Cricket has perhaps held more writers in its thrall than any other sport: many excellent books have been written about it, and many great authors have played it. The Authors Cricket Club used to play regularly against teams made up of Publishers and Actors. They last played in 1912, and include among their alumni such greats as PG Wodehouse, Arthur Conan Doyle and JM Barrie. A hundred years on from their last match, a team of modern-day authors has been assembled to continue this fine literary and sporting tradition in a nationwide tour in search of the perfect day's cricket. The Authors XI is the story of their season. Over the course of a summer they played over a dozen matches, each one carefully chosen for capturing an aspect of cricket, in some of England's most spectacular and historic grounds, against a wide range of opponents. Each player contributes a chapter about one of their fixtures, using a match report as a starting point for an essay on cricket and its appeal, both historically and today. From Matthew Parker on cricket and empire, and Kamila Shamsie on the women's game, to Tom Holland on cricket and ageing, and Thomas Penn on cricket and history, this is an engaging look at cricket's enduring appeal. Further chapters from other team members examine issues such as class, empire, and sport and the stage.

'Kerry Brown's Xi is the perfect primer for understanding Xi Jinping's status as China's greatest ruler since Mao and as this century's least assailable statesman' John Keay, author of China: A History 'A valuable primer for anyone looking to get up to speed on Xi Jinping's rise to global power' Jeff Wasserstrom, Guardian 'Offers a nuanced and thorough explanation of Xi's China and why the Communist Party, for all its flaws, has long life in it' Oliver Farry, Irish Times Although Xi Jinping came to power a decade ago, he remains an enigmatic figure in the West. His priority has always been to keep Chinese society as stable as possible, steering a course through a period of astounding economic growth, while ensuring that nothing challenges the political status quo. But with unrest stirring in Hong Kong, reports of human rights abuses taking place in the Xinjiang region and, devastatingly, the outbreak of a virus that would change the world, suddenly understanding Xi's China is more important than ever before. In this short and timely book, academic and author Kerry Brown examines the complexities behind the man, explaining the impact that his rule is already having on the West. But who is Xi really, and what is his vision for China's future? And, crucially, what does that mean for the rest of the world?

S. M. Stirling presents his first Novel of the Change, the start of the New York Times bestselling postapocalyptic saga set in a world where all technology has been rendered useless. The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable—and plunged the world into a dark age humanity was unprepared to face... Michael Pound was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane’s engines inexplicably died, forcing a less than perfect landing in the wilderness. And as Michael leads his charges to safety, he begins to realize that the engine failure was not an isolated incident. Juniper McKenzie was singing and playing guitar in a pub when her small Oregon town was thrust into darkness. Now, taking refuge in her family’s cabin with her daughter and a growing circle of friends, Juniper is determined to create a farming community to benefit the survivors of this crisis. But even as people band together to help one another, others are building armies for conquest...

Bestselling author and journalist Rajdeep Sardesai narrates the story of post-Independence cricket through the lives of 11 extraordinary Indian cricketers who portray different dimensions of this change; from Dilip Sardesai and Tiger Pataudi in the 1950s to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli today

A revealing biography of the man making China his own.

本书是习近平总书记的第一部个人专著,真实记录了他在宁德地区工作期间贯彻落实党的路线方针政策,全面建设小康社会,推进中国特色社会主义事业的实践探索,展现了他在经济建设,政治建设,文化建设,社会建设,生态文明建设和党的建设等方面的重要思想,体现了他坚定的政治立场,价值追求和思想风范,具有极强的理论价值和实践价值.本书对于深入学习贯彻习.近平总书记系列重要讲话精神,推动学习贯彻向广度深度拓展,对于当前正在开展的党的群众路线教育实践活动,具有普遍而长远的指导意义.

Inspired by its famous predecessor Chairman Mao's Little Red Book. With close-ups and a real-time camera running approach, this BASIC PAPERBACK EDITION of Xi Dada's quotes is an attempt to reveal the true intentions of China's leader.300+ quotations in 182 pages, from one of the most powerful men in the world today. It also includes the story of "Xi Dada", a foreword, more than thirty notes, plus songs and poems. Out of hundreds of speeches, press releases and news, the authors curated this "best of" covering a choice of subjects since the first moment Xi Jinping assumed office, back in the winter of 2012, until December of 2018. An attempt at composition, with close-ups and a real-time camera running approach, about the true intentions of China's leader.