by Oxford University Press

The Very Short Introductions series was launched in 1995 with Classics by Mary Beard, and now represents a wide variety of topics in history, philosophy, religion, science, and the humanities. By the end of 2008 the series will consist of over 190 titles.

The series is phenomenally successful and, enjoying worldwide critical acclaim, has grown to become the favourite general introduction series for the intelligent reader. Each week 10,000 Very Short Introductions are sold around the world, and the series has been published in over 25 languages.

Ideal for train journeys, holidays, and as a quick catch-up for busy people who want something intellectually stimulating, Very Short Introductions combine authoritative analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make often challenging topics highly readable. These vibrant and accessible books can change the way you think about the things that interest you, and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. From a lucid explanation of the essential issues in Islam to a lively insight into the complex theory of poststructuralism, and a non-technical assessment of the very matter that makes up the universe in Cosmology, Very Short Introductions make often challenging topics highly readable and have proven to be extremely popular with general readers, as well as undergraduate students and their lecturers.

''Great price, beautifully designed and produced, authoritative content and inviting subjects covered - if only all publishing hit these heights.'' - The Bookseller

''a fascinating series of ''all you need to know'' introductions by experts to complex topics'' - The Times

''The Very Short Introductions series are fantastically informative books...'' - Big Issue in the North

''I am addicted to this series of pocket-portable introductory lectures.'' - Guardian Review

''these Very Short Introductions have a style and integrity all of their own'' - Scotsman

''a thoroughly good idea. Snappy, small format... stylish design... perfect to pop in your pocket for spare moments'' - Lisa Jardine, The Times

''series of instantly accessible handbooks that neither shame our ignorance nor frighten us with their erudition. All are to be applauded'' - Oxford Times

''always invigorating'' - Independent on Sunday



WIN! You could win the complete set  of the ‘Very Short Introduction’ series, just go to our book quiz to take part, and you could be filling in those knowledge gaps!

Do you have secret debt or overspending behaviour?

Then it’s time to go on a ‘debt diet and recovery programme’ with the money psychologist!

According to Psychologist & Money-Management Expert, Christine Thompson-Wells, Author of 39 Steps & 39 Days to Debt Recovery - a concept and a system for Managing Your Money (available on www.planet-press.biz & www.amazon.co.uk, £9.99 from 1st October 2008, Planet Press) the credit crunch could be a savings grace for people who are currently in a Debt Ditch and in need of sound recovery advice.

39 Steps & 39 Days to Debt Recovery will help ANYONE find doable solutions, FAST. “Once we take responsibility and give ourselves time to re-evaluate the whole situation we can see things in a clearer, less frightening light,” advises Christine. “Keeping calm is important as it’s our emotional state that interferes with our rational mind.” The core strategy within 39 Steps & 39 Days to Debt Recovery is:

 

• Face the reality FAST

• Create a plan and a system

• Make the commitment

• Use, motivation, change, goals, reviewing your plans, setting boundaries and identifying your values about yourself and money

• Find a Money Buddy you can trust

• Seek to change poor spending behaviours/attitudes

‘The Money Psychologist’ advises, “The credit crunch will stop many debts from increasing! Now’s the time to use your mind in ways to support you and clear the debt. Take a serious look at why the debt incurred. Create a doable plan and keep focused on what it will be like to live debt-free.

Mental denial of the problem will be more expensive in the long-term. Learning to say ‘no’ and identifying the difference between a want and a need is both enlightening and empowering!”

It’s the ‘want’ which is the childlike desire that craves for what it thinks will satisfy us, only to find that when we have acquired it, we are no longer satisfied and the need to repeat is created.

In her book Christine reveals the seriousness of how debt interferes with the congeniality of mind & body. She provides sound solutions for dealing with negative stress and urges extreme self-care. There are numerous checklists, grids, charts and logs and plenty of proven strategies for keeping the ‘Demons of Temptation’ at bay!

Christine candidly shares her painful story of enforced bankruptcy in Australia in 1998. (see footnote). 39 Steps & 39 Days to Debt Recovery is a compelling easy to read book that definitely tells you what your best friend might not!



Christine’s Top 7 Tips:

1. Don’t let debt get the better of you. Face it, and commit to working to reduce it and through the experience of letting go of poor spending habits. Fact is, if there is debt with your name on it, you own it.

2. Debt is only about material possessions. You really can do without certain things and can restart again if you need to.

3. Debt is a no-bar prison - often a self-imposed prison sentence - the stress of being in this type of prison will shorten your life span: do everything you can to get out of debt jail. Become proactive in your thinking and in all your actions.

4. Try to speak about your situation with a high calibre sound-minded, non- judgemental, competent confidante.

5. Make plans for a future without debt. Work with your mind: your subconscious mind is the best friend and money guru you will ever have. When treated with respect, it only works for your benefit and your survival. When treated with neglect it will work against you for as long as the neglect is applied.

6. If you are in a deep financial crisis, give yourself an imposed Time Out Break (without expense!) to de-stress, find perspective and to make plans. Keep a money journal/ledger recording every expense and outgoing - the daily cappuccinos, unused gym membership, the wrong mobile phone tariff for our actual use - all add up!

7. We aren’t always directly responsible for the debt we find ourselves in. Life can hand out some severe lessons without our assistance. However, if your name is on the debt you have to take responsibility for it and get out of the Debt Ditch.

Stockists Information: Available on www.planet-press.biz www.amazon.co.uk

For details of forthcoming open workshops and seminars presented by Christine Thompson-Wells call 0118 926 3466.

Secrets from the Inside

By Stewart Ferris

‘Anyone can publish their own book, and the cost can be as little as zero.’

When you’ve written a book you want to see it in print. You want people to read and enjoy it. The only thing standing in your way is the publishing industry which rejects 98% of submitted manuscripts. Why not skip months of collecting rejection slips and simply join them at their own game?

Stewart Ferris created one of the UK’s first self-publishing facilities, offering authors all the services and advice they needed to publish and sell their own books.  He went on to be the co-founder of a successful, conventional, consumer publishing company (which has twice bee short-listed for the Independent Publisher of the Year Award and has been in business for almost 20 years!)

...Stewart Ferris explains everything you need to know to be able to convert your manuscript into a printed book and to get that book sold in the shops, or to sell it online as an eBook. 

How to Publish Your Own Book is ideal for those who want to ‘go it alone’ and is written in an accessible style with straight forward advice. Full of hints and tips from someone who’s publishing business began when he published his own first book!

About the author: During 14 years’ experience in the publishing industry Stewart Ferris has published over 400 books, rejected 10,000 manuscripts and has written more than 20 books that have been translated into 6 languages. He has also written for stage, film, television and radio. Stewart is based in Chichester, West Sussex

This book is the latest of a series written by Stewart Ferris and published by Summersdale.

How to Publish Your Own Book is published by Summersdale (ISBN: 978 1 84024 519 6; PB; 160 pages; £6.99). It is available through all good bookshops and internet booksellers or by telephoning Mail Order at Summersdale on: +44 (0) 1243 771107

Bizarre traditions, unique quirks and odd ceremonies in fact, all the things that define Britain as a land of marvellous eccentricity

Jane Peyton, ISBN: 978 1 84024 706 0, Hardback, 256 pages, £9.99 Now available

Brilliant Britain is an entertaining compendium of the marvellous quirks, oddities and idiosyncrasies that define our nation and preserve us from being mundane and predictable.

This book lifts the lid on Britain’s rich heritage of eccentricity and diversity, exploring unique rites and peculiar traditions.

... imparts extraordinary knowledge. Through its pages you will learn:

• why you must salute the Seigneur of Swans

• how to compete at the Worm Charming Championships

• the legend behind Stargazey Pie

and much, much more besides!

From the sublime to the ridiculous, there’s plenty to amuse and inform, with topics including Rural and City; Royal and Religious; and Hobbies and Pastimes. 

Practical information on dates and locations of events that can be visited is included.

Brilliant Britain is a real treat for Royalists and Roundheads alike – and for visitors to Britain will find lots in this book to entertain them too!

Author, Jane Peyton is based in London and is the author of Pub Scene (2006); Fabulous Food Shops (2005); Looking up in Edinburgh (2004) and Looking up in London (2003).

Brilliant Britain is published by Summersdale and available through all good bookshops and internet booksellers or by telephoning Summersdale.

Competition to write a modern Wind in the Willows announced...

How would Ratty, Toad and Badger – some of English fiction’s most iconic and much loved characters – cope in the 21st century? That is the question posed by an exciting new writing competition to celebrate the centenary of Kenneth Grahame’s classic book – The Wind in the Willows on 8 October 2008.

Will Ratty be looking for love online? The water vole is the UK’s fastest declining mammal, the population having fallen by almost 90 per cent in seven years. With less water vole totty about, Ratty may have to search further afield to find the future Mrs. Ratty! [Wildlife statistics for all points in notes to editors].

 Will Toad Hall get repossessed as the credit crunch bites? As the toad’s natural habitat declines, so too does the UK’s amphibian population, and that’s not all… Will Motor-mad Toad abandon his car to save his fellows? As the UK’s cash strapped drivers worry about filling their cars with fuel, British toads worry about getting splattered - cars are one of the biggest killers of toads today, with an estimated 20 tonnes of toads squashed every year.

will Badger get an ASBO for spreading Bovine TB? With badgers in the frame for the spread of Bovine TB, will upstanding and respectable Badger get served with an Anti Social Behavior Order! 

Will Mole be forced to shop in Tesco or Aldi? Earthworms, which form the bulk of a Mole’s diet, are being devoured by the ever-increasing population of the invasive New Zealand flatworm. So Mole may have to struggle with rising food costs at the local supermarket instead!

The competition has been launched by The River & Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames, (www.rrm.co.uk) - home to the UK’s only permanent exhibition on The Wind in the Willows. The challenge is to re-frame Kenneth Grahame’s famous book for the 21st Century by creating a short story (under 4,000 words) in a contemporary riverside setting which reflects a drastically changing world. The winner will receive an assessment from top fiction consultancy Real Writers as well as £500. Second and third places will also receive cash prizes.  Full competition entry details are available at www.rrm.co.uk

The judging panel will be made up of award-winning writers for children and young adults - Beverley Birch (Rift), S.I. Martin (Jupiter Williams), Paul Bryers (Kobal from The Mysteries of the Septogram), and Sarah Mussi (The Door of No Return). Paul Mainds, Trustee and Chief Executive, River & Rowing Museum: “The Wind in the Willows is one of the great treasures of children''s fiction. Kenneth Grahame knew all about the power of the river on the imagination, and on our real lives. This competition gives authors the opportunity to re-animate these themes and make them more relevant for today''s young readers, especially in light of the environmental issues that now effect our rivers and the wildlife that lives in and around them. Entries don''t have to be about the River Thames, they can be about World Rivers and even mythical and fictional rivers. The brief is wide open for interpretation!”

The three winning stories will be published on the Museum’s website and will be available to readers online for 12 months. Entrants must be over 16 years old. Competition closes on 15 March 2009. For full terms and conditions visit www.rrm.co.uk.

If you''re thinking of entering the competition, why not seek inspiration at the The River & Rowing Museum’s Wind in the Willows exhibition? The museum is one of the UK’s leading regional and sporting museums, boasting over 100,000 visitors a year. And at just £5.00 (£7.00 for adults) for admission for a whole year – it’s a complete bargain! The Museum galleries also explore the ecological, environmental and leisure uses of the River Thames as well as the international sport of rowing – areas close to hearts of the characters in Wind in the Willows.