Best Selling Books by Geoff TIBBALLS

Stocking a garden with plants can be an expensive business, so there are few things more frustrating than when the prized specimen for which you have paid a king''s ransom either online or at a garden centre shrivels up and dies within a year or so of purchase. If you can prove that the plant was half-dead when it arrived, you may able to obtain a refund from some online retailers, but for the most part you have to put it down to experience and make a firm mental note not to buy fussy plants in future. The problem is that many websites and catalogues claim that everything they stock is easy to grow. Herbaceous perennials are a particular minefield. Too often you are told that a certain plant ''will come back year after year'' without fail when in reality it is either so tender that the only chance of it surviving an average British winter is in a greenhouse or it is a short-lived perennial that is unlikely to flourish beyond two years anyway - and even then only if the local slugs and snails are on a diet. This book cuts through the horticultural sales pitches by listing 100 plants which, for little care beyond the essential watering at planting time, can reliably be expected to thrive in just about any garden. These plants are all but indestructible - pests give them a wide berth, they will prosper in any reasonable garden soil and will withstand anything that the UK climate throws at them. Divided into sections for shrubs, conifers, climbers, perennials, grasses, annuals, alpines and bulbs and with each entry having a Value For Money (VFM) rating out of 10, this easy-to-use guide will prove invaluable not only for the new gardener but also for old hands who are fed up with wasting time and money on plants that all too rapidly lose the will to live. With these suggestions, you can be assured of year-round colour and interest in your garden for the minimum of effort.

The classic pocket guide to the language of London. This wonderful little guide to cockney rhyming slang contains over 1,700 old and new rhymes translated from Cockney to English and English to Cockney, including: Custard and jelly - telly Hot cross bun - nun Lemon tart - smart Rock ’n’ roll - dole Sticky toffee - coffee ...and many more. Master the art of the Cockney rhyme and discover the Cockney origins of common British phrases.

Chronicles the events surrounding the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004.

Although Tibet and Nepal were initially forbidden to explorers so that the elusive peak remained a distant vision through the Himalayan clouds, the challenge captured the imagination of the world''s mountaineers.

In New Year, Same You you''ll find lots of laugh-out-loud humour to brighten your day (or not). Filled with words from the wise, this is the perfect book for grumps everywhere.

"Traces the history of the popular British comedy series, and offers plot summaries for all 69 episodes." -- Amazon.com.

YES, IT''S EUROVISION TIME AGAIN! THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE EUROVISION FAN IN YOUR LIFE! For 60 years the Eurovision Song Contest has existed in a parallel universe where a song about the construction of a hydro-electric power station is considered cutting-edge pop, where half a dozen warbling Russian grandmothers are considered Saturday night entertainment, where a tune repeating the word ''la'' 138 times is considered a winner, and where Australia is considered part of Europe During those sixty years we have witnessed scandals: in 1957, Denmark''s Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler enjoyed an outrageously long 13-second kiss because the stage manager forgot to say ''cut'' during the live broadcast. We have witnessed national outrage: the 1976 Greek entry was a savage indictment of Turkish foreign policy in Cyprus. But most have all we have witnessed silly costumes, terrible lyrics and performers as diverse as Celine Dion and Dustin the Turkey. This book chronicles the 100 craziest moments in the history of Eurovision - the drag acts, the bad acts, the nul points heroes and the night in Luxembourg when the floor manager warned the audience not to stand up while they applauded because they might be shot by security forces. It captures some of the magic from this yearly event that continues to beguile and bemuse in equal measure.

Nobody does irony or sarcasm like the English. The Wicked Wit of England is celebration of British humour, featuring a collection of stories, anecdotes, quips and quotes that capture the various idiosyncrasies of the English character.

A tribute to Peter Sellers, and celebration of his career in comedy. There are tales of behind-the-scenes antics and practical jokes, a list of film appearances, cast and crew notes, and insider gossip. Interviews with Paul Merton, Steve Coogan, Michael Palin and Spike Milligan are also featured.

An illustrated collection of oddities that are sure to shock the reader.

''He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn''t like it - you can see it all over their faces'' - Ron Atkinson ''Rugby is a good occasion for keeping thirty bullies far from the city centre'' - Oscar Wilde Whether over the moon or sick as a parrot, sportsmen and women can invariably be relied upon to come out with a humorous quote...even if it''s not always intentional. The Bowler''s Holding, The Batsman''s Willey provides the definitive collection of sporting wit, from participants and observers alike. The book covers the full gamut of the sports spectrum and provides over 4,000 side-splittingly funny quotes - some examples of incisive sporting wit, others inadvertent howlers never to be forgotten; ranging from the cutting remarks of Brian Clough and Muhammad Ali to the studied observations of John Arlott and the hilarious gaffes of Murray Walker. The Bowler''s Holding, The Batsman''s Willey is an absolute must for any sports fan.

When we think of the world''s great sporting events, we tend to focus on spectacles such as the World Cup, the Olympics, the Derby, the Monaco Grand Prix or the University Boat Race. Yet there is also an alternative world of competition where participants risk life, limb and often dignity for meagre rewards in truly weird sporting pursuits. Step forward the Indonesian sport of sepak bola api, a variation of football in which the barefoot players kick a ball that is on fire; Germany''s Mud Olympics, at which competitors play soccer, volleyball and handball while knee-deep in mud; yak racing from Mongolia; Oregon''s Pig-N-Ford Races where drivers speed around the track while carrying a live pig under one arm; and Australia''s variation of the Boat Race, the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, where, instead of rowing, teams carry their boats along the dry bed of the River Todd. This book lists geographically the world''s 100 weirdest sports events, giving full details of their rules and colourful history. They include the grotesque (the national sport of Afghanistan is buzkashi, in which riders on horseback aim to drag the headless carcass of a dead goat towards their opponents'' goal), the dangerous (Japanese hardcore wrestlers batter each other with glass fluorescent light tubes instead of their bare hands), and the downright daft in the form of the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, the World Flounder Tramping Championships, the World Gravy Wrestling Championships and the World Shin-Kicking Championships. Races are staged in all kinds of transportation. Canada is home to the Great Klondike Outhouse Race (for portable toilets), the Vancouver Bathtub Race, and the Windsor Pumpkin Regatta; Colorado hosts the annual Emma Crawford Coffin Races; and the pride of Yorkshire is the Great Knaresborough Bed Race, where teams push a bed (containing human occupant) along a 2.4-mile course that requires a wet crossing of the River Nidd. Animals feature heavily, too. As well as traditional races for ostriches (complete with jockeys), cockroaches (no jockey required), armadillos, sheep, and Oklahoma City''s splendid Dachshund Dash, rubber-duck racing is one of the fastest growing sports of recent years with events being held in several countries. Other competitions test an animal''s ability to do more than just run or float, such as elephant polo, dog surfing, camel wrestling, rabbit show jumping and pig diving. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that in the near future we may even be treated to synchronized pig diving. Although the plunging porkers might disagree, the appeal of many of these sports is enhanced by taking part. If cheese rolling or volcano boarding are too energetic for your taste, ice golf or underwater hockey too uncomfortable, and lingerie football wouldn''t show off your legs to best effect, you could always enjoy more leisurely pursuits like the world championships in rock, paper, scissors or pooh sticks. If, on the other hand, you prefer a watching brief, you could try your hand at cow patty bingo, a North American contest where a field is divided into numbered squares, and contestants bet on which square the cow will take a poop. It is probably the only occasion in life when you can make money from one number two on top of another.

An illustrated companion to the acclaimed TV comedy drama, now in its third series. It includes profiles of the series'' main characters, interviews with the cast, crew and the creator, and takes a behind-the-scenes look at the filming.

More than 150 amusing and interesting lists, ranging from 10 Creatures With Their Own Lights to 20 Choice Political Insults and from 10 Curious Royal Deaths to 10 Near-misses in the Golf Majors. There are lists from the following categories: People, Creatures, Music, Film & TV, The World. and Sport.

We had a battle of magic at Odd Street School! A magician came to do a show and he tried to hatch a scary Zombie Bird out of a silver egg. Eekyfreak! But thanks to Bianca''s trombone, a secret trapdoor, and Martha being invisible ... the Zombie Bird turned out to be the funniest thing ever ha ha! (If you''re scared of magic like our friend Ellie, don''t worry. This book won''t turn you into a frog. Or a rabbit!) Hope you like it, and thanks for reading this BLURB!

Contains information about, illustrations of, and statistics and records pertaining to sports, sporting events, and athletes, discussing basketball, body building, skydiving, running, and more.

A hilarious (or groan-worthy) look at the rite of passage that all dads go through. Do you think your jokes are hilarious, without fail? Ever thought something was sidesplittingly funny only to have the rest of your family look at you with pity and disdain? It probably means that you''ve succumbed to the dorky, ill-advised things all Dads say and do - the things you swore you''d never do! - you''ve fallen for Dad-isms. In this hilarious book you''ll find embarrassing anecdotes and true stories, cringeworthy jokes, sayings, quotes and all manner of quirky nonsense that dads come up with to keep you (but mostly him) amused. From excruciating things dads say at weddings to the cheesy phrases that make you sigh but him guffaw, from dad dancing to the crazy things they save up for the most inappropriate moments... these dad-isms are so bad they''re almost good.

Misfortune is never far away on the field of sport. Just when everything seems to be going to plan, the fickle finger of fate can strike without warning to turn a celebration into a commiseration. Ask the Russian marathon runner who turned the wrong way on entering the stadium at the 1954 European Championships and promptly saw a gold medal become bronze; or the jockey who didn''t bother riding his horse flat out because he was mistakenly convinced there was still a circuit to go; or the Irish boxer who took a swing at his opponent, missed, crashed out of the ring and succeeded in knocking himself out. Spanning three centuries and a multitude of sports, this is a classic collection of the finest calamities.

An official product of the Club, and the perfect gift for the Kopite in your life This collection contains more than 185 quotes on Liverpool Football Club from legendary players, great managers, famous fans, and envious opponents. Liverpool''s place in English soccer''s hierarchy is recognized around the world and almost every high-profile star on the move gets linked with the Anfield club. Under manager Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool remain the benchmark for success. Title No. 19 remains the Holy Grail, but cup success is a common theme, including the record-setting eighth League Cup success in 2012. No British club is close to matching Liverpool''s eight cup victories in Europe, and they came within inches of achieving another eight-timer, this time in the FA Cup two months later. From Alan Hansen and Graeme Souness through Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, and Jamie Redknapp to Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, few clubs can boast as many people with so much to say for themselves, especially in the case of ex-manager Bill Shankly, English soccer''s most quoted man. Liverpool have a proud tradition and a very loyal support, and this book captures the flavor of both.

An omnibus edition of three true-crime books - Contract Killers, containing 15 tales of hired murderers; Spree Killers, exploring cases involving orgies of random violence; and Sex Killers, featuring individuals such as Jack the Ripper and Jeffrey Dahmer.

This guide toThe Billrecalls the daily lives of the officers at Sun Hill and reminds us of some of the infamous criminals. It goes behind the scenes to reveal the trickery and secret techniques that help bring the drama to the small screen. Illustrated throughout with over 150 photographs, it takes fans back to the days of Roy Galloway and follows the dramas at Sun Hill since then. There are additional features on the best stunts, reactions from the press and exclusive interviews with key cast and crew members. This book will cover every aspect of the tough, fast-moving show that has gripped viewers all over the world for two decades. Recently revised to include the most up to date information.

A guide to the first 12 years of Channel 4''s Brookside. It includes maps and a house-by-house look at all those who have lived in the Close, and at the major events.

"The most bizarre, controversial, heroic, and unlucky stories from more than 100 years of Olympic events, now updated with strange stories from Beijing 2008 and the run up to London 2012"--Publisher.

A book which ties in with the BBC''s revival of the 1970s show, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), which introduced television''s first ghost detective, who helped his very-much-alive partner to solve baffling cases.

This illustrated encyclopaedia covers more than 300 British and American television detective series. The information includes descriptions of the series, characteristics of the detectives, their working methods and styles, cast lists, episode guides, production credits and transmission dates.