Gifts bringing
Your Christmas gift dilemmas solved by our selection of brilliant reads
THE COLOUR OF TIME: A NEW HISTORY OF THE WORLD 1850-1960
by Dan Jones & Marina Amaral
Apollo, £25
Artist Marina Amaral takes 200 historic black-and-white photos of iconic figures, from a young Queen Elizabeth to Amelia Earhart in the cockpit of her plane, and uses digital wizardry to bring them to striking full-colour life. Historian Dan Jones sketches the context.
THE PENGUIN CLASSICS BOOK
by Henry Eliot
Particular Books, £30
This handsome cloth-bound hardback would make a lovely gift for book lovers, displaying Penguin jackets alongside a potted history of the books and their authors, from the ancient world to modern classics. It will also turbo-boost their reading list.
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF LADYBIRD BOOKS FOR GROWN-UPS
by Jason Hazeley & Joel Morris
Michael Joseph, £18.99
In this collection of 337 comical spoof book covers, the authors give archive children’s books cynical new titles from The Ladybird Book Of Human Insignificance to Industrial Accidents, while an image of three rats is entitled The Estate Agent. 2018’s funniest giftbook.
SPEECHES OF NOTE
by Shaun Usher
Canongate, £30 Following on from the acclaimed Letters Of Note, Shaun Usher gathers 75 speeches that changed the course of history such as Meghan Markle tackling equality at the UN Women Conference and Marie Curie talking about her discovery of radium. BECOMING
by Michelle Obama
Viking, £25
Superstar equality campaigner Michelle Obama tells her life story from her humble beginnings to qualifying as a high-flying lawyer. Then she met her husband Barack. A thoughtful and engaging memoir from the former First Lady.
MY LOVE STORY
by Tina Turner
Century, £20
Rock goddess Tina Turner marks 60 years in the music business with an honest and touching autobiography. She recounts how she left an abusive relationship with Ike Turner and found happiness with second husband Erwin, despite health battles and devastating grief.
BLOWING THE BLOODY DOORS OFF AND OTHER LESSONS IN LIFE
by Michael Caine
Hodder & Stoughton, £20
The Oscar-winning actor shares an amusing collection of starstudded anecdotes and life lessons drawn from six decades of big-screen success. A bright, breezy and entertaining read.
A BETTER ME
by Gary Barlow
Blink Publishing, £20 In this candid memoir, Gary Barlow recalls his darkest days after
Take That split and his solo career tanked. Depressed and overweight, he knew he had to turn his life around – and he succeeded. The ever-likeable Barlow tells an unexpectedly emotional tale without self pity.
EAST OF CROYDON: BLUNDERINGS THROUGH INDIA AND SOUTH EAST ASIA
by Sue Perkins
Michael Joseph, £20
Comic Sue Perkins recalls her epic trek along the Mekong River from Vietnam to the snowy peaks of Tibet to film a BBC documentary.
Hampered by a fear of flying, anxiety and hypochondria, her self-deprecating account is as moving as it is hilarious.
FIRST MAN IN: LEADING FROM THE FRONT
by Ant Middleton
HarperCollins, £20
Ant Middleton, best known for SAS reality TV show Who Dares Wins, served in the Special Boat Service, the Royal Marines and 9 Para – the “Holy Trinity” of Britain’s elite forces. Here he recounts lessons learnt from a military life in a story of pluck, determination and dedication.
HOW TO BE A FOOTBALLER
by Peter Crouch
Ebury Press, £20 Footballer Peter Crouch has been dubbed the “funniest man in British sport”, and his autobiography is full of revelations, insights and gossip. He spills the beans about the madness of the modern game with terrific anecdotes and unexpected confessions.
IN OUR TIME
by Melvyn Bragg and Simon Tillotson
Simon & Schuster, £25
Melvyn Bragg’s Radio 4 programme In Our Time has been an oasis of intelligent conversation for 20 years.
This beautifully produced volume includes 50 of its most thought-provoking discussions, ranging from dark matter and gin to Ancient Greek philosophy and the Salem Witch Trials.
THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR
by Ben MacIntyre
Viking, £25 The true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB officer who was an MI6 spy for 11 years before bosses recalled him to Moscow.
British spooks then had to rescue him from the Soviet Union and smuggle him out. A tense tale of bravery, betrayal and double-dealing as gripping as any thriller.
THE MYSTERY OF THE EXPLODING TEETH AND OTHER CURIOSITIES FROM THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE
by Thomas Morris
Dutton Books, £14.99
A witty account of bizarre medical tales from history, from the French soldier in India who operated on his own bladder