‘Wine is a good, familiar creature and once bitten, that’s it.’ Len Evans Len Evans was bitten early and that was it. He remained an enthusiastically successful promoter of the ‘good, familiar creature’ until his untimely death in 2006. But after almost half a century of a life in wine, he wasn’t keen on getting into the autobiography business. ‘I was asked to write my memoirs,’ he said in 1985, ‘but I didn’t like the idea – for one reason I’m still living them, and for another, my many conceits do not include a belief that my life has been particularly fascinating.’ Well, he didn’t write his memoirs but he left us something else that is uniquely Evans – an anecdotal ramble through a life devoted to the production, promotion – and drinking! – of wine. There are occasional detours to paint a picture of an old mate, tell a wise or hilarious wine tale, or just spin a good yarn. And there was many a yarn garnered in the new Welsh migrant’s progress from ring-barking trees in the bush to washing glasses in a pub, writing comedy sketches and embarking on a career-changing role in a major hotel before becoming established as a restaurateur, vigneron and ultimately – almost inevitably – as Australia’s most influential wine personality. In 1979, Len wrote of a friend’s book, ‘It’s a funny book, it’s a serious book. It contains something for every wine lover.’ Few words could better describe what he has left us in Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Wine. Praise for Len Evans ‘There was, and will only ever be, one Don Bradman – and only one Len Evans AO, OBE.’ – James Halliday ‘[Len Evans is] the finest judge of wine I know.’ – Hugh Johnson ‘Len Evans has done more to advance the cause of Australian wine than any other individual.’ – The Oxford Companion to Wine

In this informative and amusing book - updated by Jonathan Ray to include 12 new wines - Simon Hoggart provides a highly personal selection of more than 100 exciting and eclectic wines that are invariably good value. Life's Too Short to Drink Bad Wine is aimed at the amateur wine lover prepared, occasionally, to spend a little more than supermarket prices to get something special. Simon eschews pretentious 'wine-speak' yet describes his encounters with each of them so wittily you will be sure to remember them. The wines are arranged alphabetically with entries interspersed with interesting features varying from how to read a wine label or on how to buy wine, to an account of the Judgment of Paris, when Californian wines beat the French in a blind tasting. From the 112 selected, Simon has awarded ten of them Top 10 status. At the back of the book is a source list of wine makers, distributors and merchants.

A collection of short pieces on topics dear to Paul Henry’s heart – some outrage him, some will outrage you, and others will outrage everybody. A smattering of sample topics: tipping; political zealots of all persuasion; dog owners; people who just stop at the top of escalators; roadwork signs that haven't been put away; closed-minded people; queueing; people who steal the magic from chidren's eyes; rubbish on the street; surcharges; children on planes; Twitter; wine served too cold; lights left on when no one's in the room PLUS much more. There are even terrific pieces on things Paul loves such as baseball; Las Vegas; nudity; road trips; boats; and knowing he's right. Written with the same flair, comic genius and deadpan delivery as his first bestselling book What was I thinking this is an excellent read that'll leave you chuckling, even if you disapprove of much of the content.

"You can't unring a bell." "It takes a village to raise a child." "Life is just a bowl of cherries." We sometimes think of proverbs as expressions of ancient wisdom, but in fact new proverbs are constantly arising. This unique volume is devoted exclusively to English language proverbs that originated in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The most complete and accurate such collection ever compiled, The Yale Book of Modern Proverbs presents more than 1,400 individual proverbs gathered and researched with the help of electronic full-text databases not previously used for such a project. Entries are organized alphabetically by key words, with information about the earliest datable appearance, origin, history, and meaning of each proverb. Mundane or sublime, serious or jocular, these memorable sayings represent virtually every aspect of the modern experience. Readers will find the book almost impossible to put down once opened; every page offers further proof of the immense vitality of proverbs and their colorful contributions to the oral traditions of today.

'There is a war for the best managerial and professional talent', writes Michael Williams. Commercial success depends largely on attracting, motivating and retaining high performers who can drive the business forward. Companies that get it wrong soon find competitors swooping in. The War for Talent helps employers to: - spot individuals with outstanding talent or potential; - mobilise and distribute widely the vital corporate store of intellectual capital; - coach and mentor key players so as to empower them to achieve early results; - put together reward packages high-flyers expect; and - keep talented employees enthusiastic, committed and delivering. This text sets out principles and powerful self-assessment profiles so that readers can pinpoint their skills and areas of improvement.