Maxwell • Amna Saleem • Neil Cooper • Dougie Strang • Mairi McFadyen • Christopher Silver • George Gunn • Stuart Christie • George Kerevan • Iain MacKinnon • Dougald Hine • Cait O'Neil McCullagh • Raman Mundair • Gerry Hassan
  About The Editor:
  Mike Small is a writer, journalist, author and publisher. He has written for the Guardian, Sunday Herald, Sunday National, Open Democracy, Variant, Lobster and Z Magazine. He is currently working on a biography of Patrick Geddes and a history of Scottish Anarchism. He has edited Bella Caledonia since 2007.

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  Why Q Needs U - A history of our...

  Danny Bate

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  'A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet... An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' Stephen Fry'An excellent read.' Susie Dent'You'll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate's fascinating linguistic history.' Sunday TimesWhy does 'W' sounds like 'double U'?What has the letter 'Q' got to do with monkeys?Why are the 'C's in circus pronounced differently?What's the point of the second 'N' in the author's first name, 'Danny'?And why does 'Q' need to be followed by 'U'?Every letter you're reading right now has a fascinating story to tell, having been on a long linguistic, historical, political and social journey.In Why Q Needs U, linguistic expert Danny Bate takes readers on a fascinating odyssey through the English alphabet, diving into history, archaeology, politics and linguistics to discover where we get our writing from. Sharing fun facts and revealing the alphabet's hidden mechanisms, he explains where we get our letters from and why the English language uses them so strangely.Explaining - and defending - the peculiar way English today uses our ancient letters, Bate's witty and entertaining book will help readers spot connections in languages across the world and inspire a newfound sense of wonder for the letters we use every day.'Charming' The Economist

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  Squalus Disaster The: The...

  Charles River Editors

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  Given that there’s such little margin for error in a submersible, many submarine losses remain sources of intrigue and mystery, but in American history, few rival the tragedy and drama aboard the Squalus in 1939. On May 23 of that year, the Squalus, one of the U.S. Navy’s newest submarines, was undertaking the latest in a series of test dives off the coast of New Hampshire. She had been commissioned less than three months before and represented the cutting-edge of new submarine technology. Provided with eight torpedo tubes and a three-inch deck gun, Squalus had a range of over 11,000 miles and was capable of running at over 20 knots on the surface. This was a formidable warship, and the test dives undertaken in May were a routine part of preparing the submarine for service. 
  After successfully completing a series of dives over the previous days, on the 23rd, the Squalus undertook practice for one of the most challenging maneuvers, a rapid dive performed while the sub was running at full speed on the surface. This was a vital procedure if the submarine was attacked unexpectedly by an aircraft or surface ship - it had to be able to dive quickly in any circumstances. This practice ensured that the crew, and the submarine, were fully prepared.  
  Tragically, during this test dive, the unthinkable happened: the rear section of Squalus flooded, and the submarine, without power, began to sink to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. 26 men in the rear compartments died in the flooding, but 33 men in the forward compartments were still alive as Squalus came to rest on the ocean floor almost 250 feet below the surface.  
  The situation seemed hopeless to everyone but one naval officer, Lieutenant Commander Charles B. "Swede" Momsen. 

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  The Warren Report - The Murder...

  Geoffrey Giuliano

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  In delving into the examination of the Warren Report, a narrative unfolds, revealing a tapestry of controversies and criticisms that have woven doubt into the fabric of its conclusions. The central pillar of contention revolves around the report's assertion that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, was the sole perpetrator behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 
   
  As the report posits Oswald as the lone gunman, dissenting voices rise, challenging the simplicity of this conclusion. Critics argue that the investigation failed to adequately explore alternative theories that propose the involvement of multiple assailants. This fundamental disagreement casts a shadow over the narrative crafted by the Warren Commission. 
   
  A particularly contentious element within the report is the infamous "magic bullet" theory. This theory contends that a single bullet traversed through both Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally, causing seven wounds in the process. Detractors find this scenario implausible, citing the trajectory and the severity of the injuries as evidence that contradicts the narrative woven by the commission. 
  The narrative takes a twist as the completeness of the investigation comes under scrutiny. Critics contend that key witnesses were left uninterrogated, and crucial pieces of evidence remained inadequately examined. The suggestion that the commission may have overlooked vital information introduces an air of skepticism surrounding the integrity of the narrative.

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