New Releases by Alan Garner

''I salute him with the most heartfelt respect and admiration'' PHILIP PULLMAN ''One of Britain''s greatest writers'' FINANCIAL TIMES ''Alan Garner''s world is unbearably beautiful and dangerous'' GUARDIAN In this lyrical and revelatory memoir, Alan Garner, Booker shortlisted author of Treacle Walker, reflects on the lifetime of learning and experience that has led him to become one of the best loved British writers of our time. In dazzling essays, poetry and stories, we trace the line of his life: from a working-class childhood in the landscape of Cheshire during World War II, through a grammar school education and on to the University of Oxford, and then home to see if he could become what he most desired: a writer. We see the serendipitous moments that drove his course, from coming-of-age in a period of great cultural change, to crossing paths with a famous mathematician while out long-distance running, to the fateful day he chanced across Blackden, the medieval hall, miraculously located next to the giant telescope at Jodrell Bank, that was to become his lasting home and the setting for Treacle Walker. We also hear the influences and ideas that have shaped his work: his Grandfather Joseph and family of craftsmen; the history, folklore and ancient landscape of Cheshire; a profound love of storytelling across the ages and a sense of wonder for the ineffable magic of creativity. As Garner tells us, a lifetime of working with a pen produces the powsels and thrums of research, imagination and story. These oddments can be shaped into something more than its parts: a vivid tapestry of a creative life that will inspire any reader, and what a celebration it is. ''Better than anyone else writing in English today'' THE TIMES ''A unique genius'' NEW STATESMAN ''One of the most distinct and profound writers we have'' GUARDIAN

Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize An extraordinary, “playful, moving, and wholly remarkable” (The Guardian) coming-of-age novel filled with myth and magic from one of England''s greatest living writers. An introspective young boy, Joseph Coppock is trying to make sense of the world. Living alone in an old house, he spends his time reading comic books, collecting birds’ eggs, and playing with marbles. When one day a rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker appears on a horse and cart, offering a cure-all medicine, a mysterious friendship develops and the young boy is introduced to a world beyond his wildest imagination. Luminous, evocative, and sparely told, Treacle Walker is a stunning fusion of myth, folklore, and the stories we tell ourselves.

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR From one of our greatest living writers, comes a remarkable memoir of a forgotten England. ''The war went. We sang in the playground, "Bikini lagoon, an atom bomb''s boom, and two big explosions." David''s father came back from Burma and didn''t eat rice. Twiggy taught by reciting "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and the thirteen times table. Twiggy was fat and short and he shouted, and his neck was as wide as his head. He was a bully, though he didn''t take any notice of me.'' In Where Shall We Run To?, Alan Garner remembers his early childhood in the Cheshire village of Alderley Edge: life at the village school as ''a sissy and a mardy-arse''; pushing his friend Harold into a clump of nettles to test the truth of dock leaves; his father joining the army to guard the family against Hitler; the coming of the Yanks, with their comics and sweets and chewing gum. From one of our greatest living writers, it is a remarkable and evocative memoir of a vanished England.

Learn the secrets of effective communication from the most popular book in the world for teaching conversation skills – almost one million copies sold! Fully updated for the 2020s, Conversationally Speaking provides proven communication strategies, based on hundreds of research studies, as well as the authors'' own experience teaching conversation workshops. Now you can use this expertise to get more out of your everyday interactions with family, friends, and coworkers. Everybody thinks that some people are born with the "gift of gab" and some people aren''t. But the truth is there is no "gift of gab." People who are good at conversation just know a few simple skills that anyone can learn. This book will teach you those skills. With Conversationally Speaking, you will learn how to: Ask the kind of questions that promote conversation Interest people in what you have to say Achieve deeper levels of understanding and intimacy Handle criticism constructively Overcome shyness and become more confident Listen so others will be encouraged to talk to you Find out why Toastmaster Magazine calls Conversationally Speaking "the classic how-to book in social communication" and why Dr. Aaron Beck, whose work has had a major influence on thousands of psychologists, calls it "of great value for people who want to sharpen their skills in interpersonal relations."

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service Two timeless classics from one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time.

A captivating novel by the author of the 2022 Booker Prize-longlisted Treacle Walker Based on a true story, Strandloper tells the extraordinary tale of a nineteenth-century Englishman, William Buckley, who was convicted and transported to Australia. Refusing to accept his fate he escaped and lived among the Aborigines for thirty years. In this visionary novel, Alan Garner is as true to William the Cheshire bricklayer and William the Aboriginal spiritual leader, as William is true to his fate. The result is extraordinary. ''A remarkable feat of literary imagination'' Sunday Times

A gripping time-slip novel by the author of the 2022 Booker Prize-longlisted Treacle Walker Here John Turner was cast away in a heavy snow storm in the night in or about the year 1755. The print of a woman''s shoe was found by his side in the snow where he lay dead. So reads an enigmatic memorial stone, high on the bank of a prehistoric Pennine track in Cheshire, a mystery that lives on in the surrounding hill farms. John Turner was a packman. With his train of horses he carried salt and silk, travelling distances incomprehensible to his community. John brought ideas as well as gifts, from market town to market town, from places as distant as the campfires of the Silk Road. In the twenty-first century, two hundred and fifty years after John''s life, Ian and Sal''s world resounds with the echo John''s death. Walking on the moor one day they slip between time and are lost somewhere between Jack''s vanished world and their own. This poetic, fantastical novel is is an evocation of the lives and the language of all people who are called to the valley of Thursbitch. ''Eerie and immaculately written'' Olivia Laing, Observer

What happens if you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night? How do you trick the most insufferable boy in the village? What would you do on your birthday if you were a lobster? Find out in this short story collection. Chucklers is a collection of books that make reading a pleasure.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The much-loved classic, finally in ebook. Enthralling sequel to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker The much-loved classic, finally in ebook. Winner of both the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal, this is an all-time classic, combining mystery, adventure, history and a complex set of human relationships.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The much-loved classic, finally in ebook. First published over 50 years ago, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The much-loved classic, finally in ebook. Stunning new CollinsVoyager edition of Alan Garner’s collection of folklore.

This concluding volume of the ''Weirdstone trilogy'' features Professor Colin Whisterfield who spends his days at Jodrell Bank, using the radio telescope to look for his lost sister in the Pleiades. At the same time, and in another time, the Watcher cuts the rock and dances, to keep the sky above the earth and the stars flying.

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Adult Children of Alcoholics -- a wonderful book that affirms and encourages AcoAs by developing skills for living. Imagine how good you would feel if · You could stand up for yourself without losing your temper · You could make a decision without second guessing yourself · You didn''t have that sense of worthlessness every time someone criticized you · You could learn how to say no and stick with it In Lifeskills for Adult Children you can learn how to do these things and more. This book is designed specifically for Adult Children and teaches skills to make your complex adult life easier, while improving your sense of self-worth. Examples are provided to help clarify the lessons and exercises are given to help you practice your new skills. So, if you have difficulty · Asking for what you want · Solving problems · Handling criticism · Saying no read Lifeskills for Adult Children - you''ll be glad you did.

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The definitive collection of traditional British folk tales, selected and retold by the renowned Alan Garner.

Sometimes people are so busy communicating they don''t listen to each other. "Talk Language" tells you how to understand what people are really saying, and why. Words represent only a small part of the information transmitted in conversation; just as important are circumstances and body language.

In language as resonant as bells, a renowned novelist tells of young courage outwitting old evil. When a boy doesn''t return from his confrontation with a subtle witch, his sister sets out through the forest to find him. Full color.

In this collection of lectures and essays, Allan Garner shows how, over the years, his thinking and writing have developed. They also demonstrate the wide range of his concerns and his scholarship: language, literature, education, mental health, anthropology, archaeology, myth, the spiritual quest, philosophy, music and film.

A retelling of the story of a resourceful hen that not only makes her own food and eats it herself, but manages to outwit a hungry fox as well.

The author of the million-seller "Conversationally Speaking" takes an incredible physical and spiritual journey in the eternal search for meaning in our lives. Deciding to seek out wise men and women, he travelled to Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, India and Australia. Join him on his wondrous quest -- and let it help guide you in your own search.

Each of the four titles describes a day in the life of a child of the Garner family, one from each of four generations.

Sets forth techniques for improving interpersonal communication and features effective strategies for promoting conversation, handling criticism, resisting manipulation, and developing self-confidence

When his sled is "Tom Fobbled" by another boy, William''s grandfather makes him another from an old oak loom.

Robert learns that his secret place has another secret the day his soldier uncle comes home to help with the corn harvest.

A collection of stories about fools drawn from American Indian, African, Irish, Gypsy, Sumatran, Flemish and British sources.