New Releases by Michael Bond

''A celebration of human idiosyncrasy and of our talent for building shared meaning and solidarity out of the strangest material'' – TLS Fans takes the reader on a journey through a constellation of fandoms, and along the way demonstrates some fundamental truths about the human condition. Fascinating and thought-provoking, Fans is a story of communities, of what happens to us when we interact with people who share our passions. The human brain is wired to reach out, and while our groupish tendencies can bring much strife (religious intolerance, racism, war, etc.), they are also the source of some of our greatest satisfactions. Fandoms offer much of the pleasure of tribalism with little of the harm: a feeling of belonging and of shared culture, a sense of meaning and purpose, improved mental well-being, reassurance that our most outlandish convictions will be taken seriously, and the freedom to try to emulate (and dress like) our hero. But acclaimed science writer Michael Bond shows that despite these benefits, the world of fandoms is not without its dark underside, from the “copycat effect” fuelling mass shootings to the delusions that can accompany the parasocial relationships that fans feel they have with their heroes. In Fans, Michael Bond draws on the work of social psychologists and anthropologists to understand how people behave in groups and why such groups have such a profound effect on human culture.

A funny picture book about Paddington, the world’s favourite bear – now a major movie star!

A funny picture book about Paddington, the beloved, classic bear from darkest Peru - now a major movie star! For more than six decades, stories of Paddington Bear have delighted children all over the world. When Mr Gruber takes Paddington on a special outing to St Paul''s Cathedral, there is one surprise after another. But the biggest of all comes when Paddington is mistaken for a choir bear and suddenly finds himself joining the choir for a most unusual rehearsal!

A funny, festive picture book about Paddington, the beloved, classic bear from darkest Peru.

A Wired Most Fascinating Book of the Year “An important book that reminds us that navigation remains one of our most underappreciated arts.” —Tristan Gooley, author of The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs “If you want to understand what rats can teach us about better-planned cities, why walking into a different room can help you find your car keys, or how your brain’s grid, border, and speed cells combine to give us a sense of direction, this book has all the answers.” —The Scotsman How is it that some of us can walk unfamiliar streets without losing our way, while the rest of us struggle even with a GPS? Navigating in uncharted territory is a remarkable feat if you stop to think about it. In this beguiling mix of science and storytelling, Michael Bond explores how we do it: how our brains make the “cognitive maps” that keep us orientated and how that anchors our sense of wellbeing. Children are instinctive explorers, developing a spatial understanding as they roam. And yet today few of us make use of the wayfinding skills that we inherited from our nomadic ancestors. Bond tells stories of the lost and found—sailors, orienteering champions, early aviators—and explores why being lost can be such a devastating experience. He considers how our understanding of the world around us affects our psychology and helps us see how our reliance on technology may be changing who we are. “Bond concludes that, by setting aside our GPS devices, by redesigning parts of our cities and play areas, and sometimes just by letting ourselves get lost, we can indeed revivify our ability to find our way, to the benefit of our inner world no less than the outer one.” —Science “A thoughtful argument about how our ability to find our way is integral to our nature.” —Sunday Times

Paddington has warmed the hearts of generations of readers with his earnest good intentions and humorous misadventures. This brand-new edition of the classic novel contains the original text by Michael Bond and illustrations by Peggy Fortnum and R.W. Alley. Somehow Paddington always manages to find himself in strange situations. From a squishy miscommunication involving oysters and public transit to a case of mistaken identity, there’s never a dull moment when a certain bear is around! Paddington Races Ahead is the thirteenth classic novel about Michael Bond’s beloved classic character, Paddington Bear.

A brand-new title from Michael Bond chronicling new and exciting adventures of Paddington Bear! Somehow Paddington always finds himself in extraordinary situations, so it is no surprise when he appears in a popular TV cooking show, finds himself on a stage giving one of his hard stares to a hypnotist, and performing some precarious tricks at Mr. Gruber’s birthday party. For nearly sixty years, Paddington has enchanted readers around the world with his numerous misadventures and earnest good intentions. From master storyteller Michael Bond, and with interior illustrations by R. W. Alley, this new Paddington adventure will charm and delight readers of all ages.

According to the Director of Le Guide, France''s premier gastronomic companion, it is high time his inspectors moved with the times and opened their ranks to the fairer sex. And who better to oversee their initiation than Monsieur Pamplemousse?However, when the Director, normally a model of rectitude, hints that on no account must the trainee be allowed to make the grade, Monsieur Pamplemousse is suitably outraged. His indignation lasts only until he hears her name. The Director is right. The lady in question is known to be utterly unscrupulous in the use of her considerable physical charms and her permanent engagement would cause unrest amongst the other inspectors, not to mention their wives.But there are other problems. Having blackmailed the Director into taking her on, why is she so insistent on staying at the Hotel des Dunes; an out-of-the-way establishment in the Gironde, unremarked even by the Camping Club of France, let alone by any of the major guides? Certainly not because of the food, as Monsieur Pamplemousse dejectedly discovers.And why, having created a scene because she didn''t get the room she wanted, should one of her first acts be to photograph the dismal interior of the hotel?When Monsieur Pamplemousse''s ever-faithful bloodhound Pommes Frites is seen ambling back to the hotel carrying a suspiciously large jambon, Monsieur Pamplemousse realises that once again he must stand firm against the forces of crime...

Called to a Provencal film set to vouch for the gastronomic authenticity of director Von Strudel''s latest Biblical advertising extravaganza (what was on the menu at the Last Supper?) restaurant inspector Monsieur Pamplemousse is surprised to find his sleuthing skills, acquired during a stint at the Surete, considerably more in demand. Exploding strawberries, adulterated cast food and sundry other mysterious occurrences all point to a saboteur or, at best, an infuriating prankster on the set. But when the star of the sequence of perfume adverts, Brother Angelo, a heavy-metal heart-throb who has been cast against type as Jesus Christ, seemingly vanishes into thin air, it is clear matters have gone beyond a joke.

Ever eager to expand the influence of France''s leading gastronomic guidebook beyond her native shores, the Director of Le Guide has been cultivating a useful transatlantic connection in the form of a certain Mrs Van Dorman. Ex-parfumier, presently a publishing magnate and, in her spare time,a fan of private-eye novels, Mrs Van Dorman has deserted the relative safety of La Grande Pomme to accompany a group of crime writers to a recreation in Vichy of a banquet given by Alexandre Dumas before he started work on yet another sequel to The Three Musketeers. And who better to escort her than Monsieur Pamplemousse, Surete sleuth turned top-rank gourmet? Monsieur Pamplemousse himself could think of a number of more suitable candidates, especially when it becomes apparent that the assignment involves a grand entry dressed as d''Artagnan, mounted on an uncomfortably rampant black charger. But when cyanide turns out to be a surprise ingredient of the murder tour it is soon clear that Monsieur Pamplemousse - aided by the unerring nose of bloodhound Pommes Frites - is the only man for the job...

Enjoy six hilarious picture books, all about Paddington the nation s favourite bear, now a major movie star in this special gift edition suitcase with carry-along handle. Paddington Bear is a distinguished small bear of earnest good intentions who gets drawn into mishap and adventure at every turn. Thankfully his great sense of logic and determination manage to get him out of most scrapes, albeit in perhaps some rather unconventional ways. Find out what happens when Paddington gets all the wrong kind of attention at the zoo, how he finds his way out of a maze, and how he helps out around the house with messy results The Paddington books contained in the suitcase are: Paddington and the Marmalade Maze Paddington and the Tutti Frutti Rainbow Paddington at the Palace Paddington at the Zoo Paddington Minds the House Paddington the Artist"

When the Brown family meets a bear on Paddington Station, their lives are never the same again, as ordinary things become extraordinary when a bear called Paddington is involved.

The Channel Tunnel is all very well as a mundane means of crossing La Manche but there are those who still believe in airships as the luxury transport of the future. In a rare spirit of entente cordiale, the governments of France and Britain agree to a trial run, and plan a grand inaugural flight involving their heads of state. But - quelle horreur! - the organisers have overlooked the most important part of every French occasion - the food and the wine. Honour is at stake and a desperate call for help goes out to Le Guide, France''s most distinguished gastronomic publication. Monsieur Pamplemousse, ex Surete sleuth turned food inspector, is called on to rectify matters.The assignment gets off to an inauspicious start. As he nears the launch site in Brittany, Monsieur Pamplemousse''s 2CV is run off the road by a carful of decidedly ungodly nuns. And the lady trapeze artist who rescues him clearly has something other than the evening''s acrobatics preying on her mind. When an old friend cuts him dead, he suspects the worst...

Critic/sleuth Pamplemousse has a lot on his plate when he investigates a terrible and strangely popular hotel.

When one of five restaurant-owning brothers vanishes into thin air, Monsieur Pamplemousse''s detective skills are called into play. A delicious blend of gastronomic delight, teasing mystery, and pure comedy.

Sealed with a sticky paw! First class correspondence from the nation''s favourite bear, Paddington – now a major movie star!

Monsieur Pamplemousse and his trusty dog, Pommes Frites are called into Le Guide''s offices early one morning and presented with a string of Leclercq''s plaintive conundrums - all relating to his mobster uncle-in-law. These include a letter about a juicy steak turned brisket, a dead restaurant owner and a giant truffle delivered by post . With all these seemingly random problems at hand, Pamplemousse attempts to unravel each but it quickly proves impossible as they overlap and tangle at every turn - usually making him look the fool.

Rise and shine! Paddington Bear has a busy day ahead. From sunup to sundown, Paddington has a lot of things to do, people to see, and tasty treats to eat. Paddington Bear has charmed readers for generations. Written in simple rhyme for younger fans, and paired with R. W. Alley''s lively art, this board book is a great introduction to Paddington and all of his activities.

The garlic-laden winds of change are blowing through the vineyards of Burgundy. Under threat from the increasing use of pesticides is the helix pomotia: the humble snail, the main ingredient for escargot Bourgignon. Meanwhile, on the Canal de Bourgogne, Monsieur Pamplemousse is lecturing a group of international wine buffs on the fruits of the region, a task from which he is distracted by a Marilyn Monroe look-alike. It turns out that skulduggery among the vines will be the least of Monsieur Pamplemousse''s worries.

The irresistible Paddington Bear, who was found on Paddington station, returns in this reissued novel, with an updated cover design.

The irresistible Paddington Bear, who was found on Paddington station, returns in this reissued novel, with a brand new cover design.

‘ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS!’

“Bears like Paddington are very rare,” says Mrs Bird, “and a good thing too, or it would cost us a small fortune in marmalade.”

“A bear on Paddington Station?” said Mrs Brown in amazement. “Don’t be silly – there can’t be.”

The Browns are going abroad, and Paddington considers a holiday in France is not to be taken lightly, So he packs a disguise outfit, his magic set and a map of France printed on a tea towel.

“I’ve never known such a bear for smelling things out,” said Mrs Bird.

When Monsieur Pamplemousse got an urgent summons from the Director of Le Guide, he knew that there was trouble at the top. His faithful canine companion, Pommes Frites, noticed it too. But neither of them expected that the trouble would involve a nun who was in the habit of joining the Mile High Club or a full-scale smear campaign targeting Le Guide''s credibility as France''s première restaurant and hotel guide. Someone has been spreading worrying rumours among the staff and infiltrating the company files - awarding hotels prizes for bedbugs and praising egg and chips signature dishes. Even Pommes Frites has become a victim of the assault. It could all spell the ruin for Le Guide, but Pamplemousse is on the case.

Paddington – the beloved, classic bear from Darkest Peru – is back in this fantastically funny, long-awaited, brand new illustrated novel from master storyteller Michael Bond!

Paddington Bear first met the Brown family at a railway station - Paddington station, in fact. He had travelled all the way from Darkest Peru with only a jar of marmalade, a suitcase and a label reading ''Please look after this bear''. Without further ado, Mr and Mrs Brown promptly welcomed the adventurous bear into their family, and in honour of their meeting place they named him Paddington.The Browns soon discover that Paddington is a most unusual bear. Ordinary things - like having a bath - become quite extraordinary when a bear called Paddington is around!To celebrate fifty years of Britain''s best loved bear, we are delighted to publish a luxury book and toy gift set of the first classic picture book story and a collectors'' edition Paddington plush bear.

A hilarious story of everyone''s favourite bear, Paddington - now a major movie star! For Paddington, one of the nicest things about being a bear and living with the Brown family is being able to share their lovely garden. And though he may not have "green fingers", the fact that paws and marmalade are never far apart leads to some unexpectedly colourful results during National Garden Week!