Roger is plunged into a major engineering works as an apprentice after an idyllic childhood in Sussex. As he progresses from one shop floor to another, he finds a common factor of good, earthy humour, real help whenever he needs it and a wealth of hilarious stories shared whilst sitting round on toolboxes during tea breaks. Within the works, despite the practical jokes and the factory ladies’ very colourful language, Roger becomes increasingly aware of the engineering import and deep skills in the workforce around him. Finally, Roger has his spell on Outside Erection. Here he comes face to face with real responsibility and learns the extent to which everyone’s lives depend upon the reliable outcome of the manufacturing skills that he is learning.Throughout their time at the works, the apprentices adopt a rather unconventional attitude to their learning that ensures life is never dull. Such goings-on are quite normal and indeed secretly expected by the management. After all, wasn’t everyone in the business an apprentice at one time..? Tales from the Toolbox is a humorous autobiography which will appeal to anyone connected with the industry, past and present.

Now readers have the rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at European road racing. Former Motorola Cycling Team mechanic Scott Parr spins tales from his years of turning wrenches for America's top pro cycling team. Parr's unique perspective and his state-of-the-art insight into the technowizardry of modern professional cycling provide a real treat for the reader of cycling literature. -- Delivers the insider's story on such great racers as Lance Armstrong, Phil Anderson, Sean Yates, Frankie Andreau, and Axel Merckx

Writing.

Featuring 450 full-color photos and 241 of the world's foremost narrative jewelry makers, this book showcases the best of what today's makers, ranging from newly graduated students to the luminaries of the jewelry world, have to offer us: jewelry that's designed to evoke a range of thoughts and feelings. Do you have a piece of jewelry that offers a story? What story does the jewelry we own or desire tell? Why are you attracted to some pieces, but repelled by others? The answers unfold in this contemporary compendium, also featuring a foreword by jewelry professor and expert Jack Cunningham, PhD, and text by artists Jo Pond and Dauvit Alexander (The Justified Sinner). The makers and images selected for this book are a broad representation of the genre of narrative jewelry, and offer a fascinating look for anyone who wears, collects, or has an interest in jewelry or design.

Tales from the Toolbox is a unique collection of behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes as told, in their own words, by former Grand Prix mechanics who have worked at the top level of the sport during the past 50 years. On the front line of the sport, mixing with drivers and team bosses, they saw a side of it that nobody else got to see and rarely gets to hear about – and this book tells their story. Chapters are themed around a particular aspect of a mechanic’s life, ranging from what they consider the highs and lows of their career, to their opinions of drivers and team bosses, the all-nighters, letting off steam, the ‘Mechanic’s Gallon,’ nightmare journeys and customs capers. It also reveals a tale of camaraderie between teams and individual mechanics which is hard to imagine in today’s highly competitive Formula One environment. The stories are supplemented by photographs from the archives and photo albums of the mechanics themselves, many of which are previously unseen.

In this delightful story, by the same author who wrote When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree, a boy is disappointed with his grandfather's gift--until he learns he can use it to build exactly what he wanted with his own two hands, and a little help from grandpa, of course You asked for a special house for your dolls; but instead Grandpa gives you a toolbox What do you do? Launching it into outer space is a bad idea. So is feeding it to a T. rex Instead, be patient, pay attention, and you might find that you're pretty handy. And just maybe, with grandpa's help, you'll get that dollhouse after all. This clever story celebrates kindness, hard work, and community, as well as variety in gender expression: the male main character proudly engages in activities that might be considered typically girl (playing with dolls) and typically boy (building with tools).

In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches. Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.