At the age of thirteen, David Alliance was taken out of school by his father and apprenticed into the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, where he learned the business skills that were to prove invaluable in one of the most successful business careers of modern times. In 1950, with just ?14 in his pocket, he arrived in Manchester in search of textile bargains, going hungry and sometimes forced to sleep on the street. Six years later, however, when he was still only twenty-four, he bought a loss-making textile mill, turned it around in six months and went on to build the biggest textile company in the Western world. At one stage his businesses, including his mail-order company, N Brown Group, employed more than 80,000 people. He did it through a mixture of incredibly hard work, creativity and nerve, and some of his takeovers, often of companies many times larger than his own, were breathtaking in their ingenuity. No obstacle was unscalable - his guiding principle all his life was that everything is achievable 'if you put your heart and soul into it'. Humble, charming and delightfully honest, Alliance's extraordinary rags-to-riches tale is not only that of a remarkable journey, but goes far beyond the world of business. Among many stories which have until now remained secret, Alliance tells of how he used the skills he learned in the bazaar to negotiate with the dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam to allow the Ethiopian Jews to be airlifted to Israel, his friendship with the Shah of Iran and the first-hand insight into the infamous Guinness affair. In A Bazaar Life, written with Ivan Fallon, he sets out the lessons he has learned in a long career, and the principles that have guided him. Young - and older - entrepreneurs can learn a lot from his story.

Annotation This is the story of a long and event-filled life, of sixty-seven years in business and the lessons learned along the way by a remarkable man. Born in the Jewish quarter of a small Iranian town in 1932, David Alliance left school at thirteen, ran his own business in the bazaar in Tehran, emigrated to Manchester at the age of nineteen and, through some of the most spectacular City takeovers of the post-War era, created the biggest textile company in Europe, with over 60,000 employees. But until now little is known of the inner (now Lord) David Alliance, the forces that have driven him, the circumstances which have shaped him and the events which have at times taken him far beyond the borders of the business world. In this book he reveals stories, anecdotes and incidents which he had never even confided to his closest friends or family before: of his early days in Manchester when he had to drink water from the tap to fill his empty stomach before he went to bed at night. Or walking from warehouse to mill until his feet bled because he did not have the bus fare. Of how he slept on the street when his landlady locked him out because he didn't have the rent money. Now eighty, he describes his basic philosophy of life, originally formed in the bazaar, as: 'put your heart and soul into whatever you do, try to improve on and learn from what you did yesterday, and always believe you can find a way of overcoming any obstacle in your way. Never give up - there's always a way'.

McMillan takes readers on a lively tour, from the wild swings of the stock market to the online auctions of eBay to the unexpected twists of the world's post-communist economies.

Ironic and humorous, witty and self-deprecatory, The Afghan Rumour Bazaar reveals the quotidian absurdities of lives framed against the backdrop of a savage war. Offering daringly new perspectives on a country readers may erroneously assume they know, Nushin Arbabzadah delves into the unacknowledged but real secret sub-cultures and hidden worlds of Afghans, from underground converts to Christianity to mysterious male cross-dressers to tales of bacha-posh girlboys. Among the individuals, fables and dilemmas she confronts are 'Why are Imams Telling Us About Nail Polish?, ' 'Afghanistan's Rich Jewish Heritage, ' 'Kabul Street Style, ' 'The Resurgence of Afghanistan's Spiritual Bazaar, ' and not forgetting Malalai of Maiwand, who turned her headscarf into a banner and led a successful rebellion against the British. Arbabzadah reveals for the first time Afghans own vibrant internal deliberations--on sex and soap operas; conspiracy theories; drugs and diplomacy; terrorism and the Taliban; and how a long-dead soothsayer from Bulgaria accidentally shut down a newspaper. Many different Afghan sensibilities are presented in her book, yet together they offer an unvarnished, at times heartwarming, at times tragic, insight into one of the most complex and fascinating countries on earth.

This is the story of a long and event-filled life, of sixty-seven years in business and the lessons learned along the way by a remarkable man. Born in the Jewish quarter of a small Iranian town in 1932, David Alliance left school at thirteen, ran his own business in the bazaar in Tehran, emigrated to Manchester at the age of nineteen and, through some of the most spectacular City takeovers of the post-War era, created the biggest textile company in Europe, with over 60,000 employees. But until now little is known of the inner (now Lord) David Alliance, the forces that have driven him, the circumstances which have shaped him and the events which have at times taken him far beyond the borders of the business world. In this book he reveals stories, anecdotes and incidents which he had never even confided to his closest friends or family before: of his early days in Manchester when he had to drink water from the tap to fill his empty stomach before he went to bed at night. Or walking from warehouse to mill until his feet bled because he did not have the bus fare. Of how he slept on the street when his landlady locked him out because he didn't have the rent money. Now eighty, he describes his basic philosophy of life, originally formed in the bazaar, as: 'put your heart and soul into whatever you do, try to improve on and learn from what you did yesterday, and always believe you can find a way of overcoming any obstacle in your way. Never give up - there's always a way'.

"Will understands the life-enhancing abilities of colour. He's a true talent with a keen eye." Jonathan Adler This book will take readers on an inspiring journey to discover fifteen decor destinations that each have a distinct and inspired style. From the colourful cool of Miami Brights to the eclectic urban hipster warehouses of Brooklyn and the nautical feel of the Hamptons and Normandy, a diverse mix of decor styles will be explored. The homes will mirror their surrounding environments, and room analysis for every space in the home will show readers how they can recreate their favourite looks and styles no matter where they live. Our homes are a reflection of how we live and nothing impacts on that more than where we live, and the lifestyle we lead. This book will take readers on an inspiring and tactile journey to discover the decorating style that represents their personal style, all demonstrated via Will's personal and evocative travel imagery, charming illustrations and personality-packed homes across the globe. By inspiring readers to look to their surroundings and call on their own travel memories and personal journeys, the book will be the practical yet playful travel companion the reader needs to create their own Destination Decor style.

The acclaimed author recounts his epic journey across Europe and Asia in this international bestselling classic of travel literature: “Compulsive reading” (Graham Greene). In 1973, Paul Theroux embarked on a four-month journey by train from the United Kingdom through Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In The Great Railway Bazaar, he records in vivid detail and penetrating insight the many fascinating incidents, adventures, and encounters of his grand, intercontinental tour. Asia's fabled trains—the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express—are the stars of a journey that takes Theroux on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Brimming with Theroux's signature humor and wry observations, this engrossing chronicle is essential reading for both the ardent adventurer and the armchair traveler.